From woody757@comcast.net Sat Oct  1 08:52:48 2005
Date: Sat, 1 Oct 2005 09:13:22 -0400
From: Mike and Frenchie <woody757@comcast.net>
To: admin@asstr.org
Subject: Mike Our Star Player II-8


 Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2005 06:15:22 -0500
From: Mike & Bagger <woody757@verizon.net>
Subject: Mike Our Star Player II-8

Once again folks this is a fictional story.

<Note>: A couple of times during II-7 I accidentally referred to Mark as
Mike.  Damn Typos :)

<From previous part>

When we got to my house I thanked Crag and told him to tell Marie I might
call her later on to explain what happened tonight. If Mark tells me more
of what has been happening at Marty's house I may be suggesting that she
provide some help to resolve the conflict between Marty and Mike.

After we got settled in I told Mark that I was going to take some medicine
than turn in. I told him to feel free to watch T.V. since it was not a
school night and he could stay up later if he wished.

<< Marks POV >>

Monday, the first day back to school after my weekend "date" with Mark, the
first since this past summer, and what a weekend it was for all four of us
(MD Terps vs. Duke at the Comcast Center courteous of Mr. Mike --- MD had
beat Duke earlier in the ACC season).  It was Valentine's Day as well as
the first day back at work for Mr. Mike. I walked by his office and man did
he get flowers (from both the guys and gals at school) as well as many
cards and posters.

As I walked down the hall I thought about the past few days. My father had
insisted that I repay Mr. Mike for my ticket as well as Mark's to the
basketball game. But Mr. Mike told me that since the tickets were very
expensive that he would pay for them and that I had to pay, not charge
dinner for Mark and I instead.

I asked Mark to be my Valentine's date for dinner prior to attending the
basketball game.  Mark informed me that we would be going "Dutch Treat"
since the two of us had to start the dating scene all over again, after the
way that I had acted towards him since this past summer.

For some reason going to Pizza Hut with Mark as my date did not seem all
that crazy, but then I overheard a comment by a classmate that caused me to
have a flashback to last spring.

**********************FLASHBACK ****************************************

Last spring when we attended "The Spring Fling", I had wanted Mark to look
to the nine's, while Mark had insisted on renting his own tux to wear, I
had to have the best and I picked up the tab.  He had saved up money to buy
me a plain (ok I can not describe it) gold ring, and once again I had to
have my way and buy us more expensive matching bands, plus getting our ears
pierced.  Mark had won a prize that included a free night's stay at a hotel
with a free ride to and from our prom in a limo. Again I wanted only the
best and biggest and had to make changes.  I called the hotel to have the
room changed to a suite along with having the limo changed from a regular
one to a stretch limo with a sun roof. Little did I realize what this was
doing to Mark.

When we got back from our partying that weekend Mark offered to help me
study for our final exams.  You know me pretty well as I told him that I
could pass them with my eyes closed --- I failed and was told to take the
course that summer or NO FOOTBALL since I would have an incomplete on my
record. (New Town Highs School has a policy that if a student has passed
all assignments, tests and fails the final exam than the teacher can either
give an F with no credit for the course or an INC which means the final
needs to passed before the next course can be taken) My course that I got
the INC in was Math, my worse course and Mark's best.

That summer instead of going on vacation with dad and I, Mark took the job
offer from Mr. Mike to watch his guide dog Bagger, while he was in the
hospital.  Yeah he got paid a good deal for it. When football practice
started dad informed me that the new principal (Mr. Mike -- I did not know
that he had taken the opening) had suspended me for the first grading
period or until I got the INC off my record.  NO FOOTBALL!!!!!!

To hear my former teammates referring to Mark as "Our Star Player" since I
could not play ate at me, and I turned into the biggest bigot around since
Judas.  Oh yeah I got to play in the final couple of games, but this season
I was not the Star Player and my ego took a major hit.

*****************END OF FLASHBACK ****************************************

As we walked and talked from the pizza place to the location where we were
to meet Mr. Mike and my father; it was nice just being able to talk to Mark
again, like we had before, when he felt safe telling me how he was feeling.
I kinda think that it really bothered Mark to tell Marty and I that he was
going to stay at Mr. Mike's place because he felt there were things that
two of us needed to talk out instead of yelling like we had the other
night, which lead him to say, "Mike, I hope that you talk to Marie either
with Marty or alone because unless you do I will not be returning to your
house".

When we met up with the other two I walked beside Mr. Mike and asked him,
"Do you think that Marie can help start to mend the problem between Mark,
dad and myself?"

"Mike, all I can say is if you are truly honest with Marie, she may be able
to help you start to mend a lot of fences.  But understand this Mike; I
will not take part in any sessions that you, Marty, and Mark have
scheduled, because prior to the death of my baby brother your actions made
me ill.  So call her number to see if she can see you either during free
periods, after school or when ever, because its your life that needs to be
fixed as soon as possible not Marty's or Mark's," was his reply.

I moved back up beside Mark and the two of us talked as we headed up
towards the Comcast Center for the game. Behind us Mr. Mike and Marty were
also talking very seriously.  I soon learned out how serious it was from my
dad.

"Michael!!! (Oh shit I am in trouble, he called me by Michael not Mike),"
came his sharp voice to my ears.

"Yes sir," was my reply as I moved beside my father.

Dad told me what Mr. Mike and he had talked about prior to getting to the
Comcast Center, and I had a gut feeling that I was not going to like a
thing that had been said between the two adults. I was right once dad began
to speak, "The other night when Mr. Mike was at our house the reason he
called his brother-in-law to take he and Mark back to his place was because
he did not feel safe with us. The other thing you must understand Mike is
that I have very strong feelings for Mr. Mike, and have told his sister
about these feelings.  That is why he was to come to stay at our house with
the three of us, and now he is scared of you Mike.  Please do not take this
the wrong way, but Mr. Mike has heard you say some nasty things towards
Mark and it reminds him of the comments made by the teenagers who killed
his brothers.  He told me, `Marty, I have strong feelings towards you, but
I need to keep Mark where he is safe from a homophobic bigot who turns on
and off like a light switch.  So until I hear and see the actions to back
them up of a change in him, I have asked Mark to stay at the condo, so that
he can be who he is.' He has also informed me that he was sorry to tell me
this but he does not think that the two of us should attempt to take our
relationship further until you come clean with all of us."

My father continued to say, "Michael, I know that the most important thing
for you to do is start from scratch with Mark.  As a part of this you are
going to call Marie to setup a family counseling session with the two of us
as soon as possible.  I also want you to think about things that you have
said that have made both Mark and Mr. Mike not feel safe around you for any
reason."

My dad was asking a lot from me with that last statement, but I knowing
that I wanted and needed Mark back as my partner and as an equal it was
something I HAD to do.  If Mark and I, as well as dad and Mr. Mike, were
going to have a chance to be together then I had to come clean both with
myself; and what I have said about both Mark and Mr. Mike.

This conversation gave me a killer headache, but I knew I had to spill my
guts about what I have said towards both Mr. Mike and Mark, which I will do
in the next tape/chapter.


TBC........

Thanks to my editor Richard!!!!

PS: I received some 20 flames about the two parts that were based on my eal
life issues, and my only reply is that I AM NOT SORRY THAT I HONORED MY
BROTHER'S IN THIS WAY!!!!  And for those that sent e-mails saying that all
3 got what they deserved, I say this to you, "Thee without any sin may cast
the first stone."  Once again gang I am writing this as fiction and just
like other writers here on Nifty that include personal experiences in their
stories they submit. If the subject matter offends you than please just
ignore the story.