The Corps - Chap 1

[luvyalots]

The following is inspired by a true story. All names and places have been changed.

The Corps:

Chapter 1: Rookie

Go get him Evan! The cheerleaders screamed as Evan Gamble strutted up to the scrimmage line. The ground shook under the weight of his powerful legs as he moved. He balled his fists and crouched down into his starting position. He flexed his massive arms and watched his muscles exploded menacingly out of his skin. The look on the other guy?s face was priceless. He looked like he was wetting himself. Evan glanced down and smirked. Actually the guy was wetting himself. A pool of yellow liquid was forming on the turf underneath his crotch. Yeah no one could stop the great Evan Gamble. He was unbeatable. He was invincible. He was the best high school football player in the state. The quarterback called the play and at the signal Evan pounced on his opponent picking him up and throwing him into the ground like he weighed nothing. Well to Evan he did weigh nothing. Evan was so strong he could lift insane amounts of weight. Even the coach was scared of him sometimes. A smile spread across his face as he turned back to view his work. All that could be seen of the kid was his puny arms and legs sticking up from beneath the turf. He had literally thrown him into the ground. Ha! Then out of nowhere the football plopped into his bulging arms and Evan began running like a freight train. He bowled over anyone that got anywhere near him and flattened them with a simple nudge of his gigantic shoulders. That was all he needed to send them flying! The roar of the crowd was deafening in his ears as he sauntered into the endzone. The ball was clutched in his right hand. He squeezed it just a little bit and it popped in a loud bang. Shit! That was nothing! He raised his huge arms into the air and flexed his biceps and pecs. He heard the sound of his shoulder pads splitting apart as his muscles grew even bigger. Suddenly his football jersey tore into pieces as his chest expanded to an incredible girth. Everyone gasped at his size. His power. His strength. He had single-handedly won the state championship and the whole team came running over to hoist him onto their shoulders.

?Evan! Time to get up!?

Evan moaned as he rolled over, his hands shielding his eyes from the sunlight pouring through his bedroom window. Goddamn it, he said to himself, why can?t I stay in bed a little longer? He had been dreaming about ? what had he been dreaming about? It had something to do with football?yeah, that was it?he had just scored the winning touchdown for the state championship and the whole team was about to lift him on their shoulders and proclaim him a hero?

?EVAN!? his mom?s voice grew louder from the kitchen. ?Did you hear me??

Evan groaned, groggily sitting up, the small rolls of fat in his stomach grinding against each other. Yeah, right, like he could be any kind of hero with a body like this.

Evan hadn?t always been fat ? he used to be very active when he was little and had actually been a pretty good soccer player. But once he hit about sixth grade, he started packing on the lard. In the last two years alone, he had gained something like a hundred pounds ? mostly fat of course ? and now weighed almost 190 pounds. And at 5?3?, that made him overweight. It seemed that every year his mom had to buy him bigger clothes. He kept outgrowing them, especially around the waist. She assured him it was because he was growing up, but it felt more like he was growing out.

?EVAN GAMBLE! GET YOUR ASS OUT OF THAT BED!?

?Yeah, I?m coming, ma!? he finally called back. Fumbling for his eyeglasses, he slowly climbed to his feet and lazily massaged his chest, his fingers kneading deep into the baby-fat that probably never would go away.
It was the first day of Spring Break and Evan had been looking forward to a week of sleeping in, lounging around the house, maybe hanging out with his friends playing video games all day. But no, his mom had to have other plans for him.

His eyes coming into focus as he put on his glasses, Evan glanced at his reflection in the mirror. God, he looked like crap. His blond hair was tussled, the curls spiraling seemingly out-of-control all over his head. His normally hazel eyes looked drab and grey. His round, soft shoulders drooped low, his whole body hunched in the too-early-in-the-morning stance.

?Hey, kid! You gotta work on your posture!? Evan nearly jumped as Wayne came bursting ? unannounced as usual ? into his room. His big brother was already up and showered and dressed. His T-shirt was neatly draped over his broad shoulders, no wrinkles, unlike nearly Evan?s entire wardrobe. ?You gotta stand more like this,? Wayne went on, instantly snapping to attention ? shoulders down and back, chest out, head up.

?Fuck you,? Evan sneered through his teeth.

?What?d you say, kid?? Wayne asked, cocking his head with a smirk.

?Fuck you!? Evan repeated, scowling up at him, narrowing his eyes comically. Though he despised his brother?s enthusiasm for the morning, he looked up to him. But still, it drove him crazy how perfect he seemed ? straight-A student, trumpet section leader of the marching band as a junior?and now an Allentown Cavalier.

The Allentown Cavaliers were one of the country?s most prestigious drum and bugle corps. They had won nine world championships and hundreds of trophies and were known for their powerful brass line. And Wayne had made the cut this season?a fact he kept reminding his little brother of every single day. Frankly, it was annoying. But deep down inside, Evan was proud of him. It had been Wayne?s dream to march with the Cavaliers ever since he first saw them as a five-year-old.

?You?re not supposed to say the f-word,? Wayne shook his head like a disappointed parent.

?What you gonna do about it?? Evan answered back freshly. ?Are you gonna go tattle on me?? He pursed his lips and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Wayne immediately pounced on him and put him into a threatening noogie position. The two brothers laughed as they wrestled onto the bed in what was almost a daily ritual. Evan liked it when Wayne wrapped his strong arms around his neck, his biceps digging lightly into his jugular.

Wayne had a nice body, Evan had to admit. He couldn?t help but sneak peeks at him through the crack in the bathroom door. He had muscles ? pecs, a six-pack, biceps. He?d probably make a great football player or something if he weren?t so into music. None of the other guys in the high school band looked like him.

Evan awkwardly slipped out of his brother?s grip, suddenly feeling his dick beginning to get hard.

?What?s up, kid?? Wayne questioned, sensing his discomfort.

?Nothin?? Evan muttered, shuffling toward the bathroom, being careful not to let his brother see the tent in his boxers.

?Alright,? Wayne answered cautiously. ?I?ll see you in the kitchen.?

?Yeah,? Evan returned, hurriedly shutting the bathroom door behind him and dropping his shorts. Instantly, his boner sprang up and thwacked him in the stomach, his chubby gut rolls rippling outward as it did. Shit, he thought with guilt, clutching his rock-hard cock in his hand. He hated it when this happened. Slowly, he began rubbing up and down its length. But it felt so good?

For as long as Evan could remember, other guys had turned him on. He had always been interested in muscular athletes ? on TV, in magazines. He loved how their muscles shifted under their skin as they moved?unlike his muscles, which seemed non-existent underneath all that fat of his. But ever since he entered puberty, he realized that other guys didn?t share his attraction. They talked about girls constantly, about girls? bodies, about having sex with them. They didn?t seem to look at other guys the way he did. They didn?t get aroused when another guy flexed his muscles?

?Evan! Get out here!? his mom called again. Evan rolled his eyes, pulled his boxers back up and hurried into the kitchen. His stomach growling, he headed straight for the table?where a soggy microwaved breakfast burrito sat unappealingly on a plate. Evan sighed as he sat down.

?Don?t be a slob, Evan,? his mom scolded, trying unsuccessfully to force a comb through her straggled hair. She was obviously in one of her moods again. Mrs. Gamble was a short, stout woman with a harsh, raspy voice that sounded like sandpaper and had an attitude to match, especially when she was in one of her moods. ?Go put on a shirt. No one wants to see you hanging out all over the place.?

?Yes, mom,? Evan frowned, getting up and grabbing an old T-shirt ? hopefully his ? from the arm of the nearby sofa. He looked around the living room and sighed again. The place was mess ? clothes littered the sofa, covering video games that had yet to be put away. And there was an empty pizza box on the coffee table left over from the night before when Wayne had had his friends over.

His mom never had time to clean. She worked two jobs in order to raise two boys and that was tough since she was single and never finished college. She had to drop out of school after their father?

?Eat up,? his mother continued. ?We have a big day ahead of us.? You mean Wayne has a big day ahead of him, Evan silently corrected her. It was going to be his big brother?s first day as an official member of the Allentown Cavaliers and for some reason she wanted Evan to come along as well. Why? Was she trying to get him in the corps too? He was last chair in his middle school band, could barely play a B-flat scale. And he was totally uncoordinated; there was no way he?d be able to keep up with the marching stuff either. Staring back at the burrito, Evan pouted.

?Can?t we just stop at a McDonald?s on the way or something?? he suggested.

?And eat that unhealthy crap?? his mom immediately rebutted. ?Hell, no!? Like this burrito is any healthier, Evan thought as he stuffed the thing into his mouth, trying not to smell or even look at it.

?Ready, ma?? Wayne said, walking into the kitchen, his trumpet case in one hand. Evan glanced up at him, irritated. He probably already had eaten breakfast. Their mom immediately snapped her fingers and pointed at the coffee table.

?Pizza box? she ordered.

?Oh, yeah,? Wayne remembered and picked it up, shoving it into the overflowing garbage can in the kitchen.

?Thank you,? she chimed briskly, checking herself in a mirror, attempting to fix her hair one more time, then giving up.

?Your welcome, ma,? Wayne said. He nonchalantly scratched his stomach, pulling the bottom of his T-shirt up as he did and unknowingly exposing part of his abs. They were pretty cut, Evan noticed, and his lower abs were starting to look nice. Was he working out? Evan bit his lip and quickly looked away. His brother didn?t seem to realize how good-looking he was. He never flaunted his body, never showed himself off. He was so down-to-earth it was sickening. His soft face and brown eyes weren?t exactly modeling material, but they had attracted more than a few girls and he did get some dates. No relationship ever lasted long though ? the girl always complained that he wasn?t spending enough time with her.

?Alright,? his mom exhaled, grabbing her purse and car keys, ?let?s go.? Evan got up from the table and followed, at least grateful he didn?t have to finish that disgusting burrito.



?Name, please??

?Wayne Gamble,? Wayne beamed, barely able to get his name out from behind the sickeningly broad grin on his face. Evan rolled his eyes. They must?ve driven for hours to get to some random football field in the middle of nowhere. And his neck still hurt from sleeping against the backseat window of his mom?s pick-up. Bored, he quickly glanced around.
Strewn along the sideline were over a hundred other people around his brother?s age; a hundred other people as dorky as his brother. Like every other junior corps, the Allentown Cavaliers had an age limit: every member was 21 years old or younger. And 22-year-olds were only allowed in the corps if they had their birthday during the marching season, which lasted from June to mid-August.

Wayne had been going to rehearsals all winter ? tryouts. At first, Evan thought his big brother was joking when he said he was going to a drum corps rehearsal as snow was falling outside. Apparently, there were several rounds of auditions ? hundreds of prospective players started, but each weekend more and more were cut until fewer than a hundred remained?and Wayne was one of them.

?Alright,? the person behind the registration table said as he found Wayne?s file, ?third trumpet, T-19. Here is your music and your drill.? The man handed him a stack of papers over an inch thick. ?You can get your horn on the truck over there.? He pointed to a white truck emblazoned with the corps colors and insignia.

?Thanks,? Wayne responded, seeming a little overwhelmed.

?Come on. Let?s go,? his mom barked to Evan, waving him toward the truck. He didn?t like the look on his mom?s face, the look she always gave him when he had chores to do or something. As they walked, Evan observed the scene around him with puzzlement.

Everywhere, corps members were stretching, working on their posture and marching technique, applying sun block before rehearsal started. Two trumpet players seemed to be comparing mouthpieces, while a third was feverishly polishing his horn as if he had OCD. And in one corner of the field, a group of girls were huddled ? probably the color guard judging by the amount of clothing they were wearing?or lack thereof. Evan remembered Wayne saying the color guard girls always wore next to nothing. But wait, they weren?t all girls. There were a few guys mixed in there as well.

Guys did color guard?

But they weren?t like any guys Evan had ever seen. They were all slim and slender, with thin waists and long, shapely limbs. Yet they were incredibly muscular, like the fittest of athletes. At the same time, though, their muscles didn?t seem to add any bulk at all. Instead, they moved with mesmerizing beauty and grace as they effortlessly twirled and tossed fake guns and swords in a ballet of movement. Evan couldn?t help but be entranced by them.

?Those are rifles,? a voice suddenly said, making Evan jump, ?and those sword things are called sabres.?

?Sorry??

?The color guard,? a gum-chomping kid about Evan?s age explained. ?I noticed you were looking at the color guard. Those girls are pretty hot, aren?t they??

?Yeah,? Evan answered back nervously, ?I guess so.? The other kid chuckled.

?By the way, I?m Dylan, Dylan Parks,? he went on, holding out his hand for Evan to shake. He took it awkwardly. The kid was cute ? shaggy brown hair, green eyes, nice lips. But his body was the best part. He was thin and muscular, but not like the color guard guys. His muscles were more like a wrestler?s?broad shoulders, round pecs a taut six-pack. And his shorts were low enough to see a pair of obliques diving toward his? ?And you are??

?Oh, sorry,? Evan blushed. ?I?m Evan Gamble. I?m not ? I mean, my brother?s playing trumpet.?

?Yeah, so he?s a rookie,? Dylan shot back with a smirk. Evan felt a twinge in his chest as he caught the half-smile.

?Well?yeah,? Evan muttered. He didn?t know what to say next; it was as if his brain was frozen.

?Jesus Christ, dude,? Dylan suddenly exclaimed. ?You could see that boner of yours a mile away!? Evan?s eyes widened, his blush growing a deeper red. He hadn?t even noticed that looking at those color guard guys and then at Dylan had given him a raging hard-on. He immediately shifted his legs.

?Uh?I?m sorry?? Evan stammered, not sure how to respond.

?Naw, it?s cool,? Dylan laughed. ?You should see me. It?s like the closer they get, the bigger It gets, if you know what I mean.? He leaned closer to Evan, enough so that Evan could catch a whiff of his cologne ? it smelled nice.

?And between you and me,? Dylan whispered in mock conspiracy, ?I?m planning on fucking every single one of them this summer.? Evan glanced over at him with a weird look. Dylan nodded, his eyes flashing brightly. He gave a little grunt, quickly scrunching up his face for a second as he did.

?Right,? Evan said. ?And?but what about?what about those guys?? He pointed toward the color guard guys, entranced by how the guns ? er, rifles ? blurred in mid-air as they were thrown and then caught with incredible precision.

?Oh, they?re all gay,? Dylan cut him off. ?Every one of them. They aren?t affected by those girls one bit. Better for the rest of us, I say.?

?Right,? Evan repeated.

?You?ll get to see a lot more of them,? the kid winked.

?What? What do you mean?? he asked, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. Does he know I?I like guys, he wondered to himself. He couldn?t possibly have meant that. No, he meant?

?I see you met Dylan Parks,? Evan?s mom interrupted, coming over to the two boys. Wayne had just gotten his corps trumpet and was already heading over to where the others were congregated. Evan looked up at his mom with a puzzled look. She shook her head. ?You didn?t tell him, Dylan??

?Tell me what?? Evan asked, glancing at Dylan who had a mischievous look on his face.

?Welcome to the truck crew?rookie,? he said.

[rairf]

Great start! I know I'm not the only one who has been looking forward to this one. Are you planning another JP/ Nick style epic?

[diegodominica]

Glad to see this begin. Looking forward to future chapters. Thanks!

[vlad]

I like where this is going! I love the fat-kid-becomes-big-and-strong stories. Hopefully he'll get a bit older (8th grader right now, right? hmm)....but yeah, eventually hopefully we'll see Evan like he is in his dream (that was really hot)

[Blake]

Originally Posted by vlad

I like where this is going! I love the fat-kid-becomes-big-and-strong stories. Hopefully he'll get a bit older (8th grader right now, right? hmm)....but yeah, eventually hopefully we'll see Evan like he is in his dream (that was really hot)

Originally Posted by diegodominica

Glad to see this begin. Looking forward to future chapters. Thanks!

Have to agree, can't wait to see what becomes of him, soon I hope too

[Ender]

Originally Posted by vlad

I like where this is going! I love the fat-kid-becomes-big-and-strong stories. Hopefully he'll get a bit older (8th grader right now, right? hmm)....but yeah, eventually hopefully we'll see Evan like he is in his dream (that was really hot)

I don't know if Evan will live his football dream... There are some hints that as he trims down working the truck crew he might want to go color gruad but I think he'll end up being a lot more like Dylan...

Question when Dylan shares his inteniton to fuck "every single one of them" with Evan, is he talking about the girls or the guys or is that to be explained later...

Ender

[arpeejay]

Another great start. I look forward to many great chapters!

xoxo

Richard

[Speaker]

Originally Posted by Ender

Question when Dylan shares his inteniton to fuck "every single one of them" with Evan, is he talking about the girls or the guys or is that to be explained later...

That was left somewhat ambiguous =)

HES BACK!!! Ive been looking forward to this ever since you said you had another story coming out this summer. If this is anything even in the same galaxy as JP/Nick was, then this is going to make my day (and by day i mean summer).

I never said before how the final chapter of Nick was what finally urged me to start writing did i? This beginning is as promising as ever and i just want you to know that you're a big inspiration to alot of us.

So as usual, keep up the awesome work. Im looking forward to the rest of this epic tale.

[luvyalots]

Thanks for the comments, guys!

I'm hoping that this story won't take me as long as the JP/Nick saga took me (I don't think I could handle that again!). As usual, expect a chapter about every week. I will try my hardest to keep up.

Just to let you all know, Evan's tale is actually based on a true story to a friend of mine (much more so that JP or Nick). Of course I'll be taking a lot of dramatic license to make it flow more, but a lot of it actually happened.

Thanks again for your comments and I hope you enjoy the future installments.

[aiden831]

Um, I hate to sound like the newb that I am, but,I don't understand the last line in the story. Could someone explain it to me please?

[Synth.x]

Evan's mom had apparently signed Evan up to be on the junior corps truck crew and hadn't let him know. It explains why Dylan introduced himself to Evan in the first place and his mother's motive for forcing Evan to come along on the trip.

" ?Welcome to the truck crew?rookie,? he said. "

is spoken by Dylan. telling Evan of his apparent enrollment


This is how I read it. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[Ender]

Originally Posted by aiden831

Um, I hate to sound like the newb that I am, but,I don't understand the last line in the story. Could someone explain it to me please?

I thought every ones Mom pulls this sort of thing on her kid at least once.

Evan's Mom signed him on to be a "Roadie" for the Allentown Cavaliers... with out telling him... To get him out of the house... whether he wants to or not...

Roadie--- see Wikipedia---

The road crew (or roadies) are the [COLOR=#0000ff]technicians[/COLOR] who travel with a [COLOR=#0000ff]band[/COLOR] on [COLOR=#0000ff]tour[/COLOR], usually in [COLOR=#0000ff]sleeper buses[/COLOR], and handle every part of the [COLOR=#0000ff]concert productions[/COLOR] except actually [COLOR=#0000ff]performing[/COLOR] the [COLOR=#0000ff]music[/COLOR] with the [COLOR=#0000ff]musicians[/COLOR].

This catch-all term covers [COLOR=#0000ff]tour managers[/COLOR], [COLOR=#0000ff]production managers[/COLOR], [COLOR=#0000ff]stage managers[/COLOR], [COLOR=#0000ff]front of house and monitor engineers[/COLOR], [COLOR=#0000ff]guitar techs[/COLOR], [COLOR=#0000ff]bass techs[/COLOR], drum techs, keyboard techs, [COLOR=#0000ff]lighting techs[/COLOR], [COLOR=#0000ff]pyrotechnic[/COLOR] techs, and [COLOR=#0000ff]security[/COLOR]/[COLOR=#0000ff]bodyguards[/COLOR], among others.

[jeepcub]

Never thought I'd see a drum corps story on here...since I aged out in the Phantom Regiment, just a tad dissappointed in the Cavie slant. But great story so far! Actually going to show this tuesday. Very timely!

[luvyalots]

Originally Posted by jeepcub

Never thought I'd see a drum corps story on here...since I aged out in the Phantom Regiment, just a tad dissappointed in the Cavie slant. But great story so far! Actually going to show this tuesday. Very timely!

Yeah, sorry 'bout that. The Cavvies are actually my favorite DCI corps (though I like Phantom, too), but since I'm trying to be vague on the setting of this story, the Allentown Cavaliers are an amalgam of the real Cavaliers and the Cadets (which I'm sure some hard-core fans of both corps might not appreciate).

Though I've never actually marched DCI (only DCA), I have an insight into drum corps, but have never been on junior corps tour. Feel free, jeepcub, to correct any inaccuracies in future installments.

[Ender]

So your "Cavaliers" are "Cavvies" for short... I had considered calling them "Cavs"... which was the nick name of my High School back in New Orleans... the De La Salle Cavaliers... (Class of 1970)

Every time one of the sports teams was introduced as the "Fighting Cavaliers" and the crowd would answer with "Go Cavs!!!" the image of immature bovines (calves) being herded into the processing shots at a slaughter house ran through my mind. And a faculty members that felt it was part of their job to enforce "school sprite" didn't understated why I took the whole thing as such a joke... We accutally had rather successful teams the years I was there...

As short and chubby as I was, at one point I was going to join the Wrestling Club to help me burn off my baby fat and get in to shape... (I would have done just about anything to be built like the guys on the actual Team's were built) But one of the self appointed "Sprite Enforcers" I had a run in with was going to take over the wrestling club and the thought of dealing with that prick made me abanane the idea...

Sorry for the rant... old wounds that are yet to heal...

Ender

[tallguy417]

This is a great start! There are several directions this can head in. I look forward to the next part.

[luvyalots]

Hey, thanks for all the comments, guys! Be sure to also read the other story I'm posting concurrently with this one on the board - The Team. The two stories will be complimenting each other so the corresponding chapter should be read together. Chapter 1 of The Corps followed by Chapter 1 of The Team and so on.

[Stealthwolf2]

I think it's amazing you chose DCI as the background to your story. As a HUUUUUUUUUUGE DCI fan and alumni, I knew immediately what you were doing when you chose "Allentown" and "Cavaliers"

*wink wink*
*nudge nudge*

Can't wait for the next chapter.

On a completely different note, I'm headed to Atlanta this weekend for the Southeastern Championship. Can't wait.

[Choco_cow]

It's really refreshing to see marching band stories on here, I loved the JP stories and how it was based in music, and it's really nice to see Corps on here too. I'm really excited to see how it turns out.

I'm excited to see how it goes for Evan, but I'm also really excited for Wayne too, the summer's going to turn that muscular body of his into a, heh, machine.

[sdfsdf2]

Great start, I'm actually in marching band right now and look forward to see what it'll have in common to what we're doing (seasons starts the 18th) and this story. My sport of chose is rugby and luckily that's in the spring or I wouldn't be able to do it. You meet the craziest people in band and I'm looking forward to where this story will be heading!

[bribear1042]

Being a DCA alumnus (never had the opportunity to march DCI before aging out) it is AWESOME to see muscle growth enter in to this arena. As those that have marched marching band or drum corps know, marching band, drum corps, and not to mention color guard, are like any other mainstream sport in that it requires conditioning, skill, and a little bit of muscle. If you don't think so, try holding a 25 lb+ contra on your shoulders or a 10+ pound bari up through numerous run throughs until the director or section leader is happy with either the sound, the drill, or the colorguard is perfect. (Steps down off his soapbox)

I am VERY interested to see where this is going to go. I have my thoughts but I am not going to say what I think because one, I don't want to influence luvyalots and two, if I am right, I don't want to spoil the story for those who are reading and enjoying it as much as I. WTG luvyalots. Also, I am intrigued that you are running concurrent stories that are intertwined yet separate. Very tough to do.

Bribear

PS - What DCA corps did you march? Also, did you see the Cavies beat out the Blue Devils at DCI East? Hmmm, wonder what's in store next week in Bloomington?

[Oliver904]

Great story! I really enjoyed it I'm catching up on the other chapters now.

Oliver