The Concord Five

By Sequoyah Pendor
sequoyah@charter.net

Warning!

This story contains sexually explicit, erotic events involving alternative sexualities. Do not read the contents if they will offend you. If accessing this site causes you to break local laws (village, town, city, county, province, state, or country, etc.), please leave now or accept the consequences, should there be
any.

By reading or downloading this file you implicitly declare that you accept total responsibility for your actions in regard to material intended for mature, responsible members of society capable of making decisions about the content of documents they wish to read. You are accessing this story of your own free volition. You have been warned!

Disclaimer

This is a work of fiction; any coincidence is just that, a coincidence.

Copyright Notice

This story is copyright by the author and the author retains all rights. You may distribute, copy, or print one copy of this story however you like, PROVIDED this copyright notice remains intact and you do not change the story in any way. Also you may not post this story to any website or charge any fee to anyone to distribute or access this story.

© 2000 - 2003 Sequoyah Pendor. All rights reserved.


Chapter One

Jacob


As I got in the car, I could hardly hold back the tears. Sure, we were all sad -- as friends always are when a time of separation comes -- but it hit me harder. I was leaving the woman I had come to see as my best friend and now the love of my life. Michael and Mary Kathryn and Bill and Linda had only left friends; I had left the light of my life.

Paula and I had talked a lot about that the nights we slept together in the tent. We talked about a lot of things. We talked about having sex -- making love with no boundaries -- and decided it was best to put it off, as difficult as that proved to be. We talked about how little time we really had together after we discovered we were in love. And, I guess most importantly, we talked about what would happen if we found someone else. I didn't want to even think about that, much less talk about it, but Paula is a very practical woman.

"Jacob, I can't imagine it happening, but let's be honest. How many high school romances have you known which lasted when the couple split up -- going to different colleges or, as we are, where one is in college and one is in high school? I can't think of a single one. Even couples who were officially engaged didn't make it."

I had to admit she was right, and then protested we were different.

"Maybe we are. I think we are, but what if we're not? There are high school events you'll want to attend with a date and I'm sure the same will be true for me. Is that going to be ok? I mean, is it ok for us to date casually for special occasions or not? If we do, what happens if we fall in love with someone else?"

"I honestly hadn't thought about that, Paula. I really hadn't. But if we are in love and if we are committed to each other, I don't see why we can't date occasionally so long as the person we're dating knows where they stand. Do you?" I looked at Paula closely because I knew her eyes would tell me the truth.

"See no reason at all. If we trust each other and make sure the date knows it's just a friendly kind of thing. No, I see no reason not to." Her eyes told me she was telling the truth.

"And if we fall in love with someone else?"

"Jacob, all I ask of you is that you be honest. When you see it happening, don't lie to me. Be a man and be up-front. If that is the way it is, we might still be friends after the hurt is over, but that's not likely."

"Glad we talked, Babe," I said. "So long as we're honest with each other, it'll be ok." I leaned over and kissed Paula and, as I did, I said to myself, "It's going to take some woman to turn my head because I think I've found the only one for me".

Thoughts, memories, were all racing through my mind as the miles rolled by. I don't know when I fell asleep, but I did and only woke up when Bill stopped for gas and a pit stop.  

Michael

All of us, except Mom and Dad, spent only one night on the road going home, stopping in a motel somewhere in Kentucky. Because of Mom's condition, she and Dad took an extra day to get back, stopping and resting frequently, and calling it a day early on Monday and Tuesday. The rest of us got home late Tuesday and all were very tired. We had stopped for supper in Concord, so when we got to Mary Kathryn's, I kissed her goodnight, went home, took a quick shower and fell into bed.

The Larsens expected me for breakfast Wednesday morning so I was up early, ran with Mary Kathryn, showered and drove to her place. I told her she should shower with me, but she wisely decided a fresh woman after a run would be hard to explain.

We were all reluctant to do anything after the two weeks in Ohio and getting back tired the night before, but the summer was over. Gabrielle and Jens were off to work and Mary Kathryn and I were meeting the Fellowship -- what was left of it -- and Ms. Jones at 9:30 at the school. She had asked that we come in to make some plans for the opening of school.

Mary Kathryn and I arrived a bit early and went to Ms. Jones' office. She asked about our summer, how Matt and Luke were doing, and we told her that we had been with them as well as Eugene, Larry and Paula and our families and friends in Ohio for two weeks, getting back the night before. She wanted to know all about it and we were in the midst of telling her when Bill, Linda and Jacob came in. They joined in the conversation and we just talked about the summer until it was well after 10:30.

"Glad you had a good summer, even with all the bad things. Jacob, I'm sorry about you and your parents, but know that Bill and his family will make you welcome."

"They have already," Jacob said. "I think they're trying to spoil me," he laughed.

"Well, you have earned a spoiling from me," Bill said. He then told Ms. Jones how Jacob had made his dad realize he hadn't been paying attention to him.

"That's great," Ms. Jones said. "Maybe we can hire him out to wake up parents this year. And, Jacob, I guess you are a bit lonesome with Paula in Ohio."

"Lonesome doesn't begin to cover it," Jacob said. "This is going to be a rough year for the two of us."

"Think we may help by keeping all of you busy," she said, seriously. "But, first, we have some things to work on such as the calendar, the usual, and then I have some special things I want to talk to you about, so let's get busy."

We worked on the calendar of events and what students would be expecting and when, everything from homecoming to SAT and AP exams. By the time we had finished, it was lunchtime. "How about taking a break?" Ms. Jones asked. "It's time for lunch and I have taken the liberty of ordering pizza for us and have prepared a salad to go with it. Let's go to the courtyard and wait for the pizza, which should be here in five or ten minutes."

While we were waiting, sipping on soft drinks, Ms. Jones asked, "I heard something about a trip to the Black Hills, Michael. Was that a vacation trip?"

"Hardly. Matt and Luke went there to do a vision quest. Mary Kathryn and I were there for different reasons." Between Mary Kathryn and I, we told her of our experience there, I mean as far as you tell anyone about medicine man training and preparing for womanhood. Ms. Jones was fascinated and kept asking questions, some of which Mary Kathryn and I answered with, "I'm sorry, Ms. Jones, that's something you don't talk about to others". She was really fascinated when we told her how Red Hawk had died.

"I guess that means your training is complete then, doesn't it?"

"I don't think so," I replied, "but I don't know what happens next, since Red Hawk is dead. We'll just have to wait and see."

"Maybe what you have learned can be used in one of the things I want to happen this year. In one of the workshops I attended this summer, I learned about high school peer counseling programs. Students counsel and help other students after a pretty intensive training program. It works where it is being used. Peer counselors also serve as mediators when students get into conflicts. One of the things it does is to change discipline. Too often students are suspended, or even expelled, when they get in trouble. When that happens, they are put on the street where they often get into deeper trouble. Maybe we can find an alternative to that."

"I want each of you five to come up with at least three others you know -- sophomores, juniors and seniors -- so we can pick a team of twenty. And don't, by the way, look at just grades or even people who have never caused trouble. Look at people you are sure could be trained to help other students -- those who, you recall, helped students last year. I was told students often just go on instinct. Think you can do that? All of you have had experience without training, so I immediately thought of you as the core group."

"How long do we have?" Bill asked.

"I have scheduled a camp for a training retreat two weeks after school starts. You will have a 'for credit' class which will continue training and provide support. That, of course, will start as soon as school starts. And you'll need to think of a teacher who can work with you. I have some ideas, but I'd rather that come from you. In addition, I was thinking of Ms. Norman as a co-advisor."

"She was the first one I thought of," Eugene said.

"Well, think of another. It probably should be a male so you have the male-female dynamic in the advisor team."

"Ok, we'll be thinking about that," Bill said. "It sounds like a very good idea to me."

"Here's another very radical idea," Ms. Jones continued. "I have talked with Millie about it and she has taken it to the board. They are reluctant to give permission for it, but Millie has a couple members as enthusiastic about it as she is. They have given approval for us to move ahead, subject to the final plan being approved by them."

"The student council has, for all practical purposes, been an organization without purpose. This summer I did a lot of reading about the way this country was set up. Why couldn't a school, which has elected student officials, be set up to operate in much the same way? Of course there are some decisions I would have to make and some things I might over-rule, but why shouldn't the student government be responsible for the rules -- like laws -- by which we operate? Why shouldn't students form a court to try students for infractions of the rules? Why shouldn't students decide how discretionary funds be spent? I think it would work. Then students would really take seriously what we as administrators and faculty say, but know is wrong, 'This is your school'. What do you think about that?"

"Well, as you said, it's a pretty radical idea. Members of the student government are generally elected in a popularity contest and probably would not be the best choices," Mary Kathryn observed.

"And just what makes you think that's not true of political leaders?" Linda asked.

"Now that you mention it..." I mused. "Why not try it? It couldn't be worse than it is now. 'Course it's gonna take a lot of explaining to get that across to students."

"Yea, and there will have to be a rough period in which you keep hands off, at least up front, before students believe it and take the idea seriously," Jacob said. "But, you know, I think students will be harder on students than faculty and administrators are."

"Probably," Ms. Jones said. "I guess I would have to have final say, since I have to answer to the board and parents. But I'm willing to stay out of it as much as I can, even if the place starts going to hell in a hand basket at first."

"As I am sure it will," Mary Kathryn said.

"Well, you have your work laid out for you. Think you can have a final plan by Monday?"

"We have already called a meeting of the Fellowship -- what's left of us -- at the falls Saturday. Why don't you come by late Saturday afternoon and see what we've come up with? Even have supper with us. We'll be having a picnic about 4:30 or 5:00," I said.

"Sounds good to me. I've set aside the conference room for you to use. A copy of the school board's rules and regulations is there for reference. You don't need to look at them all -- I'm sure you don't need to know the procedure for purchasing toilet paper!" she laughed, "but matters of discipline, behavior, dress codes are there. If you find something you think needs changing, write it up with the changes and reasons and I'll present it to the board or explain why I can't. Any questions?" There were none and we adjourned to the conference room.

We discussed the peer counseling program and thought it was an excellent idea, but really weren't ready to recommend others for it without some thought, so we turned to looking at the new role of the student government.

The first thing we looked at was the student handbook. All of us were astonished at the pages upon pages of rules. We certainly had never read them and doubted that many other students had either. All of us could remember when a teacher had busted a student for disobeying a rule we had never heard of, but realized they were so many and so nit-picky that could happen. Actually, because of that, they had no real meaning. After an hour, we had reduced the rules to very few: "Students are to be academically honest. Students are to respect the authority of administrators, teachers, student government members and any other designated authorities. Students are to respect each other. Students are to respect the property of the school board and of each other. Students are to respect rules of classroom behavior as established by each teacher." That was it. Of course, there would have to be a lot of discussion of the implications of the rules, but there was no need to have five pages on academic honesty as the old handbook had. Every student knew the difference between honest work and cheating.

We were asked to attend the general faculty meeting at the end of the day and make our presentation. Most teachers were very much for having fewer rules and all agreed that they would have to take responsibility for spelling out how they would be applied in their classrooms.

As we were leaving the school, Mary Kathryn and I asked Greywolf and Yong Jin if we could come by and talk with them about what Ms. Jones had proposed and they agreed. Both were very supportive of the idea of student government taking a larger role and of the peer counseling program but, as the Fellowship did, they needed time to think of people for the counseling program and how to present the student government's new role to students.

When I got home, I called Christopher and asked if he'd like to go for a ride in the country. I hadn't seen him since I talked with him earlier. He didn't seem too interested, but said he'd do anything to get out of jail. I didn't bother to ask him what he meant, just told him I would pick him up in half an hour. He said he was at his grandfather's restaurant, so I drove straight there.

When I went inside, Demetri greeted me heartily and asked what I had been up to. I told him about all of us going to Ohio and helping the crew there get set up, then asked where Christopher was. Demetri rolled his eyes and motioned with his head to the back room as he called out, "Christopher, someone here to see you".

Christopher came, almost running from the back room, a huge smile on his face. When he saw me, he came to a sudden halt and the smile disappeared. "Oh, it's you," he said in a voice he might have used to greet an executioner.

"Yea, it's me. If you don't want to go with me, fine. I have other things to do so I don't need to waste your time or mine." I saw no reason to ignore his expression and obvious feelings.

"Oh, I'll go. It's just that I thought you were someone else."

We went outside and climbed into the Tracker. As we did, I noticed that Christopher had a few more things pierced which I wouldn't have believed had someone told me, because I didn't think he had anything unpierced when I first met him. As we started out of town, I asked, "What've you been up to this summer?"

"Mostly being worked and bored to death. The old man insists that I work in his rundown place and I'm there six or eight hours some days. Other than that, I've mostly been bored except when one of the guys comes by."

"Who've you been hanging out with? Anyone I know?"

"I guess. They sure know you. I've made friends with the real kewl crowd, Dude, you know Kenny Haines, Frank Kitchen and Spike Ellis and that bunch of kewl dudes."

"Kewl dudes, my ass," I thought. "That bunch are the bottom-feeders deluxe. They have been in and out of juvenile detention so often they think it's home because they are still young enough not to get sent to jail for dealing drugs, alcohol violations, vandalism and theft. Yep, they are kewl dudes all right." I decided not to say anything about them and just see what Christopher would tell me.

"What have you and they been up to? Having fun?"

"Sure have, man, when I can get some money out of the old man. I mean he pays me for working, but it's not enough. We got a-hold of some great grass last week, but it's gone and I'd sure like some more. Kenny's picking up some today, I hope. Yea, and we found a guy who will buy beer for us. He takes half, but I've been able to sneak a bit from the till occasionally so we can party. But you're not into fun are you, boy?"

I was ready to demonstrate just how much a boy I was NOT by busting the son of a bitch one, but held my temper. "Sure I'm into fun. It's just that I don't need weed or beer to have fun."

"Don't know what you're missing. Still haven't found a chick to screw. I was used to getting a lot of pussy when I was hanging out at my old lady's, but can't seem to connect here. I mean other than what the dudes come up with. But I will." He cupped his cock and balls in his hand and jiggled them. "Sure need some pussy. You getting any ass these days? Hear you got a regular girlfriend."

Ok, he had stepped over the line this time but I still kept my cool -- mostly. "First of all, Christopher, if I am or am not having sex with my woman, it's none of your damn business and would not be something I'd talk about to someone I barely know. Second, I don't like the way you refer to Mary Kathryn, my woman. You make her sound like some kind of tramp or whore and I don't like it."

He laughed and said, "You answered my question. You're not getting any ass."

I was really steaming. I pulled to the side of the road, looked him in the eye and said, "Christopher, who you run with and what you do is your business. You're being a damn fool and you'll learn that soon enough, but that's your affair. BUT my relationship with Mary Kathryn is not your business and if you make another remark suggesting she is trash, I will beat the shit out of you. You better understand that. Now do you want to go back or shall we start over?"

"Hey, be kewl, dude. Just be kewl."

I calmed down some and we drove out to the farm. Christopher said he had never seen a real farm, so we just walked around the place where I answered questions. I couldn't believe he was so fascinated by things like vegetables growing in the garden, cows feeding and so on. "Look, I would really like to see how you get milk out of them cows," he said.

"Sorry, can't show you that since most of 'them cows' are bulls and are just about as capable of giving milk as you are."

"That's the reason they have only one teat, they don't give milk."

"Not a teat, dude. They have only one of those just as you have only one."

"Oh," he said.

"We raise beef cattle, not milch cows. So we don't milk cows, but maybe I can show you how to get milk out of a cow. It's almost 5:00. There's a dairy farm not too far from here and they should be ready to start milking. Let's go."

When we arrived at the Heidelberg farm, several men were preparing cows for milking while other cows were already in the milking stalls being milked. Mr. Heidelberg was at the end of the long milking parlor and I told Christopher to walk quietly as we started toward him.

"Hi, Michael, haven't see you in a coon's age," Mr. Heidelberg said as he extended his hand. As I shook it I said, "Mr. Heidelberg, this is Christopher. He's Demetri's grandson."

"Demetri that runs the Greek place?"

"Yea, that's my granddaddy."

"Got a great man for a grandfather, son," Mr. Heidelberg said. "He's got a good heart. Well, what can I do for you, Michael?"

I laughed. "Christopher wants to see how you get milk out of a cow."

"Well, Christopher, if you look at the cows in here, they have a milking machine attached to their teats. It uses a vacuum to milk them. But I guess you'd like to see how it was done by hand. I've got a kind of pet cow who is willing to be milked by hand. I'll bring her in shortly. Meanwhile, make yourself at home." We walked around and again I answered questions. A few minutes later, Mr. Heidelberg came in leading a cow. "This is Daisy," he said, as he placed a bucket of feed in front of her, and walked back, sat on a low stool and started milking, both hands producing powerful streams of milk which foamed as it hit the bucket. After a while he asked, "Michael, can you milk?".

"Not with both hands, and I'm not very good, but I can do it." Mr. Heidelberg got up and I took his place on the stool and produced a pretty weak stream of milk. After I had struggled bravely for a while, Mr. Heidelberg asked, "Want to try, Christopher?". Christopher nodded and took my place.

Try as he would, he couldn't get any milk. Mr. Heidelberg placed his hand over Christopher's to show him the movement needed. After he tried for a few minutes, Christopher had finally produced a tiny stream once or twice. Finally, Daisy looked around at him and gave him a swat with her tail, tumbling him backwards off the stool. Mr. Heidelberg laughed as he reached out and pulled Christopher to his feet. "I know it looks easy, but you have to learn a technique, just like doing anything. Daisy knows you are new at this and gets a bit annoyed. Guess you're not hurt."

"No, just embarrassed," Christopher replied.

"Don't be. She can still do that to me if I don't watch it," Mr. Heidelberg said. "Well, I guess we all had enough hand milking today," he added as he led Daisy to a milking stall.

"Thanks, Mr. Heidelberg," I said, shaking hands with him.

"Yea, thanks," Christopher said, sticking his hand out.

As we were walking back to the Tracker, Christopher said, "Dude, that milking machine thing could give you one hell of a blow job," and laughed. I decided not to tell him it would probably give him one that he would regret, as some dairy boys I know had found out!

Once we started back to town, he started talking shit about weed and beer and pussy again. I was pretty pissed when I let him off. I was sure that most of what he was saying was pure smoke and bullshit, but I wondered why he thought he had to talk such shit to me.

I took him back to the restaurant and when I let him out said, "Laters". As I drove off I thought to myself, "This is not a project I want!"

I talked to Mary Kathryn about my time with Christopher, and how he seemed to be ok when we were on the farm and at the dairy, but I got pissed all over again when I told her how he talked about women and her. "Michael, he wasn't talking about me," she said, "but about the women he has known or probably thought about. Maybe that's the only kind he has known."

"Mary Kathryn, I have never had such mixed feelings about a person as I have about Christopher. On the one hand, he's an asshole, a user, and a no-good jerk. On the other, when I look at his granddad, I know there has to be something worthwhile in him if he hasn't killed it already. I think I saw that coming out while we were at the farm and dairy. Still, on the one hand, I'd like to just beat the living shit out of him and on the other I'd like to try to help him make something of himself."

"Well, I know where you stand," Mary Kathryn laughed, "...confused. I guess we'll just have to keep working until he chooses one way or another."

"I guess so, but it's not going to be easy," I replied.

I decided I'd ask Christopher to join the Fellowship at the school Thursday, and when I called him late Wednesday night, Demetri said he hadn't come in yet. "He's out and gone all hours and I don't know what to do about it," he said.

"Doesn't he have a curfew from the trouble he got in before he came here?" I had no idea whether he did or not, but thought there must be one.

"I don't know. I guess I should look over the agreement he signed to get to come," he said.

"Have him call when he gets in," I said.

It was 1:00 when he called and the phone irritated Dad big time, but he didn't say much. He didn't have to, he just called from his bedroom, "Michael, it's for you".

"Michael here," I said into the phone.

"It's Christopher," the voice on the other end said. "You wanted me to call you?" Christopher's voice was definitely slurred.

"Yea, I wanted to invite you to go to the school tomorrow with a group of us."

"Why the fuck would I want to go to the fucking school before I have to?" he asked.

I explained what we were doing and when I finished said, "I thought you might be interested in getting to know some people."

"Fucking damn teachers' fucking pets? No, thank you."

I was pissed at him again but, knowing his condition, I said, "Just a thought. Sorry," and hung up. This guy was definitely a problem, but I had promised Demetri I would keep an eye on him and, by damn, I would!

When the Fellowship got to school the next morning, we compared notes on who we thought might be good as peer counselors. Among us, we came up with eleven. That meant we could add four more if all of them accepted. It was a pretty mixed bag. Of course there were good students who had never been in trouble, but there were also a couple who had been in real trouble but seemed to be straight now. There were a couple of girls, a guy we thought might be gay, a football player and a cheerleader, and one additional basketball player Bill said had really changed during basketball camp. When we showed the list to Ms. Jones, she thought we had done a good job but took one off the list because she had moved during the summer. She added one we did not know who had been sent away to boarding school last year while her mother and father were going through a nasty divorce, but who was coming back to live with her father.

The rest of the day we spent setting up the student government and its committees and so forth for its new role in school. When we finished, we presented our findings to the faculty again. Ms. Moore, who had seemed very opposed to the idea the day before, said we had done a good job and maybe she had been wrong in her statements that day. "I'll definitely take a 'wait and see' attitude," she said. "You certainly deserve a chance to prove this will work, and I'll support it until I see it's not working."

"You know, Janice, it's going to be rough at first. This is, after all, something very new for all of us, and very radical."

"I'm willing to hold judgement until the rough time should be over," she said.

"That's all I ask," Ms. Jones said.

Ms. Jones had asked that we meet with her in her office after the faculty meeting. When we got there, Ms. Norman was already present and greeted us all warmly. "I'm really excited about the peer counseling program," she said. "I have heard how well it is working in other places and am really glad we're going to have a shot at it. Who have you decided on as a co-advisor?"

"We haven't," I answered.

"Well, who would you suggest?"

I wanted to suggest Greywolf, but didn't think I should. It would be almost like Matt suggesting his father. Besides, I wasn't sure I wanted Greywolf to hear what I might say.

"To my mind, the best person for the job is Mr. Allen or Greywolf," Jacob said.

"I'm afraid Mr. Allen is out," Ms. Jones said. "He's being given many more responsibilities this year. If he wasn't, I would agree he is an excellent choice. What about Greywolf? Why not Greywolf?"

"I think he is the most obvious choice. The number one reason is that we all know him so well and know what he stands for. He sure seems to have a grasp of what teenagers need and want. I don't know any other faculty member nearly as well and we would start out with a high level of trust in him," Jacob replied.

"How about the rest of you?" Ms. Norman asked, looking around at all of us.

"I certainly think Jacob has spoken for all of us," Bill said.

"Same here," Linda said. "We have been through a lot with him, both here and outside school, and he's perfect."

"Michael, Mary Kathryn, you haven't said anything and I didn't notice you nodding agreement," Ms. Jones said. "What's your position?"

"I can't speak for Mary Kathryn," I said, "and I think Greywolf is perfect except, well, I'm not sure I want to be telling secrets with Greywolf in the room. I mean suppose, just suppose, Mary Kathryn and I were, maybe, kinda, having sex and that caused some problem or something and... well, you know." Damn it, I blushed.

"Mary Kathryn?"

"Ms. Jones, I was thinking about the same thing -- not about having sex, but suppose Michael and I had a problem. Could Greywolf leave it here at school?"

"As you said, all of you know him very well; better, I am sure, than I do. What do you think?"

"I could see where that might be a problem for Michael and Mary Kathryn," Bill said. "Yea, I can see where it might be a problem for them but, knowing Greywolf -- not as well as they do, of course, but pretty well -- I don't think it would be a problem for him. I think he could and would honor confidentiality for them as well as for someone else. But I can see where it could be a problem for them."

"No-one said you had to talk about your own problems before the whole group or before Greywolf," Ms. Norman said. "And I'm sure he would have no problem with keeping general discussions and others' problems to himself. Actually, I don't think he would have a problem keeping your own secrets unless he thought you might be in danger."

"And you need to make clear that is the one reason, and the only reason, confidentiality will be broken -- to protect the safety of the person you are working with or someone else. If a person is talking about suicide, for example, you have to seek help whether the person gives you permission or not."

"To tell the truth, I can't think of anyone I trust more than Greywolf," Mary Kathryn said. "It's just that the idea of discussing certain things with him present might be difficult, and I guess if I needed to talk with someone, I could see one of you."

"Sure you could and I hope you would," Ms. Norman said. "So are we agreed Greywolf will be asked to become co-advisor?" We all agreed.

"Let's see now. Jacob, you are student government vice-president and Michael is president. Bill, do you have an office?" Ms. Jones asked.

"He's secretary of state or whatever my closest advisor is," I answered.

"How about you two?" she asked, looking at Linda and Mary Kathryn.

"Guess I'm first lady," Mary Kathryn laughed. "Actually, I had thought about running for junior class president last year, but decided I really didn't want the job."

"I'm senior class president," Linda said.

"Then, Mary Kathryn, I guess you are head of the peer counselors by default. Talk to Greywolf and see if he's willing to take on another job," Ms. Jones said. "We need to get the student government organized as soon as possible. So, Michael, you and Jacob need to be ready to present the new plan Tuesday at opening assembly, and you can say more about it Thursday when you introduce the officers and committees of the new order. Students need to realize that student government is a great deal more important than in previous years. Tuesday will be a madhouse regardless of what we do, but I think we'll start with assembly, have short classes-thirty-minute classes will count -- and then spend the rest of the day working on organizing the student council. Teachers not involved in the student government will take the rest of the students to get the final touches done so school can get down to business Wednesday."

"What about freshmen representatives?" Jacob asked. "They will not have been elected. Usually the election is held at the end of the third week of school."

"Since they are coming from two different schools, they won't know each other," Linda said.

"The election is always a runaway for Constitution since it is twice the size of Liberty," Mary Kathryn reminded us.

"Ms. Jones, that is always a problem. Why can't we have two elections, one for former Liberty students and one for Constitution? Their representatives could have half a vote instead of a full vote. Then, before Christmas break, we could have another election to choose new representatives. That way students would have plenty of time to get to know each other," I suggested.

"Don't you think that would keep the Liberty-Constitution split?" Ms. Jones asked.

"Don't think it will be any worse than before," I offered. "After all, the representatives will have to get together or they will cancel each other's vote."

"Ok, we'll do it that way. You've done good work today. See you tomorrow?"

"I think not," I said. "We have done about all we can do. Jacob and I need to get speeches ready, but we can do that without coming here."

"I think I hear the falls calling," she laughed.

"You're right. And we'll be there Saturday as well. You're coming by for supper, aren't you? And you too, Ms. Norman."

"About 4:30 or 5:00 you said?"

"Right. Ms. Norman?"

"Would love to come."

We left the office and, as we headed to the parking lot, we decided we'd meet at the falls about noon and Jacob and I would have a draft of our speeches. "By the way, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask Christopher to join us. He probably won't, but I'm going to need all the help I can get with that asshole." Everyone saw no reason not to invite him, but we were all pretty sure he wouldn't come.

After we left the others, Mary Kathryn and I drove home and then walked to the falls. We crossed the canes and were hardly to the beach before we had shed all our clothes. We swam for almost an hour, horsing around and having a good time, then lay on the beach making out. Both of us had to call a halt a couple times before things get out of hand. Well, things actually got IN hand and both of us were under considerably less sexual tension when we got dressed and left the falls.

I got home before Mom and Dad, looked at the supper menu Mom had posted and saw that there was nothing I couldn't do to get it ready so Mom wouldn't have to do it. As I busied myself in the kitchen, I realized I really hadn't had a chance to talk to them since they got back from Ohio.

They had got back in the early evening the day before, and Mom had been very tired so I didn't do more than ask how their trip had been. Mom said it was good, but she was exhausted. Since I had eaten at the Larsens' and Mom and Dad had eaten before they came home, they had gone to bed very early. Mom was six-and-a-half months pregnant and probably shouldn't have made the trip, but she had insisted and her doctor had okayed it provided she and Dad took it easy -- and they had.

When they came in, I said, "Supper in half an hour". Mom grabbed and kissed me then said, "Michael, you are an absolute dream! I am dead on my feet. I had a really busy day and wasn't really rested from the trip. I think I want a shower before supper and just relax with my feet up." She left and I heard the shower start shortly afterward.

Dad set the table while I finished supper, and he put the food on the table as Mom came out of their bedroom in her robe. As Dad held her chair for her, she sat down and said, "Michael, I really do appreciate your doing supper. If I knew then what I know now, I think I might not have made the trip. I'm glad I did, but I really paid for it today. I told LaShandra, my new receptionist, I would be in the office only six hours a day, beginning Monday. I've also been told I will no longer be on-call at the hospital until I go back full-time after the babies are born."

"I think you should start half-days next week," Dad said.

"I will, David, if I find I am getting too tired. Michael, will you say grace?"

I did and we started eating. "Son, you are a good cook!" Dad said after a couple bites. "Tell me, what's going on at school before it starts?"

I told Dad and Mom about the peer counseling program and the new role for the student government. "I'm really excited about it, but also a bit frightened," I concluded.

"Anything as different from what has been, as these two programs are, is bound to have problems. I think the new role of the student government will be such a radical change that even the best students will have to have some time to adjust to it. Those who want to cause trouble will test the limits in every way they can. And, of course, there are those who don't want freedom because they don't want to accept the responsibility for their actions. You know, if you are told exactly what to do, it's 'they' doing to you, so you can be completely irresponsible," Mom said.

"Well, Jacob and I have the responsibility of explaining it to the student body. The Fellowship is meeting at the falls tomorrow at noon. Jacob and I are supposed to have draft speeches then. We're planning on spending Saturday there as well. Ms. Jones and Ms. Norman are joining us for a picnic around 4:30 or 5:00. We want all the families there too."

"Sounds good -- the picnic and your new roles at school," Mom said.

"I fixed dessert," I said, "fresh fruit cups and oatmeal cookies. Want them with coffee on the patio and watch the sunset?"

"Sounds like a winner," Dad said, and Mom nodded.

We didn't have much to say as we sat watching the sunset on an evening that was cool for late August. It was actually dark before we took our dishes inside. Mom went on to bed and Dad and I cleaned up the kitchen.

When we finished, I went upstairs and phoned Christopher. He wasn't at home again and his grandfather said, "Michael, he's out and gone very night. I don't know where he is or what he is doing -- well, that's not quite true. I know some nights he comes home drunk and on others I can smell he has been smoking -- not cigarettes either. One night he came in smelling of weed and sex. You know, he had been having sex and I could smell it. I don't know what to do. If I turn him in as I am supposed to do, he'll have to go back to the detention center where he was before I got him out. Yet if I don't turn him in and he gets picked up, I would be in a lot of trouble. I'm just about at my wits' end. I'm too old for this."

"Demetri, I don't know whether I am too young or too old, but he's a mess and I really don't know what to say. Yesterday we drove out here and he really seemed like a different person. I do know that the bunch he's running with are bottom-feeding scumbags and real trouble. Well, tell him I called, but I don't want him calling here at some unholy hour again. I was going to invite him to join us at the falls tomorrow, but he refused before and we would be doing some pretty important work. Just tell him we're spending the day at the falls Saturday and would like for him to come. If he's interested, I'll pick him up."

"Sure wish he'd take up with you and your friends, but I don't know."

Christopher didn't call and I didn't call him again about Saturday. I had his answer.

Chapter 2

Michael


Friday we worked very hard on the speeches to be given in the opening assembly and another for Jacob and me to give Thursday. All four speeches were devoted mainly to the new role of the student government, but the first two did talk about the peer counseling program. Everyone was pretty much satisfied with them by lunch. After lunch, we went over them again while we relaxed before swimming. After that, we spent the rest of the day swimming and relaxing on the beach. At one point when we were all sitting around resting, after a pretty hard game of water keep-away, we talked about Christopher.

Bill had some contacts with the police department and had talked with Zack Ramsey, a young fellow who had graduated from Independence a couple years earlier and was now a rookie policeman. He told Bill he knew that Kenny and his crowd were smoking herb and getting drunk and that Christopher was right in the middle of it. "The whole department knows, but we are trying to move easy, especially with Christopher. We all respect Demetri and know he got a pretty messed-up kid tossed in his lap. The others are small fish and we are hoping they will lead us to bigger fish," he had said to Bill.

"I knew I'd rather try to save a rain forest," I moaned. "You guys have got to help me with this one. When I phoned Christopher the other night, Demetri said he knew all this and was caught between turning him in and having him go back to juvenile detention, or not turning him in and getting in trouble himself. He said just what Zack told you, Bill. He also said he had come home smelling of sex. What did he mean?"

"Zack told me he had been on patrol and found Kenny and the bunch with Zell Albritten--you remember her, I guess. She was still in high school when you were freshmen, but I think she was eighteen then and in our class. She was the school slut and since she dropped out last year has been the town whore. Zack says some beer and weed and she's your girl."

"Anyway, it was three in the morning and he was at the end of that dirt street down past the old cotton mill and saw Kenny's car. When Zack saw them, one of the guys was pumping away on Zell but, when he drove up, they all ran--staggered was more like it." Bill laughed, "Actually Frank Kitchen was on top of Zell and, when he tried to run, his pants fell down and he tripped and fell on his face. Zack said he just yelled and told them to go home then drove back a ways and waited to make sure they left. After they had gone, he went to where they had been. 'There were two cases of empty beer cans lying all around,' Zack said. 'It was obvious they had been smoking, drinking and taking turns fucking Zell all night,' he added. So, sure, can you imagine what a mess Christopher was after participating in an all-night gang-bang? I'm sure he smelled like a whorehouse on Sunday morning. A real class act is our problem child."

"But he is our problem child, right?" I asked. "Not that I wouldn't like to just beat the shit out of him and forget it."

"If it was easy, we wouldn't be needed," Linda said. "And you do think there's some good underneath all the shit?"

"Yea, I do," I replied.

"Then I guess he's our problem child," she responded.

Needless to say, Christopher didn't call and was not with the Fellowship Saturday.

Saturday was a glorious day and we all had great fun. The speeches were done and when Ms. Jones and Ms. Norman looked them over, they thought they were good and would do the job. The families had a good time together at the picnic, even Millie and Ms. Wright who didn't have their kids there. Millie took in her stride being teased about Woody. It started when Bill asked her what she had heard from Ohio and she answered, "Woody's doing great... oh, you mean from Eugene!".

After the parents left, we all went skinny dipping and afterwards started making out until Mary Kathryn noticed Jacob and said, "This is not being fair to Jacob. We are just rubbing in the fact that Paula's not here." She then motioned for Linda and told her the same thing, and we put a lid on our making out until we all were ready for bed. Jacob moved down the beach a bit and I assumed was asleep as soon as he lay down. Bill and Linda had gone down-river, out of sight, and I'm sure didn't stop before they had made love completely.

Mary Kathryn and I went to the foot of the falls, spread our blanket out of Jacob's sight and made powerful love. Once again, I told Mary Kathryn I didn't know how long I could call a halt after we had spent some pretty hot time, stopping just before having sex. She agreed, but we did manage to stop after we brought each other off. Snuggled in each other's arms, we finally went to sleep.

When we all arrived at St. Mary's Sunday morning, I was surprised to see Demetri and Christopher in church. I don't think I had ever seen Demetri there before, since he went to the early Mass. They were sitting in the pew where my family usually sat, so I slid in next to Christopher and Mom and Dad took the outside. When I spoke to Christopher, he just grunted. Demetri shrugged.

At coffee hour, the Fellowship all made it a point to speak to Demetri and Christopher and Christopher was at least civil. "What are you doing tomorrow for Labor Day?" I asked the two.

"The cafe is closed," Demetri said. "I am planning on a quiet day at home. I told Christopher we would go on a picnic or have a cookout if he wished, but he wasn't interested, right Christopher?"

Christopher nodded and then added, "Would like it except I'd like to be with dudes my age, not just with old folks."

"They probably feel about the same way," Bill said. "How'd you like to join us at the falls?"

"Planned to hook up with my buds, but they have something else going on and I wasn't invited. Don't know what. Guess I may as well. Couldn't be any more boring than hanging around the house with a bunch of old folks."

"If you've got a problem with what you call old folks, you might not want to come," Linda said. "All our parents will be at the falls, at least most of the day, but we have a great time with them. In fact, I think most of us wish we had more time with them." Subtlety wasn't exactly a strong suit with Linda these days. Also, when I thought about it, her air-head, cheerleader role had slipped a lot since last spring.

"Well, if you kids are going to be there, it is still better than hanging around the house and I have no place to go, no-one to go with and no way to go," Christopher replied.

"As a matter of fact," Bill said, "why don't you score some good points with your grandfather and invite him to come. There will be people for him to talk to and it won't put any crimp in your style. 'Bout time you got some good points I understand."

Christopher looked at Bill strangely, shook his head and said, "Well, why not? Still better than hanging around the house all day with him. Who do I need to ask about inviting him?"

"No-one. Just ask him. We'll probably get there about mid-morning, have a picnic lunch about noon and then a real cookout and all in the evening. Bring something to swim in...."

"There a pool?"

"Not exactly," Mart Kathryn laughed, "but a great place to swim."

"If you and your grandad want to bring food, that's great, but if he wants a vacation from cooking, there will be plenty," I said.

"I'll speak to the old man. Be right back." The kid was acting human again. I couldn't figure this out.

"Can you believe it?" I asked. "Damn! Here he is acting like a decent human being. I just can't understand it."

"Maybe if you knew more about his past you'd have a clue," Mary Kathryn suggested.

"Maybe, I just don't know."

Christopher came back and ALMOST seemed a bit excited. "The old man said I could come, but he wasn't sure about himself. Believe he sorta thinks this is a kid's party and he feels awkward about being invited by kids. Don't know why."

"He's from the old school. Plus this is a small southern town where traditions are still alive," Linda said. "I'll take care of that," she added as she grabbed Bill by the hand and walked toward Yong Jin. Soon I saw Yong Jin talking to Demetri and he was nodding.

Sunday dinner, the first since we had been in Ohio, felt very odd without Matt and Luke. I think it was the first time we all really, really missed them. It seemed even stranger when we started talking about the gathering tomorrow.

"Michael, I thought you said Christopher was a real pain in the ass," David said. "I was impressed when he asked Demetri about joining us tomorrow."

"That's it, Dad," I responded. "He's like two people. When he was with me on the farm and at the dairy, he was a great kid, then he calls me in the middle of the night drunk. It's really strange."

It rained late Sunday afternoon and into the evening. Monday morning it was cloudy when Mary Kathryn and I went for a run, but by 9:00 it was a bright, warm, sunny day. I was really glad because I was looking forward to getting together with everyone again.

Greywolf had asked Uncle Michael and John to pick up Demetri and Christopher. When they arrived, Christopher was carrying a huge picnic basket. "Fixed up some really Greek dishes," Demetri said, "not the common Greek restaurant dishes. Hope you like them."

"If it's food, we'll probably like it," Bill laughed.

"Man, this place is beautiful!" Christopher exclaimed as he sat the basket down and stood, looking around. "It looks like it's out of a movie or something."

"If you want to see another beautiful sight, come with me," I said, and started up the trail to Lookout Rock. When we reached it, I wasn't sure whether Christopher was awe-struck or scared. Finally he said, "Dude, this is one beautiful place, but I'm kinda put off by height. Makes me kinda nervous."

"Then let's go back down. No problem."

"You won't tell the others that I'm a wuss?"

"Why would I do that?" I asked. "Everyone's afraid of something. I guess it's normal," I said as we walked down the trail.

The food was great. The Greek dishes Demetri brought were definitely a hit.

After lunch we all just flopped down on blankets and relaxed. The talk among the kids was of school starting tomorrow. Christopher seemed interested in both the new role the student government would play and the peer counseling program. "You mean students will be in charge of discipline? That's wild! I bet it won't last because you know kids won't rat on their friends and certainly will be easier on each other than the authorities will," he said.

"Not sure about that," Mary Kathryn said. "If the system is to be successful, we'll have to take the job seriously. You know if things get out of hand, the authorities will not let it go on. It's up to the students to make it work."

"Well, I don't think it will work. Who's afraid of students?" Christopher asked.

"It's not a question of fear," Bill said. "The question is whether or not we want to have a school that is ours or let someone tell us how to do everything. In a year or two, we'll be responsible for our own life and it would be good to have a little practice."

"I sure like the idea of being responsible for the school rather than it being responsible for me," Jacob added.

"Dudes, it may work, but I don't think so. I don't want anything to do with school. I hate it: being told what to do and being told to learn stuff I don't like and will never use. It's all a waste of time. Just another bunch of bullshit old folks think up to make my life miserable." Clearly this was the asshole side of Christopher speaking, but that's all we heard from that side of him on Labor Day.

After we had sat around talking for a while, Linda called out, "Water calls! Ladies get the lower bushes," as she jumped up, ran to a gym bag she had brought and grabbed her swim suit.

"Come along, Christopher. We'll use the cane brake near the falls. Get your swim trunks." Soon we were all swimming in the water which, even in September, was not exactly dishwater warm.

"Race you, Michael," Mary Kathryn said as she scrambled out of the water and raced up the trail to the top of the falls. She got there first because I had to swim some distance before I could get out of the water. When I reached the top of the falls she said, "I won. What's my prize?"

Grabbing her and pulling her body to mine, I said, "This," and gave her a tongue-in-the-mouth kiss.

When we broke our kiss, she said, "You were runner-up," and pulled my lips to hers. As we broke our second kiss, she said, "Runner-up prize is not so bad, is it?" She laughed, turned and dived off the falls' edge, and I was right behind her. As we came up, I saw Bill and Linda were repeating our performance. Right behind them, Jacob--without Paula--hugged himself and then dived in.

Christopher was standing in the shallow water near the edge of the falls' basin, his mouth gaping open. As I drew near him, he looked at me and said, "Damn! You dudes trying to kill yourselves? That is one fucking high dive."

"We've been doing it, at least Mary Kathryn and I have, almost from the time we could swim. It's great fun. Wish you would try it."

"Dude, I'd shit my pants as soon as I got to the edge up there. Can't think of what all I might do if I dived in. Hell, man, I've always been afraid of the kiddie diving board at a pool."

"If you change your mind, one or all of us guys will go with you."

"No, thanks. I think I'll just stay down here."

After a few more dives, we got involved in a wild game of water keep-away. Just after we started, the parents, one at a time, came into the water. Even Millie got in and swam a bit before getting out to sit on the bank with her feet in the water.

The game was going great when I heard a shout from the top of the falls and looked up in time to see Uncle Michael and John join hands and dive in. When they surfaced, Jacob tossed them the ball and shouted, "Kids against parents". The game was really wild and, in spite of the energy of youth, the parents had the ball most of the time. However, they wore out faster. After a while, Uncle Michael said, "That's enough for this handsome, but older, man," and joined Millie and Margaret. Margaret hadn't bothered to change and sat with Millie, her feet in the water.

When Uncle Michael left the game, John went with him. I guess they forgot that Christopher and Demetri were present because when John sat down beside Uncle Michael, he gave him a quick kiss. I saw it out of the corner of my eye, but was looking straight at Christopher. I could have predicted the look that crossed his face.

It was late afternoon before we all got out of the river and, by that time, Dad, Jens and Greywolf had the grills going. Soon everything was ready and we all ate more than enough a second time. We finished eating just before sundown and, without anyone speaking, people started walking to Lookout Rock. Bill came up to me and said, "I don't think Millie should try the walk up by herself. I'm sure she would try, but a slip and she could break another hip. Think we could help her?"

"We can try," I answered and the two of us walked up to Millie and each wrapped an arm around her.

"Don't you think for a minute you're fooling me," she said, "but maybe we can fool the others. I don't like to think I'm a helpless old woman."

"Older than dirt you are for sure, Millie, older than dirt," Bill laughed. "But helpless? Never. However, as capable as you are, a slip on a pebble and your ass would roll down to the river."

"You're right, of course, but I don't have to admit it out loud," she said in a stage whisper.

I had told Mary Kathryn about Christopher's fear of heights and was pleased that she and Linda had gotten on either side of him and were walking up the trail with him.

When we reached Lookout Rock, we all sat down. I looked over at Jacob and could see how he missed Paula. This was a special place for them and I knew he was feeling pain at her not being here, and joy remembering how this was where they had first acknowledged their love.

Everyone sat in silence watching the sky's display. The day had been beautiful and sunny, but now there was a bank of low clouds to the west and the sun was making them a magnificent display of ever-changing colors.

Christopher sat, silent, but obviously awestruck by the sight.

The sun had sunk below the horizon, but it was still light as the parents started leaving. David was making sure Margaret didn't slip, and Greywolf and Jens were helping Millie. Uncle Michael and John walked down the steep trail holding hands. As the parents left, Bill and Linda walked to the edge of the falls, kissed, held hands and dived. I wanted to do the same thing with Mary Kathryn, but couldn't abandon Christopher.

"If you'll pass on the kiss, I'll dive with you, Christopher," Jacob said.

"I don't know. I'm terrified of heights," Christopher replied.

"In that case, I'll walk down with you. I didn't know that."

"Well, if I could get to the edge without looking down, I might be able to do it," Christopher seemed to be talking to himself.

"Want to try?" Jacob asked. "I'll guide you and you can close your eyes if you like. But if not, I'll walk down with you. You don't have to prove anything to anyone around here."

"I'll try," Christopher said, his voice revealing more than a hint of fear.

"Close your eyes," Jacob said, as he reached out and took Christopher's hand. He led Christopher to the very edge of the falls and said, "We're there. I'll count to three and then open your eyes and dive with me. And don't be afraid. If you can't, I'll stick with you."

They stood on the edge of the falls as Jacob counted when he reached three, Christopher could be heard catching his breath and then the two of them dived. Mary Kathryn and I followed as soon as they were out of the way.

When we surfaced, Christopher was jubilate and kept shouting, "I did it!". He was the center of everyone's attention. Those in the water were patting him on the back and the parents were cheering.

We all got out of the water and got things packed, ready to leave. As we walked away, Linda said, "Wish we could stay for skinny dipping, but tomorrow's a big day."

"Yea, back to fucking school," Christopher lamented. No-one responded.

When I got back home, Mom and Dad were sitting in the kitchen. "Michael, Christopher sure seemed to have a good time," Mom said, "and seemed nice enough."

"That's what I can't understand, Mom," I replied. "He was great, but the other side of him is just as rotten as this side is good."

"Would like to know what's going on with him," Dad said, shaking his head. "Maybe he can get straightened out--with a lot of help."

Bill


Linda, Jacob and I took Christopher home. Shortly after we got in the car, he asked, "That Uncle Michael and John, are they cock-sucking faggots?" I glanced in the rearview mirror in time to see Jacob turn red and look as if he could kill.

Before he could say anything, Linda, in a very calm voice said, "If you mean are they gay, the answer is yes, but what they do in their bedroom is none of your damn business. And if you want to stay around this group--IF we decide to let you stay around--you'll never use those words again. Understand?"

Well, I said her voice was calm, not that she was. When I glanced in the rearview mirror again, I could see Jacob depressurizing and Christopher looking as if he had been hit in the face with a sack of fresh dog shit. But he wouldn't let well enough alone. "You mean you think it's ok for someone to be a fag... be gay? You have to be sick."

"Look," Linda responded, again calmly, "You are the sick one for deciding people can't be who they are. John and Uncle Michael have been great friends to all of us when we were having a tough time. They have stood by us when it counted. They love each other very much and, if you had paid attention, you would have seen that and you would have seen as well that they loved and were concerned about us. So they're gay. That's who they are, that's how they were born. But I damn well rather have them around than some straight people who hate."

"Well, you can say that, but I can't stand their kind."

"You can't stand loving, caring people? Is that what you are saying?"

"Hell no, I'm saying I can't stand fag... gay people and don't like people who like them either."

"Well, I guess you'll have to stay away from us then," Jacob said. "Four of our closest friends are gay and we sure as hell missed them today. Mary Kathryn's brother and the Greywolfs' son are gay and were married at the falls where you were today. Millie adopted a son when his father beat him until he was near death and put him on the street. His partner is Larry Watley, Claudia's son. All four are at Oberlin and none of us will tolerate anyone bad-mouthing them."

"How can you stand to be around them when you know they want to fuck you?" Christopher asked.

"They have about as much desire to fuck me as you do," Jacob was talking through clinched teeth. "They are in love and committed to each other. Would be nice if some straight people were that way instead of poking a dick into any warm, moist hole so long as it belonged to some slut."

Knowing what had gone on between Zell and Christopher, I looked in the mirror again and saw Christopher was a bit subdued. After a few minutes' silence, he asked, "What happened to that Michael dude? I had noticed his face before but, man, his chest and belly look like he was in a knife fight sometime."

"He was," Jacob said. "A bunch of assholes who hated gays attacked a painting of Matt Greywolf and, when they turned to Matt, Michael jumped in and took the knifing. No-one expected him to live. And you know something, Christopher, he did it protecting a gay man who he loves as a brother--who he thinks of as a brother--and no-one, but no-one, is straighter than Michael. Maybe that's the reason we don't care if someone is gay or straight. Like Michael, we know on which side of the fence we stand so we don't have to worry about it." I knew exactly where Jacob was headed and tried to keep my eyes on the road as well as on Christopher. "Yea, I guess if you're not sure and are afraid you might be gay, you hate gays and make all sorts and kinds of remarks. But if you aren't worried, you just take them as they are and our friends are top notch."

I expected Christopher to explode, but he didn't. He just sank down in the seat and said nothing until we reached his place. As he got out, all he said was "Thanks," as he turned and walked away.

As we pulled away, Jacob said, "You know, I think I might have hit a nerve there."

"I wouldn't be a bit surprised," Linda said.

Tuesday, Jacob and Michael presented the two new programs to the student body. There were some questions about the peer counseling program including how a student could become a member. Mary Kathryn, as de facto president of that group, suggested that students who were interested give their names to her. "For now, the group is limited to twenty and there are only four openings left, but everyone wishing to become involved will be considered," she said. There were also questions, a few of which named names, asking how the present members had been selected.

Ms. Jones answered by saying a faculty group had looked over the students who had proven helpful to other students the year before and had asked some students to think of others. "We were not interested in just good students or students who had never been in trouble, but students who had already demonstrated their concern for the school and, particularly, for their fellow students." That seemed to satisfy those who had questions.

It was obvious that the new role of the student government would raise tons of questions. Most of those asked, I think, had to do with discipline and how students would discipline students. One student asked, "Can we let the faculty handle our case if we like?". Ms. Jones said a student could choose that, but any who made that choice should be aware that the old punishments would have to apply.

It was clear that the student council had a major job yet to do. We had laid out an organization, but getting bodies who knew what they were doing would be a major task. Classes for the day were over after lunch and the work of getting the student government organized began in earnest. By the time school was out for the day, there was a body for each slot and initial training had been done. After school, our work was presented to the faculty again. One of the new teachers raised a question about trials. She was concerned about when they would take place. Ms. Jones said that, since a common punishment the year before had been after-school detention, trials would be held immediately after school. "But I doubt that we will have many," she said, "since most cases can be handled by a magistrate's court".

As the Concord Five walked out of school, I spotted Christopher at the side of the building with Kenny Haines and his crowd. "Christopher's with that bunch of losers again."

Four pairs of eyes followed my glance and Jacob said, "Shit, that fellow sure does have two faces. Yesterday he was a really nice fellow. I really liked him. Now he is with a bunch of assholes I wouldn't piss on if they were on fire!"

"Pretty strong feelings, eh Jacob?" Linda laughed.

"Damn right!"

By the end of the week, we were all pretty well done-in with school and getting the student council going. The peer counseling program was more or less waiting for the training weekend. We had all noticed that when we saw Christopher in school, if he was alone he greeted us like a friend. When he was with Kenny and that bunch, he pretended he didn't see us. Michael was getting very frustrated. In fact he was ready, as he often told us, to beat the shit out of Christopher. Linda and Mary Kathryn kept Michael under control, reminding him that Christopher had a good side.

As we walked to the parking lot, Michael said, "Look, we've had a week and a half already. Why don't we do something different this weekend?"

"How about going to the club in Lexington?" Linda suggested.

"Think five straight people will be welcome?" I laughed.

"Well, you can date Jacob," she retorted.

Friday night found us at the club where we were having fun, but it wasn't the same without the Oberlin Five. I kept looking for Nelson, but he wasn't to be seen. Just before eleven, Mary Kathryn said, "It's not the same, is it?".

We all talked about how we missed the rest of the Fellowship until Jacob said, "Tell me about it!". I guess we should have been more sensitive to him. I was about to suggest we go home, when Jacob said, "Hey, look! Nelson just walked in with his girl. She is the same one, isn't she?"

Nelson was at the entrance looking around and, when he looked our way, Jacob waved him over. When he reached our table, it was obvious the girl was not the same one. Nelson had a new girlfriend. "Hey, guys, good to see you again!" Nelson greeted us. "This is Alexandra McElroy. Alex, these are some friends from Concord. What's been going on this summer? How's the rest of the crew?"

We three guys stood up when Nelson reached the table, and now got two chairs so Nelson and Alex could join us. As soon as they were seated, we started talking about the summer. Alex seemed interested in hearing about people she did not know. When we had done a summary of the summer's soap opera, Linda said, "Seems you have been busy this summer as well, picking up a new girlfriend along the way".

Alex laughed and said, "I got him on the rebound". As she said that, she gave Nelson a kiss on the cheek.

"Well, I guess there's some truth in that," Nelson laughed, "At least I got bounced. I got a 'Dear John' letter the week before finals. Had you asked, I would have said I would have been devastated, but I was surprised by my reaction. I was relieved. It had been over for weeks, but I just wouldn't admit it. I was too chicken to call it off. I guess I took the coward's way out, but I didn't mind her calling it off. As soon as I realized it was over, I took off after Alex and finally caught her. Best thing I ever did. So, are we going to dance or not?" he asked, as he offered his hand to Alex.

We danced a couple dances, talked with Nelson some more and then it was time to go home. On the way home, I asked, "Why can't we have a teen club in Concord? There's not a lot to do and we could use one."

"Why don't we talk to Fr. Tom about St. Mary's getting one started? Mary Kathryn asked.

"That sounds like a good idea," Michael said. "Let's do that. Let's corner him tomorrow and ask for an appointment."

Fr. Tom was interested and we made an appointment to get together with him before the youth group met Sunday evening. When we presented the idea to him, he said he'd have to take it up with the vestry, but he was all for it.

The second week of school things started settling down, but there was still a lot of work to do with the student government. Everything was in place, but training was going slowly. About when we thought everything was ok, another problem would raise its head. The biggest block was students who had been elected to a do-nothing student government by winning a popularity contest and now found a lot of work was involved. Some were concerned that if they sat on the court or had to enforce rules, they would lose their popularity or friends.

"What kind of friends do you have," Mary Kathryn exploded in one meeting, "if they expect you to duck your responsibility? If you don't want to be a part of the student government, then get the hell out! Resign! Get your lazy asses off the council!"

MIchael leaned over to me and said, "Holy shit, I knew she was a wild woman, but this is more than I expected! But she's right."

"Well, are you in or out? You can't take all day. we've got work to do," Mary Kathryn demanded.

"How did Mary Kathryn get on the student council anyway?" I whispered to Michael.

"Until someone else asks, she just is. If it's questioned, she is Ms. Jones representative. Voice, but no vote. It's in the Constitution and agreement we drew up and got approved by the school board," Michael whispered.

Buffy Leister, captain of the cheerleaders and junior class president, had done most of the complaining. After Mary Kathryn's outburst, she jumped to her feet, stormed over to Mary Kathryn, bent over her--her tits barely missing Mary Kathryn's face--and shouted, "Well, Miss Goody Two Shoes, you may want to work your ass off with this silly school, but I have better things to do. You can take your student government office and shove it up your ass, you fucking ass-kisser. I resign!"

As she started stomping out of the room, Jack Abernathy, vice-president of the junior class, said, "I think that little show of yours, Buffy, shows disrespect to Mary Kathryn and to this council. I am charging you with that. I believe the next session of court is Wednesday after school. I'll see that you are served with the proper papers."

"Fuck you and your god-damned papers," Buffy said, and stormed out of the room.

"Now that she's gone, just exactly how do I--we--go about charging her?" Jack asked. Michael called on me to explain the process again. When I finished, Jack said, "Good. I'll see that it's done. So now we need to have a special election to elect--a vice-president or a president?" he asked.

"Vice-president. You're president if the council accepts Buffy's resignation." There was no need for a vote. The entire council made its position known in almost a single voice.

"Maybe Mary Kathryn can get on the council honestly," I whispered to Michael.

"I was just thinking of something else. We still have a slot or two open on the peer counseling team. I think Jack needs to be invited to join."

"Agreed. I'll go talk to Ms. Jones right now," I said.

"I'll talk to Jack as soon as Ms. Jones gives her ok. Also tell her about the special election. We have a break in fifteen minutes, try to make it back by then."

When I got back I reported that Ms. Jones had approved the addition of Jack to the peer counseling group provided he was interested. She had also scheduled the trial and special election.

During the break, Michael was talking to Jack. When I joined them, Jack was saying, "I'm not sure, Michael. I'm not confident I can handle my own problems, much less someone else's."

"Ms. Jones thinks you can," I butted in. "She has approved your addition to the peer counseling group. Ms. Norman was really pleased as well. She said, 'I could kick myself for not suggesting him before. He's been through a lot and done very well. He'd be a good addition.' Seems the two of them think you're up to the task."

"Well, if you really think I can, I'll give it a try."

"Great! When you get a chance today, tell Ms. Norman and she will make schedule changes. She was going to get it worked out assuming you'd say yes."

Buffy's trial was set for Wednesday after school. When offered a trial before a magistrate, she demanded a jury trial. That made things more complicated but was to be expected. One real problem, evident at once, was the fact that members of the student government had all heard Buffy's outburst, and none felt they should sit as judge of her case. Fortunately, at the last moment, someone remembered that one member had been absent and not in the meeting at which Buffy had exploded. Names were drawn Tuesday afternoon for the jury. Buffy chose her boyfriend to defend her. Roger Davis was prosecutor. The trial didn't last long and the jury found Buffy guilty of showing disrespect to the school, the student government and to Mary Kathryn.

As soon as the jury made its decision known, Bridgette Dunnigan, the judge, pronounced sentence. "Buffy Leister, a jury of your peers has found you guilty of the charges brought against you. In regard to showing disrespect to your school, I find this especially repugnant since you are an official representative of Independence as a cheerleader. Accordingly, I am stripping you of your office in that organization. Additionally, your position as cheerleader is not assured as you are, as of now, on probation. In regard to the charge of showing disrespect for the student government, you have resigned from the organization and you are prohibited from running for an office for one year. Finally, for showing disrespect for Mary Kathryn, you are assigned ten hours of community service. The assignment will be handled by the head custodian." It was obvious Buffy was ready to start another fuss, but her boyfriend put his hand over her mouth and led her out of the room.

The training weekend for the peer counselors was exciting but tiring. We started Friday, after school, and didn't get home until late Sunday night. There were team building exercises, a lot of role playing, discussions about our own anxieties, and lengthy discussions about the kinds of problems we might be called on to help students overcome. A good amount of time was also devoted to mediation. One of the role-plays almost got out of hand when two students started a mock conflict which quickly turned into a real one. We all got to see mediation in action when that erupted.

Of course much of the real learning took place around the edges, especially after the official sessions was over. The bull session in the boys' cabin Saturday night was especially lively when someone mentioned a family friend who had told his wife he was gay. "I hope you don't think that is funny," Jack said. "I just went through that last year."

"Your dad is gay?" someone asked.

"Yea, my dad is gay. He married because everyone thought he should and put a lot of pressure on him. He is an only son and he had to keep up the family name, all that sort of thing and, he says, he thought if he got married, he'd get over being gay. When he told mom, she was hurt, confused and angry. Dad was too. When he told me, he asked if I thought he was different and I couldn't see that he was, except he was no longer living a lie."

"I guess I could see Mom's position as well. She had been used. She, of course, filed for divorce and set out to, in her words, 'even the score'. The process of getting a divorce got dirtier and meaner and I was caught in the middle. Finally I had had it. We were all meeting with a counselor and, when the two of them started at each other, I was really pissed--and hurt because they were both pulling at me--and let it be known. I finally shouted at the top of my lungs, 'You both are being childish and hateful. You don't give a flying fuck for anyone but yourselves. All you want is to hurt each other as much as possible and you don't give a rat's ass how you hurt me. You both say you love me, and I love you both, but right now you don't love anybody. To hell with both of you. I hope they put you in the same room in the hottest spot in hell.' Well, that got their attention."

All the guys in the room were laughing their heads off and, finally, Jacob said, "Jack, I know this is not funny but, damn, you have painted a wild picture. I sure wish I had had guts to lay my parents out like that."

"Well, it worked. They finally started trying to make the process as painless as possible."

"Of course I blame my dad for lying and getting me in the mess but, like I told them, if Dad hadn't lied, I'd never have been born and if they thought I was worth a shit, they'd see that and be thankful for it--regardless of what else had been involved in their marriage. It took a while, but I think they see that there were some good things coming out of what never should have been. They have little or nothing to do with each other, but they don't bad-mouth each other, at least not to me."

"Doesn't sound as if you used non-directive counseling in their case," Michael laughed.

"Sometimes I think you have to be directive, to point out what's right. I'm sure not going to say to some jock who's pushing his girlfriend to have sex when she doesn't want to, 'What I hear you saying is that you want to have sex'. What kind of damn fool response is that? It's bullshit."

There was general agreement that Jack was right, even if we had been told to be non-directive and keep our opinions to ourselves. Sometimes a great theory can get in the way of what is needed practically.

Monday, at homeroom, it was announced there were three candidates for the vice-presidency of the junior class. One was an air-head who was very popular with the guys--and with the girls who wanted to be popular. Another, Susan, had been cheerleader co-captain with Buffy. She was a good student, a good leader and a good representative of the school. The third was Mary Kathryn. By Wednesday, it was pretty clear that the air-head had a lead. Mary Kathryn and Susan had split the remainder of the student body. Several of us had talked among ourselves and thought that the only way we were going to get someone worthwhile to replace Jack was for Susan or Mary Kathryn to drop out in favor of the other. "But they both are so hard-headed, I'm not sure either will," Linda had said.

"Mary Kathryn has a place in the student government," Jacob had said. "That's not going to change, and Susan would be a good addition."

"Are you man enough to ask Mary Kathryn to drop out?" Linda asked. "I'm not."

"I'll talk to Michael," Jacob offered.

"Coward, taking the easy way out," Linda chided.

"Damn right! Paula would kill me if I gave Mary Kathryn reason to kill me first!"

Fortunately, there was no violence. When lunchtime came, the Fellowship started gathering at our usual table. Jack was eating with us now. Mary Kathryn and Michael came in late and had Susan with them. As soon as they were seated, Mary Kathryn said, "That bimbo is definitely ahead in this election. Gang, I need help. Michael, Susan and I have been talking. It's clear to us that the new role of the student government hasn't sunk in and the student body is going to elect an air-head to replace Jack as vice-president of the junior class. The only way that is not going to happen is to narrow the race down to her and one other person. We think one of us should drop out in favor of the other, but we want to know what you think."

Suddenly everyone was looking at Jacob. He finally said, "We have been talking about the same thing. Mary Kathryn, no doubt you'd be great but you have a seat on the council already, even if you don't have a vote. Susan would be a great addition and we'd actually lose nothing. If you were elected, we'd lose Susan and gain nothing because you're on the council already."

"Learned mediation well, didn't you, Jacob?" Mary Kathryn said. "And you're smart, because that is exactly what I said. Ok, it's agreed: I'll drop out in favor of Susan. Susan, welcome to the Fellowship."

"Is membership in the Fellowship automatic?" Michael asked.

"No, you have to be invited and I just invited her."

In spite of Mary Kathryn's dropping out, the election was still close and Susan won by a narrow margin. But she won.
 
Chapter 3

Mary Kathryn


By the end of the third week of school, the Fellowship was back up to six with the addition of Jack and Susan. It was not like it had been the year before, but it sure was a good group. Generally we had some business to discuss over lunch. Usually it involved the student government but at other times it was the peer counseling group. The peer counseling group was getting off to a slow start which was probably good because we all were pretty unsure of ourselves and, while daily classes were intense, we still wondered if we could handle student problems.

My first client was a freshman girl who asked to speak to a peer counselor and I was selected. Her name was Margie and she was not an exceptionally pretty girl, quiet and kinda mousey. I told her I could meet with her during fourth period in the counseling center's conference room. Almost by the time she was inside the door, she started crying. I gave her a tissue and waited until she had regained control. When she had, I asked her what was bothering her. "I think I might be pregnant," she answered.

"Want to tell me about it?"

"Well, one of the football players started hanging around me and asking me for a date. I didn't understand why because I had never been popular with boys and he was a football player and could have had just about any girl he wanted. He was very nice and I liked him a lot. I told him I wasn't allowed to go out with a boy except on a double date. My father is very strict. Anyway, we dated a few times with his brother and his girlfriend. One night we said we were going to a movie but, instead, we drove out into the country and parked. We didn't do anything except some heavy making out. Well, he did take off my bra and played with my breasts, but that's all except some french kissing."

"Every time we went out, that's what we did instead of going where I told my parents we were going. Last weekend, we drove to the movie and his brother and girlfriend got out and the two of us drove into the country and, well, he kept telling me how much he loved me and that if I loved him, I would show it. Before I knew it, he had most of my clothes off and was making me hot with his hands all over my body. I kept telling him I loved him, but I wasn't ready for sex. Finally he said I didn't love him or I'd show it and if I didn't love him, he'd have to find someone who did. So we had sex--twice--before he took me home after picking up his brother, and now I think I'm pregnant."

"What makes you think you're pregnant?" I asked.

"He didn't use anything. I mean he didn't use protection. He said it didn't feel good."

"Is that the only reason you think you're pregnant?"

"Well, in sex education class we were told that if the boy didn't use protection you'd get a disease and get pregnant."

"Are you sure that's what you were told?"

"I think so. Didn't they tell you that?"

"I was told that if the boy didn't use protection I MIGHT get a disease and I MIGHT get pregnant, not that I would."

"Oh, maybe that's what they told us as well. So maybe I'm not pregnant? And maybe I didn't catch a disease? Maybe?"

"You can only catch a disease if he has one and you can only get pregnant at certain times of the month. Do you remember that from sex education class?"

"I'm not sure. But what am I going to do?"

"You need to see Ms. Norman and arrange to get a pregnancy test. If it is positive, then you will need to talk with someone other than myself--Ms. Norman or a nurse at the health department about your options. But make arrangements for a pregnancy test first. Right now you don't know whether or not you have that problem, but don't you think you have one with your boyfriend?"

"Yea, when I told him I might be pregnant he asked, 'Who you been fucking to get yourself pregnant?'. I told him he knew I had only had sex with him and he called me a liar and said that if I was pregnant, he wasn't to blame. 'It's somebody else's,' he said. But that's not true." The poor, confused girl started crying again.

Man, I was having a hard time not telling her what she should do. I needed to remember that I wasn't there to give advise, but point out options. I wanted to tell her what she must have known, but didn't want to accept: namely, that she had been used, and when it looked as if her "boyfriend" might have to take some responsibility, he ran. I reminded her she needed to see Ms. Norman and assured her I would be available if she needed to talk some more.

Well, she did need to talk. Over the next couple weeks we talked at length about having sex, taking responsibility for one's actions, not lying to parents and all sorts of things. She wasn't pregnant, but I think she had learned a lesson the hard way. I guess it is because I am a woman, but I also talked to her about taking some pride in her appearance, and she certainly started doing so and didn't look at all like the mousey person I had seen the first time. I also asked her about taking a sex education class at the health department to clear up some areas about which she was very ignorant.

From that experience, Susan, Linda and I got a women's group started. It dealt with all sorts of issues women have, from makeup to motherhood.
 
Michael

Fr. Tom called Friday evening to tell me that the vestry had approved setting up a teen club at St. Mary's. "You need to get your friends together and work out a set of by-laws as well as all the details," he said. "When you get that done, bring it in and I'll take it to the committee who will be in charge, but the operation of the club will be in your hands. Keep me posted and if you need something, ask." I thanked him and, as I hung up the phone, remembered Ms. Jones telling Jacob she would keep him busy. It looked as if the whole world was hell-bent on keeping all of us busy. I called everyone Saturday and we agreed to get together Sunday afternoon and begin to put together by-laws and plans for opening the club.

I called Mary Kathryn and asked her if she would like to have just a regular pizza and movie date Saturday night. "I think it's about time we did just an ordinary teen thing." She agreed. When I finished my work around the house and farm, it was mid-afternoon. Mom was home and had lain down to rest. Dad had gone into town to pick up some supplies. Having nothing I especially needed to do, I sat down and started working on plans for the club.

It was about 5:00 when I heard Dad downstairs. I went down and the two of us got a coke from the fridge and just sat talking about nothing in particular. He asked about the plans for the club, how school was going, that sort of thing--but mostly we just talked.

At 6:00, I went upstairs, showered and started to get dressed when I noticed my beard. Mary Kathryn hadn't trimmed it recently and it was pretty terrible-looking. Without a lot of thought, I got some scissors and started trimming it. The more I trimmed the worse it looked. Finally I just cut as much off as I could, grabbed a razor and shaved. I really looked strange!

I had hair all over me, so I showered again, got dressed and went downstairs. Mom and Dad were sitting in the kitchen. "I'll be back before too late," I said, "Mary Kathryn and I are going to a movie and have pizza, that's all."

Both Mom and Dad were looking at me kinda strangely and Dad finally said, "You sure that's all?".

"Well, probably some heavy making out, but just the usual teen date thingy. Laters."

When I got to Mary Kathryn's, both Jens and Gabrielle looked at me as if something was wrong, but said nothing. Not so with Mary Kathryn! She came downstairs, took one look at me and said, "What in hell have you done! You look naked!" That was just the beginning. She let me know in no uncertain terms that she liked the beard and that I had done her a great injustice by shaving. All I could say was to assure her it would grow back. As it turns out, it didn't because when it started growing out it scratched her face and she decided she liked a smooth face after all.

After we had pizza, we went to the movie. I couldn't tell you what it was. There's something special about necking in a movie--I guess because adults frown on it but, man, I loved it. After the movie, we went to a fast food place and had a milkshake and then drove home. It wasn't late, but both of us admitted that we had really put in a long week with regular school work, student government and the peer counseling program. As we stood on her porch, making out, Mary Kathryn finally said, "Shaven One, I love you to death, but I am just about exhausted."

"Same here," I agreed. "Beddy-bye time?"

"Beddy-bye time," she agreed. After one, final, goodnight kiss, I went home and collapsed.

When I went down for breakfast, Dad was just coming in from work. He had been called out while I was at the movie. One of the EMS team members had come down with bug at the last minute and Dad got called in. It was obvious he had had a rough night and was half-asleep when I joined him at the kitchen table. He looked at me for several minutes and finally said, "Michael, I can't put my finger on it, but you sure look different. I noticed it last night."

Mom laughed as she put food on the table, "It took me a while, but I suddenly got it last night. David, he is no longer a hairy booger. Strange how something so obvious escapes you," she said.

"Guess I am used to seeing you both ways and just didn't get it," Dad said. "Bet Mary Kathryn didn't like it."

"You're right about that. But you don't look like your usual self either. Rough night?"

"Yea, real rough. The usual for the most part, but one really strange case. Mr. Heidelberg called 911 about four this morning and said he needed us at once. When we arrived, he had Christopher in the milking parlor. His dogs started barking around quarter of four and when he got up to see what was wrong, he saw some people--he thought four--running away from the barn, the dogs right behind them. They got in a car and roared off. The dogs came back toward the barn and, when he started in that direction, one of them ran up to him and then raced away again and again. He finally realized the dog wanted him to follow it."

"The dog led him toward the manure pond--you know, the pond where the wash water from the barn goes. When he got there, he thought he saw something at the edge of the pond but couldn't be sure. Mrs. Heidelberg was standing on the porch and he yelled for her to bring him a flashlight. With it, he could see a body lying almost covered by the manure water. He dragged the body out of the filth and saw that the person was alive--barely. The young man had been badly beaten and tossed in the manure pond. Mr. Heidelberg said he suspected he would have been tossed all the way into the pond had the dogs not started barking."

"He and Mrs. Heidelberg got the wounded man into the milking parlor where they washed him down good with the disinfectant used to clean the barn. 'You know, David,' he said to me, 'that pond is a soup of all kinds of bugs, I know it's full of e. coli and probably tetanus. We store the liquid manure there until we can spray it on an idle pasture for fertilizer.' While I was looking at the young man, getting him ready to transport, Mr. Heidelberg got a good look at him and exclaimed, 'That's Demetri's grandson, Christopher. He was out here a few weeks ago with your Michael.'"

"Michael, he was severely beaten and has numerous cuts, all of which had been soaked in liquid manure. Even if he hadn't been beaten, the cuts were enough to kill him from infection. We got him to the hospital and the ER nurses gave him another good wash down. He seemed to have no broken bones, but he was bruised badly along with the cuts. He wasn't conscious when I left. Dr. Walker suspects he has a concussion. He's getting IV antibiotics, but it doesn't look good."

"Who beat him up?" I asked.

"Don't know," Dad answered. "But they were out to do more than just beat him up. They were out to kill him and may have done so yet. All I know is Mr. Heidelberg said there were four of them and he gave the sheriff a description of the car. He only got part of the license number, but maybe it's enough. Do you have any idea who might have done it?"

"Dad, he was into weed and beer. I don't think anything beyond that, and he was stealing money from Demetri to buy those. But this seems like more is involved than a little weed or beer. Zack did tell Bill the police were interested in getting the big fish rather than that bunch of small-fish assholes he has been hanging around with."

When the gang met at church, I told them what had happened to Christopher. Bill said he'd see if Zack knew anything, as soon as he could. After church, Mary Kathryn asked for some of the altar flowers and we took them to the hospital for Christopher. No-one was allowed in his room except Demetri, who came out to speak to us."

"Mary Kathryn gave him the flowers and his eyes immediately filled with tears. "I don't know what to do. I don't know what I could have done to save him from this." When he had regained control, he told us there was no change in Christopher's condition, which was still extremely critical. "Dr. Walker said he had to be honest. Christopher might not make it. I tried to call his mother, but her phone has been disconnected. I got the manager of her apartment and he said she had left two weeks ago with no forwarding address. I'm not surprised. To be honest, she's a common prostitute and heaven only knows where she is--even if she is alive."

As we were leaving, Danny walked in. I had not seen him in ages. "Danny, how's it going?" I asked in greeting.

"Pretty good. Actually, I got in kind of a bind, but things seem to be working out. What are you all doing here?"

I told him about Christopher. "Can you keep us posted on his condition? He's a sort of project of ours."

"Sure."

"What are you doing here?" Bill asked.

"Well, as I said, I got in a bind. Buddy's girl--Gloria Jones, remember her?" I nodded, "asked him to move in with her. Of course he wanted to, they seem to be made for each other. But he hesitated because that would mean I'd have to pay all the rent on our place. I couldn't manage that and he couldn't help pay it and half of Gloria's place as well. I wanted him to make the move because Gloria has done more for him than I would have thought possible."

"Anyway, we talked to Chelsea and Gladys about it. They suggested he go ahead and I take a room at the hospitality house until I could work something out. I did and, after I had given it a lot of thought, decided to put aside college for the time being and do the practical nurse course. With my time at hospice, I could complete the course in six months. Meanwhile, I got a part-time job here at the hospital--part of which counts toward my clinical training. So here I am. It's rough. I still work at hospice, do the necessary classes, and work part-time here. I earn enough to afford an efficiency, which is all I need."

"Think you might stick to nursing?" Mary Kathryn asked.

"Think I might. If I do, I'll go on and become an RN. I'd like to do that I think, and get my minor in English. I think I could write, but right now I don't have time for anything."

"I remember you saying you thought it would be hard for you to find a special friend," I said. "Any luck?"

"Afraid not, but I don't have time for that anyway. Got to run. Good talking to you guys," Danny said, as he left at a trot.

"Amazing how well Danny seems to be doing," Bill said.

"Yea, and Chelsea and Gladys deserve extra stars in their heavenly crown for the support they have given him and Buddy. They would never have made it otherwise, you can bet on that," Linda said.

Yong Jin had invited the fellowship to Sunday dinner. When we got to the Greywolfs', Margaret told us she had talked with Dr. Walker. He was not very optimistic about Christopher. "He just doesn't have much fight in him."

Dinner was great, as always, but I think we were all thinking about the five who were not with us. "Think we'll ever get used to not having everyone together?" Mary Kathryn asked.

"Probably not," Greywolf answered, "and I guess we won't be together very often from now on."

After dinner, the five of us worked on plans for the teen club. When we thought we had it all done, Jacob said, "I'm sure we have forgotten something. Don't you think it would be a good idea to see if we could get together with some people from the Lexington club?"

"I don't know why we didn't think of that in the first place," Linda said. "I bet it would have saved us a lot of work. Bill, why don't you and I call next week and make an appointment to go over after school? Jacob could go with us."

"Sounds good to me," Bill replied. "I'll try to call tomorrow evening and we can go over when the people there can meet with us. Before then we need to get all we have done in order, typed, and send copies over to them. That way we won't have to spend all our time going over what we have done. Maybe we can get over there Thursday after school.

"Monday, Bill got the meeting in Lexington set up for the following evening. He called Fr. Tom and told him what was up. Fr. Tom said, "I'm going to Lexington this afternoon and can take a copy of your work over then. If you have no objection, I'd like to go over with you for the meeting tomorrow," and so it was arranged. Bill told us Tuesday at lunch the meeting had been set for that evening."

When I got home Tuesday, Mom was home since she was only working from 8:00 until 2:00. She said she was fine, but Dad was still trying to get her to cut back to just mornings. "Hi, Mom. How you doin'?" I said as I walked into the kitchen where she was working.

"Hi, Michael. I'm doin' fine. How you doin'?" she laughed.

"Fine, I guess. I'm kinda bushed from all that's going on. I can see why the student government never did anything. It's a big job."

"Makes you appreciate what the administration did before, I guess."

"Yea. Oh, Mom, how's Christopher? Any change?"

"I talked with Dr. Walker briefly today. He said Christopher is doing a bit better than holding his own. He's still unconscious, but the brain swelling is going down. It appears the antibiotics are doing their job and he's escaping serious infection. Demetri was able to find out that his tetanus shots were up to date which eliminated one worry. He's not out of the woods, Dr. Walker said, but he was hopeful--which he had not been when Christopher was brought in."

"Bill talked with Zack last night. He told Bill he was sure, from the rumors around the station, that drugs were involved. He said something more than a little weed had to be at the heart of the whole mess. Zack had told Bill earlier that one reason the police had looked the other way was to try and get some higher ups. Kenny and that bunch were very little fish."

"Michael, I know I don't have to worry about you, but I do. I mean about you, your friends and drugs. I skated pretty close at times, especially when I was an intern. There just wasn't enough time to do what had to be done and speed was available. After a couple times, I realized where I was headed when a beautiful young woman was brought into the emergency room in cardiac arrest--overdose of speed. That did it, no more speed for me. Michael, it's always tempting and most young people think it can't happen to them. End of lecture."

"Mom, won't say I won't experiment. Won't promise to just say no, but I think I have had the fact that no-one is indestructible pounded into me pretty well. Now there's Christopher."

"Sorry, Michael, I should have known that."

I walked over to Mom, put my arms around her--now very large--waist and said, "No need for apology, Mom. Parents are supposed to fret and worry about the younger generation going to the dogs."

"Michael, if more young people were going to the dogs like you and your friends, we'd all be better off," Mom said as she hugged me back.

Dad walked in as Mom hugged me and said, "Hands off my woman, you heart-throb!"

"Man, if I can have two good-looking men fighting over me in my shape, I must be something!" Mom laughed.

"You are!" Dad and I said together.

"Michael, just before I left the hospital a while ago, Dr. Walker said Christopher was still unconscious, but was responding to stimuli. He's hopeful for the first time. Sheriff Putnam came by, hoping to be able to talk to Christopher, but it will be a while before that happens. The sheriff did say the car which rushed away from the dairy had been located. It was found abandoned in the mall parking lot in Lexington. They found some leads in their examination of the car, but the sheriff didn't say what."

"I hope they catch whoever beat Christopher. He may be an asshole at times, but he's still a human being." We talked about him--and what had happened--during dinner, and the about the teen club.

After supper, I said, "I'm going to Mary Kathryn's. We are studying together. I think both of us are having second thoughts about our schedule. We're both taking four AP classes and it's really working us. Yong Jin added the junior AP English and it seemed a good idea to sign up for that as well as AP American history, AP chem and AP math, but I'm not sure. Actually, English and history are no problem from me, but the math and chem are something else. Mary Kathryn is the exact opposite. Between the two of us, we may make it, but on our own, it would really be tough."

Mom laughed, "Are you sure it's not AP making out that is occupying your time?".

"Mom, to tell the truth, we hardly have time for a kiss or two. I mean we really are having to work. Add to that the peer counseling program and the student government and we are two very busy juniors. I'm just glad the peer counseling class counts as a health/PE class and the computer class is a snap. I think we know more than the teacher. Of course when track training starts, it will add more to my plate."

"Son, I want you to be challenged and have to work hard. Hard work now will pay off, as your brothers have shown all of you, but I don't want life to be all work and no play. I can't tell you what to do. You'll have to decide when you have taken on too much and what you need to eliminate." Dad continued, "Now you're adding the teen club at St. Mary's. Be careful that you don't do too many things half-heartedly and not fewer things well."

"Thanks, Dad. RIght now I'm handling it all, but if it gets to be too much I'll cut back. Now I'm out of here."

I told the truth, Mary Kathryn and I were having to run in order to keep up with everything. Both of us thought that as time passed it would become easier. Of course, we took breaks for a bit of making out, but they were short and pretty tame.

Wednesday, at lunch, Bill and Linda told us about the meeting in Lexington. "The people we talked to had a lot of suggestions--mainly ways to avoid the mistakes they made when they started. Things like hiring an off-duty policeman just to be around, requiring membership and membership cards."

"What about food? You can get a decent meal there." Jacob said. "You know I'm always interested in food."

"Maybe we better just put you in charge of food," Susan laughed.

"That's like letting the fox guard the hen house," Jack said, shaking his head. "I've been around long enough to see how he inhales school food. Think what he could do with real food."

"Actually, they suggested, as big a problem as it is, that we do have food. Just hamburgers, hot dogs and chips. Fries are big trouble. Also suggested we start with just iced tea and lemonade. All are easy to fix and we do have a kitchen."

"There were lots of other suggestions and cautions," Bill said. "We're going to need another planning session. We're also going to need some startup money. There's a fair sound system but, sooner rather than later, that will have to be upgraded. If we get going well, we'll need to hire a DJ."

"Maybe not for a while," Susan said. "Let's talk with Keith 'Bad Man' Lewis. You know, the senior who is DJ for the local radio station early evenings and Saturday morning. I bet he'd be interested. He's kind of a loner here at school, but is a dynamite DJ. I'll talk to him. We are neighbors and used to spend a lot of time together."

"Sounds good to me. There he is over there in the corner by himself, just sitting down. Why not talk to him now?" I asked.  "Invite him over," Jack said.

Susan went over to Keith--I hardly knew him. He was, as she said, a real loner--quiet, reserved, going about his business without any major interaction with other students. I watched as she spoke to him. He looked toward us and I motioned for him to come over and was surprised when he picked up his tray and came over.

"I'm sure you know this crowd," Susan said, and then introduced us without waiting for his response. Keith nodded and sat down.

"Hear you want to get a teen club going," he said. "A good idea. Ever been to the one in Lexington?"

"Yea, that's what gave us the idea. We went some last spring." I then told Keith more than he might have wanted to know about how we found the club and why we really liked it.

"Great place. Everyone who behaves is welcome. I used to go with a friend who lived in Lexington, but... Anyway, I'm glad you're thinking about starting one. How the planning going?" While Keith ate, the rest of us ate in turns and, between bites, pretty much told him what we had done.

"Glad you talked with the group in Lexington. They had a rough time getting the club off the ground since everything was new. You have some good advise and ideas from their mistakes and successes. One thing I think you need to ditch is the idea of starting without a DJ and decent sound system. It'll never fly without those."

"Sorry to hear that, Keith," I said. "We're worrying about finding basic seed money to get started with essentially what we have."

"If you'll consider having me, I'll DJ for free until we get it off the ground. I really want to see such a club started here. Just to be sure, it'll be as open to everyone as the Lexington one?"

"Sure, wouldn't have it otherwise," Mary Kathryn said. "That is if you mean like Matt and Luke and Eugene and Larry. Yea."

"That's exactly what I mean. It'll cause an uproar here in Concord. You can bet the farm on that, but if you'll not willing to make it for everyone, then I want no part of it."

"Anyone between thirteen and twenty who behaves themselves. And, of course, parents and other adults associated with members can come. We need adults floating in and out, according to Lexington's experience."

"Good. Count me in. And don't worry about equipment for sound and lights, I think I can handle that. Got to run. Greywolf's doing a lesson on sound in AP physics today and I'm helping out. Laters."

Keith grabbed his tray, ran to put it up, and left the cafeteria just before the bell. "I'm going to talk to that young man again," Susan said. "I think he'd make a good addition to the Fellowship." The consensus of the group was with her.

Thursday, Mom told me she has seen Christopher and he was better, but still not out of the woods. "Dr. Walker has stopped the phenobarb but he is still not conscious. He is responsive but that's about all," she said. "We are all worried about Demetri as well. He is taking this very hard. He feels guilty because he didn't do something, although neither he nor anyone else can think of what he might have done. Of course, he could have reported Christopher, but that would have sent him back to the detention home and he tried suicide the last time he was there, so Demetri was afraid of turning him in."

"What's with his mom? He hasn't said anything good about her," I commented.

"According to Demetri, there's little good that can be said. Demetri's wife died after a long battle with cancer when Diana, Christopher's mother, was 15. Diana had started being pretty wild shortly after her mother was diagnosed, when she was 13. The two years her mother was ill, Demetri more or less neglected Diana and she got progressively worse--starting with having trouble with school..."

"Sounds kinda familiar," I said, and I wasn't laughing. "Yea, I know where she was coming from. Been there myself."

"But you had support from the Family and it stopped with trouble in school," Mom said.

"Michael, you don't know how sorry I am for neglecting you and how thankful I am that the Family took up the slack."

"No need to feel sorry, Dad, don't see how you managed even without my becoming a pain in the ass."

"Thanks, Son."

"After her mother died, Demetri tried to straighten Diana out, but it didn't work. She dropped out of school without his knowing it for weeks, came home drunk at all hours, and generally was completely out of control. By the time Demetri asked for help, little could be done. She was finally put in a residential treatment center in Jackson, but ran away after a couple months and completely disappeared," Mom said.

Demetri finally heard from her six or seven years later. A young man who had been living in a commune in Arizona left it and went back home. With some effort, he located Demetri and called him. When Demetri tried to contact her in the commune, he was told she had been kicked out because of a drug and alcohol problem."

"He did get an address of another member of the commune who had left with her. He finally located her in a flophouse in Chicago and went there, picked her up and brought her here. She was a physical wreck because of drugs and alcohol. Well, according to Demetri, she was an emotional wreck as well. She stayed here a year, first in treatment for her addiction, then living with Demetri. Christmas, a guy she had known in the commune came by and she left with him. She was gone for several months and came back pregnant with Christopher. When she found out she was pregnant, she raced home to get off of drugs and alcohol. She stayed clean all the time she was pregnant, thank goodness, and for several years afterward."

"When Christopher was eight she left again and, since then, has dragged Christopher through a lot of--pardon the expression--shit: drugs, alcohol, the whole mess. For the last several years, she has supported her habit by selling her body. She also often had live-in boyfriends/pimps, some of whom abused Christopher physically and sexually according to what he has told Demetri. By the time Christopher was 13, he was spending more time in the detention home than with his mother. Yet, in spite of all that, he has generally done well in school so far as the work is concerned, but gets kicked out because of behavior. So, you can see, there is very little good he can say about his mother. I just hope this last episode helps get his head screwed on straight."

"Yea, so do I," I said.

Friday, Keith joined the Fellowship for lunch. He was still very quiet, I think observing to see whether or not he'd fit in. When the talk turned to the teen club, he came alive. When we started talking about seed money, he suggested we sell the memberships. "Don't make it so expensive some kids can't afford it, but charge enough to raise money. As a matter of fact, we could have two levels of membership. One which would just let you in the club and another which would support the club and, if it made a profit, would earn a dividend."

"Don't think the latter would work," Bill said. "St. Mary's is a non-profit organization and can't make a profit. If we have a separate organization, we'll have to get a tax permit and all that stuff. Just went through that sort of thing with Dad. His church rented houses and just got slapped with a tax bill."

"Then we'll sell memberships, but charge a small admission fee. I know there might be some kids who can't spend a buck for entertainment but, let's be honest, they are few and far between and probably wouldn't show up anyway. If we knew kids who were really that hard up, we could give them special membership. But, generally, I know our age group: if it doesn't cost, we think it's no good and either will have nothing to do with it or will not take care of it," Keith said. "They'll trash the place if it's free, sad to say."

We finally decided to charge $5 for membership and $1 for admission. "Man, we need Luke to do a brochure and poster to get this show on the road," Mary Kathryn said.

"Suspect I'm not as good as Luke," Jack said, "but I think I can do a fair job. I'll have designs ready Monday."

When I got home from school, Mom called me into the kitchen. "Michael, Danny Elrod called a few minutes ago. He said he needed to talk to you, and asked that you call him as soon as you got home. He said it was important and urgent. He sounded very serious."

Chapter Four

Danny


When I came on duty Sunday afternoon, I ran into Michael and the gang who told me about Christopher Cicellis. As soon as I had time, I went up to his room to check on him. He sure didn't look good. In fact, he looked as if each breath would be his last. His grandfather Demetri was sitting beside the young man's bed. He looked exhausted. I told him to take a break and I would stay with Christopher. Mr. Cicellis reluctantly agreed to take a break for a bite to eat and the restroom (I learned later Christopher had his grandfather's last name because his mother had no idea who his father was).

I was surprised that Christopher wasn't in intensive care and, when Dr. Walker came in, I asked about that. "Really no need," he said, "because it's essentially just a waiting game. Of course the fact that there's not a bed there is also a factor. His grandfather, Demetri, has been right by his bedside since he learned Christopher had been hurt. You might check on the grandfather to make sure he's not starving himself."

"I just got him to take a break a few minutes before you came in. He was reluctant, but finally agreed to get some food and take a restroom break. So it's a waiting game, is it?"

"Yes, afraid so. We have done all we can do trying to knock out any infection he might have picked up in a manure bath. Also, he definitely has a concussion. I have him on phenobarb to keep the brain swelling down and that's about all that can be done. He doesn't seem to have any fight in him and he has not been taking care of himself, so his body has a definite uphill battle."

I could see that Christopher hadn't been taking care of himself. He was a bit over six feet I'd guess and didn't weight over 120-140 pounds. Dark, with black, curly hair, Christopher was a good-looking kid on the whole, but the fact that he was positively skinny didn't make him attractive as he could have been, and the bruises and cuts sure didn't help his looks. However, when Dr. Walker uncovered him to examine cuts that had been stitched, I could see he was not lacking in all departments!

When he finished examining Christopher, Dr. Walker said, "Well, at least he seems to be holding his own. I talked with the duty nurse, Danny, and if Demetri will go home and get some rest, you can keep watch on Christopher. I don't think you need to stay glued to his bedside like Demetri has been, but do keep a careful eye on him. I'm stopping the phenobarb in a day or so and I don't know what his reaction will be then--or in the meantime, for that matter--so just keep watch over him." Dr. Walker had been working over Christopher as he talked. When he finished, he covered him, turned to me and asked, "How's school going, Danny? Still working toward an LPN certificate?"

"School's going ok and, yea, I'm still working toward my LPN certificate. Should finish by the end of this semester. I'm looking forward to that and a break. With my school work, work at the hospice and here, I have little time for anything, even sleep. But I'm not complaining. Anytime I think about tossing in the towel, I remember Jake and also how far I have come since I was rescued from McBride."

"Good, that's about the only use the past has, keeping us living in the present and moving toward a brighter future," Dr. Walker said. "I'll see if I can catch Demetri and talk him into going home for a while. Good to see you, Danny, and to know you're doing ok."

Demetri came up shortly after Dr. Walker left and, after he was sure I would take care of Christopher, went home when I promised I'd call him if there was any change.

The next few days, I took my school work to the hospital and did it in Christopher's room. Friday, I had fallen asleep when I heard a groan, which yanked me awake. When I looked at Christopher, he was tossing around a bit and groaning. I took a cloth, wet it in cool water and started bathing his face. Suddenly he opened his eyes and was obviously startled. "Who are you? Where am I? What happened?" Questions were pouring out of him.

"Christopher, I'm Danny, Danny Elrod. You're in the hospital. You have been unconscious for several days as a result of a beating, but it looks as if you are coming around," I told him as I buzzed for the nurse.

The nurse came quickly and, when she saw Christopher was awake, said, "Thank goodness you're awake. I'll page Dr. Walker. I think he's still in the hospital."

"Christopher, I'm going to call your grandfather. The only way he would leave to get any rest was if I promised I would call him if there was any change."

Christopher groaned again then, in a very weak voice, said, "Demetri was here?".

"He refused to leave your bedside until Dr. Walker convinced him I would take good care of you."

"Oh. Where's Michael?" Christopher asked. "I need to talk to Michael."

"I'll call him as soon as I can," I told him as he then slid back into sleep.

When Dr. Walker arrived, he roused Christopher and did a quick examination. "Everything looks good Christopher. Maybe you are out of the woods."

When Demetri came, Dr. Walker told him Christopher had regained consciousness and was sleeping. He convinced Demetri he should go home and get some rest. "Demetri, I know you have spent every free minute you have here, and you are still keeping your place open and getting no real sleep o