Fred's School Days
The Gay Club

Part Seven

Rated: X  teens



Saturday morning, I was woken up by Dad before the sun was over the horizon. We hit the barns and the fields. Living on a farm isn't easy. Especially on weekends. The animals needed fed and watered, like every day, and on weekends the chicken coop gets cleaned out, the barns get mucked out, and then the cows get moved to the other pasture when they were done being milked. It was late summer, so some of the crops were already harvested, others were about ready to be harvested, and we had to till over one field to get it ready for late-summer crops.

By four, we were both tired, dirty, and sweaty. I felt great. I liked the hard work. My muscles were telling me that they needed to grow, and my soul felt fulfilled. Dad and I joked as we closed up the big barn and headed to the house.

"You're really shootin' up, Son," he said, holding his hand above my head. "Grow much more, 'n I'll have'ta start sharin' my overalls with ya."

"So long as Mom washes 'em good, first."

"Then it won't be long 'til you're askin' to take the pickup into town to chase girls."

I blushed and grinned. I wondered if I should tell him someday. I sure had no intentions of doing so right then, or anytime soon.

I felt a little guilty. I wasn't supposed to be a homosexual. No one was. But I was. I would never give my parents any grandchildren. My sister might, and being six years older than me, she wasn't far from graduating from college and either coming back home or living on her own. So maybe she would give them grandkids. But not me.

I kept smiling, though, as Dad and I headed into the house, side-by-side. I let Dad shower first, while I rough-housed with the dogs. Then I showered and put on some of my best regular clothes. I brushed my hair carefully, and made sure I didn't have any pimples or blackheads.

I actually looked at myself in the mirror for a change. I usually tried not to. Vanity was a sin. But, since homosexuality was a far worse one, I figured actually looking at myself wasn't so bad.

I noticed that my sandy-blond hair wasn't all that terrible. It was a lot like Jeremy's, but mine was lighter and shorter. My brown eyes sort of went nice with it. For the first time, I saw that I had big eyelashes. They were light in color, but thick. I thought they made my eyes seem even larger. I saw that I had big, soft, expressive eyes. My nose was straight and slightly small. It fit my small, round face pretty well. My lips were smallish, a pale-peach color, and seemed understated. When I smiled, my white teeth showed nicely through them. My cheekbones were subtle and rounded. With my small chin but wide jaw, the round shape of my head was complete. My entire face was tanned, but not darkly so. A few freckles marked my cheeks.

I wasn't bad looking at all. I thought that if I was someone else, but still a homosexual, I'd like how I looked. I'd wonder what was in my pants. I stepped back and saw that my jeans sort of showed that they weren't empty. I grinned and snickered. I turned and saw that my butt was rounded and nice. I took off my shirt. I was lean and almost muscular. Reddish-pink nipples were prominent, but small. My stomach was flat. My arms were long, and the muscles were apparent. My shoulders were wide with muscles under the tanned skin. My sides tapered a little toward my hips.

I made sure the door was shut, then lowered my jeans and shorts. It started filling up, growing, hardening. The small patch of sandy-blond hair above it was short and had a long way to go before being full and thick. As my penis finished hardening, it stood out and upward a bit, mostly straight and smooth. The little bit of foreskin had rolled behind the rounded head long before it finished stiffening. The hole in the end was obvious, slightly indented, and a vertical slit, not really a hole. My balls were finally separate, no longer hard to find in my sack. It hung down some now, each nut hanging separate. A few hairs were growing out in places on it, but were hard to see in the mirror, unless I leaned down to see them directly.

I turned sideways again. My dick stuck out, upward at an angle nearly forty-five degrees. It was straight. The head was only slightly larger than the shaft, and slightly darker. The edges were almost smooth compared to most of the ones I had seen so far. I pumped my hips, and my balls swung a bit. I had to hold in a laugh. My butt was nice, I had to admit.

I faced myself again, and smiled. I didn't look much like I remembered myself. I looked very little like the picture of me that hung on the wall in the hallway. That was almost two years old now, and I had changed a lot. I wondered what I was going to look like when I graduated in four years.

I pulled up my pants, put my shirt back on, tucked it in, and brushed my teeth. I went to the kitchen and helped with getting the last things for dinner ready. We ate and talked. It was a nice dinner.

After helping with cleanup, I sat in my room, reading one of my school books, waiting for Jerry. I wondered what he had planned. The idea of hanging out with the seniors was appealing, but frightening, too. Intimidating. I wondered what the other guys from the group were doing. I wondered if I was going to see any of them tonight.

When I heard Jerry's car rumble into the driveway, I tossed the book down, put on my baseball cap, and jogged to the door, saying goodnight to my parents as I went past the front room. They said to call if I was going to be late, and to have a good time. I promised I would, then ran out to Jerry's car.

He was alone, and waved me into the front seat.

"Hey, Freddie!" he said, grinning at me.

He was wearing nice jeans, a bright blue shirt, and a White Sox baseball cap. We nearly matched perfectly.

"Hi, Jer. So, what's up?"

"Well, I am. Been hard since I got up this morning!"

I laughed and felt myself blush.

"Got something special going on tonight. I hope you saved up plenty of energy!"

I laughed, then said, "I did a ton of chores, but I'll try to keep up."

He laughed, then said, "Oh, I'll see about keeping you up!"

It was so embarrassing! And so funny! He gave me a shove on my shoulder, then put the car in gear.

"Bring your dime?"

"Yeah, what for? And where're we goin'?"

"First, we're pickin' up the guys, then we're goin' to meet some of the other groups."


"Yep. We're having a bonfire in Hobson Woods."

"That's cool!"

We picked up the other guys, one by one, including David, then headed to the woods. He took a road I wasn't familiar with, and soon we pulled up next to six other cars and the coach's pickup. There was a fire already burning, and what looked like fifty kids of all ages running around it and the entire area. We got out, and Jerry opened the trunk. He had me carry a box, and put it down near the fire. I saw six other boxes, piquing my curiosity.

"Everyone to the fire!" Coach Smith yelled. "Into your groups!"

Kids came in from the trees and the clearing, gathering around the tall seniors in seven groups. I knew a few of them. David, Eric, Jeremy, and Mike stood with me next to Jerry. I saw Chris, the red-headed guy I had seen getting into a car at school near Jerry's car, standing with a smaller group nearly across the fire from us. I saw Nathan in another group. We goggled at each other. Neither of us had given so much as a clue to each other! Then I saw Gary in another group! Two of my friends since we were little kids!

"Welcome to the Circle Jamboree!" the coach yelled. He had to wait while we cheered, led by our leaders, before he continued in a very loud, powerful voice.

He was really handsome by the firelight. His tight shirt showed off his strong chest and arms. I remembered being with him at his house and grew erect in a single heartbeat. I wondered how many others he had been with by now. I wasn't jealous, thought I saw why some might be. I was just glad I had experienced it.

"By now, some of you have seen some familiar faces. Surprising ones. Happens every year. While you're here, you and your friends know. But the second we leave, you forget. You never talk about it, even when you're alone. Not once. No grins about it, no secret looks, no jokes, nothing. You only know when you're here, or at another gathering. You don't get together and do things. Ever! It's happened before, and they gave away little clues, and they got found out. Things went bad! So, the rule is there for a very good reason. Outside these gatherings, these groups do not exist!"

He stared around, meeting everyone's eyes before he spoke again.

"But, like I said, while we're here, all bets are off!"

There was a lot of nervous laughter, in which I joined, and saw Gary and Nathan doing the same thing.

"Now, each group leader will introduce himself, and his group. Then, each group will open their box, and I'll explain."

Each leader took his turn, giving his name, and introducing each member of his group. One group was only a leader and two guys, one freshman and one junior. Two groups had seven members. The other groups were somewhere between. It was really embarrassing to have Jerry put his hand on my head and say my name. Nathan and Gary nodded at me. I saw others do the same to guys they knew there.

"Now, that's done," coach said, gaining everyone's attention. "I don't expect you to remember everyone's names, but that's not the point. The point is, you're all the same. Some of you like girls, too. Some of you just like the messing around and just like girls. Some just other boys. You can say so, or not. Up to you. The main deal is this. You don't have to feel embarrassed about it here. No one is going to make fun of you. No one is going to try to beat you up. We're all friends here, and if you see anyone here, being bothered at school, you don't interfere. You tell your group leader immediately. As soon as you can. Right then, if you can. And you let us take care of it. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" filled the night around the fire and the clearing.

He looked around at us again, grinning.

"This is so we don't expose our group. We've built a great thing here over the years. It was started years ago, by guys now in their thirties. They worked hard to keep this all secret, and private, and we intend to keep it that way. And any of you who spill the beans, or get caught, will pay the price. So follow the rules. They're there to keep you, and all of us, safe. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" filled the clearing again, louder and clearer this time.

"As you probably know, it's over ten miles to the nearest farm or house. If you go south, you'll end up in the forest preserves and probably end up lost. So, if you stray, stay close. We can't afford to have to call in the cops to come looking for lost guys. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" filled the air around the clearing again, this time, some groups trying to outdo the others.

"Good. Now, I'd like each group leader to open his box, and equip his squad."

Jerry pulled the box between us and opened it. He handed out rope belts and orange cloths. We tied the ropes around our waists and tucked a cloth through it.

"Derrin, you and Wally, combine up. That'll make seven of you," Coach Smith said. "Now, you all know what they're for. The guy who brings the most enemy flags back to the bonfire, wins. If two or more have the same number, they share the prize. There is no loser. If you come back without a single flag, no big deal. If you get tagged out, come back here and hang out until the last return. If anyone ties off his flag, he's not only out, he's got something bad coming when he gets back here. Cheating will not be tolerated. We're all the same here, so anyone pulling that crap gets the worst. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" roared through the clearing, every group trying to be the loudest.

"Fair play and good sportsmanship are the name of the game. And having a good time. And healthy exercise. And working as a group. And making friends. Now, your leaders will take you out to your starting points, and explain the rest of the game to you once there. Then, I'll fire once to signal the start, and again to signal the end. When you hear the second shot, come back here. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" everyone roared.

"Then, leaders, march 'em out!"

"This way, orange!" Jerry cried, and tore off into the woods.

Other leaders issued similar orders, and all of us roared our battle cries and followed our leaders into the night. 

Jerry was tall, and athletic, and it was hard to keep up with him. His long legs ate up the ground in huge chunks with each stride. Jeremy almost kept up with him, and I was right behind Jeremy. Poor Eric was not only stressed to keep up, he clearly couldn't.

"Wait, Jerry!" he yelled.

Jerry ignored him. That sort of got me mad. I watched Eric falling behind us. I was ready to call out to Jerry myself, and demand he give poor, small Eric a chance to catch up, when we came to a small overhanging rock formation that almost formed a cave. Jerry hauled up and stopped there, waiting for us. When we had our breaths back, he began talking.

"Okay, guys. This is our camp. When we come out here to camp in future, this will be where. The common camp is where we meet up and do some things, but we'll come back here to bunk out."

He sat down on a large, flat rock. I saw an old fire pit surrounded by small stones, and saw that the overhanging rock would make for great cover from any rain. There was probably enough room under it for all of us.

We gathered around and recovered, and came up with a battle plan. We were immensely proud of ourselves, and were grinning and laughing when we heard the gunshot.

"Let's get 'em!" Jerry said, and we started off.

We stealthily moved back toward the main camp, until we heard others laughing and yelling in the distance. Jeremy, who had kept up with Jerry the best, grinned and nodded, then headed that way. We found trees to hide behind and waited. We heard Jeremy yelling for Jerry. Then we heard him, much closer, yelling for Jack. He tore past our trees, and when the guys running after him passed by us, we jumped them, stripping their flags before they knew we were there. They weren't happy.

They marched toward the common camp, downcast. We heard others to our right, and we set off that way. Jeremy set off, calling for Jerry, then soon, he came back, running, and called for Jack. We jumped out and captured another five flags between us. Most of us had two, Eric and Jeremy had none. We shared them.

We stalked another group. Jeremy yelled, "Jack!" and we jumped out. Four more flags added to our total. Nathan flipped me the bird, laughing. David had gotten his flag from him. It was a huge thrill to see him there, up close, and know it was really him. We grinned, visible even in the dark, the nearly-full moon giving enough light that we could see each other blushing.

"See Gary?"


"Fucking cool!"

"No kiddin'!"

"Come on, there's more that way," Jerry said, pointing in the direction we could hear laughter.

"See ya back at camp," he said.

"See ya."

I felt... amazed. And amazingly good. He and Gary were there. I was so less alone than I had ever feared.

We hid behind trees, and heard Jeremy calling for Jerry, as if lost. Then we heard him getting closer, still calling for Jerry. Then we heard him cursing. He'd been caught this time. We waited, then heard the laughter coming closer. When they sounded like they were just a few feet away, I heard one curse and another yell, "Ambush!"

The rest of us leaped out, finding five guys tucked into a defensive circle, backs to each other.

"Give up," Jerry said as we approached.

"Not a chance!" their leader said loudly. "You want 'em, come get 'em!"

We all looked at each other, then charged. It was a chaotic swarm of boys reaching for flags and trying to keep their own out of the reach of others. In the end, I was tagged out, a cute guy with a huge grin and a fun laugh grabbing my flag before I got his. Eric was tagged out, too. David, Jerry, and Mark still had their flags, and another two flags each. All the others were out.

"Lost member leading into an ambush, nice one," their leader said to Jerry.

"Worked," Jerry said with a huge grin, and holding up a large bunch of flags.

"You guys might win," their leader said, shaking hands with Jerry.

"Might. Might not."

We divvied up the flags among us.

"You can't win individual, doing that," one of them said.

"No. But since Eric there is small, and Jeremy was our bait, they were handicapped. So we decided to share the haul," Jerry told him.

"Probably win for team, though," their leader said as he and his team headed toward the main camp.

Eric and I walked along with them.

When we walked back into camp, Coach Smith counted heads and grinned.

"Three left," he said. "All on orange team."

He fired once into the air. Within a minute or so, Jerry, David, and Mark came back.

"Okay," Coach Smith said loudly. "Everyone is back. Let's see who and which team won! Did anyone have a tied-off flag?"

No one said anything. It seemed not.

"Great. Now, team leaders, when I point, give me your team total, and then the total of your leading member's count."

He went around the circle of us, each leader yelling out two numbers, followed by the applause of the rest of us. We didn't win, for individual or team. But none of us seemed to care much. The combined groups of Derrin and Wally won for group, and their member, Randall, won with seven flags.

Jerry turned to us and told us to hold up our dimes. We held them up. I saw the guys in the other groups doing the same thing. I figured there was about four dollars worth all together in the clearing. Coach Smith walked toward the winning team, and then stood in front of Randall.

"Randall, we all brought a dime tonight, as you know. And as the winner for individual, that loot is all yours."

He held up his dime. Randall was obviously surprised. Four bucks would buy a pile of comics as tall as him or any of us. If he liked comics. It would also keep him in chewing gum all year long, and then some. Or get him some really great sneakers. Or about anything he wanted. It was a fortune!

"But!" Coach Smith said, holding up his hand, his dime gleaming in the firelight, "you can't put them in your pockets."

That made no sense whatsoever. Coach Smith reached out and pulled the waist of Randall's jeans outward, then ceremoniously dropped the dime down the front. Randall gasped and visibly turned red, grinning hugely.

His team leader stepped up in front of Randall, and did the same, then said, "You'd better hold it out yourself."

Randall laughed, then held the front of his jeans out, making sure his underwear was ready to receive the coins. Then his teammates dropped their dimes into his shorts, one at a time. Then the rest of us, one at a time. When it was my turn, I met his eyes and grinned. He grinned back. He was taller than me, probably a junior. He was kind of handsome. Tall, strong, wide, muscled, with short, black hair, deeply blue eyes, and a short, oval face. I heard the clink as my dime joined the rest.

I couldn't help but wonder what else was down there, and take a quick peek to see only darkness as I moved aside to let the next guy drop his loot.

"Four dollars and eighty cents," Coach Smith announced. "What are you gonna do with all that?"

"Buy new underwear," Randall laughed. Then, when the laughter died down, he asked, "What if I had wore boxer-type ones?"

"You don't wanna know," Coach Smith said, making us all laugh. "But I did bring Vaseline," he added, making us all laugh again.

Some of the dimes had missed his shorts and ended up on the ground, having fallen down his pant-legs. Coach Smith picked them up and dropped them carefully into the center.

"Now, hold them there until you get back to the car. You can take them off, and use 'em like a bag, if you want, but you have to in front of the fire."

"Um, I'll keep them on."

A few guys said, "Awww," and some threw out teasing nicknames.

"Okay, now for the team award," Coach Smith said, heading to the box he had brought with him and that had remained by the fire. He opened it and pulled out another, smaller box. He returned to the winning team and held it out. Each member reached in and pulled out a small, plastic, gold-colored trophy. They were small, merely toys.

"When you get home, you can say your team won small cups because nothing bigger fit."

The rest of us laughed.

"Now, I don't want to see anyone in their groups the rest of the night. We have just over two hours. No one leaves the area around the fire, but don't stay in your current group. Move around and mingle, and have a good time. Your group leaders brought hotdogs, and there's plenty of sticks lying around, so if you're hungry, have at it. They brought water or other drinks, so, meet the guys in the other groups, and have a good time. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" echoed through the clearing.

I saw Gary heading my way, and just before he arrived, I saw Nathan looking for him or me near the fire. I yelled his name, he saw me, and started running my way. I met Gary halfway.




We laughed and shoved each other. It was amazing.

"Get picked out in gym class?" Nathan asked.

"Yeah!" Gary and I answered together.

We laughed and talked, sometimes being joined by others for a time. David came and went, so did Mark, though Mark hung around longer and stayed much closer to me. I knew why. I could see how he looked at me. I felt bad that I didn't feel the same way about him. When he left, to talk to two guys he was friends with, Gary gave me a shove on my shoulder and said, "Dude's got it for ya!"

"I know," I said.

"You, uh, feel the same way?" Nathan asked.

"No. Not really."

"You, you know, into girls?" he asked next.

"Uh, no. I'm... uh..."

"You're a total homo?" Nathan asked.

I nodded.


"What about you guys?" I asked.

"Not me. I just like doing it," Nathan said.

"I don't know. Maybe," Gary said, looking shy and embarrassed.

I was sure that he was, he was just too shy to admit it.

"Don't matter," Nathan said to him. "You can say it here. I won't care. Or ever tell. Even without the rules. You know that. Neither will Fred."

"It's okay, you don't have to even answer. Maybe he really don't know," I said to Nathan.

"Yeah, maybe. Don't matter, anyway. Besides, it's too much fun!" Nathan said, grinning. "It's gonna be hard not to talk about it!"

"I know! But, like Coach Smith said, we just can't. We can't take the risk," I said.

"Yeah. Too bad. I'd like to with you guys," Nathan said, seemingly embarrassed for what might be the first time I could remember.

"My group leader said we could mess around on weekend camps and stuff, with other guys from other groups," Gary said.

"Yeah, mine said the same thing!" I said happily.

"Yup. Remember that. I hope it's next weekend!" Nathan said, grinning. "Can't wait!"

He seemed really eager for being just interested in doing it. He seemed more eager than me, and I was the homosexual. I wondered if he was just afraid to admit it, too, or not.

We ended up talking together the rest of the night. Mostly about regular stuff we would have talked about at home. We roasted hotdogs and watched a wrestling match between two group leaders on the team at school. They were fast! And I got sort of hard, watching them go at it. They didn't do anything illegal, or grab each other in inappropriate places, but it was still a turn-on.

Guys played games of tag, and last-man-standing, and there were other wrestling matches. Guys were in small groups all over the place. Sometimes I saw one guy sitting alone, but not for long; either a leader or someone would come along and he'd be dragged into doing something or going somewhere.

There were guys of all ages and sizes and types. I really couldn't believe so many guys were willing to mess around, even if they weren't homosexuals. But as I talked with Nathan and Gary, I understood how maybe it was possible that so many were willing to experiment a little.

Nathan said he wasn't sure at first, and didn't go along with it, but when he saw the other guys didn't leave, and even seemed to be in good moods the next couple of days, that maybe he should check it out. On Thursday he talked to the leader who picked him on Monday, and he went with them that afternoon. He said he was nervous as hell, but it had been really fun. He went back on Friday, and now he intended to keep going back as often as he could.

Gary said he'd been hooked since Monday, and wanted to keep going.

"Me, too," I admitted.

We saw other guys we knew from classes, and had seen in the hallways at school. It was strange. And sort of... comforting? Obviously they weren't all homosexuals, but they all liked doing things with other boys. A guy in my history class walked by with a guy in my social studies class, and two other boys I didn't know at all. They were having a good time, laughing and shoving each other. The guy from my history class saw me and smiled and nodded. I waved back.

I knew if I had trouble with a bully at school, that there almost certainly would be someone who would see, and would bring a leader or someone to help. Or at least take care of it later. I wasn't alone at school. Not even close.

Randall had to pick up dimes all night long. They fell out of his pants legs all the time. It was funny. He couldn't move without losing a few, at least.

Way too soon, the group leaders stood around the fire, facing outward away from the flames, and stood there silently until we were all quiet, looking at them, waiting. Then they spoke, one at a time.

"These groups and this gathering are private. It is a serious and solemn bond. By joining with us, you agree to remain silent about it to anyone and everyone not part of it."

"These groups and this gathering are private. It is between those of us who willingly take part in it. You are free to leave at any time, but you must never speak of it to anyone."

"These groups and this gathering are private. It is for those of us who aren't afraid to explore the possibilities it offers, and ourselves. When and if you feel you have learned all you want, or care to, you can leave it, but you can never leave us."

"These groups and this gathering are private. It is about learning the truth of ourselves. And helping others to do the same. We protect ourselves and each other with our silence."

"These groups and this gathering are private. You may come as often as you want, or as rarely as you wish. But you must never speak of it to anyone. If you do, will be cast from us, and you will expose yourself to all outside of it as a snitch, a fink, and a homosexual."

"These groups and this gathering are private. If you think someone would like to join us, you will not speak of this to them, but speak of them to your group leader. They will handle it with you."

"These groups and this gathering are private. Outside of your group meetings, outside of these gatherings, they do not exist. If you cause it to exist outside of them, you will cease to exist to all of us."

Now Coach Smith began walking around the circle formed by the group leaders standing by the fire. His powerful voice sounded like the authority of all authorities.

"You are all here because you don't accept or believe the lies spread by those with closed minds and hearts filled with hate for those that are different. You are here because someone saw something in you that shone, that illuminated you above and beyond the rest. Some say it is evil for man to lie with man. I say it is evil to condemn a man for his love for man.

"You all have experienced it. You have all felt it. There is no evil spread here. There are no lies allowed here. There is no harm caused here. Jesus Christ never spoke a word against homosexuality, only men have. Those who spoke against men being with men, also said women should be stoned to death for disobeying their husbands, and that men should not lie with women while they were in their unclean time. If no man ever lay with a woman during their unclean time, then there would be no children, then there would never be another birth. Ignorant men wrote those words, and wrote the words against homosexuality. They lied. You've felt it now, you know the joy that can be given, even if you are not attracted to other men.

"This is private, between only those of us here, and those that came before, and those that come after. Our silence and secrecy maintains this for future members, who will feel the same things that you have felt. If we are exposed, the one who exposed us will be condemned along with the rest of us. And all those that would have come after, would suffer. They would never know the things you have now known, and their misery, their loneliness, their pain, would rest on your shoulders. This gathering and your groups are private.

"If at any time, one of us hurts you, or harms you, or forces you to do something that you didn't want to do, you are to tell another group leader, or myself. It will be handled. Such things will not be tolerated. If you see one of us being harassed or made to suffer outside of the groups or this gathering, you are to tell your group leader, or me, and we will take care of it. Do nothing on your own. You are not on your own now. You are part of a group, that is part of a larger group, that is part of an even larger group. None of you need ever be alone again.

"There is no prayer to Satan, no portal to hell here. And to prove it, we will end this gathering with a prayer. Please bow your head and repeat after me.

"Our God in Heaven..."

"Our God in Heaven..."

"Look down on your children here..."

"Look down on your children here..."

"Protect us with your love..."

"Protect us with your love..."

"Guide us with your light..."

"Guide us with your light..."

"Forgive us our sins..."

"Forgive us our sins..."

"Be with us wherever we go..."

"Be with us wherever we go..."

"So that we may follow wherever you lead..."


"Share with us your grace..."

"Share with us your grace..."

"That we may share it with others..."

"That we may share it with others..."



The silence was astonishing. I heard some guys sniffling. No jokes were made or teasing done.

"Remember our rules. They're there to protect you and all of us. Be good to each other all week, and I hope to see you all next weekend. Same time, same place. Some will be playing on teams for school, or doing other things, and some who aren't here tonight will be here then. Next weekend, bring a dime, if you can, for the individual prize. Talk to Randall if you need a loan."

Most of us laughed.

"Or just follow him to the car and keep your eyes on the ground."

More laughter.

"Let's patrol the area, and make sure we don't leave any trash behind before we put out the fire."

After we had all walked around, looking down, occasionally picking up something or another and throwing it into the fire, the coach shoveled dirt onto the dying fire until we were covered in darkness and the clearing was totally silent.

"Thanks for coming, everyone. God bless, and see you at school. Keep our silence, be good to each other, and remember and abide by our rules. Understand?"

"Yes, sir!" so ear-splittingly loudly that my ears nearly rang.

The coach grinned and then waved at us to break up.  I couldn't see Gary or Nathan in the dark. I knew it would be hard not to talk about the group tomorrow. I promised myself not to.

Our little group followed Jerry to his car and piled in. We were all quiet as Jerry started the car and we followed the other cars out of the parking area and onto the dirt road.

We  formed a long line of cars heading down the dirt road, and then down the highway into town. Once we got to the edge of town, cars began pulling onto side streets. We were all still quiet. I was because I was still so shocked at the facts of the night. It'd been stunning. Revelatory. And hugely fun and exciting.


Edited by Bill

Fred's Story 8


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          Fred's Story 7