“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “We have a few things to pay off, medical bills for one.” He smiled, glancing down at his legs. “There are a couple of things around the house we’d like to fix.”

“You mean, you’re not going to move to a bigger place?” Nick wondered aloud. The two stopped outside the locker room, talking quietly so as not to let the other guys hear them. Brandon and his father had kept the news about the settlement to themselves, but Brandon couldn’t help but tell his best friend. They couldn’t keep anything from each other.

“Nah,” Brandon shook his head, “where we live now is fine for the two of us.” Then, he started biting his lip and blushing. “Plus, it’s not like there’ll be a bunch of little Brandons running around anytime soon anyway.” Nick laughed nervously; he knew what he meant. The same experimental drugs that had supposedly made Brandon an alpha-jock – the drugs that had given his mother breast cancer – had also left him unable to have children. Well, not like it mattered anyway…he was gay. But it still was a sore spot for him, somehow made him feel less of a man. Nick desperately sought a change in subject.

“Well, you’ll be able to get that motorcycle you’ve been wanting,” he reminded Brandon.

“Yeah,” he added, “and I guess college will be paid for.” Nick laughed.

“You’ll probably get a scholarship anyway.” He watched as Brandon laughed with him, his baby blue eyes brightening as he did. They were so beautiful; it was a shame he had to go through the shit that he had the last few months. “So, that’s it?” Nick asked. Brandon gave him an odd look.

“What do you mean, that’s it?”

“Dude, it’s seven and a half million dollars for Chrissakes!” Brandon looked down at the floor, his fingers playing with the beams of his crutches.

“Yeah, I know,” he answered. “I don’t think my dad knows what to do with it all.” He paused, grew serious, his eyes looking far away into nothing. “To tell you the truth, I don’t think he wants to spend it.” He looked directly into Nick’s eyes, making him understand what he was saying. They had that money because of his mom’s death; his dad probably would feel guilty spending it on frivolous things. “Anyway,” he went on, “just don’t go around telling people about it. I don’t want every housewife in Fairfax County going after my dad.” The two boys laughed again.

“No problem,” Nick agreed. “You know, this officially makes you the second richest family in town.” Brandon grinned as he heard that, his brilliant smile warming Nick from inside. “B, you know if Coach posted the Varsity list yet?” Brandon nodded toward the wall next to the office. Even though he couldn’t wrestle, he was still very much a part of the team, helping out Coach Graves whenever possible, including planning for the national tournament they had been invited to in Indianapolis over the winter break. Since Brandon was from Indiana, he naturally assisted him in the planning of the trip.

“It’s right there,” he said. “But what do you care, you know you made Varsity.” He stole a look-over of Nick’s miraculous body. “There probably isn’t a heavyweight in the entire country that’s as muscular as you are.” Nick blushed; he was probably right. At nearly 275 pounds, Nick had an impossible 4% body fat. He got looks wherever he went; some people must have thought he was a bodybuilder or something. Trying to avoid Brandon’s admiring eyes, he looked at the list:

103 – Jason Littleman 112 – Blake Cole 119 – Justin Hineway 125 – Kevin Tranh 130 – Christopher Markey 135 – Vincent Garbolini 140 – Troy Klein 145 – Kyle Backton 152 – Joseph Schmarack 160 – Trey Zynuski 171 – Peter Evans 189 – Michael Garcia 215 – Andre Jackson 275/HW – Nick Angelakis

Sweet, Nick thought to himself. Danny Tranh’s little brother made the squad, Kyle finally moved up to the middleweights – he was looking bigger lately – Pete made Varsity and Andre was picked to fill in the 215 spot.

“So, Andre did make it,” Brandon said out loud. Nick grinned, knowing that he best friend was thinking the same thing at the same time he was. “I know Coach was struggling over who to move up.” Nick looked over at him. He could read in his eyes that he missed his name being on the list.

“Don’t worry, man,” he assured him, placing his hand on his shoulder, “Andre is a senior. 215 will be up for grabs again next year. You’ll be back.” Then, it hit him, the feeling he hadn’t gotten in a long time. He felt his stomach churn and his heart beat faster. And he could tell from the look on Brandon’s face that he felt the same thing. They were still in love with each other. They couldn’t help it. Tearing himself away from Brandon’s eyes, Nick moved in to hug him. “It’s good to have you back,” he whispered into his ear. He could almost feel the wave of warmth move though Brandon, his heart beating against his chest.

Nick knew they were more than just friends. They had a connection…as if they were both survivors of something neither could describe. Nothing would ever be able to separate them.

Matt sighed as he laid his head down against JP’s hard pec, his entire body on top of his boyfriend’s. He could hear – no, feel – his heart beating inside of him and his own heart automatically fell into the same rhythm. They had just finished having sex…after sleeping all night in his dorm bed. Matt couldn’t imagine not having JP wrapped in his arms, their bodies entwined as they made love.

“I love you,” Matt muttered, gliding his hands up to JP’s cannonball shoulders.

“I love you, too,” JP answered back, the deepness of his voice vibrating through his head, sending a warm chill through every bone. He opened his eyes once again, JP’s erect nipple barely an inch from his face. He delicately fingered it. JP’s huge cock stirred against his abdomen. God, it felt good not having to hide their love for each other anymore…though only their friends and family back in Virginia knew.

“When are you going to tell the guys on the wrestling team back at Ohio State?” he asked him, lifting his head to meet JP’s eyes. His boyfriend smiled.

“After the season’s over,” he replied. “I already told the coach and he said it would be better if I waited.” They had both seen how the media surrounded Nick and Brandon when they came out mid-football season. JP peered at Matt; he knew they hated keeping the secret from everyone, but pretty soon that would all be in the past. They’d be completely out of the closet. He reached up to kiss Matt on the lips. Instantly, Matt felt the surge of warmth flood through his body whenever their lips, their tongues touched. He didn’t want to leave the position he was in now – on top of JP’s super-muscular body – but he had a dress rehearsal for that night’s concert…and he still had to get ready.

“You’re so perfect,” he breathed, drifted his head down his boyfriend’s torso, tracing the deep crease between his pecs. Gently, he sucked on each section of his six-pack abs, JP moaning quietly above him. They were so hard – like concrete – but so smooth and flawlessly formed. Even at close range, he couldn’t find a single imperfection or blemish. There wasn’t an imperfection anywhere on his body…he had searched. Surely, the boy of his dreams had some kind of fault…but he didn’t.

Suddenly, the door opened and Ben, Matt’s roommate barged in. Matt jumped up on instinct, JP’s abs flexed tightly. Ben’s face blushed as red as his hair and slouched, his face looking at the floor.

“Sorry, guys,” he murmured.

“No, it’s alright,” Matt assured him, finally moving off of JP and getting out of bed. “Look, we even have our boxers on.” He stood up to prove his only half-nakedness to his flustered roommate.

“Howya doing, Ben,” JP greeted him nonchalantly, casually climbing out of bed himself, not bothering to hide the huge boner that he still had. Well, at ten-and-a-half inches, it was kind of hard to conceal anyway.

“Good. You?” Ben answered, trying the best he could to not notice it and heading straight for his desk. Matt couldn’t help but chuckle. Ben was also gay and had a mild crush on Matt when they first met freshmen year, but was completely blown away upon meeting JP.

“Great,” JP beamed, grabbing his jeans and shirt that were crumpled at the foot of Matt’s bed. As he pulled his jeans over his hard muscle-butt, he glanced at Ben who was purposely avoiding eye contact with him. Then, he got a playful look on his face and snuck over to him, gently touching his bare pecs against Ben’s back. Ben visibly gulped. “You know, if you went to the gym, you’d probably get a nice body.” Ben was speechless, no doubt smelling the sweet scent of JP only inches from him.

“I’ve tried getting him to go with me,” Matt saved him, “but he’s afraid.”

“I’m not afraid,” Ben defended himself, cracking a smile. “I’m just…

“Just what?” JP grinned, backing away to put on his shirt. It slipped snuggly over his torso, barely containing his broad chest and massive arms.

“Just nervous,” Ben mumbled. JP smiled, running his hand through his shaggy, golden brown hair.

“What is there to be nervous about? It’s just a few little pieces of iron.” He peered brightly at Matt’s roommate who slowly started looking more comfortable. “Hey, when I first started, I was a little runt. And now look at me…” He subtly flexed his biceps. Ben’s eyes went wide. Well, whose wouldn’t when they’re staring 21+ inches of rock-hard muscle head on? JP turned to Matt again and leaned in to kiss him. “I gotta go,” he said.

“Oh,” Matt whined, “why can’t you stay just a little longer?”

“I have a team meeting later,” he answered with a twinge of sadness. He wanted to stay, too. “I have to get on the road.” Then without warning, Matt pulled him into him, planting one more kiss smack on the lips. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ben look away, getting uncomfortable again from the display of affection. “I’ll call you when I get back to Columbus.”

“What would I do without you?” he whispered into his boyfriend’s ear.

“You’d survive,” JP answered back, grinning, before giving him one more glance in the eyes and heading out the door. Matt watched out his dorm window as JP’s Geo turned onto Bagley Road, the main drag that led to I-71. I don’t think I would survive, he thought to himself.

Ashley heard Ryan unlock the door to her apartment and her heart began to beat more rapidly, as it always did when she knew he was near. He had moved in with her a few months ago and though her place was small, things couldn’t have been better. They knew once they got married and had the baby, they’d have to move to a bigger house. And Ryan’s promotion at the modeling agency would give them enough money to do so. In the meantime, he helped her out whenever possible – going to the grocery store on his way home from work, for instance. The door opened and in walked her fiancé, a heavy bag of groceries easily held in his muscular arm, his huge biceps pressed up against it. She turned away from the pot roast she was making – which she had started as soon as she got home from her own job at the hospital – and gazed at her gorgeous man, his piercing green eyes peering at her, his dress shirt filled to the max with his muscles.

“Hey, baby,” he greeted her as he came into the kitchen, placing the groceries down on the counter. His low, deep voice wafted through her, sending her into a daze. God, she was so lucky to have him in her life.

“Hi,” she chimed, giving him the smile that always made him glow. Ryan bent down in front of her, lifted up the bottom of her shirt and kissed her tummy, the smallest of bumps already appearing there.

“Hey, Fritter,” he cooed. Ashley giggled, partly at the nickname he had given their child, partly because his lips lightly grazed the area near her belly button. She knew he meant to do that; it always made her crazy. “How ya doin’?” he continued talking to the baby. “Warm enough in there for ya?” Ashley laughed again. Ryan was going to make a wonderful father.

“Sure,” she protested, “kiss him before you kiss me.” She scowled at her fiancé in mock anger. He stood up and gently placed his hand on the back of her neck and leaned in to kiss her passionately on the lips. She relaxed into his chest, feeling his hard pecs against her breasts.

“I was just saving the best ‘til last,” he told her quietly. Ashley grinned and shook her head. She looked down at his tie, which was already loosened, and pulled on it, undoing the knot. His wide neck – still thick from all those years of wrestling and playing football – filled every inch of space his shirt would allow. She liked this shirt, the metallic silver one she had gotten him for his birthday. She liked how he filled it out, how his shoulders looked, how it tapered down to his waist.

“This suit looks good on you,” she observed, knowing that if she hadn’t been pregnant, they’d so be having sex right now.

“Everything looks good on you,” he returned, making her laugh. She was wearing jeans and a T-shirt; she looked like a slob. But Ryan didn’t care. He kissed her one more time before turning toward the stove where the almost-forgotten pot roast was still cooking. “Want me to set the table?” he asked. Ashley nodded. He was perfect.

“Oh, by the way,” she spoke up as he went to the cupboard for plates, “your mother called.” Ryan tried to hide that fact that he was rolling his eyes, but Ashley could tell.

“What does she want now?”

“She was just wondering whether you wanted your Aunt Theresa to come to the wedding.” She looked over at her fiancé as a grin came to his face. She knew what that meant.

“Not if there’s an open bar,” he answered comically and breaking into laughter as she threw a dishtowel at him. It glanced harmlessly off his forearm.

“Didn’t your parents teach you to respect your elders?” she playfully scolded. She shook her head as he quieted down and continued setting the table.

“Anyone else?” he said, gazing at her fondly. Ashley looked away for a split second before answering.

“No,” she stated simply, hoping that he wouldn’t detect the uneasiness in her voice. How could she tell him the truth? How could she tell him that her sister– the ex-girlfriend that had nearly ruined them – called? How could she tell him that Brionna was back in their lives?

Billy contorted his upper body, his eyes fixed to the TV screen, as he desperately worked the buttons of the video game controller. Next to him, Erin sat quietly, looking over at him every once in a while. How was she beating him?

“I am so kicking your ass, Billy,” she taunted, nudging him slightly in the ribs. He felt Kim come up behind him, laying her hands on his broad shoulders.

“Are you getting demolished by a girl?” his girlfriend asked comically.

“Shut up,” he muttered, cracking a smile. He could tell she was just trying to sabotage his chances of possibly coming from behind. Then, Erin jumped up off the sofa, her arms raised in triumph.

“Hah! I won!” she shouted. Billy peered up at her, trying to hide his grin with a fake scowl.

“That’s only because you two teamed up on me,” he said, turning his head toward Kim. Growling, he reached one huge arm behind him, grabbed her by the waist and effortlessly lifted her over the back of the couch, his gigantic muscles straining the fabric of the sleeve. She giggled as she flew through the air, plopping down onto her massive boyfriend’s lap. RRIP! The girls’ giggles turned into hysterical laughter as Billy lifted his arm to show the long tear that appeared next to the triceps. It extended from his elbow all the way to his armpit. “Damn, not another one!” he exclaimed.

“Your growing out of your clothes, Billy,” Kim said from behind tears. He looked at her and smiled. That was an understatement. Billy had hit a bit of a growth spurt in the last couple of months. It seemed he was constantly hungry and was always worked out. Some nights, he would wake up to his stomach rumbling and lumber down to the kitchen for a snack. Of course, a snack turned into a meal, which quickly became cleaning out the fridge. And his mom certainly let him have it the next morning. But with all the lifting he was also doing, all that food turned into muscle and sheer bulk. He stood 6 foot 5 and weighed 325 pounds now. Billy was beyond big; he was gargantuan. His chest was closing in on 70 inches, his biceps nearing 26. And though he wasn’t anywhere near as ripped as Nick – who weighed a full 50 pounds less than he – every part of him was hard, from his bull-neck to his thick mid-section.

“Well, I’m blaming this one on you,” he scolded Kim. He clutched his sleeve and with one hard tug, ripped it clear off. RRRRIP! Kim and Erin laughed again as they saw him in his now half-sleeveless shirt, one massive arm fully bare. “Here,” he told Kim, giving her the shredded piece of cloth, “you can add it to the collection.” His girlfriend took the sleeve and stared at it in awe. Just then, the front door opened.

“Hey, pizza’s here!” Nick announced from the foyer. Immediately, Billy’s stomach grumbled as he smelled the pizza wafting into the den.

“I hope you got enough,” Erin said, shutting the video game off and heading into the kitchen to get the table ready. As she did, Nick staggered in humorously, pretending that the ten pies that were stacking in his arms were too heavy for him. They all knew that whenever Billy and Nick ate together, it would be a feast, though Nick was eating slightly less because he didn’t want to go over 275 for wrestling.

“Who paid for all this?” Billy asked when he saw the tower of pizza boxes Nick was setting down onto the table.

“I did,” Kim spoke up. Of course, she was the only one who could afford it. Billy instantly opened the top box, allowing a cloud of steam to escape from the cheese and pepperoni. Grabbing a plate, he took four slices and sat down to eat. Kim took a slice of her own and sat down next to him. Billy couldn’t keep his eyes off of her as she provocatively entered the pizza into her mouth, her tongue playing with the tip ever so lightly. Billy blushed.

“Are you guys gonna come eat?” he called to Nick and Erin. They had gone into the den a minute before and he wondered why they hadn’t come out yet…unless they were… Putting down his pizza, he got up and peeked into the room. Sure enough, the two were embraced tightly, there lips interlocked in passion, saying their silent hellos. Billy chuckled to himself; he and Kim had been the same way when they met up that afternoon. They couldn’t keep their hands off one another as they explored each other’s bodies. Erin’s hands wandered up Nick’s shirt, revealing the bottom part of his washboard abs. Jesus, they were tight! Billy couldn’t figure out how Nick stayed so ripped and was still so big. I guess it’s in his genes or something, he thought. “Uh, guys?” he finally said. Snapping out of it, Nick and Erin looked up at him and grinned sheepishly.

“Sorry, dude,” Nick muttered, his hands holding his girlfriend’s fingers.

“Nah, it’s cool,” Billy answered as the two headed toward the kitchen again. Nick grabbed only two slices – after all, he was trying to stay trim for wrestling – and Erin grabbed one of her own and they joined the other couple at the table. “So, is the team ready for the Indianapolis trip?” Billy asked Nick.

“Yeah,” he answered, quickly swallowing his last bite, “Brandon’s really been helping Graves on this one.” Being invited to a national wrestling tournament was a big deal; it was the school’s first…in any sport.

“Well, isn’t he from there?” Kim spoke up. Nick gave a half-nod.

“Yeah, he’s actually from southern Indiana, but he’s been to Indy loads of times. Knows the city inside and out.” He smiled, glancing down at the table. “He apparently got us a good deal at a hotel downtown.”

“That’s good,” Erin replied, looking over at her boyfriend. Billy could tell she was sad to be apart from him for almost a whole week. Nick turned his head toward her and silently picked a string of cheese that hung from her mouth. She blushed, embarrassed.

“Don’t worry,” Billy said, “the rest of us’ll take good care of her when your gone, Nick.” Nick grinned at his huge buddy. He knew that Billy could see exactly what he was thinking. It was in the way he glanced down when he talking about Brandon, the way he diverted the conversation away from him. When his teammates had come out of the closet it was a shock to Billy, but in hindsight, he should’ve see it all the while. And now, things were no different…

Nick was in love with Brandon.

Ian returned home from the country club, exhausted. Now that the weather was finally too cold to keep the course open, they had moved him inside the clubhouse to work as a bus boy at the restaurant. And he thought being a caddy was tough. Aching, he stripped off his long-sleeved collared shirt that was his uniform and tossed it onto the pile of clothes in his closet. Shit, he still had to do laundry…

The old Ian wouldn’t have cared a dam about chores, but he wanted to change. He wanted to show how responsible he was, not only to his parents and everyone else…but to himself. Leaving only his boxers and wife-beater on, Ian heaved his almost-overflowing laundry basket downstairs to the washing machine. The first time he did the wash himself – after coming home from rehab – he tried to show his mother that he knew how to do it…and then prompted to turn nearly all his white socks and shirts pink. He had never noticed that his mom always separated the colors and the whites. Well, he learned quickly after that…

He didn’t realize the phone ring until his mom came downstairs to hand it to him.

“It’s for you,” she told him with a weird expression on her face. “It’s the Fairfax County Police Chief?” She looked at him skeptically, as if to say, what did you do now?

“It’s fine, mom,” Ian said before taking the phone from her. “Hello?”

“Please hold for Chief Myers,” the operator droned. After a few seconds silence, the line clicked and Myers came on.

“Ian?”

“Yes, sir?”

“I hope I’m not disturbing you,” he began, “but I just thought you’d like to know. I corroborated the information you gave me the other day…and it looks like we are going to apprehend Travis Plummer and Brionna Duncan.” Ian nearly choked on his own spit; he didn’t know how to respond, but he didn’t have to. Chief Myers continued for him, but this time, speaking more softly and less importantly. In fact to Ian, he almost sounded like his own father. “Son, what you’ve done is really brave. We’ve been trying to get these two for a long time…but haven’t been able to hold them for anything more than just basic possession charges.” Ian gulped; this was bigger than he imagined. No wonder Luke had been nervous when he relayed him the plan.

“Thank you, sir,” he finally replied.

“No, son,” Myers went on. “Thank you. From what I’ve seen, you’ve been through a rough past year. And it takes a lot to come forward in the way that you did.” He paused, awkwardly. “Are there any questions you might have?” he asked, a surprising amount of concern in his voice. It was obvious he meant the words he said.

“Yeah, there’s one,” Ian boldly spoke. “What about Luke, Luke Johnson?”

“Oh,” Myers answered after a moment’s hesitation. “As you probably know, he’s up for parole next month. And considering he offered a lot of additional information in the investigation, I’m sure they’ll be lenient with him. I’d be surprised if they don’t let him out.”

“Thank you, sir,” Ian repeated, not sure what else to say.

“Now if you don’t mind, son, I’d like to speak with your parents.” The Chief still was speaking in his fatherly tone, though a little more officially now. “I believe they’d like to know what is going on. And I think they should be filled in of the details…in case anything happens.” Ian’s heart skipped a beat at that last phrase, but he handed the phone back to his waiting mom.

“He wants to talk to you, ma,” he said, trying to avoid her confused look. He didn’t bother listening to his mom’s side of the conversation; he didn’t want to. He just couldn’t believe that this was all really going to happen…finally. •