Kellys Problem

Part 4 -- Kelly's Problem

Preamble:

This is a story based on real people in a situation which they were never in (Though I wish that they had ;)). The names have been changed to protect the innocent and not so innocent. This is purely a fantasy of the author and is not meant to be taken as fact.

The Story

From Part 3:

"All right, Mom. I'm coming." I don't think I ever moved faster than I did to get to the extension in the kitchen. "Hello??"

"Hey, John. It's Kelly."

"Hi. What's up? Did you talk to your parents yet?"

"Yeh, I talked to them. There's no problem with my staying over. Is it OK from your end?"

"No problem from here. Although, you should know that my Dad got called out of town on company business tomorrow and Mom's going with him. They won't be back until after the weekend. That doesn't make a difference to you, does it?"

"No, I'm cool with it if you are."

"Good, I'll see you tomorrow then."

"See you tomorrow, John. Bye."

"Bye, Kelly."

That was that. I stood in the kitchen for a moment to gather myself. I was as giddy as a schoolgirl who had just agreed to her first date. Come to think of it, it was my first date. Calm down, John! If you don't, your parents will wonder what's up. And you don't want to have to tell them. They know who called and would want to know why you are acting the way you are.

The rest of the evening was an exercise in extreme self-control on my part. When I finally headed up to bed around ten o'clock, I let go a sigh of relief. I had made it through the night. As I lay in bed, my last thoughts were of Kelly and what we might do tomorrow night.

The Story

I awoke Friday morning full of anticipation. Tonight was the party, and afterwards Kelly was coming over. To tell the truth, I took a longer shower than usual and almost missed the bus to school. I kissed Mom goodbye and was told to be careful over the weekend. I said I would and walked as fast as was possible on crutches out the door.

School was like a blur. I really wasn't paying attention to what was being discussed in any of my classes. All my mind was focused on was the basketball game, the party, and Kelly. The only time the focus changed was at lunch when I had a chance to talk to Tony. As usual, I sat at the same table as Tony and Jack.

Tony barely let me sit down before he tore in to me for not letting him know about the change in the starting lineup. By the look on Jack's face, he didn't expect Tony's tirade. "Damn it, John! You're supposed to be my friend! How could you not tell me about the change?! Too busy sucking up to Kelly?! Oh, wait. I've got it! You convinced Coach that I wasn't good enough to start any more! And then you told him that Kelly was! Didn't you??? You little crippled bastard! How could you?!"

Tears almost rolled down my face as I tried to reply to the onslot. "Tony, please. I didn't have anything to do with the change. I didn't. What can I do to convince you of that?"

"Nothing!" Tony snapped. "Nothing you could say can convince me otherwise. You're just a crippled little suck-up. Just stay away from me! I don't want to be near you again. We're through! Oh, by the way, you can forget getting a ride to the party tonight! In fact, I don't think you should even go."

Jack finally recovered a bit. "Tony! For Christ's sake! Calm down. Coach told you that John had nothing to do with the change. What don't you believe him?"

"Because he's covering for the little shit!"

"Why would he do that? And what reason would John have for getting Kelly a starting spot?"

"How would I know? Maybe the two are queer for each other." With that Tony got up and stomped his way out of the cafeteria. Jack's jaw dropped.

"What's his problem?" I asked Jack.

"His girl friend, Gail, broke up with him last night. According to Tony, the reason was that she wouldn't date a loser who lost his starting spot to a sophomore. He was really hooked on her. Think he thought that he was in love. I tried to tell him that it wasn't mutual several times but he wouldn't listen. So when he was dumped, he didn't take it very well and he's taking it out on you, I guess."

"Great. Just what I need. Is there any way he's going to cool off by the party tonight?"

"I doubt it. You know Tony. It would probably be best if you got another ride to the party. Assuming, of course, that you still go."

"Why wouldn't I go? I'll just have to avoid Tony, that's all. There are still thirteen other guys on the team, plus the stats people and the JV squad."

"Look, all I'm saying is that Tony's going to still be upset. If you do go, just don't get a ride with Kelly either way. That will likely keep Tony's pot boiling."

"Damn it, Jack. It was you and Tony who asked me to try and be friendly with Kelly; to find out what was going on with him. Now it sounds like if I do get closer to Kelly, like you guys asked, I'm gonna get it for doing what you had asked. Would you guys make up your mind?" I was doing a slow burn. It sounded like Jack thought that for Tony's sake that neither Kelly nor I should be at the party tonight.

"Hey, John. Calm down. All I'm suggesting is that it might not be a good idea if you showed up riding in the same car as Kelly. With the state that Tony's in, it would just back up his suspicions about how he lost his starting job. I'll try and calm him down so that he doesn't make a scene at the party."

"OK, OK. Just for the record though, I didn't have anything to do with the line-up change. Also, you should know that Kelly did offer to give me a ride to the party after the game. I turned it down since I already had a ride at the time with you and Tony. Now, if you'll excuse, Kelly's probably wondering if I need a ride tonight or not, given the circumstances. I'll tell him that I will be driving myself to the party. Later, Jack."

"Later, John."

I got up on my crutches and walked over to Kelly's table. Tim and Kelly were talking about something when Tim noticed me. "Hi, John. What's up?"

I replied, "Nothing much. Tony's not coming down anytime soon from his anger regarding the change in the lineup. Apparently he still holds me responsible for it. Jack's tried calming him down, but no go. I try and calm him down and all that happens is that it gets worse. On top of that, in his striking out at me, he's inadvertently nailed our relationship on the head."

Kelly spoke up. "Do you need a ride tonight then?"

"No, Kel. Thanks for asking. I'll drive myself there. Jack suggested that if we arrived together that Tony might end up creating a scene. I agreed, but only to the extent that we would not be arriving in the same car." I smiled briefly. "That doesn't mean that we can't leave at the same time."

"Ok, sure. Tim, are you going to need a ride?"

"I most certainly do." Just then the bell rang, ending lunch. "I'll see you before the JV game John, OK?"

"Yeah, I'll see you then. Kelly, I'll see you then too." I lowered my voice and whispered, "I love you."

Kelly smiled. He leaned over and replied, "I love you too."

The rest of the day went fast. I didn't pay much attention to my classes and was distracted throughout the afternoon. First of all, by the coming game. I wanted to be sure that I remembered everything that had to be done. This was a home game. I had to make sure that Monroe knew where to go and had what they needed for the game as well as take care of our own needs. These included bench towels, as well as Dixie Cups and a water container for both teams. The scoreboard was not usually my concern but I wanted to make sure it was working as well. Then there was also the fact that I sometimes helped out with the stats when needed. You know: rebounds, turnovers, steals, assists; that sort of thing.

The second thing that distracted me was the party. I wasn't really worried about it. I was just hoping that it stayed relatively civilized. If Tony was still angry with either me or Kelly, or both, then I had to try and minimize the chances for a scene happening. That would quickly kill any fun generated by the party.

The final distraction was Kelly. My imagination as to what we'd do after the party was running wild. As wild as a seventeen year old's imagination could, when it came to sex. I just hoped that what I told him was true, that I loved him. I mean, I wanted it to be love, not lust. I had to calm myself down a bit. I had to concentrate on something else. That something else was the game.

Finally the school day ended. As I usually did on game days, I rode the bus home. The JV game started at 5:30, so I had time to make myself dinner and get ready. I tossed some older clothes into a gym bag so I'd have something to wear for the party. Then came dinner. I made myself a couple of hot dogs and some macaroni and cheese. It was kind of odd not having the folks around, but I would have to get used to it if I went to college.

After dinner, I went upstairs and hopped in the shower for a quick one. I debated whether to wear a sport coat over my v-neck sweater and shirt, but decided against it. That was one thing about being on crutches that sometimes irritated me. Clothes tended by bunch up when you were moving around on them. Sport coats worst of all, since they had to be worn unbuttoned. By bunching up, the sport coat gave the appearance of untidiness that I could have done without.

By 4:30, I was out the door and leaving for the game. I helped Tim setup for the JV game and got some of the stuff ready for the varsity when the JV went up for its pre- game warm-up. My main job during the JV game was to help out with the stats and to lend a hand if Tim needed it. Tonight, it was just taking stats. Surprisingly, it was a close game. At Monroe, during our earlier game, the JV had been manhandled by 35 points. Tonight, the JV actually had the lead late in the third quarter. Needless to say the lead was short-lived and the JV lost by three. But still, it seemed to say that anything was possible that night.

When the varsity took the floor for their pre-game warm-up, the crowd was pumped up. I took my usual seat right behind the bench. Kelly smiled at me at one point during and I winked back at him. This was in stark contrast to my attempted eye contact with Tony. He resolutely refused to look at me and when he couldn't avoid it, he scowled at me. The game was like that. It was back and forth for most of the game. We lost by nine points: 65-56. The game was closer than the score indicated. Kelly had a good game; keeping their high scoring point guard in check while scoring fifteen points and dishing out eight assists of his own. Tony also had a good game off the bench with four steals and six points to his credit. Unfortunately, their inside game ended up being the difference. We just couldn't stop it on a consistent basis. Since we couldn't stop them from scoring inside, we had to foul them. Fifteen of their fourth quarter points came from the line. Three of our players fouled out, including Tony. Kelly played almost the entire fourth quarter with four fouls.

The mood in the locker room after the game was one of frustration that we had not won the game. We thought that we had played better than Monroe had for the most part. But there was also a feeling of having achieved a moral victory of sorts. Everybody seemed to be OK with the effort just not the result. By the time everyone left the locker room, the mood had changed to one of looking forward to the party.

I made one last attempt to talk to Tony before he left the locker room. "Hey, Tony. Nice game. You certainly played well."

"Yeh, I did, didn't I? Not good enough to start though, am I?" he replied sarcastically.

My frustration began to boil over with his attitude. "Come off it, Tony! Don't blame this on me! I had nothing to do with it! That's the Coach's decision. He obviously felt that the change was necessary."

"Yeh, sure he did. With a little help from you and your new friend, I'm sure.

"I tell you what. Why don't you just stay away from me? I don't want to have talk to your ugly face for a while. Better yet, don't bother going to the party. Maybe by next week, I might be able to be reasonably civil. And the same goes for that little shit you've started running around with. He's at much at fault as you are."

"I am going to go to the party tonight whether you like it or not. I like to have a good time with my friends as much as the next guy. Just because you are angry with me is not going to keep me from having that good time. Tell Ken that I be there as soon as I finish cleaning up the locker room. And I'll be coming in my mom's car, so you don't have to worry about my coming with any one."

"Fine. If you insist on coming to the party, I'll tell Ken you'll be there. Just don't expect me to be looking for you tonight. Later." He finished putting on his coat and left.

Kelly must have overheard the conversation because he came around the end of the row of lockers I was in and sat down on the bench. "Are you OK? I heard what Tony said. I guess whoever's left in the locker room heard it as well."

"I'm fine. I just wish he would get over losing the starting position. He seems to be ready to throw away our friendship over it. A friendship that's lasted since second grade." I sighed.

"Hey, it's not that bad. He'll come around. Jack's going to talk with him some more and see if he can get him to chill out."

Just then Jack poked his head around the corner and added, "That's right, John. I don't know why it's bugging him this much, but I'll do what I can."

"Thanks Jack, I appreciate it. Hey, why don't you guys get going and I'll see you at the party? OK?" I said.

"OK, John. See you at the party." Jack left.

"Are you sure you don't want some help?" Kelly asked.

"No. I can handle it. I'll see you at the party, Kelly." Looking around to make sure nobody was there, I reached out and pulled his face towards mine and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. "Now go. I'll be just a couple of minutes behind you."

"OK. See you at the party," Kelly said as he put on his jacket and left.

"Hey, don't forget where you're going after the party," I said as he went out the door.

I made quick work out of cleaning up the locker room and pushing the cart full of towels and uniforms down to the laundry room. I put them into their respective piles and threw the first load into the washer. As per usual, the night janitor would make sure that the wash was completed by the next practice on Monday. I went back to the locker room and changed into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt for the party. Throwing my gym bag containing my good sweater and dress pant, I got into the car and drove over to Ken's house.

I was thankful for a couple of things. First, the weather was OK for Wisconsin in January. Mid to upper teens and cloudy; no snow was forecast for the next couple of days. Second, the people at the party had made sure that there was a parking space for me close to the front door. I got out of the car and walked up the short walkway to the front door.

Here goes nothing. If I can avoid Tony, this could be a fun night. If I can't, it's going to be a short party for me and a quick trip home. Ken met me at the door, and said hi. I said hi in return; asked him how things were going and who was here already. He said that everyone had shown up except Tony. I was surprised and said so.

"You shouldn't be," Ken said. "He told me that he would be late and that you would know why. Do you know why he might be late?"

"No, I don't have any idea as to why Tony would be late. He left early enough from the locker room. And to tell the truth, Tony isn't talking to me much these days."

"So I heard. I can see why he might be upset with losing the starting spot, but I wouldn't think you had that much influence with the Old Man.

"Do you want something to drink? Beer? Soda? Water?" With the drinking age at eighteen, it was easy for one of us to go to the local store and get a case of beer as somebody was bound to be legal.

"I'll take a root beer if you have any. A Pepsi or Coke if you don't."

"No root beer tonight. A Pepsi OK?"

"Sure. Have you seen Kelly or Jack? They had said that they wanted to talk to me tonight."

"I thought I saw Jack over at the pool table a little while ago. Kelly was in the kitchen when I saw him last." Just then the doorbell rang. "Hey, I've got to answer the door. Talk to you later, John."

I went off in search of Kelly or Jack. I got lucky and found Tim instead standing by a cooler filled with ice and soda. "Tim, hand me a Pepsi will you."

"Sure. How's it going tonight?"

"It's going OK. How about you?"

"Oh, you know. Same 'ole, same 'ole."

"Have you seen Kelly tonight?"

"Yeh, I have. He's been waiting for you in the kitchen. I think he wants to talk to you."

"OK. Fine. Tim, do me a favor?"

"What?"

I took a sip of Pepsi from the can he had given me. "If Tony shows up come and get me. I want to try and put a little distance between he and I. I don't think judging by the looks I was getting from him both during and after the game that I don't want to get anywhere near him for a while."

"No problem. Later."

I left Tim and went in search of Kelly, at the same time as I tried balancing the open can of Pepsi while moving the crutch on that side. I found him talking to one of the JV players, Bill I think. He saw me and broke off the conversation with Bill, heading in my direction. I made it to the nearest counter and put my Pepsi on it.

"Hey, glad to see you finally showed up. I was beginning to think you weren't going to make it."

"You guys wouldn't make such a mess after the game, I might have been here a little sooner. You guys don't seem to realize that the things you use during and after the game need to be put away or thrown in the washer to be cleaned." I dropped my voice to a whisper. "Besides, I wanted to get over here as fast as I could. Just to see somebody I love."

He blushed slightly and replied with the same level of whisper. "It was killing me while I waited for you."

"What do you say that in about an hour we leave and go to my place. I want you all to my self." The words had been out of my mouth before I realized what I was saying. I took a quick look around to make sure that no one had been listening in. Thank God, no one was. I looked at Kelly and smiled a lopsided grin. "You know what I mean."

"Yes, I do. And I'm looking forward to it. Listen, I've got to get back to Bill. If I don't see you before you leave, send Tim to let me know. I'll leave about ten minutes later, OK?" Kelly asked.

"Sounds like a plan to me. I'm going to see if I can find Jack and talk to him about Tony. See you later." Kelly went back to Bill, while I, Pepsi in hand, went looking for Jack. I found him in the living room sitting on a couch, beer in hand. I made my way over to the couch and sat down.

"Hi ya, Jack. How's it going?"

"Hey, Johnny." Oh, oh. When he started calling me 'Johnny', it meant one of two things. Either he was well on his way to being drunk, or I was in trouble. I was obviously hoping for the first. "Tony's really pissed at you. He thinks that you talked Coach into bringing up Kelly from the JV squad and then into letting him start."

"Jesus, Jack. What does Tony think that I am? A magician of some sort? I don't have that kind of influence with the Coach. I didn't know he was going to bring Kelly up from the JV squad, although when you think about it, it was the logical thing to do. Kelly was the starter on the JV squad and we had just lost our starting point. To move him up to the varsity was the logical thing to do. As far as Kelly becoming the starter, I don't know why Coach did it. For all I know, Coach decided that the season was over and we weren't going anywhere in the tournament and wanted to see what we had for next year's squad."

"Well, Johnny, ya know Tony and several of the other guys on the team don't see it that way. They do think that while you may not have sought Kelly's promotion, you definitely thought he should start ahead of Tony. When we asked you to help Kelly with what ever was bothering him, you saw it as a great opportunity." If looks could have killed, or at least maimed, Jack would have been badly wounded. But he continued. "I don't know why you did it. If you did do it, that is. I don't believe you did, but you do seem to be favoring Kelly's company."

"How can I prove it to everyone's satisfaction that they're barking up the wrong tree? I think Kelly's a great guy, but then so are you, Tony and most of the others on the team. What do they want me to do? Undo the change in the lineup? I can't do that; that was the coach's decision not mine. Send Kelly back to the JV squad? That's even more beyond any imagined power Tony thinks I have. Besides, who would you have Coach bring up to fill that hole in the roster?" I was getting steamed by the second. Oh, I knew it wasn't Jack's fault. He was simply relaying information to me that he thought that I should know.

"Hey guy. I'm just the messenger. Tony really wants your ass in a sling. I don't know why he blames you but he does. If he knew what I was telling you, I'd be on his black list too. Right now, anybody who even seems to believe you is on his bad side. You aren't a magician are you?" Jack asked.

The look I gave him would have killed. "What kind of question is that?"

"Straight forward. The answer is no, you aren't. And that's the only way I see you pulling off what Tony is accusing you of. I don't know what it's going to take to calm him down. Heck, before yesterday, I would have thought that your talk to him would have done the trick. But I'll keep on trying. I can't let my two best friends go at each other's throats now, can I?" He smiled at me.

I smiled back. "OK, Jack. Whatever you can do with Tony, go ahead. Just let me know so I can be ready. I don't like this split any more than you do. I'll tell you what, if you can convince Tony tonight, I'll be either with Tim or somewhere where he can get me. I'll see you later."

"Later."

I got back up and went back to find Tim. He was sitting at the table in the dining room talking to one of the cheerleaders, Sally if I recall correctly. I hope he was getting somewhere. I put on a smile and went on over.

"Hi ya, John. What's up? Do you know Sally? " I shook my head. All I knew is that she was a cheerleader. "Sally, meet one of my best friends, John. John, meet Sally."

"Hi, Sally. How are you?"

"Hi, John. I'm fine. Is it true Tim's been working out in the weight room? Has he gotten more muscles?" Tim started blushing a nice shade of red.

I laughed. "Yes, he's been working out. More muscles? I'm not sure. I think so. I've never seen him without his shirt on enough to know for sure. It's not the type of thing I pay much attention to, to tell the truth."

Sally smiled and said, "OK. Well, I guess I'll just have to find out on my own then." Tim got even redder. "I'll be right back. I want to get another soda." She stood up and left the table.

I turned to Tim. "Tim, that girl's a keeper. Don't let her get away. Hell, if I wasn't looking in a different direction, I'd go for her myself. By the way, I need to ask a favor. I need you to tell Kelly when I leave, so that he can follow about fifteen minutes later."

"Why would Kelly follow you tonight? And when are you planning on leaving?" Tim asked. Almost as if on cue, a commotion occurred at the front door. It appears that Tony has finally arrived.

"That's the reason I've got to leave. I don't want this party to turn into a big fight, verbal or otherwise. This is suppose to be fun, not one big mess. Go get Ken for me will you? I think he should know why I'm leaving."

"All right, I'll go get Ken, and let Kelly know you are going."

I hoped that I was doing the right thing. I was in danger of being perceived as a coward. I wondered how many had heard of the saying about running away in order to fight another day. The only thing I feared was what Tony might try and do to Kelly. I thought Kelly could take care of himself. The reasons I had given Tim for leaving were valid ones. This was not the place nor the time to settle this. Not until Jack had had an opportunity to try and calm Tony down and reason with him. If I stayed and tried to involve myself in that reasoning things might turn ugly. I didn't want to split the team. If it came down to it, I was prepared to go to the Coach and ask if I could be put on temporary leave from my duties. This was Tony's senior season and there were only five games left in the season. Tim could handle the team if he had to. I could come back after the season and do inventory and all the other stuff that happens after the season.

I looked around to find Ken returning with Tim. Tim had brought my coat with him. "Hi Ken. Was that Tony coming in?"

"Yes, John it was. I know that you probably don't want to, but the way Tony's acting, it might be best if you left. I'm sorry about it though."

"Don't be sorry, Ken. After talking to Jack, I had already come to that conclusion myself. I'm just thought I would say goodbye to you and then leave. Say goodbye to the rest of the team for me will you, Ken? Oh, and Ken, try and keep Tony busy while I leave. The way Jack tells it, if he can't have my head on a silver platter, he might feel that the illusion of my being chased away from this party as good enough."

"OK, John. I'll see what I can do." Ken left.

I said to Tim, "Say goodbye to Sally for me. She is really very nice and too good for you. Tell Kelly to take care and that I'll see him in about 25 minutes."

"Is Kelly stopping by your house after he leaves here? That could be dangerous, John. Be careful, yourself. I don't want anything happening to either of you."

As Tim finished speaking, I put on my coat and stood up. I could hear Tony yelling in the background. He was shouting something to the effect that my birth was irregular to say the least and that was the politest thing he appeared to be shouting. Ken and Jack were trying to settle him down. Tim walked with me to the door and held it open for me. "Don't forget to tell Kelly, Tim."

"I won't. Now get going before Tony realizes that you are gone and tries to follow. >From the sounds of it, he arrived drunk. See you later, John."

"Later, Tim. You're a great friend." I walked as quickly as possible to the car and got in. I think that I broke the record for getting back home.

I was so anxious about Kelly and what would happen once he got here. I made sure that there was plenty of soda in the frig and munchies in the pantry. Good! Now I plopped myself on to the couch in the living room.

Wait! Wouldn't he like a fire in the fireplace? Quickly, I hobbled over to the fireplace and started a fire. That's done. I looked at the clock. He should be here in a few minutes! Have I forgotten anything? No, I don't think so.

I was going nuts. Where was Kelly? Had Tony got to him before he could leave? God, my thoughts were running all over the place.

The doorbell rang. THE DOORBELL RANG!! Oh, my God! He was here!

I got up and slowly walked to the door. I opened it. There stood the loveliest sight I had ever seen. Kelly stood there with a huge grin on his face. "May I come in?" he said.

"Yeh, sure. Come on in."

He came in and put his gym bag on the floor; put his hand around the back of my head and drew it towards his. His foot hooked the door and closed it. As the door closed, his lips made contact with mine. His tongue demanded entrance and I willing gave in. My tongue passed his and began an examination of the inside of his mouth while his explored mine. We only broke the kiss when we had to come up for air.

"God, I've been waiting all night for that," I said.

"So have I," he said.

"Ah, yeh. Did you want something to drink? Or eat?"

"Only you, John. Only you."

"OK. Let's go into the living room. I've started a fire in the fireplace to keep us warm."

He took off his coat and laid it on the back of one of the chairs in the front room. He then followed me into the living room, where we sat down on the couch. We resumed what we had been doing at the front door.

I wrapped my arms around him and his arms went around me. I could feel the strong muscles in his back as my hands moved up and down. I had to feel that bare skin beneath the shirt. I began pulling his shirt up his back. Kelly broke our kiss so he could take his shirt off. In response, he began to take mine off me.

That task completed, we resumed the kiss. He slowly maneuvered it so that I was on my back and he on top of me. Bare chest moved against bare chest. I could feel the strong muscles in his back as my hands moved up and down that great body.

I briefly wondered what he thought while he was touching me. I was not very muscular, although my upper body did have some definition. My legs were not very muscular, thereby necessitating the crutches that I used. Overall, I thought that I was rather average in the body department. That is not to say that I didn't have what I would regard as above average attributes. My cock, when hard, measured between 6 ½ and 7 inches (Yes, I measured it from time to time. Who hasn't?).

We began to grind against each other as the kiss was broken. I looked into his eyes and saw something I had yet to see in my life. I saw love. I returned that feeling ten fold.

In the process of the grinding, I could feel my cock become as hard as steel. I could also feel his cock, as it seemed to want to come out and play. I reached down to his pants and began to undo his jeans.

He stopped me. "Here, let me do that for you," he said. He stood up and kicked off his shoes. He then unzipped his jeans and pushed then down to his ankles. He stepped out of them and said, "Well, do you like what you see? I guess you must by the way you are reacting." He pointed to my crotch. "Are you uncomfortable?"

"Yes, I am," I croaked. "But I can take care of it." I reached down to my jeans and unsnapped them, pushing the zipper down. I raised my hips off the couch and pushed the jeans down to my shoes.

"Let me take you shoes off for you," Kelly said. With that, he pulled them off, followed by my socks and my jeans. He looked down at me laying on the couch.

"And do you like what you see?" I asked, turning his question around on him.

"I think it is the most beautiful sight I've ever seen." He leaned over me and kissed me gently on the lips. "Every thing about you is beautiful," he said, following each word with a kiss to a different part of me, starting with my neck and working his way down my body to my navel. And with each kiss, I moaned a little bit louder.

"What did I ever do to deserve someone like you?" I asked. I didn't really expect an answer, but got one anyway.

"You were just you. Kind, gentle and loyal to your friends. If you were any more beautiful, I'd have to fight almost the entire female population of Medford High and half the guys as well for you. I fell for you almost as soon as I got to see you interact with the team. I almost made a pass at you during the first joint practice. But Tim stopped me, saying that I didn't even know if you were gay, or even gay friendly. Tim told me that if I made for you without knowing about you, my life could be a living hell. I'm glad I waited. This is so much better."

That was so beautiful I almost cried. Instead, I reached up and brushed some damp hair away from his eyes where it had fallen during his kissing expedition. I then just hugged his body to mine and held it there. For long minutes, the only sounds were the sound of our breathing.

At long last, he looked into my eyes. "Where am I supposed to sleep?"

"Well, you have two options. One, you can sleep in my parents' bedroom…"

"Or?" he said.

"Or, you can join me in my bedroom and sleep in my bed with me."

"I think I like the second option better." He stood up, picked me up in his arms, and carried me towards my room. All the while, he planted little kisses on my lips. As we entered my room, he laid me gently on my bed and then laid down beside me himself. We cuddled with each other and fell asleep in that position.

Well, that's it for part 4. Sorry it took so long. It was a case of getting from point A to point B, knowing both point A and point B but not the course in between.

As usual, any comments or constructive criticism are appreciated. Flames will be ignored. Please email me with them at tjw6195@aol.com.