Stefan

"You look worried, Benny," he teased me. "You're not going to cry when I win are you?"

He was trying to provoke me, trying to psych me out. He was laughing but I could smell the fear on him. I hadn't been a top athlete my entire life not to know what was going on now. I said nothing, wanting him to think he had the upper hand. We both saw Coach Nickerson sit down the bench outside our court. He looked at his watch and then at me. We were over our allotted court time but it didn't matter.

"Good game, girls!" he yelled. "Don't worry about the court time! You're doing too good to quit now!"

From the look on Stefan's face it was obvious he was hoping Nickerson would call a halt but he didn't.

"What's the matter, Nancy?" I smiled. "Getting tired?"

He gave me the finger and served an ace. No matter. I had him and I knew it. I ran him from one side of the court to the other, pushing him, frustrating him. I took the third set at 6-4 and there was no doubt who won it. Stefan walked to the net and shook my hand. Coach Nickerson would have had his ass if he hadn't.

"Good game, Ben," he smiled. "I knew you were good. I just didn't realize how good."

He meant it and I felt like I was on top of the world.

"Thanks, Stefan. It was a good game. I enjoyed playing with you."

He leaned into me and gave me a man hug.

"Remember I promised I'd let you suck my dick if you won. Your place or mine?"

I pushed away from him and hit him in the shoulder, really hit him.

"Ouch!" he whined. "That's not what I call good sportsmanship. What do you think, Coach? The winner's not supposed to try to beat up the loser."

Coach Nickerson snorted.

"Not usually. But when it comes to assholes like you, Stefan, there are exceptions to the rule."

We all burst out laughing and walked away from the courts. I watched quietly as Stefan and Nickerson joked around and Nickerson gave some pointers about Stefan's unforced errors. I pretended to be engrossed in his teaching but I was watching Stefan, now so beautiful and relaxed, laughing and comfortable. I was thinking about his tease, his taunt about my being on my knees begging for his dick. It was what I dreamed of every day and I knew that if he were to put his naked cock in my face in a locker room I'd suck every drop of cum out of it in a heartbeat, even if every student in the university was watching.

"Ben, you know Saul and Vickers were supposed to practice this afternoon, too."

I was startled from my sexual fantasies. Coach was speaking to me.

"Saul said they were planning to be here but maybe something came up," I replied.

Those two assholes were in my dorm and unfortunately when I joined the tennis team they gave Nickerson the impression I was a good buddy of theirs. It was the opposite. I ran every time I saw them coming to keep from being associated with whatever shit they were pulling on that particular day. I was reluctant to enlighten Nickerson and was mulling over the way to tell him without alerting those two maniacs. Their exploits were well known on campus but they seemed to be popular with the coach, why I couldn't fathom. I cursed the fact that they were in my dorm and felt trapped by the impression that I was a friend of theirs.

No way was I going to tell Nickerson that Vickers had gotten into a fist fight with some guy off campus that morning and had ended up in jail. He'd find out soon enough. Vickers wasn't one to fuck around with. He was vicious as hell and he'd knock your lights out in a heartbeat if you pissed him off. He'd been kicked off the football team last year because he got in a fight with Ronnie Harrell for missing a field goal and put him in the hospital. Not only did Ronnie have to quit the football team to recover from his injuries, he'd transferred to the University of Georgia. The football coaches were furious over losing the best kicker in years to a rival school.

I swallowed hard and avoided the coach's eyes but it didn't matter. Apparently he already knew but was waiting to see if I'd tell him since I was such a good friend of theirs.

"Yeah, Ben, something came up alright," he said sarcastically. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news about your friend but I've just come from the jail."

"You know Coach, Vickers and Saul just happen to be in my dorm. I don't really know either of them well enough to be called a friend," I said vehemently.

Coach Nickerson patted me on the back and smiled.

"Well, that's good to know, Ben. I'd hate to think you were involved with all the shenanigans they're in."

Thank God I spoke up, I thought.

Stefan laughed. "Who stole Ricky's cinnamon roll?"

Nickerson snorted. "It wasn't his breakfast that was the problem today."

We all laughed. A few weeks earlier, Ricky Vickers had narrowly averted expulsion when he beat a guy to a pulp for stealing his cinnamon roll at breakfast in the student center. The only thing that saved him was university police found cocaine in Shawnte Morris's shirt pocket when they busted up the fight. Ricky seized the moment, swore Shawnte was high and that he'd attacked him first. The four of us around the table who saw what happened didn't dispute the claim. Nobody wanted to be on Ricky's shit list but that really didn't enter into it. We all hated the arrogant Shawnte and wanted to see him gone.

"So someone made a play for his girl, right?" Stefan was still laughing.

"A guy cut him off in traffic this morning and Ricky almost rear ended him. When the guy got out his car to yell at him, Ricky beat the living shit out of him; said the guy did it deliberately, saw him grin at him as he passed him before he slammed on his brakes."

"You know, Coach, I've heard people say there's a lot of that kind of thing going on around here lately," I said.

Nickerson nodded in agreement. "Well, this guy picked the wrong guy in Vickers; his father's a big time insurance lawyer. Vickers called me because his father lives over on the west coast so I went down and straightened things out. I called his father for him but he can't get here until tomorrow."

"So is he still in jail?" Stefan asked.

"Yeah, he's not getting out until the judge sets bail and no one here is going to put up his bail money. At least not me for damn sure. Anyway, his father told me to just let his ass sit in jail until he gets here. No doubt he's had to bail Ricky out of jail before."

"I'm sure his father won't have any problem establishing the fact there have been several other complaints about staged rear end collisions," I pointed out. "Ricky will get off on this without any problem."

"If the guy he beat the hell out of doesn't die. He's in a coma at the hospital."

"Holy shit, he really stepped into it this time! Good thing for him his father's a big ass California lawyer," Stefan snorted. "That's the only reason he didn't go to jail for what he did to Ronnie Harrell."

I was just totally disgusted. Stefan was right; Ricky would get off without so much as a ticket for his latest assault. That the rear end was a total set up was beside the point; his father may have been a big time hot shot attorney but Ricky needed to be stopped before he killed someone.

"I'm just tired of this fucking shit," I said. "Wherever Ricky Vickers is, there's always some kind of drama. I don't know about everyone else but it drives me goddamn crazy. He keeps the dorm in an uproar and I wish to God I could just move out of it. I swear, Coach, if you ever pair me with him I'll quit the team the same day."

Nickerson slapped me on the back and smiled.

"Why do you think I paired him with Saul Koch? Their fathers may be big time alumni supporters who put some serious dough in the athletic program but I'm not going to put any of my other players at risk. As long as nothing they do impacts the team I'll have to keep them and I'll leave it to the administration to deal with the fallout."

"That should be interesting," I said sarcastically. "The university doesn't give a damn as long as they've got money coming in."

"Please tell me Saul wasn't in the car with Ricky," Stefan snickered.

Nickerson rolled his eyes.

"Thank God, no. If he had been, I'd never have gone to the jail. I'm not too keen on being sued for being a Good Samaritan."

Saul Koch's father was a lawyer, too, and everyone knew he'd sued a doctor who'd scarred him while performing an onsite emergency tracheotomy trying to save the fool's life. It happened in a restaurant in Las Vegas where the doctor unfortunately happened to be dining at the same time as Mr. Koch. Mr. Koch claimed if the doctor had performed the Heimlich maneuver properly a tracheotomy wouldn't have been necessary. The doctor had consumed a couple of alcoholic drinks with his meal and Mr. Koch nearly got his medical license taken away because of it.

I felt Nickerson squeeze my shoulder. I looked up to see him smiling paternally.

"You don't need to worry, Ben. I paired you with Stefan because you're my two stars. You're a perfect match for each other; each one's strengths help to improve the other's weaknesses."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Coach," I laughed. "I've been here all of one week and already I'm a tennis star."

I preened like a peacock, mock sneering at Stefan. He shot me a bird but he laughed. Nickerson grinned like a Cheshire cat and he gave me another pat on the back. His next words stunned me.

"It just so happens that I've got the answer for your dorm problem, too. The heavens must be smiling on you, son. Stefan's roommate is leaving the university and he needs a roommate to keep him on the straight and narrow. What do you think about moving in with him?"

I froze. I couldn't imagine rooming with Stefan. Correction, I could imagine it. Me on my knees sucking his dick every night and making a fool of myself. I could also imagine hearing people call me a queer, imagine my family disowning me, imagine getting kicked off the football and tennis teams and losing my scholarship. The academic scholarship wasn't enough to pay my freight at the university and I'd have to get a job. The stipend the church was sending me as a favored minister's son would be jerked away and I'd probably be sent a bill to repay every penny I'd received over the last two and a half years. There was no way could I be his roommate, no matter how much I wanted it. My delay in answering seemed to worry the coach. And I was surprised to see that it seemed to worry Stefan even more.

"Come on, Chrichton! Don't be bashful, what do you think? Stefan spends too much time chasing skirts and not getting enough sleep. It's starting to affect his game and if he flunks out you're going to have to quit the football team to keep the university tennis program afloat.

Nickerson squeezed my shoulder, awaiting my reply and Stefan's face was red. He was embarrassed but he said nothing.

"Doesn't Stefan have some say in this?" I squeaked out.

"It was my idea," Stefan sheepishly smiled. "When Coach told me you'd joined the team and he was planning to pair us together I just figured it would work out great if you moved in with me."

I swallowed hard. So his embarrassment was because he thought I was going to reject his offer, not the coach's. I looked into Stefan's eyes and saw sincerity. My reservations melted away and I knew the answer was yes. There was no way I could say no to him so what the hell? I'd made it through my teenage years without blowing my cover; even with sleepovers and in locker rooms where I lusted after male friends.

"Look guys, I need to go," Coach said. "I'll let you two big stars work this out and if you both agree I'll see there are no problems with the move."

Nickerson smiled and walked away leaving the two of us in an uncomfortable silence. Stefan cleared his throat and spoke.

"Really, dude, I'm not such a bad guy to live with. I'm greater than my reputation makes me out to be. I'm a great roommate."

I rolled my eyes at him and laughed.

"That statement doesn't inspire me with a great deal of confidence. Greater than your reputation? Exactly how great is it that you see yourself, just great or really great or extraordinarily great?"

That broke the ice and we both started laughing. He playfully punched my upper arm with his fist.

"Come on, man," he grinned. "Remember English is not my first language. So I can't write Hallmark cards; move in with me. Please? Must I beg?"

We started walking toward the student center.

"You don't even know me, Stefan."

"Yeah, I do. You're the best wide receiver on our football team and I never miss a home game. Turns out, you're also the only guy on this campus who plays tennis worth a damn."

I raised my eyebrows and looked at him. He grinned.

"I meant other than me. Maybe one day you'll be as good as me. I can teach you a lot and I'll keep you on your toes."

"Oh, yeah? Who just got his ass smoked on the tennis court?"

Suddenly I wondered if Stefan might want me as a roommate as the lesser of another evil. Something else was going on, I could sense it. I looked at him with distrust and I knew he saw it.

"Answer me this one thing. Who is it that you are trying to keep from becoming your roommate?"

Stefan's laughter rang across the campus. He put his arm around me and he spoke like he was revealing a top secret.

"You don't trust people very much, do you? I won't lie to you. Mike Collins has his name on the list to get a room change because he hates his roommate. Or his roommate hates him. Whichever. I can't stand either one of them. I'd move off campus before I'd let Collins room with me.

His eyes were dancing with laughter and I was totally charmed by him.

"So you picked me, huh? As I said before, you don't know me, Stefan. What if I'm a total jerk?"

There was that sexy grin of his again.

"You're not. I've checked you out. You've got a good reputation, your roommate says he's lucky to have you, and you're not some dunce who'll want me to tutor him in every subject for free."

I pulled away from him, amused at his arrogance.

"You talked to my roommate?"

"Hiram sits next to me in my Asian history class. Plus, he's active in student government so I've known him for a long time. I know he's your roommate so I asked him."

"Oh, did you now? That's pretty goddamn bold of you."

"He says you're the perfect roommate; easy to get along with, a good sense of humor, and you don't snore."

"And you're willing to stab your good friend Hiram in the back by stealing his roommate? Better yet, you expect me to stab my perfect roommate in the back by moving out?"

This was getting more interesting by the minute and I enjoyed watching him squirm.

"Hey, Hiram's a senior and he's graduating at the end of this semester. He says your dorm already has a couple of people in it without a roommate. Actually, I think he'd rather like having a dorm room to himself. Maybe you're inhibiting his masturbation habits."

We both laughed at that.

"Come to think of it, I wonder if he can even touch his dick," he giggled. "How does he manage to jack off? Do you know?"

I gave him the evil eye and he smirked.

"I can't imagine it," I chuckled. "I've never interrupted him jacking off and actually I've wondered a few times if he even does it. Maybe people that fat don't generate enough testosterone to get the itch for it."

"So you have an interest in Hiram's sex life? Do I need to worry about you being my roommate?"

I slapped him on the back of the head and he laughed.

"YOU don't need to worry but do I? Am I going to spend every night in the lounge while you fuck your latest conquest?"

He made the sign of the cross over his heart.

"I swear, scout's honor, it won't happen."

"Yeah, right. All I've heard about while you were gone is how you fucked every girl on the team and god only knows how many at the university. By the way, most of those girls on the team would like to cut your nuts off. And I'm supposed to believe that you're going to be a reformed sex maniac."

"Yeah, you are. The last two roommates I've had are the ones who were the sex crazed maniacs and I don't care what you've heard about me or what Nickerson said either. You and I are both majoring in computer engineering and math. I can't take getting kicked out the room for my roommate to fuck some bimbo any more than you can. It was okay for a while but no more. My classes are getting harder and I've just got too much to handle."

He looked at me with an exaggerated wounded puppy look and I laughed at him. However, inside my heart melted and I felt my cock dripping with pre-cum.

"What's up with you and Asian history?"

He groaned.

"Hey, we've got to take a couple of history classes to graduate. You know that. I took Asian history because I studied it when I was a senior in high school and it wasn't hard. Plus, I thought Hiram might help if I got in trouble. What a fucking mistake. You should see the syllabus. I'm starting a week late and it's already like I've got a shit load of stuff to catch up on and the bitch must think Asian history is the only class I'm taking this semester."

I decided to take pity on him.

"You don't know much about the courses they offer here, do you?" I teased him. "Or about the professors, right? For one thing, Asian history is a 400 class. That's as advanced as you get as an undergraduate and unless you're a history major, you're a real dick to sign up for a 400 class."

"So now you're ready to see my dick?" he retorted, grabbing his crotch and grinning at me.

"Hey, your dick's not going to help with Dr. Chang. She's a fire breathing lesbian and she hates men. There's mostly women in that class, am I right?"

Stefan grabbed his head and moaned.

"Goddamn, I knew something was wrong in there. And I flirted with her."

"Yeah? And about now she's probably chanting to some Chinese god to shrivel your dick up."

"Oh, my god, my advisor's been on my ass for a year to take a goddamn history class. That bastard recommended this and I'm going to flunk that fucking class, aren't I? So what the hell's Hiram doing in there? He probably knows all about this bitch."

He looked sick.

"It's not a risk I'd take, I can tell you that. Hiram's a history major focusing on Oriental history. Plus, his grandma's from Hong Kong. He doesn't look Oriental but it's obvious he's not fully Caucasian. Chang thinks he hung the moon."

"Shit! I figured maybe he was an Indian or something. I don't pay attention to what guys look like, you know."

Stefan took a deep breath and shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh, well, I'll go to the registrar and drop the course tomorrow. I've still got time. I'm just going to have to deal with Dr. Shepard. God, I wish I could get another advisor. He's always on my ass about something and now he wants me to take a sculpture class. When I drop history that's probably where I'll end up."

I looked at him in disbelief.

"You're pretty dense, Stefan, pretty damn dense. Dr. Shepard is on your ass because he's gay and he'd probably give anything to fuck you. And his sister is Dr. Louise Jones, the head of the Fine Arts department."

He was amazed, his eyes wide like he'd seen a ghost.

"Oh. My. God. I can usually tell when a guy's queer. I never suspected Shepard, never. Damn, man. He's a retired Army Ranger."

"Do you think he would have made it to retirement from the Army if he pinged everyone's gaydar? Not every gay man wears pink shirts and arranges flowers."

"Man, he's got grown kids. He's got their pictures on his desk."

"Like I said, you're dense. Homosexuals get married and have kids. It's not that unusual, particularly if you're trying to make it in the military."

"God, my dad says I'm just a dumb blond airhead. I guess he's right."

We both laughed.

"Yeah, he's right."

"Well, I'll bet I'm the best looking dumb blond you've ever met," he deadpanned.