When Mrs. Grady brought their fruit and milk she said, "This time I have apples, bananas and kiwis. How many kiwis do you want Greg?"

"I better start with one 'cause I don't know if I will like them." She cut one kiwi in half and gave it to him on a small plate with a teaspoon. Peter took two and he had to tell Greg how to eat them.

When Greg finished his, he decided that he liked it so he went over to the cutting board and was about to cut another kiwi in half when Mrs. Grady said sharply, "STOP!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd mind if I had another."

"You can have as many as you want but you can't use the sharp knife. I do not want you to cut yourself."

When Greg sat down with two more kiwis Peter said quietly, "Mom is kinda overprotective. She won't let me use sharp knifes either."

This time when Greg finished his homework he told Mrs. Grady that he was done. She said, "I will check it in a few minutes. I can't interrupt this part of the cooking."

Peter asked, "Did you do the extra-credit math question?" When Greg said that he had, Peter said, "I thought so. Did you notice that when the teacher said that she only expected one or two of us to get it, she was looking right at you?"

"I did. It was embarrassing."

"Why would you be embarrassed by that? I would love to be as smart as you are."

"I get lots of kids calling me an egghead and brainiac and things like that."

"I get a little of that but probably not nearly as much as you do 'cause I'm not as smart as you are."

Without looking up from her cooking, Mrs. Grady said, "I am sure that you are just as intelligent as Greg is. You are just intelligent in different areas."

"He's really smart Mom. The teacher had the class read a story and take a quiz on it. Greg finished reading way before anybody else and he got 100% on the quiz. Whenever the teacher asks the class a question, Greg always knows the answer."

Greg said in a weak voice, "Not in Spanish."

Mrs. Grady heard something in his voice. She looked up and said, "PETER, stop it! Look at Greg's face. You are making him uncomfortable."

Peter looked at him and said, "Sorry, I got carried away."

"That's ok."

A few minutes later Peter said, "Greg, can you tell me how to do the extra-credit math question?" Greg said that he could and instead of doing the problem for Peter he made up a similar problem and did it step-by-step while Peter watched. When he finished, Peter said, "I think I get it now."

Mrs. Grady said, "I can check your homework now." They went into her office together. After the door was shut, she said, "Thank you Greg."

"For helping Peter with the math problem? That was nothing."

"It was not nothing and you did a very good job but that is not what I am talking about. I am thanking you for being Peter's friend. He is not very good at making friends and you made friends with him on his first day at your school. He says that you are his best friend ever."

"Peter is my best friend ever."

"Peter is happier now than he has ever been. I don't know how you do it. I got this for you." It was a new binder with a zippered cover.

"Thank you. This is a really nice binder."

When she finished checking his homework, she said, "You made two errors in math and one in history but you know that because you made them on purpose."

Greg looked down at his feet and said, "How did you know?"

"I am a good judge of people and they weren't the kind of errors kids usually make. Were you afraid that Peter would be upset if you didn't make any errors?" Greg said that he was. Mrs. Grady said, "Would you want Peter to deliberately make two errors in Spanish because you made two errors in Spanish?"

"No."

"Then you shouldn't deliberately make errors in an effort to make Peter feel better. Besides, Peter is almost as good a judge of people as I am and he would figure it out pretty soon. Have you had bad experiences with people rejecting you because they thought you were too intelligent?"

"Yes. Last summer I made a friend. We did everything together. Then after school started, he found out how smart I am and he wouldn't have anything to do with me."

"You don't have to worry about that with Peter. You remember how the first time you came over, he said that he likes smart people?" Greg nodded and Mrs. Grady continued, "It's true. Peter does like smart people, perhaps too much. The more intelligent he thinks you are, the more he will like you. Now you fix the errors you made on purpose and then go out there and try to correct the two errors you made in Spanish. If you can't figure out what is wrong or how to fix it in five minutes or so ask me for help . . . No. Better still, ask Peter. He is very good in Spanish and he would love to help you."

After the boys finished their homework, Peter asked, "Mom, do we have time before dinner to go up to my room and listen to some music?"

"You have a little time. When dinner is ready, I'll call you on the intercom."

As soon as they got into the room, Peter turned on his boom box, kissed Greg and got to his knees. He pulled Greg's pants down and started giving him a blow job. When he finished, he said, "God. I sure missed making love to you."

"I missed it too. Now it's my turn," but, before he could get started, Mrs. Grady called them down to dinner.

When they entered the kitchen, Mrs. Grady said, "Why are you two all sweaty?"

Greg froze like a deer in the headlights of a car and his face got very pale. Peter grabbed him in a headlock and said, "We were just doing a little friendly wrestling."

"You be sure you don't hurt him. You are bigger and stronger than he is."

"Now you are making him uncomfortable, besides I would never hurt him."

"He shouldn't be uncomfortable. It's normal for a younger boy to be smaller."

"Actually, he is almost five weeks older than I am." Greg remembered how Peter had insisted on knowing his birth date so that he could give Greg a birthday present even though Greg told him that he would not be able to give him a gift.

"Oh. I thought he had skipped a grade."

Greg said, "I'm not uncomfortable. I'm used to being little. The school did want me to skip a grade but my aunt wouldn't let me. Now I am glad I didn't, because if I had, I probably wouldn't have met Peter."

After dinner they went back up to Peter's room and Greg gave Peter a blow job. Then they went back downstairs and watched a DVD until it was time for Mrs. Grady to drive Greg home.

Peter went with them to Greg's apartment. When they got in the apartment, Greg ran straight to the kitchen and started washing dishes. Mrs. Parker said, "You look tired. You get in your bed." She pointed to the bottom bunk that was in the small living room. "I will do the dishes later."

Greg got a very surprised look on his face and took off his shoes and jacket and got under the covers like she said. Mrs. Parker said, "We all need to go to bed so you will have to leave now." She shooed Mrs. Grady and Peter out the door without giving Mrs. Grady a chance to talk to her.

After the door to the stairwell closed behind them Mrs. Grady said, "There is something wrong here. Be as quiet as you can and follow me." They went to the apartment door and put their ears against it. They heard Mrs. Parker say, "Now that the bitch is gone, get out of Sean's bed and go wash those dishes. Then you can do the laundry. When you are finished with your housework, you can sleep on the sofa as usual."

Mrs. Grady got a very stern look on her face and knocked loudly on the door. When it opened, she barged in and said, "You cannot treat this wonderful boy that way. He should not do nearly so much housework. He should have his own bed and you shouldn't call him a freak."

Mrs. Parker said, "If you like the little freak so much, why don't you adopt him?"

"You would be willing to let me adopt him?"

"I promised my sister that I wouldn't put him in foster care but I never promised not to let somebody adopt him. I'd love to get rid of the little creep."

Mrs. Grady said, "Greg, get your shoes and jacket on and gather your belongings. I am taking you home."

Peter just stood there stunned and Mrs. Parker said, "Does your brat want the little freak to live with you?"

"Peter has wanted Greg to live with us since the day after he met him."

Sean said, "Mother, if we get rid of the little freak, who will do all the dishes and the laundry?"

Mrs. Parker glared at him and said, "Shut up."

Greg got some garbage bags and started packing his meager belongings with Peter's help.

Mrs. Grady said, "I will have the adoption papers sent to you as soon as possible."

When they were in the car, both boys had huge grins on their faces. Greg said, "This is better than having Hagrid come get me."

Peter said, "You know, everyone is going to think you are my younger brother."

"I don't care." He wanted to kiss Peter but he didn't because he knew Mrs. Grady would be able to see them kiss in the rear view mirror.

Mrs. Grady asked, "Do you boys want to share the bedroom Peter is in now or have separate rooms?"

Both boys said, "Share," simultaneously and they smiled at each other.

The next morning after their shower Peter was combing his hair and he said, "Maybe I should dye my hair black like Mom does so that we will look more like a family."

"Your mom dyes her hair?"

"Sure, all through high school, people treated her like a dumb blond, so when she went away to college, she tried dying it black. She liked the way people treated her so much that she has done it ever since."

"I love your golden-blond hair. It's just so beautiful."

"If you like it so much, I won't dye it."

While they ate breakfast, Mrs. Grady said, "I am going to pick you up at school because I made an appointment with an adoption attorney I know. I will need to take Greg with me and it might take a long time."

When they were in the car, on the way home from school, Mrs. Grady said, "I had some furniture delivered today. I got a bed, a desk, and two nightstands for you Greg. I also got beds etc. for the guest bedrooms. The maid service came right after the beds were delivered so I had them make the new beds up."

Peter said, "We don't need another bed. The one we have is big enough for two skinny boys. Besides, when Greg sleeps in the bed with me, I don't have my nightmares."

Greg said, "Actually, on Sunday night, I got up to pee and then I went down to the kitchen and had a glass of milk. When I get back, you were having a nightmare but as soon as I got into bed, you put your arm around me, smiled and settled down."

"That is remarkable. I sometimes let Peter sleep in my bed. He has fewer nightmares but not none. What about you Greg, do you want to share a bed?"

"I like sharing a bed with Peter. It makes me feel safe and wanted."

"You can continue to share a bed but don't tell anyone, especially people from Social Services if they investigate for the adoption. You should alternate which bed you sleep in so that the sheets get equally dirty. And mess up both beds each night so that the maid service people won't know you are sharing a bed."

After the boys finished their fruit and milk, Mrs. Grady said, "Greg and I need to leave now. Will you be all right here by yourself, Peter?"

"Sure."

When they got to the garage, Greg headed for the right-front door of the car but Mrs. Grady said, "No Honey, I want you to sit in the back seat because it's safer." (The other times he had gotten in the back seat because Peter had gotten in the back.)

When they got back from the lawyer's office, Peter exclaimed happily, "Look Mom. Greg's a GENIUS!" He pointed to the cork board and Greg saw that Peter's tests were moved to one side and jammed together. The rest of the board was filled with Greg's tests. There was a test that said that he read at the 12th grade level. There were also the standardized test results that said that Greg was at the 99th percentile in all the categories except "appropriateness of expression" which was 77.

Greg got very pale and Mrs. Grady said, "Greg go into the media room and watch some TV. I want to talk to Peter in private."

Greg went in and turned on the science channel. Then he went back and put his ear to the door. He heard Peter say, "But Mom, they were only garbage bags."

"I don't care if they were garbage bags or the finest designer luggage. He had his belongings in them and you opened them without his permission."

"I just wanted to put his books on the bookshelves and put his clothes away. I wanted him to feel at home."

"That is admirable but where did you find his tests results?"

"They were in a box."

"Was the box open or closed?"

"It was closed. The flaps were folded together."

Mrs. Grady said, "So you opened his bags without permission, found the box and opened it without permission. Did the test results look like books that needed to be put in the bookcase?"

Peter said sullenly, "No."

"You have to respect Greg's privacy. Would you want a hotel employee to open your suitcases and look at all your belongings?"

"But that's different. Greg is my brother now. I wouldn't care if he looked at my stuff."

"Then you wouldn't mind if I showed him the math quiz you got a D on?"

"NO! Don't do that. He'll think I'm a moron," Peter said in a stricken voice.

"Now you understand why Greg needs some privacy."

"But that is different. Greg did really well on his tests and I did really badly on that quiz."

"It is not different. You don't want people to know that you did badly on that quiz. Greg doesn't want people to know how well he did on his tests because he has had some bad experiences with people rejecting him because they thought he was too intelligent. Don't you remember how he didn't want to tell you how he did on those tests the first time he came over and how uncomfortable he was when you talked about how smart he was yesterday?"

"I remember."

"Then why did you put his tests on the cork board?"

"I don't know."

"You should think about it until you figure it out. Maybe I should put you two in different bedrooms."

"No, don't do that. I will never open any of his bags or boxes again without permission."

"I will ask Greg if he wants his own bedroom. If he does, he will get it. Your punishment for violating Greg's privacy is no TV and no music until Monday."

Later when Mrs. Grady was checking his homework Greg said, in a low voice, "I did something bad."

"What did you do?"

"I listened at the door while you were talking to Peter."

"Why did you do that?"

"Because I'm a terrible person."

"I know that isn't true. Now, what's the real reason?"

"I was afraid . . . "

After a long pause Mrs. Grady said, "What were you afraid of Honey?"

"I was afraid that after you saw the test results you would tell Peter that I am too much of a freak and that I couldn't stay here."

Mrs. Grady surprised Greg by getting down on her knees in front of the chair he was sitting in and hugging him tightly. She said, "You are not a freak. You are definitely not a freak. I will never, ever, call you a freak or even think of you as a freak. I am absolutely sure that Peter will never think you are a freak."

"But I am a freak. A normal sixth grader doesn't read at the twelfth grade level or score at the 99th percentile on all but one of his tests."

"I read at the twelfth grade level when I was in the sixth grade and somebody has to score at the 99th percentile on those tests just as someone has to score at the zero-th percentile. Peter did much better than average on his tests and I am sure that he would have done even better if he wasn't so upset about his father being killed. Do you think we are freaks?"

"No."

"Then you shouldn't think you are a freak. This is mostly my fault. I should have told you why I wanted to talk to Peter privately. I am very sorry that I upset you. Can you forgive me?"

Greg was very surprised that Mrs. Grady had asked him to forgive them. No adult had ever asked him to forgive them before. He said, "Of course I forgive you. What is my punishment for listening when I wasn't supposed to?"

"Your punishment will be to write fifty times 'I am not a freak' and to watch TV down here while Peter is restricted from watching TV. That part is actually a punishment for both of you."

Then she asked, "Do you want to have your own bedroom or do you still want to share Peter's room?"

"I still want to share Peter's room. Should I tell Peter that I heard about the quiz he got a D on?"

"I think you should tell him. Keeping secrets from people you are close to is bad for people. Do you want me to take down your tests from the cork board and keep them here in my office?"

"Peter has already seen them but if we have other kids over, I don't want them to see them so I think we should take them down."

"How about if we leave a few of them up and put most of them away. It would look strange if Peter had several tests up there and you didn't have any. We can put away the standardized test and leave up about the same number of class tests as Peter has."

Greg smiled and said, "That sounds good."

Mrs. Grady used the intercom and said, "Peter, bring your boom box and your CD player down to my office. Greg has something he has to tell you."

That night, Greg was still a little angry at Peter for putting his tests up on the cork board so instead of getting into the bed that Peter was already in, he got into the other one. About an hour later, he was woken up by Peter saying, "No!" over and over again. He couldn't stand seeing and hearing Peter that way so he got up and got into the other bed with Peter. A few seconds later Peter cuddled up to him and settled down.

They woke up at the same time. Peter said, "You got into bed with me. I wanted to tell you to come into this bed but I didn't because I was angry that you heard about the quiz."

Greg said, "I got into the other bed because I was mad about your putting my tests on the cork board. I wanted you to ask me to get into bed with you but you didn't."

Peter said, "Let's not ever go to bed angry again."

Greg said, "Yes. We should never go to bed angry again. Your mom said that you would never think I am a freak. Is that true?"

Peter said, "You really are worried about that, aren't you. Well, I will never think you are a freak no matter what you do . . . No, wait, there is one thing you could do that would make me think you are a freak."

Greg waited several seconds and then asked worriedly, "What could I do that would make you think I'm a freak?"

"You could grow another head."

Greg laughed and then said, "You mean in addition to the two I already have?"

They both laughed for quite a while and then Peter said, "That's why you are so smart. You have two heads." They both laughed again. Then Peter said, "You should totally join Mensa."

"What's Mensa?" Greg asked.

"It's a club for really smart people."

"Are you a member?"

"No, I didn't quite pass the test but Mom is a member and Dad was."

"If you aren't a member then I don't want to be one either."

"I'm going to take the test again. If I pass, will you join?"

"Yes, I will."

"Then we should both take the test together. That way, if I pass, we can join at the same time."

"Ok, but I wont help you cheat."

"I wouldn't want you to." Peter said in a slightly hurt tone.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I am just so used to people wanting to cheat off of me that I said it automatically. Can you forgive me?"

"Of course I forgive you. You are my two-headed, non-freak genius and I love you."

When they got into the shower Greg said, "I really do have two heads you know."

"Is the other one invisible?"

Greg said, "I have this head." He touched his forehead. "And I have this head." He pulled back his foreskin and touched the head of his dick.

"That isn't the kind of head I meant," Peter replied.

After their shower, Peter asked, "When you heard about the quiz I got a D on did you think I was a moron?"

"Of course not. It was just one quiz. That could happen to anyone."

"Have you ever gotten a D on a math quiz or test?"

"No, but I did get a C once when I was coming down with the flu and I have gotten lots of Ds on Spanish quizzes."

Peter said, "I guess a C for you is as bad as a D for me. I wish I was as good in math and science as you are."

"If wishes were horses, we'd all have to wear hip boots."

"What?"

"You know. There would be so many horses around that we would need the boots to wade through all the horse poop."

"That's true."

When they got downstairs, Peter said, "Mom, we need to buy Greg two caps. Guess why."

"I can't guess. Why?"

Peter said, "Because he has two heads." Both boys started laughing again.

After they explained the joke, Mrs. Grady chuckled and said, "I am glad you boys are getting along again. Your joke made me realize that we do need to take Greg shopping for clothes and other things. I will pick you up at school and we will go shopping."

"I don't need any new clothes. The ones I have and Peter's old ones are good enough."

"Nonsense. I can't have one of my sons going around in all hand-me-down clothes." Greg and Peter both smiled when she called Greg one of her sons.

Before they left for school, Mrs. Grady gave Greg a house key and a remote for the alarm system. She also gave him several quarters and two one-dollar bills. She said, "I will get you a prepaid credit card like the one Peter has as soon as I can. I wish the school would allow students to carry cell phones but since they don't you will just have to use a pay phone if you need to call me."

When Mrs. Grady picked them up after school, Greg said, "Where are we going? The Goodwill store or the Salvation Army store?"

"We are going to Nordstrom's and to Target."

After Peter helped Greg pick out some pants, Greg said, "These are awfully expensive. I don't need pants this expensive. The pants at the Goodwill are a lot cheaper."

Mrs. Grady said, "Do you want to make me angry?"

"Of course not."

"Then don't tell me what you need. I am your mom now and I will decide what you need. Ok?" Then she smiled at him.

"Ok."

Later when they were picking out a jacket, Greg said, "I don't . . . " Then he remembered and said, "Sorry."

Mrs. Grady said, "That's all right." They got him a ski jacket just like Peter's except it was dark blue instead of brown. Mrs. Grady and Peter said that the color went with his black hair.

When they were looking at shirts, Mrs. Grady saw Greg looking at the price tag on a shirt with a worried look on his face. She said, "Don't worry about the price, Honey. I can afford it and I want you to look nice."

When they were picking out a pair of dress shoes, Greg said, "Why do I need dress shoes? Do you go to church sometimes?"

Mrs. Grady said, "We don't go to church. The shoes are for when we go to a nice restaurant or to things like weddings. If you are religious, I can take you to church."

"I'm not religious."

After they finished at Nordstrom's, they went to Target to get him a new backpack, socks, underwear, sweaters, a bathrobe and sneakers. When they were buying the shoes Greg said, "Why do I need three pairs of sneakers?"

Mrs. Grady said, "It's best not to wear the same pair two days in a row. You want them to dry out thoroughly between wearing them. With three pairs, even if one pair is in the wash, you won't have to wear a pair two days in a row."

Peter saw a display of FRS radios, and he said, "We should get one of these for Greg."

Greg said, "You better not. I might break it or lose it."

Mrs. Grady said, "Will you break it or lose it on purpose?"

"Of course not."

"Then I will get you one. But Greg is correct, you boys might break or lose one and they are so inexpensive now, I will get two of these two-packs. That way we will have some spares and if other kids come over to play they can use them."

A tag on the backpack they picked out had a picture of a boy wearing the backpack while riding a bicycle. When Peter saw it, he said, "We should get Greg a bike."

Mrs. Grady said, "That can wait until it is warm enough to ride."

Greg said, "I don't know how to ride a bicycle."

"Mom and I will teach you as soon as it's warm enough. Before then, you should use the exercise bike to get your legs strong. It's in one of the spare bedrooms."

"Your mom rides a bicycle?"

"She is your mom too now. Yes she does. She's pretty fast too, but not as fast as me."

Mrs. Grady said, "That should be, not as fast as I am."

That evening, when Mrs. Grady was checking his homework in the office, Greg said, "Mrs. Grady, why does Peter have nightmares?"

"Now that you are my son, you shouldn't call me 'Mrs. Grady.' You are too old to call me 'Mommy' but you can call me 'Mom' or 'Mother.'"

"I called my real mother 'Mother' so I will call you 'Mom'."

"Peter has the nightmares because he was in the car with his father when the accident that killed him happened."

"That's terrible. Was Peter hurt?"

"He was in the backseat, on the right, with his seatbelt on. When the other car hit the driver's door, his father was not wearing a seatbelt. The accident investigators said that if he had been wearing his seatbelt, he almost certainly would have survived with few injuries. Peter just got a few bruises. James died less than an hour later at the hospital. Peter saw him die."

On their way to bed, Peter showed Greg the bedroom they used as an exercise room. Greg said, "Wow, you have everything here."

"We had the exercise bike and the mini trampoline at the old house which was all we had room for. The treadmill, ski machine, AB Lounge and Bowflex are new. You should use the exercise bike mostly to get your legs strong but you should use the other machines too so that you don't get out of balance. Mom will probably have her trainer come and show you which machines to use and how to use them."

While they were walking to their room Greg asked, "How many bedrooms and bathrooms are there in this house anyway?"

"There are four bedrooms and three bathrooms here on the second floor. There's one powder room on the first floor. We also have two bedrooms and one bathroom in the basement. The bedrooms in the basement aren't very nice because they don't get much light. We have one guest bedroom up here and one in the basement. We thought about putting the exercise room in the basement and the two guest rooms up here but Mom decided that we would use the equipment more if it was up here. I'll give you a tour of the whole house tomorrow."

When they got to their room, Greg said, "What kind of sex do you want to do tonight?"

"I want you to butt-fuck me."

After Peter explained how to do it, Greg tried for a while but he just couldn't penetrate Peter. He said, "I think my dick is just too short. Your dick is a lot longer than mine. Why don't you fuck me?" Peter was able to penetrate Greg. When they finished, Greg said, "That was great. I came just from you fucking me. I bet it will be even better when your dick gets bigger."

"I can hardly wait until your dick is big enough so that you can fuck me."

In school on Monday, a large boy pushed Greg up against the wall and said, "Give me your money. I know you have some because Sean said you were being adopted by a rich bitch and you have new clothes."

Peter got a very angry look on his face and said, "Let go of my brother, right now!"

The bully said, "What are you gonna do about it? You're almost as small as this little freak."

"Whatever I have to." When the bully did not let go of Greg, Peter grabbed the bully's right thumb and bent it backwards. The bully screamed, let go of Greg and threw a wild punch at Peter. Greg was terrified because he thought that Peter would be badly hurt but Peter managed to avoid the blow. Then Peter spun around and kicked the bully in the face. The larger boy crumpled to the floor stunned.

Later Greg said, "You were great with the bully. How did you do that?"

"I have a brown belt in karate. I have been doing karate for five-and-a-half years now. As soon as we find a good dojo near the new house, I'll start taking lessons again. I want to get a black belt. You can take lessons too but you won't be in the same class. You'll have to start in a beginner's class."

"How did you get your overprotective mom to let you take karate?"

"She wasn't so overprotective before Dad died and he talked her into it. After a few months she said that she was glad that Dad had convinced her 'cause I wasn't getting beaten up by bullies anymore and I was more self-confident."

While they were walking home, Greg said, "Did you see the boy and girl kissing in the hall when we left?"

"I did."

"I wish we could kiss at school like that."

"I wish so too but it would be a very bad idea for us to come out now. Maybe in a few years."

"Wouldn't be great if we lived in a world where people didn't care if we were gay or straight?" Greg said.

"It sure would."

A few minutes later Peter said, "If we get married and I took your last name, I would be Peter Parker just like Spiderman. Wouldn't that be cool?"

"I don't think you would really like the way people would react. I think we should keep our last names or I should take your last name and become Greg Grady."

When they got home, Mrs. Grady said, "Your aunt signed the adoption papers so now I can manage your health care. I made appointments with the pediatrician, the dentist and the eye doctor for Thursday. You will have to miss a day of school but this is important and Peter can get your homework."

That night Peter taught Greg how to play chess. Over the next week, they played 12 games. Peter won the first two and Greg won the next ten. They stopped playing because Greg was winning so easily that it was not fun for either of them anymore.

Mrs. Grady saw Dr. Martin, the pediatrician, first. He said, "What's wrong with Peter this time?"

"It's not Peter this time. It's Greg, a boy about Peter's age. I am adopting him."

"Are you sure you can handle another child? Peter is a rather demanding boy and you have your business to run."

"Greg has been living with us for a week now and ever since he moved in, Peter has been so much better. He's much happier. He doesn't cling to me at all and he asks far fewer questions about his homework. When he does have questions, he asks Greg. I actually have more time for my business now than I did before. Sometimes I am tempted to have Peter check Greg's Spanish homework and have Greg check Peter's homework in everything else."

"Does Greg do a good job of answering Peter's questions and does he mind the questions?"

"Greg does a great job. He is extremely intelligent and is better at explaining things than I am. He seems to really like helping Peter."

"Why are you adopting him?"

"Peter really likes him and his aunt was treating him terribly. She called him a freak, made him do most of the housework and he had to sleep on the sofa in a tiny crowded apartment. Also, I don't think she gave him enough to eat."

"You should be careful. Children who are neglected that way often have behavioral problems and take drugs or steal."

"He doesn't seem to have any behavioral problems and I am sure he would never steal. He is the least greedy child I have ever known. When I took him shopping, he kept telling me that he didn't need things until I told him not to."

"Well, I hope things work out with him. Are you here for just a checkup or does he have health problems?"

"I think he is malnourished and I want him tested for all venereal diseases including AIDS because he might have been molested by his aunt's boyfriends or his cousins." Then she showed Dr. Martin the pictures she had taken at the pool which clearly showed how extremely thin Greg was.

Before Greg saw the doctor, a nurse took his blood pressure, pulse and temperature and had him take off his shoes and socks. She measured his height and had him step on a scale. She said, "Be sure to put your feet on the metal parts." When Greg asked why she said, "This is a special scale, it measures your body fat percentage as well as your weight."

After most of the exam was over, Dr. Martin said, "Before I have you take off your briefs would you rather have your mom here or a male nurse?"

After Greg didn't answer for several seconds Mrs. Grady said, "I think he would rather have the male nurse." Greg nodded so the doctor called for the nurse on the intercom.

While they were waiting for the nurse, Greg asked, "Why do you need the nurse in the room?"

"My insurance company insists on it so that I won't be accused of molesting a child."

After the male nurse entered, Mrs. Grady left the room. The doctor finished the exam and then he said, "Is there anything you want to ask before your mom comes back in?"

"There is one thing, but it's kind of embarrassing."

"You can ask me. I am a doctor. I have heard everything and I promise I won't tell your mom."

"I am almost five weeks older than Peter and my dick is much smaller than his."

Dr. Martin said, "Don't worry about it. Different boys mature at different rates. Your penis will start growing soon. You might end up with a bigger one than Peter does. Besides, most women don't care how big your penis is, they care about how you treat them."

Greg didn't tell Dr. Martin that he liked Peter, not girls, and that he was bothered by not being able to fuck Peter.

When Mrs. Grady and Dr. Martin talked in private after the exam he said, "I can't be sure until the blood work and the urine analysis are back but he seems to be in good health except for the malnutrition. He is at the eighth percentile for height and the third percentile for weight. His body fat percentage is just 5 percent which is dangerously low for a boy his age. Is he eating well?"

"Yes, he eats more than Peter does."

"How long ago were those pictures taken? He seems to have gained a little weight since then."

"It will be two weeks this Sunday."

Dr. Martin said, "Then I don't think we need to do anything about his malnutrition except I want you to give him some extra zinc supplements for several months. His underdeveloped genitalia might be caused by a zinc deficiency. He is a little worried about the size of his genitalia but don't tell him I told you because I promised I wouldn't tell."

At the eye doctor's office, Greg got a new prescription and Mrs. Grady ordered him three pairs of glasses. At the dentist's he got x-rays which showed that he had no cavities and the hygienist did the most thorough cleaning Greg had ever gotten. The dentist found that he had gum disease so he taught Greg how to floss and told Mrs. Grady to get him a good electric toothbrush and an oral irrigator.

About a week later, Mrs. Grady said, "Did you think I wouldn't find out?"

Greg went very pale because he was terrified that she had found out that he and Peter were having sex. After several seconds he managed to say, "What?"

Mrs. Grady said, "I know that you have been doing Peter's chores as well as your own."

Greg relaxed and color returned to his face. He said, "But Peter needs more time to do homework than I do and I used to do a lot more housework when I lived at my aunt's."

Mrs. Grady wondered why he turned pale. She said, "Peter has plenty of time to do homework. It is good for Peter to do some chores. It will help teach him responsibility. By doing his chores, you are actually hurting him in the long run. You don't want to hurt him do you?"

"No, of course not."

"Then you will stop doing his chores."

"Yes Mom."

The next day the boys started taking karate lessons. Greg was not very good at it but he kept trying.

Two weeks later, after Mrs. Grady had finished checking Greg's homework she said, "I have figured out why Peter is so happy. You and he are having sex!"

Greg froze and turned so pale that Mrs. Grady was afraid that he might pass out. After about a minute he recovered from his shock enough to say, "Please don't punish Peter. It's my fault. The sex was all my idea. You can send me back to my aunt or lock me in the basement but don't punish Peter."

"So it was Peter's idea?"

Greg said miserably, "Yes, but he never forced me to do anything. The first several times he would make me promise that if I didn't like what he was doing I would tell him so that he could stop. I got so tired of promising each time that I said, 'I promise that for the rest of my life that if I don't like what you are doing I will tell you. Now can we get started without me having to make the same promise every time.' There was one time that I didn't want him to do something. I told him and he didn't do it."

"What was it he wanted to do?"

Greg said reluctantly, "He was so into the sex that he wanted to stick his tongue up my butt-hole. Later he told me that he was glad I stopped him."

"What kind of sex are you and Peter having?"

"We jack each other off. We give each other blow jobs and we . . . well, Peter he . . . he sticks his dick up my butt-hole."

"Do you stick your penis up Peter's anus?"

"No, I can't."

"Why? Do you find it too disgusting?"

Greg's face turned bright red and he said, "No, my dick is just too short."

"I see. Do you enjoy having Peter stick his penis up your anus?"

Greg said, "Yes, very much. It's my favorite."

"Is that all you do?"

"No. Sometimes when we give each other blow jobs, we stick a gloved finger up each other's butt-holes and rub the other's prostrate."

Mrs. Grady said, "I think you mean prostate."

"Yeah, that's what Peter called it."

"When did you two first have sex?" When Greg told her that it was the first day, she asked, "Was it Peter's idea to tell me about showering together?"

"Yes, he said it would make you less likely to suspect that we were having sex."

Mrs. Grady said, "He was right about that. The time you two were sweaty, was it because you just had sex?"

"Yes, Peter gave me a blow job."

"Peter is just too good at lying and fooling me. How often do you and Peter have sex?"

"Two or three times a day on school days and three of four times when we don't go to school."

"Do you love Peter?"

"Very, very, very much. I would die for him."

"Does he love you?"

"I am absolutely sure that he does."

Mrs. Grady opened the door to her office and said, "Peter, come into my office. I need to talk to both of you."

After Peter was seated, Mrs. Grady said, "I know that you and Greg are having sex."

Peter said, "Please don't send Greg back to his aunt or put him in foster care. You can lock me in one of the bedrooms at night but don't send Greg away. The sex was all my idea."

Mrs. Grady said, "You are much too young to be having sex, but the fact is, you are having sex, and you are having sex for the right reason, because you love each other. I am not going to try to stop you from making love but there will be some rules and they will be obeyed."

"You must never tell anyone you are having sex. You must never let anyone discover that you are having sex. This includes your uncle. You must never kiss or even hold hands in public. If anyone found out that you were having sex and that I knew about it, I would go to prison and you two would be sent to the opposite sides of the state and not even be allowed to write or phone each other."

"When you have anal intercourse, you MUST use a condom because even if you don't have VD, having sperm up your rectum causes immune suppression. I will keep condoms in a box in the linen closet. When you use one you must dispose of it in the kitchen trash compactor before breakfast so that the maid service people can't find it. And there will be no sticking tongues up butt-holes because you can catch serious illnesses that way."

Peter looked at Greg but he didn't say anything.

"If either of you start misbehaving or doing poorly in school, I will stop you from having sex. Do you understand me?" They both said that they did.

When they went to bed Peter said, "How could you tell her about the tongue thing?"

"I hated keeping the sex secret. When Mom said she knew about the sex, I sort of broke down and told her everything. It was kind of a relief to tell her. Are you mad at me for telling her?"

"No, things worked out MUCH better than I thought they would. I didn't like keeping secrets from her either but I never in a million years thought she would let us have sex."

"Me neither."

Several days later, they both took the Mensa test. Greg passed easily and this time Peter just barely passed. They both joined but there weren't many Mensa activities that they were interested in.

Just before the start of Easter vacation, Mrs. Grady sent the boys down to the basement to see if Peter's bicycle was the right size for Greg to learn on. When they got the bike out, Greg said, "What kind of bicycle is this, it doesn't look like the bicycles most kids have?"

"This is an eighteen-speed touring bike with an aluminum frame. Most kids have Stingray type bikes or mountain bikes. Mountain bikes are kind of heavy but they aren't too bad. Stingray bikes are terrible. They're only good for stunts and riding short distances. I can ride this bike fifty or sixty miles in one day."

"You can ride sixty miles in one day!" Greg exclaimed.

"Actually, I think I could ride ninety or a hundred miles in a day but Mom won't let me go on the long rides with the bike club."

Peter inflated the tires and said, "You can tell if a bike is the right size by standing over the center bar like this. You should have one to two inches clearance between the bar and your crotch."

Greg held the ruler up and said, "It looks like you have about four inches."

When Greg stood over the bar, Peter said, "It's a little less than an inch but it should be ok."

Greg said, "Why am I so darn short?"

"Have you read Ender's Shadow?"

"I have, but what does that have to do with how short I am?"

"Maybe you have Anton's Key like Bean."

"I'm not as smart as Bean."

Peter said, "I don't know. You are awfully smart."

Greg said, "But Bean was really good at languages. He could learn a new language in a few days. I had to do an extra credit assignment just to get a B minus in Spanish. Besides Ender's Shadow is just fiction. There probably isn't any such thing as Anton's Key."

"You're right. It is just fiction and I am glad you don't have Anton's key 'cause if you did you wouldn't live very long and I want us to live together until we are both at least a hundred."

"Why do you work so hard to get a good grade in Spanish, it's not very important like math and science are?"

"Just before my mother died, she made me promise to always do my best in school. She wouldn't want me to get a C in any class."

"Oh."

On the first day of Easter vacation, Greg started learning to ride. Mrs. Grady made him wear knee, elbow and wrist protectors in addition to the helmet that was required by law. It took a long time for Greg to learn but neither Peter nor his mother got angry. After about an hour, Greg said, "I'll never get this. I'm just too clumsy and uncoordinated to learn to ride a bicycle."

Mrs. Grady said, "You should never say that you can't do something. You should say that you haven't learned it yet. If you decide that you can't do something you probably won't be able to do it."

"I have confidence in you. I know you can do it if you have a positive attitude and keep trying. Greg and I will be really disappointed if you can't ride with us. Will you try some more, please?"

"I'll try some more."

Mrs. Grady said, "Good boy. Before you start again, sit in the car to rest and drink some Gatorade®. While you are resting, Peter will ride around slowly. Watch Peter ride and visualize yourself riding. See yourself on the bike, pedaling, steering and balancing the way Peter does."

After about fifteen minutes, Greg got back on the bike and in less than half an hour he got it and was riding around the parking lot by himself. He said, "This is great. It's like flying. That visualization stuff really helped."

That evening Mrs. Grady asked, "Do you want a new bike or would you rather have Peter's old bike?"

"I want Peter's old bike."

The next day they went to the bike shop and got Peter a new, bigger, bike and got Greg's bike serviced and had the handlebar wrap replaced.

The boys did a lot of riding together and sometimes Mrs. Grady rode with them. They went to the library, local museums and sometimes they just rode around. They also rode with the bike club on sundays.

About a week before summer vacation, Peter said, "The last time I gave you a blow job, I noticed that your dick had gotten a lot bigger. I think you can butt-fuck me now."

They tried it and Greg was able to penetrate Peter. After they finished, Peter said, "That was good. How did you like it?"

"I liked it but not as much as when you fuck me."

A week after the start of summer vacation, the boys were on a bike trip to the natural history museum across town. On the way there, Peter said, "Let's stop at that liquor store. I want to buy a chocolate bar. I'll buy you one too if you want it."

"But Mom doesn't want us to eat candy bars."

"She'll never know about it."

"But she'll smell it on your breath."

"No, she won't. I brought a toothbrush and some apples and bananas. After I eat the chocolate, I'll brush and then eat some fruit. There's no way she could smell it. I brought a toothbrush for you too."

Greg said, "I don't want a candy bar but I do want to look at the magazines and the paperback books."

While Greg was looking at the magazines, he heard gunshots. He froze in terror. Then he felt something warm running down his legs. He thought, "Oh no! I've wet my pants." He looked down, saw that it was blood and fainted.

When Peter heard the gunshots, he ducked down behind a display of canned soft drinks and looked to see what was happening. He saw the store clerk and a robber shooting at each other. The robber ran out of the store and then Peter saw Greg laying in a pool of blood. He quickly grabbed a roll of paper towels off the shelf, ripped the plastic off it, ran to Greg and pushed the roll against Greg's wound. Then he called 911 on his cell phone.

While he was waiting for the paramedics, Peter kept repeating, "Please don't die. Please don't die. I couldn't stand it if you died."

When the paramedics put Greg in the ambulance, Peter said that he wanted to go with him in the ambulance but one of the paramedics said, "Sorry kid. Only adults can go in the ambulance with a patient."

When Greg woke up, he was in a hospital bed in a private room with an IV in his arm. A nurse said, "Do you know what happened to you?"

Greg said, "I was shot in a liquor store. Where are my mom and brother?"

The nurse said, "Your mother was here earlier but you were unconscious because you lost a lot of blood and then you were in surgery. She had to leave to take care of your brother."

"Peter wasn't shot too, was he?"

"No Sweety, he wasn't shot but he is very upset about you being shot. He must love you very much. The paramedics said that he saved your life."

Then she said, "Do you know where on your body you were shot?"

"In the lower part of my belly?"

"That's not quite right. The bullet hit your penis."

"But you fixed it right? You sewed it up and it will be ok, won't it?" Greg asked anxiously.

"I'm so sorry Sweety but your penis was shot off."

Greg started to scream and the nurse injected something into his IV. When he woke up the nurse said, "How are you now?"

"I guess I'm ok but I had a terrible dream."

"Was it about where you were shot?"

Greg said, "It wasn't a dream was it, my dick was really shot off?" He cried for several minutes and then said, "It was shot off but you sewed it back on didn't you?"

"I'm very sorry Sweety but they couldn't reattach it, it was too badly damaged."

Greg started to scream again and the nurse injected something into his IV again. This time when he woke up he cried for a while and then asked, "How much of my dick is left?"

The nurse said, "I'm terribly sorry Sweety, but there is nothing left. It is completely gone." Greg cried for a long time. Then he lay there thinking about what it would be like to live the rest of his life with no dick at all.

About an hour later, the nurse came in again and Greg asked, "How will I pee without a dick?"

She said, "You will sit on the toilet to pee."

"But won't it spray all over the place?"

"No, the surgeons gave you a new pee-hole between your scrotum and rectum. You can sit on the toilet and the urine will go straight down."

Greg realized that she meant between his balls and his butt-hole. Then he asked, "What about my balls, are they gone too?"

"No Sweety, your balls were bruised but they will be fine."