Copyright © 2025 by Julien Gregg
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permission requests, contact the author by email.
The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.
Two
When I got back to the frat I was so excited I didn’t know if I’d sleep. It was later than I thought because it was after eleven. Todd was already in bed and I had to get to bed myself. Tomorrow was Saturday so I didn’t have any classes. I stripped naked and went to bed. I must have slept with my earplugs because the next thing I knew was that the sun was coming through the windows.
I got up and went to the bathroom and showered. I shaved and used the toilet. Then I put on my robe and went into the bedroom to find clothes to wear for the day. I once again wore a pair of cotton shorts without underwear and a white t-shirt. This one had a blue devil on the front and “Blue Devils Baseball” on the back. My name was embroidered on the front above the devil.
I put on my sandals and picked my phone up. I was glad that I plugged it in. I put it in my pocket and made my way downstairs. There were eggs and bacon on the table. Four plates of them they were steaming so I took one and made toast. Then I grabbed a juice out of the ice tub and went to the dining room to have my eggs. Neal was sitting at the table and smiled at me. I smiled back and then started to eat.
Neal had chestnut brown hair that was cut short but faded on the sides and back. His eyes were blue and he had a kid next door look to him. He was shorter than most of us. He stood at about five foot and five inches. He was easy to talk to and he seemed to like everyone. Everyone seem to like him, too. I was glad for that because he was my friend. The first real friend I’d made at Saguaro.
“What’s on your agenda today?” I asked him.
“Still working on graphics,” he said with a smile. “You have so many beasts in that game.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I had dinner with the guy who codes for Microsoft last night. He wants to follow my school career and put in a good word for me with companies in Los Angeles.”
“That’s great!” he said. “Man he was a good looking guy.”
“Yes he was,” I said, shocked that Neal would say such a thing.
“You know I’m gay, right?” he asked.
“No I didn’t, but so am I,” I said.
“Todd will be happy,” he said. “He’s been worried that you’d figure him out and hate him.”
“He’s gay?” I asked.
“As a goose,” he said. “He’s dating Blake.”
“That’s a shock,” I said. “What about John?”
“Very open minded,” he said. “He likes everyone no matter what their sexuality turns out to be. He’s got a girlfriend in Obiz. Her name is Kelly Patterson.”
Obiz was Omega Beta Zeta and the sister sorority to Alpha Beta Omega which was called Aboo for short. It was a normal thing for the boys of Aboo to date the girls of Obiz. It was almost expected.
“Cool,” I said. “Glad he’s open minded.”
“Kelly’s little brother is gay,” he said. “He got picked on a lot at school so he moved to a progressive private school.”
“Good for him,” I said. “I mean the private school not being picked on.”
“I got it,” he said. “Man is it good to be able to talk to you about this stuff. I really like you and didn’t want to have to hold back, you know?”
“I do,” I said. “I was worried about it too. I mean if I’m going to date Evan I didn’t want to hide that from you.”
“You and Evan?” he asked. “The coder from Microsoft?”
“That’s him,” I said. “We came out to each other last night and admitted that we found each other attractive.”
“So what happened?” he asked.
“Nothing happened,” I said. “I came back here and we’re taking it slow.”
“Good idea,” he said. “Really get to know him.”
“I plan to,” I said.
After breakfast I called Evan and told him good morning. He sounded happy to hear from me and invited me to an art festival that was happening that very day in downtown Osage. I said yes and he came to get me. He drove to the downtown area effortlessly like he’d done it a thousand times. We got there and found a place to park and then walked the path set up between booths.
There were sculptures on display and some were really graphic. I looked at him and he smiled. The paintings were suggestive but not as graphic as the sculptures. There was face painting and caricatures being done in a couple of booths. We got a caricature of us together and paid for it. We also got a corn dog apiece from one of the food tents. We looked at artwork that was less suggestive than the first batch they’d seen. One girl did nothing but male angels and they were anatomically correct but not graphically done. I bought two of them.
There were other portraits of this and that. There were seascapes, desert landscapes, the red rocks of Sedona, and many of the city streets. I didn’t buy any of those. I did buy the one that looked like puppies in the rain. All together I bought five paintings that day and hoped they’d fit on my side of the room.
He bought one of the graphic sculptures for his collection and two paintings. Of course he paid to have them shipped to Los Angeles. We had coffee and sat on a bench. He was looking at the street artists as they painted faces and made this or that out of paper and tissue.
“I used to come to this every year when I was a student,” he said.
“It’s a great fair,” I said. “I loved a lot of the paintings. The sculptures were all a bit much for me but they were very detailed and well done.”
“Yeah I saw your reaction when I bought one of the sculptures,” he said.
“It was the least graphic,” I said. “You have a collection of sculptures?”
“I have six,” he said. “I bought my seventh today. The others are of angels and one of David.”
“Cool,” I said. “So what do you do when you’re not at work?”
“I go to art galleries and the like,” he said. “I like video games and computer games. I’m a big fan of The Sims franchise. I like movies and music. I spend time in my restaurant and I hang out with a few friends now and then. You know basic things.”
“That sounds a lot like me,” I said. “Sure instead of spending time at a restaurant I’m coding, but I hang out with friends, love The Sims and hang out with friends playing video games or just hanging out.”
“Life with me won’t be glamorous but it will be real,” he said.
“I look forward to real,” I said.
“You’re like a breath of fresh air,” he said. “You’re not tainted or jaded or anything. You’re like a shiny new person and I love it.”
“You like me because I’m not tainted or jaded?” I asked.
“No,” he said. “If anyone had a right to be jaded or tainted it would be you. You’re not tainted by tragedy. You survived and you know it. You’re not jaded by despair. You’re actually pretty well put together mentally and physically.”
“Well I did cry myself to sleep a few nights after the crash,” I said. “And you should have seen me the first time I got on a plane after the crash. I was a basket case until it landed. But I don’t wallow in anything. I survived and I plan to live the life I was granted after the crash. I love my uncle and my chosen profession and I’ll love you. I won’t dwell on sadness or anger. I get over things pretty easily if I’m honest. The crash was a bit harder to get over but I got there.”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” he said. “You have this streak about you I don’t know if it’s determination or what but I like it.”
“I like that you act like a normal person instead of a snob like I’ve been told people in LA can be,” I said.
“I don’t know who told you that but they’re aren’t as many snobbish people in LA as you think,” he said. “But thank you for saying that I’m not one of them.”
“You know what I mean,” I said, leaning against him for emphasis.
“I know what you mean,” he said. “So are you about done with that corn dog?”
“Yeah,” I said just before taking my last bite.
“Feel like walking a bit more?” he asked.
“Sure,” I said. “I’m really enjoying this.”
“Good,” he said. “I’m glad.”
We walked back through the path of booths and tables. I found a t-shirt that said what I wanted and bought it. It said, “What Consumes Your Thoughts Controls Your Life.” Evan looked at me oddly for a moment and then shrugged. If he wanted to know what the caption meant to me I’d tell him.
We walked the whole path again and I saw all of the same artwork. There were prints of the angels that the girl had painted the prints were on sale for fifty apiece I bought one of each. I’d frame them and hang them on the wall. They were so beautiful.
We left after our second trip through the path. He didn’t say much on the way to his SUV. Once we were inside he asked me about the shirt. I told him that it was a way of life for me. Don’t dwell or it will consume you. He was silent for a moment then he leaned over and kissed me again. I kissed back.
He dropped me off at the frat house with promises to have me for dinner on Friday night. He told me to pack a bag and stay the night with him. I told him I would. Then I went up to my room and put my paintings against the wall. I put my prints on my desk and the t-shirt on my bed.
“What’re these?” Todd asked as he came in.
“I went to an art festival today,” I said. “These are the paintings and prints that I bought. I have a t-shirt on the bed that I bought there, too.”
“Angels?” he asked. “Oh, sexy ones.”
“Yes, they’re sexy without being pornographic,” I said.
“Yeah,” he said. “I like them. You gonna hang them in here?”
“If you don’t mind,” I said.
“Go for it, Dude,” he said.
I got my nails and hammer and started to hang the paintings. I’d have to get frames for the prints but the paintings went on the walls. I grabbed my dirty clothes and the new t-shirt and went down to do my laundry. I waited while it was in the washer and read a book for class while it was washing and drying. Then I took it upstairs and put it all away. I sat and looked through the prints I had bought. They were awesome.
Neal came to my room and handed me a CD. He said he was finally finished with all of the graphics for the game. I popped it in and coded them all in. Then I checked the code for mistakes, finding none I ran the game. It looked amazing. I thanked Neal for his contribution. He and Todd stood there watching as I played the game. I knew where everything was so I went through it quickly. I reset after I’d won and went in a different direction.
This time I fought the beasts. I collected seven gems and had full health when I got to the mountain lion. I knew how it moved and I beat it. Then I found my campsite again. I let Neal go through it but he died at the bears. Todd asked if he could play it and I told him sure. He played and made it pretty far outsmarting the beasts but the mountain lions got him.
We were gearing up for Spring Break and that’s when I wanted to tell Jacks that I was in a relationship with a coder from Microsoft. He knew I was gay and didn’t have a problem with it. I just hoped he didn’t have a problem with me dating someone who was a bit older than me. I wasn’t going home for the break. Instead I was staying to spend time with Evan. I’d actually agreed to move in with him for the seven days and nights that was Spring Break.
First I had the second entree at the house he was house sitting at. This was braised duck with sesame carrots in duck fat. It was delicious. I’d never had duck and I told him that. He said I’d love it and I did. Again there was white wine. It went smoothly with the duck. Then he took the dishes to the kitchen and did a little clean up before coming to me and kissing me.
“I still didn’t ask you here to get in your pants,” he said. “There are four bedrooms in this house and each has a bed. Pick one.”
“Which one are you sleeping in?” I asked.
“The master,” he said. “Why?”
“Because I choose that one,” I said. “You didn’t bring me here to have your way with me and I’m not sleeping in the same bed with you to have my way with you. We’re two adults who find each other appealing. We can sleep in the same bed and remain chaste for one night. Besides I’m moving in here with you for seven fun filled days and nights. I dare say if we lose our composure it will be then.”
“You said a mouth full,” he said with a smile. “Fine with me it is. But I’m not ready to go to bed yet.”
“What? Neither am I,” I said. “We just ate dinner.”
“Well then join me in the living room for a night cap,” he said. Then he walked out of the room.
I got up and followed him just to see what he’d do next. He poured me a glass of bourbon and one for himself. I’d never had bourbon but I sipped it slowly and let it warm my body. He watched me like a hawk.
“Had bourbon before?” he asked.
“No,” I said. “I like the taste though.”
“I’m corrupting you,” he said.
“College is corrupting me,” I corrected. “You’re seducing me.”
“Is that what I’m doing?” he asked with a sexy smile.
“That’s exactly what you’re doing and you know it,” I said. “Please continue.”
“I’ll get right on that,” he said and then he kissed me again. I really did like kissing him. We had that at least.
“If you keep kissing me we’re going to get into bed and get messy,” I said.
“Well then tell me to stop,” he said and kissed me again. Didn’t want in my pants, huh?
“I thought you didn’t ask me over to get into my pants,” I said.
“I didn’t,” he said. “If it happens it will be a happy accident.”
Then he kissed me again. This time it wasn’t on my lips. It was on my neck. I leaned into him and let him kiss my neck up and down. I moaned as he did this but when he went for my ear I turned and kissed him roughly on the lips. Then I attacked his neck and ear. He hummed roughly from his core.
“Okay,” I said, pushing him away slightly. “That came out of nowhere.”
“You like your ears kissed,” he said.
“Obviously,” I said, smiling at him. “Where’s that bed again?”
I followed him into the room and the rest is another story. We fell asleep in each other’s arms. I slept peacefully and soundly. The next morning he kissed me awake and fed me breakfast in bed. It was French toast and sausage. He was a good cook in his own right.
He kissed me again and told me to eat up. I did that while he walked around the room naked. I liked to look at him. He dressed and told me to hurry up. I ate my food, put the tray on the nightstand and got out of bed. He came to me and kissed me again.
“I like to look at you naked,” he said.
“I liked looking at you naked, too,” I said and we kissed again.
“I have to take you back to the frat,” he said. “I’ve got some things to code today and I don’t do well with others in my space when I’m coding.”
“All right,” I said. “I’ll see you next Friday.”
“If not before,” he said and kissed me again.
Back at the frat I was the most talked about guy in the house. I had successfully landed one of the alum and it seemed I was going to have a successful relationship with him. No one cared that we were both men. They just overlooked that fact and celebrated my accomplishment. I didn’t see it that way but I let them have their fun. I went out to get frames for my prints.
I had six of them so I needed five by seven inch frames. I found them in a store that sold frames. I bought the six and headed back to the frat house after I got a party case of tacos from the Taco Shack. I put them in the kitchen and told the brothers to dig in. They did that and the case was empty when I came back downstairs after hanging my prints.
“You didn’t get a taco,” said Neal.
“I ate mine at the Taco Shack,” I said. “I brought those for the frat. Next time I’ll buy two of them.”
“Yeah,” he said with a smile. “How was your night with Evan?”
“It was very nice,” I said with a smile.
“I’ll bet it was,” he said. “You were gone all night.”
“We planned it that way,” I said. “He made me breakfast in bed this morning.”
“Cool,” he said. “What’s he doing now?”
“Coding for work,” I said. “He brought me back here because he can’t handle people in his space when he’s coding. I’m thinking it’s the secrecy clause in his contract at work here.”
“Probably,” he said. “What are you doing today?”
“Probably coding a new game,” I said. “I do have that coding assignment from Programming to get through as well.”
“All right,” he said. “I wanted to know if I could play your game.”
“Of course you can,” I said. “Come to my room and I’ll burn you a CD.”
“Thanks,” he said.
We went up to my room and I burned the game to a CD for him. He took that and went to his own room to play the game. Then I worked on my coding assignment and got that done. It took half the day. I took a break and went down for dinner with the brothers.
After dinner I started to work on another game. This one wasn’t like the other. This one was more like Dungeons and Dragons. I wrote quests for the band of heroes to go on and monsters that they’d have to fight. It was a multi player game and I was trying to set it up so that each player could log on and fight along side the others. It was difficult to code and I found myself going over each line of code two and three times to make sure that I did it right.
I coded late into the night. Todd came back from his date with Blake and went to bed. I could hear him snoring but this time it didn’t bother me. I coded until I couldn’t see straight and then I put my earplugs in, stripped naked, and went to bed.
The next day I spent time with Neal going over his notes on the game. He really liked it but thought it might be a bit too hard. I told him that he’d almost won the game. He asked what I was working on and I showed him the code.
“That’s serious stuff,” he said. “You gonna be all right with it?”
“I might need a little help,” I said. “I’ll talk to Frost about it and see what his recommendations are. If I’m lucky I’ll get one more programmer to help me code and we can share the marks for it when I turn it in for credit.”
“I’ll do your graphics like I did for the other,” he said. “I might pull another graphics guy in if that’s all right. You’ve got serious monsters in this one.”
“I say go for it,” I said. “You might have to share credit for graphics if we go this route but I don’t see how we’re gonna get any of it done without help.”
“You could ask Evan,” he said.
“That’s a great idea,” I said and pulled out my phone. I dialed Evan and waited for him to answer.
“Jake?” he asked.
“Evan I have a proposition for you,” I said. “I’m working on a new game but it’s a bit beyond my talent for coding at this point. I need a coding partner. Neal’s going to do the graphics for the game and he said he’ll probably pull in another guy to help him. This game is massive.”
“Well I have some time today,” he said. “Why don’t I bring you over here. Bring a laptop and code beside me so we can knock this out. First tell me what you want.”
“I want a multiplayer, multi layered game. I want quests and monsters. It’s kind of like Dungeons and Dragons, but there are no dungeons and I don’t plan to call it that. I want to call it ‘Legends Rise’.”
“I can help you with that,” he said. “Tell Neal to make the monsters and I’ll get someone for you to work with to make them do what you want them to do.”
“Thanks Evan,” I said. “You were the first person I thought of when I started coding this game.”
“Thank you,” he said. “Are you doing this for a grade?”
“No,” I said. “I’m doing this to sell. I might turn parts of the code in for credit. I told Neal that he could turn the monsters in for credit if he wants.”
“Okay then stop all of that after the first round,” he said. “Keep a lid on the coding. This is secret time, Jake. We’ll work on the game and I will give you all of the credit because I signed an exclusivity contract. Anything that I create has to be under he Microsoft umbrella.”
“I’m not against selling the game to Microsoft,” I said.
“Not unless you’re contracted to them,” he said. “If you get a contract with Microsoft to work on games then fine bring it to the table. If not shop elsewhere.”
“If you’re sure about this,” I said.
“I’m more than sure, Jake,” Evan said. “I don’t want you to get screwed on a game deal.”
“Thank you, Evan,” I said. “When do you want me to come to you?”
“Today if you can,” he said. “Bring Neal. I want to meet the guy that’s doing the graphics.”
“I have another game that I created,” I said. “This is my finals piece. I’m going to turn it in to the professor at finals time.”
“Bring a copy of that one so I can see what I’m working with,” he said. “Is this game in any way connected to the one we’ve been talking about?”
“No,” I said. “’Jungle Folly’ is a stand alone game I put on CD. I would like to know how to make it compatible with a gaming console.”
“I can help you with that,” he said. “Which console are we talking about?”
I told him which game console Todd had and he said that was actually very easy and to bring a blank DVD. I got one of those ready, synced my computer to my laptop, told Neal to come with me, and then drove to Evan.
We made a splash screen for the DVD. It was green with black letters that said, “Jake & Neal Present Jungle Folly.” Then Evan took a look at the coding for my new game. He said it was a very complicated code. Then he went to town coding something of his own. He added it to my code and I saw where he was going with it. Neal just watched us work.
Then Evan and I were coding side by side on the same game. I loved it. It made me feel like I was already at work in an office full of people working on one aspect of the game or another. We got a lot done and then ordered in food from the Taco Shack. Neal watched a movie in the living room while we hammered away at the code. We stopped when the food arrived and talked back and forth about what to put in the game. It was an “Oh yeah!” moment for us.
Neal was smiling as he watched us interact with each other. Evan was being sweet as we talked about the three headed wolf and the forest hags. Then we went on to talk about the Orcs, the abominable snow man, and the king of the Orcs. There were other smaller beasts in the game as well. We went over them one at a time. Then he was coding something into the game that placed them in there. I was amazed at how fast he typed.
Then we talked about the environment for the players. I told him they would gather in an Inn and take the quest given to them by the bartender. He liked that. We worked on the quests and coded them so that each player could be counted and their hits would show up. I had no idea how much coding was involved in this game.
We went back to the Frat around ten that night. We promised to be back. Neal went off to make the monsters that he thought he could. Then I went up to my room and put my laptop on charge. I took a quick shower and then got ready for bed. Todd asked me where I’d been. I told him that Evan and I were working on a game. He liked the sound of that. I got up and gave him the DVD version of “Jungle Folly” and he put it in his console and got a surprise. It worked. He thanked me over and over again as he sat and played the game on his console.
I put my earplugs in and went to sleep. The next morning Neal had a CD of monsters that he’d worked on the night before. Plus he had his laptop with him. We went to Evan’s and got down to coding while Neal worked on graphics for the monsters. We had to get someone to make the swords and knives for the players. Then we needed a green screen and Evan told me to use the one at the school since I was a student there. I told him that when we got to that part I would talk to the film school about doing a lot more for this game than the other one.
“We need to code it so that each player sees the same screen depending on which quest they were given,” Evan said. “You have player classes that are perfect, elves, thieves, warriors, clerics, and magic users. It’s a lot like D and D. But with the way we’re coding them they are yours alone. That’s good, because you can market it as a generic D and D knock off. That sounds bad but it’s really a good thing. There are many of this type of game out there but the really big names are still just generic knock offs of D and D.”
That made a lot of sense to me and I told him so. I didn’t mind that it would be classified as a knock off of D and D. That was fine with me as long as we got it finished and it worked. I wanted it in houses all over America.
We coded all day long that Sunday. We got it to go in ways that I hadn’t thought of. Evan was really good at coding and coded about fifty lines to my ten. He told me I’d get there and that I was already typing like a pro.
We had chips and soda while we coded. It wasn’t the healthiest but it kept us going. Neal was slaving away on his own laptop. I stopped to watch as he designed every piece of the Orcs and made them stand up and kneel.
We coded to dinner time and then took a break. Evan made me entree number three which was beef tenderloin sliced to perfection and smothered in beef au jus sauce with baby carrots and a baked potato complete with sour cream, bacon bits, butter, and cheese. It was delicious and I knew now just how talented he was in the kitchen. I told him so.
“I don’t work in the kitchen in the restaurant,” he said. “That’s all Aubrey’s deal.”
“You could hold your own,” I said. “This is great. All three of the entrees you’ve let me sample have been great. Hats off to you and Aubrey. I hope the restaurant is a success.”
“And I hope your game is a success,” he said, tipping his wine glass in my direction. I picked mine up, red wine this time and tapped his glass with mine.
“From your lips to the gaming God’s ears,” I said with a smile.
We ate in silence after that. Neal was amazed by the meal. He was even more amazed when Evan told him that he went in with Aubrey Jenkins. Neal knew who he was and was amazed that he was an Aboo alum.
“Back to coding?” Evan asked when the dishes were cleared and the kitchen cleaned up.
“We can for a little while but I have a ten o’clock class to get to in the morning,” I said.
We coded some more until about ten and then called it quits. We packed up our stuff and I drove Neal back to frat house after a long kiss with Evan. Then he went to his room and I went to mine.
“Where’ve you guys been all day?” asked Todd.
“With Evan,” I said. “We’re coding a brand new game. It’s massive and I couldn’t do it alone.”
“Righteous!” he enthused. “I can’t wait to play it.”
“You’ll be one of the testers for me,” I said.
“What’s this one called?” he asked.
“’Legends Rise’,” I said.
“Cool,” he said. “I like the title.”
“It’s going to be a lot like D and D or ‘World of Warcraft’,” I said.
“I don’t play that one because they make you pay a monthly fee to play,” he said.
“Do they?” I asked. “I hadn’t checked into that. There are plenty of free games on the internet to play that are like it.”
“Yeah,” he said. “I played a bunch of those. Is this one going to be a screen that doesn’t change and just tells you that you minded gold or chopped wood?”
“No,” I said. “There will be no mining of any kind. This is a multi player online game that has heroes that go on quests to find this or that. Thee are monsters in the way and you have to fight them to pass. It’s going to be epic.”
“Wow,” he said. “You’re really going ahead with this video game design aren’t you?”
“Yeah, I mean I love it so much,” I said. “I like knowing that people are playing what I wrote.”
“Oh I made a couple of copies of ‘Jungle Folly’,” he said. “Some of the brothers wanted to play it.”
“That’s fine,” I said. “More testers. You’ll all let me know if there are problems in the game.”
“We will,” he said.
I thanked him and then took a quick shower and put my earplugs in. Then I went to bed naked. I noticed that Todd gave me a quick look over. I smiled at this and went to sleep. I slept good and didn’t dream anything I could remember when I woke up because the sun as in my face.
I got up and got dressed and headed to my first class of the day. I sat and took notes for the quiz that would be Friday. Spring Break began Friday as well. I would be staying with Evan for Spring Break. I called Quincy and told Jacks that I wasn’t coming home for Spring Break. I told him I was staying in Osage for that break and would be home for summer break. He told me to have a good time. I told him about Evan and he expressed the desire to meet him. I told him we’d work on that this summer.
I spent the afternoon studying for my quiz in Physics. Plus I had code work to do for Programming. I also had a case study to read for psych. I was swamped. I coded the assignment for Programming. Read the case study in Psych and made notes based on what I’d read, and studied Physics for the rest of the night.
The next day was more classes, more assignments. I got very little coding done that day. I got very little coding done all week long. Then there was the quiz in Physics. I did all right on that. Friday after classes I was packed and ready for my week with Evan. I drove to the house and knocked on the door. He opened it and kissed me. Then I was putting clothes in drawers in his dresser. We coded for a long time that night. We went to bed tired but not too tired to show each other just how much we liked each other.
The next day we coded after breakfast until lunch. Then we ate at the Taco Shack. He took me to an art gallery that day and showed me what art really was. I have to say that I didn’t get it. I told him that but a lot of it looked good. He bought a painting of Madonna and child. He had that shipped to his house in Los Angeles. I didn’t buy anything there that day.
We went back to the house and coded until dinner time. Then he made pork chops that were tender and sweet. He made snow peas and sliced boiled potatoes. We ate in the dining room. Then he cleaned up while I coded the game a bit more. He joined me and we were coding for the rest of the day. We went to bed to a repeat of the night before.
The next day he wouldn’t let me code. We spent the day cuddled up on the sofa watching mindless television. He said that you had to take breaks or you’d miss things. I just did what he said. We watched movies all day. At lunch we ordered in Chinese and ate it there in the living room. He cleaned up the mess and then we were back on the couch watching movies until dinner time. We ordered pizza for that one and went back to lying on the couch until bed time.
The next day we coded in the morning but not in the afternoon. We went to see a baseball game that afternoon. We didn’t get home until seven and then we ate a late dinner of hamburgers and french fries. We did a little coding that night but we were in bed by eleven.
And that’s how it went for seven days and seven nights. When I was packing to return to the frat house he told me that he’d loved having me with him every day and hoped that when I got out of school I’d move in with him permanently. I told him I was planning on it.
Back at the frat everyone was coming home. There was a lot of commotion as everyone got to their rooms to unpack. I had no dirty clothes because Evan had washed them all. I just put clothes away and sat on my bed to watch as Todd did the same thing. He told me that he’d had a good time in Daytona. I told him I’d had a good time with Evan. He smiled at me when I said this. He asked about the coding and I said that we got some of that done too. He laughed at that.
Classes started back up and we were headed for final exams. I got a lot of study points in all of my classes and prepared to hand in the DVD of my game for the final in Programming. I’d already talked to Professor Frost and he said he’d take the game for the final but I’d still have to take the test.
Evan went back to Los Angeles because his friend was home now. We were reduced to telephone calls back and forth. I told him I was going to Quincy for the summer break and he said he’d show up there sooner or later. I liked the sound of that.
I got my academic status report and was happy with what was in it. Then it was just review, review, review. There were no assignments now. We were studying for the final exams. Of course there was to be a Reading Day but we were already studying so that day didn’t mean much to us.
Final exams began May sixth and I was ready for them. I took two that day and two more on the seventh and two on the eighth and I was done. I could leave now so I packed up everything and put it in my truck. Then I got gas and drinks. I even made some ham and cheese sandwiches and put them in the cooler. Then I headed out for Illinois again.
I drove all night long and got into Quincy at about four o’clock the next day. I was dog tired and went into the house to take stuff in and Jacks came out to help me. We moved me back into my room and then I apologized but I was going to bed.
I slept until five o’clock the next morning. Jacks was asleep. I got my laptop out and coded for a while. It was different to be working on the game alone. I knew that Evan had his piece to code and I had mine but it was different not having him sitting next to me coding away.
Jacks stuck his head in the door and watched me for a moment. Then he asked if I’d take a break and come talk to him. I got to the end of the line I was coding and saved my work. Then I closed the laptop and walked into the kitchen.
Our house was a two-bedroom bungalow with an eat-in kitchen, living room, and bathroom. It was small but it had always worked for us. I sat at the kitchen table while he cooked breakfast. He put a plate of eggs and bacon in front of me and then handed me two pieces of toast. I dug in and he sat down with his own plate.
“How’re things at school?” he asked.
“Great,” I said. “I did really well on finals. Final grades will be posted soon and I’ll see it on the website.”
“Okay,” he said. “Do you like it there in Osage?”
“Oh yeah,” I said. “No snow and lots of sunshine.”
“And Evan,” he said.
“No, Evan went back to Los Angeles,” I said. “His friend came home so he wasn’t house sitting anymore. He’ll show up here eventually though.”
“Good, I’d like to meet him,” he said. “This relationship was sudden for me.”
“It wasn’t for me,” I said. “We took things slowly. I was sure of the relationship before I called you and told you about it.”
“Okay so it was sudden for me,” he said. “I didn’t know you were looking for a boyfriend.”
“I wasn’t,” I said honestly. “Evan just kind of showed up and I was like okay then.”
“Is it serious?” he asked.
“He’s asked me to move in with him after college,” I said.
“In Los Angeles?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “We both knew I’d have to go west to be in the video game business. All of the big names are out there. Jacks, I’m working on a game now that with Evan’s help will get me to the big name game companies. This game is epic. It’s bigger than anything I’ve ever coded before. I’m really excited about it.”
“Is that what you were working on in your room?” he asked.
“Yeah,” I said. “Evan has a piece of it that he’s coding for me. I have the rest. It’s a lot.”
“Yeah, I can imagine,” he said. “So coding is what brought the two of you together?”
“Well my interest in Computer Programming is what brought us together,” I said. “He works for Microsoft.”
“Are you trying to get hired by Microsoft?” he asked.
“I’m not sure where I’ll end up,” I said. “I know it’ll be in Los Angeles with Evan though. Jacks please understand.”
“I do,” he said. “Believe me I do. It’s just that you’re moving across the country for this guy and what if it doesn’t work out?”
“With him or gaming?” I asked.
“Either or both?” he asked.
“Then I come home with my tail between my legs and say you were right all along,” I said. “But something tells me that I’m going to make it in this business, Jacks. Evan can help me with that. If the relationship with Evan doesn’t work out at least I’ll have my foot in the door at one of the big name gaming companies. I’ll land on my feet, Jacks. I know I will.”
“I know you will too,” he said. “But you’re my only family and I worry about you. I don’t like that you’re all the way in Arizona instead of Iowa. I don’t like that I’m not there to see who you’re hanging out with and what they’re about.”
“Jacks, it’s college,” I said. “It’s just in a different place. You know I was exposed to all sorts of people at Link. It’s the same at Saguaro. It’s just college.”
“That part doesn’t worry me as much as you running off to Los Angeles to be with this man,” he said. “What about your money?”
“What about it?” I asked. “Evan doesn’t want my money. He’s said so.”
“So you’ve talked about it?” he asked.
“Of course we have,” I said. “Did you think I wouldn’t have that conversation with the person who I want to share my life with? If we get married I’ll have a prenup. He knows that. But we haven’t talked marriage. For all I know he doesn’t believe in it.”
“So it isn’t that serious,” he said.
“Not as serious as marriage,” I said. “He’s asked me to move in with him in Los Angeles so he can show me around and get me a contract with a big name game company and we can be together. Jacks I’m thinking it over. I haven’t made a final decision on any of it. I mean I know I want to work for a major gaming company. It’s where the money is.”
“You have money,” he said.
“But I didn’t earn that money,” I said. “A judge gave it to me because I was stupid enough to be on a flight that went down because they cut corners and missed inspections. This will be money that I earn.”
“I had no idea you were feeling that way,” he said.
“I’m angry about the flight, yes,” I said. “But I don’t let it consume me. I code, hang out with friends, and watch movies.”
“Good,” he said. “I still think you should have seen someone about your anger.”
“But I have it under control,” I said. “I don’t think of it much. This conversation brought it to the surface again.”
“Well I’m sorry for that,” Jacks said. “I just wanted to make sure you were thinking with your big head.”
“Cute,” I laughed. “I’m firing on all cylinders, Captain.”
“’Attaboy,” he said.
“So this was all about my money?” I asked.
“Mostly,” he said. “The other part was how well do you know Evan?”
“I spent seven days and seven nights with him already,” I said. “If there was something alarming about him I’d have seen it. Plus I’ve spent a lot of time with him. He’s a big teddy bear.”
“If you say so,” he said. “I’d still like to meet him.”
“He’ll be here sooner or later,” I said.
“Well okay then,” he said. “Get outa here so I can clean this up.”
“Sure thing,” I said.
I went back to my room and coded a bit longer. I got a lot done by the time Jacks made me stop for lunch. I went into the kitchen and had Philly Cheese steaks with him. He’d made fries with it. Then my phone rang. It was Evan telling me that he would fly in to St. Louis on Friday the thirteenth. Could I meet him in St. Louis? I said I could and would take him to the hotel. Would I stay with him in the hotel? I said I would but Jacks was waving his arm at me.
“He can stay here with us,” he said. “I want to get to know him.”
“You can stay here with us instead of in a hotel, Evan,” I said. “Jacks insists.”
“Well if it isn’t going to put anyone out,” he said.
“It won’t,” I promised. “The house is small but functional.”
“Can’t wait to see it,” he said, “I’ll see you on the fourteenth.”
“Can’t wait,” I said.
“Love you,” he said.
“I’m not ready to say that yet,” I admitted.
“That’s fine,” he said. “You will one day.”
“Yeah,” I said.
We got off the phone and my uncle was looking at me. I told him that I would pick Evan up at the airport in St. Louis on the thirteenth at three o’clock. Then I would bring him to the house and he could meet him. He nodded at this and went back to eating his sandwich.
After lunch I did more coding, but I didn’t do it long. Travis Henderson came to the door. He’d been a friend from the baseball team here in town. I let him in and showed him to my room. He’d seen it countless times over the years.
Travis was a dark haired young man with blue eyes. He was physically fit from his time on the baseball field. He was a good looking boy and I’d thought about trying something with him over the years but never had.
“How’s Arizona?” he asked.
“Hot and fun,” I said. “I found a boyfriend.”
“Did ya?” he asked. He’d taken my sexuality in stride. So did the rest of the team when I came out to them.
“His name is Evan Porter,” I said. “He’s a coder for Microsoft. He’ll be here next Friday. He’s staying here for a while.”
“Cool,” he said. “So you’re coding now?”
“Yeah, but most of it is for school,” I said. Then I reached into my book bag and dug out a DVD of “Jungle Folly”. I handed it to him. “That’s my game there. I wrote that one and my friend Evan made the graphics for it. It’ll work on your system.”
“Cool,” he said. “A game you designed.”
“Yeah,” I said. “Hope you like it. Half of my fraternity is playing the game and they love it.”
“I’m sure I’ll like it,” he said. “You’re an Aboo brother, right?”
“Yeah,” I said. “Why?”
“Because I am too and I think I need to transfer to Arizona,” he said. “Can you help me with that?”
“Well do you know if your scholarship will transfer?” I asked.
“Not yet,” he said. “I just really need to get away from Quincy University. I need to get away from my family. They didn’t take the news about my sexuality very well.”
“What is your sexuality?” I asked.
“I’m bisexual,” he said. “Mom and Dad had a fit. Dad told me to get out of his house. I’ve been living with Grayson and April for a while.”
Grayson was his older brother and April was his wife right out of high school. They hadn’t gone to college. Grayson worked for their dad’s car lot and April was a secretary for an insurance carrier.
“I can give you the numbers to call,” I said. “There are people in the offices still. People are still taking final exams.”
“Okay, thanks,” he said.
I got him the names and numbers he needed to call and let him use my cell phone. His father had taken his from him. He called and talked to the dean of admissions. He said that he had been accepted there and wanted to change schools. He was quiet for a few minutes and then he talked about his scholarship. He smiled after that so I knew that it would transfer. Then he told him he’d see him in the fall.
Next he called the new president of Aboo at Saguaro University. He talked to him about transferring from his house to that house when he transferred schools. That talk went smoothly and he got off the phone.
“You’ve been a big help, Jake,” he said. “I’m so glad you go to Saguaro. At least I’ll know someone there.”
“You’ll meet people,” I promised. “Who knows with you there I might join the baseball team again.”
“You were on a baseball scholarship I thought,” he said.
“After the plane crash I got out of baseball,” I said. “I’ve been thinking of going back to it. Someone told me that I needed other things to focus on than coding.”
“Well we can be on the team together,” he said. “Sorta like high school.”
“Yeah, plus it’ll be good for me to have someone from my home town in the frat with me,” I said.
No comments:
Post a Comment