To all my readers: thank you for your kind and encouraging messages.
Here's chapter three of the tale of Corwin and Lance, two
slightly mismatched high school students on a journey of self-
discovery. I've already started a fourth chapter, which I expect
will be the last.
All the usual disclaimers apply. This story is fiction. None of
it is true; any resemblance to real people (alive or deceased) or
places is coincidental. If you're under 18 or it's illegal where
you live to possess stories where kids actually express their
sexuality, you should leave now.
Sex scale:
0 - None at all (in this chapter!) I'm telling a love story.
1 - Nudge-nudge, wink-wink. Maybe a bit of kissing and petting.
--> 2 - There's one sex scene, and it's rather tame <---
3 - I'm trying to balance story-telling and sex
4 - There is some plot, but there's also a lot of sex!
5 - Plot? What plot? Just a few words to set up the scenes.
Please support Nifty to keep this useful resource alive. You might
be using it for your pleasure, but for readers discovering their
sexuality it can be a resource as well.
Comments are welcome at ethanflowers98@protonmail.com.
Chapter 3
Do you know how hard it is for two 15 year olds to find a place that's truly private for a couple of hours? Especially one with a father as controlling as mine.
Dad had given me smartphone when I was 13, but it came with a price: location tracking was turned on and I couldn't disable it. Dad regularly checked its logs on some website to see where I'd been. It led to many testy exchanges about my movements, especially on the odd Saturday when I slipped out of the house to see a couple of friends.
Sunday afternoons I was expected to be at home, studying on my own without Corwin around. Dad hadn't figured out the true nature of our relationship, but still he didn't like that I was over at his place 5 evenings a week doing homework.
Corwin and I figured we could probably get away with us heading out somewhere on a weekday evening while leaving my cell phone behind. That way location tracking would show me at his place. The next obvious question was where? It had to be secluded and not subject to unwanted company. Washrooms and locker rooms were out because we wanted to take our time, especially for our first time. We wanted it to be warm; we figured sex wouldn't be very much fun if we were shivering from cold. Corwin had heard rumors gay people hung out at a far end of Starlight Beach, but it was too open for us, and in April still too chilly outside.
Sleepovers were out of the question, mostly due to the controlling nature of my father, and partly because we didn't completely trust Fraser not to burst in on us. We read stories in the High School section of Nifty for ideas, but the scenarios they presented were either unavailable or unrealistic. A motel would have been ideal, but I really doubted any motel would rent a room to a paid of underage teens, especially two males.
In the end we concluded that because we didn't know anyone whose family owned a resort with empty rooms, or had an empty house for rent, or even an available apartment, we'd have to wait until an evening or Saturday when Corwin's parents and brother were out and we had a good idea of when they'd be back. More of a thinker than I was, Corwin suggested we figure out ahead of time what we would do, so we wouldn't waste time when we got together. We agreed we'd get naked as quickly as possible, try out some kissing, and jerk each other off. If there was time left over, and we were sure there would be, we might try sucking each other, or just do come body exploration. We'd wait for next time before going any further.
Opportunity came sooner than expected. Corwin's parents were fans of live theater and had tickets to a play at the performing arts center the following Friday. They arranged for Fraser to have sleepover with a friend of his, something he did often because he had lots of friends. It had the added benefit of relieving his older brother of child care duty, which given his Asperger's he wasn't very good at.
On Friday I arrived at his place at my regular time of 7:00 pm. Fraser was already gone, but because the play started at 8:00 their parents were still getting ready. That wasn't really a problem, for we had homework to do. Not that either of us was really in the mood to work on it!
Finally we heard his mom call out, "We're heading out now boys; have a good evening!" and a few seconds later the door closed.
We looked at each other and grinned. We brought our faces together for our first real kiss. At first it was just a tentative touch of our lips before we pulled back to look at each other again. We smiled and came together again for a while longer.
When we broke the kiss, I asked, "aren't we doing this backwards? I thought we'd agreed to get naked first."
"Well, it was probably a good idea to wait a minute or two in case Mom came back in to get something. I think we're good now. So, shall we?"
"Sure!" I said, and pulled off my shirt. After a moment's hesitation Corwin did, too. I put my hands on his now bare back and pulled him closer. He did the same, wrapping his arms around me in a hug, bringing our bare chests together. We held each other like this for a while.
Finally I pulled away, placed my lips on his again, and pushed out my tongue. He immediately understood, opened his mouth, and we danced our tongues together while our hands wandered all over each other's back. I felt my heart speed up, and my penis getting hard in my pants.
When our lips finally parted, I said, "I don't know about you, but I'm ready to get naked now."
"Same here!" Corwin replied.
That was all we needed. In a flurry we pulled off our shoes and socks. With only a twinge of self-consciousness I undid my belt and pants, stood up, pushed them and my underwear down, then sat on the bed and kicked them off my feet. Corwin followed suit. We were now completely naked--and very hard.
We took a moment to examine each other's erection. Corwin's penis was long and somewhat on the thin side, which bode well for me if we ever got as far as anal sex. Despite being fully erect, the head was still covered with his foreskin. Aside from some of the photographs we'd seen on the web, his was the first uncircumcised one I'd ever seen. Just like me, everyone else I'd peeked at in the showers after gym class was cut. A tail of dark hair ran down from Corwin's navel to a clump of black pubic hair.
My penis was thicker than his, not quite as long, with fine brown hair at the base. I tentatively reached out and touched Corwin's with my fingertips, bringing a quiet moan from him.
"What aren't you cut?" I asked.
"Mom and dad don't believe in it," he answered. "They told me it's my body and I deserved a say. Fraser's the same. I think he'll figure out how to use it as a way get girls."
I ran my fingers up and lightly grasped his foreskin with my fingertips. So far everything was a little surreal; not unexpected given this was the first time for both of us. For me it was more than just the sexual aspect: I was naked with an erection, in the presence of another boy who was also naked with an erection, and he was letting me touch it. I marveled at the level of trust we'd achieved with each another.
Again with just my fingertips I pushed back a little on his foreskin. "Can I?" I asked.
"Just be careful," Corwin replied. "It's sensitive and if you're rough with it, it hurts."
I carefully peeled back the foreskin to reveal the head. Then I pulled it forward and back again, mesmerized at how the head disappeared and reappeared. I did it once more before Corwin spoke up.
"I don't want to shoot just yet," he said. "I want to see yours now."
I briefly wondered why he'd said it, because we were both naked and sitting beside each other. Then I realized I'd leaned over to get a better look at his, hiding mine from view. I straightened up, then carefully lay down on my back to bring everything into view.
Corwin curled one hand around my erection and carefully ran it up and down. I caught my breath. Of course my own hand had done this hundreds of times, but it was something else to feel another doing it. After a few more strokes he stopped, put a hand on my balls, and lifted them up to examine them. He tenderly stroked them, sending a wave of pleasure through my body.
"I like the hair you have there," he commented. "Mine, it's so dark it looks like it hides stuff."
"You could always trim it," I said.
"Yeah, I guess I could."
I was laying sideways across his bed, which wasn't very comfortable. I sat up, put my arms around Corwin, then leaned back again, pulling him down with me before working to move to a more natural position. He figured out what I was trying to do and moved into place beside me. Now we were both on our sides, facing each other.
"Are you okay like this?" I asked.
"It's ... different. I mean, I don't sleep naked, and even when I'm enjoying myself I usually have something on."
"That's not me," I said. "I take everything off when I'm playing. For sleeping, just undies. Here, let's see if I can get you less, er, exposed."
I got up, rolled him on to his back, then lay down on top of him, our erections side by side. Propping myself up on my elbows, I went for another kiss. Almost immediately our tongues were in each other's mouth again.
The kiss didn't last very long. Further down our bodies took over thanks to the stimulation on our hard cocks sandwiched between us. For a few minutes we ground into one another, concentrating on the feelings down there as they built up. Finally the dam broke and I shot between us. Moments later Corwin came as well. With my arms still around him, I rolled off and we lay side by side together.
"Are you alright?" I asked after things had calmed down. I was concerned the experience may have sent the normally reserved Corwin into overload.
"Yeah, I am," he replied, and kissed me. "Great for our first time. And we're real boyfriends now: we've bared our bodies to each other, felt each other cumming and mixed our fluids. Not quite like blood brothers, but it's more than enough for me."
Corwin had a unique spirituality to him. He wasn't at all religious, but neither had he discarded the mystical in favor of stubborn rationality like I had. It was something I'd picked up from my domineering father.
"I like that thought," I said. "But, well, I feel a little dirty with those fluids on me. Would it be OK with you if I cleaned them off?"
"No problem. It was important they meet ..." He paused, looking for the right words. "... in a way they're the most intimate parts of us. I mean, blood's pretty easy to get at; a cut will will do it. But semen ... it requires real trust and intimacy. So in a way we're even closer than brothers now. I mean, Fraser's my brother, but no way we'll ever get this close."
Wow. He was serious! "Are we bonded forever, then?"
He thought. "Let's be practical--we're only 15. Forever's a long time. But even if we're not boyfriends forever, I'll always remember you. You have a special place in my heart that will never go away."
I smiled. "Who'd have ever thought there'd be a romantic side to you?"
He smiled back. "You're the first one to have brought it out."
We kissed again, then I asked, "Do you want to take a shower? Together?"
"I'd love to," came the reply.
I was hoping a straight-A report card for the second semester would be enough to get my Dad to back off a bit, but not even that satisfied him. Now that my grades were up to his standards, a lot of other things weren't. My haircut was wrong; it had to be shorter. I went to bed too late and didn't get up early enough. My room was never tidy enough and I didn't pull my weight when it came to household chores.
I also wasn't manly enough, which was a little rich coming from my father. Similar to other guys over the hump of middle age, he was carrying a few extra pounds and a growing waistline. I was now taller than he was, but a bit thin and underdeveloped like many teenagers coming off an adolescent growth spurt. Dad signed me up for swimming lessons to improve my strength, and weight training along with protein supplements to build muscle mass. Whether he'd planned it or not, the extra time spent at the pool and the gym cut into private time I wanted to spend with Corwin.
I tried to fight back with a bout of teen-aged rebellion, but he'd have none of it. Although I was now 15 it didn't stop him from threatening to use a belt on me. Once he even followed through.
We'd had a row over some housework he wanted me to do. Eventually I did it, with no small amount of rather vocal bitching on my part. That evening he came into my room with a grim expression. He had me strip down to my underwear, and with me standing and my hands on my head, he applied 5 lashes starting at my shoulders and working down my back to my lower legs. He finished off with the threat next time he'd up the number to 10--and I'd be naked.
The belt had stung badly, but the humiliation stung even more. After Dad left my room I lay down on my bed and cried. It was made worse by knowing my father would have berated me for my tears instead of taking my punishment like a man.
I was grounded for a week, allowed out of the house only for school. He told the pool and the gym I was ill and would return when I was better. Which really meant when the marks from his assault were gone.
April, May, and June were 3 long months of school, pool, and gym. At least I was still able to study with Corwin, but they were strictly limited to weekday evenings from 7 to 9 in the evening, and none on Friday or the weekend. There were no further opportunities for sex with him. On Saturday night after our parents were in bed, we'd fire up Linux on our computers and use them for chatting.
Dad's hard line actually brought some benefits. Thanks to the increased exercise I was sleeping better. My stamina improved. I made some friends at the pool and the gym. Even after only 2 months of weight training my body looked better, and with my new father-approved haircut I started turning heads at school. Female ones. I quickly realized the usefulness of having a few girls on my contact list to convince my father I was straight, but was careful to keep them at arm's length. My heart belonged to Corwin, and I was determined not to break it.
I had another straight-A report card at the end of grade 9, for which I received some congratulations from both my parents. But my hoped for summer respite turned out not to be. Determined to improve my education beyond what school would provide me, Dad enrolled me in a couple of summer continuing education courses at the university, studying topics not normally covered in high school.
He was right about one thing: I had the smarts. The university stuff was geared towards people coming out of high school and the education that normally went with it. Still, I was able to handle the work and get decent grades. My father grumbled they weren't top of the class, but conceded the course material was more advanced than most kids my age could handle.
Finally in August I got a rest. Uncharacteristically for us, both my mom and I quietly lobbied for a change of pace. We were helped out by well-timed calls from my brother and sister, probably set up by my mom. Yes, Dad had written them off as "losers" but every little bit helped.
What also helped was Dad took a 2 week vacation in August. He didn't abandon work completely, of course. He was far too invested in it to take a complete break, checking email every morning and even participating in some meetings over the phone. But at least he was out of the office. Not being so tied down to it, he relaxed some of the restrictions he'd placed on me.
And so it was that in the third week of August, at their invitation I was able to get away with Corwin's family for an afternoon at Starlight Beach. I was pretty nervous about visiting a nude beach for the first time. I'd seen Corwin naked, if only once (aside from the picture), but I'd never been naked outside among strangers. And I wasn't at all sure I wanted to see his parents without their clothes; it felt like I was getting into Too Much Information territory.
I asked Corwin if it was OK if I wore a swimsuit. Both he and Fraser suggested I shouldn't: I'd stand out by being the only non-naked guy there, which could actually make me even more nervous! They assured me that getting a boner on the beach was pretty unlikely, and if I did all I should do was sit down and cover up until it went back down. It was also considered normal for guys to discreetly check each other out, but if I was too obvious there might be repercussions. The straight guys would probably just frown, but the gay ones could see it as an invitation. Corwin jokingly said if that happened I'd be on my own.
We arrived at Walleye Beach at about 2:00 in the afternoon. Clothed, we started on the half hour hike to the more secluded Starlight Beach. An old concrete barrier, the type used to separate highway traffic lanes, marked the boundary. I was mystified at how whoever it had placed it there had managed to grapple it into place; it must have weighed 700 pounds, if not more.
"All right, nudey time!" exclaimed Fraser as soon as we were on the other side of the marker. He proceeded to pull everything off and stuff it into his pack. He may have been 13, but even with me around he certainly wasn't shy about his body. A quick glance confirmed he was uncircumcised like his brother and had started puberty. He actually looked pretty good.
"He's always been like that," his mother told me. "He's typically modest around the house, but every time we come out here he's naked the moment we set foot on the beach."
"Yeah, I love it!" the young teen exclaimed. "I'm so happy to get a chance to do this a couple of times every summer!"
"Have you been here earlier this year?" I asked.
"Twice! Once on the Fourth of July and again about 3 weeks later."
We walked further on to the beach. The day was hot, and even though it was a weekday the beach was busy. Of course no one was wearing anything. Even more surprising was the revelation it was a family beach, a decided contrast to our state's Bible belt reputation. There were lots of couples with young kids. Corwin's family and I were in the minority, though. I saw many guys there older than 20, but no other teenagers at all.
"We're going to set down here," I heard Corwin's dad say. "Corwin, you and and Lance may want to go down a bit further, especially if Lance feels uncomfortable around us old people." He said it with a smile.
"Can I come with you?" asked Fraser. He added cheekily. "I don't want to be around the old people either!"
Corwin looked at me. "What do you think?"
"I don't think it'll be a problem," I said after a moment's reflection. Sure, Corwin and I might have to tone things down a bit, but the truth was I knew Fraser could be a lot of fun and I was looking forward to getting to know him a little better.
"All right, let's go!" Fraser cried. He dropped his pack at his parent's feet and streaked down the beach away from us.
"We'll look after our own clothes," said Corwin, and at a lope took off after his brother. I followed.
Honeydew Lake was big as far as lakes in the area went, and Starlight Beach was at least 500 yards long. Corwin led the way while we kept an eye on Fraser to see where he was going. Finally he stopped, turned around, and waved at us. We caught up with him a minute later.
"You're awfully close to the tree," Corwin noted.
"The tree?" I asked.
Corwin pointed a little further down the beach to where a very large tree lay across it. It had been there for years; all of the branches most of the bark had disappeared.
"That tree," he replied. "It marks the end of the, uh, family friendly area."
Fraser was all grins. "You two gonna go there?"
"No!" said Corwin emphatically. "Sure, you're old enough to look after yourself, but I think we should stick together. I want to get into the water! Lance, you're into swimming now, so why don't you show us what you can do?"
Without ceremony he kicked off his flip-flops, pulled his shirt over his head, and dropped his shorts and underwear. Being the careful guy that he was, he folded his clothes and put them into a plastic bag that he pulled from his pack. He got out a second bag and handed it to me.
Seeing the brothers naked before me was enough to convince me I could do it as well. Surprising even myself at how casual I felt doing it, I too removed my clothes right there on the beach and put them into the bag.
"Alright, let's go!" cried Fraser. "Last one in is a rotten egg!" He took off at a dash. Corwin and I ran after him. Despite me being taller and more fit, Fraser's head start gave him an advantage and he hit the water first. I got there next, ran in a little, then dove in head first.
The water was nice! Thanks to the hot summer weather in the southern states, even large lakes would warm up over the summer.
"Show us what real swimming looks like!" urged Corwin. "Me and Fraser barely got past beginner's."
"Sure!" I demonstrated the frog-like breast stroke and an extended front crawl. That one was especially nice done naked: I enjoyed feeling the water flowing across my bum as well as my back and legs. Just like Corwin had promised me, my penis behaved itself and stayed soft. Corwin awarded me a round of applause.
Suddenly Fraser tackled me. He was only a little shorter than I was, but weighed a lot less so it was pretty easy to fend him off. Next he tried jumping on to my back, which I handled by dipping forward and flipping him over my head into the water. I started to worry that playing with a cute naked boy would turn me on, but I was spared that by knowing Fraser was straight and he was just horsing around.
Corwin joined in, and for a few minutes we were 3 kids splashing about in the shallow waters, pushing, pulling, and trying to take down the others. My weight training and the fact I was heavier put me at a decided advantage. It took both brothers working together to get me off my feet.
We got out of the water. Corwin pulled a frisbee from his backpack and we spent a delightful few minutes tossing it around, letting exercise and the heat of the day dry us off. Next Corwin got out some sunblock. We'd made an initial application earlier back at his house so it could get into our skin, but more was needed because we'd been in the water. Corwin put on a brimmed hat, which really did not improve his appearance, and I went for my baseball cap. Fraser didn't bother, so Corwin made sure his ears, neck, and shoulders got an extra dose.
I was starting to see the attraction of the beach. Sure, being able to the normally hidden bits was nice (and Fraser's bum was super cute!) but there was more to it than that. It was exhilarating and even liberating being outside with nothing between me and the hot southern sun. I appreciated taking a dip in the lake, coming back out, and not having something clinging and remaining uncomfortably wet after the rest of me had dried off.
Finally, a little exhausted, we found a shady spot and sat down on our towels to rest. Corwin's backpack yielded yet another surprise: an insulated jug of iced tea. "This is way better than soda for a hot day," he told me, "and it's got more flavor than just plain water." We were thirsty and in short order half the iced tea was gone.
"This is the only way to be at a beach," Corwin said. "Swimsuits are stupid. When you're out in nature, or in the water, it doesn't make sense to cover up your body."
"I mostly agree," I responded. "But you can't be like this all the time out in nature. Heading out in a snowstorm with nothing on wouldn't be a good idea."
"Yeah, but it's not snowing right now."
We lay out on our towels to rest a while. I must have dozed off, and when I woke up I could feel Corwin right beside me. His arm and leg were touching mine all the way down to our feet. When I remembered we were on a beach and not in a bedroom, I checked my dick in a panic, fearing it had gone hard. To my relief it wasn't, and Corwin's was alright too.
On the other side of Corwin was Fraser, sitting with his knees raised, his hands around them. He was smiling at us. "Did anyone ever tell you two that you look kinda cute together?" he asked.
"No, not actually," I replied. "Probably because only you and your parents know we're boyfriends. Thinking of which, why are you so cool with us? I mean, it's super obvious you're straight."
"Mom and dad taught us," said Fraser. "I mean, like, they sort of went out of their way to tell us that gay people are just like everybody else, 'cept they like having sex with other boys instead of girls. Yeah, sure, I still think it's kinda gross, but it's no reason for me to hate you."
"What did you think when you found out Corwin was gay?"
"Not much, really. Like, I was only 11 when he told mom and dad. Dad filled me in because he didn't want me finding out by kids trash-talking him at school. He told me if that happened I should stick up for my brother. I did, mostly. If anyone called him a fag or a pervert, I just told him Corwin didn't get to choose who he was attracted to, just like he didn't get a choice about being a boy or having black hair."
"Wow," I told Fraser. "That's pretty insightful for a kid."
"Well, it was what mom and dad told me, so I just repeated it."
"Being gay is more than just the sex," Corwin added, looking at his brother. "It's also relationships. Just like you're going to be chasing after girls, and I'm sure you'll marry one and I hope you have kids, for me I just like guys. I can't see myself getting married to a girl."
I added, "Same here. Right now I can't think of anyone other than Corwin that I'd rather be with. And if it lasts--that is, if we don't break up in a year or two--you're going be one cool brother-in-law!"
Fraser smiled broadly at that, and asked, "You mean, you'd actually get married?"
I answered. "I know I would, although I'm not sure about Corwin. But if we did, we'd move up north to a place like Vermont where we'd be accepted as a couple. Not here, that's for sure."
Then Fraser surprised us. "Can I get a picture of you two? Together?"
Corwin and I glanced at each other. "Alright," he said.
"OK by me," I added.
"But on my phone," said Corwin. "I really don't want you to have a picture of us on yours. Too much of a chance one of your friends would see it." With that he got his phone out of a pocket in his backpack, unlocked it and started the photo app, and handed it to his brother.
Fraser took one picture, then said, "Hey, stand up and look like, well, boyfriends already! And bro, lose the hat--it makes you look dorky!"
Corwin and I took off our hats and stood up. We put our arms around each other's shoulders and smiled for the camera. At my suggestion, Fraser took 2 or 3 more pictures from varying distances to get close-ups and full head-to-toe shots.
"Can you kiss?" he asked.
"What, are you shooting a porno series?" I asked.
"No way!" came the response.
"No, no kissing," said Corwin. "But you can take one of us looking at each other."
We turned to face each other, arms on our shoulders. Fraser took some more pictures, again mixing close shots with longer ones. We sat down on the towels again and reviewed them. Fraser actually got lucky. The sun was in front of us, not behind us, so our faces weren't in shadow. But the light was filtered through the trees so it wasn't harsh. We all thought the pictures of us looking at each other were nice, even if they looked a little risqué because we were naked.
"Corwin," I cautioned, "as soon as you get home, please get these pictures off your phone and put them on to your computer! And delete them from the phone. One super embarrassing picture is enough."
He nodded. "For sure."
"By the way, did you ever find out how that picture ended up on QueShare?"
Corwin answered. "Best we can figure out it was on a cloud backup and someone hacked into it. Whoever did it figured out it was me and thought it would be funny to share it with everyone."
"Well, it wasn't all bad," I said. "I got a boyfriend out of it."
"Yeah!" He gave me quick kiss.
"Eww, gross!" laughed Fraser.
I looked at Corwin and said quietly, "Oh, someone's looking for a dunking! Shall we?"
"Oh yeah!"
Fraser figured out a little too late what we were planning. Corwin grabbed his arms, I got his legs, and like this we carried him to the lake and threw him in. That started another great round of play-fighting in the water. Inevitably their bare bums and even other parts briefly contacted my body, and mine did theirs as well, and no-one said anything.
I finished off my day in the water by doing about 400 yards of real swimming, savoring the feel of doing it naked. We played with the frisbee again to dry off, and enjoyed another round of iced tea before deciding it was time to rejoin the parents. Following Corwin's lead, I didn't bother dressing for the walk back. Between my naked boyfriend and his brother's totally carefree approach, I was a lot more comfortable being nude than I thought I'd be.
We arrived a little earlier than I had hoped, for Corwin's mom and dad hadn't dressed yet. I must have really blushed at seeing his mom's bare breasts, then was embarrassed even more when she saw it and laughed it off, saying, "If I was concerned about anyone seeing my breasts, I wouldn't be on this beach!"
I was surprised to see their dad was cut like me. It made me wonder if it was his wife who had pressed not to have their children circumcised, given how common it was where we lived.
We all got dressed, except for Fraser who insisted on not doing so until we got to the old concrete barrier. From there we returned to their car and then back to Corwin's home, stopping on the way at a hamburger place for something to eat. We didn't talk at all about me and Corwin being boyfriends, and none of us three boys mentioned the pictures we'd taken.
Corwin and I enjoyed a quick cuddle in the privacy of his bedroom, then I went back home. I'd really enjoyed my day on the beach; it had been loads of fun and even inspirational. I mused how easy it had been to just let loose and be bare around Corwin's family and the rest of the beach-goers. And I knew for certain I'd be going back again.
Ever conscious of my father tracking my location, I had conveniently "forgotten" my phone at Corwin's place when we headed out to the beach. A few days later Dad confronted me about it, noting it was really improbable how my phone had stayed in one place all afternoon. I covered up by telling him I had gone out with Corwin and some of his friends to a movie and hamburgers. Ironically, it wasn't all that far from the truth. I said hadn't noticed I'd set my phone down on his kitchen table until we got back.
He bought the story, but only grudgingly because he couldn't prove otherwise. He told me from now on I was expected to keep my phone nearby at all times. Worse, to guard against me simply leaving it behind to avoid tracking, he took to calling me at random intervals outside of school hours. The one time I failed to answer--I was in the shower at the gym--I got a severe lecture and a warning to check my phone and call back as soon as possible.
So began my first gloomy semester in grade 10. It was a constant stream of schoolwork, homework, swim workouts, gym workouts. In addition to pushing me to constantly study and get top grades, I was now signed up for water polo and expected to excel on the team. Again I was restricted to seeing Corwin for 2 hours in the evening, 4 nights a week--when I wasn't expected to be at the pool or the gym.
Saturdays were taken up with water polo competition and work around the house. Sundays I was expected to be in my room, books open, making notes and endlessly revising assigned essays on my computer. Dad would review them, invariably finding something to criticize so I'd have to go back and update it. I quickly figured out it was a ruse to keep me from going out, but I couldn't do anything about it.
The pressure was intense. Unsure what else to do, I gritted my teeth and tried to keep up. I sought encouragement from the water polo coaches and swim teammates. Corwin and I started doing our homework together in school between classes as much as possible so we could use our precious hour or two together just trying to relax. We spent a lot of time holding each other.
Mom grew alarmed at workload imposed by my father, but her attempts to intervene were angrily rebuffed. Around that time they pretty much stopped talking to each other aside from arguing. It stressed me out even more to know I was the cause of a lot of their acrimony but was unable to do anything about it.
Mid-December I got a straight-A report card for the first semester of grade 10. In a surprise conciliatory gesture, when Dad saw it he said he was now willing to turn off my phone's location tracking.
"Your mom's been asking me since September to stop following you on the phone," he told me. "Your grades have kept up and you're doing OK at water polo and the gym, so I guess I can trust you not to go running all over hell's half acre getting into trouble. I'll take your phone into work with me tomorrow and get one of the IT guys to turn the tracking off."
Grateful for this concession, after a careful check of my various messaging apps and my photos, I wrote my PIN on a piece of paper and gave him the phone. He returned it the next evening. Immediately I checked to ensure location tracking was off (it was) and changed the PIN. I was relieved to know the phone was at last mine and not another tool of my authoritarian father's quest to control every aspect of my life.
Little did I know how wrong I was.
If you enjoyed this story, you might like the other one I have
on Nifty: A Hole in The Fence, in Young Friends