chapter 1

Rio was on the soccer team. He was pretty good too, from what I could tell. I sat in the grass watching him practice. I normally would have had cross country practice but I didn't choose to continue it this year. I knew that after the cross country season of my junior year I was done. I had done it for a whole three years. I was always so burnt out by the time the basketball season rolled around that I didn't get to enjoy it.

It was senior year. Was I supposed to spend it not enjoying myself? Everyone knew that senior year was supposed to be super easy and that the biggest responsibility was not to flunk out. Rio ran back and forth and I was partially jealous of his stamina. I had never enjoyed running and if basketball wasn't such an intense sport I'd probably hate it as well. I was pretty tall, at 6'4", and I had broad shoulders. I also naturally did not have the build of a runner. I was thicker than that. I had big legs and a shapely bubble butt.

I liked my ass and if I ever found a guy I think that he'd enjoy it as well. But in order for that to happen I'd actually have to tell someone I was looking for male company.

Rio and I had been friends for a long time. He had been a grade ahead of me until his eighth grade year. His parents were going through a nasty divorce and he missed a lot of school. Both he and his younger brother had to repeat those years. I was really happy about it, actually. I never thought about how awful it would have been had he gone off to high school without me. Hell, I'd be spending senior year without my best friend and that would've been tragic.

He hated telling people he was 19 and a senior in high school. Nobody saw it as a big deal but Rio swore everyone thought he was stupid. He turned 19 in July, two months after I turned 18. My birthday was in May.

The grassy area I sat in was warm. The sky was clear and the sun was front and center. It was mid-August and hot. Rio took off his shirt skillfully and ran over to me. "Hold onto this, will you?" he asked in his unintentionally sexy way. I took the shirt from him and I watched his muscled, brown back move as he ran back onto the field.

Rio was a fit ***er and he had an easier time than I did keeping his weight in check. If I wasn't going to do cross country I had to make sure I kept my eating to a minimum. I never lost much weight when I was on the cross country team because after every practice I would be starving. I would pack two lunches every morning. I told myself it was because I was burning so many calories. If I ate less I probably would have been a better runner and a lot thinner. I weighed about 190 pounds last time I checked.

Rio's practice went on for another hour and when he finished he went to shower and then we met up in the student parking lot. I had my old, beat-up jeep that had belonged to my older cousin before he sold it to me. He sold it me for next to nothing. "You were really on fire today," I said to him as he got into the passenger's seat. He gave a slight chuckle and I noticed his face redden.

"Nah, it wasn't like I was that good," he said. We talked about what to do, seeing as it was only the first week of school and we had no homework. Everyone knew it would be really minimal, especially for seniors. "We could bum around the mall for a little while," he suggested. I agreed and drove to the east side of town, which was also the area in which he lived.

We walked around and he bought a new pair of athletic shorts. The length wasn't as long as I usually wore my own so they went about halfway up his thigh. I thought it was really nice seeing his muscled thighs. I had to chill out. We continued to roam when he suggested we get something from the food court. I got a burger, some fries, and a milkshake. He ate a slice of pizza. Rio said he was craving something sweet and went off to buy a cinnamon pretzel. When he returned he had also bought me one.

I really didn't need it but I couldn't decline such a kind offer. It tasted really good too. He had only taken a bite of his pretzel by the time I finished and handed it over to me. "Dude, you only had like two bites," I said, tentatively taking the pretzel from his hand.

"Aaron, I know. I just wanted a little taste. I'm not like starving or anything."

"Then what makes you think I want it?" I asked, taking a bite.

"You're eating it, aren't you?" he retorted without missing a beat. I was in fact eating the pretzel. That was true. I laughed and he smiled. "Besides, I don't want to get fat. Running back and forth on that soccer field is hard work, you know?" My chewing slowed. Those words really struck a chord with me. I had just earlier been thinking about keeping my weight under control and here I was stuffing my face. I would probably eat whatever dinner my dad was going to make later on tonight as well.