Sex in the Sky

“Disclaimer: This story and all of the characters and situations are fictional. It contains gay male erotic material. If this is not your forte, please close this page and find something more suiting to your desires.

Again, I am pleased to bring my readers another chapter in this continuing saga. And I appeal to you, reminding you that every author on this site is driven by your votes and comments. I am not different. So, please remember to vote and comment at the end of the chapter.

Hopefully the comment section at the bottom of the last page is working this time. If not, please send your comments by clicking on my name at the top of the page. When the bio page comes up click on comments and enter your comment there, or you may contact me via any of the email addresses in my bio. Thank you so very much.

I would also like to thank Athena_by_night and SpiritWalker for editing and adding their feedback on this chapter, which I believe made this chapter more realistic.”

*

Later that evening, Jonathan stood with his shotglass in hand. He looked at each of the men sitting at the table with him, as the waiter moved to each one depositing their shot before them. The swell in his heart that came over him as a result of his love for each of them, threatened to literally choke him.

He wasn’t feeling nearly as good as he had hoped to be by now. As a matter of fact, he was practically sober. Being much too busy talking and enjoying the conversations he was having with Peter for the last hour, was a huge distraction for him. And of course, the rest of them had jumped into their discussion whenever they had desired to. And now, he was yet sober. But he was about to change that in the next few minutes.

“You guys,” he looked to each on again. “I love all of you. And I wouldn’t change what I have now for anything in the world. It had been my dream; to one day have a family that was so loving and so caring. You guys took on the challenge and haven’t failed to show me either, yet. Thank you…” his voice broke lightly as he choked back tears that incessantly threatened to spoil his evening. “…All of you. I love you…” he lifted the glass to his lips downing it, quickly stuffing the lemon wedge between his teeth.

Sucking out the juice he chewed on the pulp a little. A slow grin produced itself, as he lifted the mixed drink the waiter had left him. Putting the straw between his lips he began to chug it down non-stop. Realizing what Jonathan was up too, the waiter placed the platter under his arm beginning to clap in a tempo and cheer him on. The entire club joined him and the table was suddenly surrounded by people. Bruce and Greg looked around them not sure what to make of this.

Bruce’s stare settled on the young man, whose eyes were closed, concentrating on finishing what he had begun. He watched the liquid in the glass quickly drop to the bottom. All the while the bar had erupted in cheers, rhythmic clapping and loud comments that egged Jonathan on. It was then he realized that the kid had had some problems before he had fled his uncle.

He recalled the way the young man had flicked his ashes in the ashtray as if it had been second nature. A new smoker would at least glance over at the place where they intended to deposit their ashes. But Jonathan hadn’t. He also sucked on that cigarette like he’d been doing it all his life.

Then the recollection of the vehemence in his tone about the drugs made him feel very helpless suddenly. Jonathan had informed him that he was so tempted to give into the desire. He had also told him on the dancefloor that he had dried out on his own. By himself. Alone. That made Bruce shiver with hurt and worry. What if Jonathan had strangled on his own vomit, or died of dehydration?

Now, he could see that the young man was no stranger to alcohol. He had been reserved in his drinking up until now. And the man was proud of him about the fact. But it seemed that Jonathan had other plans now. He sighed long as he sat back watching the young man lean to the waiter talking to him while he set the empty glass on the table. The room erupted in loud deafening cheers. The waiter nodded trotting off to the bar again. Bruce wondered silently what Jonathan was up to.

The young man noticed his stare and gave him a witty grin. Already he was feeling the effect of the drink. At the moment, it didn’t concern him what the man was thinking. Even though he could tell he had some imposing thought on his mind, he didn’t let it bother him, or bring him down.

“Jon!” he heard off to his right from where he stood. His head whipped in the direction of it turning up a bit to see his D.J. waving at him briskly.

Right away Bruce leaned forward and turned following Jonathan’s ascent up the steps to the cage. The door of it came open and the young man disappeared behind the stacks of sound equipment.

Tony didn’t turn to watch, but looked across the table at Peter who was trained on the young man like a hawk with his eyes. He watched a slow grin produce itself and knew they were about to be entertained.

“Come on, guys,” he stood motioning for Bruce and Greg to join him.

“Where’re we goin’?” Greg automatically asked.

“You’ll see.” he led them toward the dancefloor/stage where they stopped right at the edge of the closest catwalk that jutted out from the main stage on each side. The four men along with their security took up most of the space around it on all three sides. Now they had a birds eye view of what was coming.

Peter brought up the rear of the slow moving course through the throngs of people. At one point he placed his hand on Bruce’s shoulder for encouragement sensing the man had some troubling thoughts going through his mind. Moving in closer he deliberately distracted him with the movements of his body as it brushed against him from time to time. And that is where he remained while they stood below the stage.

The feel of Peter’s warm hard body distracted Bruce out of his thoughts of the moment. An advancement of progression sensation washed over him causing him to shudder from it. The sudden nagging desire for Peter rose in the man. He leaned into him a bit appreciating his subtle touches and encouragements.

“Ladies and gentlemen…” the deep rich tone of the D.J. resounded throughout the club. “…Please, clear the dancefloor.”

People quickly began to vacate the stage with excitement. Bruce and Greg eyed one another wondering what was about to happen. They both became aware that now everyone else was gathering around the raised platform above them. They literally pressed in forcing their small group closer to the edge.

The house lights dimmed slowly as a song by Prince was ending. It soon grew very dark so that one couldn’t see even their hand before their face. And electric became the charge of the atmosphere around them. A hush surrounded everyone there, but for a few soft whispers here and there throughout the club.

“Love is like a bomb…bomb…bomb…bomb…”

The club became filled with the sounds of the cheers of the patrons suddenly. They pressed harder toward the stage as the beginning of the song built with a guitar more echoing phrases and words that repeated. The drumbeat was added at the end of this intro slamming out a few artful beats before all the guitars came back in.

Jonathan’s heart pounded relentlessly as he stood front and center of the stage. The charged current in the room excited him more. He drew upon it allowing it to sate his need and temptation for the substances he once was addicted to. And anyway, he really didn’t want to go back to that life. He loved the one he had now. It was filled with all the elements he had once only dreamed of. Why would he want to mess that up now?

He stood with his back to the audience, his arms wrapped around himself and his head gently turned down to his left a bit. The hands moved over his shoulders and back languidly. From where Greg, Bruce and the rest of the crowd stood, it appeared he had a lover in his arms rendering a passionate kiss.

Going with the heat of the crowd, Jonathan began to move his hips in rhythm as if he were grinding them against his imaginary lover. The exhilaration of the crowd grew. Then the music halted for a second.

“Love me like a bomb, baby, c’mon get it on

Livin’ like a lover with a radar phone

Lookin’ like a tramp, like a video vamp

Demolition woman, can I be your man

Be your man.”

His arms slowly drifted up over his head while his body undulated almost lewdly. He turned to face the crowd adding the circular motion of his hips. Moving closer to the edge, off to the right where the stage narrowly jutted like a catwalk, those hands returned to his body once more.

“Oh…My…God…” Greg expressed, as he watched Jonathan perform for the very first time. His body responded immediately while he watched Jonathan literally molest his own body before everyone. They quickly moved to the area where Jon was now displaying himself, acting almost like his own personal entourage. Spanning themselves around the short aperture they gazed up at the undulating Jon.

“Told ya…” Tony leaned to him speaking directly into the man’s ear because of the magnitude of sound from the music.

Greg nodded recalling that Tony and Peter had informed him that Jonathan might put on a show for them that night. This conversation took place while the young man and Bruce were in the office with David. Now he understood what the man meant by, ‘a show’.

Jonathan moved with precision. Each motion fringed on lewd seduction. His eyes were trained on those closest to the edge flashing those dark orbs at them with so much allure. Closer he moved to them as they literally reached for his legs, not quite successful as his friends provided protective cover.

The daring he exhibited made Greg’s heart thump terribly in his throat. All it would take would be just one of them to pull his feet out from under him and he would crash to the dancefloor unhindered. But it calmed him as he noticed the young man remained wisely just out of reach.

Jonathan began to unbutton his shirt as he danced. Stepping back from the edge, he grinned, knowing he was teasing his audience.

“Pour some sugar on me, ooh, in the name of love

Pour some sugar on me, c’mon fire me up

Pour your sugar on me,-I can’t get enough

I’m hot, sticky sweet from my head to my feet yeah”

He slipped the shirt down one shoulder then the other. Deliberately, he was very sensual. Slowly he introduced naked flesh to his audience in a teasing manner. It slid down his arms to his hands. There, he spun it over his head tossing it to Tony and Peter. Turning his back to the audience he moved back to center stage where he pivoted on the ball of his foot to face them again, dancing his heart out.

During the second half of the song and Jonathan became a wild man of dance. Alone, the guitars and drums showed him his solo dance. Lost in his own world for the moment, he just moved seeming expertly on the floor.

As the song continued, he moved to the short edge of the catwalk again edge again, only this time right before his family. With a wild-eyed stare, he moved closer swirling his hips at them, his body undulating seductively. His hands traveled over his body unashamed.

And it was Tony that took his dare reaching for him. Grasping his ankle, he moved his hand up his calf and over his thigh. The crowd began to roar deafeningly. Others reached to him briefly touching his legs heightening Jonathan’s excitement. He began to squat slowly daring Tony to touch him further.

The man was unabashed letting his hand travel toward his body. It slipped inside the thigh inertly making its way toward its goal. Jonathan let his head drift back, his chest heaving from his exertion and the arousal he felt.

And soon he went to his knees. Bending backward a bit, he pressed his pelvis toward the man anticipating his willful advances. A multitude of hands touched him wherever they could reach, but steered clear of his privates seeing Tony was the one offered that. Yet, they didn’t hold back from caressing his thighs, bottom, sides and abdomen.

Finally, that moment came. Jonathan shuddered visibly as Tony’s hand moved over his hardened flesh that was hidden in his tight jeans. Everyone could see he was so very stimulated by it. They applauded and cheered as the young man kept moving his hips in rhythm of the music against the hand. Then Jonathan’s head came up. He gave Tony a most wanton stare. In it he told the man without words, they would get it on later that night.

“Pour some sugar on me, ooh, in the name of love

Pour some sugar on me, c’mon fire me up

Pour your sugar on me, oh, I can’t get enough

Pour some sugar on me, oh, in the name of love

Pour some sugar on me, get it, come get it

Pour your sugar on me, ooh

Pour some sugar on me, yeah

Sugar me”

Standing suddenly, he ended his performance with a few swift jerks, his arms splayed over his head at the last beat of the song. Still breathing wildly, he smiled as the crowd cheered and applauded. His eyes roamed over them as he gave them an artful bow.

Coming up his eyes settled at the very back of the room. The deafening sound of the audience faded. Only his own heartbeat, he heard thrumming in his ears. Time seemed to stand still. His stare followed the seeming slow motion movements of the man stepping toward the back of the crowd.

He looked much like Jonathan, only fuller and stronger. Older, though he still appeared to be young, possibly in his late twenties, early thirties. It could have been that he was quite older, yet the appearance of him was of a younger man who held his youthful looks very well.

His black hair fell long down his back, being caught and swept now and then by the breeze created by his movements. An oval face encompassed those dark almond shaped eyes. A dark complexion with smooth unblemished skin was covered in a suit of olive green, the very suit he had been buried in. Tall and handsome he was, appearing as he had to Jonathan all his life. He gave the young man a gentle nod of approval, which was his way when Jonathan had done well to entertain his patrons. The gleaming smile was a blinding reflection of perfect white teeth.

Jonathan groaned softly. His grin quickly faded as their eyes locked. Breathing erratically, he stumbled backward, fear gripping his heart terribly. His stomach lurched into his throat lodging there. This hadn’t been the first time he had seen him since his funeral. But it was the first time he was sure it was him.

Jonathan closed his eyes for a moment, his heart pounding relentlessly against his chest. It seemed to be the only sound he could hear at all. And this seemed to be the case each time this man made his appearance to him. He always moved in that same eerie illusion of a slow apparent motion.

“Jon, you are loosin’ your fuckin’ mind.” He told himself meanly. “Jim is dead. He’s not alive. You’re drunk.” The young man reasoned with his own mind. “That’s what it is. You’re drunk off your ass and seeing shit now.” He gave it some thought. “Actually, I haven’t even begun to be drunk yet.” He then realized.

With a whine he opened his eyes slowly; looking to the last place he had seen the man. His pulse raced even more not seeing him there. Frantically, he searched the sea of faces not seeing him at all. The olive suit he had been wearing would have stood out, but could not be found.

In a flash, he scrambled to the edge of the stage where he lunged at Tony, leaping into his arms. He was converged upon by his family and the security in the place. The small entourage meandered toward the table once more.

“Jon, what’s wrong, babe?” Tony could feel him quivering, as the youth clung to him with a death grip.

“I wanna drink, Tony,” was all he said in return.

“Jon, don’t you think you’ve had enough already?” Now Bruce voiced his concern.

“No, I don’t, Bruce!” He almost spun to face the man in emphasis of his answer. “I haven’t had near enough yet!” With that, he rushed to the table leaving everyone where they stood.

“Somethin’s wrong, Bruce. He was shakin’ like a leaf. Somethin’s either scared him, or…I don’t know what, but somethin’s wrong,” Tony turned to him saying.

Peter studied Jonathan from where he stood. He watched as the young man grabbed two shots off the platter the waiter was holding, downing both before shoving the lemon into his mouth. Then he picked up the mixed drink plopping down in the large chair. Taking a few quick swallows, he set the glass on the table scrubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands. His head rattled vigorously in a negative motion. The lips moved, indicating he was talking to himself.

“Yes, something has disturbed him. I will tend him,” the man pressed past Tony, moving toward the table in a non-threatening manner. Though his gate was purposeful, it didn’t lack the grace and geniality he had always exuded. He parked smoothly in the chair he had been sitting in, assessing Jonathan’s disposition. When the young man’s lips moved again, he listened in on his self-solo conversation.

“…I know I’m not crazy…” His voice broke, as he muttered to himself. “I saw it. I know I saw it.”

“What did you see, Jonathan?” Now Peter intervened.

The young man’s head popped up. His hands moved from his face and eyes quickly. He hadn’t known Peter had been there listening to him.

“Nothin’, Peter…” His tone was one of finality.

And Peter knew not to even attempt to pry the knowledge from him. When he was ready, he would voice his concerns, but not before. The man knew this. Not even a stick of dynamite would force him to talk if he didn’t want to.

Silently, Peter leaned back against the chair resigning his inquiry. Even though he was highly concerned, he could not force Jonathan to open up to him, if he wasn’t ready. But he mulled over the possibilities of what could have commoved him so suddenly. And he scrutinized him thoroughly as he did.

“I’m fine, Pete!” Jonathan barked harshly because of his piercing stare.

Before Jon could blink an eye or take his next breath, he was in the man’s clutches. The action startled the youth so that he yelped, his body trembled even more. His hand gripped, biting into his jaw firmly, but with much control. Their eyes were locked in a silent stare that frightened the youth even more.

Peter had only done this to him one other time before, in the entire time they had known each other. He had been just as disrespectful at that moment, as he had just been a moment ago. And he knew he had deserved it then, as he did now. Plus the fact that he had only moments before been so rude to Bruce. He was sure this had added to Peter’s wrath. No words were spoken between them. None were needed. Only that strong silent expression of warning that he recalled the very first time Peter had so reacted to his rudeness.

Slowly, the man released him. The corners of his lips turned up into that gentle smile that Jonathan was so taken with much of the time. He relaxed when he saw it, knowing the man’s sudden anger had passed. Having witnessed this man’s deadly expertise in many a battle, he had a great respect for him and his abilities. But Peter would never hurt him. He knew this. Not unless it meant saving his life.

“Tell me what has troubled you, Jonathan.” The man leaned on his arms on the table. His hair shrouded him like a blanket of silky yellow blonde that had such a healthy shine.

“I’m not really sure, Peter. Honest…” He returned quickly.

“Then that is all you had needed to say, child. I am not your enemy. You know this to be true.” He reasoned with him, knowing he was half drunk, or at least had a good buzz going on.

Jonathan nodded vehemently glancing down as he did. His eyes lifted seeing the remainder of the family now joined them taking their places at the table. The young man suddenly no longer wanted to sit in his uncle’s chair. He stood shuffling past Peter to sit between him and Greg. The two men moved to accommodate him.

Rachel took her friend’s hand and pulled her close before whispering, “Care to join me?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

The girls quickly stripped and stood back to admire the other’s body. Where Rachel was slender, Emma was full and curvy. The contrast excited them both as they drank in each other’s nakedness. They got down to business and were soon having a blast lathering each other with Rachel’s peach scented body wash. Rachel particularly enjoyed fondling Emma’s tits, feeling the weight of them in her hands, enjoying the slippery feel of smooth soapy skin sliding together. Emma closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of the hot water coursing over them, the feel of breasts pressing against her back, hands reaching around and cupping her breasts. Soon Rachel began to move her hands slowly down Emma’s body until they were comfortably nestled between her thighs. With one hand she spread Emma’s pussy open, and with the other she firmly pushed two slippery fingers up inside without stopping until she could go no farther. Emma moaned and turned her head around so that she could thank her with a kiss. Rachel was slow to reciprocate, but was soon lost in the feel of Emma’s soft lips and exploring tongue. No wonder she gave such fantastic head, her tongue was unusually long! It felt like she was everywhere in her mouth, but it was a gentle probing, not the clumsy, overly aggressive way some boys kissed.

Emma started to moan her passion into Rachel’s mouth, showing her how much she appreciated having the favor returned. Rachel began rubbing Emma’s clit with her thumb while she sped up the thrusting of her fingers in her cunt. Emma arched her back, breaking their kiss and shoved her ass back against Rachel, sucking in air in gasps. When Rachel thought she was about to cum, she reached down with her free hand and gently pushed her finger into Emma’s ass and began to rub through the thin wall of tissue until she could feel her other fingers that were buried deep in Emma’s cunt. Emma’s orgasm hit her like a freight train. The finger in her ass had caught her off guard, forcing her to cum before she was ready. Unable to hold it in, Emma screamed out her passion.

“Oh God! Ahhhhhh, yes, yes!”

Rachel fought to keep her fingers buried in Emma’s body as she writhed and squirmed in her arms. When she could feel that the contractions in her cunt and ass stopped she gently slipped her fingers out and held Emma close, who seemed to almost purr with satisfaction. Suddenly the water went cold, and the girls squealed and quickly cleaned up again before jumping out of the shower with their teeth chattering.

“You know Rach that you didn’t have to do that.”

“You didn’t like it? Did I do something wrong?” “No no, it was great. God I almost passed out when you put your finger in my ass! I’ll have to try that on Carrie and Steph next time they invite me over to have some fun. I just mean that you didn’t have to do it just cause I did you, you know?”

“I know that, but I wanted too.”

“Good. If things don’t work out with Will, you can always come see me when you need to relieve some tension, k?”

“Thanks Em.”

“No problem. And if you’re ever curious and decide you want to try eating pussy…” Emma giggled when Rachel turned red.

“I get the picture Em.”

“Okay, just making sure. Now, let’s get you ready for tonight.”

As they dressed and primped, Rachel thought it strange how quickly they had slipped back into their normal roles. One minute she is screaming for Emma to never stop fucking her, and the next they’re chatting about boys and parties as if nothing in the world had changed. At the very least, she thought that it was nice to feel appreciated for a change, to have had someone want her in same way she wanted Will, even if it was someone else and only for a short time.

“So, how do I look?” Rachel asked in anticipation.

“Mmm…good enough to eat.”

“Oh come on Em, seriously.”

“You look great Rachel. You don’t have a thing to worry about.”

“Except for maybe you. God, wait till my brother sees you. I’ll have to remind him not to trip over his tongue!”

“Hmmm, if his tongue were actually that long I think I could find a place for him to tuck it into.”

“EMMA!”

Emma laughed hysterically, it was just too much fun embarrassing her.

“Oh come on Rach, I don’t think he’d complain. Just think, if his tongue is that long, I wonder what the rest of him is like.”

“Enough with my poor brother! Will you ever stop teasing him?”

“Maybe one day, if he’s very lucky and behaves, I’ll let him have a go with me. But until then, I plan on torturing him as much as I possibly can.”

Emma wasn’t kidding. She looked like she was about to spill out of her halter top, which must have been at least one size too small. Containing her ample cleavage would not have been an easy task for many tops, but this just wasn’t even fair. If that wasn’t enough to get someone’s juices flowing, seeing her bottom half would get the job done. In reality, her skirt wasn’t that small, but her abundant curves made it look as if it was indecently tiny. The icing on the cake was the thigh high black leather boots which only made her taller, giving the illusion that her legs were nearly endless in their length. Any man would likely give his left testicle to have those stems circling his waste given the way she had wrapped the package.

“With that outfit, you’re going to be very popular with the guys and very unpopular with the girls tonight.”

“Maybe, but tonight I only have to be popular with one girl to be happy.”

“Oh, so you’re planning on getting lucky tonight?”

“I hope so. You got me warmed up, but now I really need to get laid. You never know, I might even find some lucky guy to screw my brains out.”

“With any luck, I’ll be the one getting my brains fucked out.”

“Rachel Marie Thomas, I didn’t know you had it in you to talk like that.”

“Well, you’re not the only one who needs to get lucky tonight. I’m already starting to get wet just thinking about it.”

“Slut.”

“Bimbo.”

The girls tried to keep straight faces, but they knew neither of them would be able to contain the laughter for long. They headed down the stairs, still giggling like mad. On their way to the kitchen they passed Lucas, who was sitting at the kitchen table in his team warm-ups, waiting for their mother to set dinner on the table. Emma made sure to put a little extra swish in her hips as she paraded her body past the poor boy, smiling seductively while laughing on the inside the whole way. Rachel went over to save her befuddled brother from further embarrassment. She giggled into his ear before telling him, “Close your mouth bro, and try not to stare too much during dinner or Mom will get upset and Dad will tease you.”

Dinner was a very long event for Lucas. Emma seemed to be teasing him every chance she got, and Rachel was largely unsuccessful in her attempts to try and spare him any embarrassment. Emma made it a point to stand up and lean over while reaching for various condiments, giving Lucas a good look down the front of the top that could barely contain her breasts. She also licked every piece of silverware that touched her lips in a way that could only suggest that she had her mind on putting something else in her mouth. Lucas was squirming in his seat throughout the meal, and was having a hard time concentrating enough on the conversation at the table to escape suspicion. The game was only an hour away and he couldn’t even remember who they were playing. At one point, he stopped mid sentence when he felt Emma’s leather clad leg rub against his calf, and then again more firmly confirming his suspicion that the contact was not an accident. He wolfed down his food and cleared his place at the table in a rush. He used his plate to hide the bulge in his pants, which unfortunately did not escape his tormenter’s eyes.

After dinner they cleared the table and piled into the car to head to the game. Rachel sat in the middle in the backseat to spare her brother from any further torment, which drew a dirty look from Emma.

During the ride to the school, Rachel leaned over and whispered to her brother, “Don’t worry bro, I won’t let the naughty girl tease you any more.” Instead of calming him, he groaned in frustration. As soon as they parked the car, Lucas bolted for the locker room. His parents could only shout good luck to him as he sprinted off into the distance. They were a bit confused, but shrugged it off easily enough and made their way to the gym.

The bleachers were already getting fairly crowded, so the girls excused themselves and went to search for their friends before all the good seats were taken. When the teams jogged onto the court to warm up the fans were on their feet, cheering loudly for the potential league champions. Rachel noticed with relief that Lucas seemed to have regained his usual focus. She was glad that he wasn’t too rattled after the intense teasing Emma gave him through dinner. After all, she did want her beloved brother to play well and help the team win. Besides, if they lost the game Will might not be good company later, and that was definitely not something she wanted to happen.

Finally, the game started. Through the first half, the visiting team kept the game fairly close. Will led the team up and down the court with the confidence that only comes after putting in long hours of practice, and it showed. Malcolm and Andre were carrying most of the scoring load, as they used their sixth sense to set each other up for easy scores. The team’s only difficulty was in stopping the other school’s center, who at 6′11″ had a three inch height advantage over Johnny.

At the half, the boys of Stanton were down by 3. Coach Johnson went to the drawing board and decided the only way they could slow down the other team’s ogre of a center was to double team him. Instead of having one player help Johnny, coach surprised everyone by telling them the twins would guard the center together, and Johnny would not start the second half. None of the starters were thrilled with the idea of playing most of the second half without their regular big guy, but they knew they had to do what was best for the team. Johnny, being an all around good guy, didn’t make an issue of his playing time and told the rest of the guys not to worry about him, and to go out there and quick some ass in the second half. Feeling better with his endorsement of the situation, the team went out of the locker room pumped up and ready to get it started again.

As the team took the floor to start the second half, the crowd was quiet as they saw Johnny take a seat at the end of the bench. A hushed murmur swept through the bleachers until Johnny turned around, gave everyone one of his signature goofy grins and stood up in a signal for everyone to get on their feet and cheer they’re team. Soon he had the crowd as rowdy as ever, as he walked along the sidelines waiving his arms and chanting “Stanton! Stanton!”

As he looked up into the stands he instinctively sought out the one person whom he wanted to see the most. A few rows up, staring back at him was Danielle, who was actively cheering for HIM! Being a player herself, she admired his unselfishness, and beamed at him with a radiant smile. Maybe he wasn’t the sexiest guy she’d ever laid eyes on, but she knew a good heart when she saw it. Slowly the wheels in her head started to turn, and she began to see Johnny in a whole new light.

Finally the referee made Johnny sit down so they could start the second half. From the first possession, it was apparent that Coach Johnson’s plan was working. Malcolm and Andre as a unit were able to keep the center away from the basket, and when he did get the ball he had to quickly pass it away before the twins used their quick hands to steal it. At the end of the third quarter, Stanton had taken a two point lead, and seemed to be building up a head of steam. As the other team passed the ball in to start the fourth quarter, Will deflected the pass and broke away toward the basket, looking for an easy bucket. As he leaped into the air to lay the ball in, suddenly a player from the other team took his legs out from underneath him, and Will tumbled head over hills and crashed in a heap onto the court. Johnny watched from the bench in horror as he saw his best friend get under-cut, a deliberately dirty play on what would have been a sure basket. Before any of the coaches could get in his way, Johnny was on his feet and running toward the other player, who soon found himself picked up by the front of his jersey and thrown several feet into the wall of the gymnasium. The crowd sat in stunned silence as all three referees pulled Johnny off the player and off the floor, and Will lay face down on the court, not having moved an inch since he hit the hardwood. Coach Johnson was at Will’s side in an instant, desperately praying that his best player wasn’t badly injured.

Emma looked over at Rachel, who was staring with disbelieving eyes, lips trembling and tears streaming down her face. Without thinking she bolted out of her seat and ran onto the court to be at Will’s side as Coach Johnson and the team trainer knelt over him. From the way he had fallen, it didn’t seem likely that he would have hurt his neck, so they turned him onto his back. Will groaned in protest as they moved him, groggily opening his bleary eyes only to shut them again in pain. The trainer determined he’d sustained a mild concussion and mildly sprained his left wrist. Lucas watched as the trainer and Rachel helped Will onto his feet, and quickly took him back to the locker room.

With everyone stunned by Johnny being thrown out of the game and Will being half carried off the floor, no one on the team or in the stands noticed Lucas quietly seething in his chair, his jaw clenched in fury. No one, except Emma. She knew how protective he was of Rachel, and after her little display on the floor he would assume that something was going on between them.

“Oh, this is not good,” she muttered to no one in particular.

With two of the starters out of the game, the rest of the Stanton team looked very shaky. Without Will setting up the offense, the remaining players looked lost. Lucas, as the next best ball handler, was shifted to play the point for the rest of the game. He played brilliantly in Will’s absence, carrying the team down the stretch, hitting shot after shot to keep the game close. With only seconds left, Stanton found themselves behind by two. Lucas found himself with the ball in his hands dribbling at the top of the key, searching for an opening. As the clock wound down, in desperation he drove to his left and went up for a jump shot. His shot was blocked, but the whistle blew. Lucas was fouled, and needed to make both free throws to tie the game. As he stepped up to the line, he calmly drained the first. As the referee was about to pass him the ball, he paused and looked towards the door of the gymnasium. The crowd erupted as Will gingerly made his way back to the bench, with the help of Rachel and the trainer of course. It was enough to stir Luke’s temper and break his concentration. Seeing red, he took the ball in his hands and took his last free throw.

The Stanton faithful sat in silence as the ball clanged off the rim and time expired.

Emma saw the entire plot of the evening unfold, and could only put her head in her hands.

Although thoroughly disappointed, Coach Johnson’s post-game speech and seeing that Will was not hurt any worse than he was gave the team new hope for the season. It hadn’t started the way they wanted, but it was far from lost. The team decided that the best way to shake off a tough loss was to go through with their plans and have some fun despite the way the evening had started.

As the parking lot emptied, the twins sat in their car, waiting for Lucas to come out of the locker room. His parents had already left, and Emma and Rachel had hitched a ride with Johnny since Rachel refused to let Will out of her sight. As Lucas exited the locker room, the twins saw something different in his eyes, and they didn’t like what they saw.

Mal was the first to speak.

“Bro, Luke don’t look right.”

“Would you look right if you threw a brick on the shot that woulda tied the game?” asked Andre.

“Somethin saying that ain’t it to me.”

“Man, you trippin. Luke just pissed we lost.”

“Whaddeva, just keep an eye on him tonight. I gots a feelin he be trouble tonight, no what I’m sayin?”

“Yeah, I hear ya.”

The ride to the twin’s house was uncomfortably quiet at best. The twins tried to snap Lucas out of his funk, but it was obvious it wasn’t working.

As they pulled into the driveway the street was already lined with familiar cars, and a crowd of their classmates was already at the door waiting. The twins gave each other a promising look as many people told Lucas what a great game he had. Maybe, they thought to themselves, everything would work out alright.

As the party got started, that thought was short lived. It didn’t take Lucas long to find his sister. In a corner of the basement, Rachel was sitting on one end of a couch, holding a large bag of ice against Will’s head, which was in her lap. Johnny and Danielle stood protectively over them, keeping the rest of the crowd away from Will, who wasn’t feeling up to talking to too many people. Lucas felt as if no one else was in the room around him as he watched the scene unfold before him. His sister had her fingers laced through Will’s, as her other hand lifted the bag of ice long enough for her to plant a kiss on Will’s forehead.

Will’s vision was swimming as he lay on the couch. The only good part about his concussion was that the throbbing in his head distracted him from the throbbing pain in his wrist. Everything he saw was a little blurry, and everything he heard was a dull roar that rang in his ears. He was vaguely aware that his head was in Rachel’s lap. Rachel…Rachel had been the first thing he saw after he fell during the game. Rachel had been there in the locker room as the trainer patched him up as best he could. Rachel had cried for him, carried him, and looked after him the entire night. It was Rachel’s soft hand that was stroking his, Rachel’s blue eyes looking down at him, watching his every move. For the first time, Will looked into her eyes and saw what had always been there just beneath the surface, and understood what it was. To Rachel’s surprise, when she looked into Will’s eyes, she saw her own feelings reflected in them. He was about to protest when she lifted the bag of ice, but was silenced when he felt her soft, warm lips press gently to his forehead. The warmth in her lips seemed to burn his skin, leaving a tingling warmth long after that traveled from his head down to his toes.

“Hey, how are you feeling?” Rachel asked as she beamed down at him.

“Like I got punched by Holyfield…” said Will. That brought a grin to Johnny’s face. He had felt sick to his stomach since Will went down, and had felt terrible that he couldn’t go back to the gym with Will at the end of the game. Besides that, Johnny had been with him the entire time. “Actually the guy that did this to you was a lot smaller than that, but I think Johnny took care of him for you.”

Will, having been passed out, didn’t remember what happened.

“Man, what did you do?” asked Will with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

“I barely touched the guy!” Johnny protested.

“Actually, Johnny got off the bench and threw the guy across the gym” Danielle said with pride as she held onto his arm.

“You know you shouldn’t have done that, right?”

“Come on Will, what did you expect me to do?”

“Just tell me they’re not going to suspend you.”

“I don’t know yet, but at least they ejected the other guy too.”