My boy Jerome and I were cruising around in his truck one Friday bored out our minds. There's not much to do in this country town besides drink and smoke, not sense the one bar we had got closed in some drug raid. A new one would open in its place in a couple weeks, then it too would fuck up and suffer the same fate.
We were traveling the backroads, sipping our adult beverages when I spotted him in the headlights. I knew that small slender body. "Isn't that Jessie?" I tapped Jerome, squinting to make sure. "What's he doing down this road at this hour? Pull up on him and let's make sure he's okay."
"Ty, man, fuck that." Jerome said pulling past him. "I ain't got time for no skinny white boy." I just cocked my head in disbelief at him. He saw that stare and slowed down. "Man, fine." He put the truck in reverse. "I can't believe we're doing this shit." I took a swig of my drink and watched as Jessie's image got closer in the side mirror. "Are we going to turn him out?"
"Man, you know if my Moms find out that we just left him out here without checking on him, she'll kick our asses to Hell and back." My mother loved Jessie. He was the only reason most of us graduated high school. He was the team manager for the basketball and football team, on top of that he tutored all of us so we could play.
Jessie spent just about every weekend at my place helping me with my school work. We'd spend hours at the kitchen table under my Mother's watchful gaze working on English, Math and whatever else I needed help in. She'd paid him for the tutoring by making him stay for dinner. I swear that boy could put away some food.
After graduation, I expected him to head off to college, but two weeks after we got our diplomas he turned up at the local gas station, manning the cash register from sun up to sun down. Jerome and I got jobs at the mill and would see him when we stopped by on our way to work to grab something to eat. When I told him my mother was asking about him, he brightened up a bit, but every time I asked him over for dinner with the fam he always had to work.
I got the feeling he was sweet on me. He was small and slender, not an ounce of fat on that body except for that big bubble butt of his. You could slide your hand down his back and then, bam, mountains. He always had this shy smile and hid those amber brown eyes behind his shaggy mop of curly brown hair when he talked to me.
No matter how many girls I got with, my mind would wonder what it would be like to push on that cushion of his or what those soft red lips wrapped around my dick would be like. That got me brick every time. "Yeah, I'm going to turn him out. Just be cool about it, don't freak him. Play it cool." That was our thing. Me and Jerome would share a white boy when we couldn't some regular tail.
My Uncle always told me there was nothing like some white boy booty. He had a new boy now, one that turned up drunk in his yard. My Uncle used his black snake to make that boy moan and he ain't ever left my Uncle's side unless he had too since. He offered to help me find my own white boy, but it looks like I just stumbled on one.
Jerome stopped just short of Jessie, letting him walk up to the truck. I rolled down the window and called to him. "Yo, Jessie, man, what you doing out on these back roads this late?" He stopped, but he didn't turn to me. "Jessie, man." I got out the truck. The cool fall air hit me, so I knew Jessie had to be cold in just that work polo.
He tried to hide his face from me, but I grabbed his chin and brought his head up so I could see his face. "What the fuck man?" He tried to jerk his head away, but I held it gently in my hand, examining the bruise on his cheek. "Who did this to you man?" I let go and he started walking past me.
I grabbed him by the arm, and he tried not to wince. "Jessie, get your ass in that truck, now." I put every bit of command into my voice. He stopped, thinking what to do. "You either get in willingly, or I toss your skinny white ass in. Your choice." I saw his body slump as he turned and climbed in the truck.
"What's going on?" Jerome asked when I climbed in beside. "Boy, what happened to you?" He asked when he saw the bruise on Jessie's cheek. Jessie shrank down into the seat. "Who have you been let whoop on you?" I just wanted to smack the shit out of Jerome. He had no tact at all.
"Jerome, shut up, and drop us off at my place." I put my arm around Jessie and pulled him against me protectively. "Here drink this." I pressed my cup to Jessie's lips and he coughed at the strong taste. I saw Jerome looking at me annoyed, and I glared at him back. He knew not to fuck with me on this. "You can chill at my place tonight, little man."
Jerome sulked the entire ten minute drive back to my place. Jessie didn't say anything, but he sipped from my cup every time I pushed the cup to his lips. I kept him pressed closed to my six foot hard body protectively. That was the rule with us jocks. We watched out for our own, took care each other. Just because Jessie didn't play, didn't mean he didn't fall under that rule, and Jerome knew it.
I pulled Jessie from the truck cab with me. I moved into the old carriage house that was on the edge of my parents' land just after graduation. They wanted me independent, but close enough to check up on me. Their one rule was that I better not be making any babies until they were ready to be grandparents, so I made sure that my pecker was covered every time.
Jessie still hadn't said anything when I pulled him along into the house with me. He just stood there while I turned the lights on, his arms wrapped around himself. If my Mama could see him now, she'd send me out to teach whoever did this to him lesson, and she wasn't a violent woman unless you messed with one of her kids. To her, Jessie was one of her kids.
I dropped down to one knee in front of Jessie. He was only five foot five or so. I used to tease him I was taller than him standing and laying down. His cheeks would turn rosy with embarrassment and we'd all laugh. That's how he knew he was one of us, but he was never quite one of us.
"You're going to stay here tonight, okay?" He shook his head up and down. "Do I need to call your mom?" He paused before shaking his head no. I didn't think so. She was a real cunt. She was always drunk, opening her legs for anyone who had a twenty. Rumor was that she didn't even know who Jessie's Dad was. She or one of her johns probably did this to him.
"Are you hungry?" He shook his head no, but the growl of his stomach betrayed him. I brushed the hair out of his face. My ebony skin was a sharp contrast to his pale features. "Why don't you go take a shower, I'll grab you some clothes to put on, and make you a sandwich." He shook his head, giving me a glimpse of a smile. "Peanut butter and jelly, okay?"
