I lean towards Ben and Kane and whisper, “What is this big opportunity that everyone is talking about?”
Kane huffs, “Well, if you would wait for the professor, you will find out everything.”
Ben shrugs his shoulders like he really doesn’t care.
I guess that I’ll have to wait.
As soon as, the professor enters our classroom, everyone immediately quiets down. “Okay class, before I start the lecture today, I need to make an announcement. I’m sure that you have heard some of the buzz with the other 3rd and 4th year students, but we have been given a rare opportunity to send a few students to the United States to take an intense course for three weeks on a new virus that was recently discovered. The university is in the Midwest and it is in more of a rural setting, so you won’t have all the options like you would if the conference is in LA or New York. There will be both lab and lectures associated with this and our school will be giving credit to anyone who goes and passes both the labs and tests. For more information, please come see me after class.”
***
“Come on guys. You need to come with me, and it doesn’t take up all of our vacation time but just some of it. This will give us access to something that we haven’t been exposed to before. It will be fun.” I look at Kane and Ben and neither one looks too excited about going to the United States for 3 weeks to learn about a newly discovered virus. I don’t want to go alone but I may have to.
Ben takes a drink of beer and looks at me like I have gone completely insane. “You think spending my vacation in the United States in the Midwest working on labs and attending lectures is my idea of vacation, then you have gone insane. You know that I had already agreed to go with Ford on a trip and I’m not turning done my hot sexy boyfriend for lab coats and viruses.”
Well, Ben does have a point. If I had a sexy girlfriend or boyfriend, I wouldn’t even entertain the option of going but I don’t do relationships. I just have one night stands occasionally but nothing beyond that. It is too much work trying to maintain a relationship. In my opinion, it isn’t worth it.
I turn my focus on Kane. Maybe Kane will go with me.
“Did you forget that I’m taking Mike with me on my family vacation. My family is so excited that he will be coming with us and I’m not going burst their bubble by cancelling it now. So, no, I won’t go with you.”
I just have to admit that no one is going to come with me. “Okay, I will go by myself but why don’t you two come and visit the last week that I’m there. From what I’ve read, most of the work will be done the first couple weeks so the last week should give me more time to venture around.”
Kane and Ben look at each other and then look at me. In unison, they say, “No, we won’t.”
Great, I think my friends have just dumped me. “I’ll just tell you about it then and you will wish that you were there with me.”
***
I finally made it to the United States and I’m picking up my lounge. I pull out my phone and look at the instructions that have been provided for where to go and what to do. It says that someone will pick me up from the airport. Now, where are the front doors?
“Phillip Kong. Is that you?”
I look ahead, and I see a guy waving to me. I look around to see if he is talking to someone else, but he does have the university’s t-shirt on. I point my finger to me and ask, “Are you talking to me?”
He smiles and smugly answers, “Well if you are Phillip Kong then yes. You look just like the picture that the university provided.” He shows me his phone, and yes, the message is from the university that I’m going to be spending 3 weeks at.
“Yes, I’m Phillip but my friends call me Phil. Are you here to take me to the university?”
“Yes, my name is Shane, and you will actually be staying at our house off campus while you are here. When uncle heard your name, he immediately told us that you would stay with us. I’m assuming that uncle recognized your family’s name from when he used to live in Thailand. But whatever. Here give me some of those bags and let’s get you to the car. The university is about 1 hour north of here.”
Once on the road, Shane tries to fill me in on the 3 week long course. He also let me know that he will be helping the instructor, so I will be with him most of the time.
“Oh, Phil, you arrived just in time. My brother, Blaze, and I were going to go to a local bar tonight and watch our best friend, Wyatt, perform. He lost a bet with some of our friends and so his punishment is to get up on stage and sing dressed as a girl. The funny part is that he will get hit-on by tons of guys not knowing that he isn’t a she but a he. We all just sit back and laugh. It will be a fun time, and you can laugh right along with us. Most of the time he is the prettiest girl in the place.”
***
Group chat:
Phil: Yeah guys, I arrived at the university
Kane: So how is it so far?
Ben: Where are you staying?
Phil: It is okay and I’m staying at a house with one of the guys who is helping with the course
Kane: Oh, all work then
Phil: No, he is taking me out to a bar with his brother tonight. A friend of his lost a bet and has to sing a song dressed as a girl. He says that he will be even prettier than all the other girls in the bar. I doubt that.
Ben: Well, at least you are having some fun. I want to see this guy. Send pictures or video of it.
Kane: Me too. Send pictures or video of it.
Phil: I’ll have to see it first then I’ll decide whether to send you anything. Remember you dumped me for your boyfriends.
Ben: Well, maybe you should get someone.
Phil: I don’t do relationships, remember.
Kane: At some point you need to grow up
Phil: I am grown up. I’m taller than both of you.
Kane: That’s not what I was talking about
Phil: I got to go. Shane and Blaze are leaving.
***
I follow as Shane and Blaze lead me through the bar to a table that is situated right up front with a clear view of the stage. It appears several other people are already here.
Shane introduces me. “Hey guys, this is the student that I was talking about from Thailand that came for the 3 week long program on the new virus. His name is Phil. Phil, these are our friends: Max, Grant and Blane.”
They all nod at me and we all sit down.
While playing with his phone, Blaze asks, “Is anyone taking a good quality video of this?”
Max leans over and puts a bag into his lap. “I’ve got the good camera tonight and I will be recording it. I’ll send you each a copy. Oh, Phil, do you want a copy?”
I nod my head. “Yes, my friends wanted to see it. Shane claims that he will be prettier than all the girls and my friends don’t believe it so they both requested pictures and video.”
“Not a problem. Do you have an email that I can send it to? I usually send it to the guys’ email instead of the phones.” Max is tapping something onto his phone and then he hands it to me. I type my email into the appropriate box and then hand his phone back.
Suddenly, Shane begins to wave his hands wildly in front of himself. “Guys, look there’s Wyatt. He is already dressed as a girl. Hey, Max start the video and I’m going to bring him over to our table.” Shane dashes across the room and I’m trying to follow where he went. But it appears he went down a hallway and is out of sight.
Blane snorts, “Shane finds this to be too much fun. I think he gets his jollies off of seeing Wyatt dressed up as a girl.”
Max states, “Well, Wyatt is beautiful.”
Grant laughs and then glares at Max. “What are you after him too?”
“Guys, watch out here they come.” Blaze quietly warns everyone.
Max taps the record button on the camera, and I turn to see what all this fuss is about.
As the crowd moves away, I see Shane pulling a girl, but I can’t see her face because she is looking down. She has a great body, and it appears that she is in shape but not too muscular. Max yells, “Wyatt, you have to look up for the camera!”
Wait, did Max just call her Wyatt? This is actually a guy.
Wyatt looks up and looks directly into the camera. “Is this all right? Or do you want me to do a couple of poses too?”
I’m blown away. They aren’t lying. Wyatt is beautiful, gorgeous and sexy all rolled into one. My breath hitches and I’m frozen for a couple seconds.
Grants puts his hand out to me, and I don’t know what he wants. “Give me your phone. Don’t your friends want to see what guy can be prettier than all the girls? I’ll take a picture right now for you.”
I hand Grant my phone and he points the phone at Wyatt. He takes a couple pictures and then asks, “Wyatt, why don’t you do a sexy pose for his Thailand friends and maybe a couple with him, so his friends will believe him.”
I watch in amazement as Wyatt does a cute pose and damn, he does a really sexy pose. He is just so hot!! Everyone motions for me to stand next to Wyatt but I’m so nervous, I’m afraid I’ll look like an idiot.
I’m almost touching him but I’m afraid that if I do, I won’t be able to stop myself. Wait, I just remembered that Wyatt also lives in the same house with Shane and Blaze. I’m going to get to live with him for 3 weeks. I don’t know if this is good or bad. I guess I’ll find out soon.
