Just Hit 'Send' - The High School Years
by Grasshopper
Ch. 7
Danny woke up the next Thursday morning, stretched, yawned, scratched everything that itched and struggled up from the warmth of his bed. Pulling his braces over, he gripped the bars and hoisted himself up. Not for the first time, he cursed his legs. He could remember not too many years ago, waiting til the last second to pee, jumping, running and just making it.
Anything, from a holding a simple glass of water to going to the movies involved planning. Damn..........even if his nose itched, it was a major maneuver. He thought about Jordan, all the small ways he had been there for Danny last Saturday and how he had made it fun. How holding on around Jordan's neck and feeling himself pressed up against that beautiful back had turned him on and made him want so much. Skin against skin........Jordan's skin.
Danny struggled to keep from hoping but he knew that he was totally hooked. The picture of Jordan on his skateboard played like a continual loop behind his eyes. His brain kept saying 'It's not fair. He needs someone he can run with' but his heart just kept hammering away 'He cares. He cares. I know he cares.'
Staring at himself in the full length mirror on the back of the bathroom door, Danny Trainor saw little to excite anyone. He totally missed the blue-black riot of curls, the ice blue eyes ringed in gray, the button nose, that sensual bottom lip that Jordan wanted. He dismissed the muscled chest and arms and saw only the scars; the scars where his body had been ripped and cut and handled. The worst scars were on his legs. He would never let Jordan see them.
"Hey, dickbrain," that tiny little inner voice giggled. "You know that 'stuff' you've been thinking about? That 'stuff' you want to do? That 'stuff' Jordan is coming over here to do next Saturday..........watch TV and stuff???????? 'Stuff's hard to do with your pants on. Haha !! Face it, dude. Those legs have gotta see the light."
Danny rolled his eyes. "Shut up!" he told himself.
"Nope!" himself answered.
Jordan bounced into Trig, fell into his seat and immediately began scribbling on a notepad. Griff reached over and grabbed it.
"Oh my God," he grinned. "What is this?" He handed it back as Jordan growled, "It's just things I want to remember to tell Dan."
"Are we still on for Saturday, then?" Griff asked, knowing it was driving Jordan crazy, him teasing. He'd been asking that same question since Sunday and here it was Thursday afternoon.
"You ask that one more time and you're gonna get it," Jordan threatened.
"Um..........get what?" Griff grinned, raising one eyebrow. There was nothing he enjoyed more than watching his best bud squirm.
"Shut Up, fartbreath," Jordan snorted. "You are so gross, Langley."
"Up yours, Lawrence," Griff tossed in for good measure. He knew they were going Saturday. He knew if he didn't get Jordan over there soon, his best friend in the whole world was gonna explode.......some parts seemed in a constant state of readiness now.
"You know we've gotta get on the road by 11 to get you home before curfew," Griff reminded him. "Will you be able to pry yourself away?"
"Mr. Langley. Mr. Lawrence. Care to join us today?" the teacher's question jolted them back to the land of signs and cosigns and boredom. Jordan began to scribble on his notepad....'Blood Drayne....Eternal Darkness/Sanity's Requiem'............Danny was a dead man. Jordan was so the king of Nintendo.
Danny says: Jordy...the scars on your face?
Jordan says: yeah?
Danny says: Do you hate them?
Jordan says: I don't even think about em.....guess they're sorta like lifemarks
stuff that's happened that left its mark.......ya know?
Danny says: I have some um......lifemarks
Jordan says: I know........mighty impressive ones......
Danny says: do you mind?
Jordan says: only if you won't let me touch them..........
Danny says: why would you want to?
Jordan says: Hey Dan! Get over yourself. I am so nuts about you, I'd jump on you if you had purple ooze pouring out your nose, your head was dangling by a thread and a baboon was perched on your butt. With me now?
Danny says: JORDYYYYYYYYYY !!
Jordan says: got your attention !! :)
Saturday morning, 5:00. Griff's cell beeped. "Do NOT do this!" he groaned rustily into the speaker.
"I just want to make sure you're up," He heard Jordan's excited voice urging him awake.
"I'm up........Good God!" he clicked off and fell back on the pillows. 'What decent kid wakes up at 5:00 in the morning'? Griff rolled out and pulled on baggies, t-shirt and sneaks. He rolled a bathing suit up in a towel, sloshed water in his eyes, brushed what needed to be brushed and whispered 'Bye' to his mom. Checking his wallet, he was ready. What he'd do all day, he had no idea but he was up for it. There were some real honeys on Daytona Beach; maybe he'd get lucky.
Top down, wind blowin'.........it was a Beach Boys Day !!
"You'd catch em surfin at DelMar
Ventura County line
Santa Cruz and Trestle
Australia's Narrabeen
All over Manhattan
And down Doheny Way
Everybody's gone surfin'
Surfin USA............."
At that moment, Brian Wilson was The Man !! For Jordan, his feet up on the dashboard, his long legs already catching the morning sun, blue tinted shades beating off the UVs, this day would only get better when he had Danny. He sat thinking about the scars. Danny had more scars in his head than he did on his body. Jordan knew that. He was gonna make it his job to ease those mental scars. He already knew that when Danny got down on himself, the best way to handle it was to show no mercy.........attack and giggle. He couldn't wait to see him!
Dropping him off, Griff said, "Call if you need me, Jord. I'll be at the beach. Remember, 11:00. Be here." Jordan lifted his hand in a wave and turned toward the house. Before he got three steps, the front door flung open and Danny stood, grinning, his face beaming. "Jordy! Hi!"
"Morning, Mrs. Trainor. Mr. Trainor," Jordan smiled and put out his hand to Danny's father. Amazed, Mr. Trainor stood and shook his hand. The look that passed between Danny's parents was one of relief mixed with happiness. It had been so long since Danny'd had friends over.
"We'll be in my room if you need us, Mom," Danny said, already headed off down the hall. "Come ON, Jordy," he whispered fiercely. Jordan giggled at Danny's excitement.
The room was wonderful, full of boy stuff; piles of CDs, a huge screen TV and DVD, Nintendo, ready to challenge, a huge poster of Kelly Slater. Jordan looked at it then over at Danny, watching him. "Slater, he's the Top Man," Jordan grinned.
"You can say that. You know he's from Florida? Only 29, six time world champ and just won the Quicksilver at Waimea this year," Danny babbled, excitement beaming out of his voice.
Jordan said softly, "You surf, Dan?" He watched his friend's face fall.
"Used to," he replied. "Not any more."
"Well, you're gonna today," Jordan decided, spur of the moment. He turned around and wheeled out of the room, to return in a few minutes. "Come on, Cutie. We're going to the beach."
"What? No........I..........we.........,"Danny protested.
"Yes............we...........are!" Jordan laughed. "Get your butt in gear, dude. Surf's up!" Danny walked slowly out into the kitchen. He could see his dad out in the driveway, hanging his old board on top of the SUV.
"Mom!" he groaned. His mom was smiling so loud, you could hear it. "You go, Danny. Have a great time." She felt the tears but held them back until Danny was out the door. "Jordan," she said, stopping him with her hand. "Thank you..........so much."
Jordan grinned. "That's what I'm here for, Mrs. Trainor. I'm gonna see that Danny rejoins the human race. We've missed him."
Danny was silent all the way to the beach. His thoughts were tumbling and twisting. He couldn't do this ! He couldn't ride his board. As if he could read his mind, Jordan leaned back between the seats and whispered, "Not alone, you can't. But you're not alone anymore, are you? Don't say what you can't do anymore, Dan. Tell me what you WANT to do and we'll get it done." He reached back and touched Danny's hand for a second.
Mr. Trainor helped Jordan unload the board and set up Danny's chair. "Want me to stay?" he asked, hoping they'd allow him to watch his son come back to life but knowing how kids are.
To his surprise and pleasure, Jordan laughed, "Sure, Mr. T. We might need medical assistance....hahaha !!" Mr. Trainor watched as Jordan easily hoisted Danny onto his back and they headed to the shore. He wasn't sure what was between his son and this young man but all he could think right now was, "Thank God." He walked down to the sand and sat to watch his son do something he never thought he would again. He felt the tears prick his eyelids and just swiped them away.
"Okay, we've gotta get all cozy and pervy to do this," Jordan giggled. "I know you don't want the jeans off but the rest of you gets naked." They stripped off and Jordan got down to his bright orange baggies. "Soon, my man, you will have to show me yours."
He started off into the water like before. When they got deep enough for Danny to float, Jordan said, "I'm gonna leave you and get the board, K?"
"Sure," Danny grinned. "I'm not scared of the water." He was purely bubbling with joy. The waves were puny but he wouldn't have cared if they'd been on a lake; he was gonna feel his board under him again.
Jordan came back and helped Danny crawl up on the board to lie on his belly. "Okay, we're gonna head on out. Ready?" Danny nodded happily. "And Dan?" he said seriously, "If you slide off, don't panic. I'm right there. I'll catch you. I'll always be right there." He squeezed Danny's hand and pushed the board toward Lanzarote.
About 100 yards off shore, the surf was breaking, gentle waves that would do right now. "I'm coming up there," Jordan laughed. "If we tump over, I'm right here." He slithered and shimmied and pulled his dripping body up onto the board to lie stretched out on Danny's back. "Okay, you are the oars, Dan. Head us around."
Danny was caught between the ecstasy of Jordan lying on him, his body curved to fit and the pure ecstasy of being in his favorite place in the world. "Jordy !" he burst out, "I'm in my two favorite places in the whole world."
"Huh?" Jordan questioned.
"I'm on my board and I'm......um.......under you." He blushed and giggled at the same time.
"Well, Dan, you just made it impossible for me to stand up," Jordan giggled, and sure enough, Danny felt Jordan's body pressing urgently along the crease of his butt. "Know what, Danny," Jordan whispered in his ear, "I kind of like being on top of you." He wiggled his hips a little and Danny felt himself harden against the board. "Ackk, the wood's hard," he groaned.
Laughing outloud, Jordan agreed. "Yeah, Danny the wood around here is all hard." Danny turned crimson and then he felt Jordan's arms close around him. "I'm getting that kiss later, right? When your dad isn't watching."
"Oh God, my dad is right there," Danny whispered. "Jordan!"
"We're fine. He's so happy you're out here, we could probably be buck naked and wet kissing and he'd applaud," Jordan giggled. "You ready? I'm getting up."
Jordan slowly stood up, arms out to gain balance, the added weight to the board lowering it in the water. Wasn't perfect but who gave a rip? Danny was on his board. He lowered back down and sat on Danny's butt. "Does that hurt?"
"Nah. I like it," Danny smiled.
"We've going out past the breakers. Paddle, dogboy," Jordan commanded. Danny used those strong arms and took them out past the breaking waves. "Hold on, Dan. I'm gonna try the next one that comes. Remember, if you slide off, I'm................."
"You're right there. I remember, Jordy," Danny said softly.
The wave came. Jordan stood up, squared his balance and they rode it in, Danny, head held high, his arms raising him enough not to drown and Jordan crouched so as not to tip over the board. A funny picture, but for two boys, the best ride in the world and for a tear-soaked dad, a dream come true.
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