Chapter 9
The rest of the weekend passed at a glacial pace, but finally Monday came around. A grateful Frankie paid Seth to drive him to school, looking forward both to his new classes and getting to spend time with Caleb later in the day. It was nice to get back to civilization, away from the bosom of his strange, hick relatives. And the college students on campus were like college students everywhere; he found himself fitting right in. He also made some friends that first day, most notably a guy he met in his Ancient Civilizations class.
Frankie was yawning and trying to concentrate, because early mornings were never his high point. He blinked down at the professor, who was giving the class a run-down on what they could expect to be learning this semester. Suddenly he heard a pleasant laugh beside him, and a Styrofoam cup slid his way. “Here; I was saving it for a friend, but it looks like he’s not coming to class today,” it said.
Frankie turned to look at the cup, and his nostrils flared at the scent of strong, rich coffee that wafted up from it. He glanced at the person offering it then, and saw a decidedly good-looking man with a pair of friendly green eyes smiling at him. “Are you sure?” he asked. “Your friend might still show up.”
A grin that showed off rows of white teeth. “I hardly think so. I’m sure he decided to sleep in, since we probably won’t be doing much today and he can always bum the notes off of me later.”
“Oh. Thanks, then,” Frankie said gratefully, taking the cup and sipping at it. It was warm and wonderful, and the caffeine began to sing along his nerves and wake him up almost right away. He sighed blissfully, hearing a chuckle beside him.
“I’m Jordan Nordquist, by the way,” the other student said. “I’ve never seen you around before this. Are you new?”
“Yeah. I just transferred from California,” Frankie explained. “And I’m Frankie Post. Nice to meet you.”
“Cool. It’ll be great to know someone from California – especially since that’s where I intend to go when I graduate,” the other student commented.
Frankie glanced at him. “I don’t blame you for wanting to go somewhere warm,” he replied softly.
Another laugh. “Oh, it’s not that. It’s just that I’m a Drama Major. I intend to be an actor,” Jordan explained. “So California is the place to be for me.”
“Oh. Well, good luck with that. There’s thousands of people trying to make it in show biz at any given time,” Frankie pointed out doubtfully.
Jordan smiled, showing his great teeth again. “That doesn’t matter; I’ll be one of the ones who makes it,” he said with utter confidence.
Frankie blinked. “You just might be, at that,” he said. That much confidence couldn’t help but be an asset, and Jordan was also blessed with good looks and charm. And he was personable, too. He had all the attributes of a good actor – although whether he could actually act remained to be seen. Although there were many people who’d made it in Hollywood who couldn’t act to save themselves, so…
Jordan said quietly: “Would you like to go and grab some food with me after class? We could talk,” he said, and there was a blatant invitation in his eyes.
Frankie sighed, shaking his head. “We can do that, but I have a boyfriend already,” he told Jordan. “Just so you know,” he added.
Jordan looked faintly disappointed but shrugged. “Oh, well. I can always use another friend, especially one from California.”
Frankie grinned. “And I could use some friends here, too. Do you know any good places to eat?”
“There’s a place here on campus that serves great food, and it’s reasonable. I’ll take you there after class,” Jordan told him.
He and Jordan ate breakfast together and talked, and they were fast friends by the time the meal was over. Frankie had a good time telling his new friend all about his strange family, and Jordan laughed heartily at his description. “I’m surprised that there aren’t any bodies buried in the fruit cellar,” Frankie finished as he took the last bite of the flaky pastry on his plate.
“You never know, there might be,” Jordan remarked. “Anyway, Frankie, I have to run,” he added, looking at his watch. “I’ll see you later, okay?”
“Sure,” Frankie watched him leave, feeling great. He had a date with Caleb to look forward to later today, and he had a new friend. This Monday had started out very well indeed.
He was waiting outside of the administration building later that day, shivering as he watched the cars entering the parking lot. Finally the familiar dark-blue sedan turned in, and Frankie hurried over to it. He jumped in with a grateful sigh for the warmth, making Caleb grin at him. “Are you doing an imitation of an icicle?” he asked teasingly.
“Y-Yeah. A great i-imation,” Frankie said through chattering teeth.
“Next time wait for me somewhere else where you can do so inside,” Caleb lectured him. “I don’t want to pull up and find a Frankie statue waiting for me someday.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Where are we going?” Frankie asked hopefully as Caleb pulled out of the parking lot.
“Well, let’s just say that it’ll involve food. That should make you happy,” Caleb replied, casting him a gleaming sideways look.
Frankie gave him the finger, which made him laugh. Just then his cell phone rang. He pulled it out and answered it. “Hello? Oh, hi Jordan,” he said. “Tomorrow? That’ll be cool. Where? I don’t know where that is. Okay,” he went on after listening for a moment. “Yeah, I’m looking forward to it. Thanks.” He hung up, and realized from the silence emanating from the driver’s seat that Caleb had heard this entire conversation. Frankie decided to torture him a bit. “That was my new friend Jordan Nordquist,” he said casually. “He’s head of the Drama Club, and they’re putting on a play right now. He invited me over to watch them rehearse tomorrow. It seems like it’ll be a blast.”
“Oh? What play?” Caleb’s voice was carefully neutral. Frankie smirked to himself.
“Westside Story, if you can believe it. I guess that means that Jordan can sing, too. And dance. A pretty talented guy, not to mention great-looking. He should go far in Hollywood.”
Caleb frowned, which delighted Frankie. “And you say he’s your new friend?” he asked.
“Yep. Just met him today. I’m really looking forward to getting to know him better,” Frankie said casually, his own eyes gleaming as he amused himself at Caleb’s expense.
“I see,” Caleb’s voice was flat. Frankie couldn’t help himself. He burst out laughing.
Caleb frowned awfully at him. “I don’t see what’s so funny,” he groused.
“You. You are,” Frankie chortled. “You’re just too cute when you get all jealous, you know that? That’s why I told you all that, to get you going. I’ve already told Jordan that I have a boyfriend, and he was cool with that. Besides, he might be pretty good-looking, but YOU are a total stud.”
Caleb shook his head, although his lips twitched at the same time. I’ve been had,” he remarked ruefully to the air. “And then you butter me up so that I won’t be mad at you for getting my goat.”
“Yep. Worked, didn’t it?” Frankie said, beaming at him.
Caleb sighed. “Yes, it did, I’ll admit that. A man loves to have his…ego…stroked,” he added with a tone in his voice that made Frankie sit up and take notice (literally).
“I’m all for stroking…egos,” he replied with a lascivious look at his companion.
“Good. I’m glad to hear that,” Caleb stopped at a red light, and reached out to put his hand no Frankie’s knee. The big appendage cradled his entire knee, squeezing lightly. His breath left his body in a rush as it stroked circles over the top of his ski pants. He began to pant helplessly, and he was sure whether he was happy or sad when the light changed and Caleb withdrew his hand.
“So how was your weekend? Were you bored to death?” Caleb asked him.
“Not totally,” Frankie replied. He told Caleb about Roger and the sculpture, and Caleb listened with interest to this recital.
“I guess there’s more to Roger than we thought,” he remarked when Frankie was done. “Although I suppose we should have known that just from looking at that sculpture. Roger’s an interesting person.”
“Well, all of the Starkes are interesting, it’s just that some of them are the same kind of interesting as freaks in a sideshow,” Frankie commented dryly. “Aaron tried to make me go to his church on Sunday, but I told him I had a ton of work to do to get ready for school. He scowled at me so darkly that I wanted to hide under my bed. But since none of the rest of the family goes either, I guess he’s had to accept that over the years.”
“Sounds like fun. Much better than getting to hang out in a dance club full of sexy, scantily-clad men all looking to party and get laid,” Caleb said teasingly. Frankie scowled at him. “Thanks a lot. I want to be reminded of the fun job you have, and the fact that you hang around a bunch of sexed-up guys all the time,” he growled. “Especially when I get to spend my weekends trapped with the Addams family.”
Caleb smirked. “Hey, you started it. Or were you NOT trying to get me going talking about your hot new friend?” he asked.
Frankie rolled his eyes. “Okay, mea culpa. Could we talk about something else now?”
“Sure thing. Maybe we could talk about that photo I have in my bedroom?” Caleb said innocently.
Frankie snorted. “I’m still not sure that I believe that you have that photo in your bedroom.” He told Caleb.
“Well, I‘ll just have to prove it to you soon,” Caleb said calmly. “Won’t I?”
Frankie felt his mouth go bone dry. “Yeah,” he said after clearing his throat. “You definitely will.”
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The rest of the weekend passed at a glacial pace, but finally Monday came around. A grateful Frankie paid Seth to drive him to school, looking forward both to his new classes and getting to spend time with Caleb later in the day. It was nice to get back to civilization, away from the bosom of his strange, hick relatives. And the college students on campus were like college students everywhere; he found himself fitting right in. He also made some friends that first day, most notably a guy he met in his Ancient Civilizations class.
Frankie was yawning and trying to concentrate, because early mornings were never his high point. He blinked down at the professor, who was giving the class a run-down on what they could expect to be learning this semester. Suddenly he heard a pleasant laugh beside him, and a Styrofoam cup slid his way. “Here; I was saving it for a friend, but it looks like he’s not coming to class today,” it said.
Frankie turned to look at the cup, and his nostrils flared at the scent of strong, rich coffee that wafted up from it. He glanced at the person offering it then, and saw a decidedly good-looking man with a pair of friendly green eyes smiling at him. “Are you sure?” he asked. “Your friend might still show up.”
A grin that showed off rows of white teeth. “I hardly think so. I’m sure he decided to sleep in, since we probably won’t be doing much today and he can always bum the notes off of me later.”
“Oh. Thanks, then,” Frankie said gratefully, taking the cup and sipping at it. It was warm and wonderful, and the caffeine began to sing along his nerves and wake him up almost right away. He sighed blissfully, hearing a chuckle beside him.
“I’m Jordan Nordquist, by the way,” the other student said. “I’ve never seen you around before this. Are you new?”
“Yeah. I just transferred from California,” Frankie explained. “And I’m Frankie Post. Nice to meet you.”
“Cool. It’ll be great to know someone from California – especially since that’s where I intend to go when I graduate,” the other student commented.
Frankie glanced at him. “I don’t blame you for wanting to go somewhere warm,” he replied softly.
Another laugh. “Oh, it’s not that. It’s just that I’m a Drama Major. I intend to be an actor,” Jordan explained. “So California is the place to be for me.”
“Oh. Well, good luck with that. There’s thousands of people trying to make it in show biz at any given time,” Frankie pointed out doubtfully.
Jordan smiled, showing his great teeth again. “That doesn’t matter; I’ll be one of the ones who makes it,” he said with utter confidence.
Frankie blinked. “You just might be, at that,” he said. That much confidence couldn’t help but be an asset, and Jordan was also blessed with good looks and charm. And he was personable, too. He had all the attributes of a good actor – although whether he could actually act remained to be seen. Although there were many people who’d made it in Hollywood who couldn’t act to save themselves, so…
Jordan said quietly: “Would you like to go and grab some food with me after class? We could talk,” he said, and there was a blatant invitation in his eyes.
Frankie sighed, shaking his head. “We can do that, but I have a boyfriend already,” he told Jordan. “Just so you know,” he added.
Jordan looked faintly disappointed but shrugged. “Oh, well. I can always use another friend, especially one from California.”
Frankie grinned. “And I could use some friends here, too. Do you know any good places to eat?”
“There’s a place here on campus that serves great food, and it’s reasonable. I’ll take you there after class,” Jordan told him.
He and Jordan ate breakfast together and talked, and they were fast friends by the time the meal was over. Frankie had a good time telling his new friend all about his strange family, and Jordan laughed heartily at his description. “I’m surprised that there aren’t any bodies buried in the fruit cellar,” Frankie finished as he took the last bite of the flaky pastry on his plate.
“You never know, there might be,” Jordan remarked. “Anyway, Frankie, I have to run,” he added, looking at his watch. “I’ll see you later, okay?”
“Sure,” Frankie watched him leave, feeling great. He had a date with Caleb to look forward to later today, and he had a new friend. This Monday had started out very well indeed.
He was waiting outside of the administration building later that day, shivering as he watched the cars entering the parking lot. Finally the familiar dark-blue sedan turned in, and Frankie hurried over to it. He jumped in with a grateful sigh for the warmth, making Caleb grin at him. “Are you doing an imitation of an icicle?” he asked teasingly.
“Y-Yeah. A great i-imation,” Frankie said through chattering teeth.
“Next time wait for me somewhere else where you can do so inside,” Caleb lectured him. “I don’t want to pull up and find a Frankie statue waiting for me someday.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Where are we going?” Frankie asked hopefully as Caleb pulled out of the parking lot.
“Well, let’s just say that it’ll involve food. That should make you happy,” Caleb replied, casting him a gleaming sideways look.
Frankie gave him the finger, which made him laugh. Just then his cell phone rang. He pulled it out and answered it. “Hello? Oh, hi Jordan,” he said. “Tomorrow? That’ll be cool. Where? I don’t know where that is. Okay,” he went on after listening for a moment. “Yeah, I’m looking forward to it. Thanks.” He hung up, and realized from the silence emanating from the driver’s seat that Caleb had heard this entire conversation. Frankie decided to torture him a bit. “That was my new friend Jordan Nordquist,” he said casually. “He’s head of the Drama Club, and they’re putting on a play right now. He invited me over to watch them rehearse tomorrow. It seems like it’ll be a blast.”
“Oh? What play?” Caleb’s voice was carefully neutral. Frankie smirked to himself.
“Westside Story, if you can believe it. I guess that means that Jordan can sing, too. And dance. A pretty talented guy, not to mention great-looking. He should go far in Hollywood.”
Caleb frowned, which delighted Frankie. “And you say he’s your new friend?” he asked.
“Yep. Just met him today. I’m really looking forward to getting to know him better,” Frankie said casually, his own eyes gleaming as he amused himself at Caleb’s expense.
“I see,” Caleb’s voice was flat. Frankie couldn’t help himself. He burst out laughing.
Caleb frowned awfully at him. “I don’t see what’s so funny,” he groused.
“You. You are,” Frankie chortled. “You’re just too cute when you get all jealous, you know that? That’s why I told you all that, to get you going. I’ve already told Jordan that I have a boyfriend, and he was cool with that. Besides, he might be pretty good-looking, but YOU are a total stud.”
Caleb shook his head, although his lips twitched at the same time. I’ve been had,” he remarked ruefully to the air. “And then you butter me up so that I won’t be mad at you for getting my goat.”
“Yep. Worked, didn’t it?” Frankie said, beaming at him.
Caleb sighed. “Yes, it did, I’ll admit that. A man loves to have his…ego…stroked,” he added with a tone in his voice that made Frankie sit up and take notice (literally).
“I’m all for stroking…egos,” he replied with a lascivious look at his companion.
“Good. I’m glad to hear that,” Caleb stopped at a red light, and reached out to put his hand no Frankie’s knee. The big appendage cradled his entire knee, squeezing lightly. His breath left his body in a rush as it stroked circles over the top of his ski pants. He began to pant helplessly, and he was sure whether he was happy or sad when the light changed and Caleb withdrew his hand.
“So how was your weekend? Were you bored to death?” Caleb asked him.
“Not totally,” Frankie replied. He told Caleb about Roger and the sculpture, and Caleb listened with interest to this recital.
“I guess there’s more to Roger than we thought,” he remarked when Frankie was done. “Although I suppose we should have known that just from looking at that sculpture. Roger’s an interesting person.”
“Well, all of the Starkes are interesting, it’s just that some of them are the same kind of interesting as freaks in a sideshow,” Frankie commented dryly. “Aaron tried to make me go to his church on Sunday, but I told him I had a ton of work to do to get ready for school. He scowled at me so darkly that I wanted to hide under my bed. But since none of the rest of the family goes either, I guess he’s had to accept that over the years.”
“Sounds like fun. Much better than getting to hang out in a dance club full of sexy, scantily-clad men all looking to party and get laid,” Caleb said teasingly. Frankie scowled at him. “Thanks a lot. I want to be reminded of the fun job you have, and the fact that you hang around a bunch of sexed-up guys all the time,” he growled. “Especially when I get to spend my weekends trapped with the Addams family.”
Caleb smirked. “Hey, you started it. Or were you NOT trying to get me going talking about your hot new friend?” he asked.
Frankie rolled his eyes. “Okay, mea culpa. Could we talk about something else now?”
“Sure thing. Maybe we could talk about that photo I have in my bedroom?” Caleb said innocently.
Frankie snorted. “I’m still not sure that I believe that you have that photo in your bedroom.” He told Caleb.
“Well, I‘ll just have to prove it to you soon,” Caleb said calmly. “Won’t I?”
Frankie felt his mouth go bone dry. “Yeah,” he said after clearing his throat. “You definitely will.”
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