“What?” Erin exclaimed, the word barely escaping her mouth. She looked stunned, her eyes frozen with shock. Her right hand was still on his back, just above his butt…and it felt heavy, cold.

“It was in the locker room showers, I don’t know how it happened,” Nick started rambling, trying desperately to explain. “I couldn’t stop myself, it just…I don’t know…it just happened.” He frantically blinked back the tears that were welling up in his eyes. “I promise it won’t ever hap—”

“Stop,” Erin suddenly interrupted him, holding her fingers up to his mouth. At first, her face held no emotion – Nick thought for sure she was about to dump him, throw him out into the street naked and alone. But then, her eyes softened, the color returning to them. Slowly, she looked down at Nick’s hands and took them in hers. When she opened her mouth to speak, her voice was gentle and calm, a far cry from what he expected it to be.

“A couple of years ago,” she began, “JP slept with a girl, cheated on Matt. Matt found out and they broke up.” Nick glanced intently at his girlfriend, remembering the time when her brother and Matt Andersson split up. He had almost forgotten about it. “I was there when it happened. I saw how it tore them apart…it tore me apart.” Erin returned her gaze back up to Nick, tenderly placing her hand behind his head. “I don’t want that to ever happen to us. Nick, I love you too much.”

“Erin…” Nick whimpered, but he couldn’t think of any way to respond. Was she saying what he thought she was saying?

“I don’t care what you do,” she continued, swallowing hard in an attempt to keep her composure. “I will never…never push you away.” She paused as if she didn’t know how to go on. Then, she reached up and kissed him on the lips. Immediately, Nick felt the warmth creep back into him. His girlfriend was forgiving him! Erin was actually forgiving him for cheating on her! But with that kiss, he understood why: in her mind, he could never cheat on her. Their love was too strong, too unbreakable. It was the reason JP and Matt got back together again after three months…and why Erin wouldn’t let anything break the two of them apart. Their eyes remained locked on each other even after they ceased kissing. Nick lay back down on the bed, Erin prostrated on top of him. For the rest of the night, they slept in that position, both knowing that no one could ever come between them.

“You boys are going to eat me out of house and home,” Mrs. Angelakis remarked as she served Billy, Nick and Greg a second helping of her famous Strapatsatha – a Greek breakfast dish of scrambled eggs combined with feta cheese, tomato, onion and olive oil.

“But this stuff is so good,” Billy answered, his mouth full of food, “even though I can’t pronounce it.” Nick grinned, taking a forkful from his own plate.

“Excuse me,” the woman lovingly scolded, slapping the behemoth teen’s broad shoulder, “there will be no talking with full mouth in my house.” Billy instantly shot up a look of guilt, to which Mrs. Angelakis smiled and brushed her hand against the top of his head. “Oh, just eat up. I made plenty.”

And plenty they ate. It was the morning before the trio’s second Saturday lifting together and they were fueling up on breakfast before they went down to the basement gym. And for Billy, the eating part of the Nick Angelakis training program was his favorite. He would have thirds and fourths - sometimes even fifths – every time, the food was so good…and it certainly didn’t hurt that it was full of protein. Yeah, Billy could eat and eat and eat. He didn’t care that he put on five pounds – most of it not muscle – in the last week alone, breaking 260 on the scale. By the end of the summer, he knew with all his lifting and eating and lifting and eating – and did he mention eating? – he’d get to be gigantic for next football season.

But Nick, who ate almost as much, never seemed to gain an ounce of fat. Every bite that he took in, he’d turn into muscle. He had packed on a couple of pounds of pure muscle since last weekend – weighing in at a rock-hard 221 – and Billy knew why. Nick trained like an animal. A lift that he struggled for last week would be easy this week…and if it weren’t, he’d push himself even harder until it was.

“Can I have some more please, Mrs. Angelakis?” Greg asked, lifting his plate up. Nick and Billy looked at their smaller friend in awe. He had already finished his second helping! And he wanted more? That kid could put away for his size!

“Greg,” Nick commented with a smirk, “you keep eating that way and you’ll be bigger than Billy.” Billy shot a comical look over at his teammate.

“Hey,” he complained playfully, kicking Nick under the table.

“Ow!” Nick yelped in a fit of laughter. “I didn’t mean it that way.” Billy smiled back at him, knowing it was all in jest. He knew Nick would never make fun of his size, though not many people did anymore anyway.

“I could never get to be his size,” Greg went on, diving into the new food Mrs. Angelakis had just placed in front of him. “I don’t have the genetics to gain the mass that you guys do.” Billy glanced over at him with a confused look. Greg noticed it and snickered. “What? I did a little research over the week.” Nick shook his head; Billy knew exactly what he was thinking.

Greg was still a skinny kid, but that was slowly changing. He had also put on a few pounds himself, but it was obviously much more noticeable on him than either of the other two. His shoulders had broadened a bit, his chest had gotten slightly thicker, his abs more defined and his arms a touch bigger. But then there were his legs – they were shredded! While still a fraction of the size of Nick’s, they were just as ripped. And the rest of him was beginning to get the same way. Greg’s veins were starting to show through his skin, even at complete rest.

“I’d like to zero in on my neck and traps today,” the smaller boy went on, brushing his long hair behind his ear. “I think they might be lagging behind the rest of me.” A wide grin spread on Nick’s face.

“You’re really getting into this, aren’t you Greg?” he said. Greg blushed.

“I’ve never had any reason to get into anything,” he answered. Billy could immediately see in the boy’s eyes what he meant. In a way, despite their size difference, Billy and Greg had a lot in common. They both had a history of being invisible to the society around them and they both longed to make something of themselves. It didn’t take a genius to realize that Greg was just starting to come out of his shell. Only time would tell where the future would lead them.

“Ok, this is how you do shrugs properly,” Nick explained as Greg watched in utter amazement. The teen superstud’s massive shoulders went up and down so easily, making the 40-pound weights he held in his hands look so light. “It’s simple. Just make sure you don’t arch your shoulders forward.” Greg just stared at the model of perfection that stood before him. 221 pounds of solid muscle – that was about 100 pounds more than he weighed. Greg simply couldn’t imagine having that much muscle on his body. “Greg, you there?” Greg snapped out of his daze, slightly embarassed.

“Oh, yeah, sorry,” he mumbled. “Your traps are just so…so huge!” Nick grinned appreciatively, his dimples deepening as he did. God, he was such a hunk!

“Thanks,” he answered. “I do a lot of shrugs.” Greg couldn’t get over how amazing Nick looked in the new tanktop he was wearing. The straps – almost pushed to the side by his shredded traps – did nothing to hide his ginormous pecs and thick lats, but the shirt completely covered his itty-bitty waist. And then his eyes when he smiled…oh, man! Nick Angelakis was so hot! “I usually wouldn’t teach a beginner exercises like these,” Nick remarked, “but your body seems to respond quickly to everything we’ve done, so…” Greg blushed at the compliment.

“That sounds so weird,” he replied, “especially coming from an uberjock like you.” Nick laughed, as did Billy.

“Uberjock,” he repeated. “That’s a good one.” Nick’s eyes twinkled brightly, practically sucking Greg into them. Suddenly, he felt a stirring in his crotch. Oh, shit, not again!

“Uh, do you mind if I go to the bathroom,” he muttered, already heading in the direction. “Breakfast is catching up with me,” he fibbed. Avoiding the puzzled looks of his huge lifting buddies, Greg rushed to the downstairs bathroom and locked the door behind him. Immediately, he pulled down his shorts, his erect dick standing on end, throbbing almost painfully. Watching Nick work out – his enormous muscles flexing and pumping with each rep, getting bigger and bigger by the day – turned Greg on so much, he could barely stand it.

He looked at himself in the mirror, the toned contours on his naked torso glistening in the dim light. He could see the fibers of muscle in his chest, the striations in his tight, little six-pack, even the veins of his lower abdomen. Greg lifted his arm and flexed his small biceps. On his command, a tiny bump popped up from underneath his skin. He stared at in near-disbelief. He couldn’t believe that – besides working out with the two strongest jocks in school – he was actually putting on muscle. It was like a dream come true…and it made him so horny. Instinctively, his hand reached down to his aching cock and began gently massaging it. Greg closed his eyes as the sensations wafted through his entire body. Just before he came into the toilet, he smiled, imagining how unbelievable this summer was going to be.

“So this is the famous Jersey Shore you always talk about,” JP commented as he walked side-by-side with Matt along the boardwalk in Wildwood, a small resort town on Cape May – the southern tip of New Jersey. The hot summer sun beat down on their bodies as the two made their way past the pizza parlors and T-shirt shops that lined the boardwalk. Matt couldn’t stop gazing at his boyfriend’s beefy 250-pound body held tightly inside the wife-beater he wore, every muscle clearly showing through as if he was wearing nothing.

“Yeah,” Matt replied dreamily. “We came here a few summers when I was little. My dad vacationed here as a kid, too.” They were on their way to visiting his dad in North Jersey and had decided to stop in Wildwood on the way. “It’s supposedly the world’s largest amusement pier.”

“Really?” JP said with a grin, looking around. Being mid-July, the place was crowded with people, including what seemed like hundreds of muscular guys and steaming hot girls wearing minimal clothing. “Well, then I guess I better look the part.” Matt’s heart nearly skipped a beat as JP stripped the wife-beater over his head and slung it over his shoulder. “How do I look?”

Matt was left speechless. Never was there a more perfect specimen of athleticism, masculinity and beauty. Every part of JP’s body was thick with muscle, from his monstrous neck to his dinner plate-sized pecs to his bulging biceps and tree-trunk thighs. Needless to say, he got quite a few looks from other people as he moseyed along, his legs rubbing lightly against each other, his arms swinging heavily away from his torso. JP was easily one of the biggest, most muscular, most gorgeous guys on the boardwalk.

The two boys had a tremendous amount of fun riding the roller coasters, enjoying a plateful of funnel cake and trying their luck at the midway games – JP even won a gigantic stuffed animal at the Hi-Striker, one of those games where you swing a mallet to force a little ball up a column toward a bell. It didn’t even look like he swung very hard either, the ball went up so easily. As the afternoon wore on, the sun started to sink lower into the sky and the lights of the boardwalk came on.

“We should stay the night,” JP suggested as he and Matt walked back to the car. Matt looked over at his boyfriend, immediately seeing the seductive look on his face. He knew what he really meant.

“I promised my dad we’d arrive tonight,” he pointed out, though he knew it would be no use. Matt simply couldn’t resist a night alone with JP. JP leaned in closer so that Matt got a whiff of him. Already, it sent his cock growing.

“You can just call him and say we’ll come tomorrow,” he murmured softly. “I’m sure he’ll understand.” Matt bit his lip as he felt the heat coming off his boyfriend’s hunky body.

“Ok,” he gave in. How could he not? Minutes later, the boys had checked into one of the dozens of motels and were lounging by the courtyard pool, getting some last-minute sun. Matt couldn’t keep from looking over at JP, his gorgeous body shining in the sunset. JP glanced back at him and Matt instantly saw something stir in his bathing suit. His massive 10-and-a-half inch cock was growing. Fuck!

“Hey,” a female voice suddenly greeted them from behind. Both of them turned around to see a cute college girl in a skimpy swimsuit standing above them. “Sorry to bother you,” she said, obviously trying to hide her nerves, “but I was, I mean, we were wondering whether you’d like to come up to our room.” Matt looked behind her at a group of four girls, equally dressed and equally hot.

“It sounds like fun, but we’re gonna be kind of busy tonight,” JP answered, giving the girl one of his trademark hypnotic smiles and shifting his body slightly. Her tongue curled up to her upper teeth in sheer desire as she watched his muscles move underneath his skin. You could tell she was just barely holding herself together.

“You can come up…uh, later…maybe,” she returned, obviously feeling the heat. JP turned to Matt and grinned. And then suddenly, he reached over, grabbed his chin and began kissing him passionately. Out of the corner of his eye, Matt saw the girl’s mouth drop open in shock. “Oh, sorry,” she stammered. “I didn’t know you were….were gay.” JP smiled, gently placing his hand on Matt’s warm abs.

“Yeah,” he answered in a low, husky voice. “So, we’re gonna be busy tonight.” The girl shuddered before she turned away and returned to her friends…who were stunned silent. They obviously couldn’t believe that they could possibly not turn on a boy like JP.

“I can’t believe you did that,” Matt exclaimed once she was gone. “I can’t believe you just kissed me in front of her like that.” JP shrugged.

“I’ve always wanted to do it,” he said.

The door of the Chesapeake Bagel Bakery opened and every head turned as they always did when Brandon Jones entered a room. His golden blond hair combined with his debilitating good looks and radiantly bronzed muscular body never ceased to bring attention to him. Erin also looked up as she cleared a table. But what she noticed that no one else did was his eyes. Their usual brightness was dulled as he looked across the room at her.

“I need to talk to you,” he said.

“Sure,” she answered and asked her manager if she could take an early lunch break. Brandon followed her outside where they sat on a bench. “I haven’t seen you all summer,” Erin started, trying to keep the conversation light.

“I’ve been hitting the weights a lot,” he replied, still not smiling.

“I can tell. You look good.” He had to have added at least five or ten pounds on his body. Brandon looked noticeably thicker than last year.

“Erin,” he finally began, looking directly into her eyes. “Nick said you know about me and him.” Erin returned his gaze. She had a feeling as soon as he walked in why he had come.

“Then you also know that I don’t have a problem with it,” she reminded him.

“That’s not what I wanted to talk about.” Erin look at him more closely, looked straight into his eyes. She could see the sadness in them, the pain, the fear…and she recognized it.

“You’re afraid to come out of the closet,” she deduced. “You’re afraid of everyone’s reaction to you being gay.” Brandon stared at her in disbelief, but then he nodded.

“I wish I weren’t,” he muttered, looking out into the parking lot. Erin knew immediately what he meant. His life as a jock, as the heartthrob of the school, made it hard for him to come out easily. If he weren’t a star quarterback and wrestler, it probably wouldn’t be as big a deal.

“There’s something I have to tell you,” she spoke up. Brandon looked at her with fond eyes. “I know exactly where you’re coming from. JP is also gay.”

“What?” Brandon stared at her in shock. “Your brother?” Erin nodded.

“You know Matt Andersson, the guy he hangs around with?”

“They’re…dating?” She nodded again. Brandon looked away with wide eyes for a moment as his brain processed what she had just told him.

“There are only a handful of people who know the truth,” she explained. “Brandon, he’s afraid to come out, too.” She leaned forward slightly, talking in a whisper. “Does your dad know?” Brandon hooked his jaw uneasily and shook his head.

“He’d freak out if he knew,” he answered. “That’s why I’m afraid to tell him.”

“I know he always wanted you to be an athlete—”

“It wasn’t just a want,” Brandon suddenly blurted, “he was obsessed.” Erin blinked, taken aback by his outburst. But he took in a breath and closed his eyes. There was a larger story behind this. “Before I was born,” he began, “when I was still in my mom’s womb, my parents entered into a study. Some scientists at Indiana University had figured out some kind of drug that was supposed to increase a child’s muscle growth rate.”

“Seriously?” Erin wondered aloud. Is that even possible, she thought.

“I know it sounds like science fiction, but it had something to do with controlling myostatin. It wasn’t very well publicized, but my parents found out about it.” He sighed. “Anyway, my mom was injected with the drug while she was pregnant with me. It was meant as a longitudinal study. They would monitor me as I grew up. Needless to say, I was a success.” Brandon looked like he was about to cry. Erin reached over and held his hand. “I was born a healthy baby, perfectly normal…but as I grew up…”

“Go on,” Erin urged him. She knew it would make him feel better to tell the story.

“As I grew up,” he continued, “the effects of the drug became more and more noticeable. I first threw a football when I was two, did my first push-up when I was four. I was the only one in my kindergarten class with muscles…small ones, but none of the other boys could flex their biceps. In second grade, I could already bench my bodyweight for reps…and I could bench twice my bodyweight by fourth grade. By then, it was obvious that I was no longer a normal kid. I looked like an eight-year-old bodybuilder.” Brandon brushed his hands through his hair; they were shaking with hidden anger, but he went on:

“Ever since I was little, my parents pushed me into sports. My dad was obsessed with me becoming the best athlete the world had ever known. Football, baseball, soccer, wrestling, karate, swimming…you name it, I did it. And of course, I was always the star of my team. I was popular, I could have any girl I wanted. Even some guys wanted me – that’s how I realized I was gay.” A tear rolled down Brandon’s cheek. Erin saw in him the loneliness that he had hidden all his life. Always being more physically mature than his peers had taken its toll. Add to that his homosexuality and he really felt like a loner, like he was out of place, like he was something he shouldn’t have been in the first place.

“What happened?” Erin asked.

“A few weeks ago, my dad got a letter in the mail. Apparently, the drug those scientists were testing was meant to treat muscular dystrophy. But they used if for other means. There were some unknown side effects that they never mentioned.” Brandon closed his eyes and flexed his jaw. “My mom died of breast cancer when I was nine. It turns out the drug caused her cancer. And she isn’t the only one. The scientists are being taken to court, a huge lawsuit.” He stopped and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to stop the tears from flowing. “I was also affected by it…I…I can’t…”

“Come on,” Erin encouraged him, wrapped her arm around his shoulder. “Let it out.”

“I can’t have children.”

The door opened almost immediately after Matt rang the doorbell. His dad stood there, smiling broadly.

“Hi, son,” he said. “I’m glad you made it.”

“Hey, dad,” Matt answered, giving him a slightly awkward hug. Mr. Andersson looked over at JP and grinned, holding out his hand. JP took it with a strong grip.

“Hi, JP,” the man greeted him. “You look bigger than the last time I saw you.” JP blushed.

“He’s 250 pounds now,” Matt bragged, giving his boyfriend a side-glance. JP shuddered inwardly, remembering the night before. He and Matt had sex for hours…and it was ridiculous. They couldn’t keep their hands off each other.

“Well, Matt’s a solid 170 himself,” JP spoke up. And hot as hell, he thought. He loved gliding his fingers over his broad pecs and tight abs. And his legs were gorgeous, especially when he wasn’t wearing anything, letting his seven-and-half inch dick hang free.

“Come in, boys,” Mr. Andersson said, letting the two enter his condo. “And let me introduce you to Joyce.” JP instantly looked at Matt. Joyce was his father’s new wife and JP remembered how upset Matt had been when they were going to get married.

“I’ve heard so much about you,” Joyce said. The woman was pretty – not as pretty as Matt’s mom though – with dark curly brown hair and a dignified look to her, as if she was proud of her age. Matt’s reaction seemed to be pleasant; if he had any qualms about meeting his stepmom, he certainly didn’t show it. But then again, JP knew his boyfriend had long forgiven his father. Mr. Andersson was just moving on and it was obvious that he was happy with his new wife.

“So, anyway,” he began, rubbing his hands together. “Joyce has cooked some of her famous sauce. That’s what we’ll be having for dinner.”

“I just hope I made enough for you two,” she remarked, eyeing JP’s bulk. “I’ve heard about how much you can eat, JP.” JP grinned and glanced over at Matt. Matt smiled back. He was happy, as well.

Nick wiped the sweat off his brow as he turned the lawnmower off. This was his third lawn today. Business was booming; people were hiring him constantly – pretty soon, he’d have enough to buy a car. Of course, part of it might have been because he always mowed with his shirt off. And at 230 pounds of pure, rock-hard muscle, he was certainly a sight to look at. His biceps bulged impressively as he pushed the mower, his chest flexed as he made the turns and his legs rippled as he walked. It was sometimes comical to Nick seeing all the housewives peeking out from behind the window curtains or running out of breath as they asked him if he wanted a drink. But he had gotten used to it. When he was as big as he was and as muscular as he was, he always made heads turn.

Nick was just about to turn the mower back on when he spotted Ian standing alongside the fence. He blinked, surprised to see him there. Ian was still a big guy, though he was no longer the mountain of muscle he had been when he was on steroids. His bulky torso filled the polo shirt to its max – the collar popped as was his style – and his black hair was no longer spiked. Quietly, Nick jogged over to him.

“Hey, Ian! What you doing here?” Ian shrugged.

“I just wanted to say hi,” he answered with a weak smile. “They said you were getting big. But you look jacked, man.” Nick blushed, glancing down at his massive pecs and shredded abs.

“You should see Billy,” he remarked. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

“Nah, I feel like shit,” Ian looked down at the ground. “I’m not doing football this fall. I don’t think it’ll be right for me to be on the team.” Nick raised his eyebrows in slight sadness, though he completely understood his reservation.

“We’ll miss ya man,” he replied, giving his friend a genuine smile. Ian shot him back an expression that said, “yea, right.” The two stood there silently for a moment before Ian broke it again.

“Look at us,” he said. “Only a few years ago, we were two little kids playing video games…”

“…and now we’re two muscle hunks, adored by the whole town,” Nick finished with a chuckle.

“No,” Ian shook his head, “you’re the adored hunk. I’m just a roided, addicted loser.” His eyes grew sad.

“Not anymore,” Nick reminded him. Ian looked back at him. “Ian, there’s still a lot you have to look forward to. You’re only going to be a sophomore.” Ian sighed, realizing the truth of his words.

“I don’t deserve any respect from you,” he said.

“Yes, you do,” Nick assured. “We’ve been friends for years. I’m not just walking away from you. I’m helping you through this.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Yes, I do.” Nick looked at him with serious eyes. “I’ve ignored you the last couple of years. I’m not ignoring you anymore. If I have to push you in the weight room, get you back up to where you should be, to where you belong…then so be it.” He paused, looking directly into Ian’s eyes. “That’s what I’m here for.” Ian smiled, the first sign in a long time that it was all going to be ok.

Travis glowered at the pair from a distance. Was his supplier really serious? Was this how he was going to get Ian to pay up?

“He owes me two g’s,” he sneered. “But I can’t touch him. He’d beat me up.”

“That’s the beauty of it,” she said, standing behind him. “You don’t ever have to get near him.” Travis turned around to face her. He immediately felt small in her glare. Every time he met her, he felt like the scrawny teen that he really was.

“How do you know it’s gonna work?” he asked nervously.

“Trust me,” she continued, eyeing Nick and Ian herself. “The best way to get to a guy like him…you go after the people he cares about.” It just didn’t make sense to Travis, no sense at all.

But Brionna Duncan was a genius when it came to these things.

She continued: “Everyone has a secret. You just have to find out what it is.” •