Runner's High

One foot. Then the other. Rapidly, fast, repeatedly. The mechanical motion of running. Sounded simple. In practice, though he understood how, Gavin lacked the proper hardware. His heartbeat hard. His chest pounded. With every step on the ground, he felt his head throb. He held his breath. Focus. Just a few more steps. To that tree. To that bush. He pushed himself. Looking up to the heavens for strength. Tall Red Pines that lined the path blurred. The sun beamed down. He was sweating. How was he sweating so much, so soon? He bowed his head instead, urging himself on, but he only felt himself slow. Out of breath and out of energy he came to a stop, doubled over with his hands on his knees, finally gasping for breath.

“Take it easy,” Trent said as he approached from behind, his breathing barely labored. “It’s a jog, not a sprint. The goal isn’t to get anywhere fast, at least not yet. We’re just trying to build up your general fitness for now.”

“S-sorry.” Gavin gasped, sticking out a hand against a nearby tree to prop himself up. He could feel bile rising in his throat. “I don’t want to hold you back.”

“It’s not about me. I can slow down,” Trent consoled him, as he handed over a water bottle he’d borrowed from the kitchen while Gavin was getting his shoes. “Even on the field I’m rarely running at top speed all the time. You have to pace yourself or you’ll tire out too fast.”

That made sense to Gavin, as he took a deep gulp of the water. But knowing the theory was different than actually performing. He had no sense of his body’s physical limits or how to pace himself. P.E. classes at school hadn’t really prepared him for the realities of actually trying to train his body or indeed given him much information all besides, get picked by the best team and hope you’re not last. Ten minutes outside, shit had it really only been ten minutes, with Trent was more physical education than he’d received in the entirety of high school.

“I…I don’t know if I can keep going,” Gavin said, rubbing as his thighs, burning already. “I think I’m beat already.”

“No way, man,” Trent took back the water bottle and took a short drink for himself. “We’ll go slow and take more breaks, but we keep going. It’s always tough when you first start, but you won’t see any results if you don’t keep going. Just keep in mind why you’re doing this.”

Trent slapped his shoulder as he began jogging on the spot, encouraging Gavin to continue. With a breathless nod, and swallowing his negative thoughts, Gavin ran again. He wanted to stop almost as soon as he started. His legs hurt. His chest hurt. His lungs couldn’t get air fast enough. He looked up. He looked down. Anywhere for motivation. But the biggest motivation was the black teen beside him. What would Trent think of him if he needed a break thirty seconds in? Maybe he should have asked someone else. Why’d he pick a jock? One of the most athletic guys in school. Why not Chloe? He might as well have asked Brandon.

“That’s good,” Trent called to him.” Just a little further. To that stump.”

That stump? Gavin looked up. That stump looked impossibly far away. He’d collapse before he reached that stump. Why was he doing this? Trent told him to focus on his motivation, but all he knew was how helpless he felt, tied to that chair while Grace was **** to suck Shawn’s cock. Being stronger wouldn’t fix that though. Being able to run to that stump wouldn’t give him superhuman powers. It was silly. Childish.

“Good job,” Trent said, coming to a stop.

“What?” Gavin replied, slowing to a halt beside him, confused. He looked ahead and didn’t see the stump.

“We’re here, you made it,” Trent said, gesturing to the stump right beside him. “That was better. You kept your pace much better that time, though you still started off a little hot.” The black teen cleared his throat; putting Gavin and hot in the same sentence wasn’t intentional. “But you’ll get it.”

“Thanks,” Gavin said, taking a seat on the stump. “But you’re a good motivator. I didn’t think I was going to make it, but somehow I kept going.”

“That’s the runner’s focus. Even people who aren’t interested in physical fitness like to run to clear their heads,” Trent explained. “There’s something about the movement of your limbs that just seems to help your head unblock. Or at least that’s what I’ve found anyway.”

“No, you’re right. When I was running, I started to think,” Gavin smiled up at him. Trent’s cheeks took on a reddish hue against his black skin, almost as if he’s blushing, Gavin thought. “It was very easy to let my mind wander while my feet did the work.”

“In time, it’ll get even easier. But, for now, let’s keep running.” He turned to face the track ahead. The sight of Gavin, resting on that stump, his head level with the black teen’s crotch was filling his head with unwanted images. He could still remember the feeling of Gavin’s inexperienced mouth around his thick black tool. “And, um, don’t sit down during breaks. It’s, uh, not good.”

Before Gavin could ask why, Trent had already started jogging. The bespectacled teen shook his limbs as he stood, throwing off any tension in his body, and began running to catch up. Trent slowed until they were side by side again. Gavin felt himself sweating more. His t-shirt was sticky, hugging his skin. His glasses slipped further down his nose. The pines and rocks around him melted into colors. His muscles ached again. His breathing deepened. He couldn’t suck in oxygen to feed his burning limbs fast enough. But even though it felt horrendous, Gavin didn’t mind. As he ran, his mind wandered again.

Trent was definitely acting awkward, Gavin concluded. They hadn’t talked much since that afternoon with Chloe, when she convinced him to fuck Gavin’s ass. And now Gavin was asking him to help improve his fitness. Gavin could have slapped himself, if he wasn’t physically assaulting his body in other ways already. The black jock probably thought that Gavin was romantically interested in him, and that this run was just some kind of date. So, all he had to do was show Trent that he just wanted to be friends. Right?

“Let’s stop at that split in the path.” Trent pointed ahead. “At that stone.”

“S-sure,” Gavin agreed, focusing on the short, rough cut, manmade obelisk.

This stone had played an important role in Gavin’s life once already. It was here, where the path split left and right, that Kurt had once led him, Victoria and Chloe. It was here that the blonde teen suggested that Gavin make his choice between the two women, Victoria or Chloe. And though he had chosen Victoria, because of his mistake in going to tell Chloe of his decision Victoria fell into a hole and went missing. A different decision on that day might have led to his life turning out very differently. And here, the night after he reconciled with Victoria, he had found his way back to the stone. Perhaps it was a sign.

“That was better,” Trent congratulated him when they reached the stone. He placed a hand on it, leaning, as he threw the water bottle to the other teen. “Your breathing is a lot better and everything. I bet it still hurts, but it doesn’t feel so bad anymore, right?”

“Yeah, but maybe I’m just familiar with it. I still feel like I want to lie down for a few hours after this.” He shook his head at his own foolishness. “Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to try this after yesterday.”

“It doesn’t look too bad,” Trent said, tilting his head to look at Gavin’s bruising. His eyes instead took advantage of the opportunity, glancing over his softer, masculine features and messy dark hair. Though he was shy and didn’t really stand out, he was quite handsome. But there were better looking guys out there, so why did this one have such a hold over him? “I’ve seen worse. Hell, I’ve had worse.”

“Wish I could say it doesn’t feel too bad. Every so often it just throbs and stings,” Gavin stared at the stone upon which Trent was leaning as he took a deep swig from the bottle. “Trent. Do you believe in fate?”

“Fate? You mean like, somethings are just meant to be?” He asked, slightly nervous. Was it fate that was drawing him to Gavin? Was that what he was feeling? He shook his head, as much to toss out the idea as it was to answer the question. “Like, destiny and that bullshit?”

“That’s a no, then,” Gavin laughed and tossed back the bottle.

“It’s a ‘I don’t know’. I’ve never taken anything in my life as a certainty,” Trent restated with a shrug. “That destiny bullshit is a line I feed girls to get their panties wet. But I don’t hold much stock in it myself.”

Yet, the black teen couldn’t deny the inexplicable draw between himself and Gavin. He’d never had a problem separating sex and emotion before, but something about Gavin had made him stop and re-evaluate everything that he knew about himself. But he hadn’t even considered that Gavin might be feeling the same way. If Gavin thought destiny or fate was pulling them together, Trent wasn’t sure what to do. Agree to explore to possibilities, reject him because he still didn’t know what he wanted. But it was Chloe’s line that flashed in his mind.

If it’s fun, fuck it.

“I think I’m ready to continue,” Gavin said with a deep breath, looking at the splitting paths. “Where do you want to go?” He pointed down one path. “That way will take you to the waterfall.” And then up the other. “While that one goes to the caves. But, Heather always warned us about going too far into the woods without a guide. I’ve only been to the waterfall once and I’ve never made it to the caves.”

“Um, let’s just head back,” Trent suggested, as he felt his cock harden in his shorts as he imagined once again being balls deep inside the other man’s ass, this time picturing themselves on the shores of the waterfall. If they didn’t go back to the cabin, he was sure Gavin would end up seeing his semi-hard dick flopping about in his loose shorts. “A short run is best for your first time, and it’s better not to run too far on an empty stomach.”

“Alright, sure,” Gavin agreed, spinning in a 180 to face the way they came. “Back to the stump?”

Yeah, the stump where Gavin could sit down and be eye level with Trent’s engorged cock as it began to strain his shorts. No. No way. Bad idea. He had to get the blood pumping to somewhere else, anywhere else, in his body. He pointed beyond the stump and said, “let’s go a bit further this time. Back to the first rest spot.”

Trent took off first, again, deliberately measuring his speed to keep himself just ahead of Gavin, just so the gawky teen wouldn’t glance down and spy the obvious bulge in his shorts. His running mate was far too distracted to notice anything that Trent was packing downstairs, however. His muscled burned again. His breath shortened. Focusing on the rest stop didn’t help. It was too far away. He eyed the stump. But knowing he couldn’t stop made him feel even more tired. His skin, pale from too many days inside, sizzled under the sun. He was frying, not sweating. It was so hot. The sun was so bright. What possessed him to run on such a warm day? The pines stretched out, the plan elongating beneath his feet.

“Just a bit more,” Trent encouraged, seeing him slowing in the corner of his eye.

“O-ok,” Gavin gasped back.

He dug down deep. Pushing a little harder, he passed the stump. He tried to think of anything else except the destination. His bones ached, but he concentrated on the girls in his life. It was funny to think, at the start of the trip he had no one. Now he had two sex friends, an unrequited love and an ex-girlfriend. Was there even a future with any of them? Chloe wouldn’t want more, after how things fell a part with Zack. Ashley was a no-go too, Gavin couldn’t actually date Zack’s ex, not so soon, at least. Grace hated him, but then, until last night, he thought Victoria hated him too. Maybe his luck was beginning to change.

“Made it,” Trent said, surprising Gavin. “You did great, well done.”

“All thanks to you,” Gavin replied, panting, but smiling, impressed with himself for managing to get to the stop without falling over with exhaustion. “You’re a good motivator. Have you ever considered coaching after high school?”

“I dunno, really. I guess people expect me to go the football route and my brother is a scout, so he could probably get me a try out, no problem, but I busted my ass during school to make Quarterback, and Brandon always got picked over me. I love the guy, he’s my bro, but when you’re consistently second best, it just messes with your head, you know?” Trent asked, but when it came to sports Gavin didn’t even know what it meant to be second best.

But he did have one way in which he could relate. “So, you think you’d just be a second rate coach too? I don’t know if it’s applicable but, in terms of computers and hacking, maybe I’m better than Grace, but she has better social skills, and that makes all the difference. I bet you’ve got something extra, your personality, your perseverance, I dunno, something that’ll make you stand out where Brandon doesn’t. By the sounds of it, Brandon had everything come easy to him, you had to work for it.”

“Nah, nothing I did today wasn’t anything I haven’t seen Bran do during practices. And I call bullshit on you and Grace. However good she is, you’re the one who went to Ashley’s sister’s place and destroyed those files for Heather. Talent and skill like that always rises to the top eventually.” Trent returned the compliment. Gavin was annoyingly kind-hearted and considerate. He barely knew Trent, yet he was so fucking endearing. Trent just wanted him to be easy to hate, to make it easier to get him out of his head. Instead, Trent was offering to spend even more time with him. “If you ever need any more motivation, though, I’ll be happy to be your guy. Not even for motivation. Whatever you need.”

“Hmmm. Well, you’re quite experienced with women, aren’t you?” Gavin asked as he considered asking the black teen how he should approach the women in his life. Besides Victoria, he was still fuck buddies with Ashley and Chloe, and, until yesterday he’d been unaware that, Grace had a crush on him throughout most of high school. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with any of that information. He needed a sign, or someone, to tell him what to do.

“Yeah, I guess. Mostly just Amber and Tanya, though. I’ve fooled around with Sharon and some of the Honeybears, but never got much further than third base.” Trent rubbed his neck, a wave of disappointment coming over him as he realize Gavin had never been thinking about him at all, he was thinking about girls. Just like Trent should have been. “So, who’s the lady you think you’re destined to be with? Please say it’s not Grace.”

“I mean, she’s a nice person, when she’s not plotting against me, she’s smart and she’s very ambitious. You can’t blame her entirely for what she did to me. It was messed up but she’s just trying to strike out on her own, away from her dad’s influence.” Gavin frowned, wondering if his own dad was around would he be as overbearing, pushing him to get a real job, like a real man, instead of sitting behind a computer every day. But he’d never know. “But, now that you bring it up, I’m not sure I ever thanked you for saving me.”

“I don’t remember, but it was more important for us to get back to the cabin and tell the others what Shawn had done anyway,” Trent insisted, trying not to blush again. “So, no thanks necessary.”

“What made you stick around anyway?” Gavin asked pointedly.

“Honestly…” Trent took a deep breath. “You.”

Gavin stared for several seconds, expecting a joke. “What about me?”

“No, just you. The truth is that ever since we…did that thing with Chloe, you’ve been stuck on my mind. Not the act itself, not thoughts about other guys, just you. And then, the very next day, I go to meet Amber, and who do I see in the bar, but you. Talk about destiny man, shit.” Trent spoke quickly, afraid of being interrupted, and being rejected before he had the chance to tell the whole story. “Grace’s words did get under my skin. But I stuck around for you, because…I like you.”

“You like…me?” Gavin’s brain stuttered along with his words. “B-but, Chloe?”

“Yeah, and Madison and Victoria, nearly, man, I don’t know. Maybe I’m bi, maybe it’s just you. Who the fuck knows. I talked to Chloe about it last night and, yeah, she helped me see that I’m definitely not gay. Not completely at least. But she also helped me realize something else; the only way to figure this shit out is to go for it.”

So, Trent went for it. Stepping forward, he grabbed Gavin’s face in his two wide, black hands, holding him as he pressed his lips against the other man’s. Trent’s eyes squinted closed, but Gavin’s stayed wide, bug-eyed, completely taken aback by the confession. It was the first time for either of them kissing another guy. It was a hard, firm, tongueless kiss, at first. As Gavin began to accept that this was simply something that Trent needed, he relaxed his lips, and allowed the other man to deepen the kiss.

Their passions flared, kissing like they were devouring each other, Trent’s hands left Gavin’s face and dropped down to take hold of his waist. While his tongue wrestled with Gavin’s, Trent was pulling the nerdy, white teen into him, letting him without a doubt feel the thickness and hardness of his bulge. To Trent’s delight, he felt like clothed cock grind against another hard, twitching shape. Gavin’s dick was hard too. He was getting aroused by the black man’s cock pressing against him. Maybe he wanted this as much as Trent did. Maybe he even needed it.

Just as his hands began to move from Gavin’s sides to the waistband of his shorts, intending on pulling them down and bringing the other man’s white cock into the light of day, a voice called out over the slight breeze and smacking of lips.

“Hey, what are you two doing?”