Original: To His Grave: Chapter 2
Title: To His Grave
Author: avari_maethor
Summary: This is not a story about romance. This is a story of friendship and how far that friendship goes.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Some m/m situations mentioned however it is not a main piece of the story.
To His Grave
Chapter 2
Tommy put his flashlight down on the corner of his desk before picking up his stereo remote. Pressing the power and play buttons smooth jazz filtered out of the speakers in the corners of his room. Eli was probably the only ones other than family, who knew he liked jazz. Most pegged him as a hardcore rocker due to his choice of clothing, but appearances can be deceiving. Emptying his jeans pockets his gaze lingered on his inhaler, he hadn’t had an attack in weeks, but that didn’t mean anything. The time lapses in between his attacks probably contributed to most people not knowing that he had asthma. In the past four years he had only had two that led to a hospital visit. Tommy was thankful for that; he hated the smell of hospitals.
Stretching his arms over his head Tommy headed for his bathroom. It had been a closet when he was younger but as he entered his teen years he had asked his parents for his own bathroom. In trade for excellent grades and a quarter of what it had cost to make the conversion Tommy had gotten his own bathroom. A lot of kids probably would have complained about having to pay for a quarter of their own bathroom but Tommy didn’t mind. If children wanted something they should pay for it or at least help pay for it, that was the way Tommy saw it.
The porno from the night before had left Tommy worked up, sure he had taken care of things in the bathroom before going to sleep but there were still plenty of images floating around in his mind to make his shower more enjoyable. Tommy’s eyes drifted over the pictures hanging on the wall, most of him and his past girlfriends, others of just memories. The past girlfriends were the one’s he concentrated on now, he couldn’t lie, he still had feelings for a couple of them. Stepping into his bathroom he turned the shower on to let the water heat up while he removed his clothes.
The hot water of his shower felt amazing on his tired muscles. The three hour drive between his and Eli’s houses from Eli’s fathers always cramped his muscles something awful, but the hot water always fixed that. Tommy wet his hair and massaged the shampoo in, the white bits of foam falling down to his shoulders, running down his chest and back due to the water. Tommy watched the bits of foam as they made their way lower.
The hot water also made things more comfortable and allowed his imagination to really flow. Thinking of those girls on the wall, a few well placed touches… and all too soon Tommy was biting his bottom lip, his hand moving between a fast and slow pace. Karen had some of the softest blonde hair… and Lena’s brown eyes… Eli’s amazing six pack… these images were torture, sweet torture. Lena had been the hottest girl in his grade for as long as he could remember, she had all the guys chasing after her… but he had been one of the few to catch her. There had been a lot of firsts with Lena, it was quiet different than being with Eli.
Eli…Eli had very nice blonde hair that when wet hung in his eyes so cutely, and his eyes! Tommy had never believed in the “cocker spaniel” eyes until he had seen Eli’s eyes during one of those moments. If Eli ever wanted to take things beyond friendship Tommy would have been more than happy to, but only for Eli. Tommy gritted his teeth as he came on the thought of the look in Eli’s eyes the first time they had done a bit more than just kiss. The feel of him… his hardness pressing against his own body… Tommy quickly cleared his mind, the hot water was fading and cold water was not fun to do this under.
Washing the evidence of what he had done down the drain Tommy stepped out of the shower, turned off the water and dried off. He felt much more relaxed now and his thoughts could wander beyond just sex. Honestly, his thoughts didn’t go much further, just to school and how distracted Eli had been earlier in the car. Tommy knew his thoughts were on the night before on the couch in Ryan’s living room. Ryan had been called away on a last minute flight and they had the place to themselves. It wasn’t the first time and it probably wasn’t going to be the last, but they didn’t mind. Ryan would leave them money to get pizza or whatever they wanted and would call in later to check and make sure they were okay. Tommy loved Eli’s dad, it was almost like having a second father.
After Ryan had called they would settle in to watch a movie on the couch. Nothing on that interested them usually led to a porno; hey they were teenage boys after all. Beyond that Eli was a great kisser. Eli hadn’t mentioned anything about what they had done other than asking if anything was going to change. Briefly he wondered if maybe… just maybe Eli had done the same as he just had. A quick glance out his window to Eli’s showed him the room was completely dark so the possibility was slim, besides, Eli was the straighter of them both. Still… there had to be something in these events at Ryan’s… right? He didn’t know if Eli would ever want to take that next step but he was just as comfortable with it if they didn’t as he would be if they ever did. Eli was his best friend and no matter how many times they released sexual tension with each other Eli would always be his best friend.
Tommy slipped under his covers with a sigh. Reaching over he turned off his desk lamp and stared up at the ceiling. A poster of Brad Pitt from Fight Club and Angelina Jolie from Gia hung right in his line of sight. They were both extremely hot, but to anyone who came into his room Brad Pitt hung there for the sole purpose of being totally kick ass in that movie. Tommy smirked a little as his eyes started to drift closed… that was a sweet white lie.
Tommy rarely remembered his dreams in the morning, which sucked because if the stains on his sheets some mornings meant anything they were pretty damn good dreams. Sighing he got up and went to the bathroom to clean up and change into the clothes he decided were the pick of the day, black jeans and a black muscle shirt, before he took the sheets off his bed and put them in the laundry basket. Picking up his backpack Tommy headed downstairs to find some breakfast and say goodbye to his parents before they headed off to work.
Daniel and Robyn sipped at their coffee as they gathered their things for work at the Veterinary office and hospital, respectively. They both gave him a smile as he entered the kitchen, hanging his backpack from his chair. Robyn pressed the knob on the toaster down so Tommy’s normal breakfast of toasted bread would be ready in a few moments. Tommy got the jam out of the pantry and then waited for the two pieces of bread to pop up. Once they did he spread the jam and ate them quickly, Eli would be outside honking the horn on Sydney soon.
“Well I’m off, have a good day you two,” Daniel said as he pulled on a coat and left the kitchen.
“Honey you’re not just wearing that are you? It’s freezing outside,” Robyn said looking over Tommy’s outfit.
“Well it is January mom,” Tommy said with a smile. “It’s supposed to be cold.”
“I’m glad you know that, that also means you should know how to dress. Oh, I’m late, Tommy put on a coat before you leave and some gloves,” Robyn told him as she rushed to get her own coat.
“I will mom, don’t worry.” Robyn came back and gave him a kiss on the cheek, quickly rubbing the lipstick away.
“Have a good day sweetheart.”
“You too.” And with that she was gone and he was alone for a few minutes before he heard Sydney’s horn. Grabbing his backpack and a coat Tommy jogged out the door to meet Eli at the edge of the drive. His mom was right it was freezing and he was glad Eli had the heat cranked inside Sydney.
“Morn’ Toms,” Eli greeted with a smile.
“Morning Eli. Gods today is one of those days I’m glad you drive, I’d hate to have to walk to school in this cold,” Tommy said holding his hands in front of the vents.
“You know most people put the coat on before they leave the house,” Eli replied with a smirk as he put Sydney in gear and took off for school.
“Shut up, I was just about to when you honked.”
“Sure you were.” They shared a playful glare and then rode the rest of the way to school with only the radio filling the comfortable silence between them.
Scottsville High School was like most high schools. Around 1,500 students attended each year, they scored average test scores and the sports teams made it to the state finals every few years. The normal cliques made up the school; preps, jocks, cheerleaders, skaters, art kids, unpopular and outcast. Eli had always been drawn towards the jocks since he liked playing sports so much. Tommy was one of the few bridges between the cliques, he liked playing sports but he had the look of a skater… even though he didn’t skate. Tommy had been the target of bullies early in middle and high school but his connection to the sports teams helped to give him some support. Few bothered him now, Tommy could take care of himself but everyone knew not to anger Eli when it came to his friends, especially Tommy.
Eli stretched his arms over his head as they entered the school. As he lowered his arms he groaned as he glanced around the familiar hallway. “Another day in this hell hole,” he muttered. Tommy rolled his eyes.
“It’s not that bad,” Tommy replied. A light squeal met their ears and seconds later Kyra, a tenth grade demi-goddess, had her arms wrapped around Eli’s neck. Eli automatically wrapped an arm around her waist.
“Good morning Kyra,” he greeted with a smile and then looked over at Tommy. “Perhaps you’re right, it’s not that bad. See ya in gym?”
Tommy nodded and gave his friend a little smile as he left Eli with Kyra. Tommy couldn’t say he was one of the most popular kids in school, he wasn’t one of those that others moved for in the hallways and that was fine with him. His locker was two hallways over from Eli’s and because of all the students milling in the various hallways before their classes it took about ten minutes to get to his locker. Unlike Eli, when opening his locker his books did not try to attack him because they were just thrown in.
Tommy had just put his books for his first two classes, the one’s he had without Eli, in his backpack when a body basically threw themselves against the locker next to his. A quick glance up told him it was one of the skater group, Stacy Ann, one of the few “rockers” that did not restrict her clothing choices to the confines of the social norm. She didn’t wear extremely tight clothes or what was “in style” but what made her comfortable and Tommy admired that about her.
“Morn’n Stace,” Tommy greeted closing his locker.
“Yo Tommy, what’s up this Monday?”
“Test in history and the rest is unknown.”
“I don’t like the unknown. I like having control of what’s going on,” Stacy said as they walked to their first class, Algebra 2. Both Tommy and Stacy Ann had been placed in math classes ahead of most of their fellow classmates since they had proven they could do the work. Neither liked being exposed to math that early in the morning but then they didn’t have much choice in the matter. Halfway through Stacy Ann asked for a pencil since hers had chosen to break. Tommy gave her an extra he carried in his backpack as she took it he stared at her wrist; she had the most beautiful wrists. They said their goodbye’s when the bell rang, Stacy Ann heading for art and Tommy heading for history and the test waiting for him.
The end of second period meant lunch and gym and Eli… sweaty… was next. Tommy took a deep breath as he entered the lunch room, he was thankful that his baggier pants hid more than normal jeans. After getting his food Tommy sat in his normal seat, the conjoining point between the jocks and the skaters, Stacy Ann on one side and Eli on the other. At the end of lunch, which had actually been decent that day, Tommy and Eli headed for the locker room off the gym to change.
Unlike Tommy, Eli changed with his back to the lockers. Doing this let him see the entire locker room, he had started the practice when bullies had thought he and Tommy were pushover’s last year, this way he could see them coming. But he soon found that not only did this let him see any bullies but also the rest of the guys in their gym class.
Eli knew he’d never go gay for anyone but Tommy, but hey, it didn’t hurt to look now did it? Their class didn’t have all that many hotties but there were a few he didn’t mind catching a glimpse of. He never let his eyes linger, that was just asking for trouble. Anytime he was caught looking he just put it off with some dirty joke that got the whole room laughing. Eli let his gaze wander over to Tommy, there he let his gaze linger, and not just because Tommy was hot. Something wasn’t right. Tommy looked pale… was that a wince?
Tommy sat on the bench to lace up his tennis shoes when a light pain, just enough to make him wince, shot through his chest. It didn’t feel like an asthma pain but he wasn’t about to take any chances. Tommy reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out his inhaler and took a deep breath off of it. After a moment the pain seemed to subside. Maybe it had just been the start of an attack…
“Toms?” Tommy looked up only to be met with Eli’s concerned look. “You okay? You look kinda pale.”
“Yeah I’m fine, guess lunch wasn’t as good as I thought,” he replied with a smile. Eli smiled back.
“Alright…” He was interrupted then by another guy coming into the locker room.
“Tommy, Lena’s asking for you,” he said motioning towards the door. Tommy nodded and got to his feet. He dropped his inhaler into his gym bag for safe keeping and left the locker room. The moment he stepped out of the locker room Lena had her arm laced through his.
“You wanted to see me Lena?” He questioned looking at his ex-girlfriend. She gave him a bright smile; it was easy to see why she was a goddess of the tenth grade. Tommy was glad he didn’t blush easy, after picturing Lena a bit last night in the shower… it would have given him away.
“I want to dance before we exercise. Daddy brought me a new CD from Spain and it’s amazing,” she told him as they walked over to the boom box and other cheerleaders. Tommy chuckled, as far as he knew he was the only one Lena would dance with. She had been thrilled to discover he could dance, something he had considered a curse that his mother had made him learn… that was until Lena discovered it and was thrilled. That smile and the following dance were one of his best memories of their relationship.
“Alright, you choose the song and let’s do it,” Tommy answered taking his place on the gym floor a few feet away. He was glad their gym teacher gave them a few minutes to calm down after lunch, if they launched right into class he and Lena would never have an opportunity to dance now. Lena searched through the songs for a moment before pausing it and turning up the volume, she came and stood across from him, she nodded to a friend and seconds later the gym was filled with a fast paced Spanish song and it was only getting faster.
Tommy and Lena bowed to each other; Tommy took her hand and spun her close. They stepped into a heated salsa, easily moving across half the gym floor while the rest of the class looked on. Together they were an amazing pair and only they knew why they had ended their relationship, Lena was the only one that had seen his glances at Eli and figured it out.
Eli watched Tommy and Lena dance across the floor. He could see Tommy’s muscles moving under his shirt and shorts during the turns. Tommy had the perfect dancer or swimmer’s build. His muscles were toned but not bulky. A moment on the couch from two nights ago flashed in his mind and Eli blushed. Oh yes, he knew all to well how Tommy’s muscle’s felt.
As the song ended Tommy dipped Lena back, one of her legs wrapped around his. For a moment it looked like they were going to kiss and Eli’s heart pounded at the thought… Tommy and Lena were over; they had been since the end of last year… Tommy pressed a kiss to Lena’s forehead and as he brought her to stand upright she kissed his cheek and hugged him. Eli’s eyes stayed on Tommy even as Lena jogged over to turn the music off, the rest of the guy’s watched her. Was this… jealousy?
Their coach came out of his office and blew his whistle to get their attention. Someone shut the music off and they all moved to their exercise positions. Each class started out the same; stretches, push ups, sit ups just to get their muscles warmed up. Coach Siler took his place at the front of the class.
“First off, I want to thank Tommy and Lena for that wonderful display of athleticism.” Tommy bowed and Lena curtseyed with a giggle, a few members of the class clapped, mostly the cheerleaders. Eli tried to hide his smile as he watched Tommy bow, choosing this position gave him a clear view. “Secondly, today we’ll be playing basketball. Boy’s on the left side of the court, girls on the right. Now let’s do those warm ups so we can get to it!”
Twenty minutes of warm ups and now it was time to play. Coach Siler bounced a ball to each set of students and let them set up their own teams, making sure everyone followed the rules from the sidelines. Eli and Tommy were on the same team of course, three other guys joined them smiling at their classmates. Eli bounced the ball getting ready to start the game. He looked over at Tommy, their eyes connected and his smile broadened.
“Let’s play.”
Author: avari_maethor
Summary: This is not a story about romance. This is a story of friendship and how far that friendship goes.
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Some m/m situations mentioned however it is not a main piece of the story.
To His Grave
Chapter 2
Tommy put his flashlight down on the corner of his desk before picking up his stereo remote. Pressing the power and play buttons smooth jazz filtered out of the speakers in the corners of his room. Eli was probably the only ones other than family, who knew he liked jazz. Most pegged him as a hardcore rocker due to his choice of clothing, but appearances can be deceiving. Emptying his jeans pockets his gaze lingered on his inhaler, he hadn’t had an attack in weeks, but that didn’t mean anything. The time lapses in between his attacks probably contributed to most people not knowing that he had asthma. In the past four years he had only had two that led to a hospital visit. Tommy was thankful for that; he hated the smell of hospitals.
Stretching his arms over his head Tommy headed for his bathroom. It had been a closet when he was younger but as he entered his teen years he had asked his parents for his own bathroom. In trade for excellent grades and a quarter of what it had cost to make the conversion Tommy had gotten his own bathroom. A lot of kids probably would have complained about having to pay for a quarter of their own bathroom but Tommy didn’t mind. If children wanted something they should pay for it or at least help pay for it, that was the way Tommy saw it.
The porno from the night before had left Tommy worked up, sure he had taken care of things in the bathroom before going to sleep but there were still plenty of images floating around in his mind to make his shower more enjoyable. Tommy’s eyes drifted over the pictures hanging on the wall, most of him and his past girlfriends, others of just memories. The past girlfriends were the one’s he concentrated on now, he couldn’t lie, he still had feelings for a couple of them. Stepping into his bathroom he turned the shower on to let the water heat up while he removed his clothes.
The hot water of his shower felt amazing on his tired muscles. The three hour drive between his and Eli’s houses from Eli’s fathers always cramped his muscles something awful, but the hot water always fixed that. Tommy wet his hair and massaged the shampoo in, the white bits of foam falling down to his shoulders, running down his chest and back due to the water. Tommy watched the bits of foam as they made their way lower.
The hot water also made things more comfortable and allowed his imagination to really flow. Thinking of those girls on the wall, a few well placed touches… and all too soon Tommy was biting his bottom lip, his hand moving between a fast and slow pace. Karen had some of the softest blonde hair… and Lena’s brown eyes… Eli’s amazing six pack… these images were torture, sweet torture. Lena had been the hottest girl in his grade for as long as he could remember, she had all the guys chasing after her… but he had been one of the few to catch her. There had been a lot of firsts with Lena, it was quiet different than being with Eli.
Eli…Eli had very nice blonde hair that when wet hung in his eyes so cutely, and his eyes! Tommy had never believed in the “cocker spaniel” eyes until he had seen Eli’s eyes during one of those moments. If Eli ever wanted to take things beyond friendship Tommy would have been more than happy to, but only for Eli. Tommy gritted his teeth as he came on the thought of the look in Eli’s eyes the first time they had done a bit more than just kiss. The feel of him… his hardness pressing against his own body… Tommy quickly cleared his mind, the hot water was fading and cold water was not fun to do this under.
Washing the evidence of what he had done down the drain Tommy stepped out of the shower, turned off the water and dried off. He felt much more relaxed now and his thoughts could wander beyond just sex. Honestly, his thoughts didn’t go much further, just to school and how distracted Eli had been earlier in the car. Tommy knew his thoughts were on the night before on the couch in Ryan’s living room. Ryan had been called away on a last minute flight and they had the place to themselves. It wasn’t the first time and it probably wasn’t going to be the last, but they didn’t mind. Ryan would leave them money to get pizza or whatever they wanted and would call in later to check and make sure they were okay. Tommy loved Eli’s dad, it was almost like having a second father.
After Ryan had called they would settle in to watch a movie on the couch. Nothing on that interested them usually led to a porno; hey they were teenage boys after all. Beyond that Eli was a great kisser. Eli hadn’t mentioned anything about what they had done other than asking if anything was going to change. Briefly he wondered if maybe… just maybe Eli had done the same as he just had. A quick glance out his window to Eli’s showed him the room was completely dark so the possibility was slim, besides, Eli was the straighter of them both. Still… there had to be something in these events at Ryan’s… right? He didn’t know if Eli would ever want to take that next step but he was just as comfortable with it if they didn’t as he would be if they ever did. Eli was his best friend and no matter how many times they released sexual tension with each other Eli would always be his best friend.
Tommy slipped under his covers with a sigh. Reaching over he turned off his desk lamp and stared up at the ceiling. A poster of Brad Pitt from Fight Club and Angelina Jolie from Gia hung right in his line of sight. They were both extremely hot, but to anyone who came into his room Brad Pitt hung there for the sole purpose of being totally kick ass in that movie. Tommy smirked a little as his eyes started to drift closed… that was a sweet white lie.
Tommy rarely remembered his dreams in the morning, which sucked because if the stains on his sheets some mornings meant anything they were pretty damn good dreams. Sighing he got up and went to the bathroom to clean up and change into the clothes he decided were the pick of the day, black jeans and a black muscle shirt, before he took the sheets off his bed and put them in the laundry basket. Picking up his backpack Tommy headed downstairs to find some breakfast and say goodbye to his parents before they headed off to work.
Daniel and Robyn sipped at their coffee as they gathered their things for work at the Veterinary office and hospital, respectively. They both gave him a smile as he entered the kitchen, hanging his backpack from his chair. Robyn pressed the knob on the toaster down so Tommy’s normal breakfast of toasted bread would be ready in a few moments. Tommy got the jam out of the pantry and then waited for the two pieces of bread to pop up. Once they did he spread the jam and ate them quickly, Eli would be outside honking the horn on Sydney soon.
“Well I’m off, have a good day you two,” Daniel said as he pulled on a coat and left the kitchen.
“Honey you’re not just wearing that are you? It’s freezing outside,” Robyn said looking over Tommy’s outfit.
“Well it is January mom,” Tommy said with a smile. “It’s supposed to be cold.”
“I’m glad you know that, that also means you should know how to dress. Oh, I’m late, Tommy put on a coat before you leave and some gloves,” Robyn told him as she rushed to get her own coat.
“I will mom, don’t worry.” Robyn came back and gave him a kiss on the cheek, quickly rubbing the lipstick away.
“Have a good day sweetheart.”
“You too.” And with that she was gone and he was alone for a few minutes before he heard Sydney’s horn. Grabbing his backpack and a coat Tommy jogged out the door to meet Eli at the edge of the drive. His mom was right it was freezing and he was glad Eli had the heat cranked inside Sydney.
“Morn’ Toms,” Eli greeted with a smile.
“Morning Eli. Gods today is one of those days I’m glad you drive, I’d hate to have to walk to school in this cold,” Tommy said holding his hands in front of the vents.
“You know most people put the coat on before they leave the house,” Eli replied with a smirk as he put Sydney in gear and took off for school.
“Shut up, I was just about to when you honked.”
“Sure you were.” They shared a playful glare and then rode the rest of the way to school with only the radio filling the comfortable silence between them.
Scottsville High School was like most high schools. Around 1,500 students attended each year, they scored average test scores and the sports teams made it to the state finals every few years. The normal cliques made up the school; preps, jocks, cheerleaders, skaters, art kids, unpopular and outcast. Eli had always been drawn towards the jocks since he liked playing sports so much. Tommy was one of the few bridges between the cliques, he liked playing sports but he had the look of a skater… even though he didn’t skate. Tommy had been the target of bullies early in middle and high school but his connection to the sports teams helped to give him some support. Few bothered him now, Tommy could take care of himself but everyone knew not to anger Eli when it came to his friends, especially Tommy.
Eli stretched his arms over his head as they entered the school. As he lowered his arms he groaned as he glanced around the familiar hallway. “Another day in this hell hole,” he muttered. Tommy rolled his eyes.
“It’s not that bad,” Tommy replied. A light squeal met their ears and seconds later Kyra, a tenth grade demi-goddess, had her arms wrapped around Eli’s neck. Eli automatically wrapped an arm around her waist.
“Good morning Kyra,” he greeted with a smile and then looked over at Tommy. “Perhaps you’re right, it’s not that bad. See ya in gym?”
Tommy nodded and gave his friend a little smile as he left Eli with Kyra. Tommy couldn’t say he was one of the most popular kids in school, he wasn’t one of those that others moved for in the hallways and that was fine with him. His locker was two hallways over from Eli’s and because of all the students milling in the various hallways before their classes it took about ten minutes to get to his locker. Unlike Eli, when opening his locker his books did not try to attack him because they were just thrown in.
Tommy had just put his books for his first two classes, the one’s he had without Eli, in his backpack when a body basically threw themselves against the locker next to his. A quick glance up told him it was one of the skater group, Stacy Ann, one of the few “rockers” that did not restrict her clothing choices to the confines of the social norm. She didn’t wear extremely tight clothes or what was “in style” but what made her comfortable and Tommy admired that about her.
“Morn’n Stace,” Tommy greeted closing his locker.
“Yo Tommy, what’s up this Monday?”
“Test in history and the rest is unknown.”
“I don’t like the unknown. I like having control of what’s going on,” Stacy said as they walked to their first class, Algebra 2. Both Tommy and Stacy Ann had been placed in math classes ahead of most of their fellow classmates since they had proven they could do the work. Neither liked being exposed to math that early in the morning but then they didn’t have much choice in the matter. Halfway through Stacy Ann asked for a pencil since hers had chosen to break. Tommy gave her an extra he carried in his backpack as she took it he stared at her wrist; she had the most beautiful wrists. They said their goodbye’s when the bell rang, Stacy Ann heading for art and Tommy heading for history and the test waiting for him.
The end of second period meant lunch and gym and Eli… sweaty… was next. Tommy took a deep breath as he entered the lunch room, he was thankful that his baggier pants hid more than normal jeans. After getting his food Tommy sat in his normal seat, the conjoining point between the jocks and the skaters, Stacy Ann on one side and Eli on the other. At the end of lunch, which had actually been decent that day, Tommy and Eli headed for the locker room off the gym to change.
Unlike Tommy, Eli changed with his back to the lockers. Doing this let him see the entire locker room, he had started the practice when bullies had thought he and Tommy were pushover’s last year, this way he could see them coming. But he soon found that not only did this let him see any bullies but also the rest of the guys in their gym class.
Eli knew he’d never go gay for anyone but Tommy, but hey, it didn’t hurt to look now did it? Their class didn’t have all that many hotties but there were a few he didn’t mind catching a glimpse of. He never let his eyes linger, that was just asking for trouble. Anytime he was caught looking he just put it off with some dirty joke that got the whole room laughing. Eli let his gaze wander over to Tommy, there he let his gaze linger, and not just because Tommy was hot. Something wasn’t right. Tommy looked pale… was that a wince?
Tommy sat on the bench to lace up his tennis shoes when a light pain, just enough to make him wince, shot through his chest. It didn’t feel like an asthma pain but he wasn’t about to take any chances. Tommy reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out his inhaler and took a deep breath off of it. After a moment the pain seemed to subside. Maybe it had just been the start of an attack…
“Toms?” Tommy looked up only to be met with Eli’s concerned look. “You okay? You look kinda pale.”
“Yeah I’m fine, guess lunch wasn’t as good as I thought,” he replied with a smile. Eli smiled back.
“Alright…” He was interrupted then by another guy coming into the locker room.
“Tommy, Lena’s asking for you,” he said motioning towards the door. Tommy nodded and got to his feet. He dropped his inhaler into his gym bag for safe keeping and left the locker room. The moment he stepped out of the locker room Lena had her arm laced through his.
“You wanted to see me Lena?” He questioned looking at his ex-girlfriend. She gave him a bright smile; it was easy to see why she was a goddess of the tenth grade. Tommy was glad he didn’t blush easy, after picturing Lena a bit last night in the shower… it would have given him away.
“I want to dance before we exercise. Daddy brought me a new CD from Spain and it’s amazing,” she told him as they walked over to the boom box and other cheerleaders. Tommy chuckled, as far as he knew he was the only one Lena would dance with. She had been thrilled to discover he could dance, something he had considered a curse that his mother had made him learn… that was until Lena discovered it and was thrilled. That smile and the following dance were one of his best memories of their relationship.
“Alright, you choose the song and let’s do it,” Tommy answered taking his place on the gym floor a few feet away. He was glad their gym teacher gave them a few minutes to calm down after lunch, if they launched right into class he and Lena would never have an opportunity to dance now. Lena searched through the songs for a moment before pausing it and turning up the volume, she came and stood across from him, she nodded to a friend and seconds later the gym was filled with a fast paced Spanish song and it was only getting faster.
Tommy and Lena bowed to each other; Tommy took her hand and spun her close. They stepped into a heated salsa, easily moving across half the gym floor while the rest of the class looked on. Together they were an amazing pair and only they knew why they had ended their relationship, Lena was the only one that had seen his glances at Eli and figured it out.
Eli watched Tommy and Lena dance across the floor. He could see Tommy’s muscles moving under his shirt and shorts during the turns. Tommy had the perfect dancer or swimmer’s build. His muscles were toned but not bulky. A moment on the couch from two nights ago flashed in his mind and Eli blushed. Oh yes, he knew all to well how Tommy’s muscle’s felt.
As the song ended Tommy dipped Lena back, one of her legs wrapped around his. For a moment it looked like they were going to kiss and Eli’s heart pounded at the thought… Tommy and Lena were over; they had been since the end of last year… Tommy pressed a kiss to Lena’s forehead and as he brought her to stand upright she kissed his cheek and hugged him. Eli’s eyes stayed on Tommy even as Lena jogged over to turn the music off, the rest of the guy’s watched her. Was this… jealousy?
Their coach came out of his office and blew his whistle to get their attention. Someone shut the music off and they all moved to their exercise positions. Each class started out the same; stretches, push ups, sit ups just to get their muscles warmed up. Coach Siler took his place at the front of the class.
“First off, I want to thank Tommy and Lena for that wonderful display of athleticism.” Tommy bowed and Lena curtseyed with a giggle, a few members of the class clapped, mostly the cheerleaders. Eli tried to hide his smile as he watched Tommy bow, choosing this position gave him a clear view. “Secondly, today we’ll be playing basketball. Boy’s on the left side of the court, girls on the right. Now let’s do those warm ups so we can get to it!”
Twenty minutes of warm ups and now it was time to play. Coach Siler bounced a ball to each set of students and let them set up their own teams, making sure everyone followed the rules from the sidelines. Eli and Tommy were on the same team of course, three other guys joined them smiling at their classmates. Eli bounced the ball getting ready to start the game. He looked over at Tommy, their eyes connected and his smile broadened.
“Let’s play.”