Aladdin's Awakening by Joel

I was one of the last into our Form Room in the morning and Huggy was already there managing to glare at us latecomers as well as giving Cleggy the benefit of his tongue over something or other. It also meant that he had others who'd transgressed in his sights and his wrath fell on Nobbo who came in with me and who hadn't finished the work he'd had to hand in yesterday. Huggy turned from upbraiding Cleggy and beckoned Nobbo, who, when standing in front of him, looked like a minnow before a whale. Huggy flapped his gown and chalk dust flew about.

Nobbo was bright red and the rest of us waited for his response fearing for the worst but the nasty amongst us were disappointed. Nobbo pulled a clutch of loose sheets of paper from his satchel. "It's all here, sir. I got the pages muddled yesterday and I did some more last night 'cause I found it interesting."

The rest of us gasped, Nobbo, or anyone for that matter, finding Maths interesting was a most unusual phenomenon. Obviously, Huggy thought the same and Nobbo's reply had really taken the wind out of his sails - or at least his gown which settled about his ample figure as he looked down on Nobbo.

"I am most flattered, young Anthony, at your sudden realisation of the beauty of mathematics and your desire to pursue those elements we have been studying to further conclusion. It interests me also that in the space of two days you are the second seeker after the truth to have gone beyond the call of duty. Is there any particular reason for your interest?"

Huggy also looked perplexed then smiled, something Huggy was not renowned for, and took the proffered sheets from Nobbo, "Anthony, there are few times when one hears that treasure has been discovered at the foot of the rainbow and I am sure that this is one such occasion. Thank you for telling me that."

All that had improved Huggy's initial mood and so when it was my turn to be cross-questioned about my help for Tom I wasn't too concerned. In fact, Huggy also said that I showed remarkable economy in expression whatever that meant. I'll have to ask Pa.

"Oh, yeah, I didn't have anything else to do 'cause I'd finished the book Benno had lent me so I went on with the problems and finished the page." He paused. "They were interesting, I found I could do them quite well, too."

"Smashing, ever so exciting, Benno's going to lend me another." He grinned, "Benno's OK, he doesn't get out much 'cause he has to look after his two younger brothers a lot. He came round on Saturday afternoon, though. Billy was out..." He paused and nudged me, "He's OK..., come over here and I'll tell you more."

"Yeah, we had a long chat and he told me he'd found out at Easter about it when his cousin was staying with them and he found out he could make stuff then. His cousin's just a bit older but said he'd been doing it for ages and told Benno all sorts of things like your cousin told you."

"Oh," he laughed, "this is really good. He said he was looking out of his bedroom window one morning in half term week and saw his kid brother, you know, that one in the Second Year, go into their garden shed and shut the door very carefully so he wondered what was going on. He said he crept down quickly and went round the back and peered through a knot hole and saw the little sod was diddling himself and then he shot some stuff. Gosh, he was surprised 'cos the kid's only twelve and his cousin said it usually started to happen when you were at least thirteen or so. That's right isn't it? 'Cos that fits most of us, doesn't it?"

I nodded sagely and Nobbo continued without stopping for breath, "And he said he hasn't got any proper hair round his cock yet 'cause he's seen him in the bath plenty of times and his cock isn't that big either."

He paused at last for breath and as I didn't comment he went on. "He hasn't said anything to him yet about it and I'd already told him what had happened with Billy and me but he said he has a room to himself and the younger kids sleep in a different room so the kid hadn't seen him tossing off. So he doesn't know how the kid found out and his other brother's only nine and he thinks that was why that one was doing it in the shed. What do you think?"

"Of course," he said giving me another nudge, "I just mentioned when we were chatting that we'd all had a good laugh about hairy palms and that started it. I told him all about Billy and me and then afterwards he wanted to know if I'd done it with anyone else 'cause he'd only been tossed off by his cousin at Easter."

I don't think Nobbo heard all this as he had his nose in the first page and wasn't attending to us. I think I know why Benno made that suggestion. We will have to wait and see!

After school I cycled home alone as I had to do some practice before Mike turned up for his lesson with Pa. However, when I got in the first thing I saw was a note from Ma and an envelope addressed to me on the kitchen table. I read the note which said Ma had had a letter from Auntie Fay inviting us all to Cardiff for Christmas as Uncle Dick had something to celebrate and enclosed with it had been the envelope for me. I opened it and found it was from Alun.

I read it through twice, then realised Alun had pressed more heavily with his pen on the word 'come' both times. Cheeky sod! Of course I can come! Its months since Easter and a lot's happened since then.

I stuffed the letter into my pocket and went through and practised scales for half an hour. That made me quite peckish so it was back to the kitchen to ferret around for some food. I discovered four biscuits in a box, not much but two each for me and Mike. I had just made a pot of tea when he knocked on the back door. I don't know why but my dick was going stiff as I followed him back into the kitchen. I wanted to ask him about some of the things Nobbo had told me 'cos I expected he knew if boys as young as Benno's brother could really make stuff. Of course, I remembered Matt saying he had found out pretty early so I'll have to talk to him.

Anyway, I told Mike we would be away at Christmas and then he wanted to know what had been happening at school so I told him about Huggy's comments. He said that sounded like a great compliment and could he see my Maths book. I really couldn't stand up as my cock was very stiff now and I was scared there would be a bulge so I pointed to my satchel on the table in front of him and said it was in there.

"Yes, I see what he means. You put down everything very concisely even where you show all the working. There are very few crossings out and I can't see any wrong answers either. Do you like Maths?"

"I'd say you have a flair for Maths. Like your Dad and mine come to that. Mine got a First in Maths before he did Engineering and I think your Dad did pretty well too from what I've heard."

Thank goodness my erection was beginning to subside and I shuffled on the chair to ease it a bit. Oh hell, why couldn't I just ask Mike all the things I wanted to and tell him things as well like he was my choice for our other musketeer? I suppose I was afraid he might laugh at me and anyway it was all a bit personal.

Just then Ma and Pa came up the side of the house so all I could do was to save anything I wanted to say until another time. When Pa and Mike had gone off to the study Ma wanted to know if I was pleased about the Christmas plans. I said I was and that Alun and the others were looking forward to us going. I didn't show her the letter but later that evening put it carefully in my secret hiding place.

When I'd been exploring the room soon after I moved into it I'd found a small loose board in the window recess just under the edge of the lino. I pulled back the lino and prised it up and slipped the letter in on top of various other things I had secreted there over the years.

Ma said I had better write back and she would put my reply in with her letter to Auntie Fay in the morning. I thought long and hard but decided to keep it short and snappy.

I folded the sheet and put it into an envelope and carefully labelled it 'To Alun'. That should do, he should get the message! I was really looking forward to Christmas and seeing him again and I wanted to find out what my other two cousins were like as well. It's funny, I hadn't taken much notice of them before when they came to stay a couple of years ago as to a lad of twelve they seemed so much bigger and older and I thought it best to keep out of their way. I think I'd spent most of the week round at Tony's. Now I was much more curious.

The letter done I laboured on doing a mound of homework. As soon as I'd finished that I went downstairs and grabbed a sandwich and some cocoa, said goodnight to Ma and Pa and settled down in bed to finish the Sherlock Holmes book. It was no good, because even while I was reading I kept thinking of Mike and Alun and had to interrupt the last chapter to have what was now my nightly wank. At last, content, I finished the book and Benno could have it tomorrow. Oh, but I still hadn't asked Pa who Mary was!

Wednesday was just another day except that Ma had postponed our French Circle and Benno was to come home with me to collect the book. That made it not quite another day because the inevitable happened. We arrived, I rather breathless as Benno rode his bike very fast, just after quarter past four.

We went straight up to my room as I said the book was there. He was impressed with the size of my room because he said his was much smaller. I showed him the steam engine but he didn't seem all that interested so as we looked at it I said Nobbo had told me he'd been round to see him on Saturday. He fiddled about with the engine without looking up.

He stopped turning the flywheel on the engine and stood up straight. "I suppose I mean I haven't really got to know you others very well. Nobbo says I always seem to be in a hurry and I suppose that's true 'cause I have to keep an eye on my brothers a lot with Mum working and Dad away."

"That's right, that's James. He's in the second year with Kenny Barnes. They call him Kanga, don't they? But I've got a younger brother, Jud, as well and he's still at Junior School."

He nodded and it wasn't long before we were inspecting each other closely. His prick was quite thin but had a lot of skin over his knob and his balls hung quite low all below a neat bush of dark hair.

I was rather surprised when his foreskin rolled back very easily and I told him mine had only just gone back without hurting. He was equally surprised and said his had always gone back even when he was a little kid and that when he had watched his brother jacking off although he only had a little stubby prick his end was all bare.

I tossed him off first and to begin with it seemed odd as his cock was so slender but had this end skin flopping back and forth. I pulled his skin as far back as possible and he soon shot a thin jet of come up in the air. He was a bit awkward when it came to my turn as he kept changing how he held my prick as he said he wasn't used to tossing someone else off but I did provide him with a good show of spunk in the end.

When we had dressed again he was full of questions and I found out he too was beating his meat every day. He told me he was quite jealous of his brother having found out about wanking so young and he wished he had as it was so nice. He said he wondered how his brother discovered about doing it but wasn't sure how to ask him.

Knowing that Tom and Dunc often had baths together I questioned him about their arrangements but he said that although he had to supervise their bath night James had recently told him he wanted to bath himself. I suggested he went in and got in the bath with him saying it would save time and then he could 'accidentally' get a hardon and see what happened. He thought that was a good idea so we had a good giggle over that.

About half past five he said he would have to rush as his brothers would be waiting at their Aunt's house for him and if he was too late they would moan to his Mum. As we went out to collect his bike he said he would see what happened and thanked me for the book and, with a twinkle in his eye, for everything else. "Toodlepip old chap," and he was gone at great speed!

In bed that night I reviewed my encounter with Benno and decided that he was someone I could get on with very well and, anyway, he was just like the rest of us. A thought struck me and I did a quick count up. Gosh, I must be catching up with Roo 'cos Benno was the eleventh, so I celebrated with another by myself! I musn't forget my diary in the morning.

Nothing much happened Thursday except Vince was still away so I had to endure Cleggy's grunts and shoves during Games but on Friday there was an invitation for each of us to the party on the next Friday. There was much discussion of this during breaks so everyone went home in a good mood for the weekend.

The only thing to dampen spirits were two announcements on the notice board. Firstly, that all Fourth Years and above would be required to watch a match next Wednesday afternoon between our First XV and a school from the next town, luckily from two thirty onwards, and secondly, teams were listed for matches on the following Saturday. Guess who against? The Catholics again! I was picked with the rest of our usual Fourth and Fifth Year team with Cleggy now in the second row. Nobbo and Benno were to be the touch judges.

Again much discussion. I cycled most of the way home with Nobbo and he asked if I wanted to go round to his on Saturday afternoon and we could get all our homework done. I agreed as I thought we could also discuss Benno!

On Saturday Nobbo was in a real panic when I arrived. He hadn't realised he'd chosen to do Latin for one of his School Cert subjects and so had been coasting along this term until Billy had reminded him because the subject had been listed in his letter. It was also down on my list so we spent a good bit of time going over all the bits he should have learned which, luckily, I had already done.

We then discussed Benno and were quite envious of his brother being able to come at twelve and a bit. Nobbo said he'd told Billy about the lad and Billy had said two of his pals maintained they'd shot stuff even younger but he hadn't really believed them 'cos he thought they'd been boasting. Billy hadn't come home by six so we had a second wank each to celebrate Nobbo's increase of knowledge of Latin and I went home to supper.

I was up and about when Duncan delivered the paper on Sunday morning. I went down and picked it up from the doormat and a folded note dropped out. It was from Tom and just read, 'Help! Need urgent assistance with more Maths. Dunc said he would deliver this. Tom.' Pa was sitting at the table in the breakfast room when I took the paper through and he wanted to know what the piece of paper was. I gave it to him and he laughed.

"Och aye," he said with that awful attempt again at a Scottish accent, "Puir old Tom, the braw wee laddie has more brawn than brain, och aye!" He looked quizzically at me, "Do you think you can help him?"

I must have blushed, I didn't know Mike discussed me with Pa and I had clean forgot to tell Pa about it. "I really didn't think it was important though Mike did look at my Maths book and said I got things right with less working out than he would have done."

"Oh, dear God," he murmured after riffling through a few pages, "Are they still torturing young minds with such problems?" He spent a few more moments looking more carefully at the later pages. "Well, you certainly know what you are doing. You don't seem to make a wrong step. Do you do them first on scrap paper and then copy them in?"

He laughed, "Well, Jacko, you're a better mathematician than I was at your age, I can tell you that. My books were always being given back with comments about untidy workings out and so on."

"I think I blossomed more in the Sixth Form and then I always liked the Applied Maths. But I'll tell you this, it's all quite different when you get to the Sixth Form. I'll show you, let's see if you can do this."

What followed was fascinating. In about half an hour Pa showed me the beginnings of calculus and I followed every step. It was only half an hour because Ma came downstairs and disturbed us but that half hour really made me want to do Maths as well as languages. Over breakfast Pa talked about the ways he had to use Maths in his work and that was fascinating too. Even Ma listened without interrupting until in a pause she said she often wondered what he did in his room at work with the door shut and a cloud of pipe smoke seeping out and now she knew he was just working out sums. Pa reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his pipe and waved it at her.

Pa stopped waving his pipe. "Sherlock Holmes,... Mary?" he said slowly, "I know!" He poked the pipe at me. "That book you've just read," he looked from me to Ma with a grin on his face, "That book was given to me by a girl friend when I first went to university. She thought a dull engineer should do some light reading." He looked at Ma with a roguish glint, "That was one before you, my dear!"

"I know exactly what your brothers are like!" she laughed, "Just like you. And I expect your son will be the same tease when he gets older too with your example." She reached out and picked up Tom's note. "What's this?" she asked.

"Oh, it's Tom is it. Mary was saying she'd had a letter from the Headmaster with some queries about the subjects Tom had chosen for School Certificate. Apparently he thinks Tom shouldn't chose to do so many and I expect Tom's worried about his progress. She said she had heard there was to be a clear out at the end of the Second Year again." She turned to me, "You won't repeat what I've said, will you?"

I shook my head thinking it wasn't only Tom who was worried. I knew about Nobbo's panic about Latin and I wondered about Jim Masters because he was scared earlier in the term. Pa had finished his breakfast and was just getting up to take the paper for a read but he stopped and looked thoughtful.

"Look, Jacko, you'd better go and see if you can help Tom and after lunch we can go up to Alvescott again. See if Tom wants to come and if Duncan wants a trip out he can join us too. Would that be a good idea?"

"Oh, yes please, I'd like to go up there again." I also thought if Dunc comes it would make Matt a bit jealous! "I'll go and see what Tom wants. I expect Huggy, I mean Mr Pugh, has given them extra work or something."

Pa wandered off and I went and practised for about half an hour before I sauntered round to Tom's house just after nine. Again the place looked deserted, only Tom's bike in the open garage. I knocked on the back door but no reply so I went in and called out at the bottom of the stairs. Tom appeared, still in his pyjamas, looking a bit worn and worried.

He didn't say anything but pointed. I could see his difficulties. Huggy had set some trig problems and they were not the easiest. We'd had a go at them a couple of weeks ago and it was that lesson where Huggy had bounced me around a bit.

"Cheer up, Tom, I'll help you as much as I can." I sensed there was a lot more to it than just not being able to do the Maths. "You can do them, even Matt did this lot and I just had to help him a bit. What's really the matter?"

"Oh, Jacko, I'm so worried. Mum had this letter saying it might be a good idea if I took fewer subjects for School Cert. Dunc said it was because I was thick and he said you know what they do to thickos, chuck them out. It's not fair, Dunc's much cleverer than I am and he's so good at his work and he's Head Boy and Rugger Captain. He's bigger and stronger and better at all sorts of things than me and I want to be as good as he is and Mum would be ever so upset if I got chucked out and what would Dad say?" he wailed, a second tear joined the first.

I squeezed his shoulder at the end of this litany of woes, "I think Dunc's exaggerating. If they were going to chuck you out they would have done it a long time ago. Anyway, if you don't do so many subjects you can spend more time on the others."

This did have the effect of brightening him up somewhat. He brushed the tears away and sniffed. "Gosh, Jacko, I've been so worried. He's been perfectly beastly to me the last few days. He knows I'm not so good as he is and he keeps rubbing it in."

"Well, you are as good in some things, so far. You're our team Captain and Van wouldn't have chosen you if he didn't think you weren't any good. And we all like you being Captain." He had the good grace to blush a bit. "Come on then, let's have a look at this dreadful Maths and perhaps you might be even more cheered up."

He nodded and tugged up the front of his pyjama jacket and wiped his eyes. "Please, it's this first one," he said rather plaintively, but before I had a chance to look where his finger was pointing he turned his head and looked straight at me. "Please, Jacko, don't tell the others about this, will you?"

"You're a pal, Jacko, I shan't forget this." He smiled and sniffed and pointed again at the offending page in the text book, "It's this sod here, what does it mean?"

I remembered what Huggy had told us and I explained it all again to Tom and made him do each little bit until he had completed the first problem. We did the same to all six Huggy had set for homework but then continued until we had done all ten in that section.

It took about an hour all told and by the end Tom was much more confident and was suggesting what to do next and was getting them right. He was so pleased when he wrote down the final line of the last one he turned round and put his arm over my shoulder.

"Gosh, you're great, Jacko, I feel so much better. I'm sorry I got so worked up but I've really been worried this last week" His face crinkled into a wide smile and he whispered, "I'll tell you a secret, eh, Jacko?"

He let go of me and stood up, then leant down to the level of my ear, "Only for you, you're not to tell!" I nodded and looked up at him. "D'you know Jacko, I've been so worried since that letter came and especially this week since Duncan's been so horrid I haven't wanted to..", he paused and made a couple of wanking movements, "...You know, ....toss off. I haven't done it since last Sunday when we did it. I really enjoyed going out with you and your Dad 'cause I miss mine being away but after we got back from yours last Sunday Duncan said why couldn't he have a clever brother like you and what a stupid sod I was and I got ever so upset."

He paused again and looked quite solemn, "If I tell you, you promise you won't say anything?" I nodded. "Well, I got so upset I came up and went to bed and cried and I haven't done that since I was a kid. Dunc must have known 'cause he teased me about it on Monday after I came up to get ready for bed. He said I was thick as a donkey's dick and he bet you and me were shafting each other and that other randy sod as well, you know, he meant Matt, he looked so shagged out he must be at it all the time. I was so mad I jumped on him and tried to wrestle him down but he's too strong for me and all he did was to tie me up with my pyjamas...."

"The horrid sod undid my trousers and got my dick out and left me on the floor. I couldn't get free and I couldn't shout for Mum so I had to wriggle about for ages before I loosened the knots enough." He looked at me and said, rather severely, "You can giggle but I was mad at him. I couldn't get him in his room because he'd locked the door and shouted out that he'd tell Mum I was disturbing him working." He subsided a bit so I thought I would find out more.

"Oh great, I'd love to come!" Another pause..., "....I suppose Dunc can come as he's been invited. I hope he doesn't spoil it." He looked at his watch on the bedside table. "Oh crumbs, it's nearly half past ten and I'm not washed and dressed yet." There was the sound of a door slamming downstairs. "It's Dunc! He's back from his round. Wait here, I'll just go and wash quickly."

I shook my head and was about to say that Tom was dead scared about his work when Duncan went on. "He tries hard but Maths is not one of his strong points and it's not one of mine either. He's been very edgy this week too since the Head Beak sent the letter and I told him to work harder."

I thought it best to keep my mouth shut about Tom's evident distress. I wondered what I could really say but I was a bit lost. Anyway, there was the invite for him. I turned to face him.

He nodded towards the direction of Dunc's room and mouthed, "Better not this morning, eh?" He came over to where I was standing and whispered, "I'm bloody horny now but it'll have to wait!" He winked and finished dressing as I gathered the pages together on his desk.

"Oh, OK, we finished all the problems and I helped him do some others as well. He can do them if he has help." I thought I'd tell Pa a bit about Tom and his worries. "Hey, Pa, Tom's a bit upset about his work and Duncan keeps getting onto him and that's making him more upset. I don't think Duncan realises that and Tom thinks Duncan's ashamed of having a brother who's not as good as he is. I don't think that's right 'cos Duncan said Tom does try hard and last week he said he misses his Dad not being at home."

"Don't worry, Jacko, you keep with Tom this afternoon and I'll talk to Duncan." I must have looked a bit alarmed. "It's OK, I won't say anything you've told me but I think it'll be alright."

I nodded and went up to my room to get all my books ready for the next day and thought how much I liked Tom and, thinking about it, really how much I liked Duncan as well. Lunch came and the food went. Two o'clock came and so did the Buchanan boys. Tom a bit subdued but Duncan was full of chat as we got into the car.

I sat in the back with Tom who said little on the journey except that he had copied up the Maths neatly. Pa and Duncan chatted away, mainly about the War and the news and it wasn't long before we arrived. As Pa and Dunc were still engrossed with their conversation I said Tom and I would go on and meet them at the top. We beetled off at quite a pace and when we were well out of earshot I asked Tom if he was OK now. He nodded and said that he was happier now he'd told someone about his worries but he wished Dunc wouldn't be so sharp with him.

Tea was ready when we arrived back home and Tom and Duncan didn't go until after seven. After they went I saw Ma raise her eyebrows in a questioning manner at Pa who then said Duncan was feeling very over-worked because he was determined to get a State Scholarship and he also wanted Tom to do well.

In bed that night I thought Maths must be peculiar as I had helped out Matt, Jim Masters and, now, Tom Buchanan. Then I wondered if now Tom was less anxious about his Maths he might be feeling like a good wank and I wouldn't mind him helping me with that... too late, I managed that not so knotty problem myself.

I had my usual rush on Monday morning to get ready and get off to school. Matt was happy as a sandboy. His Dad had been home for the weekend and he and his Mum were going up to Scotland for Christmas and the New Year. Tony and Roo were full of some Scouting scheme and other news was that Vince was coming back to school next week. Cleggy riled Huggy over something and we all got an extra dose of homework which made Cleggy Public Enemy Number One. That's what Roo called him when he cornered him in the cloaks but all Cleggy did was laugh and say that Huggy ought to watch his blood pressure.

Last thing in the afternoon Van gave me back my translations and I was pleased to note only two errors. I wasn't pleased to see he had set me two pieces to translate into German.

I explained I had a lesson with Mrs Tring at six o'clock and Huggy had given us extra homework. Anyway we arrived and I followed him in. We went up to his room and I sat down while he sorted out things.

"Gosh, it's quite a bit. Anyway, after we got back I was in here getting ready for bed and Duncan came in. He said he was sorry he'd been so awful to me recently but he's been worried how his work was going because he must get a Scholarship and he didn't want me not to work and do well. I told him I'd been upset and that I'd told you and he said that was what pals were for and often they were better than big brothers. Anyway he stayed chatting with me for ages and in the end he got into bed with me and stayed all night. I feel a lot better today." He grinned at me again, "You needn't ask, yes, we did! Twice."

Tom was also waiting for me after school on Tuesday, beaming again. Apparently Huggy had given him back his homework and said it was a pleasure to find such application and industry. I rode home with him and said I could help him with his homework as Mike wasn't coming for his lesson with Pa today. However, we first found great pleasure in industriously applying ourselves to a matter in hand before having a look at the next lot of homework Huggy had given him.

Duncan came home just as we were finishing the last problem and was whistling cheerily as he came up the stairs. He poked his head round the door and Tom relayed Huggy's comments. Duncan laughed and said he was pleased as well because he'd been given a very good mark by old Campion so he supposed things weren't too bad. He gave us a thumb's-up sign and disappeared to his own room.

We chatted for a while and then I went home to find Ma talking to Danny Ross's Mum about Friday's party. I didn't know Ma was involved but it turns out it'll be quite a feast. Danny's Mum said feeding was the best way to keep us all quiet. Ma agreed and said that was what happened at my party. Cheek! But true.

Wednesday was very wet and so everyone, including the beaks, was very scratchy and bad-tempered. To crown it all we were all herded out at two-thirty, luckily when the rain had stopped, to watch our Sixth-Form playing that match against some school from further south. Van said it was an honour as this other school was very fussy with its fixtures.

Anyway their team were very good and gave our lot quite a run around until Billy Clarke managed to push his way out of a scrum and score a very good try. The highlight of the match was when Andy Symes, desperately trying to clear the ball from a lineout, did a high kick and displayed a good length of rod and floppy bollocks because he'd forgotten to bring his jockstrap to school.

Matt and I were on the touchline with Tom Buchanan just where this happened and were creasing ourselves with laughter. Several of the other team saw the display as well and more or less stopped in their tracks and this gave Dunc Buchanan the chance to grab the ball and dive over for another try.

There was much hilarity after the game when our lot were in the showers. Tom, Matt and I sneaked in and overheard it all. Dunc said it was a good job he wasn't short-sighted or he might have grabbed the wrong ball and Jim McDonald said he would have had to be seeing double as well. Andy said they shouldn't take the piss as he'd won the game for them so he was very pleased with himself. Rob Collins said he must be joking as he was certain the only time Andy was pleased with himself was when he had his cock in his fist. Andy called out that Rob had better watch it or he might be putting his cock somewhere else where it was nice and warm. Rob gave him a two-fingered sign and Andy shouted out was that an invitation. Anyway, we didn't stay to see or hear any more as Matt said we had to get off as it was French Circle time.

That night in bed I thought a lot about Tom and wondered if he was over his worries now and wondered if he was back to having his regular wank, just like me. Oh, it didn't take long to come tonight.

Another sodding wet day on Thursday, it pissed down solidly all morning so Games were cancelled and we spent the afternoon in the gym rushing up and down preparing for Saturday's game.

For part of the time we were in pairs or threes practising passing and I was paired up with Dave Morgan. We stood and watched the others haring around and were most entertained by Roo and Tony running up and down doing fancy passes until Rabbity called them to order. Dave said Roo had told him at Scouts a bit about our trip to Ulvescott and wanted to know if we'd had a good time. I said we had and he winked and said he knew we had. Anyway, I said I needed a pee so we slipped off and went to the bogs and as no one was about we went into a cubicle, dropped our shorts and tossed each other off.

Before I started on him I had a good look at his cock as soon as it was rigid and told him it was a first for me 'cos I hadn't jacked off anyone who was circumcised before. He grinned and said he'd jacked off plenty with skins and without. I said there was only him and John Wills in our class who were circumcised. He said I was very observant but so what, Johnny Wills liked a good wank like everyone else, skin or no skin.

After we'd both come, our spunk hitting the wall behind the bog, I said that I'd discovered Big Jim Chater and his pal tossing each other off in this cubicle when I was in the First Form. He looked a bit puzzled and said hadn't I done it in one with anyone before. I shook my head and he said he had a good few times and there were always people going to the bogs together for a wank.

On our way back I said I only ever went for a pee so never went to the cubicles. He laughed and said I was missing a lot 'cos he knew for a fact that Willsy and Johnny Reed were always flogging each other off and there were a couple of Fifth Years he'd seen going in together only on Monday. From what he said it seemed he'd wanked off most of our lot plus a good few in the other Fourth Year as well as some of the Fifth Years who were in the Scouts with him.

He said he'd tossed Tony off for the first time the previous week and he'd told him about me. Then he'd gone to Roo's on Tuesday and had more of the story so he was glad we'd been paired up today. By that time we had got back to the gym and luckily we were able to slip back into the general mêlée and I didn't think anyone was the wiser for our absence.

I had to tell him and all he did was grin and said he'd guessed and wasn't I lucky and he was looking forward to the party tomorrow. I had forgotten about that and as we got to his road he said he would see me tomorrow as his Mum was on night duty and they were having early tea before she went to the hospital.

How the beaks managed to keep order on Friday was a miracle. There was a general air of expectancy and merriment only curbed by the knowledge that if anyone stepped out of line too far the lot of us would be in detention.

Of course, Cleggy nearly got us gated by some remark he made just out of Campion's earshot. We had been doing Africa since half-term and Campion was getting a bit worked up, as he usually did, with his enthusiasm for that 'great continent', as he called it, where he'd been a missionary before the War. He was gabbling on as he pointed at a large map pinned to the board.

Luckily for the rest of us, we all knew he was a bit deaf, he chose to carry on with Matt's reply, leaving me to get my hankie out to blow my nose hard to stop me roaring out with laughter. Roo's shoulders were heaving in front of me so he had heard it as well. A second lucky break was a question from Johnny Wills nearer the front which distracted Campion even more.

Needless to say at break there was much merriment with poor Matt blushing beetroot red as most of the rest of the class circulated the funny with the added intelligence that Matt had actually been born in Africa so that was why it was such a good one. As well as Perch I think Matt will be known by me as Horny from now on!

When the final bell rang there was a concerted rush to get home and get ready for the party. As several of the class came in on the school bus Mr Marcham had apparently promised to take them home afterwards in his car. That would be a squash as I counted up at least six.

I cycled off with Matt and Tom Buchanan caught us up. He was highly excited as his Mum had told him there would be plenty of food even though there would be twenty-four of us scoffing it. There was too when we all filed in at the appointed time. But the biggest surprise was that Vince Hare was already there. He looked a bit pale and said the doctors had said he could come back to school on Monday and he couldn't miss the party as his birthday was near the beginning of December. Everyone was pleased to see him and when Ma and the other Mums got us to be quiet and sat us down Matt and I were placed either side of him at the table.

There was lashings of grub and eating it took quite a while. When I was getting through my third helping of trifle I noticed one or two of the lads disappeared off to the lav including Roo who was sitting next to me on the other side. He came back grinning from ear to ear.

"Guess what!" he whispered as he sat done, "Tim Parker and Danny Ross have just tossed each other off out there and there's a couple of others at it as well." He surveyed the still fairly laden tables. "Hey, Tom's just gone out with Dave Morgan." He nudged me. "What about it, do you want to?"

I emptied my mouth and noted the reappearance of Tim and Danny followed closely by John Wills and Johnny Pearson. I shook my head as I also saw Ma and Mrs Buchanan coming in from the kitchen bearing plates of buns.

"Yep!", he replied, a large spoon of trifle at his lips, "Willsy was just finishing Johnny off as I came back." He saw my look and grimaced, "I only had a pee!" He nudged me, "Look! There's Pete and Johnny Reed going now." He kneed my thigh, "Are you coming?"

"No, not yet, but what about Nobbo? Look, he's sitting on the end over there. You haven't..." I got no further. Roo sidled over to Nobbo on the next table and whispered in his ear. I saw Nobbo nod and Roo slipped back to his seat beside me.

Nobbo was also spooning food in fast and then without looking back got up and walked purposefully towards the lav door. Roo let him get through and then followed. He was gone less than five minutes and came back to his seat by a circuitous route, stopping to whisper something to Ned Carter.

"Needed it badly and so did young Nobbo." He lowered his voice and whispered conspiratorially, "He's quite big, isn't he?" I nodded and he continued in the same tone of voice. "I told Ned you wanted it and he's bursting for it. Finish that bloody bun quick and look as if you're going for a pee! Look, he's just looking over here!" He gave a nod in Ned's direction and nudged me again. "Go on, you might as well go now!"

I put down my half finished bun and walked down the side of the tables and through the lav door. I stood at the stall and was just getting my dick out for a pee as a couple of figures emerged from the single cubicle, Pete and Johnny. They'd obviously taken longer than Roo and Nobbo and both had silly grins on their faces. Pete greeted me effusively.

They waved and departed and Ned came and stood by me and undid his flies. He looked down at my dick and I pulled my foreskin right back to let my knob stick out. We watched each other as we both had a pee and then he reached out and caught hold of my cock.

"Hold still!" he whispered and began to jack me off. I was stiff in an instant and came ever so quickly with plenty of stuff splashing on the porcelain stall. "Gosh, Jacko, you needed that," he whispered, "Come on, do me quick now!"

"Gosh!" he said when he got his breath back, "That was good. I could do with it like that more often." He grinned at me as we moved back and began buttoning up. "Roo told me about your trip last week. You had a good time from the sound of it. He said he enjoyed it."

"You lucky lot. I stayed in most of the time, but I did see Jim Masters a couple of times. He said you and he had...." He paused, I nodded. We reached the door and he whispered, "Go on, you go back first, I'll just comb my hair."

I walked round the other tables back to my seat wondering who would be next to make a surreptitious exit. I spotted Phil Crowe, one of the two lads from 4S who Tom had invited, just getting up and walking resolutely to the back of the hall and as I sat down out he was followed by Jim Masters.

Neither Vince nor Matt seemed to have noticed my absence. Vince was still telling Matt all about his hospital stay but as I picked up my unfinished bun he turned to me.

"You OK, Jacko?" he asked. I nodded, mouth full of bun. "I hear Cleggy's got my place in the scrum tomorrow." I winced, I'd completely forgotten the game against the Catholics. "The doctor said I musn't do anything strenuous until my chest clears up. I had some new stuff which hasn't been used much so far."

"Yeah, so was I. Mum said the doctors were as well before they gave me the stuff. Anyway, it's OK now." He sat for a moment and then continued, "Oh yes, Jim told me you helped him with his Maths."

I thought for a moment. "What about Tuesday? Your cousin Mike has his lesson with my Dad so you might as well come round and we can go through the homework that Huggy will have set on Monday. I can't do it Monday as I have a music lesson."

He looked very pleased at this and as he was saying he would like to I noticed Matt making a beeline for the lav. Ho, Ho, with his next door neighbour, young Benno, following on. Golly, and there was Tony just coming out with Brendan Fisher from 4S. Vince was muttering something but my attention was taken by Mrs Marcham who was standing beside me, jug in hand.

She poured a generous amount of yellow liquid into my glass. "I've never seen so much food go in such a short time. Your mother was right about consumption." She glanced around and must have spotted Tony. "Where's he been? I hope he hasn't been up to any mischief out there!"

He waved again and went off back to his seat. Mrs Marcham moved down the row dispensing liquid to all the thirsty lads without realising what little mischief her dear son had been up to.

The party finished quite abruptly. Eating had been the main aim and I think the mothers heaved a sigh of relief when a persistent hooting was heard coming from outside. The hooting stopped and Tony's Dad came through the main door. This was a signal for Tom Buchanan who stood up and rapped on the table and made a little speech of thanks. He said what a good time he'd had and knew he would be leaving the table empty and that went for the rest of us as well. We all gave three cheers for the Mums. Then Benno, of all people, stood up and said we should give three cheers for the Birthday Boys and we nearly raised the roof.

Although we offered to help clear we were all shooed out into the pitch dark and cheered again as Mr Marcham drove off with six hulking lads stuffed into his car. A whole group of us collected our bikes and rode off together and gradually separated off with Tom and me cycling down our road together. When we reached my gate we both stopped and Tom sat straddling his bike as I got off.

"OK, see you out here at one o'clock then!" He didn't really wait for an answer but went on, "Enjoyed tonight, eh?" He laughed, "And you joined the visit to the Ark?"

He set off at a great speed even though he only had a few yards to go and disappeared into the darkness. I pushed my bike round the back and went in through the back door. All was quiet. I found Pa in his study with his head in a book and clouds of pipe smoke around. I coughed and waved my arms around in imitation of Ma. He just looked up and removed the pipe.

I told him we'd had a fabulous time. All that food and nothing to do but eat it. He laughed and said the mothers had thought of just putting troughs down and letting us get at it that way.

Cheek! I said I was going to bed early because of the match at the Catholic school. He smiled and said he would come and watch but had to go to work first. I guess he meant he'd worked out that Brother Jamieson would have the Irish whiskey on hand afterwards. For once I didn't search the kitchen for any leftovers but went straight upstairs and in a desultory sort of way ploughed through quite a bit of homework including more German translation Van had given me. Actually, it wasn't too bad as the book was quite interesting but one or two words I couldn't find in my small dictionary.

I heard Ma come in so went down and said we'd all enjoyed the party. Typical response, what party? - more like an eating competition! She laughed and said she was only joking and she'd enjoyed meeting some of the Mums she didn't know before. I stayed around and forced myself to have a bite to eat for supper then trundled up to bed taking Ma's big dictionary with me.

I undressed and got into bed and remembered Tom's remark about the Ark. I was idly fingering my cock and thinking about Ned's rough hand on it and working out the pairs I'd noted. Crumbs, thinking about it I'd seen all our lot, except for Cleggy and Vince, either going out or coming back in and that wasn't counting the 4S's as well. Crumbs, and with Ned that was number thirteen for me! Oh crumbs, and that was the second lot of come for me today!