When I got back to the dorms later that night I was exhausted. Even after the party, I had stayed behind to help out Eric and his friends. It was a good way of getting to know more people. Inside my dorm room, my 3 roommates were waiting for me. They were sitting around the living room talking. One of them was a gold member, Pierre. He was a year older than I was and had feline like features. He had the body of a runner and grayish-green eyes. He was also French. Pierre was having boy problems and was asking the three of us for advice. I told him that I really didn't have any experiences of my own and that I was no help. They were all surprised. They told me that they didn't think a person like me could not have ever had a relationship. I laughed and said that there were many other sixteen-year-olds that have never even been kissed. They nodded their heads and we all told Pierre to just call the guy and see him in the morning during class. I didn't want to tell them about what happened earlier that night in case Damien was worried about his reputation. We soon realized that it was pretty late and that we should be heading off to bed. I shared the bedroom with Pierre. While I changed I felt his eyes on my naked flesh. We said our goodnights and turned the lights off.

I didn't know how long I was asleep for but I woke up to the sound of someone whispering.

"Hush. Ethan's sleeping."

"Pierre. About earlier..."

"Don't worry about it baby."

I heard lips smacking and bed sheets moving around. I opened my eyes in the darkness. Pierre's bed was by the window. With the help of the moon and stars I could see everything that was happening. A taller boy was in the room. He had ebony light skin and looked to be a mixed. He only had pajama bottoms on and I could see his muscles flex as he wrapped his arms around Pierre who was only in his boxers. Pierre was on the bottom, his hands pulling down on the other boy's pants. Instead, the other guy quickly pulled down Pierre's boxers. His full-blown cock smacked against his abs. They were still making out. I could tell that the bigger guy was older than Pierre and I. His arms were on the bed, holding him up as he lay on top of Pierre. Grinding. He began to kiss Pierre's cheek. Neck. Chest. Nipples. The kisses and licks went down. Pierre was breathing hard. Almost moaning. The other guy moved lower. His hair was curly and almost fro like. Pierre arched his back as his lover licked the tip of his mushroom-head. With one swift move the young man put the entire thing in his mouth. His nose and lips grazed against Pierre's pubes. I could hear a suction sound. His head raised and fell on the large member. Pierre began to hump into his mouth.

"George..." Pierre whispered.

George responded by grabbing Pierre's hips and thrusting them towards him.

In. Out. All around. It looked as if George had a Popsicle in his mouth. Licking it to the top and then putting it all back in.

"I'm going to-"

George stopped. With his left hand he grabbed Pierre's throbbing penis and squeezed. Pierre was now thrusting his own hips. Nothing. George had stopped it. As if knowing what to do, Pierre quickly grabbed a tube from his dresser. He gave it to George who already had his pants down. They were breathing heavily. I could see George rubbing his hardness. It was larger, more extended than Pierre's. He squeezed something out of the tube and applied it to his penis. George lifted his partner's hips with one and hand and applied some more of the substance to Pierre's anus. Pierre had grabbed a pillow and placed it under his ass. George steadily lifted Pierre's butt higher. His tool was directly pointed into its target. Slowly he entered. From where I was I could see that the head was sinking in. Slowly. But once George knew he was inside he thrust hard and fast. His own hips smacked against Pierre's buttocks. Pierre let out a yelp. George quickly pulled almost out. And then back in. Pierre's legs were on his should and I could clearly see George go in and out. Their smooth bodies found a rhythm. I could hear the smacking sound ever second. Their breathing got heavier. Faster. Harder. George finally let out a low moan. He buried himself deep within Pierre. Pierre moaned along with him a second later. His hand was on his own cock and I could see several jets hit his stomach and chest. Breathing heavily George pulled out of Pierre. He licked Pierre's abs. Chest. Neck. They kissed. I closed my eyes. My hands were desperate.

I woke up early the following morning to find that George was not in the room. I never questioned Pierre about what I had heard and seen that night. He later told me that he had given the guy another chance. After I had washed my face and brushed my teeth I called up my brother. He left a message the night before. Lee told me to call him in the morning before his work started. I was use to telling my brother everything, and so I did.

I guess I must be a bad kisser huh?"

I could hear Lee taking a leak in the background.

"I'm still distracted by the midnight romp in your dorm. Do kids you're age actually do that kind of stuff?"

"You really are getting old. Remember that time I caught you with Jenny Chong?"

"Oh yeah. That was pretty bad. So the guy at the beach carnival homecoming left you? I still wish my high school had something like that."

"I'm telling you Lee, bad kissing on my part."

"That's impossible. Sarah Baker mooned over you for years after the fifth grade tonsil incident. And I still don't know if I should be proud that my younger brother just made out with the captain of the football team on his first day of school."

"I just hope it won't be awkward. He's in one of my classes."

"Which one?"

"Ethics."

"Speaking of which, I think I should start work soon. They got me doing maintenance training. It's not bad but I don't get to interact with any women. I'll talk to you later Ettie."

"Yeah and I'm going to work out. Today I'm going to try out for the school's basketball team, and I want to be prepared. Later."

I hung up. I put on a sleeveless t-shirt and a pair of gym shorts. The fitness center of the school was just like any of the recreation areas here. It was large. This training gym had an indoor track around it for runners. Inside the track were the weights, machines and other mechanical equipment that a regular YMCA had. And this was just the third floor. On the second floor there were two basketball courts and three multi-purpose rooms. The first floor had the change rooms and the school's famous wave pool. It was a regular swimming pool that any staff member could switch into a wave pool that generated actual waves. I was told that some students liked to practice swimming. Outside there were four tennis courts and a football/soccer field.

While I was jogging around the indoor track I thought about the time I pulled a muscle during a track meet. I stopped and decided to do some stretches. While I was stretching, many students who were also running around the track would slowly pass by and look me up and down. I decided that I would continue more of the cardiovascular training after I did some weights. When I entered the free-weight section of the gym I saw smaller guy with glasses and heavy acne struggling to do bench presses. He was aggravatingly doing 25 lbs on each side. I quickly reached his side and held the bar for him.

"Ease up and relax. I got it," I assured him.

His face was red and it wasn't just from his acne.

"I can do it I know it," he said with uncertain confidence.

I lowered the weights to the side.

"I pretty sure you can. But you should start with lower weights first and then build yourself up. You'll get bigger muscles faster that way."

He got up from the bench and stood to face me. He wasn't that much shorter than I was but his frame was much lighter. His glasses were thick and his large expensive gym clothes didn't seem to fit him.

"Uh. Thanks. I guess."

After looking at me he seemed to shy away.

I stuck out my hand and said, "My name's Ethan and I'm new here."

After waiting for a few seconds he finally shook my hand. It was as if he was waiting for me to trick him.

"My name's Snowy."

Snowy was in my grade and had been in the school since the ninth grade. He told me that he was a shy person and never really made that many friends in the school. An outcast among outcasts, I thought to myself.

While he was helping me spot he asked, "How'd you get to be that big Ethan? I mean you're not huge but you're not scrawny. You just have perfect proportions."

I was having a hard time speaking because of the weight I was holding.

"Well. I'm not that proportioned. I just like doing basketball, track and swimming. You really shouldn't worry about the way you look. It's honestly not that important. Just try to stay active and eat good food."

When I finished my set, I sat down on the bench. Snowy sat beside me and was starting to talk about American politics. We saw a large group of students heading our way. I asked Snowy if he knew what was happening. He didn't know. Among the crowd were Eric and his friends. From our distance I heard them chanting something. And as they came closer I finally figured the words.

"Damien! Damien! Damien!"

I was curious as to what was happening and I also wondered if seeing me would make him feel awkward. Damien appeared in the center of the crowd. A white towel settled on his broad shoulders. Black tank top. Red gym shorts. And he had on a face of pure determinism. In my mind I could still feel the hot springs and smell the heat of the endless summer night. Damien sat on a bench press several feet away from me. I felt an instant look from him in my direction but his eyes flitted away. I quickly put my hand down. I was close to almost giving him a small wave. I still smiled. Snowy was transfixed. We both moved closer to the crowd. Two bigger students carried a large weight each. It took the both of them to spot Damien. The crowd kept chanting his name. I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Hey good looking," he shouted.

I turned around.

"What's going on Joe?"

He couldn't hear me through the chanting so I repeated myself.

"Damien plans on bench pressing a record here."

"That's pretty heavy. I can barely do half of those."

Joe put on a wicked smile.

"Trust me kid. He's not the type to settle for anything lower than the best."

The show began as the students counted each rep. They counted in unison.

"One."

Damien struggled.

"Two."

The veins on his arms appeared. They looked like rivers on a map, growing larger by the second.

"Three."

His face was already red.

"Four."

Sweat dripped from his brow.

"Five."

The room was getting hotter.

"Six."

Damien was clenching his teeth.

"Seven."

His eyes were bulging.

"Eight."

His body was shaking.

"Nine."

His body was shutting down. It couldn't take the pressure anymore. He could barely lift it. He struggled. His face was so red. His veins were ready to explode.

"Ten!"

Everyone cheered. I sighed in relief. Two bigger students helped Damien place back the immense weight. He pretended to collapse on the bench. People laughed and others congratulated him. His admirers swarmed him. He barely noticed I was there. I tapped Snowy on the shoulder.

"You want to jog for a bit?"

He nodded and we started to walk away. I waved to Joe, Eric and his group of friends. When I turned around I heard someone call my name.

"Hey Ethan," Damien said in a gruff and tired voice.

"I need some help in massaging my hot and sweaty body."

Everyone in the crowd chuckled and eyed me cautiously.

I smiled modestly and said, "Is it ok if I take a rain check? I told my new friend that I would jog with him for a bit."

Everyone looked at me surprised. Including Snowy. I didn't understand why. It did look as if Damien was only joking. But it also felt like our kiss last night never existed.

After a slight moment passed Damien said, "K.K."

His friends crowded him again and I walked with Snowy to the track.

After my workout I went back into my dorm room. Pierre and George were sitting by the table in the living room. My cheeks went red after seeing them. I just greeted them and quickly went to take a shower. My first class was English Literature and I decided to go early to see if the teacher wanted me to do any extra homework. Ms. Fox was pleasant and told me to just work on the things they were doing presently. I had to read To Kill A Mockingbird and do a presentation next week on Hamlet. The class went by smoothly. Ms. Fox was teaching literary devices. The class was low in enthusiasm. After English Literature, I had Mat with Mr. Roberts. Pierre was in my class. We sat beside each other and tried finish the homework before class ended. I had lunch right after and sat with Eric and his friends again. My third class was with Mr. Buchanan.

I came into class and waited by the teacher's desk.

"Ethan. You're early," he said casually as he entered the classroom.

"Hey Mr. Buchanan. You told me yesterday to come early so that you can assign me a seat."

"Alright. On the left in front of Damien's seat."

I nodded and sat by the seat. I opened my bag, took out my notebook and pencil. Eric entered the room and gave me a high-five. I grinned and congratulated him on the poker win during lunch. More students arrived including Joe and Bobby who both gave me a slight nod as they entered. Right behind all of them was Damien. He was wearing khaki shorts that went pass his knees, brown leather sandals, and a blue shirt underneath the school jacket. I wondered if the heat ever bothered him. He glanced around the room and got to his seat without looking at me. Students were still talking to him about his achievement this morning. He grinned with confidence and passed off the incident as something mere and inconsequential. Class started. After ten minutes of attendance Mr. Buchanan made an announcement.

"If none of you are aware, next week is the Spiritual Retreat. For three days and two nights, we'll be doing a mountain hike and staying at various indigenous areas. Ethan, I know I haven't informed you of this but I already spoke to your teachers and their ok with you coming along."

I nodded as if he was asking for my approval.

"Great. Ok class let's get started on today's lesson. Divine Intervention. Is it real and does it ever happen? I have a few examples where people truly believe that..."

Class continued. I looked outside. The sun was still bright. The ocean was still writhing in rhythmic motion. And the palm trees swayed from side to side. This reminded me of the time when my father showed me a postcard he got from his cousin in Florida. All he talked about were the palm trees and the ocean. My mom would later expose him for the hippy surfer that use to be.

"Damien! Is there something on Ethan's head that has you so transfixed?"

I turned my head around in time to see Damien shrug. I looked at Eric and he seemed as lost as I was. Mr. Buchanan continued his lecture.

Gym was my next class. Coach Decker was an enthusiastic man. He was proud of his African-American heritage. He would mention names like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods as prime examples of true athleticism.

When I entered the gym the first thing he said to class was, "Everyone change. We're all going for a nice walk today."

He forgot to mention that we were going for a nice walk to the beach to play some form of beach volleyball. This beach was smaller than the last one. It was closer to the school and the area was nothing compared to last night's party. But I didn't complain so much since this was literally Hawaii. I was grateful that I knew at least one soul in this class. Snowy wasn't as excited as I was.

"Don't worry."

Those two words were becoming a repetitive theme in our conversations. I didn't know how many people would notice that I was wearing the same swimming shorts I had on yesterday. I chuckled every time they asked. Snowy later told me that the school is fashion obsessed and wearing the same thing twice was synonymous to a deadly sin. I shrugged and told him not to worry.

When we got to the beach Coach Decker told us to tan up before we could start anything. I settled my stuff under the side of a palm tree. Snowy stepped up beside me. I peeled off my shirt. I felt as if a hundred eyes were watching me. I carefully applied sun block on my arms, shoulders, neck, face, chest, stomach, and legs.

I heard someone whisper, "It's like watching soft porn. Only live."

Giggling.

I turned to Snowy who looked as if he was finishing up.

"Could you put some on my back?" I asked him.

Snowy looked like he was in disbelief. He nodded. I handed him my sun block. I turned around. I felt the cool lotion spread across my back. His soft and gentle fingers awkwardly spread it around my skin like butter. I heard two boys make a snide comment about beauty and the beast. Jerks.

Decker's volleyball was a rough and competitive game. My other team members were more dependent on me and at times it felt like I was the only one willing to aggressively hit the ball. I was completely drained by the end of class.

"Good work Ethan," Coach Decker patted me on the back.

"The rest of you should try a little harder!"

I was so tired that I didn't know if I would be able to do well for the basketball tryouts. I talked to Coach Decker.

"You're already in."

"What?"

"We actually need a couple more players to make a complete team. I saw the way you played basketball and I also read up on you. Basketball, track and swimming tell me that you are more than qualified for this."

I thanked him. When I got back to my dorm room I collapsed on my bed. I slept for a few hours and woke up with a slight headache. I shook it off. I picked up the phone on my bed stand and called up Lee. He wasn't available so I left a message. I decided to do some more exploring since I didn't get a chance to yesterday.

When I got to the hallway I could hear music from the school speaker system. I suddenly remembered that Bobby had his own radio show. Eric explained to me that Bobby's radio show was a very ambitious approach to some form of school unity. Music was an issue in the school because of what everyone classified as popular. Pop music for example was too feminine for some while Hip Hop was too violent and unethical for others. Bobby played a wide range of genres in an attempt to satisfy everyone's taste. He started a weekly music chart in which people voted on the school computer. In any case, Bobby deserved to be a proud member of the student government and have his name written in gold.

The mini-mall of the school was an entire section with three floors of shopping. The third floor was the entertainment district that had a small movie theatre and a sufficient arcade room. The second floor had the bookstore, clothing-stores, and a large area called Market Village. Market Village showcased different independent business for indigenous artisans. Hawaiian clothing and paraphernalia were sold in these places. And the first floor had the Dessert Bars, a coffee shop and electronics. Each level had palm trees and different exotic plants that lingered in different corners and angles.

As I walked around I saw Pierre sitting by a table around the dessert bar facing the setting sun. He was licking ice cream off a cone. I walked towards him.

"Ethan. What's going on?"

He was wearing sunglasses, a blue shade. It matched his buttoned up shirt and his dark jeans. His dark hair was gelled up.

"Nothing really. Just wondering around."

"After a while there's almost nothing to do around here."

"So what do you guys usually do when you're bored?"

"We go in to town at night."

There was an element of casualness when he said this. I tried keeping my thoughts away from the night before. I could still picture Pierre's body under George. Sweaty images filled my mind.

"I'm just waiting for some of the guys. Come with us."

"I don't know... I got some stuff to do and..."

"You're already finished you're homework," he licked some more of the ice cream.

Was he snooping around my personal things?

"I could tell by the way you paid attention to class," he continued.

I grinned.

"Alright Pierre. You convinced me."

Pierre was waiting for Joe, Bobby, Max other Gold members and Brown members that I didn't really recognized. I remembered Max from Ethic's class. He had bleach blond hair and a round face. For some reason he had the look of worry on his face. The group of us headed our way out of the school. Using their popularity was easy. They gave money to the guards to let them out for hours on end and their friends gave them an alibi. It also helped that a few of the older Gold members lived off school grounds in nearby condos.

I had told Pierre that I had no money to go out with. He told me not to worry about it. Even in the dark he still wore his sunglasses. A part of me was nervous and another part of me was excited. The last time I snuck out was a couple of months ago. My friends wanted to celebrate my acceptance to Montega Academy so we all decided to go to a bar. My brother who happened to be at the same bar caught me. Sensing my need for rebellion, offered my friends and I drinks. I preferred the hard liquor to the beer. When the group of us reached the school parking lot we separated into three different types of cars. I went into an SUV with Pierre, Joe, Bobby and Max. Joe was driving. Bobby was on passenger and I sat in-between Pierre and Max. The others were in two other expensive import vehicles. I felt out of place. These people were rich.

"So where are we going again?" I asked.

Max excitedly said, "To meet up with Damien."

"And two other Gold members," Joe said.

"We're meeting them up at Captain's," Pierre continued.

"It's a European seafood bar and grill. We're going to eat first before we hit some clubs," Bobby finished.

Pierre looked at me for a second and said, "It's Friday Ethan. There's no school tomorrow."

I sighed in relief and then laughed. Everyone chuckled with me. Bobby turned up the music. It was some hip-hop but it seemed to fit the mood I was in. Everyone rolled down their windows. The wind brushed smoothly across my hair and face. Beyond a certain road filled with exotic plants there lied the heart of this island. Downtown. It was tourist center created by large corporations as endorsements for their products. It worked perfectly for residents as it provided an urban set back to the mystic living conditions of Hawaii. Buildings, cars, lights, casinos, dance clubs, bars... they all started to light up like Christmas lights. Captain's was by the harbor of the city, close to but not near the industrial area where many ships come and go everyday for imports and exports. My father once told me that trade was what makes the economy run and it was also the sad thing that united conflicting countries.

When we got to the parking lot of Captain's, everyone was standing around a red sports car. The driver's side was open. The driver was showing the others his new DVD system inside his car with a large LCD screen.

"Damien!" Max called out as he jumped out of the SUV.

Joe gave all of us a look.

"The kid thinks Damien is like some kind of god," Joe explained to me.

"He's not the only one," Bobby coughed.

Pierre sighed, "I feel sorry for boys like them. He's like that Ethan. Good at making other guys feel good. He's a great guy, but he never seems to be looking for anything serious."

It felt as if they were all warning me. Telling me that I should watch my step. I knew from the night before that Damien was just playing. It didn't bother me.

We all stepped out of the SUV to take a good look at Damien's car. It had everything and much more than anyone would want in a single vehicle. After the little car show we headed into the restaurant. Many of the people there weren't that surprised to see me. I stayed close to my roommate. Pierre was explaining the menu to me as the waitress guided us to our seats. These guys actually had their own VIP seats as they usually come here every Friday. When we got the menus I was struck by the prices. Pierre sensed it and put a hand on my shoulder. He was still wearing the sunglasses.

"I forgot to tell you Ethan, you're brother called earlier. Want to use my cell phone?"

"Sure. Thanks Pierre."

Pierre handed me his phone. It was a silver flip phone. Color screen. Camera. I dialed Lee's room number. Everyone was casually talking about Damien's achievement and about the retreat next week. I heard ringing on the phone.

"Hello?" Lee answered.

"It's me. I'm just calling you back. How was work?"

"It's not that bad. The maintenance people noticed that I was good at math and put me in charge of checking out our inventory."

"Damn, that's pretty good."

"What's going on with you?"

"I'm out with some people from school."

"Is that football guy there?"

"Yea. Why?"

"Look at you! Already putting on the big guns."

"Lee! Shut up a second. I am not putting any guns anywhere!"

"Ok well I am actually heading out with some co-workers too. We'll meet up in two weeks when I get everything settled. Alright?"

"Yea. Later."

I hung up. Everyone was giving me a look.

"Who was that?" Joe asked with his devilish grin.

"It was just Liam," I said, wondering what his innuendo was.

Damien lifted his glass in my direction and his serious eyes were piercing into my own.

"Lee or Liam, he's my brother."

Everyone gave a short chuckle.

"So Ethan. Are you single?" one of them asked.

"He is," Pierre answered for me.

"I've actually never dated a guy."

From that point on the entire conversation focused on me. The guys complimented me on my good looks and self-confidence and they couldn't understand why I didn't already have somebody waiting for me back home. I kept trying to tell them that I dating someone wasn't a very big focus for me back home. I really wanted to tell them that all I've been doing since my parents died was trying to get into their school. But it seemed almost irrelevant to them. It was because it was just too easy for them. They never had to study hard to get into Montega Academy. They never really had to work hard for anything. But I sat there and tried to appreciate their opinions about relationships and the experiences that they shared. The food made it enjoyable to listen. I had seafood linguine. It was frothy, warm, and hard to describe while listening to each and every one of these guys explain their concept of a relationship, of love. They all wanted to give me advice. I did however notice something. Both Pierre and Damien were quiet throughout the conversation.

I had a sudden urge to go to the restroom immediately. I excused myself and headed there. After I emptied my bladder and was washing my hands, Max came into the washroom.

"Hey. How'd you like the food?"

I smiled, "It was good."

Then he stared at the mirror and said, "Sorry if Damien was quiet."

"You really like him?"

"A lot."

"Why was he so quiet for?" I inquired.

"No one has ever taken the spotlight from him," was all he said.

We left the restaurant to hit the clubs. It was strange that they would want to go on a full stomach. Pierre was kind enough to pay for my food. I realized that I couldn't go on too much outings with these guys. The club was on the other side of town and taking the same rides we raced to get there. Damien won of course.

Daredevil the Nightclub was a general gay club for young adults. Gold and Brown members of Montega Academy were VIP. The people who owned the club allowed under aged students from our school attend for business reasons. Tourists liked to see young men dancing in the heat of the night. The club itself was square in shape. Pierre explained to me that there were two floors. The first floor had a bar, dance floor and a stage for live performances or DJs. Tonight we had a DJ. The second floor was an outset of the first floor, allowing people to sit by the tables and watch the dancers below. There was a bar there also and the function of the entire floor was more like a lounge. I now understood how these guys could eat a meal first and then dance. We headed over to one of the lounges that accommodated a large set of people. Joe snapped his fingers for a waiter. The waiter had on a vest over his naked chest, a bow tie and hot leather pants. I could tell by his features that he has in his mid to late twenties. The guys started to order a wide variety of drinks. I declined.

"I'll buy you a drink," Damien said.

"To celebrate the new guy in school and the addition of a new hot body."

I blushed. But I also felt bothered by it. Was I just another hot body to Damien? Max too looked uncomfortable. He had other reasons. The drinks came in. Mine was bluish-green.

"To Ethan," Pierre declared raising his glass.

"To Ethan," everyone said in unison.


On to Chapter Three

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