While Hippie Greg drives all the Jacettes home,  Jace and I make out with them in the back seat. Robby and Mary make snide remarks to each other about how we are just working ourselves up for later. I tell Robby he is jealous because he does not have a boyfriend. Mary will get sick of him for being so straight. Robby thinks the idea of himself as being straight as highly laughable. Mary whispers in his ear. Then he leans over and gives Hippie Greg a kiss on the cheek. We all almost die when he drives up on the curb. We ask Hippie Greg if he always gets so excited when he is kissed.
“No one’s ever kissed me before,” he responds.
All the girls want to know what it felt like, but he is too shy to say.
“Maybe if I kiss you, you might like it,” says Mary and she does just that. The car runs over the curb and back onto the road again. Everyone is bouncing around. Flo grabs my dick through my trousers.
“Don’t you ever wear underwear?” she asks. and everyone stares at me.
Jace answers, “He’s a free range chicken.”
Edi undoes Jace’s top button. “This little chicken has grown up.”
Everyone goes, “Eww.”

Jace pushes Edi back and jumps on top. I push Flo the other direction. We’re both humping in syncopation in the back seat, When Robby and Mary turn around to watch, Hippie Greg also looks back. Up we go on the curb again. As the car bounces, Jace knocks me off Flo, who pulls Edi over to her side of the car while Jace and I end up on the floor. He kisses me. The girls all go “Eww” again.
“No more orgy,” Robby orders. We sit up on our half of the backseat. Flo and Edi clutch each other and collapse into giggles. I start tickling Jace. Soon all four of us are tickling and gasping in the back.

When we get to Mary’s, all the girls quickly get out. Everyone but Hippie Greg is on her lawn making out, giggling, and making orgy noises. Mary hushes us when her father comes out the front door. He is the party-pooper. We three boys jump back in the car and take off. We see Mary being yelled at by her pops. I wonder if she told him that he saved their front yard from being desecrated.

Robby jumps into the back with us. We end up having more than a circle jerk. It takes over a minute for all the cum to stop flying. When we all sit up. Hippie Greg sees our cum splattered faces. He hits the curb for the fourth time. We all yell at him. Taking the cum off our faces, we start rubbing it into Hippie Greg’s hair. He freaks out, jumping from the moving car. I climb into the front just as we go back over the curb onto the road, bouncing us all around until I get the car under control and stop it. We cannot stop laughing. Even Hippie Greg cannot help himself, looking at us tumbled into the front seat, out pants down to our knees, splattered with cum. He pulls us out of his car and tells us to walk home. He drives off with us holding up our pants in the middle of the street.
“You’re all homos,” he yells as he pulls away.
“Sorry you missed out,” Robby yells, “but you can keep the cum.”
We sit on the curb until we stop laughing, then try to figure out where we are. Hippie Greg comes around the corner. We all think he is going to run us over, so we run up on the lawn. This time he stays on the road and tells us to get in.
“How come you changed your mind?” Jace asks him.
“When I joined, I thought I had to turn gay, but I guess being a gay chauffeur isn’t that bad.”
We double up at his joke, which in retrospect is just his hippie logic. We all say, “We love you, Hippie Greg.” He hits the curb again, so we shut up and silently ride home.

We get out at our house, with Robby wanting to come up and smoke a joint. Upstairs I look at us, covered now in dried cum and bedraggled in our glitter-show outfits. We are the opposite of ‘glam.’ Not yet glum but looking done. After smoking out, Jace and I get ready to take a shower. Robby looks like he wants to join in, but we push him out the door. He argues that it is not fair.  Mary is at her house. He has to sleep alone.
“I’m sure you’ll think of something to ease the pain,” I tell him. “You seem well versed at jacking cock.”

His sad, pitiful face is no match to us wanting to be with just each other. We shut the door in his face. I go to the window and lock that as well.
“Now for the main event,” Jace smiles happily.
We strip off each other’s clothes and get in the shower. After cleaning up, we fuck each other until the hot water finally runs out, a first. It turns cold as we are lying on the tiled shower floor, making us jump up and hop naked into bed. My body twitches from complete exhaustion as we cling to each other. I’m not sure, but I think Jace fucked me once more after I went to sleep. Joey warned me that falling asleep is my weakness. Sweet dreams are made of these.

Sunday morning, Jace wakes me up and says we have to walk Max. I barely have the strength to make it to the garage and back. Max sleeps with me as Jace works on some guitar chords. Sweet music calms my tired soul. Jace gets me up again. We walk Max home. I know he wants Max to stay with us but is afraid to ask. Maybe once Dad and Susan accept Jace as a permanent house guest. In the back of my mind, I think it is better that we sneak around, for the added excitement. Then I think I have had enough excitement to keep me on edge for a while. Thoughts of a new song filter up:

Sneaking around
Never been caught
All over town
Better than not.

Thrill’s in the chase
No time to waste
Folks on my case
All is in haste.

Waiting’s the worst
You are my first
I need you now
We’re on the prowl.

Back of an alley
Sprawled in the dirt
No time to dally
Who will cum first.

“Jace, I wrote a sex song.”
“What? ‘I love my girlfriend, she has big tits, when I stick it in, she shakes in fits?”
“Not bad, but mine’s about us,” and I sing the lyrics I wrote to him.
“Good play, Shakespeare, but it needs a chorus.”
“How about ‘shaka shaka love?’ Just keep repeating it.”
‘shaka shaka love shaka shaka
Shaka shaka love shaka shake.’

“Let me find the right chord and beat.”

He does these short rips with a pause in between, so I have to stop in the middle of each line. Then for the chorus, he does jungle beats that never stop.
He comes over and grabs me from behind, humping away to ‘shaka shaka shake.’ He humps me over to the bed, leans me over, and pulls down both our jeans. My butt cheeks clench and loosen on his hard-on. When he has enough pre-cum flowing, he reaches around to grab my dick, shoving his dick all the way to his balls.  All the while he keeps up his ‘shaka shaka shake’ in synch with his thrusts. Finally he lets go with a ‘shaka shake love,’ holding the note out until I feel him explode deep inside my belly. I push him out as he continues to spurt spunk. I turn him around and grab both dicks, setting me off as well. He is done before me. As I continue shooting, he collapses into my arms. With my final spurt I kiss him with both our tongues circling each other. After we are done, I start laughing as he pulls up my jeans as well as his own.

“Pretty good sex song,” he admits.
“Pretty good sex.” I agree.
“How about getting the Jacettes to do the shaka shakas while you hump me from behind. We’ll just sing the verses. If you don’t cum, we’ll switch places until one or both of us gets off.’
“Sounds perfect for our next performance at the Eros Lounge.”
“Yeah, I’ll place the mic, so both of us can sing into it.”
“Time for a shower,..again.” Jace gives me a devilish smile and wiggles his butt to let me know it is my turn to fuck him. The hot water doesn’t run out this time.

After we get dressed, I notice how incredibly stinky my room is. I open the window and get the vacuum to air out and clean the place. Soon Robby is on my window sill, looking more sheepish than usual.
“What’s the matter, drummer boy?”
“Sorry about wanting to horn in on you guys last night.” He obviously got the message when my window was locked.
“Not satisfied with our backseat circle jerk?” I ask.
“Well, Mary didn’t stay over. I was hoping…”
Jace cut him off, “Be happy we did it once. If you get butt lust fever, you need your own boyfriend.”
That is a bit harsh.
Jace laughs, “Hey, it was cool last night. We wrote a sex song. It has a jungle beat for the drums. You wanna hear it?”

We play it through, acting out the humping and faking the orgasms. Robby breaks up.
“You’ll get arrested for sure with that act.”
“We’ll save it for our secret North Miami gigs.”
“It’s called ‘Sex.’

Before Robby can pull out a joint, I hear a knock on the door to the stairs.
“Tim, is it okay to come up?”
“Hang on, Mom. I’ll be down to get the door.”
Robby looks at me as if he should leave, but I shake my head. I run down to let her up. Good timing on the cleaning up.
We come up the stairs together.
“Mom, this is Robby; he lives across from our back yard. And you know Jace.”
“Merry Christmas, boys.
They both answer, “Merry Christmas, Ma’am.”
“Oh, so polite, Please just call me Susan.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” they  both reply.
“Tim, I want to talk with you about Christmas.”
“Sure. We’re going caroling on Christmas Eve with the swim team kids, after we work during the day. It’ll be jammed with Christmas shoppers.”
“I didn’t know you had a job. Your dad will be so pleased.”
“Well, please don’t tell him. I kinda want to surprise him when he asks.”
“Okay, that will be a nice Christmas gift for him. So, you’re free on Christmas day.
“Of course. Can I talk with you downstairs?”

We go back down. At the door I ask if Jace can come with us like he did on Thanksgiving.
“I’m sure he can, but I’ll check with your dad. Is there some reason he won’t be with his family?”
“His parents are divorced and his older step-brother is home from college. They don’t get along. Jace gets bullied. Can you ask Dad now. I don’t want Jace to think he’s not welcome.”
“Of course. I’ll check right now. Bullying is so terrible”
As I wait while Susan checks, I feel I’m starting to really appreciate her. She yells from the kitchen that it is fine.
I run upstairs and hug Jace.

“You’re coming to dinner with us on Christmas.”
He tears up. I cannot help myself. So we jump up and down a bit, while the tears run down our cheeks.
“Jeez, you’d think you discovered Santa is real,” Robby complains. “I’m not fagging around anymore with you two homos.”
We pull him into our hug, “You can’t leave until you spark that joint.”
We calm down with a Sunday morning high. Jace starts to miss Max, so we go to the garage to get him high. As we are blowing smoke into Max’s mug, John and his older brother Jeff walk into the garage.

“You’ll kill that dog by making him get high,” Jeff asserts himself.
“He’s addicted. He will kill himself if we don’t spark him up,” Robby answers.
“Ha,” Jeff states. “And who are you?” he asks me.
I just stare at him, having heard about all the shit he pulls on Jace.
“Well?” he asks.
“You said something,” I sneer at him.
“Yeah, asshole, what are you doing in my garage?”
“You don’t live here, asshole,” and I pop him in the stomach and again in the mouth. He’s flat on his back and staring up at me before he knows what has happened.
I hold him down with my foot, “Jace is my bro, and if you pull any more shit on him, you won’t be going back to your sweet college life.”
To add emphasis, Max jumps up and growls at him. John and Robby start to giggle at Jeff. He beats a hasty retreat back into the house.
John looks at me, “Thanks, man. He’s deserved that for so long. Can I be your bro, too?”
“’Course. You always have been, man.”
I hope he’s not going to hug me and he doesn’t.
“There’s only one way to deal with bullies, right?”

“Right,” all three of them answer, and Max barks his assent.
We take Max out for his walk and play toss and fetch with him. Jace tells John to tell his mom that he is having Christmas at my house.
“Why don’t we have our own Christmas after dinner in my room,” Robby volunteers.
“You guys should hang out with us at Out & Proud in The Grove this week. It’s going to be madness with all the shoppers.”
John isn’t sure, “That’s the gay shop, right? What if my friends think I’m gay?”
“Tell ‘em your brother’s boyfriend will beat them up.”
Everyone laughs. John says he’ll get Dave and Jazz to come too. We decide to bring the practice amps and Robby will bring a pair of tom toms. We will do Christmas carols at the store and sprinkle glitter to have a merry glam Christmas.

We end up at Robby’s. Soon all the other misfits are there, even a few tourists. Once it gets dark, Robby leads us through the trees, stopping several times to carol the neighborhood. Jace and I leave, instead of going back to Robby’s.
Sitting in the window, we talk about whether Robby should find a boyfriend for himself. It’s awkward having to exclude him, even though he is a manipulative drug dealer. He is probably our best friend. Enough so we like having sex with him occasionally.
“Maybe he and Michael are friends enough that he only needs a girlfriend?” Jace suggests.
“Michael’s definitely straight; he just gay-friendly.”
“Guys need a lot of sex at our age.”
“You think?”
“Girls don’t seem to need it as much.”
“Maybe they don’t have boyfriends who know how to please them. The better the sex, the more you need it.”
“Girls are mysterious; guys are easier to read.”
“And screw.”
“Speak for yourself. Last night with Robby was the first time for me with anybody but you.”
“Oh, my innocent sex slave.”
“I slave for you; you slave for me.”
“You did seem a little jealous when Robby grabbed my dick.”
“Have you been with him before?”
“Just once, when I first met him. We jerked off together up in a tree. He stuck his big toe up my ass; I came and almost fell out of the tree. Since then it’s just been you.”
“We’ve already said we’re in love. Our rule is we must be together if we do it with anyone else.”
I look into his blue eyes, “I still love you as much as ever.’
“Me, too.”
“Let’s fuck.”
“Boys will be boys.”

Neither one of us wants to stop. At one stage I ask him if he had fucked me while I was asleep the previous night.
“In your dreams,” he laughs.
“I can’t remember if it was a dream or if I woke up while you were in me.”
“I’m innocent, but my dick does have a mind of its own.” He slaps his dick several times, “Bad dick, bad dog.”’ He is so cute and so alive, now that he feels that he is lovable. His guitar ability comes from needing to express all his feelings and to share them with everyone. His body is mine. At the end I almost fall asleep while I am fucking him. He shakes me, “Wake up!”
“Stop. I’m having the most wonderful dream.”
“More wonderful than fucking me?”
“Isn’t this a dream; pinch me.”
He pushes me out and mounts me for the umpteenth time.  Anything after that is a dream. Endless love.
All the love talk makes our lovemaking passionate and unending.

It is Monday morning. Hippie Greg drives us with the practice amps and Robby’s tom toms to Out & Proud. Felix is excited about caroling and lets us set up on the sidewalk. John, Dave and Jazz show up dressed like urchins out of Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol.’  We play carols for hours, often with a crowd blocking traffic in the street. The store is so crowded that Felix and Phillip, now a sales clerk, need our help when we take breaks. People remark how much better live music is instead of the canned Christmas music at the Mall. Felix is beaming. I ask Phillip how things are going for them.
“It’s a little weird; he has a ‘sugar daddy,’ you know.”
“Oh, jealous already.”
“No. I know he likes me a lot more than him.”
“What’s the sugar daddy like?”
“Ancient. At least 35 and not too fit. He tries to be cool, but isn’t.”
“Sounds like you want Felix all to yourself.”
“Oh, I do. We can only be together for short times, when ‘he’ isn’t around.”
“Well, you are really attractive. Felix will be like a starter boyfriend.”
“You find me attractive?”
“Didn’t I pick you and your friend out of the crowd at our first show?”
“I’d never had anyone pick up on me, even if it was a show.”
“You’ll have plenty of come-ons. Just enjoy it and don’t get conceited.”
“You’re my gay godfather.”
“I’m 16. I’m not ready for kids.”
“Too late,” and he gives me a quick kiss and a special look. Jace is instantly at my side.
“Bye, Phillip.” We both say.

Tuesday was just the same. We promise Felix we’ll keep working the after-Christmas sales. He says he has a special bonus for us at the end of the week. We tell him to keep it in his pants for Phillip.

“No, I mean cash. We broke all our sales records this week.”
“How about  twenties for the three kids. They really helped.”
He peels off three bills, which we give to John, Dave and Jazz. They run into the store and try to buy outlandish jeans. Felix won’t take their money. Christmas comes early in the Grove. I call Mrs. Watt. She says she’s driving us for caroling. We give the store’s address for her to pick us up.

Stu and Mrs. Watt planned an evening of caroling. All the swim kids are already in her station wagon. Jace and I jump in the middle bench seat, squeezing three younger kids over to make room. There are four in the way back and two in the front with Mrs. Watt. The nine kids are my regular bike crew plus Jace and me. Stu and Mike are in the front.
“Here are the caroling books, Tim,” Stu hands us the paper books with the standard carols in them.
“You remember Jace from the night we sang for your mom?” I ask.
“Sure. Hi Jace, you play a mean guitar. This is my best friend, Mike.”
“Hi, Stu and Mike,” Jace answers. “Who’s the rest of the crew?”
Stu introduces all the kids, calling them the Kendall bike crew.
I introduce Jace to Mrs. Watt. He surprises me by telling her how much I had told him about her. “Tim says you were his mom last summer, after his parents divorced. I am very happy to meet you, ma’am.”
“I am likewise, Jace.”
“Has everyone decided what their favorite carols are?” he asks the kids.
About five kids pipe up with various favorites.
Jace suggested, “How about My Three Kings of Orient are smoking on a rubber cigar?”
They all get rowdy and shout wild lyrics.
“Okay, we have to be perfect angels when we go to people’s houses. Can you do that?”
“That’s no fun,” someone complains.
“What does the book have?” Jace asks.
Pretty soon we’re practicing ‘Silent Night,’ Hark the Herald Angels Sing,’ Oh Little Town of Bethlehem,’ and ‘Jingle Bells.”
“Do you know “Jingle Bell Rock?” he asks.
“How does it go?” Stu answers.
Jace and I do a duet,

“• Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells swing and jingle bells ring
Snowin’ and blowin’ up bushels of fun
Now the jingle hop has begun
• Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time
Dancin’ and prancin’ in Jingle Bell Square
In the frosty air
• What a bright time, it’s the right time
To rock the night away
Jingle bell time is a swell time
To go glidin’ in a one-horse sleigh
• Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet
Jingle around the clock
Mix and a-mingle in the jinglin’ feet
That’s the jingle bell rock
• Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell rock
Jingle bell chime in jingle bell time
Dancin’ and prancin’ in Jingle Bell Square
In the frosty air
• What a bright time, it’s the right time
To rock the night away
Jingle bell time is a swell time
To go glidin’ in a one-horse sleigh
• Giddy-up jingle horse, pick up your feet
Jingle around the clock
Mix and a-mingle in the jinglin’ feet
That’s the jingle bell
That’s the jingle bell
That’s the jingle bell rock”

Songwriters: BEAL, JOE/BOOTHE, JAMES ROSS
© Warner/Chappell Music, Inc

“Yay, let’s do that one,” someone says.
“Okay, Tim and I will do the lines. Everyone else just do the ‘jingle bells,’ on one, two, three..”

We all start again. The kids catch on immediately. On the third time they are singing along with us. By the fifth time everyone knows most of the words. We tell them to just keep going ‘jingle bell, jingle bell’ until they remember the next line. At the end everyone cheers.
Mrs. Watt asked, “Do you know ‘Winter Wonderland?”
So I do the solo,

“Sleigh bells ring
Are you listening
In the lane
Snow is glistening
A beautiful sight,
We’re happy tonight
Walking in a winter wonderland
Gone away, is the bluebird
Here to stay, is a new bird
He sings a love song,
As we go along
Walking in a winter wonderland
In the meadow we can build a snowman
And pretend that he is Parson Brown
He’ll say are you married
We’ll say No Man
But you can do the job
When you’re in town
Later on
We’ll conspire
As we dream by the fire
To face unafraid
The plans that we’ve made
Walking in a winter wonderland
Sleigh bells ring
Are you listening
In the lane
Snow is glistening
A beautiful sight,
We’re happy tonight
Walking in a winter wonderland
Gone away, is the bluebird
Here to stay, is a new bird
He’s singing a song
As we go along
Walking in a winter wonderland
In the meadow we can build a snowman
And pretend that he’s a circus clown
We’ll have lots of fun with Mr. Snowman
Until the other kiddies knock him down
When it snows
Ain’t it thrilling
Though your nose, is a chilling
We’ll frolic and play, the Eskimo way
Walking in a winter wonderland

(Dick Smith, Felix Bernard, 1934)

Some of the kids remember to do ‘walking in a winter wonderland’ at the end of each verse. On the second and third time through most of them know enough so everyone is singing. I still do the solo parts and everyone is backing me up.

Mrs. Watt pulls up to the first house. The kid who lives there jumps out to get his folks to come to the front door.
“Merry Christmas,” we yell when the kid gets back in the circle we form in front of the house.
Mrs. Watt whispers “Silent Night,”

and with her fingers, starts us off. After all the pop song versions we did in the car, the more serious carols are easy and we sound pretty good. We do ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’

and ‘It Came Upon a Midnight Clear.’

Everyone is singing confidently with few mistakes. Mrs. Watt asks the parents if we can do a couple of pop Christmas songs. We do ‘Winter Wonderland’ and “Jingle Bell Rock’ to end our caroling.
The parents knew we were coming and invite us into the house for cocoa and cookies. Jace and I are happy that our carolers did so well. The parents congratulate Mrs. Watt for starting a new team tradition. She calls us over and say we are the instigators.
“It’s really Stu and Mike who had the idea and got everyone to help.” I say.
They remember me from all the bike rides on the weekends and ask, “How come we don’t see you anymore, Tim?”
I don’t know what to say. Mrs. Watt explains that I’m in a band now and introduces Jace as the guitarist.
“No wonder the kids sounded so professional,” the mom says. Mrs. Watt winks at me. I realize I do not need to make excuses, just show that I am doing well.

At every house we mix a variety of traditional carols with the two show stoppers at the end. As we drive between houses, Jace works with the kids on their singing. He shows them where they don’t need to know all the words and where they need to come in as a chorus. I help too. Mostly I watch, amazed by Jace getting all the kids to try their best, as if they have known him forever. Most parents are happy to see me and I do not need to explain myself. I just say I wanted to do something with my bike friends since I am not swimming this year. I introduce Jace as the guitarist in our band, saying he is the real talent. Our last stop is at Coach Earl’s, who is so surprised to see us. He really beams after the songs. As usual he has sodas for everyone. He gives me a big smile. I feel he is proud of me. It is late by the time we have been to all six houses and return to drop each kid at home. At Mike’s home, I can see that Stu is sad that he is not spending the night there. Christmas is family. They make plans for getting together in the afternoon. Mrs. Watt asks where to drop off Jace. He says he is staying at my house. I watch Mrs. Watt’s expression. She just smiles and drives us home.
“You know, Jace, Tim used to call me Mom, so if you feel like it, you can do so, too.”
For once, it is Jace who tears up. I punch him and say, “Then he has the best Mom in the world.” Everyone smiles, but Jace grabs my hand and squeezes really hard.
She turns to me, “Stu has been so excited to spend this evening with you, Tim. I know you talk on the phone some, but he really needs his second brother.”
I have an idea. “Our band is playing a party New Year’s Eve at Viscaya for kids his age. We are doing all the oldies we used to sing and dance to at swim parties. If it is okay, I can have Mike and Stu on the guest list. They may not know these kids, but I’m sure he’ll make many new friends.”
“That sounds wonderful, Tim. I’ll call you tomorrow. We can make arrangements for them to attend.”
Stu grabs me around the neck, bouncing my chin off the back of his seat. For once he has nothing to say.
Jace is anxious to get into the house, so we say together, “Thanks, Mom,” and run inside. He grabs me and starts to sob.
“I’m sorry, Jace. She doesn’t know about your mom.”
“That makes it even harder because she is so nice. I never knew my mom. Never.” And he hangs onto me while trying to stop sobbing. “And tomorrow, Susan is going to be so nice to me, too. What if I break down again?”
I get him upstairs and we sit in the window  until the tears stop.

“You make me so happy,” he says.
I laugh, “Good reason to cry.” I know how he feels since I am always sobbing. Some kind of irony there.
“You have given me a life that I never had. My family doesn’t love me. All they do is resent each other. We have to rescue John from their hate.”
Jace has so much to give and does not know it. All it took is someone to love him. The love pours out, into his music, into me, and now to his little brother; oh, and to Max.
I pull Jace into my arms. We lay there wrapped up against the window sill. We can hear the music coming from Robby’s room. That party does not stop for Christmas. His breathing slows and I sleep walk him to the bed, pulling off his clothes. I kiss his closed eyes, strip off and get in. I hug him all night long. O Silent night.

Christmas morning; Jace is still subdued. He knows my parents are doing presents before breakfast. He doesn’t want to interfere. We take a long shower together but nothing sexual happens. I give him the space to sort out his feelings.

When I come down with my measly presents. Dad and Susan look pleased I had thought of them. The tie is a hit being Air Force blue. Susan thinks her mirror is special. I tell her she can now see how beautiful she is every day. Dad still does not believe I am being sincere. They have a sweater and a book about preparing for college for me. I tell them I gave rings to all my band mates and talk about out upcoming shows. Dad asks how I could afford all the nice gifts.
“We get paid for our shows, Dad. We’ve been getting $200 to split every time we play.”
“Sounds like you’re learning the value of money.”
“Just as you wanted, Dad.”
“But your music isn’t like a regular job. What will you do when the holidays are over?”
“Oh, I have a regular job, retail sales at a shop in the Grove.”
“Tim,” he looks surprised, “I’m really pleased you’re being so responsible. And, I thought you were ignoring my advice.”
“No, Dad, once I couldn’t pay for swim team, I needed to do something. You were right.”
That makes him look very smug, for once. I guess it is worth swallowing my pride. I do hate that he feels he won. I glance at Susan. She winks at me, having kept our secret.

I start to fix breakfast for myself and ask when we we are going out to dinner.
“The reservation is for 2 pm. Will your friend be here to go with us?”
“I’ll make sure Jace is here. He really is happy to be with us. His brother is home from college. I already had to stand up to him for Jace. It’s hard for Jace to stop the bullying.”
“He can’t stand up for himself?” Dad asks.
“It’s hard after so many years of being picked on. The bully knows I am now teaming up with Jace. He’s afraid of me.”
“My Tim, you really are growing up,” my Dad seems impressed.
“Just a one-two to the stomach and chin, and he was looking up at me from the floor,” I brag. Too late I realize I got carried away.
“We’re not condoning you fighting, son,” Dad says.
“Only way to stop a bully is to teach him he can’t get away with it anymore.”
“Okay, well I’m glad you stand up for your friend.”
“He’s really the star of our band. We’ll get a real show and you’ll see.”
“We can see that you’re not our little Timmy now.”
“Thanks, I told you. Miami is good for me.”
I get a breakfast big enough for the two of us. After we eat and I clean up the dishes, we go over to the garage to be with Max.

We play toss and fetch near the garage, when John comes out to be with us.
He laughs about how subdued his older brother is, after being put in his place.
“If he pulls anything on you, John, just tell me. He knows I’m on Jace’s side, with you. That’s how to stand up to a bully. Once he knows he’s lost the power over you, he’ll be afraid of you.”
“Max bit him yesterday.”
We burst out laughing, thinking Max must have been jonesing without pot to be so aggressive.
“Really he only growled and lunged at Jeff. When Jeff ran away, Max bit him on the butt. He didn’t break the skin, but it ripped Jeff’s jeans.”
Max is listening to us. When he hears Jeff’s name, he growls. We are in hysterics. Promptly Max leads us over to Robby’s for wake and bake. Most of the crew is there. After hearing about Max’s heroics, he’s given a shotgun by Robby. He rolls over on his back so we can rub his stomach. John then tells everyone how I punched out Jeff, who’s now afraid of everyone.
“Way to go, fag,” Iggy shouts.
“That’s Mr. Faggot to you,” I say.  Iggy cowers in mock horror.

Everyone has stories about what an asshole Jeff has always been. Jace comes over and puts his arm around my shoulders, “My hero,” he beams.
I started thinking about Max. I have a premonition that Jeff might try to get his revenge on the dog. Everyone’s no longer afraid of him. I tell Jace we should keep Max in my room until Jeff goes back to College after New Years. He is so happy to have Max with us all the time. Max seems to know and comes over. He rolls on his back, while we scratch his belly.
“Look at the three fags,” Dave kids us. I grab Dave, throw him down, pull up his shirt and give him a pink belly. He squirms until I let go.
I look at Jazz, “You want some of that?” I threaten him.
“Look who the new bully is,” Robby observes.
I give Jazz a nuggie on his curly fro, and he starts laughing.
“Just like Brillo,” I say about his hair.
Everyone is laughing, even my two victims.

We take Max over to my room before we get too high. We do not want to space out at dinner. I resolve to ask if Jace can stay over until his brother leaves for college. We play some oldies on guitar and sing along to get ready for the New Year’s Eve show. I call Michael to ask if we can have Stu and Tim on the guest list for the party. He calls back to say it is invitation-only. If they come as part of the band, they can dance to our oldies, helping to get all the kids up and dancing. It sounds perfect, since most guests are their age. There will be other parents there. The Watts are welcome to attend.
I ask how many people are invited and find out that at least 200 kids are coming. Michael sounds confident that with a large crowd, he will get some face time with Jenna. He is being slightly pervy about it. I know he would not go too far out of respect for her.

Next: https://timatswim.com/2-blog-11-false-gods-voodoo/