Subject: A Kid Named Ryan, Chapter 2 From – hoo “A Kid Named Ryan” Chapter 2 Tim was a very good soccer coach. He was in his late thirties, married with two children, ages 9 and 6, both boys and so they tended to be around on Saturdays. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays after school, Tim had the team in the weight room doing conditioning for a little more than an hour. The other two days, weather permitting, the team was on the practice field working on “skill drills,” as the players called them. Saturdays, Tim split the squad in half. I took the group that was in the weight room while he had the other half outside doing drills. Now, I’m no guru when it comes to weight lifting and conditioning for soccer. All I could go on was what I did when I played soccer in high school. While I did some research on line to find out what might help me, I really counted on Tim or the seniors to lead the way. I figured out that the assistant coach was really just a monitor so the student athletes didn’t get out of line or if something did happen, a responsible adult was present. It also gave me the chance to get a work out in as well. Although I played soccer, I never have been the athletic type. I do my best to stay in shape by lifting weights and doing some cardio here and there. For being in my mid-twenties, I had a decent-enough body but I wasn’t going to win any modeling jobs either. These teens were in a helluva lot better shape than me and, to be honest, I was envious of what I saw. You could tell that several of them, Ryan included, were studs when they worked out. With their shirts off, I had to be very careful not to get a boner. On one Saturday in November, the weather was horrible so all the team did was conditioning drills and escort izmit lifting weights. Since we finished early, I asked Ryan if he wanted to grab breakfast. “That’d be great!” “Call your folks and let them know,” I said. “They’ll be okay.” “No. Call them and let them know, please.” And so he did. We went to one of the local places that most of the town knew of so no one could go there without knowing someone. When Ryan and I walked in, there were two families with kids in the school there. Both invited us to join them, but Ryan said, “No thanks,” and explained that after lifting weights he didn’t want his body odor to overwhelm anyone. “But thanks anyway,” he said to both tables. After we sat down I asked, “But it’s okay for me to have to smell you?” “You invited me, so you have to,” was his comeback. I just smiled. After we ordered, to make small talk, I asked him, “So how’s your love life?” He sheepishly responded, “I don’t have one.” “So you want one?” “Oh god, no!” “Why not? No girls you’re interested in?” Again, but very quietly, not even looking at me, he said, “No.” “So what’s up?” “Not here. Not now,” he barely whispered. “I’ll explain later.” It was the first time that I saw Ryan flustered. I had no idea why. Breakfast came and the server got me more coffee and Ryan another glass of milk. He devoured his pancakes as if he hadn’t eaten in a week. “Hungry?” I asked. “Yeh. A little.” He patiently waited for me to eat the ham and cheese omelette I ordered with hash browns and toast. After paying, we headed for the car through the weather that seemed to be raining harder than when we went in. Somewhat soaked we got in my car and headed toward his home. Looking out the window as if he were looking very izmit escort far away, Ryan asked, “Can I talk to you about something?” “Sure. What’s up?” “Promise you won’t tell anyone – especially my parents!” “Promise.” “I’m gay.” I pulled over to the first parking lot I came to and shifted my car into park. With rain pouring down outside, I was able to turn myself in the driver’s seat enough to look at him and said, “What did you say?” “You heard me. I’m gay.” Now what was I supposed to do. This kid probably just let me know the deepest secret of his young life. Anyone who saw him at that moment would know he was scared to death just saying what he did. I thought for a moment and said, “You want to know something?” “What?” “I am, too.” He looked at me. His eyes were watery and I don’t think he believed me. As he first wiped his eyes, then his nose, he said, “You’re just saying that.” “No, I’m really not. Why would I say that I’m gay, especially with how people react to it in such a negative way? How do you know you’re gay?” “I like to look at guys, Mr. M. And when we’re in the weight room it’s all I can do not to get caught staring at them. Or worse, get caught with a hard on.” “So that’s the real reason you don’t like conditioning, weights and Saturdays?” He wiped his eyes again and said, “Yeh.” “Okay. Well, now you and I have something else in common. But just like I promised you I won’t tell anyone, you have to make the same promise to me.” He nodded his head and muttered, “I can’t believe this is happening to me.” “Why would you say that?” “I just want to be a normal kid. I don’t need this.” I began to drive away and to tell him a little about myself, when I began to figure out I was gay izmit kendi evi olan escort and that I still lived a pretty normal life. “I just decided that I was going to do the normal things any high school teen would do and not worry about it.” “So you didn’t have a boy friend or someone to talk to about it?” “No one.” “Damn.” “Yeh. At least you have me.” He turned and gave me a little smile and as we got to the driveway of his house he said, “Can we find some time to talk?” “Whenever you want, as long as it’s okay with your parents.” “Okay. Thanks for the ride. And for breakfast. And for, well, you know.” “You’re welcome.” The kid who I melted over whenever I saw him, especially when he was in the weight room, was gay! From the weights and conditioning, Ryan’s body was certainly changing. Whenever he was shirtless you could see the definition in his chest and abs. Sweat caused his tanned and toned body to glisten, so I knew what he meant when he said he was afraid he would get caught staring. Hell, I was afraid he would catch me staring at him! From that point on, Ryan began to trust me with a lot more. We kind of became inseparable during the rest of the school year and that first season of soccer for both of us. He didn’t play a lot, but when he did he contributed. A senior laden team made it to the semifinals of the state tournament only to lose on penalty kicks. With the season over and my first school year almost done, I began trying to figure how to spend my summer. Tim wanted the team to go to a soccer camp in late June. “Can you come with us?” “Sure. I’ll make the time, coach.” Once I found out the details, I asked if I could get there on my own because I wanted to head north after the camp to spend some vacation time in Virginia. “No problem,” Tim replied. So with grades in and the obligatory post-planning in the books at school, my first year as a teacher was over. Little did I know that my life was going to take a dramatic change in a few weeks.