I walked into fourth-period chemistry. I knew none of my few friends were in the class, so I started toward the back. No desks, just those four-person chemistry stations with black worktops and a sink. Great.

There he was. Sitting alone. Straight black hair, blue eyes, pale complexion, button nose, red lips, round face. Button-front dress shirt, black slacks.

I felt my guts twist up. I'm pretty sure I came to a dead stop for a heartbeat and stared at him. I know he looked up and saw me. I saw him blush. His cheeks went patchy red. His red lips curled up in a quick, small little grin before he looked back down at his desk. He glanced up again once I'd managed to actually start walking again.

I almost went to a different workstation, but I had to be near him so I could see him every day. I just fucking had to! I walked to the empty workstation across from his. Not the same one, an aisle away. I sat down. I glanced his way. He glanced mine. Fuck, he was so cute!

Other kids came in, some in pairs. They began filling the empty stations. There weren't too many empty places left when two girls sat down on the opposite side of the station I was sitting at. They were pretty, and obviously not in my clique. They eyed me quickly and then dismissed me. As usual. Two guys who knew each other sat at the opposite side of that cute guy's workstation. Clearly they didn't know him.

The teacher, a really old guy with a paunch, was walking around, taking names and marking them down in his attendance book. He began moving people around. When he came to our station, he took the girl's names, then mine. He moved on. The bell rang. The teacher moved some kids around so everyone had a partner, including that cute guy, whom he moved to sit next to me.

The teacher said, "Thomas, this is Michael, Michael, this is Thomas. You'll be partners," then moved on to arrange other kids.

The girls snickered, and one said, "Yeah, partners!"

Thomas and I ignored them. Something I think we both knew we'd be doing all year long.

I saw his blotchy blush grow darker. I felt mine grow as well.

"Hi," we said to each other.

By the end of the class, we knew what junior highs we'd come from, what suburb we lived in, our full names, and a lot of other things about each other.

And I was entirely aware that I felt something really powerful for him.

And I was immensely glad we'd gotten partnered up. And I was already hoping we'd be more than just lab partners and friends.

Then we had sixth-period English together too! I was already sitting near the back when he walked in. He smiled so cutely when he saw me, and walked right toward me. I must have grinned like a rodeo clown.

"Hey, dude!" he said, sitting next to me.

"Hey!"

We became instant friends.

It was an awesome day!

He was so cute, and nice. I could tell he wasn't quite as shy as I was, but he wasn't very outgoing or daring or anything. He was smart and quick-witted. And he had the cutest habit of rubbing his lower lip with the knuckle of his first finger when he was thinking hard. Small feet. Like, size seven shoes. Big ears, though. His hair was just long enough to cover them. Such straight, glossy, black hair. Clean, not greasy like some of the real dorks' or geeks' hair. He was very clean and tidy. And he smelled like Old Spice. Not a single zit or blackhead. His complexion was fair and pale, but not pasty. And that cute little button-nose! And those red, full lips. 

A few guys our age had that fuzz above their lips. I just barely did, not enough to see unless you were looking up real close. He didn't. Not even sideburns or arm hair or anything. I figured he didn't have any hair down there, since he seemed so hairless. But he sure had a nice package. Nothing huge or anything, but clearly more than the guys who didn't. I knew from two years of showering in gym class that guys with hair down there had bigger packages, and guys who were bald down there had small packages. Thomas had a package, so he must have something down there.

He also had a nice butt, and a nice package. He was just one inch shorter than me and slightly leaner. Not skinny, but not as solid or average as I was.

By the end of that first week, I was so close to asking him if he wanted to do something over the weekend. He beat me to it.

As our English class ended and we were walking out, he asked, "You doing anything this weekend?"

I had plans with a friend to see a movie.

"Not really. Why?"

"Wanna go see The Blob?"

"When?"

"Saturday. It's on at seven."

Same show and time Berry and I were going to go see it.

"Sure!"

When I got home, I called Berry and told him my folks wanted me to go do something with them. He said we could go see it on Sunday instead. I agreed. I'd be broke, but oh well.

So I saw it twice that weekend.

In no time, Thomas and I were best buds.

Berry was curious why I wasn't doing much with him anymore. I said I had a lot of hard classes and had to study a lot. That wasn't a lie. I had chemistry and physics, not to mention Latin.

Thomas was taking Latin too. We were actually on a very parallel career course and taking very similar classes.

We were a lot alike. I had no clue how much.

My friends and I didn't do sleepovers. Those were for kids. But we did stay over at each other's houses sometimes.

I asked Thomas if he wanted to stay over one Friday. He did. It was awesome. We watched a movie and listened to music and used my telescope to see Mars.

I got my first look at him in his tighty-whities. He wasn't very shy. Not like me. We were going to bed about two in the morning. He unrolled his sleeping bag, then took off his shirt. Nice smooth chest and tummy. Cute little innie bellybutton. He was thin but not skinny. Then his dropped his jeans. Oh, man! He sure had hair down there! I could just see the dark shadow of it through that thin, white material. And I could see he jiggled inside those briefs quite a bit, too. His butt sure was nice! Nice legs, too!

I sort of stared.

"Never seen a guy in his underwear before?" he asked with a laugh.

He laid down on the sleeping bag with his hands behind his back. All exposed and on display.

Nothing like as shy as I was.

"Sure," I said as casually as I could. "Just..."

"Just... what?" he asked, looking at me as I sat on the edge of my bed.

I was boning up. How embarrassing!

I laid down in my bed, on my front. I was sure if I laid on my back that my boner would be obvious.

I turned off the light. The only light now was the streetlight shining in my window.

As we talked, I rolled onto my side so I could see him. You know? There was just enough light that I could see him on the floor, in his white briefs.

We talked about boring stuff, interesting stuff, whatever. But I couldn't stop looking down at him on the floor, and thinking those thoughts.

We finally fell asleep. When I got up to use the john during the night, he'd covered his lower half with the sleeping bag. Darn. Still, I whacked one out in the can to thoughts of what I'd seen.

We stayed over at each other's houses a lot. Berry spent a lot of time with some other guys. I felt sort of bad about not spending much time with him anymore, but I was so into Thomas.

And, frankly, I was pretty sure he just might be gay. I mean, when we talked girls, he didn't talk like my other friends did. Plus, he didn't bring it up much. Not nearly as much as my other friends did.

And then there was the fact he always slept in his white briefs, and always got out of his clothes before we turned off the lights. Not to mention the way he was never in a hurry to hide his body. It was like he was deliberately showing off.

So, by the end of the first quarter of school, I was getting out of my clothes before bed too. With the lights on. In just my tighty-whites. And I could see him looking.

WOW!

And, best of all, he seemed to be chubbing up when I did. I mean, before, I could see his stuff dangling and such, but now that I was showing my briefs, I was absolutely sure he was filling his briefs up more than before. There was always a clear hint of the head of his dick now. Pink and triangular and dangling down fuller and farther than before.

I was too, to be honest. I mean, how could I not? A couple of times I had to get under the blanket pretty quick before I boned up fully.

Then came that night he mentioned it. Just right out in the open. I'd dropped my jeans, was chubbing up, and got under my blankets real quick. Like was usual now.

"Hey, Mike?" he asked as I turned out the light.

"Yeah?"

"You getting hard?"

I couldn't answer.

Then he said, "Too?"

Do I admit it? I wondered. If I lie, he'll know I'm lying. Has to.

"Yeah. Guess it's pretty normal," I said.

"Yeah. It is. Normal, I mean," he said in the near-dark.

"Yeah. Guys get boned sometimes. And sometimes even when it's just another guy around."

"Yeah," he said. Then asked, "You beat it off? When I'm staying over?"

Uhhh... what do I say?

"It's okay if you do," he said after I was quiet for a few seconds, unable to say anything myself. "Guys just do it. A lot."

He laughed that soft laugh of his.

I was quiet for another few seconds, then asked, "Do you?"

He said, "Yeah," with another of those cute little soft laughs.

I had so many thoughts running through my head!

"You ever done it with one of your friends?" he asked next.

I was thinking, Holy shit! Is he coming on to me? What do I do if he is? Should I say something to keep the topic alive? I have to! But what?

"You mean, like, do it at the same time?" I had to ask the next thing. Just had to. But it was so hard to do it! "Or... to each other?" I finally asked.

"Either."

"Uh, no." But that wasn't enough! More! "But I thought about it."

Wow! I sad that much!

I was almost shaking in my bed now!

"You want to?"

I heard myself swallow!

Say yes! Do it! Now! Before it's too late!

"If you do."

So quiet! Just my hammering heart in my chest. Could he hear it?

"Can I come up there?"

HOLY SHIT!

As calm and casual as I could, I said, "Okay." but my voice sounded shaky and almost scared.

Why wouldn't it? I was!

In the faint light coming in my window I saw him get up, then come toward me. He climbed into my bed!

I was frozen in place!

I didn't know if he meant do it together, or, GULP, to each other.

OH, please! To each other! Or just side-by-side! Either way! But which? And how do I find out which? Ask?

When I felt his hand on my lower stomach, I knew which!

My dick almost tore through my briefs!

His hand slid down over my skin, to the waistband of my briefs.

HOLY SHIT!

Then his fingers wiggled under the waistband!

His warm, soft fingers slid though my bush, beneath my pounding erection. Then up and around it!

Oh, holy shit!

I don't think I took a single breath for those long seconds since he'd climbed into my bed.

"Bigger than I thought," he said, giving it the first stroke.