Suddenly, the school clerk came in with a boy Greg had never seen before. He was skinny and shorter than most of the boys in the class but not as short and skinny as Greg was. The clerk took him to the teacher's desk.

Greg noticed that the new boy's clothes were much nicer looking than what most of the boys wore. He was wearing a really crisp-looking fitted brown-patterned shirt and brown pants with a nice crease. He had nice looking bushy golden-blond hair and gold rimmed glasses with small lenses. Greg thought he was good-looking but he looked a little sad.

The clerk talked to the teacher for a minute and gave her some papers. The teacher said, "Class, we have a new student. His name is Peter Grady."

Peter turned around and looked at the room. When he saw Greg, he smiled and his face lit up. He didn't seem sad anymore. When Peter smiled at him, Greg got a boner. He remembered the program he watched on the Discovery Channel. It said that boys can get an erection when they are excited for any reason or for no reason at all. Greg decided that his boner must be because he was excited to have a new classmate.

When Peter walked past him, Greg saw a small bulge in Peter's pants and he thought that Peter had a boner too. He wished that Peter could sit next to him so that they could talk and maybe become friends but there were no empty seats on either side of him.

At lunch time, Greg waited until everyone else had gotten in the cafeteria line as he usually did so that fewer people would see him use a free lunch chit and to avoid the bullies. He got his tray and went to the back of the cafeteria where no one else usually sat and it was quiet enough for him to read. When he got to the table, there was someone sitting across from where he usually sat. He almost went somewhere else but he noticed that it was the new boy, Peter. Greg wanted to make friends with Peter so he decided to sit right across from him.

When Greg sat down, Peter put down the book he was reading and smiled at him. Greg got another boner. He thought it was because his underpants had rubbed against his dick. He said, "Hi, I'm Greg Parker. I thought I was the only one who read while he ate here."

"I'm Peter Grady and now there are two of us who read while eating. What did you bring to read?"

Greg pulled his tattered paperback copy of the first Harry Potter book out of his jacket pocket and showed it to Peter. He said, "I've read it several times before but I love it so much I'm reading it again."

"I love it too. You know, you look a lot like the actor in the movie, only you have green eyes like in the book and you're better looking."

Greg said, "You look like the actor who played Anikin Skywalker in the first Star Wars prequel, only better looking." He saw Peter's face turn red and blurted out, "You're blushing."

"So are you."

"I felt my face get warm but I didn't know it was 'cause I was blushing. I don't think I ever have before." To change the subject he said, "How do you like it here."

"It's fine but some of the homework assignments are a little confusing."

Impulsively Greg said, "I could come over to your place and explain them after school, if you want me to."

Peter smiled at him and said, "I'd really like that." Then he asked, "What do you think about the Harry Potter movies?"

"I haven't been able to see any of them yet."

"We have all of them on DVD. After we finish our homework, we can start watching the first one. It's so long we probably won't be able to see all of it but we can watch the rest the next time you come over."

"That will be great. I've been wanting to see it ever since it came out. I have never told anyone this before. On my eleventh birthday, I almost expected Hagrid to come to take me to Hogwarts but he never did. It must be because I don't have a scar on my forehead." He brushed his bangs aside to show Peter his forehead.

Peter exclaimed, "But I do see something there!"

"I forgot. This morning my cousin saw me reading this." He held up the book. "And he held me down and drew a scar on my forehead with a red Sharpie. He's a bully and he does things like that. I didn't have time to wash it off."

"Your cousin lives with you then?"

"I live with my aunt and my two cousins. My mother died almost three years ago and I never knew my father."

"That's terrible. I'm so sorry your mom died. My father was killed almost a year ago so it's just me and Mom."

Greg noticed that Peter looked sad again so he touched Peter's hand and said, "I'm real sorry your dad was killed. It must be hard." As soon as Greg touched him, Peter smiled again and he stopped looking so sad.

Peter said, "I don't usually eat at the cafeteria. Mom usually makes me a lunch to take but she was too busy with unpacking our stuff. The food here isn't very good, is it?"

"I like it. It's better than what my aunt cooks."

Peter said, "Your aunt must be a terrible cook." Then he noticed Greg looking at his uneaten Tater Tots and said, "You want my Tater Tots? I haven't touched them."

Greg said, "Thanks." He took them and scarfed them down. The boys sat and talked until the bell rang.

When they left school for Peter's house, it was cold, so Peter pulled a knit cap out of his jacket pocket and put it on. He said, "I know it looks dorky but it keeps my head warm. You lose up to 40% of your body heat from your head when it's really cold like this. Don't you have a cap or at least a hood on your jacket?"

"I used to have a hood on my jacket but some bullies pulled it off and threw it down a storm drain."

Peter got a fierce look on his face and said, "I wish I had been there. I would have stopped them." He took off his cap and said, "Here, you wear this. I'll use the hood on my jacket."

Greg wondered how Peter, who was only a little bigger than he was, could have stopped the bullies. He took the cap and said, "Thanks."

When they got to Peter's house, Peter took a key ring out of his pocket and pushed a button on a small remote control. A small green LED beside the door lit up. "That's for the security system," he explained. Then he let them in and called out, "Mom, I'm home and I brought a friend with me."

A woman came from the back of the house and Peter said, "This is Greg, he offered to come over and explain the homework assignments. They're a little confusing. They do things differently than at my old school."

"It's nice to meet you Greg. Thank you for offering to help Peter. That was very nice of you." Then she turned to Peter and said, "I'm so glad you made a friend on your first day."

Peter said, "Mo-om."

Mrs. Grady said, "Sorry for embarrassing you Honey. Come into the kitchen and wash your hands and I'll get you boys some fruit and milk. After you eat, you can start your homework."

"Do you get fruit and milk when you get home every day?" Greg asked.

"Yeah, most kids get cookies and milk but Mom is a health nut so she gives me fruit and nonfat milk instead."

"I wish I got fruit and milk when I got home. I like fruit but my aunt never has any in our place. The only fruit I get is what they have in the cafeteria. I like it when they have apples 'cause the cafeteria ladies usually give me several extras because most kids don't eat them. I don't get anything to eat when I get home."

After they washed their hands Peter said, "Can we eat in front of the fireplace and have some hot tea? I think Greg got cold on the way here."

His mom said, "Of course you can. What kind of herb tea do you want?"

Greg said, "I don't know. I don't know anything about herb tea."

Peter said, "You should try the peppermint. It's really good."

"I'll have that." Greg said.

"Me too," Peter said.

Mrs. Grady lit the gas logs and went back into the kitchen. Soon she came back with a tray holding two glasses of milk, two cups of tea and some bananas and apples. She said, "All I have is bananas and apples. If Peter had called me and told me he was bringing a guest, I would have gone out and gotten something special."

"Sorry Mom. I didn't think of it."

Greg said, "That's ok. I like bananas and apples."

Mrs. Grady saw Greg looking back and forth between the bananas and apples and she said, "If you can't decide, you can have one of each."

Greg took a bananas and an apple. When he bit into the apple he said, "This is really good. It's way better than the ones they have in the cafeteria."

Peter said, "That's a Royal Gala. They're good but not as good as a Pink Lady. Wait until you try them. I bet you'll like 'em even more than the Galas."

As Greg ate, he looked around and said, "This house is really big. Do you share it with another family?"

Peter said, "No. It's just Mom and me. It's too big for us but it's the only house we liked that was close to my uncle's house and where Mom works. It also has a big kitchen and Mom wanted a big kitchen."

After they finished their snack, Mrs. Grady said, "Why don't you two sit at the kitchen table and start your homework?" Then she asked, "Greg, what time do you have to be home?"

"I have to be home by five-thirty for dinner."

"That isn't much time for you two to get to know each other. Why don't I call your mom and ask her if you can eat here? That way you'll have more time together. Do have any food allergies and do you like broccoli and chicken cacciatore?"

"I'm not allergic to anything that I know of. I like broccoli but I don't know about chicken cacciatore. I don't think I have ever had it. What's it like?"

"Basically, It's chicken in spaghetti sauce. Mom serves it on whole wheat noodles." Peter answered.

"I like chicken and I like spaghetti sauce so I should like it. I like almost everything except liver but I probably shouldn't eat over."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not allowed to have other kids over for dinner."

"I don't care about that. In fact, I prefer that Peter not eat at other people's houses. I cook healthy food and most people don't. You can eat here as many times as you want without Peter eating at your house. Tell me you mom's phone number and name and I'll call her."

"Ok. I live with my aunt. Her name is Miss Jane Parker. She says she likes to be called Miss because it makes it easier for her to get boyfriends." He told her the phone number.

She put the phone on speaker and called. When his aunt answered, Greg could tell that she was drunk as usual. Mrs. Grady said, "Can Greg eat here tonight so that he and my son can have more time to get to know each other? I'll drive him home. What time do you want him home?"

"Sure the little freak can eat over. There will be more for the rest of us. Just don't expect your brat to ever eat here." Mrs. Grady frowned when she heard Miss Parker call Greg a freak.

Then they heard Miss Parker say to someone on the other side of the line, "George, what time does Greg go to bed?" After several seconds she said, "George says he goes to bed at nine so anytime before that is ok." She hung up without saying goodbye.

Mrs. Grady said, "Your aunt should not have called you a freak. I know you are a very nice boy because you volunteered to help Peter."

When Greg walked over to the kitchen table, he noticed a large cork board on the wall with several tests on it. The classroom tests were all graded A. There were also some standardized tests. The reading test said that Peter was reading at the ninth grade level. There was a test that said that Peter's reading comprehension in social studies was at the 95th percentile and his vocabulary was at the 94th percentile. The rest of his scores on this test were in the low 90s except for quantitative thinking which was in the high 80s.

Peter saw Greg looking at the cork board and asked, "How did you do on those tests?"

Greg said, "Ah, well, I did ok."

Peter said, "But what grade level do you read at and what was your highest percentile score? You must remember. Everybody in the state took those tests and we got the results just a few weeks ago."

Greg started to hem and haw and then Mrs. Grady looked at Peter sternly and said, "Peter, that is none of your business. I forbid you to ask again." Then she smiled at Greg and said, "I apologize for Peter's behavior. I thought I had taught him better than that."

Greg said rather weakly, "That's ok."

After Greg explained the homework assignments he said, "I need to use the bathroom. Is it upstairs?"

Peter said, "We have a powder room downstairs."

"A powder room?" Greg said in a puzzled tone.

"That's a small bathroom with just a sink and a toilet."

Greg smiled and said, "That's all I need."

Peter showed Greg where it was and Mrs. Grady said, "Don't forget to wash your hands when you finish."

"I always do."

When Greg was in the bathroom Mrs. Grady said, "Peter, do you want Greg to like you and be your friend?"

"Yes, very much."

"Then you can't pester him about his test scores. He's probably embarrassed because he didn't score as high as you did."

"I don't think so Mom. I think he's really smart."

"No matter why he doesn't want to tell you, he has the right not to tell you. You can't keep asking him or you will drive him away. Promise me you won't ask him again."

"Ok Mom."

Sometime later Mrs. Grady looked up from her cooking and noticed that Greg was sitting reading his Harry Potter book instead of doing homework. She said, "Greg Honey, why aren't you doing your homework?"

Greg said, "Well, I'm finished."

Mrs. Grady said, "Then come into my office where we won't disturb Peter and I'll check your work."

Greg said, "You don't need to do that. My aunt never checks my homework."

Mrs. Grady said, "In this house I check all kids' homework."

Greg said, "Ok." Mrs. Grady turned down the burner under the chicken and they went into her office. He handed her his homework and the assignment sheets for each class including the one from Spanish that said, "No homework today."

She looked it over and said, "When I saw that you had stopped working I was afraid that you had not done all your work. Now I see that you not only did it all, you didn't make any errors. You work so fast you must have no problems getting all your homework turned in."

"Well, sometimes I can't do it 'cause I run out of paper or pencils."

Mrs. Grady frowned and said, "Doesn't your aunt buy you school supplies?"

"She used to but then she found out I was buying used paperback books with money I earned doing odd jobs. She said that I had to buy my own school supplies from then on. I try, but sometimes I have a real hard time getting odd jobs 'cause I don't have a snow shovel or a lawn mower and most people prefer girls as babysitters."

Mrs. Grady said, "really hard time."

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have corrected your English. I am just so used to correcting Peter that I did it automatically."

"That's all right. I want you to correct me. I can't learn to talk right unless someone tells me when I talk wrong."

"That should be, 'I can't learn to speak correctly' Honey."

"Speak correctly. Thanks."

Mrs. Grady asked, "How many pencils and sheets of paper do you have now?"

"I have two stubby pencils and about twenty sheets of paper."

"That won't last you very long." She rummaged around in her desk and said, "Here take these." She handed Greg a big stack of paper, six new pencils, a little pencil sharpener and two ball point pens.

"You don't have to give me these."

"I don't have to but I want to very much. You are my son's friend and you need them. Please take them."

Greg smiled and said, "Thank you." He put them in his beat up old binder.

Mrs. Grady and Greg left her office. Greg sat back down at the table and started reading his book again.

Peter said, "Aren't you going to correct your mistakes?"

"I don't want to work on it any more right now."

Peter whined, "Mom, aren't you going to make him fix his mistakes?"

Mrs. Grady said, "If he had made any mistakes, I would try."

Peter exclaimed, "Wow! You finished so fast and you didn't make any mistakes at all! You must be really smart!"

Greg's face got an anxious look on it and Peter said, "Don't worry. I like smart people. Do you want to start watching the Harry Potter DVD now? I could start it going now and join you when I finish my homework."

"No. I want to wait until you can watch it with me," Greg replied.

About ten minutes later, Peter finished his homework and his mother checked it at the kitchen table. She said, "Greg must be rubbing off on you. You only made two errors in math and one in history." Peter quickly found and corrected the errors and the boys watched the movie until dinner was ready.

When Greg tasted the chicken, he said, "This is really, really good."

Mrs. Grady said, "Thank you."

Then Greg said, "Where's the margarine? I want some for my roll."

"Mom doesn't serve margarine."

"Where's the butter then?"

"Mom doesn't serve that either. She thinks it isn't healthy."

Mrs. Grady said, "You can have some olive oil if you want."

Greg's nose wrinkled up a little and he said, "Olive oil? I think I'll just eat it without. My aunt often runs out of margarine." He tasted the roll and said, "This is really good, even without margarine."

Mrs. Grady said, "Thank you."

Peter said, "Mom makes them herself."

"My bread machine does the hard part. It mixes and kneads the dough. All I have to do is separate the dough into rolls and bake them."

When Greg finished everything on his plate Mrs. Grady said, "Would you like some more food?"

"I don't want to take more than my share."

"Nonsense. We have plenty. You can have as much as you want."

"I do want some more." Mrs. Grady gave him a good-sized second helping.

Just as Mrs. Grady was finishing her meal, the phone rang. She got up and answered the phone in the kitchen. She listened for about a minute and said, "I have to take this in my office. You boys stay and finish eating."

Soon Peter finished his dinner and said, "You don't mind if I go read some magazines while you finish eating do you?"

"I don't mind."

A few minutes later Greg finished too. He picked up all the plates and carried them to the sink, put them in the dishpan and started running hot water. Just then, Mrs. Grady came out of her office and said, "What are you doing?"

"I'm washing the dishes. I always wash the dishes at home."

"Well, you don't wash the dishes here. You are a guest. Guests do not wash dishes at my house. You go watch the movie with Peter until it is time for me to drive you home."

A little after eight o'clock, the TV went out and the room went dark. Peter said, "The electricity went out. We should stay where we are until Mom gets here with a flashlight or the power comes back on. That's what she always wants me to do. She's always afraid I'll hurt myself if I move around in the dark."

In a few minutes, Mrs. Grady came into the media room and said, "Are you boys all right?"

Peter said, "We're fine. We didn't move after the power went out."

"The power is out all over the house. I found one flashlight and I have my notebook computer. I'll leave you the computer so you won't be in the dark and I'll go down to the basement and check the circuit breakers. Stay here until I get back. You can play a game on the computer. I already have you logged in."

She came back in a few minutes and said, "The circuit breakers are fine. The problem must be outside."

Peter said, "Let's go out on the front porch so we can see how many other houses are dark."

"That's a good idea."

When they got outside, all the houses they could see were dark and there was almost a foot of snow on the ground. Mrs. Grady said, "Oh my. I didn't know it was snowing. I should have checked the weather reports. There's no way I can drive you home in this snow Greg. You will have to stay the night."

"I could walk," Greg said in a weak voice.

"Nonsense. You'd never make it. You are going to stay here until I can drive you home. Let's go inside and I'll call your aunt and tell her that I can't drive you home."

This time Mrs. Grady didn't use the phone in the kitchen. She used the phone in her office while the boys waited in the living room. After she came back out, she said, "Your aunt said she heard on the news that the city has already announced that the schools will be closed tomorrow. She said that you can stay here all weekend and go to school with Peter Monday morning and then go home from school."

Peter exclaimed, "YEAH," and Greg smiled.

"I'm afraid that you will have to share Peter's bed tonight because we don't have any other beds set up yet."

Greg suddenly got another erection. He thought it was because he was excited about having his first sleepover. He said, "I could sleep on the sofa."

"With the power out, the furnace won't work and it will get too cold for that. Unfortunately all our extra blankets are still packed up. You will just have to share Peter's bed but it's plenty big enough for two skinny little boys."

Peter said, "Mo-om," in an aggravated voice.

"Well, you are skinny little boys but you will soon grow up to be fine young men. It's getting rather late. With all that snow out there the power will probably be out all night and I don't know how long the batteries in the flashlight and the computer will last. We might as well go upstairs to bed."

While they were climbing the stairs, Mrs. Grady said, "If the power is still out tomorrow night we might have to sleep huddled up in front of the fireplace. I am glad that none of us were in the elevator when the power went out."

Greg said, "You have your own elevator?"

Peter said, "Yes, but we don't use it very much because Mom is afraid that we might get stuck in it. We think the people who had this house built had someone in a wheelchair because of the elevator and because all the doors are wide. The elevator goes to the basement where the garage is, to the first floor and the second floor but it doesn't go to the attic. The movers loved using the elevator. Mom was afraid that they would overheat it but they didn't."

When they got to the top of the stairs, Mrs. Grady said, "Peter, you take the flashlight and I'll take the computer. Turn the flashlight off as soon as you get into bed to save the batteries. You might need to get up to use the bathroom and you wouldn't want to do it in the dark."

Peter said, "Ok Mom." He gave her the computer and took the flashlight. Then he said, "This way Greg." They walked down the hall until they reached a door at the end. Peter opened the door and they went into a small square room with doors on all four sides. Peter opened the door on the right. Greg could see that it was a large bathroom. Then Peter opened the door on the left and stepped inside. It was a long narrow room. Greg said, "Is that your bedroom?"

"No. This is the walk-in closet. My room is straight across from the door we came in by. I thought we should pee before we go to bed. That way there will be less chance of us having to get up to do it in the middle of the night."

"Good idea."

Peter sat on a bench. He gave Greg the flashlight and said, "I'll sit here on the bench while you go in and pee, then you can sit here while I go in and pee."

"Why is there a bench in the closet?"

"Probably so people can sit to put on socks and shoes."

Later, while Greg was waiting, he heard Peter open a drawer in the bathroom. He thought, "I wonder what he's doing in there. I wish he would hurry up. It's a little spooky sitting here in a strange house in the dark."

When Peter came out of the bathroom he said, "We should brush our teeth. I found you a new toothbrush." He handed Greg a toothbrush in an unopened box.

When Greg started brushing, he said, "This toothpaste tastes funny."

"It's natural toothpaste Mom buys at the health food store. I told you she's a health nut."

When they got into Peter's bedroom, Greg saw Peter's bed and said, "Why do you have such a big bed?"

"I needed a new bed and since my room is so big, Mom decided to get me a queen size bed just like hers so that she would only have to buy one size of sheets. I don't have any pajamas to offer you 'cause I sleep in my underwear."

"I sleep in my underwear too." When it was cold Greg usually slept fully dressed except for his shoes and jacket but he did not want to tell Peter that.

Peter handed Greg the flashlight and said, "You take this side of the bed and I'll take the other side." Greg was glad the room wasn't well lit because he didn't want Peter to see that he still had a boner. After both boys were in bed, Greg turned off the flashlight and put it on the nightstand. He fell asleep in a few minutes.

Greg woke up in the middle of the night. Peter was lying with his head on Greg's shoulder. Then suddenly Peter kissed him on the cheek. He thought if felt wonderful. Impulsively he kissed Peter back.

Peter said, "You kissed me."

"You kissed me first."

"I must have done it in my sleep."

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

"I hope that's not true."

"What?"

"You said you wouldn't do it again but I want you to kiss me again and I want to kiss you when I'm awake to enjoy it. Don't you want to kiss me and have me kiss you?"

Greg thought about it for a several seconds and said, "Yes I do." He kissed Peter again and asked, "Does this mean we're gay?"

"I think I am but I suppose it might be a phase. Does it matter?"

"No, I guess not."

They kissed passionately for a few minutes until Greg said, "We have to stop."

"Why?" Peter said in a hurt tone. "I thought you wanted to kiss."

"I do but I have . . . a problem. When we started to kiss, I got a boner. The more we kiss, the harder my dick gets. It's so hard now it hurts."

"I have the same problem but there is something we can do about it."

"What?"

"We can masturbate."

"What?" Greg asked.

"You know. Jack off, jerk off, play with ourselves."

"I have heard older boys talk about jacking off but I don't know what it is."

"It's hard to explain. It would be easier if I did it to you. Can I do it to you? I'll have to touch your dick."

The idea of Peter touching his dick was really exciting to Greg and he was surprised to find that his dick got even harder. He said, "Yes. Please."

"Ok. Take off your underpants. You have to promise me that if I hurt you or make you uncomfortable or you just don't like what I'm doing, you'll tell me so that I can stop."

Greg said, "I promise." He eagerly pulled off his briefs and he could tell that Peter was taking his off too.

Peter reached out with his left hand and gently took hold of Greg's penis. He said, "Good, you are uncircumcised like me. That will make it easier."

"I'm what?"

"I'll explain later," Peter said as he slowly started moving Greg's foreskin up and down. Greg could tell that Peter was stroking his own dick at the same time with his other hand.

"Don't worry about making noise. This bedroom, and Mom's bedroom, are both soundproofed. You could scream at the top of your lungs and she wouldn't hear a thing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, the realtor put a boom box with the volume turned up really high in this room and when we were in the hall we couldn't hear it at all." Peter's hands started going faster.

Soon Greg felt the most incredible sensation build up in his dick and move through his body. He felt like he was going to explode, his back arched and great shudders ran through his body. Peter stopped stroking and after Greg recovered his composure he said, "What was that?"

"That was an orgasm. Did you like it?"

"I loved it. I want to do it again."

"We probably won't be able to do it again for a while. We should go back to sleep," Peter said.

"I need to pee first."

"I might as well pee too," Peter said. They went to the bathroom together wearing only their undershirts and socks. When they got to the bathroom he said, "The flashlight is getting kinda dim. Lets go in together. We can stand on opposite sides of the toilet and pee at the same time to save the batteries."

Just as they were finishing peeing, Peter looked at Greg and said, "You're shivering." He quickly grabbed a bathrobe and said, "Put this on and hurry back to bed." When they got to the bed Greg started to get into bed with the robe still on but Peter said, "Take the robe off and put it on top of the blankets." Greg did what Peter said. Peter got into the other side of the bed and said, "I know how to warm you up." He slid over in the bed and put his arms and legs around Greg with his belly and chest up against Greg's side.

Greg said, "You'll get cold too."

"I'll be fine." Soon Peter got an erection and he said, "Sorry for poking you. I can't help it."

Greg said sleepily, "Salright, I kinda like it."

Peter tried for a few minutes to make his erection go down, but of course it wouldn't, so he said, "Are you sure it's all right?" He listened for an answer but all he heard was Greg's slow, even, breathing so he said quietly, "You're asleep, aren't you?" He got no answer and soon he was asleep too.

When Greg woke up in the morning, Peter was asleep with his head on Greg's shoulder again. Greg had a boner so he reached down and started doing what Peter had done last night. It felt good but not as good as when Peter had done it. Then he noticed that Peter had woken up so he kissed him and reached under the covers and started stroking Peter's dick. He was surprised to find that Peter's dick felt quite a bit bigger than his did. While he was stroking Peter's dick, Peter reached out and started stroking Greg's dick. Soon they both had orgasms.

Greg put his underpants back on and said, "I woke up before you did and tried to jack myself off but it didn't feel as good as when you did it. You must be better at it than I am."

"It felt better when you did it to me than when I did it to myself. It must be better to have someone you love do it than to do it yourself."

Greg said, "You love me?"

"I fell in love with you the second I saw you. I even got a boner."

"I noticed it. I got a boner when you smiled at me but I didn't know why. Now I know it was because I fell in love with you."

The power was back on. Greg put his glasses on and got his first good look at Peter's room. It was very big with windows on three sides. It was furnished with a big new desk, a computer work station, an artist's easel, and a big work table. The wall without windows was covered with built-in bookcases except for the door. There were a few moving boxes scattered around. Even with all that stuff there was still a lot of empty space.

Greg said, "WOW! Your room is HUGE!"

Peter seemed a little embarrassed and he said, "How big is your room?"

"I don't have a room or even a cupboard under the stairs. I sleep on the sofa in the living room."

"That's awful. I wish you could live here and share my room."

"I wish I could too. I see you have a computer. Do you have internet access?"

"Sort of."

"What do you mean, 'sort of'?"

"My computer is networked to Mom's desktop computer which is locked in her office. I can only access web sites and newsgroups that are on an approved list on her computer."

Peter looked at the clock and said, "We should get up, take a shower, get dressed and go down to the kitchen for breakfast. Let's shower together. We can wash each other's backs."

When they got in the bathroom Greg noticed that the toilet seat looked strange so he asked, "What kind of toilet seat is that? I've never seen one like it."

Peter said, "It has a bidet in it. After you poop, you push this button and it sprays warm water to clean your butt-hole and then you press this one and it dries you with warm air. It's better for your butt-hole than wiping and you don't get poop on your hands."

"How is it better?"

"Do you ever have sticky poop that you have to wipe and wipe to get rid of?"

"Sure, lots of times."

"When you wipe and wipe, you can get blood on the paper. With the bidet, the water washes the poop away with no bleeding. Also it gets your butt-hole cleaner so it's less likely to get itchy."

"That does sound better. I hate it when mine itches."

While Peter was washing Greg's back, he stuck his soapy finger a little way into Greg's butt-hole. When Greg jumped Peter said, "I'm sorry, I won't do it again."

"It's all right, you just startled me. I kind of liked it."

When Greg washed Peter's back, he did the same thing and Peter said, "I like it too." After they got out of the shower Peter said, "I'm going to tell Mom that we showered together to save water."

"Are you out of your mind?"

"If I tell her about the shower, she will be much less likely to suspect that we had sex. Trust me."

"If you say so." When Peter handed him a towel, Greg said, "Is this a special guest towel, it's so big, soft and thick?"

"No, it's just a regular towel."

After they dried themselves off, Greg started to put on the underpants he had taken off before he got into the shower. Peter said, "What are you doing?"

"Putting on my underpants."

Peter's nose wrinkled up and he said, "You can't wear those. They're dirty."

"But I don't have any other underpants here. Besides today will only be the second day for this pair. I often wear underpants two days in a row"

"That's disgusting. You can wear some of my underpants." He led Greg into the dressing room and looked through a drawer for a few seconds. He said, "Here's a pair that's a little small for me. It should fit you. I was supposed to go through my clothes and give the ones that had gotten small on me to the Goodwill before we moved but I didn't get around to it. The movers just packed everything up and moved it. Mom was a little annoyed but now I'm glad 'cause I can give them to you."

Greg was glad that he had not told Peter that sometimes he had to wear the same underpants three days in a row.

Both boys got dressed in Peter's clothes and went downstairs. When they got to the kitchen, Mrs. Grady said, "You both look very nice." She picked up a digital camera and took several pictures of them. She said, "I unpacked the camera this morning. I like to take lots of pictures of Peter and his friends. I also found some more flashlights so if the power goes out again before they install the new backup generator we won't have to rely on one flashlight and my laptop computer."

Greg said, "You're getting a generator?"

"Yes, the house had one when I bought it but it no longer works. The house is already wired for a generator. They just have to take out the old one and put in the new one. Once they put the new generator in, the elevator, furnace, refrigerator and some lights will work even if the power goes out."

Greg said, "That sounds great but isn't it dangerous to keep gasoline for a generator around?"

"The generator will run on natural gas which is much safer and easier to use."

Peter said, "We're nice and clean. We showered together to save water. I gave Greg some of my old clothes that were small on me. They're a little big on him but they're ok."

"That's good. It's always good to save water. I guess it was a good thing that you didn't have time to gather your old clothes for the Goodwill."

After they finished eating breakfast, Mrs. Grady gave each boy a small handful of pills. Greg said, "What are these?"

While Peter took his pills, Mrs. Grady said, "They're vitamins." She explained what each one was and what they were good for.

After Greg finished taking his vitamins, Peter said, "Let's brush our teeth and then go play in the snow."

Greg said, "But we just brushed our teeth last night."

Mrs. Grady said, "You should brush your teeth at least twice a day."

After they got back downstairs, Mrs. Grady said, "Take the two-way radios so that you can talk if you get separated. I'll keep the base station in my office on channel seven code nine so that you can call me if you want. You use channel seven code 10 so that I can call you if I need to."

Mrs. Grady went outside with them and took several pictures of them playing and then she said, "You can make a snow fort but not a snow cave because it could collapse on you." Then she went inside.

The boys had a great time. They built a snowman, had several snow fights and built some snow forts. They also slid down a hill on a big piece of cardboard. Greg wrote his name in the snow but Peter was only able to write "Pet" before he ran out of pee. Greg said, "Does this mean I can call you Pet?"

"No, you can't call me Pet or even Pete. I don't like being called Pete."

"I won't call you Pete if you don't call me Gregory. My name is Greg. It says so right on my birth certificate."

Peter said, "You've got a deal." They shook hands on the deal.

After they had been playing for several hours Peter said, "It's almost lunch time. Let's go back inside."

"Yes. I'm kind of cold and achy."

When they got inside Peter asked his mom, "Do we have time to take a hot bath before lunch? We got kinda cold and achy out there."

"Yes you do."

They went upstairs and got into the tub together. Greg said, "I have never seen a tub this big. It's big enough for two big people. I bet the two biggest cafeteria ladies could fit in it at the same time."

"I bet they could too. I wonder why cafeteria ladies are almost always fat."

"Maybe they eat too much of the food while they are cooking. This tub really is nice."

"It is nice, isn't it. It has jets that are good for when you're achy. I'll turn them on."

When the jets were on, Greg said, "That feels great."

After they finished lunch, Peter said, "Do you want to play in the snow some more, watch the end of the movie or do something else?"

"Actually, I'm kind of tired and I ate too much. Do you mind if I take a nap?"

"Of course not."

Peter went upstairs and helped Greg into the bed and gave him a kiss on the cheek before he left. Greg smiled contentedly and remembered that his mother used to do the same thing.

When Peter got downstairs, he said, "Mom, I am worried about Greg. He gets tired and cold easily, he's awfully skinny and when he brushed his teeth there was blood in the toothpaste he spat out."

"I will call his aunt later and talk to her about it but I don't think it will help much."

"Can he come and live with us so that we can take care of him? He can sleep in my bed and you can use my allowance and the money you would use to buy me birthday and Christmas presents to pay for his food. Please Mom!"

"You really like him don't you?"

"He's the best friend I have ever had."

"So soon? You have only known him for a day and a half."

"I knew by the end of lunch yesterday that he would be my best friend. Can he move in with us, please?"

"He has his own family. He should stay with them."

"But they don't even like him and they don't take care of him properly."

"He still needs to stay with his family. I will try to help his aunt take better care of him."

That night, when they went to bed, Greg said, "Are we going to jack each other off again?"

"There is something else I want to try."

"What?"

"It's a blow job. Do you know what that is?"

"No."

Peter said, "I will put my mouth around your dick and suck on it. I think you'll like it. Do you want me to do it?"

Greg nodded eagerly.

A few seconds after his orgasm Greg said, "That was the best ever. Now I get to do you."

When they woke up the next morning, they kissed for several minutes and then Greg started to give Peter a blow job. Peter said, "If I turn around in the bed, we can each give the other a blow job at the same time. It's called a '69'." It sounded like a good idea to Greg so that is what they did.

After breakfast, they heard the snowplow and went outside to watch it. While they were watching, Mrs. Grady came out and said, "I am glad they finally plowed the street. I called my brother and he will be here soon with his snow blower. After he finishes, I'll be able to go shopping. We're running low on food."

Greg said, "I'm sorry. I ate too much. I'll try to eat less."

"Nonsense. You have not eaten too much. You are a growing boy and need to eat. We are running low because the snow prevented me from shopping."

Peter said, "We should have our own snow blower. I could run it and we wouldn't have to bother Uncle George."

"You are too young to use a snow blower."

Peter rolled his eyes but he didn't say anything.

When they went to bed that night Greg said, "Do you want to do the '69' thing again?"

"There is something else I want to try. I want you to put on this latex glove, put some lube on it and stick your gloved finger up my butt-hole while you suck on my dick. You should feel a small bump in there on the front side of my butt-hole. It's my prostate. When you find it, rub it."

"But won't that hurt you? I don't want to hurt you. I couldn't stand it if I hurt you."

"It shouldn't if you go really slow. I'll tell you if you are hurting me. Will you do it?"

"If you really want me to."

Greg slowly stuck his gloved finger up Peter's anus. After a while he did feel a bump. He said, "Is this it?"

"Oh yes! That's it."

After he finished, Greg said, "How was it? Did it hurt?"

"It was great, just great. It was way better than a regular blow job. Do you want me to do the same thing to you?"

Greg thought about it for a while. The idea of having a finger up his butt-hole was a little disgusting but he remembered how good it felt when Peter had stuck his finger a little way up in the shower and he thought about what Peter said about it so he told Peter to do it. He was glad that he had because, it was INCREDIBLE. He thought he might have liked it even more than Peter had.

Greg said, "How do you know so much about sex? Have you been having lots of sex with other people?"

"I have never had sex with anyone except you. Last summer, I was staying with Uncle George for a few days and I found a copy of The Joy of Gay Sex. As soon as I had read a little bit of it, I was sure that I was gay and that I wanted to have sex with other boys. When my uncle found out that I had read it, he made me promise that I wouldn't tell Mom that I found the book. He went out and bought a copy of the straight version: The Joy of Sex and made me read it too. I didn't like the straight version at all."

"Does your mom know your uncle is gay?"

"Yeah, she does. It's not a secret."

"I want to read that book."

"I don't think we can just go to a bookstore and buy one so I guess that will have to wait until you can get to my uncle's house."

After breakfast Peter asked Greg, "Do you like to swim?" When Greg said that he did, Peter said, "Mom, can we go swimming?"

Greg said, "But the public pool is closed and the pond must be freezing. You and your mom aren't some of those 'Polar Bear' people they show on the news that go swimming in freezing cold water are you?"

Mrs. Grady said, "No. We have a membership at the YMCA and we can bring a guest. I think swimming is a great idea."

The boys changed into swimsuits in the locker room. When they got to the pool, Mrs. Grady was beside the pool still wearing her street clothes. Peter said, "Mom, aren't you going to swim?"

"I'm going to take some pictures of you boys first."

Mrs. Grady got several good pictures of the boys and they had a good time swimming.

The next morning, Mrs. Grady insisted on driving them to school because the sidewalks were still somewhat icy.