The Coach - Part One

I sat in an uncomfortable armchair and looked across the walnut desk at the man who had just asked me why Simon and I had been expelled from Georgia College. He was exactly thirty-one – eight years older than me. He had very dark hair which was cut short but stylish. His eyes were a clear icy blue and his nose was narrow and straight. His lips were fairly full and under normal circumstances, smiling. Right now, they were compressed into a thin disapproving line. His name was Liam Grant and he was the deputy head and gymnastics coach at Middleton Academy, a small exclusive private college stuck out in the middle of the countryside. The college specialized in athletics and gymnastics.

I knew Liam Grant very well. He and my father had become firm friends about ten years ago when he had visited my father’s ranch. Liam and I had spent a lot of time together from when I was about fifteen and he and I had become good friends too. And I had been in love with him for just over seven years.

I glanced at Simon, who was sitting in the armchair next to me.

“Kevin?” Liam said, his voice carrying a slight hint of anger. “I asked you a question and I’d appreciate it if you could give me an honest answer, which I’m sure, Simon would be unable to provide.”
I swung my gaze back to him. His icy eyes bored into mine relentlessly. I took a deep breath, clenched my hands into fists in my lap and began.
“Liam,” I said, “It was . . . !”
“Stop right there,” he cut in. “In this office or anywhere else on this campus, you will call me ‘Mr. Grant’ or ‘Sir’. Is that understood?”

I stared at him. Why was he so goddamned angry with me? It wasn’t as if I’d murdered anyone. And what the hell was this ‘sir’ thing all about. We’d been friends for years.
“Yes . . . sir,” I replied with a small trace of annoyance.
“Right,” he said, “Now explain yourself and please, don’t lie.”

I composed myself and took another deep breath.
“Well . . . ‘sir’,” I began, “Simon and I were messing around and the Dean caught us and expelled us.”
“Uhuh!” He said, “Define messing around and lose the sarcasm, if you please.”

Damn him. What was he up to? Even at his worst, he had never treated me like this.

Now came the difficult and humiliating part. I had a feeling that he already knew what had happened because my father had called him and asked him to admit Simon and I into the academy. My father in all likelihood, had probably told Liam the whole story but he obviously wanted to hear it from me. I rather wished that he’d asked Simon as he was more forward and up front than me. But because Liam knew me, he’d picked on me, knowing full well that it would humiliate me.
“We were both a little drunk and we were . . . !” I paused, not sure how to go on. I looked across at Simon. He was looking fixedly at his clasped hands in his lap.
“Simon,” I continued. “Help me out here . . . !”

Simon looked up and opened his mouth to speak but Liam held up his hand and stopped him.
“I asked you, Kevin,” he said, his voice cold. “And I expect you to tell me.”

His eyes burned into mine and I mentally shrank from them. Why was he treating me like this? He never had before. In fact we had always got on very well together. I knew that he liked me because of what had happened between us about seven years ago on my father’s ranch.
“Um . . . we were drunk and we were . . . damn . . . !” I stopped. I felt myself flush.
“You were what?” Liam asked, his eyebrows raised. Simon let out a small snort and giggled. I glared at him.
“It’s not funny,” I berated him.
“I asked you what you were doing, Kevin,” Liam said.

I looked at him and suddenly I was angry at him. Damn him! He was doing this on purpose because, for some obscure reason only known to him, he wanted to make me squirm.
“Alright . . . ‘sir’,” I growled. “We were jacking off, ‘sir’ . . . circle jerking . . . spanking the monkey . . . milking the snake . . . !”
“That’s enough!” Liam shouted and slammed his fist onto the desk. Simon jumped in his chair and I froze. He glared at me, his eyes like chips of ice.

The silence that followed was deafening. Liam sat behind the desk, his back straight, and scowled at us. Then Simon leaned closer to me.

“Forget it, dude,” he said, “We’re outta here, he’s not going to let us in. You’ll have to work your Dad’s ranch and I’ll wait tables.”
“Shut up, Simon,” Liam growled. Simon shrank back in the chair and dropped his eyes back to his clenched hands. Liam was treating us like pre-teens, which was exactly how we were feeling right then. He turned his icy stare back to me.
“I spoke to your father,” he said, “As you know, I respect and admire him enormously and I trust his judgment. He has promised me that you will behave in a decent and decorous manner. I trust that you will not break that promise.”
“I won’t,” I said and then added without the sarcasm. “Sir.”
“As for you Simon, I take it your parents don’t know what has happened,” he said, “Do they even know that you’re gay?”

Simon flushed and shook his head.

“Not yet, sir,” he said, “I haven’t been able to tell them.”
“Right,” Liam said. His gaze moved from Simon to me and then back to Simon.
There was a long awkward silence. I sat stock still, waiting, hoping. Simon slumped down in the chair and I could tell from his attitude that he had already resigned himself to waiting tables in some sleazy joint.
“Okay,” Liam said at last. His voice had changed completely. It had become kind and full of understanding. “Here’s what we are going to do. I am going to admit you two into this establishment, but with a few conditions. Break any one of them and you’re out.”

Here he paused and Simon sat up expectantly. I sighed with relief and leaned forward in anticipation. Let’s hope the conditions were not too harsh.
“One;” Liam began. “You will work yourselves to a standstill. I will expect nothing but the highest of grades from both of you.”

That one was easy. Simon and I were both highly accomplished gymnasts and neither of us had any trouble with our academic majors.
“Two; no drinking on campus at any time. If you’re going to drink at all, do it at home.”
“Yes sir,” Simon and I said in unison.
“And last but not least;” He continued. “And here I’m going to be perfectly frank; no circle jerk sessions whatsoever. If you feel the inclination to . . . ‘spank the monkey’ at any time,” he smiled slightly, “do it privately and alone. Is that understood?”
Simon and I both nodded vigorously.

“Right,” Liam said and stood up. “That’s it. Simon, leave your parents’ number with the secretary and I’ll contact them. I’ll tell them that you’ve transferred. Then go on over to the residence and speak to Mr. Chambers. He’ll assign you to a room. Kevin, a word in private, if you please?’
Simon stood and put out his hand. Liam took it and shook it solemnly.
“Thanks Mr. Grant,” he said, “I promise that I won’t let you down.”
“You’d better not,” Liam said with a smile.

Simon moved to the door and then stopped. He faced Liam again, a worried look on his face.
“Sir,” he said, “you won’t tell my parents about what happened, will you? It would kill my mother.”
“Don’t worry,” Liam replied. “I’ll come up with something.”
“Thank you sir,” Simon grinned and then he was gone.

I sat quietly in the chair, wondering what he wanted to talk to me about. He moved around the desk and dropped into the chair that Simon had vacated.
He sighed, but said nothing. I shifted in the chair uncomfortably.
“Mr. Grant?” I began softly. “I’m . . . !”
“Liam,” he said, cutting me off. “When we’re alone, you can call me Liam.”

I looked across at him. He was staring at something on the floor, his eyes unreadable.
“But you said . . . !” I left it hanging.
“Yeah,” he said and smiled. “I know what I said. That was for Simon’s benefit.”

I watched him carefully. He had now become the man that I knew well, relaxed and friendly. He sighed again and then looked up at me. His blue eyes were sad.
“Kev, you idiot,” he said softly. “How the hell can you let something like that happen? I thought that you had more sense, I know you have more sense.”
I flushed and looked away embarrassed.

“I . . . um . . . !” I began. “It was stupid, I know. We were drunk and we did it for a lark.”
“Right,” he said and smiled. “Fine mess your lark has got you into.”
He was quiet for a few moments. I watched him silently. His eyes searched my face and then he looked away.
“Tell me something,” he said, “Are you and Simon . . . lovers?”

His question surprised me. Why had he asked me that? It really had nothing to do with him and besides, what the hell did he care whether Simon and I were fucking each-other or not.
“No,” I shook my head. “As I said, we were messing about and we just did it for the hell of it.”
“Good,” he said obscurely. “Don’t let it happen again. In fact, I want you to keep your junk firmly in your pants at all times, okay? Promise me.”
“Okay, I promise,” I answered and then added with a grin. “Firmly?!?”

He laughed softly. “Sorry, bad choice of word, but you know what I mean.”
I nodded and smiled. He stood up and moved back behind the desk.
“Alright,” he said, “Now go and find Mr. Chambers, he’ll give you a room.”

He sat down and started going through some papers. I stood and moved closer to the desk.
“Liam,” I began and he looked up at me. “Thank you.”
“No problem,” he said shortly. “Welcome to Middleton.”
“No,” I said, “I mean thank you for being so understanding. Nobody else would have.”

He smiled and nodded. “I guess not, but I like and respect your father. And what’s more, I . . . like you very much and it saddened me when I heard about what had happened.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, wounded that I had dismayed him.
“Look,” he said, “I’m going to say something to you and then we are going to put the whole thing behind us, okay?”
I nodded.

“What you and Simon did was silly, juvenile and thoughtless,” he began gently. “That sort of behavior is just not condoned, even in this day and age. And I’m glad you were honest with me about it, even though your delivery was uncalled for. Fortunately, the Dean of Georgia is a friend and I was able to talk him out of making it public. I know that you and your father are both out but what you guys did is hardly the kind of thing he nor I want spread around. I was . . . disappointed.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said again.
He stared at me for a moment and then smiled.

“Look,” he said, “Let’s just forget the whole thing and start over. What do you say?”
“I would like that,” I replied. “Thank you.”
“Now get out of here,” he grinned. “I’ll see you in the gym next week.”
“Yes sir,” I grinned and turned to leave.
“And Kev?” I stopped and faced him again. “It’s really good to see you, I mean it.”
“You too,” I said, “Really good.”