Boys Club: How Far Would You Go?

by Ema Bancroft

  Elijah shrugged. "We'll tell them it was Rocket."

  I helped Eddie in one of Elijah's jackets, and tried to calm him down gently.

  "Seriously, I'm fine,"he said. "Besides, didn't you hear? Girls like scars."

  Roland turned his eyes, grabbing Eddie's hand to take him aside. He put an arm around his waist, holding his weight. "Well, there's no girl around here to impress, so let's see if we can get a doctor to fix that pretty face, okay?"

  0

  A taxi met us at the back entrance of the hotel, and Elijah shook his head out the door, scanning the dark alley before waving at us. Eddie leaned sharply over Roland as we walked into the taxi, until the click of a camera shutter and a sharp breath shot drew our attention to a dark corner.

  Twicher. The photographer looked at us intently, his face unreadable in the dim light.

  "Damn it! " exclaimed Roland, helping Eddie get in the taxi and turning to go after the pope. Elijah grabbed his arm.

  "Let me go,"Roland growled.

  "Wait a second,"Elijah quietly interrupted. "Let me talk to him. " When Roland finally nodded, Elijah approached the photographer. Twicher looked at him cautiously, instinctively protecting his camera with a fleshy arm. Elijah's arms remained slack at his sides as he bowed his head slightly to speak with him. He could not understand what they were saying, but Elijah did not hit him, and Twicher seemed relatively nervous.

  So maybe that was a good sign.

  After a moment, Elijah joined us in the taxi, and I saw Twicher enter his truck at the other end of the alley. When we went out on the street, the SUV followed us.

  "What's going on? " Roland asked, his jaw clenched. "What did you say to that guy?"

  "Trust me,"Elijah replied. "I think Twicher's gonna be useful this time."

  Elijah was right, but it wasn't until the next morning that we realized how right he was.

  We were all exhausted when we got back from the hospital. Elijah had spent most of his time on his phone - although I wasn't sure who he was talking to - and I had stayed close to Eddie while the doctor examined him. His nose was broken, but fortunately, his eye would be fine, and the cuts and bruises would heal over time. The police had come to take a statement, and Roland held Eddie's hand tightly as he recounted what had happened. Twicher was waiting when we left the hospital, but we were too tired to notice. I wanted to stay with Elijah, but we both knew that the next day we would sleep late and couldn't risk one of the other kids finding me in his room. So after a few soft kisses, I went back to my room and my lonely bed.

  A knock at my door woke me up a few hours later. I stumbled across it, opening it with a grunt, but fortunately I was still alert enough to cover my tits without tying my arms. Ethan was on the other side.

  "What?"

  "Get dressed, B. We have to go to work."

  "Work"? I repeated, my rough voice. "I didn't think we had anything until this afternoon."

  "Plans change,"Ethan said, shrugging his shoulders. "Hurry up. We have a press conference."

  0

  I was stunned as I left the front of the hotel to find a huge crowd of people, media and lots of flowers and candles surrounding the hotel entrance. Encouragement notes for Eddie and the band were among the arrangements. The street had been closed and I could see a police checkpoint a block away in any direction. The fans started screaming as we were going out, but there was something different about this crowd. Instead of stirring the usual:"Marry me, E. C. "and "Rocket heart! banners saying,"Don't give up!" "and "We're with you, Roland & Eddie!"?

  "What's all this? " I asked Elijah quietly.

  "The photos of Twicher,"he replied. "I told him we'd let him follow us as long as he made them available to anyone and everyone. Obviously, some people have seen them."

  "Obviously,"I repeated, still a little dazed.

  "But... Twicher wouldn't charge for that?"

  Elijah shrugged. "Turns out he's a decent guy... for a papanicolaou,"he added. "When he found out what happened, he said he'd help us"?

  "That's what you were doing on your phone last night."

  "I thought the best way to catch these guys was to get the story out,"he said. "He was right. Someone at the bar saw the photos online and found out that he knew the guys who did it. The police arrested two of them a couple of hours ago. Soon they will have the other one.

  "Wow,"I said, looking at the crowd. "I can't believe all the people. It's incredible!"

  "Yeah, well, that's just a part of it,"Elijah said cryptically.

  "What do you mean?"

  He began to answer, but Cecil interrupted, shaking us to a microphone bench on a small, raised platform. We gathered around the microphones when Cecil started talking.

  "Thank you all for coming,"he said darkly, his eyes staring at the television cameras lined up in front of him. "As you all know, one of us - 5Point choreographer Eddie Pops, was brutally assaulted last night in what can only be described as a hate crime."

  The crowd booed and someone shouted,"We love you, Eddie! " He nodded his head in recognition, smiling timidly as Roland took his hand.

  "It is so tragic these days and in this epoch that fanaticism and hatred are still alive and well in this society,"Cecil continued. "But I am happy to say that - thanks to some of you - the police have identified the perpetrators of this horrible crime and they will be brought to justice.

  The crowd exploded and Cecil nodded his head as he began to sing Eddie's name. Cecil withdrew from the microphone, addressing Eddie. He moved forward hesitantly, and I noticed that he grabbed Roland's hand with a grip of white knuckles. The crowd calmed down as he leaned toward the microphone.

  "Thank you,"he said, his voice clicking. He turned to Roland. "I can't..."

  "All right,"Roland assured him, approaching the microphones. "Eddie and I want to thank you all for your support,"he said to another round of applause. "We are so incredibly moved by the outpouring of love we have received from 5Point fans - all of you.

  "We'd like to thank those who came forward to help identify the asshole. "the suspects of this crime,"he corrected,"as well as the Los Angeles Police Department, which has done an incredible job. The applause erupted, and some of the nearby policemen raised their hands and waved.

  "One more thing,"Roland added once the crowd fell silent again. "We want to ask you to allow the justice system to do its job in this case. Please don't let violence or hatred go beyond what happened last night. The crowd applauded again and Roland smiled. "Now, about what we can do to make a difference - E. C. is going to tell you all about it."

  Elijah smiled with a smile as he approached the microphones amid calls and declarations of eternal love. He held up a hand. "Thanks for coming, guys,"he said. As Roland said, it's important for all of us in the band that we turn this into a positive situation, and I'm very excited to tell them something that is coming and we think it's going to be a lot of fun and it's going to give us all the opportunity to do just that.

  "Tomorrow night, after our show at the Staples Center, 5Point will host a benefit show at Queen of Hearts in West Hollywood."

  My heart stopped. I knew that club.

  "All proceeds will go to the Matthew Shepard Foundation," continued Elijah,"whose goal is to replace hatred in the world with understanding, compassion and acceptance.

  The crowd went crazy, but I kept trying to absorb what Elijah said. The Queen of Hearts was Moxie's club...

  a dragon club.

  "So if you want to take a look at E-Dog's legs in a pair of heels..." Elijah smiled as Ethan lifted a leg out of his pants, posing. "Come and join us Friday night after the show. It will be broadcast on screens outside the club, and we expect a great turnout, so you'd better get your tickets now! It's gonna be a big party!"?"

  The crowd exploded as we were shaking and going back to the hotel, and Cecil was left behind to answer some questions. I took Elijah out, making sure the others didn't hear me.

  "Are you sure that's a good idea? " I ask
ed.

  Elijah winked. "You're the one who wanted to try drag. It seems like if we're all doing it, it takes a little heat off your back and it's for a good cause.

  I know,"I said," but I didn't plan to act in front of thousands of people. I was thinking it would be a little bit more... private."

  Elijah waved his eyebrows. "That can be arranged."

  "Friend! " Ethan turned around in front of us, walking backwards. "What Spice Girl do you want to be? I mean, with that hair, Ginger is an obvious choice, but..."

  Elijah laughed. "I'm not gonna be a Spice Girl."

  "Why not? " Five of them. Five of us. I think it's perfect.

  "Friend! " Roland interrupted, hitting Ethan's arm. "I told you so. I'm doing Beyonce. " He made a quick turn and started singing Single Ladies, his ass shaking as he danced into the elevator. Eddie laughed and I found myself smiling, glad he was feeling better.

  Ethan went after him. "But you have to be the fancy seasoning! I want to be scared!"

  Raul interrupted:"That leaves me as a sportsman, and I don't have the tits for a sports bra.

  Ethan shrugged. "You could be Baby."

  Raul stared at me.

  "Oh, right,"I said, faced. "I'm the smallest, so I have to be Baby."

  "We're not doing the damn Spice Girls,"Elijah growled.

  "The Go-Gos"? Ethan suggested.

  Elijah moaned.

  "Bananarama"?

  "Really? " Elijah shook his pity head as we walked toward the elevator. "I talked to Moxie. She's got it all figured out. Cecil's gonna reschedule the afternoon interviews so we can meet her at the club and go over everything."

  "Well, I'm not shaving my legs,"Ethan said obstinately.

  Raul looked at him. "It's a fucking jungle down there, man. You have to shave them."

  "Absolutely not. When it grows back, it stings like a mother.

  We all turned slowly to stare at Ethan. He shrugged.

  "What? " he said. "I'm curious."

  He ignored us and started humming while the elevator was going up. It took me a second to recognize the song and then I couldn't help but hum.

  I'll tell you what I want, what I really want...

  E. C.

  Damn Spice Girls.

  I should have known Moxie would agree with Ethan. She thought it was a brilliant idea to close the Queen of Hearts show with a mix of Spice Girls.

  Medley? I didn't know they had enough punches for a mix, but whatever.

  Of course, she also agreed that I should be Ginger, which meant wearing a mini-dress made from a British flag.

  Fuck me. Fuck me.

  On the bright side, Ethan didn't scare at all. Moxie thought it would be funny if it was Baby, braids and all that, and I had to agree. Ethan wasn't very happy, but the fact that he was pouting made him look like a baby.

  Yeah. It pissed him off a little bit when I mentioned that... which just means I mentioned it a lot.

  Moxie also had other plans for us, including Roland Beyonce's number, with Raul and me singing in support.

  In tights.

  Whose idea was that?

  I told myself it was for a good cause. In addition to the group numbers, each of us also sang a solo, and Daisy was going to do a duet with Moxie that neither of us talked about.

  That made me curious.

  Between rehearsals with Moxie and our regular show, we didn't get back to the hotel until after one in the morning. Daisy yawned as we walked into our rooms, and I knew we would be doing nothing but sleeping.

  But I couldn't complain. I was exhausted too.

  Still, I found myself secretly in her room and silently knocking on the door. She opened it as if she were waiting for me, and took my hand, pulling me inside. Dressed only in a pair of boxer's underpants and a T-shirt, Daisy padded with bare feet toward the bed without saying a word. Sliding between the sheets, she stepped forward and turned sideways, putting both hands under her cheek as she looked at me.

  "Are you coming to bed? " She asked in a yawn, and I realized she was standing there staring at her.

  "Oh... yes... sure,"I replied, suffocating my own yawning as I dragged my shirt over my head. I felt her eyes floating over my body as she came out of my shoes and jeans, and Little Henry made a brave effort to respond - but even though the spirit was willing, the body was weak...

  And fucking tired.

  I put the alarm on my phone and went to bed, turning sideways to face Daisy. Her eyes were closed and, dragging a finger over her cheek, I bowed to kiss her gently. She smiled as her eyes widened in the middle.

  "You look tired,"she said.

  "You too."

  "Yes."

  "I wasn't sure if you wanted me here... you know... since it's so late."?

  She came up to me. "I always want you here."

  I had a moment of restlessness at the warm feeling that spread through my body before her words, and another when I realized that the feeling had nothing to do with my cock. I was just... happy. For the first time, I was perfectly satisfied with the idea of sleeping with a girl in my arms, even if the sex wasn't involved.

  Still a little bewildered by that, I turned around on my back and gathered it close by. Her head rested on my chest as her legs tangled with mine, and she sighed silently as she huddled in my body. We fit in perfectly, its softness shaping around me, its smooth skin and the smell of her hair makes me feel relaxed. I could feel the warmth of her hand on my bare chest... the gentle breaths of her breath against my skin... and I realized there was nowhere else I would rather be...

  "Good night, Elijah,"she muttered.

  I kissed her head, smiling at myself. "Good night, Daisy."

  0

  Friday was a fucking nuthouse. We woke up early doing live interviews on local morning shows, followed by satellite interviews with MTV and some of the entertainment shows. The attack on Eddie had attracted national attention, and everyone wanted to know how we faced him. The police had located the third suspect, and all three faced charges of assault and hate crime. They were released on bail, but Cecil had worked with our lawyers to make sure the restraining orders were in place, and had even hired a couple more security guards for the rest of the time we would be at L. A.

  Mabel and Terri's flight arrived while we were in the middle of the sound check at the Staples Center, so our limo driver picked them up and brought them to the scene.

  Ethan and Raul were like teenagers waiting for their arrival. The bastards were constantly looking for text messages and bouncing off the excitement. It was pathetic.

  But I had to admit, I was a little pathetic myself.

  I didn't know how much longer I could keep my feelings for Daisy to myself. The truth is, I was scared to death when I said those three little words. I had never told anyone who wasn't from my family before, and I wanted to make sure that I was doing it right.

  She was pretty sure that while we were kissing under scaffolding with our hands tucked in her shirt it would not be okay. And immediately before - or after - an orgasm probably wasn't the right time either. Sure, it was hot, but I thought the girls wanted something a little more romantic.

  Maybe with candles and flowers and Michael Bolton or something.

  I decided it would be a good idea to ask Mabel for advice.

  But she disappeared shortly after reaching the center and leaping into Raul's arms with a loud scream. Terri was a little more sober, but once she put a wet one on Ethan's neck, she asked him aloud for a half-hour break and disappeared into the locker room almost on the edge of the sprint.

  Raul and Mabel weren't far away... and Roland and Eddie weren't?

  Which led to the makeup session under the scaffolding with Daisy that I mentioned earlier.

  Anyway.....

  When Ethan returned to the stage, it was a strange combination of relaxed and almost irritated. Terri kissed his cheek, and I heard her say something about "the next time I get it,"but Ethan nodded her head in discouragement as she sat down
beside Mabel.

  "Are you still the only orgasm? " I asked sympathetically. Well, something nice. I may have laughed a little.

  "It's so frustrating,"he replied shaking his head. "I mean, I practiced all week!"

  "Practiced what? "Daisy chose that moment to walk. Of course.

  "Masturbating,"I said. Daisy coughed as her eyes widened, and I shrugged in response. She opened a bottle of water and took a sip, then squeezed the cold bottle over her reddened face.

  Ethan didn't even notice.

  He simply rubbed his hand over his mouth as if he were considering a difficult mathematical problem. "I worked so hard..."

  "That's what she said,"I muttered. Daisy snorted.

  I did the breathing... I did the Kegel exercises,"Ethan continued, still lost in his orgasmic dilemma.

  "Kegel exercises"? Daisy asked. "I thought they were for women."

  "Boys can do it, too,"Ethan said distractedly. "PC muscles need to be strong to retain ejaculate."

  "Shit. " I was upset about the idea of cutting off the flow of things. I couldn't imagine that that would feel right.

  "The key..." Ethan lifted a finger. "The key is to find that point of no return. You have to be totally in tune with your body. It's a spiritual connection, really?"

  Daisy and I blinked in response. I mean, what do you say to that?

  "Maybe I need to try something else,"Ethan mused as Daisy took another sip of her bottle. "Have any of you ever worn a cock ring?"

  Water exploded in the air in a shower of glowing drops. It would have been almost nice if it hadn't come out of Daisy's mouth... and if she hadn't nearly drowned to death.

  "What the fuck, B? " Ethan grumbled, wiping the water from his face.

  Daisy gasped for breath, her face red and tears filling her eyes.

  "Dude,"I cut myself, using my sleeve to wipe my face. "You don't say shit like' neither of you wear a cock ring' without a little warning."

  Ethan turned his eyes. "I thought maybe you might have some experience."

  Roland and Raul had walked, obviously wondering what the fuck was going on. Daisy still couldn't speak, but her face was almost back to the right color.