The Bubble in the Box of Knives

"Why do we always go to the tracks? It's so far from our neighborhood," Lucas asked, turning around to see where him and his friends came from for the tenth time.

"Oh stop being such a pussy!" Jack laughed at him.

"Yeah, Lucas! What- you already miss your mommy?" Tommy joked alongside Jack, and added, "don't get me wrong, I miss her too, but c'mon man!"

Jack and Tommy laughed hysterically as they walked faster to the train tracks.

"Relax, Lucas. It's not like I'm gonna leave you out here in the woods alone," Ben told him, and walked next to him. He wrapped his arm around Lucas's bony shoulders, and smiled.

Lucas listened to their annoying laughter, and kept his head down.

Why do they have to be such assholes, Lucas wondered.

He hated being the youngest one in the group. As the only sixth grader, he was the biggest target to make jokes on. The only kids that lived on his long street were the ones that were with him now. If he had the option, he wouldn't even hang out with them, but all their parents were friends, so Lucas's parents insisted that he went out with the rest of the children more.

They wandered deep into the tall woods. The sun was beginning to set, and the trees around them created a shade that made the whole world around them darker. Ben, Jack, and Tommy all loved the thrill of being out in the wilderness. The feeling of freedom made them feel powerful. It was their own world. A world ungoverned and unsupervised by their parents. It's what they longed for.

But not Lucas. He enjoyed coming back home to his parents, and doing family activities. He loved them very much, and didn't want to do anything that would disappoint them. Lately, he's been wanting to give back to them, but he hasn't found a way yet.

***

After half an hour of walking, they arrived at the old train tracks. The dark oak wood planks were new, and the metal tracks were as well. The mound of rocks that laid underneath the tracks were all white. It was the brightest color in the woods, as the dirt and trees were dark brown.

"Chubby! Check to see if there's a train coming!" Jack yelled.

Tommy sighed.

"Dude, I'm not chubby, I'm just big boned." Tommy tried to tell him, but Jack laughed.

"Whatever man! Just do it!" Jack ordered.

Tommy shook his head, and ran up the mound of rocks. He got down on both knees, and bent over. He put his right ear down on the track, and listened carefully, putting all his focus on the metal track.

Ben and Lucas stayed back and watched as Jack carefully ran up the rocks. He quietly stood behind Tommy, trying to keep in his laughter, and began air humping his ass.

Oh god, Lucas thought as he shook his head.

Jack turned around for a moment to look at Ben and Lucas, and started laughing, giving himself away to Tommy.

Tommy turned around.

"Wha- what are you-" Tommy stuttered in confusion, but as he got a better look, his eyes widened and he screamed, "hey- stop, dude! That's so gay!"

Jack backed off and couldn't stop laughing. He pointed at Tommy jokingly, and told him with his head tilt to the side, "but aren't you gay?"

Clearly angered, Tommy stood up and approached Jack like he were about to fight him.

"For the last fucking time, Jackass, I'm not gay!" Tommy told him.

"Oh please! Then why do I always catch you looking at gay Gerald?" Jack asked him, clearly not intimidated by his larger figure.