True Blue

by Connie Bailey

  “You really care about my lad, don’t you?” Lily asked.

  Blue looked at the floor.

  “It’s all right, Blue. I’ve known for some time that Astor isn’t attracted to girls and I’ve made peace with the fact. I only hope you’ll be careful with his heart.” Blue was glad when he heard Astor coming down the stairs. He took the hand that Mrs. Aldrich held out, but he couldn’t look her in the eyes. Astor kissed her cheek and they picked up their bags and went to meet the helicopter.

  “Youhaving a good time?” Allerton asked as the waiter put two more drinks on the glass-topped table.

  Heydn looked over at the outdoor floor show of half-naked women dancing to a song from last year’s American top 40. “Sure. Free room, free wardrobe, free booze. Why wouldn’t I be having a good time?”

  “You looked a little bored.”

  “Well, it is the same show we saw last night.”

  “True; same old titties. Want to go prowling for fresh pussy?”

  “Where?”

  “We could just take our drinks and walk down the beach.”

  “I thought Christophe said we shouldn’t go too far away from the resort.”

  “Christophe is stupid enough to marry my bitch whore sister. Let’s go find some action.”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  “Who cares what you think?” Allerton picked up his drink and staggered away from the beach bar behind the hotel.

  “Shit,” Heydn said as he stood and went after Allerton. “Wait up.”

  “Look, there’s a fire farther down the beach.”

  “I see it.”

  “Maybe there’ll be some hotties there, ’cause there’s fuck-all at the resort.”

  “Okay. We’ll check it out, but it’s pretty far away.”

  Allerton didn’t even get halfway before he sat down in the sand and threw his empty plastic coconut at the ocean. “What the hell are we doin’ so far from the bar?”

  “It’s a mystery.” Heydn sat down next to Allerton.

  “We’re out of booze.”

  “That’s indisputable.”

  “Shit.”

  “We might as well.”

  Allerton laughed. “Got any smokes?” “Neither one of us smokes.”

  “What the hell are we doin’ way out here?”

  “We’re drunk.”

  “Tell Logan to get some more beers.”

  “Logan’s not here.” Heydn sighed. He didn’t think he’d ever seen a human being as drunk as Allerton. “Let’s just sit for a few minutes.”

  “I need a drink.”

  “We’ll get you one soon.”

  “I hate the fuckin’ beach.”

  Heydn sighed again. “Listen, you never let me thank you properly for bailing me out.”

  “What?”

  “I just wanted to say thanks.”

  “If you want to show your appreciation, you can suck my dick.”

  “Very funny.”

  “You said you wanted to thank me. Can’t blame a guy for tryin’ to get a little head.” Knowing it was a mistake, but unable to stop himself, Heydn put a hand on Allerton’s inner thigh. When the other young man didn’t punch him, Heydn let his hand drift until he found Allerton’s cock. Neither of them said a word; they both stared at the moonlight on the waves as Heydn worked his hand up the leg of Allerton’s shorts and under his briefs until he touched bare dick. Without a sound other than the surf mingled with Allerton’s heavy breathing, Heydn stroked his friend’s hard shaft. It took a few minutes, due to the amount of alcohol consumed, but Allerton shot his wad with a harsh grunt and Heydn withdrew his hand. Before long, they stood and headed back to the lights. The incident was not mentioned by either as they went to their rooms. In the morning, they boarded a plane back to the mainland. Allerton was massively hung over and refused to take his sunglasses off, causing a minor scene at customs. It was over quickly, and they were on their way home with tans and, in Allerton’s case, a small amount of potent marijuana. A cab dropped them off at campus, they separated on the quad in front of the dorms, and Heydn went to his room to catch a nap before classes started.

  Chapter 9 Peytonopened his door, saw Blue, and yanked him inside.

  “I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” Blue said.

  “I haven’t been everywhere. I’ve been right here. I’m under house arrest.”

  “What?”

  “Dean Whittaker told me to stay in my room until I’m sent for.”

  “What did you do?”

  “What didIdo? They’re the ones that are violating my freedom of speech.”

  “What’s this about, Peyn?”

  “Censorship.”

  “They wouldn’t publish his expose?,” Rolly said from his seat by the window.

  “I thought we agreed you wouldn’t go on a crusade,” Blue said.

  “I didn’t agree to anything.” Peyton sat down on his bed and looked up at Blue with something close to worry in his green eyes. “Some people are pretty pissed at me.”

  “Tell me what you did.”

  “He has pictures of some homophobes in compromising situations,” Rolly said.

  “You spied on people and took pictures?” Blue sat on a chair opposite Peyton. “You dumbass! What were you thinking?”

  “I was thinking that I’d show them up for the hypocrites they are. I had one picture of a teacher and a student.”

  “They’ll expel you.”

  “I have copies,” Peyton said coyly.

  “Who did you have pictures of?”

  “I could show you on my laptop.”

  “You have the file on your computer? You really are a dumbass.”

  “No, I have several disc copies and a flash drive.”

  “Well, don’t show it to me. I don’t want to be involved in something like this.”

  “Yet you want to know who was in the pictures.”

  “So I’ll know who’s coming after you, idiot. Seriously, what were you thinking?”

  “He tried to run the press by all by himself,” Rolly said. “It would’ve been so cool if he could have printed a few hundred copies and spread them around.”

  Blue shook his head. “Why didn’t you just make some fliers with your printer?”

  “It wouldn’t have the same impact,” Peyton said.

  “Do you want to get beat up?”

  “Of course not. That would hurt and I’m not a masochist.”

  “Then stop doing crazy things.”

  “I thought you loved me because I was crazy.”

  “Stop it, Peyton. Just stop it, please.”

  Rolly got up and went to the door. “I forgot something in my room,” he said as he fled the scene of an incipient confrontation between his friends.

  “Stop what exactly?” Peyton asked. “Stop standing up for my rights? Stop fighting bullies? Stop caring about injustice?”

  “No, just stop…making people angry.”

  “It’s not intentional; it’s just a side effect.”

  “You call too much attention to yourself and to everyone like you.”

  “Is that what this is about? Are you afraid I’ll mess things up for you and the Prince?”

  “That’s part of it, sure, but mostly I don’t want to visit you in the hospital.”

  “Blue…” Peyton paused and turned away, looking out the window. “I wish things were different, too,” he said at last. “But this is how they are.”

  Blue stared at the back of Peyton’s head for a long time before he spoke. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “Just be my friend.” Blue crossed the room and put his hands on Peyton’s shoulders. As if expecting a rebuff, he put his arms around his friend in stages, letting his hands slide down a bit at a time until he circled Peyton’s chest. Peyton was stiff at first, but he relaxed gradually and let the hug be what it was and nothing more, just one friend offering comfort to another. He stilled the storm of butterfly wings in his mi
ddle and rested his cheek against Blue’s forearm. It occurred to him that wanting someone that didn’t want you back might be the hardest thing in the world to comprehend and accept.

  “Blue?”

  “I’m right here.” “I need my laptop.”

  Blue let go of Peyton and moved back. His friend went directly to his computer and began typing.

  “What trouble are you stirring up now?”

  “What?” Peyton looked at Blue as though he’d forgotten the other young man was in the room. “Oh, I just had an idea for my play. Do you mind? I’d like to write it down before it goes away.”

  “I don’t mind. I think you should stick to writing plays instead of inflammatory journalism.”

  “Okay, just close the door on your way out.” Peyton’s eyes never left the screen.

  Blue smiled as he left his friend’s room and headed up the stairs.

  “Heydn.”

  “Yes, Coach?’ “I’ve been giving a lot of thought to your brush with the law. By the rules, I should suspend you from the team, maybe even bar you from competing in sanctioned meets. The fact is that you’re the fastest man on the team, even if you lack training. You run like all hell was chasing you and Acton needs you if we expect to place in the top three.”

  “What did you decide, sir?”

  “I have to keep you on the sidelines for a couple of weeks, but then we’ll ease you back into the lineup.”

  “Thanks, Coach.”

  “Just try and stay out of trouble. You shouldn’t be drinking while you’re in training.”

  “No, sir.” Coach was quiet for a minute and Heydn was about to ask if he could go when the man spoke. “I hesitate to bring this up, but since we’re talking ethics and morals, we might as well clear the air. I’ve heard a couple of rumors about you and I’d like to give you the chance to refute them.”

  “Sure.”

  “I’m certain you can understand why we can’t have homosexuals on the team. Sometimes when you travel, you have to bunk together. Enough said, right?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Then I can assume the gossip is just trash talk?” “Yes, sir.” “Good. I’ve already sent your stats to some people I know at good colleges. We both know you don’t have the same kind of funding as the rest of team and it would be a shame if you lost your ride before you

  even got it.”

  Heydn nodded.

  “All right. Just because you’re not competing doesn’t mean you can skip practice. I’ll be expecting you to work twice as hard as everybody else.”

  “You can count on it.”

  “You’re excused.” Heydn walked down the hall from the coach’s office and out of the gym building into the late afternoon sunlight. He moved like a blind man, avoiding obstacles as though he had radar. When he picked his head up, he saw that he was on the path that led to The Monks. Feeling as though he could use some solitude, he kept going, picking up his pace on the leaf-strewn track. Just before he came out of the trees, a flash of color warned him and he stopped. Peering through the foliage, he saw two young men in Acton uniforms welded together at the mouth. He recognized Blue immediately and in another moment, he came up with Astor Aldrich’s name. Astor squeezed Blue’s butt cheeks and Blue moaned his approval. The sound went right through Heydn’s ribcage like a well-aimed arrow. He was blindsided by pain of a magnitude he’d never felt before. Dropping to his knees, he fell forward onto his hands and tried to get rid of his lunch. It was a little while before he got to his feet, shaky and weak, and wobbled back to the campus. He tripped on the threshold of his dorm and someone put a hand under his elbow to steady him.

  “Damn, Case, you look like hammered shit,” Peyton said.

  “I thought you were confined to your room.”

  “Dean Whittaker moved me to an empty room in this house to be fair to my roommate.”

  “Poor guy. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have you around twenty-four/seven.”

  “It’s good to know the feeling is mutual.”

  “You were against me from the beginning.”

  “That’s your paranoia talking.”

  “No, you bad-mouthed me from day one. It took me a while to figure it out though.”

  “You figured something out? Won’t that get you disqualified from sports?”

  “God, I hate phony snobs like you.”

  “Really? Then how do you explain Allerton King? He’s your best bud now, right? And the biggest snob I can think of.”

  “At least he didn’t leave me hangin’ in jail.”

  “What?” “Maybe you haven’t heard,” Heydn said bitterly. “I was arrested.”

  “No, I knew about that. In fact, I’d bet I was one of the first to hear.”

  “You’re always digging up dirt on somebody, aren’t you, you twisted shit?”

  “Give me a moment while I contemplate the mental image your words have instilled in my brain.”

  “Fags,” Heydn sneered. “You can’t do anything straight, can you?”

  “At least I’m not stupid enough to believe Allerton King would bail me out of jail.”

  “I called him and he took care of me.”

  “Wow, you really are as dumb as I think you are.”

  “Get out of my face, asshole.”

  “Sure. You look like you could use some rest. When you’re refreshed, you can intimidate me some more with your manly muscles.”

  “Spare me your concern for my welfare, dickweed.”

  “My pleasure, jackhole. There’s a lot more I could tell you about recent skullduggery, but I’m happy to leave you alone.”

  “Thank you.” Heydn slammed the door of his room in Peyton’s face.

  “What the hell?” Heydn’s roommate woke up with a start and knocked his books over.

  “You fell asleep studying again, Judson.”

  Judson Lenoir yawned and glanced at his watch. “Only fifteen hours until the history test.”

  “Why don’t you just read the book at the beginning of the year?”

  “Maybe that works for you, but facts don’t stick to my brain. Hey, are you all right?”

  “Yeah. I’m just tired.”

  “You look like you had a heart attack.” Heydn stretched out on his bed and closed his eyes. Judson’s choice of words pierced him to the core. It was a kind of heart attack that he’d had. The sight of golden boy Astor Aldrich kissing and putting his hands all over Blue had hit Heydn like a massive coronary. A powerful need to feel Blue’s warmth in his arms made Heydn’s body ache like a bad tooth. Blue’s absence made expulsion from the track team seem trivial. “That’s just your dick talkin’, buckaroo,” he whispered fiercely.

  “What?” Judson turned in his chair to look at Heydn. “Nothin’. Just tryin’ to motivate myself.”

  “Oh. Well…good luck with that.” Judson put his head down over his book again. Heydn closed his eyes again and tried to put Blue out of his mind by concentrating on his goal of getting into a good school without bankrupting his mom. It didn’t work. Turning onto his side, he put his back to Judson and faced the wall. Stealthily, he slid a hand under the waistband of his track pants and cradled his cock and balls. He remembered the way Blue’s fingers had always been cool at first, but warmed up very nicely. He remembered how right Blue’s touch felt on his skin seducing him to the belief that there was nothing wrong in what they were doing. He remembered Blue’s eyes the first time he’d entered him.

  “You sure you’re all right?” Judson asked.

  “Yeah, I’m sure. I’m tryin’ to go to sleep.”

  “You were groaning.”

  “I was havin’ a nightmare.”

  “Okay.” Heydn let out a big breath and took his hand off his dick. He must have been crazy to pull something like that. At least Judson had the couth to wait until he thought Heydn was asleep. However, Heydn could see that sleep would not come quickly tonight. “Hey, Jud, you ever seeDemon Armageddon ?”

  “Sounds li
ke a horror movie.”

  “So you haven’t seen it?”

  “I don’t think so. Why?”

  “Never mind.” Judson went back to his history text as Heydn rose and went down the hall to the bathroom. He took a quick shower, just long enough to jerk off and rinse. When he turned the water off, he heard the outside door slam shut. Taking his towel off the hook, he dried off and began getting dressed. The voices of the two young men using the toilet echoed off the tile, coming clearly to Heydn’s ears. He tried to ignore them until he heard his name. Draping his damp towel over his shoulders, he walked barefoot into the next room and stopped a few feet from the pair of junior track team members.

  Copeland Graham elbowed Sloan Spalding. Sloan turned from the urinal and saw Heydn. Copeland shook off and zipped up, walking quickly to the long row of sinks. Sloan brazened it out, smirking at Heydn as he finished up.

  “Have a nice shower?”

  “I could swear I heard you call me Allie King’s butt boy.”

  “Well, you know, with the water running, you probably misunderstood me.”

  “Then what did you say?” “He said you were King’s best bud,” Copeland blurted out.

  “I wasn’t talking to you.” Heydn continued to stare at Sloan. “Is that what you said, Skip? That me and Allie are best buds?”

  “Sure. Everyone knows that.”

  “It also sounded like Logan told you I suck a mean dick.”

  “Well, Allie told Logan…” Copeland stopped speaking when Sloan glanced at him.

  “Forget it, bro,” Sloan said. “You just misunderstood, that’s all. Come on, Cope; let’s go.” Heydn stood there, trembling with rage, and let them walk away. Their laughter drifted back to him as their footsteps faded down the hall and he nearly choked on his bile, but they were just stooges. He knew who the spiteful mastermind of this smear campaign was and that’s where he’d direct the blast of his anger.

  Chapter 10 “Doyou believe that shit?” Heydn said as he finished lacing up.

  Allerton exchanged a droll glance with Logan. “Peyton Crane is nothing but trouble,” he said. “Always has been, always will be.”

  “Unless somebody got rid of him,” Logan said, slamming his gym locker shut. “Then he wouldn’t be any trouble to anybody.”

  “You watch too much TV,” Heydn said. “I’ll take care of Peyn Crane my own way.”