Survivors

 

Travis walked angrily down the hall and into an elevator. He needed a friend badly right now.  Douglas was great to talk to, but he knew where Douglas was—in bed, and not alone. Every time he thought about a friend he thought of Ryan. He went to his room to look up and call Ryan’s number.

 

He dialed Ryan's intercom number. Nobody answered. Travis knew Jeremy was still in the spa, which meant Ryan was probably not in the room either. Maybe he ended up going to the spa, or he could even be in the shower, Travis thought. He certainly isn't out eating, because the dining halls are closed.  He could've gone to the games room. Travis decided to go there first.

 

When he got to the games room, the only kids there were Matthew and some of the littler ones. When Travis started to leave, Mike came in.

 

"Hey, Travis, how's it going?"

 

"Hey, Mike. It’s going okay. You seen Ryan at all?"

 

"No. I thought he might have gone to the spa."

 

"I was there and I didn’t see him. I called his cabin and he wasn't there either."

 

"Maybe he is taking a shower or something."

 

"Maybe. I'm going to his cabin to see if he is there now."

 

"Do you want me to go with you?"

 

"Thanks. But if he's there, I gotta talk to him about something important."

 

"Okay, but if you need me you know I'm here for you."

 

"Thanks, Mike, I'll remember that."

 

Travis headed to Ryan's room. When he arrived he pushed the buzzer, but no one answered. He listened for something, hoping Ryan was in there. He pushed the buzzer one more time. There was still no answer, so he pushed the buzzer a third time. When nothing happened he started walking away. He stopped when he heard the door open. He turned around and saw Ryan's head peek out.

 

"Travis?"

 

"Hey, Ryan. What's up? I came to visit and say hi."

 

The door was hiding most of Ryan's face. Travis tried to look through the crack, but Ryan kept himself hidden.

 

"Thanks, but I'm busy right now. I thought maybe it was somebody from the crew or something buzzing. Thanks for stopping by."

 

He started closing the door, but Travis stuck his foot in it. Something was wrong and he had to find out if Ryan needed his help.

 

"Hey, get your foot out. I told you I was busy." Travis thought he could hear a sob being fought, but he wasn't sure.

 

"Too busy for a friend?"

 

"Since when are you my friend?" Ryan was trying to act cool, but he was shaking inside. He wanted Travis to come in, but remembered Travis picking Carmen over him. What he wanted from Travis he was never going to get.

 

Travis stood immobile with his foot in the door. Ryan's question made him feel sick to his stomach.  He wanted to be friends with Ryan in the worst way, in ways he couldn't even begin to explain.  He started to pull his foot out when for some reason, he pushed on the door again.

 

"Since right now.  Let me in; we have to talk."

 

"I can't let you see me like this!"

 

"Like what? Never mind, I don't care. I'm your friend and I don't care what you look like. I want to see you. I care about you."

 

Ryan felt tears coming on. Shit, I can't let him see me like this. I just can't. He'll hate me forever.

 

He started pushing the door against Travis's foot. But Travis was stronger and he pushed harder the other way. Ryan lost his balance and the door flew open.  Travis stumbled into the cabin. He looked at Ryan, who was wearing nothing but a pair of briefs. He could tell Ryan had been crying.

 

Travis caught his balance, and Ryan came up to him and tried to push him out of the door.  He pushed but Travis wouldn't move. Suddenly Ryan half collapsed on Travis, put his arms around him and buried his head in his chest. He started crying, soaking Travis’s shirt. Travis reached back and pushed the door shut, then put his arms around Ryan and held him close.

 

"It's okay, Ryan. It's okay." Ryan kept sobbing. "It's okay," Travis whispered.

 

Ryan took a deep breath and tried to stop.

 

"Let's go into your bedroom and talk. Lock the door in case Jeremy comes in."

 

"No! No! We can talk out here. It's a mess in there."

 

Travis turned and started to move, but Ryan stopped him again. "Please don't."

 

Travis knew again that something was wrong. He stepped away from Ryan and walked into the bedroom. Ryan's bed was covered with Kleenexes. It looked like Ryan had been crying for a long time.

 

Travis sat Ryan on the bed and hugged him. "Tell me what's wrong. I'm a good listener."

 

Ryan sniffled. "Well, I'm a lousy talker. You’ve seen me in the games room. I can hardly say hi. I can't make any friends. I’ve never had many friends. Even Jeremy looks down at me I bet."

 

"Ryan, you're an awesome, sweet dude. I know one friend you can have just for the asking, because I know for a fact that this person really really likes you."

 

"Who is that?"

 

Travis smiled at Ryan. "It's me, silly."

 

"But you left me to go with Carmen. I mean you…well, you and I…well, never mind I don't know what I mean."

 

"I know what you mean. You mean you want to be my friend, too."

 

Ryan looked at Travis. "Yeah, well, but Carmen...."

 

"Fuck Carmen. I went with her to help Douglas get some girls' votes. It didn't work out very good."

 

Ryan tried to comprehend what Travis was saying. He wondered what it was that didn't work out.

 

"All she did was embarrass me," Travis said. "And the whole time I was there I was always thinking of somebody else."

 

"Your old girlfriend on Earth?"

 

Travis didn’t know how to answer that.  He didn't know if he should tell Ryan what he really thought of him. But if Scooter and Douglas could do the things they did then maybe he could follow their lead.

 

"No. I was thinking about you, Ryan,” he said shyly. Wow. He said it. Now what was Ryan going to say?  Did he blow it?

 

Ryan started tearing up again, only this time it was from happiness. The look on Travis’s face told Ryan that Travis meant everything he said.

 

"Are you okay, Ryan? Did I say something wrong?"

 

"No. You said something exactly right." Ryan sat on the bed and wrapped his arms around his knees. "I've never really had any friends. I wanted to be yours right from the start."

 

"That’s how I felt about you. I wanted to be your friend right from the first day we met. I'm sorry if I made you feel bad, Ryan.  I won't do that again, ever."

 

He sat next to Ryan and hugged him. The two of them sat on the bed and cuddled and talked quietly. They didn't know it, but they were starting to fall in love.

 

 

Scooter and Douglas woke up just before lunch. They were both starving and wished they hadn’t missed breakfast. Douglas woke up first and started untangling himself from his friend.  But to Douglas, Scooter seemed like more than a friend. He wasn't sure in what way that was true. Douglas knew he’d had lots of friends, but he’d never had feelings for them like he had for Scooter.

 

He simply couldn't take his eyes off him, couldn't stop touching him. He couldn't stop thinking of him, or dreaming of him. He wondered what was he feeling? Is this what love is?

 

Scooter opened his eyes and saw Douglas eyeing him. He smiled and squeezed his friend’s naked body. They kissed and hugged, not wanting to get out of the bed, but knowing they had to.

 

"Who’s going to shower first?" Douglas asked.

 

"Why ask? Let's just shower together."

 

That sounded pretty good to Douglas. He pulled off the covers and the two boys got up and walked into the bathroom. Scooter knew his dad wouldn't mind them pairing up. The two of them in one shower would keep them from going over their water ration.

 

Scooter got the temperature right and the boys got into the small stall together. Showers on the ship had to be fast, and they set right to work washing each other.  Both of them still had their morning boners getting into the shower.

 

Since they hadn't pissed before getting in because they had morning stiffies, they both needed to go badly. Douglas often peed in the shower in the morning; it seemed to him to be an efficient way to start the morning. It worked especially well when he was dealing with morning wood. He let go, being careful not to hit Scooter, even though he really wanted to.

 

"What are you doing?"

 

"Pissing, silly. I'm saving more water.  Don't have to flush." While the ship had vacuum toilets and used virtually no water, it sounded good.

 

Scooter laughed and started pissing too, being careful not to hit Douglas, even though he really wanted to as well. They really enjoyed the fountain of piss rising out of their friend’s boner and it made them even more excited when they finished.

 

They tried to finish washing each other, but their hands kept going to the other’s boner. Pretty soon they were facing each other kissing and rubbing their boners together, and it didn't take them long to cum, Douglas shooting all over Scooter's belly and dick. The water washed them off quick. They cummed just in time, because the shower shut off seconds after. They got out, dried each other off, kissed, and got dressed to go to lunch. 

 

 

 

Robert Charles sat next to Lisa in the spa, making plans in his head. He had two ideas. The first one would require Lisa’s help. The second one would be needed only if the first one didn't work. Either way, Douglas and his queer buddies were in big trouble. Jeremy decided he'd had enough and got up to leave. Carmen followed him out.

 

That left Lisa and Robert Charles alone. Robert Charles stroked her legs, kissed her, and massaged her breasts.  He tried reaching under her towel, but she stopped him.  He tried putting her hand on his boner, but she said she didn't want to. I'm gonna get her cherry, he thought, and it won't take long.

 

He backed off, just keeping his arm around her and playing with her breasts, which she didn't mind. He told her about his first plan. She listened to him and didn't like it at first. But he kept rubbing her tits and her leg and he told her that he loved her. He kissed her deep and repeated his declaration of love.  She told him that she loved him and they kissed some more. And when they were finished, he finally convinced her to touch his erection and stroke him. It only took her a couple of strokes and he shot all over himself and her hand.

 

"Ewwwwwwwwwwwww...that's gross."

 

He told her what had happened and cleaned his spunk off of her. He told her yet again that he loved her and asked if she would help him with his plan. She said yes because she loved him and wanted him to win the election. In her mind he was the best.

 

 

At lunch everybody compared notes about the morning. Scooter, Douglas, Ryan, Travis, Mike, Alex, Stevie, and Brandon all sat at one table. Jeremy, Warren, Matthew, Jordan, Lisa, Robert Charles, Carmen, and Felicia at another. The only upper grade student not there was Michelle. The two tables were on the opposite side of the dining hall so they couldn't hear each other.

 

Everybody at the first table noticed how Travis and Ryan were together. In fact they were all noticing pairs and the happy smiling faces. Ryan, who had looked so sad and down, was now all but sitting on Travis’s lap and had a look of contentment.

 

Alex sat close to Mike, Stevie was with Brandon, and of course Douglas and Scooter were together.  They scanned the table and started to wonder about what was going on. Were each of them falling for another boy? No, that couldn't be right. Not all eight of them. Or maybe even more, because there seemed to be something between Jeremy and Warren too. The voyage of the “Starkeeper” was becoming something special.

 

Everybody was wondering if the seating at the tables indicated who would be voting for whom. If that was the case, then the vote was eight to eight, with Michelle's vote in the unknown. It was going to be very interesting by the time Wednesday’s election arrived. 

 

 

The afternoon went by quickly. The kids spent most of their time in the games room, playing games, becoming better friends, and learning more about the boy they were falling for.  When dinner time arrived the boys left for their respective dining rooms.

 

After dinner most of them skipped the games room. Mike and Brandon headed for

Alex and Stevie's room. Douglas was planning on another night with Scooter. Ryan, Travis, Jeremy and Warren went to the games room. Ryan was talking to Travis about spending the night together.

 

Robert Charles was meeting with Jordan, Lisa, and Felicia. Carmen really didn’t want to meet with Robert Charles and the other three, so she told them her parents wanted her back in the cabin.

 

Carmen said her parents wouldn’t let her join them, although she really didn’t want to. Matthew wasn't invited since Robert Charles considered him too young. Besides, they wouldn’t know until Monday if he would be in the upper grade class for the rest of the voyage. They were talking about the election and about Robert Charles’s plan to ensure more votes. When Felicia left, Robert Charles told Lisa and Jordan his first plan. They loved his idea and were ready to help. Robert Charles decided to keep his second plan secret for now.

 

 

In Alex's room, Mike and Brandon were getting lessons in boy sex from the brothers.

Stevie showed Brandon the best ways to kiss and jerk off his partner. He showed him how to rub dicks together, and how to make a sweet spot feel good while fingering a butt. Alex was showing Mike the same things on the other bed.

 

After all four had a couple of hard hot cums, Alex and Stevie had Brandon and Mike lay down on the beds. Then they both got between their partner's legs and started licking under their balls.  They sucked their balls next, and then licked their teen erection up the shaft.  Alex and Stevie brought them farther and farther along until they shot in their partner's mouth.

 

"Oh, man," Mike said. "That was incredible. Totally awesome. Unbelievable."

 

"Next time you get to do us," Alex said. "Right now let's bed down together and talk and learn about each other, and cuddle."

 

Mike hugged the smaller, skinnier Alex close and tight. Brandon and Stevie were about the same size, and they cuddled and talked and kissed too. Mike and Brandon ended up jerking their partners off. Even after three orgasms, each of the boys couldn't get their boners to go down.  

 

 

Scooter and Douglas cuddled naked on Scooter's bed. They were happy to hold each other and kiss each other, and make each other feel good. They got a thrill from just touching each other and being touched.

 

Douglas had his head on Scooter's stomach. He was looking at his smooth uncut penis. He let his hand rub slowly along it. He pulled the skin back and looked at the shiny head, then rubbed his finger across it. He brought his face closer. Douglas knew about oral sex even if he had never done it. Douglas was just a couple of inches away from Scooter’s erection now. He knew that if he got closer and licked it Scooter wouldn't mind, since Scooter had confessed to trading a few blow jobs with Brandon when they had been together on Earth. And if Scooter didn't mind, then he might as well do it.  Well, here goes nothing, he thought.

 

Before he could think about it any more he went down and let Scooter's dick slide into his mouth.  Scooter shivered with surprise. He looked down at Douglas, and saw his dick disappearing into his lover’s mouth. The feeling he got was unbelievably incredible.  And for Douglas, having Scooter's sweet boner in his mouth just felt right—he could tell it belonged there. He started bobbing his head, sucking and licking like he had done it his whole life. He let his tongue run circles around Scooter’s head and through his pee slit. Scooter arched his back and tried to thrust his cock deeper into Douglas’s mouth. Douglas played with Scooter’s balls and ran his finger up Scooter’s crack. The pleasurable sensations had Scooter moaning and crying out for more.

For Scooter the feeling was so amazing his body wouldn't stop shaking. He tried holding back what was coming over him, but he couldn't so he just let it go. He pumped his dick into Douglas's mouth, shook and moaned, and had the most intense orgasm of his life. He almost knocked Douglas's head off he pumped so hard.  Then he collapsed on the bed. Douglas was frightened by Scooter’s collapse, thinking he might have done too much. He kissed Scooter, who opened his eyes, saw Douglas, and smiled. "I'm glowing," he said.

 

Douglas kissed him again. And it didn't take long for Scooter to try his skill on Douglas. And it didn't take long for Douglas to fill Scooter's mouth with his sweet cum. He tried warning Scooter, but he was feeling so good his orgasm just happened. Scooter didn't flinch though and he swallowed it all.  It was the first time he’d had his partner shoot in his mouth since Brandon had been dry when they messed around. He couldn't believe how good it tasted. He kissed Douglas, allowing Douglas to taste his own semen. The two boys lay next to each other on the bed holding each other.

 

"Douglas…"

 

"Yes?"

 

Scooter's heart was thumping. He wanted to tell Douglas what he told him last night when he was sleeping. He was afraid, but he knew it was the right thing to do.

 

"I...I...um...I..."

 

Douglas knew what was coming.  He was quickly learning that he could almost sense what his friend was thinking or feeling.

 

"Go ahead and say it...because I feel the same way."

 

Scooter knew deep in his heart what Douglas meant, so he said it. "Douglas, I..I love you." Now, did Douglas really feel the same way?

 

"And I love you, too," he said, his heart singing.

 

 

The other boys hadn’t gotten quite as far yet. Jeremy and Warren talked a lot in the games room.  Once, Jeremy tried touching Warren's leg, but Warren pushed his hand away. Right away Warren felt bad doing it. He just couldn’t understand why a big handsome boy like Jeremy would be interested in somebody like him.  Finally he said he was tired and wanted to go to bed. Jeremy walked him to his cabin.  Jeremy reached for Warren's hand, but Warren wouldn't let him take it.

 

Ryan and Travis were in Ryan's room. They were watching a vid. They were sitting close to each other on the couch. Travis let his hand touch Ryan's leg and Ryan returned the touch.  Soon Ryan was leaning on Travis, his head on his new friend’s shoulder.

 

No, Travis thought, I'm supposed to do this with a girl, not with a guy. He could feel Ryan's breath on his cheek. His pants were tented, and he could see that Ryan’s were as well.  Ryan's face was so close he could almost lean over and kiss him, and if Ryan was a girl he would have. But Ryan was a boy, and boys usually didn't kiss boys.

 

Ryan could feel Travis's breath. He wished he knew if it was okay to kiss him, because that was what he wanted to do right then. Travis had him excited beyond imagining. He wanted to kiss him so bad. He edged up closer to Travis, and Travis moved a little closer to him. He turned his head and peered into Travis’s eyes.

 

Their lips were inches apart, they both were ready to kiss. But instead, they heard the beep of the door code: Jeremy was returning. They scooted away from each other, and went back to watching the vid. But they knew that something awesome had almost happened, and they knew that they wanted to get there again.

 

Jeremy had seen them quickly move apart on the couch. There was no doubt in his mind what had been going on between them. He felt no jealousy. He liked Ryan and he liked jacking off with him. But for whatever reason the mega-cute, but elusive, Warren was the one he wanted.

 

In Jordan's room, Jordan found another bottle of whiskey and started drinking. He wanted to get Matthew drunk with him and then fuck him over and over. That would be so much fun. He took a big swallow out of the bottle and felt himself get warm all over.

 

Matthew sat alone in his room. He felt very lonely. Jordan told him he shouldn't be friends with anybody but him. Jordan said that the other boys would pick on him and use him and only he could protect him.  He kept saying that the real big kids like Mike and Jeremy and Travis would beat him up for not doing things they wanted.

 

But Matthew wasn't sure if everybody was leaving him alone because Jordan was protecting him, or if maybe those big kids were as nice as they seemed and weren’t really after him. What he did know was he did like some of the things Jordan was doing to him.  What he didn’t like was Jordan telling him he wanted to put his wiener inside his butt. He knew he wanted more friends, but he didn't know how to get them without making Jordan mad at him and telling everybody about how he liked sucking on Jordan’s wiener.

 

Sunday was a quiet day. The boys spent most of the day with their families, some of them going to morning church services in the chapel or in the theater. Douglas left Scooter's cabin in the morning and returned to his family’s cabin.

 

Brandon left Alex and Stevie’s cabin to be with his mother, but Mike stayed a little longer. The brothers taught him what a three way daisy chain suck was about. Mike liked it enough to do it twice. He finally left to have Sunday brunch with his brother Brad. Stevie and Alex showered together, then went to brunch.

 

Just about everybody was at the games room later in the afternoon.  Jordan hung with Matthew almost the entire time, whispering and talking to him. Jordan had skipped breakfast and brunch because he felt sick. He managed to make it to lunch with his father and was feeling better. Now it was up to him to get the plan going for Robert Charles.

 

After dinner some of the boys went to the games room, some to their own rooms, and some hung out with their friends. By nine o’clock (twenty-one hundred hours, ship’s time) everybody had gone to their own rooms except for Matthew.

 

Matthew was in Jordan’s room sucking his dick and letting Jordan finger fuck him. But Jordan didn’t return the blow job or do anything to make him feel good except finger him. Matthew was very hard, and Jordan almost didn't seem to care.

 

About the same time as Matthew finished sucking Jordan in another cabin, Mike’s phone buzzed.  He was surprised that the call was from Lisa, who sounded like she was crying.

 

"Mike, I have to talk to you.  Please. It's about RC."

 

"What's wrong?"

 

"I can't say it on the phone.  Please. You've always seemed so nice and easy to talk to. I need help."

 

Mike could tell she was really upset. He had only talked to her a couple of times because she always seemed to be hanging on to Robert Charles. He knew Robert Charles was a prick and now he seemed to be proving it. Lisa sounded like she was in trouble—big trouble. He felt like he needed to help her.

 

"Where do you want to meet?"

 

"How about the observation lounge on deck 12? In fifteen minutes?"

 

"Okay. I'll be there."

 

“I'm so scared."

 

Mike hung up the phone and looked at the clock. He needed to tell Brad where he was going, but not why.

 

The second call of the evening was for Jordan. Matthew heard a female voice on it.

 

"It's time for you to go Matthew. Take elevator two, because number three is down for the night."

 

Matthew recognized the voice as his mother’s. While he dressed, Jordan told Matthew how he owned him. He told him how bad the other boys would treat a little cocksucker like him if it wasn't for Jordan protecting him and keeping his secret for him.

 

Matthew headed for elevator two, even though he usually took elevator three.

 

The next call was to Jeremy from Jordan.

 

"Somebody said Mike was pretty wild tonight. Really upset. I can't find RC. You're the only guy even close in size who can stop him. I don't want him in trouble. Maybe you can find him and calm him down. I heard he was on deck 12 somewhere around the observation deck.”

 

Jeremy said he would see what he could do. He told Ryan he would be right back and headed toward deck 12.

 

Mike told Brad he would be right back and headed to deck 12.

 

Elevator 2 stopped at deck 12. Matthew stepped out and got slammed by a punch in the gut. He doubled over in pain and tried to look up to see who was hitting him when he got punched in the face twice and fell to the floor, blood coming from his mouth. He couldn't tell who was hitting him, only that it was somebody big. The hall was spinning and somebody was standing over him. He looked up and saw Mike.

 

Jeremy came around a corner and saw Matthew on the floor and Mike kneeling in front of him.  He walked up and saw that Matthew was holding his gut in pain and he was bleeding from his mouth and already was getting a black eye.

 

"Get away from him!!!!!!!!!" Jeremy screamed. "Get the FUCK way from him!!!!!"

 

"I didn't do anything. I came around that corner and saw him on the floor."

 

"Like hell you didn't do it. Just like you didn't hit Ryan."

 

Mike stood up. He was getting angry. "I never touched him! Why should I?"

 

"Because you're pissed about something. And because some little kid got in your way and now you can show what a tough asshole you are." Jeremy was so mad he was ready to punch out Mike.  "What were you doing here anyway? This isn't even your deck."

 

"Lisa called me to meet her in the observation lounge. She was having some kind of trouble."

 

"Well, for your sake that better be a true story. Because if it isn't you're going to have every boy on this ship ready to get you." He bent down to help Matthew up.  "He's just a little kid. And tomorrow I'm going to make sure somebody deals with this. I think your ass is fucked. It’s not Robert Charles who is the bully and the asshole on this ship, it’s you."

 

Jeremy took Matthew and walked him to his cabin while Mike stood there wanting to help. He was confused, lost, wondering what was happening to him and why. He turned and walked to the observation lounge to meet Lisa, trying hard not to cry.

 

He sat in the lounge for over an hour, but Lisa never showed. He knew why he was sitting in the lounge alone. He knew he had been set up. And unless he could prove it he might have cost Douglas the election by being stupid. And to make it worse, nobody would believe his story. After all, who would believe that Lisa would set up her own little brother.

 

He walked back to his cabin and woke up Brad. He told him exactly what happened going back to the cavern on Mars. When he was finished, Brad hugged him and sent him off to bed. Then he sat down and wondered how much trouble Mike was in. He knew Mike was a great kid, but things did not look good for him at the moment. Brad had no idea why somebody would have it in for his brother.

 

 

Mike sat alone at a table at Monday's breakfast. Ryan came a couple of minutes later and stared at him. Mike didn't want to look back at him, but knew he had to. After all, he had no reason not to. Ryan sat down next to him.

 

"Jeremy told me about last night. He says you hurt Matthew pretty bad.  He says you're going to be in big trouble when you show up for class today."

 

Mike looked down at the table.

 

"You're the one who really hit me, aren't you? And you hit Matthew. I believed you Mike. I believed in you. I believed you were who I thought you were. And all the time you were probably laughing at me." Ryan was near tears.

 

Mike took a deep breath. If he didn't say anything right now, Ryan would leave believing he was the one who hit him and Matthew. He gazed right into Ryan’s eyes. "Ryan. I never hit you. I never hit Matthew. I was set up last night. I swear, I never hit anybody.  And I mean here or on Earth or Mars or anywhere, well except maybe in a hockey game." Mike went on to tell about the strange call from Lisa and how she never showed up for their meeting.

 

"Yeah, Jeremy told me what you said. Jeremy was ready to kill you last night. He is so pissed right now. He called Lisa this morning and she said she didn't know what he was talking about. I have to believe her, Mike. Why would she set up her own little brother?"

 

That was exactly what he thought everybody would be thinking. Robert Charles had planned things out perfectly. Everybody had seen how Lisa clung to Robert Charles, but Mike seemed to be the only one who could see that Lisa’s infatuation with RC was more important to her than the welfare of her little brother.

 

"Ryan, she's lying. She called me and was crying.  She begged me to meet her, saying she was having problems with RC. I was set up. And I bet it was by RC who planned all of this. He wants to force Douglas to quit taking my side and to split up our votes. He's evil, Ryan. Totally evil. And he needs to be stopped."

 

Ryan looked at Mike trying to decide whom to believe. He was about to say something when Douglas and Scooter showed up and sat at the table. They hadn't heard about last night’s incident, but Mike and Ryan quickly filled them in, their stories clashing.

 

When they finished, Douglas had no idea what to think. He liked Mike lot. He just couldn't believe Mike was the one who attacked Matthew, unless he was fooling everybody with his likeable personality. But he did believe that Robert Charles was capable of attacking the small boy and was capable of hatching an evil plan to blame Mike for it.  He also knew that backing up Mike would be a sure way for him to lose the election, because as much as nobody really liked Robert Charles, the evidence that Mike was a cowardly bully was hard to refute. Douglas had a decision to make. Would he back up Mike and stick by his friend and lose the election for sure, or would he turn his back on Mike to give him a chance of winning?

 

Finally he made up his mind. There really was only one decision to make and that was the right one. "I believe you Mike. I'm behind you all the way."

 

Mike was stunned. That wasn't what he expected to hear. If Douglas stood behind him he stood a good chance of losing the election, and that simply couldn't happen. Robert Charles could not be allowed to win.

 

"Thanks, Douglas. That means a lot to me. I couldn’t ask for a better friend. But supporting me would keep you from winning the election, and we can’t let that happen."

 

"You don't know that, Mike. And if I won because I couldn't stand up for a friend...well, then I am not any better than Robert Charles. This trip is only a couple of months long. And I sure wouldn't turn my back on a friend even if it was for two years. We can put up with Robert Charles for two months. I bet he will turn out to be such an asshole of a leader that nobody would vote for him for anything on AO IV. "

 

Mike felt tears starting up. He tried to pull out a hanky to wipe them away but it was too late.  By the time he got to them and started wiping, everybody saw the tears, and nobody cared.

 

Right then Alex and Stevie showed up. When he found out what happened, Alex was ready to explode he was so mad. But he felt a little better when he found out what Douglas had decided.  It made him feel they had done an excellent job picking their candidate for leader.

 

Robert Charles, Jordan, Lisa, Jeremy, and Matthew came into the dining hall together. Matthew's lip was swollen and he had a black eye. Robert Charles walked up to the table where the boys were sitting, pulling Matthew with him. He glared at Mike.

 

"He looks real nice, doesn't he asshole? And I see your faggot friends are still sitting here talking to you. I guess that says a lot about you guys. I'm sure glad you won't be winning this election, Douglas, because it would make us all real sick taking any orders from you. Now you can see who your friends really are, Matthew." He walked away with Matthew following him looking forlorn, and joined his friends at another table. A couple of minutes later, Warren walked in not knowing what had been going on. He saw Jeremy and joined them.

 

The boys at Douglas’s table counted and recounted potential votes. No matter how they counted them, the vote was 9-8 in favor of Robert Charles. 

 

 

When they got to class, Mr. Z called Mike into his office. Matthew was there and so were his parents, and the ship's First Officer. Like he expected, Mike was accused of attacking Matthew.  Matthew said he wasn't sure if it was Mike. He just knew it was somebody big and that Mike was kneeling next to him when he opened his eyes. Mike told his side of the story. Lisa was called in and said she never called Mike last night and that she would never do anything to hurt her brother. When it all ended, Mike was put on a two week cabin restriction, except for school and meals. He was told if anything else happened he would be totally restricted to his cabin for the rest of the trip. Matthew's parents said they couldn't understand why a big kid like him had to assault a sweet little boy like Matthew.

 

Mike was crushed. He tried telling Matthew as they left the office that he didn't do it. But Matthew wouldn't even look at him. He went straight to Jordan and ignored everybody else. He knew for sure now that Jordan was his friend along with Robert Charles and that the rest of them were nowhere near as nice as they claimed to be.

 

Just after break an alarm went off and yellow lights started flashing. It was an abandon ship drill.  If the lights were flashing red it would mean it was the real thing. If they had been in their cabins they would have gone to one of the big shuttles. Since the school was toward the back of the ship near the engineering section they would go to a small shuttle that was attached to the hull of the ship near the school.

 

The students would board it directly from the classroom. If there was an order to abandon ship, the pilot would launch the shuttle and it would meet up with one of the big shuttles. Mr. Z. was trained to fly the little shuttle and would most likely be their pilot. The class had been shown how to open the lock to the shuttle on the first day of school. Alex opened the lock and the class took their seats.  Just after the upper class got seated, the smaller kids from the lower class came through the lock and sat in the empty seats. Mr. Z took a count and got on the radio to tell bridge that everybody was accounted for. After about ten minutes the alarms stopped and the students returned to class. This was the first drill staged while they were in class, but they already had had two of them at other times.

 

Douglas mentioned to Scooter that the drill was one of the few times he’d seen the young twins. He had found out that the two nine-year-olds were Michelle’s brothers, which explained their lack of visibility; they never saw Michelle very often either.

 

After class restarted, Mr. Z made no mention of the altercation between Mike and Matthew the day before. He knew how the jungle telegraph worked and knew that everybody knew about what had happened and about what Mike’s punishment was. He did announce, however, that Matthew had done very well on his computer and oral exams and was being assigned to the upper class for the rest of the voyage.

 

At the break Douglas went to talk to Jeremy and Warren. He tried telling them that Mike didn't hit Matthew and that he was set up, but they wouldn't listen to him. They told him that they had made up their minds. Jeremy told Douglas about the call from Jordan, that Mike was threatening people, and asked if he could try stopping him.

 

"Isn't that interesting," Douglas said. "Jordan just happened to know that Mike was on deck 12.  Matthew just happened to leave Jordan's room at about the same time Mike happened to get a call to meet Lisa on deck 12.  Think about it Jeremy. You're being set up just like Mike was.  They're playing you for a sucker." Douglas did not mention that nobody could account for where Robert Charles was.

 

At lunch Jeremy and Warren sat with Robert Charles and his group. Douglas had a chance to talk to Michelle about how she was planning to vote. Michelle, reticent as usual, said she didn't know, and even if she did she wasn't going to tell anybody.

 

That evening Jeremy was invited to Warren's room. Warren wanted to talk to him about a lot of things. First, they talked about the election. Warren told Jeremy he thought that maybe Mike was telling the truth. Jeremy said he didn't think he was, but Douglas did say some things that made him think.  

 

He still thought Robert Charles was the better leader.  He was bigger and more forceful. He acted like a leader.  Douglas sometimes seemed too hung up on himself and his problems. His reaction after the spa reservation incident was not one of a good leader.  Besides, he was only running because his friends talked him into it, not because he was interested in being a leader, not in the way Robert Charles was. Warren and Jeremy agreed not to make up their minds until Wednesday.

 

Then, they talked about each other. Warren wondered why Jeremy wanted to be his friend. Jeremy didn’t answer and instead told Warren he needed to come out and join everybody in the games room more often. Once again, Warren asked Jeremy why he wanted to be his friend.

 

Jeremy decided Warren deserved an answer. "Simple. I think you are a kind and sweet boy with a big heart. I like you. You're special." Warren smiled. Then Jeremy got up to leave because it was getting late. He got to the bedroom door and turned and smiled. "And besides, you're really hot."

 

He left quickly and Warren stood there stunned. Hot? Me? He looked in his mirror and saw a short, skinny kid. No way I’m hot, he thought. But thinking about Jeremy and their conversation made him get a nice sized bulge in his pants.

 

While Jeremy was in Warren's room, Travis was in Ryan's. This time they knew what they wanted and didn’t wait to do it. They sat on Ryan's bed kissing and hugging and groping each other’s crotches. For Travis it suddenly didn't make any difference that Ryan was a boy—in fact, somehow it made things better.  For Ryan, he was getting exactly what he wanted. He had no doubt that he was in love.

 

When Jeremy got back he saw them sitting on Ryan’s bed, their shirts untucked, their hair messed up, and bulges in their pants. They were both breathing hard. He knew they had been making out and smiled.

 

Ryan and Travis had gone as far as kissing and heavy petting. They both knew more was going to happen and they couldn't wait. They just had to figure out a way to do it at a time they wouldn’t be disturbed by Jeremy.

 

After the two boys appeared to get themselves together, Jeremy asked them their opinions about what had happened to Matthew. Ryan said he believed Mike’s story. He didn't see how anybody as sweet as Mike could do the things he did. Travis said he wasn't so sure. He could see both sides. But he agreed with Ryan that he couldn't see Mike being a bully, it was just that all the evidence seemed to show that he was.

 

Travis finally left the cabin, but he didn't really want to. He wanted to spend the whole night with Ryan, and he wasn't even feeling guilty for wanting it. He was in love. So what that it was with a boy, he thought, love is love.

 

At Tuesday breakfast there was a lot of talk about the election. Mike was unhappy about his restriction. He knew he had done nothing wrong.

 

Mr. Z was unhappy about Douglas backing up Mike. He saw Douglas as another trouble maker. He was certain that Douglas’s stand regarding Mike would cost him the election. He had no doubt that his candidate, Robert Charles, would defeat the trouble maker and win the election.

 

That afternoon after school two interesting things happened. One was Robert Charles's father visiting Mr. Z in his office.  He reminded the teacher how he could get him a top position at an exclusive school on Earth or any other planet he wanted, and how he could guarantee that if Robert Charles won the election. He told Mr. Z that Robert Charles was a born leader and had been raised and trained to lead, while the Douglas boy was just another nobody kid—a wannabe leader. He emphasized that real leaders should lead, especially among a group of adolescents. His closing line was that truly great teachers knew that only the best should the best be picked to lead; they knew how to make it happen.

 

Not long after Robert Charles's father left Mr. Z's office Robert Charles came to see Mr. Z. He didn't know his dad had been there. But he did know he wanted to be totally sure he won the election and it was time for the second part of his plan. He told Mr. Z. how cool he was as a teacher. And how if he won the election he would be a good leader and keep things in order. He pointed out how he could find ways to make things really good for Mr. Z. Robert Charles left the office feeling confident that Mr. Z knew exactly what he was talking about when it came to making things good for the teacher.

 

That night, when the engineers on duty were checking the status of the main warp drive, the temperature gauge on the warp enhancer jumped close to the red mark and slipped back down. Alex and Stevie slept cuddled, both loving each other and thinking of their new lovers. Jeremy and Ryan jacked each other off, but were thinking of the boys they truly desired. Douglas, Travis, and Scooter jacked off in their own rooms, thinking of who they loved on the "Starkeeper". Robert Charles jacked off thinking that Lisa really owed him big time and thought about what it would be like to fuck her.

 

Matthew fell asleep feeling miserable. His face was still sore; his parents had told him what a loser he was to let the bigger kids bully him, an entirely different attitude than they had taken on Monday with Mr. Z and the first officer. To top it off, his sister, Lisa, treated him even worse than usual. Not for the first time he wished he was dead. He decided he was ready to let Jordan do what he wanted with his butt. He didn’t care what Jordan threatened to tell the rest of the kids. They wouldn’t care because they didn’t like him anyway. Jordan was the only person on the ship who liked him, and he was ready to do anything for the older boy.

 

Suddenly it was Wednesday morning. It was school election day. Robert Charles and Douglas woke up ready to see what was going to happen.

 

Next: The Show