Before They Were Ballbusting Boys: Gino "I Like You."

 

Before They Were Ballbusting Busting Boys: Gino

“I like you”

By Jimmy

 

Sitting around Alex’s studio Gino gets up for a stretch, his shirt riding up and showing off his abs.

Kev notices and asks, “Soooo Gino…was Zach and I your first?”

“First what?” Gino replies grabbing a can of soda and sitting down, popping the metallic tab with his thumb and sucking some of the liquid down in one gulp.

“Hitting your sac dofus!” Kev laughs, others join in and Gino goes red in the face.

Logan sitting neck to him playfully punches him on the shoulder. “Don’t let the frat boy get to you, he’s just jealous because he lost to us.”

Kev rolls his eyes but presses Gino again. “Well if it wasn’t us…who was it?”

Logan asks, “Jayden, right?”

“Naw it wasn’t him, and I don’t like to talk about it. It happened when I was fifteen…”

“You made it until you were fifteen? Lucky.” Grumbles Leo, still holding his aching nuts from the boys that lined up to take shots at him.

“I only ever wrestled my brothers and we used to have a golden rule of not hitting below the belt. That ended on Christmas a few years back, but like I said I don’t really like to talk about it.”

Logan’s blue thoughtful eyes narrow in concentration and he says with care, “Trust me man, each first time is painful. You have heard some of ours.”

“This is different. It involves…well,” Gino takes a breath and slowly exhales. “It involves my first crush.”

“So like Leo?” Kev clarifies.

“Yes, but he was also my best friend.”

“Now you have to tell us!” Logan says. “Who was he?”

“I’m dating him now.”

“Francisco?”

“Yeah.”

Logan grabs his shoulder and gives it a squeeze. “The hard stuff is over you two are together now.”

“Well this is what broke us. We didn’t talk for years after this. It still…it…it sucks,” Gino casts his eyes down.

“It’s your history, and his. You have to own it. It’s the only way that you can get past it,” Logan says.

Gino looks up at his, brushing back his dark hair and finally relents. “Okay, well we used to be swimmers. I mean, he still is. I haven’t been in a pool since.”

Gino walks into Midtown High School next to his best friend Francisco, Francisco is full of energy, matching his story grey eyes as he explains to him how he managed to chip off a few extra seconds off his time.

“Beating the meat did it Gino,” Francisco says with a smile. “All that extra liquid that was pent up in these” and here he grabs his crotch in his hand.

Gino’s eyes flick down, but only for a moment he can feel himself already chubbing up and he is wearing grey sweat pants. The last thing he wants to do is get hard in front of Francisco while Francisco is talking about masturbating.

“So…are you going to do it today too?”

“Want to watch?” Francisco says seriously.

Gino’s heart stops and Francisco laughs at the look of panic on his friends face.

“Chill man, I won’t make you touch it.” Francisco pushes the front of the school building front doors open and Gino follows him in.

The smell of the school hits him, and the anxiety of changing in front of Francisco is real as he is so hard now.

The lights flicker and go out above them, before flicking back on. “This hallway always creeps me out. I swear it’s haunted.”

Gino welcomes the subject change and the two begin discussing who the dead classmate might have been as they head into the boys locker room. Inside the fifteen year olds come across the junior team; a few of the stragglers who have stayed behind.

A blonde ring leader is speaking to a set of twins, with wet copper hair and a dark haired brunette boy who sits raptly seeming to be looking at the ring leader as if he were a God. Gino recognizes them as belonging to his younger brother swim team.

The four of them grow quiet as the older teens enter. Francisco sensing the change in mood grins, “What’s up boys?”

“We were just…”

“Leaving, right?” Gino says his smirk matching Francisco’s as he interrupts the blonde one.

“Play swim is over, take your floaties and head to class,” chuckles Francisco meanly grabbing one of the twins speedos. “Does this fit you? I thought it was meant for a little boy.”

“He is a little boy,” Gino clarifies. “Looks like he can fit into the preschool size.”

Max and Rex, go beat red and stand up shaking with anger.

Francisco and Gino look at each other and double over laughing. “Better watch out Gino, we might need a hanky to dry some eyes. You going to cry?”

The blonde steps forward, he’s cool as he says, “Actually Francisco those belong to your kid brother. Looks like small pee pee’s run in the family.” His blue eyes stare at his crotch and he winks. “I’ve heard that’s why your swim time got better: nothing to slow you down.”

The air in locker room seems to go up an octave, and Francisco crosses over to Chase so that he is starring down at him his grey granite eyes are cold as two chips of stone. “Kid, you better apologize for your mistake here and now or,” and here he grips Chase’s shoulder painfully tight his thumb digging into the space between his shoulder and neck. “I’m going to make you squeal like the little kid that you are.”

Chase clenches his teeth tight, fighting back the pain but he does not back down. “Measure me coward, and we will see who the little boy is here.”

The brunette moves to come up to Chase’s side, Gino steps in his way and tells him “You better take a seat before you hurt yourself.”

“You’ll cry at the size of me, you don’t even have hairs on your ballsac yet,” Francisco jokes. “What are you, ten?”

“Thirteen, and trust me I’m bigger than you,” Chase grabs his whole package in his tight speedo’s grouping the contents so they jut out at Francisco.

“That a fact…?”

“Chase, my names Chase and you won’t soon forget it.”

“Let’s find out,” Francisco reaches forward and roughly grab Chase’s pouch, both of his nuts fit smugly in his hand as he squeezes them hard once.

Chase freezes, and gulps.

“Not bad, nowhere near my size.”

“Show me what you got,” Chase grimaces as Francisco rolls his balls in his speedos.

Francisco with his free hand pops open the button on his jeans and pulls down his zipper, and shakes his hips a bit letting the blue jeans drop to his knees where they bunch up. Francisco chose his loosest fitting blue American Eagle boxer briefs. “Go on then,” Francisco challenges “Feel them up.”

Chase reaches forward tentatively with both hands, placing them at Francisco’s thighs and slowly moves in. Taking his time Chase runs his fingers along Francisco’s whole package causing him to laugh, “You trying to make me hard? Grab my nuts!”

Sighing, Chase explains “I’m getting a good feel, testing what you have.” Chases finishes with a tug of Francisco’s tip before he concedes and moves south scooping each nut in his hand weighing the orbs. “Hmm not bad, but mine are bigger.” Chase gives a tentative warning squeeze, before he digs in with both hands.

Francisco and Chase squeeze and release the balls in hand and Gino who already had an erection from earlier starts leaking. He has never seen anything this hot in his life, and he desperately wishes to switch places with Chase so that he could be feeling up his best friend. He reaches down to adjust himself, and out of the corner of his eye he notices the brunette, doing the same. Immediately he stops touching himself and says “I’ll be the judge,” stepping forward eagerly. Gino places one hand on each of their hips feeling the hip bones and the taut lower abdomens of Chase and Francisco and surprisingly they both nod once and release their hand holds.

Licking his lips he reaches forward one hands running over Francisco’s barely covered junk, touching him for the first time; while his other hand roams over Chase’s tight speedo. “You’ll both have to lower for me to know for certain,” he says, his heartbeat picking up beating furiously in his chest.

“Naturally,” Francisco agrees.

“I guess,” Chase decides, his shoulders shrugging uncommittedly.

Gino takes a deep breath smelling the smells of the locker room, boy sweat, choline from the pool, and the musk of Francisco who did not shower the night before. “On the count of three, you two pull down your shorts. One…two…three!”

In fascination Gino watches Francisco and Chase’s package fall down each of them yanking off their shorts. Quickly before either boy can see, he grabs their bare balls. Chase and Francisco stare at each other eyes squinting as Gino explores their genitalia.

“Your hands are cold!” Chase complains.

“Freezing really,” Francisco agrees, shivering.

Gino can’t believe his luck. Only this morning he was daydreaming of being able to touch Francisco and now he is. Gino rolls Francisco’s balls in one hand. His nuts already have sprouted hairs, and above his flaccid cock is a full bush. Gino has the same, but seeing Francisco up close like this and actually touching him is something he never dreamed might happen.

Touching Chase, immediately makes him think of his younger brother who is a year younger than him. Chase has a good set of nuts on him, especially for thirteen. Chase’s egg sized balls are clearly bigger than any of his friends and as he rolls them around in his ballsac he already feels some blonde hairs starting to come in. Gino can feel that Francisco wins this contest, but it’s a close one. Real close. Chase could outgrow Francisco in a week, but he tries to drag out the forgone conclusion.

“I’m not sure. I need you two to step closer so that I can put the ballsacs next to each to each other, only way for me to know for sure,” Gino smiles.

For the first time Francisco seems slightly concerned, his brow crinkles and he says. “I’m two years older than him, this should be an easy win!”

“Should be, but it’s not Francisco. My big balls already are bigger than yours. I can tell, Gino is trying to make you feel better!” Chase says with a laugh.

Chase steps forward without preamble so that both of Gino’s fists touch. “Check now,” Chase eagerly says his blue eyes dancing.

Gino slowly opens his hands so that the both sets of testicles are laying flat on his palms. The nuts in the ballsacs roll precariously on his hands and gradually settle down resting, the skin touching. Everyone stares down and Chase gulps, and Francisco breathes out a sigh of relief.

“The only reason that mine lost is because he squeezed them…he made them smaller!” Chase says, his voice full of frustration.

“If anything, I think that does the opposite,” Gino laughs.

“More than likely why this was a close contest, otherwise I would have blown you out of the water!”

Francisco moves to pull up his underwear but Chase grabs his wrist.

“Hang on, one more measurement. Gino, make us hard.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot!” Francisco bumps his hand against the side of his head. “He wants to lose to me twice. I’m okay with this.”

Gino can’t believe his luck. “Okay then, but the loser gets kicked in the balls by the winner…and me. I am the judge and have privileges after all.”

“Whatever,” Chase says with a wave of his hand.

“I can take his weakass kick any day, my bigger nuts are stronger than his!”

“We will find out, when you’re on the floor!” Chase counters.

Gino squeezes his hands into fists, locking both sets of nuts inside and gives them each a long squeeze, which instantly shuts the two bickering up.

“Now, if you two are done arguing. I have a measuring contest to finish. So are you two done, or what?” Gino questions his hands palpitating the nuggets within making Chase groan and Francisco hiss in pain.

“Yup!” Francisco says.

“My bigger balls!” Chase says.

Gino shakes his head and slowly lets them fall and grabs each flaccid dick and starts to slowly jack the boys off. The moaning in pain quickly changes as Chase and Francisco start groaning for another reason altogether. At thirteen Chase’s erection spouts up first almost coming up to his belly button. Francisco’s takes a bit longer to get hard but once it does the penis stands straight out, and Francisco almost loses his erection…Chase’s penis is thick, well veined, and his pulsating cockhead puts his smaller dick to shame. Gino almost can’t believe it, but he doesn’t care in the least that Chase won this part of the contest, he is going to get to kick Francisco and his hand brought him to full arousal.

“I don’t believe it…” Francisco says as Gino unnecessarily brings the two cocks to stand erect next to each other showing off that Chase is a full inch and a half bigger and to top it all of his rod is thicker around.

“Yes!” Chase says, looking back at his boys.

Max and Rex whoop! And Adam punches the air excitedly.

“I hope that you weren’t planning on swimming today Francisco, you aren’t going to be beating your new record after I kick your balls into your throat!” Chase says, before he moans. Gino circles both heads now rubbing their tips and using the pre-cum he finds there to lube the crowns.

“If you keep doing that man, I’m going to cum. I have some balls to kick,” Chase says pulling back. Regretfully, Gino let’s go. Chase carefully tucks his ragging erection back into his speedos and watches as carefully Francisco does the same.

“Let’s get this over with,” Francisco says with a sigh, spreading out his legs as much as possibly his own erection pointing straight out.

“At least that won’t get in my way,” Chase laughs bringing back his foot and launching his bare foot up without preamble. Francisco winces and closes his eyes, forcing himself to put his arms behind his back so he won’t stop the kick.

Chase’s foot smacks Francisco perfectly, connecting with both of his larger nuts. The smack echoes throughout the locker room and Francisco stumbles forward, his balls tracing up and along Chase’s foot before he loses his footing and drops to the floor groaning.

“Nice kick, Chase!” the brunette says thumping Chase on the back.

“Thanks Adam,” Chase grins. “How that feel Francisco?”

“Shut…up,” Francisco groans rolling onto his back clutching himself with both hands.

“Come on get up, we want to see Gino kick you next taking his judges privileges,” Chase laughs.

“Fuck you,” Francisco grunts making the others laugh.

“Guess we know whose nuts are tougher after all!”

Francisco fixes him with his wounded grey eyes, and he slowly rolls to a sitting position. It takes him a few minutes before he can stand. The younger swim boys get bored and finish changing getting ready for class. Gino stays with Francisco. He can’t believe that he is going to kick his best friend next. And if Chase could drop him, he knows that he can too.

“Ready?” Gino asks.

“Help me up,” Francisco says, extending his hand. Gino does pulling him to standing. Francisco strips off his shirt, which is wet from the floor and takes off his blue jeans so he stands in front of his best friend in nothing but his underwear. Francisco is so hot standing in front of him, this time he raises his hands putting them behind his head staring at Gino with his mesmerizing grey granite eyes. Francisco’s sculpted swimmers body is pale underneath the florescent lighting, but his muscles in his chest and arms are already developed, the baby fat from his early teens is striped off leaving his body lean and well-packed. Francisco has a defined six-pack, which dips down into a low V extending past his blue baggy underwear. Francisco’s erection has diminished somewhat but is still present, the tip has a wet spot next to it.

Gino takes a deep breath and concentrating on Francisco’s grey eyes, launches a kick between his outstretched legs.

The thunk of Gino’s foot is what he hears first, before he feels his shoe smash and scramble Francisco’s junk around the intruding damaging appendage. Francisco’s stone eyes widen in alarm, and then Gino sees them comprehend the pain incoming from between his legs and he falls again to much laughter behind him.

Chase and his boys are high-fiving as they leave the locker room, Chase takes one last longing glance at Francisco on the floor and leaves with a parting remark. “Next time don’t mess with big balls like mine, your weakass nuts don’t stand a chance!” The door swings shut leaving the pair alone for the first time since they came into school.

Francisco does not appear to be going anywhere, so Gino changes into his sky blue speedos and puts his and Francisco’s book bags in their lockers. Gino offers Francisco his speedo and Francisco only groans. “No way am shoving my nuts in that, I’ll wear these into the pool.”

Gino nods his head and sits down on the bench next to Francisco and rubs his shoulders gently. “That must have sucked, two kicks in a row.”

“You have no idea, man you kick hard.”

“I don’t have any idea, I’ve never taken a nut shot before,” Gino admits.

Francisco looks back at him with interest. “Really?”

“Yup,” he confirms.

“I would have figured with your brother, you two wrestle all the time!”

“We never hit each other in the nuts, it’s a rule we follow.”

“Huh, that’s weird.”

“You think?”

“Oh yeah, you have to get hit. At least once in your life. How else will you ever know you’re a dude? Trust me, I should know. I know that I am a boy,” Francisco laughs sitting up so that Gino could rub his shoulders harder focusing on a knot in between.

“Well…” Gino gulps, but surges onward. “If someone was going to hit me in the nuts for the first time I would want it to be with someone I like, and trust. Like Jayden, or…”

“Me?” Francisco whispers looking back at him.

“Yeah, like you.”

Gino’s heart is beating so hard in his chest he could swear that Francisco must be able to see it.

“How should I take my first experience of getting it in the balls?”

“Hmm, a kick is a classic but honestly a ball grab is a perfect starting maneuver,” Francisco slowly stands up in front of Gino so he has to look up at him.

“How about after I swim, I doubt that I will be able to swim after this.”

“More than likely,” Francisco slaps his thigh and the two walk out of the locker room and see that the pool is mostly empty, except for his younger brother.

Jayden is swimming back and forth, purposely slicing through the water.

“Your brother must have been lapping that whole time, he’s really a fish.”

“He’s a better swimmer than me, and the best on his team,” Gino says.

“Everyone is a better swimmer than you,” Francisco laughs and the two start tussling in fun, but a quick backhand across Francisco’s nuts ends the laughter and drops down to one knee. “Aw fuck, Gino!”

“Heh, since I am letting you give me my first, I figured I should take extra liberties with yours.”

“Bitch, just you wait until after you swim!”

Gino laughs again and dives into the water jumping into his little brothers lane and swims after him, grabbing his ankle and tickling him underwater. The two pop up above, breaking the surface and Jayden pushes him.

“Jerk! You scared the shit out of me!”

Gino grins and spits a mouthful of pool water at him.

“You’re so gross,” he says putting his head back under to get Gino’s spit off of his face.

“You look good,” Gino grins at him, “You are a natural in the pool. So much more graceful than when you are on land.” Gino ruffles his brothers curly hair affectionately, before turning it into a nuggie.

Jayden fights him off and climbs up the side of the pool to escape. Jayden manages to fight off his brother’s advances, but Gino calls him back noticing something. “Hey Jayden, wait up, I want to check something.”

Plopping down next to him so that Gino bobs in the deep end he gazes at Jayden’s crotch. The sky blue speedo’s are wet and the this material worn so often cling to his every curve and Gino can see that Jayden is bigger than Chase without even touching him, and even bigger than Francisco. Gino is amazed at Jayden’s size and plans to check things out later on.

“What?” Jayden asks bringing Gino back into the moment.

“Nothing important Jayden. See you after school.”

Jayden’s eyes narrow contemptibly, but he goes to pull his legs up out of the pool but stops and turns fixing his brother with a look. “Did you really mean what you said about my swimming skills?”

“Yeah, I did.” Gino hardly ever compliments his younger brother, the two butt heads a lot and he can see why Jayden might not believe him so he adds. “Better than me, and most of the guys on my team. Too bad for us you weren’t older and couldn’t join our team.”

Jayden smiles bashfully, and whispers a quick “Thank you, Gino.” And climbs out of the pool walking away.

Gino thinks to himself that maybe he should be a bit nicer to him, but his mind quickly goes back to Francisco hitting him in the nuts later and he goes back to his laps.

*           *           *           *           *           *           *           *           *           *             *           *           *          

A half hour later Gino exhausted pulls up next to Francisco in the water. Francisco still managed to swim better than him, even after all the hits he took to the nuts.

“I’m ready,” Gino says swimming under the barrier so the two are next to each other in the swallow end of the pool. Gino can stand easily here and Francisco slides up next to him pointing to the pool wall.

“Go up against that and put your arms on the wall above the water,” Francisco says, Gino reckoning the command but follows it anyways.

Gino does as asked, and positions himself up and against the pool wall, his wildly beating heart picks up in tempo as he awaits what comes next. Francisco puts one arms on Gino’s chest making sure he stays put. While his right dominate hand snakes underwater and brushes against Gino’s thighs. Gino moans a bit and Francisco stops and looks at him questioningly.

“I have not even touched you yet.”

“I…” Gino starts not sure how to do on. “I guess I’m just nervous.”

Francisco looks dubious but shrugs his shoulders moving his hand back. “Over the speedo or bare?”

“What?” Gino balks.

“Do you want me,” Francisco says slowly to grab your balls with your speedo on or do you want me to slip my hand in and grab your balls bare, with no protection?” Francisco asks placing his thumb and forefinger on each ball respectively.

Gino gulps, a shiver runs down his spine and his breathing becomes raged as he considers his options. Finally he says, “Dealers choice, Francisco. You know best.”

Francisco’s grin widens and he dives under the water.

Gino tries to find Francisco beneath the pool water, but the ripples make out less than a blurry shape as Gino feels Francisco scoops his own precious nuts into his hands over his speedo, and not sneaking underneath. Gino begins to harden at first contact and he worries that his penis might pop out of the top. Breathing hard, Gino whimpers, “Okay, here we go.”

Francisco swirling his fingers around Gino’s scrotum, the tiny beats of his testes in his grasp as they try to pull closer to his pelvis making Gino nervous. Francisco begins to apply pressure causing Gino to gasp while Jayden calls out. “I left my goggles, did you see them?”

“Shit!” Gino gasps.

“Gino?” Jayden asks. “My goggles, have you seen them?”

Gino looks back, trying to hold in a groan as the first ball pain of his life begins to sneak in. The pain is tingling at first, the tightening of Francisco’s lithe fingers around the bottom of his sac isolating each ball squeezing them brings a painful sensation to the forefront of Gino’s mind. He looks up at his younger brother, unaware of what is occurring below the cool water.

“Nope, haven’t seen it,” Gino moans, his voice is thick and laced with pain that he tries to hide.

Jayden looks at him quizzically, “You okay, bro?”

“Yup!” Gino gasps.

Jayden watches him banging the side of the pool with his fist.

“Well, okay. Let me know if you find it, alright?”

“Sure, thing!” Gino wheezes in a huff, his brown eyes crossing.

Jayden, shaking his shoulders turns back to the locker room. “I’m going to go check the showers again, maybe I left it in the stall.”

Jayden enters the boy’s bathroom, and Francisco comes up gasping from beneath the waves.

“Thought that he would never leave! How are your nuts feeling?” Francisco asks, a glimmer in his granite eyes which almost look silver from the reflection of the pool his fingers still wrapped around Gino’s balls squeezing him hard.

“My god, Francisco. My balls!”

Francisco laughs squeezing harder, “Tell me more!”

“Let them go,” pleads Gino, his voice trembling.

Francisco squeezes a bit harder watching the fear in his friend’s eyes, and let’s go.

Immediately, Gino collapses against Francisco moaning as he grabs his balls, feeling his tender nuggets pulsing with pain.

“Shit…that was, the worst,” Gino moans his lips brushing against Francisco’s shoulder.

“Now you know, how it feels.”

“Fuck,” Gino closes his eyes.

“Right now you are feeling the remnants of the squeeze, which can last for a while and the dull ache man that takes a while to go away too!” Francisco is almost giddy explaining it to Gino as he holds the whimpering pal against his chest.

Gino licks his lips and staggers back against the pool wall still groaning. “You got me good,” Gino confesses. “It’s like they are beating with pain.”

“Can I feel?” Francisco asks and right away Gino pulls his hands away to let his friend feel. “Yeah, I can feel it.” Francisco says rolling the balls around Gino’s sac.

Gino moves a bit closer to him watching Francisco who stares at the spot underwater where Gino’s nuts are. Gino licks his lips again imagining that this is the moment, this is the right time to kiss him. He leans in a bit further and whispers, “Francisco?”

“Yeah?” Francisco says his grey eyes flicking up to meet his a smile on his face.

Gino is so close now that he can see the water droplets of the pool in Francisco’s eye lids, the tiny flecks of black in his irises, and that smile that he could stare at for days. Francisco stops smiling sense a shift in Gino, as he leans in and plants a tender kiss on his open mouth. Gino closes his eyes, his heartbeat slowing as he wraps his hands around his waist pulling him close his erection digging into Francisco’s stomach.

Francisco seems to freeze against him, not kissing back but standing still like a statue. Gino knows that he must be kissing him wrong, he must have done something to get this reaction and he pulls back his brown eyes soft as he says, “I like you, Francisco.”

The steel eyes reveal nothing, but Francisco’s knee slams into him between his legs, his nuts crunching underneath his ram rod erection and Gino gasps. Francisco shoves him away and Gino scrambles against the pool wall, his balls pulsing with renewed pain but that is nothing to how his heart shatters at the look that passes between the two boys.

“I don’t like you, I’m not gay,” and Francisco kicks him, his foot splashes and connecting with Gino’s twin eggs again, but the pain which should be more intense is cut in half from the pool water.

Grabbing his balls he curls against the wall, “Francisco, I didn’t…I’m not,” he splutters as Francisco grabs him around the throat silencing him.

“This never happened. We are done, you never kissed me. Our lips never touched!” Francisco is shaking in rage as he dives into the pool swimming as fast as he can to the staircase, climbing them before Gino has time to react.

By the time that Francisco has pulled himself out of the pool, Gino calls after him. “Francisco, wait!”

But he doesn’t.

He never turns back as he marches out of the pool leaving Gino alone in the water.

Hot wet tears roll down his cheeks, and Gino lets them fall. His balls are a mess in his hand and still pulse from Francisco’s assault and his steel rod erection finally falters and starts to deflate.

Gino slides under the water letting the cool water hit his hot face erasing his tear marks as he roars under the water, slamming his hands against the wall and screaming Francisco’s name. By the time he is done he emerging gasping and spluttering against the pool wall, water pouring from his mouth.

Slowly he swims to the side of the pool and climbs out. Gino stares at the ground as he walks back to the locker room alone, hoping that Francisco has already left. At the door to the locker room he spots a boy. He looks young, more than likely not even in his brother’s swim class but he recognizes him and he hopes that he didn’t see what just occurred.

“Are you…are you okay?” he asks.

Gino’s eyes barely focus on the thin chested boy, but he nods his head once going to move past him but he tries again.

“Want me to get Jayden?”

Gino doesn’t answer but he stops to look at him again, trying to place his name.

The mousy haired boy, looks introspective and Gino feels slightly bad as he says, “I don’t remember your name.”

The boy smiles, and holds out his hand. “It’s Bill. I’m on the same swim team as your brother.”

“That’s right, Bill. Well I gotta go.” He starts walking but Bill steps in his way.

“You sure? That you’re okay?”

“No, but I will be.”

The door of the boy’s locker room swings shut and inside of the room is blessedly empty. Gino sighs and heads to the showers pulling off his speedo and tossing it into the trash can. It lands on the bottom with a wet satisfying splat. “I won’t need you anymore,” Gino says to himself walking into the shower room.

The room is silent when Gino finishes his story, but it’s Logan who finally ends the silence.

“You forgave him?”

“It was a long time ago, and I think he was scared. He liked me too but didn’t know what to do about it. I think he would have gotten back in touch with me but he had his accident over that weekend, and well his whole world changed.”

“That’s…I kinda don’t like your story at all,” Kev admits scratching underneath his arm.

“It’ not my favorite one to tell,” Gino says. “I’ve never told it to anyone.”

Logan puts his hand on Gino’s shoulder and gives the hard muscle a squeeze. “I’m glad that you finally got that off your chest. Does it make you feel better?”

“Maybe. I don’t really know.”

“What I can’ believe,” Ben cuts in, with a wicked grin on his face. “Is that Chase kid, does he still think he has the toughest, biggest nuts in the room? Because that’s me, not him.”

Everyone laughs and it seems to bring down the tension in the room, drawing it off of Gino.

He pulls out his phone, and makes a quick call.

His brother answers on the third ring.

“Jayden?”

“Yeah Gino, you okay?”

Gino grins, smiling for the first time in a while. “Yeah, I just wanted to say that, well…I love you little brother.”

“I love you too,” and Gino can hear the concern in his brother’s voice as he adds. “Want me to come get you? You having fun at the party?”

“Yes,” Gino says, running his hand through his hair. “I’m glad that I stayed. It’s just…” Gino can’t figure out how to put into words how he feels about Francisco, turning into a loner and his brother coming in and rescuing him from his isolation so all he finally says is: “Have a good night, little brother.”

“I’ll always be here when you need me,” Jayden says knowing without evening looking at him what he needs to hear. “Always, big brother.”

“You’re such a dork,” Gino says, wiping a tear from his eye.

Jayden laughs, the musical laugh that still sounds like he could be a kid again. “Being cool is over rated. Good night Gino, and remember Chase can drive me to pick you up if you change your mind.”

“He is not allowed behind the wheel with you in the passenger seat, he doesn’t even have a valid driver’s license!” Gino turns up the parental big brother voice, but he smiles all the same. “Besides I drove here in the truck, I’m going to be driving her home.”

Chase cuts in, “Gino if you two keep going on like this I am going to barf!”

“Shut up, Chase!”

The next sound that he hears over the phone is a groan and smacking sound.

Gino pauses and waits, listening hard.

Jayden comes back on saying, “You know that you deserved that knee, don’t give me that look.”

Gino laughs, and says “Hit him for me too, okay?”

“Sure thing!”

“What, Jayden you already got me!”

Gino laughs and disconnects imagining Jayden kneeing Chase’s ‘big balls,’ and turns to see Logan holding out a beer for him.

“Thanks,” Gino says taking the bottle and a swig.

“All good?”

“Yeah.”

“You ready to tell the follow up?”

“What do you mean?”

Logan rolls his eyes, “They all want to hear how you two got back together!”

“Oh, that story.”

Logan grabs his arm, pulling him along. “Make sure that it ends happily ever after, I don’t think the room can stand another round of something sad.”

Gino laughs and sees the boys all looking expectantly at him. “I suppose if I am going to tell the story of Francisco, I should tell the best part: how we got back together. It all starts with my brother, who just wouldn’t keep his nose out of my business.”

“Good thing he didn’t!” Logan jumps in.

“Agreed, it’s why he’s my best friend.”

Logan and Gino share a look before Gino continues on, “As I was saying, Jayden my little brother, walked into school one day and saw a boy being beaten up…”

The End

(If you want to read the story of how Gino and Francisco got together, it is

Gino and Jayden Chapter 26:

Gino’s Secret Crush

And

Little Boxes Chapter 29: Part 2 Francisco’s Story)