Page 21 of Unexpected Boyfriends

The buzz of conversation around us as we line up to enter the hall covers up any lingering unease I have, and I look around at the crowd. There are people of all ages - even a few that don't look much over fifteen, but they're a very small minority -though the average age of the crowd looks to be mid 20’s.They're all dressed super casual, boardies and scruffy t-shirts being the standard attire for locals it seems. I feel conspicuous in my jeans.

As we go in, the cacophony of voices assaults my ears, discordant over the sound of the music. The first band is up already but people are milling around in groups talking and not paying much attention. I stick close to Axel’s side as he scans the crowd for his friends.

“There they are!” Axel spots his friends on the far side of the room. “C’mon.” We push our way through the crowd to a group of guys, who greet him with cries of'Hey, mate!','Here's Axel!'and'Mate, you made it!'.

I hang back a bit and they don’t seem to notice me until one of them says, “Hey, who’s this? Did you bring one of your cousins?”

“No. This is Justin. He's a friend.”

The guys look at me and then give Axel a speculative look. This is what I was afraid of. Not only am I four years younger than Axel, but I look a lot younger than my actual age. I can see their brains ticking over. They’re probably mentally calling him a pedo right now. Except he’s their friend, and you wouldn’t call your friend that, would you?

“Justin, this is Deano, Pete, Peewee, Davo and Slingshot.” Axel seems oblivious to any speculation or judgements that might be going on.

They all shake hands with me though, and nobody says anything awful. And then they resume the conversation they’d been having when we arrived. It doesn’t involve us and I lean in and whisper to Axel, “Peewee and Slingshot?”

“Don’t ask. At least not now. I’ll explain later.”

The boys turn their attention back to us.

“This band is shit,” says... Deano?Dean? In my nervousness, I've already forgotten some of their names. He's addressing his comments mainly to me and gestures at the guys currently up on stage trolling their way through a god-awful song. “But the main band is real good.”

“Hey, do you guys want a drink?” Pete, I think it is, rummages through his cooler, bringing out a couple of beers.

“Nah, all good,” Axel shakes his head. “I’m driving tonight, so I’ll stay off the booze.”

“What about you, Justin? Want a beer?”

“Thanks, but I think Axel’s got us covered.” I’m hoping he has. I don’t fancy getting tipsy or drunk around a bunch of older guys. Axel’s been nothing but considerate of my age up until now, soI don’t doubt he’s already thought of this. I hate feeling like a kid though. I guess a lot of guys my age would drink anyway, but my family is conservative and drawing attention to myself always seemed too risky, so there are a lot of things I haven't experimented with.

Axel pulls a couple of small glass bottles out of his cooler.

“Ginger Beer or Lemon, Lime & Bitters?” he asks me.

I opt for the Lemon, Lime & Bitters, though I’ve never tried it before. I’m grateful he didn’t offer me lemonade because that would have been hugely embarrassing in front of his friends.

I pop the tab and take a swig, just as a loud booming voice interrupts us.

"Boiyz!" drawls the new guy emerging from the crowd and boldly striding up to our group.

All the guys, except Axel, greet him warmly. He slaps them on the back, joking and laughing loudly as he returns their greetings, then he turns to Axel scowling beside me and gives him alook.

“Hey, Axel.”

He eyes me up and down speculatively and in a voice with too much swagger for my taste, says “And who do we have here?”

Before I can answer, one of the guys, I think it’s Peewee, tells him “That’s Justin, Axel’s friend.” The new guy continues to look me over, and I don’t like the expression on his face one bit.For a brief instant all I see is cunning, then his over-the-toppersona takes over again.

“I’m Jordy,” he says, slapping me on the back, standing way too close, so close in fact, that I can smell the alcohol on his breath.

Axel mutters to maybe-Deano, “What the fuck’s he doing here?”

“Same as us, man. Come to see the band.”

“Jeez, you could have warned me.”

Deano shrugs. “Didn’t know you were bringing anybody.”

Axel steps between me and Jordy. “Back off, Jordy.”

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