Spring Break
A Naptown Tale in Five Parts

by Altimexis & David of Hope

Part Four
Lost and Found — Kurt

Trevor and I were enjoying a leisurely float in a paddleboat on the tidal basin when Trevor’s cell phone suddenly went off.

“I wonder what that could be about,” he said as he pulled his phone off his belt clip and answered it. “You found Paul where?” I heard Trev ask. “He was alone? What was he doing over there, all by himself? Really! With another group… and fawning over a girl… a girl with Down’s Syndrome?

“But why are you calling us, Jer? He was supposed to be with you guys anyway… What do you mean, they were all supposed to be with us?… No, no, no! Sammy told me this morning that you guys had agreed to serve as chaperones for the afternoon, and that Trevor and I were off the hook… You’re kidding… Brad told you the same thing? Methinks I smell a rat.

“Seriously,” Trevor continued, “I think we’ve all been had. Just a sec, let me talk to Kurt, but I think we could really get even with them for this.”

Turning to me, Trevor said, “You’ll never believe this, love, but it looks like the kiddies pulled one over on us. Dave just called from Air and Space to say he and Jer ran into Paul over there. Paul latched onto another group — they found him fawning over a girl with Down’s Syndrome. Anyway, they called us, thinking we must be looking for him, ’cause he was supposed to be with us, never dreaming that we thought he was supposed to be with them.”

“So you’re saying that Brad and Cliff and Sammy and Paul all managed to make us think someone else was serving as chaperone this afternoon?” I asked.

“Looks like it,” my boyfriend answered.

“Damn, that took balls, but we can’t let ’em just get away with it — Shit, they must be going ape looking for Paul, too.” I added.

“Yeah, I can only imagine,” Trevor agreed. “I’d let them spend the day looking as their punishment — they obviously haven’t contacted Calvin or we’d have heard something by now — but they could really get in trouble. DC can be a pretty dangerous place if you don’t know where you’re going. A mile or two in the wrong direction and you’re into some pretty rough neighborhoods.”

“You’re right,” I said, “that could be dangerous. Still, I think we could play a pretty good practical joke on them. Why don’t you tell Dave and Jer to meet us back at The Castle in, what, twenty minutes? That’s about how long it’ll take to paddle in and walk there, and by then, we can prolly come up with some good ideas on how to get even.”

“Kurt,” Trevor said with a grin on his face, “I like your style.”

After conveying my thoughts to David, he hung up his phone and we made our way back to the shore. Twenty minutes later, we met David, Jeremy, and a very obviously shaken Paul in front of the Smithsonian Castle.

“I’m sorry, Trevor. I’m sorry, Kurt,” Paul said in a rush. “I didn’t mean to fuck things up.” It was so cute the way he swore. “I really didn’t mean to mess up. We all were going to have so much fun on our own, but Cindy looked so pretty, and the way she smiled at me, I just had to get to know her, and I didn’t realize the guys weren’t with me any more, and when I did, it had been a while — a long while since I’d seen ’em.

“I was gonna call Sammy — really, I was, but then I thought maybe I’d get in trouble, an’ I was having so much fun talkin’ to Cindy and seeing the Air and Space Museum again with her group, so I just stayed with her until David and Jeremy came up to me and asked where you guys were, and then I knew I was fucked.”

“Paul,” I said, “you shouldn’t have run off like that, but it wasn’t all your fault. More than anything else, the guys shouldn’t have pulled a fast one like that, and I think you probably know that.”

Paul looked down at the ground, obviously ashamed at his role in the whole ordeal. Trevor pulled him into a hug and reassured him everything would be okay. That brought Paul’s good old smile back to him. Then Trevor laid out to him the plan we had hatched on our way back to the paddleboat dock. It was mostly my idea, and pure evil. Reluctantly, Paul agreed to go along with it. It was, David and Jeremy agreed, a most suitable punishment.

Getting out his cell phone, Paul looked up and said, “Oops, I forgot to turn it on this morning.” He then speed-dialed Sammy’s number.

“Hello, Sammy?” Paul said when the phone was answered. “I fucked up — I really, really fucked up, man…

“I’m on a bus… no, it’s a school bus. You know, one of those yellow school buses? I don’t know. I saw this girl, you see, a very pretty girl with Down’s, like me. She’s very, very pretty, and very cute, and smart. Anyway, when I saw her, I had to get to know her, so I went up to her and started talking to her. Her name’s Cindy…

“Whatdayamean, shuddup! I’m on this fuckin’ school bus, an’ all you can do is tell me ta shuddup? I gotta explain, man.

“Anyway,” Paul continued his story to Sammy, “I met this girl and went with her group to the Air and Space Museum. I thought you guys were still with me. I didn’t realize you didn’t follow me. I guess I was just watching Cindy. An’ when I realized you guys weren’t with me, I kinda panicked and thought I’d get in trouble, so I just stuck with the group.

“An’ besides, I was having’ a great time with Cindy… but then we all got on these school buses. I thought maybe we was just goin’ to another museum or somethin’, but we got onto the highway an’ just kept on drivin’ an’ drivin’ an’ it’s been like an hour or maybe more, and we’re still goin’. And you know, they counted all of us when we got on the bus, so I think some poor kid got left behind, too.”

All of us were doing our best to keep from bursting out laughing, ’cause we didn’t want Sammy to hear us in the background, but Paul was doing such an outstanding job of playing his role, the end result was absolutely hilarious. I really didn’t think he could do it. I could just picture how Sammy was relaying everything to Brad and Cliff and how all three were just about to shit in their pants around now, which made it the perfect time for part two of our plan.

Whipping out my cell phone, I dialed Sammy’s number. Naturally, it took him time to answer as he was already on the line with Paul and I knew he didn’t want me to know that. “Hey Kurt,” Sammy answered. “’Sup man?”

“Listen, I can’t talk long man, cause Trevor’s in the john, but I’m in one of the Smithsonian gift shops and I saw this really cool tie I thought he might like, but I wanted to be sure he didn’t already have anything like it. It’s a light cream-colored tie with a brown check pattern and it has the Smithsonian logo just barely visible in the background. Now I know he doesn’t have anything with the Smithsonian logo on it, but I wouldn’t want to get it if he already has a tie that looks too similar to it… Let me see if I can get a picture of it for you,” I added as an apparent afterthought, but then I said, “Oh shit, he’s coming. Listen man, there’s no time right now. Does the tie design sound like anything you’ve seen in Trevor’s closet? Yes or no?”

“Shit, I don’t know, Kurt. I just don’t know,” Sammy answered in obvious frustration. Man, this was fun.

“Thanks a lot,” I said and then hung up.

As soon as I hung up, Paul said, “Sammy, what happened to you. I’ve been talkin’ to you, and you didn’t answer. I’m scared, man.”

Oh, this was priceless. Paul was so good at this.

Next, David called Brad. When Brad answered, David said, “Hey, bro, how’s it going? Jer and I just called Trevor, and we’re gonna try to meet up with you guys in like twenty minutes or so. They were paddle boating on the tidal basin, so I guess you guys all decided to do that, too, huh. It’s funny, but I didn’t think you’d be into that… Yeah, well, it’s good to hear you’re having a good time. Anyway, I just felt like saying hi to my bro, and we’ll be seeing you in twenty. Take it easy, man. Bye…”

Of course Paul was still talking to Sammy during this whole time, and David never did tell Brad where we were meeting up, so all he knew is when but not where, and I could only imagine the panic that was starting to brew among the younger brothers.

Now it was my turn again. I speed-dialed Sammy, once again interrupting his conversation with Paul. “Hey Sammy. Sorry to bother you again, but I really want to get Trevor this tie.”

“So get him the fuckin’ tie,” he said back to me, testily. Whoa — the kid really was a wit’s end. It was getting close to time to end this.

“I just wanted to be sure,” I replied. “Anyway, I snapped a pic of the tie, just like I said, and snuck into the restroom to send it to you.” I actually had snapped a photo of a tie from the gift shop, just to make it all seem more real. Poor Sammy, being forced to look at a pic of a tie I had no interest in buying.

Before I’d even had a chance to put the phone back up to my ear, I could clearly hear Sammy saying, “That’s the ugliest tie I’ve ever seen, but if you think Trev will like it, buy the fuckin’ tie for all I care. Just don’t bother me again!” And then he hung up on me.

Turning to Paul a final time, I said, “Okay, Paul, this is the last thing you need to tell Sammy. Tell him you just passed a sign that says ‘Welcome to West Virginia’. okay?” I really hated to do that to poor Sammy, but we had agreed that we needed to push until they called us and fessed up. If this didn’t do it, we’d confront them and make them confess, but there was no need. Within a minute of Paul’s final message to Sammy, David’s cell phone was ringing.

“Brad?” David answered and paused, listening intently before he spoke, “Hey Brad, come on now, take it easy. You can stop crying bro. Paul’s here with us. He never got on a school bus. We found him at the Air and Space Museum, and figured out what you guys did when we called Trevor and Kurt to ask why he wasn’t with them.

“Oh, and you can blame this little ruse on Kurt — it was mostly his idea.”

“Gee, thanks,” I said.

“Where are you guys?” David asked. “What are you doing over there? — Never mind — I can guess. In any case, I don’t want you going anywhere. We’ll come and get you at Union Station in about twenty minutes and, no, we won’t tell Calvin.”

After hanging up his cell phone, David said, “They’re over at Union Station, believe it or not. I hate to imagine what trouble they’ve gotten into since we last saw them, and I’m not sure I want to know. We got to retrieve the pups before they do themselves any more harm.”

“We!” Jeremy exclaimed. “Ah no, this little plan to scare them was Kurt’s idea — I think it should be his job to go and get them,” then laughing he added, “and if they give him a shit-kickin’ it’ll be one he deserves. All in favor?”

I yelled, “No way, man!” but naturally, was drowned out by a chorus of words like, “Sure,” “Great,” and “Sounds like a plan.”

“Okay Kurt, it’s your job,” Jeremy said, “we’ll walk you over to the Metro entrance near the Castle. When you get back, we’ll be waiting for you in front of the Castle. I’ll call them and let them know you’re coming. They’ll be waiting for you.”

While we walked over to the entrance to the Smithsonian Metro Station and descended one of the longest escalators I’d ever seen, Jeremy called Brad and told them to wait in the Eatery and that I was coming to get them. Once we got into the station, whoa — it took a couple of minutes to figure out the farecard system, but we caught on pretty quick. The three of them gave me a smiling wave goodbye as I went through the turnstile.

When Calvin had showed us the map of the Metro system at the Union Station, I thought it was a piece of cake. All the lines were color-coded. I checked the wall map — no problem, take the Orange Line or the Blue Line up two stops to the Metro Center Station, change trains onto the Red Line and go three stops to Union Station. But it was rush hour. People were swarming. I just kept checking the signs, followed my instincts. I asked a lady standing there if I was on the right platform to go to Metro Center. Yeah, thank you God, I was going the right way. I really wasn’t prepared for the maze at the Metro Center though. I wouldn’t say it was a zoo; it seemed more like mayhem. People were going everywhere, but I followed a large mob off the platform and onto an escalator. I was standing in front of a young, handsome, yeah, cute, African American man and decided I had to ask.

“Sir, I have to get to the Union Station on the Red Line. Am I going the right way?”

He smiled, darn near laughed, “Yeah, you’re going my way. I’m on my way to work the late hour shift at the Eatery there.”

Whew! While we walked to the other platform, I told him about the rescue mission I was on. He just kept smiling and laughing when I told him how it happened with the kids running off on their own.

In passing, I said, “Calvin, our guide, gave us free rein today.”

He startled me when he exclaimed, “Calvin?” he laughed. “Are you with that group of gay boys — the one with the guy that has the golden hair?”

Feeling a little nervous and wondering if I was about to be the victim of a gay bashing, I quietly answered “Yeah, that’s Jeremy!”

“Oh man! That guy is my fantasy come true. I couldn’t take my eyes off him that day you guys came there for lunch. I mean, I know he’s taken, but you know the old story — if only…”

By the time we got to Union Station, I felt like I’d known this guy all my life. For sure, he got a history on everyone in our group.

Before we parted at the entrance to the Eatery, he gave me detailed instructions on how to get back to the Smithsonian. He warned that things look entirely different when you’re on the other platforms. As I was heading into the Eatery, I realized that all I really knew about him was that his name was Ethan and he’d seen me through one of the most harrowing experiences of my life.

Looking around, I quickly spotted the three kids kinda stuck together like glue — there wasn’t a foot between them. I didn’t say a thing as I approached, but I didn’t take my eyes off them either and I tried to keep an angry look on my face, although I was really quite relieved to see them. Every time they’d look up and see me, they quickly look at the ground again. I didn’t say anything until I got right up to them.

“Alright you renegades,” I said with a stern voice, “stick to me and for the love of God, don’t wander. This subway system is a humungous maze of tunnels and I gotta concentrate on where we’re going.” They didn’t say a thing, but just nodded their heads.

Once I had purchased their farecards, I noticed they were not a happy bunch, but I had a feeling it wasn’t my job at the moment to make them feel better. I really wanted to stay focused on the directions that Ethan had given me to get all of us back safely to the Smithsonian Station.

As they followed me through the turnstile, Cliff gave me his most pathetic look. “We’re sorry Kurt.”

I had to smile, “Well gang, maybe not as sorry as you will be when your brothers get through with you.” Actually, I wanted to hug the hell out them, but I needed them to stay on their toes while I paid attention to where we were going.

Once we were on the right train, pulling out of the multi-level Metro Center, we all breathed a sigh of relief.

“WOW!” Brad exclaimed, “I had no idea that all this is under the city.”

“Yeah man,” Sammy agreed, “these trains are sick.”

I guess if you knew the system better than I did, it was a great system, but the few minutes of tension it took to go from Smithsonian to Union the first time was pretty heavy.

When Sammy spotted Paul as we approached the Castle, he ran up to him with tears in his eyes, grabbing him into a big hug. “Oh fuck Paul,” he sobbed, “I thought I’d lost ya.”

“I was okay Sammy,” Paul replied with his usual grin. “I was with Cindy, she’s a Down’s kid — sweet — man, she was sweet!”

Sammy held onto Paul’s shoulders at arm’s length and looked square into his eyes. “Yeah? Well so are you man,” Sammy said with a tearful smile.

Jeremy, on the other hand was the one to pull Cliff into a hug. “When I found out you weren’t with Kurt and Trevor, I got scared for ya bro,” he said as he nuzzled the top of his head. “Cliffy, you have to trust me on this — you can have all the freedom in the world so long as you’re responsible for it — just don’t scare us like that again.”

“I — I’m sorry Jer’my…” Cliff said hesitantly, “it’s just that we wanted to do something on our own, ya know, like you guys were doing.”

“Samuel!” Trevor went over to Sammy and gave him a hug. “Sammy,” he continued softly, “You aren’t a street kid anymore, you gotta know there’s a lot of people who care about you. We were worried sick bro.”

“Yeah,” Sammy said, “I guess I just found that out, didn’t I?”

“And YOU,” David exclaimed with his arm around Brad’s shoulder, “I just know you masterminded this whole thing, didn’t you?”

“Ye — Yeah, I guess so,” Brad said meekly, “but I guess it — kinda got out of control when Paul disappeared. We ended up looking for him all over — even into this black neighborhood — that was scary, but by the time I called you, we were scared shitless, but I shoulda known there was something up — a fuckin’ tie — man, was that ever lame, and it was driving poor Sammy nuts.”

As touching as the reunion with the kids was, Trevor and I were trying to hold back our giggles. Yup — my plan worked. I glanced back to Jeremy who was looking intently at Cliff. Cliff — he was looking at his watch.

“Oh damn!” Jeremy startled all of us. “We gotta get back to the hotel. Where’s Calvin?”

“Right here,” we heard him say. I don’t know how long he’d been standing there, just twenty feet from us, casually leaning with his shoulder against the wall, a big smile on his face. I tilted my head slightly, squinted my eyes, and just stared at him. How much had he heard? “How’s it going fellas?” he asked as he winked at me, still smiling.

“Calvin,” Jeremy said, “we gotta get Cliff and Sammy back to the hotel to take their meds. They’re supposed to have them at 5:30.”

“Yeah, I know,” Calvin said apologetically, “that’s why I came here early. I forgot about that when I said we’d be here at six, so let’s go.”

“Alright boys,” Calvin said after that task had been taken care of, “it’s time to get ready for the night. Get washed and dressed. You big boys get to go clubbing and I get to keep the youngsters out of trouble for the evening.”

“Yeah! Tonight is ours — we get to go clubbing and Calvin can look after them.” I said now that the terror of the afternoon was over. I think we’d taught them a lesson and in a way, had fun doing it.

The four of us were really pumped as we entered the bar about an hour later.

<> <> <>

What the hell — What happened? Where the hell was I? Why was I just waking up? Was I dreaming?

I was riding shotgun in a car. I couldn’t really say I woke up, as my eyes were already open and I was staring at the road ahead of me, but for some reason I was now aware of my surroundings, whereas before I hadn’t been. Something just wasn’t right. What was I doing here? I was riding shotgun in a strange car — an SUV, I think, that reeked of stale cigarette smoke. How did I get here?

I still felt like I was in a haze and totally disoriented. ‘Think, Kurt,’ I thought to myself.

We were in Washington, on Spring Break. We were near the end of our vacation. We’d visited the Smithsonian and the National Gallery of Art, and been to the White House and Congress. We’d met our senator, and even met President Obama. Yes, it had been quite a week, but what did any of that have to do with this — here and now?

Today was Friday — yes, it was the end of the week, and Trevor and I had gone paddle boating. Oh! Paul had gotten lost! Yeah, that was something else. David and Jeremy had found him at Air and Space, and we figured out how the younger brothers had pulled a fast one on us, but I came up with a plan to get even. We did too. It was great. Poor Sammy. He looked like a caged animal by the time we caught up to him at Union Station. You’d think he’d been through a lot more than just what we’d done to him by the way he looked.

Finally, we went back to the hotel and got ready to go clubbing. Well, we older boys did. The younger guys were going out for a farewell dinner. Good riddance to them with all that happened. We were going to a gay club just off Dupont Circle that catered to teens. Usually, you had to be sixteen to enter, but Calvin pulled some strings.

When he dropped us off, Calvin gave us a warning — boy, I remember it clearly, even in my haze. “These clubs can be wild and crazy places,” he said. “It gets hot in there, but keep your shirts on, even if everyone else doesn’t. Stay together, at least in pairs, even to go to the bathroom, and always keep your drinks in plain sight.”

“Every year some poor unsuspecting kid, often a tourist, gets abducted from one of these clubs. Usually someone older, masquerading as a kid, slips them a roofie, or Rohypnol, the date rape drug, to get them to leave the club willingly. The police often don’t even investigate these crimes — after all, teenagers run away all the time, especially gay teens. I’ll be back here at eleven and pick you up. No arguments.”

Feeling the cool air on my naked chest, I remembered. Yes, I remembered. We had all been dancing, and the lights in the club made the dance floor hot as blazes. We were all hot beyond belief and getting dehydrated — and we were the only ones wearing shirts. We were dressed in dress shirts and khakis, and our shirts had progressively come unbuttoned. Finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore, and I removed my shirt, and Trevor did likewise, soon to be followed by David and Jeremy. We knew Calvin meant well, but enough was enough. We were all faithful, and could easily fend off advances from the other club patrons.

Yeah, I remembered all that. But what the…

After that, my memory became foggier, but I did remember a time when Trev said he had to take a leak and that he’d be right back. I asked if he wanted me to go with him, but he said he’d be fine, and I did have a fresh drink I didn’t want to just throw away. David and Jeremy were out on the floor, dancing, which left me alone, but I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself — and that was the last thing I truly remembered.

Maybe, somehow, someone must have slipped something into that drink I didn’t want to throw away — how stupid of me — and I drank it down. Maybe, they talked me into going with them before Trevor got back, but how — and now, here I was. I could only imagine how frantic Trevor, David and Jeremy, and by now everyone else must be. I could only wonder how long it had been.

This was truly déjà vu. I was afraid to look at the driver, as the last thing I wanted to do was to tip him off to the fact that I was now aware of the situation. At least I had that many wits about me. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see that he was a young male, probably in his mid-twenties and blond, but that’s as much as I dared to glean for the moment. Looking out of the window, I saw a sign for Interstate 95 southbound, so I knew we were most likely in Virginia — unless I’d been out of it longer than I’d thought.

Another thing I also knew from my last experience as a hostage — my chances of getting out of this alive were slim to none unless I took matters into my own hands. No, I wouldn’t do anything foolish and, yes, I would cooperate, but I couldn’t let him take me somewhere where he could rape me with impunity and then kill me. It’s time to remain calm and keep my thoughts focused. Don’t panic. I’d been through this shit before, with Gary.

My best chance of survival was to force him to show his face, so to speak.

As we drove, I started to make a mental note of my situation. I was wearing nothing but my boxers. The bastard had removed my khakis, shoes and socks, and I wondered for the first time if I had been raped. Although I had no way of knowing what I might have done, I knew all too well from experience what it felt like to have been forced to have anal intercourse and, fortunately after I gave my sphincter a squeeze, relief washed over me as I realized that at least I hadn’t suffered that indignity again.

Next, I realized I was wearing handcuffs. Worse, my ankles were also cuffed and, as I gently tried to move them forward, I became aware the ankle cuffs were in some way looped through the frame of the seat. That meant escape on my own would be difficult if not impossible. Even if we stopped, I couldn’t simply throw the door open and make a run for it. I would have to kill or disable the driver at the least, and get help from the police.

I did my best to keep focused, looking for any opportunity to catch the driver off guard, but it was obviously late at night and we were faced with nothing but an endless stretch of interstate highway. Finally, I noticed that the driver was slowing down and saw that there was a state trooper sitting parked in the median. This was more than likely going to be my best and perhaps only hope for a long time. There would be no second chances.

Just as we got close to the trooper, I reached across with my handcuffed arms and gently, but forcefully nudged the steering wheel to the left, forcing the SUV to swerve sharply toward the trooper, coming within perhaps a couple of feet of hitting his vehicle. The driver of the SUV barely had time to wrest control of the SUV back from me in time to keep the vehicle from careening out of control and swerving across the median and into the oncoming traffic on the other side.

I knew what I did was taking a huge risk, but it was one I had to take. If I’d had to, I could have taken control of the SUV back myself before we lost control, but there was always a risk we’d wipe out. It was a risk I had to take, and I just prayed I didn’t end up killing any innocent people in the process.

I could hear the wail of the police siren behind us and see the flash of the trooper’s blue lights reflected in the outside rearview mirror next to me as the driver of the SUV poured on the gas. I couldn’t believe it — was he actually going to try to outrun the trooper?

“What the fuck did you do that for?” the driver shouted angrily at me.

Rather than answer him, I said, “Instead of speeding up, if you pull over and un-cuff me, I’ll tell the cop I’m a runaway and that you picked me up while I was hitchhiking. I’ll tell him the truth about what I did with the steering wheel. It’s the best thing to do if you want to walk away from this. It’s the only way you’ll walk away from this.”

The driver just laughed at me and said, “You must take me for a fool. No way he’s gonna believe I’m not involved in some way. I transported you across state lines, so we either gotta either lose him, or kill him. Believe me, I’d don’t want a kop killer warrant hangin’ over my head, we gotta do every thing we can to lose him.”

And with that, the driver suddenly swerved and drove across the median and into the oncoming traffic. Fortunately, it was late at night and traffic was light, but what we were doing was dangerous as hell. A lot of trucks drove at night and there were trucks passing trucks. I could see the speedometer was pegged at over eighty, but I knew we were going a whole lot faster than that, even as we swerved to avoid hitting the occasional vehicle in the left lane. In the meantime, the original state trooper was keeping up with us across the way on the proper side of the roadway. Personally, I didn’t know what we were doing, driving on the wrong side.

That was until we went down an entrance ramp — the wrong way — and narrowly missed hitting another car in the process. I wasn’t sure if the trooper realized what we’d done, but it prolly wouldn’t take him long to figure it out. Trouble was, even if he saw what we’d done, he’d have lost valuable time in the process and we’d be a good mile or two ahead of him.

So now we were heading down the wrong side of a four-lane road — with traffic lights. The driver eased us over to the right side as he pegged the speedometer as high as it would go. My heart sank as I realized there was no sign of the trooper, but the driver wasn’t taking any chances as he sped along. I noticed we didn’t seem to have a GPS, so he either knew his way around here or he was taking his chances. I shuddered at the thought of the latter, as I didn’t even want to think what he’d do if he ran out of roadway.

Fortunately, there were hardly any cars around and the lights stayed green. If we had hit any red lights, it would have only been because of cross traffic, and that would have spelled trouble. The last thing I wanted was for someone else to get hurt because of my attempt to save my own skin.

Finally, I heard the sound of a police siren in the distance — no, there was more than one siren. Turning around, I could see blue flashing lights behind us, and they were gaining on us!

“Shit!” the driver shouted. “No way they’re catching us alive.”

And then the driver of the SUV pulled off into a gas station and turned onto a narrow side street, barreling down it at over sixty miles an hour. I was certain we were gonna crash any second. When it appeared the street was coming to an end, he pulled into a driveway, drove through someone’s back yard and down a culvert and into a ditch.

We continued driving in the ditch for what seemed like miles — he obviously knew the area well and figured the troopers wouldn’t know of his little shortcut — and then he pulled out of the ditch and onto some other two-lane road, nearly colliding with a cop car in the process.

“Fuck! Where’d he come from?” the driver swore as he swerved and took off down the two-lane road at break-neck speed.

He was only digging himself in deeper and deeper, but how could I make him see that. He was desperate and acting like he had nothing to loose. For all I knew, maybe he didn’t — maybe like Gary, he had a string of murders he was connected to and getting caught would only bring them to light. For the time being, there wasn’t much I could do. I might be able to catch the driver off guard and force him to crash the SUV, but my chance of survival in that scenario at these speeds would be slim to none. For now, I would have to bide my time.

From what I could tell, we now had three police vehicles of various sorts chasing us.

Suddenly, as we crested a hill, there was a fourth police cruiser in front of us, parked across the road and blocking the way. There was simply nowhere for us to go, but that didn’t stop the driver of the SUV. He veered off the roadway at an angle into God knows where. Talk about off-road driving — we were cutting through brush and grass, but then pretty soon we were on a dirt road and heading between cornfields or the like, and still, the police were keeping up with us.

“Fuck, fuck, FUCK!” the driver shouted as he pounded the steering wheel.

Ahead of us, I saw a police car headed right for us on an intercept course — shit!

The driver turned right, into one of the corn fields, raising a cloud of dust behind us as we quickly left the police cars behind, but then I saw a police SUV coming at us from out of nowhere.

“Well, kid, it’s been nice knowin’ ya,” the driver said as we crested a large hill, which was the last thing I saw before we flew into a large lake — that I realized then was prolly a reservoir. As the SUV quickly started to fill with icy water and before the water shorted out the electrical system, the driver quickly opened the sunroof and climbed out through it, diving into the water to make his attempted escape. I was left behind, trapped inside, handcuffed and with my ankles cuffed to the seat.

The SUV was continuing to fill with water and sinking rapidly. My greatest fear was that the police wouldn’t even realize I was there and would pursue the driver, only to discover me long after it was too late. Fortunately at least, the driver had left the keys in the ignition, and there were several keys on his key ring. With luck, the keys to the handcuffs would be on that key ring.

Working quickly, I stretched my body and grabbed the keys, being very careful not to drop them. Once I had them securely in hand, I found what were the most likely keys to fit the handcuffs and tried each one until I found the key that unlocked the handcuffs, freeing my hands so I could work on freeing up my ankles. Doing so would be much, much harder, though, since they were under water — very icy water, and the key that fit the handcuffs did not fit the cuffs that imprisoned my ankles.

The SUV was continuing to sink rapidly and the water was now up to my nipples. Reaching down to work on the ankle cuffs meant holding my breath and submerging my head, but I literally had no choice. It was a matter of survival. I tried key after key, but I just wasn’t finding the right key to free myself from my prison. The water was now up to my neck and I was running out of time!

Was there someplace else the driver could have hidden the key? Reaching forward, I tried opening the glove box, but it was locked. Using the car keys, I unlocked the glove box, but when I opened the glove box, a large snake slithered out! What was a snake doing in the glove box? The snake crawled up my body and exited out the sunroof. God, that was spooky!

Back behind where the snake had been, there was another large key ring with a bunch of keys on it. Taking what could well be my last breath, I ducked back under the water and started trying each of the keys in the ankle cuffs, one-by-one, hoping against all hope that one of them would release me from my prison.

None of the keys seemed to be working and my lungs felt like they would burst. Soon, I knew, the darkness would come to take me.

I could have sworn I heard Trevor’s voice calling to me, encouraging me and giving me hope. What the — I really was hearing Trevor’s voice.

“Kurt, wake up! Wake up, man.”

I was no longer under water, and I gasped for air. I was lying in bed in our hotel room in Washington, next to my boyfriend, who was doing his best to comfort me.

“It’s okay, love. It was just a nightmare,” he said to me with such concern in his face. God, how I loved him.

When I started to shake uncontrollably, he reached over and turned on the light, and then hugged me closely to him. “It’s all right, Kurt. It was just a horrible, horrible dream.

“Why don’t you tell me all about it? Getting it off your chest might do you some good, and then we can get back to sleep if you feel up to it,” he suggested.

Lying next to him, being held in his arms, I felt so secure. I knew now more than ever that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Trevor Austin. He was truly one in a million, but then I knew he felt the same way about me. It might be a cliché, but we were truly made for each other.

After I related my dream to Trevor, he said, “Well, after Calvin did such a good job of scaring us with his warnings about what could happen to us at the club, with your previous experience with kidnapping, I guess it was only natural you’d have that kind of nightmare. We did have a good time at the club, though — you do remember that, don’t you?”

“Yeah, I remember it now,” I said. “It was nice to be able to dance so openly — not that we can’t at school, but it felt so normal at the club. I guess my imagination just got the better of me in my sleep.

“God, when I think about it — police cars materializing out of nowhere — a snake in the glove box. There were so many clues that it was a dream. Thanks for being there for me,” I said before I kissed him deeply on the lips.

After coming up for air, I said, “You know, we agreed to abstain from sex for the time being, but that’s getting to be harder and harder…”

“Harder’s the right word all right,” Trevor agreed with a laugh.

“Seriously, Trev,” I continued, as I stroked his naked chest and moved my hand down to feel his cock through his boxers, “if something were to happen to me tomorrow, I’d hate to think that I’d go to my grave having only experienced forceful rape as my sole sexual experience. I want — I — I need to experience what it is like to truly make love. I need to feel this,” I said as I lovingly stroked his manhood, “inside of me. Not that there isn’t virtue in waiting as we have, but I’m ready to make a commitment.”

“Do you really mean that, Kurt?” Trevor asked.

“Don’t you?” I asked, fear in my voice, afraid of what his answer might be.

“Honey,” Trevor answered, “the only reason I’ve been holding back is because of the difference in our ages. I’ve been more than ready since the first time we met. You captivated me from the moment you rode up to me on your bicycle. You were so beautiful, and so kind and thoughtful, and my feelings for you have only grown.

“The way you handled yourself over the summer in the face of tragedy only showed me how your beauty extends to the inside, to the very depths of your soul. You’re a truly amazing person, Kurt DeWitt. I’d follow you to the ends of the earth if need be. I would put my life on hold if I had to, but I don’t think I’ll have to.

“You know, I’ve spoken to your mom, and she’s agreed to let you go with me when I go away to college. With my scores on the SAT, MIT looks like a real possibility. If California’s Prop 8 is overturned, I might also consider Cal Tech, but I’d never consider it otherwise. At first I’d planned on simply being your guardian, but that would create some real legal problems — even if we continued to abstain, no one would ever believe we were practicing abstinence and there would be consequences should we have sex. The mere allegation of you having sex with your guardian could create a legal nightmare for the both of us.

“After talking to your mom about it, we’ve both agreed that it would be best if you and I got married — if you would agree to it. Now I know sixteen is awfully young to be getting married…”

“You want me to marry you!” I shouted. “You’re proposing to me?”

“Of course I want to marry you — ’til death do us part — the whole nine yards. I love you, Kurt, and want to spend all eternity with you. I want to have babies with you by whatever means possible and to raise them in a good Christian home, but one that is accepting.”

“Yes, YES, YES! I want all of that, too. A life with you, two or maybe three kids, a loving home based on the teachings of Christ as I believe he intended them, and careers that offer service to humankind.”

Trevor and I were seriously making out when Sammy and Paul entered through the shared bathroom.

“Are you guys all right in here?” Sammy asked. “We heard some shouting.

“We’re fine,” Trevor said, “Kurt had a bad nightmare is all, but he’s fine, now.”

“Better than fine,” I agreed. “Trevor asked me to marry him, and I said ‘Yes’.”

“Aren’t you a little young ta be gettin’ married?” Sammy asked.

“We’ll wait until Trevor goes away to college,” I explained, “When he’ll be eighteen and I’ll be sixteen and just about to turn seventeen. For most kids, that’s prolly way too young, but with all we’ve been through, we’ve already been tested, and we know we’re gonna be together the rest of our lives. I’m never letting Trevor go — that’s for sure. And I’m lucky my mom’ll let me go with him when he goes off to college.

“We’re made for each other, Sammy,” I said. “I think you know that.”

Sammy looked kind of pensive for a moment before he broke out in a broad grin, and then he said, “Yeah, you guys are so gay, an’ so perfect for each other. You guys are cool, an’ I love you both. Congrats, bros.”

Sammy then gave each of us a bear hug before saying, “I expect ya both to consummate your engagement now, or whatever. Don’t worry ’bout keepin’ quiet, neither, ’cause Paul an’ me’ll be foolin’ round next door like we do when we’re horny like we are right now. Right, Paul?”

Paul just turned red as a beet and nodded his head up and down vigorously.

Once Sammy and Paul had left the room, my erection returned to full mast. I really was horny as hell. I’d be lying to say I didn’t feel a bit awkward, but I was excited and, more than anything else, deeply in love.

Before I knew it, Trevor and I were passionately making out again. We just couldn’t help it — we loved each other so much. Down below we could feel our cocks rubbing up against each other through the fabric of our boxers. In spite of our efforts at abstinence, we had cum this way on multiple occasions, all unintentionally. If we didn’t slow down, we’d be making it happen again tonight!

Breaking the kiss, I said, “Trevor, from this night forward I am committing myself 100% to you. Since last summer when I was forced to have sex with others, I’ve had sex with no one. My tests for HIV and other STDs have come back clean. If you want me to use condoms, I will, but in not using one, I’m affirming that there has not been and never will be anyone else.”*

“Kurt, you know in my case that I’ll be giving myself completely and totally to you and to you alone, now and forever. Although neither of us are virgins, you don’t have to worry about my fidelity from now on. However, if something happens for any reason, I swear I will tell you, as I’d rather lose your love than endanger your health.”

“It goes without saying that I feel the same way, Trev, but likewise, I promise to always be faithful. I would never put what we have at risk. Enough of this talk,” I said. “We don’t have condoms, but we agree we don’t need them. Let me just grab some of the hand lotion from the bathroom and I’ll be right back.”

After shedding my boxers and getting back into bed, and then helping my boyfriend to shed his own boxers, I snuggled up with him and began to make out with him on a more serious level. What started as some serious kissing moved on to a little licking and even some nibbling. I particularly liked the space between his neck and collarbone. There was just something sexy about that spot. I really liked sucking and nibbling on his nipples, too.

Before long, Trevor and I found ourselves engaged in a long and sensuous sixty-nine. It was a first for us. Although I’d been forced to engage in blowjobs at summer camp, this was way different. Love makes all the difference in the world. I found I so enjoyed taking the length of Trev’s cock deep into my throat and rhythmically swallowing — he literally moaned in response — and I loved the musky smell of his scrotum, which would linger in my nostrils after I came up for air.

I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about ass-play, but the pleasure derived from knowing how much Trevor enjoyed having his prostate stroked more than made up for my initial disgust with the thought of what I was doing. I was surprised at how I found I was turned on by the sweet odor that emanated from his anus, and ended up eagerly rimming him and loving it as much as I loved having him do it to me.

We took our time pleasuring each other with our mouths and fingers, bringing each other to the brink multiple times until we could hold back no longer. Even after we had satisfied ourselves orally, I was still determined to feel my love inside of me and being as young as we were, we were both still far from spent. Trevor was hesitant at first, but I wasn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer.

Using the hand lotion as a lubricant and with my ankles over his shoulders, there was only a moment of pain as my love entered me. Trevor was long and skinny — many of my turds were fatter — and this worked in my favor. When we got into a proper rhythm and with a little adjustment, we got to where Trev was hitting my prostate with every thrust. Man, did that feel fantastic!

We took it nice and slow as we kissed each other deeply, but the love we felt for each other was beyond mere sex and what we were doing truly was making love. As I thought about how much I loved Trevor and the feelings he was generating within me, I couldn’t help but start to feel that special tingling in my toes that worked it’s way to the pit of my stomach, and then my balls drew up tight and my sphincter clamped down on Trev’s cock and my cum shot out between our bodies, coating us all the way up to our chins. That was all it took to send Trevor over the edge as well.

Although technically I hadn’t been a virgin before tonight, I still felt as if this was the night I lost my virginity. This was different; this was the night I made love for the first time. The feeling was indescribable.

“We probably should go take a shower, or at least get cleaned up,” I suggested.

“Yeah, I know,” Trevor agreed, “but I don’t feel like it. You plum wore me out! I’d kinda like to just stay like this, you know? Maybe just stay like this the rest of the night, snuggling together all slimy. Maybe make love again in the morning.”

“You think dirty — I like that,” I said as I kissed him on the nose, just as Trev’s dick slipped out. I turned around and Trevor snuggled up behind me and we both drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

It seemed like only a few minutes later that we got our wakeup call. Damn!

“Let’s skip going anywhere today and just spend the morning making love,” Trevor suggested.

“I wish we could, but we have to check out of the hotel and our flight’s not until this evening,” I reminded him.

“Oh yeah, I forgot,” he said with a pout. “Well, how about a quickie before we go down to breakfast. This time I’d like you inside of me.”

“You think we have time?” I asked. “And I’m a little thicker than you, I’ll remind you. It could hurt!”

“Kurt,” he said as he handed me the hand lotion, “I really, really want it.”

“Well at least let me loosen you up a little,” I suggested as I started inserting one and then two lubricated fingers.

“Careful of the prostate, Kurt — I have a full bladder,” Trevor warned me.

“Yeah, me too, but it kinda feels good, too,” I said.

“Yeah,” Trevor agreed. “Try adding a third finger, and then I want you in me!”

Boy, my guy was horny. His anus was tight and the third finger made him wince, but within a few minutes, he was loose enough to handle three fingers and actually seemed to enjoy it, and was begging me to penetrate him.

Accommodating my penis, however, was another matter. He actually yelped with penetration and I had to ask if he wanted me to take it out, but he just got a look of determination on his face.

“Kurt, just give me a minute. I’ll tell you when I’m ready, but this is a part of you we’re talking about, and what we’re doing is an act of love.”

Before long, Trevor had me doing long thrusts and he was meeting them with thrusts of his own, and the look of pain on his face was replaced with one of pure ecstasy. It didn’t take long before I felt Trev’s sphincter clamp down on me and his semen spread out between our bodies, and that was all it took to send me over the edge.

“Oh Trevor,” I gasped out of breath as I lowered gently on top of him, “that wasn’t a quickie. I love you — I love you so much, but I think we’re gonna be late.”