Teddy
I got back to our house after my graduation ceremony and was greeted by more hugs and handshakes. I mingled with all our guests, of course they were asking about my plans for the future. After I had talked to everyone, I went to get a piece of cake, grandpa stepped up beside me.
He pointed to the three pictures behind the cake and said, “three pretty good-looking guys, aren’t they?”
I smiled, “they sure are grandpa, thanks for the good genes.”
He laughed the same laugh that I and dad inherited from him, “I only gave them to my favorite grandson.”
I know grandpa loves all his grandkids, but I like to think that we had a special relationship. He and Jeff always got along well, but most of the conversations I heard them have were about the parts store. He and Becky only talked about school and her current boyfriend. Whenever grandpa and I talked, it was about a lot of different things, he never questioned me about not wanting to work at the store with dad. He encouraged me to follow my heart and do what I wanted to do.
I put my arm around his shoulder and said, “thanks, I hope I can live up to your high standards.”
He patted my shoulder with his nub, “I know you will Teddy.”
I said, “you aren’t disappointed that I don’t want to follow your footsteps in the parts store?”
He shook his head, “of course not, why would I be?”
I shrugged, “I think dad is less than happy about it.”
Grandpa said, “don’t let that bother you. Your dad is proud of you, Jeff is more than capable of taking over the store. You are doing what’s right for you, you deserve to be happy.”
I gave him a hug, “thanks grandpa, that means a lot to me.”
He smiled as he shoved a hundred-dollar bill in my shirt pocket and said, “you study hard and keep following your heart Teddy, you will be very successful in whatever you do.”
I wiped a tear away as grandpa walked away and joined the rest of the guests. I wonder if he will still feel like this if he finds out that I am gay.
After my guest began to leave, I changed my clothes to get ready for the party at Bob’s house. Dad had talked to me as soon as I got my driver’s license about drinking and driving. He called Bob’s dad and when he was satisfied that I was staying the night, he was fine with me attending the party. Dad told me he knew that most teens tried alcohol and that if I did, I could call him anytime if I wasn’t able to drive home safely. He said he would rather get that call at 1 in the morning, than a call from police to come identify my body if I was in a wreck.
As I was getting ready to leave dad said, “you give Bob’s dad your keys as soon as you get there.”
I nodded, “yes, I know dad. Bob already told us his dad won’t let anyone drink unless they give him their keys, I’ll be spending the night.”
Mom shook her head, “I wish I felt better about this.”
Dad said, “he will be fine dear, we did the same thing when we were his age.”
Mom gave me a hug, “just be careful Teddy, I’ll be there in the morning to help make breakfast.”
I handed Bob’s dad my keys as I walked into the garage, he added them to the bowl of keys he had already collected. I found CJ and Wendy and opened a beer. About 1am we were all ready to call it a night. We headed to the basement, and I found a sleeping bag and curled up for the night in a recliner. The rest found a blanket and there were bodies lying all over the floor and in all the chairs around the room. The next morning all our moms made a good breakfast, and we helped Bob clean up the garage.
I started to work at the store with my dad the next week. He was pretty good about letting me take off whenever CJ or any of my other friends wanted to do something. He said I should enjoy my last summer, I had the rest of my life to work.
About two weeks after graduation, CJ and I were hanging out in his room. He had been busy with his workout routine, and he asked how things were going at the parts store.
I shrugged, “going ok, I know I will be ready to go to college by the end of the summer.”
He laughed, “is your dad giving you a hard time about not wanting to work with him.”
I shook my head, “not really, I know that’s what he wants, but he said I should do what I want.”
CJ said, “your dad will be ok with whatever you do. He wants you to be happy.”
I sighed, “I know, I just feel like I am letting him down.”
We sat in silence for a minute, then CJ said, “so, I had a good a weekend.”
I smiled, “oh yeah, what did you do?”
He grinned, “Wendy and I finally had sex.”
I said, “wow, really? How was it?”
CJ grinned, “it was good. It was kind awkward at first, being the first time for both of us.” He chuckled, “don’t tell anybody this, but I had a little trouble putting the condom on. Wendy said as soon as we get to college, she could go to the college clinic and get a prescription for the pill, so we wouldn’t have to worry about that anymore.” He continued, “I tried to get her to give me a blow job, but she wouldn’t, not even after I licked her pussy.”
I thought, oh God, I would have sucked your cock at the drop of a hat. I felt my cock swell as CJ continued to give me more details. I had a clear vision of his ass as he railed Wendy, I would have given anything to be in the room with them and I wanted to lick his ass as he pumped in and out. Jesus, he had me worked up.
He said, “hey Teddy, you still with me?”
I broke out of my daydream and said, “yeah, I was just thinking about how hot that must have been.”
He smiled, “yeah, Wendy is pretty hot.”
I nodded, “yeah, she is.”
CJ said, “don’t worry buddy, we’ll find you a girl when we get to college.”
I shrugged, “yeah, I guess so.” For a minute, I thought about telling CJ why I didn’t want a girl, this was the perfect opportunity for me to tell him everything. I just wasn’t sure how he would react, and we were going to share a dorm room when we got to college. I didn’t want to make it awkward between us, and I certainly didn't want to ruin our friendship. Thankfully he changed the subject, and I was able to will my swollen cock back to sleep. I went home and immediately went to my room to jack off, the vision of CJ naked was all the inspiration I needed.
The weekend before CJ was going to leave for baseball practice, he suggested a get together at Wilson’s pond. He called our friends, and we found someone to buy us some beer. We were sitting around the pond talking when the girls decided to leave for a while. They hadn’t been drinking and were going to come to pick us up later. My heart skipped a beat when Donnie suggested that we go skinny dipping. While I welcomed the chance to see all my friends naked, I was nervous that I would pop a woody. I was sure they would start to ask a lot of questions if they saw me with a hardon. I watched Donnie drop his pants and take off running to the pond. God, he had a beautiful ass, each cheek bounce with every step he took. His cock and balls came into view as he dove into the water. Bob was naked next, he wasn’t shy about letting his nice sized cock flop in front of us as he finished undressing and then running to the pond to join Donnie. Mike’s cock was equally as impressive as he strolled slowly toward the pond. Ray, Bill and Pat were soon running to join the others, their asses weren’t unpleasant to look at either. I was slowly undressing as I watched CJ shed his clothes, God, he was even hotter than the last time I saw him in the locker room. Of course, that was two years ago, and all my friends had developed from those awkward teens into good-looking men.
CJ looked over his shoulder at me as he ran to the pond, “come on slow poke.”
I quickly ran after him, with a half-swollen cock leading the way. I swam out until I was sure the water was above my waist. Everyone started splashing each other and trying to push one another under the water. I was careful to not to get too close to anyone as the horseplay continued. After a while, I worked my way back to shore and pulled on my pants, thankful that I made it out without my erection being noticed. The others started to get out of the water too, giving me another round of eye candy to enjoy. We sat on the grass as we waited for the girls to come back to pick us up. The swelling in my pants finally subsided as Laura and Tammy arrived, they told us Wendy would be back soon, she had to run an errand for her mom. We all said our goodbyes and CJ and I laid back and watched the clouds float by.
CJ asked, “are ok with us all skinny dipping today?”
I said, “sure, we’re all guys, it’s no big deal.”
He said, “well you seemed kind of quiet, I hope you weren’t uncomfortable.”
I took a deep breath, “I was just a little nervous.”
CJ chuckled, “nervous? About what?”
I thought, it’s now or never, I said, “CJ, I think I’m gay.”
After an excruciating pause that seemed like an hour, I’m sure it was actually only a few seconds, CJ asked, “why, because you went skinny dipping with a bunch of guys?”
I sighed, “no, I figured it out a long time ago, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
CJ sat up and asked, “have you told anyone else?”
I shook my head, “oh God no. Please promise you won’t tell anyone either. At least until I tell my parents.”
He said, “of course. When are you going to tell them?”
I shrugged, “I guess before I leave for college. So, do you want to find a new roommate?”
He said, “no, why would I?”
I said, “I thought you might want a straight roommate.”
CJ said, “Teddy, you are my best friend, I love you like my brother. You being gay doesn’t change that. It may take me a bit to get used to this, but you know, I always have your back.”
I smiled, “thanks CJ, that means a lot to me. I’m sorry I sprung this on you like this.”
He returned my smile, “well, there really was no way to ease into this, but it sure does explain a lot.”
I asked, “like what?”
He said, "why you never wanted Wendy to fix you up on a date and why you never asked any girls out. Even when I told you they thought you were cute.” He paused for a moment, then asked, “have you ever been with… anyone?”
I laughed, “no, my virginity card has not been played. Hell, I don’t even know another gay guy.”
He chuckled, “I didn’t think I did either, but…”
I shook my head, “yeah, I guess you’re right, most gay guys don’t do a lot of advertising.”
CJ said, “I tell you what, once we get settled in college, I’ll help you find a guy. I’m sure there will be lots of guys to pick from there.”
I smiled as I gave him a hug, and said, “thanks for being supportive, I really appreciate it.”
He said, “you’re my best friend, and always will be. This is what friends do.”
Wendy arrived to pick us up, CJ gave me a reassuring smile as they dropped me off at my house. I was really lucky to have a friend like him. Our conversation could have ended completely differently, I was so relieved that CJ had my back.
I fell back onto my bed and sighed, it felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders after my talk with CJ. I still had a huge knot in my stomach, I knew I needed to tell my parents that I was gay. I thought the best time would be before I left for college. If things didn’t go well, I wouldn’t be home until Thanksgiving, maybe they would come around by then. CJ was leaving the next day to start baseball practice, I still had two weeks before I needed to leave. I spent those days working at dad’s store and fretting about the talk I was going to have with him and mom.
The night before I was going to leave, mom came into my room and asked if I had everything packed.
I nodded, “yeah, I think so.”
She smiled and said, “you look so nervous, don’t worry, you will do fine.”
I sighed, “I know, that’s really not what I’m worried about.”
She had a concerned look on her face, she asked, “what is it then sweetheart?”
I took a deep breath, and said, “can we go talk with dad?”
She nodded, “of course.”
We joined dad in the living room, he was watching TV. He looked up as we walked in and asked, “what’s going on?”
Mom said, “Teddy wants to talk to us.”
Dad shut the TV off and said, “ok.”
I took a big breath as I sat on the couch facing mom and dad, I just blurted it all out in one sentence. The silence was deafening. I felt a tear start to form as mom and dad both just stared at me, I don’t think any of us were breathing.
Mom stood and sat next to me on the couch, putting her arm around my shoulder. She said, “we love you Teddy, you are our son, and we will always love you.”
Dad cleared his throat, “of course we still love you, Teddy. I’m sorry, but it may take me a bit to understand this, but I appreciate you being honest with us.”
We talked for another hour and dad told me to be careful when I started dating. I went back to my room to finish packing, so thankful that our talk went well. I’m sure my parents weren’t doing cartwheels over my news, but at least they didn’t kick me out of the family. I crawled into bed and had the best night’s sleep that I have had in weeks.
I went down for breakfast the next morning, dad was finishing his coffee and getting ready to leave for the store. He gave me a hug and said, “study hard son, and call if you need anything.”
I forced the lump in my throat down and said, “thanks dad.”
I ate my breakfast and loaded the last of my things in my car. Mom gave me a hug and I was soon on my way out of town. I decided to stop and say goodbye to grandma and grandpa. I gave them both a hug as I walked into their house.
We talked for a few minutes about my classes, and I took another deep breath and told them the same thing I told my parents the night before.
Grandpa gave me a hug, and said, “Teddy, follow your heart and be who you are.”
My tears started to flow as I hugged him even tighter, “thanks grandpa, I love you.”
Grandma gave me another hug and said, “we love you too, Theodore.”
I chuckled, grandma was the only one that ever called me by my full name, she also called my brother and sister, Jeffery and Rebecca. We talked for a few more minutes and I was soon on the road for my two-hour drive. I was now ready to start college with a clean slate, I wasn’t hiding anything, and my family was supportive. My only worry now was that things might be awkward between me and CJ. We hadn’t talked since I came out to him. That worry quickly went away as I walked into our room and he wrapped me in a big hug and said, “hey roomie, it is so good to see you.”
CJ
I was glad to see Teddy, we hadn’t seen each other for two weeks, I think that was longest time we had spent apart since 1st grade.
I said, “I hope you don’t mind I took this bed.”
Teddy smiled, “of course not.”
We started to catch up as I helped Teddy carry his things to our room. As he was unpacking, he told me that he came out to his family.
I asked, “how did that go?”
He shrugged, “ok, I guess, they didn’t throw me out. I think dad is still trying to process everything.”
I nodded, “yeah, I’m sure it was a lot to take in. Your dad is a good guy, he’ll come around.”
Teddy smiled, “yeah, he gave me hug and told me to work hard when I left this morning.”
He changed the subject and asked how practice was going.”
I grinned, “it’s going well, the head coach is cool, and I really like my pitching coach, he has already taught me a lot. Our first game is a week from Saturday.”
He smiled, “cool, I’ll be there to cheer you on.”
I smiled, “thanks buddy, I’m not sure if I’ll get to pitch, Coach has already announced that Ben Walker will be starting. He is a senior and he is very good, he’s helped me a bunch too, especially with my fastball and slider.”
Teddy said, “I don’t care if you pitch or not, I’ll be there to support the team.”
Wendy knocked on our door and gave me a big kiss, I hadn’t seen her since I left home either. I was glad to have my girlfriend and best friend by my side again. Teddy and I helped her carry her things to her room and we met her roommate.
Wendy said, “guys, this is Meg, my roommate. Meg this is my boyfriend CJ and our friend Teddy.”
Meg smiled, “nice to meet you guys.”
We told her the same and helped the girls set up their room. I heard Meg and Wendy talking.
Meg asked, “so, Teddy is kind of cute, is he single?”
Wendy nudged me, not sure what to say, she said, “yeah, he isn’t seeing anyone that I know of.”
Meg noticed Wendy was a little nervous and asked, “I’m sorry, did I say something wrong?”
I said, “no, not at all.” Teddy walked in and I decided to let Teddy tell Meg whatever he wanted. I said, “Teddy, Meg just asked if you were single.”
Teddy’s face turned red, and he stammered, “oh… I am… it’s just…”
Meg rolled her eyes, “it’s ok Teddy, if you don’t like me, I get it.”
Teddy sighed, “no, it’s not that. You are a very nice girl, but…I’m gay.”
Meg said, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
Teddy shook his head, “no, it’s not your fault. I just came out a couple of weeks ago, so it’s taking me a bit to get used to how I tell people. You are a great person, and you are very attractive. I would love to be friends, if you want.”
Meg blushed, “it’s just my luck, the first good-looking guy I meet at college is gay. You shouldn’t have to introduce yourself as gay. I would love to be friends too.”
Teddy smiled, “thanks, maybe we can go out looking for guys sometime.” He let out that famous laugh.
Meg laughed, “sure, we can let them pick which one of us they want. Hey maybe we can find a bi guy, and we can share.”
Teddy laughed, “oh, that sounds fun.”
Wendy and I shook our heads and laughed, glad that our friends were getting along.
We finished helping the girls, Meg and Teddy were joking and teasing each other by the end of the day. We all went out for dinner and had a nice evening. The next day was freshman orientation in the morning, and I had practice in the afternoon. While I was at practice, Teddy, Wendy and Meg went to buy their books, I already had purchased mine last week. We hung out together for the rest of the weekend and were ready for classes to start on Monday.
We were all soon busy with classes, but the four of us were spending all of our free time together. Meg and Teddy would discuss all the hot guys that we would see whenever we were out eating.
About three weeks into the semester, I was taking a shower in the locker room after practice. As I walked back into the dressing area, I heard Dirk Carter yelling at one of our teammates. He said, “quit looking at my ass, you faggot.”
Dominic Vega, yelled back, “I’m not looking at your ugly ass.”
Dirk said, “really? From what I hear, you like to suck dick and take it up the ass.”
Ben Walker stepped up and said, “shut the fuck up Dirk.”
Dirk retorted, “why, I know his roommate caught him on all fours, getting fucked by another fag.”
Ben said, “that is none of your business asshole, and I’m sure he could find someone a lot better looking than you.”
Dirk rolled his eyes, “yeah, good luck.”
Ben said, “just because he might be gay, doesn’t mean he finds you attractive. Do you think every girl you see is hot?”
Dirk stuttered, “no, not the ugly ones, but he’s a fag, he likes dick.”
Ben shook his head, “as far as I am concerned, you fall into the ugly category.”
Dirk said, “whatever, I don’t want him staring at me.”
Coach walked in and yelled, “you idiots get dressed and get the hell out of here. There will be no fighting on this team.”
We all got dressed and left. I was glad that Ben stood up for Dom. Dom came here on a scholarship from Puerta Rico to play baseball. I found out later that he was caught with a guy by his roommate, I guess his roommate told everyone and the news had gotten back to Dirk. Dirk was a senior and just lost his starting spot as our first baseman. All through fall practice he had been dogging it, assuming he would keep his spot on the roster. The coach surprised him by giving the spot to a younger guy that was working hard. I’m sure that played a part in why he was such an asshole.
I had General Math class with Dom, it was a gen ed class that all freshmen had to take, most of us didn’t want to be there. The week after the blow up in the locker room, I followed Dom out of math class.
I said, “hey Dom, how did you do that quiz?”
He shrugged, “I passed, but just barely, how did you do?”
I said, “I did ok, I’ll be glad to get this class over with.”
He chuckled, “yeah, me too. Math has never been a good subject for me.”
I nodded, “I know what you mean.” I remembered my promise to Teddy and said, “hey, my roommate is a math major and is pretty smart. Why don’t you come to my room tonight and we can study together? I’m sure he would be happy to tutor us.”
Dom smiled, “really, you think he would?”
I said, “sure, he is going to be a math teacher, this would be good practice for him.”
He said, “thanks, I could use the help.”
I told him where my room was, and we agreed on a time. Teddy was already studying when I got back to our room.
I said, “hey bud, I invited a teammate here to study tonight, is that ok?”
He smiled, “sure, no problem. I can go to the library to study.”
I grinned, “well, I was hoping that you might help us. We are doing our math homework.”
Teddy chuckled, “sure, I can help with that.”
I said, “thanks, you’re the best.”
I did my other homework and right on time, there was a knock on our door.
I let Dom in and said, “Dom, this is Teddy Baker, my best friend. Teddy, this Dominic Vega, the short stop on my baseball team.”
They both smiled as they looked each other up and down.
To be continued…
