Lost Boys Academy (Book One: Orientation)

by Aaron Ferrara

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Coming Soon

  Lost Boys

  Academy

  Book 1: Orientation

  WRITTEN BY:

  AARON FERRARA

  Copyright 2015, AARON FERRARA

  All rights reserved.

  In no way is this book or electronic version to be reproduced without the written consent of the author.

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, situations, names and events are produced from the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, alive or deceased is purely coincidental. Please be warned that this book contains graphic language, and some graphic situations.

  -Acknowledgment-

  For Jonathan Ferrara.

  For without his encouragement and passion for writing, I would have never picked up a pen—or keyboard.

  Special thanks to Sam Blackburn.

  Editor extraordinaire.

  Chapter One

  -JIMMY-

  “Psst… Jimmy,” Jake whispered as he leaned slyly across his desk. A devilish smirk formed across his face as he continued, “Bet I could fuck Mr. Pierce by the end of the semester.”

  Jimmy sighed, slightly annoyed. Jake Parker—handsome, fit, and above all, shameless. Luckily for him, he also happened to be incredibly charismatic. He could charm his way out of any degree of trouble just by simply batting his deceivingly innocent puppy dog eyes.

  Jimmy envied him for that. He wasn’t usually a jealous person in the least, but every time he witnessed Jake wiggle himself out of mess after scandalous mess, he couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to force that pretty face down a toilet bowl and flush…

  Jimmy’s wandering thoughts transported him back to the first time they had met each other. It just so happened that Jake was the first person he had the pleasure of coming into contact with on his first day at the academy…

  LOS ANGELES, CA - One month ago

  Jimmy stared out of the passenger window of the light, blue Chevy. Traffic began to disperse significantly, which was an unusual occurrence for Los Angeles; especially during lunch-time rush hour on a Tuesday afternoon. He figured this part of town to be an area he had never ventured to before. The buildings became smaller, fewer and far between as more trees were appearing left and right, taking their place.

  Jimmy peered out to his side-view mirror, catching a glimpse of his shaggy, reddish-brown hair. He pulled down the shade above his head, opening the flap that covered the mirror. He brushed his hair out of his brown eyes, even though he knew it would fall back within a matter of seconds.

  He looked down at the brochure in his hands as his bangs swept back across his forehead. The woman pictured on the front was like a life-sized doll, with a style straight from the sixties. The blonde, middle-aged woman had her billowing hair sprayed and pulled back into a neat bun. Her face was regal and quite pretty, but it seemed as though the bun pulled too tightly on her skin, causing her smile to look forced and painful. The woman stood rigidly with her back straight and arms folded unnatural across her pink pantsuit. In the background poised a vast building with the words ‘Lost Boys Academy’ etched on a marble slab erected upon the pristine lawn.

  “You’re going to be fine,” Jimmy’s dad assured from the driver’s seat.

  Jimmy couldn’t help but laugh sarcastically. “The slogan is ‘For boys who have lost their way’—real subtle.”

  He stared down at the brochure, wondering how a place like this could possibly be able to stay open these days. It was past the millennium, and back when he was in high school there was more than just one openly gay student at Jimmy’s school. He figured the same for any other school in the country as well. He thought ‘times had changed’. In fact, some of his favorite TV shows had lead, gay actors.

  “I mean, this place is like one of those camps they used to have in the fifties…they try to stomp the gay out of you like it’s something you can change.”

  “I know, Jimmy, but you’re doing a great thing here. You’re going to come out of this with something you can’t get anywhere else.”

  There was no denying that, Jimmy thought to himself. He leaned his head against the window and sighed. “I know, dad.”

  The car stopped in front of a small, empty parking lot. Jimmy knew this was the last stop. The building appeared exactly as it did on the brochure. The structure’s appearance suggested it had been converted from an old hotel, current renovations not included. The front lobby and surrounding suites were the only pieces that seemed to be from the original structure. They had a cottage-style look, painted light cream and adorned with brown shutters and terra cotta-tiled rooftops. An elongated wing stretched to the right side of the premises. It was lined with stained glass windows that connected a tall cylinder-shaped addition, complete with a steeple. It was a beautiful campus, even with all of the obvious new additions.

  On his way out of the old Chevy, Jimmy again peered slowly up to read the large sign above his head: ‘Lost Boys Academy.’

  He then watched his dad drive into the distance along with his chance for summer freedom. He beheld his current surroundings, but there was nothing really to see but towering pine trees and scattered rocks.

  He never really appreciated nature before. He was always more of a city boy, but he could appreciate the sweet smell of pine. The place had an overall boy scout, campy feel, which was an odd but nice change of pace from the ‘normal’ day-to-day bustling city life he was used to. Jimmy probably would never come out this far on his own, but it did sort of remind him of his aunt’s place in Topanga Canyon. He wondered if he could recognize any of the nearby houses, if there were any.

  Alas, there was nowhere to go except walk across the fake grass that looked and felt as though it belonged on the green belts of a golf course. He then reached the concrete steps leading to the front office. Jimmy threw his backpack over one shoulder and proceeded up the stairs until he was halted by a hand gripping onto his shoulder.

  He whirled around to see a strikingly handsome face, a charming side-smile planted on it. The boy in front of him was around his age, couldn’t be older than nineteen or twenty. His short, brown hair had an effortless style to it, although a small tuft naturally flipped upwards in the front. His eyes matched his hair color. They looked like a sad puppy dog’s; only instead of having a hint of innocence, they held a glint of boldness. He was undeniably the most attractive guy Jimmy had ever seen, which rendered him speechless.

  “Hey, you here for the academy?” The boy took out his headphones and let them hang down to the floor. Judging from his soaking, grey athletic T-shirt and black gym shorts, he had to have been returning from a run.

  “Yeah,” Jimmy answered coyly. He was never good around guys he thought were cute. He glanced down at his own clothes—plain black T-shirt and dark grey pants with red, Converse high-tops. He slightly envied the anonymous boy for being able to pull off the sweaty look better than his own normal style.

  “I’m Jake.”

  “Jimmy.”

  “Jimmy, the ginger,” Jake smiled. “Is that your natural color?”

  Jimmy’s face turned red, matching his hair which made him drop his gaze down toward his feet in shame, “Yeah.”

  “Cute.” Jake walked past him as he headed up the stairs.

  Jimmy got a closer look at Jake before he passed by. He couldn’t deny that there was something familiar about him. Had they met before?

  “Do you live in L.A.? I feel like I’ve
seen you somewhere…”

  “Probably,” Jake shrugged. He stopped at the top step, twisting his head over his shoulder to look at Jimmy. “It’s not so bad here, ya know.”

  Jimmy raised an eyebrow, wrinkling his forehead, “Except for the fact that they want to completely change who we are and what we do.”

  The devilish smirk reappeared across Jake’s face, “Who said we have to change what we do?”

  Jake now stood and faced the large door at the top of the steps. He stretched his arms over his head, flexing his lean, toned arms. He then grabbed the bottom of his shirt, pulling it off and over his head, revealing a chiseled, muscular back. He adjusted the waistband of his underwear, unveiling the dimples in his lower back, completely visible as they peeked out right above his shorts. With his sweaty shirt, he dabbed his neck and then reached for the door in which to enter the school.

  “Just as long as you don’t get caught,” Jake admitted as he walked into the premises, swaying his hips in an overconfident manner.

  Good point…Jimmy muttered under his breath. He paused for a moment as the image of Jake’s perfectly-sculpted body burned into his long-term memory.

  “Welcome to the academy, roomie!” Jake shouted behind him.

  Jimmy snapped out of the momentary trance. Roomie? He pondered this briefly before his lips gradually formed a smile. Maybe this summer wasn’t going to be so bad after all…

  Jake veered further across his desk, the wood creaking slightly beneath him. His lean, rippling arms were fully visible, bulging from the usual, light blue tank top he wore. He stretched himself farther until his lips were mere inches away from Jimmy’s ear, “So…whaddya say?”

  Jimmy raised an eyebrow and turned to face him, still without uttering a word.

  “C’mon, Jimmy.” Jake pleaded with his half smile still spread across his face. “Ya know what?” Jake extended his hand for a shake, “Make that the end of the quarter.”

  Jimmy thought about this for a moment. He never doubted the validity of the stories Jake recited to him late at night before curfew. After all, Jake Parker was the type that got what and who he wanted—when he wanted it. He had never declared a feat quite like this though; even out of all the conquest stories before he made it to the Academy. There was a serious risk involved here—not just the fact that Mr. Pierce was in charge, but just one misread signal could get him expelled. Jimmy didn’t harbor any resentment towards him. He had somewhat accepted the fact that Jake was ‘God’s gift’ to everyone; and yeah, he didn’t agree with a lot of his actions, but he didn’t want to see him do something drastically stupid and lose everything he had made progress on this summer. On the other hand, he would get to witness history-in-the-making if the Jake Parker were to be rejected. That possibility alone was enough to sway his decision to be involved.

  “Alright,” Jimmy finally agreed, “end of the quarter then.” He offered his hand and Jake shook it vigorously with an ecstatic grin.

  The classroom where they spent the majority of their time during the day was a small, dull, lifeless room. There were no posters of the periodic table, no maps, and no anatomical skeleton models. This classroom was, after all, not a typical classroom within an ordinary school. The walls were instead dripping with religious quotations, announcing common, hate-filled verses. One such classic read, ‘Man shall not lay with man.’

  Most of the students had no choice but to call the academy home, by one circumstance or another.

  “I saw you eyeballing him.” A blonde, preppy boy accused, sitting behind Jimmy, as he folded his arms across his chest.

  “I wasn’t, I swear!” A darker-skinned boy pleaded defensively.

  The blonde scowled at him, “I saw you, Alex,” he repeated.

  “There’s only two other guys in class, Kyle. I have to look at him sometime,” Alex argued.

  “Not like that, you don’t…”

  Alex sighed deeply, staring down to his desk as he rested his chin upon his propped-up arm. There was clearly no winning this argument.

  Jimmy tried his best to ignore the couple. Their fighting had become routine, only this time, he noticed that Jake overheard this one and was beginning to turn around to the back row. Jimmy shot a look to Jake in an attempt to diffuse the situation, but instantly regretted his decision when he realized he could not ignore his neighbor.

  Jake leaned back across his desk to Jimmy, “Ya know, Mr. Pierce has a really nice a—.”

  Jake was interrupted by the sound of the doorknob twisting back and forth rapidly, causing all heads of the classroom to whip around in its direction. Mr. Pierce scanned the classroom with a confused look on his face as he silently mouthed, counting a whopping four students.

  A meek voice then muttered from behind the door, “Hello?” The doorknob jangled a few more times. “I think the door is stuck.”

  The puzzled look on Mr. Pierce’s face swiftly disappeared. He then snapped his fingers and nodded, making his way for the door. He pulled it open in one seamless motion, dragging a thin, lanky boy into the classroom by the doorknob. The boy had jet-black hair, which contrasted nicely with his hazel eyes and fair skin. He was dressed in a two-toned, baseball undershirt and blue jeans.

  “You must be Mason!” Mr. Pierce exclaimed with a welcoming smile.

  Mason pushed his thick, black rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose and nervously gazed up toward Mr. Pierce, towering above him, to respond, but no words were coming out of his mouth.

  Mr. Pierce had kind, inviting eyes, and a large, unwavering smile slightly hidden behind his full, yet neatly-trimmed beard. His classic sense of style was displayed from the way he parted his dark, brown hair to the side, down to his grey button-down, collared shirt tucked into his dress slacks.

  Mr. Pierce was noticeably young for a teacher, somewhere in his mid to late twenties; but he carried himself with a confidence as if he ran the school (which was practically half-true). He was the perfect person to run the orientation period of the Academy, seeing as he was himself a recently-converted ‘sober’, gay man.

  Mr. Pierce cocked his head to the side as he stared intently at the boy in front of him.

  “Mason Riggs?” he inquired once more.

  Mason rapidly blinked a few times, realizing that there were probing eyes throughout the room, “Ye-yes.”

  Jimmy couldn’t help but feel sorry for the kid as he watched Mason standing awkwardly in the center of the room. “There’s an empty seat here, Mr. Pierce.” Jimmy offered, pointing to the seat next to him.

  “Great Idea. Why don’t you take a seat next to Jimmy?” Mr. Pierce motioned towards the one empty desk out of many.

  Mason made his way quickly across the quaint classroom, studying the floor the entire time. He took a seat next to Jimmy as Mr. Pierce suggested.

  Jake smirked as glimpsed past Jimmy toward the new kid, watching Mason pull out both a pencil and paper as though he were about to take an algebra test.

  “This isn’t that kinda school,” Jake whispered to Mason while he probed him up and down, as though he were a new toy to play with.

  Mason looked at Jake, then whirled his head the opposite direction to see if he was talking to someone else in his same direction; but there was nobody near him besides Jimmy, so he nervously turned back.

  “Oh…” Was all he could utter in response.

  Jimmy watched Jake with a slightly irked expression.

  “What?” Jake shrugged defensively.

  Jimmy shook his head and then looked back to Mason. “I’m Jimmy,” he extended his hand for a friendly handshake.

  “Mason.”

  Before Mason could grasp his hand, Jake obnoxiously lunged across Jimmy’s desk and intercepted it with his own. “Jake.”

  Jimmy rolled his eyes and gently nudged Jake off of his desk before addressing Mason again, “So, where are you from?”

  “Monroe.”

  “Like as in, Marilyn?” Jake asked with a blank look on his face.

 
; “No, Michigan.” Mason was beginning to turn red, and quickly reversed the conversation. “What about you guys?”

  Before Jake could answer for him again, Jimmy quickly responded back, “We’re all from L.A. From different parts of town though, which might as well be in different states.”

  Mason nodded. “Yeah, the people here are so different.” He must have felt like he needed to follow up, because almost instantly, he continued, “But in a good way.”

  Jimmy shrugged. “It has its good and bad. Just gotta know what parts of town to avoid, ya know?”

  Mason nodded again.

  “I can show you around L.A. if we ever graduate this place.”

  “That would be great!” Mason blurted.

  “Glad you guys are getting acquainted.” Mr. Pierce approached their row of desks, “Jimmy, would you mind showing Mason around the grounds at lunch? Maybe let him in on some of the rules here at the Academy?”

  Jake’s mouth hung open as he looked begrudgingly at Jimmy. Before Jimmy could answer, he did what he does best and jumped in, “I’ll show him how we do things around here, Mr. Pierce.”

  The devilish look in Jake’s eyes returned. He curled his lips into his signature half-smile, locking eyes with Mr. Pierce. He knew exactly what he was doing.

  Mr. Pierce caught the playful glimmer in Jake’s bright, brown eyes. He was momentarily reeled in and could not break away.

  Jimmy recognized that look all too well. The way Jake’s thick, dark eyebrows arched downwards was seductive, strangely inviting. The sly smile on his face emitted a magnetic confidence. The feeling was conflicting. One that posed the question did Jake know what he was doing, or was this just a part of his natural charm? Either way, there was no denying that Jake was a great actor.

  Mr. Pierce finally broke eye contact and stared up to the ceiling. By now he was bright red, and he paused before being able to find his words.