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Kyle's Perspective

God, almighty! There was going to be hell to pay at our house that night. I was just hoping against hope they were going to release Sean on some kind of bond, or bail, or whatever the hell it was. I didn't know what any of that meant, but I knew you had to put up some money. I didn't know if they took a credit card or not. Most places do. I was prepared with credit cards and my checkbook, either way.

When I finally got to the Sheriff's office, which is way the hell out from where we are, up in the town of Lynnville, which was kind of like an upper-middle-class suburban town right next to Emerald Beach, Kevin and Rick were already there. I guessed I wouldn't have to do this on my own, and that was good. I had only been to that town a few times, mostly for games at Crawford High School and to play paintball.

"Hey. What are you doing here?" Rick said, when he saw me.

"What am I doing here? My brother's in jail. I came to get him out, that's what," I said.

"You know what happened?" Rick asked.

"In general, yeah, but not the details," I said.

"We don't know the details yet, either. We know it wasn't drugs, though," Rick said.

"It could have been, you know?" I said.

"I figured that," Rick said.

"It was lewd and lascivious," I said. "He was giving boys blowjobs in the bathroom during lunch."

"Whoa!" Kevin said.

"I wish I was wrong, Kevin, but I'm not," I said. "Without breaking my word to him, he really likes Tearoom sex, especially with straight guys. He likes giving blowjobs."

"God," Kevin said. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know," I said. "Why are we in a courtroom? Is it the trial already? I thought that took a while."

"This is first appearance. This is where he pleads guilty or not guilty. If he says 'not guilty,' he has to go to trial," Kevin said. "Otherwise . . . "

Otherwise, he goes to jail, I thought.

"Mr. Goodson, please approach the bench," the judge said.

When he said my name, I just about shit. I didn't know what the fuck was going on. I looked at Kevin and Rick, on either side of me, and I didn't get anything from their faces. I almost lost my lunch.

"What do I do?" I asked.

"Go on up there, Kyle. He wants to talk to you," Rick said. "Do you know him?"

"No, I don't know him, and I don't want to know him," I said.

"Well, you better get up there," Kevin whispered to me.

God almighty! What the fuck was this all about? The damn judge wants to talk to me.

I walked up to the bench.

"I'm Kyle Goodson, Judge," I said.

"Hi, Kyle. I couldn't remember your first name. I'm Henderson Elliot. Nice to meet you. You don't know me, but I know who you are," he said.

"Nice to meet you, too, but I'm scared to death here, Judge. I didn't do nothing, Judge. I swear to God on my Eagle honor," I said.

He thought that was funny. I didn't think it was funny one bit.

"Kyle, I've known your daddy since he and I were in the first grade together. Since I saw your picture in the paper and on TV a couple of years ago, when you and that other boy saved those people from drowning, I've wanted to meet you. That's all this is, Kyle. I spotted you out there, and I wanted to meet you, son."

"Yes, sir," I said. You could have called me, I thought.

"Did I scare you just now?" he asked.

"Yeah, pretty good, Judge," I said.

"I'm sorry, son," he said. "But you're one of my favorite local heroes. And you're every bit as manly as I was hoping you would be. This country could use more like you and your friend, son. That's all I wanted to say."

"Thank you, Judge. Can I go sit down back again? I mean, sit back down again?"

"Yes, and thank you for what you did, son. What's the other boy's name?" he asked.

"Tim Murphy," I said.

"If you see Tim, tell him 'thank you' for me, too, okay?" he said.

"Okay, I will. Thank you, Judge," I said.

I was shaking all over.

"What did you do?" Rick asked me. He knew I wasn't in trouble with the judge, and he was just teasing me.

"I didn't do anything. He just wanted to meet me for saving that lady and her baby a while back. He knows my daddy," I said. "I wish people would forget about that shit."

"Yeah, well, you and Tim are local heroes, Kyle," Rick said.

"Yeah, well, I don't like this whole thing," I said. "Are we going to be able to take Sean home?"

"I think so," Kevin said. "He's with the lawyer right now. They're going to come back with a plea."

"He's going to have to plead 'guilty,' 'cause that's what he is," I said.

"Let's wait and see. Maybe not," Kevin said.

"Who is his lawyer?" I asked.

"Jimmy Spencer," Kevin said.

"The neighbor?" I asked.

"Yeah. The gay lawyer neighbor," Rick said, "who knows us."

"I guess that makes a difference," I said. "But, guys, I know he did what they're saying he did. I saw the tape of it."

"I don't have a doubt you're right, Kyle, but that's not necessarily how the law works," Kevin said.

Sean and Jimmy came back into the courtroom just then.

"Do we have a plea?" the judge asked.

"Nolo contendere, your honor," Jimmy said.

"What does that mean?" I whispered to Kevin.

"It means 'no contest,'" he said. "There won't be a trial. It should lessen Sean's sentence, too. Let's listen," Kevin said.

"The defendant has pleaded nolo contendere, and this court sentences him to a week in a correctional facility for juveniles, of the Sheriff's choosing, eight months' community service with a minimum of ten hours a week, and three years' probation."

"Whoa, that seems like a lot for giving blowjobs to guys who wanted them," I said. "Does he have to go right away?"

"Hush," Kevin said.

"Confinement in the juvenile facility will begin at five o'clock tomorrow afternoon, pending space available. Next case," the judge said.

"What does 'pending space available' mean?" I asked.

"I guess it means if they have room for him. If not, he'll have to wait until they do have room," Kevin said.

Jimmy Spencer and Sean walked over to us.

"Let's grab some coffee at the Hardee's down the block. I think we need to talk," Jimmy said.

"Hey, Sean," I said.

He looked at me, but he didn't say anything. I knew he was embarrassed to death, but I couldn't help that. He did it, not me.

In the restaurant, they got coffee, but I got a hamburger, fries, and a coke. Sean didn't get anything.

"That went pretty smoothly. The judge never did say specifically what the offense was," Jimmy said. "And that's a good thing."

"I thought juvenile cases were handled more privately than this," Rick said.

"They are, but the judge treated it as though it were adult court. That may be grounds for an appeal, if you think that's worth it," Jimmy said. "He got off very lightly, by the way. I honestly expected six months in detention. And that's what he would have gotten, if there had been a trial."

Damn, I thought. I knew he committed a crime and all, but they had to have been willing victims.

"Only one count, too," Jimmy said.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"That means they only charged him for the boy they found him with, not the other two," Jimmy said.

"What's going to happen to him?" I asked. "The other boy, I mean."

"I don't know, but probably the same thing," Jimmy said, "unless they also charge him with solicitation. Who knows?"

"Sean, I don't know what to say," Kevin said.

"Son, we've talked about this," Rick said.

"I know," Sean said weakly. "I fucked up, and I know it."

"Is that all you've got to say, Sean? That you fucked up?" Rick asked.

"What do you want me to say, Rick? That I hate myself? Well, I do hate myself, but that's kind of old news, isn't it?" Sean said.

"How about saying you're sorry?" Rick asked.

"Okay. I'm sorry," Sean said, not much louder than a mumble.

"Sorry you did it, or sorry you got caught?" Rick asked. That man was pissed off, and I knew it. I hoped Sean knew it, too.

"I'm sorry I did it. It was wrong, and I knew it was wrong when I was doing it. I won't do it again," Sean said.

"That's better," Rick said. "Where's your car?"

"Still at school, I guess," Sean said.

"Give me the key," Rick said.

Sean looked at Rick like Rick had told him to put his dick on the table. He didn't make a move.

"Give me the key, Sean," Rick said again.

"What are you going to do with it? You have my spare key already," he said.

"I know, and now I'm going to have both of them. You won't need it for awhile," Rick said.

Sean slowly dug his car key out of his pocket. I thought Rick ought to check it for cum or something, but I kept my mouth shut. Rick handed the key to me.

"You get his car," he said.

"Yes, sir," I said. He and Kevin were in no mood for joking, and I knew that.

"Any idea about whether space is available for him?" Kevin asked Jimmy.

"No, none at all," Jimmy said.

"Babe, Tyrone Williams might know something about that," Rick said.

"He's with DCF, isn't he? Department of Children and Families?" Jimmy asked.

"Yeah," Kevin said. "Do you know him?"

"We've met a few times. I do a bit of family law, so our paths have crossed. His agency doesn't run juvenile detention facilities, but he might know somebody who would know. It wouldn't hurt to give him a call," Jimmy said.

"Okay," Kevin said, and he took out his cell. He hit a speed dial button, and Mr. Tyrone must have answered it himself.

Kevin explained the situation.

"Tyrone, I'd really appreciate that, if you would," Kevin said.

Pause.

"Okay. I'll wait to hear from you. I'm on my cell. You've got that number, don't you?"

Pause.

"That's it. Okay, thanks. Bye." Kevin hung up.

"He's going to find out and get back to us. He said he knew they were full last week, but he didn't know for sure about right now," Kevin said.

"Where is it?" I asked.

"It's the Regional Juvenile Detention Center on 11th Street. It takes kids from several counties around here," Jimmy said. "It's not a terrible place. It's a lot better than the Sheriff's Boot Camp, that's for sure."

"What are they going to do to me there?" Sean asked.

"Well, I know they have an educational program run by the school district. Beyond that, I really don't know," Jimmy said.

"Does he have to report tomorrow, or will they pick him up?" Kevin asked.

"That's a good question. In other juvenile cases that I've been involved in, there has always been a trial. They've just taken the kid from the court room. I suspect somebody from DJJ will be in touch with you," Jimmy said.

"DJJ?" Kevin asked.

"Sorry. Department of Juvenile Justice. I forget that you guys aren't as familiar with these different agencies as I am," Jimmy said.

Kevin's phone rang, and he answered it.

"Hi, Tyrone. What did you find out?" Kevin said into the phone.

Pause.

"I see," Kevin said. "Listen, we were just talking. Does he report to the place, or will somebody pick him up?"

Pause.

"Okay, he'll be there, and he will definitely be on time. Thanks, Bubba. I really appreciate it. Bye." Kevin hung up. "He said they're full right now, but they're turning several loose tomorrow. So, he's to report Wednesday afternoon at five. On time."

"Does he go to school tomorrow and Wednesday?" Rick asked.

"Oh, definitely," Jimmy said. "He's not sick, and there's really no reason for him to be out. We don't want to complicate this with truancy."

"Oh, God, no," Rick said.

"Do you have any classes with Reid or Wade?" Jimmy asked.

"No," Sean said.

"What about with Denny or Murray?" Kevin asked.

"One with Denny. That's all," he said.

"We've got enough people in the building to keep an eye on him," Rick said. "We can call Mike, too. He'll keep an eye on him."

"I don't need anybody to keep an eye on me," Sean said.

"That's what you think, mister," Rick said. "I know that that school is a very tolerant place, but what you've done takes it to a whole new level. Your brothers and your friends need to watch your back."

Sean didn't say anything. I had finished my snack by then, and I was ready to go.

"Kyle, on second thought, give me that key back. Kevin, you can just drop me off at the school, and I'll drive it home," Rick said.

I gave him the key.

"Where is it, Sean?" Rick asked.

"It's in general parking in front of the school. There isn't a sophomore parking lot," he said.

"The lot will be empty by the time you get there," I said.

Technically, freshmen and sophomores aren't supposed to drive to school. That's why there isn't a sophomore parking lot. A lot of them do, though.

"Anything else for us, Jimmy?" Kevin asked.

"No. I'm just sorry the whole thing happened," Jimmy said.

"We are, too. We appreciate your help, neighbor," Kevin said. "Make sure we get a bill, you hear?"

"Don't be silly. I'm not going to bill my friends. Would you bill me, if the situation were reversed?" Jimmy asked.

"Well, that's not why we called you, and we don't expect that," Rick said.

"I know you don't, but that's what you're getting. Next time, you're paying," Jimmy said, with a little grin.

"There damn sure better not ever be a 'next time,'" Rick said. "But thank you, man. We appreciate it."

"Okay. See you in the neighborhood," Jimmy said.

We all shook hands with him, and then we left.

"Can I ride with Kyle?" Sean asked.

"No. You're riding with us," Rick said. "Get in."

* * *

I got to the house before they did. I didn't know if Kevin and Rick had to swing by the office or not.

"Where you been, Kyle?" Justin asked, as soon as I walked in the den.

"With Sean," I said.

"I figured that. Why didn't you tell me before you left the house?" he asked.

"I should have. I'm sorry. I just got a little bit rattled when Scott called. How much do you know?" I asked.

"They caught him giving blowjobs in the men's room, right?" Justin said.

"Who'd you talk to about it?"

"Brian. He said it's all over school," Jus said.

"Shit. I was afraid of that. I'm not surprised, though. Good news travels fast, don't it?" I said.

"Yeah. So what did they say?" he asked.

"He's got to serve a week in detention, starting Wednesday afternoon. Eight months of community service, minimum ten hours a week, and three years' probation. Jimmy Spencer from next door was his lawyer. He said it was a pretty light sentence, and they only got him on one count and not the three he deserved," I said.

"They had the trial already?" he asked. He seemed very surprised.

"There's not going to be a trial. He pleaded 'no contest,' so there doesn't need to be a trial," I said.

"'No contest?' Is that the same as pleading 'guilty?'" Justin asked.

"Evidently," I said. "I don't know the technicalities. That seemed to make some kind of difference, though."

"How's Sean doing?" Justin asked.

"He's acting like a prick. What can I say? He is a prick," I said.

Rick and Sean came in, and Kevin was right behind them.

"Where is everybody? Y'all round 'em up," Rick said to me and Justin.

"He's pissed off, ain't he?" Justin said under his breath to me as we were going upstairs.

"He is very pissed off," I said. "Both of 'em are. There ain't going to be any joking in this meeting coming up."

"I already figured that out. I'm keeping my mouth shut. The less they know I'm there, the better," Justin said.

We all got together in the den, and nobody said a word. They probably already knew what had happened. If they didn't, they could tell by the look on Kevin's and Rick's faces that this was serious business.

"How much do y'all know?" Kevin asked, to start it off.

Everybody looked from face to face, nobody wanting to say anything. Finally, I couldn't stand it.

"They've got the general idea," I said.

"Okay. Well, your brother, Sean, is going to be gone for a week. Then, he's going to be doing ten hours of community service a week for the next eight months. We don't yet know the details about any of that, except that he has to be at the Juvenile Detention Center at five o'clock, sharp, on Wednesday. Sean, is there something you'd like to say to your brothers?" Kevin asked.

"Just that I'm sorry," Sean said, real low.

"A little louder, please," Kevin said.

"I said I'm sorry," Sean said, loud enough for us to hear. There was a little edge to that voice, though, and I knew they caught it.

"Look, I'm so fucking fed up with you right now, Sean, I could scream. Lose the attitude, you hear me?" Rick said.

"Or what?" Sean said.

Rick got red. I could see a vein in his temple just a-pulsing. Surely Sean has lost his fucking mind, I thought.

"Sean, I think you need to get up to your room. And stay there," Rick said.

I could not believe the control that man was showing.

Sean got up slowly from the sofa, and he started walking to the stairs in the hall.

"Wait a minute. Give me your cell phone. Kyle and Justin, y'all go up there with him and get the computer out of his room," Rick said. "Bring it down here."

"What about the TV?" Justin asked.

"He can have his TV. Just get the computer," Rick said.

Sean gave Rick the phone, and then he started back. Justin and I were on his tail. Nobody said anything the whole way up to the third floor. I felt like a jailer taking the condemned man to the execution chamber. He had a laptop computer in his room.

"I think this thing belongs to me, anyway," Justin said.

"That's right. It does. That's the one Tim and I gave you for your birthday, ain't it?" I said.

"Yeah. Now that I know something about it, I'm going to start using it," Justin said.

"Well, have fun," Sean said, real sarcastic.

Justin ignored what he said, and he and I went downstairs.

"This is Justin's computer, you know. It doesn't belong to Sean," I said, once we were back in the den.

"Well, it's back in your hands now," Rick said.

"Why did you take his phone and his computer, Rick?" Tim asked, just as polite as you please.

Rick got this real mad look in his face, like he thought Tim had defied him or something.

"Rick, don't get on his case. He didn't do a thing but ask a question," I said.

"You're right. I'm sorry, Tim. I know you didn't do anything, Bubba. This thing has gotten right on my last nerve, and I apologize to all of you for being upset," Rick said.

"Rick, we understand that. I think we're all plenty upset," I said. "But why did you take 'em away?"

"I took the phone and the computer because I don't know who he communicates with," Rick said. "He'll get them back, eventually. Or another computer, if Justin wants to use his own."

"You think he might be part of a ring? In some kind of international blowjob conspiracy, or something?" Justin asked just as serious as he could be.

Leave it to him to make us laugh, and laugh we did. I think everybody needed that. I know I did.

"How did you find out about it so fast, Kyle?" Kevin asked.

"Scott called here, and I talked to him. He saw Sean and the others come out of the bathroom with the SRO," I said.

"SRO?" Rick asked.

"School Resource Officer. Bill Harmon. I know him," I said.

"I wonder why Sean wasn't hanging out with Scott," Rick said.

"Colleen Boyle told me after school today that Sean and Scott broke up. Scott told her about it at lunch today," Denny said.

"When did they break up?" Kevin asked.

"Saturday. Scott caught Sean giving oral sex to some boys in the restroom at the mall. They had gone to the arcade," Denny said.

Oh, shit, I thought. It gets worse.

"Guys, we've got a very troubled young man on our hands," Kevin said. "I don't really know what Rick and I are going to do, but it's going to take a lot of patience and cooperation from all of you. I honestly thought we had him back on an even keel after the St. Augustine thing, but evidently not. Thank all of you for the love and support you've given him already, and please don't stop now," Kevin said.

"Is it okay for us to talk to him?" Brian asked.

"Oh, sure, Bri. I sent him to his room to get him out of here, not to put him in solitary confinement. I was afraid I was going to lose it, and I didn't want him anywhere near me, if I did," Rick said.

"I thought you done good, Bubba," Justin said. "I wanted to wring his damn neck. Still do."

Rick smiled.

"No blood, broken bones, or broken teeth, okay, Jus?" Rick said.

"Don't worry about that. I ain't touching him. Tell you the truth, I feel sorry for the boy. What he's doing ain't because he's gay. He's out of control, and that's a fact. I hope there ain't some pissed-off boys at his school that were next in line that he didn't get a chance to get to," Justin said.

Everybody laughed a little bit.

"What he just said is a good point, and we need to talk about that," Kevin said. "All of you who go to Beachside are going to need to keep your eyes and ears open for the next couple of days, you hear? By the time he gets back from detention, everybody will have forgotten about it, probably. For the next few days, though, everybody's going to be talking about it. If there's going to be any trouble, I suspect it will happen tomorrow or Wednesday."

"Do you want me and Kyle to go to school with him?" Justin asked.

"Thanks, Justin, but I don't think that's necessary," Kevin said. "But the rest of you, if you pick up any rumblings about kids wanting to beat him up or anything, let a teacher or Mrs. Ortega know immediately, okay?"

They all said okay.

"I hope he don't try to run away," Justin said.

"That was one of the first things I thought about," Rick said. "I took his keys away from him, and he can't get to the spares. Those of you with vehicles, make sure you don't leave your keys lying around. Keep 'em in your pockets."

"What about changing the code on the security system, so you'll hear him if he tries to sneak out at night?" I said.

"That's a damn good idea, Kyle. They have to come out from the company to do it, though. I'll call first thing in the morning about that," Rick said.

"Let's call 'em right now. Ain't it a twenty-four hour business?" I asked. "I'll call 'em."

There's a little sticker on the keypad that has the company's phone number on it. I walked out to the front door and dialed the number. I got a recording saying their business hours were from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday. They didn't even offer to take a message.

"Any luck?" Tim asked, when I went back to the den.

"Just a recording saying they're closed. I couldn't even leave a message," I said.

"I think the twenty-four hour thing is just for responding to emergencies, like if somebody breaks in. Anyway, all they do is call the police, if that happens. They don't come out to investigate," Kevin said.

"Guys, I'm about whipped," Rick said. "I think I'm going to go fill up that tub in there and soak awhile."

"Okay, Bubba," several said, and we all drifted off to do our own things.

* * *

I woke up real early the next day. Tim was on top of me. He had his knee in my groin, and he must have jerked in his sleep or something. It hurt.

"Babe, move over," I said.

"Wha . . . ?"

"Move over a little bit. You're hurting me," I said.

"Sorry," he mumbled without even really waking up.

I lay there for a few minutes, and I could not get back to sleep for love or money. I checked my watch, and it was 5:30. I decided to get up. I went ahead and took a shower and shaved. I closed the bathroom door all the way so I wouldn't disturb Tim, and the bathroom was a steam chamber when I was finished. I hated that.

I got dressed for the day and went downstairs. I said good morning to the puppies and took the back off the dog door so they could get outside. The fact that they were still there meant Rick hadn't gone for a run. That thing with Sean must have worn him out.

I went out the front door to get the paper. Sean's car was gone. Oh, shit! I thought.

I hurried back inside. My first thought was to wake Kevin and Rick up right away to let them know. Then I thought, What if his car was stolen or something? I decided to make sure he was gone before I woke anybody up. I went up to the third floor as quiet as I could. He was still in one of those two big rooms that share the bathroom. I opened the door of what I thought was his room, and it was empty. In fact, the bed was still made. Must be the wrong room.

Then I thought, How can this be the wrong room? I was just in here yesterday to get the computer. Maybe he uses both rooms. Sleeps in one and studies in the other.

I went through the bathroom to get to the other room. The toilet was running, so I shook the handle to get it to stop. I opened the door into the other room, and that one was empty, too. Before I got too alarmed, though, I wanted to check every one of them. I opened the next door across the hall, and there was ole Todd, bare-ass naked, uncovered, with a hard-on that looked like a battering ram. That was the first time I had seen the goods, and I was impressed. Still not as big as Brian, though. He is a damn cute boy, I thought, and he's going to make some guy a fine man, some day.

Finally, the last room. I looked in, and it was empty, too. Yep, Sean had run away. Somehow, he must have snuck into Kevin and Rick's room and gotten his keys. Unless he has a third key that nobody knows anything about.

Then it dawned on me. "You dumb fuck, Goodson," I whispered. Of course he has a third key. You've got three to your car, too. The valet key. Shit! I had even suggested to Sean that he keep it in his wallet in case he ever loses his other key or locks it in the car. Shit!

It was almost six o'clock. I decided to go ahead and wake 'em up. I knocked on their bedroom door.

"Who is it?" Rick asked.

"It's me. Kyle. Sean ran away last night," I said.

"What?"

"He ran away. His car is gone, and he's not here," I said.

Rick opened the door. "Come in," he said.

"How did he manage that?" Kevin asked.

"Kev, Rick took away one key. He had two. I didn't think of that until this morning when I realized he's gone. He has a valet key, like for valet parking. He keeps it in his wallet, just like I keep mine in my wallet. I suggested he do that in case he ever lost his keys or locked them in the car. Evidently, he took the suggestion," I said.

"God. What do we do now?" Rick asked.

"It's a police matter, Babe. He's supposed to go to jail tomorrow. This is more than a simple runaway," Kevin said.

"Do you want me to call the cops?" I asked.

"Wait until everybody's up and dressed before we call them," Kevin said. "And one of us will do it. We may need to get Jimmy over here, too."

"Why don't you go start on breakfast?" Rick said to me. "Kevin and I need to get ready. Did you let the dogs out?"

"Yeah, I let them out. I'll get on breakfast," I said.

Since I had more time than usual, I decided to make French toast, from scratch. That doesn't take all that long, but it adds about fifteen minutes onto cooking time. I had sausage set up on cookie sheets from the night before, so I fired up both ovens and put the sausage in. Then I made up the eggs, milk and sugar mixture for the French toast. I turned the griddle on. That is a restaurant stove, so it has a big griddle between the two sets of burners. It's great for cooking breakfast.

Tim was the first one down. He kissed me good morning.

"You must have gotten up early," he said.

"I got up at 5:30. Somebody was crushing my nuts with his knee," I said, smiling.

"Who could that have been?" Tim asked, playing with me.

"I don't know, but whoever it was is going to have to kiss 'em tonight to make 'em better, that's for sure," I said.

"I'll do it right now. Pull your pants down," he said.

I laughed a little. He was so cute.

"Naw, that's all right. Tonight, though, for sure," I said.

"What's tonight?" Justin asked as he came into the kitchen.

"None of your business, that's what," I said.

"Oh. It must be something about S-E-X," he said, spelling out the word.

"I discovered this morning when I got up that Sean ran away last night," I said. I was going to wait until everybody was in there to tell 'em, but I didn't.

"What? Are you sure?" Justin asked.

"Yeah. His car is gone. His stuff is gone. He's gone. Everything," I said. "The cops are going to have to do a manhunt. He's supposed to go to jail tomorrow, remember?"

"Shit. That's pretty damn serious, ain't it?" Justin said.

"Hell, yeah, it's serious," I said. "I don't know what they're going to do, if they even find him."

"Maybe this will get his parents' attention," Tim said. "Has anybody called them?"

"Not yet. It's too early," I said. "The first step is going to be to call the cops. And maybe Jimmy from next door."

"Why him?" Justin asked.

"He's the lawyer," I said. "I'm just repeating what Kevin said."

"Oh, so they know he's gone?" Justin asked.

"Yeah. I woke 'em up. Rick let me in. They were both still naked, and Kevin was still in bed," I said.

"Did they have woodies?" Justin asked.

"You know, I didn't even notice. Ole what's-his-name, ole Todd, he had him a monster one. That boy's hung. That was the first time I saw his dick," I said.

"What'd you do? A woody check?" Justin asked.

"Yeah, but I skipped you 'cause I didn't have my magnifying glass," I said.

"That one was not bad, Goodson," Justin said.

"Thank you. Would somebody set the table in the dining room? They're going to be stumbling in here in a few minutes," I said.

"Sure. How many places?" Tim asked.

"Nine. Sean ain't here to eat," I said.

"I was thinking about Jimmy. If he comes over, won't he want to eat?" Tim said.

"Yeah. Good point. Set an extra," I said.

* * *

After everybody was seated and we said the blessing, Kevin told everybody about Sean. He explained about the valet key.

"What's going to happen?" Denny asked.

"I don't know. I'm sure the police have to try to find him. Does anybody have any ideas about where he might have run to?" Kevin asked.

"Maybe back to Virginia. Isn't that where he's from?" Brian asked.

"Yeah, but that's where he didn't want to be in the first place," Justin said.

"He'll be using his credit card. Can't they find people through that?" Tim asked.

"They do it on TV all the time," Justin said. "The thing is, with something like this, you've got to wonder how much effort the cops are going to put into it, you know? I mean, it ain't like he's a murderer or something. All he did was give a boy a blowjob. I know that's bad and all, but it ain't murder."

"That's a good point. Tracking somebody down who doesn't want to get caught is expensive. We may never see him again," Rick said.

That damn sure made everybody think.

"If they do find him, are y'all going to take him back?" I asked.

Kevin and Rick looked at each other.

"We haven't talked about that yet, Kyle," Kevin said.

I figured that meant "no!"

"I don't have class until eleven today, so I'm available if y'all need anything this morning," I said.

"Same here," Justin said.

The high school boys finished and left. It was just Kevin, Rick, Justin and me still at the table.

"Kevin. Rick. I know this is a major pain in the ass for y'all, and it's definitely something you don't deserve. But please don't let this punk-ass prick make y'all stop doing what you're doing. It's too good for you to stop," Justin said.

Damn! I hadn't even thought about that. This is the kind of thing that could set them off their feed, when it comes to foster care. Or the state might even take the kids away. Now wouldn't that be something, if they did? She-it!