The Foxwood Chronicles
By FreeThinker
Chapter Eleven
“Dylan, will you help me set up my telescope? Evan is going to come over and we are going to look at Jupiter and Mars and the Moon. It will be fun. You can look, too.”
Dylan was playing Frisbee with Jeremy and Brandon in the back yard. He sighed as he caught a rather fast toss from Brandon, who sneered as Dylan shook the pain from his hand.
“Yeah, I guess,” he said with a lack of enthusiasm in his voice that he knew his brother would not recognize. Adam, however, had begun to understand certain things about voices. One of the therapists he had seen back in Columbus had helped him understand how the tone of the voice could betray the emotions of the person speaking. Adam realized that Dylan didn’t want to help him.
“You do not need to help me, Dylan. You do not want to. You want to play with your friends. I can set it up by myself.”
As he turned around to go back inside, he heard Brandon mutter, “What an asshole.”
Adam turned around to see if someone had exposed their rear-end. However, he saw only Dylan march up to Brandon and declare, “Take it back or I’ll knock your head off!”
Brandon angrily shoved Dylan and in a second, the two were struggling in the grass. Adam was horrified and wanted to help Dylan, but it was too much for him to take. He started shaking and his fists came up to his head. He began making incomprehensible sounds and, in his anguish, fell to his knees.
“Take it back!” Dylan ordered as he clamored on top of Brandon’s back and pinned his arms behind him. “Take it back!”
“Fuck you!” Brandon spat. “Aaaaaa!”
Dylan forced Brandon’s arms painfully upward.
“Take it back!”
“AAAAAAA! OK! OK! I take it back!”
Adam could see Dylan stand up and he seemed to be OK, but the trauma was too much for him. Jeremy looked over and yelled, “Dylan! Your brother!”
Dylan ran over to Adam and sat down beside him. He wrapped his arms around Adam and began to softly reassure him.
“It’s OK, Adam. Everything’s OK. Everything’s just fine. Brandon’s going home, aren’t you Brandon?”
Adam couldn’t see Brandon looking at the two with contempt.
“I don’t know why the fuck I’d want to come over to a retard house like this, anyway! You’re both a couple of retards! Come on, Jeremy.”
Adam moaned. Brandon was calling him a retard, but he wasn’t! He wasn’t! The professors this afternoon had told him he probably wasn’t even autistic. He had something called Asperger’s Syndrome, which was different, but that people only recently had realized wasn’t autism. Adam wasn’t a retard!
He tried to say something. He wanted to explain to Brandon what he had learned, but he just couldn’t speak. Instead, he simply leaned against Dylan and rocked back and forth.
“Come on, Jeremy!”
Dylan kissed Adam on the forehead and kept muttering, “It’s OK, Adam. Everything’s just fine.”
“No. I don’t think so,” said Jeremy to his friend.
“What? What the fuck did you say?”
Dylan yelled from the porch, “He said, ‘no,’ so get the heck outta here!”
Adam didn’t see the glare of fury Brandon shot at Jeremy, but a moment later, Jeremy was sitting on the other side of Adam from Dylan as Brandon disappeared around the corner of the house, muttering furiously to himself.
“I’m really sorry about Brandon, Adam. I don’t know why I keep hanging around him. I used to think he was my best friend, but I don’t know anymore. He’s been such a jerk lately.”
“Come on, Adam,” Dylan said with a quiet voice. “Let’s go inside. Why don’t you play some music for Jeremy.”
Adam was finally able to croak, “No. I must set up the telescope. Evan is coming to look at the moon and the planets.”
“Well, that won’t be for awhile.”
“No, I must set up the telescope for Evan.”
Dylan hugged him tighter and Adam was feeling so much calmer.
“Brandon is mean,” Adam said weakly. “But, his brother is nice.”
“Yeah,” said Jeremy. “Ryan is really cool. He’s my brother’s best friend. I wish Brandon would be more like Ryan.”
Dylan gave Adam a kiss on the cheek, than glanced nervously at Jeremy, who smiled.
“Come on, Adam. We’ll set up your telescope,” Dylan said softly as he stood. Unsteadily, Adam rose, too, and, averting his eyes downward, followed Dylan into the house.
Soon, the three were in the front yard, Jeremy carefully holding the telescope as Dylan connected the motorized mount to the tripod. When the telescope was connected, Adam nodded.
“This is good. This will work now. Soon, it will be dark and Evan will be here.”
“Can we look at the moon now?” Jeremy asked with interest.
“Yes. It is there,” Adam replied, pointing to the eastern sky. “But, it is so light that you will not see a lot.”
Adam adjusted the reflector until it pointed to the moon and then stood aside as Jeremy peaked into the eye-piece.
“Wow,” he muttered with wonder as he looked. “That is way cool.”
Dylan smiled at Adam, who nodded.
“Yes, it is cool. I love the moon. It is beautiful. It makes me hard.”
Jeremy glanced up from the eye-piece with a look as if he wasn’t quite certain he had heard correctly.
“What?”
“Hey,” Dylan declared, stepping between Jeremy and Adam. “Why don’t we come back when it’s dark and it will be a lot better. Come on, Jeremy, I’ll show you my model collection.”
The blond boy obediently followed Dylan up the porch and into the house, all the while giving Adam a strange look. Left alone, Adam sat down on the edge of the porch and patiently waited for Evan.
After a few minutes alone, Adam closed his eyes.
“Hi, Adam.”
“Hi, Johnny.”
“What are you doing?”
“I am waiting for Evan. We will look through the telescope. It will be fun.”
“I know. Evan is your new friend”
“Yes, he is.”
“You do not talk to me as much as you used to. You like Evan better.”
“No. I do not. You do not talk to me as much as you did before Evan became my friend.”
“Evan is cute.”
“Yes, he is. He is nice. He loves me.”
“Do you love Evan?”
“Yes. He understands me.”
“How do you know?”
“He told me with his eyes.”
“Does he love you more than I do?”
Adam paused and thought.
“He loves me in a different way.”
“OK. That is good. But, you do not love my dick at night anymore. You love Evan’s dick.”
“I am sorry. But, I do not really do it with his dick. I just think about it.”
“I know. Do you want to do it with his dick?”
“Yes. I love Evan. I want to make him feel good. I think he will let me. Evan loves me.”
Suddenly, Adam heard the front screen slap shut. He opened his eyes.
“Who are you talking to, son?” his father asked as he sat down beside Adam.
“Johnny.”
“Ah,” his father replied with an understanding nod. “How is he?”
“He misses me. I think I hurt his feelings when I am with Evan instead of him.”
Pastor Stuart smiled and nodded.
“I can see why he might feel that way. But, maybe it’s good you still have Johnny for a friend. Just for those times when Evan isn’t around.”
“Yes. That is true. Johnny is a good friend.”
His father looked at the few clouds in the western sky that were turning a bright salmon color in the setting sunlight.
“The Lord is giving us a beautiful sunset, tonight.”
“Yes, the sunset is beautiful.”
Adam gazed at it and his father watched to see what he might see in the boy’s face. He knew that Adam felt things profoundly; yet, it was so difficult for him to see those feelings reflected in his son’s face. He tried desperately to understand Adam’s emotions. Yet, so often, he seemed inscrutable to him. It was one of the great pains of his life.
“The cloud is turning pink now,” said Adam after a moment. “In a minute, it will turn purple.”
His father nodded. Adam sighed.
“I wish Evan could see this. Evan sees things the way I do. Evan understands me. He loves me.”
Pastor Stuart was silent for a moment.
“Has Evan ever told you he loves you?” he softly asked.
“Yes. Yesterday. We were sitting on the bed and he looked into my eyes. His eyes told me. Then his eyes told me again when we were standing.”
His father looked at him.
“Are you sure that is what his eyes said to you?”
Adam nodded.
“Yes. That is what they said. They said that Evan loves me.”
Pastor Stuart bit his lip and looked away. His eyes roamed up the street in the direction from which he expected Evan to come. He was silent for several minutes and then turned back to Adam.
“Son, what if Evan doesn’t really love you? What if he just wants to be your friend? Would that be OK?”
“Evan loves me. He is my best friend. He is my super best friend. I love Evan.”
Pastor Stuart nodded and took a deep breath.
“What time is he supposed to be here?” he asked watching the cloud in the west turn to purple as Adam had predicted.
“He will come when he is finished playing tennis. We will look through the telescope. It will be fun.”
His father affectionately messed up the unruly waves and curls of Adam’s dark blond hair and smiled as Adam flinched. He went back inside the house and left his eldest son alone on the porch.
As the dusk settled over the neighborhood and the fireflies began their nightly mating rituals of darting about the yard, Adam stared at his telescope. He didn’t notice Ryan and Jesse approach until he heard the dark-haired boy say from the edge of the steps, “Hey, Adam. How’s it going today?”
“It is going well.”
“You got your telescope up. That’s a pretty big looking telescope. That must have cost a lot of money.”
“It was my grampa’s.”
“I’ll bet you can see a lot with it.”
“Yes. It is strong.”
Ryan nodded and paused. Jesse grinned and tried his hand.
“So, Adam. You seen our little brothers around?”
“Yes.”
After another pause, during which Ryan stifled a good-natured chuckle, Jesse asked, “Well, where are they?”
“Jeremy is in Dylan’s room. They are looking at Dylan’s model cars.”
“Where’s Brandon?” Ryan asked. Immediately, the fingers on Adam’s right hand began their nervous dance and Ryan saw the boy’s entire body seem to stiffen.
“I do not know.”
Ryan paused and then sat down on the porch.
“Adam, did Brandon do something bad?”
Adam’s head began to tremble slightly.
“Brandon is mean.”
Ryan looked down at the concrete walkway.
“Yeah,” he said softly. “He’s getting that way. I don’t know what’s up with him.”
He looked up at Jesse and asked, “Has Jeremy said anything to you?”
Jesse shrugged and shook his head.
“I’ll go in and get Jeremy.”
Ryan nodded and smiled at Adam.
“Adam, I’m sorry if Brandon hurt you. You tell me if he’s ever mean to you again. OK?”
“OK.”
The two sat for a long moment, both gazing at the telescope.
“So, why aren’t you looking at something through your telescope?” Ryan finally asked.
“I am waiting for Evan. He will come after he is through playing tennis. We will look then. It will be fun.”
Ryan raised an eyebrow.
“He’s playing tennis? Who with?”
“I do not know.”
Ryan nodded and his mouth pursed in a knowing smirk
“So, you and Evan are pretty good friends, I guess.”
Adam nodded.
“Yes. Evan loves me.”
Ryan took a double take.
“He…loves…you?”
“Yes. And, I love Evan.”
Adam clearly didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong or embarrassing about admitting something like that. Ryan was about to pursue the issue further, since Adam seemed not to have a problem discussing it; but, he heard Dylan and Jeremy talking in the living room as they approached the front. The screen burst open and the two twelve year-olds emerged onto the porch with Jesse following.
“See ya later, Adam,” Jeremy said as he jumped off the porch.
“Good bye, Jeremy,” Adam replied.
Ryan looked at Adam and started to say something. Adam waited, but since Jesse and Jeremy were already halfway across the yard, Ryan sighed and turned around. He caught up with them and the three left Adam on the porch with his brother.
“What time is Evan coming over?”
“When he is finished playing tennis.”
Dylan bit his lip.
“Well, it’s getting late.”
“Yes.”
Dylan paused and then said, “Well, OK. If you need help taking the telescope down, let me know.”
“OK.”
And, Dylan returned inside, leaving Adam on the porch. The boy sat for quite awhile, patiently waiting, his arms resting on his knees. He watched the moon and the three bright stars to the west. Slowly, they moved west as the dusk turned to darkness. The corner street light came on, casting a lonely bluish-silver pallor over the intersection. The cicadas ended their nightly mating songs and were replaced in their cacophony by crickets and frogs. A rabbit hopped across the grass, pausing to watch Adam suspiciously. Determining the boy wasn’t a threat, he scampered on across the grass toward the church and disappeared behind a crepe myrtle beside the building.
“Adam?”
The boy turned toward his father standing behind the screen door.
“Yes?”
“It’s getting late. I don’t think Evan is coming.”
“He is coming. He told me.”
“But, it’s after ten-thirty.”
“Evan told me. Evan does not lie. He is my friend.”
And, with that, the boy turned around and continued to wait. His father stood for a moment, watching, his heart going out to his son, and then turned.
Lightening bugs danced in the warm night air before Adam and he followed one as it glowed for a second then circled around before glowing again. And, then, from far up the street, he heard the distant voice of… Evan.
“Adam! Adam!”
The boy stood and turned to the front door. His father was no longer standing there. Adam turned back and stepped down to the walkway leading to the street. He could see Evan was still a block away, but running madly toward him, waving. Adam waited patiently until he ran up to him, panting and sweating. Evan grabbed him and wrapped his arms around the boy.
“Oh, Adam, I am so sorry. I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to be late. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Please forgive me.”
Adam could not understand why Evan was so agitated, so excited and unhappy. It frightened him.
“I… knew you would come. You said you would. What is wrong? Why are you crying?”
Evan held Adam and felt the boy’s body stiffen. He could feel the growing anxiety in his friend. Evan kissed Adam on the forehead.
“I was afraid… you might think… I wasn’t coming,” he panted. “I got stuck… I… well, never mind. It won’t happen again.”
Evan glanced up and saw Adam’s father standing in the doorway. He immediately released Adam and stepped back self-consciously.
“Hello, Evan,” Pastor Stuart said with out emotion. “Adam’s been waiting for you.”
Evan looked down at the grass in shame.
“I know.”
“Adam takes promises very seriously. He’s very trusting.”
Evan couldn’t look up. Adam turned toward the porch.
“Evan came. He said he would. Evan is my friend.”
It was too much for Evan, he sobbed in shame, raising his hand to his face to wipe the tears and snot away and hide his eyes. He look at neither Adam nor his father.
Pastor Stuart opened the screen and stepped out on the porch. Evan had dropped his tennis racquet in the grass.
“Evan, is something wrong?”
Adam was trembling as he watched his friend cry. Evan sniffed and swallowed.
“I, uh, I’m OK. I’m just sorry about being so late.”
Pastor stepped down from the porch and approached the two boys. Evan put an arm around Adam’s shoulder and the boy immediately began to calm down.
“Evan, is there a reason you were late? Did something happen? Are you OK?”
Evan bit his lip and looked down in shame. Adam knew something was wrong. He could not understand why Evan was so unhappy. He had come, just as he said he would.
“It’s OK. It won’t happen again.”
Pastor stood for a moment and then placed a hand on Evan’s shoulder. Adam watched how that seemed to have a calming affect on Evan, just as Evan’s arm around him made him feel at peace.
“You are making Evan feel better, Dad.”
His father smiled and said, “You boys go look through the telescope. Have fun.”
He turned and walked back inside the house, leaving the two boys alone. Evan sniffed and glanced up at the telescope.
“That’s a pretty big telescope, Adam.”
“Yes. It is a reflector. It is strong. It can magnify a hundred and fifty times. We will look at the moon now.”
Adam walked toward the telescope and peered into the eyepiece. Evan followed.
“Look. That is the moon.”
Evan leaned down and saw the moon filling the entire view.
“Wow,” he muttered softly. “This is way cool. Look at that. There’s thousands of craters. Wow. What’s that really bright one with all the lines going out from it?”
“That is Tycho. The one at the top is Copernicus.”
Evan looked at Adam.
“How do you know all this?”
“I read it. I know it. I am smart.”
Evan sniffed and smiled.
“Yeah. You really are, Adam. And, you know what else? You’re real. You’re not some superficial jerk who uses people to get what he wants. You’re cool. You’re good. You’re decent. You’re real.”
“Yes, I am real.”
Evan sniffed again and Adam raised his hand to stroke his friend’s face. Evan did that to him sometimes to make him feel better. Perhaps that would make Evan feel better.
Evan took Adam’s hand between his two. He sat down in the grass beside the tripod and pulled Adam down. The two sat cross-legged, facing each other.
“Adam, you don’t realize how special you are. You don’t realize how ugly and gross people can be.”
“I do not think people are ugly. You are not ugly. You are beautiful.”
Evan smiled.
“I mean their personalities, not their looks. I played tennis tonight with someone who treated me special and acted like he really cared for me and wanted to be a friend. And, then, he just dumped me. He just wanted to use me. He doesn’t like me as a friend. He just wanted to… well, he just wanted to use me. My friends back home. I love them and they love me, but… if I didn’t look like I do and… if I didn’t wear the clothes I wear or listen to the right kind of music or… party the way they party…. they wouldn’t be my friends. Adam, you’re the only person I know who likes me because I’m Evan and not because of the clothes I wear or shit like that.”
Evan took Adam’s two hands and held them tightly. Adam felt something as Evan gazed into his eyes. Instantly, his penis became hard and his heart started beating faster. Evan’s eyes met his and they locked. In the silver glow of the moon above and the bluish glow of the street light below, the two boys gazed at each other and for many minutes, neither said a word. Neither moved. Adam peered deep into Evan’s eyes. Evan’s face was so beautiful, his skin so smooth, his hair so pretty. Adam loved Evan’s face, But, as he peered into his eyes, he saw more of Evan. It was beautiful, the inside of Evan. The feeling inside him was growing. It was like the feeling he got watching the sunset or when he played the Brandenburg Concerti or when Dylan had rubbed his dick the previous night. But, it was like all of it at once.
Adam’s breath became short and he was gasping through his mouth. Evan’s look was more intense. Evan scooted closer. He said nothing but his eyes were almost screaming at him. Adam wanted his eyes to scream back. The feeling was too intense. He almost couldn’t stand it. He needed to withdraw. He needed to close up and block out the world and think about it, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t stop looking into Evan’s eyes.
Adam realized he was whimpering, but he couldn’t stop. The feeling was too intense. He squirmed in the grass as he looked wildly into Evan’s eyes.
“Adam, Adam,” Evan whispered to him. Evan’s right hand released Adam’s and he reached up, taking the side of Adam’s face, holding it. The touch of Evan’s hand on his face and the intensity, the screaming of his eyes telling Adam he loved him, was all that Adam could stand. He cried out. He felt his loins explode. His body bucked and…
Adam opened his eyes. He was laying in the grass, his legs twisted beneath him. Evan was hovering above him.
“
Adam! Adam!”
“Yes,” he answered weakly.
“Are you OK?”
“Yes.”
Evan’s eyes were wide and his face looked frightened. Adam wondered what could have scared him. He tried to catch his breath. He felt as if he had been running.
“Adam, you scared me. Did you just cum?”
Adam looked at Evan and didn’t know what to say? Come where? What did Evan mean?
Evan swallowed.
“Did you… just, like, get like a super good feeling that like exploded all over your body?”
Adam nodded.
“Yes,” he answered weakly.
“Wow,” Evan replied. “I’ve never seen anyone do it like that before.”
Adam’s breathing was slowing down.
“I get The Big Feeling sometimes when the music I am playing is too pretty. Sometimes I get it when the stars or the moon are too pretty. I can make myself feel that way when I masturbate.”
Evan shook his head and his eyes grew wider.
“You can cum playing music?”
Once again, Adam didn’t know what Evan meant. Instead of answering that question, he continued what he had been saying before.
“Dylan made me feel that way last night when he rubbed my dick. It feels good. Sometimes it feels too good.”
Evan raised an eyebrow.
“You and Dylan mess around?”
Adam, once again, didn’t know what to say. Evan started to say something when he heard the screen door open and saw Adam’s father peek out.
“Evan, you’re grandmother just called. It’s time for you to head home now.”
Evan was sitting in the grass beside Adam’s horizontal body. He glanced down and grinned.
“OK,” he replied.
“Perhaps you can spend the night this weekend and you and Adam can look at the stars all night,” Pastor Stuart suggested. Evan tried to control his excitement.
“Yeah, that would be cool.”
As the man returned inside, Evan looked down at his friend.
“Adam, I’ve never seen anything so beautiful, the way you got The Big Feeling just by us looking at each other. They way you look in my eyes and… it’s like we’re talking and… it’s…”
“Yes. You can spend the night Friday. We will look at the stars. I will show you how to get The Big Feeling, too. It will be fun.”
Evan grinned.
“Yeah, it will be fun. But, you know? We don’t have to have The Big Feeling to have fun. You are so cool.”
Evan stood and reached down to help Adam stand.
“I love you, Adam.”
love you, Evan.”.