Walking an Endless Path Pt. 01

Joe turned back towards Amy and saw she was surrounded by her friends. She was okay, and she gave him a sweet little smile. The tension left his body. Suddenly his legs wouldn't support him, and he felt himself falling, then nothing.

Chapter 5

Joe was suspended for two weeks for his involvement in the fight. Doc Watson gave him a thorough exam because of his fainting at the end but found nothing to be concerned with. The boy grew increasingly restless during this time at home, and his appetite skyrocketed. It felt like he was always hungry. He asked for second and third helpings at each meal. Clara was delighted to see her little man gobbling up her cooking, as she'd always been concerned about how much smaller he was than his friends. By the end of the two weeks, she was surprised to notice Joseph's pant cuffs no longer rested on his shoes. They were threatening to become floods! She took him to town and bought him new pants with room to grow. She also had to get him new shirts as his sleeves were too short. They headed to the shoe store when he mentioned his shoes pinched. Clara was beaming. Her little man was growing up.

When Joe returned to school, everything felt different. It made him uncomfortable. Suddenly people noticed him. He wasn't in the shadows anymore. He'd taken the Wexler boys down a peg or two. Sure, he'd passed out at the end but not before those bullies had gotten a good beating. The girls who thought he was dreamy now thought he was dreamy and dangerous, a potent combination. And didn't he look a little bigger?

Joe had no idea what to do with so much attention. So, he did his best to politely ignore it, but his shyness increased.

Unfortunately, he'd also gotten the attention of the school's trouble makers. They didn't like this new element. The Wexler brothers were not at the top of the bully hierarchy, but considering how he had taken all three down in one fight, there was considerable agitation amongst the others. Not to mention the Wexlers, who were looking to get their reputation back.

Coach Rawlings threw a monkey wrench into their plotting, however. He took Joe under his wing for the remainder of the year and introduced him to bodybuilding. His instincts were telling him that the boy was hitting a growth spurt. Puberty had arrived early for Joe, and such young men are flooded with growth hormones and testosterone. Pointing it in a positive direction would yield great results in the future. The coach hoped Joe might one day join the football team or get involved in track if he could help build the boy up. Rawlings was all about long-term investments. After several months, Joe was so enthralled by his progress he asked his father for a set of free weights for his birthday.

Karl and Clara were also amazed by Joe's growth in this period. By the time he turned twelve, he'd grown to five foot three, pushing him into the top percentile. Fueling this rapid growth, his appetite continued to soar. Karl joked that he was eating them out of house and home, but Clara loved cooking for her family and was so grateful that Joseph was catching up and passing his peers.

He was also packing on some solid muscle which he put to excellent use with his chores around the farm.

Amy continued to be pixie-sized as she took after her mother. She also showed signs of becoming a true beauty, and her grades were at the top of her class, again like her mother. She got involved in the drama club at school and showed a natural talent for acting. Joe joined the drama club too but remained in the background, building sets, operating the lighting, or whatever was needed as long as he could help out his sister. He still ate lunch with her and her friends, but he was starting to tower over them by this time.

Another school year was ending, and Joe avoided confrontations with any of the school's bullies. Of course, by this point, he was almost the tallest in his class and stronger than any of them. As he hadn't targeted any troublemakers, their silent consensus was to avoid him as well.

Robbie Wexler couldn't forget, though. His humiliation in front of so many people had been Joe's fault. He'd lost the respect of his brothers too. He burned for revenge, and he would get it.

Chapter 6

Joe woke with a smile on his face. It was a special day. His sixteenth birthday! His parents were throwing a party at the new BigGameZone in town for him and his friends. It had just opened a month before and had laser tag, paintball, arcade games, indoor go-carts, movies, restaurants, and, ugh, even a club for dancing. First, he'd invited his buddy and neighbor, Daniel. Joe didn't see Daniel's cousin Beth on the couch until she asked if she could come. He invited her too because he felt awkward. Then at school, he'd invited the guys he and Daniel sometimes hung out with: Ben, Wally, Michael, and Sam. The following day, Beth met him at his locker and presented him with a list of people she said wanted to be invited. He looked at the list and realized it was all girls: Rebecca, Hanna, Emily, Jeannie, Ashley, Elizabeth, Jennifer, Taylor, and... uh oh, Chloe (or Clingy as Amy called her). Beth was waiting for an answer, so he mumbled his agreement. She walked away with a strange smile.

Amy was bringing four of her friends too, twenty people were coming to his party! He was worried his parents would tell him there were too many. Then he'd have to face all those girls and tell them they couldn't come. But his parents were delighted he had so many friends to share his birthday with.

As he went through his morning workout, he tried to put that list of girls out of his mind. Except for his sister Amy, he was always so tongue-tied around girls. With Chloe included in his party, he knew he was in for trouble. Amy was right on the mark with that nickname. Chloe always managed to get the seat next to him on the bus ride home. She'd press her curvy body against him, trapping him against the window. She seemed to enjoy the blush that crept up his neck and face as her softness rested against his arm, the warmth of her hip and leg against his.

Joe shook his head to clear it and used that nervous energy to finish his workout.

He quickly showered, dressed, and ran downstairs to the kitchen, where his mom made his favorite breakfast. It was going to be a great day!

-=-

BigGameZone was one of the new businesses attracted to the growing town. With so many families moving in, there were lots of kids looking for someplace to burn off their energy and a lot of grateful parents looking for a safe place to dump their overcharged kids. The huge complex hired many local seniors and teens to staff the facility. Robbie Wexler was working the intake desk. His Dad had gotten him the job to get him out of the house because he was sick of seeing his miserable face. Robbie was responsible for signing in the party groups and directing them to their assigned rooms. Once the groups were signed in for their scheduled times, Robbie would join the other junior workers for clean-up detail. This entailed emptying the trash cans and hauling the bags to the bins outside. Typically, the bags were full of stale pizza, cold chicken wings, melting ice cream cake, and torn gift wrap. Heavy shit to carry, and the cheap bags would rip if you didn't hold them off the ground all the way to the bin. If they tore open, he'd have to clean that mess up. He fucking hated the job, but he knew his old man would kick the shit out of him if he got fired again.

Today was looking up, though. He saw that Joe Neumann was having a birthday party at two. Robbie started to get excited. Finally, he had an opportunity to teach that fucker a lesson. He scanned the guest list and saw the names he expected to see. So many bitches were fawning over that freak. He wracked his brain for a plan for vengeance. It all depended on where Joe went when he got here. The place was really big.

Robbie wouldn't be able to touch him if he went to the go-carts as only the senior staff were allowed to work there. They'd notice him right away if he tried tampering with the carts. It would also be too hard to pick the right one to get Joe. The thought of shooting Joe in the nads in the Paintball arena made him grin, but again, he didn't normally work in that section. He was largely restricted to the party rooms, the movie theatres, and the dance club.

Hmmm...

So many girls. They liked to dance, and they liked Joe. Robbie bet they would try to get Joe into that area.

He started one of his clean-up runs while thinking about how to use this to his advantage. Robbie opened the lid on the trash in party room three and yanked his head back and away from the vapors coming from the bag. Gawd, that was foul! Smelled like something had crawled into the can to die.

A slow smile spread across Robbie's face as he got a wicked idea. It was truly fucking nasty! It was perfect!

He quickly but carefully pulled the heavy bag of spoiled food and trash from the can, spun the top closed, and tied a knot in it, trapping the funk inside. He carried the bag carefully to the service hallway that led to the dumpsters. It also passed the stairs that led up to the lighting catwalks above the dance club. Seeing no one else in the hall, he ducked into the stairwell and climbed up to the walkway that ran the length of the club's south wall. He couldn't open the door at the top of the stairs very wide as something was blocking it. He squeezed through with the bag and gently set it down on the walkway. He saw a stack of extra scaffolding pipes tied up on the walkway behind the door.

"Lazy bastards shouldn't have left the fucking shit there," he thought. Then he looked over the edge of the walkway down into the club. The mounting system hung below, which supported the light show machines, the spots, and some speakers. It was a twenty-foot drop below that to the floor. A few narrow walkways spanned the club's width to the north side walkway. He climbed up onto one and looked below to see how easy it would be to deploy his little bomb onto Joe's head. There were some fairly wide gaps between the lights and speakers, so he could drop it through, but it would take precise timing for his weapon to have maximum impact.

Robbie giggled as he imagined the horror on the faces of all those sluts as the garbage bag exploded over Joe, splashing all over the girls too. He made his way back over to the bag. It was safe for now. He opened the stairwell door and struggled to get it open again. The bloody extra scaffolding had settled a little more against the door. He gave the pile a frustrated kick and yanked the door open until he could squeeze through. He hurried back down and carefully listened to ensure the hallway was empty before heading back to the front desk. It was almost time for his special guest to arrive.

Chapter 7

Joe stood on the sidewalk outside the entertainment complex, waiting for his friends to arrive. He wore his black jeans, and his sister insisted he wear his deep-navy-blue button-down shirt. He felt overdressed for the games he intended to play, but he supposed the dark colors would be an advantage in the dark laser tag arena.

Amy was by his side talking with her friend Rachel who'd been waiting with her mother when Joe's parents dropped them off. He could hear Amy and Rachel giggling and chatting with each other in that magic and mysterious language that only young girls knew. He certainly couldn't follow it.

Then his guests started to arrive. Mrs. McCalahan dropped off Daniel and Beth. Then came Ben, Michael, and Wally, who lived in town and walked over together. Michael told Joe that Sam wouldn't be coming as he was grounded. Joe had twenty all-day passes in his pocket and some extra cash in his wallet that his father handed him for just-in-case scenarios. He was a little surprised that none of the girls from the list had shown up, but frankly, he was a little relieved.

Just as he was about to take his friends inside, a white stretched limo pulled up to the curb. The driver got out and hustled over to the back door. He pulled it open, and a long slim leg stepped out of the car, followed by a second equally svelte limb.

Tall, blond, and gorgeous in a shimmering gold party dress, Taylor stepped onto the curb with a smile and turned back to the car.

Next came Emily, mahogany tresses pulled up in a loose bun with ringlets at her temples, wearing a scarlet dress that clung to her slim frame.

Elizabeth stepped out next, her straight raven hair shining and pouring down the back of her iridescent white dress to the middle of her back.

With her fiery mane of red hair, Rebecca was a dream in an emerald dress that seemed to swirl around her body.

Strawberry blond Hanna was delicious in a chocolate brown dress that ended mid-thigh in a froth of ruffles.

Jeannie wore short black pixie braids and dazzled in a pink dress that left one shoulder bare.

Ashley's auburn locks flowed down to her shoulders, and she glowed in her yellow sequined dress.

Finally, with her shoulder-length blond hair flipped up at the ends, Jennifer looked regal in royal blue.

They were lined up beside the limo, each looking like they should be walking down the red carpet at the Oscars, not preparing to spend the day celebrating a sixteenth birthday party at BigGameZone. Joe realized he was standing there staring with his mouth open.

Then the line of girls walked towards him in single file, and each touched his arm, gave him a big smile, wished him a happy birthday, and walked onwards to the door of the complex. They must have rehearsed this, he thought.

Just as Jennifer walked past him, the white limo left the curb, and a black town car pulled up. Chloe stepped out. Joe felt his jaw go slack again. Chloe had cut her long straight white-blond hair so that it curled in at the bottom to touch the base of her long slender neck. Her ice blue eyes flashed with joy under straight bangs, and her frost pink lips smiled with satisfaction at his stunned expression as she stepped towards him. Like Joe, Chloe had been visited early by the puberty fairy. She had generous curves where the other girls were still in the early stages of their development toward adulthood. Her ice-blue dress shimmered in the afternoon sun and struggled to contain those curves, especially on top due to its low cut. Where Joe was now six feet tall, Chloe was also gifted with stature and stood just two inches shy of him. Her short dress revealed that much of her height came from her toned runner's legs that went on and on. As she passed him, she stroked under his chin gently, closing his mouth with her fingertips, a smile still on her lips.

Joe flushed deep crimson and struggled to swallow. He followed the ladies into the complex with his sister, her friends, and his male friends in tow.

As he walked towards the counter to hand in the day passes, he spotted Robbie Wexler. Not his favorite person, but he could be friendly if Robbie kept it cool. It looked like Robbie hadn't even seen him as the distraction behind him drew every male eye.

"Hi. Nineteen day passes for the Neumann party," Joe said.

Robbie finally tore his eyes away from the lovely ladies and glanced at Joe. He looked down at the passes and collected them. He pulled out a batch of white wristbands, counted nineteen, and handed them to Joe.

"Everyone needs to be wearing one of these. Your party room is number two, just down there to the right." He looked Joe right in the eye. "Enjoy your day at BigGameZone!"

Joe found the look in Robbie's eyes a little unnerving. There was something sick and manic in them.

Putting Robbie out of his mind, Joe clipped a wristband on himself and walked back to his group with the rest. He handed a bunch to his sister, who distributed them to her friends and the boys. Joe turned to the ladies. He was conscious of how amazing they all looked! He felt his skin flush, and it felt odd, like the pins and needles feeling from a pinched nerve, only the sensation was all over his body. He'd never felt that before.

One at a time, the ladies came forward for Joe to fasten their wrist bands in place. Each girl reached out an arm to him, wrist up. Joe's face began to burn with shy embarrassment, and he tried to keep his tingling hands from trembling as he looped the band around their arm, leaving a little slack for comfort. He held it in place with his thumb on the tender flesh of their inner wrist. Then he'd pinch the clip closed with his other hand. Joe was unaware of how his thumb's touch affected each of the ladies. As he progressed through the group, the ones he'd touched began noticing that each was rubbing their wrist gently and seemed a little flushed. Some were a little self-conscious, but others stared back at Joe.

He looked up when he had just one band left. Chloe stood before him with a knowing smile still on her lips. Joe thought she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen and felt dizzy. That tingling sensation in his skin was becoming almost unbearable. She reached both hands forward, wrist up, to let him choose where to place the band. In his dizzy state, Joe got a little confused and took a wrist in each of his big hands. Chloe felt a warm shock shoot up through her arms and branch out in all directions. Her eyes closed, her chin tucked in towards her neck, and she suddenly gasped quietly as a gentle tingling sensation cascaded throughout every nerve in her body. It felt like every hair was beginning to stand straight up. Joe jerked his hands back when he felt the tingle rush through his arms. He thought he'd given Chloe a static shock and hurt her somehow. Her eyes snapped open and locked on his when he broke their connection. Joe was surprised by the heat he saw in that look. He quickly slipped her band onto her wrist, careful not to touch her again. Joe smiled at her weakly and stepped over to speak with his sister. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the other ladies swoop in to gather around Chloe in a huddle.

"Amy, can I talk with you, please?" he asked in a quiet, desperate voice.

Amy looked up at his worried expression, and he saw a look of compassion cross her sweet features. She nodded, took his arm, and led him to the side, away from their group.

"I have a really bad feeling about this. This party is not turning out to be what I expected at all," he said.

While Amy was three years younger than her big brother, she seemed far more mature. She had hoped her brother might be ready to appreciate the attention he was generating, but he was still far too shy to be comfortable. Still, maybe what he needed from her was a little tough love to break through that shyness. It was obvious to her that the girls hadn't come dressed to ride go-carts. Time to put on her mom voice.

"Joseph, the ladies came to your party to dance. They are your guests. You need to spend a little time with them before you play."

Joe pursed his lips nervously and looked into his little sister's eyes. He sighed, and the tension left his shoulders. He nodded. "Okay," was all he said. He knew Amy was so much better with people than him, and he trusted her completely.

"Dan, I'll meet you guys in a little while, okay?" he said to his friend. Daniel grinned at him, shaking his head as he walked towards the go-carts with the guys.

Amy smiled at her big brother, patted his hand then took her friends towards the theatres. As she walked away, she rubbed her fingers together unconsciously. They were tingling like they'd fallen asleep.

Squaring his shoulders, Joe walked back towards the group of young women. "Would you ladies like to accompany me to the club?" Joe said, his voice only wobbling a little.

Smiles beamed out from nine faces. They turned and walked towards the music encircling Joe.