First Time for Everything

Published by

H
ARMONY
I
NK
P
RESS

5
032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886  USA

[email protected] • http://harmonyinkpress.com

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

First Time for Everything

© 2014 Harmony Ink Press.

Edited by Anne Regan.

Midnight in the Maze © 2014 J. Leigh Bailey.

A Warrior from a Different Tribe © 2014 S.A. Garcia.

His World © 2014 Eric Gober.

Just Right © 2014 John Goode.

It’s In Their Kiss © 2014 Kevay Gray.

It’s Not Our Fault © 2014 Charli Green.

Courting Billy Roth © 2014 Nick Hasse.

Dressed to Swim © 2014 Renee Hirsch.

Beautiful © 2014 Ella Lyons.

First Date © 2014 Nicole McCormick.

Step by Step © 2014 Emily Moreton.

Kissing Scars © 2014 Jo Ramsey.

Dear Cody © 2014 Eric Renner.

Dating My Best Friend © 2014 Caitlin Ricci.

Summer Crush © 2014 SR Silcox.

When Wolverine Met Taylor © 2014 Andrea Speed.

Me and My Friend © 2014 Emery C. Walters.

Kiss and Makeup © 2014 Allison Wonderland.

Cover Art

© 2014 by Aaron Anderson.

[email protected]

Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.

All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Harmony Ink Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or [email protected].

ISBN: 978-1-63216-447-6

Library Edition ISBN: 978-1-63216-448-3

Digital ISBN: 978-1-63216-449-0

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014943464

First Edition September 2014

Library Edition December 2014

Printed in the United States of America

This paper meets the requirements of

ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (Permanence of Paper).

Dear Cody by Eric Renner

Dating My Best Friend by Caitlin Ricci

A Warrior from a Different Tribe by S.A. Garcia

Dressed to Swim by Renee Hirsch

Courting Billy Roth by Nick Hasse

Beautiful by Ella Lyons

His World by Eric Gober

It’s In Their Kiss by Kevay Gray

Summer Crush by SR Silcox

Midnight in the Maze by J. Leigh Bailey

First Date by Nicole McCormick

Step by Step by Emily Moreton

Me and My Friend by Emery C. Walters

Kissing Scars by Jo Ramsey

It’s Not Our Fault by Charli Green

When Wolverine Met Taylor by Andrea Speed

Kiss and Makeup by Allison Wonderland

Just Right by John Goode

E
RIC
R
ENNER

D
EAR
C
ODY
,

It’s taken me two weeks to get the courage to write this e-mail. I’m not sure where to begin, so here goes nothing. Damn, this is hard. I know this probably sounds really strange, but I’m hoping you hang in there with me.

Even though we’ve known each other less than a year, I consider you to be my best friend. I sure wasn’t expecting that when we first met. I remember my mom telling me that a family with a kid my age moved into the house down the street. She suggested I take you around the school to meet some of my friends. But when I realized you were a senior, I figured you wouldn’t even want to bother with me. I’m glad I was wrong about that.

I remember your first day on the bus—how I followed you into the school, and we shook hands when I introduced myself. You seemed really happy to meet me. I was amazed how easily you were able to make friends—you met more people at Whitman on that one day than I knew in my entire three years there. Well, maybe not quite that much, but it seemed that way. Not complaining here, though. I was both amazed and inspired by your social skills and instant popularity.

Damn, Cody. I don’t know where to go with this. We had so many great times last semester and this summer. I miss you. I miss you so much it hurts. My senior year, which is supposed to be the best, is starting out just the opposite. All because you’re not here.

H
EY
C
ODY
,

I started writing you a different e-mail the other night, and it was going nowhere, so I thought I’d try again. It’s pretty late here, and I couldn’t sleep.

Hope your day was good. It’s Friday night, so your weekend has already started. I bet it’s a lot more fun there on the weekends than it is back here. I’m sure you’re having a blast with all the new friends you’ve made. This may sound weird, but thinking about all that makes me jealous of what college life must be like.

You know, I was thinking back to the day we worked out together for the first time. Remember that? For some reason it popped into my mind during World History today. I think I was just bored with Mr. Godwin talking on and on about things I didn’t care about. That day in the weight room was really a fun time. It was so cool that you took the time to show me how to train the right way. It really meant a lot to me.

Fuck. I can’t stand this. I keep avoiding the real reason for writing. I need to get to the point, or I’ll never send this. And this does need to be sent. So here goes….

Cody, I couldn’t take my eyes off you the first time we worked out. Especially watching you lift those weights. You were so intent on demonstrating the proper form, but my interest was more than that. A lot more. I really did want to learn the right technique, but it was you. Just being that close to you was… I don’t know. I just really liked being there with you. Just you and me together.

I even remember what you were wearing that day—your gray gym shorts and green T-shirt. You know, the one with that funny gecko drawing on it. And those cool running shoes with the neon yellow trim. I wonder if you still have them.

That was also right around the time you got your buzz cut. Man, you looked so completely different when you showed up to school that day. It must have taken a lot of courage to cut off all that blond hair of yours. I mean, I thought you looked good that way too, but suddenly it was like you joined the military—so masculine and strong. Not afraid of anything. You seemed even more confident than you already were, capable of overcoming any obstacle that you were faced with.

“I can help you bulk up a bit. Get a little more definition.” I remember those words as if you said them yesterday. When you suggested that we up our workouts to three times a week, you made me feel like you’d taken notice of me in a different way. Was I imagining it? Or was I just your “project”? Hell, I didn’t care. You had become one of the most popular guys in your class in a short time, and you were taking interest in me. As time went on, I realized that no matter how or why our friendship had started, we were becoming closer.

There’s something more I need to tell you.

Every single time I spotted you on the bench press, I could feel my heart race. I was sure you’d be able to see it pounding through my T-shirt, but I couldn’t help it. I could not stop watching your pecs and biceps flex with each of your reps. I hoped like hell you wouldn’t notice my interest, but I figured if you ever made a comment, I’d have a ready-made excuse… I just needed to learn the proper form. I had it all planned out.

With you lying on your back, you were irresistible to me. I’ll never forget how your shorts clung to your body, and I tried so hard not to stare. I wanted to reach down and squeeze your legs—so muscular, firmly anchoring your body on the floor. I’m sorry if this bothers you, but it is time for me to be honest.

I wanted to take the bar off the stand and climb on top of you while you were lying on the bench. I imagined pressing my lips against yours, kissing you as hard as I could. It would have felt so amazing. I knew your mouth would taste of peppermint, from those mints you were always chewing. “I just like the way they taste,” you said when I teased you about them once. But I wondered if it was more than that—like you always wanted to be prepared if you got physically close to someone. I wanted to be that someone. I had such an aching to make out with you so many times, it was hard to contain myself.

I miss you so much, Cody. I don’t know how you will react to this e-mail. That is, if I ever get the courage to send it. Please just answer me—whatever it is you have to say will be OK. I can handle it. Just don’t ignore me. I can’t imagine losing you as my friend, even though you are now in a completely different world, 700 miles away. God, I hate high school.