Chapter one
Chester was a boy-boy. He rode three-wheelers and dirt bikes, played baseball, and ran track.
He loved nothing more than putting on his cleats and getting out on the field - sliding into the bases and walking home covered in red clay, sweat dripping from his hair and down the back of his neck, tracking through the dirt. He loved it.
And he loved Mary Beth, but what did a seventeen year old know about love?
She was a cheerleader, curvy, and tasted so sweet—literally like strawberries every time he kissed her.
And that made up who Chester was. Right up until his friend, his guy friend, kissed him.
Then, his whole life changed.
Up until that moment, he'd never known or thought about it. It had never occurred to him that there could be... Something else.
Tate Jordan was tall, blond, and rode dirt bikes like a bat out of hell.
That was all he EVER did… ride, ride, ride.
They'd been friends and Chester had a free pass to ride with him on the track they'd built between his house and his neighbor's.
It wasn't huge, but the dirt was perfect.
soft, but not too soft. It was tons of fun after it rained…
mud spewing up behind their back tires as they nailed the ruts and flew through the turns.
The jumps were decent sized as well, and they could get plenty of air.
Tate was easy to hang out with, especially when everything else in Chester's life felt heavy.
That's how Tate was…light and fun. They rode hard and laughed hard.
Then, one day Mary Beth decided to be fickle.
She wouldn't kiss him behind the dug out at the ball park.
She had before, and he sure liked it a lot.
But on this day, she just glared at him.
Said he was a stupid boy and stormed off.
He didn't understand girls at all, but he knew he'd be back to her later.
Then, he went to ride with Tate, because that'd be a great way to not have to think about what she'd said and done.
He took a jump higher than he’d gone before with Tate right there beside him.
He stopped and pulled off his helmet… nothing but smiles for the amazing air they just got.
Pure joy. Tate stopped right beside him and yanked his own helmet off, then he grabbed Chester’s arm and yanked him closer and kissed him.
He put a smack right on his lips and flicked his tongue against his mouth. Chester almost opened his mouth to take more. Almost. Then, he realized Tate's mouth wasn't sticky sweet strawberry. It was plain lip balm, same as his own.
Chester slowly pulled away. Tate's eyes glittered like sunlight on ocean waves, sea green and brilliant.
His face was open and inviting, expectant.
Chester's heart thudded hard and stopped.
He held his breath. He didn't know what to do.
He was torn. Caught in a moment that could go so many different ways. And he had a choice.
He understood guys, even guys like Tate.
They often thought with their cocks that got hard if the wind blew right and especially if someone else's hot lips were pressed against their own, even if it was your buddy’s.
Right? Or no? He knew he felt that way often and was pretty damned sure Tate did too. But...
“Hey, Tate. I like you and this is fun, but, uh…I have to tell you. I'm kinda seeing someone. Mary Beth?”
“Oh. I didn't…I…”
“Its okay. I mean. You know maybe, but I can't do that to her.” Was he using her as an excuse, because she sure didn't seem like she wanted to still be his girlfriend earlier. But he had to give it a chance to work out. Didn't he?
He stared at Tate for what felt like an eternity, wondering what he'd do. He only looked down at his bike. Hurt and rejection clouded his face. “Tate... look...” Chester stood there clueless in a situation he couldn’t control.
He hated that he’d made Tate feel so bad.
He understood rejection, understood not being wanted or cared for.
“I, uh...I have to go, but we’re cool. You know? Right? All good?”
Tate nodded but wouldn’t make eye contact.
He probably needed some time alone, and Chester got that.
He drove down the straightaway and did a mean 360 before he got back to the first set of jumps.
The dirt rooster-tailed behind him. He gave Tate a wave as he pulled off the track and headed home through the little path in the woods, just like he’d done a million times before.
This time his heart sure felt a lot heavier.
Chester didn’t stop thinking about Tate, not for a second.
Tate through dinner, Tate through his shower which included a serious wank session, and Tate in his dreams, wet dreams. That one kiss had turned Chester’s brain and his dick inside out.
He needed to just forget about it. He needed to just think about Mary Beth.
The next day in school, he opened his locker and sorted through his books. A soft waft of sparkling fruit drifted to his nose, catching his full attention, and he turned.
“Hey, Chester.” A bubbly Mary Beth practically bounced over to him.
She pressed her shoulders against the set of lockers next to him.
She had her books in front of her chest, cradled in her arms. She tilted her head on her long, graceful neck, her hair sliding back away from her face in long waves of soft brown curl. “Aren’t you going to kiss me?”
She had a lot of nerve, but it wasn’t her seesawing on the kissing subject that had his head shaking. It was the memory of Tate’s firm lips beneath his. “I don’t know. You didn’t want me to yesterday.”
“That was yesterday.”
“And today is today. I’m gonna be late.” He grabbed the books he needed for his first few classes and slammed his locker shut.
“Fine. Well, call me if you change your mind.”
He winked at her before turning down the hall and heading off. He’d schooled his face to be the perfect saucy charmer he always appeared to be, but inside his heart slowly pulled apart, as if being tugged in two directions by heavy chains that he couldn’t get out of.
He had no idea what happened in Algebra or Chem, his two best classes.
He couldn’t concentrate. Third period was gym, so he thought he’d be able to handle that, but they were only running.
They did a long trek around the school grounds, ending back behind the gym.
Every stomp of his feet on the ground seemed like a battle in his head. Tate. Mary Beth. Tate. Mary Beth. Tate.
Mary Beth was not an easy girlfriend, but she was comfortable, familiar, and female. He was content with her sweet smell, strawberry lips, and gentle curves. He’d even touched her breast once, which made his dick rock hard. So, why was it Tate’s green eyes he saw when he closed his?
Tate Jordan was something altogether different. New. Refreshing. Jubilant. And all male. How could he want to kiss another dude? Worse, though, he wanted more than just kissing. He wanted to know what was in Tate’s pants and how it compared to his own, how it would feel in his hand.
He had to stop that line of thinking, or he’d be running with a full blown hard on. Not that it hadn’t happened before, but it wasn’t pleasant. With a sigh, he pushed it all down. He didn’t need to keep torturing himself.
By lunch period, he thought he’d managed to get his head on straight and he took his tray of food straight to Mary Beth’s table.
“Well, howdy stranger.”
“Yeah, hey.” He sat down beside her and started eating, as if she wasn’t there. He wished he could eat with Tate, but he’d stopped going to school the year before so he could ride full time. Lucky bastard.
“Chester...” Mary Beth nudged him with her foot under the table, so he looked at her. “Sorry about before. Seriously. I was just grumpy. I guess.”
“It’s fine.”
“No. No, it’s not. I, um…Didn’t feel like it, you know? I don’t have to like, kiss you all the time, do I?”
“No. ‘Course not.” He shoved a bite of mystery meat in his mouth, to avoid saying the wrong thing.
“That’s not all I’m for you know. Kissing and making out. We’re supposed to be friends too, but you never like, hang out with me.”
He didn’t really want to hang out with her if they weren’t kissing. What did that say about him? “Sorry?”
“Is that a question? You’re not sure if you’re sorry?”
Chester gave her a blank stare. He really didn’t know what to say.
He wasn’t really sorry. He liked her, liked her smell, her curves, and she was a sweet girl.
When it came to just hanging out, though, they didn’t have much to talk about.
She talked about cheerleading and celebrities and music.
Who really gave a shit about Katie Perry or Natalie Portman?
They didn't impact his life at all. No, he wanted to talk about baseball and dirt bikes. He wanted to talk with Tate.
“Fine. I see this is going nowhere.” She pushed her hair behind her delicate ear. “You going to Hunter’s party after the game on Saturday?”
Hunter Adams.
Chester didn’t really know the guy that well; hadn’t known him before high school, which was rare in this small town. He seemed like an okay guy. He was cute enough. Wait. Cute?
“Seriously...I’m going whether you do or not, Chester.”
What? What just happened?
That look in her eyes. She liked Hunter Adams. Great.
He was pretty sure they were going to break up at the party, if not before.
His gut told him this thing with Mary Beth was almost over after two years of going out.
It made him sad, but he also figured life would go on.
Maybe it was for the best. He sure didn’t want to end up getting married and having kids before he even knew what life was about.
That tended to happen in small towns, and he didn’t want that.
He didn’t think Mary Beth did either. But she didn't act different than any of the other girls.