The Shoal Isle



On The Outside (Looking In) - Part Three



What the hell is this? We have a project already and it’s only like the second week of school? Our biology teacher must be smoking something...I giggled to myself, remembering Drew’s joke about being the "Crack King." Oh well, at least we get to choose our own partners...like that will be a tough choice!

I slid down in my desk, glancing to the seat next to me, which was empty, of course. I swear, if Drew ever shows up on time I think I’ll have to check the temperature in hell! Sure enough, about five minutes later he walked in the door. As he sat next to me, I whispered, "Hey, we have to do projects with partners. You in?"

"Wouldn’t have it any other way," he smiled at me. "You going to meet me for lunch again?"

We had gone to lunch in the park almost every day since that first time, and it was always just the two of us. It was pure heaven. We poured our hearts and souls out to each other then; there were barely any secrets between us now. He still didn’t know about me, of course; that was one thing that would probably never change.

"Of course I will, unless you want to join us in the cafeteria?" I still hadn’t gotten him to meet my friends yet. He truly did seem to be a loner.

"Umm, maybe next time." He shrugged it off.

We spent the rest of the class in near silence, only occasionally whispering back and forth to make a crack about the teacher or some joke about today’s lesson. I couldn’t help but make little glances towards him every so often; he was just too irresistible. I’m probably going to give something away doing this all the time but I can’t help it!

Eventually the bell rang and class ended. We split up until lunchtime, promising to meet by the back gate as always. Lunch was spent in the same way as always; we’d eat our food quickly so we could have more time to talk and just enjoy being around each other. Sometimes we made it back to class, sometimes we didn’t. School just didn’t seem as important when I was with Drew. Hell, nothing seemed as important. It was like the whole word just stopped just for the two of us. It was pure ecstasy. And it broke my heart every time, because I knew that I would never be able to have what I wanted. And I wanted Drew. Oh God, how I wanted him. To hold him in my arms and never let go; to feel our hearts beating in unison as I kissed his sweet red lips.

Finally we stood up; looks like we’d make it back this time. As we walked back towards the school, I remembered the biology project we had been assigned. "Hey, Drew, y’know that biology project? Want to get together this weekend and get a head start on it?"

"Hey, sounds like a plan. Give me a call tonight and we’ll work it out, okay?"

"Alrighty, I’ll talk to you then." We split up to head to our own classes. I only had biology with him, which really sucked. Oh well, I’ll just have to enjoy what little bit I have with him.

I called Drew that night and we set up plans for him to come over Saturday afternoon so we could work on the project. We talked on the phone for hours, and I loved every second of it. Finally my mom had to literally force me to hang up or we probably would have kept on all night. It wasn’t until the receiver clicked into place that I realized...I was going to have the boy of my dreams in my house. IN MY HOUSE! Oh great, as if being alone with him in the park wasn’t bad enough, at least that place was still somewhat public...Wait, what am I thinking? My parents will still be here to keep me in check...Man, that was close.

I collapsed on my bed. Jeez, it was 10:30 already. It seemed like I had called Drew only a few minutes ago. Ok, I admit it, I’m addicted. How could I NOT be? Just look at him...those beautiful brown eyes, those kissable red lips, that cute little nose, his curly brown hair that was always in a constant state of disarray...and besides being physically appealing, his personality was just plain awesome. He was funny and charming and sweet, and we clicked like I had never clicked with anyone before. Sure, I had had other friends before Drew but they all seemed to pale in comparison with him. It was like he was just too good to be true...and in a way, he was. I mean, hell, there’s no way he could ever feel the same way about me as I feel about him. I mean, hell, he made that joke that first day I met him about being gay, only a guy who was really straight and really secure about himself could do that.

I turned onto my stomach, as a few tears started to leak from my eyes. Oh God, how I just wish he could be here with me, that I could fall asleep with him in my arms. That I could kiss his lips, tenderly, and tell him how much I love him. It wasn’t fair! Why did I have to be this way! Why does he have to be that way! It just isn’t FAIR!!!

The tears were coming much faster now. I could barely stand this, the loneliness and the heartache. Continuing to sob quietly, I fell asleep clutching my pillow tightly.



"Oh, Drew, ohhh, please..." I moaned out loud as he continued to grind into me. "Uhhhh...."

He smiled back at me and leaned forward to kiss me. Our lips met, and mine parted slightly to let his tongue enter my mouth. His grinding became faster, harder. Oh GOD this felt great!

I moaned slightly as we continued to kiss, our tongues dancing around each other, and I began grinding back into him. My hands drifted down to encircle his delicate hips, before grasping the firm globes of his ass. I squeezed them gently, and felt him shudder slightly at my touch. We were both getting close, I could feel it in him.

He broke the contact of our lips for a brief moment, just to whisper the words, "I love you, Ethan," softly into my ear.

The incessant beeping of the alarm clock startled me awake. DAMN IT! When I said that I was grateful for this thing before, I didn’t mean it! Suddenly noticing the wetness in my boxers, I realized that I just had ANOTHER wet dream about Drew. OK, Ethan, this is going just a little too far I think.

Oh well. It was Thursday today, only two days until Drew was coming over. I know, this is just for a biology project but still, I couldn’t help but feel completely nervous and completely excited over the prospect. I hopped out of bed and went for a quick shower before returning to my room to get dressed. I couldn’t help but feel excited, even this early. Damn, when did I become a morning person?



Classes were boring as hell again today, with the exception of biology, of course. Drew just made everything seem better. We kept up our usual ritual of amusing ourselves at the expense of the teacher and the lesson she was trying to teach. Finally class ended, and I told Drew to call me when he got home, just to chat.

The rest of the day was its usual boring self, and I tried to let it slide through as quickly as possible, but my excitement for Saturday kept everything at a near-standstill. How bad was this going to be tomorrow?

Eventually the clock got around to deciding that 3:30 had come, and the bell rang for us to get the heck out of there. I grabbed my stuff from my locker and walked outside, enjoying the fresh air. It was a really nice day out today. I had just begun to unlock the padlock on my bike when I realized that I forgot to take my Spanish book home for the assignment we had been given. I raced back inside the school, skidding to a halt in front of my locker. I threw the textbook in my bag and began to run back outside, when something stopped me.

It sounded like someone singing. Whoever this was, they had an awesome voice. It seemed to be coming from one of the nearby music rooms. Cautiously, I approached the room from where the sound was coming. I could now make out the words...

"I’m on the outside, I’m looking in...
I can see through you, see your true colors,
‘cause inside you’re ugly, you’re ugly like me,
I can see through you, see to the real you...
"

I loved this song, "Outside", by one of my favorite groups, StainD. But who was singing it? I slowly opened the door, being extremely careful not to make a sound. I peeked my head into the room. It was Drew!

His eyes were closed, and he sat on a stool, a guitar held lightly in one hand while the other strummed the strings. His hands seemed to move effortlessly from one chord to another. He hadn’t noticed that someone else was present, but continued to sing.

"All the times that I cried, all this wasted, it’s all inside,
And I feel...all this pain...stuffed it down, it’s back again,
And I lie...here in bed, all alone...I can’t mend,
And I feel...tomorrow will be ok...oh, no no...
"

His voice was filled with emotion, like he felt the pain he was singing about. It was real for him. As he began the final chorus I added my voice too.

"I’m on the outside, I’m looking in...
I can see through you, I see the real you...
Inside, you’re ugly, ugly like me...
I can see through you, see to the real you...
"
Our voices faded away to nothing and as the last note died, he opened his eyes. "Wow, you have a really great voice, Ethan."

"Me? What are you talking about? Drew, dude, why the hell do you not like, have a CD out or something?!" I couldn’t believe how awesome he was! His voice might not have been as deep as Aaron Lewis’ but he still had this power in it, you had to hear it to really understand.

He blushed and shook his head. "No, I’m not that good. And I don’t think I’d really like that life anyways. Always in the public eye, always expected to have the next great hit. I just don’t think that sounds very fun."

I guess he had a point there. Not about his ability, but about that kind of life. But damn it! Why couldn’t he see how great a singer he is! I continued to try to tell him so, but he kept shrugging it off.

"Drew, you never told me you were a StainD fan." I loved that band. They had a lot of really good stuff.

"Oh, I’m not too much of one, I suppose. I haven’t heard very many of their songs, but I really love that one. It kinda has a special meaning for me, I really identify with it." He replied.

"Oh yeah? How is that?" I asked. I was really intrigued.

He seemed to pause for a moment, as if trying to decide if he should tell me or not, or maybe trying to figure out how to say it. "Well, the song, as it says, being on the outside. I guess I’ve always felt that way, like I was stuck on the outside, looking in. I’ve never been popular, it was always like there was something wrong with me." Sighing, he started to pack away his guitar.

"I don’t understand that man, you’re one of the coolest people I know." That was a lie, he was THE coolest person I knew. "I don’t understand why you don’t have more friends."

He looked up at me, a single tear forming in his eye. "You wouldn’t understand, Ethan, just trust me on this." He picked up his guitar case and turned towards the door. Shaking it off, he said, "What are you still doing here? I thought you’d be long gone by now."

Nice change of subject, Drew. But I decided to let it slide. "I was just getting a book I forgot. But I could ask the same of you. When did you start singing? Really dude you’re awesome."

He blushed again. "Stop it, Ethan. You’re going to have me believing you soon. But I come here every once in a while to practice and just let some stuff out, you know."

"That’s cool. How long have you played the guitar?"

"Oh, a few years. Not enough to play like, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s "Freebird" by memory, but enough to play some more-simpler things. I like being able to learn some of my favorite songs, that’s about all I’m looking for with it." At the door, he turned back to me. "But it’s getting late, I need to get home. I’ll see you tomorrow in class." And with that, he left.

Wow. Cute, a great voice, and musical talent. I think I’m falling more and more in love with him...Get a grip, Ethan! This is exactly why I tried so hard not to ever have feelings for another guy. I’ll never be able to do anything about them. All I can do is go through this endless torture, being able to be with Drew but not to be with him. But what sweet torture it is...



To be continued...




Author's Email: jalaki@hotmail.com
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