Kick It Up
March 15, 1997
As the last bell rang for the day, Justin snatched up his books and rushed through the classroom door. He jogged down the hallway, deftly avoiding the clusters of students chattering in the hall, and skidded to a halt in front of his locker. The combination lock clicked open, and he thrust his supplies into his backpack, grabbing his coat and slamming the door shut.
"Hey, Justin. Happy birthday!"
Turning, he spotted his friend Daphne weaving her way through the crowds. He waved and motioned with his head toward the front entrance of the school. "Walk me out? Uncle Jeremy should be here soon to pick me up."
Daphne grinned as she headed for the door, Justin falling into step beside her. "So, Justin. How does it feel to be fifteen?"
"So far, pretty lousy." Justin held the door open, allowing Daphne to exit first. They settled onto a low stone wall, tossing their backpacks on the ground under their feet. "Mr. Meadows gave a pop quiz in algebra, and Mrs. Kimball assigned us a fifteen page paper on the Bronte sisters."
"Ah, poor baby! I'm sure you did spectacularly well on the quiz, you always do, and the paper shouldn't be a problem. So, did you talk to the coach today?"
Justin nodded glumly as he pulled out a pear from his coat pocket and bit into it. "Yeah, that went oh so well, too. He said that pansy boys have no place on the soccer team, and that I would be better off sticking to my 'pretty little pictures', as he called them."
"What? That's so not fair!" Daphne shook her head in disbelief then patted Justin on the shoulder. "You should try out anyway, to prove that he's wrong."
"I'm thinking about it, although I probably won't make it onto the team – I'm not very good, you know." Shrugging his shoulders, Justin pointed toward a group of jocks roughhousing with each other near the street corner. "I'm just tired of their shit. They're constantly harassing me, and I thought that if I tried out, they might stop."
"They're jerks – who cares about what they think." Daphne's face brightened suddenly and she giggled. "Hey, isn't that Brian's Jeep?"
Giving his friend a suspicious glance, Justin muttered, "Sometimes I think you hang out with me just so you can ogle Brian." He hopped off the wall, and helped Daphne climb down. After getting his backpack, he walked over to where the Jeep was idling with Daphne two steps behind him. Leaning in through the open window, he asked, "Hey Brian. What on earth are you doing here?"
Brian smirked as he reached over and opened the door. "Supposedly, someone around here has a birthday, so I thought I would take him out to a movie. Hi, Daphne."
"Cool." Justin tossed his backpack in the back and got in, quickly buckling his seatbelt.
Daphne giggled, a dusky pink flushing her cheeks. "Hey there, Brian," she said dreamily. "You two have fun and I'll see you tomorrow, Justin." Stepping away, she waved as the Jeep pulled away from the curb.
"She can be such a girl sometimes – she so likes you!" Justin teased, chuckling when Brian rolled his eyes. "Anyway, what movie are we going to see?"
Shrugging, Brian turned the decision back to Justin. "It's your birthday, your choice."
"Hmm…" Justin watched the passing houses as they sped toward the mall where the theater was located. "I think 'Liar Liar' opened today; how about that one?"
"Sure." Brian turned on the radio, changing the station until he found something he liked. "So, how was school today?"
Justin grimaced as he answered, "It sucked." He gave Brian a faint, sad smile then turned to look back out of his window. "And not, as you would say, in a good way."
Frowning as Justin averted his face, Brian pulled over, leaving the Jeep running. "Want to tell me about it?" he asked gently, his hand pulling on Justin's chin until the teen was forced to meet his gaze. "Nothing can be that bad."
Looking down at his hands, Justin replied in an angry voice, "I talked to the coach today about the soccer team. He told me there was no place on the team for a faggot; that I was only trying out so I could look at the guys in the shower."
"Fuck that!" Brian lowered his hand, and stared off into the distance as he thought. Abruptly, he put the Jeep back in gear and did a u-turn, heading back in the direction from which they'd come. "When are try-outs?"
Justin asked bitterly, "Does it matter?"
"Answer me, Justin," Brian said firmly as they pulled into a vacant lot. Twisting in his seat until he was facing Justin, Brian added, "I might be able to help you, you know."
Sighing heavily, Justin ran his hands over his face in frustration. "Two weeks."
"Not much time, then, so get your ass in gear." Brian grabbed his gym bag from the backseat, and exited the Jeep. Tossing his suit jacket, tie and dress shirt into the back as he undressed, he glanced around to make sure no one was around, then dropped his pants to the ground. Quickly shimmying into a pair of shorts and a tee shirt, he turned around to see Justin staring at him incredulously, his mouth gaping widely. "What are you waiting for?"
Snapping his mouth shut with an audible snap, Justin stammered, "Uh… I… I don't know… maybe for you to tell me what's going on?" He wasn't about to let Brian find out he'd been staring at his ass as he'd stood there in his briefs. 'For heaven's sake, this is Brian,' he thought, confused. 'He's my friend – I can't be attracted to him!'
"I'm not about to let some homophobic coach keep you off the team, simply because you're gay!" Brian practically snarled as he hopped about on one foot, slipping on his running shoes. "Now, get the fuck out of the Jeep so I can show you some tricks about playing soccer."
Silently cursing his suddenly raging, teenaged hormones, Justin hurriedly changed clothes and went to stand beside Brian. He grinned weakly and asked, "Okay, now what?"
"Let's show that asshole just what a faggot can do."
Jeremy watched as Justin poked at his uneaten food with his fork. They were eating dinner at Justin's favorite restaurant, supposedly to celebrate his birthday. However, the birthday boy was apparently not having a good time. Thank goodness, Molly was spending the night over at a friend's house – she would have spent the whole evening harassing Justin. "So, do you want to tell us what's wrong, or are you going to make us drag it out of you one word at a time?"
"Huh?" Justin started, his inner debate interrupted by his uncle's question. He attempted a smile, which felt frozen on his face, and lied, "Oh, nothing's wrong, Uncle Jeremy. I'm just a bit tired, that's all."
Shaking his head doubtfully, Jeremy quirked an eyebrow at Robert, who merely shrugged. Justin rarely got moody, but when he did, there wasn't much to be done about it. They both turned back to their dinners, the silence at the table uncomfortable.
Justin stared down at his steak, feeling guilty about his attitude. He forced himself to say cheerfully, "This is great, Uncle Jeremy, Robert. Thanks for bringing me here."
Robert placed his fork down on the table and leaned back in his chair. "How was the movie?" he asked casually, waiting to see Justin's reaction to the question.
Feeling the blood rushing to his cheeks, Justin stammered, "Uh… well… actually, we didn't go see anything, after all." He pressed a hand to his hot face and continued, "Brian showed me some moves in soccer, instead. We're going to be playing against each other every day for a while. I'm going to try out for the team in a couple of weeks."
"Really? That's great, Justin. Brian knows a lot about soccer – he played in high school, and won a scholarship for college, as well." Jeremy grinned at his nephew.
Justin nodded gloomily. "Yeah, just great, Uncle Jeremy." He wondered to himself how he was going to make it through their practices – seeing a hot, sweaty Brian day after day was going to play havoc on his hormones.
Robert smiled to himself. It was just as he suspected – Justin was in the throes of his first major crush. He and Jeremy had been waiting for this since Christmas, when Justin had shyly confessed that he was gay. It wasn't unexpected that he would fall for Brian – after all, Justin had been tagging along after the man for years. Too bad nothing would ever come of it.
Taking pity on Justin's obvious discomfort, Robert pushed himself away from the table and stood. "I believe we're done here, and there's a chocolate birthday cake waiting for us at home. Shall we go?"
Justin jumped to his feet. "Sounds good, Robert."
Later that evening, Justin sprawled out on his bed, his sketchbook in front of him. As he idly drew Brian as he'd seen him that afternoon, enthusiastically chasing after the soccer ball, he acknowledged that there was no possibility of Brian returning his interest. He'd heard about his friend's reputation from the guys at the diner. Brian had a fuck them, leave them policy, and that just didn't appeal to him. He wanted more.
Resolutely closing his sketchpad, Justin climbed into bed and turned off his light. As he drifted off to sleep, he resolved to forget about Brian. After all, he was young – surely, there was someone out there for him.
Justin sat down on the bench, wiping his sweaty face with a towel. He thought he'd done well in try-outs – now, he just needed to wait and see what the coach thought. Picking up his water bottle, he drank thirstily as he watched the other hopefuls gather around Coach Miller.
"All right, guys. Settle down. Here is the roster for the team. When I call your name, please stand over here. Reilly, Senft, Harper, Hobbs, Wilson, Marshall, Connors, Dunn, Woods, Smythe, and Anderson." Coach Miller nodded at the group of boys as they stood in a loose half-circle. "Congratulations, gentlemen. You make up our first string team." He consulted his list again, then added, "The following boys are the substitutes for the team. Madison, Richardson, Sohail, Ward and Quincy."
Justin's shoulders slumped when the coach read the last name on the list. He hadn't made the team, despite his and Brian's efforts.
Dismissing the newly formed team to the showers, the coach turned to the remaining boys. "I want to thank you for coming out today. I saw a lot of great talent on the field, and my decision wasn't easy. You all did your best, and I'm proud of the job you did. Good luck, guys, and thanks again."
Grabbing his bag, Justin headed off to the showers. He glanced up at the bleachers, spotting Daphne right away. There was a brown-haired boy who he didn't recognize sitting next to her on the bleacher. She gave him a small wave, which he returned half-heartedly.
"Hey, Taylor. Wait up!"
Turning, he saw Coach Miller walking in his direction. 'Great, just what I need, more shit from him.' Justin waited impatiently for the coach to reach him.
"Taylor, I have to say that I was impressed with your efforts out there today."
"Thanks, Coach."
Coach Miller put his clipboard under his arm. "You had some pretty fancy moves on the field. Where did you learn them?"
Justin grimaced as he recalled the tough practice sessions Brian had put him through. "A friend of mine, Brian Kinney, coached me a little the past couple of weeks."
"Brian Kinney? The one who used to play for Penn State?" When Justin nodded, Coach Miller mused, "Hmm, no wonder your game improved so much. He was really good – in fact, if I remember correctly, several pro teams tried to draft him, but he turned them all down."
Grinning broadly, Justin said, "Thanks, Coach Miller. I'll be sure to tell him."
"You know, you almost made the team today, Taylor. You were just three points shy of the last substitute position." Miller slapped Justin lightly on the back. "If you keep up your training with Kinney, I imagine that you would have no trouble making the team next year."
"I might just do that. Uh, I gotta go, Coach. Daphne's waiting for me."
Miller waved him away. "Go on, hit the showers."
His mood considerably improved, Justin entered the locker room, whistling a tuneless little song. Quickly stripping, he wrapped a towel around his waist and grabbed his soap and shampoo before closing his locker. As he moved toward the shower room, a hand grabbing his arm halted his progress.
"Good job out there, Taylor."
Glancing over his shoulder, he gave his chemistry lab partner a playful frown. "Surprised you, did I, Hobbs?"
Chris chuckled, as he teased, "Yeah, not bad for a pretty little gay boy."
"Whatever, Chris." Tugging his arm out from Chris' grasp, Justin winked seductively at his friend. "So, interested in joining me for a shower?"
"In your dreams, Taylor!" Chris shoved him gently toward the shower. "Go; jerk off to thought of me."
"You wish!" Justin shot back as he stepped under a showerhead. Grinning to himself, he pulled off his towel and adjusted the water. He was long over his fascination with Chris Hobbs. He and Chris, who played for both teams, had given each other blowjobs a couple of times right before Christmas. Although it had been fun, they both decided it would be better to be friends.
Justin rushed through his shower, knowing that Daphne was probably getting impatient. He dressed, then grabbed his gym bag before jogging back to the field.
Daphne and the dark-haired boy were waiting for him near the gate. "Hey, Justin. This is Ethan Gold – he just transferred here from New York. He's gay, too."
"Hi, Ethan. Nice to meet you." Justin politely held out his hand as he looked over at his friend. "Geeze, Daphne, you really know how to introduce someone, outing him like that."
Ethan accepted the proffered hand, and smiled. "That's okay, Justin. I'm not in the closet, or anything." He held onto Justin's hand for a moment longer than necessary, smirking when he saw a faint blush creep into Justin's face. They both glanced over at Daphne when she giggled.
"Alright, I've done my good deed for the day by introducing you two. I need to get home – Mom wants me to baby sit my little sister tonight." She hugged Justin, whispering into his ear, "He's cute – I'd go for him if I were you."
Rolling his eyes at Daphne's retreating back, Justin turned to face Ethan. "So, how come you're transferring in so late in the year?"
They started walking toward the front of the school, where Justin's uncle would be picking him up. "My mom died several weeks ago. My dad, who lives in Virginia with his second wife, wasn't interested in having his gay son live with him, so I came to Pittsburgh to stay with my grandparents."
"Wow, I'm sorry about that." Justin patted Ethan's shoulder sympathetically.
Ethan smiled sadly. "It's been rough without Mom, but my grandparents are kinda cool. I haven't talked to my dad in years, so that was no big deal."
Stopping beside his uncle's car, Justin considered the other boy. Ethan was cute, in a scruffy, bohemian sort of way. "So, wanna catch a movie sometime?"
"How about tonight – you can fill me in on all the dirt about St. James Academy."
"Sounds great. Why don't you give me a call later tonight?" Justin hurriedly wrote out his number on a scrap piece of paper and handed it to Ethan. "Talk to you later."
Waving goodbye as they pulled away from the curb, Justin leaned back into the upholstery, grinning. His life was definitely looking up, between his having a date and the semi-success of the try-outs. Remembering that he wanted to tell Brian what the coach had said, he asked, "Uncle Jeremy? Can we stop by Brian's office for a minute?"
Jeremy nodded. "Sure, I'll drop you off in front. I have an errand I need to run near there, so that should work out fine."
Brian looked up from his computer when Cynthia knocked lightly on his open door. "What?" he barked.
"Just letting you know that I'm leaving, boss." Cynthia laughed at Brian's annoyed expression. "Also, your five o'clock appointment is here."
Scowling at his calendar, Brian frantically tried to recall if he'd set up a meeting without writing it in his book. Finally giving up, he glanced back at his assistant to ask and relaxed when a grinning Justin appeared in the doorway.
"Hey, Brian. I wanted to give you a personal report on how the try-outs went." Justin slid into a visitor's chair across from Brian and gave his friend a bright smile. "Coach was impressed with how well I did today, and that I barely missed making the team by three points."
Brian sat back in his chair, bracing his elbows on the arms and folding his hands under his chin. "You seem awfully chipper, considering you didn't get on."
Justin practically vibrated with excitement as he said, "Well, the coach said that if I keep practicing with you, I should make it next year. He remembered you when you played in college."
"I am rather unforgettable, kiddo," Brian said unselfconsciously.
"God, Brian, can your ego get any bigger?" Justin shook his head at Brian's bragging.
"There's no point in false modesty, Justin." Brian reached over and logged off the computer. "I guess we need to set up a schedule for practicing, huh? So, how about I take you to dinner to celebrate?"
Justin chuckled as he said brightly, "I can't tonight, Brian. I have…" He paused dramatically for a moment, then added, "A date!"
Brian raised his eyebrow in surprise. "Really? I hope he's hot."
Blushing as he recalled Ethan's warm brown eyes, Justin grinned. "I think he is."
"Just remember my lectures about safe sex, Justin." Brian looked sternly at Justin. "I'm not kidding about this, either. I want you safe and around for a long time to pester me."
"I'm not going to sleep with him, Brian. For crying out loud, I just met the guy. I barely know him." Justin looked at his watch and quickly jumped to his feet. "I gotta go, Brian. Uncle Jeremy's probably circling the block outside." He glanced at the other man. "Later."
"Later, kiddo. Have fun tonight."
After Justin left, Brian returned to his work, determinedly forcing any thoughts about his young friend having sex with some obviously unworthy guy. It seemed… wrong, for some reason. After all, Justin was still a kid.
Heaven only knew that the guys would be swarming around the kid when he finally was old enough to get into the bars. They would be attracted to Justin's blond good looks, as well as his air of innocence.
Privately vowing to personally screen any guy in which Justin might be interested in the future, Brian turned his attention to the proposal in front of him.
