Chapter Fifteen – Tonight's Not About Bubbles
"You seem to be in a good mood," Maddox noted out loud as Rusty whistled while adjusting the cuffs on his shirt. After admiring Jonathan for his dress code, the guy had gifted him some really cool shirts, and now he could present himself at the party dressed as a teacher should. "And why are you suddenly getting dressed to the nines? Aren't we going out to party?"
Maddie and Johnny would be present and they would totally see that he could be a perfect gentleman with Matty. "Yes, and this is also the night when I'm going to push Matty in the right direction. That of finding himself a dude," he explained. "Can Jonathan lend me some of that badass cologne of his?"
"I have no idea which one you consider badass." Maddox crossed his arms and stared at him from the bathroom door. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're getting ready for a date. But, I gotta say, you do clean up nicely."
"I totally do," Rusty said and undid another button. Yeah, no need to make it entirely formal. He was the casual type of teacher, not the moldy kind.
"Wow, Rusty," Jonathan interjected and wrapped one arm around Maddox's shoulders. "You look great. What's the occasion?"
"He's introducing Matty to the world of hookups, apparently," Maddox explained. "By the way, the streets have been buzzing about you going somewhere with the local cat boy and coming back from that secret place with a very satisfied look on your face. Do you have something to confess?"
Rusty offered his friends a dazzling smile. "It was ah-mazing."
Jonathan grinned at him. "I shouldn't ask, but I cannot help myself. What did you two do?"
Rusty slapped his face a few times and winked at himself in the mirror. "You know, a bit of this, a bit of that. I touched his tail. He looked at me in outrage. I spanked my monkey. He got mad. Only cat boy fans would understand."
"What we're understanding," Maddox intervened, "is that you enjoy a lot of fooling around with dudes lately. Is it still the gay?"
Rusty sighed and shook his head. How could they even understand? "It is something. But hey, Matty and I, we're totally cool. You two parents have nothing to worry about."
Jonathan and Maddox traded a look. They acted so much like Kane and Dex these days.
"What? I'm doing the moral thing and all that. I'm not making any attempts on his V-card. Some other dude is going to do that."
The face reflected in the mirror didn't seem to like the sound of that much, because it pursed its lips as if he had just tasted a lemon.
"Hmm, so tonight's the night you're going to find Matty a guy to hook up with?" Maddox asked.
Rusty waved an irritated hand at his own reflection and gave up on looking in the mirror. "Yeah. Any comments from you two?"
"No, none," Maddox said and shrugged. "I just wonder what guy is going to be good enough for Matty."
"And why do you say that?"
"I remember you saying something about some guy with an Ivy League degree and a big schlong. I'm not sure we have that kind around here," Maddox replied promptly.
"We could negotiate on that Ivy League thing."
"What about the big schlong?" Maddox asked.
"That's non-negotiable. What is it, Johnny boy?" Rusty asked, seeing how Jonathan was fighting himself not to laugh. "Don't tell me you gay boys don't measure your dicks."
"That's practically standard procedure for entering the gay boys club," Jonathan joked. "What's your excuse?"
"As the owner of the biggest schlong on campus, I'm allowed to," Rusty offered the wackiest explanation that came to mind.
"The biggest--" Maddox huffed. "Well, let's hope it matches your ego. Now, are you ready, or do you need more time with the mirror?"
"Nope, I'm ready." Nothing would ruin his night. He had had Slicky Coolplums take a load on his latex suit, he had cleared the air with Matty, his balls were empty, and now he could find a dude for his cute sexy tutor.
Damn, his teeth kind of hurt, he thought, as he rubbed his jaw.
***
"Anyone who doesn't know you would think that you're getting ready for a funeral," Zoey commented while measuring him up and down with her keen eyes that read right through him on a regular basis.
"Yeah, the funeral of my dreams of getting Rusty while being dressed like this," Matty gestured at his usual plain clothes, "and being my usual self."
Zoey waved. "You're getting too hung up on all the wrong things, my friend. You have him by the balls as Slicky Coolplums. By the way, how--"
"Not telling."
"You're no fun." Zoey pouted and crossed her arms.
Matty narrowed his eyes as he took her in. "What kind of outfit is that?"
Zoey wore a pair of the baggiest pants she must have been able to find for sale, and a shirt that looked like a balloon. They were both of a pink so bright that Matty thought people at the party would have to wear sunglasses in the presence of his dazzling companion.
"One that says--" she began and then pressed her index finger against her lips and looked to the ceiling for help.
"Look at me, I'm a walking neon sign?" Matty offered since his bestie seemed at a loss for ideas. That couldn't have been the case when she had walked into the store and tried those clothes on.
"I need to catch someone's attention," she said quickly.
"Hmm. Who is that someone?"
Zoey waved. Apparently, she wasn't ready to tell. Still, Matty thought that all that dallying couldn't be good for her. Without saying anything, he walked toward her and suddenly pinched her cheek.
"Ouch," she batted his hand away, "you're taking off all my glitter."
Matty looked at his hand. Indeed, his fingers were covered with it. Zoey's makeup was screaming for attention just as much as the rest of her. "Let me understand. Are you trying to hook up with a clown?"
Zoey scowled and gave him a murderous look. "That's easy for you to say. You have this," she poked him in the stomach making him grunt, "and you can make the king of Sunny Hill fall for your ass. Whatever magic skill you have is, I want some of it, too."
"Now you're talking out of your ass. I have nothing." Matty threw his arms up in surrender. "I mean, he does think I have a sexy butt--"
"He does?" Zoey's glitter heavy eyes grew wide. "Why am I the last one to find out?"
"You're the only one to find out, so let's leave it at that. That's what he confessed to me when I was dressed up as a cat boy. But, Zoey, what if I have to dress up as a cat boy all my life to get him to notice me?"
"Let's not make this into a teenage drama movie. First of all, we're young adults, no longer teenagers. Second of all, what you do with Rusty is clearly as R-rated as fuck. That means that you are free to make your own choices."
"I somehow doubt that anyone with a working brain can actually follow your logic on a day to day basis, Zoey. What do you even mean by making my own choices?"
Zoey made an effort with her balloon-clad arms to grasp him by the shoulders. It was like being comforted by an overinflated pixie. "It means that whatever you think you're sad about tonight is not true. What do you think is going to happen tonight?"
"Rusty's going to push me into some guy's arms."
"So? What's the problem?"
Matty gestured as if he needed to explain a complicated math problem. "That is the opposite of the direction of his arms."
"Then how about you play along? For a bit? Maybe you'll make him jealous."
"I doubt that's going to happen. He has a horde of adoring fans at his feet. The moment he pushes me away, all I can count on is Slicky Coolplums."
"Who practically counts as a royal flush in this game of poker you're playing with the dude," Zoey noted very matter-of-factly. "The best thing that could happen is for Rusty to fall for your cat boy persona. And then, when you take the wig off, you can say something like: Surprise, motherfucker!" The last words were delivered in a booming voice.
Matty slapped his forehead. "I'd never say something so rude to Rusty in my life."
"I know." Zoey took him by the arm as if he was an invalid and needed help crossing the street. "You're this nice guy, who needs to leave some of that niceness at home so that he can nail the sexy bastard who is the king of Sunny Hill."
"He's not a bastard," Matty protested again.
"I say it with love, affection, and tenderness," Zoey assured him. "Tonight, play dirty, Matty. Does Rusty want you to hook up? Play your hand. Go for some dude, dance lasciviously with him, grinding your cocks together, until the two of you need to be pulled apart by the police or an entire team of firefighters armed with big hefty hoses--" Her voice grew so heated that he felt rightfully embarrassed.
"Zoey, stop. This fantasy of yours is getting out of hand."
"Hey, it's a good one. Anyway, you get it. Don't play the shy virgin. Show Rusty that you learned plenty from your lessons together." She did the air quotes to prove her point.
"And he'll be all too happy to get rid of me, finally."
"Or realize that he's not ready to let you go just yet. What do you say?"
"Hindsight is always 20/20, right?" Matty said with a sigh. "There's no way I can think about this clearly while I'm so deep in it."
"And deep is where you should be," Zoey concluded. "Look at the bright side. What if you find a guy you really click with? What if you make a friend? A boyfriend?"
"That's a stretch. And it wouldn't be fair to that person, right? I mean, I shouldn't mislead other guys while I'm still crushing on Rusty like crazy."
"A little dance and a little flirting don't count as that. Chicks do it all the time, while, you know, evaluating whether this dude or the next is the right one for them. You're overthinking things. I'm overthinking things, and it's all because of you," Zoey accused. "You know what? Let's just have fun. If you don't want to hook up at all, not even to make Rusty jealous, be honest about it. And maybe Rusty's going to understand a little bit about what's going on, without your having to spell it out for him."
Matty exhaled noisily. "Okay, pink master. You're right about that. We should have a little fun while we're still young. Now, could you please let go of my arm? I feel like I'm eighty and need help."
Zoey just squeezed his arm harder. "No. You do need help."
No chance of countering that. Rolling his eyes, Matty let himself be guided out of the room.
***
Rusty scanned the room again and checked his phone. Matty was late. What the hell was he thinking? No way was Rusty getting stood up by his student.
"Why are you checking the door every other second?" Maddox asked and threw a lazy arm over his shoulders.
"Matty is trying to wiggle out of our deal." Rusty pouted for show and crossed his arms.
"There are barely ten people here. It's very early, and we're only here because you dragged us out of the house like there was a fire."
"Hmph," Rusty offered in as non-committal way as he could manage.
Maddox's smile hinted at nothing good. "It looks to me like the only fire is the one under your ass," his bestie whispered in his ear and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
Rusty made a face and rubbed the place where Maddox had kissed him. "Stop embarrassing me in front of the other kids, mom."
"Stop hugging the door with your eyes. He's going to be here."
"You think so?"
"He wouldn't miss it since it was you asking him to be present. By the way, what's the game plan?"
Rusty munched on his lower lip with a vengeance. "I'm going to find a dude for my baby dude."
"Baby dude? You gave Matty an endearing nickname?"
"Stop it with those eyes," Rusty warned his bestie. Maddox was laughing at him with his entire face. If he hadn't planned to be such a gentleman tonight, Maddox would have already heard about what he could do with that shit-eating grin.
"What do you mean 'those eyes'?" Maddox teased. "I'm not doing anything."
"You totally are, and you know very well that you are. Anyway, yeah, Matty's my baby dude, 'cause I say so, but don't dare pass that on or we're going to have a problem."
"Hmm, I'm already shaking. Okay, I won't tell anyone, except Jonathan. Is that okay with you?"
"Jonathan is going to think--"
"I'm not judging," Jonathan intervened from behind, making Rusty roll his eyes in pure, unadulterated suffering. "By the way, here's your baby dude."
Rusty forgot all about the things he wanted to say to Maddie and Johnny, things that were designed to give them sleepless nights on account of the expectation of having certain pranks played on them, because, indeed, Matty walked through the door at that exact moment.
He wore regular cut jeans and a white tee and normally Rusty would have scolded him for dressing too plainly, only that seeing Matty's non-assuming attire gave him an odd satisfaction. The cute nerd hadn't bothered to style his hair, either, and he wore his glasses.
Leaving Maddox and Jonathan to their own little happy bubble, Rusty moved toward his target. He blinked at a pink balloon sauntering at Matty's left, and it took him a couple of moments to realize that was Zoey encased in that strange outfit.
"Hey, dudes," he said and wrapped one arm around Matty's shoulders, pulling him in for a hug. "You don't get a hug," he said to Zoey. "I don't want to make you pop."
Zoey, as per usual, dared to roll her eyes at him. "In your dreams. With all due respect, Your Majesty."
"Yeah, yeah. Cool outfit, though. But I have to disappoint you. There's no costume party tonight."
As he talked to Zoey, he unconsciously continued to pull Matty toward him. The other's warm, mint-scented breath on his cheek made him realize that they were too close.
He let go an inch with great reluctance. "Why did you let her go out of the house like that?"
Matty's eyes were very close, very big, and very shiny. It was probably the effect of the glasses. "I wouldn't dream of telling Zoey anything about her fashion sense. I value my life. Plus, it looks like it worked."
"What?" Rusty was aware of his lips being only a couple of inches away from Matty's mouth. No, it was probably less.
"Zoey's so flashy that you didn't bother to scold me about not dressing up for the occasion," Matty explained.
"Nah, you're good. The idea is that you should be so good at the game now that it doesn't matter what you're wearing. Hey, where did the pink balloon go?"
Zoey had mysteriously disappeared, but Rusty couldn't say that he was disappointed. He needed some moments alone with his student so that they could iron out all the little imperfections in Matty's game before launching him into the world of gay delights awaiting him.
"She must be floating around," Matty replied. "So, what's the first move, master?"
Rusty leaned forward, his lips touching Matty's ear briefly. "Careful with that tone. I'm prone to misunderstandings, people say."
"Oh, really? Okay, teach. Teach me."
Rusty let go of Matty abruptly. Curiously enough, he could sense a bubble forming around the two of them while they were sharing that private space. Tonight wasn't about bubbles. It was about finding Matty a dude to hook up with, or at least do some of the old teasing and denial.
That was a funny thing to think about. Matty wasn't the teasing and denial kind. Slicky Coolplums on the other hand—
All right, it was a good moment for him to stop. Someone laughed at his right, drawing his attention. A couple of girls were staring at him with naughty glints in their eyes. One of them winked. "Meow," she drawled.
"You're doing it wrong," he immediately admonished her.
"You should know," she replied and laughed. She turned on her heel, followed by her girlfriend, who gave him another amused look before scurrying after like a little loyal acolyte.
"What was that all about?" Rusty asked out loud.
Matty, rightfully considering that he was the one being asked, hurried to reply. "Don't you know? Xpress invented a bunch of stuff about you getting it on with the cat boy."
"I haven't read Xpress today."
"Well, I doubt they ever publish an ounce of truth," Matty continued, "and they really went the extra mile with the fake news this time around."
Rusty pulled out his phone.
Hey, hey, boys and girls of Sunny Hill! Do you know what it takes to get into our good king's graces these days? Yes, you guessed it, since we've already covered some of Rusty Parker's obsession with cat boys.
You need a tail, cat ears, some claws, and the right body to rock a black latex suit. Well, you ladies are out of luck because, obviously, to get it right, you also need a chest so flat no one would mistake you for a female.
We've been wondering… why cat boys? Is that one of Rusty Parker's ways of telling the world he actually has gay feelings buried deep inside his hard and cold womanizing heart?
Let us guide you through what happened earlier today, when the local cat boy made an appearance… Our dear king whisked him away from prying eyes, but we have prying eyes everywhere.
So, we can tell you on good authority… Rusty Parker succumbed to the basest of desires! There must have been a convenient hole in that latex suit, because his wandering hands found their way inside. Oh, and what ecstasy followed! We bet our king now rocks a nice pair of symmetric scratch patterns on his back.
Even more, there was no protection involved! Do you know what that means, Sunny Hill?
Ah, we cannot stop our hammering hearts at the revelations we're about to share. Have we already tricked you into believing that Rusty Parker got flipped like a switch? No, no, no, that's not what's happening…
The cat boy, the now famous Slicky Coolplums, is actually a girl! Yes, you heard us. Should we expect a consistent feline litter after today's transgressions? And we thought our king was a stickler for safe sex! It looks like passion trampled all!
"What a bunch of bullshit," Rusty wondered aloud.
"I thought so, too," Matty offered eagerly.
Rusty pulled his eyes from Xpress's bullshit to look at his gay friend. "Why?" he asked.
"What do you mean, why?" Matty blinked a few times. "That's definitely a guy," he said somewhat defensively. "I mean, the cat boy."
Rusty nodded. "Don't you think I could have done it with him today, though?"
Matty blushed and averted his eyes. "You could do whatever you want," he replied, his voice close to abrasive.
Rusty kissed Matty shortly on the forehead. "You don't have to be jealous of Slicky Coolplums."
"I know, I know. We're only friends."
Something about the way Matty said that, grumbling like an old man, convinced Rusty all the more that tonight was the night to let the chick fly out of the coop.
"I've put together a list," he announced. "There are some awesome gay boys to choose from, all single."
"Very interesting. And are they all going to attend this party?" Matty inquired, a lot more formal than necessary, while pushing the glasses up on his nose.
"I took care to personally invite them."
"Didn't they think it odd?"
"No. It was on the grounds of having the once in a lifetime opportunity of meeting the man of their dreams."
"Did you really use those words?"
Rusty pulled out his phone again and showed Matty the message, at which the other only groaned in resignation.
"You do realize that now I'll have to live up to some outstanding expectations."
"And? I know for a fact that you can meet them and go beyond."
Matty rubbed his cheeks and reached for his eyes under the glasses with the tips of his fingers. "Thank you for the vote of confidence, teach. Now, I need to get mentally prepared to disappoint some gay boys. Are you going to tell me their names? Or how are we going to go about this?"
Rusty patted Matty's shoulders hard, for encouragement. "The first contender just walked in. Andy something. Go get him, tiger."
***
Matty stared at the nerdy boy, who seemed to be wishing to be anywhere else but there, while he took one step after another. For a moment, he had felt tempted to tell Rusty that he knew for a fact that Xpress was talking out of their asses because he had been present at that meeting with the cat boy. Rusty's suspicions had proven short-lived, so there was nothing for him to worry about.
Still, to think that Xpress thought the cat boy to be a cat girl. Where the hell did they get that idea? Matty had only skimmed through the gossip at a glance since Zoey had insisted, but now those insinuations were starting to get to him. So, according to Xpress, Rusty couldn't be gay, not even a little. And he might have fathered some illegitimate children, just like that.
Well, he could spend a lot of time and think about how Xpress was eating shit for all their daily meals, but he had a bigger problem on his hands. He stopped in front of Andy something, and the boy stopped his fidgeting, throwing him a confused look.
Matty smiled and waved. "Hi, Andy. It looks like you're here because of me."
Andy pulled out his phone. "Rusty Parker sent me a message. I thought it was a prank."
Matty winced a little inside. "Well, he is kind of a prankster. The truth is he hopes that I could find a partner at this party, and that's why he sent the message. To you."
And others, but Matty wasn't sure he was supposed to divulge that.
Andy let out a long sigh of relief and offered Matty his hand. "I'm relieved. I was worried he might push me into the arms of a male stripper, just for the lulz."
Matty shook the offered hand. "I'm Matty. Rusty wouldn't be so cruel, though."
Andy grinned and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "I think I hoped he would be, though. I've never been in the arms of a male stripper."
They both laughed. "That makes two of us, because I've never been in that kind of situation, either."
***
Rusty followed Matty with hawk-like eyes from afar. It looked like he and Andy were starting out on the right foot, because they were laughing like they were having the best time in the world.
The same could not be said about him, though. The cat jokes were growing a bit old already. The girls wanted to know if he knew the name of the chick he might have happened to impregnate in the throes of desire. The boys wolf-whistled and called him a hound dog or something along those lines. All that noise for nothing, and it was only serving to piss him off. Especially now, when he needed all his concentration to keep track of how Matty was doing.
Hmm, but they weren't touching and were only conversing like friends. Had Matty learned nothing, after all that hard work? Maybe Andy wasn't his type. His forehead a frown, Rusty fired a quick message off to his student.
Make a move if you like him. Else, get back to base.
He observed Matty as he checked his phone. It was now or never, and Rusty held his breath for a moment. Matty waved Andy goodbye and sauntered back to him.
What a relief. Rusty frowned at that simple realization. Well, he did have five or six guys lined up for Matty. Maybe not all of them would attend the party. Maybe some weren't interested in meeting the man of their dreams.
"So?" Rusty asked, worrying his bottom lip.
"He was expecting a male stripper. It looks like I struck out." Matty smiled apologetically and shrugged his shoulders.
"A male stripper?" Rusty threw Andy a curious look, and the shy nerdy guy waved at him with a confused smile. "We could turn you into that. Get on that table and began undressing slowly."
Matty pinched the bridge of his nose. "I am so not going to do that. I still have half a brain, I think."
"After three years and a couple of months or so in college? Nah, you only think that. What's wrong with being a male stripper? You have those cool abs. Ah, don't tell me. He's not your style."
"No Ivy League degree," Matty counted on his fingers, "no Lexus, no big schlong. Sorry, no match."
"Are you sure about the big schlong? These studious types tend to hide some oversized sausages in their baggy pants."
"So, who's next?" Matty asked. "I'm just getting the hang of things."
Rusty searched the room for the next target. When he found him, he grinned. The goth boy yawned demonstratively to show what he thought of the choice of music and picked invisible lint from his black t-shirt.
***
After the guy with the very narrow taste in music came a guy who confessed timidly to Matty that he wasn't actually gay, just not adept at meeting girls. That brought the number of attempts to three, and he was starting to think that Rusty's criteria for choosing possible partners for him might have suffered some serious alterations from what he had imagined.
"No luck so far," he explained to his teacher.
Rusty's brow furrowed. Matty really hated to disappoint him, but there was no way he'd play that game only for the sake of that.
"A-ha," Rusty said victoriously, "what about him?"
Matty turned to look in the direction of where Rusty was pointing, and he blinked. The guy who had just walked in sported a sleeveless shirt that showed off his intricate sleeve tattoos. He looked dark and dangerous. Somehow, Matty doubted that guy was a student at Sunny Hill.
"You said something about alley cats, right?" Rusty whispered in his ear. "Go try your luck now, Mr. Fancy Pants."
Matty would have argued about that nickname, but his attention was captured by the new guest more than he cared to admit. When he walked toward the guy, he felt a little like the proverbial moth flying frantically toward the flame.
Blue eyes, deep like sin, settled on him, making the words die in his throat. The guy chuckled and leaned against the wall. He crossed his arms, showing off his tattoos. Matty could hardly hear a word, as the guy's lips moved.
Only when the aforementioned lips stopped moving, Matty realized that he was supposed to answer. "What?" he stammered. "I'm sorry, I didn't get what you just said."
The stranger laughed again, making a cute dimple appear in his right cheek. "I said," he drawled seductively, "you must be Matty."
Had Rusty mentioned his name to the other guys? Matty didn't remember. "And you are?" He stretched out his hand.
The guy pulled him close suddenly and wrapped him in his arms. Then, he blew hot air over Matty's ear. "Tonight, I'm going to be your alley cat."
***
Rusty watched with increased annoyance as Jamie played Matty like a pro. He had been the one with the idea of calling a veritable heartbreaker and put him in Matty's path, but now, he was starting to regret his decision.
By all reckoning, Matty should have been prepared for such a challenge. But, instead, he looked like he was smitten beyond belief, leaning toward Jamie, laughing at his jokes – very lame jokes, Rusty knew them all – and brushing that sexy body of his against the other.
That wasn't how a gay overlord should react to a cookie-cutter bad boy. Rusty pursed his lips and clenched his fists.
Jamie, who had been more than happy to hear that he'd have a cute college boy to hook up with tonight, made his next move with the nonchalance of a player, which he was, obviously. He was whispering into Matty's ear, probably inviting him outside, for a little bit of heavy petting.
And Matty, forgetting all about his training, seemed eager to agree to everything.
Absolutely no way.
***
All right, so this guy was so different from all the others that Matty couldn't believe it. He was so striking in appearance that Matty had forgotten how to speak for a minute or so. But, now they were at ease, laughing together, and sharing what brought them to that party.
"Did Rusty send you the same message he sent the others?"
The guy, whose name was still a mystery, was playing the seducer by the book. Matty thought it funny to play along. Now, Zoey's plan to go with it and see Rusty's reaction to his being taken with some dude made some sense.
Plus, Matty was actually paying attention because this alley cat was a true player.
"What message?" Rough hands massaged the back of Matty's neck.
"To meet the man of your dreams and all that."
Another chuckle followed. "That you, pretty boy? That's on the mark. How about going outside for a moment? It's getting hot in here."
"For the record, was that a pun, or are you really hot?"
"What do you think?"
Okay, this guy was a player, Rusty was a womanizer, and Matty was a virgin. What to do?
TBC