Sorry this took forever! Life has got a lot of plans for me, including moving, theatre, and homework.
Here's a quick recap: Jay asked Sherwin to get Trish's address. After fall break, Sherwin and Jon were back at school. They skipped lunch to hang out, and later Jon helped him and got Trish's address during his English class.
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"It's 509 Madison Street."

Sherwin turned to see Jon grinning as he passed him on his way to the bus. The ginger smiled, mouthing, thanks, then started walking home.

As he listened to "Pigs" by Pink Floyd, Sherwin daydreamed about earlier that day when he and Jonathan had skipped lunch. Beneath the trees, with the chilly air numbing their fingers, they had spent a whole thirty minutes in each other's arms. Sherwin smiled to himself as he traveled back in time.

"Have I ever told you how much I love your freckles?" Jon had questioned with a smirk. Sherwin blushed and shrugged.

"I don't think so," he responded, "but personally, I think they look stupid." Jonathan raised both eyebrows.

"Excuse you?" he gasped jokingly. "What blasphemy!"

"I don't think you used that word right..." Sherwin started, but Jon cut him off with little pecks on his cheeks, which reddened instantly. "J-Jon, w-w-what are you doing?" the ginger stuttered as his friend continued lightly kissing his face.

"I'm...kissing...every...freckle," Jonathan told him between each touch. Sherwin couldn't help but begin to giggle uncontrollably as Jon's lips tickled his nose and ears, making him tingle all over.

"Heehee, I'm pretty sure, heh, you got them all! Ahehehe!" Sherwin exclaimed, when suddenly, a huge gust of wind blew and almost knocked him over. Shivering, the ginger readjusted his coat – which was actually Jonathan's – and scooted closer to his friend.

Jon pulled Sherwin close, and the freckled boy leaned against his chest, feeling it rise and fall rhythmically with his own.

Sherwin was pulled out of his thoughts when he suddenly stumbled over a crack in the sidewalk. After regaining his balance, he realized he was almost home. Looking around, he noticed his brother's car by the curb and gulped. I hope everything's okay, he thought.

Inside, the house was quiet. His mom was taking a power nap on the couch, and he could faintly hear Melanie's chatter as she played with her "borrowed" toy truck in the backyard. He figured Bobby was up in his bedroom, and decided to go catch up with his brother.

As he approached Bobby's door on the second story, Sherwin could hear faint music playing from inside. He hesitated, then tapped his knuckles on the wood separating them. "Bobby?"

The door opened to reveal his scruffy, red-haired brother with half his clothes on and a towel over his shoulder. "Just took a shower," Bobby mumbled. "'Sup, Sherbet?"

"I told you not to call me that," Sherwin started, but stopped and sighed when Bobby gave him a look.

"I can call you whatever I want," the teenager argued, walking back into his room to take a swig from a Coca Cola can. "What do you need?" Bobby asked, sitting down on his bed.

Sherwin stepped through the doorway and shrugged. "I just thought, since you're not home often...we should chat," he suggested, his brown eyes looking everywhere but his brother's.

"I guess," Bobby said nonchalantly, kicking back. "But I ain't turning the stereo down." My Sharona by The Ramones was currently playing. It wasn't really Sherwin's taste, but he didn't mind. "So what'd you wanna talk about?"

"Not sure," Sherwin answered. "Uhh...I guess...what kind of stuff you into lately?"

"Man, I just kinda do whatever, you know?" Bobby said, taking another gulp of coke. "Sometimes I go hang with the bros and smoke a little reefer, but there ain't no harm in that."

"Reefer?" Sherwin questioned.

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Doobie? Grass?" Sherwin still stared at him blankly. "Weed?"

"Oh! Oh," he said, looking away. "I heard that stuff's bad for you, though..."

"Nah, bro, it's all lies. People tryin' to scare you, making you think you're goin' to hell just for a couple drags," Bobby chuckled. "You should really try it sometime, it's a real stress reliever."

"I'm good," Sherwin politely declined. Bobby changed the subject.

"What kind of music you listen to? You like The Ramones?" his older brother asked.

"I'm more into alternative stuff," Sherwin told him. "The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, etcetera." Bobby nodded.

"Cool, cool. So, uh, you scored any hot chicks this year yet?" Sherwin shook his head, turning a bright shade of pink. "Cause I sure have, lemme tell ya," he winked, "If you ever need any advice..."

Sherwin glanced at his shoes. Could he trust his brother? "Hey, Bobby? Can I tell you something?"

His brother's smile faltered a bit. "Yeah, of course. You're my little bro," he responded, getting serious. Sherwin let out a large breath and squeezed his hands together until they turned white.

"I, uh...I don't really like girls," he whispered, struggling to hold eye contact. In that moment, with his brother looking at him curiously, the freckled ginger wanted nothing more than to run back to his own room and hide in his closet with his shoes.

"Well, you're young," Bobby replied, shrugging. "I used to think girls were stupid, too." Ugh.

Sherwin tried again. "No, I mean..." he struggled to say it out loud. "I...like...other boys."

Bobby raised his eyebrows, then said, "Oh," and glanced away for a second. Then, he turned off his radio and took Sherwin's shoulders in both hands. "Sherbet...Sherwin. I want to look out for you. I do. And if you wanna be gay, then you go ahead." Sherwin exhaled.

"But," Bobby continued, "You can't ever let our mom know. Dad's not too bad, but Mom? She'd have both our asses. Yours for 'sinning' and mine for not telling. So, what I'm trying to say, is...I still love you, Sherwin."

Bobby leaned over and gripped him in his arms. Sherwin returned the hug, speechless. Thank you, he thought silently, blinking away a few tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. It had taken a lot for Sherwin to tell someone, but now, it felt like a huge weight had just been lifted off his back.

Bobby cleared his throat. "As long as you don't tell Mom I got a lid in my sock drawer," he told him. "Promise?"

"...Lid?" Sherwin blinked, and Bobby laughed.

"Forget it, kid," he lightly punched his shoulder. "Go do your homework or something." Sherwin weakly smiled and left his brother's room, walking down the short hallway and into his own.

Back at his desk, he looked at the clock. It was 5:45 PM. Crap! Sherwin grabbed his coat and rushed down the stairs, being careful not to wake up his mom, who was still napping on the couch. The ginger stepped out the front door and started walking. It was time to meet up with Jay.

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