(Copyright by Juan DeJesus,
2001, all rights reserved)

Troop 23 had one of the largest Boy Scout memberships in the city. It even had managed to keep some boys interested enough to remain members into their upper teens. This was due in good measure to the frequency of camping trips that they arranged for the youngsters. There was at least one a month, in all seasons, throughout the year.

These were the regular camping trips that all members could attend. Jared had heard rumors of other overnight excursions that were by invitation only. Some of the older boys and even a few his own age, but in the know, would occasionally drop a remark that caused the youth to believe that this was so. That he didn’t come right out and ask one of his fellow scouts was due to a natural reticence and the absurd and self defeating desire that no one should find out there was anything he didn’t already know or wasn’t able to figure out for himself.

Asking would only draw attention to the fact that he was not one of those who were invited. And after asking, if he were still not included, he would have the embarrassment of everyone knowing that he had been refused. He wasn’t rejected if he never applied, the youth reasoned, and without ever admitting to himself an awareness of his own thought process.

The youngster was a graduate of the Cub Scout program sponsored by the same church, the one where he attended Sunday school. He had then proceeded quickly through the tenderfoot and second class scout requirements and bogged down a bit on those for first class. Since Jared wanted to finish these before he was thirteen, he would have to get moving. The lad would reach that milestone in a few months.

That was one of the reasons he decided to go on the next camping trip. There would be time to work on some of the more troublesome prerequisites with the help of the leaders and older boys. For this purpose, once they had arrived at the camp grounds and set up their tents, Jared sought out one of the junior assistant scoutmasters. That was a status attainable at the age of 16, if you were already an eagle scout. Assistant scoutmasters were at least 18 and scoutmasters 21, though theirs was in his 30’s.

Ward was glad to help him, and he was soon making good progress. The older boy rounded up a few other kids who needed to complete the same tasks and they spent the afternoon together. Then it was time to break for dinner preparations, so they set off to scavenge for fallen, dried branches to use for firewood. In small groups, they would be cooking their own food over open fires.

After dark and cleaning up from their meal, there was the usual disorder, as the boys went off in various directions through the woods. They were doing a lot of nothing really, other than meandering around, meeting up with others of their band and chatting among themselves. They straggled back, thinking it was late, when it was perhaps nearing nine o’clock.

Jared had just crawled into his sleeping bag when Ward opened the front flap. The youngster knew who it was because he recognized the voice when the youth said, “Hi.” Ward continued into the tent that was big enough for two, though Jared was not sharing at the time. The older boy reclined beside the younger, propped up on an elbow. The tent was much too low for standing.

“Busy day, huh,” the older youth remarked.

“Yeah,” Jared agreed.

Ward remarked upon the unevenness of the ground under the plastic floor of the tent, “It’s really lumpy in here. Is it this bad where you are.”

“No, it’s pretty smooth. That’s why I’m on this side.”

The older boy pushed a hand under the boy’s sleeping bag as though to see for himself. “Yeah, not too bad,” he concluded. “You brought a lot of leaves and pine needles in with you though.”

It would be hard not to, the whole area was wooded. Ward picked a few off the top of Jared’s sleeping bag. “I bet you dragged some right into the sack with you,” he remarked in a teasing tone.

“Yeah, maybe,” the boy agreed.

“Let’s see,” the older youth suggested. Since the sleeping bag was only zipped to mid chest, Ward easily introduced a hand to check for debris.

Jared liked the attention. He liked Ward. The older youth was good looking besides being likable. Though short for his age, he was well built. The younger boy never tired of seeing the older one’s biceps bulge when he bent his arm to lift something heavy. Of course, they had seen each other’s bodies in bathing suits often enough. The fine strands of Ward’s close cropped, sandy blonde hair contrasted with Jared’s long, dark brown, heavy locks.

The youngster felt no misgivings when older boy pretended to find a leaf and remove it, before going back to search for more. Instead he giggled as though tickled.

“Sorry,” Ward said and slowed the movements of his hand and fingers to a more gentle exploration. The action of his arm reaching toward the foot end of the sleeping bag served to further lower the zipper. He felt between the younger boy’s legs, but not near his crotch.

“Turn over,” he advised. Jared did as directed and his friend worked his way back up to the neck, occasionally stopping to remove whatever foreign objects had supposedly been found. The pretence of searching for twigs and such ended at this point. Ward rubbed the back of Jared’s neck.

“Feel good?” he was asked.

“God, yes,” the youth replied. Ward mussed the youngster’s hair playfully. He then began a discussion about the day’s activities and the work on Jared’s requirements for First Class Scout. At the same time his hand proceeded back down the boy’s body, smoothing and gently gliding over him, even his buttocks and the backs of his legs, all the way to his toes.

Jared would have liked to close his eyes and think of nothing but the older boy’s touch, but he had to keep up his end of the conversation. Ward moved his hand to the small of the youth’s back and this time worked it under the hem of the white cotton T-shirt. Up it went, now sliding directly on soft skin over relaxed muscle.

A short while later, naked in his sleeping bag, Jared was being masturbated by the older boy. He whimpered softly when he ejaculated and then lay quiet, breathing rapidly. Ward cleaned the youth up with a handkerchief, kissed him on the forehead and said, “See ya later, kid.” This was his exit line just prior to crawling out of the tent. The younger boy remained still for several minutes, before looking for his under ware and getting himself back into his T-shirt and briefs. Then he turned over and went to sleep.

The next morning the two boys continued to work toward obtaining Jared’s desired advancement. There being other people around, they did not mention the happenings of the night before. Right after lunch, all effort went into packing up and cleaning the campsite, before they were driven back to their homes.

*****

At the regular Tuesday night troop meeting, Ward got Jared aside and told him that there was a special camping trip scheduled for the coming weekend. It was for a smaller group and Jared was invited, if he wanted to go. This would be a longer outing, both Friday and Saturday nights. Did he think he could get permission, the older boy enthusiastically inquired. Ward’s manner suggested an earnest hope in that regard.

The younger boy was thrilled at the prospects, both of finely being included in the semi-secret and exclusive, extra trips and the chance of repeating, with his friend, the experiences of the previous Saturday night. On Thursday evening, Jared packed up his gear in preparation for meeting the group at the church annex on the following afternoon.

The scoutmaster and an assistant drove six scouts and Ward out to Boxford where a member of the troop committee had a house and four acre of land on a pond. At one time there had been a day camp on the property. Some of it had been sold off in smaller lots. The owner had built a large new house, but the old camp building remained. The scouts would bunk there, so tents were not needed for this trip.

The youngster was relieved when it became clear that he and Ward would share one of the three small bedrooms. There was a metal frame bunk bed in the room, but they wouldn’t have need of the upper one, he was sure. Three boys were assigned cots in the large central room with its field stone fireplace. For some reason two other boys had rooms to themselves. The last small room had been converted into a kitchen.

Upon arrival, the kids dropped their packs and headed down to the pond to take out boats and canoes for an hour or so, until it was time to for their evening meal. Ward and the adults stayed behind to make those preparations. At dusk they gathered in the main room and stuffed themselves with pasta and salad off paper plates held precariously on laps.

“We’ll be having desert at the main house,” Ward told the younger boy, with a wink, as they sat side by side on one of the cots.

The others must have already known this. Without anything being said, they donned jackets as soon as the leftovers were put away, the pots washed, and the main room picked up. Out the door they trooped and though the dark. Not knowing the way, Jared stuck to the older boy like glue, and was rewarded with an arm thrown over his shoulder even though they were all in a group and the others could plainly see. Apparently it didn’t matter.

The scouts and their leaders were welcomed at the main house by the owner and two other members of the troop committee. The youngster didn’t know this until it was explained to him by his friend. Everyone went into the huge, bright kitchen to get bowls of ice cream that they took with them to a dimly lit, even larger, living room with the biggest TV Jared had ever seen. A pay per view action movie was to begin in another quarter of an hour.

At that time the lights were doused completely, except for the illuminated screen. He noticed that the men and boys seemed to be pairing up. A kid, who Jared would never have suspected of doing so, joined one of the men in a chair. The man’s arm went around the boy as though it was the most natural thing in the world. Ward caught him looking and gave him a squeeze on the arm and a mischievous look. “Fun, huh.”

“Yeah,” the lad managed, too stunned to let sink in what all this really meant. When they arrived at the house there had been a lot of hugging, not the sort of thing that went on at troop meetings. He had watched as the older men and Ward had greeted each other that way. It was certainly a very friendly bunch, the younger boy thought.

Now he and Ward were sitting together on the floor, their backs against the end of a couch that was occupied by others. Jared was nearer to the TV because the bigger youth could see over his head. “Come on, cuddle up,” Ward whispered in his ear. At the same time he felt the other boy’s arms come around him and pull him into an embrace. “No one here is going to care,” he added, perhaps feeling some slight reluctance.

Jared thought about this last remark as he let himself be tucked up. Nor did the older boy’s hands remain still, though there was some discretion exhibited. They moved slowly and didn’t try to penetrate the flimsy defenses of the youngster’s clothing.

A half hour or so into the film, one couple, an older boy and one of the men left the room together. Jared suspected that they couldn’t wait. By now he was pretty sure he knew what was going on. All of them were doing the kinds of things he had done with Ward in the tent the previous weekend. It didn’t occur to him that if he had declined those advances that he wouldn’t be here now. At some level he understood, though not at the plane of consciousness.

Then it was Ward who couldn’t wait any longer. “Let’s go back,” he whispered into Jared’s ear. The younger boy was ready. What he had seen going on had stirred up his thoughts quite sufficiently. Right after supper and prior to setting out he had thought it would be nice to stay behind, just the two of them. Now he was glad that he had come, and even happier to return.

They walked with Ward’s arm placed firmly around Jared shoulder, pressing the youngster against himself. He removed his arm only to replace it on the kid’s side, then let his hand slide to the boy’s hip, pulling their bodies tightly together. It felt to Jared like the older boy wanted them to meld into one.

Near the cabin, Ward stopped, took Jared’s face in his hands, lifted it and kissed him on the lips. Then he opened the boy’s mouth with his fingers and stuck his tongue in. Jared felt slightly dizzy, but it was over in a second. He had no idea that this action foreshadowed anything about the night to come.

The youngster was stupefied by the effects of the older boy’s mouth on his body, kissing him and licking him. Previous to this, he had no idea that people did these things. It was glorious. Ward even licked and sucked on his stiffened penis. When his friend asked him if he would like to try a little of that, the youngster readily agreed. The older guided him and suggested little changes in how he went about it.

Then Ward lay the youngster back down and finished him by hand. The older boy surprised Jared again when he dipped a fingertip in the youngster’s milk and tasted it. At the same time he gave one of his special, mischievous smirks. “Yum,” he claimed, still grinning. “Want a taste?” he asked going back for a second probe with the finger tip.

The youngster opened up and Ward placed his finger tip onto the boy’s tongue. It didn’t taste like much of anything, he decided. But the idea of it was certainly very sexy.

“Jared? Sweetheart?” the older boy crooned.

“Yeah?” Jared asked.

“May I cum in your mouth? Please?” This last was uttered with such fearful hopefulness that Jared felt compelled to accept the plan. How could he not do anything to please the friend who had shown him such bliss? And in the event, he was happy that he had.

*****

The following night, they again went to the big house for dessert, cake this time, and a different movie. There were other differences, as well. This time Jared, now a full member of the group, received the same hugs and pats that were accorded the others. He sensed that they were even less reserved with each other on this second evening. Ward spent somewhat more time with the adults. But Jared was not alone for long. The assistant scout master, himself only a few years older than Ward, filled in, engaging the youngster in conversation.

However, as soon as the movie began, Ward was back and they occupied the same place on the floor as they had the previous night. Throughout the room the snuggling began sooner and seemed more abandoned. This time it appeared that Ward couldn’t wait, for he whispered, “Come on,” to his younger friend and led him to an upstairs room. Then they didn’t do that much, only dry humped on the bed, fully clothed, before returning more steamed up than before they had left.

As the movie neared its conclusion, as though some mysterious signal had been given, the group as a whole threw off all caution. Every place he looked, Jared saw hands reaching into unbuttoned, unzipped clothing. Then Ward laid him prone on the floor and resumed where he had left off in the upstairs bedroom.

Some couples retired to rooms above. Jared observed how others were now nearly naked on the sofas and chairs. Ward was undressing him right there in the living room, where others could see. Too excited to care, soon it was as if they were alone.

*****

Jared never formed the view that Ward belonged to him alone. The following weekend he learned this for a fact. He allayed the small amount of annoyance he felt by carrying on himself with the assistant scoutmaster who he had chatted with the Saturday before. Eventually the youngster discovered that none of the pairings were permanent, although some occurred with more regularity than others.

Eventually, Jared had sex with all but one of the members of the group, and that was the kid nearest his own age. They became best friends instead. Of course, this whole business was a disaster in waiting. Sooner or later some youth would get jealous or angry over something or beset by guilt and spill the beans. Luckily for Jared this happened after he had left town for college.

When his parents and others asked if he had known about any of these “goings on,” he calmly replied that he didn’t. Jared had become involved with a man outside of scouting and left before earning the eagle rank. Most of the boys in his cohort, in similar circumstances, escaped as well. But for the rest, Ward included, the revelations tore their lives apart. This was as true for the boys, who were supposed to be victims, as well as the perpetrators.