Nothing created more buzz in Boystown than a new bar opening. The line for The Pitstop went down Belmont and wrapped around Halsted in front of Spin. There was something great about being able to walk past the velvet rope and getting VIP treatment. Charlie and Tyler felt like celebrities as they approached the door guy, gave him their names, and the velvet rope lifted for them. Edward was right by the entrance and greeted them both with a hug and a kiss.

"It's madness outside!" Charlie said. "Everyone's so excited to get in. Where's Steve?"

"Out back, pacing and chain smoking."

"Shouldn't you be playing supportive boyfriend right now?"

"Baby, if I was any more supportive, I'd be a jockstrap."

*
Hunter stepped out into the alley, armed with a bottle of Jack. He could swear Steve was trembling as he lit yet another Marlboro Red 100.

"Hey Boss, want some medicine?" Steve ripped the bottle out of his hand and took a large swig. "I didn't know you smoked."

"Tonight," said Steve, taking a long drag. "Just tonight."

*
Tristan never waited in lines and this one was making him especially itchy. The people in line were such a mixed bag, he didn't know what sort of scene this bar was gonna be. The hipsters were mixing with the jocks; the pretty twinks were mixing with the scruffy bears. Tristan didn't know who he was supposed to be tonight.

"Lines are SO boring!" whined Jaison. "When are they gonna let us in?"

"They're doing some stupid VIP pre-event," said Efrain.

"Well, well, and our rising socialite couldn't get us into that?" Braden said, shooting Tristan a sideways glance. Tristan rolled his eyes and shifted weight in his hips. He saw Bryan and Chadwick (sans the other A-Gays) giving their names to the door guy.

"Hold my place," he told his Bitches, running up to the door. Bryan and Chadwick paused a moment before they smirked smugly at Tristan.

"What were you doing in line?" Bryan asked coyly.

"The door guy couldn't find my name on the list," said Tristan.

"That's because it's not ON the list," said the surly door guy.

"ANYway, how bout I come in with you guys?"

"You don't get in if you're not on the list," reiterated the door guy, opening the door for Chadwick and Bryan.

"Sorry, Tristan," shrugged Chadwick. "You should get back to your place in line."

*

"Who's that?" asked Tyler, pointing at a larger-than-life drag queen, holding an umbrella.

"That's Miss Foozie. She calls everyone... "

"PINEAPPLE!" Miss Foozie burst out, running over and giving Charlie a big sloppy kiss on the cheek. "You never visit me anymore!"

"School's about to start and I'm prepping curriculums for that and Haven."

"Oh you're giving back to the community, that's so SWEET!" She pulled an aside to Tyler. "I try to give back as much as I can." A tall and dapper strawberry blonde gentleman approached them.

"Well, well, who are these handsome gentlemen you've found?"

"I'm Tyler," Tyler smiled, offering his hand.

"Pineapple, this is Bill, the Mayor of Boystown. He's the only person you'll ever need to know in this ‘burgh."

Tyler turned to Charlie. "Boystown has a mayor?" A photographer stopped in front of them and they all posed for a picture.

"And now your cherry's popped," Charlie told Tyler as Miss Foozie and Mr. Mayor gracefully excused themselves to mingle.

"What?!" asked Tyler.

"Your picture is going to be posted in the gay rags. Boystown rite of passage." They toasted beers. "Welcome to the gayborhood."

*

The post-VIP event crowd was lively and ruckus. Hunter could barely keep up with the demand, yet somehow managed to give each customer a smile and a wink. If every night at The Pitstop were like this, he'd make enough for his first semester of college in no time. As he gave an extra cute patron a kiss on the cheek with his vodka tonic, he looked up behind him and saw Buddy Holly glasses and a pompadour fauxhawk.

"Hey Scott," Hunter said, trying to be chill.

"Oh. Hey man. Um, can I get a beer?"

"Sure," he said, then poured two shots of Jameson, giving one to Scott.

"What's this for?"

"Cuz I'm awesome." Hunter said, toasting and shooting with Scott. "And I believe in second chances."

*

Tyler came back with a second round of drinks and Andy was being sullen.

"What's wrong, dude?"

Andy scowled as he got bumped into from all directions. "Can we... look we need to talk. Can we get out of here?"

Tyler was new to this, but he knew those were words you didn't want to hear, especially this early on.

*

Steve was making the rounds, full of pride and joy. Everyone seemed so happy to be there. He approached a cute, trendy twenty-something.

"Having a good time?"

"Yeah," said trendy twenty-something. "This place is too cute!"

"Glad to hear it. I'm Steve, the owner."

"Oh!" cooed trendy twenty-something, batting his eyelashes and extending his hand. "I'm Tristan."

*

The perks of being at the VIP event: open bar. The perk that Hunter was the bartender: open bar for Charlie continues throughout the night. He was drunk off his ass, having the time of his life, bouncing around the side room dance floor. Random guys were grinding on him. He didn't care. He saw Josh come in with his lame boyfriend. He didn't care. Someone grabbed him firmly and turned him around. Charlie was face to face with the bluest eyes he'd ever seen: He Who Shall Not Be Named. Before he could even open his mouth to say anything, Charlie pushed him off, his blood running cold as he fought his way through the crowd. He made it out the door, out into the crosswalk and looked back to see if He Who Shall Not Be Named had followed.

He never saw the car that hit him.

# # #





A note from the author:
"Well guys, that does it for Volume 1! Thanks for all the love and support. We'll be off for a week, getting everything lined up for Volume 2. Word of mouth is a new work's best friend. If you like what you've read, please share it with your friends. All next week we'll be posting recaps everyday, perfect for getting your friends and family caught up on the fun. We'll be back with Volume 2 on August 27. There'll be some fun things happening on our Facebook page and Twitter account (@BoystownSeries) so definitely follow along and let me know what you like or don't like. Also, if you have a moment, please check out this site: http://igg.me/p/203358?a=1020165 . My MacBook was stolen while promoting BOYSTOWN at Market Days and while GoPride has graciously loaned me an extra computer for a few weeks, I will need to replace mine. Please help me continue to create if you can and share the campaign with your friends. Thanks so much for reading!"
-DB

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