Chapter 20
XX
Colin and Roy started October more popular than ever, but their football schedule was as brutal and demanding as ever. The twins attended practices, classroom meetings, games and workouts with both teams. Coach Molinoff and Coach Penneman made some slight allowances for the fact that the Borden boys were taking on a double load of athletics, but ultimately they demanded the boys "just make it work," and Molinoff seemed to find a certain enjoyment in reminding the two that "we didn't make you sign up for this."
It was true, sure, but athletics was life for Colin and Roy. Just like sex and violence was. They needed to fight, fuck, work out, and kill, or else they would just plain go crazy. Colin and Roy hadn't signed up to play football on varsity and JV because of any logical consideration of pros and cons; they did it because they had to do it.
By this time, the exploits of the Borden twins were legend at Central High. Colin and Roy had hangers-on, would-be friends, and admirers following them just about anywhere they went, and plans they made were the plans to be in on. The twins accepted one new 'friend' after another, viewing nearly all of them as nothing but acquaintances. Colin quickly found himself hating the vapid, repetitive talk about the latest trends, who is going out with who, and who likes who, and sports and more sports, even as he participated in all of it. Sure, he did- he had to. But it was fucking boring.
Except for one thing. Ben Markinson and some other freshmen athletes started an anti-bullying campaign, and they all eagerly, even desperately sought Colin and Roy's approval. Everyone wanted the twins' approval. Colin was simultaneously amused and annoyed by this; on the one hand, he loved being this important, loved having other freshman boys go wherever he went and do whatever he did. On the other hand, Colin loathed nearly everyone because they were all animals, all monsters, all just waiting for their chance to use, hurt and betray him and Roy.
You never let them figure that out, though. Never. So Colin kept up appearances right alongside Roy, and the anti-bullying stuff became 'cool' once it had the Borden stamp of approval. Nobody directly said so, but making fun of less popular kids definitely wasn't as "in", and nobody dared mess with bookworms anymore. They all knew what Colin Borden thought about that. It didn't suddenly upend the school social structure, but it made cruelty much less cool. Colin figured that was good enough.
XX
Taking advantage of the fact that no one else could tell them apart unless they kept the red and blue indicators, like their backpacks, in place, Colin and Roy switched places first for a day, then an entire week. The grueling regimen of playing on two football teams still wore on them both regardless, and Colin was briefly horrified when, after a particularly intense practice with both JV and Varsity, he was unable to perform at first when he met Karen and Olivia in the latter's car after the game. Colin's body ached, he was so tired he could barely think, and for one or two terrifying minutes nothing was working down there. Karen and Olivia solved the problem together, and Colin showed his appreciation for the next hour or so until it was time to go home.
Tutoring Karen was boring, given how stupid the beautiful girl seemed to genuinely be, but Colin refused to complain. Roy agreed with this policy, arguing the benefits of putting up with her idiocy were way better than the downsides. It dawned on Colin that Karen might end up depending on some guy to basically provide for her in the long run, since someone who barely knew what 2+2 was could hardly hold much of a career.
Who the hell cares? His mind answered him at one point. Is it her goddamn brain you're dating her for? Be honest. No. She's built like a brick shithouse and the sex is easy and it's great. So just tutor the dumb bitch and enjoy.
Nothing else came up in his mind as a reply. The timid boy Colin had once been was rapidly fading into only his vaguest memories. Day by day, Colin remembered little else besides always being the supremely confident, outgoing, athletic Colin Borden.
Roy endured the hardships of double practice and games right alongside Colin, and neither of them ever complained. Using Karen and Olivia to meet both their needs kept them happy and relaxed, eased the considerable stress they had weighing them down. Roy, much to Colin's amusement, got slapped when he fell asleep under Olivia in her bedroom one evening. As the boys were switching off, Colin was hiding in the house at the time, and he got to see and hear the whole thing. He teased Roy mercilessly about it all the way home.
The counseling sessions went on and on. Colin kept them a secret and refused to discuss it the one time Stephen Rose noticed something. Stephen was a smart kid, but he got nosy sometimes, so Colin got him alone, flexed his muscles a little, and suggested Stephen mind his own goddamned business. Stephen instantly agreed and caused no more trouble on that front. The strange thing was, Colin had no idea why he didn't want people to know he was seeing Mrs. Nolan; he just knew he didn't. Not at all. It was very important that stay hidden.
Colin Jacobs was a popular kid now, one of the 9th grade's social elite. It surprised and frustrated many of the more outgoing and athletic boys that "CJ" or "Colin-J" had gotten "promoted" past them so swiftly, but everyone knew who his two best friends were, and so absolutely no one questioned what had happened. It startled and delighted Colin when he realized that Colin Jacobs was acquiring a circle of hangers-on and suckups, and Roy took the skinny boy aside to advise him on how to better manipulate his public image, get even more people to like him, and so on.
And so it went all the way through October; Colin and Roy worked out, excelled in classes where even the teachers liked and admired them, impressed and even awed underclassmen and upperclassmen alike as they proved themselves on the football field time and again, used Karen and Olivia to keep their good mood going, and kept their growing circle of idiot 'friends' content. It was a lot to manage and Colin didn't know how he could have done any of it without Roy.
When Colin remarked on this once as they showered after yet another victorious JV game, Roy just said, "Well, what else would I do? We're brothers, and brothers look out for each other."
XX
On Friday, October 31, those who were bold enough showed up to school in their costumes. Colin and Roy appeared as lifeguards, wearing a blue and red pair of swimming trunks respectively and nothing else. They repeatedly "misplaced" the white t-shirts that went with their chosen costume, although some staff, especially Coach Penneman and Molinoff, seemed resigned to it. Colin heard one teacher, a former coach, say "Boys will be boys" with a shrug.
Phil Pacino showed up as a mad scientist, Stephen Rose was a zombie, and most of the JV football team somehow got wind of Colin and Roy's costume plan and showed up as shirtless lifeguards themselves, making it next to impossible for the faculty to even try to keep up with all the dress code violations. Some teachers just gave up, prompting many exchanges of victorious high-fives by the boys. The message Colin read in all of it was clear; the JV football players were his and Roy's followers. They regarded the Borden twins as setting the standard of what was cool, and would cheerfully do whatever they did.
At lunch, Colin was coming out of the line with his tray when he finally saw Colin Jacobs, who had somehow assembled the best-looking vampire costume Colin had ever seen. It looked like a five-hundred-dollar hand-tailored suit, elegant and handsome. The cape was red on the inside, and added quite a dashing look to Colin Jacobs' appearance.
Only problem was, Colin Jacobs was busy arguing with a good-looking blonde whom Colin recognized as Heather Lipschitz. It was a hilariously bad last name in an English-speaking country, but oh, that body. Colin spent a full minute eying Heather's ass appreciatively before he remembered to go over and talk.
"Happy Halloween," Colin said, gliding in to interrupt the argument before it could escalate to a fight. "How's it going?"
"Hey, man," Colin said, respectful and friendly to his idol as always, though he looked stressed and distracted as well.
"Colin," Heather said tersely.
"Miss," Colin said smoothly, "I don't think we've been introduced." Playing up the never-ending act he put on for the benefit of these idiots at school, Colin took Heather's left hand, raised it to his lips, and gently kissed it. "I'm Colin Borden," he said, meeting her eyes.
"Heather, Colin's one of my best friends," Colin added, trying to be positive.
How far has he gotten with her, I wonder? I mean, I hope he's banging her every day, but we're still in 9th grade. A lot of these girls would scream so loud the roof would fall in if you even put a hand on their chest. This chick looks like one of those.
"I know who he is, Colin," Heather said, glaring at the two boys. She yanked her hand away from Colin. "Just who do you think you are?"
Colin laughed, then scoffed. "Uh, excuse me? Are you sure you know who I am?"
"Yeah. You think you're such a big deal because you're sleeping around at fifteen, because you're on the football team and because you've got big arms."
"That's not the only thing I've got that's big."
"Ugh!" Heather said, shoving at Colin in disgust. "Listen, I know what's beneath your charming athletic-guy act. You stop 'mentoring' my boyfriend, understand? I liked him best before he started hanging around with you."
"Heather!" Colin Jacobs exclaimed, visibly hurt. "But- but-"
Heather turned on him, her features softening a little. "Well, it's true. Did you think I only liked you because you were friends with the Borden twins?"
"Yes," Colin Jacobs answered, looking unhappy about his answer.
"You thought that?" Heather said, visibly stunned. "I like you, Colin, not him! Or his brother. They're exactly the same, those two."
"You got something against my brother?" Colin asked, his temper flaring up.
Heather looked intimidated, but she went ahead and said it anyway: "You're always acting. Always. And you think big muscles and the fact that you're sexually active makes you special."
"I am special," Colin said. "And so's he. You should thank me and Roy. He's still got little guns on him, but you can see them now. No offense, Colin."
"None taken." Colin Jacobs shrugged. "It's true."
"He's working out all the time now. You should seriously thank me and my brother," Colin said. "I'm making sure Colin here gets the good looks he deserves."
"If that's all it was, I really would thank you," Heather admitted. "I'm fine with my boyfriend going to the gym. What I'm not fine with-"
"She says I'm starting to act like you, and talk like you and Roy, and stuff," Colin Jacobs said. "She says I'm not me because I'm trying to be you."
"Who doesn't wanna be Colin Borden? Or Roy?" Colin asked rhetorically. "Heather, babe, you gotta-"
She slapped him. "You arrogant ass!"
Colin smiled. "Sticks and stones."
"Get away from my boyfriend! Leave him alone! You're- you're corrupting him!" Heather was almost shouting now, and Colin saw she was also starting to cry.
"What the fuck? The fuck do you mean, 'corrupting' him?"
"You know what you're doing! The words I've heard him using- the things he says when he's with 'the boys,' you know! You're trying to turn him into another macho jerk!"
"I'm helping him!" Colin shot back, his own voice rising. "I'm teaching him and training him! I'm just doing what I wish somebody had done for- for me." His voice dropped as he realized what he was saying. All of a sudden, his head hurt. "Why would I say that?" Colin asked aloud.
"Are you okay?" Colin Jacobs asked. He looked up at Colin uncertainly, visibly concerned.
"His big muscles will help him figure it out," Heather retorted. "Let's go, Colin."
"But-"
"I am not breaking up with you. I'm not doing that. But you need to stop trying to be him. They're not good guys like you are."
"I-" Colin Jacobs hesitated, then looked at Colin Borden. "Can we still work out later?"
"Yes, absolutely," Colin said. He did his best not to glare at Heather. "You're always welcome at the gym. And, can you double-check about the laundry? Molinoff and Penneman are both gonna be out for blood if every last thing isn't cleaned and ready by Monday."
"I'll go down to the school laundry myself," Colin Jacobs promised. He drew up one arm, pulled his cape up in front of him, leaving only his eyes to look over it. "I'm dressed to keel. Blah!"
Colin laughed, and incredibly, so did Heather. It broke the tension that had been building up, and most of the heads that had turned in their direction looked away, sensing that the show was over.
"Let's go talk some more," Heather said to her boyfriend, in a gentler voice than before.
"Okay," Colin Jacobs replied.
As he left, Colin leaned in and said quickly and quietly, "Go get 'er, tiger."
Colin Jacobs blushed and stammered something, then left to go sort things out with his girl.
XX
Roy was busy with Laurie when Colin made it to the popular underclassmen's table, taking the seat that was always kept open for him beside his brother.
"Babe, what do you say? C'mon. It'll be fun, I promise."
"I-"
"Really. Just get your parents out for the weekend, and I'll treat you like a princess."
"Don't you always?"
"Of course. But tonight's gonna be special. You'll see."
Laurie hesitated, visibly trying to make up her mind. Everyone nearby was watching and listening, some not even bothering to hide it. Then the pretty girl said, "Okay," and Roy grinned.
Colin grinned, too, sure he knew what was going to happen.
XX
As the last buses drove away, Roy turned to Colin, a desperate, pleading look on his face.
"Colin," he said, "you have to help me."
"What is it?"
"You know goddamn well what!"
"Laurie?"
"I'm getting nowhere with her. She just won't do more than second base. Officially everybody thinks I'm still a virgin and it's fucking driving me crazy."
"You're not. Isn't fucking Karen and Olivia helping at all?"
"It's helping, but nobody knows I'm doing it, because the girls think it's you! I need to be getting laid and have people know it!"
Colin sighed. He had known, one way or another, that sharing his girlfriends with Roy would only solve the problem temporarily. Roy had hit the nail on the head. Sure, he was getting plenty of ass, but nobody knew that except Colin, and as famous as Colin was for his sexual exploits, it was especially embarrassing for Roy to have none to talk about.
"Okay," Colin said. "What do you need from me?"
XX
Roy was in rare form tonight. Laurie truly hadn't realized he could be such a gentleman. He'd been charming, friendly, easygoing, romantic- everything that Colin was widely known for being even as he openly slept with two girls at once. It was funny. They were physically identical, had the same interests and were rarely seen apart, but Colin, he was the nice one. He was a pushy macho jerk sometimes, but not as much as Roy was.
Well, it isn't as if I don't like Roy, Laurie thought, lying warm and snug in on her bed with his arm around her. He's one hell of a hunk.
It was no exaggeration to say that Roy, along with Colin, was the best-looking guy in 9th grade at Central High. From head to toe, he was flat-out stunning. The buff, chiseled muscles that he worked hard to maintain and improve every day, the shining, golden hair, the incredible, unassailable confidence…
Hard to believe he's still a virgin.
Laurie blushed as she thought of that, let Roy draw her closer to his bare chest. She had so much pressure on her because of who she was dating. All the guys were giving Roy grief for still being a virgin while Colin was sleeping with both of his girlfriends all the time. Laurie's friends were dying to be the first to get details when "it happens", and older girls were teasing Laurie for being "frigid," "uptight" and "scared."
Of course, the thrill of new discoveries, of doing something with Roy that she'd never done with any boy yet, was undeniable. When Laurie had decided she'd try giving Roy a blowjob, she'd been terribly nervous, yet equally excited. Boys loved you forever if you did that for them, or so the more experienced girls said.
What's gonna happen tonight?
She'd let him in, kissed him, allowed him to keep his shirt off, made out with him in the kitchen for a blissful couple of minutes… but Roy had cooled it on his own, drawn back rather than keep pressing for more. It was a pleasant surprise, as much as Laurie was simultaneously attracted to and intimidated by her boyfriend. She'd found herself staring at his hunky arms and abs and chest a lot this evening and… he was stunning. Stunning.
But that didn't mean Laurie was ready to sleep with him. It was obvious that Roy wanted to, and kids at school would be expecting that to happen tonight, but Laurie just was not ready.
You blew him. He loved every second of it.
Yeah? So?
Let him return the favor.
Later. Later! I can't do this now!
Laurie managed to put off the argument in her mind, but only briefly. Roy turned on the charm pretty quickly as the movie ended, and his muscular, suntanned, hunky bulk pressed Laurie into her comfortable bed, leaving her safely in his arms, sure, but also pinned down and with no easy way to leave.
"Roy," Laurie said, as Roy kissed her neck and gently rubbed a hand on her inner thigh, slowly moving toward between her legs.
"Yeah?" Roy said between kisses.
"Roy, I-I can't do this."
He had a hand between her legs. He unbuttoned her shorts, slipped the hand under her panties, and Laurie gasped and jerked as if an electric shock had struck her. "God," she breathed involuntarily. "Roy-"
Two fingers entered her, and Laurie shuddered and let out a little moan.
"It'll be fun," Roy assured her. He paused to take off his pants, then her shirt. Laurie offered only weak protests. Words were failing her. Then Roy was sliding her shorts off, then her panties, and alarm bells were going off in her head.
"Roy, wait-"
He was naked, strong and handsome, and clearly not listening anymore. As he entered her, Roy smiled.
"It's gonna be okay. Promise."
"No, wait-"
But he didn't hear her. Roy lay down on her and began thrusting, and he was big. Laurie could feel it. She tried to put her palms against his chest to push him off, but she ended up just feeling all that toned muscle and getting some happy flip-flops in her stomach, even as she felt him inside her, moving faster. His breathing picked up. Under his muscular arms, he smelled of spice. Of themselves, her toes curled and her body grew hot, betraying her.
"Roy," Laurie gasped, but it was half-moan, half prayer, and certainly had no force as a protest. He kept going.
XX
Colin lay naked on the floor of the Hughes house's master bedroom, loving the feel of this thick, luxurious carpet under him. He folded his hands behind his head and smiled as he listened to Roy's third session with Laurie. It had taken a lot of coaching, but Roy had gone over to see his stupid girlfriend confident that he could get what he wanted. Laurie Hughes, she who would have yelled and screamed if you got a hand on her tits just weeks ago, had lost her virginity to Colin's twin brother.
Roy's just too damn cool, Colin thought with admiration. He just needed a little encouragement, some details on positions and techniques. He'll be as good as me soon, and then it'll be even easier to swap places. I hope we can share every chick we ever fuck. I mean, they've all got their merits, so, better if each of us try 'em out. See how we like 'em.
Listening to Laurie, Colin knew she was enjoying it. Maybe she was desperately rationalizing after the first time, when Roy had forced himself on her when she'd started to get whiny. Colin had warned Roy that could happen, and said to "just fuck her anyway" if that happened. Roy had, of course, taken the advice, and things were going extremely well.
Eventually, Colin heard his brother finish and smiled, pleased that his brother was getting the relief he needed. As brutal as it was to play on two football teams, Colin and Roy both needed as much action as they could get.
Roy told Laurie something about getting a drink for her, then wandered out into the hall. Colin looked over as his twin strode into the room, cock swinging between his legs, looking like a Greek or Roman statue come to life.
"It worked perfectly," Roy whispered. "Your plan." He was so happy he looked like he was glowing.
"Of course it did," Colin replied, casually shrugging muscular shoulders. "How is she?"
"Tight. She's nervous as hell."
"And she's foxy as hell."
"You should go take a turn with her. I can wait in here."
"Alright." Colin got up, set a hand on Roy's shoulder. "I'll teach her a few things for you."
"I love you, Colin."
"I love you, too, Roy."
Colin went back into the bedroom with that glass of water, made sure Laurie drank it, and had her a couple times. She never knew it wasn't Roy; never even guessed. After they were done, Colin said some romantic bullshit about how special it was that they'd lost their virginity together, blah blah blah, and how he'd always remember it, so on and so forth. A superb vocabulary and a gift for articulate speech meant Colin could bullshit quite well.
Laurie, who had just gotten raped two different ways and didn't even get it, looked moved by what Colin said. He smiled, kissed her, and tucked her in under the covers. Then he took Roy's clothes, silently handed them to their owner in the master bedroom, and then crept back downstairs, where his own clothes were hidden in the basement. The two boys left the house quietly, found their bikes, high-fived each other exultantly, and rode away into the night.
XX
After a relatively quiet weekend spent working out, roaming across Santa Leona, and sharing his two girlfriends with Roy, Colin returned to school on Monday ready to run through the grinder again. And he did. Were it not for Roy, the relief that regular sex with Olivia and Karen brought him, and the sheer joy he found in workouts and football, Colin would have gone insane.
Teachers liked Colin, enjoyed his jokes and witty comments about as much as his classmates, but they were dumping more paper on his desk every day. Colin almost protested, again, that he was popular, he was too damn good for this, how could they treat him like this? But griping to them would have been about as useful as complaining to Coach Molinoff or Coach Penneman. You're here, they'd all say if Colin griped. You're here, so you're gonna do it.
The upperclassmen were fully adjusted to a pair of freshmen playing as part of their team. Nobody mentioned the scars anymore, which was good, because Colin was eager to send someone to the hospital again if they dared. But no one gave him any excuses. The juniors and seniors had been watching the twins, some expecting (or hoping) to see them display weakness or trip up and fail during a game. But one night under the lights after another, Colin and Roy were fearless, highly skilled, and gifted tacticians. Colin, in particular, seemed to find every chink in the other team's armor, every opening, every spot a coach or captain left unguarded.
"Results get respect," Coach Molinoff liked to say, and that was the credo of pretty much the whole Central High football team. Colin and Roy had shown their ability to produce results and their eagerness to work with the other boys on the team, again and again. Dislike and amused contempt had become grudging respect, then plain and open respect, then a degree of admiration.
This was nothing like the JV team, however. On that team, Colin and his twin brother were rockstars. They were openly hailed as the greatest of heroes as they led the team from one victory to another. The JV boys were all lined up right behind the twins. They did whatever they did, said whatever they said, looked to them for guidance and constantly asked for advice.
Philip quickly got Stephen involved in announcing for games with him. They were making quite an impression with their easy banter and surprisingly accurate and insightful commentary on the games. Colin was happy to see it. Philip and Stephen had died tragically in that other world that no longer existed. They were enjoying rising status and success in this one.
Nobody made fun of Stephen Rose for being skinny and hopeless at football, or Philip Pacino for being damn near blind without his thick glasses. And whenever Colin Jacobs showed up, he was treated like a minor celebrity, especially with the JV team, who were eagerly doing anything they could think of to please the Borden twins and curry their favor. Colin secretly loathed these musclebound idiots for so shamelessly sucking up, but seeing Colin Jacobs' face light up whenever he got remind he was liked and accepted made it worth tolerating.
XX
All the practices, games, games and practices, combined with more homework and then tests and quizzes and workouts and then even more games and practices weighed heavily on Colin. He endured, absolutely refusing to give up or quit on anything, but there were days when he had a hard time with it all.
Case in point was Tuesday afternoon. Colin pulled off his helmet after executing what seemed like the twelve-hundredth play that Coach Penneman wanted to do today, then staggered off toward the benches for a cup of water. He got one, downed it without noticing, then sat down.
Oh, man, was he tired.
As he listened to Stephen and Philip practicing their announcer voices up in the enclosed booth, Colin's eyes drooped shut. He heard them say something about gay pirates, then began leaning into the cooler to his left. It gave way, and Colin fell off the bench just in time for the cooler's top to slide off and dump ice-cold water all over the ground.
"Jeez!" Colin exclaimed, sputtering as water soaked his face, his hair, his uniform. He sprang up, staggered into the metal bench, waved his arms wildly as he struggled for balance, then fell over backwards and landed on his ass. "Shit! Goddamnit!"
"Colin!" Roy cried. Instantly, he was there and the look of concern on his face almost moved Colin to tears. "Hey, man. Hey. Are you all right?"
"Yeah," Colin said. He shook his head. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm all right."
"What the hell's going on?" Jason Perley called in his deep voice, walking over to see Colin and the cooler on the ground.
"Uh, I fell asleep," Colin said, still dazed. "I'm okay, though."
"You sure?" Jason peered at Colin quizzically.
"Yeah, well, quit lookin' at me like that!" Colin replied indignantly. "I've got two girlfriends for Chrissakes!"
"Jeez!" Jason protested. He started telling Colin off for that, but his words were lost amid gales of laughter from the older boys, plenty of whom had heard the whole thing. The JV boys gaped and stared for a few moments, then quickly started laughing too.
"Colin," Coach Molinoff said as he walked over, "I hope you aren't going to pieces on me. You know, like you did for that time in tryouts."
Springing up and brushing himself off, Colin shook his head. "Uh, no, sir, I'm good."
"Well, if you can stay awake the rest of the practice, that'd be great."
"Yes, Coach."
XX
In the latter half of practice, Colin was increasingly distracted by the sight of the cross country girls going by. His head wasn't the only one that turned. Seeing Olivia Hastings with all that skin showing, dressed in that red and white uniform… it reminded Colin there was at least one thing in this world he loved more than football.
And then there were the cheerleaders. Karen Smith was no Rhodes scholar, but she was getting into some damn good shape these days. You had to be in order to make it as a cheerleader. They had to practice all the time, too, and Colin stared so much in the last twenty minutes of practice that both Penneman and Molinoff yelled at him to pay attention.
The older guys gave Colin a lot of grief for that when both teams hit the showers. Colin laughed it off, shot back with smart remarks and jokes of his own. Roy did the same thing, and the guys loved it. It was amazing being popular like this. There were days when Colin was sure he and Roy could do no wrong.
XX
On Wednesday afternoon, Colin accepted Karen Smith's offer of a blowjob in thanks for tutoring and showed up late to class as a result. Three different guys from the JV team had already covered for him, plus Roy, so it was quite amusing for everyone when Colin arrived and started making up excuses. He was soon informed that his tardiness had already been excused, there was no need to be so creative right now, please sit down.
Naturally, however, Colin was then quietly but strenuously interrogated by the very boys who had helped him. Colin resisted valiantly for almost five whole minutes before passing a note explaining just what he'd been doing. He received grins and handshakes of congratulations, and not a few stares of envy as some other boys figured out what had happened.
Colin had been asked by more than a few 'friends' what getting head was like, how to talk a girl into doing that, or what sex was like, and how to persuade a girl into doing that. On and on. He and Roy were regarded as experts on the topic by their fellow freshmen, and their advice, Colin was learning, was much sought-after.
It both flattered and annoyed Colin, because he liked the status and respect, but hated being constantly pestered and pleaded with for information and coaching. Roy felt the same way, but both of them continued to play the game, to pretend that they actually gave a damn about helping or offering advice.
Here and there, Colin contemplated killing some of the boys he attended classes with. Just for fun, he thought up a dozen ways to get rid of one nuisance after another. On days when they were really getting on his nerves, he would smile pleasantly or listen patiently as a boy confided in him and pleaded for his wisdom while thinking of how red that boy's blood would be if his throat was slit, letting it out in a flood.
Those kinds of thoughts didn't bother Colin. Maybe they had, once, but not anymore. Roy was quite eager to talk about these kinds of things, although both agreed that murdering their peers was not the best option. They had their uses. More than once, Roy joked about "reducing the homeless population," reasoning that nobody wanted them anyway, and so their deaths or disappearances would not much be mourned or missed.
Colin agreed. That was a good point. And you never knew when information might come in handy. Knowledge was power, after all.
XX
Just after classes ended on Wednesday, Colin found a note in his locker 'suggesting' he stop by Boys' Cross Country practice today. He did so, looking around curiously as he got to the track, only to almost get run over by a bunch of shirtless, skinny boys as they came back from a run, breathing hard and sweating.
"Hey, Colin," they called.
"Hi, Colin."
"What's going on, Colin?"
"It's Colin Borden. Hey."
Colin nodded, automatically grunted various replies, but then his head snapped to the left and he stared as he noticed a couple of boys near him. One had dark hair and thick glasses, and beside him was a skinny boy with red hair and pale skin. Then there was that lean boy with the glasses, the brown hair, that familiar face-
"Colin!" Colin called out. "Stephen! Philip!"
"Yeah," Stephen answered flippantly. "What is it? I'm a busy man, so, if it's about an autograph you better wait. Not like Jacobs here. His face looks like my butt."
"That's great," Colin Jacobs answered, breathing hard but trying not to show it. "You're… you must be glad to… have sucha… good-lookin' butt."
That set the Cross Country boys off, and as they laughed Colin spotted Coach Williams coming by with his clipboard.
"Hey, Coach," Colin called out. He smiled in spite of himself. "You're not telling me you got Rose, Pacino and Jacobs on your roster, do you?"
"Not yet, not officially, but that's the plan," Williams answered. "You're- all right, are you Roy or Colin Borden?"
"Colin, Coach."
"Colin Coach," Stephen Rose said. "Lissen to him, goys! Colin Coach!"
That brought some more laughs, but Colin held up his hand. They fell silent at once, looking at the star freshman expectantly.
"You mean these three are actually gonna be athletes, Coach?" Colin asked, looking at Williams.
"Mister Jacobs will have a lot to do, being manager for your team and a runner on mine, but he's tough enough," Williams said. "And Rose is, too, when he shuts up. Pacino- I guess we just gotta hope his glasses don't fall off. Otherwise he'll run unto buildings."
As some of the boys laughed and sniggered, Phil shrugged, but he was smiling. Stephen made a face at him. Colin Jacobs, though- he looked worried. With nobody else watching him right this second, he let some of his fear show. After a moment, Colin realized it wasn't fear of not making the team. Colin Jacobs was afraid that his hero, Colin Borden, wouldn't approve.
"Nice work, guys," Colin said. He went over and shook hands with Colin Jacobs, with Stephen, and with Philip. As he left, the other Cross Country freshmen crowded around them. The late additions were pleased, relieved. And everyone wanted to know about how the two Colins had become best friends.
"It's kinda a long story," Colin Jacobs told them.
Just as he was starting to wonder where Roy was, Colin spotted his twin coming out of the boys' locker rooms with Jason Perley, looking extremely pleased with himself.
"I got a plan for Friday, Colin."
"Oh, jeez."
"It might be a popper."
"It better be a popper, liba Roy. A real terrific popper."
"What the fuck's a popper?" Jason asked, looking incredibly confused.
"Kwet, liba Roy wanna speak," Colin replied.
"What the-" Jason began, more baffled than ever, but Roy quickly said, "Jason and a bunch of upperclassmen want us at this party they have planned at Jason's place this Friday."
"Sure," Colin said instantly.
"You guys gonna fuckin' speak actual English?" Jason asked, looking at the twins.
"Yeah," Colin said. "Don't worry about it, man."
"I never worry about anything," Jason replied confidently.
"Hey, Jason," Colin said, calling after the upperclassman as he started to leave.
"What?"
"Can Colin Jacobs come with us?"
Jason turned around. "I only just talked the guys into including you in this. A few sophomores are going, but you're the only freshmen. Why'm I supposed to bring the football manager?"
"Because he's the fucking best guy in the 9th grade, apart from us," Roy said. "And you oughta think about Stephen and Philip, too."
"No, not right now," Jason said. "I had enough trouble just getting everybody to let two freshmen in. You guys gotta understand-"
"If we're good enough, so is Colin Jacobs," Colin insisted.
"Fine," Jason said. "He comes, too. But if he ends up being fuckin' boring, that's gonna be on you."
"That won't be a problem," Colin assured him.
XX
After sharing Laurie for an hour or so at her house, Colin and Roy went back to the empty, joyless house they were forced to live in. They each showered, then carefully folded their clothes at the foot of their bed, like always. Then Roy sat down beside Colin and looked at him, visibly confused.
"Colin," he said, "I don't want to drink. I don't want to have anybody but me in control. Like, nobody but me. So, what do we do when we get there?"
"Just have a few beers, I guess," Colin said. "Right? We can fake it, too, if we have to."
"Maybe the big thing is just passing time until the other guys are all drunk. Then they won't know."
"Yeah." Roy looked worried, but he gradually calmed as he thought about it. "Okay, that could work."
"Of course it will."
"Because you thought of it."
"That's right."
Roy laughed. "Okay. So what do we do with Colin Jacobs?"
"Hand him a beer, get some girl to fuck him."
"Seriously? That's your plan?"
"Yes. There's a lot of rumors going around. I heard he's hung like a-"
"You started those rumors!"
"Maybe."
"I know you did!"
"So?"
"Jeez!"
"If he gets his first, nobody's gonna care if he drank anything or not."
"Okay, Colin. But you know he's got a girlfriend."
"That never stopped anybody. And Lindsey Hadler's pretty interested in him, you know. Olivia's been talking to her about him. And talking, and talking."
"Sure, Colin. This I gotta see."
"You will. Just you wait."
XX
The party was in full swing by the time Colin Jacobs showed up. He got there riding with some junior he didn't know. Weezy had barely even listened to his made-up explanation for where he was going. Colin was pretty sure it didn't matter to her. She probably would have been just as okay with it if he'd told her the truth.
Within moments of walking in the door, Colin was surrounded, jostled by one hulking senior or junior after another. He didn't feel at ease among so many tall, muscular upperclassmen, not one bit. The Borden twins did, of course, but Colin wasn't surprised to see that. They were at ease anywhere.
The twins' presence did help, however. Colin knew and liked them, and he trusted them. They were great guys, and so he accepted a beer bottle when they offered him one. It soon turned into a second, then a third. Colin didn't like all the noise, the endless talking and the loud music, but he said hi when guys passed him and smiled when he locked eyes with a few girls. He was trying to act as cool and confident as Colin and his brother Roy did, the way they always were.
Incredibly, as the evening went on, this one girl did come by and then come by again. She was a year older, but she looked Colin up and down appreciatively as she sat down on the couch beside him. Colin was on to another beer, but he wasn't sure when he'd wandered over here or where exactly the twins had gone to.
"Hey," she said.
"Hey."
"I'm Lindsey," the stunning brunette said. She offered her hand.
"Miss," Colin said, taking her hand. He slowly brought it to his lips and reverently kissed it, meeting her eyes as he did so.
Lindsey laughed, surprised but impressed. "And you're Colin Jacobs, right?"
"Yeah," Colin said over the noise. "Yeah, that's me."
"Is it true that you have a ten-inch cock?"
"What?" Colin almost yelped, blushing crimson and almost spilling his beer.
"I said, I really like your type of socks!"
"Oh," Colin said, glancing at them. "Thanks."
"I see you at the gym a lot," Lindsey said. "I'm on the girls' soccer team."
"Oh, soccer's fucking great," Colin said enthusiastically. "I love soccer."
"I mostly play it so I can see the boys," Lindsey said casually. "Like when they do shirts-and-skins. Boys look way better with their shirts off."
"Yeah, I know," Colin agreed.
She looked at him curiously. Colin looked at her, tried not to stare too much at her heavenly figure, at her curves, at her chest, at that v-neck shirt. His head was swimming, and he wanted this girl. Colin and Roy said guys were just animals. They said Heather was holding out, that she'd never give him anything, that he deserved better. It made no sense, but it made sense. Colin had no idea what to do.
"Are you gay?" Lindsey asked him finally.
"No!" Colin exclaimed, shocked and frightened that anyone would say that. It was a social death-sentence. Even he knew that. This wasn't good.
"Well, I heard you were," Lindsey said.
"I'm not."
"Can you prove it?"
"Huh?"
XX
Colin tried to protest and explain himself, but he ended up sitting in his underwear on some bed in some room upstairs all the same. He got dared into it by somebody, he was fairly sure. He wished he'd talked to Colin Borden more before getting into all this. He was scared and confused and drunk and he didn't know what was happening.
While he and Lindsey were talking on this bed, she kept bringing up how it was too hot in here, and at some point or another Colin agreed with her plan to undress. That's how he was sitting here in his underwear. She was naked, and the view, front or back, was truly stunning. Colin couldn't take his eyes off the brunette, no matter how much he thought of Heather. The door to this room was closed, it was still too hot in here, and Colin's heart was racing in his chest. He didn't have the slightest idea what was happening.
Lindsey set a hand on Colin's left thigh. Colin jumped, but she laughed and smiled at him.
"You don't need to be so scared."
"Okay. I'm not scared."
"Prove it, then. Take 'em off. The Borden twins said you're fucking huge."
"Well-"
"Just do it," she told him, and Colin slowly obeyed. He pulled his underwear down to his ankles and she tossed it away.
"Okay," Colin said, slurring it a little. "I'm not- not the best. But I'm good."
Lindsey laughed, looking down between his legs. "You're not bad, Colin."
"Why'd you laugh, then?"
"You're just funny," Lindsey said. "And you look amazing like this."
"Well, uh-"
"Shh," Lindsey said. "You're a virgin, right?"
"Yeah," Colin blurted. "Yeah, so what?"
She straddled his waist, and Colin felt warmth and wetness as she slid him into her.
"I have a girlfriend." It was Colin's last plea, his final effort to protest. But he was an animal, like Colin kept telling him, and he wanted her, and this felt like… heaven. It felt amazing. He put his hands around her hourglass waist and didn't want to take them off, not for anything. He couldn't stop himself. He wanted this so much. But he said it again, desperately: "I have a girlfriend."
Lindsey leaned in and kissed him on the lips as she started. She smelled like flowers in a meadow. She smiled at him, and whispered, "So what?"
XX
Colin stood outside the bedroom door and listened for several minutes. He couldn't help but smile. When Roy showed up, Colin grinned and motioned to him. Roy looked confused for a moment, and then he was leaning against the door, listening too.
By the time Colin Jacobs opened the door for some reason or another, more than twenty party-goers were clustered up in the hallway, all of them guys. Colin didn't have to give them any ideas; the second they saw Colin, a cheer went up, a roar of approval that must have made the walls shake. Colin Jacobs was promptly hauled outside, still half-dressed, and marched downstairs. Roy leaned in and quickly said something; a visibly shaken Colin Jacobs hesitated, then finally put on this big grin and faced the expectant crowd in the living room from the top of the stairs.
"My name is Colin Jacobs," he yelled, "and I am no longer a virgin!"
Most of the juniors and seniors down there probably had no idea who Colin Jacobs was, but they went ahead and cheered him anyway, especially when Lindsey Hadler came out wearing Colin's shirt. Colin watched as the lean brown-haired boy was steered downstairs to the makeshift bar and told to tell and retell the story of his first sexual conquest. It embarrassed Colin Jacobs, it forced him far out of his comfort zone, but he managed to act proud and boastful enough that nobody but Roy and Colin really noticed.
What gave Colin the most hope was seeing the way Colin Jacobs' face lit up when everybody started cheering for him. He felt embarrassed and guilty, but all the positive attention was damn hard to resist. That guilt wouldn't last. Not with what Colin Jacobs was in the process of learning.
He'll get over it, Colin assured himself. He'll learn. This is just the start. It'll be good for him in the end. Heather would have just kept getting in the way. Not anymore, though. No chance of them staying together after this. It's for the best. He'll thank me one day.
XX
A/N: 1-1-2020.
Finally managed to get Chapter 20 completed! It was NOT easy and did not happen all that quickly, but I got it done. Colin has diverged quite completely from his former identity as Colin Jacobs. He not only regards the two of them as being separate people, he is actively trying to change Colin Jacobs, to make him more like the Borden twins. That isn't something the original Colin Jacobs would have wanted, as evidenced by the bitter conflict that arose between Colin and Roy in "The Voice of the Night." But having fully embraced Roy as his best friend and brother, Colin has grown to trust Roy and then to adopt Roy's ideas and worldview as his own. Colin genuinely believes he is doing good and helping this alternate universe's Colin Jacobs, although he does feel some small need to justify himself, to himself.
Chapter 20 is, I believe, the first one in this story to feature any POV besides that of Colin Borden (formerly Colin Jacobs). I followed the style of the original novel as far as that goes, but decided I wanted to add another POV or two briefly before concluding the story.
Someone either told Colin Jacobs to imitate what Colin Borden announced to the school cafeteria, or he thought to imitate his hero on his own.
Chapter 21 is nearly completed and will be posted today or early tomorrow. At that point, this story will finally be written through to the end. After that, I have at least one idea for writing further about "The Voice of the Night," although it will probably be a little while until I get to that. That's all right, though. One idea and one day at a time.
A sincere thanks to AM83220 for all his support and excellent reviews, and another sincere thanks to any other readers and reviewers of this story.