Two Point Conversion (5 page)

“I am. Really tired. It’s nearly midnight. I want to go to bed.” Kyle’s voice grew soft as he spoke, his breathing growing slower, deeper.

“Me too,” Kevin agreed. He leaned his head back against the cushion to distance himself from Kyle’s too tempting lips. He wanted so much to taste his brother. Right here. He fought the urge by watching their friends kill each other in the game. All the while Kyle grew still and warm as sleep settled over him.

A flash of light awakened
Kevin. “Aww look, twins love. How cute.” He heard the click of a camera and the beep of a phone but didn’t do much more than blink before drifting back to sleep. Safe and warm and in his own home. He’d just imagined the strange dream. It was all just a dream. Just a dream.

Chapter Six

Five guys trying to use two and a half bathrooms to get ready for school was Kyle’s idea of a nightmare. On the other hand
, he’d shared the bath with Kevin with no one even noticing. Or commenting on how long it took the two of them to brush their teeth and slap on deodorant. And brush their teeth again to hide the scent of the other’s cum on their breath.

Kevin started it. Kevin always started it.

Their mom called while they were on their way to school to wish them a good game and to let them know that their grandmother was improving. That’s when she dropped the bomb.

“Dad is flying home tonight,” he told Kevin when he hung up on his mother. “He should be home around ten. About the time the game is over.”

“Okay, so, that’s a good thing right?” Kevin drove again while Kyle watched the scenery pass by. “That means that Gram is out of the woods. It’s not like his job is at stake or anything. I don’t see a problem.”

Their father owned his own insurance agency.
He
could take as much time away as he needed. It was their mom’s job that could be a problem. She was a secretary at the middle school.

Kyle had no idea how to voice his disappointment. “He could have waited until tomorrow.”

Kevin glanced over at him then back to watching the road in time to slam on brakes to avoid rear ending Cody’s car. They sat in line at the light leading up to the school for a couple of minutes.

“You can’t sleep in my room with him home,” Kevin said, his voice tight as if he were clenching his jaw. “And we can’t—
"

“Maybe it’s the best thing. I mean, last night didn’t happen. And now…
Maybe we shouldn’t go that far…Maybe…”

The urge to hyperventilate grew stronger. Sweat broke out on his brow. His insides seemed to burn before going completely cold. Kevin must have noticed
his hands shaking. He reached over and linked their fingers and rested their hands on Kyle’s knee.

The light changed and they pulled into senior parking and just sat.

“Maybe. I won’t push you into anything you don’t want to do. You know this.”

“I know,” Kyle sighed. He released Kevin’s hand before anyone passed by and noticed they were holding hands through the windows.

“It’s…I want to. More than…” He gulped back what felt suspiciously like a sob. “I’ve never wanted to with anyone before now. I don’t know why. I can’t explain it. Just the thought of having sex—the actual penetration, there’s no going back to not knowing— But now it’s all I can think about. With you. I’m going to hell, aren’t I?”

“I’ll be there with you. Because, Kyle…”
He reached over and hooked Kyle’s chin forcing him to meet his gaze. “Maybe you don’t think this is possible. Maybe it isn’t, and I’m just a deluded, hormonal teenager. But…I’m in love with you. I don’t want to be with anyone else.”

Kyle
jerked away and glanced around outside hoping that no one was watching them.

“You can’t be in love with me, Kevin. You’re my brother.” He didn’t look at his brother as he collected his gear and left him sitting in the SUV. His heart did this
pitter-pat thing in his chest that terrified him. He thought maybe he was having a heart attack. Or maybe a panic attack. Some kind of attack. He made it into the field house gasping for breath. His chest hurt. Sitting on the bench, he leaned over and tried to will his eyes not to tear up.

Oh
God, maybe he was just like Kevin. In love.

No. Just
, no. This was just primal lust. Just sex. There could never be anything between them. Never.

“You okay, Beauchamp?” Coach Davis’ footsteps echoed in the empty locker room. “We don’t have practice this morning.”

“I know, Coach. I’m just getting something from my locker before class.” He couldn’t remember ever lying so much. “I didn’t get much sleep last night. Sean, Lucas, and Cody decided to sleep over, and spent the whole night trying to kill each other on the X-Box.”

Which was actually the truth. Mostly. The late night homework because he had taken harder classes than the rest of the team, and the late practices
, and the guilt…Guilt couldn’t be the problem. Because he didn’t feel guilty.

“I bleed for you
, kid. I do. Now get out of here and get to class.” Davis waited for him to search for the imaginary item he needed from his locker. When he was outside he heard the lock click. So much for the Coach’s door always being open.

The day passed in a haze. He drifted off in English and again in
Math—which he was pretty sure he was failing and it was only the fourth week of school. Lunch was spent shoving food into his face and trying to avoid his brother while he finished the history assignment for next block. Last block was the game day pep rally in the gym. He dug into his back pack for his jersey and pulled it on over his t-shirt. Most of the guys wore theirs to school on game day. Kevin did. But Kyle never had.

Walking into the gym with the team
, he couldn’t shake the feeling that people were watching him. Of course, people were watching. They were always watching. He was team captain and the quarterback. Being watched went with the territory. But today felt different.

The team
sat on the court while the pep band played, and the dance and cheer squads did their thing. A slide show of their school mascot and previous games against their current opponent flashed past on the south court wall. Their faces, showing one at a time with their position. Uniforms and pom poms. Posters made by students. The usual game day shenanigans.

And then the laughing started
, followed by kissing sounds.

Kyle looked up to find a photo of him asleep in Kevin’s lap, curled up against him in an almost lover like position. That panic attack he’d staved off this morning was now
back in full swing. He ducked his head, guilt making him sweat. Everyone knew.
Everyone.
He had no idea what to do. A couple of voices started chanting
Twin love! Twin love!
Kyle recognized Heather’s voice from the middle of the group of cheer leaders who were always messing with him.

“Did you send that to anyone?” Cody leaned around him and whispered to Lucas on his other side.

“No. Of course not.” Lucas whispered back. The photo remained frozen as the slide show paused on them asleep. “Did anyone take your phone?”

“No. Maybe…
Oh, shit. I loaned it to Bethany when hers died at lunch.” Cody groaned loudly. “I put it up as my screen saver.”

“Why would you do that?” Kyle fought the urge to reach out and punch his friend. “Why would you even take a picture of us in the first place?”

“Because…I don’t know, you were just so cute sleeping together like that. I wanted to remember the two of you…I’m sorry. This is my fault. Mine.” Cody hung his head as the chant turned to
Kiss him! Kiss him!

T
he crowd fell silent almost as suddenly as it began, the change in atmosphere caught Kyle’s attention and they all looked up to see Kevin standing in the middle of the basketball court his hands in his pockets. He was pink cheeked and when he glanced over at Kyle he winked.

“Oh shit, he’s not going to…
Oh, shit…Kill me now, please.” Kyle’s gut turned to liquid fire. Fear coursed through every inch of his body. The urge to vomit grew stronger by the second.

“Well, I guess the cat is out of the bag or something.” Kevin spoke into the microphone and the whole gym grew silent
, as if waiting on bated breath for the most delicious piece of gossip. “Kyle and I….Well, we’re, sort of, like…
Twins
. If you hadn’t noticed.
Brothers.
Yeah, we love each other. We get along. It’s weird, you know.”

Kyle dragged in a ragged breath at the first round of boos. He looked around at the kids in the school. This was all just a joke to them. Nothing serious. But Heather started her chant of kiss him again.

“Is that what you really want? To see me and Kyle kiss?” Cheers erupted. “You are some really sick people. Just so you know.” Kevin signed loudly into the microphone, the sound echoing around the room. “Okay, then…Kyle I guess we have no choice, you gotta come up and kiss me.”

He sat there, shock rooting him to the spot. “I’m not kissing…Kevin, what the fu…”
He stopped the word before he finished it to the sound of laughter.

“I know, bro
. But these sick people want it. They demand that we tongue each other. Right here.” Kevin held out his hand, the sparkle in his eyes made Kyle’s stomach leap around. And not in a good way.

He stood up, and walked across the hardwood, as if going to his execution. Kevin standing there holding his hand out and smiling. Not one single adult
stepped in to stop any of this. Kevin winked again. Which should have helped Kyle. After all, Kevin was the fun twin. The one who always joked around, while Kyle just followed along.

“I’m sorry, Kyle, but
it has to be done. Our public demands it. So, pucker up and let’s get this over with.”

“I’d rather kiss a porcupine.” Kyle said hoping his voice sounded like he was playing along. “Or Heather
. No, the porcupine. I’d rather kiss a porcupine.”

“Fresh out of porcupines, but Heather’s right over there. We could call her up here. It’s what she wants anyway. To humiliate us because we won’t go out with her. Isn’t that about right
, Heather?” Kevin draped his arm over Kyle’s shoulder and dragged him close. “He’s my
brother
. You sick bitch. I don’t know where you got that picture but it’s nothing. Cody and Sean were sitting on the couch right next to us. We are close. But we’re not perverts. Do something like this again and—"

“Okay, fun and games are over,” Coach Davis finally put a stop to this mess. “You two wait for me in the locker room.”

Kevin nodded and swung them around until they faced the locker rooms and together they walked slowly to await their doom.

*

Kevin knew without asking exactly where Kyle was heading. He’d done it often enough himself. He undoubtedly would later in the afternoon as game time drew nearer. That is, if they weren’t benched for what they’d just done. Kyle didn’t say a word, he quietly opened a stall in the toilet area and dropped to his knees just as the three stooges came running in.

“Okay, just tell me none of you had anything to do with that?” He turned to face them, hoping that the sound of Kyle puking up a lung wouldn’t make him puke too.

“Bethany took it off my phone. I’m so sorry, Kevin. I didn’t think they were—" Cody started but Kevin grabbing him by his throat shut him up.

“And Bethany is Heather’s go
-to henchwoman. What were you thinking when you even took that picture? Something to save and show the team?” Cody turned three shades of red before going white. Coach Davis came in and Kevin dropped Cody.

“I didn’t think she’d do something like that.” Cody rubbed his neck while the coach just stood and glared at them. “I mean seriously, who does shit like that?”

“Heather and Bethany. They live to torment people, doesn’t matter who. You know this. We’ve gone to school with them since forever, and they’ve always been like that.”

Kevin paced the locker room. He wanted to hit something. The conversation in the SUV this morning about them going to hell for doing exactly what that picture showed
, played over and over in his head. He never should have started anything with Kyle. He should have left him alone.

“And it bothers the two of you so much that Kyle is in there puking? Why is that?” Lucas
, who’d been quiet this whole time suddenly piped up. Kevin shot him a killer look.

“Because we’ve heard it. Time and time and time again. In one form or another.
Kyle’s always gotten the worst of her shit. Heather’s deal is she wants us both. At the same time. She thinks it will be fun. She doesn’t take no for an answer, and I’m not going to give my virginity to a skank.” He stopped talking when he realized what he’d said.

“
Wait, did you just say you’re a virgin?” Sean covered his mouth, hiding a fit of laughter. “Kevin Beauchamp is a virgin? At nineteen? Dude, how is that even possible?”

He didn’t know what to say. Somehow this whole mess
had become funny to their so-called friends. Kevin sat down on one of the pine benches in the middle of the room and put his face in his hands.

He didn’t hear Kyle come into the main locker area. His warm hand on Kevin’s shoulder helped to calm him.  He wasn’t expecting Kyle to jump into his defense.

“Why can’t Kevin be a virgin? I am. Not because of some misplaced purity idea either. I just don’t want to take any chances on getting some girl pregnant. And since I’m not gay—”

“I’m gay,” Kevin said, his head spinning as the admission tumbled from his mouth. “I’m gay. I…
There isn’t…I should keep my mouth shut.”

Real fear crawled his spine now. He didn’t dare look up to see how his friends and his coach took the news.

Kyle’s hand on his shoulder helped ease the jitters and before he could stop himself he reached back and laid his hand on top of Kyle’s.