New Kid at City High ©2020
By David Lee
Benji Lewis and father, Ben, have recently moved from Chicago to an area on the edge of Iowa City, Iowa. Ben can work anywhere with some face-to-face meetings, so his son can experience a more laid-back small-town life. It will be a new start for both after the divorce.
If you haven't read Guardian Angel and Mentoring, I would suggest doing that first since this tale takes place in the same high school and will involve some of the characters from those stories.
Chapter 1
Benji Lewis awoke early to the sound of birds chirping instead of the roar of traffic or the rumble of the El. Of course, in their downtown Chicago condo, the windows would have been closed against the noise, and the fresh air wouldn't have wafted in with the sweet dampness of newly-mown grass.
Stretching and yawning, he climbed out of bed to relieve his bladder before returning to his cozy nest. He didn't have anything major on his agenda for the day, but he wasn't particularly sleepy, so he propped up in bed and allowed a string of recent events to play in his mind.
He couldn't pinpoint exactly what had precipitated the move to this small community in eastern Iowa. His father didn't have any family there nor any emotional ties to the place. It was almost like he'd put on a blindfold and stuck a push pin into a map of the Midwest and chosen to go where it landed.
The divorce had, of course, played a part in their leaving, but not in determining where they would end up. Benjamin, Sr, and Annette had never been well-matched, and the homophobic stance she'd taken after Benji came out had been the final straw. Ben had no desire to change his son's orientation and had refused to even consider programs which promised to do so. Annette didn't like his attitude any more than she did their son's orientation. A lot of angry words had resulted.
The process of having their marriage "put asunder" had been a relatively simple one. As a professional couple, each had a decent salary and benefits. Their property was divided pretty much down the middle; she bought out his interest in their dwelling, and he agreed not to ask for any child support in return for full custody of their only son.
Ben's job was such that he could perform most of his duties from a remote location and have only occasional face-to-face meetings. Teleconferencing was certainly preferable to commuting from the suburbs. Living in a small-town setting was more relaxing and less expensive. The municipality had been recommended by a colleague, and not chosen at random, as his son had jokingly suggested.
Benji showered and put on a T and basketball shorts as he prepped for his day. He ran his screen shaver over the fuzz on his face, though it was more of an exercise in feeling like a man than a necessity.
His blond hair formed into short curls without much need of styling. He did add a little product to keep it in place, but it wasn't really a chore. The resulting look was reminiscent of sculptures of Athenian athletes from the Classical Period. With his lightly tanned skin and pale blue eyes, he was a good-looking kid, far more appealing than he knew.
After making himself a quick breakfast he popped his head into the room where his father was working on the computer, before heading out to ride his bike around town to see the lay of the land.
Other than wanting to check out City High, Benji didn't have an itinerary in mind. He was intent on finding the shortest route from his house, but he hoped that by winter he'd have a vehicle of some kind instead of being out there freezing his butt off on his bicycle. Ben had mentioned the possibility of a car in attempting to sweeten the deal of moving away from his familiar surroundings. For a teen, having a car in the city wasn't practical, but out in the hinterlands, it would be almost a necessity.
Benji happened to be in downtown Iowa City around noon when he realized how hungry he was. He texted his dad to let him know he'd eat lunch out. Ben, senior, was okay with that because his job had kept him involved and he wouldn't have time for more than a bowl of canned soup heated in the microwave.
After chaining his bike to the rack, Benji went into a restaurant called, "Pagliai's." He'd read about it on the Internet and it had the reputation of being one of the best in town. He hoped it would be as good as the aroma that hit him as he entered.
The place was packed, and he saw no open tables as he looked around the room. Perhaps he should go somewhere else. As he was contemplating leaving, an attractive girl, who was waiting tables, came over.
"We're really busy, but you could get a personal pizza to-go pretty quickly if you want cheese and sausage. They make a bunch of those up ahead. See the kid by the register? That's my brother, Gio. He's off for the rest of the day and gets to have his lunch now. I'm sure he'd show you a spot in the park where you can eat it, if you don't mind sitting with a City High Little Hawk."
"I'd be okay with that," Benji smiled. "I'll be a Little Hawk in the fall when school starts. I just moved from Chicago."
"Cool! I'm Sophia Thompson. What's you name so I can introduce you to my nerdy brother?"
"I'm Benji Lewis, and he looks cool enough."
"I'll tell him he has an admirer. He'll be thrilled."
"Um, I didn't say he was hot!" Benji blanched.
"Okay, I'm just teasing. Once you get to know me, I won't frighten you."
Benji gulped as he followed in her wake. Assertive girls had always scared the crap out of him. He needed to work on that.
Sophia made a quick introduction on her way to pick up an order, and to tell the cook she needed another carryout special, before heading to other tables.
Gio offered his fist to bump, and Benji smiled as he participated in the ritual.
"I suppose my sister said something embarrassing, but I hope you'll overlook it."
"Nah, she teased me a little, but she didn't frighten me away. I hear this is the best pizza place in town."
"It is. Grandpa Giovani owns it, and he's full-blood Italian. I'm named after him, but I go by `Gio' like that Benitez dude on TV."
"I see you've inherited some of the genes, but she said your name is `Thompson;" how does that work?"
"Oh, Giovanni our mother's father. My dad's mother was Italian too, so some of the genes are there even if the name isn't."
"My family name is Jewish, but my dad's grandpa married an England-born Protestant, and all the rest of my ancestors are northern European, so I'm pretty much Anglo-Saxon in everything but name."
"No problem either way. I'm not anti-Semitic. And if you like pizza, you're okay in my book."
Benji liked Gio's political correctness and easy-going manner. He wasn't sure why he'd even mentioned his Jewish heritage to a total stranger, because it wasn't something he thought about often. But since he had, he appreciated how it had been received. He wished he could be as open about his orientation.
When Benji pulled out his billfold to pay, Sophia told him it was on the house; a kind of welcome to the community present. He wondered what her motive was but didn't dwell on it. Free lunch was always welcome, even though the adage suggests there's no such thing.
The boys walked a few yards to a park bench in the shade near a large old tree.
"Wow, this is a friendly town! I didn't expect to be treated to a meal on my first week here."
"Grandpa's generous, but it's probably Sophia's idea. I don't want to spoil your lunch by telling you all this at once, but um, she kinda runs interference for me. She thinks I can't make friends on my own. She's always trying to hook me up with another guy."
"So, doesn't she think you're cute enough to do that on your own?"
"I guess not. What do you think?"
"Um, you seem nice enough to me. I think another guy would be impressed if he swings that way."
"You're being very polite. You can tell me to bug-off if you don't want to be my friend."
"Dude, I didn't say I didn't want to be your friend. I don't discriminate against Italians!"
"You know what I mean," Gio frowned. "You'd find out soon enough that I'm gay. It's no secret, and there are a few people around school who like to gossip. I figured I might as well lay the cards on the table before we got to be friends and then you changed your mind."
"I'm cool with being your friend, straight or gay."
"Awesome!"
"So what grade are you going to be in?"
"Eleventh."
"Me too. We've got something in common already."
The teens kept chatting long after they'd finished the last crumbs of their food and the last slurps of their drinks. Benji treated them to soft-serve cones from a nearby shop to partially repay what had been given to him. Gio was worth getting to know better.
They exchanged cell numbers so they could communicate further. Both were pleased with becoming acquainted.
"So, should I start looking into wedding chapels?" Ben teased after his son spent almost all their dinner conversation extolling the virtues of his new friend. "I think there's one on First Avenue in Cedar Rapids."
"D-a-a-d!" Benji exclaimed. "We're not dating!"
"But you're thinking about it, I'll bet."
"I haven't even told him I'm gay."
"So, what's holding you back, if he came out to you?"
"I don't know. Maybe I'm afraid he'll want to hit on me if he knows. I'm not looking for, you know..."
"I think I do know. You're not ready to go to bed with the first Italian stallion you meet."
"Dad, do you have to make it so graphic?"
"Graphic? I didn't even use the `f-word' so how am I being graphic?"
"Well, `stallion' implies stud service doesn't it?"
"Okay, I suppose it does. You said he has dark hair, dark eyes, and southern Mediterranean complexion. He must be a cutie at least."
"Um, yeah, he is. I took a selfie with him, if you want to see it."
"Whoa, I'd say that's a hunk. He probably has girls chasing after him as well as boys."
"He's kind of lonely, I think. He's out at school and most of the girls leave him alone. He said the guys he likes are either straight or dating someone. He seemed really pleased to make a new friend, especially after I told him I didn't care if he was straight or gay."
"But, obviously, you do care."
"Yeah, kinda. You aren't gonna tease me about this are you?"
"Maybe a little. I AM you father, after all."
"Yeah, but not in front of him!"
"I can be just as sensitive as you are, Son. I promise I won't say anything to embarrass you, unless you two become an item. Then, all bets are off."
"Jeez! Why do I tell you anything?"
"Because you know I care, and I want the best for you."
"Thanks," Benji said hugging his dad. "I know I'm the cause of your divorce."
"No, Son. There were lots of reasons that had nothing to do with you. It was time for me to leave, and I'm glad you chose to come with me."
Benji was tempted to text Gio before he went to bed, but he didn't want to appear too eager. He looked at their photo several times, smiling as how good they looked together – like salt and pepper.
He refrained from using the photo for jackoff material. It seemed kind of crude to him. He didn't want to entertain lustful thoughts until, and unless, they got together.
So, he took another quick shower before going to bed and climbed between the sheets naked, as was his custom.
Benji may have had good intentions about keeping his thoughts pure, but his body had other ideas. Around midnight, he dreamed that Gio was lying on top of him, rubbing their bodies together. It seemed very real and sensuous!
Benji woke up with his cock spewing a huge amount of cum. Kicking back the sheet and grabbing some tissues from the box on his bed-side table, he mopped up as much as he could. Having been awakened so quickly in the process, he managed to save his sheets from needing changing before Saturday.
He squeezed the last drops from his deflating penis and licked them off his fingers as if he were tasting another boy. His best intentions were rapidly eroding.
Gio had faced some of the same kind of teasing at his house. Sophia had announced that she'd found him a boyfriend at long last. She showed her parents the pic she'd surreptitiously taken while Benji and her brother were waiting for their orders to be filled.
After his mother commented on how nice they looked together, Gio opened up about how many interests they had in common. Once he got started, he said more than he'd intended. But at the end, he sighed.
"I don't even know if he's like me, much less if he really likes me!"
"He likes you," Sophia insisted. "Notice how he's looking into your eyes in the photo while you were talking."
"The look he's giving me was when we were discussing Chicago pizza! I mean, he loves IT, not ME!"
"Trust me, Baby Bro, he's gonna be yours by Christmas."
"I wish," Gio whispered to himself.
Author's notes:
Thanks to David (Boxerdude) for editing this chapter.
Thanks to Nifty for providing this free venue.
http://donate.nifty.org/donate.html
If you enjoyed this tale, I'd love to hear from you. Please write to me at: dlee169@hotmail.com