Are You Scared Yet?
by J J Janicki
Chapter 26
We reached Prineville Reservoir State Park - in central Oregon - Friday afternoon, August 7th. It was crowded, but nice. Watching the sun set over the lake was nice. Looking up at all the stars at night was nice. Only, they - everyone but me and Stephan - weren't there for the scenery or hiking or swimming: they were there because it was a great place to fish. Trout! Bass! Black Crappie! And catfish. Four nights and three and a half days worth of fishing, and they threw most of them back.
I wasn't surprised at Carlie and Earl's enthusiasm, and I also would have guessed that Dan would be into it. I didn't know about Elliott and Seth, but they loved fishing. So there were a few times when I was tempted to give it another try myself, but me and Stephan were afraid of looking dumb, so we said we might some other time. Lots of ways of looking dumb. Not knowing how to bait your hook right. Getting your line caught on a tree limb. Tangling your line up with someone else's. Feeling sorry for the fish. Or for the bait. Live bait. Including crawfish, and if you looked at the poor little things just so...
Boiled, they really tasted good, though. So I guess that qualifies as another moral dilemma.
And it might also be a good metaphor... for something... but never mind, because there was plenty else to do, even if we dressed normally and there wasn't any skinny-dipping while we were there. We carried on as usual in our tent often enough, but we were always quiet about it. I don't know if any of the others found time for sex or not.
Well, except for Seth Sunday night when he told us about his ambitions and letting Dalton and the twins tie him up and all that. But then the next morning, aside from giving us a quick thumbs up, it was as though it had never happened and we thought that was cool enough. Not that we were sure if we ever wanted to be that cool, but it was what it was, and like I said, we had other things to do. We had our boardies which we hadn't bothered with up until then, but we guessed we could under the circumstances and we went swimming several times. (The water temperature was close to 80.)
Then I also worked on this story some more and while I was busily pecking and backspacing and pecking some more and occasionally muttering things under my breath, Stephan was going through Elliott and Seth's music looking for everything we wanted to copy.
And sometimes we went hiking. In fact, we hiked almost every trail in the park, never once thinking about going naked, and that was a good thing, because Saturday afternoon, we ran into another Scout troop.
Only they were wearing their official uniforms and they also had two adults supervising them, so basically we just said, "Hey. How's it going?" and they more or less said it was great day for a hike and that took care of that. At least for then, it did. But I bet I know what you're thinking now. Again? You cannot be serious!
Well, relax. Nothing really happened, all right? I mean, in light of everything else that has happened in this story, you would think that for just once, we could limit ourselves to being curious and nothing else and, believe it or not, this time we did. Although...
Well, I'll get to what our curiosity led to soon enough, but the first thing we did Monday was talk Seth into taking us to the town of Prineville, eighteen miles away, population just over 10, 000, county seat of Crook County, on the banks of the Crooked River. Not that the town being on the Crooked River has much to do with anything: Stephan just thought it was a curious fact that I ought to work in somehow, but since it's the only town of any size nearby, we were fairly sure there would be one or two computer stores. We wanted to find an external hard drive for Stephan's laptop. Then he'd move all his important files, then we were going to let Carlie and Earl have his laptop. We only needed mine once we were in Seattle... that's how we looked at it... and in case it's been forgotten, they didn't have a computer, they'd been using mine. But see, they were flying back home Wednesday from Portland. John had already paid for their tickets, first to Denver, then after a five and a half hour layover, on a regional airline to Dickinson. So we were going to miss them, but we'd still be in touch, because we were also looking for a good webcam.
Only, we wanted it to be a surprise, so without really explaining why, we asked Seth if he could run us into town, and since by then he was having fast food withdrawal pains, he agreed readily enough. The night before was never mentioned. There and back, we couldn't talk about much of anything anyway because he had his music going full blast.
But it really wasn't a problem. We got an almost state-of-the-art webcam along with a 1 TB external hard drive, so about all we were wondering about on our way back was whether we'd have to talk Carlie and Earl into taking Stephan's laptop and the webcam. We didn't want it to look like we thought they were charity cases, but we did want to stay in touch, so we hoped they looked at it the same as we did.
But we were also sort of hoping we could talk Seth into taking the long way back. Instead of getting back on Juniper Canyon Road - which goes straight to the park - we could get on Highway 27 south which skirts the western end of the reservoir. Only, there's not a road from there into the park. So we'd just keep going south, still on 27, only now it would be a dirt road. Or possibly gravel, but definitely not paved. Then after awhile, we'd be going west on another unpaved road... and then on another heading north through the Ochoco National Forest, then finally, we'd be on a paved highway heading back to the park, following the Crooked River. So by then, we'd all be hot and sweaty and probably dusty, so we'd pull over and go skinny dipping for awhile. From the way it looked on the map, we figured there'd be very little traffic and, not only that, there'd be lots of places with cottonwoods growing along the bank, so anyone who did happen to drive by wouldn't be too likely to see us. But even so, it would be both fun and at least slightly daring. So that would have been cool enough, only Seth wanted to get in some more fishing. Just as much as he possibly could.
So, oh well. We had enough to keep us busy anyway, right?
Well, only for awhile, because it really didn't take long to move Stephan's files, then boredom set in. So that evening, when we spotted the aforementioned Scouts heading for the bath house with towels over their shoulders, we weren't just slightly tempted to take another shower ourselves, we were sorely tempted, so we grabbed some soap, shampoo and two towels, and off we went.
We just wanted to take in the scenery, all right? None of the Scouts were in Chase or Dalton's category, but some were at least slightly cute. So we were only slightly curious about the slightly cute ones. And this was in spite of one of the adults in charge looking suspiciously about as he shepherded his charges inside, as though he was just daring an outsider to intrude.
But he was being silly, because it was a public bath house, and since you can never shampoo your hair too often...
Well, maybe you could overdo it. Shampooing your hair, I mean. But once more that day probably wouldn't hurt anything, so like I said, we were off to see the sights.
So we strolled in doing our best to look disinterested just as the last two Scouts were entering the shower area, and we only saw their butts. Only, we didn't find them to be particularly appealing. It was simply a question of aesthetics. Different strokes for different folks, some people like Picasso, others, Rembrandt, but whatever, we were both of the same mind: we'd pay those two no attention.
Just as little as possible. So we made our way to a bench, kicked our flip flops aside and pulled our boardies off. "That wasn't a pretty sight, " muttered Stephan beside me. "Yeah, I'd say they're a little too advanced, " I whispered.
Then: "Hey, guys, you'll have to come back in a few minutes, " said the guy in charge of shepherding, "Right now, we're at full capacity." He was just walking back from the shower area. Almost jovially, he said that. And also a bit meaningfully, but...
I wasn't taking his hint. "Oh, that's all right, " I replied "We can wait." Then, in case he wasn't aware of it, I added, "We're camping here too. Been here since Friday. Nice place, isn't it?"
"Uh... well, yes, I suppose it is, " he agreed. Because after all, he was hardly in a position to disagree, and not only that, we were already undressed. That's how you usually take a shower.
"Yeah. Nice, " he mused. Then after walking to the door and looking outside to see if anyone else was approaching, he finally allowed, "This time, I guess it's all right to wait your turn."
So I was thinking we could wait right outside the shower area. As soon as two came open, in we'd go, but Stephan got up, stretched, then trying to be friendly, he asked, "Know much about catfish? We're wondering what's the record here."
"I'm not exactly sure, " replied the guy while keeping his back to us.
So after what seemed to be an uncomfortable pause, I said to Stephan, "Let's just wait outside the showers." The prospect seemed interesting enough, because there were only four shower heads, so it seemed likely that there would be still be several Scouts waiting, and with any luck, some would be about our age. Only...
"You talking about Channel Cats or Flatheads?" asked an older Scout who'd just come out of the shower. He was drying his hair with his towel. So he was still naked... around fifteen, I guess... and even though I wouldn't have called him cute, I still thought he was worth a cursory glance.
Then behind him were five more, and all pretty far along in the changes department. So I was still hoping for better... as in a little more like us... but whatever, they were all excitedly talking about catfish and since it was Stephan who'd brought the subject up in the first place, we had to act like we were interested. According to them, the largest Channel Cat ever caught in Prineville Reservoir was around twenty pounds, only that was well off the state record, which I think was thirty-six pounds. But the world record was fifty-eight pounds.
"That sounds like a really big fish, " I said lamely.
Well, it sounded that way to me, and there was also the fact that me and Stephan were still siting there naked while they were getting dressed and talking a mile a minute. About cat fish. They said we weren't likely to catch any Flatheads in the reservoir, but I think the state record for them was forty-two pounds, with the world record being 123 pounds... but one of them said he'd once heard of a 646 pound catfish... an entirely different breed, you know, only, this was in Thailand... somewhere...
But I still wasn't sure why we were talking about a monster-sized catfish while we were stark naked, surrounded by older Scouts who were by then mostly dressed again, so finally, I cleared my throat and remarked, "Well, I guess maybe there's a shower open now."
Then, thankfully, Stephan said to the others, "Yeah, well, nice talking to you, " and finally we found ourselves just outside the shower room with three other Scouts who appeared to be about our age, only now we seemed to be going in the exact opposite direction because they had their towels wrapped around their waists while they waited, all looking straight ahead. So actually, they were looking into the shower room... only they seemed to be staring at the ceiling. And they were in right in front of us, so we couldn't see the ones inside either. And as though that wasn't bad enough, two of the towel-girded ones glanced back at us, and they both looked shocked. Apparently, more than just a little.
So on the one hand, all at once, I felt like maybe we were violating some sort of a taboo. Waiting to take a shower without your clothes on! Most unacceptable! Shocking! Simply shocking! Only, that didn't make much sense because of the way the older ones had acted. No modesty at all!
So maybe these younger ones still weren't comfortable with the changes their bodies were going through. Or maybe they'd never been camping with older Scouts before. Just our luck. Then the third boy glanced back, and gave us... either a wry half-smile or a pitying one, I wasn't sure... but then he quickly looked away again, and now I suddenly felt like maybe we were exhibits at the County Fair. And to be as honest as I can possibly be, it did occur to me that it was only fitting. We were hardly serial exhibitionists, but we still were often enough, so...
Well, actually, I don't think being put on display would cure a serial exhibitionist, but if it was me, I'd at least reconsider it some.
I'm not so sure about Stephan, though, because he laughed and said, "You'll have to excuse us, but we're just used to not being modest. No big deal, our parents raised us that way." I was fairly sure that wasn't really true in his case, but I still thought it was decent enough.
Only, while still looking straight ahead, one shot back, "Well, aren't you the lucky ones." Very sarcastic. And to think, we only wanted to look. That's all we wanted, nothing more.
So it felt like my ears were burning and I was full of indignation, but we were there to take a shower and by God, that's what we were going to do.
And besides, it wouldn't look right if we didn't, now would it? Of course not. And we didn't think any of them were going to take a shower with their towels still wrapped around them, so I was determined to invade their privacy. Discreetly of course, but I was going to look.
Well, we saw their butts. That's all. Soon as two more came out... not being particularly modest, but also not started yet, so not as interesting as if they had... the two who were suffocatingly modest whipped their towels off and then, with great resolve, and also with their hands clutched tightly over their privates, they scurried into the shower and probably kept their more interesting parts turned to the wall the whole entire time. So it couldhave been not very much fun for us at all...
Except for that third boy. We never formally introduced ourselves, but for the sake of simplicity, I'll call him... Trey. He was the one who'd given us that small half-smile I didn't know how to interpret at first.
A few seconds after the unbelievably modest ones disappeared into the shower room, he sighed, looked back at us again and said, "Sorry. I mean, I'm that way too. I know I shouldn't be, but I still am."
Then after what appeared to be a self-conscious shrug, he added, "But I hope I'm not as bad off as they are!"
So I shrugged and said, "Well, we'd probably be that way too, only our parents are naturists." So I fibbed about everybody but my mom, and she's only one every once in awhile, but for some reason the idea just popped into my head. (And Stephan said it took him awhile to get the idea out of his head. No offense, but his mom needs to lose some weight.)
But anyway, Trey turned and in an amazed tone of voice, he asked, "Naturists? Do you mean like nudists?"
"Um, yeah, " I allowed. "It's really not a big deal."
"Not a big deal? Geez! With all those naked... are there like any girls around? You know, like about our age? That would be awesome!"
So everybody can't be gay. Even if some boys are clueless when it comes to the opposite sex, most are still interested. Some of them, it's about all they can think about, in fact. But we can accept that. We had each other, so why not?
But I also knew just how quickly talking about naked girls could lead to boys our age becoming noticeably excited. So even though it wasn't one of my better ideas - not with their Scoutmaster just outside, it wasn't - I said, "Oh, definitely! You would not believe how many there are!"
"Really good looking ones? Our age? Are there?... I bet there are! God!" He was whispering, but he was also sounding much more excited. Almost breathless.
Only, then there was a rueful, barely-heard "Shit" and he lapsed into silence and, as surreptitiously as was possible, he moved his hands down to his midsection. Exactly where you'd move them if you'd all at once popped a boner.
So momentarily, I was feeling chagrined too. Me and my big mouth. Now he probably wasn't going to take a shower! And he was one of the cuter ones! Almost the same size we were... height and weight, I mean, because obviously, we weren't likely to see his dick now...
Only, "Well, the girls our age... did any of them have hair?... Like on their... pussies? I bet some did, huh?"
So that's when some other possibilities began to dawn on me, even if from a practical standpoint, most of them were worrisome. Stephan and I... we were in a position to think of practicalities because we'd just recently been going at it again in our tent. So our little heads weren't as likely to take over again. Certainly not right away, but plainly, Trey's was almost in complete control and with his Scoutmaster in the next room, we really needed to get his mind off girls and their sex organs, because otherwise, his boner wasn't going to subside one iota.
"Did they? Have any hair? And could you see... well, you know..." (gulp) "between their legs?"
We were facing an uphill battle. It looked almost impossible.
"Oh yeah, " Stephan said helpfully, "We saw a couple and their legs were wide open!"
So. Moving quickly past "almost"...
"Oh God!" croaked Trey.
... To throwing a whole entire can of gasoline on the fire, now the question was...
"I just popped one, " Trey whispered. "You have to help me get out of this."
So that was a different question. "Um... how?" I stammered.
"Well..." he took a deep breath, then: "Soon as everybody else is out, we... we go in and you... you have to sort of stand so... nobody can... see... us, and I... um... well, it won't take long."
Then he blushed even more and added plaintively, "I mean, you know what I mean, right? But I can't go back like I am now, so..."
Then he shrugged hopelessly.
So. There's no point in lying. It was worrisome, but seeing him with a hard-on... well! So even though there were all kinds of questions and possible consequences ricocheting around inside my head... the one supposedly in charge of rational thoughts...I said we would.
He glanced back at us and whispered, "How come... you think about girls, right? You said you did. So... um... they don't make you get hard when you think about... them?"
Stephan giggled. "The problem is, we were thinking not long ago.... And we didn't have anything else to do, so..." And then he grinned wickedly... I mean, mischievously...
Let's just go with wicked. There are times when he can be very wicked. It's one of his most endearing attributes.
But I was also relieved that, for once, he'd decided it was best not to be completely forthright.
And I was also so scared I thought I was about to wet the floor. Because now I was thinking about that poor boy in Maryland. The one my cousin Sean read about which led to him freaking out on me. It just came to me all at once, and then I was thinking about what might happen if their Scoutmaster was to walk in on us. I had no idea how the state of Oregon would look at it, but here we were only a day's drive from Seattle, almost to the happily-ever-after part, so why did we have to keep getting involved with Boy Scouts?
But then on the other hand... and by now, I've lost count of how many other hands I've mentioned... but unwittingly or not, we'd contributed to his condition and even if we weren't Scouts, we couldn't leave him in a lurch.
And besides, I wanted to see it. So there's another "on the other hand". I definitely had some mixed emotions, but once all the others exited, it was time to...
"Okay, here's what we'll do, " hissed Trey. "I'm going in, and you two stand in front. You know, right here at the door and keep watching out for Ralph, " (so obviously, that was their Scoutmaster), "and soon as I'm finished, I'll let you know, all right?"
Well, under the circumstances, there was hardly time to argue about it, but that was not what I had in mind. Stephan and I... we were supposed to be standing in the doorway with our backs turned to him? I don't think so. Uh-uh. I mean, seriously, if Ralph walked in, then what would he think? Was there even the remotest possibility of us looking guileless? There was no way!
We didn't bring that point up, though. Because, again, time was very much of the essence, so... "Okay, go!" I whispered. Hope I didn't sound frantic or squeaky, but odds are, I did. Probably both.
So he whipped off his towel, then with his hands clutched over his erection, he zipped into the shower room. It looked wicked! Probably at least five inches, curving a little to the left, I think... I mean, we only saw it for an instant, but it was decently big around and he had a small black bush. And I don't think we were supposed to look, but that's just tough.
Then we looked straight ahead, Stephan and I. With our backs turned to the showers. Just the way he wanted it. Until we heard the shower come on. Then we cautiously turned around looking in. Still at the doorway into the shower room though... so we still would have looked awfully suspicious... there was no way around that, only...
He had his back to us. Shit! (Nice butt, though.) But I believe he was fondling himself and from my experience, if you're thinking about a quick release, that's not the best way to do it.
"Hurry up!" hissed Stephan.
"I'm almost there, " Trey panted. And we could tell that he was picking his pace up. And then... and then...
He turned to face us, still pumping for all he was worth. There was no turning back, once it starts down the tube, it will come out.
And it was impressive. But you see, his plan was to fire his weapon off in the general direction of the floor drain. That's why he turned facing us, because it was in the middle of the room. Only, we weren't supposed to be facing him, we were supposed to still have our backs turned. Now, does that sound like any fun? Not for us, it sure didn't.
But no, we weren't supposed to be looking at him. Even before he'd caught his breath, that's what he said. "You... you were... oh shit... you weren't supposed... to be... looking!"
"Well, damn!" said Stephan, woundedly, "It's not like we haven't ever seen it before, you know."
"Shit!" said Trey and he stormed out. And then remembered that he'd forgotten his towel. So he furiously girded his loins... or, at the very least, he was a bit out of sorts, but there really wasn't a lot he could do about it. Obviously he wasn't going to report us and we weren't going to report him, so I guess it was like we were just strangers in the night. It was nothing more than a chance encounter and we weren't going to be bothered by it. Me and Stephan, I mean. We didn't care how Trey worked through it, but overall, we thought it was hilarious. And erotic. Strangely so, but as Seth pointed out later, sex often is strange. That's part of the appeal, he said.
Of course, then he admitted that that really was a duh statement, only...
I'm getting ahead of myself again.
Well, okay then. I'll get to that along with what brought all that up in the next chapter. And I know, I said in the last chapter that I'd get to it in this chapter, but that was because I was thinking in terms of not mentioning the incident above, because at first, we were just a bit chagrined ourselves. Me and Stephan. It's really no fun avoiding eye contact. We meant no harm, but...
Oh well. He'll get over it. Trey or whoever he is. I'm sure of it. Seth thinks he'll probably be fantasizing about it for ages, whether he's straight or not.
I hope so.
Authors deserve your feedback. It's the only payment they get. If you go to the top of the page you will find the author's name. Click that and you can email the author easily.* Please take a few moments, if you liked the story, to say so.
[For those who use webmail, or whose regular email client opens when they want to use webmail instead: Please right click the author's name. A menu will open in which you can copy the email address (it goes directly to your clipboard without having the courtesy of mentioning that to you) to paste into your webmail system (Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo etc). Each browser is subtly different, each Webmail system is different, or we'd give fuller instructions here. We trust you to know how to use your own system. Note: If the email address pastes or arrives with %40 in the middle, replace that weird set of characters with an @ sign.]
* Some browsers may require a right click instead
