Call Out Your Name Ch. 06

I received so much feedback from readers upset by the death of my main characters that I decided to write this alternate ending for those of you who wanted a live Happy Ever After for Jesse and Shane. I apologize to anyone who was shocked by my first ending, although I stand by it since tragedy is a part of our lives. This is for you and takes up where Chapter 4 ends so some of it was covered in the original Chapter 5. Enjoy.

I woke up the following morning before my alarm clock went off feeling well rested.

I shouldn't have been surprised really. The Fine Arts Presentation ended before nine, and Jesse's mother wanted him to go directly home. Without any opportunity to be alone, especially under the gaze of his family, all he and I could do was speak in general terms. I offered my praise for the good work he'd done on stage in his drama presentations and dances. He thanked me for showing up, and even his eyes were silent lest he give any of his feelings away. There was some lingering curiosity from our fellow-students, but neither of us was inclined to further entertain them by displaying our affection publicly. Our stares across the parking lot spoke our regret for us, and then he was gone.

My dad's house was... no surprise... dark. It was odd being home at this time of night with nothing to do, so I used the occasion to study for my upcoming finals. We seniors had to take them early due to next week's graduation and all the end-of-year activities. Jesse sent me a good night text, and I went to bed early enough to get a full eight hours of sleep.

So here I was, awake and thinking about Jesse's dance from last night and wondering if it was going to change my life here in Calberia. Should I worry or be happy about it? For once I had behaved fearlessly and didn't worry over who knew or what the other students had seen and interpreted. Also with Jesse's family in the audience, it was as if he was announcing his intentions loud and clear, and I wished that courage could carry over so that I was able to proudly introduce him as my boyfriend to my family. But... just no.

Not for the first time I reflected how much easier my life would be if Jesse was female. Now don't get me wrong. I'm glad he's a man. I adore his lithe body with all its masculine parts as much as I appreciate how we can be dirty and nasty together. Two male friends who don't have to worry about offending more sensitive ears with our jokes and bullshitting. I enjoy being with him as two men in love, but there's no getting around the fact that if Jesse had been a girl I wouldn't need to tiptoe around my father. And it was going to get worse before it got better.

I was in an almost impossible situation where, as my living arrangements stood now, I'd probably never be able to do anything other than hide my attraction for Jesse and skulk around to see him, all the while afraid of detection. At least Uncle Carl had added me as a full-time employee over the summer so leaving high school in a week would allow me to cram as many hours on his boats as I could get. Jesse was looking for work too, and I might even have to take on a second job to earn enough money to move out. That was the goal, but once college started in the fall, taking a full load of classes, playing football for the Hope Ranch team and working full time was going to be exhausting. Frankly, I couldn't see how I'd manage, but in order to live openly with my boyfriend, I would have to find a way.

I arrived at school and very little seemed to have changed for Jesse and me, although we caught a few inquisitive glances. I think our classmates were waiting for us to take the first step, and that we didn't made some of them second guess what they had witnessed at the FAP. Maybe, they rationalized, Jesse had been actually staring at one of the girls sitting behind me, not at me directly. Possibly my intense scrutiny was due to him being my best friend.

It was a quiet day... until I trotted into the parking lot after the bell rang to find Jesse leaning tensely against his Cherokee reading what looked suspiciously like another stalker note. He hadn't even heard me approach and jumped when I put my hand out to take it from him. He listened sheepishly when I read out loud.

"Haf fun w/Ur faggot boy 4 now but Ur days are #'d."

I felt myself go pale. Of the twelve or so threats that Jesse had received over the last four and a half months, this was the first one to ever mention me.

"He must have been at the FAP last night," Jesse whispered in anguish. "He saw me sing to you and that's why he's dragging you into my problem now. I'm so sorry, Shane."

I shook my head and resisted balling the note in my fist because all of them were evidence against this wacko asshole. "I don't care about that, Baby. What I care about is getting this guy locked up or whatever it takes so he can't bother you anymore."

He didn't answer me, and I pressed him. "Are you scared now?"

I looked into his pale brown eyes and saw it. He was frightened, but not for himself. For me. Good enough, I'd use it if he was finally willing to talk to someone in authority about the harassment.

"Let's go see Mr. Peabody right now," I suggested, knowing the principal was still in his office. "Get the ones out of your locker. I'll back you up, okay?"

"I can't today," Jesse answered, taking the note back from me and folding it into his binder. "I promised my sister I'd come home right after school because she needs me to watch my nephew for a few hours. She has to go to Santa Barbara and buy a textbook for a summer class at the university she's enrolled in."

I sighed, hoping this wasn't one of Jesse's avoiding tactics again. "Can't she postpone? This is important."

Jesse paused in thought, and for a fraction of a second I actually believed he might do it. Then his face fell. "No, I don't want to ask her to put it off. This can wait one more day."

"Alright, but remember, you promised so we talk to him no later than tomorrow."

He smiled, and I swear, the look he threw me was self-satisfied, like he'd once again bargained his way out of trouble. I didn't want to snap at him and start another argument, but even scared about the threats, he wasn't going to do anything about them unless I forced him. I was tired of it all. Mostly I was tired of being scared too.

Jesse and I had decided not to see each other that evening. Jenna, his sister, was known for changing plans at the last minute, especially if she had a willing babysitter for her son. Her errand of a few hours could magically expand into running into friends on campus and deciding to go out for dinner and a movie. As for me, it was one of the few nights when I didn't know my father's plans ahead of time, so he might arrive home right after work or he might spend the night with his girlfriend. Even if he hadn't been my boyfriend, it wouldn't be wise to have Jesse in the house alone with me should Dad bother to show up.

It was 7:30 and my mind was fully engaged in studying for a difficult 2nd period Trigonometry final I would be taking on Thursday, two days away. I had solid A's in every subject except math where my grade was teetering between a B-/C+, and if I got a high score on the exam I might even get an A- because of the extra credit I'd slaved over for two hours after school.

My phone lit up with an incoming call, and of course it was Jesse. "Watcha doing?" he chirped.

"Cramming for my Trig final." I stretched out the kinks in my back.

"Is your dad home?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure," I answered, suddenly curious. I stepped into the hall and listened to silence as I made my way to the living room to look through the blinds. Except for my Impala the driveway was empty.

"No. He must be with Jillian again." Usually if my father wasn't home by seven he wouldn't be here at all.

"Why don't I come over then and keep you company? Jenna got back an hour ago and I'm bored. Besides, we haven't had a chance to spend any time together since last Friday."

He was right about that. I'd worked all weekend for my uncle on the Sorsha Lynn, including a longer-than-usual charter up the Pacific coastline on Saturday where we didn't put into port until almost nine o'clock. On Sunday he'd spent the evening with his family at some relative's birthday party, and last night was the FAP. It had been four days since we'd made love.

Still, the day had been exhausting. I was tired and needed to study. "Not tonight, Jesse."

"Ah, come on, Blondie. Just for a little while?"

We bickered back and forth while I tried to convince him how important the test was for me and why I needed so much study time for it. When we hung up I thought that was it. Fifteen minutes later I heard a knock on the front door at the same time that my phone buzzed again.

"It's me outside," Jesse crowed. "Let me in."

Groaning inwardly I got up and opened the front door to find him lounging on the porch looking smug. "Hiya, Blondie. I couldn't wait until tomorrow to see you, so here I am."

He tried to pull me into a hug and I stood there stiffly. To tell the truth, I was irritated that he wouldn't take me seriously. He thought he could just come over when I specifically asked him to stay home.

Jesse pouted at me in fun. "Don't tell me you're mad," he said, letting his voice drop seductively. He lifted his backpack off his shoulder. "See, I brought my books too. We can cram together."

Yeah, like that was going to work. Except for the Brontë sisters project, every time we tried to get together to study, we ended up fucking or going down on each other. It was like we couldn't be in the same room and keep our hands off each other without a chaperone.

I brought this up. "You know what will happen, Jesse. I wish you would listen to me when I'm trying to be serious and not override my decisions. I meant what I said about my Trig grade. I have to raise it."

"I know something else you're good at raising," he smirked, looking down at the bulge in his jeans.

"See?" I exclaimed in frustration, turning and marching into my bedroom. "That's exactly what I was talking about. Thanks, Jesse, you have proven my point."

He followed on my heels, trying to keep from giggling. "I'm just yanking your chain. But honestly, what's the deal with your math grade? You're just going to a community college next year. You don't need straight A's."

I was going to retort that the reason I wasn't attending a university was because of him until I realized I was the one pushing Hope Ranch, not Jesse. My mouth snapped shut. Part of what he said made sense, but I had perfectionist tendencies, and getting a good grade in Trig was a challenge to me. It was a personal goal.

I made Jesse sit on the chair in front of my computer stand while I took the bed, and for a little while we did get some work done. Presently Jesse began to act restless.

"Hmm, I was wondering if you would mind waiting to tell the principal about the notes until after we finish finals on Monday. That's only three extra days, and we'd be done with our testing so however he chooses to handle it won't interfere with study."

My head shot up. Okay, here we go again. I guess I should have known better than expect him to simply cave in to my suggestion for being the right thing to do, but seriously, the way he was stringing it out terrified me. Nearly vibrating in anger, I settled for giving Jesse a black look.

"Well hell, why settle for waiting for Monday? Why not until the day we graduate? Or even better, don't tell anyone at all? Isn't that what you're after? Let's keep this a big secret, and when some ass walks up to you in the parking lot and beats the shit out of you we can pretend like it was a fucking surprise."

"Shane, that's not what I meant..."

"Bullshit," I shouted. "You are so full of it, Jesse. I worry about you every single day. That some whacked out creeper is out there waiting to hurt you, and la-de-da, it's nothing to you. Just give up some of your macho pride for a change and let someone who has experience with this kind of thing help you instead of carrying it by yourself."

"But there is so much going on for the end of school."

"Not tomorrow there isn't," I pointed out. "It's a normal school day. You can talk to Mr. Peabody either before or after school and get it over with. Just think of how good it's going to feel to get the weight off your back once you do."

He nodded but he wasn't happy. I put my book down and massaged my temples. I hated fighting with him, and with these threats, that's all we ever did anymore.

"Come here." I scooted over and patted the bed beside me. Yeah, this was going to lead to make-up sex. Or at least, remind-Jesse-that-I-loved-him-and-convince-him-that-I-knew-what-was-best-for-him sex.

He flew to my side and bounced, landing next to me. He kissed me softly on the lips. I kissed him gently back. Then he crushed me to him tightly, and we shoved our tongues inside open mouths to dance together.

Kissing and touching, we had each other undressed in record time. We stretched out next to each other, our bodies slithering together in joyous abandon, all the parts meshing and creating friction that aroused both of us into sweaty, panting, primitive beings. After the lapse of four days, after the stress of the notes and studying and particularly after fighting, I needed to be inside Jesse and show him he was still mine forever.

"I want to suck you," he husked, tears in his eyes because the need was his own as well. "Please."

I reached up and gently wiped the tears away, giving him a smile of contentment. Flattening myself on top of the sheets, I spread my legs for him.

His mouth was so wonderfully warm as his lips circled the head of my cock and his tongue lapped at me. He hollowed his cheeks to suck precum from my slit and I swore I saw stars behind my eyelids. Sliding his lips over my balls to pull on them made my groin lift off the bed in rhapsody, and when he began to bob over me, he took the tip almost into his throat before gagging. I could feel his whole mouth stretching for every millimeter of my shaft, and my tingling nuts told me that if he kept this up I was going to cum in his mouth.

"Enough," I moaned. "It feels too damn good, Baby, and I won't last much longer."

Jesse and I exchanged positions, and I fetched the lube and a condom out of my drawer. Even hard and aching as I was, I took time to kiss and nibble all the sensitive parts of his body. That place on his throat just below the hollow and across his collar bones, his brown nipples that shrunk down into such cute little peaks and swirling my tongue in his belly button. He was whimpering and thrashing by the time I reached his ass.

A lubed finger found his rosebud and pushed inside. His channel gripped me in moist silkiness as I opened him up. With two digits I found his prostate and played tag with it, making Jesse moan and the lean muscles of his abdomen clench. I was turning him on with my sly little taps, and his body was humming and taut with anticipation by the time my third finger slipped in.

When Jesse was nearly to the point where the sensations were crashing into him more than he could stand, his eyes would rapidly shift back and forth under his lids and the muscles of his thighs and abdomen would tense. It wasn't the same as orgasm, but it was a good non-verbal signal that he was tired of me teasing him and needed my dick up inside him.

He was there now, and I unrolled a condom on my erection and lubed up, shivering at my own light touch through the latex. I lifted his ankles to my shoulders and gently pushed against his bud through the muscular guardians into his tight, hot hole.

I knew exactly how long to lie still and allow him to adjust to me, and when he was ready he had a favorite way for me to seat myself. I rolled my hips into him and rotated at the same time.

"Oh god, Shane!" He dug his fingers into my shoulder and moaned once I was fully in.

"What, it doesn't feel good?" I joked hoarsely, teasing him because I loved hearing the answer. I pushed his blue-black hair out of his sparkling latte eyes.

"Oh shit, Blondie, you know it does... it feels so damn good."

I pulled his legs down and he wrapped them around my thighs, laying himself open for me to plunder. My hips surged forward, in and out of his velvety soft chute. I stared into his eyes, afraid to lose this contact with him and loving the expression of bliss on his face. Harder I drove into him, each jab raking his prostate as he lifted his hips to meet me. I watched shudders race through him.

I reached between our bodies and took his dick in my hand. Stroking it expertly, I watched Jesse's eyes roll back in his head. "Oh fuck, ooh, Blondie," he shouted, and he went off like a geyser, spraying cum all over our torsos. His ass clasped around my dick convulsively, and I rode right over the edge with him, streaming cum into the condom with a crescendo of groans, panting gasps and writhing limbs.

"Are you alright?" Jesse asked me after I tossed the condom in the trash and collapsed next to him. "It got pretty wild at the end."

"I'm always wild around you," I wheezed. "You drive me wild."

He snickered. "Flattery will get you everywhere. But we are pretty good together, aren't we!"

"Perfect is more like it. I love you Jesse."

"I love you too, Shane."

We cuddled and kissed, homework forgotten. As usual, I wished he could spend the night with me, knowing we could make it happen if it weren't for curfews and parental rules. I didn't want him to go home because I hated sleeping by myself, but all too soon the point was reached where Jesse was going to get in trouble if he stayed any longer. We redressed and I walked him out to his Jeep. We made out for a few minutes of long, sensuous goodnight kisses that would have to suffice for now, and then I headed in for bed.

By the time school started the next day I was no longer angry at Jesse for visiting me the night before. It was pointless to hold a grudge and stay mad. We also continued to pretend like his performance at the FAP was just that... an act. I really think the students were much too busy getting ready for finals and the end of the school year to bother with us, and that suited me just fine. The upcoming week was going to be stressful.

Jesse was subdued for most of the day, and I was waiting at his Jeep when he strolled across the parking lot. Before he even had a chance to greet me I spoke up. "Grab the notes and let's go."

With a discontented sigh he reached into his backpack and pulled out the zip-lock bag. "I already have them."

We went to the administration office. Mr. Peabody's secretary was tidying up her desk, looking as if she was preparing to leave. "We'd like to see the principal please," I spoke up when Jesse didn't.

"He's in an important meeting," she said, smiling as she continued to shuffle paperwork. She grabbed a notepad. "I can set up an appointment for you tomorrow if you'd like." She pursed her lips as if trying to place us. "You're seniors, aren't you? How about right after your 2nd period final?"

Jesse was just about to agree when I broke in. "Look, this is really important. Can we wait until he's done?"

"Well, I don't know..."

Between the almost grateful look on my boyfriend's face, thinking he'd freed himself from my influence, and the predicament of more waiting I was ready to explode. "My friend here has a whole baggie full of harassing notes that have been left in his locker and car since the beginning of the semester. Some homophobic creeper is threatening to hurt him. We can't wait until tomorrow."