"It's a nice night for it, don't you think?" Kevin asked, and then stretched out his arms and fell backwards into the soft, damp grass. The full moon overhead lit the park in sepia-tinted shades of grey. He lay on his back and closed his eyes, flipping his hair up so the grass could tickle the back of his neck. "A nice night for what?" Jeremy responded, squinting as he wiped his glasses on his faded old M.C. Escher print shirt. He jumped up, grabbed the monkey bars and crossed them quickly, marveling at his newfound upper body strength that stemmed from his days working in the warehouse of a retail carpet chain. He swung himself on top of the bars and squatted there while he waited for Kevin's reply. "Anything. Just about anything, I mean." Kevin stood up and gestured widely, throwing his arms above his head. "We've got a full moon, a cool breeze, it's not even nine o'clock yet, the night is young, we are young, and it is most definitely a nice night for just about anything you can think of." "What do you mean?" But Jeremy didn't really need to ask. He could feel it, from the tightness on his scalp to the pit of his stomach. The night was alive with possibility, bursting with potentiality. He sensed something great and momentous lurking just beneath the skin of probability, ready to come crashing through and really stir things up for a change. "Do you want to get out of here?" He pulled the keys to his bike lock from his hip pocket and jumped down from the bars. "No. I think we ought to stay here and breathe the night in as deeply as we possibly can," Kevin responded, using his considerable gift for embellishment. "We should dip our toes in the stream of possibility, clear our minds, and wait for reality to strike!" He said as he ran to the swings and climbed on the one that didn't have a split seat, pumping his legs until he could point his toes at the grinning moon. Jeremy sighed and slowly put his keys away, grinning at his friend's enthusiasm. He climbed the ladder to the slide and perched there Indian-style. The moon turned his glasses opaque, and he might have been a statue. He and Kevin were opposites to the extreme that people often wondered how they became and -- more importantly -- remained friends. Kevin was extroverted and loud, always smiling and eager to try new things and meet new people. Jeremy was shy and withdrawn, more likely to sit in a corner with a book when people gathered together than to play the social butterfly. But what others saw as opposing forces, Jeremy knew both he and Kevin saw as two sides of the same coin. Kevin needed attention -- Jeremy didn't. That fact alone made them a wonderful combination. That, and the fact that beneath the thin veneer of personality, he and Kevin were cut from the same cloth. They both had noble, loyal hearts, captivated by ideas of honor and chivalry. Their mutual friends called them "The Two Knights." Suddenly, Kevin jumped from his swing, making an impressive (if brief) flight before crash-landing in the gravel. "Geezus!" Jeremy shouted, and jumped off the slide rather than take the time to go down it properly. "Are you all right?" He jogged over to the swing and offered a hand. Kevin ignored the offer for help, getting up quickly and dusting himself off. His jeans were torn, but he didn't seem to have noticed. "Holy cow...I think I saw some...Geez...hold on!" He gasped, and took off running in the direction of the clubhouse and pool at the far end of the park. Jeremy shouted after him, but knew better than to try to run with him. Jeremy wasn't a hippopotamus, by any means, but Kevin could run like an ostrich, and it was better to just wait until he came back than to try to catch him. Sure enough, it wasn't more than two minutes before Kevin came running back. He bent double and put his hands on his knees, long hair hanging in his face as he caught his breath. Jeremy waited patiently as Kevin hawked and spat and smoothed his sweaty mane. When he was ready, Kevin looked at Jeremy with eyes blazing and a grin spread all the way across his just-post-pubescent face. "Jeremy, my oldest and dearest friend, I have found the holy grail. I have seen the mountain, and the mountain is good. Follow me...as quietly as you possibly can." "Okay, but..." "SSSSHHHH!" "Okay," Jeremy whispered, "but what did you see? What's going on?" "You'll see, cousin...you shall see." Kevin turned back towards the clubhouse, motioning for Jeremy to join him. As they rounded the corner of the clubhouse, Jeremy heard splashes, muted shrieks, and feminine giggles. He thought he knew exactly what Kevin had found, and the grin on Kevin's face spread to his own. They gently pushed their way through the tall bushes that surrounded the pool, then gripped the wrought-iron fence and peered through, barely daring to breathe. Jeremy saw a series of bikinis and one-pieces spread out on the side of the pool. He looked at each in turn, then slowly turned his attention to the pool, crossing his fingers and holding his breath. There were five or six pale shapes in the pool, ghostly in the moonlight. Whispered fragments of conversation emanated from them, usually punctuated with giggles. "I cannot believe we are doing this." "This is so cool!" "Oh, God, if anyone saw me I would die. I mean, I would totally die." Jeremy glanced over at Kevin. He was staring with rapt attention, his entire body rigid. "Damn...wish we could get closer." He whispered. "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," Jeremy whispered back. "I dare you to jump off the diving board!" "No way!" "Double dare!" "C'mon!" "Do it!" One shape broke off of the group at the shallow end of the pool and swam toward the deep end...directly towards Jeremy and Kevin's vantage point. "Holy mother of God..." Kevin barely whispered. Jeremy held his breath. He felt the monstrous potentiality of the evening again, something just waiting to break through, and thought this might be the time and place. The girl reached the end of the pool and hesitantly climbed out on the aluminum ladder next to the diving board. She was no longer a blurred shape, but a pale-white reality. She squared her shoulders and walked directly towards the boys, whose eyes got bigger and bigger until she reached the edge of the dining board and turned to walk it. By unspoken agreement, as soon as she hit the water Jeremy and Kevin slowly backed away from the pool. "Did you hear that?" "Omigod...I think there's somebody out there." "No way." "Let's go...will you get my suit?" "Get your own! You shouldn't have thrown it so far, Nikki." Once they had passed safely beyond the rustle-prone foliage, Kevin took off for the playground at record-breaking speed. Fueled by adrenaline, Jeremy almost caught up with them. They both collapsed in the grass, ears ringing, gasping for breath. "Holy cow." Jeremy said, almost reverently. "That was beautiful. Do you know her? The one on the diving board, I mean." "Yeah...she's a sophomore, man. In high school, for crying out loud. Did you see the size of those beautiful boobs? A man could write a sonnet...'Oh breasts, o breasts, you lovely breasts, you fill my heart with glee. And my heart is not the only part that's overjoyed with thee." Kevin declaimed. "No kidding, either. I'm just about to rip the fly out of my pants. Won't be able to bike home just yet, I fear..." "Yeah, I know what you mean," Jeremy responded, blushing. But as he took stock of himself, he noticed that although he knew what Kevin was talking about (sex ed wasn't until 9th grade, but junior high school in general is sex education enough), he didn't relate on a physical plane. Panic seized him, but he lay still until Kevin pronounced himself fit to ride and they took off into the night, howling at the moon and celebrating the gift fate had bestowed upon them. ~*~ "Hey, Kev, can I talk to you about something?" Jeremy asked. The night of skinny dipping high schoolers was only three nights behind them, and it had been the topic of conversation in their circle of envious friends for all the intervening days. "Absolutely not. Wastrel, who art thou to speak to me? I AM OZ, THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE!" "Knock it off, Kev...I'm serious. I mean, can I really talk to you about something?" Kevin looked up from his usual position on the lawn to meet Jeremy's gaze from the top of the slide. When he saw the concern on his friend's face, he dropped all joviality. "Of course, cousin...what's on your head?" "Well...geezus." Jeremy paused, ran his hands through his short, dark hair, and tried to get out what had been brewing in his head. "All right...Kevin, you know me. You've known me for nearly 10 years, since we were babies. You know I'm not a queer or anything, right?" "Yeah, of course." "All right. You know I'm not a queer, but...have you ever wondered if you might...well...be less interested in girls than you're supposed to be?" He stared at Kevin until Kevin turned his head from the intensity of his gaze. "Not really, man...I mean, I was pretty interested Tuesday night. Are you saying you weren't?" "Well, it was nice to see them, and everything...I mean, that's the first time I've ever seen a girl naked in my life, not counting babies, and they don't count." "Glad to hear it." "Shutup...anyway...I really liked the show when it was going on, but afterwards I wasn't...ummm..." "You didn't have a boner. An erection. You were not primed for duty. Your sailor was not sailing. Your soldier was not marching. Your sword was not drawn!" Kevin said, climbing the ladder to the slide as he spoke until he was eye-level with Jeremy. "Right. What do you think that means?" "I don't know, man. Do you like guys?" "NO. I mean, I told you, you know I'm not a queer. At least, I think I'm not, at least, I mean...shit." "Well, there's only one way to find out," Kevin said, grinning. But Jeremy noticed that despite the casualty of Kevin's tone, his breathing had gotten shorter. "How's that?" "Kiss me." Kevin said. "That's not funny." "You want to know, don't you? Kiss me. If that turns you on...well, then you're probably a queer. If it doesn't, so much the better, right?" "Are you...okay with that? I mean, you're my best friend, I don't want to freak you out or anything." "I sir, shall be the willing participant, in this the acid test of your sexual preference. Is Jeremy a queer? Or isn't he? Film at eleven. And, hey," Kevin said, dropping his clown prince persona again, "if you are, man...I won't tell anyone. And I'll still be your friend." Kevin was leaning in towards Jeremy as he spoke. Jeremy could see the tenseness of the tendons standing out in his moon-bleached neck. "Okay...okay...." Jeremy licked his lips nervously, then quickly darted his head forward and smashed his lips against Kevin's. He had meant to just give him a quick peck...but he remained there, Kevin's hand on the back of his head. He felt Kevin's tongue against his lips, hesitated, then opened his mouth and kissed him like a Hollywood leading man. "Woah, geezus." Jeremy said as they finally broke apart, gasping for breath. "What the hell happened there?" "I thought...well, you know, we really wanted to be sure." Kevin said, avoiding his stare. "Well, I'm pretty sure now. I'm pretty sure there's no way in hell I'm a queer. I mean, don't get me wrong, you're a great kisser, but that definitely didn't do anything for me. I guess I was just off duty that night." Jeremy spoke quickly and nervously, still feeling a little bit awkward but not in the least bit aroused, to his great relief. "Yeah, me too." Kevin responded...but he didn't look directly at Jeremy when he said it. "I guess we're both a couple of red-blooded all-American males." He said, looking at the ground. "You know what this means." Jeremy said solemnly. "What?" Kevin asked, but he was studying the shadow of the slide's ladder as he asked, distracted. "We're going to have to give up our secret, torrid love affair." "Yeah, I guess so." Kevin said, now intensely studying the stars and gathering clouds overhead. "Hey, c'mon...I think that was a pretty good one. You have to support me when I try to be funny, Kevin. I don't do it very often." "I'm sorry." Kevin shook his head vigorously. "I guess I zoned out on you there for a minute. Kevin Edwards, space cadet! Sailing past Mars into adventure on the outer edge of the galaxy! Bravely fighting diabolical space kumquats and befriending large-chested alien women who don't have a word in their language for No!'" "Damn, Kevin." Jeremy's face was split in a huge grin in spite of his efforts to contain himself. "No matter how much time I spend with your sorry self, you always manage to make me laugh when you want to." "Yeah. Heh." Kevin locked eyes with Jeremy briefly, searching, then dropped his gaze and shook his head again. "You want to get going? It's almost curfew." "Yes, oh mighty one." They unlocked and mounted their bikes and headed for the block that contained both of their homes. Jeremy relaxed and pedaled slowly, savoring the wind as it tickled his face with the sweet promise of another month of summer. He didn't bother to try to keep up with Kevin, who was riding as if he was trying to outrun the devil himself.

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