Piano Forte

Chapter 22-Performance Time

CHAPTER 22
PERFORMANCE TIME
 

THURSDAY, JUNE 26

 
 
 
After Austin finished playing in the media room, everyone left the room and went his own way. Austin went to the gym to meet Ned to practice some badminton. William left for his room to meet with Cindy and make sure they were both on the same page for their performance. Gene had promised the boys he would see about ordering the music for their Boccherini piece. He went to the school administration center to do so and to see if David was there. And Jacob stayed in the media room for a while strumming his guitar.
 
Austin met up with Ned just outside the Delacroix building. He still couldn’t believe he had actually sat down at a piano and played a solo work for Eugene Delacroix, the man the building had been named for. Even more unbelievable was that the man thought that he had played well. He was now more than ready for his performance with Ned.
 
“They have six indoor badminton courts set up,” Ned told Austin as they started for the gym. “That’s where the tournament games will be played.”
 
“Can we practice on them?” Austin asked. Both boys were surprised. The indoor courts had not been mentioned in the meetings.
 
“We can practice for fifteen minutes since this is a busy time. Or we can practice outdoor for a longer time.”
 
“It looks like rain is coming. I don’t know what the forecast is.”
 
“It’s for rain starting tonight, which is why they set up the indoor courts.”
 
Alejandro and Dennis were on one of the courts, hitting a shuttlecock back and forth. “Hey, you guys want to play against us?” Alejandro asked Austin and Ned.
 
“You’re older and bigger than us,” Ned pointed out.
 
“So? We’ll play for our fifteen minutes and not keep score. How does that sound?”
 
“Sounds good to me,” Austin replied.
 
Ned agreed. “We just need to get our gym shoes on”. Outdoor shoes could not be worn on the gym floor. Austin and Ned each had a pair of tennis shoes in his locker.
 
After Austin and Ned returned, the older boys allowed the younger ones to have the first serve. They got started at four-fifteen, exactly on time.
 
 
 
“I heard your dad and grandfather are here and are going to be listening to us,” Cindy said as she and William entered the lobby of the dorm. “It’s going to be so exciting playing in front of them.”
 
“I’m sure gramps will be listening,” William assured her. “I’m not sure about my dad. He’s kind of mad at me right now.”
 
“Oh? Why is that?”
 
“I don’t know. He just is,” William lied. He led Cindy into the student lounge and sat on one of the couches.
 
“I thought we were going to your room. Why are we coming in here?”
 
“To talk about any last minute things we need to talk about.”
 
“But I was hoping we’d, you know, make out too.”
 
William had anticipated Cindy’s wish and had come up with what he thought was a good reason for not wanting to make out with her. “I’d like to, Cindy, but when I perform, I like to be at full strength, and that includes my sex drive being at its peak.”
 
“Oh, sure, I get it. It helps you play your best.”
 
“Exactly.” William almost believed it himself.
 
William and Cindy then spent the next fifteen minutes talking about entering the stage, the image they wanted to present and how they would do it, and their bowing routine after they finished playing. When Cindy left the lounge, William felt they were as ready as they were going to be. He wondered, however, what he would have thought of shooting his sperms if he had been preparing to play with Austin. I guess I’ll be finding out soon, he thought.
 
 
 
“Hello, Mr. Delacroix,” Max Shepard, the camp director said enthusiastically as he shook the great pianist’s hand. “It’s great to have you visiting us.”
 
“My pleasure,” Gene responded. “It’s been awhile since I’ve been back to the campus.”
 
“That it has, but it feels wonderful to have you back.”
 
“If you’re looking for your grandson, I’m sure you’ll find him…”
 
“I just finished visiting with him, and we’ll be meeting for dinner shortly. I was hoping to find my son.”
 
“I believe he is visiting with Dr. Boardman.”
 
Gene nodded and then handed a sheet of paper to the director. “I told William that I would help him get the scorebook for this ordered. To whom would I talk?”
 
“Well, generally we have our students research where the scores can be found, and then…”
 
“Please, don’t bullshit me, Max,” Gene said in an even tone of voice. “I know that is the procedure for your students at school, but it doesn’t work for the campers who need their music yesterday.”
 
The director harrumphed and coughed. He knew he had to watch what he said since he was talking to one of the school’s major donors. “Well, yes, we do help the campers find the music, but it is highly unusual for…”
 
“Max, all I want is the score. If I were looking for a lecture, I’d find a much more interesting one before a symphony concert.”
 
“I will make sure this is ordered immediately,” Max spluttered.
 
“Thank you, Max. Please inform my grandson, and of course me, when you receive it. Now, if you will direct me to Dr. Boardman’s office, I will join my son.”
 
Gene could hear his son’s raised voice behind the closed door of Dr. Boardman’s office. Looks like I’m just in time, he thought. He gave the door a long hard knocking. Dr. Boardman opened the door and grinned when he saw Gene.
 
“I was hoping to see you before you left.” The two friends shared a quick hug before walking into Boardman’s office.
 
Gene nodded to his son. “Hello, son.”
 
“I was wondering if you would find me. John and I were discussing William’s future here at camp. This whole guitar thing has gotten out of hand and I feel it’s time for me to take him home and maybe find something more suitable for him later in the summer,” David said.
 
“The guitar gives William a broader appreciation for music. Many musicians enjoy playing more than one instrument,” responded Gene.
 
“Not if they want to be top professionals.”
 
“You toyed with the violin when you were a youngster,” Gene chuckled.
 
“Not for long. And I don’t see you playing anything different.”
 
“I guess you haven’t been around when I’ve played my guitar.”
 
David gave his father a long stare. “Well, no wonder you gave William that damned guitar. That started all this trouble.”
 
Gene walked up to his son and placed a hand on each shoulder. “Let your son be a kid. He doesn’t have much time left to enjoy his childhood—I mean he is fourteen already. You can always send him to some high-powered camp, festival, or competition, but you can’t turn back the clock.
 
“His big reason for wanting to come to this camp was to enjoy himself in his own way, and he appears to be doing that. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him this happy. You can see it on his face, you can see it in his eyes, you can see it in how he carries himself, his shoulders straight instead of slumped. And, you see it in how he looks at his little roommate. The two of them look like they’ve struck up a special friendship.”
 
“But Dad, his future is now if he wants to be great,” David protested.
 
“And his present is now, too. He and young Austin plan on playing a guitar/piano duet.”
 
“I know!”
 
“And you know why it will be fun to watch?”
 
“Why?”
 
“Because those two boys are going to have so much fun learning it and playing it. You don’t have to like what will be happening over the next couple of weeks. Just accept it and support your son. You might be surprised how his improved outlook will carry over into his climbing to a higher level.”
 
David thought this over for a moment. “But, when I was a kid, you sent me to some pretty prestigious venues.”
 
“Remember the Bellingham camp when you were eleven?”
 
That brought another moment of silence from David. “That was a lot of fun,” he whispered. “I learned there was more to music than just the music.”
 
“You were all smiles when you came home. You needed the fun to remind you that there was more to being an artist than just work. It appears to be a lesson you have forgotten somewhere.”
 
“Dad, do you know how much I hate it when you’re right?”
 
“I’ve known that since you were approaching puberty.”
 
“Okay, you win. William gets to spend time being a kid, even if it means lowering himself to being a guitarist.”
 
“The winner here is your son and my grandson, which makes you and him both winners.”
 
Father and son shared a hug and then finally sat down. John Boardman looked at both men and grinned. “I take it William will be hanging around for a while.”
 
“Damn, John, I forgot that you were sitting here,” Gene chuckled.
 
“I thought you knew I was still in my office and I didn’t want to disturb you by moving. I think your father is right, David—after all the interplay between the two of you, I believe William came out the winner.” At least for today, he thought.
 
“Don’t forget we’re meeting the boys at five for dinner,” Gene reminded David.
 
“Boys?” John Boardman asked.
 
“William and his roommate Austin, and anybody else who might want to tag along and meet a couple of celebrities,” Gene told the teacher.
 
“I was hoping to talk to William sometime before his performance.”
 
“There is time left before we meet. Let’s go find him.”
 
“Thanks for putting up with me,” David told Dr. Boardman.  The two men shook hands. “Let’s go find the elusive boys,” he told his dad.
 
 
 
David and Gene saw William sitting on a bench in the courtyard chatting with a boy they didn’t know. David called out to him and headed in his direction.
 
“Oh, hi Dad,” William said warily. He was certain his father had gone to see about taking him home from camp. “This is my friend John. John, this is my father, David Delacroix.”
 
John stood up and reached out to shake David’s hand. He knew that William’s father was a famous concert pianist, but that fact hadn’t meant anything until that moment when he found himself shaking the hand of a real-live celebrity.
 
“And this is my grandfather, Eugene Delacroix.”
 
John could feel his knees shaking when he shook hands with an even more famous pianist and the man the music building was named after. He wondered how William could deal with being related to two world-famous musicians.
 
“Should I start packing?” William asked matter-of-factly.
 
“Why do you ask that?” Gene asked.
 
“Because Dad said he was taking me out of camp because I was going to be playing the guitar.”
 
None of this was news for John. William had spent the last ten minutes telling him that he probably would be dragged out of camp and they wouldn’t be able to have their session in bed that night. “I just hope he waits until after Cindy and I play,” William lamented. “I might not like Cindy much, but that would be a mean thing to do to her—not that my dad can’t be a mean bastard sometimes. But I don’t think gramps will let him do it.”
 
Now the moment had come, and William could feel himself shake as he waited for his father to answer. “You can relax, Son. I’ve decided you can stay here for the remainder of the camp. I’m sorry I put you through the ringer.”
 
William was not only surprised by the decision but also by the apology. His father was not one to change his mind very often and apologizing to his son was even more rare.
 
“Oh, wow, this is awesome. Thanks, Dad. And thank you, Gramps.” William had no doubt that his grandfather had been a big factor in his father’s decision.
 
“We just decided that sitting back and being spectators was the most important thing at this point,” Gene said as he worked to take the onus off his son by making their actions a team decision. William, however, knew better—the change in mind was all about his grandfather and not his father.
 
“Are you guys going to listen to my guitar recitals?”
 
“We’ll be there, right Son?” Gene asked.
 
“You said recitals,” David said, avoiding a direct answer. “Are you having more than one, William? The schedule only has you for three recitals, but I thought only one of them was on the guitar.”
 
“You’re right. Guitar on Monday, and piano on Thursday and the next Monday. Austin and my duet hasn’t been scheduled yet. We talked about waiting to schedule it and practice rooms until we knew that we would be playing together.”
 
“I couldn’t make your Monday performance no matter what instrument you would be playing.” David could see the disappointment on his son’s face even though his son was trying to maintain a stoic appearance. “I have a recital at Oberlin College that night—part of a weeklong festival.”
 
“That’s okay, I was sure you’d find a reason not to make it as soon as I asked you to come.”
 
“William, that is unfair, and you know it,” Gene reproached him.
 
William hung his head. It was one thing to piss off his father; he did it all the time. But getting scolded by his grandfather was an entirely different matter. “Sorry,” he muttered. He wanted to leave this whole mess and eat dinner by himself. He didn’t even want to deal with John who had been standing off to the side taking in the family dynamics, disappearing into the background the same way Dr. Boardman, another John, had done not many minutes ago.
 
At this point, David would normally have said something to make the situation worse and an epic father/son battle would have broken out. The moderating influence of his own father helped him pause and catch his breath. “If you can find an open date the last week of camp, I will be there for your duet with your roommate.”
 
“Really?” William asked with a hint of surprise.
 
“Really, as long as you promise never to take up the vibraphone.”
 
“Never,” William chuckled.  “I promise you won’t be disappointed.”
 
“Let’s head for dinner,” Gene suggested. “John, would you like to join us? We promise to put a lid on the family drama.”
 
“Sure,” John grinned.
 
They came across Ned and Austin on the way to the dining hall, which made them a party of six. Gene had reserved one of the alcoves set aside for private meals.
 
After the dramas of the day, the dinner ended up being friendly and enjoyable for all. Ned endeared himself to David by telling him he had heard him in concert with the Vancouver Symphony in February.
 
“Ah yes. We played the Rach 2. That’s one of my favorites and requires a lot of energy.” David was referring to Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto #2.
 
“You were really good,” Ned said. “I can tell you were totally into the music and I enjoyed it. I was bouncing my head right along with you.”
 
“Funny, I don’t remember seeing you in the audience,” David said seriously.
 
“Huh? How can you see anybody when you’re—,” then Ned saw William stifling a laugh. “Oh, you’re just yanking my chain.”
 
“Yes, I was, but truth be told, I am always pleased when young people are at a concert and enjoying themselves. I appreciate you telling me about your experience.”
 
William tried to remember the last time he had seen his father joking around like that. He knew his father used to kid around a lot, but it had happened rarely since he had been twelve or so and became what his father often called, “the know-it-all teenager.” William wondered how much of the drama with his father was on him instead of his father and decided to take credit for some of it.
 
When he compared how his father handled issues to how his grandfather did it, William had to put much of the onus on his father. He did have a pretty good idea in his teenage brain that his father loved him, but that didn’t make it any easier to forgive him for the times he had been an asshole.
 
Although Austin, Ned, and William were going to be onstage performing soon, nobody talked about it. William had mentioned before dinner that saying anything about a performance this close to the event could bring bad luck. When Gene asked Austin if he was nervous, William shook his head. Gene saw what his grandson was doing and understood why he was doing it. After all, he had been a boy once, and understood jinxes.
 
 
 
Within minutes after leaving the dining hall with William and Ned, Austin received a text from this brother, Jeff, that he, along with their mom and Josh, Austin’s piano teacher, were just driving off the ferry.
 
“Hey, my family’s just getting off the ferry. Want to wait for them at the parking lot with me?” he addressed his friends.
 
“Sure, why not?” William asked. “I was thinking they were going to join us for dinner.”
 
“Mom couldn’t get off work as early as she hoped, so they didn’t leave soon enough. They’re going to pick up some burgers and eat in the staff lounge.”
 
“How did you get them a place to eat in the staff lounge?”
 
“I didn’t. Turns out that Josh, my piano teacher, knows Michael Kearns and arranged it.” Michael Kerns was a camp counselor and Austin’s piano tutor.
 
Austin’s family arrived about ten minutes after Austin and his friends got to the parking lot. Austin flashed a giant grin as the car emptied and ran to his mother, giving her a big hug. He then gave Jeff a hug, surprised by a quick grope of his junk. That was followed by a quick hug by his piano teacher.
 
Austin introduced them to William and Ned. Josh was especially pleased to meet William, who was known in piano circles, both because of his father and grandfather’s reputations and his own concert exploits. “Are your grandfather and father here tonight?” Josh asked. Austin had told him that William would be performing.
 
“They’re both here. Would you like to meet them?” William responded.
 
“I would love that.”
 
“Meet me in the lobby after the recital is over.”
 
Austin led Josh and his family to the administration building where Michael Kearns was waiting. “I’ll meet you guys in the lobby, too, after we’re all finished,” he told his mom. “Ned and I have things to take care of, and we don’t have much time left.”
 
“I’m excited to hear the two of you,” his mom smiled. “And you, too, William.”
 
Ned, William, and Austin went to their rooms, changed their clothes, and made sure they had their scorebooks. William smirked and told Austin he looked so good in his underpants that maybe they should be his performance clothes. The sweet looking little redhead flipped him off, causing the older teen to laugh long and hard. Ned also made sure his flute was ready.
 
They met in the dormitory lobby along with William and started for the auditorium.
 
“Where’s Cindy?” Austin asked. “She knows the way,” William replied flatly.
 
 
 
The performers were all seated in a backstage waiting area. While nobody brought formal clothes to camp, they were all dressed in the best clothes they had. There were twelve performances scheduled for this recital. There would be an intermission scheduled at the halfway point.
 
All the performers met in the staging area. Mr. Shepard drew cards out of a glass bowl to determine the order of performance. Each card had the performers’ names on it. William and Cindy were drawn third while Austin and Ned were eighth.
 
The performances weren’t in the same order as the performers in the program, which were alphabetical. While it seemed strange to do it that way, the camp staff found it worked better to not have the performers know the performance order until just before the recital started. Each performance was announced by one of the high school camp counselors and the audience members could then look up the information in their programs.
 
Those who would be performing after intermission could sit in the upper seating level until intermission and the first half performers could sit there after, or they could wait in the staging area.  
 
William and Cindy’s performance did not go well. William played at a very high level, while Cindy had numerous missed notes and seemed overwhelmed at times by the Schubert work. If William’s grandfather hadn’t been in the audience he might have lost his cool and fallen to Cindy’s level, but he kept his focus on his own playing, hoping his grandfather, and his father, for that matter, noticed him keeping his composure under pressure.
 
After they finished to tepid applause, the two pianists bowed politely and retired backstage. They said nothing to each other and sat separately. William wanted to scream at her and stomp out of the staging area but could see that Ms Zimmer was watching him closely. Instead, he sat in a corner chair and fumed.
 
When intermission arrived, Ms Zimmer called Cindy and William over. William reluctantly obeyed, ready to get a royal ass chewing from the teacher.
 
“Cindy, what happened on stage? That was not at all like you,” Ms Zimmer admonished the young pianist.
 
“I don’t like William. He wasn’t nice to me and wouldn’t do what I asked.” Cindy whined.
 
“And what was it you asked of him?”
 
“Just to be nice to me, and he wouldn’t do it.”
 
“You’re going to have to learn not to let personal feelings affect your performance. You know as well as I that you performed very poorly.”
 
She observed William fuming next to her and decided it was time to bank his teenage fires. She knew William tended to be high strung and needed to calm him down immediately. “I don’t know how many in the audience noticed this, but I am proud of how well you kept your composure and focus. You played very well and are to be commended.”
 
“Thank you,” William responded, pleased that his efforts were noticed.
 
“Sure, stand up for him,” Cindy screeched, tears streaming down her face. “Everybody stands up for the boy because he’s rich and famous and all I am is poor Cindy.” She turned and ran out the door, sobbing loudly. Ms Zimmer could see she had her work cut out for her tomorrow. There was obviously more bothering Cindy than William Delacroix.
 
“She wasn’t like that when we practiced,” William noted. “She played really good.” William was careful not to go into the sexual aspect of their relationship, which he was certain played a role in Cindy’s behavior. He just didn’t know what that role was.
 
When William appeared on the upper seating level, he found his father, grandfather, Dr. Boardman, and John, waiting for him. He was pleased to receive a hug from his grandfather as well as his compliments on his focus and resolve. Dr. Boardman complimented him on his musicianship and poise. John asked William if he could sit next to him.
 
As for William’s father, David showed his irritation saying, “You could have at least partnered up with a competent pianist,” making the problem sound like it was his son’s fault.
 
William could feel the anger rising in him. “Dad, she is competent. I have no idea what happened, but that’s not how we practiced. So there.”
 
“We’ll get together and talk tomorrow,” Dr. Boardman stated. “Right now, let’s get some fruit punch and cookies before the intermission ends.”
 
David wanted to leave before intermission, but his father convinced him to stay, telling him he should listen to the sounds William’s roommate brought out of the piano. Gene also reminded his son that he was his ride back to Seattle, and since he wanted to stay, he would appreciate it if David stayed, which David reluctantly did. He sat next to his son and prepared himself to not be entertained.  
 
Austin and Ned were stunned by how badly William’s performance had gone. But they could tell that the problem wasn’t William, it was Cindy. Austin knew that William had some issues with Cindy sexually, but he couldn’t see how that would affect Cindy’s playing. According to William, the two of them didn’t do more than make-out, albeit naked. It was Cindy who didn’t want to do more, and William had followed her wishes all the way.
 
When Austin and Ned started playing their two short pieces the result was immediately the opposite of William’s duet. The sound from the flute and piano was brilliant, the playing was almost flawless, and the chemistry between the two created an immaculate collaboration.   The first piece was the one for flute and piano they found in a flute scorebook and the other was the folk song Ned transcribed for flute and piano.
 
The audience rose for a hooting hollering standing ovation when Austin and Ned finished. William, David, Eugene, and John were as enthusiastic as the rest of the audience.
 
“Thanks for talking me into staying, Dad. The flute player was very good, but young Austin was brilliant, with a capital B.”
 
William got up to return backstage where all the campers had been requested to meet after the final presentation. He saw Cindy on the other side of the staging room but made no attempt to communicate with her. The musicians were waiting for naming of the performers who would be playing the next night.
 
The judges, made up of instructors and counselors, had to count the ballots distributed to the audience as well as their own ballots. The process had been streamlined considerably since the first recitals of the camp.
 
Two soloists and or combos were chosen from each recital. Alejandro was one of those for his rendition of Flight of the Bumblebee, by Nicolai Rimsky Korsakov, and accompanied by Dr. Boardman on the piano. Austin and Ned were the other. They each broke into a big smile. Austin turned and hugged Ned. Just as he broke the hug, he was surprised by two arms draping round him and then turning him. “Well deserved, roomie. I’m proud of you,” William grinned. In the heat of the moment he kissed Austin’s cheek, veering from his roommate’s lips, which were his original target.
 
They now waited while Mr. Shepard announced the winners to the audience. The results drew enthusiastic applause. The winners stepped out on the stage and bowed, drawing even more applause.
 
“For you parents and friends in the audience, come back tomorrow. We will have another dozen performances, made up of some very talented individuals who were chosen during the week’s recitals. As for the campers, I know they all remember that attendance is mandatory for the Saturday recital.” The last comment was met with the expected chuckles and comments.
 
When Austin stepped down off the stage, he was met by his mother, brother and teacher. The three of them not only gushed their praises for Austin, but, knowing Ned’s family couldn’t attend the recital, they treated him as one of their own, complete with hugs from Austin’s mother Valerie and his teacher, Josh, as well as a big kiss from Jeff. This all embarrassed the hell out of poor Ned, but at the same time, the special attention also made him feel good.
 
Austin thanked some of his fellow campers for their compliments when David and Eugene came up to them. “Wonderful job, Austin and Ned. You not only worked well together; your playing was almost flawless.”
 
“I was impressed by both of you,” David added. He had already given his father his glowing opinion of Austin’s playing. “Will you be playing any solos?”
 
“On Tuesday and then the next Monday. I’ll be playing the Granados on Tuesday, the one you heard me play earlier,” he told Eugene.
 
“I will be here for it,” Gene grinned.
 
“I’m playing at a music festival in Ohio this Monday,” David said. “My being back by Tuesday will be a close call, but I’ll make every effort to be here for your next recital.” David had become thoroughly enamored with Austin, thinking that with the maturity and the right teaching he could become as good as William. David and Eugene then sought out Josh Fielding, Austin’s teacher, to congratulate him on a job well done. To be complimented by those two men was a high point of his teaching career.
 
Austin’s first performance was finished, and he left with a warm feeling. William’s first one was finished as well, and he left wondering what the fuck happened.
 
 “You’re really good,” John cooed. “I mean, REALLY good. Of course, my sheets are a mess now. I’ll change them tomorrow.”
 
“Hey, I needed that, and I thank you for it,” William said. The two naked fourteen-year-olds were snuggled on Ned’s bed. “It’s been a crazy, stressful day, and at the same time a lot of good things happened.”
 
“My ass being one of them?”
 
“Yep, and not once, but twice.”
 
“When are you going to take a cock up your ass?”
 
“I dunno. I’m not gay, so it probably will be never.”
 
John thought that William was full of bullshit on the gay issue, but he kept it to himself. He liked William and didn’t want to piss him off, especially since he was so totally pissed off at Cindy. John was careful not to get into that, but William still managed to complain about her a couple of times, at least until the sex between them got hot and heavy.
 
“I wonder how the little boy quartet is doing?” William asked.
 
“Hey, those little boys all have as much pubic hair as I do, so what can I say?”
 
“That would be none at all, right?”
 
“Yep.”
 
“Austin claims to have little bitty ones, but damned if I can find any,” William grunted. “And he looks twelve going on ten anyway. He’s kind of a cute fucker, in a way.”
 
John wanted to give William grief about the way he looks at his roommate. As John saw it, William had a big-time boy crush on Austin, even if he refused to admit it.
 
The teens soon fell asleep, their naked bodies touching. Before drifting off, John thought about the array of cute boys in his home town of Eugene, Oregon and William wished he was cuddled up to Austin.
 
 
 
“You guys were beyond awesome,” Gary told Austin and Ned as the quartet members headed to the dining hall to grab a snack before starting their bedroom session.
 
“Yeah, you were. You guys earned that win, especially since there were so many good performances,” Titus added.
 
“Thanks guys,” Austin said. “You’re both great friends.”
 
“I second that,” Ned grinned.
 
“Like I said, you guys earned it. Gary and I are just telling you the truth about how good you were,” Titus said. “But I can’t believe how bad Cindy was.”
 
“Poor William was trying his hardest to do his best,” Gary said. “It’s like Cindy was fucking up on purpose.”
 
The boys entered the dining hall.  They made an ice cream cone at the soft ice cream machine and started off for Austin’s room. The cones were perfect because they could eat them on the way. They wanted to have their Master Quartet session finished before the proctors started checking for lights out.
 
“We can always do it in the dark,” Ned pointed out.
 
“Maybe,” Titus said, “because I heard the prickters stop outside the doors and listen for talking and…and…and….”
 
“Sex,” Austin and Gary whispered together, which got everybody laughing.
 
“When they hear sex, they probably stand outside the door and jerk off while they listen,” Titus smirked.
 
“I wouldn’t doubt it,” Gary agreed.
 
“Are your parents going to be able to make it Saturday?” Titus asked Ned.
 
“I texted them as soon as I could, and they said they’d be here.”
 
“And my mom and brother are coming, too,” Austin added. “Josh, my piano teacher, can’t make it.”
 
By the time the boys reached Austin’s room, all four ice cream cones had disappeared. The quartet wasted no time getting naked, displaying four hairless, pubescent erections.
 
“Are we still doing what we said we’d do?” Ned asked somewhat nervously.
 
“I’m ready for it,” Titus grinned.
 
“You should be since Carlos has sucked you off,” Austin pointed out.
 
“And I licked his cock, too.”
 
“For real? When did you do that?”
 
“Last night. I told him what we planned to do tonight, and he said it would help get me ready. I stuck the top of his cock in my mouth real quick, too. But I didn’t suck him off, I just jerked him off,” Titus pointed out.
 
“Damn,” Gary moaned. “You guys are so lucky. You all do sex stuff with your roommates and mine gets kicked out of camp for messing around with a girl.”  
 
“Okay, so me and Gary who can shoot, are going to do each other to start like we agreed,” Austin said. “And Titus is going to show Ned what to do—so let’s go do it.”
 
Nobody had to be told twice. Gary wanted to do Austin first and went right to work on his friend’s 3.4 inches once Austin splayed himself on his bed. As soon as Gary wrapped his lips around Austin’s cock, Austin was certain he had somehow entered the gates of heaven; the feeling was intense and sensational. Even though a tyro, Gary gave Austin an expert blowjob.
 
On William’s bed, Titus took over sucking Ned since he considered himself to be experienced. For Ned, this was the first new sexual experience with somebody other than Austin, unless he counted John rubbing his cock on his ass. Like Austin, Ned was sent into another dimension of feeling. Ever since Austin had shown him the art of masturbation, Ned was wondering why he had been so afraid to try anything.
 
“I’m gonna cum,” Austin exhaled. Gary thought for a second of releasing Austin’s cock and letting him shoot over himself, then he did what he had told himself he was going to do—take Austin’s cum in his mouth. After all, he tasted his own cum and it not only didn’t kill him, it tasted good. Austin squeaked and grunted as his cocklet throbbed and his watery seed shot into Gary’s mouth. Gary almost spit it out but hung tight and swallowed it.
 
“Oh, oh, oh,” Ned grunted as the spasms of orgasm hit his three-inch cocklet. Titus didn’t have to think about releasing Ned’s cock since Ned didn’t shoot.
 
“That was the best cum ever,” Ned gushed. “Not  that I’ve had that many,” he giggled.
 
Austin agreed with him. After a few minutes of recovery time, Titus and Gary lay on their backs with Ned and Austin taking their turns to give their first blowjobs.  
 
Ned was somewhat reluctant to put Titus’s cock in his mouth. Titus could sense his hesitation. “It’s okay, Ned. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to.”
 
“I want to, but it’s your pecker and you piss out of it and now I’m going to put it in my mouth.”
 
“Well, I made it alive. And Austin even shot his jism into Gary’s mouth and Gary swallowed it.”
 
“That’s different than pee.”
 
“I’ll wash it if you want.”
 
Ned looked over at Austin, who had Gary’s cock in his mouth and was sucking on it. He knew it was Austin’s first time and he looked like he was doing okay. Nuts to it, he thought, I keep being a wuss when it comes to sex and every time I do something I like it, so here it goes…
 
 Ned replied to Titus’s offer by placing his friend’s cock in his mouth. Damn, he thought, it tastes like sucking a finger or something. With some advice from Titus, Ned was soon getting into the whole sucking thing.
 
“You’re doing good,” Titus rasped, “keep it up.” Ned was doing so well that Titus had his orgasm before Gary, though not by much. When Ned felt the spasms of Titus’s orgasm in his mouth, he felt great; he made his best friend feel good all by himself. In one night, he had been picked to play in the Saturday program and had sucked his best friend to an orgasm. Life was good.
 
Gary moaned that he was cumming. Titus and Ned looked over at Austin’s bed and watched as Gary worked his hips and fucked Austin’s mouth as he shot his own watery cum. Austin swallowed most of it and lost some down his chin. Ned thought that looked sexy, although he couldn’t understand why it was sexy looking.
 
When the boys decided who was going to sleep with whom, they ended up switching partners. Gary would sleep with Titus in William’s bed and Ned would sleep with Austin in Austin’s bed. They brushed their teeth and chatted about how much fun they had and that they would have no issues giving blowjobs in the future. Austin was surprised by how much Ned had enjoyed himself and was not at all surprised when Ned said he didn’t think he was ready to suck Gary or Austin yet.
 
“What did you think of that?” Austin asked Gary later.
 
“I think next time one of us jerks off with Ned, we need to give him a taste of what we shot.” Austin thought it sounded good. One of the things all four boys agreed on was that the next time the four of them had a chance to mess around together they would have to see what doing a sixty-nine was all about.
 
As Austin brushed his teeth, he wondered what sucking William would be like. William had hair around his cock and shot a lot more cum than Gary did. Not only was it more, but it was thicker. He was feeling he had accomplished a lot that night. Just like Ned, he felt life was good.
 
Next:  "I Don't Want Sex"