Prologue
August 2002
Alex Johnson stood in the boys’ locker room of Rosaline Junior High School, listening to the gym teacher explain that every day they were to come into the room before class and change into their gym uniforms; dark purple basketball shorts and a bright yellow shirt embossed with a silver lion. He was small for his age, only about five feet tall and skinny as a rail, with short, white-blond hair and brilliant, blue eyes that even at twelve made people do a double take.
“We would prefer after class that you shower, especially because your class is in the morning and the faculty and staff would appreciate it if you didn’t smell like body odor for the rest of the day.” Alex looked around, slightly alarmed at this news. He was extremely uncomfortable with this. The thought of having to undress in a room full of people was uncomfortable enough, but knowing that he was expected to be completely nude in the shower on top of it?
He glanced at his best friends Dexter Hanes and Moroni Johnston; Dex and Mo because both despised their full given names. They were both a little taller than Alex, Dex being about five-one, and Mo five-three, just as skinny, and blonde as well. Though Dex sported wild, ash-blonde, ringlets and steel-grey eyes, while Mo’s hair was sandy blond with brown eyes. Both looked completely nonchalant about the subject, and both raised a brow at him in question. Alex shook his head and mouthed, “I’ll tell you later,” before turning his attention back to the teacher, who was instructing them to always make sure to wear some kind of sandal in the shower and to please refrain from using towels as weapons, or they would face an immediate penalty of a day in ISS.
“Alright,” the coach said, “Now, I want you to dress and then head out to the track. We’ll run a mile and then you can come back in, shower, and re-dress.” The coach left the room and the boys all looked at each other. The non-Mormon boys shrugging and beginning to strip while Alex noticed that the majority of the LDS boys looked just as uncomfortable as he was in that moment.
“What’s up, Al?” Mo asked. “You look like you’re gonna hurl.”
“I… I don’t know how I feel about this,” Alex said. “It feels… Inappropriate.”
“It’s no different than when we get dressed in the morning when we go camping.” Dex said. “Just don’t look at anyone and you’ll be fine. Now hurry up, or you’ll be late.” Alex nodded and set about getting things out of his bag and pulling off his shirt. Despite his internal monologue of “Don’t look, don’t look, don’t look,” he found himself glancing up just as a very naked Dex turned to take his cup out of his backpack. Alex watched as Dex’s eyes traveled up his body and he smirked and winked as their eyes met. Or maybe he had just imagined it because a blink later Dex was turned around and pulling on his cup and shorts. But one thing was very clear to Alex, and that was that things were beginning to stand up and take notice as he looked at the naked back of his best friend.
Panicking, Alex dressed in a flurry, left the locker room without saying a word, and began his laps. Hoping, beyond all hope, to forget about what had just happened.
Back in the locker room, Dex was still trying to rid his face of the flush that had accompanied what he had tried to brush off as an random erection, but deep down he knew it wasn’t. When Alex had caught him checking him out, Dex hadn’t known what to do. He’d reacted on instinct and winked, then turned around as quickly as he could to hide the blush that had flared just as quickly as his now very uncomfortable privates. Dex was bisexual, and he’d known it for a little while now. Some of his older brothers’ friends gave him butterflies when they smiled just like a pretty girl would. He hadn’t mentioned it to Alex yet though, and he wasn’t sure if he should. Alex was very Mormon, and the bishop’s son on top of it. There was no way that his parents would be okay with Alex associating with a kid who liked boys. They were barely okay with Alex and his older brother Jim hanging out with Dex and his older brother Marshal. Dex was pretty sure that the only reason they were okay with it in the first place was because they were the sons of the only lawyer in town, and in the eyes of most of the adults, the least likely kids to get into any trouble.
Taking a deep breath, Dex pulled his shirt over his head and tried to put things out of his mind as he and Mo followed Alex out of the locker room and began to run. The entire time both of them tried their hardest to put the incident out of their minds, and by the time they were finished running, showering and headed off to their next class they had come to the conclusion that that was not going to happen any time soon.
