“Well, you know…” Peter said carefully. “I’m free right now too. There’s no swim practice and I was thinking of going to the mall and just hanging out. I’d invite you along but, I bet your folks would mind…” he trailed of suggestively.
“Nah they won’t! It’s a Friday anyway. I could just say I hung out with my buds a bit before going home. Then again, I’d only have to tell them if I went past eleven, which is, like, next to impossible anyway.” William said excitedly. Going to the mall with Peter was definitely more fun than staying at home. Plus, he was excited with the prospect of hanging out with an older teen, and he wondered what fun stuff Peter could show him.
William couldn’t be in higher spirits. He and Peter rode the bus to the mall, talking all the way. Before they knew it, they were walking along the mall plaza. He happily told the teen about his math exam and the benefit their study session had given him. They talked of everything and nothing, of the most mundane, trivial topics to the most profound and deep issues of life that they could think of. The only time William talked this much and this freely was whenever he was with John, and in the boy’s absence, he lacked an outlet. Peter would listen to even the stupidest things he said, laugh and or sarcastically critique every one of his jokes. The older teen even obliged him an honest answer for every question he could think of, and most of all, even gave him some bits of sagely advice every now and then. William thought that if he ever had an older brother, this would certainly be what it felt like.
“The way bullies are, they just have something they’re trying to hide, an inadequacy, fear, or longing that they can’t express in any other way. They compensate through violence.”
“How do you reckon that?” asked William, genuinely interested.
“Because I’ve dealt with them before. Just find the right things that can set them off, and they won’t have anything to say in return. They’ll just try to hit you and try to make you fear them, just like how an animal will do its best to scratch you with its claws if you hit it where it hurts.”
“I still don’t get it, but I think what you’re trying to say is that bullies are asses because they’re messed up inside?”
“Yeah. If you could get inside a bully’s head, you’d see he has loads of problems too, like maybe his parents are divorced or his dad’s an alcoholic…that kind of stuff. He doesn’t know how to deal with it other than to be a bully in school. “ Peter said knowingly.
“I never thought of it that way before…I wonder if Jim…” William caught himself at the last moment from continuing, but Peter noticed it anyway.
“What about Johnson?”
“Well, uhm…it’s just that he’s also an ass and he’s like a bully…”
“Does this have anything to do with your fight last week?” Peter asked with a smile.
“What, why’d you say that?” William replied in a panicky voice.
“School paper, remember? I easily pick up stories like that. Word gets around, and I hear all of them, even when they don’t get written down as news.”
“Right well…something like that…anyway…” William trailed off, hoping to change the subject. He was briefly reminded of Carl Rogers and his uncanny ability to know more than he should.
Their talk eventually shifted to other things, and Peter obliged him by not pursuing William’s issues with Johnson Masters. Peter continued to give out advice and for all the world seemed like the smartest and wisest guy William had ever known. Peter was so mature and understanding in his answers that he seemed much older than his 16 years. He seemed to understand William’s concerns so perfectly. The young boy definitely enjoyed his company.
They played some computer games together in a nearby net café, working together in Left4Dead 2 killing zombies (but since the game was more designed to be played as a four man team, they were soundly murdered by the undead hordes), playing competitively in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 (where Peter mercilessly showed William what calling in an airstrike would do) and finally playing a few matches in Need for Speed Most Wanted (with both of them alternately winning against each other because neither of them had much experience in racing games). William was enjoying himself as he passed the time with Peter. Peter seemed to feel the same way.
“Hey, are you sure you don’t want me to pay for mine, I mean I’ve got some of my allowance left…” William asked meekly while sipping his milkshake. Up till then, Peter had treated him to everything they did, and now that they were in a snack bar with the older teen treating him yet again, he was feeling thoroughly abashed.
“It’s no problem, bro. I got ya covered.” Peter said with a smile as he sipped his own milkshake.
William replied with a grateful smile and went back to sipping his milkshake.
“So, you enjoying yourself?” Peter asked, looking at William’s cheerful face.
“You bet! You’re so cool! But well, I wanted to ask, why are you being so nice to me? I mean, we’ve barely known each other and you’re already treating me and stuff…”
“Well, do you like my milkshake?” Peter asked with a mischievous grin.
“Yeah…wait, what?!” William replied as he started to laugh. He almost didn’t notice the innuendo.
Peter laughed with him before he answered the boy’s question. “I guess it’s because I always wanted a little brother. And, I just happened to meet you and you seemed like that to me.”
“But don’t you mind hanging out with a younger kid like me?”
“Not at all! I’m loving hanging out with you. I’m enjoying myself just as much as you are.”
“But well,” William started, slightly unsure how to phrase his question. “Wouldn’t you rather hang out with your same-age friends and stuff?”
“No. I don’t ha-..well…” Peter stuttered. He suddenly seemed flustered. “The guys…well, all I can say is I like hanging out with you more.”
“Why’s that?”
“Well, uhm…the guys can get stupid sometimes. You make loads more sense than they do. Trust me.”
William took Peter’s reply as a sign that the older boy was dismissing the topic. He just went back to sipping his milkshake in awkwardness.
Peter sensed the sudden tension and said, “Besides, you’re a cool younger bro.” He raised his fist expectantly.
“And you’re a cool older bro!” William said enthusiastically, obliging Peter with a fist bump. Both boys were smiling, with Peter smiling more so.
After a while, Peter asked, “Hey, what time do you have to get back again?”
“Well, I need to-crap! It’s already nine! I have to go home like, now!” William said in a panic.
“Chill, you said your parents won’t be home ‘til like eleven, right? Maybe we could go hang at my place for a bit…” Peter said rather suggestively.
“I can’t, bro. I just can’t be out this late. And there’s always the off chance my parents would be back early….”
“Alright, alright, let’s get a move on.” Peter said with a sigh. “First though, let’s go take a piss.”
Both of them went to the nearest bathroom and took urinals next to each other. They did their business in silence, with only the streams of their urine making any sound. For some reason, William remembered the bathroom adventure he had with John earlier and it gave him an instant boner. Afraid that Peter might see, he put his dick back in his underwear and looked at the older teen just to make sure he hadn’t noticed. To his surprise, Peter was already looking at him with a smile. Apparently he was looking at William the whole time; of course he’d seen the younger boy’s boner. Peter signalled with his eyes for William (who was now blushing) to look down. And when he looked, he saw Peter also had a boner. William couldn’t help but stare at the teen’s longer and fatter dick, with his matte of dark pubes and bulbous red glans.