The Antipodean
by N Fourbois
* * *
Pip was brimming with confidence. It was the first day of the autumn term at school and he was returning for his third year, particularly looking forward to playing rugby, not to mention seeing all his old school friends again. The summer holidays had been a transformation for him, all brought on by his growth spurt. He had had his blond hair cut short and it bristled. Despite his father's referring to its style as a bogbrush, it suited him and only served to emphasise his angular features and keen blue eyes. But there were other reasons for this new found confidence. During the second form he had felt that he was being left behind by his classmates, physically that is, while some grew and their voices broke and as Pip checked them out in the shower he felt that they had more to be proud of between their legs than he had. Now all that had changed in what had been a steep learning curve aided by the summer sun's effect on his pituitary gland and the consequent changes.
Only a week previously he had succeeded in having his first wank. He had learnt the theory long ago from his mates, but as he was to find out, the reality was slightly different. No words can convey to an inexperienced boy the overwhelming feeling of that first true orgasm which after previous failures of the theory Pip had been determined to bring about by rubbing his cock for as long as it would take, come what may, and when he finally did come the whole experience took him by surprise. Now in true school tradition on reaching his new tutor group room he could not wait to turn up the manufacturer's label sewn into his shirt collar which was the supposedly clandestine sign that he had achieved his first wank. Looking around he saw three others with their shirt label sticking up. After the the initial greetings there were the congratulations and the usual questions to test whether any of the 'new comers' were claiming 'honours' they had not earnt.
Talking of newcomers the group went silent when Mr Talbot came into the tutor room and introduced a new member of the group. The new boy turned out to be an Australian called Boyd (Christian name) whose father had been posted in England for some years to come and who had brought his family with him. Boyd received a general cheery welcome. He was just an average thirteen year old, dark blond, almost ginger hair, blue eyes and a wiry, or more a muscular physique. He was already in school uniform, light grey trousers, light blue shirt, tie and (at this time of year optional) maroon pullover with the school crest embroidered on the left breast. Pip only took polite, that is mild interest, for he was still more concerned with his exploits and those of the other shirt label exhibitors.
Time was moving on which meant the tutor group had to move on too: Headmaster's assembly, house meetings (Boyd was in Pip's house), admin and book and stationery issue. Finally break came along and after that two lessons before lunch. Pip was still on a high. September was his favourite month at school. Everything was new and so clean, the feeling of growing up as you returned to a new form, the summery days despite the chill autumn nip in the air in the mornings. First lesson maths. Well, it could have been worse. It could have been geography or PSE. Pip was able at maths, and if he were honest with himself he would even admit to enjoying it, but today was different. Yes, he was enjoying the lesson without realising it and for the wrong reasons. Maths was playing no part in that enjoyment, for there diagonally in front of him was sitting Boyd and for some reason Pip just could not take his eyes off his neat, well-formed bottom. At times he would curse the school uniform, but at that moment he was blessing it. Since the trousers were light grey, they hid nothing and that was particularly true if you got a stiffy. On the other hand they left little to the imagination as in this case where Boyd's butt and its crevice were perfectly outlined, so perfectly that Pip felt himself stiffening up. For Pip maths simply did not exist that day and instead of working out the problems set he was working out how he could chat to Boyd when, in an instant, it occurred to him. No one had been put 'in charge of' Boyd, which usually happened when someone new arrived at the school. From the end of maths Pip would take that duty upon himself. Indeed, he would ask Mr Talbot just before the English lesson next, that is after escorting Boyd to make sure he found the right room. The bell rang for the end of the lesson. Pip snatched his belongings together, a little prematurely according to his maths master, to make sure he didn't miss out on accompanying Boyd.
"Hi, you're Boyd, aren't you?" Pip squeaked, hardly able to control his newly broken voice. After a nod from Boyd he said "I'm Pip. Is anyone looking after you?" Boyd held out his hand, Pip automatically shook it and held on to it perhaps two seconds too long.
"G'day, Pip. Why, no, not officially."
"Do you know where to go for the next lesson?"
"No. I was just going to tag along with the crowd." Pip was simply enchanted by the accent, the way Boyd gave statements the intonation of a question, all very Home and Away.
"You'd better come along with me." Chatting away Pip took Boyd along to the English block and made sure he got a seat next to him. Meanwhile he went out to waylay Mr Talbot in the corridor and gain his permission to become Boyd's 'guide'.
English was no better for Pip than maths for although with Boyd sitting next to him he could not be distracted by his exquisitely shaped butt, he was in a far better position to check out his packet in those light grey uniform trousers. Again Pip liked what he saw; again Pip registered his approval with a throbbing bulge in his own trousers. 'What on earth's happening to me today?' he thought. 'I've never felt this way before.' He dismissed the thought, tried to concentrate on the English lesson and failed miserably. The class was reading Wilfred Owen's war poems, that is the class minus Pip. When he wasn't admiring his neighbour's packet, he was questioning himself as to why he had become so interested in this arrival from the antipodes. During the banter amongst his mates the word 'gay' would be bandied around as a mild insult, but no one took it any more seriously than being called a dork or whatever. In his second year Pip had given no thought to the matter. Why should he? He wasn't into girls either, but then he was only twelve at that time and there were more important things in life, such as getting into the school team, computer games, skateboarding and just hanging out with friends. He wanted to tell himself there was nothing sexual about instantly liking this newcomer, but the dampness and stiffness in his briefs belied that. 'So does this make me gay?' he asked himself, but was suddenly brought back to reality by Mr Talbot bawling out his name.
"Is everything all right, Philip?" If he was being called Philip he automatically knew it wasn't.
"Yes, sir."
"Well, would you be kind enough to reunite your mind with your body and pay attention?" A couple of lads near the front turned round, tugged at their shirt labels and mouthed the word 'wanker' at him. Pip valiantly tried to keep a straight face, but blushed anyway.
He now had no chance to daydream for he had been called upon to read out aloud. That and the ensuing discussion brought the class to the end of the period. Pip's mind immediately switched back to his previous infatuation and how to pursue it.
"Okay, Boyd? It's lunchtime now. We'll put our stuff into our lockers and get along to the canteen before the queue gets too long. If we wait a bit we lose out on the best choices." Pip's devious mind came into play again. "I'm just going to take a slash."
"A what, Pip?"
"A slash. It's slang for a pee. You know where the toilets are, don't you?"
"Not yet. I've had to tie a knot in it all morning." Pip took Boyd along to the indoor toilets. Being more modern they had separate urinals which if they could stand next to one another, would give him a chance to check Boyd out. He was in luck. The toilet was empty. Pip got the view he wanted and wasn't disappointed. "Hey, Pip, are you checking me out?" Pip blushed.
"Of course." There was no point denying it. "Why?"
"It's just that I was checking you out as well."
"Did you like what you saw?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out," Boyd replied enigmatically and with a wink. After they had washed their hands Boyd looked at Pip. "You know, I've got a feeling you and me are going to be good mates."
* * *
Over lunch they just chatted generally, especially as they had been joined by other boys from their year. It was still talk of holidays, who's going to get into the U14 rugby team, how hard done by they were to get homework on the first day. Of course everyone wanted to know why Boyd had come to England and was Australia really like Neighbours and Home and Away. When they had finished, the group split up and Pip took it upon himself to give Boyd a guided tour of the playing fields. To the objective observer they had already unwittingly taken on the pose of moody adolescents, although that description would have been foreign to both of them.
"Hey, Boyd, did you have a girlfriend back in Oz?" 'Hell, what made me ask that question?' Pip wondered and immediately bit his lip.
"Strewth, no. I've got two older sisters and what with them and all their friends I find girls chattering away just too much. It's nice to get a bit of masculine company from time to time. How about you, Pip?"
"Not really, never thought about it. There's always too much to do to worry about girls."
"Is that why you came to an all-boys school?" It didn't occur to Pip that Boyd might have been probing.
"No. It's just that it's got the best reputation in our catchment area."
"Have you got any brothers and sisters?"
"Just a younger sister called Emma. She's okay. She does her own thing and doesn't cause me any hassle." The first bell rang for afternoon lessons. "We'd better get our things for history."
Pip got home as usual at about a quarter past four. He could walk to and from school and with no pick up or bus to catch he would take his time packing up his belongings and so avoid the rush. Boyd simply said goodbye at the end of the afternoon as his mother was picking him up for the first day and thanked Pip for helping him at his new school.
"Catch you tomorrow, Pip."
"Cheers, Boyd, see ya."
"Hi, Pip," said Mrs Hutton as he went through the front door. "Have a good first day back?"
"Hi, Mum, hi, Emma. Yeah, surprisingly." Pip felt that he had to keep up appearances. "Met this new guy in our tutor group. From Australia. He's called Boyd and I was put in charge to look after him until he settles in," he added slightly embroidering the truth.
"Did you get on with him all right?"
"Sure, we seem to have one or two interests in common, except he's never played rugby. Ozzie rules football he said he played back at home. Don't know what that is. I'll look it up on the internet."
"You'll have to ask him round. It'll help him to feel at home if he's got some friends."
"Sure, I hadn't thought of that."
"Go and change and get on with your homework. We'll have tea when your father gets in. And let me have that shirt and I can put it into the machine tonight." Pip went up to his room, changed into tee shirt and shorts and got his homework out of the way. When he was finished he lay on his bed and cast his mind back over the events of the day.
It had been an altogether strange day, even for the first day of term. Inside Pip felt some elation, he felt the blood coursing faster through his body and although he was lying on his bed, it was not because he was tired, but because he wanted to chill out, because he wanted to discover or work out what had been happening to him. His mind's eye first went back to the maths lesson when he could concentrate on nothing but Boyd's butt. Its curves just got to him, but why? 'I suppose I have checked out boys at school before, but that was just fun and frolics in the showers, along with whipping your towel at people and giving them wedgies, and I only did it because everybody was doing it and then thought no more about it. But this was an obsession. Then there was me checking out his packet in English and getting a stiffy.' As he thought about that he could feel his dick growing inside his shorts and he automatically slipped his hand inside one of the legs and started rubbing himself gently. His thoughts went on further to when they were standing at the urinals having a pee. 'Okay, I was checking him out. I put my hand up to that, but then he was checking me out as well. Is he gay? Am I gay? Are we both gay? And what did he mean when he said when he said he thought we were going to be good mates?'
By now Pip couldn't stop himself. He got off his bed, closed the door, grabbed the box of tissues by his bed and pulled down his shorts and briefs. His left hand gently stroked his balls while the right slowly eased his foreskin to and fro over his glans. All the while he was fantasising about Boyd, undressing him in his mind and finally tossing him off until in Pip's imagination they came together. Pip just caught his jizm in a tissue in time before it made a mess. He cleaned up, pulled his shorts back up and promptly fell asleep until a knock at the door which proved to be his mother.
"You must be tired, Pip. That's the third time I've called you."
"Sorry, Mum. I didn't hear you."
"Early bed for you tonight, my lad, so that you're fit for school tomorrow." Pip didn't argue. Indeed early to bed it was, but he had an ulterior motive and this time the physical release from his fantasy about Boyd was far stronger. His whole body shook from the orgasm in a way it had never shaken before. 'I wonder if that's what they mean when they say they felt the earth move?'
* * *
Two minutes after he had said "Catch ya tomorrow, Pip," Boyd was sitting in the brand new, air-conditioned 4 x 4 next to his mother.
"G'day, Boyd," said Mrs George, "how was your first day?" She moved slowly off to pick up Boyd's sisters from their school. It would be a quarter of an hour drive.
"Great, Mum. I thought it was a bit off at first. Back in Oz if there's a new guy everyone wants to chat to him and find out all about him, but they all seemed have their own friends and groups here."
"Well, you know what Poms are like. But it got better?"
"Yeah, sure thing. After the first lesson this guy called Pip asked me if I was okay and he asked the form tutor if he could be my official 'guide'. They do that here, but somehow I just got forgotten today. After that he helped me through the rest of the day."
"And you like him, Boyd?"
"Sure, Mum, and do you know what? I think he might be gay as well."
"Now you be careful, son. They're not as easy-going as we are in Australia. I don't want you getting yourself beaten up in your first week."
"No, it's nothing like that. I just think he fancies me and you should see him. Short blond hair, blue eyes, sharp features and he's bright. Not interested in girls, either."
"Don't jump to conclusions. You've only just met him and at thirteen or fourteen he's not going to know much yet about being straight or gay."
"I know, Mum, but there's also the way he looked at me."
"What do you mean?"
"It was like the way I looked at him. You know, checking one another out."
"As I say, you just go carefully. Cool it and let Pip make the next move. You're an outsider at the moment and you'll be under scrutiny for a bit until they accept you."
"Mum, can I walk home from school tomorrow? It might help me get to know more guys; and then you just need to pick up the girls."
"Fine by me. Try it tomorrow, Boyd, and we'll see how it goes."
At that Mrs George drew up outside the girls' school to pick up Sheila and Hayley.
* * *
The next morning Pip arrived at the school gates just as Boyd's mother was dropping him off.
"Hey, Pip," shouted Boyd from the front of the 4 x 4.
"Hey, Boyd," returned Pip as he walked over to the car. "Come and meet my family."
"Hallo, Pip," said Mrs George as she leant across the front seat to shake Pip's hand.
"How do you do, Mrs George," replied Pip.
"Boyd tells me you're helping him to settle in at school."
"That's right. He seemed to be getting a bit of a bum... sorry, rough deal yesterday as everyone was ignoring him at first. But it's okay now."
"Boyd must invite you to our barbie. It's going to be a sort of housewarming party for us." Meanwhile Sheila and Hayley were craning forward from the back of the vehicle to snatch a word with Pip. The Georges waved goodbye and drove off. Hayley said
"Boyd certainly knows how to pick them."
"He's so cute," added Sheila.
"All right, girls, we'll leave it there, thank you." Meanwhile, still standing on the pavement, Boyd thought to himself 'I'll never understand women. Just yesterday Mum was telling me to hold back and here she is matchmaking.'
Pip and Boyd walked into school together and went to their tutor room for registration. Pip suddenly realised that without thinking about it he had put his arm round Boyd's shoulders as kids who have been best buddies for years do.
"Sorry, Boyd," he said as he suddenly withdrew it.
"No worries. I rather like it." Even so for the rest of that morning Pip kept his arms to himself.
"Did you remember to bring your PE kit?"
"Oh my god," replied Boyd. "I completely forgot about it. I must write my timetable out properly."
"It's all right. I've got a spare set in my locker. It should fit. And don't forget we've got games on Thursday afternoon. You'll need rugby kit for that."
"That's okay. I've got that at home. Mum and Dad got me the uniform over the weekend."
"Uniform? Is that what you call it in Australia? This is your uniform," said Pip as he pointed to his school clothes. "We call it rugby kit, or occasionally strip, but that's more for soccer."
"Hey, Pip. I'm walking home after school. Do you want to come back with me and hang out?"
"Should be okay, but I'll have to ring home first. Where do you live?"
"Morningwood Crescent."
"I pass that on my way to school. I live about five minutes from there."
"Cool."
Pip was in a different mood this morning. For a start he was able to keep his libido under control, not that he knew the word libido. He just thought of it as keeping his dick under control and he could think of two reasons for that. Firstly he had that morning completed a hat trick of jerking himself in the shower, urged on by more fantasies of Boyd. Three times in virtually twelve hours. Even when he had started earlier in the the summer holiday he had had the self-imposed 'decency' to do it no more than once a day. The other reason was the PE lesson just before lunch which promised a variety of discoveries and pleasures. Consequently he concentrated much better on his lessons that morning.
Meanwhile what was going through Boyd's head? Nothing would be an understatement, but as he was trying to follow his mother's advice to slow things down and as he had behind him the experience of a little romantic encounter at his football club in Oz he could judge how things were going and whether it was going to be just a little fun when they were alone together or whether Pip the Pom would become the love of his life. Neither worried him nor did he try to influence it. Either way he was going to enjoy his first year in England. His only care there was why did they have to leave the Australian winter to kick off with the English one? He was still amazed that the first person he had met at his new school had turned out to be gay, or was the saying from down under 'all Poms are poofters' really true?
After period four Boyd and Pip went to put their books away in their lockers and Pip hauled out his spare kit and handed it to Boyd. The spare kit turned out to be what Pip had worn in the second year. His greatest concern was whether the trainers would fit, but if push came to shove Pip could still wear them and let Boyd use his new ones. They quickly made their way across to the gym. Pip did not bother to check Boyd out in the changing room. There would be plenty of time for that in the showers after the lesson. After the adventures with his wrist over the past eighteen hours he felt that a modicum of self-control was in order.
They emerged into the gym to be confronted with the apparatus already set out. Pip knew what this meant, the same as it meant at every first lesson of term - circuit training. Mr Bridgeman, the PE master, had this deep seated conviction that small boys did very little exercise during the holidays and needed something to get the blood flowing and the muscles working when they returned. Admittedly Pip thought he could possibly be right and as his personal philosophy was, whatever the activity, to get stuck in and try to enjoy it, he was not particularly perturbed at the idea of some hard physical work. The class was told to find a partner of similar size and weight to spot and count. No difficulty there. He and Boyd had got to the stage where they were almost superglued together anyway. While Mr Bridgeman was explaining the circuit, Pip's mind and eyes were straying towards Boyd again. His kit on Boyd was certainly on the small side, but that had an advantage. At first he was taken by the way Boyd's erect nipples were pushing against the inside of the white gym vest. He had never before thought that nipples could be hot. They were just there. Then as he lowered his gaze he just followed the contours of his shorts as they tightly clung, first to Boyd's pert little buttocks and then, doing the work of a pair of Speedos, outlined the by no means modest packet which not only confirmed his sex, but also disclosed his religion. 'I should have worn my jockstrap,' mused Pip as the slip under his new looser shorts proved inadequate to the task of not giving away his thoughts.
"I hope you got all that, Boyd," whispered Pip as he realised he had not taken in a word of the instructions. However, he had done enough circuits in the past to know what to do. The lesson went very well. Pip and Boyd competed against each other, which they were meant to do, and were generally evenly matched with Boyd pipping Pip to the post on the last exercise. A sweat was raised and muscles used which had enjoyed a six or seven week rest.
"Okay, boys," said Mr Bridgeman. "Not bad for a first session. You've got your personal scores written down. Now over the term I expect you to perform the same number of exercises when we do circuit training, but you significantly reduce your personal times. Then we can do more interesting things in the lessons. Shower and change."
There was a scramble for the changing room as the class was dismissed, for they knew that as it was lunch next they were in their own time.
"Boyd, there's no rush. All they're interested in is lunch."
"And what are you interested in?" asked Boyd provocatively for it also meant that if they took their time changing they would eventually have the shower to themselves.
"A long refreshing shower..." he paused "... with you!" Pip could not understand what had made him so bold. They went into the shower just as the first lot were coming out. There was the normal checking out going on, especially as so many of the class had grown over the summer holidays, but no one worried about that. They had been together now for two years, some longer that had gone to the same feeder schools, and of course they were interested in the new boy. The shower soon emptied. As Pip posed in front of Boyd, they could hear Mr Bridgeman shouting at them to hurry up or they'd be late for lunch and for the last ones in the showers to make sure they were turned off. Boyd reciprocated by giving a twirl. They were both sporting half hard-ons, so Pip turned on the cold water so that they could walk back to where their clothes were with some respectability. But Pip knew that the rest of the school day would now turn out to be an anticlimax.
Pip was puzzled. By nature he was a very open boy and it occurred to him that perhaps in his actions he had been too open towards Boyd, but what was troubling him was the fact that Boyd had not reacted by hitting him or calling him names or showing any signs of disgust or aggression. 'And wasn't he stiffening up in the shower as well?' The two boys dried themselves off. By now they virtually had the changing room to themselves.
"Pip, thanks for the kit. I'll get it laundered at home and then get it back to you."
"Don't worry about that. My mum will do it. Just put it back in the placky bag and I'll pack it away with mine," for Pip had other ideas. The two boys cut across to the canteen and caught up with their form mates there. Most of them were already feeling the effects of the gym lesson. "Now that's because you don't take time to warm down in the shower," interjected Pip as if to justify his own long sojourn there.
"It's so that you can check more people out, more like it, you little faggot," added Josh in jest.
"That reminds me," retorted Pip. "I obviously missed you today and you're jealous. I'll catch you after rugby on Thursday."
"Bring a magnifying glass," added Josh's mate Steve.
"Microscope," added another, and amid the laughter and banter the conversation changed to the afternoon's lessons.
For the moment Pip's curiosity had been satisfied. So had Boyd's, but he wasn't so worried about the situation since he had more experience on his side. And so the the afternoon passed quickly and at a quarter to four Boyd and Pip walked out of school together heading for Boyd's house. Pip had already telephoned ahead to say that he would be home later and not to worry. As they reached Morningwood Crescent they met Mrs George just as she was about to climb into the SUV and after a short conversation she said the girls had to stay behind for netball practice and as she was picking them up, then doing the Waitrose run it would probably be six before they got back. Boyd looked at his watch. Ten past four. Nearly two hours to hang out.
The two boys said cheerio, went to attack some snacks left out for them in the kitchen before going up to Boyd's room. The first thing that struck Pip were the posters on the wall. They were largely Ozzie rules football players and among them Boyd pointed out some of him.
"Awesome," said Pip obviously impressed. "I like the kit - no arms in the jerseys..."
"Guernseys we call them," corrected Boyd. "... and the shorts. They don't leave much to the imagination."
"I gathered you were impressed, Pip," he said after noticing that Pip had been staring at them for all of a minute. "Would you like to see the real thing?"
"I've seen it already in the showers."
"No, you perve, my football uniforms."
"Sure would," replied Pip and Boyd dived into a chest of drawers and produced two AFL 'uniforms'.
"One was from my school and one from my club," explained Boyd. "Tell you what. We'll change into them and take a ball out into the garden and I'll show you some Ozzie rules." Pip could not believe what he was hearing. He was still half hard from looking at the photos of Boyd. "Which colour do you want?"
"Judging by the photos, you wear the green and yellow one, Boyd." They got changed. Boyd looked even hotter than he did on the photo and even Pip could not stop admiring himself in the mirror after he'd hauled on the tight-fitting red 'uniform'. Was this Boyd getting his own back for the tight gym kit this morning? They went out into the back garden which was large enough for them to play ball games in and Boyd started the demonstration. Pip very soon found out that it was a contact sport and felt on top of the world whenever the two got themselves into a clinch until one point when their dicks accidentally met and each realised through their shorts that the other was sporting a stiffy. They stopped, looked each other in the face and burst out into half-embarrassed laughter.
"I'd better think about getting off home soon," said Pip to defuse the situation.
"Would you like to do some more another day?" Unable to tell a lie Pip answered
"I sure would," and immediately felt disappointed he'd chickened out there. They went back to Boyd's room. Both stripped off completely before putting any clothes on. "What time are you going to leave in the morning, Boyd?"
"About half past eight."
"I'll wait for you at the end of the road. Thanks for the football training. It was really cool. See you tomorrow." Gathering up his belongings Pip disappeared out of the front door and bounded down the road like a young colt. In five minutes he was home.
During tea he couldn't hold back from telling his mother, father and sister about the Ozzie football session at Boyd's.
"Mrs George said they're going to invite me to their housewarming barbie."
"Barbie?" enquired his father.
"Strine for barbecue."
"Strine?"
"It's the word they say for 'Australian'."
"Oh."
"Are you going to invite Boyd round here?" enquired his mother. "We'd like to meet him."
"Sure. How about after rugby training on Saturday? I'm hoping to get him to come along, even though he's never played rugby before. I'll work on that after Thursday's games lesson." Pip and Emma did their chores clearing the table and putting the dirty cutlery and crockery into the washing-up machine. Pip then disappeared up to his room to do his homework.
"Don't forget to put your PE kit in the linen basket, Pip."
"Okay, Mum. By the way I've brought my spare kit home to wash as well. I had to lend it to Boyd because he'd forgotten his."
"Fine, but don't forget. I want to get the machine on after breakfast." Pip finally got up to his room and started on his homework. The kit lay untouched, but not forgotten in his backpack.
Just after nine o'clock Pip said good night to the family and told them he was going to have an early night. With the door to his room safely closed behind him he stripped off all his clothes, took the gym kit out of his bag and separated the shorts and vest that Boyd had been wearing. He was pleased to note that they were still damp with his sweat and as he lay on his back, he breathed in the aroma of Boyd's body odour from the white vest. Instant erection. Pip could not get his fill, yet he left himself untouched, inhaling the scent of sweet fresh sweat combined with deodorant. When he had had his fill of that, he picked up the shorts and likewise breathed in the perfume from the crotch, again a smell of sweat modified since it was from the groin and lacked the remnants of deodorant. This was enough to force him into action as he tenderly pushed and pulled his foreskin back and forth over his glans until he suddenly lost control and spurted his spunk all over his chest and abdomen. Pip lay there. Out of sheer curiosity he scooped up some of the produce with his finger and licked it clean. He could not place the taste. Was it salty or was it sweet? And there was the faint smell of... bleach? He had never been so analytical before, never thought of his seed as anything else but something to be cleared up before it left telltale stains on his sheets and the possibility of embarrassing questions. He fell into that midway state between sleeping and waking where the surrounding sounds become sharper rather than being blotted out by slumber, until he became aware of the discomfort of his jism growing cold and congealing into a sticky mess on his skin and in his pubic hair. Now fully awake he cleaned himself up, dressed himself in the shorts and vest that Boyd had used, climbed into bed and put the light out. Now there was no escape from Boyd's sweet body odour. It worked on Pip like an aphrodisiac aided by the sheer thrill of wearing unwashed garments that Boyd had already worn. It was a similar thrill to the one he had experienced that afternoon when he was wearing his Ozzie football 'uniform', but this time enhanced by the smell of his body, but in time the tightness of the shorts restricted the growth of his dick and as an alternative to stripping the shorts off, which he was so reluctant to do, he had to content himself with stroking it through the cotton material until he felt what was like an explosion as his semen again sought an exit from his body. The shorts soaked in the warm liquid, Pip fell into a deep sleep which only ended when his mother came into his room to wake him for school. Pip remembered with exact detail the events of the previous night. He leapt out of bed, made sure all the dirty clothing went into the linen basket and went for a shower.
As arranged Pip and Boyd met at eight thirty at the bottom of Boyd's road, only this time as they walked merrily off to school it was Boyd who put his arm round Pip's shoulders.
* * *
Thursday afternoon's games session consisted of revision exercises, such as the front, back and side tackles, which were a learning situation for Boyd, followed by unopposed rugby. Once he had gained the basic tenets of kicking forwards, but passing backwards he took to the game and told Pip in the showers how much he had enjoyed the session. At the end of the lesson the games master invited them all to a voluntary coaching session on Saturday morning. It was only voluntary in fact for those that did not want to be in the school team, but Boyd did not need much persuading by Pip to come along anyway. He picked up a lot of coaching hints during that morning and while there was some way to go before he would be ready to play in the representative XV he was already showing some promise as a back, or from the way he tackled and moved around the field as a flanker. 'If only he would master the offside laws,' thought Pip. After the session the two boys made their way homewards, but instead of turning into his Crescent Boyd carried on to Pip's house to spend the afternoon there. Pip introduced him to his parents and sister and for some reason he made an instant hit with them. After a snack lunch the two lads made their way up to Pip's room to play computer games, but as Mrs Hutton went passed she saw through the open door that they had both crashed out on Pip's bed and were fast asleep. The first week at school and the morning's training had just been too much for them. She smiled to herself when she noticed that they had their arms round each other in a loose cuddle.
The boys were now welcome guests at one another's houses. Towards the end of September Mrs Hutton received a telephone call from Mrs George inviting the whole family to their housewarming party. It would be a chance for the two families to get to know each other better. Meanwhile Boyd and Pip became inseparable friends. The first two rugby matches of the term came along. Pip had kept his position as scrum half, but it was early days for Boyd. However, he was willing to go along as reserve if only to be with Pip and to learn more about the game. However, during the second match one of the three-quarters had to come off with what later turned out to be a fractured finger and this gave Boyd his chance. Not only was his tackling ferocious, but at one stage he had the strength and tenacity to break two tackles and score a try. He was now a serious contender for a team place. Coincidentally that was also the morning of his parents' barbie.
* * *
The year was experiencing an Indian summer and although it was the last Saturday in September, the thermometer rose into the seventies during the day and the still air held the temperature well into the evening. It was warm enough for Pip to be dressed in white shorts, a summer-patterned button-up shirt, white socks and trainers. At seven o'clock as the sun was setting the Hutton family started out on foot for the Georges' house. When they arrived it was up to Pip to make the introductions for despite telephone conversations the four parents had not yet met. As a housewarming present Mrs Hutton handed over something which might have been superfluous in Australia, but useful in England, an umbrella stand. It was a small gathering, for the Georges had not yet been in the country two months and it otherwise consisted of some neighbours and colleagues that Mr George worked with. The barbecue was set out on the patio in the garden where the adults were congregating. As it was not really an occasion for children Sheila and Hayley whisked Emma away while after the polite conversation Pip disappeared with Boyd up to his room.
Once there Pip immediately gravitated towards the photos of Boyd he had previously found so attractive. Boyd smiled to himself.
"Would you like a copy of those?" Pip blushed when he realised what he was doing.
"Have you got copies?"
"No, but I scan them and e-mail them to you. You've got your own address and password, haven't you?" From outside they could clearly hear the background music coming from the patio. Oldies from Mr and Mrs George's teens. Boyd started to move in time to the beat. "Hey, Pip, do you dance? You know, disco dancing?"
"Not a lot, but sometimes Emma gets me going."
"Do you feel like dancing now?" Pip was nonplussed and stood there with his mouth open with two thoughts going through his head: 'Boys don't do that! But girls dance together, so why not?' Although an eternity must have passed between question and answer, as enterprising as ever Pip spoke the last two words of his thoughts aloud.
"Why not? You might have to teach me the latest moves."
"No worries, Pip. Just follow me." Boyd started and Pip followed and with his natural co-ordination soon fitted in with Boyd's style. There were the inevitable giggles and the challenges as Boyd tried to make it more difficult for Pip. When the music from outside stopped the two boys collapsed in laughter on Boyd's bed. As they lay there the phone on Boyd's desk rang. Mr George's voice boomed out of the earpiece.
"If you two guys want any tucker, you'd better get down here quick. The grown-ups have nearly eaten it all."
"Thanks, Dad," and they ran down the stairs and into the garden. It had been a slight exaggeration. They had only just started to serve the food.
They each collected a good portion of various cooked meats and salad and went over to the table where their sisters were sitting, picking daintily at their salads and small portions of 'white meat'.
"What have you girls been up to?" asked Pip.
"You know, this and that," replied Hayley.
"That means girly talk," said Boyd, "and looking through fashion magazines."
"You're half right," said Sheila.
"Which half?"
"When you become a fully paid up member of the superior sex, you'll find out the answer to that question for yourself." Boyd and Pip just burst out laughing.
"How about you two?" enquired Emma.
"You wouldn't believe us if we told you," answered Pip.
"Try us."
"Disco dancing," said Pip unabashed.
"You?" came back Emma. "You can't put one foot in front of the other and remain standing." An obvious calumny considering Pip's prowess on the sports field. "Anyway, boys don't do that," she continued.
"Girls dance together," said Boyd. "What about all this equality of the sexes?" Sheila and Hayley could see where this was leading and as far as they were concerned their brother's sexuality was still a family secret.
"Let's go and see what's on the dessert table," said Sheila.
The five children enjoyed sitting there talking amongst themselves and eating, but it was obvious that the grown-ups were enjoying the party in their own way.
"Back to the fashion magazines, I suppose," said Sheila provocatively.
"Back to the disco-dancing, I suppose," echoed Pip and the youngsters cleared away their plates and disappeared in opposite directions. When they got upstairs, Boyd asked
"You want the advanced lesson then, Pip?"
"You mean there's more?"
"Sure. Lesson two - slow dancing. Are you up for it?"
"Try me." Boyd picked a CD from the rack, put it in the player and then programmed particular tracks. He closed the window to cut out the music coming from the garden and pressed play on the remote.
"The first track's normal just to get us in the mood again," and the two boogied away as they had before. Then came a distinct change in tempo. "Okay, Pip, this is what you do. Stand in front of me, close. That's right. Put your arms round my shoulders." Pip did that. "Now I'm going to put my arms round your waist. We step and sway with the music and let me lead. That's all there is to it. Well, not quite all, but you'll see as we go along." The two boys looked dreamily into each other's eyes and Pip gave a half embarrassed smile. Gradually Boyd drew him in until their bodies were touching. Both boys were wearing thin cotton shorts. As their bodies closed they could feel the other's dick through them. Pip looked at Boyd.
"I can feel your dick, Boyd," said Pip, a little afraid he might have upset him.
"I can feel yours too. You're meant to. That's the idea of slow dancing. Do you like what you feel?"
"I must do. I'm getting hard."
"You're meant to do that as well," repeated Boyd as he pulled Pip in tighter and started to harden up himself. Pip lowered his arms, caressed Boyd's buttocks and used the action to pull him in tighter still. Pip was in seventh heaven. He had never felt anything like it before. He laid his head on Boyd's shoulder and could feel him probing his neck and earlobe with his tongue. It sent shivers down his spine in a way he had never experienced in all his life while his dick was rock hard bursting at the seams of his slip with a distinct feeling of dampness. Pip tried to probe Boyd's neck with his tongue, but they were then simply working against each other and he allowed the master to teach the apprentice.
Finally the music stopped. Pip gave a big sigh.
"Did you enjoy that?" asked Boyd.
"More than I can say. Can we do it some more?"
"I've got something better for you." He changed the CD and put on at low volume a classical album to maintain the ambience. "Come and sit on the bed with me." They sat side by side and Boyd placed his lips on Pip's, gently pressed opening his mouth and probed with his tongue. Pip's tongue automatically came to meet his and they tumbled over to end up lying beside each other on the bed amid more giggles.
"You enjoyed that, didn't you, Pip?" said Boyd.
"Do it again." Lying on his side Boyd bent over Pip, gave him another French kiss while his free hand started unbuttoning his shirt and playing with his nipple. It was sheer ecstasy for both of them...
They woke up with a start as the house telephone rang again. Mrs George's voice could be heard to say
"Boyd, say to Pip that his parents will be ready to go in ten minutes."
"Okay, Mum." The two boys looked at each other. They were completely naked, a bit sticky, and their clothes were in a single heap on the floor. They just burst out laughing. "We'd better get dressed quickly before they come looking for us," said Boyd. They grabbed their stuff and quickly put it on.
"If that was disco dancing, it was wicked," said Pip. "We must do it again sometime." Once they had made themselves presentable, they rushed downstairs only to find that Pip's parents were still waiting for Emma.
With the family once more reunited they said their thank yous to the Georges for a thoroughly enjoyable evening and the Huttons embarked on their five minute walk home. It was getting on for midnight when they went through the front door.
"You two children had better get up to bed pretty quickly as it's so late," said Mrs Hutton "and since it's Sunday tomorrow you can sleep in."
The following morning Pip got up at about eight o'clock and went downstairs to breakfast before showering and dressing. As he sat down at the kitchen table after the customary greetings of 'good morning' he wondered why his mother and father were looking at him and then at one another.
"What's up?" he said thinking he had a bogey dangling from the end of his nose.
"Trouble with vampires last night?" his father said finally breaking the silence.
"No, why?"
"Go and take a look at your neck in the mirror," said his mother. Pip walked over to the kitchen sink where a mirror hung and looked. There on the side of his neck was a purply red blotch.
"I must have got bitten by a mosquito," he answered in all innocence.
"Good try, Pip," answered his mother, "but it must have been a pretty big mosquito. That is a lovebite, my son." Pip didn't know what to say.
"I thought you were with Boyd all evening. We didn't see you go off with the girls," added his father.
"I was," replied Pip. 'Oops. Wrong thing to say. Now I am right in it,' thought Pip.
"You'd better dab some witch hazel on it and hope that it disappears before you go to school tomorrow, unless you wear a turtle necked pullover. There's some in the bathroom cabinet," said his mother. After that the subject was completely dropped and he got on and ate his breakfast. Dropped that is until Emma spotted it later and after the initial remark added
"Now you know why we girls read fashion magazines."
While he was dressing Pip took a closer look in the mirror. Oddly enough, apart from the initial embarrassment, he was rather proud of his trophy and as he thought back to how he gained it, he started to harden up. He fetched his digital camera and tried to take a photo of it, once directly and once in the mirror. He switched his computer on to download it, then opened up his e-mail program. There was an e-mail there from Boyd with the promised photos attached. He clicked on reply, wrote 'Housewarming Trophy' and typed a row of exclamation marks, then 'Hugs, Pip', attached the pictures of his lovebite and hit send.
Downstairs a different conversation was going on.
"Glen, I think we've just got to accept the fact that we may have a gay son."
"I do, Barbara, but why us? What have we done wrong?"
"We haven't done anything wrong, anymore than if we'd produced a child with Down's syndrome or bina spifida or Asperger's. Let's just consider ourselves lucky that we have an intelligent, lively, healthy, outgoing son who's not a delinquent and that we're proud of. Does the fact that he's not attracted to girls, but is prepared to give his love to another boy that important?"
"To us, probably not, but it will mean difficulties for him. An outcast, liable to get beaten up, who won't have children."
"Whoa! Glen, admittedly the beating up part worries me, but times are changing. Gay people are accepted more and more and even the children thing is not so impossible any more. People are a lot more liberal now and in ten to fifteen years' time it will no longer be a big deal."
"So what do we do?"
"First of all we don't hassle him. We make sure we love him as much as we've always loved him and that he can talk about it as much or as little as he wants."
"And what about his friendship with Boyd?"
"It goes on in the way they want it to go on. Just think of the resentment, the damage it would do, if we said they can't be friends any longer. And what do we do? Send him to another school?"
"How long have you known about this, Barbara?"
"Definitely known? Since last night. Sort of known? A couple of weeks since Boyd's first visit. Suspected? A couple of years, maybe more. A mother can always tell."
"What do we tell the Georges? We ought to discuss it with them."
"Leave that one with me, Glen. A mother to mother chat. I'll invite Karen George over for coffee one morning next week."
* * *
On Monday morning Pip and Boyd met, as was now their custom, at the bottom of Boyd's road for the walk to school.
"Hi, Pip. Let's see."
"Hi, Boyd. You can't miss it, although the witch hazel has helped it fade a bit."
"Hey, that's a beaut. And I really did that to you?"
"Well, I'll compare your dental records with all my other boyfriends', if you want the final proof."
"What? You've got other boyfriends? You slut! You've just been using me," said Boyd with a huge grin over his face. "And what was that word you used, Pip? Boyfriends? Other boyfriends? Does that mean that we are boyfriends?" It dawned on Pip the significance of the word he'd just let slip. Was that a true Freudian slip? But he was not in the least embarrassed by the idea.
"Is that what you want us to be, Boyd? I suppose if I got a lovebite from anyone other than my boyfriend slash girlfriend, I would be a slut, and the way I feel at the moment... I suppose the way I've been feeling ever since I met you four weeks ago to the day, I don't think I'll ever have a girlfriend..." Pip realised he was thinking out aloud.
"Pip, you asked me a question. Let me answer it. Do I want us to be boyfriends? There's nothing in this world at the moment that I'd like better," and he leant over and kissed Pip on the cheek in broad daylight, not even looking around to see if there was anybody else in the street. "But before I say yes, I've got a confession. You won't be my first boyfriend. I used to have one in Australia, but he dumped me when I said we were coming to England. I cried myself to sleep that night over it. Once I realised what was happening, I knew in a way that he was being cruel to be kind, but it still hurt and I'm sure there could have been a different way."
"So that's why you're such an experienced lover."
"You know how to flatter a girl. No, not experienced, just one chapter ahead in the Queers' Primer of Personal Relationships."
"Now you've made it sound so crude and spoilt it." Boyd put his arm round Pip in a reassuring hug.
"Then from this moment, 08.38 hours and thirty-two seconds on Monday, 27 September, Pip Hutton and Boyd George are officially boyfriends. Agreed?"
"Agreed," replied Pip and briefly returned the kiss on the cheek. They made their way on to school without a further word. Boyd was steeped in ecstatic emotion, Pip was struggling more with the intellectual side of the notion.
Once in registration reality hit them. Normally the sole topic of conversation would have been Saturday's match and Boyd would have been celebrated as a bit of a hero. However, immediately on their arrival Josh and Steve spotted the lovebite on Pip's neck.
"Now what have you been up to over the weekend?" shouted Josh so that the whole room could hear, including Mr Talbot who had just walked into the room.
"Vampires," mumbled Pip lamely, but luckily for him the conversation had to stop there, no doubt to be resurrected later in the day.
* * *
Wednesday morning Karen George rang the doorbell of the Huttons' house at two minutes past ten. Barbara opened the door, welcomed Karen and invited her in. All the coffee things were laid out ready in the kitchen. At first they talked about the housewarming barbie, how successful it had been and how much the Hutton family had enjoyed it. Emma had enjoyed meeting Sheila and Hayley and they hadn't realised till then that they were at the same school. When they were settled, Barbara Hutton started in a more serious tone.
"Karen, don't take this the wrong way, but I wanted to talk to you about Pip."
"Isn't marvellous the way he and Boyd have palled up."
"That's it. We've only had a little chat about this here at home, but it's becoming clear to us that Pip could be gay and because he's such a good friend of Boyd's, Glen and I thought you ought to know about it." She waited for Karen's reaction.
"Barbara, I don't know if Pip's said anything, he may not even know, but for the last year or so we have been going through exactly the same thing with Boyd." Although she was surprised, Barbara felt a weight being lifted from her shoulders. "As I say, we found out about Boyd some time ago. In fact, it came to a head when we knew we were moving to England. Back home Boyd was active, happy go lucky, joined in everything. Then we noticed something was wrong. He didn't want to go to football, he didn't want to go to school, he didn't want to go out with his mates. We didn't have the slightest idea why. Then one evening I was saying good night to him and he broke down in tears. On the surface he is quite a hard little kid and like so many who are, he's soft in the centre once that exterior has been cracked. I'd caught him at the right moment. 'Mum,' he said 'what would you say if I told you I was gay?' What do you say? I told we would love as much as if he weren't. You see with Boyd, having a boy after two girls, he's sort of special to me, well, to Graham as well. Then the story came out. His best friend Scott was gay too and they were kind of boyfriends, but when Boyd said he was going to England Scott dumped him and it broke his heart. 'Do you still want to go to England?' I asked him. 'Sure,' he replied. Thank God I thought. At least we haven't got that hurdle to jump. It took time, but Boyd got over it. Time came to leave Australia and I must admit I was relieved when he quickly made friends with Pip. When we've seen Pip, he's always behaved perfectly and I had no reason to think about whether he was straight or gay or what. I was just so grateful that he had found a friend, was mixing in at school and was restored to his old self. Now after what you've said I understand why better."
"And now I've told you Pip's probably gay too, you don't mind their being friends?"
"You will have all the thoughts and misgivings we've had. If we can share the burden, just talk to us, but I would beg one thing of you, Barbara, for both boys' sakes, let them be friends and encourage them in everything positive they do. And if they turn round one day and tell us they are boyfriends, or in love or whatever, go with it and support them. Don't for goodness sake turn them against you because in the end you will lose a son, whereas eventually you could even gain a son-in-law, as it were."
"But what about sex?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, they're going to get up to things, aren't they?"
"Barbara, just think back to when you were a teenager and you had your first boyfriends. Did you get up to things?"
"Only what normal teenagers get up to, the odd kiss and cuddle and sometimes a bit more."
"Now that's where you have to be careful. You said 'normal'. As far as I can see Boyd and Pip are normal boys. They act like teenagers, think like teenagers, even smell like teenagers. It's just that they find the same sex attractive and that may be a passing phase, it may be for life."
"Karen, thank you. You've given me a lot to think about, but at least you've put my mind at rest." The conversation then turned to more mundane matters such as to what they were going to cook for their families that evening.
* * *
Boyd and Pip had had a great day at school. There was a spring in their step, the lessons had passed quickly and now they were on their way home. They were walking along the road that led towards Boyd's house, typical adolescents absorbed in nothing but themselves, ragging and chasing after each other, so much so that they didn't notice the Year 10 boy from their school hanging about by the alley thirty yards ahead. Then wham! As they passed the entrance three larger Year 10 boys grabbed them and dragged them into the alley.
"C'mere, cocksuckers." It was Pete Darlow, Archie Smith and Darren Napier, three well known bullies. Darlow slammed Boyd against the wall banging his head against it while Smith punched Pip in the side of the head with Napier just looking on.
"We've seen you two shirtlifters kissing and cuddling in the street walking to school. We don't like queerboys," continued Darlow, but they hadn't reckoned with a seasoned Ozzie football player and they had underestimated the U14 XV scrum half. Boyd looked around and saw two of their 'gang' guarding each end of the alley. He suddenly let out a blood curdling yell which was enough to distract their three tormentors. He lifted his leg and brought his hard shoe down as hard as he could across the bridge of Darlow's foot, protected as it was by just a trainer. An ominous crack and the yell of pain caught Smith off guard and quick-wittedly Pip brought his knee up into the bully's groin.
"Right. Leg it, Pip." Napier couldn't get past the heap of bodies in the narrow alley and as our two ran out into the street again they floored the 'guard' for good measure.
They ran a hundred yards along the road and looking round to see that they were no longer being pursued stopped and sat on a wall to take stock.
"Are you okay, Boyd?" asked Pip full of concern.
"A bit of a headache, but otherwise okay. How about you?"
"A bit dizzy."
"You're going to have a bit of a shiner there." Pip shrugged his shoulders.
"Another battle scar," he said nonchalantly.
"Who's doing the school run for the girls today?"
"Your mum, Boyd. You'd better come back to my place."
Looking around again to make sure they were now safe they made their way slowly to Pip's house. When they got there he was surprised to find his father home early.
"What on earth has happened to you two?" Between them and while they were being patched up, the boys described the assault and the reason for it.
"Do you think you need to go to A & E, boys?" asked Mrs Hutton.
"No, we're okay, thanks," Pip answered for both.
"I think this ought to be reported to school," she continued.
"Yes," said Mr Hutton, "but also to the police first. You know what schools are like. They have all these wonderful anti-bullying strategies and policies on race, gay and straight and handicapped rights. When it comes to it, they don't want to act because of the publicity, or because it happened off the premises and after school hours, or because they can't be bothered to get off their butts. If we write to the school with a crime number and the names of those involved, it makes it harder for them not to act and it's too late for them to persuade us not to go to the police. We'll wait till Karen arrives with Emma to make sure we all agree about the action to take. Pip, can you write down the names of the thugs involved for me, please?"
By the time Mrs George arrived the boys had calmed down a bit. She was in full agreement and it was arranged that the two fathers would go round to the local police station together with their sons after tea. That done, the police issued them with a crime number and said they would be in touch.
The following morning Mrs Boyd took both boys to school in the car, each armed with a letter to the headmaster about what had happened, while Mrs Hutton did the girls' school run.
"Just to make sure, boys, I'll pick you up after school again." Once there Pip had a good look around. Smith and Napier were in school, but Smith obviously had some difficulty walking, while their gallant leader Darlow hadn't turned up for registration. On Friday he returned to school with his foot in plaster and walking with the aid of crutches. He glowered when he came across Boyd and Pip in the canteen. Pip still stood out from the crowd with his bright purple eye.
It was Monday before the Huttons and the Georges heard of any action. Darlow and Smith had been suspended to await any police action. Napier and the 'guards' were put in detention as accessories with the threat of suspension, should they be involved in any bullying again. The Darlow and Smith families were eventually summoned to the police station and the boys were cautioned with the threat of court action or an ASBO, should they be involved in any more violent behaviour. The school, however, did express regret that the police had been involved, while the parents rejected the statement and said they would not tolerate any such behaviour either in or out of school and that they would have no hesitation in informing the police on any future occasion.
* * *
Life quietened down for the Hutton and George families as autumn progressed and finally ended in winter. The two boys' friendship grew and even deepened into love as they became more and more inseparable. After the Darlow-Smith affair their reputation as gays could not help but spread round the school, but schoolboy justice is nothing if not fair. Indeed, their reputation was enhanced - two younger boys not only standing up to two generally reviled bullies, but acting in such a way as to curtail their activities even. Pip and Boyd got their act together at school and behaved as straight best mates would. Why not? They saw plenty of each other at home while both sets of parents kept a tolerant, but watchful eye on them in the background. And of course there was the kudos that went with being regular members of the school team. Things moved on at half term when Pip and Boyd were allowed to have their first sleepover. An extra bed was set up in Pip's room, but it wouldn't take Sherlock Holmes to realise that while both beds may have been slept in, it certainly wasn't at the same time. However, it was not until the end of half term that Boyd learnt that his uncle and aunt back home in Oz had invited him and his sisters to spend the Christmas holidays with them, and the bonus was that as there were two sisters, but only one brother he could bring a friend, providing they didn't mind sharing a room!!! So they would have their Christmas barbie on the beach after all that year. Of course, the Huttons were sad that for the first time they wouldn't have the whole family together that year, but they were sensible enough to realise that this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity and supported Pip. In return they invited Graham and Barbara Hutton, who would otherwise be home alone in the depths of a British winter, to spend a thoroughly English Christmas with them. How the boys' love life developed while they were away, one can only surmise since they kept quiet about it and their parents were too sensible to enquire, but from the twinkle in their eyes one might not be far wrong in assuming that of the four virgins who flew out to Australia in December, only two returned in January and they were the girls.
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