Peter came over about an hour later, and the boys stripped to get in the pool after making sure every square inch of Peter was coated in Sun Block From Hell. Isaac had given Peter a wide brim cloth hat with a crazy Hawaiian pattern on it, and Peter had adopted it as his favorite fashion accessory, and wore it any time he was exposed to the sun, so in short order it was soaked and being thrown around the pool when it wasn’t on Peter’s head. After an hour or so, the boys had enough sun, and got out, dried off but stayed undressed in the house. They made and ate the evening meal, and eventually Peter and Isaac said their goodnights to Timmy and went to Isaac’s room. Timmy watched a movie on TV, before hopping on his bed and booting up his laptop to catch up with messages and emails.

Peter and Isaac lay together, gently touching and licking, kissing. Peter slowly worked his way around to Isaac’s earlobes, and neck, before gradually finding the ebony haired boy’s tiny dime sized nipples, and gently working them erect with his lips and tongue. Peter kissed his way down Isaac’s hairless torso, and past his lover’s manhood, licking Isaac’s inner thigh and scrotum. He took each of Isaac’s testicles into his mouth and gently sucked them, as Isaac’s erection firmed. Peter licked up Isaac’s shaft, and gently peeled back his foreskin, as his tongue worked the now bare glans, and Isaac shuddered and moaned. Isaac was busy as well, working his finger into Peter’s warm inner space, and poured lubricant on his finger as he searched for Peter’s prostate, and worked a second slick finger into his lover. Peter moved from his position leaning across Isaac, and swung his leg over Isaac’s body, so he was now straddling the boy, on his knees. He bent down and kissed Isaac, then searched under the pillow beneath Isaac’s head for the condom he had stashed there earlier when he arrived, and undressed for the pool. Peter tore the wrapper open, and reached behind his back to unroll the condom on Isaac’s rock hard penis. Isaac had such incredibly stiff erections, which Peter found very impressive and erotic. After Isaac had been properly attired, Peter eased himself back onto his lover’s rigid cock, and felt Isaac slip inside as Peter concentrated on relaxing his grip on Isaac’s shaft. Both boys were moaning and making sounds of intense pleasure as Peter rocked on the hard penis inside him, and Isaac met his lover’s movements with perfectly timed counter movements.

Timmy had opened a chat session with Scott and was lying nude on his bed watching Scott’s webcam on a desk in Scott’s room. Scott was in a tee shirt, and asked Timmy

Timmy moved the laptop so Scott could see his penis and scrotum dangling across his thigh and slowly touched and rubbed himself. Scott took the shirt off, and moved his camera to the edge of the desk and pointed it down at an angle, then slumped down in the chair, and put his foot on the desk, giving Timmy a wide open view of his crotch and long penis. He began stroking and caressing his long member, and within a minute, Scott and Timmy were both erect. They put on a show for each other for quite a few minutes until Timmy could see Sammy walk behind Scotty’s chair, and lean into the webcam so Timmy could see him.

“Hey ya, Timmy!” Sammy said, then kneeled next to the chair and took Scott’s penis into his mouth, teasing Timmy. He gave his brother ten or so bobs of his head, and let the penis fall out of his mouth. Scott scooted over so Sammy could get in the camera view frame with him, and pulled his older brother’s shorts off, exposing Sammy’s long semi erect penis.

Scott returned the favor, and sucked his brother’s cock for about a minute, before Sammy stripped completely nude and pulled another chair up, and put the opposite foot up on the desk. Timmy could see that both boys had testicles the same size.

The three boys got down to the business in hand, and Sammy was the first to signal he was almost there. Timmy watched in amazement as the huge organ spewed forth five strong squirts of semen, and died out. Sammy wiped semen off the end of his manhood and sat back, dividing his attention between his younger brother stroking himself, and Timmy.

“Umm….go ahead if you’re ready, Timmy” Scott replied, and Timmy sped up his strokes slightly, and began to orgasm less than a minute later, his seed spilling straight down out of his thick cock as his friends watched and reacted.

“Nope” Sammy offered. Scott sped his strokes up a bit, and soon his toes were curling as well, as his load of boy cream ran down the side of his cock and over his hand. Timmy and the boys made plans to chat again after Scott and Sammy cleared a campout with their dad.

Isaac was reaching the point of no return and suddenly felt his load shooting into the condom in Peter’s love tunnel. He had been gripping Peter’s cock and pleasuring his lover manually as Peter thrust himself against Isaac’s pelvis. He continued to push into Peter until his penis became too soft, and fell out of Peter. Peter leaned forward, and repositioned his pelvis in front of Isaac, and Isaac took Peter’s length into his mouth, and began to suck the redhead’s ample cock. Peter had his hands on the headboard to brace his upper body, and gently fucked Isaac’s face for several moments, as Isaac reached between Peter’s legs and caressed his bare scrotum and felt the boy’s eggs within. He could feel Peter’s testicles drawing up as he approached climax.

“Uhhhh,,,,,Ahhhhhh…….Oh,….Awww….yeah! Oh, God! Isaac!” Peter groaned and panted, collapsing on Isaac’s chest. Isaac wrapped his arms around Peter and they lay like that for a while, before getting up to take a shower.

Isaac told Peter he had a surprise for Timmy tomorrow and wondered if Peter was free to join them. Peter had no plans and didn’t have to work, so he said yes. When they got out of the shower, Isaac took out the old revolver Jack had left to Timmy, and his Beretta .22 from the closet where he had put them.

“I’m going to take Timmy to the range and start some shooting lessons” Isaac said.

“I didn’t know you even had guns…I don’t even know if my folks do” Peter said.

“This little Beretta is a gift from my Dad, so I….well, we now would have protection when they moved away, and this old colt was left to Timmy when Jack died.”

“No. He’s never handled one before I taught him some gun safety. He never knew Jack even had this.“ Isaac said.

“Learned gun safety at summer camp when I was eight, and then dad started taking me out to shoot. We went a couple times a year. Ever shot before?” Isaac asked.

“No, but I always wanted to” Peter replied. Isaac kissed Peter and said, “Your wish comes true tomorrow then!” and kissed him again. Isaac made sure the firearms were in good order, and wrapped each one in a sock to keep them from scratching or marring each other. He would buy a handgun case for each one at the range. The boys then went to bed.

In the morning, Timmy padded into Isaac’s room and relieved his full bladder beginning with a trickle, then flowing a bit faster the more his erection eased. He started the shower, and the noise woke up Isaac and Peter, and they soon came in and repeated the morning male ritual, then climbed in the shower with Timmy. It was a tight squeeze, but Timmy was about finished and left, which opened up room for Isaac and Peter to wash each other’s hair and scrub their backs with the loofah. Isaac asked Timmy to get his school book bag, and Timmy looked at Isaac quizzically, and figured Isaac had something planned. The boys got dressed and Isaac put the weapons in the book bag, and the trio took off for IHOP. Peter had been sworn to secrecy, and Isaac refused to tell Timmy where he was being taken.

“Sorry, big guy, this is a hostage situation, and the bad guys have you blindfolded and are driving you all over Paris” Isaac said, referring to an action flick the two had seen a few weeks before. It was an older film, but the chase scenes through the city were some of the best that had ever been filmed, and it was one of Isaac’s favorite movies.

Peter said “Jess hope zee zhondarms comes to zee raskyoo befurr time ees opp! Drawing his fingers across his throat. Timmy giggled at Peter and said

“Frrranch peeples… zey do not zound like zat!” Timmy retorted, rolling the r to excess.

Isaac said “You both sound like those French peasants in History Of The World”

Isaac shook his head, mouthed “No!!!“ then said “Peter, we have to educate this ig’nant child….It’s only one of the funniest movies ever made, Timmy. Have you seen any Mel Brooks movies?” Timmy shook his head.

“Or Monty Python?” Again, a blank look on Timmy’s face. Peter put his hand over his face and went “Arrrghh!”

“It’s okay, we will definitely fix this” Isaac said with a grin. “ Don’t panic! Peter and I know what to do!” in a cartoon hero voice, cracking Timmy up. A few of the other patrons looked over at their table, but the boys were just about done, and their favorite waitress flirted a little with them, as usual.

“Isaac, you and Timmy can bring cute guys like this in here all day long! What’s your name, handsome?” she asked.

“Brianna” the waitress said, pointing at her name tag. “They make us wear these so the boss don’t forget who’s ass he’s chewin’…” she joked, winking at Peter and getting a rise out of the boys. “Isaac, are all your friends as good lookin’ as the three of y’alls?”

“We just leave the ugly ones out in the car, Bree” Isaac cracked, “Thanks!” She giggled and walked away to settle their bill and return their change.

“Good Morning, Mr. Walsh” Timmy’s attention was focused on Isaac now. “We’re not home now, but we’ll be back this afternoon after lunch….Yes, Sir, you too.” Isaac ended the call and put the phone away.

Once they left the restaurant, they crossed town and parked in front of a building with a security gate over the windows and door, and went inside. Peter and Timmy had never seen so many guns in their lives, and stood in the middle of the aisle, looking in all directions. Isaac looked for earplugs, cleaning kits and pistol cases, shortly found what he needed and went to the counter. He took the Colt out of the sock and tested the fit in the padded case, and did the same for the Beretta. Once he was satisfied, he asked the counterman for two firing lines, targets and boxes of .38 Special and .22 Long Rifle ammunition. Most indoor firing ranges only let customer shoot range loads, which was ammunition reloaded using spent cases, to a lower power level so the backstop equipment didn’t suffer. They also wanted the money that their customers would otherwise spend at Wal-Mart buying ammunition. Before going in, Isaac pulled Peter and Timmy aside, and asked Timmy if he remembered the three rules.

“Never point the weapon at anything you don’t intend to shoot…keep your finger off the trigger until you fire…Always point the weapon in a safe direction.” Timmy said.

“Awesome. Peter, you heard what Timmy just said?” Peter nodded. The boys put on their ear plugs and entered the lines. Isaac clipped targets to the holders and sent them down the lines about half way. He showed Peter how to load the revolver, as Timmy watched, then took a stance and squeezed off six shots into the target. Timmy and Peter were surprised at the concussion and flame belch from the weapon’s muzzle. Isaac opened the cylinder and ejected the spent shells, and set the weapon down. He opened the case holding the Beretta, and showed his friends how to load the tiny .22 cartridges into the clip, and how to insert the clip into the firearm. He then racked the slide, and motioned Timmy to pick the small pistol up. Timmy stood in the firing line, and

“Line the front sight up with the notch in the rear sight, then squeeze the trigger until it goes off.” Timmy’s first shot went high, as did the second, but as he became used to the minimal recoil and realized he was flinching and pulling his shots, the remaining five grouped closer together as Timmy learned to use the sights. When the little pistol was empty, Isaac had Peter load the clip to its seven round capacity, and try his hand at shooting, giving his lover the same advice about the sights. Both of the newbies did well, picking up the technique quickly, as well as having a good time with their rivalry to find out who was the best shot. They clowned around a bit as well, shooting at each others targets, trying to take the bullseye‘s “virginity” first. It was easy to tell who was doing what, given the vast difference in the size of the bullet holes. Isaac had been given six targets by the rangemaster, so the boys had their fun on the first pair, then agreed to a truce so they could focus on tightening their groups.

Peter bought another box of .38 Special after they had gone through the first 50 rounds. Soon, that too was gone, and the three spent the rest of the time at the range shooting the little .22.

Peter bought Isaac and Timmy another box of .38 Special and .22 ammunition for the next time they did this, and for home defense. The boys cleaned up the lines, packed their gear, and went back out into the store. The three of them window shopped the various guns and accessories for sale, and Timmy was especially enamored of the various .45 caliber Colt automatic pistols in the case. The counterman came over and asked Timmy what he thought of it, and Timmy said

“Well, you have to be 21 to purchase, but you can rent one to shoot in the range, you know.”

“Oh, that’s cool!” By this time, Isaac had meandered over closer to Timmy, and was bent over the display case next to the one Timmy and the counterman were standing over.

“Hey, Isaac! You know they rent guns here too?” The counterman opened the case and got the pistol out, checked to make sure it was clear, and handed it to Timmy. Isaac looked up and came over.

Timmy pointed the weapon down and looked across the sights, and worked the safety and magazine release. It was pretty big in his hands, but his hands were growing too. He locked the slide back, and handed the weapon back to the man.

“I definitely want to shoot one of those the next time we come.” Timmy said. “Thanks, mister!” The counterman gave Timmy a card with a half off coupon on one side, and the business card on the other. “That’ll getcha half off on your first box of ammunition when you rent anything from us.”

“Oh, cool, thanks!” Timmy said. The counterman knew that even though it would be years before Timmy could legally buy a firearm, kids like him had guns given to them, shot in his range, bought ammunition and gear, and represented the future of his business. He always took the time with kids who showed an interest in shooting.

“Got any extra clips for my little Beretta?” Isaac asked, retrieving his pistol from the book bag, and showing the man the magazine.

“I’m sure I do…” the man said, going through some drawers under the display case. “Yup…how many?”

“Two it is, sir…Timmy, no lobster and prime rib this week!” Isaac joked as handed the man a twenty and a ten. Peter came over to join them, and the counterman looked at him closer and said “I know I’ve seen you somewhere before, son”

“Yes, sir…I know you from coming in to Atherton’s Auto Parts where I work.“

“Oh, yes, that’s it…you know me and Keith went to high school together” the counterman said. “Keith started working at that place when he was probably still in 6^th grade, after school and on weekends…when the old man who owned it got sick and died, he left the place to Keith. I guess he had no kids and wife, and it was like Keith was his kid.“

“Keith showed me pictures from back then” Peter said. “before he added on to the store.“

But that was long before Peter got there. Peter had been a sixteen year old with a newly minted driver’s license and had enjoyed the company of males who shared his interest in mechanical things, which had not been his father’s forte. Although his father was loving and a good provider, there were things that he wanted to learn that his father couldn’t teach. He had noticed that the parts store had a sign up, looking for help. He went home that night and asked his dad if he could go get the job. His father told him he had to keep his grades up, but that he thought it would be a good experience for Peter.

“Ever worked in a parts store before?” he asked the boy, who looked to be too young to have worked anywhere, which was true.

“Nope, but that means I have no bad habits to unlearn” Peter replied, grinning at Keith.

“I want you to teach me about business, inventory and customer relations…and I can learn a bit about cars here too.” Peter said, hoping that impressed the man.

Keith remembered how he felt approaching that old man as a twelve year old, asking him for his first, and only job. His mentor had been kind and patient with Keith, and Keith had always been determined to pay that forward someday when the right kid came along.

Peter was a bit of a wiseass, and was definitely working Keith for the gig, but at least he stood up and told Keith why he wanted the job.

“Peter, sir.” Even though Peter’s voice was that of a young adult, his smooth face made him look like a ten year old. “How old are you Peter?“ Keith asked.

“Pay is McMinimum for now, but you get a discount on your own parts…I’ll let you buy them at my cost…Do you smoke?”

“Good…I hate that friggin’ shit…I’ll pay you 50 cents an hour more, because you don’t smoke and I won’t have to keep chasing you down on smoke breaks…last goddamned kid like to drove me crazy with that shit…”

“So, it’s a deal, then?” Peter asked. Keith reached over the counter and offered Peter his hand.

“ Deal. Go take that sign in the window down and bring it over here, Peter” Keith said, shaking the boy’s hand. He then gave Peter a tour of the place, and showed him how the major groups of parts were arranged, and let Peter stock the shelves with incoming items the truck had dropped off that morning. Keith believed in learning by doing, and Peter quickly proved to be adept at locating the places each part went.

Under Keith’s tutelage, Peter learned quickly, and after nine months Keith had let Peter close the store at night, balance the inventory for the day, and close out the register and tally the day’s receipts. Peter would send a Keith a text message with the money count before he left for the night. Keith had a floor safe in the store, and did not let Peter take the cash bag from the store at night. If anything happened to the boy when he was carrying money, Keith would never be able to live with that. Once a day, the armed guard service came by and took the cash, and left an empty bag for that night’s receipts. When Keith came in early in the morning to open, he found Peter had swept and mopped, cleaned the latrine and made sure the special order parts that came in were ready for pick-up. Now that Peter had finished high school, he planned to take Peter aside for a talk…

Back in the present, the boys decided to take the gear back to the house, and then head to the video rental store to get some movies for Timmy, and grill chicken legs for lunch. Isaac rented Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and History of the World Part II, as the start of Timmy’s cultural education, as the boys saw things.

They started off with Young Frankenstein, and Timmy was bewildered at first when Isaac and Peter whinnied like horses and shook their faces every time the characters in the movie said “Frau Blucher!”, and Isaac pulled Peter’s pants and briefs down, and yelled “IT’S TWOOO, IT’S TWOOO! At the top of his lungs, during Madeline Kahn’s sex scene with the monster. Peter and Isaac cracked up laughing, and Timmy just rolled his eyes at them like they were nuts. The boys had thoroughly enjoyed Timmy’s grimace during the door knocker scene…

Halfway through the movie, Isaac had put the chicken on the grill, and he and Peter took turns checking and turning it while it cooked. Once the movie was finished, the boys ate, and Timmy went to his room to check for messages and mail. There was an email from Scott, who let Timmy know that it would have to be September before they would be free for a weekend get together. School would be starting again in less than a week.

The detectives arrived at the door just as Timmy finished on the laptop, and Isaac let them in and introduced them to Peter.

Wendy answered “We would like to show Timmy some mug shots, Isaac. This is related to an incident that took place several years ago at Jack Tate’s house….he was assaulted.”

“Yes, ma’am, he told me about that. Let me get him for you” Isaac said, and stepped down the hall to Timmy‘s room. “Timmy, we got company” Timmy came out of his room and greeted Walsh

“Timmy, I’m Wendy Mayer, I work with Detective Walsh. I would like to talk to you for a minute, if I could.”

“Okay” and the boy led the detective out the sliding patio door, and they took seats in the chairs outside once Wendy slid the door shut. Wendy took out a digital voice recorder and asked Timmy if it was alright to record their conversation. Timmy nodded and she turned the device on and said.

“Interview with Timmy Billings, today is August 17, and the time is 14:10. I am Detective Wendy Mayer, of Metro Police sex crimes unit”

“Timmy, I’m here to talk to you about the man who choked you, and touched you. You know what I’m talking about?“

“Yes, ma’am…but it wasn’t a touch. He was trying to pull my di…uh, penis off or something.” Timmy said.

“It’s okay, Timmy, whatever you want to call it is fine. Did he say anything to you at the time he was doing this to you?” she asked

“He said.. Don’t worry about this little fucker, Jack…I’ll take care of this problem for you, or something like that….I’m not sure. I was so scared…he had this look in his eyes, like he hated me for even being there. I knew he really wanted to hurt me and when he choked me, and I kicked him in the nuts to make him let me go…”

“Umm, he let go and grabbed his….uh, self, and I got up and tried to run. That’s when he grabbed my shorts in the crotch and squeezed really hard. He must have though he had my ball or something.”

“You mean balls, don‘t you?” Wendy had caught Timmy’s use of the singular

“Was that a result of this incident, Timmy?” If the man had caused Timmy’s testicle to be so damaged it had to be removed, he would face additional serious maiming charges.

“Okay“ She made some notes. “Did this man permanently injure you, Timmy?”

“I slugged him as hard as I could in the side of the head…I thought my arm was broken, from the pain in my hand. He let go, and I got the hell out of there. Came back the next day when everybody was gone”

“My neck was pretty bad, and my penis was black and blue too. Jack was pissed at the guy because if I went to school like that, the cops would take me.”

“So what happened to the man, did you see him at Jack’s house after that?”

“No, I don’t think Jack liked him too much. I only saw him in nightmares after that.”

“Timmy, I’m so sorry…I want to ask you if it would be okay to look at some pictures for me, and tell me if this man is in one of them? I know it will bring it all back to you, but this guy may be doing this to other little boys, and I would like to stop him, Timmy.”

“I don’t have nightmares anymore, since I came here. I need to do this so I can let it go, Miss Wendy”

Wendy gave Timmy the mugshot sheets, and he went through them slowly, and stopped and stared at one photo. He took that sheet out of the stack, and went through the others. Once he was sure the man wasn’t in those sheets, he went back to the one he had pulled out, and stared at the same image again. The hair was longer, and the person in the photo had a goatee, but it was the same man. Timmy shuddered, looking in the eyes of the photograph.

“I had nightmares for the last four years because of what he did….I’m sure.“

“Timmy made a positive ID on suspect“ Wendy said for the record, then asked Timmy to put his initials on the photograph. Wendy looked at the notes that she had made for each of the pictures, and a feeling of relief came over her. This case had just been wrapped up.

“I do have some very good news to tell you, Timmy. You will never see this guy again, and you can stop being afraid, okay?”

She shut the recorder off, and they went back inside. She took Walsh aside and showed him the photo Timmy had initialed, and the notations on her list.

“Isaac, let’s have a word, shall we?” and the detective led Isaac out to the patio. Wendy and Peter and Timmy stood chatting, watching Isaac and Walsh on the other side of the sliding door.

“Isaac, I don’t think Timmy needs to know this, okay?“ Isaac nodded. “The man he just ID’d is in Huntsville on a death sentence. He raped, killed and mutilated a nine year old, probably not long after Timmy had his run in with him.” Walsh said, as Isaac felt his chicken begin to move, and his knees gave way.

“Easy there, Isaac. Want a chair? “ Isaac nodded, and Walsh guided Isaac gently into the chair Timmy had just been sitting in. Inside the house, Timmy and Peter were getting concerned watching Isaac suddenly buckle and Walsh catching him.

“Jesus Frigging Christ!….that could have been Timmy…Oh, My God…” Isaac got up and bolted for the back fence, just in time to lose his load, vomiting several times until he was able to calm down. Timmy came barreling out of the house, screaming “Isaac!” and ran over to his friend and asked

“I’m fine, big guy, the chicken just didn’t like me as much as I liked it” Isaac replied, as Timmy walked him back to the patio.

“It really was the damn chicken, Timmy… I’m fine, honest.” Isaac said. Timmy looked up at Walsh and back to Isaac, and said

“I thought that chicken was pretty good” with a stern and serious look on his face and went back in the house. Isaac and Walsh broke up laughing. Timmy knew he was being stonewalled, sensing that Isaac didn’t want to tell him something. He would work on Isaac later…

“Definitely busted…he knows we’re keeping something from him” Walsh said.

“Thanks for letting me try to get away with that” Isaac said. “And thanks for giving Timmy some closure…he slept with me those first few months because of the nightmares.”

“I deal with this stuff every day, Isaac, and there’s still no way I can put myself in a victim’s shoes…To think he had those dreams for four years…I wonder how the kid managed to function if he never got any sleep.”

Detective Walsh and Mayer left, and the boys settled down to watch Blazing Saddles.

Timmy sat just a bit closer to Isaac, and cuddled just a bit tighter with him on one side, and Peter on the other. About four o’clock, Isaac got up and defrosted a pound of ground beef, and put beans and tomato sauce and diced tomatoes in a pot to begin a batch of chili. Isaac’s variety wasn’t the tired old same hot as hell chili that was basically inedible, or the kind that tasted like it came out of a can. Isaac made his chili with two tablespoons of sugar, and half a can of beer. It had a mellow, full flavor. He put it on to simmer for an hour as the boys watched the rest of the movie.

The week went quickly, as Timmy saw an eye doctor for the first time in his life, and his vision proved to be just a bit less than 20/20. No worries for now, but the optometrist said his eyes may change as he matures, and recommended annual visits unless his vision changed noticeably.

Timmy was also seen as a new patient at Isaac’s dentist’s office, and received a clean bill or oral health, as well. They scheduled Timmy for a periodontal visit to clean his teeth, but there were no cavities or structural issues, most likely because Timmy hadn’t drunk soda to excess like most teenagers. Isaac drank mostly coffee and tea, at home, and Timmy had picked up a taste for flavored coffees from Isaac. They both had their favorite brands, but they both like either one, which was fortunate. They alternated the flavors each morning, as part of their ritual routine.

There was a short home study visit from Roger, who stopped by to check if Timmy was ready and equipped to go to school next week. Isaac took him aside to catch him up the outcome of Timmy’s interview with Wendy Mayer. Roger was happy to hear that no predator was after the boy. They chatted a bit more, and Roger went about his rounds.

Isaac informed Timmy that Lizabeth and Pat would be coming in Friday night, and that they would seeing the Kanes on Saturday morning. It had taken a bit of planning, but Lizabeth and Debbie had gotten the grandparents and extended family to meet at the family diner downtown, where the banquet room had been reserved.

Friday morning arrived, and the boys slept in late. Peter was working the weekend, so it was back to the normal shower and breakfast coffee routine for Timmy and Isaac. Isaac decided to go shopping around noon, and promised to bring Timmy something back to eat, and left.

In the early afternoon, Melanie pulled into the driveway next door, and she and a dark, curly haired boy got out of the car. He was dressed in a muscle shirt, shorts and running shoes. He had a bit of a tan, freckles and blue eyes. He looked to be about 10 or 11, and similar in size to Timmy, who was still a bit small for his age. His face, upper body and legs were absolutely smooth. He wasn’t skinny, but had no muscle definition to speak of. He got out of the car and looked around the neighborhood, then followed his mother into the house.

Sean Bennett was 14 years old, and had just gotten off a plane that had taken him away from everything he knew in the Bronx…even though he had spent two months on his grandparents farm outside Albany after his dad was taken away, he’d never gotten any help to deal with the nasty divorce and abduction by his father. They had been caught checking into a hotel in Connecticut, because the innkeeper had seen an Amber alert for Sean on TV hours before they arrived. Troopers came and arrested his father and took Sean back to New York. Melanie went to court and filed a restraining order on her soon to be ex-husband, was granted sole custody and sent Sean to her parents place. Sean’s father spent a week locked up in Connecticut while waiting extradition to New York. He had been able to make bail and was out on bond, but a trespass order against him was in effect for Melanies’ parent’s farm. Sean had made no request to contact him. He blamed his father for the divorce in the first place

Now that she had moved Sean down with her, the boy was like a fish out of water in a newly broken aquarium. He was lost, lonely, angry and hurting. He also had some other problems that didn’t make his life easier. He went into the house and was impressed that the two of them would have so much room. The flat in the Bronx was half the size of this house, and much more expensive. He would have to get used to living on the ground, too. And having a yard…He slid the patio door open and stepped outside, surveying his new turf. A terrible thought hit the teenager

“Aww, Fuck! Now I got this damn grass to cut…Shit!” he spat, not realizing that he was being watched.

Timmy had been relaxing in the pool when he heard the door open. Expecting Melanie, he was surprised and interested to see Sean.

“I’m in the pool…name’s Timmy. Wanna come over?” Sean disappeared around the side of the house, and Timmy got out and retrieved a towel and wrapped it around himself. He heard Sean ask

“No, come on in, nothing bites over here.” Timmy replied, pleased with his innuendo.

Sean came over to the pool from Isaac’s side gate, and said “I’m Sean, just got here from New York.”

Uhh, no, we don’t wear suits generally..” Timmy said, and ducked into the house to put it on. Seconds later, he came back out to continue talking to his new neighbor.

“Yeah, but you can swim almost year round.” Timmy said. “When it gets hot, jump in the pool.”

“What about your mom and dad? Aren’t you afraid they will see you?” Sean wondered.

“No, they’ve seen me before…it’s just Isaac and me here anyway. His mom and dad will come in later tonight.”

“Okay, here goes…My birth mother is dead…the guy I thought was my dad is dead, too. Isaac took me in almost a year ago. His mom and dad are going to adopt me. I met my real dad last month and I am going to meet my real brothers tomorrow…pretty fucked up, right?” Timmy said.

“Wow” Sean said. “Let’s see…Mom and my dad been fighting for a while, so Mom divorces my dad, and the whole thing is in court. My dad gets pissed at mom, and takes me one night and we get to Connecticut, and the cops bust my dad for kidnapping, my mom cuts off his visitation and I go to see my grandparents while Mom comes down here, gets this new job, and here the hell we are!”

“Man, that must suck…do you get to talk to anybody about it?” Timmy asked.

“Like who the fuck do I talk to…the people that are doing this to me?” Sean blurted out.

“What business is it of yours, anyway?” Sean yelled belligerently. “I gotta go” and with that he got up from the table and sped out the door and left.

Timmy sat there, stunned and hurt. That had gone sideways so fast he couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t imagine how what he had said would provoke the boy that quickly.

Sean fled Timmy’s house and the tears began as soon as he was back in his own yard. He couldn’t control his impulsive anger, and instantly regretted alienating the strange boy who swam naked and expressed interest in his wellbeing. He was sure he had destroyed a friendship before it began. He charged into the house and flew past his bewildered mother, threw himself onto the couch and began to sob and wail. Melanie went to her son to comfort him and find out what had caused this, but Sean resisted her touches and made motions that indicated that he didn’t want to be touched. Melanie backed away, and looked down at Sean, who had his face buried in the couch cushions.

“Would you at least give me the courtesy of letting me know what’s going on right now?” she asked sternly.

“I hate him….I hate this place….I hate life” Sean’s muffled voice drifted out of the cushions.

“Go ahead and say it, Sean…you hate me too, right?” Melanie pushed “SAY IT! Go ahead and get it out there…SAY IT!”

Melanie knew that this talk was a long time coming, and she wasn’t going to hold back.

“Sean, turn around and look at me…LOOK AT ME!” The boy slowly turned his teary face and red eyes to her.

“You listen to me now, because you need to know the truth. You think only your world folded up, and yeah, that did happen. But so did mine. The man I married, the man who fathered my only child, decided to take lovers into our marriage bed. What do think the college kid down the hall was doing when your father was alone with him? I know what they were doing, because I caught them…that’s when my world fell apart, Sean. Then I found the money missing from our accounts. Money taken out in cash, but he never bought anything that could account for it. Then I found his kit…you know what that is?”

“He was using heroin, Sean…heroin. If you only had a clue how dangerous that is…So, what was I supposed to do? I have a 14 year old boy living in a home with an addict who is having unprotected risky sex with multiple partners…and letting God knows who into our home, any one of them could have been molesting you. So, what was I supposed to do? I had to get you out of that situation, Sean. I am sorry and I do feel terrible that I fucked up your life. We have to start over together, as a team now. It’s not going to be easy on either of us. I know I tore you away from everything you knew and loved and took you to this strange place. I’m trying to make a better life for both of us Sean. You should give this place and the people here a chance before you write it off.”

Sean hung his head and sat next to his mother “I think I already screwed that up, too”

“I met the kid next door, and we were talking and I had a rage and said some things”

“I couldn’t help it…he was trying to be nice and I went off on him, like a total asshole. He hates me now….I wish I didn’t have to be on this shit!”

“Honey, I know…but if you don’t take it, you wouldn’t want that either” Melanie said.

“Go over and apologize to him, Sean. Don‘t let it fester, it will be harder and worse later”

Sean sat there and thought about things for ten minutes or so, and finally decided that he had to take whatever ass kicking was coming, if he didn’t want a permanent enemy next door. He got up and went out the back door to see if Timmy was still in the pool. There was no sign of life in the backyard. Sean went around the front and knocked on the door.

Timmy heard the door, and put on his shorts and a tee shirt. He thought it might be another social worker. Isaac had not gotten back from the store yet. Timmy opened the door to see Sean standing there, looking down. Timmy left the door open and went over to the couch and sat down and waited. The ball was in Sean’s court.

“I came to tell you I’m sorry I was such an asshole to you. You didn’t deserve that.” Sean turned to walk away and Timmy said

“You sure?“ Sean wasn’t certain Timmy wasn’t going to still do something to him.

“I just want to know what I did, that’s all.” Timmy said. Sean entered and closed the door.

“It’s me…I had a …rage. It’s my fault, you didn’t do nothin‘” Sean said. “I have to take these shots, and they cause mood swings and stuff. I didn‘t mean to do that, but I couldn‘t stop it. I‘m sorry…everything is really messed up right now for me. I guess I can‘t ask you to be my friend unless I can be one to you, and so far I‘ve been a total prick”

“I’m not pissed at you, Sean. At least you came back to say you’re sorry like a man.“

“Are you and me okay then?” Sean asked “You probably want to kick my ass right now.”

Timmy looked down into his lap and said “We’re okay now. I had enough kicking to last me a lifetime, Sean…no thanks.” He looked up and asked “What are the shots for?”

“It’s none of my business anyway” Timmy said, to defuse Sean’s discomfort.

Sean leaned back on the couch and looked down at his shoes. “Mom said my dad was on heroin and screwing around on her…that’s why she divorced him and we moved here.”

“Sounds like you have the best mom in the world, Sean” Timmy said. “I lived with a drunk who beat me for 11 years after my mom was murdered. I had no way out until I met Isaac…Your mom got you out of a bad situation with your dad… you’re lucky.”

“I told her I hated her a couple minutes ago…I feel like dog shit.” Sean said.

“Go back over there and fix that, you dork!” Timmy said, nudging Sean gently with his knee. Sean got up, and started for the door. He turned and said

“Timmy….thanks for being so cool. You’re the first person I been able to talk to since my dad, um… went away…. I’m glad we can be friends” before he zipped out the door. Timmy sat on the couch and smiled. He heard Isaac park in the driveway, and got up to help him carry groceries inside.

Sean found his mother busy unpacking things in his room, and gave her a big hug. “I guess that went well, then?” Sean nodded and said.

“Yeah…Timmy and I are good. I love you mom. Thanks for telling me what really happened.”

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The Apprentice

by Sahypo

Chapter 20