Mayfield Titans

 

CHAPTER 60

THE BLEEPING ROYALS

 

SATURDAY, APRIL 25

 

<Lenny and Riley>

 

Lenny enjoyed a pleasant lunch with Riley and his family. He was worried that Riley’s mother wouldn’t like him, but she was not only friendly, she asked questions and commented on his answers. The lunch went almost as Lance and Grant had predicted. Riley’s mother would ask him a lot of questions to make sure that Lenny wasn’t a bully like Riley’s teammates had been at his old school, and once she figured out that Lenny was one of the good guys, she would be really nice to him. Their prediction had been right on the money.

 

Lenny was only thrown by one question. It happened when Riley’s mother, Glenda, asked him why a sixth grader would want to be friends with a seventh grader. He was about to say they were both teammates on the same team, which he thought was a lame answer, when Riley spoke up for the first time during the interrogation. “Mom, we’re both twelve, we’re both on the same team, and we both like each other a lot. Lenny is an honor roll student and probably knows more stuff than I do.”

 

“Does that sound about right to you, Lenny?” Glenda asked.

 

“It’s perfect,” Lenny replied.

 

Riley’s father sat quietly through the process until a couple of questions later. “I don’t know about you, honey, but I really like Riley’s friend. I think he’s been forthright with us and can now be untied from the rack.”

 

From that point on, Lenny was treated as a best friend, if not the best friend, of their older son. Riley’s younger brother, Liam, soon said, “I like Lenny. I hope he comes here a lot.” Liam was five years old and in Kindergarten. Lenny thought Liam was a sweet little kid and his comment confirmed his thoughts.

 

This wasn’t the first time Lenny had been to Riley’s house, but it was the first time it was more than an in and out visit. He now felt like a true friend. It was the same kind of feeling he had when he visited friends like Emmett or Aiden, or even Keith, back when they had been friends.

 

After lunch, Lenny made Glenda even happier by volunteering to help with the cleanup. Riley had never had a friend volunteer to help his mother and he loved it. He had no doubt that Lenny was going to become the best friend he had ever had. Liam tried to help as well, but Glenda finally had to send him to the rec room when he kept getting underfoot and became more a hinderance than a help.

 

When the boys finished loading the dishwasher, Glenda told them she would finish what was left and for them to enjoy their afternoon. “Let’s go to my room and we can talk there,” Riley said. “Liam is not allowed in my room without permission. If we sat anywhere else he would be right in the middle of things.”

 

“Won’t he be kind of disappointed?” Lenny asked. “He seems to like me.”

 

“Oh, he does more than seem to like you. I can tell that he likes you a ton. But don’t worry—before we go to my room, I’ll tell him we want to talk about some things and as soon as we’re done, I’ll let him join us.”

 

“That sounds good to me.”

 

“And he knows that when I say I’m going to do something, I always do it. Just like you,” Riley grinned.

 

They entered Riley’s neatly kept room and sat close to each other on his bed. “How do you keep this place so neat?” Lenny asked. “Our room always has stuff lying around. It’s not a disaster or anything—mom would have a cow if it was, but you don’t have anything out of place.”

 

“Well, I do now,” Riley answered.

 

“What?”

 

“When we sat on my bed, we ruffled the bed covers.”

 

“You’ve gotta be k…,” Lenny started to say before seeing the wide grin on Riley’s face.

 

“Gotcha!” Riley said. Riley couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a friend who he could kid around with. Being able to kid Lenny gave him a good feeling.

 

“You think your bed is messy now, just wait until I get finished with you,” Lenny said as he pushed Riley onto the bed and dropped down next to him. Before Riley could protest, Lenny reached up under his shirt and started tickling his belly, sending Riley into gales of laughter.

 

“Stop, I can’t breathe,” Riley gasped. Lenny complied and then moved in close and laid a kiss on his friend’s lips.

 

“Keep the noise down please boys,” came the voice of Riley’s mother.

 

The boys broke their kiss. “Sorry mom, we’ll be quieter,” Riley called out.

 

“Thank you.” Glenda walked away from the door feeling good that Riley had a friend he could make noise with. Her protest was the obligatory chiding of a mother and not one of anger. She was liking Lenny Hazen more and more by the minute.

 

“Well, let’s go back to what we were doing since it sure wasn’t noisy,” Lenny smirked. The boys’ lips came together again. This time it included the trading of tongue. They rolled around on the bed as they kissed until Riley and Lenny ended up on their sides facing each other, their lips together, tongues battling, and their crotches together humping.

 

Lenny reached down and started to unzip his friend. “Do you mind?” he asked as he gently pulled Riley’s zipper down.

 

“No,” Riley panted. “Do whatever you want.”

 

Lenny reached through the open zipper and fondled Riley’s junk through his red boxer briefs. Riley groaned in pleasure and fondled Lenny though his jeans. Lenny then moved his hand up to Riley’s belly and slid it through the waistband and inside his underpants and put his fingers around his friend’s three-inch hairless erection. Riley shook with pleasure and landed a long deep kiss, pushing his tongue into Lenny’s mouth.  

 

“Ohhhh, that feels soooo good,” Riley moaned.

 

Lenny opened the button on Riley’s shorts and started yanking them down. Riley raised his hips to allow them and his underpants to slide under his tight little ball sac. Lenny placed his head on Riley’s belly and looked down at his crotch. He started to masturbate his friend, taking in the smooth sexy beauty of a boy he thought he was falling in love with, for if what he was feeling for Riley was love, then he wanted much more of it. He knew that he had not had feelings this strong for Keith, even though they professed to be boyfriends.

 

“You have a nice dick,” Lenny whispered as he moved his fingers down to Riley’s smooth, tight ball sac and used his middle finger to tickle his perineum. Riley emitted another slow groan and then pulled down Lenny’s zipper.

 

Lenny removed his hand from Riley’s scrotum and started to pull down his own pants and dark blue briefs but stopped after exposing the head of his four-inch erection.  “What if your mom comes in?” he whispered.

 

“She promised me my privacy although she says she might stand outside and say something like she did when you were tickling me. And Liam knows better than to come in without me saying it’s okay. My dad never bothers me in my room except to come in to say goodnight.”

 

Lenny decided that Riley made the situation sound safe enough and quickly pulled his pants and underpants halfway down his thighs. It wouldn’t be the first time he risked getting caught messing around with another boy, but he didn’t want to mess up the good feelings that were starting between him and Riley.

 

And Riley had never had a friend like Lenny, even for a short while. Even Victor, who he thought had been his friend, had betrayed him. But Lenny liked him as much as he liked Lenny and that was a very special feeling for the lonely boy.

 

Lenny continued to masturbate Riley, his face close enough to Riley’s cock that his tongue could reach it if he stuck it out. “Lenny, I think I’m gonna cum…please do me harder,” Riley wailed. Lenny was happy to oblige and picked up the tempo. “Yeah, ohhh, yeah...ohhhh, fuck yeah, this amaz…ohhhhhhh.” Riley shook, his cocklet quivered, and the most intense orgasm of his life washed over him. What Lenny had done to him—had done FOR him—was so different than what his so-called friends in his last school had done. Riley thought Lenny jerking him off in Aiden’s hot tub had been great, but Lenny masturbating him on his bed was something really special. He wanted do to something to help Lenny.

 

Being on edge himself, Lenny was ready to rub off on Riley when he realized that he felt moisture on his hand. He looked below Riley’s still quivering dick and saw a drop on his bare pubis.

 

“Riley, look at my hand and look under your dick—you just shot two drops of cum,” Lenny announced enthusiastically.  

 

“I did? Nuh uh, no way I did.” He looked down at his pubic region and stifled a shriek. “Oh, my gawd I did it, I did it, I DID IT,” he said with self-controlled fervor until the very end.

 

“Lick my hand,” Lenny said. Riley did as instructed. Lenny then licked Riley’s other drop off his pubis. “You’re really tasty,” he said as he smacked his lips. “Can I rub off on you?”

 

“As long as you kiss me while you do it.”

 

Pulling up Riley’s shirt, Lenny rubbed his erection against his belly as he kissed Riley hard and deep.  It took less than thirty seconds for him shoot his immature tween cum on Riley’s smooth, taut abdomen. Riley let out a sigh of satisfaction; he felt good because he had done something for Lenny, even if it was just kiss him and let him rub off on his belly.

 

Riley scooped up some with his right hand and stuck his gooey fingers into his mouth. “You taste good, too, Lenny. It’s the first time cum has ever tasted good to me.” Riley’s confession of having tasted cum before surprised Lenny. It was apparent that the experience had not been a pleasant one.

 

The tweens then traded a long, gentle kiss before pulling up and fastening their pants. “That was one of the most amazing things of my whole life,” Riley said. “I never knew sex stuff could feel so awesomely good. I love you, Lenny,” Riley found himself saying. Once he said it, he wondered where that idea had come from and was afraid of how Lenny might react to it.

 

His apprehension didn’t last long, however. “I love you, too Riley. I’m serious. Other than my brother, I’ve never felt like this about anybody, and he has to take number two to you.” Which hadn’t been the case with Keith, Lenny thought. I never loved him the way I love Lance and now the way I love Riley. “You know, I’m gay, right?”

 

“I know and I don’t care because I am too, and it feels good to tell you that I am.”

 

A moment of awkwardness overtook Lenny when he decided to pop the big question. “Would you like to be, you know, to be…um…I want you to be my boyfriend.”

 

“For real? Not just your friend or your best friend but your boyfriend?”

 

“Yep, you’re my boyfriend.”

 

Riley rolled on top of Lenny and kissed him with wild passion, a passion Lenny quickly returned. The two pubescent boys had entered a new dimension of emotion. Riley finally calmed down and lay quietly on top of Lenny, saying nothing. Lenny heard a sob emanate from Riley and felt tears drop on his neck.

 

“You’re crying,” Lenny said as if Riley didn’t know it. “Are you okay?”

 

Riley sucked in a deep breath and fought to regain control. “Yeah, I’m fine, boyfriend. I’m just so happy I can’t stand it. I’ve never been this happy and it’s because I have a boyfriend and he’s the best boyfriend in the world. I love you, Lenny.”

 

“I love you, Riley. I’m so happy you came into my life.”

 

“I don’t want anybody to know about us, at least not yet. Is that okay?” Riley asked.

 

“I understand. It’s a pretty scary deal to say you’ve got a boyfriend.”

 

“You had a boyfriend, right?”

 

“I thought I did. Keith from Kentburg. But he dumped me either because he discovered girls or because his friend Shannon became his bed buddy. I don’t know for sure; I just know he dumped me. I guess you could say we’re still kinda like friends. I know I didn’t feel the things for him I’m feeling for you right now.”

 

“I’m sorry Keith dumped you. I guess he didn’t know he had the best boyfriend a guy could have,” Riley said.

 

“I need to ask one favor though.”

 

“What?”

 

“I want to tell Lance about us. We never keep secrets from each other, and we never share them with anybody else. I guess being twins we trust each other totally right down to knowing we don’t have secrets.”

 

Riley thought about Lenny’s request for a moment and then said, “I’m okay with that. Then I want to tell one person, too. I think I can trust him totally too, but I’m not, like, one hundred percent positive like you are with Lance.”

 

“If you tell me who it is, I can tell you if you can trust him.”

 

“It’s Aiden.”

 

“If you tell Aiden about us being boyfriends and tell him not to tell a soul, your secret is safe. I think he tells Nolan things like I tell Lenny. But, as far as trusting Aiden, I trust him as much as I trust Lance…and I trust you, now, too.”

 

“Then I guess we got that all figured out.”

 

The conversation was interrupted by a knock on Riley’s bedroom door.

 

“Who is it?” Riley asked as if he didn’t already know.

 

“It’s me, Liam,” came a little boy’s voice.

 

Riley got off the bed and opened the door. “Is it time already?”

 

“You said an hour and ten minutes and it’s an hour and five minutes but I wanted to see you.”

“Come back in how many minutes?”

 

“Five.” Liam poked his head through the opening and looked at Lenny. “I know how to tell time and count,” he informed Lenny. “See you soon.” Liam backed out of the door and closed it.

 

“You could’ve let him in five minutes early,” Lenny said.

 

“I know, but if I give in when he tries to cheat a little he decides to keep on cheating and doesn’t think I mean what I say. He’s a smart little bugger and a really good little brother, but you can’t let him get away with stuff.”

 

“You know, Riley, you’ve talked more in the last hour than any time since I’ve known you. You usually say a little thing or two and then stop.”

 

“I can say more to you because I love you and trust you and you’re my best friend and my boyfriend and my best every other kind of friend.”

 

“Aren’t you going to have a birthday soon?” Lenny asked.

 

“My birthday is July thirty-first, so it’s still, like, three months away.”

 

“When is Liam’s birthday?”

 

“His is July thirty-first, too. Me and Liam are like you and Lance—we both have our birthdays on the same day. Only I’m going to be thirteen and he’s going to be six while you guys will be the same age on your birthday.”  

 

“Except for one thing. Me and Lance don’t have our birthdays on the same day.”

 

“Say what?” Riley asked in disbelief. “But you guys are identical twins.”

 

“We don’t even have our birthdays in the same year.”

 

“Quit joking with me. I know what twins are. Your birthdays have to be the same.”

“Think for a minute, Riley. There is a way for everything I told you to be true. Just think about what has to happen when we’re born.”

 

Riley let the wheels turn in his head for around ten seconds before his face lit up. “Oh, I get it. One of you was born, like, just before midnight and the other one was born just after midnight, so you’re born on different days. But you said you weren’t even born in the same year. Oh, yeah, I can’t believe how dumb I’ve been. The last day in December and the first day in January—different days and different years. Wowsers, that’s amazing. Who is the oldest?”

 

“I am the older twin.” Lenny had learned through constant nagging from his mother the difference between the superlative and the comparative case in grammar. “I like to kid him that for one day I’m a whole year older than he is and he had better remember it.”

Another knock signaled the return of Liam. Riley told him come in, which he did while sporting a wide grin. “Your bed is all messy,” he said. “Riley’s bed is never messy,” he told Lenny. “My bed is always messy.”

 

“Liam hasn’t learned to be neat like me yet,” Riley grinned.

 

From there the rest of the afternoon unfolded with Riley and Lenny playing board games with Liam, tickling him, and letting him win a couple of wrestling matches.

 

Lenny got ready to leave for home just before four o’clock. Riley’s mother and father thanked Lenny for spending the afternoon with Riley as well as Liam and told him he was always welcome at their house.

 

“What about me and Lenny having an overnight soon?” Riley asked.

 

“Lenny and me,” Glenda corrected. “And I think it’s doable. You guys come up with a date and which house you want your first overnight to be at, and I think Lenny’s mother and I can help see that it happens.”

 

Riley gave his mother a hug. “Sweet. Thank you, mom. You’re the best. I think me and Lenny…um, Lenny and I…are now best friends.” Riley wasn’t ready to admit to their being boyfriends yet. He hoped the time would come soon when he felt safe doing it.

 

Because Lenny had his equipment bag to lug home, Riley’s father, Thomas, offered to drive him home. Lenny accepted. Before leaving, Liam gave him a sweet little hug, Glenda surprised him with a tight hug, and Riley gave him a hug that just needed the kiss they couldn’t share at that moment to be perfect.

 

When Lenny arrived home, he shared what happened between him and Riley with Lance. Lance was beyond pleased for his twin. “You deserve it,” Lance told Lenny. “You couldn’t have a nicer kid to be your boyfriend than Riley.” Later in the evening, Lance rewarded Lenny with a hard, passionate fucking.

 

MONDAY, APRIL 27

 

<Lunch>

 

Everyone could feel the excitement at the “baseball” table in the lunchroom. The cause was the upcoming game against the “bleeping” Royals of Kentburg. The game against Mayfield’s biggest rival wasn’t until the next day but the anticipation was already at a fever pitch.

 

“You know they’re going to throw Rico Ramirez tomorrow,” Aiden said. Rico had shut out the Titans on four hits in Kentburg’s 5-0 win in the teams’ first meeting.

 

“And how do we know that?” Miles asked. 

 

“Because the bleeping Royals play Clark Pass on Friday, so they’ll want to use their best pitcher against us,” Gordy pointed out.

         

“I knew that, I was just testing to see who else knew it.”

 

“It’s not like it’s been a secret or anything,” Lance said. He was sitting with Riley wondering what he should say to him about the news Lenny gave him. As he looked at Riley, he knew that his twin had made a good choice of boyfriend. As much as Riley liked Lance, he wished it was Lenny who had first lunch and not Lance.

 

Miles asked if Aiden had a plan for hitting against Rico.

 

“Yes, I do,” Aiden told him. “The best plan is to hit the ball hard. And that, as you know from our last game, is easier said than done.”

 

“Well, it’s not like he’s a Hall of Famer,” Gordy pointed out. “If he’s off and we’re on, anything can happen.”

 

“I dunno, instead of talking about the bleeping Royals, maybe we should be talking about bleeping Rico Ramirez,” Miles said.

 

Practice after school was positive and lively. Even though the sky was gray and the weather was cool, there was a small chance of rain that evening with clearing expected by morning. The forecast helped lead to the positive atmosphere surrounding the team.

 

Aiden noted that not only did Riley and Lenny spend a lot of time around each other, they could hardly keep their eyes off each other. He wondered what had happened between the two on Saturday. He was also thankful that both would be suiting up JV since they obviously weren’t giving their full attention to practice. However, the fact that Riley and Lenny would be the starting battery didn’t bode well for the next day’s JV game. He decided to say something to them after practice.

 

When practice ended, he followed the two into the gym and to the locker room. “Can I talk to you guys for a minute?” he asked them.

 

“Sure,” Lenny said.

 

“I know I’m not on the JV team, but I was watching you guys and it looked like you were spending more time looking at each other than practicing. And since you’re going to be the JV starting battery tomorrow, well, I was just gonna say that getting your mind on tomorrow will help you both a lot.”

 

If anyone else had talked to him like that, Lenny would have been furious. Aiden and Lance were the only two he would allow to do that, even if he didn’t agree with them. In this case, however, he knew that Aiden was right. Lenny looked around to see if anybody was nearby. There were at least three other players within listening distance, so he said what he knew needed to be said and that was the answer that Aiden and anybody who was listening would expect him to give.

 

“Yeah, you’re right, Aiden,” Lenny said. “Everybody says you play like you practice and we had our heads somewhere other than the baseball field.”

 

Aiden breathed a sigh of relief. He had been afraid his attempt at being a leader was going to backfire.

 

“Can we talk to you, like in private, before we get on the bus?” Riley asked.

 

“Yeah. Let’s get our cleats off and grab our stuff and walk out to the busway,” Aiden replied. By gathering in the busway, they could keep an eye on the activity bus so they wouldn’t miss it. Of the three, only Aiden had to ride the bus home; Lenny and Riley lived within walking distance of the school.

 

“So, what’s going on with you two, as if I couldn’t tell?” Aiden asked as the three stood facing each other on the patio situated between the bus loading area and the front lawn.

 

Riley decided that since he was the one who said he wanted to confess to

Aiden, he would answer the question. He didn’t imagine that his telling Aiden what was happening between him and Lenny would be in quite this manner, however.

 

“Something happened between me and Lenny on Saturday and we think you should know because you would understand,” Riley said. Aiden nodded for Riley to go on. Riley’s voice dropped to where Aiden could barely hear what he said. “We became boyfriends.”

 

Aiden’s wide grin said everything Lenny and Riley needed to know. “That is the most awesome thing you dudes could have told me,” Aiden said. “And Riley, you didn’t have to whisper it—you guys know me well enough to know I know exactly what you’re going through. You should talk like you’re proud of it.” Aiden was surprised that it was shy Riley instead of outgoing Lenny who made the announcement.

 

“We don’t want anybody to know until we’re ready to tell peeps,” Riley said emphatically.

 

“I’ve told Lance, and Riley wanted you to know. We didn’t think that telling you would happen like this, but whatever, now you know. We love each other.”

 

“Oh, and you can tell Nolan if you want, as long as he promises to keep it secret, even in Meadow Park,” Riley said.

 

“Your secret is safe with us. Congratulation to you guys. I think you’re going to be great boyfriends,” Aiden told them. “But!”

 

“But what? What’s wrong?” Riley asked.

 

“Don’t let being in love take you away from what you gotta do,” Aiden responded. “That’s where knowing how to get into a zone helps. And you guys got it even worse, because you’ll be the pitcher and the catcher, and you have to remember that baseball comes first.”

 

“Like it did on Friday,” Lenny said.

 

“Yeah, but that was before you two went totally gaga like you did in practice today.”

 

“Will you tell us how you get into your zone?” Riley asked.

 

“I’m not great at it because I’m learning but I’ll do my best. You’re on your own tomorrow because it’s time for me to get on the bus. Just remember tomorrow to focus on baseball. I love you guys—you’re both great friends.”

 

“We love you, too Aiden,” Lenny said as Aiden hustled over to the bus. When he got home it would be time for dinner followed by time for homework followed by practicing what he preached and working on his baseball focus.

 

TUESDAY, APRIL 28

 

<Aiden>

 

“I think that move is proof that Coach Ecklund isn’t interested in winning,” Aiden told Larry as they ate their cereal and toast at the kitchen table. He was referring to Coach Ecklund’s decision to start Lenny at catcher in the Titan JV game, leaving Muddy to be Mac’s backup in the varsity game.

 

“First, Muddy is not an incompetent catcher. Like any player in middle school, he is a work in progress. He knows what he is doing behind the plate,” Larry retorted.

 

“Even if he can’t always do it,” Aiden groused.

 

“Second, Lenny is a sixth grader and needs the experience playing, not sitting on the bench watching.”

“He played varsity in Friday’s game.”

 

“Kentburg and Clark Pass aren’t exactly in the same echelon as teams go,” Larry countered. “It also doesn’t hurt for the younger players to experience a little bit of varsity time to get the idea of what it’s all about. And Riley pitching to Lenny this afternoon will be a great experience for both young players.”

 

“Well, Mac better not get hurt is all I have to say.”

 

“I thought Muddy was your friend.”

 

“He is, but not because he’s a good catcher. And what if Mac and Muddy both get hurt—who’s going to do the catching then?”

 

“I suppose you’re as good a choice as anybody. You might be a bit small for the position, but you’re a good ballplayer and could adjust quickly.”

 

“Dad! Be serious!” Aiden said.

 

“Coach Ecklund must have an emergency catcher, who I am sure is not you.”

 

“It’s Everett.”

 

“Good enough. Big kid who’s done a bit of catching in summer rec ball. I hope you’re keeping what you perceive to be a problem to yourself.”

 

“I am, except for the usuals-you, Gordy, Nolan, and Marty.”

 

“What did Marty have to say?”

 

“He told me to look up a catcher who used to play for the Mariners named Miguel Olivo.”

 

“And did you?” Aiden nodded. “What did you find out?”

 

“That at the Major League level he made Muddy look good on defense.” Aiden grabbed his dishes and headed to the kitchen. “I have a bus to catch.”

 

He gave Larry a hug. “I love you, Pop. Thanks for listening to me vent.”

 

“It’s always a good thing to get stuff like this out of your mind, especially if it disturbs your focus.”

 

“Well, it was bugging me, but just talking to you makes me feel better. Now it’s time for a day at school and then us beating the Bleeping Royals.”

 

<Kentburg Middle School>

 

Aiden felt ready to play after the Titans finished taking infield. He thought he had done a good job of getting into his zone, although he almost let Coach Ecklund get into his head and wreck it with his decision to have Muddy as the only backup catcher. He had forgotten about Everett having some catching experience. Even though he had never caught an inning of a Titan game, he had put the catching gear on a couple of times to catch a few at bats of a scrimmage.

 

Coach Ecklund and his captains, Trent and Scott, went to home plate to meet with the umpires and the Royals’ coach and captain. After they were finished with the home plate meeting, Rico Ramirez jogged out to the mound for his warmups with Lem Marquis, the Royal’s starting catcher.

 

After the plate umpire hollered, “Play Ball!”, Rico pitched a quick inning, getting Gordy to pop up to short on his second pitch for the first out. Aiden grounded to third on the third pitch to him, and Scott flew out to center on the second pitch to him. It was a very efficient inning by Rico—three outs on seven pitches.

 

Trent pitched a 1-2-3 inning as well, striking out two of the three batters he faced. The first inning set the tone for the first five innings. After five the score was 0-0. Both teams had managed only two baserunners. Rico issued a walk with one out in the third and another with two outs in the fifth. He had allowed no hits over the five innings and struck out seven.

 

Trent had given up two hits: a two out single in the second and a no-out double in the fourth. The double had been the only scoring threat for either team. Trent had issued no walks and had eight strikeouts.

 

Even though the game was an afternoon game, there was a good-sized crowd on hand, many sitting in chairs stretched outside the out-of-play lines from the end of the dugout to the chain link fence that circled the outfield. The fact that the game featured the long-time rival schools (and towns) as well as two good teams was a big incentive for many to leave work early.

 

Everett led off the sixth inning by striking out on a 1-2 pitch. That brought Gordy to the plate. Gordy took a ball outside followed by a strike on the inside corner at the knees. Nice pitch, Gordy thought as he stepped back for a moment, making sure he kept a foot in the batter’s box, or he risked being called for an automatic strike. The next pitch from Rico was down the middle of the plate, a mistake pitch that Gordy grounded up the middle for the Titan’s first base hit of the game.

 

Aiden was happy that his best friend Gordy was the one to get the first hit off the Bleeping Royals. Aiden was determined to knock in the first run. He fouled off a strike, took two pitches for balls, and then took a strike that he thought might have been a little outside. Now that he had two strikes, it was the kind of pitch he would swing at without trying to nitpick the strike zone. Aiden then swung at four pitches that may or may not have been strikes and fouled them all off.  They were simply too close to take. The next pitch was a breaking ball in the dirt for ball three.

 

Aiden now had a full count. Once again Rico threw some tough pitches—four more of them right around the plate and once again Aiden fouled them off. He had seen thirteen pitches in this at bat and the spectators were yelling loudly on each pitch. Aiden was in his zone, Rico was in a zone of his own, and everyone watching from coaches, to players, to spectators wondered which player was going to win the showdown. Aiden almost did on pitch fourteen, rapping a hard line drive up the third baseline that landed just inches foul to the cheers and moans of the spectators.

 

Pitch fifteen ended up being the last pitch of the at-bat. Rico, who was obviously tiring, got a pitch up into Aiden’s wheelhouse that he launched into the left-center field gap. The ball fell in just out of the reach of the left and center fielders and rolled up against the chain link fence. Gordy steamed around the bases and scored standing up. Aiden slid safely into third base, just beating the throw from the left fielder, with an RBI triple. Titans now had a 1-0 lead over the Bleeping Royals.

 

The Titans also had a runner on third with one out. Coach Ecklund considered having Scott drop a squeeze bunt but decided against it. Scott generally hit the ball hard and had the best bat control of anybody on the team except maybe Aiden. The coach elected to have Scott swing away, which appeared to pay off when Scott got hold of a 2-1 pitch and sent it to right field. 

 

Coach Ecklund yelled at Aiden to tag up, which Aiden was already doing. Keith, who was the right fielder, had to go back a few steps to make the catch. As soon as the ball touched Keith’s glove, Aiden heard Coach Ecklund, who was within his field of vision, drop his right arm and yell out, “GO!”

 

Aiden knew Keith had a good arm and he was going to have to run his hardest to home. He got an assist when Keith juggled the ball once before securing it for the catch. Keith uncorked a strong, accurate throw, but the delay caused by the fumble was enough for Aiden to just beat the catcher’s tag at home. The umpire spread his hands and yelled out an emphatic “SAFE!”

 

Ted Parker, the Kentburg baseball coach, came running out of the dugout. “The runner left early,” he hollered.

 

“Are you appealing the tag up, coach?” the ump asked.

 

“Yes I am.” Unlike professional baseball, where a live ball appeal has to be made, under the high school rule book a coach may make a dead ball appeal, which is what Coach Parker was doing.

 

“The runner is safe. He did not leave early.”

 

“What do you mean he didn’t leave early? Were you even looking? My fielder juggled the ball before he caught it and the runner left before he completed the catch. There is no way he is safe.”

 

“Coach, the runner can leave the base as soon as the fielder has touched the ball. Touching the ball releases the runner, not catching it.”

 

“Well, I’m not going to waste my breath arguing with you since you obviously don’t know your rules. Please put in the book that I am playing the game under protest.” A coach can protest a rule call by an umpire if he feels the official was incorrect in his interpretation of the rule, which is what Coach Parker did. Mark Kelsey, the umpire, had the official score keeper write the protest next to the play in the scorebook and the coach’s reason for it, signed underneath it, told the coach to return to the dugout, and got the game moving again. The Titans now held a 2-0 lead with two outs and nobody on. Muddy struck out to end the inning and the Titans ran out onto the field for the bottom of the sixth.

 

Trent struck out the first batter in the bottom of the sixth, and then walked the next batter. Arnie Kovacs then hit a low line drive to right. Aiden made a dive for the ball and caught it while he was still in the air. When he hit the ground, he heard Mac shout, “FIRST BASE, FIRST BASE, FIRST BASE.” Aiden rose to his knees and threw the ball to Max at first to double off the runner who took off on the hit thinking the ball was going to get through the infield.

 

When Mac entered the Titan dugout, he saw Coach Ecklund beckoning him to the end of the dugout where he was standing. “Nice job calling the play, Mac. I’m thinking of warming up Scott in case we need him in the bottom of the seventh. How is Trent looking?”

 

“I think he’s starting to get tired. Warming up Scott is a good idea,” Mac replied. Since it was unlikely Scott would be batting in the seventh, Coach Ecklund sent Scott and Muddy to the visitors’ bullpen area for warmups.

 

Rico returned to pitch the top of the seventh inning and tossed a routine 1-2-3 inning. Trent then came out to pitch the bottom of the inning. It didn’t take long for trouble to happen when the leadoff batter lofted a high fly ball to the left field fence. Everett leaped to try to catch the ball, but it was just out of his reach and landed on the other side of the fence for a home run. The score was now 2-1 Titans.

 

Coach Ecklund made a trip to the mound. He signaled Scott to come to the mound to relieve Trent. He then sent Trent to third base, moved Barry from third base to center field, and Gordy from center field to shortstop.

 

After taking his allotted eight warmups, Scott was ready to face his first batter. There is an adage in baseball that the ball seems to find the fielder who has just come into the game or has just shifted to a new position. On a 1-2 pitch the leadoff batter in the inning hit the ball toward Gordy, who fielded it cleanly and threw the batter-runner out by three steps—a routine out. The next batter struck out which brought up Keith with two outs and nobody on.

 

Keith had heard about Mayfield being out to win against the Bleeping Royals and was determined not to let that happen—the Bleeping meant they had really earned a Royal ass kicking. As a result, he became too eager and struck out on four pitches after swinging at two pitches well out of the strike zone. The Titans had earned a hard-fought, 2-1 win over the Royals, who, by losing, quit being the Bleeping Royals—at least for the time being.

 

The hand shaking line moved quickly. When Keith shook Aiden’s hand he said, “Tell Lenny I said hi and that he was right.”

 

“Right about what?” Aiden asked.

 

“About us being bleeping—especially with our bats. One run won’t win you much, but you guys did a good job.” Realizing they were starting to hold up their respective lines, the two boys moved on. Say what you want about Keith breaking up with Lenny, he’s still trying to be a good friend and is a pretty classy guy, Aiden thought. Besides, I think Lenny came out on top because he and Riley really seem to be hitting it off.

 

The players were full of questions about the Kentburg protest. Coach Ecklund told the players to hold their questions. He said they would meet in the locker room after arriving at the school.

 

Miles sat next to Aiden and asked him if he knew what the protest was all about. “They think I left third base too early when I scored. The coach says I left before the ball was caught,” Aiden explained.

 

“Did you?”

 

“Well, yes I left before it was caught, but the rule says you can leave as soon as the fielder touches it, and that’s what I did.”

 

“What if we lose the protest? Does that mean we forfeit the game?”

 

“No, it means I would be out, which would end the inning, and then the game gets replayed from that point in the game. But don’t worry, we’re not going to lose. The Kentburg coach doesn’t understand the rule and he’s not going to win.”

 

The baseball players boarded the bus as did the JV girls, who lost 6-2 to the Royals. The trip home was a quick one.

 

Lenny, Lance, and Mason were waiting at the busway to meet the team bus. They let everyone know that they scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh for an exciting 5-4 win over Kentburg and cheered the varsity’s 2-1 win.

 

Coach Ecklund started the meeting as quickly as he could. He knew nobody was eager to sit through any length of meeting and he wanted to make it quick and painless. He wanted to congratulate the team on playing an outstanding game and wanted them to understand how the protest worked.

 

He called the game an exceptional middle school baseball game. “Both teams played errorless ball, the pitching was outstanding, and we were fortunate to come up with the big  plays when they were needed.

 

“Now, as far as the protest goes, don’t be concerned about it. Some of you heard what Aiden had to say, and he is correct. He left third on my command, which was when the ball was touched by the fielder. The umpire saw that and the Kentburg coach even admitted it. This was a matter of the Kentburg coach not understanding the rule. His protest will go nowhere. In fact, I doubt it will make it past the athletic director. The league requires a $50 deposit for the school to lodge an official protest. If the school wins the protest, it gets its money back. If it loses, the league keeps the deposit. I don’t think the Kentburg AD is going to risk the #50.    Any questions?”

 

There were a couple which were quickly answered. Ecklund then dismissed the team saying he would see them in practice the next day. The team didn’t need anyone telling them right then that they would be jumping from the frying pan into the fire—their game on Friday would be at home against first place Winton.

 

<Aiden and Nolan>

 

Aiden gobbled the macaroni and cheese (with hamburger mixed in) that Phil had cooked up. He and his pop traded game summaries as they ate. The Mustangs came up with a 7-5 win over Meadow Park and of course Aiden had to let his dads know everything about the Titan’s 2-1 win, including the game being played under protest.

 

“From what you described, I don’t think the Royals have a prayer of winning that protest,” Larry said. Phil and Aiden readily agreed.

 

After finishing his homework, Aiden logged into the Seamount Middle School League website to check the scores. He took a quick glance when he heard Skype tell him somebody was calling him. He logged into Skype and grinned when he saw Nolan’s face on his screen.

 

“Hey, Bear, how’s it going?” Aiden asked his boyfriend.

 

“Howdy, Sweets. It could be better,” Nolan replied.

 

“How did you guys lose to Clark Pass? I thought you were pitching today.”

 

“I did pitch, but I’m not perfect. I pitched the first five innings and then went to first. We had us a nice 6-2 lead, and then we went through three pitchers over the last two innings. We gave up two in the sixth and two more in the seventh, which made the score 6-6.”

 

“That meant extras.”

 

“Yep. We scored in the top of the inning. Carter, who is supposed to start on Friday, came into the game and gave up two more runs after we made three errors in the inning.”

 

“Damn, Bear, it sounds like you guys lost all of your focus,” Aiden said.

 

“Something like that. You know how baseball can be. Everything starts to go wrong and there’s nothing you can do to stop it. I had the first error when I booted a grounder and it’s like errors became contagious. Everybody was trying hard but, it just got weird. And so, we ended up with an 8-7 loss that was our third straight. We pretty much choked our way out of a chance for first place. It looks like you guys played great, though.”

 

“Coach said it was an exceptional middle school game. It was a really fun game to play between two good teams.”

 

“And we end up losing to Clark Pass, who is now 3-4. We’re 4-3 and so is Kentburg.”

 

Aiden told Nolan about the protest and the boys then discussed the standings.  

 

“Well, Winton clobbered Gardner,” Nolan said. “No surprise there. That keeps them in first place in the East Division at 6-1.”

 

“And we’re in second at 5-2.” Aiden was referring to the Titans, of course. “And since we’ve got Winton at home on Friday, things are getting really interesting.”

 

“Who do you think the starting pitcher will be, you or Scott?”

 

“I say Scott. This game is as big or bigger than today’s game was and it’s a game for an eighth grader to pitch.”

 

“That leaves Kentburg and us at 4-3. We play Gardner, which should be an automatic win, but we have lost three in a row, so maybe not. And Kentburg plays Clark Pass who is not that bad of a team.”

 

“That brings us to the West,” Aiden said. “Monte and Evans both won big and are tied for first at 6-1. Evans has the tougher game on Friday—they play Harborview who is 4-3 while Monte plays Barrett who is 1-6.”

 

“Well, we have to win our last five games to have any kind of a chance at first.”

 

“But you have a chance at cumming first,” Aiden smirked. “How about us seeing who’s the horniest tonight.”  

 

“That sounds like plan. How about we talk about how great it would be for us to fuck the shit out of my cousin Shelby.”

 

That ended up being a good topic as the two boys whacked their puds talking about Shelby’s sexy ass (which Aiden had yet to see) and how tight it was. Nolan was the first to cum, squirting his cum over his chest, belly, and pubes about fifteen seconds before Aiden shot four clear drops on his belly.

 

“Have you asked about spending the night here on Saturday?” Aiden asked.

 

“I asked. Dad said yes, but Mom said they need to talk about it first, so we’ll see.” The boys couldn’t do Friday night because they both had summer league practice Saturday morning. Not for the first time they wished a way could be found where they could end up living close to each other.

 

Next: Getting Serious