The Corps - Chap 4

[luvyalots]

The following is based on a true story. All names and places have been changed.

Previously...Chapter 3

After being bullied by two larger classmates, Evan decides to start training with Dylan...and results begin to show.

Chapter 4: Tour

?Ok bro, remember to keep your back straight and head up when you come at me,? Dylan instructed Evan. ?You gotta get the target in your sights.?

Evan tried his best to follow his advice, staring at the jock from behind the grill of a football helmet Dylan wore for his middle school team. It was still hard to move in the shoulder pads he had been given even though he had been wearing them for almost two hours now. That?s how long he had been at the high school, learning from Dylan the surprising complexities of defensive tackling. All this time, Evan thought those guys only just rammed their heads against the other players? bodies. Apparently, you could risk a neck injury if you tackled that way. Made sense.

?Now rush at me pushing from your legs,? Dylan said, crouching down in the grass behind a tackling dummy. A brief flash of ferocity projected from Evan?s eyes as he got into position. The first few times, he had nearly pissed in his pants. True, he outweighed Dylan considerably, but he had never done anything like this before. But now he was slowly getting used to it.

?HIT!?

With all the power he could muster, Evan exploded out of his stance and charged toward the dummy, hitting against it with a thud that reverberated through his body

?Push!? Dylan yelled. Evan drove his legs into the ground, trying to ignore the fact that they were slipping a little on the grass. Suddenly, he felt Dylan give way and after a confusing tumble, Evan found himself lying on top of him, his hands pressed up against his pecs, feeling their hardness underneath his fingers. For a split second, he was paralyzed ? Dylan?s bright green eyes piercing into his ? but then he rolled off of him and onto his back.

?Not bad, bro,? Dylan said, jumping to his feet before helping Evan to his.

?You remembered to bend at the knees and not the waist this time.?

?Thanks,? Evan let out a grin. The helmet was starting to feel uncomfortable, tight almost. With some difficulty, he pulled it off his head, letting the breeze blow across his sopping wet head. Dylan must have a smaller head than me, he thought, finding that kind of funny considering how cocky he was.

?Get a drink,? Dylan smiled at him. ?You did good today.? Evan didn?t need to be told twice, he nearly ran over to the cooler and grabbed the water bottle, guzzling it sloppily. His shirt was drenched with sweat, his legs were aching, his back was throbbing?but somehow beside all of that, he felt weird. No, not weird, really?just different, like something he had never felt before. Football was hard, but it was starting to grow on him.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched Dylan strip off his T-shirt, his tanned body glistening in the sun. Evan wondered what it was like to have a body like that, to be that popular. He probably has tons of friends, Evan said to himself, yet he?s hanging around with me, teaching me how to play football.

Just then, Dylan glanced in his direction. Panicking, Evan instantly looked down at his shoulder pads and started un-tying them.

?You?re starting to look pretty good, bro,? Dylan stated with an enigmatic grin. Evan bit his lip, feeling his face turn red. ?Seriously,? the jock continued, ?I can tell you lost some weight.?

Evan had to admit that Dylan was right. He had lost weight?about 15 pounds! It had been nearly two months since he started exercising and changing the way he ate. It was hard ? especially at first ? but once he noticed that it was actually working, he kept at it. And now the pounds were gradually coming off him. His pants were fitting more loosely as his waist had shrunk. His gut and love handles had gotten noticeably smaller ? his shirts weren?t as tight down there anymore. And he was able to run two or three laps around the track without stopping?though he was still left wheezing at the end. He had a long way to go yet, but he was definitely making progress. The scale showed it; he had weighed in at 173 pounds that morning. Add the fact that he had grown about an inch or two and that meant he had shed a lot of fat.

And Evan was determined to keep going. He was never going to look like Dylan, he knew, but to be anything like he was when he was little ? trim, athletic ? would be great. Yeah, he was going to keep exercising all summer and by the time he got back to school, Trey and Philip wouldn?t be able to find anything to bully him about.

?You ready for tour?? Dylan asked once Evan had the shoulder pads off.

?I guess,? he muttered, not expecting the question. It was only a couple of weeks before the Cavaliers would be setting off on their national tour of competitions. And that meant that the truck crew would be working nonstop for eight weeks straight. Though Evan was looking forward to it, he was nervous all the same.

?You guess?? Dylan sputtered, wiping his sweaty forehead with his shirt.

?Man, I?m stoked. Eight weeks traveling on a bus with all those hot color guard chicks aching to be fucked by a real man?? Evan glanced up at him suddenly in offense. ?Oh, sorry,? Dylan caught himself. ?I didn?t mean to diss your brother. He?s cool.?

?You ever have sex with a girl?? Evan asked, not really meaning for his words to even escape his mouth. Dylan grinned and nodded emphatically.

?Of course. Why, you haven?t?? he answered. Evan shook his head, though the look on Dylan?s face was obvious that he meant it as a rhetorical question. ?Man,? he went on, licking his lips, ?it?s awesome! I could have sex all the time if I could. I?m just glad that jackass Dan isn?t around anymore to cock-block me this summer.?

Evan gulped. How could he forget Dan Wilkins? Ever since he first met him, he couldn?t stop thinking about him. Yeah, the guy was a bit of a jerk, but he was gorgeous ? the exact model of what Evan had always wanted to look like. His deep blue eyes and strong, chiseled jaw that captured everyone?s attention. His buffed, tanned body and swaggering confidence that got any girl he wanted. He was perfect! Evan pinched himself back into reality. Like I?m ever gonna be like that either, he thought.

?I couldn?t stand that guy,? Dylan continued.

I thought his was pretty cool, Evan said to himself, knowing he could never say that to the muscled, athletic jock that stood opposite him. Wait, was Dylan jealous of Dan. Why? Dylan had a perfect body, too. Why would he be jealous of him?

Evan sighed inwardly. Who was he kidding? Both of them were jocks. And jocks were a different breed. He would never be able to understand what it was like to be one.



?Evan, you liked the chicken breast one, right?? Evan?s mom asked, poking her head from behind the supermarket freezer door and holding up a Healthy Choice TV dinner.

?Yeah,? he answered, nodding. ?The lasagna one, too.? He couldn?t believe he was eating health food, but some of it was actually pretty good?and it was working. In fact, he had lost a couple more pounds in the last week alone. And it was starting to show. The chubbiness in his face was even beginning to go away. Both Wayne and his mom had remarked how much thinner he was looking and naturally, got in on the act. His brother started doing research online about eating healthy and his mom was more than willing to change the whole family?s diet. At first, Evan had been nervous to let them in on his goal of losing weight, but they seemed proud of him and that gave him even more motivation to keep going.

?I got the milk,? Wayne announced, coming down the aisle with a gallon of milk in his hand. ?I made sure it was skim.?

?Did you check the date?? Mrs. Gamble reminded him. Wayne suddenly got that sheepish look on his face and subtly shook his head. ?Hon,? she retorted gruffly, taking the carton from him, ?I don?t have money to waste half a gallon when it goes bad.?

?I?ll take it back and get another,? Evan offered. His mom turned and smiled to him.

?Thanks, Evan,? she said. Quickly, he headed toward the dairy section, the heavy milk carton in his hand. Its weight reminded him of that first day at drum corps when he couldn?t even lift those water jugs. There is going to be a day when this will feel like nothing, he vowed to himself. His confidence beginning to build again, Evan plopped the milk back onto the shelf and perused the other cartons.

?Well, if it isn?t Little Gamble,? a familiar voice echoed behind him. He swung around, immediately recognizing the lisp. It was Jimmie Perez, the color guard guy from the Cavaliers, his broad grin instantly making Evan smile.

?Hey,? he greeted him, nearly laughing at the guy?s outfit. Jimmie was wearing a pair of skinny jeans with pink and purple patches running up and down the legs and the tightest shirt possible, ?GLAMOUROUS? plastered across his slender pecs in bright glitter.

?How?s it going, buddy?? he asked, placing his hand on his hip with a flourish. ?You ready for tour?? The start of that summer?s tour was just over a week away now. Evan couldn?t help but think about it, especially since his brother and he had been packing for the last five days.

?Why does everyone keep asking me that?? he wondered aloud. Jimmie flamboyantly wiggled one eyebrow.

?It?s because you rookies never know what you?re getting yourselves into,? he answered.

?What is that supposed to mean?? Evan smirked, finding Jimmie?s mannerisms even funnier in his ?regular? clothes as opposed to his color guard attire.

?Who do we have here?? Mrs. Gamble suddenly came up to the two boys.

?This is?uh,? Evan began, but Jimmie jumped in between them and held out his hand to the woman.

?I?m Jimmie Perez,? he introduced himself. ?I?m in the color guard.?

?Oh?ok,? she replied, glancing down at his clothes and not knowing what to make of it.

?Evan?s been doing a great job on the truck crew,? he went on regardless.

?He?s a big help and he gets along with everyone.? As he spoke, Jimmie?s hands were swirling around so dramatically that Evan was sure his mom was getting dizzy.

?Well, it was nice to meet you,? she said as they finished up their conversation.

?You, too,? Jimmie responded. He turned toward Evan and gave him a wink.

?See you next week.?

?He seems like a, uh?an interesting guy,? Mrs. Gamble searched for words.

?He?s in the color guard, mom,? Wayne interjected with a smile before Evan could say anything. ?Some of them are like that.?

?Well, at least he?s nice,? she added. ?And it?s also nice to see at least someone looking out for your little brother.? She eyed Wayne warily.

?Mom!? he whined defensively. Evan chuckled to himself. He loved seeing his brother get it.



Evan yelled out in lust, bucking his hips violently like a bronco on top of Dylan, his swollen cock plunging into his lover?s tight, muscular ass. His sweat poured off his own body, mixing with Dylan?s on top of his rippling upper back muscles. God, they looked bigger than last week. Yeah, that?s how you do it! Dylan screamed huskily. Evan grinned. The bed creaked loudly on its hinges?no, that was the truck creaking on its wheels as it rocked back and forth beneath their intertwined bodies. Dylan?s eyes widened as his shoulders grew broader in Evan?s hands. Keep going, his voice boomed. The water buckets toppled over on top of them, drenching them in a thick, sappy liquid. Evan wiped his face dry as he watched the ridges in Dylan?s back get thicker still. Shit, he was getting hot! Dylie?s good ain?t he, Jimmie?s head appeared from the top shelf, his toothy grin covering his whole mouth. Yeah, he was! Yeah, that?s awesome! Dylan roared, his biceps bulging menacingly. Evan looked down at his buddy and watched his basketball-sized shoulders flex. He couldn?t believe he was finally fucking Dylan. What the hell is going on here! Out of nowhere Dan came barging in. His gargantuan body nearly filled the entire truck. His beefy arms were pressed up against the walls and his boulder-like pecs heaved as he lumbered toward Evan.



?We?re here, kid!? Wayne snapped him out of his dream before bounding out of the pickup. Evan jerked awake and blinked out the window. Looming in the twilight was a tall charter bus awash in the corps colors, its headlights eerily illuminating the luggage piled up on the curb. Well, this was it; this was the beginning of tour ? eight weeks of driving all around the country with the Allentown Cavaliers. Eight weeks of lugging heavy instruments and bulky equipment bags on and off the truck. Eight weeks of running around doing the instructors? bidding.

Eight weeks of hanging around with Dylan Parks.

That part he could get used to ? was getting used to, actually. The past few months, going over to Dylan?s house nearly every day, running on the high school track, exercising, had been grueling?but Dylan had been with him every step of the way. And the two were planning to continue their regimen throughout the summer. Hopefully, Evan said to himself, I?ll lose some more weight. Then, he wouldn?t have to put up with Trey and Philip?s bullying come September.

Yeah, things were going to be different after this summer, Evan could just feel it. Yesterday, he said goodbye to his best friend Simon who he wasn?t going to see again until right before school started. Simon knew how Evan was losing weight, how he was working hard to shed his fat. He seemed pretty excited about it, pretty happy for him.

?I?m gonna look a lot different when I come back from tour,? Evan had told him.

?Good for you!? he had replied with a goofy grin, punching him weakly in the arm. ?Good luck!?

?The bus is about to leave!? Wayne frantically called to his brother. ?Let?s go!?

?Right behind you,? Evan answered, rubbing his eyes groggily before reaching over for his bag. They had to wake up at some ungodly hour to make the bus, but Evan couldn?t help but feel the excitement stirring in him nonetheless. He could only imagine what his brother was feeling as he was realizing a life-long dream. Evan schlepped his oversized duffel bag to the bus and left it with everyone else?s luggage. After checking in with the personnel director, he climbed aboard and found the seat Dylan had told him about.

Dylan had been traveling with corps ever since he was little, so he considered himself a seasoned pro when it came to living on a bus all summer. The guy wasn?t kidding. The boys? little niche ? right behind the driver?s seat ? was made up like a tiny apartment. An inflatable air mattress took up both seats, laid out with comfortable-looking sheets and a fluffy down pillow. A rack loaded with toiletry items, video games, DVDs, an iPod, a PSP and a myriad other stuff ? all neatly organized ? was set up next to the window. A hanging closet holding all his clothes ? mostly shorts, tank tops and sleeveless shirts naturally ? hung on the divider separating them from the driver. It wasn?t exactly spacious, but it felt homey.

??Bout time you got here,? Dylan greeted him. ?Good morning, bro?? He was wearing his usual white tank top and shorts, his muscles looking especially cut and defined highlighted by the sunrise.

?Morning,? Evan answered back. They clasped hands like they always did whenever they met up. They were quickly becoming good friends. Dylan was cool, unlike everyone else Evan had hung around with ever in his life.

?When we sleep on the bus, you?ll be sleeping on the floor there,? Dylan said, pointing to the floor beneath the seat. ?Trust me, it?s more comfortable than it looks. You did bring a sleeping bag or something, right?? Evan nodded.

?It?s with my stuff,? he replied.

?Sweet,? Dylan grinned. ?Come on! We gotta help load the color guard equipment.? Evan followed him back outside and toward the truck where a pile of long bags was heaped high. They were filled with all the poles, flags, rifles and sabers the color guard needed in the show. ?All these have to go into there,? he instructed, thrusting his chin at a series of compartments beneath the truck. Ready and eager to start, Evan went for the nearest equipment bag and found it surprisingly heavy. He glanced over at Dylan who lifted another one effortlessly and set it easily into its place. ?You need help?? he asked.

?Nah, I got it,? Evan assured him?and himself and continued wrestling the bag into the truck. Dylan smiled and continued his loading.

?Hey, Dylan,? a couple of pretty color guard girls called over to him. He looked up and flashed them his bright smile.

?Hey, what?s up,? he returned, suddenly turning on the charm. They giggled as he dramatically lifted the bag and showed off his bulging arms. Evan watched out the corner of his eye as Dylan?s biceps popped out of his skin. God, it would be awesome to have muscles that could do that, he said to himself.

?Damn,? Dylan sighed, ?this summer is gonna be sweet.? He glanced over at Evan and smirked. ?Man, I?m psyched,? he added giddily, though Evan wasn?t sure why he would be. He could only awkwardly smile back when he suddenly saw what was unmistakably Dylan?s boner twitch beneath his gym shorts. He turned slightly red, but Dylan was too busy staring after the girls to notice.

?They are hot,? Evan observed vaguely, trying to hide his own erection or at least be able to explain it in case Dylan saw it. Of course, his was not from looking at the girls.

?Don?t worry, bro,? Dylan commented. ?By the end of the summer, they?ll be checking you out too, especially with how much weight you?ve been losing.?

Evan blushed. ?How much have you lost so far??

?Almost 20 pounds,? he answered. ?I weighed 172 this morning.?

?Not bad,? Dylan complimented. ?I?ve gained five pounds of pure muscle myself.? He inflated his chest, making his pecs ripple. ?I?m a rock-solid 145 now,? he grunted, raising his arms and proudly flexed his biceps. ?These guns are getting loaded! By the end of the summer, I?ll have to fight them off with a sabre!? Evan laughed, nervously trying to hide his raging hard-on as it got even harder.

?Dylan!? Mr. Parks suddenly yelled from across the field. The boy instantly snapped to attention.

?Yeah, dad!?

?Have you seen Sikowsky?? he grunted. ?He?s late.? Dylan rolled his eyes.

Evan remembered hearing about the drum major and how irresponsible he was. He kept showing up late for rehearsals ? high more often than not ? and twice he hadn?t even shown up at all. Dylan had said that he would have been cut by now and replaced if it weren?t for the fact that he was a third-generation Cavalier.

?I think he?s just coming now,? Dylan replied, looking off into the distance as a beat-up piece-of-shit car came rumbling into the parking lot and squealed to a stop.

?It?s about time,? Mr. Parks snarled. ?We?re already 30 minutes behind schedule.?

To Evan, Kyle Sikowsky was the epitome of bad boy. He was very tall and very thin with tattoos covering most of his sinewy arms. He had at least half a dozen earrings in each of his ears and a permanent look of drowsiness, his eyelids drooping nearly halfway over his eyes. His attitude was callous, constantly acting insolent to the instructors and downright rude to the other marchers. How he ever even became drum major in the first place, Evan couldn?t guess, though Dylan had told him that the guy hadn?t always been that way.

As Mr. Parks went over to ream Kyle out once again, Dylan pulled Evan back toward the bus. Evan didn?t object. It took another twenty minutes before everything was settled once again and the corps started on their way. First stop: Dublin, Ohio.

That first day on the road was fun. Evan and Dylan sat in their seats listening to CDs and watching DVDs on a portable DVD player. It turned out the two boys had very similar tastes in music and movies?despite their physical differences. In between, Dylan continued to explain to Evan the complex nuances of football. It was a lot to wrap his head around, but Evan was determined to learn as much as he could. He had decided to go out for football when he returned from tour. Hey, the worst that could happen was becoming a third string player on the freshmen team or something. Even that was better than being a nobody, right?

It was noon by the time the bus pulled up to a practice field in central Ohio. The midday heat was stifling compared to the air-conditioned bus and Evan practically felt himself sweating as soon as he got off. But before he had a chance to complain, he and Dylan were already busy unloading the truck and helping the pit set up their marimbas and xylophones and other instruments they needed for rehearsal. Then ? just like during spring rehearsals ? they stood by in case anyone needed anything. When practice was over, the truck was loaded up again and they were driven to the show site.

It was Evan?s first time seeing a drum corps competition and it was unlike anything he had ever seen in his life. Thousands of fans filled the stands and went nuts when the corps took the field. The drumline moved in perfect timing, the color guard was in complete sync ? he could make out Jimmie doing his choreography with flawless form ? and the sound that came out of the hornline? Evan felt so proud of his brother as he watched Wayne fulfill his dream. And when it was all finished, the crowd was on its feet cheering wildly. The Cavaliers had won. Evan could see what Dylan meant when he said he would get hooked at his first show; he couldn?t wait for the next one.

After the truck was loaded one more time, the bus headed to that night?s sleeping accommodations ? a high school gym. The corps was going to practice nearby some more the next morning before heading to Oswego, Illinois for the next show. Evan was exhausted both from the exertion of the day and the adrenaline of the competition. His sleeping bag felt good on his body. Never mind that it was on a hard gym floor. He gazed up at Dylan who was lying on an air mattress next to him.

?Today was pretty cool, huh?? Dylan said, his green eyes twinkling in the dim light. Evan almost sighed at their beauty.

?Yeah,? he nodded, smiling back.

?Well, there?s eight more weeks of it,? Dylan replied, grinning broadly.

?Good night,? he added before turning over to go to sleep.

?Good night,? Evan whispered to himself and closed his eyes, Dylan?s smile gleaming back at him as he drifted off into his dreams.

[tallguy417]

A great story line and you set a good pace. Keep it going smoothly and this will be a classic!

[bribear1042]

Ah, tour! The long bus rides do the middle of nowhere, the cheers of a crowd at a performance, and the unmistakable comfort that a gym floor and a sleeping bag gave after a long day. Luvyalots does a very nice job at describing what tour is like to those whom have never heard of drum corps nor have never seen one. I am really enjoying this story. Corps gave me a lot of confidence that I never knew that I had. I can see that happening to Evan even now. Looking forward to the next installment.

[tagsnola]

... the better I like him. Once in awhile you run across a kid who, in spite of the juvenile crap, has got a heart as big as a house. Really classy guy. Interesting that this is based on a true story! Thanks for sharing it with us! Looking forward to more of Evan's "journey" through this summertime experience. I just wonder how Dan will fit back into the plot.

[Ender]

Agreed Dylan seems to be the friend everyone wishes they had as a best friend... and every one wants to be more like (except for the "Dans" of the world.) But he seems to be a mystery. The only relationships he appears to have are with his dad and Evan. Other than the truck crew and his continuing support of Evan reinventing himself he doesn't seem to have a life...

I have a feeling that there is something at least sad if not tragic in his life that Evan and therefore we don't know yet.

At the very least I think Dylan was once a chubby or sickly kid and really isn't the Jock that Evan thinks he is. At some point Dylan decided he wasn't willing to accept himself like that and managed to build himself up to what he is now the same way he is helping Evan do. It would be interesting to know if Dylan had a mentor to help him the way he is helping Evan. But for some reason Dylan can't be a jock regardless of how much he might want to be into sports. Although he can't he can't play but he has studied football and other sports to the point that he knows more able them than the Jocks that actually do play the sport. I also suspect that Dylan is a very lonely kid even more so than Evan, behind the mask of outgoing confident super cool guy that he presents to the world so well everyone buys into it...

Other than a bugbear for Evans nightmares, I don't see where Dan fits in the story either. At least not until Evan makes the football team. Unless Dan is pissed enough at being fired from the truck crew to sabotage the Cav's or becomes the new Drum Major replacing Kyle Sikowsky (changing one bad boy for another that is likely to be worse.)

I would really like to get a peak inside Dylan's head to find out want makes him tick...

Ender

[tagsnola]

Originally Posted by Ender

Agreed Dylan seems to be the friend everyone wishes they had as a best friend... and every one wants to be more like (except for the "Dans" of the world.) But he seems to be a mystery. The only relationships he appears to have are with his dad and Evan. Other than the truck crew and his continuing support of Evan reinventing himself he doesn't seem to have a life...

I have a feeling that there is something at least sad if not tragic in his life that Evan and therefore we don't know yet.

At the very least I think Dylan was once a chubby or sickly kid and really isn't the Jock that Evan thinks he is. At some point Dylan decided he wasn't willing to accept himself like that and managed to build himself up to what he is now the same way he is helping Evan do. It would be interesting to know if Dylan had a mentor to help him the way he is helping Evan. But for some reason Dylan can't be a jock regardless of how much he might want to be into sports. Although he can't he can't play but he has studied football and other sports to the point that he knows more able them than the Jocks that actually do play the sport. I also suspect that Dylan is a very lonely kid even more so than Evan, behind the mask of outgoing confident super cool guy that he presents to the world so well everyone buys into it...

Other than a bugbear for Evans nightmares, I don't see where Dan fits in the story either. At least not until Evan makes the football team. Unless Dan is pissed enough at being fired from the truck crew to sabotage the Cav's or becomes the new Drum Major replacing Kyle Sikowsky (changing one bad boy for another that is likely to be worse.)

I would really like to get a peak inside Dylan's head to find out want makes him tick...

Ender

... we have you here, Ender for more in-depth analysis. The issues questions you've raised are damn near as interesting as the story!

[philat99]

Dan seems to be a loose end - so far, at least. I'm sure the plot will thicken as the stories continue to converge. I like your story.
Mike