Trapped at the Reunion Ch. 04

"Aw, it's okay. Thank you." Andre answered with a soft smile. Andre's dad had died over a year ago, and while Chuck couldn't make it to the funeral due to a business trip, throngs of people from Fairview High came to pay their respects. Andre couldn't even remember how many people had shaken his hands and hugged him and left their tears on the shoulders of his suit by the end of the day.

"You should have seen how many people were at the funeral," Kenji said. "So many students and alumni and even retired teachers and school staff came. Mr. Hicks was really well-loved."

"Yeah, it was really nice. They're actually having a little tribute to him in a moment," Andre said. "I'm supposed to say a few words about him and-- Oh, looks like it's starting."

The lights dimmed and they turned towards the front of the hall, where Andre's dad's face was projected onto a huge screen with the words "In Memory of Charles Alexander Hicks" beneath it. A middle-aged man, apparently the current principal, came up to the podium.

"Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the 20-year reunion of Fairview High's Class of 2012!" he said, drawing out the words. Applause roared.

"Before I let you all get back to your mingling, I would like to take a moment to honor a man that was truly an influence at Fairview when he was with us. Charles Hicks, or as he was known to most of you, Mr. Hicks." A few faces turned around and gave Andre looks of sympathy, which he reciprocated with awkward nodding. Photos of Andre's dad began flowing through the screen as the speaker continued, "Mr. Hicks taught Physics at Fairview High for over 30 years. He was an incredible teacher, one that always inspired students to learn and believe in their own capabilities. Winning several teaching awards throughout his career at Fairview, Mr. Hicks was undeniably one of the best educators in the school's history. To his colleagues, Charles was always the friendliest face in the teachers' lounge, always..."

Suddenly, Andre felt a buzz in his pocket. He pulled his phone out to see a message from Ben Olivari, his dad's lawyer: "Meet me outside the hall. Right now. Have something important to give you. Bring Chuck, Kenji, and Joel."

Andre frowned. Discreetly, he passed the phone to Joel, who squinted at the screen and mouthed a "What," to which Andre shrugged. To Joel's left, Kenji and Chuck peeked at the message, their brows drawing together in confusion.

"Ben Olivari?" Kenji whispered. "Didn't he graduate a year before us?"

"Yeah." Andre looked at the screen one more time, making sure he believed his eyes, before putting the phone back inside his pocket. "He came back to Fairview after law school. Was my dad's lawyer. Did his will and stuff."

"Why the hell is he texting you in the middle of this?" Chuck asked.

"And what do we have anything to do with it?" Joel added.

"I don't know, but we should probably go see him," Andre said. Quietly, he slithered through the crowd, with Joel, Kenji, and Chuck following closely behind him, and headed towards the main door. When he got out, Ben was standing with a yellow envelope in his hand.

"Ah, you are all here. Perfect," Ben said, smiling.

"Ben," Andre said. "What's happening? Why are you here?"

"Yeah, aren't you class of 2011? Your reunion was last year, you know," Kenji said.

"I know. I'm not planning to crash your party. I just had to give you this." Ben held out the envelope.

Andre tentatively took it in his hand. "What is this?"

"Part of your father's will."

"What? I thought his will was finalized long ago."

"It was. But before he died, he gave me instructions to leave this part out until this particular day. He also told me to make sure you three," Ben turned to Kenji, Chuck, and Joel, "are present."

"Huh? Did he leave something for us?" Joel asked.

"Yup, he left y'all a property, a huge abandoned steel factory or something near the freeway, an hour away from here. Don't know how he even got it in the first place, but that's not my problem," Ben explained. "That's not the only thing in there, by the way. I mean, I know that part of the will is in there, but he left some other stuff for y'all too. Notes or something. I never opened it so I don't know. Trust me, I'm just as confused as you are. He really insisted on letting y'all know about this at the reunion, so that's why I'm here."

"Oh, uh...sure, thanks, Ben," Andre said.

"No prob. Gotta go now. Have a great rest of the night," Ben said and walked away, leaving them in the lobby, too stunned to even utter a reply.

"What the fuck?" Andre muttered after Ben was gone. He opened the envelope and first pulled out a sheet of paper. The will.

"Oh, look, those are our names," Kenji pointed out. "Holy shit, your dad did leave it to us."

Chuck took the will from Andre's hands and studied it, while Andre fished the remaining papers out of the envelope. "Yeah, that's so weird. How does your dad have--"

"Oh my god."

"What?" Joel asked. When they looked down at Andre's hands, they realized that he was holding a stack of photos. Four of them.

"Wait, is that what I think it is?" Chuck said, his voice shaking.

"No way..." Joel murmured. Andre flipped through the pictures, and they collectively lost their breaths. They were photos of them in the rooms. Not having sex, not even naked. It was Kenji and Chuck grabbing towels from their lockers. Chuck and Joel having a standoff in front of the sinks. Andre grading the test while Kenji slumped over a desk. Joel and Andre in the center of the dance floor.

"What the fuck..." Andre said, the words barely congealing.

"S-so," Kenji stammered. "Y-your dad was the one behind--"

"And now, I would like to invite Mr. Hicks' son, Andre, to come up here to say a few words in memory of his father," the voice suddenly rang from inside the hall. Startled, Andre dropped the envelope onto the ground. A piece of paper slipped out.

"Andre? Is he here? Andre? If you're here, please join me on stage," the voice continued. "Andre? He was just here, right? Did anyone see him..." The commotion inside the hall was getting louder, but all they could focus on was the piece of paper on the floor. Andre knelt down to pick up, shivering at the realization that it was the same handwriting on the folder in the classroom. The one that said "Hicks." They read the note. Stomachs churning, throats dry.

"Thanks for indulging me. Hope you had fun. Best, Charles."

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A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this series as much as I did creating it. Read on if you want to know my inspiration and intention behind this series. In any case, ratings and comments are much appreciated!

I first had an idea to do a series that resembled those gay porn films that have an ensemble cast and multiple parts, each of which featuring two or three cast members, that may or may not cohere into an actual plot. I personally haven't come across any series with this structure so I was excited to bring something new to the table. I also wanted to set my story in a high school reunion, inspired by the gay porn film "Dream Team" (1999), which I highly recommend for those interested. The "escape room" aspect was inspired by "Escape Room for Jocks" by MrSunshineBoy on Literotica as well as the dollhouse from the show "Pretty Little Liars."

For the series, I wanted to incorporate classic high school sexual fantasies: locker room, victim's revenge on bully, teacher-student, and just a cute couple of high school sweethearts. At the same time, I hope you've noticed the theme of the pain that gay men experience throughout their teenage years: bullying, internalized homophobia, loneliness, pressure to conform, and relationships that never got a chance to really thrive. Perhaps you relate to some of the characters in this series, and if not, that's perfectly fine. Either way, thank you so so much for reading!