We stood on stage and Sheri told us that I would go first, then Peter and Wyatt third.
We got the levels ready on the mic, and since Peter and I were the same height, no adjustment would be needed between speakers.
Sheri used a handheld mic to get everyone's attention and I stepped up to the podium.
"Good morning fellow students, today we are privileged to see our student government in action. As a result of a minor altercation we will have a new operating policy where bullying is concerned. Sheri and the other council members will give you the details, but let me say that I am proud to have had a small part in making this happen. It may seem like a small action in a small school that nobody ever heard of, but it could have repercussions all over the state. If we follow the guidelines then everyone will be free to be who they are without fear of harassment. We're all kids here, most of us are at some point in puberty and that is playing havoc with our minds as well as our bodies. That's no reason for us not to treat each other with respect.
"For way too long the culture of bullying has thrived in schools across the nation. If you are different in any way, you have to keep it hidden. Whether it was your choice in music or the clothes you wear, or who you might be attracted to. We are all individuals here and we have the right to exercise that in public. There may be boys here who would rather be girls or girls who would rather be boys. Some might be attracted to someone of a different race or religion or the same sex. It's only different, not wrong. If you want the freedom to be who you are, you must support everyone else's right to be themselves, too.
"Remember, bullies thrive when nobody challenges them. If we all challenge them, we can make them ashamed to be a bully.
"Thanks for listening."
I don't know if they heard the thanks because everyone was on their feet cheering and clapping.
"Are they happy or mad?" I asked Sheri.
"They're very happy, that was a great speech."
Sheri got them settled down and Peter stepped up to the podium.
"Whoa, that was a great speech, but I have to correct a couple things, it was not a minor altercation. Two of our classmates were harassing a sixth grader at the second break when we share the playground with them. Unfortunately, the two bullies didn't know the sixth graders had a codeword. The victim yelled out the codeword and several other sixth graders ran over and discouraged the bullies from any more harassment. I can't identify them by name but you probably know them. I want to thank them for being the impetus to start a petition against their disgusting behavior.
"It's not our social status, race, religion or orientation that make us better or worse people. Our actions are the only thing that gives us that. We can all be better people; we can all be who we are and all we need to do is use our hearts and heads together.
"Our student council, with Mr. Pelham's help, have managed to give us all a chance to do that and it's up to us to support them. I have younger brothers, I want them to be free to be who they are, whatever that turns out to be.
"Thanks."
Peter got the same response as I did and he looked stunned.
I put my arm around Peter's shoulders. "That was great man, they ate it up."
Wyatt stepped up and looked out over the crowd.
"At the last school I went to, there was a boy who was different; he was picked on daily, some were just joining in to belong but the ring leaders were relentless. One day that boy came home from school, wrote a note and cut open his wrists. He didn't do it right and his parents found him on the bathroom floor. He didn't want to kill himself, he just wanted the hate and torment to stop for good. His parents hadn't noticed or just ignored the signs that he was different, so he didn't think he could go to them for help. He was wrong and his parents had a second chance and they took it. They got him a good counsellor to speak with and listened to him themselves. They have a good relationship now and their son is happy in his new school. I'm that son, I made a terrible mistake and almost lost my life. The bullies almost won. But now I'm here and we are on the threshold of a new age. One where bullies have no say and there is a way to keep them from bothering anyone.
"How many other kids made the same decision I made but didn't get a second chance?
"We have to stop this now, I'm Wyatt Severson and I'm gay.
"I thank you for listening."
If it was possible, I'd say the applause and cheering were even louder. I wasn't applauding though, Jim, Neesha and Sheri joined Peter and me as we wrapped Wyatt in hugs. When we released him, I bent down and picked up Wyatt's speech. It was completely different from what he had said at the podium. I folded it and stuck it in his pocket and hugged him again.
It took awhile for Sheri to get everybody settled. She was the only other speaker and simply outlined the program and let everyone know that it was meant to be inclusive, not intrusive.
"It doesn't mean you can't joke with your friends. The focus is on physical and psychological intimidation. You will all receive training and a book of guidelines. The resolution is amendable for things the council or the school board didn't consider. I'm sure the situation will evolve with time but we have a basic framework that can be adjusted as needed.
"Notices will be posted and you will receive more information in your homeroom.
"Thanks."
More applause but not as vigorous, but it didn't bother Sheri. She came back to the bunch of us on stage and hugged each of us.
Mr. Pelham walked over and shook hands with all of us.
"Those were excellent speeches, very inspirational. I am impressed. Thank you Peter, for not identifying Billy and Adam, it would have been overkill anyway. They're going to have difficulty adhering to the new policy as it is."
"I really didn't need to; everybody knows they got pounded by sixth graders."
"Yes they did, didn't they?" Mr. Pelham chuckled.
We all went on with our day. Lunch was a little longer because the assembly was shorter than the class time allowed.
Everywhere I went on campus people waved, said "hi" or "great speech." I felt like a celebrity and Peter got the same treatment.
I walked home with Peter and we stopped at the park to relax a bit. Neither of us mentioned our speeches but we did discuss Wyatt's.
"Wyatt has huge balls, Jules. I could never get up in front of everybody and say all that. Where did he go after the assembly, I lost track of him?" Peter wondered.
"He had a doctor's appointment; I think maybe to see Ray, after that speech. I think he's still a bit fragile. I mean the way he interpreted our question the other day. He obviously still has a few issues to work through yet," I speculated.
"I suppose you're right; well, as long as we're here we've got his back, right?" Peter declared.
"Absolutely, you know he'd stand up for us."
"So, are you sure you're ready to meet my brothers? My sister won't be there, she has activities after school."
"I'm ready as I'm ever going to be, Peter. I think Mitchell is out of my system. I hope he's at peace now."
"Peter leaned in and kissed me just as Dr. Ian Webb and Rob came into view."
"Well, fancy meeting you here, I was just discussing you with Dr. Colgrave here, of course I call him Rob," Ian smiled.
"Nice to see you sir, we have an appointment to visit your school," I told him.
"Yes I know, I spent a bit of time speaking with your principal and he told me about your speeches this afternoon. He told me that they were quite impressive and I asked for the recording to add to your files."
"Recording?" Peter croaked.
"Yes, the principal sent me the file and I listened to them, including one from a boy named Wyatt. They were all very good and his was especially moving. You both did quite well speaking to a large group and it's very clear you are both passionate about the cause for which you were speaking. At Chase, we don't have a bully problem. Disagreements yes, but bullying is different as you well know."
"Yes Sir, we're aware of that Sir, but we still wanted to finish what we started or helped to start at our school. We have selfish reasons. We want to be able to kiss on campus without catching any crap from anyone," I informed him.
"Well, that is something you should be able to do anywhere, not just at school but we all know that the world doesn't work that way unless we work to change it. Chase is an oasis of tolerance. We've never had an incident of anti-gay behavior, we've only had one racial incident but it was two boys from Africa from different tribes. They patched things up and became friends. They graduated and moved on to university. We have had cases of ignorance and insensitivity. Those are usually easily resolved," explained Dr. Webb.
"In any case, I look forward to seeing you Monday and perhaps as students next quarter."
"It sounds great Sir, we are looking forward to the tour," Peter finally put in.
We stood on Peter's doorstep, Peter turned the knob and opened the door.
"John, Daniel, I have someone I want you to meet," Peter called.
Oddly what I heard was, "John, Daniel, fresh meat!"
Two very cute little boys with blond hair and crystal blue eyes walked in and smiled. Each gave me the little boy wave like Mitchell had done moments before his death.
I knelt and held out my arms and they ran to embrace me. "Do you love my brother?" John asked.
"Yes, I do. Very much," I told them.
They each kissed my cheek and I turned them loose.
They ran to Peter and hugged him and he received kisses, too.
"So which is which," I asked.
"I'm John, I have a scar," he said lifting his blonde hair to reveal a jagged scar above his left eye."
"Oh goodness, that had to hurt. What happened?"
"They were in the bath and Missy left the rinse cup close enough to the tub that Daniel was able to reach it. It had a sharp spot on the handle so John got his scar," Peter recounted.
"So it wasn't deliberate just unfortunate?" I surmised.
"Pretty much, my sister Missy took it hard. I felt bad for her but we all got over it. Let's go to my room," Peter suggested suddenly.
Peter used a key to open his door and ushered me in. Several computers were in various states of repair and three were operational and appeared to be working on something if the display was accurate.
"I'm studying servers, and these are for my own net. They're all set up running on UNIX with a few tweaks of my own. I've asked some friends to try hacking them but nobody has made it yet," Peter explained excitedly.
"Cool, I can use a computer and I've heard of UNIX, but I don't know anything about languages and programming. Maybe if I get into Chase I can learn some things," I ventured.
"It's not that hard. In fact, it's almost stupid. It's too simple for many people to understand. They think it has to be complex so that's how they see it. Learning UNIX is just like learning French or German. Once you have the vocabulary and syntax down, you own it."
"Well, this is an impressive set up, I presume it's confidential at least as far as school is concerned?" I guessed.
"Yes please, keep it quiet. I might be onto something that could make some money if I do it right."
"Nice Listrelle poster, does your mom know who he is?" I asked.
"No, but Dad does and he's cool with it. You'd swear that guy is our age not nineteen. He makes some very high class porn."
"He said it was a condition he was born with, when he was sixteen he looked nine so he figured screw it. I'm gay, as soon as I'm eighteen, I'll start doing porn and get rich. They tried to shut him down but he had his documents and there was nothing they could do, at least that's what I read on his blog," I supplied.
"I could never do porn, there's only one person I want to see this dick," Peter declared.
"And who might that be as if I didn't know? Really Peter, if you're going to talk that way close your door," Iris uttered with just a hint of a grin.
I couldn't take it, I started laughing and Peter just got redder. I walked over and kissed him and hugged him tight. "Moms huh," I said.
"Let me get my bag and we'll head for your place," Peter suggested.
When we got to my room, Paul the handyman was just cleaning up from working in my bathroom.
"What's up, Paul?" I asked.
"Oh, your dad had me looking at a squeaky joist under your toilet. I had to pull up a few pieces of the hex tile to run some screws from the subfloor into the joist. I just finished re-grouting that small area so if you can use the downstairs bath for an hour, it should be just fine,"
"Sure Paul, I don't need the whole house knowing what I'm up to in here," I grinned.
"You're okay kid, I know what you mean. You should be good to go now," Paul grinned back and carried his tools to the landing.
I followed him and carried one of his buckets down the stairs and went to find Mom. I told her Paul was done and she came back with me. She and Paul talked a bit and he left.
I went back up and found Peter reading one of my astronomy books.
"Stars eh, cool. You know there's all sorts of computer applications for astronomy," Peter suggested.
"I know, you can look at my computer later and see what I'm running."
"Okay, enough messing around; get those pants off so I can keep my promise from Wednesday."
"But I should get a shower first," Peter quailed.
"I don't think so, I like your smell."
"It's not about the smell, it's about the germs. Our school toilets aren't exactly sanitary," Peter defended.
"Oh okay, follow me upstairs then."
"So what are we doing up here?" Peter asked
I opened a door and the third floor bathroom was exposed.
"If you're worried about germs let's get you washed up. Take off your pants and undies." I opened the cabinet and pulled out a washcloth and towel after turning on the hot tap in the sink. I turned on the water in the tub to fill the trap again. It was one of my duties. I checked the water temp and then dunked the cloth in the basin. I ran the bar of soap around in it and knelt in front of Peter. In a few minutes, he was clean as a whistle and hard as a rock. I dropped my own pants and undies and repeated the treatment on my own rock hard implement. I took the towel from him and dried myself.
We dressed and went back to my room.
"Okay then, let's start again, lose the pants, this is two days overdue."
"Oh, you didn't know Bobby and Benji would be there, did you?" Peter giggled.
"No and I had plans. I love them but it was very inconvenient."
"Okay, they're gone where do you want me?" Peter taunted just a bit.
Fifteen minutes later, he was gasping for breath and asking how I held him off that long. Ten minutes after that I was the one doing the gasping.
"I really like doing this, we're gonna have to do this a lot," Peter declared.
Dinner was fried chicken and pan fried potatoes and some vegetables. Afterwards I showed Peter our computer and my plotting application for planets and constellations. After that, I grabbed my pad and we went up to the third floor balcony where my telescope was set up. I set it up so that Peter could see the ISS transit through our view. He watched the big scope and I told him we had about seven minutes before it passed.
"Oh wow, I've never seen that before, how cool is that? You got all that from that program?" Peter nearly shouted.
"Just some simple math, it's easier than it looks. I hope to get a laptop or notebook so I don't have to do all this at that computer and then hike back up here."
"That must get old, what else is up there?"
"Many satellites; and the Hubble telescope, but you have to be further south to see it. If you like this stuff, I go to the observatory in Griffith park during the summer, you could come along. Maybe your dad would come too," I suggested.
"I don't know, he's awfully busy during the summer. I can ask him though."
We looked at a few more things and then went to my room to watch a movie. After the movie, we showered and got ready for bed but we didn't go to sleep. We tried each other out again and then just talked about various things until we dropped off. We slept until almost nine. I woke Peter and asked if he wanted breakfast. He did, so we dressed and went down to raid the kitchen. Cereal and toast served us well and we decided to walk to the park and enjoy the unusually warm fall weather.
When we arrived back home, there were six college students helping Dad with Styrofoam blocks in the back yard. They were making the crypts for the zombies to escape from. We helped where we could and had a great time working with the other big kids. We worked on makeup for the zombies to get the right look. I tried the harness out on Peter but he was too big.
I sent a text to Wyatt and asked what he was doing. He replied that he was just hanging out and asked why. I asked if he could come over and gave him our address. Fifteen minutes later Wyatt was wearing the harness and he really liked the idea of the haunted house. We took him inside and tried the Victorian suit on him with all the ruffles and it was just a bit loose which is easier to fix than too tight. All we had to do now was get his parent's permission. It didn't take long.
We told Wyatt how brave his speech was and how much it affected us, and everyone in the auditorium. We also told him about Chase Academy. He was sad that we might be leaving but acknowledged that we were at a different level of learning than he was. He told us three boys and two girls had told him they were gay or lesbian since he made his speech. Eventually Wyatt had to go back home but he looked happy when he left.
The rest of Saturday was a blur of activity; we played soccer with some other kids and then when it got dark, we laid in the back yard and looked at constellations.
We explored the physical side of love some more and eventually we were too tired to proceed and conked out under the old quilt.
Peter had to be home by noon so we got up and ate breakfast with Mom and Dad, collected Peter's stuff and walked towards our favorite park. We kissed a lot and held each other and then walked to Peter's house. His brothers wanted our attention so we wrestled, tickled and then just cuddled them.
"Peter can you and Jules handle bathing the twins? Jules, I checked with your mom and you're welcome to have dinner with us," Iris informed me.
We took the boys to the main bathroom and got them undressed. Peter had them pee and ran the bath for them. We allowed them some play time with their toys.
"Have you bathed little kids before Jules, you have to do everything for them,"
"Yeah, Bobby and Benji were my first kids to bathe and then a couple others when I babysat for friends. It doesn't bother me."
"Well, let's get going they've had some time to play, now it's time for a scrub."
It all went smoothly except trying to wash their toes. They were extremely ticklish but we managed.
We wrapped them in fluffy towels and sat on their beds with them drying and cuddling. It's a nice feeling.
After we got them into sleepers, we went back and cleaned up the bathroom.
Dinner was great, Iris served shredded beef burritos that had been deep fried.
I called my dad about six and asked him to come get me. I said good night to John and Iris and Peter stood outside with me until Dad arrived. I kissed him and he kissed back and I turned loose and walked to the car.
I showered and had ice cream with Mom and Dad and went up for bed. Monday was a big day and I was looking forward to seeing Crane Academy.