Jem'n'I II: Aftermath
                 By Paul
                  Part I
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   A lot of things happened that year.  I was sixteen, hardly equipped to
handle the series of events presented before me.  It probably would have
been easier if I was older; but I wasn't.  It was a trying time for all of
us, but as difficult as it was for me, it was twice as onerous for Jem.

   It had been several months since his father's death.  For a boy of his
age, Jem took it well.  I knew it hurt him, but they never really got
along.  He had been staying with my family since before it happened, but
went home frequently to see his mother.

   "How's she doing?" I asked when Jem walked through the front door after
an unusually short visit.  He tossed his jacket over the back of a chair
near the entrance.

   "Better, but not good," he replied.  The concern in his face was
apparent.

   "You do the math homework yet?" I asked in an attempt to change the
subject.  Jem was a math genius, but it was my worst subject.  I think it
flattered him that I always asked to copy his homework.  It was only fair,
though.  He copied all my other work.

   "It's in my backpack," he replied with a small grin.  He saw what I was
trying to do.  I smiled back.

   "I figured you'd be more excited," I said vaguely.  I wanted to take
Jem's mind off of his mother.  He fell back onto the couch and a puzzled
look appeared on his face.

   "About what?" he asked.  I laughed to myself and threw a cushion at him.
   
   "Tomorrow is the last day of the semester and then we have two weeks
off," I reminded him.  It was almost Christmas and we were about to have
time off of school for the most joyous season of the year.  Jem stood and a
look of concern crossed his face.

   "Oh yeah.  I kinda forgot, nobody bothered to decorate my house this
year," Jem replied.  I had completely failed to change the subject, he
never stopped thinking about his mother.  If nothing else, the past few
months had made Jem more sympathetic.

   "Sorry.  You wanna get something to eat?  Dad is working late," I
offered.  Jem smiled and grabbed his jacket.

   "Jay!" I shouted in the direction of the hallway.  I tapped my foot
impatiently and waited for my younger brother to reply.  He appeared from
the hall wearing only his jeans.

   "Sup?" he asked innocently.  I scanned him noticeably with my eyes and
frowned.

   "Where's your shirt?" I asked sarcastically.
   
   "In my room.  It's hot in here," he replied.  It was actually freezing
and Jay had the bumps on his skin to prove it.

   "Bull shit.  Is Shawn back there?" I asked in an older-brother tone.  I
was just screwing around with Jay, but he took what I was saying seriously. 
He had a discovered look on his face.  He was trying to find an answer as
another familiar face popped around the corner.

   "Someone call me?"  It was Shawn, Jay's boyfriend.  He was fully
dressed, but his dark, golden hair was noticeably tousled.  I laughed at
him and Jay turned to look at what was so funny, allowing room for Shawn to
come into full view.

   "Who ripped your shirt?" Jem asked, taking the serious tone I had used
so playfully.  I had to restrain the laughter as Jay's face turned bright
red.

   "We're going out.  You kids want something to eat?" I offered.
   
   Jay and Shawn gave different responses simultaneously.  They had a
tendency to disagree, even though they'd been friend for so long.  Jay
wanted Burger King.  He usually did.  Shawn never asked for anything but
Taco Bell.  I laughed.

   "Why don't you just go with us.  We'll all decide on something," Jem
said.  I laughed at the thought at either of the younger boys compromising. 
They were, after all, fourteen.

   Nevertheless, we piled into my Toyota and drove off.  After half an hour
of agony and driving in circles, we finally just decided to eat at Burger
King.

   "Tis the season to be sharing," Shawn reminded as he stole one of Jay's
french fries.

   "Why didn't you just order your own?" Jay asked in an annoyed tone.
   
   "I don't like fries," Shawn replied coquettishly, biting into the fry. 
Jem looked over at me and laughed.

   "You guys are too young to flirt so much," I said in the most
condescending manner I could manage.  Jem laughed.

   "Shut up, you aren't that much older," Jay complained.  I was about to
reply, but looked up to see a familiar face step through the nearby
entrance.

   "Look what the cat dragged in," Jem said, making the same observation. 
The girl to whom he was referring looked over at us and smiled devilishly. 
Her boyfriend followed close behind her.  They'd only been dating about a
week and he was unfamiliar with our routine comments.  I could tell by the
look on his face.
   
   "Double-dating?"
   
   "Triple now, sit," I offered.  Jay turned to see who I was talking to,
even though I'm sure he recognized the voice.

   "What's up, Erin?" he asked as she sat.
   
   "Not much.  Hey Shawn, your hair's messed up," Erin noted.  We all
looked at Shawn and laughed.  He blushed, as did Jay.

   "They were playing rough," Jem explained.  Erin's boyfriend, Josef,
laughingly examined, Shawn's bedraggled appearance.

   "That explains the shirt," he said.
   
   "Don't look at him so close, dear.  Last thing I need is another gay
boyfriend," Erin said with an added emphasis on "another."  This time, the
group looked at me.  I blushed.

   "I'm gonna get some chow, what do you want?" Josef asked Erin.  She
requested a burger and Josef left with a kiss.

   "So how are things going?" Erin asked us as a group.  I looked over at
Jem and contemplated a response.

   "Not too bad," I answered.  Jay smiled, he obviously had something to
add.  Erin caught the devious glare and looked over at Jay.

   "We're going to have a big Christmas party for all our gay friends," he
replied.  I laughed at his excitement about it.

   "You can come if you want," I offered.  Jay made a sour face.

   "Don't get so upset, Jay.  Ryan already invited me," Erin replied. 
Ryan, Erin's brother, was one of the greater influential figures in our
lives.  Sure, he was only sixteen, but he was one of the first
out-of-the-closet people at school and I think the rest of him looked up to
him for that.  Erin and I had briefly dated earlier during that year, but
that's a different story.

   "Be that way," Jay said with spurious anger.  He folded his arms, but
soon unfolded them so that he could eat his Whopper.



   The party was set for December 22.  It was the perfect day because we
didn't have school and could have an all-night party without disrupting
other activities.  My dad had also promised to be out of the house if we
promised to behave.  With my fingers crossed behind my back, I agreed.

   The guests arrived one at a time over a period of half an hour on the
afternoon of the party.  Jem, Jay, and I had spent most of the morning
decorating festively and rearranging furniture to effectively seat everyone
around the twenty-seven inch television in our living room.

   The group consisted of some eleven people, Erin Zimmerman being the only
female.  Jay had tried to convince me that she'd feel out of place, but
Erin was more than happy to tag along.

   "What's the plan here?" one of the guests, Bill, asked when we were all
seated in the livingroom.  Jay laid down the itinerary.

   "First, we're all going to pack into cars and go rent movies.  Next, we
order pizza, and then we party!" he exclaimed.  Most of us laughed at his
enthusiasm, but we all packed into three cars, driven by Ryan, Alan, and
me.  Soon, we each had a movie and were back home to begin the festive
evening.

   "I think this is a great idea," Ryan commented to me once we were inside
the door.

   "Thanks.  It was Jay's idea.  Some of us don't get invited to other
peoples' parties, so Jay thought it'd be cool to have a film-fest here," I
replied.

   "Wait 'til you see what Erin has planned," he threatened with a teasing
tone.

   "Will I like it?" I asked in my most frightened voice.
   
   "You'll laugh," he answered.  As we sat, Erin walked in with a large,
foil-covered bowl.  I had a very good idea what it contained even before
she set it down in the center of the table.  Everyone crowded around.

   "In the holiday spirit, and in consideration of the party-goers, I made
Christmas fruit salad!" Erin announced, removing the cover from the bowl. 
It contained a large amount of diced melon in festive green and red colors. 
I smiled.

   "The fun never stops, does it kid?" Kyle asked, sitting on the arm of
the couch.  He jolted his head backwards, tossing his highlighted brown
hair out of his face.

   "Never," Erin stated.  She took a piece of watermelon from the dish and
then threw a movie to Jay.

   "This one first?" he asked with a disgusted look.
   
   "It's good.  Ever seen it?" Ryan answered for his sister.  Jay studied
the label for a moment.

   "'Stand By Me?'" he questioned.  Mike, Ryan's date, grinned evilly.
   
   "Wil Wheaton.  Underwear.  Need we say more?" he replied.  Jay looked
down at the movie, then at me.  With no more hesitation, the tape was
inserted in the VCR and the lights dimmed.

   "Few rules here, guys," I started before people became too engrossed in
the party.

   "'Scuse me?" Erin asked sarcastically.  She was sitting on the floor
with Jay and Shawn, but quickly caught my comment.

   "Okay, guys and girl," I corrected.  Erin seemed satisfied, so I
continued.  "Dad's out so we have to behave.  No alcohol, no loud noise. 
That means if you're going to have sex, no screaming."

   My joke brought no laughter, but my jokes usually don't.  The group
turned back to their idle chatter and to the television.  I honestly didn't
expect any of them to follow the rules to the letter, but there were only
two.  The chaos that followed was very different than what I expected.

   I had intently watched "Stand By Me" as it played in the VCR.  If
nothing else, for Wil Wheaton and River Phoenix.  Activity around me faded
into the background and I tuned out entirely.  When the movie ended, I
became aware of the growing mess.

   Kyle and Bill, one of the less controllable couples, were nowhere to be
seen.  There was a spilled punch glass on the floor of the kitchen (tile,
luckily), and the furniture was in disarray.  How did so much happen during
the course of a movie?

   "That was a good movie, huh?" Jem asked with a giggle.  I looked at him
closely because his voice sounded more waxy than usual.

   "You're drunk," I observed.  Jem laughed.
   
   "I think someone put something in the punch," he replied.  I laughed,
suddenly wishing I'd had some punch.  I had a bad habit of drinking nothing
but soda.

   "That explains a lot," I said sarcastically.  Jem grabbed my arm and
pulled sharply.

   "C'mere," he instructed.  I followed him, not totally sure where we were
going.  He led me to Jay's room, where I found the door closed.  Jem opened
it.

   "Hey, can't you read the sign?  Men at work!" Kyle shouted.  Jay's door
did have a "Men at Work" sign on it, but for other reasons.  It was too
dark to see much, but I could certainly figure it out.

   Jem pulled me toward my bedroom, closing the door behind us.  It was
pitch black, but I didn't need to see to know what Jem had in mind.  As
much as a sex-freak as he was sober, he was worse drunk.  How much punch
had he had?

   The noise of a zipper caught my attention.  I followed suit, removing my
clothes.  Soon, both Jem and I were without clothing and on the bed.  It
occurred to me during that time that other people could have been in the
room, but I guess it didn't matter much.  It was too dark to see.

   A very warm sensation sent goose bumps sprawling over my bare skin.  It
was Jem's tongue on my neck.  I closed my eyes as it ran down over my body. 
Jem was no ammeter.  He knew where he was going.  That is to say, he'd have
known where he was going if he was sober.  As my legs were hanging over the
foot of the bed anyway, Jem's quick movement cause him to fall to the
floor.

   "Good job," I said as he scrambled back onto the bed.  My eyes were
beginning to focus.  He looked as though he was rubbing his head.

   "Shut up," he replied in frustration.  He began to climb back onto me to
begin again, but I pushed him over and moved my mouth toward his legs.

   Jem breathed in quickly as my tongue shot at his inner thighs.  I ran it
around and up toward his crotch.  Jem reached down and grabbed my hair. 
When he was sure he had a firm grasp, he moved my head to his cock, which
by that point was throbbing as though it had been neglected for years.

   Not wanting to disappoint Jem, I indulged his inebriated desires.  As it
had many times over the last four years, his cock slid smoothly past my
lips.  It was unusually warm, probably because the alcohol had his blood
moving.

   I swirled my tongue around Jem's pulsing tool, but had little time to
taunt him as he forced my head to rise and fall.  I don't think I'd ever
seen Jem drink, with the exception of wine on holidays.  It really didn't
change him that much.  He was simply more forceful and enthusiastic.  And
fast.

   The blowjob was over almost before it began.  Jem pulled my head back as
he came, causing his wad of semen to soil my face.  I laughed a little,
which set Jem off.  It was like someone told a joke and an entire crowd was
laughing.  He wasn't about to stop, so I cleaned myself up and got dressed. 
Still laughing, Jem followed.

   "We really ought to go back out there," I commented.  Jem agreed.
   
   Upon entering the living room, I found most of the guests mildly
watching a "Titanic."  I'm quite sure they were simply watching Leonardo
DiCaprio.  I would be.  What disturbed me wasn't the lack of noise, but
that in addition to Shawn sitting upside-down on the couch, Jay was wearing
nothing but boxers.  I shook my head in disapproval.



   While few people have ill thoughts of parties, nobody likes to be the
one cleaning up afterwards.  I set Jay and Shawn to the task as soon as
everyone was gone.  They put up little fuss.  My Polaroid camera made sure
of that.  Jem was a little hung-over, but that's to be expected.  Mike
Roberts stayed behind to help clean, but from what I'd seen of his house, I
didn't expect him to do much.  He didn't.

   "Nice party, Mr. No-Alcohol," Mike commented sarcastically.
   
   "It happens.  It wasn't my idea to pour the vodka into the punch," I
replied.

   "No, it was Kyle's.  The least he could have done is buy good vodka,"
Mike joked.  I almost laughed.  Almost.

   "Right.  You hungry?" I asked.  Mike looked around at the mess, as if to
indicate that we should be cleaning.

   "Sure.  Where's Jem?" Mike replied.  I should have known then that
something was wrong.  Love is blind, right?

   "I think he's asleep on Jay's bed.  C'mon," I answered.  We hopped into
the Toyota and set off for the McDonalds.  Mike kept looking over at me as
I drove.  He was nervous, but why?

   "So Jay didn't like those pictures you took?" he asked slowly.
   
   "Not really.  It got me out of cleaning, though.  Dad would throw a fit
if he saw them," I laughed.  We pulled up to the order box of the
restaurant and I rolled down the window.

   "Thank you for choosing McDonalds, may I take your order?" came the
fuzzy voice.  I ordered and we drove off.  Mike looked over at me again.

   "You wanna stop somewhere and eat?" he asked.  I shrugged and pulled
into a parking lot.  I had intended to eat at home.

   "Mike is there something on your mind?" I asked.  He wasn't offering his
thoughts.  I looked over at him.  He was leaning hard on the arm rest,
obviously closer to me than the average passenger.

   "I just.. well.." he studdered as he spoke.  And then, in an instant,
everything changed.  Mike leaned over and placed his lips against mine. 
They were warm.  Chapped, but warm.  Until then, I only wanted Jem.  A
billion thoughts siphoned through my head.  It was a new idea to me.  I
loved Jem.  Why did I enjoy that kiss?

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
   If you only read this for the sex, this one is more of a plot-story.  It
makes a *lot* more sense if you'd read the first four "Jem'n'I" stories. 
They can all be found at my web page, the address for which will be listed
later in this post-note.
   This story was written over the course of several weeks.  I apologize
for the delay, I know some of you have been waiting a long time.  A lot has
come up lately, life gets in the way sometimes.  I hope to have more time
in the near future.  I'd also like to thank you for reading this and any
feedback is appreciated.
   While this is a continuation of the "Jem'n'I" series, it is designed
essentially as a separate series.  It takes place several months after the
last story left off.  I chose to include some information from the previous
series for those who have not read it, but it isn't all there.  If you
haven't read the last four parts, the address is:
http://www.fortunecity.com/westwood/lagerfeld/248/
-Paul