Pirates Are People Too

by Nico Grey

Chapter 1

Meatloaf.

Again.

The boy sighed as he set his lunch tray down on the table and carefully inspected its contents.

At least the school didn't serve meatloaf every day, Josiah temporized as he examined the suspiciously beige slab of possibly-meat on his plate. And at least it was potentially more interesting than the oatmeal that had been waiting for him at the breakfast table a few hours earlier. Possibly. But it was the first day of school and the cafeteria had started off the new year in the same boring way that it ended the previous year.

Josiah sighed again.

There was a tune in the back of his mind that was teasing him. "Bat Out of Hell", he realized. That might be appropriate. Meat Loaf. And it was entirely possible that the main course on his tray started life as a bat. There was no evidence he could see to prove that it hadn't.

Josiah's gaze shifted to the other objects on his lunch tray. A blond brownie, the menu on the blackboard in the serving line had claimed. It was suitably beige. But Josiah knew from past experience that didn't mean anything. It could have started out as a fudge brownie before someone among the crack team of dieticians working in the school kitchen had forgotten to add chocolate. He set it aside. Whether he ate it or not would depend on how well the 'bat out of hell' settled in his stomach.

There was also a half pint carton of milk on his tray. At least the cafeteria workers couldn't ruin that, he reasoned. On reflection, he cautiously examined the expiration date on the carton.

The final item on Josiah's lunch tray was a small bowl of something green-ish. 'Some kind of stewed vegetables?' he speculated to himself, before concluding that it did also resemble a garden salad that had been left under the cafeteria heat lamps for a few days. He very cautiously nudged the small bowl toward the edge of his tray.

Josiah sat back in his chair and surveyed the lunch tray reluctantly. Then he squared his shoulders, picked up his knife and fork, and started to lean forward.

"Guess who!" Josiah felt something soft and warm settle over his eyes. Some things, he decided. Hands.

Josiah felt a surge of excitement. "Ian!" he exclaimed. He would have three classes with Ian during the afternoon. But lunch was their first opportunity to see each other during the school day.

Josiah jumped from his chair, a huge smile on his face, and turned around.

Jake Warren stood there grinning back at him.

" Ian will be here in a minute," Jake assured him. "He's still talking to Mr. Fisher. But he told me I should kiss you if you mistook me for him." Jake's smile widened tentatively. Then his eyes drifted around the cafeteria and realization dawned. He looked uncomfortable.

" But maybe not here," Jake decided. He blushed. "I don't know why Ian even says these things."

Josiah laughed uncertainly. The idea of Jake kissing him felt a little awkward, but not entirely in a bad way. The idea of Jake kissing him in the middle of the school cafeteria, however, was extremely uncomfortable.

He loved Ian. But sometimes Josiah wished that he was a little less impulsive. . . or mischievous. . . or downright evil.

Josiah sighed. That impulsiveness. . . or whatever. . . was part of Ian's charm. He wouldn't be the same person without it. And Josiah suspected that despite the occasional discomfort it caused him, he wouldn't love Ian any more without these moments of spontaneous mischief.

He considered his feelings for a moment. Two could play the game, he concluded.

Josiah decided to wait for Jake to collect his lunch and for Ian to arrive, before he turned his attention back to what the cafeteria menu brazenly called 'lunch'. He wondered if the meatloaf might fly away if he gave it enough time.

Ian strolled up to their table before Jake returned from the lunch line. There was a sparkle of anticipation in his eyes.

"Would it be wrong if I wanted you to give me some INTP right here in the middle of the cafeteria?" he asked. His eyes shone even brighter.

Josiah considered calling his bluff. But with Ian, you couldn't be completely sure that he wouldn't keep upping the ante until — maybe even until the police had to be called. It was a risk that Josiah decided he probably shouldn't take.

"Those three inches you grew over the summer made you awfully bold," Josiah teased him.

"Five," Ian let his hand brush casually across the front of his pants.

Josiah was confused.

"Three, plus two more where it counts," Ian clarified. "Those two that you really love," he added suggestively.

" Jeez, Ian!" Josiah's eyes darted around the cafeteria to see if anyone was paying attention to them. He decided that maybe it would have been best if he had remained completely silent. "If your mother could hear the mouth on you!"

And that, surprisingly, did find a mark. Ian blushed.

"What's his mouth doing now?" Darius and Mercury, a couple of Ian's classmates who played on their soccer team, set lunch trays down on the table.

"It can't be any worse than what they were doing in the shower after practice last week," Mercury added.

Josiah felt his eyes grow wider. "We didn't do anything in the shower last week." He glared at Ian, demanding an explanation.

"You say you didn't do anything last week?" Darius noted with an amused grin. "So you do admit that you two have done something in the shower!"

Josiah raised an eyebrow and kept his eyes on Ian, waiting for that explanation.

"I didn't really say that we did anything," Ian stammered.

Mercury laughed awkwardly. "Well, he said you were doing something. But he was probably just trying to freak me out."

Mercury wasn't homophobic. But he also wasn't completely comfortable with the possibility of becoming an extra in one of Ian's sexual fantasies.

He had been pleased when Ian first nicknamed him Mercury. After all, he was pretty fast. And he hated the name Freddy that his parents had saddled him with at birth. So when Ian started calling him Mercury, and explained that it was after a famous person that had once played for their team, Mercury was thrilled. . . until someone explained to him that Ian wasn't referring to their soccer team. But he had a sense of humor, so he took it in stride. Mostly. And Mercury was still a pretty cool nickname.

"He probably just wanted to get you thinking about his dick," Darius contributed. "Since he started growing his pubes, he's always saying something to try to get our minds in his pants." Darius' laugh was good natured.

"What are you doing in his pants?" Jake wondered as he dropped his lunch tray on their table.

" Just imagining Ian's pubes," Darius didn't even blush. "Are they really as thick as he says they are?" He turned abruptly and fixed Josiah with a sharp gaze.

Josiah stuffed a forkful of batloaf into his mouth — it was suddenly looking a lot better than it had on first inspection — and tried to tune out the conversation. After spending hundreds of hours with Ian and his friends, he had learned that was sometimes the least stressful way to deal with them.

Of course, it was impossible to completely tune out the bustle of noise and activity in the cafeteria. The first day of every school year was always full of excitement and excess energy, as students reconnected and got caught up with each other after a summer apart. Josiah and the soccer team had been practicing at the school for the past month. But for most of the rest of the students in the cafeteria, it was their first time inside the school in almost three months. There was a lot to catch up on and only thirty minutes to do it!

Josiah did hear snatches of what Ian and his friends were discussing. Since Ian had started to catch up physically with his peers, most of his inhibitions had disappeared and his natural exuberance took over. He was a star athlete and he was easily one of the school's most academically gifted students. His body was starting to look just like every other guy at school. He was only a few inches shorter than most of his classmates now. That was a real boost to his confidence.

It had also boosted his libido. No longer embarrassed about his lack of physical development, he was easily as capable as any of his peers of crude sexual innuendo and of encroaching on topics that still made Josiah blush. Josiah didn't mind so much when it was just the two of them in private. But in public, it was a side of Ian that made him worry about what the rest of the school thought of them.

Fortunately, the start of a new school year meant that most of their peers were distracted by their own conversations. Josiah jumped as a high-pitched shriek suddenly split the air directly behind him.

"Oh my god! Have you seen the size of the freshmen this year?" that same high-pitched voice demanded. "I swear a couple of them could walk between my legs without having to duck!"

" They wouldn't go in there if they realized that you were planning to charge admission," another female voice smirked.

The affronted hubbub that erupted forced Josiah to consider the possibility that Ian and his friends might just be a lot more normal than he was. Their banter usually sounded similar to what he was hearing around him. His natural reserve sometimes made their conversations feel uncomfortable to him. But it was pretty typical of teenagers — at least those teenagers that attended Ball Mountain Union High School.

Josiah wasn't the only person at his table that had tuned in to the drama behind him.

"That is true," Darius observed. "The freshmen this year are midgets! We couldn't possibly have been that small last year, could we?"

Mercury took a risk. "Maybe Ian was," he hoped the retribution wouldn't be too painful.

But Ian had other ideas. "Jake still is," he snickered. "They might not even have a varsity baseball uniform that will fit him. He'll have to keep playing with the freshman team."

Jake laughed along with the rest of the crew. But Josiah thought the gibe might have stung. To him, Jake's grin looked a little forced.

"You're barely an inch taller than me," Jake retorted. "You won't have to give up your membership in the Lollipop Guild yet. And you'll be able to go trick-or-treating as a leprechaun again this year."

"Burn!" Darius chortled.

It was a challenge that couldn't go unanswered. In less than thirty seconds, Ian and Jake were standing back-to-back, proving that Ian was now a solid two inches taller than Jake.

But Ian wasn't finished.

"I grew a lot this summer. I bet I'm more than two inches bigger than you now," he reached toward his belt.

Josiah didn't think Ian would take the challenge any further, but realized that he didn't want to risk that occasionally mercurial personality. He jumped to his feet and got between his friends.

" I'm sorry, Jake. I completely forgot about paying off that bet you won with Ian." It was the first thing that came to his mind. "But this may not be the place for it. I wanted us to use a little tongue, so I was thinking tonight, after we run. . ."

It didn't take more than a second for Josiah to realize that maybe he had jumped straight from the frying pan and into the fire. Jake appeared both embarrassed and visibly excited. And he was pretty sure he could feel Ian poking into his leg.

"We're planning to run after soccer practice?" Mercury wondered.

" We are now!" Darius informed him. "Tongue!" he prodded Mercury meaningfully and jerked his head toward Josiah and Jake.

Josiah wasn't sure how their friend would take that news. But he noticed Mercury's hand slide down from the table and into his lap.

Before Josiah could sit back down, he heard another loud shriek behind him. He almost wet himself. 'Were we too loud?' he panicked.

Fortunately, it was a false alarm. The conversation at the girls' table had apparently returned to speculation about the promiscuity of another of their peers.

Josiah hoped that Jake hadn't been too upset by Ian's challenge or his intervention. He wrapped his arm protectively around Jake's shoulder and guided him back to his chair.

It was Josiah's nature to worry — especially when he acted without thinking through all the possible consequences. He watched the other guys at his table cautiously, but everyone appeared to have moved on from the previous drama . . . although once or twice he did catch Jake eying him shyly, then blushing when he realized that Josiah was looking in his direction.

Josiah sighed. He had prevented some drama from getting out of hand. But he thought that drama probably wasn't completely through with him for the day.

The five friends finished eating lunch, then split up when the bell rang for the next period. Josiah and Ian were walking together to their Calculus class. Even after spending eight intense months getting to know Ian, Josiah was still amazed by how intelligent he was. Josiah was taking a full schedule of advanced classes. Ian was a year younger than him and was taking many of those same classes.

Ian seemed a little quieter than usual. He maintained shoulder-to-shoulder contact with Josiah, but his mind was wandering some distance away.

"I was too much," he finally declared. "At lunch today," he added in response to Josiah's confused expression. "I took things too far with Jake, didn't I?"

Josiah took a moment to consider.

"He may have been a little sensitive about the short talk," he decided. "You remember how you felt last year."

Ian blushed. "Yeah. But that was partly about, you know," he gestured subtly toward the front of his pants.

Josiah shrugged. "I may have gone too far, too. When I told him I would kiss him," he explained. "I need to figure out how to back out of that without hurting Jake."

"Why?" Ian seemed surprised at the suggestion.

"Because I'm your boyfriend." Josiah was confused. "I shouldn't be kissing other guys."

"Why not?" Ian asked. "I don't mind. I think it would be kind of hot. I'm going to watch."

Josiah stopped and studied Ian cautiously.

" Well, I will!" Ian insisted. "I know you love me. You won't love me any less if you kiss Jake. It would just be doing something nice for a friend."

Ian considered Josiah carefully before continuing.

"I don't even think I'd mind if you and Jake, you know, did that thing you won't even let me talk about. I mean, just as long as we've already done it first," he added hastily. He gave Josiah a long, expectant glance, then sighed. "I like Jake. I want him to be happy. And doing it with you might teach him some things he could share with his first boyfriend."

Josiah couldn't think of any rational response to that. But he knew that he was going to have an awfully hard time paying attention in Calculus class.

And this one

Nine tired and sweaty teens slowed down and finally drew to a halt just before the jogging trail converged with Mountain Road west of East Grange village. Josiah still couldn't believe how many guys had been waiting to join his evening run when he and Ian passed through town.

Jake was a regular. He had come out for the cross country team and could be relied on to run with Josiah every day. Darius and Mercury were there, despite suffering through a challenging soccer practice with Josiah and Ian after school. Two more of their regulars from the soccer team were in the pack. But there were also two boys from Ian's sophomore class that had never even run with them before.

The boys milled around impatiently. Josiah and Ian had discussed what would happen. But Josiah still had his doubts.

"Are you sure this won't freak Mercury out?" he whispered to Ian.

" It won't," Ian insisted. "Watch him while you and Jake are kissing. Unless he's wearing a cup or something, you'll see a powerful disturbance in his shorts."

Ian snickered. "If he could find a private place to watch from, he'd be jerking it!"

Josiah wasn't sure. But Ian and Mercury had known each other for years. He decided that he'd just have to trust Ian's judgment.

Jake seemed a little nervous. He was definitely eager, but his eyes were darting uncertainly around their group of friends.

Josiah realized that it was a big step for Jake. . . and a pretty big step for him, too. He decided that it would be easier to ignore his own anxiety if he focused on Jake.

"We can do this another time, if you want. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable," he whispered in Jake's ear.

Around them, Josiah could hear a susurrus of excitement already building in the group of boys.

Jake glanced up shyly and his grey eyes tentatively met Josiah's. "This is okay," he murmured. "I'm just really nervous. I guess because it's my first time."

' Man,' Josiah thought to himself, 'if I hadn't fallen in love with Ian first, I could really have fallen for this boy.' Jake had been such a kind and considerate friend to him and Ian. Now he was reminded of the sweet and sensitive personality Jake possessed.

"However you want to do this, bud," Josiah said. "I want you to feel completely comfortable."

"I guess like this," Jake didn't take his eyes off of Josiah. He tilted his head slightly to the side and waited.

It took Josiah a second to figure out how to compensate for their height difference. Then he leaned in slowly and brought his lips softly into contact with Jake's.

He wrapped his arms tenderly around Jake's shoulders and they held onto each other, sharing gentle breaths as Jake adjusted to the new sensations.

Josiah was waiting for some sign that would tell him how to proceed when Jake jumped in his arms and emitted a soft "eeep!" into his mouth. Startled, Josiah glanced over Jake's shoulder and noticed Ian smirking and having difficulty meeting his eye. He frowned.

Josiah resumed their gentle contact, slowly starting to run his hands down Jake's back. He parted his lips, allowing Jake to take the next step. Jake's lips mimicked Josiah's. He invited Josiah's tongue into his mouth. And Jake's hands started to find their own way down Josiah's back.

Josiah immersed himself in their physical contact as he gradually lost track of everything beyond the physical and emotional connection between him and Jake. As Josiah's hands roamed over Jake's body and his tongue explored his mouth, Jake reciprocated every move and sensation.

Josiah eventually realized that one of his hands had slipped up inside Jake's shirt and the other was cupping Jake's butt when he felt that hand take Jake's full weight. With some surprise, he noticed that both of Jake's hands were buried deep up inside the back of his shirt.

Josiah continued to support Jake, caressing his back and nibbling gently on his tongue and lips until Jake started to regain awareness and control of his body. When Josiah sensed that Jake's legs were steady under him, he wrapped his arms firmly around Jake's shoulders. He leaned into Jake again and, with a gentle touching of lips, he sealed the moment in their memories.

Josiah and Jake maintained their embrace, each reluctant to let go of the moment.

" Ho. . . ly. . . shiiit!" Darius murmured, "I wish I were gay!"

"I can take care of that," Ian snickered, advancing toward him.

Darius was too stunned to react. "That was. . . that was. . . incredible!" he decided.

" It's even better when you aren't hot and sweaty from running three miles," Ian informed him.

Reluctantly, Josiah tore his gaze away from Jake's eyes and glanced around the circle of boys surrounding them. Most of them were still looking at him and Jake with expressions of awe.

Belatedly, it occurred to Josiah to check on Mercury. He hoped that watching their kiss hadn't been too upsetting for him. He didn't even think to check the front of Mercury's shorts.

Unfortunately, someone else did. Although to be fair to Darius, it was bound to be noticed sooner or later.

"Oh my god, dude," Darius gasped, pointing at Mercury, "You creamed your shorts!"

Nobody knew what to say. Mercury's body was rigid, a horrified expression fixed on his face. When Josiah noticed Ian looking at Mercury with a gleam in his eye, he reacted.

"Don't you dare! Don't say a word!" Josiah hissed at Ian.

Jake stepped up to save the day. He gently took hold of Mercury's shoulders, turned him away from the group, and wrapped a comforting arm around him.

"It's okay, Mercury. It's a perfectly normal reaction. I think I made a little mess in my shorts, too," he blushed. "I just don't shoot as much as you do."

"That's true. It could have happened to anyone," Josiah assured him, coming up on the other side to provide his own support. "At our age, it can be really hard to control our bodies. It even happens while we're asleep! We've all had our own embarrassing moments."

He wasn't sure what else to say, so he added his comforting arm to Jake's.

After a minute, Josiah realized that it might be better for Mercury if he didn't have to face all his friends until he had a chance to process what he was feeling.

"Let's call it a night, guys," he suggested. "We put in our three miles. The only thing we have left to do is stop at Maureen's Bakery, but I don't think the three of us are up for it anymore." He winked at Jake. "Someone wore me out!" He hoped that might help distract the rest of the guys from Mercury.

Josiah was grateful that Ian tuned in to what needed to be done.

"I'm still up for something to eat," he announced. "Give me a twenty," he grinned at Josiah, "And I'll buy for everyone!"

Mercury relaxed a little after the rest of the crew trotted away toward the village. But he still had a helpless look in his eyes.

Josiah and Jake waited for Mercury to decide what he wanted to do. Mercury waited for them to tell him what to do. And despite the love he had for him, Josiah was awfully glad that Ian wasn't there to offer any 'helpful' advice.

Eventually, Josiah realized that as the most experienced of the three, he should probably take charge.

"How far is it to your house?" he asked Mercury.

Mercury's eyes shot open and he started to shake his head desperately.

"I can't go home like this," he insisted.

"Um," Josiah was at a loss. His home was two miles south of the village. And the school, even if they could get in, was three miles farther north on Mountain Road.

" I live on Oak Street," Jake informed them. "It's not too far from here. And I'm pretty sure I have a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that will fit you. Sometimes my mom buys my clothes a size larger than I need. She says I'll grow into them." He shrugged.

"Dude! I can't walk into your house like this!" Mercury gestured dramatically toward his shorts.

"Oh, yeah," Jake smacked his forehead. "I forgot to mention that my parents are shopping in Brattleboro tonight. They won't be home for a couple more hours."

"There's nobody home?" Mercury needed to be crystal clear on that point.

"Nobody," Jake said. "You can grab a shower. We'll wash out your shorts. And you can wear some of my clothes home. Everything will be cool."

Josiah sure hoped so. He decided that he needed to stop at Ian's house on his way home, just to make sure that everybody was on the same page and that Mercury's incident was never mentioned again.

When Jake rolled out of bed the following morning, the world felt different to him. He couldn't put his finger on any specific change. It just felt like he had been living in one universe for the past fifteen years, but now something had subtly shifted.

He turned on the shower, tossed his boxers in the clothes hamper, and stepped under the warm spray. It took him a moment to realize that he was standing in the same spot where Mercury had been standing just twelve hours earlier. Naked. The same water sluicing the evidence of his embarrassment from his naked body. Naked. That felt like a pretty important word to Jake. Naked.

That was the first change in his world, he realized. He was fifteen. He had been having sexual thoughts for at least three years; maybe longer. But twelve hours ago he had been kissed for the first time. Really kissed, he reminded himself, feeling a frisson of excitement and even some embarrassment as he recalled the performance that he and Josiah had put on for their friends.

It must have been quite a show, he decided. It wasn't every day that someone shot a load just from watching two guys kiss. And it was even less often that someone as good looking, athletic, and cool as his friend Mercury shot their load watching two guys kiss.

Jake and Mercury had known each other since they were in kindergarten together, long before Mercury had become known as Mercury, and was just plain Freddy Hayes. Long before Mercury turned into a talented athlete. Long before Freddy's body had been shaped and toned by thousands of hours spent on the baseball diamond, soccer pitch and basketball court. Long before all that work and his golden hair, heather green eyes, and dusky complexion had turned him into the image of a young god.

Jake thought it was part of Mercury's enigma that while he was physically attractive and a gifted athlete, he had avoided becoming overconfident and arrogant. In many ways, he was still the quiet and shy kid that Jake first noticed alone on the playground when they were in kindergarten. He didn't seek attention. At times, he almost ran from it, only comfortable with being himself when in the company of his closest friends.

As the warm water slowly brought Jake alive in his new world, he couldn't stop thinking about Mercury standing naked right where he was standing now. He wished he'd had the courage to do something; maybe offer to join him, maybe mention that he needed to shower after his run and they could save hot water by sharing. He wished he'd had the courage to offer to help Mercury clean himself. But he was also glad that he hadn't.

Josiah had explained that even with their support, Mercury could have a hard time dealing with his embarrassment. He needed time alone to process what had happened and what he was feeling. He needed the passage of time to help ease the raw emotion of his humiliation into the dim recesses of memory before he could move on with his life.

It had been helpful to remind Mercury that what happened was normal. It was helpful to reassure him that he still had his friends and that they still liked and respected him. But what would be most helpful would be time for the shame to heal and for Mercury to rebuild his self-image on the scars that the healing left behind.

After Josiah and Jake had walked Mercury home, Josiah explained that the best thing Mercury's friends could do for him would be to carry on as if nothing unusual had happened after their run that night. Mercury needed a little extra support and attention from his friends so his mind wouldn't be inclined to dwell on his moment of shame. But they couldn't afford to be so solicitous that Mercury felt they were condescending toward him. That would only remind him of why he was being treated differently and would make his negative feelings about himself worse.

This was a second change in his universe, Jake decided. The previous year, he had helped to support Ian when he was going through some serious bullying, then had supported Ian when he confessed that he was attracted to Josiah. But he understood that the sort of support Mercury needed now would require a lot more skill and careful attention than what he had done for Ian. It would demand much more maturity of him.

Jake resolved to make a little more time for Mercury every day, without changing the way he interacted with him at all. He'd just manage to be around Mercury more often and would try to keep his eyes open for signs that his friend was struggling. If Mercury began to have emotional trouble, Josiah explained, Ian's mother was a psychologist and could help them figure out what to do.

Jake knew that he was conflicted. He really wanted to be caring and sensitive to help Mercury deal with his public humiliation. But part of Jake still wished that he'd had the courage to join him in the shower. That kiss had blown open the door to a whole new world for him!

Jake's father was already seated at the breakfast table when Jake entered the kitchen. Jake didn't even have to look at him to know that he wasn't having a great morning. That seemed to be happening a lot more often in recent months. And after an evening of shopping in Brattleboro, then an overnight shift supervising his fractious shipping team at PPO, the stress was just radiating off his father.

Jake knew better than to even ask if his mother had made breakfast before leaving for work. He sidled carefully over to the cupboard, pulled out a bowl and a box of cereal, and made his own breakfast.

"How did your first day of school go?" his father mumbled.

It sounded like it took a great deal of effort. But at least he was making an effort, Jake reasoned.

"It was okay, Dad," Jake said. "Not much different from last year. My teachers seem okay."

"That's good, Jake." His father sounded like he had been paying attention. "When's your first baseball game?"

Jake cringed. "Baseball isn't until spring, Dad. I'm running cross country this fall. You know. With Josiah Brantley. You met him a couple times this summer."

" Oh, yeah," his father shrugged. "I forgot. Baseball in the spring." He dropped his head into his own bowl of cereal and rummaged around aimlessly with his spoon.

For a moment, Jake wondered if his father had started his breakfast with a few beers. He couldn't smell any alcohol, but it was something that was happening with more frequency when his father came home after a frustrating night at work.

" Our first cross country meet is on Saturday." Jake was pretty sure his father wasn't interested, but it was easier to pass breakfast with inane chatter than in brooding silence. "The coach is thinking about having me run varsity!"

"That's good, Jakey. Real good." His father nodded. "You mom will be proud of you."

Jake didn't know how to respond to that. What wasn't said hurt him.

Fortunately, he didn't have to create more conversation. The peace of their normally quiet neighborhood was disrupted by loud, youthful voices. It sounded like several kids were taunting someone. Jake saw his father cringe suddenly.

' Yeah. Probably a lot more than one beer,' Jake thought to himself.

When the disturbance didn't abate, Jake's father lurched to his feet and stumbled to the front door. He opened the door and stood in the entry, glaring balefully at whatever had upset his morning.

As the disturbance faded into the distance, Jake's father returned to the table.

"I knew that kid was going to be trouble the moment I saw him and his mother moving in last week," he grumbled.

Jake wasn't sure whether more conversation was a good idea. He didn't have to think about it long.

"Does that damn kid go to your school, Jake?" his father demanded.

Jake didn't even know that there was a new kid in their neighborhood.

"Almost your size, Jake. Black hair almost halfway down his back. Earrings!" That outraged Jake's father. "What sort of boy wears earrings? That little bastard's gotta be some kind of fruitcake!"

His father turned and glared out the front window.

" I heard his mother call him 'Ick', or something weird like that. Damn kid can't be any kind of American. Foreign fanny pirate living on our own street." Jake's father couldn't keep the irritation from his voice. "What's the world coming to?!"

Jake hoped that his father hadn't noticed his sudden, uncomfortable silence.

Jake's father turned and shuffled toward the stairs. "Stay away from that damn kid, Jake," he mumbled. "You don't want to have anything to do with a kid like that."

Jake groaned. He was sure that he already had enough stress in his life.

When Jake arrived at school, Ian was in the lobby waiting for him. He had a huge grin on his face. Jake was immediately wary.

"Hey, Hot Lips," Ian called.

Jake looked around with some concern. It took him a moment to realize that most of the other kids in the lobby wouldn't have any idea what Ian meant. He was considering a comeback, then thought better of it. Ian could be quite unpredictable. With so many people around, it was safer to say nothing.

" Have you seen Mercury yet?" Ian asked mischievously.

Jake shot him a fierce look, then worried about how the other kids might interpret that. He pulled Ian aside.

"We aren't going to mess with Mercury. Not even a little." Just saying it made Jake uncomfortable. He wasn't used to taking charge with his peers. "Josiah said so. He said we have to treat Mercury completely normal, just like nothing ever happened."

There was still a hint of mischief in Ian's eye. "How can you act like nothing happened?" he whispered. "He creamed himself over you making out with another guy. You're hot stuff!"

Jake groaned. "Please, Ian. No messing around today. Mercury was feeling terrible about last night. It's best for everyone if we just let it go. We should forget about it completely, if we can."

Ian seemed more than a little disappointed. His expression was a bit peevish.

" How can I just forget about it? My best friend and my boyfriend made another guy shoot in his shorts. That's gonna be stuck in my spank bank for months. . . at least! It's already started to collect interest." Ian flashed Jake a shit-eating grin.

"That's why you have to let it go, Ian!" Jake was frustrated that Ian didn't seem to get it. "If you're thinking about it, you're going to say something. Sometime, somewhere, your mouth is going to open up and something is going to come out that you think is funny. But if Mercury hears it, it's going to humiliate him. You just can't! He's our friend."

Ian appeared to be annoyed. "Josiah told me the same thing last night. You know, I think I liked both of you better before you started making out together in public."

Jake wasn't sure, but he thought that maybe Ian was just messing with him. He hoped so. Maybe Ian needed to get out a bit of his own internal conflict over watching Jake make out with his boyfriend. . . even if Ian had originally suggested the idea!

People could be weird like that, he decided. Even good people like Ian. Sometimes they said things that they really didn't mean. . . or decided later that they wished they hadn't said anything. That annoyance or frustration had to come out somewhere.

Jake decided that it would be worth the price if Ian ragged on him for a few days. He never thought he'd get a chance to do something like he had with Josiah. That experience had been even better than he had ever imagined it could be. And if Ian ragging on him distracted everyone from thinking about Mercury, that really would work out for the best. He just had to make sure Ian wasn't too explicit any time Mercury was around. Keeping Ian's enthusiasm in check? That would be a challenge!

Jake was distracted from his thoughts by the sound of complaints somewhere behind him; a tremulous treble that was quickly silenced by an arrogant, mocking baritone. Ordinarily, he wouldn't have even turned around to look. It was high school, after all. Carnivores preying on the timid herd animals was a near-daily occurrence.

But when he noticed the shock and concern in Ian's eyes, when his friend seemed to draw into himself and shrink down to use Jake as a shield, Jake had to spare a glance over his shoulder to see what was happening. It was an ordinary scene, two older students harassing a pair of small freshman boys. . . except the older boys looked familiar.

"Isn't that Russ Hamilton and Daniel Hartnett?" he inquired, of no one in particular, as Ian's back was already fading rapidly into the distance.

Jake turned back around as the sounds of outrage were increasing in volume. He shrugged. The harassment wasn't even original. One of the older guys — Hartnett, Jake thought — had taken the backpack from one of the younger boys and was rifling through it.

"Just checking to make sure you aren't trying to sneak any porn into school," Hartnett announced, quite loudly. "If a little guy like you tries to take a titty magazine into the bathroom to jerk off, he might injure himself."

His companion sniggered.

"Hmmm. No porn," Harnett confirmed, "A Taylor Swift CD, but I'd expect that from a little sissy like you." He turned to Hamilton for a reaction to this applause line.

" Hang on! Is that a teddy bear?" Hartnett's volume managed to increase as he pretended to reach deep into the backpack.

"Oh, gee, Daniel. Don't confiscate his teddy bear. It sounds like he's going to cry," Hamilton cackled.

Jake was confused for a moment. He remembered the trouble that Ian and Josiah had with these two during the previous school year. He thought they had been seniors then. And when did Hamilton ever learn how to use a word like "confiscate" properly in a sentence?

" I think maybe you should give that back."

Jake hadn't noticed another boy approaching the drama. 'He must be another freshman,' Jake concluded. The new kid was even smaller than the first two. And it didn't even sound like his voice had broken yet.

Hartnett and Hamilton appeared surprised that anyone would interfere with their 'inspection'. They turned around, looked down, and were confronted with a pair of steady grey eyes.

Hamilton was having trouble making the scene compute in his mind. Two large upperclassmen. Three tiny freshmen. And one of the little bastards was telling him and Hartnett what to do?!! That made no sense!

"Who the hell is this?" he demanded, looking the newcomer up and down.

"Ishmael," the kid replied calmly.

"What did he say?" Hamilton wondered. "He talks kinda funny. Did he say he was male?"

" Oh, that can't be right!" Hartnett was starting to recover from his surprise and settle back into bully mode. "Not with that long, girly hair and those earrings. A pretty little thing like that must be the girlfriend of one of these little twerps."

"Or maybe their little sister." Hamilton was doing his best to keep pace with Hartnett.

"He wants his backpack," the kid insisted quietly. "Stop playing games and just give it back."

"I don't think so!" Hartnett lunged suddenly toward the kid and reached out to shove him.

Before the bully could make contact, the new kid stepped inside his attack, grabbed his wrist and secured it with both hands, turned his body between the two of them, and had Hartnett's arm isolated, twisted, and in a painful-looking hold. It took Jake longer to figure out what had happened than it took the new kid to have Daniel completely under his control.

Hartnett yelped with surprise and some pain.

"You want to put the backpack down," the kid insisted calmly.

And surprisingly, Hartnett did. He really did.

The kid caught his classmate's eye and gestured toward the backpack. "Time to get to homeroom," he suggested to the younger boys.

One grabbed his backpack and both scuttled away toward the freshman wing of the building.

The kid released Hartnett's arm and took a quick step back. Belatedly, Jake stepped forward to stand next to him, but the confrontation was already over.

Hartnett was flexing his sore wrist. "This isn't over," he snarled.

"Yeah!" Hamilton backed his fellow bully up.

But it was. The two upperclassmen just hadn't received the memo yet.

The new kid noticed Jake standing next to him and turned with a question in his eye.

"I guess you didn't need any help," Jake shrugged.

The corners of the kid's mouth turned up slightly. "Help is always welcome. Thanks," he added as an afterthought.

Jake felt the need to say more, but nothing came to him.

"I guess we should get to homeroom." He offered his fist casually to tap knuckles. "See you around."

"I'll walk with you," the kid offered. He seemed surprised when Jake didn't turn toward the freshman wing.

"I did that last year," Jake offered an embarrassed explanation. "I'm a sophomore this year."

" Oh," the kid seemed like he wanted to say more. "Maybe I'll see you at lunch?"

"I don't think so," a gruff voice informed them. A heavy hand came down on the kid's shoulder. "You may be new here, but you've read the school handbook. There's zero tolerance for fighting here at Ball Mountain."

"But Mr. Harding," Jake interrupted, "He was just defending himself and two other kids. Daniel Hartnett and Russ Hamilton started the fight!"

" This isn't your business, Mr. Warren," the assistant principal said. "This young man. . ." he turned to the kid with a question in his eye.

"Ishmael. Ishmael Abraham," the kid supplied.

"Mr. Abraham was fighting. There's no room for debate about why he was. Unless you want to come to my office, too," Mr. Harding added menacingly.

Jake paused to consider the invitation for a moment. Mr. Harding didn't seem amused.

" You have too much to lose by getting involved in this, Mr. Warren," the assistant principal's tone was hard. "I hear you might be starting for the varsity cross country team this week. And then there's your baseball in the spring. Mr. Gilchrist tells me that you're could be one of his star players. So if you get yourself to your homeroom right now, maybe I'll let you live."

Ishmael's eyes widened at the perceived threat. But Jake had heard enough about Harding not to take the threat too literally. Still, discretion being the better part of valor. . .

" It was cool to meet you, Ishmael," he eyed Mr. Harding defiantly and reached out for another fist bump. "I'll see you around here real soon." Jake gave the assistant principal a final, determined nod before hurrying off toward his homeroom.

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