Three Roads

This story contains adult and sexual situations and language. Reader discretion is advised. Characters are not to be used without consent from the author.

Jon- Former cafeteria worker, now turned ice cream parlor worker, from the UK that always fights with Tim.

Ryan- Floor and classmate of Eric's who Eric is attracted to.

Kyle - Tim's doubles partner on the tennis team.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Three Roads Chapter 14: Exemplary Performances -------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now!" the television blared in the silence of the Johnson living room. Eric was staring impassively at the television screen in front of him, but not taking in anything coming from it. His mother was intently sewing a new scarf, her fingers moving quickly; neither had said anything to each other in quite some time. Eric had finally given in to his mother's repeated requests to come for a visit, much to his mother's pride; she still knew how to work her motherly magic. However, she was beginning to think she had lost her touch a little bit. Something was definitely up with her son. He had been quiet and moody all weekend. Carol knew that many considered her to be a pushy person, but she knew that if she ever wanted to find out why her son had seemingly changed overnight, she knew she had to play her cards carefully. She was so worried about her son, that in a rare moment of weakness, she confided in a neighbor.

"I'm really worried about him, Martha. It's not like him to behave this way."

"Oh, don't worry about it. It's his first time away from home, he's just going through changes."

"I don't know Martha. I just hope he's surrounded by good people. That Cooper he brought up with him seemed like a nice boy."

Both mother and son were jarred out of their thoughts by the news story currently on the screen.

"In San Francisco today, there were rallies throughout the city against the President's talk of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. The President has been touring the country over the past few days in some of the districts where the upcoming Congressional elections will be close. Today he talked about his beliefs on gay marriage at his latest stop in Wisconsin, "We must consider all options to ensure that the sanctity of our society and the sanctity of marriage continues to be intact."

Eric involuntarily laughed in disbelief, "What a crock of shit."

"Language," His mother said, "and what's wrong with protecting the sanctity of marriage and society?"

"Nothing, but not only is he assuming it's still there, excluding people surely isn't the way to promote equality in society."

His mother continued to sew, "I don't like all this equality talk."

"Are you serious?"

"There's nothing wrong with being different, I guess, but that doesn't mean society has to accept it."

"Ok, mother."

"I don't appreciate the tone."

"And I don't appreciate the prejudice you just showed in what you said, but according to you it's all good cause I don't have to accept it." Eric said walking away.

Carol continued to sew as if nothing was wrong, but inside the wheels were churning....there was something definitely up with her only child.

"I can't possibly stay there for an entire summer!" Eric said slamming his cup full of orange juice down. Cooper watched a good portion of the contents spill over the side and splatter the table.

"Liquids are supposed to stay in their cups."

Eric shot him a very nasty look and for his own safety, Cooper felt it was wise to back down, "Sorry."

"The woman is intolerable. For my own mental sanity I can't possibly go back there."

"What are you going to do, there's only like a month left before school's over." Cooper said.

"I know, I know. I think I'm just going to pray about it, hope for the best."

Cooper nodded his head at his friend's last comment, but Toby snorted.

"Prayer?"

"Yeah, it's been known to work." Eric said without looking at him.

"Just seems like an interesting thing to bother the man upstairs with."

"What do you care?"

"Because some of us have real worries my friend."

"Oh yes, breaking up with your boyfriend is what the Lord is truly worried about." Eric said sarcastically.

"Please shut the fuck up!" Cooper said, the frustration very visible on his face, "The last couple of weeks have been unbearable around you two. If something needs to be said, then say it, or else shut the fuck up."

Eric felt his attitude towards Toby had been completely justified as Toby continued to pressure him and make comments about being honest about his sexuality. Toby felt the exact same way, but for different reasons. Even though it had been over two weeks since he had broken up with Tim, part of him believed Eric to be responsible. Toby was smart enough to know he couldn't blame anyone but himself and Tim for the failure of their relationship, but he felt that Eric telling Tim about his late night conversations with Richard certainly did not help matters.

Later that night, the two roommates, both on their respective sides of the room, pretended to be engrossed in various projects, but both were more concentrated on the tension in the room. Both wanted this, whatever it was, to be over so they could go back to enjoying the other's company, but neither wanted to make the first move. Toby's mother adored her son to no end, but she had always told him that the only ugly thing about him was his stubbornness and his inability to ever admit he was wrong. It was something he had been trying to work on, albeit halfheartedly, and after a few more minutes of silence, he sat his book down and worked up the courage to talk to his roommate, "You think Cooper was right?"

"This morning?" Eric said relieved Toby had spoken first, " I guess so. We have been at each other lately."

"Yeah."

"We definitely shouldn't tell him he's right," Eric said, "Or he'll never shut up." For the first time, in a while, the two shared a laugh.

Eric continued, "I know why I've been a little upset with you, but why are you mad at me?

Toby took a deep breath, "I know it sounds silly, but I kind of partly blamed you for me and Tim?

"Really?"

"Yeah, I thought it was kind of low you told him about me talking to Richard, especially when nothing is going on."

"Maybe it was wrong of me to tell him without giving you a heads up, but he's my friend, I felt bad for him, he really loves you." Eric said seriously.

"I know, I feel bad, but he doesn't believe me that nothing is happening between Richard and I."

"I mean this in the nicest way Toby, but I don't think anyone believes you. Whether or not something is going on, there obviously are still some feelings there. You owe it to yourself, Richard, and to Tim to figure it out."

Toby nodded his head but didn't say anything, so Eric went back to his work.

After a few minutes of mulling things around in his head, Toby stood up and grabbed his cell phone.

"I'm going to call him."

"Who?" Eric said as Toby ran out the door.

On his way down the stairs, Toby searched his phonebook for the name and then quickly hit send before he lost his nerve.

"Hey, hot stuff." Richard's voice rang

"Hey, what's up?" Toby said nervously.

"Not much, how are you?"

"Oh, you know." Toby said. There was silence as Richard waited for Toby to continue. When he didn't, the boy laughed.

"I`ll bite, what's wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

""Something's obviously on your mind. I'm sure you didn't call just to say hey and then absolutely nothing else. Toby Black is never at a loss for words."

"Don't be an asshole, can't I just call to see how you are?"

"Did you really call to pick a fight with me?"

"No, I called to see what was up, but you're being an ass."

"Alright. Whenever you're ready to talk Toby, you know the number."

"Fine."

Back in the room, Eric excitedly waited for his roommate to return. He wondered which of the two Toby had called and what had been said. When his roommate walked in the room, Eric could tell immediately by his disposition that the phone call had not gone well.

"Oh."

"Yeah," Toby said sitting on his bed, "I called Richard to ask him about...us...and as soon as I heard his voice all I could think about was how he broke up with me last year. All that just came rushing back and I ended up being dumb just to get off the phone."

"So you want to get back with Richard?" Eric asked cautiously.

"That's the thing, when I was talking to Richard I kept thinking how good Tim is for me. It's so new and awesome and I honestly care about him a lot.

With Richard I always felt conscious of everything. I don't know if that makes sense. But I was aware of everything, with Tim I feel...it's almost a relief. I can just have fun and relax and just be me."

"Sounds like you got a decision to make." Eric said patting his friend on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess so."

The next morning, Cooper knocked rapidly on Kevin's door.

"Kevin, let me in now!"

A half naked and very disheveled Kevin answered the door, "Dude, what? And it's quiet hours."

Cooper shoved passed him into the dark room, "Get dressed." He said as he opened the window shades. Kevin closed the door and shielded his eyes from the intruding sunlight.

"Ah, what are you trying to kill me?" Kevin said laying down in his bed pulling the covers over his face.

"You have the heart of a vampire, yes, but that doesn't change that you're leaving me and going to Australia, so we'll make the best of it; so get up, we're going to Denny's."

Kevin chuckled, "You sound like my British nanny when I was little."

Cooper pulled the covers from Kevin's body, "Get up, this isn't funny!"

"Im glad youre talking to me again after the last two weeks, but why are you so mad?"

"I can't imagine why." Cooper said pulling jeans out of a drawer for Kevin to put on.

"See this is why I waited to tell you. You treat this like a relationship. I don't know how many times I..."

"This is a relationship. Maybe not a romantic one, but it's still a relationship. You don't pick up and leave your friends, especially without telling them."

"I'll be gone one semester." Kevin said pulling the jeans on and pushing his morning boner down so he could get it into his jeans, "It's not that big of a deal. It's not like I'm gonna find another Cooper... or anyone else for that matter who gives such good head."

"Can we go please?" I'll meet you at your car...and don't make me have to come back up here and get you."

"I have to go to class!" Kevin yelled to the open door.

"You heard me!" Cooper yelled back.

Kevin sat down on his bed and chuckled to himself as he put on his shoes. His morning wood still hadn't gone down and he gave it a playful smack, "Can't you see you've gotten me in enough trouble already?"

Toby was doing his morning stretches before hitting the practice courts. This was his second to last practice he would have before going to the national championships and he was beginning to get very excited. He would have the chance to prove himself on a national stage and he had been waiting for that chance ever since he first picked up a racquet back in middle school. As he picked up his racquet and begin shadowing his strokes, he thought of all the opportunities tennis had given to him. It kept him in really good shape, he needed very little, if any assistance from his parents because of the scholarship he had received. He knew Richard casually before he joined the tennis team in high school, but it allowed them to become friends and ultimately fall in love. The game of tennis had most recently allowed him to meet Tim. He smiled when he thought of how he treated Tim the first time they met; Toby had brushed him off because Tim was still in the closet, but once that changed so did his outlook towards him. He saw someone not only full of life, but someone who he could be himself with.

"Did you read the paper this morning?" Tim suddenly appeared in front of him interrupting his thoughts.

"Hi."

Tim quickly turned to the sports section, "Have fun."

He smiled as handed the paper to Toby and walked quickly back to his practice session. Toby let his eyes linger for a few seconds as Tim walked back to the courts before he glanced down at the paper. He was expecting to see some kind of preview for the upcoming tournament, but the article was quite the opposite:

Is Toby Black ready to win the national championship? by Lucas Mathias

Since Toby Black declared that he would be attending this university last April, everyone on campus has been talking about if the almost fifteen year streak since Sunnyvale University had a national championship winning team or player would soon be over. The anticipation is growing even more now that we are just a few short weeks before the beginning of the Men's Tennis College Championships. It certainly helps that the location of this year's championships is only an hour drive away, which gives Toby Black the home court advantage. He, by far, is this school's best shot at a national championship as our football, gymnastics, track, and women's tennis teams have already floundered in their respective championships. The men's and women's volleyball teams have never been much of a threat, so the last question that remains in this sports season is can Toby Black win the national championship? In short, no. A few weeks ago, I was like everyone else and expected him to win the championship easily, but frankly, in the last month he's looked shaky. He lost to someone he should beat in his sleep, he hurt his ankle, and he barely beat a player, Richard Channing, who has lost his last five matches (he's also Toby's ex boyfriend), plus Toby just broke up with his boyfriend (who is a member of the tennis team). What does this all mean? Toby's life seems to be in shambles and I predict his game will also fall to shambles at the national championships.

-Lucas Mathias has been with the Sunnydale Reporter for two years.

Toby let the newspaper drop out of his hands and very quickly walked to where Tim was doing some footwork drills. He grabbed his ex boyfriend by the shirt and roughly pulled him backwards. He then pushed Tim up against the gate and held him in place. He expected Tim to struggle and put up some kind of fight, but Tim was smiling.

"Is there a problem?"

"Look, I get it, I hurt you and I'm sorry, but..." Toby stopped as he heard the words he had just spoken echo in his head.

"Toby, let go of him now!" Coach Williams yelled approaching both boys. Toby released his grasp and walked past the coach and sat on a near by bench and put his head in the palm of his hands.

"Are you ok?" Coach Williams asked Tim.

"Yeah, we were just horsing around." Tim walked over to Toby and sat down on the bench. He laughed out loud and Toby, with his hands still covering his faced asked him why he was laughing.

"Because if this were a movie, I'd apologize, you'd ask for a second chance, I'd say yes and then we'd live happily ever after."

Toby took a deep breath, and for a second Tim thought Toby was crying, but when he finally uncovered his face he looked Tim right in the eyes,

"Because I sound like him."

"Richard?"

Toby nodded, "I was going into the I know I hurt you speech. He said that to me countless times and it sounded so hollow. I didn't think I'd be in his position."

"Nobody ever does. I'm going to go back to practice, can I trust you won't throw me against another fence?"

"Yeah."

Tim stood up from the bench and turned towards his ex boyfriend, "I'm sorry about the newspaper. It was a mean thing to do."

Toby nodded, "And I'm sorry about..."

"Don't be sorry. Just fix it." Tim walked away leaving Toby with even more to think about.

Later that day, Toby laid in his bed staring blankly at the ceiling. When did his life become so complicated? His thoughts went back to when he was a kid and his toughest decision was telling his mom whether to put milk or apple juice in his lunch. Eric walked into the room, busy with his own thoughts.

"Hey." He said simply to his roommate.

"Hey," Toby said sitting up on his elbow, "What's up?"

"I don't think I can go home for the summer. I think I'd kill my mother. I feel so suffocated when I go there." "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know, I've been praying about it." Eric said. Toby shrugged his shoulders when Eric looked at him for a response.

"What are you doing next year?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like next year...are you going to live here again?"

"Yeah, it's convenient and it's not so bad living here." He knocked on the wall as he said it and both he and Eric laughed when a knock came back from the other side.

"Have you found a roommate yet?"

"No, have you?"

"No."

Toby laughed, "You want to be my roomie again?"

"Yeah," Eric smiled, "That'd be nice."

Toby walked onto the stadium grounds where the 56th Annual National Men's College Tennis Championships were being held and he couldn't help but smile.

He looked around to the neatly cut grass and sniffed the fresh air and exhaled deeply. It was a hot day and he was thankful that he had put on a little extra deodorant so that no sweat would stain his collared shirt. He looked over to see that the stadium seemed to be having the same effect on Tim who was taking in the scenery with a wide eyed expression. By all accounts the stadium was very small, which was normal for a tennis venue, only about 500 participants could comfortably be seated. It did not matter to Toby that only about half the seats would be occupied at any given time, because this was for them. The tournament, both singles and doubles, would be held over the next seven days, played on six courts. Because the area was still susceptible to rain, even in late May, the stadium was indoors. Toby and his teammates sat down to await the beginning of the opening ceremonies. Toby looked down the aisle and realized Sunnydale's team barely took up a row. He was their only representation in the single's draw and Tim and Kyle, and two others were representing the school in doubles. The remaining few team members were the team trainer, two members of the school paper that thankfully did not include Lucas Mathias, and of course Coach Williams. Toby looked around the room and could hear that various schools were doing their own school chants. He smiled at all the testosterone in the room and felt an all too familiar stirring in his groin. Just as he finished adjusting his package, a short and rotund man who looked like he had never played a tennis match appeared in front of the microphone to welcome all of this year's participants. He did the usual grandiose opening of naming that out of over 100 schools, and over 400 participants in singles and doubles, the best 32 in singles, and best 32 teams in doubles had been invited to the championships. Applause rang out on cue and the man acted as if the applause were for him. He explained that the tournament would start it's first matches on Monday, today was the opening ceremonies, and tomorrow the draw would be made and it would be a meet and greet with the other players as well as with some media. He wrapped up his speech by saying that every participant would have their moment of recognition as they would come on stage, state the school they were representing, and then their name. He asked that all the doubles participants please stand and make their way to the stage. He watched Tim, Kyle, and his other two teammates approach the stage. He stifled a laugh when he saw that Tim had almost tripped walking down the aisle. Ten minutes into the introductions, it was Tim and Kyle's turn.

"I'm Kyle and I'm from Sunnydale!" Kyle held his fist high in the air. Toby jumped on top of his chair and yelled, "Go Sunnydale!" and held his fist in the air as well. The crowd quieted down when Tim approached the microphone.

"Hi, my name is...Tim....yeah." Laughter rang through the stadium and Tim turned a deep red and almost tripped again before returning to his seat.

"Breathe." Toby said seriously to Tim.

After the last doubles team had announced themselves, the man, who was now sweating heavily, made his way back to the podium and asked that the 28 main draw singles participants make their way to the stage. Toby made his way to the stage, but was confused at what the round man had said. Only 28 participants had made it? Had four people dropped out? He laughed to himself as he watched his various competitors announce their school and themselves as he found most of them to be, at the very least, mildly attractive. He hoped he could keep his concentration when on the court against these guys. It was now his turn at the microphone.

"Toby Black and I'm bringing it home for the Sunnydale Hornets!" It was jarring to Toby that he received far less applause than anyone else who had gone up. When he sat down with his team again he leaned over to Tim, "Did you hear that? Most of these assholes didn't even clap for me."

"What are you talking about? You got the same amount of applause as everyone else."

Toby lost track of the names that followed and stopped paying attention at all when him and Tim engaged in a spontaneous game of footsie. They exchanged several smiles as their shoe covered feet wrestled. Toby only kind of heard the announcement that, in closing of the opening ceremonies, 4 wildcards had been selected to play in the singles draw. The man, who was still sweating profusely, asked the 4 wildcard entrants to stand when he announced their name. Still, neither Tim nor Toby was paying attention until "Richard Channing of Westwood University" rang over the microphone. Both boys quickly looked around the auditorium and were more than a little surprised to see Richard stand up and wave.

As soon as the ceremonies had been finished and the participants released, Toby quickly walked over to where the Westwood team was seated and waited for Richard to get to him at the end of the aisle.

"What are you doing here?" Toby asked as evenly as he could.

"I'm here to win." Richard said smiling, "What are you here for?"

The next morning Eric was making his way to the dining commons. Toby was gone so he had been able to sleep in and it was now approaching one in the afternoon. He walked lazily across the lobby area and said hi to Kevin who was doing his afternoon duty at the front desk.

"Hey Eric, you looking for a job this summer?"

"Kind of."

"You should check this out, here's a flyer. It's called summer conferencing. I did it last year and met some cool people. They rent out the dorms to different groups and you just help check them in and assist them. Cooper's already picked up an application. It pays good and you can stay here for free."

"Wow, this is exactly what I was looking for."

"Then you should definitely apply. The parents can really be a drag."

Eric smiled and continued on his way to the dining commons. Before he entered, he smiled up to the heavens and silently thanked God for answering his prayers.

Toby sat down next to Tim in the stadium and thanked his ex for saving him a seat. Toby unconsciously scooted a little closer to Tim and the move made Tim smile and gave him a bit of hope that maybe him and Toby weren't done after all.

"So I guess this makes or breaks us huh?" Tim said referring to the draw.

"Don't think that way. You have to beat 5 players to win the title no matter who it is."

Toby's confidence, which sometimes bordered on cockiness was one of the many things that Tim thought made Toby attractive. The round announcer from yesterday appeared at the podium wearing a shirt that was desperately clinging to the man in an attempt to stay on. Tim and Toby exchanged looks and both laughed.

Thirty minutes later the doubles draw had been completed and Tim, while not completely thrilled with the draw, knew that he and Kyle had a decent shot at going far. The single's draw started immediately after. The 8 players with the best win/loss record coming into the tournament were all separated and put into different sections of the draw. Toby was among those and it was weird to him to see his name on the large projector screen. The rest of the names had been entered into a computer and were being randomly spit out to fill the vacant spots left in the draw. He had a sinking feeling and thinking back he knew it was going to happen, but only a few spots below his name, Richard Channing appeared. If they both were able to win three matches, he and Richard could meet in the quarterfinals.

"How do you feel about that draw?" Tim asked after it had been completed.

"There are five players I have to beat to win the title. Doesn't matter who it is."

"Right, so Richard's name isn't at all a concern in any way to you?" Tim asked knowing the answer he would get in return.

"Nope, not even a little bit."

"Game, set, and match Toby Black by two sets to love, 6-2, 6-0!" the umpire yelled unnecessarily as there were not more than twenty people in the stands. Toby did a quick fist pump to his teammates and coach in the stands and gave a big smile. It was always a relief to get that first win; now the nerves were gone and he could relax just a touch. He picked up his bag and headed back to the lockerroom where he took a very quick shower before heading to the press area for an interview.

"How did you feel out there today?" Someone yelled at him as he sat down.

"Really good. I was seeing the ball pretty well today."

"How does it feel to be here representing your school?" an older woman who was still attractive for her age asked.

"It's fun. We all horse around and joke with each other ; a little too much sometimes." Toby said with a faint smile.

"Are you gonna watch your other teammates play their matches?" The same woman asked.

"Oh, of course. Yeah, so I'm hoping we can make this interview session as quick as possible. I think Tim and Kyle have just started."

"Tim is your boyfriend correct?" A man from a major news organization asked.

"Ummmm.....we just recently broke up."

"And how does that affect the two of you being on this team together?"

"It doesn't. We are still good friends."

The next question was thrown at him by one of the representative's from his school's newspaper, "How does being gay affect your relationship with your teammates?"

"Again, it doesn't. It's the 21st century, only people with sawdust for brains still have an issue with gay people."

The moderator stepped in at that point and thanked the press and Toby for their time. Toby walked out of the press room a bit annoyed but smiling.

"That'll show those bastards." he mumbled to himself.

The next day Eric and Cooper both waited in the Housing and Residential life office for their interviews for the summer job.

"I feel like I'm not going to get it."

"Positive thoughts." Cooper smiled.

"I really can't go home and spend the summer with my Mom."

"Yeah I'm not eager to go home either, it's why I'm here."

A slightly hunchbacked woman with very short hair peaked around the corner, "Eric?"

Eric stood up and smiled, "Hi, nice to meet you."

"You too."

Cooper noticed that the woman was wearing striped pants that looked more like pajama bottoms than pants that were appropriate for work. He snorted and Eric shot him a venomous look.

"I don't know him." Eric said to the woman.

The woman laughed very loudly, "I bet a lot of people wish they didn't know him."

"Hey hey," Cooper interjected, "everybody loves me."

"I hope that's true. We just hired Cooper as a resident advisor for next year." The woman said smiling.

"Really?!" Eric said looking back at Cooper who was avoiding eye contact, "He had yet to tell me."

After their interviews, the two boys had what would be one of their last few meals in the dining commons for the year.

"I think I did really well in the interview," Cooper said, "I hope I get it."

"I'm sure you did. They just hired you as an RA; you're a shoo-in.....Why didn't you say anything about being an RA?"

"I didn't want you to tell me how stupid I was."

"What?!" Eric said confused.

"I didn't want you to think that I did it only because of Kevin."

"Did you?"

"No! Ok partly. But I think being an RA will be fun. Hopefully get to make an impact."

Cooper looked up waiting for a demeaning or sarcastic comment from Eric, but he was instead met with a smile. The two friends finished their dinner and then enjoyed each other's company for the remainder of the night.

Toby walked into the press room after his second round win feeling confident. He'd had another convincing win, Tim and Kyle had also won their match and were in the quarterfinals, and Toby felt confidently that this meeting with the press would go a bit more smoothly than the previous one. He expected the first question would be about how easily he had won or about his feelings on the match, but he was thrown off guard when it was about Richard.

"Are you and Richard Channing still friends?"

"Yes, yes we are."

"If he wins his match you'll have to play him, how do you feel about that?"

"Ummm....it's another match and another player. I hope he wins this match though."

"It's not looking good," the same person responded, "he's down a set."

"It's not over till it's over."

He started to feel that the press was ganging up on him when the next reporter asked, "If your roles were reversed how do you think you would feel about him beating you?"

Toby's facial expression matched the confusion in his head, "I don't understand the question."

"About a month or so ago you two played. And you beat him. If your situations were reversed how would you feel about losing to him."

"Situations? Well losing to anyone sucks, but...."

"No, I mean do you think it would be any different if your parents were getting divorced and you had other personal issues going on?"

Toby didn't answer for a few moments as he tried to collect his thoughts and come up with a diplomatic answer to the question, "I think we play tennis to win."

The reporter obviously expected him to say more, but when he didn't, he saw that she mouthed "ok" and then scribbled something on a note pad.

"You don't feel bad about beating him at all?" Another reporter shouted.

"No, I...I'd like the best for him obviously, but between me and him personally there is no problem. Are we done?" he asked looking at the moderator. The moderator nodded and as Toby walked out of the press room, it was several members of the press who felt they had put Toby in his place.

Toby and Richard were the last match scheduled on the following day. It was five minutes before they were scheduled to be on court, so Toby was doing some last minute stretches in the lockerroom. He felt oddly calm about today's match. Usually he had little butterflies in his stomach right before and that's what pumped him up to be aggressive and to go for his shots. Today however, he felt as though this were just a lighthearted hit between two friends at a neighborhood park.

"Hey." He heard Richard say behind him.

"Hey."

"You got a minute?"

"Yeah, but can we make it quick, I don't usually like to talk before a match."

"I'll get straight to the point then. I'm transferring to Sunnydale in the fall."

Toby gave a sincere smile, "Richard, I know the past few months have been rough for you and you know I'm there whenever you need me, but I think we've both moved on. You moving down here would only make things more complicated, plus it's too late for you to transfer down here; the paperwork was due weeks ago."

"You misunderstand me. I'm transferring in the fall, I've been accepted. Do you remember when I came down after you and Tim first got together? After I got back I knew I couldn't let you go that easily so I filled out the transfer papers then and put them in the mail. I got my acceptance letter a month ago."

"I can't believe you did that without telling me."

"At first I was hoping I didn't get in, cause I thought like you; that we had both moved on. But when you came to see me after my parents had that fight...right before you left you said that maybe this happened so that bigger and better things in the future could happen. It did. It brought us back together...

"I came because you're my friend and I love you."

"No, you're in love with me. You left your boyfriend and drove six hours to be with me."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Toby said turning his back angrily on Richard.

"Maybe not. But I do know that at the very least, you'll see my face everyday at Sunnydale and you'll be reminded of what you threw away and all we could have had." Richard walked out of the locker-room and Toby closed his eyes so tightly that he immediately saw squiggly eye worms.

"Stay focused." He muttered to himself. He walked out to the cheers of the crowd and was surprised to see what looked to be about 300 people cheering from the stands. He caught Tim's eye in the stands and Tim's smile made him feel that at least there was one friendly face in the crowd. The two players received their instructions from the umpire and then Richard was asked heads or tails.

"Head." Richard smiled looking at Toby. It landed on heads and Richard decided to receive serve first. Toby walked away from the net to the deuce side of the court, bounced the ball a few times, took a deep breath and served the ball.

Thirty minutes later, Toby walked back to his chair, relieved of the fact the he had just won the first set 6-3. He toweled himself off, took a drink of water and then looked around the crowd to see if there was anyone besides his team members that he recognized. He saw the woman who had been teetering on beliigerent in his last press conference and everything they had said and asked started rushing back. Toby looked over to Richard who was staring impassively down at the ground. Toby thought that he looked sad and wanted to go over and ask him what was wrong, but he knew he couldn't; it was forbidden in the rules. Richard glanced over and their eyes met very briefly before both turned away. The umpire called time and they both walked to their sides of the court. Toby suddenly didn't feel so confident about winning this match and it showed in his tennis as he immediately went down 0-3. He remembered how the last time they played he felt this same way and he won by telling himself to fight and reminding himself how much he wanted to win. Still Richard noticed Toby's falling level and that gave him the confidence he needed to close out the second set 6-2. Toby did not sit in his chair for this break, but instead spent the break jumping up and down trying to pump himself up to win this match. When the umpire again called time, Toby jogged to his side of the court trying to keep his energy level up and to show Richard that he was not going to hand him this match.

On the other side of the net, Richard felt confident, it was one set now, for everything, and if he stayed positive and kept believing, he knew he could win this match. The two were evenly matched for the first six games, and the set was tied at 3-3. Richard was serving at 3-3 and they had several long rallies in the game. At one point, they were in the middle of a rally and Toby ran around his backhand to hit a forehand. He was sure it hit the line, but Richard held up his hand to signal it was out. Toby waited for the umpire to interject, but when he said nothing, Toby approached the chair.

"Did you see it?"

"Hard to say, it looked in to me though."

"You're supposed to be paying attention." Toby said walking back to his side of the court. Richard went on to win that game for 4-3. Toby tried to shake off what he felt was a bad call in the last game. He did just that and held serve for 4-4. He still was jumping up and down in between points to show that he was still willing to fight until the end. Two big serves allowed Richard to go 30-0 in the game, but Toby's quick movement forced Richard into errors on the next two points, moving it to 30-30. The next point featured a very long rally with both players grunting and running side to side. Toby decided to be the one to pull the trigger first and he hit his backhand right up the line. Richard held up his hand to signal that the ball landed out. Right as Toby was about to blow a gasket, the umpire interjected, "Correction the ball was good, replay the point."

"Thank you!" Toby said throwing his hands in the air. He shot Richard a dirty look, but Richard already had his back turned and was ready to serve again. Toby had already decided that he was going to smack the ball right at Richard's feet on this return. He did just that and Richard again signaled the ball was out. The umpire again interjected, "Correction the ball was good, replay of the point, point deduction Mr. Channing, unsportsmanlike conduct."

"What!" Richard said approaching the umpire's chair, "unsportsmanlike conduct for what?!"

"The rules clearly state that if two bad calls are made in one game a warning for unsportsmanlike conduct is to be given." The umpire stated calmly.

"But that ball was hit so hard and fast that there's no way you can be sure I made an incorrect call!"

"I am sure the ball landed on the line."

"What do you have binoculars or something up there because there's no way you could have seen that from up there. You're only supposed to make calls when you are 100% sure an error has been made!"

"I am, my call stands."

"Unfuckingbelievable." Richard muttered to himself as he walked back, now down break point, he knew that this could be the end right here for him if he lost the point. So far in the match on a big point, Richard had been serving out wide, he hoped that by serving right at his opponent, that Toby would be surprised enough to lose the point. It did just that and Toby screamed in frustration at hitting the serve into the net. Richard hit two more big serves and gave an emphatic fist pump when he held serve to go up 5-4. Toby double faulted the first point to go down 0-15. Richard hit a return winner on the next point, and Toby was now two point from losing the match at 0-30.

"Fight!" He muttered to himself, "Keep fighting!"

Richard hit the next return out and a big serve allowed Toby to get back to 30-30. Toby served the ball, and Richard barely got his racket on it, but it was enough to get the ball over the next. Toby quickly ran forward to get the ball and hit it into the open court. The ball had more spin then he expected and as he hit it, he knew instantly it would fly long of the line. As the umpire called the score, Toby gave a quick look to where he knew Tim was sitting in the stands. Tim mouthed the word "fight" and Toby again yelled at himself to fight. Toby missed the first serve long. He thought he had gotten his second serve deep enough, but Richard smacked the ball crosscourt, Toby lunged to his left, but the shot was too well struck and as he heard the ball hit the top of the tape and the umpire call, "Game, set, and match Richard Channing." Toby's mouth opened in disbelief. He walked to the net and put a smile on his face as he greeted Richard. They gave each other a quick hug at the net and Toby pulled back and said, "Good luck in the next round."

Toby walked back to the locker-room and immediately decided to skip the press conference. He would probably get in trouble for doing so, but after that performance he knew he could not face them. What he wanted to do more than anything was go home. His finals were over and this was the last thing on his plate for the year. He wanted to go home and just be Toby, not the tennis athlete, or anything else...just Toby. He quickly discarded his clothes and sighed as the warm water of the shower washed over his body.

"You ok?" Tim said coming up behind him.

"Yeah." Toby did nothing to cover his nudity.

"Tough day out there, huh?"

"Yeah, we all lost today. The Sunnydale massacre."

"You still love him don't you?" Tim asked suddenly.

"Can we not do this now?" Toby turned around and Tim admired the fine ass on his ex boyfriend, "Nothing ever happened between me and him; I would have told you if it did."

"I believe you....it's just I was stupid to get in the middle of something that obviously wasn't finished."

"I don't know what you want me to say."

"I love you Toby. I really really do. But my self worth is more important than you. So when you decide which one of us you want, just do me a favor and give me a call, ok?"

Tim turned to exit the lockerroom. He felt a sense of enpowerment from being able to walk away from Toby, but at the same time he felt as if he were walking away from the one thing he wanted more than anything else.

Eric and Cooper were both surprised to see Toby back at the dorms the following night.

"You being back this early is probably not a good thing is it?" Cooper asked.

"No, I lost...to Richard."

"Ouch!" Cooper said loudly. Eric hit him in the stomach and gave him a mean look to which Cooper again blurted out, "Ouch!"

Eric spoke up, "Well at least if he wins the tournament you can say you lost to the eventual champion."

"He lost earlier this morning, quite easily."

Just as Cooper was about to say ouch again, he caught Eric looking at him out of the corner of his eye and thought better of it.

"So what you gonna do?" Eric asked curiously.

"I just need to think. I'm gonna pack and think about what I want. I was talking to Tim and he said he thinks I have some unfinished issues with Richard ; which is true, but going back to him is going backwards, and I'd like to go forward with him...why can't...."

"Toby!" Eric yelled, "My God, you have two great, hot guys who both want you and you still have found a way to make this a bad thing. There are some of us who can't even get a guy to look at us, so get over yourself!" Eric stormed out of the room. Cooper gave Toby an awkward smile and a pat on the shoulder and then followed Eric out.

Toby spent the night packing and thinking and going back and forth on what he should do. He even considered being by himself for a while, but knew that would be the easy way out. The next morning, as Toby had taken the last box to his car he smiled. He had spent the last year in this room, his stuff spread across every surface, yet it took only a few hours to wipe it all away, with no trace of him ever being there. He got the urge to write his name on the closet door, but thought that was a little too corny. He scribbled a quick note to Eric and Cooper and then he dialed Tim's number, "You got a minute?" A few minutes later he dialed Richard's number, "We need to talk."

An hour and a half later, the cool Northern California air was blowing in his face and he smiled as he temporarily put some distance between him and Sunnydale University. He looked over to the boy next to him and he smiled.

"What?" the boy asked.

"Nothing, I'm just happy you're with me."

"Are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes and don't ruin the moment. Let's just enjoy it ok?"

"I can do that." The boy next to him smiled, "I love you."

"I love you too."

Eric walked into his room and was surprised to see Toby's side completely empty except for a piece of yellow legal paper attached to his desk.

"See you guys in the fall!"

• Toby

Eric stared blankly at the note. Cooper came up behind him and asked him what he was reading.

"Toby's goodbye."

The two exchanged looks and though nothing was said, both wondered what this would mean for the future of their friendship with Toby.

Cooper temporarily forgot about Toby as he walked with Kevin to his car for his final goodbye.

"That's everything." Kevin said.

"Yeah."

"Cooper, I'll be back. We still have next semester before I leave."

"This is true."

"And you can call me anytime this summer, you know that."

"Yeah."

"Give me a hug." Kevin said. As they hugged, Cooper thought about how intimate, but at the same time silly a hug really was. A hug consists of pressing your body up against another person, which seemed dumb to him. But at the same time, it was intimate that someone you hugged, really hugged, invited you in do so.

"I'll see you in the fall." Kevin said as he broke contact. Cooper watched the car speed away and he stayed outside for quite a while, just sitting and watching numerous people come and go. He saw Eric come out with Ryan after he had been outside for an hour or so.

"Thanks man." Ryan smiled at Eric, "I couldn't have gotten through it without your help...the moving and class too."

Eric smiled, "You could have done it."

"Well man, thanks again and keep in touch." He extended his hand and Eric shook it firmly.

"Have a good summer!" He yelled as Ryan got into the car. Ryan waved as he started off his car, and he too then went away. Eric smiled bitterly as he watched the car speed away; A semester of lust and hoping that something would happen between them had ended with a hand shake and a "keep in touch."

Eric saw Cooper sitting on the bench staring into space. He walked over to his friend and said, "Come on."

They walked through the lobby, both consumed with thoughts of the men that had just walked out of their lives, probably only temporarily, but maybe forever. Eric heard his name called and turned to see his favorite Englishman, Jon, carrying a box.

"Hey," Jon yelled, "I'll see you in the fall." Even though he was several feet away, Eric could still see that mischievous smile he loved so much. As he continued through the lobby with Cooper, he smiled to himself and thought of Jon; maybe things were just starting to look up.

As the two boys reached the third floor landing both stopped briefly as if they were thinking the same thing. This whole year, and even just hours ago, the floor had been full of life, of laughter and sounds, and voices and experiences, and now it was as if the walls had never been occupied, and the doors never opened.

"If these walls could talk." Cooper said.

"Yeah." Eric nodded.

Eric reached his door and turned the knob, there was no reason for it to be locked, no one else was on this floor but he and Cooper. Eric really wanted some company, and as he debated on whether to ask Cooper if he wanted to hang, Cooper asked first, "Do you mind if I hang for a bit. Not really up for being alone right now."

"Yeah," Eric smiled relieved, "Come in."

They both sat upright on Eric's bed in silence for awhile, both concentrated on their own situations.

"Ryan gone?"

"Yep, Kevin left?"

"Yeah, a little whole ago."

`I see."

Cooper reached over and grabbed Eric's hand. Eric smiled and interlaced his fingers through his friends hands and then after a few moments, he rested his head on Cooper's shoulder. Even though the halls were quiet, and the rooms were empty, neither boy was alone; they had each other.

That's the end of the first season of Three Roads. The first chapter of the next school year for our characters will be posted on June 30th. I'm going to try a bit something new and update the story every week. The chapters will be shorter, but I think it will be beneficial to the story to update it more regularly than I have been. I would love to hear your thoughts on the story so far, where you think it's going, and any suggestions, constructive criticisms, or thoughts on what you like. Feel free to e mail me at tenniswiz12@msn.com. Thanks for reading the story and Cooper, Eric, Toby, and the rest of the gang bid you farewell until June 30th!