Gettin' Lucky in Kentucky

by Shane Morton

  I would figure all that out in time. I was just getting horny as hell while I did. If I masturbated anymore, I would probably go blind.

  We made our way towards the keg, and the twins were already there handing out cups to the boys. The twins were linebackers and seniors. They were two massive goofs that always had a smile on their face and a joke on their lips. They were the true heart of the team, and everyone on campus loved them. One of them, Elder, was getting a degree in art, and the other, Elliot, was a music major. I think he played trumpet or some shit.

  They were Instagram stars, too. They were gorgeous and had a huge following. RedSquared was their handle, and they were already making quite a bit of money. They were total Insta-whores. The only thing they hadn’t shown on the Gram was their cocks. Sadly, that was what would have made them the most money. I was still in awe of how big they were, everywhere. They were also the only guys we referred to by their first name since there were two of them. It would get confusing calling out Collins for them. It was a jock thing.

  Maybe that could be my new career when all of this was done. How do you become a social media whore?

  I took the cup, and Elder slapped me hard on the back. “Nice job tonight, bro! You really kicked some ass out there.” He wrapped his arm around me and whispered into my ear. “It should be you, man. You’ve earned it. If he keeps this shit up, it isn’t gonna matter who his momma is, you hear me?”

  I grinned sheepishly. It was nice to hear, and even though I wasn’t starting, I was still the person most of the other guys looked to. They were more pissed for me than I was. I was glad they were treating Hawkins, alright, though. He was out there doing his best, and they knew it. The boys on the team were a bunch of good guys, even if they were a little Neanderthal at times.

  “A beer for you, McKendrick,” Elliot smiled broadly as he took the cup from my hand and pumped the beer from the keg into it. He handed it back and grabbed the cup out of Texas’ hand. His name was actually Austin Michaels, and he was from Tennessee, but for some ungodly reason, the team has always called him Texas. He’s a handful. Nice enough guy, but he has a huge chip on his shoulder and takes everything way too seriously. Honestly, he is one of my least favorite team members, but we get along well enough. I just think of him as an asshole most of the time.

  “Texas, here you go,” Elliot handed Texas his beer. “Yo! Hawkins! Give me your fucking cup, freshman!” Elliot shot him a glance, and Elder slapped him on the back of the head.

  “Get your shit together, boy,” Elder ordered as he took the cup out of his hand and handed it to his twin.

  “I don’t really drink,” Hawkins said sheepishly, looking anywhere but at the senior twins whose judgment he didn’t want to get in front of.

  “You do tonight, son!” Elliot guffawed, pumping the beer into his red cup with a grin.

  Hawkins reached out and took the beer from Elliot’s huge paw. He slapped him on the back and started pumping the keg for a few of the other guys who were not so patiently waiting. After a game, we all need to blow off some steam. Especially when you lose. We’ve had to blow off a lot of steam lately.

  “Damn! Look at those boobs over there,” Texas said slowly, in awe of the girl’s ability to stuff them into such a small top. They were threatening to pop out with every movement, and she was dancing, so the odds were in Texas’ favor.

  “That’s Katrina, man,” Elder laughed, clasping his hand on Texas’ shoulder. “She will chew you up and spit you out. Don’t mess with the tiger, bro, unless you want to get clawed.”

  Texas laughed loudly and strutted towards her, glancing back at me and the boys. I crossed my arms and shook my head, ready to watch him get shot down quickly. To all of our surprise, as he moved onto the dance floor and started dancing next to her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and started dancing with him. He threw back his head and howled as his arm went around her back.

  “Give it time. He’ll crawl back licking his wounds in a few minutes,” Elder said, amused as he watched the scene knowing it would end as a tearjerker for poor Texas.

  “I’m gonna walk around.” I glanced over and noticed that Hawkins had disappeared. “Where the fuck did the golden arm disappear to?”

  Elder shrugged. Elliot pointed over to the pool table. “He chugged his beer like a pro and grabbed another, and headed over towards the townies. Guess he’s gonna show them how bad a freshman can lose at pool.”

  I laughed as I walked around the house. I spoke to a few of the guys I knew for a bit. One of the brothers was in my public speaking class, and he told me how nervous he was about having to get up in front of the class this next week. I wasn’t worried about that. My charm usually got me through that kind of thing. I may not be the best, but I could bull shit with the best of them.

  “Yo, McKendrick!” Joe York pointed at me before pretending to spike a football and raise his arms in the air. “That was badass, man! You brought us close, bro!”

  “Sup, York? How’s training going?” York was on the baseball team and was a damn fine third baseman. We had most of the same classes together as we were the same year. He was one of the few study buddies I had.

  “Ah, you know. Whipping those freshmen into shape as best we can. Spring will be here before you know it. We had this freshman come in from Mississippi this year with a speedball that puts everyone to shame. Poor Birdsong’s worried he won’t be starting in the opening game. It’s messing with his head. You should give him a call and talk him down off the ledge.”

  “Sure. Birdsong’s a good guy. I’ll see if he wants to grab a beer sometime soon. You could join us if you want. I think I’d prefer that, honestly,” I laughed. Birdsong was a great pitcher, but he was a mental mess. One bad inning could throw him for a loop. York laughed and agreed, and I told him that I’d call him next week.

  I figured I better go and check on Hawkins. He had never come out with us before, and shit, this might have been his first college party, ever. He took everything way too seriously. If he wasn’t on the field, he was studying. I think his parents expect A’s from him. That’s crazy. We practice too much, and in the fall, we travel every other weekend. Straight A’s should not be expected.

  I see Hawkins walking back from the keg. Damn, how many beers has he drunk? I walk over to Elder, who hasn’t moved. He’s just standing there with a hand in his pocket and a beer to his lips. Texas must have lasted longer than any of us expected.

  “Wait for it…” Elder laughs. “Look at her face. She’s already annoyed by his pawing at her. Should be any sec… OH! Shit!”

  I look over at the dance floor, and Texas was on his knees, holding his crotch. Katrina spun around and walked off the dance floor, leaving him there holding his nuts. It was bound to happen. Katrina was a beast. She may have looked like a sweet little kitty, but she was a fucking tigress. Texas wasn’t the first football player to feel her knee or her nails. Texas was lucky. Katrina’s nails could leave fucking scars.

  The problem was she liked to dance and have fun out on the dance floor with whoever danced with her, but after a short time of grinding with her on the dance floor, the guy always went too far. A hand on the ass, a graze of her boob, and the boy always went down to their knees. Served them right. The problem wasn’t Katrina, it was the guys who thought her carefree attitude was an invitation. It wasn’t. The bros needed to learn to manners. Texas was definitely that kind of bro. He was used to girls throwing themselves at him, so this was a good lesson for him to learn.

  He walked funnily over to his, holding his sore nuts in his hand. “Damn! She hits like a fucking linebacker, man.”

  “Told you,” Elder laughed snidely, enjoying our friends’ pain. “Katrina is not to be toyed with. She’s a special creature, and one day she’s gonna tame the right guy.”

  “MOTHER FUCKER!” We hear from behind us. Shit someone was about to get into a fight. It always happened at these parties. Someone probably hit on the wrong girl.

  I t
urn around and immediately start running towards the commotion. Hawkins is on the floor, and some tall redneck is standing with his fist clenched. Elder sprints past me and puts his wide, muscular body between them, his arms outstretched, trying to diffuse the situation. I get to Hawkins, who’s already getting back to his feet, his fists clenched, a look of rage upon his face.

  “What’s happening, fellas?” Elder says calmly, his voice a deep warning that whatever happened here was now over.

  “Your friend there decided to throw a punch at me,” the tall redneck said smugly. “We were talking about the game and…”

  “Fuck you, asshole! You told me that I was a shitty quarterback,” Hawkins growled. Good for him, standing up for himself, but fists never really solved an argument. They only escalated them.

  “That’s not true,” the handsome man that I noticed when I came in said forcibly as he stepped in front of his friend. “He said you couldn’t run a play very well, and you tried to punch him when his back was turned.”

  “He missed?” Elder smirked, asking the guy who had gotten even more gorgeous as he defended his friend. I did notice that he had a hold of his arm and was forcing it downward. He must be the peacemaker of his group too, or maybe he knew better than to get into a gang fight with the overly muscled football team. Elder was impressive, and no one in their right mind would pick a fight with one of the twins.

  “Yep. Just like most of his passes,” the tall one shouted over his friend.

  “Chad!” handsome warned, but it was too late. Hawkins launched himself at them, and I grabbed his arm, pulling him into a bear hug as he squirmed. I had about thirty more pounds of muscle than he did, so it was a losing battle on his end.

  Elder pressed his big finger into Hawkins’ chest. “Done. You hear me, Hawkins?” Elder glanced behind him. “Cowboy here might have been a bit of an ass, but you don’t come into a frat party and start trashing the place, you hear me. We’re guests here, and I don’t like me or the team to look bad.” Elder turned to the tall guy, I now knew was named Chad and frowned at him. “You know, man… We do our best out there, and sometimes it might not go down the way you want, but what we don’t need is someone putting us down. Capiche?”

  “Whatever, man. I didn’t start it, but I was sure as hell gonna finish it,” Chad said as he cracked his knuckles. I bet he could have too. He looked like he could handle himself, even if he was drunk as shit.

  “Figures,” handsome said. “You guys get everything you want anyway. Look, I go to the games, and I’m a fan, I am, but I don’t really like the way you guys get treated on this campus. Like your shit don’t stink. We get told all the time on this campus that we’re not as important as you, and if we have a critique or decide to criticize a play or a game, it's totally our prerogative,” he said sternly. “I bust my ass to pay my way through college and get straight A’s, and I don’t like how you guys seem to get a pass on anything and everything that has to do with being a student.”

  “You, I like,” Elder laughed, reaching out and putting a hand on his shoulder. “Listen, man, there’s a lot of asshole jocks, trust me, I know. I hate most of them. But it’s not all of us. I actually care about my grades and study all the time. I have plans, too, just like you. Hawkins, over there, can’t get his nose out of his books, either, because his parents expect him to have a high GPA too, but yeah… I get it. It’s not fair, and the only reason we get treated the way we do is that the athletics department brings in high donors and a lot of money in concessions and ticket sales. But you know that, don’t you?”

  Handsome looked down at his feet. “Yeah, I know that. I just don’t think it’s very fair.”

  “It’s not, man. But shit, life isn’t either.” Elder shrugged sympathetically.

  “What’s your name? I know you, don’t I?” I asked suddenly as I handed off Hawkins to Elliot, who pulled him away, giving him a noogie on his head for being a complete ass.

  Handsome looked up at me, his eyes wide as he finally noticed me. “I’m… uh… I’m Calvin,” he said bashfully, his cheeks flushing as he stared me in the eyes.

  “Calvin? You okay, man?” I asked, stepping forward and nudging Elder out of my way. He patted me on the back and squeezed Calvin’s arm as he walked away. His job here was done.

  “Nice throw tonight,” Chad said slyly. “Really wish you were leading the team, man. No offense to your friend over there.”

  “None taken, from me. He’s young and came here with big ideas, and now he’s getting a dose of reality. He’s gonna be great though, next year, maybe… But thanks. I Appreciate it.” I nodded to Chad, who walked away back to his game of pool. I turned my attention back to Calvin. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “What? I… uh… What was your question?” Calvin stuttered. It was fucking cute. His green eyes were like emeralds as they glistened in the overhead lights.

  “I asked if you were okay? You uh… seemed a little worked up there,” I grinned. I don’t know why I was trying to make a good impression on him. He had already stated what he thought of the jocks on campus, and I guess I didn’t want him to think I was like the rest of them. Not sure why I cared. He was adorable, but did that really mean anything at this point?

  Shit… I was bad at this.

  “Worked up, huh?” he chuckled. “I don’t think I was worked up, Mason.” My heart fluttered at the fact he knew my first name. “I am just tired of all the bullshit, I guess. I’m not a fan of double standards.”

  “I don’t really see it like that, I guess,” I shrugged. “We have to work really hard all through the year to be on the team, and the money we bring into the university is good for everyone. I mean, sure, we probably get a few perks when it comes to classes, but…”

  “A few perks,” he cut me off, his eyes narrowing as he stared at me. “Damn… I guess it’s true what they say, isn’t it? If you meet someone you admire, they will always disappoint you. It’s been good talking to you, Mason. If you don’t mind, I think I should get back to my friends.”

  He turned and walked back over. I stood there for a second, trying to figure out what I said that had pissed him off. Damn, he was fucking hot when he got angry. I could feel it all the way down to my toes. Calvin, whatever his last name was, was interesting, and I was going to have to ask Gwen about him. If by chance he was gay, she would know. And if he was…

  Well, I think I might just ask him out.

  Three

  Calvin

  I walked to campus today. It was a gorgeous day, and the air smelled so fresh and clear that I decided to walk the ten blocks instead of drive. The red and orange leaves were already falling onto the ground, providing me with a fulfilling crunching noise underneath my feet.

  Moray was a beautiful small town. Trees lined the streets, and people were already slowly preparing their homes for Halloween. Moray went all out for the major holidays, and the homes would be decorated in Halloween’s scariest witches, spooks, and vampires for all the trick or treaters they would have in a month. I had always loved it.

  It would be hard to leave when college was over, but that was my plan. I had lived here my entire life and wanted to see the world, to experience something else than what was my everyday existence. It wouldn’t be a large city, but it would be somewhere new. Somewhere with mountains. I would visit Kentucky for the holidays when I came home to see the family. Maybe every now and then, I would come back for homecoming or some kind of shit like that. Moray was my past and my present, but it was not my future.

  I had made a few good friends over the last three semesters. I joined the gay student union and found a few members of my tribe that I enjoyed hanging out with. One of them, Dante, worked at the comic book shop across from my office, and his boyfriend, Billy, is a theatre major. He was pretty good. I saw him in Romeo and Juliet last spring, and I thought he was quite talented. He was involved with some creepy kind of shit in our freshman year. Someone tried to murder him, but Dante somehow saved him
. I haven’t asked… It doesn’t seem very appropriate, but they are cool, and I enjoy seeing them on occasion.

  I also have made a new bestie. My co-worker Gina is a badass Latina with the mouth of a sailor and the heart of a nun. She’s a year ahead of me in school and might be one of the smartest people I have ever met. She’s from Arizona, originally, and both of her parents served in the military. Gina is ROTC and the other lead tutor in our office.

  She is also a lot like me. I am the kind of person who plans out their day to the nth degree. I am strict with my time and commitments and come unglued when plans have to change. I’ve always been a bit of a control freak, which makes it odd that Chad and mike are my best friends. But somehow, we make it work.

  I open the door to the office at the Lohry Center and walk inside. Gina is at the front desk going over folders with our Dean of Tutoring, Patricia Whiting. She looks up at me and grins. “Well, well, well, look who decided to waltz in here two minutes late! Has the world came to a crashing halt or something?” she teased. I was always punctual. I glanced at my watch and then to the clock on the wall.

  “Check your phone, girl, and then check your attitude. That clock is three minutes fast. I happen to be a minute early, thank you very much. Hi Patricia,” I murmur as I walk over to my small cubicle.

  “Is he right?” Gina scoffs as she pulls out her phone and checks the time. “Son of a bitch…” she says under her breath.

  “Good try, sis. But you’ll have to get up a little earlier to get the best of me.” I sass her.

  “Back to your corner, you two. Gina, have someone come to fix the clock, please. Now that I know that, it’s going to drive me crazy,” Patricia snaps in her heavy Kentucky accent. I have an accent, but compared to my boss, I sound like a Yankee.

  “I can do it,” I laugh as I grab a chair and slide it over to the far wall. I take the clock off the wall and adjust its hands quickly.