Remember how Oli loved to wake up to the morning's song? Well, he woke up to a much different song right now. It wasn't only Dash's snoring, but also...something peculiar. Who would have thought that a song could actually smell nice?

"Dash...," he mumbled with his eyes still closed. "...shut your mouth for a bit."

It was useless. Dash's snore just kept its hushed tune. However, the peculiar scent invaded his nostrils some more. If it wasn't for the fact that he felt something move closer to his lips, he would've slept through it. Still, he didn't open his eyes. Instead, he furrowed his eyebrows, mumbled incoherently before licking his own lips. Now, something even odder touched the tip of his tongue. Was it Dash's lips against his own? He smiled as he stifled his giggle.

"Morning," he whispered, before finally opening his eyes slowly.

Now, how red is the ripest tomato on earth? Surely, it wouldn't come so close to how Oli's face `ripened' at that instant. It wasn't Dash's lips on his. And a more embarrassing thought came to his mind. It wasn't Dash's lips that the tip of his tongue poked earlier. Moreover, with how his face felt so flushed and beet red, the only thing he could think of doing was to push himself away and off the mattress.

"Oww!" he grunted, rubbing the back of his neck.

He heard movement on his mattress before turning his eyes back on the two boys who were still asleep. He bit his lips and licked several times as he tried to get the taste off his mouth. It wasn't that bad. It was only...awkward to be licking that thing.

Mattie shifted on the mattress, turning his back toward Oli who was now kneeling on the floor. This time, it won't be Oli alone who would get a taste of that sweet little and peculiar thing. The little boy was now facing his brother who also had his head turned toward him.

Oli waited for a while as he stared at Dash's slightly open mouth. The boy did snore like a bear. It was then that a devious smile made its way to his lips. He got on the mattress once again and pretended to be asleep. Gently as ever, he shifted closer to Mattie, pushing the little boy toward his brother. He reached down for their blanket and pulled it over their heads. He was still naked after all and it felt unusually cold today. He felt Mattie move again and his smile just got wider. Even as he shifted closer to the little boy, it still smelled nice. Maybe even intoxicating.

"C'mon, Dash," he whispered. "...wake up."

"Mmmhh," Dash mumbled. "...shut up."

"Okaaay." Oli just giggled and he couldn't even hold it back anymore.

Another crazy idea came to his mind. He pushed himself off the mattress and moved to Dash's side. Before lying back down again, he mirrored how Mattie positioned himself under the sheets. His head was by Dash's thighs while his own felt the other boy's curls against it. To put it simply, with all three of them under the warm blanket, it would mathematically be accurate to equate how they were all positioned to 693. Mattie being 6, Dash being 9 and him being 3 as he had his arm over Dash's waist and his legs spooning the boy's head. He couldn't wait for Dash to wake up to such a comfortable...embrace.

~*~*~*~

It was finally Monday, the first weekday of the week. It was also the day he'd be let out. Freedom, at last. But what would he do with that freedom? It was one thing to be set free and another thing to be outside again, for the world to be seen far beyond the prison walls. Once he'd set his foot out on the pavement, he wouldn't know what to do. There would be no one waiting for him. As far as he knew, his kids didn't know that he was still alive. Maybe he'd stay dead? But, there were a few more lessons that needed to be taught. Like a bullet piercing through the side of a thin card, he'd set everything straight again.

"You'll have a court hearing once we have the other suspect in custody," someone told him. "Every other thing's taken care of. You have anyone waiting for you outside?"

"No."

"Family? Friends?"

"None."

"I believe you have two sons, sir."

Two sons. Was it really two sons? Or just one? Maybe he'd have his DNA tested to see if it matched his second son's. As for the older boy, he was quite sure that he was the father. And, like how a father should be, he'd make a man out of his son.

"We'll keep in contact. You are required to follow some rules."

Yes. Rules. Maybe if he'd been stricter about some certain rules, he wouldn't have ended here, being given his own set of rules to follow. But something just held him back. He knew that he was strict when it came to everything, but he somehow loosened his grip around his two boys. There was just something in their eyes that reminded him so much of his...

"That's it for now, Mr Briz. You're free to go."

~*~*~*~

"I said I'm sorry, okay?" Oli half-yelled over their dining table. His mom left the diningroom a while ago, leaving the three boys to themselves.

"Hn," Dash grunted.

"Sheesh, Dash. It was just a hug! And you even liked it!"

"I liked it?" Dash asked, annoyed.

"I could feel it, y'know" Oli answered.

Dash blushed, got more annoyed and just ate the rest of his cereal quietly. It didn't help though that Mattie kept staring at him, like naively accusing him that he liked what he woke up to earlier. Of course he didn't like it. But the mind is clearly separated from the body once something poked up from underneath his shorts.

"...didn't have to push me," Oli mumbled, lazily poking at his food.

"Dashu?" came Mattie's shy voice and Dash turned his attention to him. "Can I ask something?"

"Sure you can," Dash said.

"How do you know you like someone?"

Oli's curious eyes settled on Mattie and Dash looked as if he choked on his cereal. The tiny blush on his face still lingered.

"Well, uh...," Dash shot a look at Oli, asking for some help, seemingly forgetting their argument earlier.

"What's your favourite book?" Oli asked and it was Dash who now looked confused.

"The Little Prince," Mattie said, thinking of his turtle and the Little Prince's fox. "Why?"

"Does Dash read that you?"

"Mostly. Sometimes, I read it on my own."

"But you want your brother to read it to you?"

"Mm-hmm," Mattie nodded. "He's the best storyteller!"

"Best storyteller, best big brother," Oli hummed. "Wow, you must so proud Dash."

"What are you getting at?" Dash asked.

"Huh?"

"Mattie asked a question, remember?"

"Oh, right," Oli said, looking gleefully at Mattie. "It's like reading a book, I think. There's one or two stories you like, others you don't like. The ones you really like, you can't get enough. You keep on reading and reading but you can't get enough."

"So...?" Dash said.

"You know you like reading it, right?"

Mattie nodded. Dash looked indifferent.

"You know when you like someone when you can't get enough of them," said Oli. "You can read him so many times, but the climax always gets you on a rush and you keep turning the pages. You know what I'm saying?"

"But what if the ending is bad?" Mattie asked.

"Yeah," Dash said. "How `bout that one?"

"Well, you can't always expect a happy ending," Oli said. "...nothing you can do, I guess."

"It's unfair," said Mattie.

"Maybe," Oli almost mumbled, looking down at his cereal once again. "...but you have lots of pages to read to even worry `bout how it ends."

"You like to read, don't you?" Dash asked, almost taken aback by Oli's words.

"Yep!" Oli grinned at him. "You know my favourite book?"

"What?" Mattie excitedly asked.

"Your big brother."

~*~*~*~

Finally free, and the first thing he did was fall asleep on the bus. With so many things going on in his mind and the recent news about Dan, his brother, he hasn't been sleeping well at night. Right now, he figured he'd visit their old house, back when they were little, and see if some things have changed. Of course, the house had been sold right after their father died. There should be some other family living there. Some other kid up that tree which, surely, grew taller after all these years. The bus came to halt, his stop.

Glancing around, it wasn't the same old neighbourhood he grew up in. The houses looked much bigger right now. The trees that lined the streets got taller, providing more shade than before. The old haunted house by the end of the street was now a Victorian style home, surrounded by hedges of green.

A few yards ahead was their old home. It was where he grew up in, the one he shared with Dan and their dad. Their mom never got to see them grow up to their teens. So, it was pretty much a strict environment with a rule to follow with every step they made around the house.

Stopping in front of the house, which looked very much different from the one he grew up in, he noticed how quiet it was. The paint on the outside looked faded and the lawn unmown. It was then that he saw the sign up front: For Sale.

To his right, standing still on the front yard, was the same old tree he used to climb as a kid. They had built a tree house up there once, Dan and him. It wasn't that tall back then, and the lowest branch was in his reach when he jumped for it. It was definitely the same tree. The one in his dream.

Too late. His little brother, who was just seven back then and he was 12, took off into the air, but wasn't meant to actually fly. The hard ground, while anyone can jump up from it, still had its ropes tied around your waist. Unsurprisingly, you'd fall.

Kenneth shook his head, shook the memory off his mind. This time, he knew he still had enough time to set things straight. For that matter, it was Dash and Matthew that needed him to be there, to lay down some rules to follow. It still wasn't too late.

~*~*~*~

First period at school and Oli was already busy throwing out garbage. Hell, he wanted to burn the damn things. Those losers better not mean the things they wrote and stuffed inside Dash's locker or all hell would break lose with how angry he was right now. A piece of paper after the other, a different word written on each one, and all ended up in shreds. If you must know, Oli seemed more efficient than a paper shredder.

"Oli," Dash whispered, holding Oli's shoulder.

"Fucking bastards...," Oli mumbled. "...can't fucking keep their fucking thoughts to their-fucking-selves."

"Stop it."

"Stop what?!" Oli shouted at Dash's face.

"I don't care what they say."

"I do!" Oli argued while ripping another paper to shreds. "Fuck you, James!"

"Y'know he's not here, right?"

"Well, fuck his chicken ass!"

"What ass?" Dash asked, almost laughing at Oli.

"He's a chicken! He wants a fight? I'll fucking rip his throat out!"

"We're in school, y'know. Watch your mouth."

"They better watch what they say. I swear, I'll beat the fuck out of them."

One last piece of shredded paper went into the bin. One last hateful word torn to blots of ink. Fag, it once read.

"Fuck you...Gabe," Oli finally whispered.

The rest of the hours leading to lunchtime was spent with Oli still fuming and glaring at anyone who locked gazes with him or he caught whispering something to someone else in their classes. In the hallways, everyone was bold enough to shout hateful words at both him and Dash and even bumped their shoulders intentionally. If it wasn't for Dash, Oli would've fought every one of them. However, Dash was quick enough to avoid a fight and drag Oli with him.

Mostly, they stayed in the bathroom, only going in when no one was looking, and locked themselves in a stall while keeping real quiet. When the bell rang, they'd wait a few minutes before going to their next class. It helped a lot that they shared all of their classes except PE.

Before their last class prior to lunchtime, when they were still inside a bathroom stall, they both had to pee at the same time. Now this wasn't a problem, considering that they've had lots of times in the shower together. Still, Oli's curiosity got the best of him.

"So glad they didn't cut your foreskin," Oli said, looking down at Dash's dick.

"Why?"

"It looks cute that way." Oli smiled. "Besides, it feels good between my lips."

Oli just had to bring that up. Now, it wasn't the only thing that went up. After the last drop of pee went out of Dash's dick, it slowly and evidently stiffed. He heard Oli giggle and as he looked down at the other boy's dick, his own dick just got harder.

"Cool," Oli whispered.

"Huh?"

"Only four seconds and you look like you're ready to cum."

"Shut up. Look at yourself."

"I've always wanted to do it in a bathroom stall," Oli thoughtfully said, while rubbing his own dick, pulling his own foreskin back and forth. "What do you say? Classes started already so no one will find out. Just five minutes?"

"No."

"I'm not talking to you," said Oli, his eyes drifting toward Dash's erection. "I'm talking to him."

"Oli...,"

Before Dash could continue, he was pushed against the wall while Oli squatted in front of his groin. Well, in front of his pulsating dick which was still out of the fly.

"Really cute," Oli whispered, smiling sweetly. He poked a finger at Dash's dick and was amused at how it seemingly drew back. "You tried measuring it?"

"What?"

"Hm," hummed Oli, running his index finger and thumb down Dash's length, a crude estimate of an inch perhaps. "...just over five inches, I think."

"Stop...,"

But it was too late. Oli's tongue slipped faster than Dash's words. The lingering taste of piss and something else made Oli smile wider while slowly wrapping his lips around his tongue and around Dash's glans. He didn't mind being in a bathroom stall. If fact, it turned him on a bit, knowing what...dirty stuff he was doing.

Dash, for all his might, gripped on Oli's hair while his eyes shut tight and his teeth bit his own lip. Keeping quiet and being sucked was hard to do at the same time. He might've moaned, but he can't be sure.

"Mmmm," Oli purred, Dash's dick going in and out of his warm mouth. He kneeled in front of Dash this time so he could put one hand on his dick and start jacking himself off. His other hand snaked behind Dash's waist, pulling the boy toward him.

"F-fuuuck," came Dash's slur. "...s-stop it."

"Nope," Oli said, briefly popping out Dash's dick. He quickened his strokes on his dick, his other hand settling around Dash's length while his mouth sucked on Dash's glans.

Dash's knees felt weak, but he knew he had to endure. He only bent down a little and Oli's head went down along as well. He was panting real hard. His heart was racing, from both fear and pleasure. Fear that someone might come in and pleasure from...well, Oli's warm and wet mouth. Every time Oli's lips wrapped his whole glans, he felt the boy's tongue rolling or poking around it.

"Mmmm," Oli moaned, breathing heavily as well. The scent was too much; the scent of the bathroom stall, of piss, of sweat and of Dash. Too much, but not enough.

"Shit," Dash cursed, almost choked on the word. "Ha-aaah."

"Sh...," Oli uttered, in and out went Dash's glans. "...shoes."

Finally, Oli could feel the climax. He kept stroking himself and Dash and kept on sucking, his pace never slowing down. Without warning, warmth filled his mouth and covered his hand on his dick.

Dash opened his eyes, loosened his grip on Oli's hair and let himself go down to come face to face with Oli. There was cum all around Oli's lips and so was a sweet smile and the light in his eyes only added to how he looked so fucking handsome.

"...huh?" Dash asked absentmindedly.

"Your shoes, silly," said Oli. "I've got cum all over it. Sorry."

"Oh."

"That was real quick, y'know."

"S-shut up. We came at the..."

And it was Oli's hand this time that pressed against Dash's lips, the same hand that had cum to the tip of its fingers. Dash looked at Oli questioningly and nervously, seeing the other boy putting a finger to his lips, signalling for them to keep it down. Sure enough, the door to the bathroom opened, someone walked in and the sound of piss going down a urinal filled the whole room. Thankfully, they were in the farthest stall from the door, but the unmistakable scent of cum filled the tiny space they were in.

After a couple of minutes or so, the intruder left and Oli let out a long held breath while taking his hand off Dash's mouth.

"That was close," Oli whispered, a small smile forming around his lips.

"Never again," said Dash, trying hard to keep a straight face.

"We'll see," replied Oli playfully.

"I need a tissue."

"Right. Sorry `bout that."

After wiping off the last bit of cum from his shoes, Dash cautiously opened the bathroom stall door and led both of them out. While they were washing their hands, Oli's eyes settled on Dash's reflection in the mirror.

"What?" Dash asked, noticing Oli's dubious gaze.

"I have PE with James later."

"So?"

"We don't share PE."

"And?"

"What should I do?"

"I thought you wanted to rip his throat out?"

"Yeah," Oli sighed, glancing down to his hands. "...okay."

"Oli," Dash said, actually looking toward Oli. "I'll be there."

"Huh?"

"I'll be there in your PE class. I'll just sit somewhere close."

"But," Oli hesitated. "What if James sees you? He'll do anything to you!"

"Not with a teacher around, I bet. Besides, I'll keep an eye on him and on you."

Oli blushed, thinking about a whole different thing, and said, "You mind coming to the locker rooms with me? Maybe the shower, too?"

"You wanna get caught?" Dash asked, raising an eyebrow at the same time.

"Nah," Oli answered. "...just thought it would be fun, y'know."

So after their little bathroom break, the pair finally made it to class, avoiding detention altogether for being late because the teacher was too lazy to actually mind. In fact, they were just given something to read for the whole hour before lunchtime. With their seats next to each other, Oli kept on pestering Dash by constantly whispering all sorts of things to him. Dash didn't mind though. It was actually one way to get their minds off several students staring and talking about them.

"Quiet," the teacher finally said, turning all but Oli's attention toward him.

At lunch time, Oli and Dash shared the same table. No one would actually sit together with them, knowing that almost all the students didn't want to be associated with faggots or were afraid of James and his group finding out such thing.

"Hey."

Oli looked up, surprised that there was actually someone who sat beside them. Well, it wasn't really that surprising because it was Anthony who sat with them. Brian, of course, stayed with James' group. Strangely, James was nowhere to be seen.

"Tony," Oli casually greeted, but a smile did cross his face and his eyes showed gratitude.

"I got some info," Anthony said. Then, whispering, "...about James."

Oli leaned forward and toward Anthony, his eyes showing curiosity and eagerness.

"You read those...letters in your locker, right?" Anthony asked Dash.

"Yeah. What about them?"

"Brian said sorry," Anthony said. "He wrote all of those. James' instruction, he said. So it's not the whole school putting all those trash in there."

"Oh? Well, if you trust him, then I guess we should forgive him," Oli said. "You both still want to help, right?"

"Yeah. We got your back."

"What about that info?" Dash asked.

"Don't get separated, both of you," said Anthony. "...not until you get home."

"That's not hard to do," Oli said. "But, why?"

"You have PE with James later, right?"

Oli nodded.

"And I have PE with Gabe later."

"So?"

"That leaves Dash all alone and Brian has a class at the same time. You don't have..."

"And?"

"Once Dash is all alone, James' boys will do something to him. Brian talked about another video they'll take with Dash confessing to being gay and crying and..."

"Like hell I'll cry," Dash scoffed.

"We don't know exactly what they'll do, but..."

"Don't worry," Oli said. "Dash will be in my PE class, sitting somewhere close while I grapple with James on the mat. We'll have each other's back if something happens."

"Great," Anthony said, smiling. Then, in a much louder voice he added, "...now can we please eat in peace without all of you staring at us? It's rude to stare, y'know!"

Almost immediately, everyone's eyes diverted from their table as they went back to their food or their own conversations.

"Thanks," Oli genuinely said.

"Best friends, right?" Anthony smiled and started eating his sandwich. "Oh, I know!"

"Hm?"

"Remember that thing we did in second grade during recess?" Anthony asked.

"What thing?" Oli asked.

"Gimme that," Anthony said, reaching for Oli's sandwich. Then, handing his own sandwich to Dash, he added, "...here, Dash."

"Huh?"

"Give that to Oli," Anthony instructed. "...this way, we'll be..."

"...PB&J brothers," Oli said.

"Yeah!" Anthony said, smiling at Dash. "See? We're best friends now, too!"

"But..."

"My mom packed both of us ham and cheese sandwiches," Oli pointed out.

"Mine's Nutella," said Anthony. "...but it doesn't matter. It's symbolic."

"Yep!" Oli said before taking a bite of the same ham and cheese sandwich that he had earlier. Only this time, it was from Dash.

Meanwhile, at a table not far away, Gabe's hateful glare still remained on Dash. Anthony left him a while ago, telling him that they should be backing up Oli and not pushing him away. He lost his appetite when he saw those three boys exchanging sandwiches and taking a bite off the ones they received. That was s'posed to be a sacred pact among him, Oli and Anthony, but Dash was now let in. And what's taking James so long anyway?

"Looks like you're the one who's being avoided by everyone."

"Shut up," Gabe told James who apparently stood beside him now. "Don't forget our deal."

"It's all set up," James said. "We only need to separate Dash from Oliver. You know what to do, right?"

"Can't wait already. I want Dash out of the way for good."

"You sure you're not gay?" James asked amusingly. "It looks like you're the one after Oliver."

"I paid you to do your..."

"Listen, asshole," James threatened. "You should know that I can do anything to you. Once I get rid of Dash, you might be next. So watch your mouth, got it?"

James left Gabe's table and went to the rest of his group. For the rest of lunch, it seemed everyone was waiting for something to happen. Oli and Dash waited for the worst; Anthony waited for Brian to finish his sandwich so they could unintentionally meet in the bathroom later; Gabe waited for the rest of classes to end; James waited for his girlfriend; and everyone else waited in line for their food or just...waited for some other things to go their way.

~*~*~*~

The right address. Kenneth was at the right address, but it looked like the house had no one home right now. The whole neighbourhood was quiet, save for a few cars driving by and the wind rustling the leaves of trees that lined the sidewalk. He looked down once more at the address that he wrote down. Sure enough, it was the right address.

He sighed, straightened his coat and proceeded to cross the street, but immediately stopped behind a post when the house he was s'posed to go to opened its garage door. Then, the front door opened and out came...Matthew.

Mattie closed the door behind him, his little turtle tucked in his right arm and the curls of his hair blew over his eyes, partially blocking his view of anything beyond the front yard. Alex's SUV went out of the garage and stopped on the driveway, its backseat door opening for him to hop into the vehicle. Brushing his curls sideways, he almost ran toward the vehicle before going inside. The backseat door slammed shut and Mattie's eyes settled on the rear-view mirror, smiling back at Alex.

"Remember, son," Alex began. "I'm here for you so don't be afraid to answer the doctor's questions, okay? He will help you, I promise. And we can go pick up Oli and Dash on our way home."

"Okay," Mattie said as he smiled gently. He held onto his stuffed turtle, not too tightly but just enough to provide him with some comfort and courage. He knew what he'd been through, wished that he'd forget, pretended that it didn't happen, and wanted to just keep quite. But, Oli's father was actually...there for him. Never before did he really feel safe. Up until now, he only had his big brother to care for him and his little turtle to not let him forget his...real dad.

Kenneth was partially blocked by the post he stood behind of, but his view wasn't obstructed by anything at all. He saw how Mattie skipped on the lawn right across the street, hopped into the car and tucked the little green stuffed animal in his arm. It was clear enough to him that the stuffed turtle lost its deep green colour long ago, in contrast to how Mattie's curls changed into a deeper shade of brown. As much as he remembered Mattie, he also remembered the turtle.

It was his gift for Mattie on the little boy's fifth birthday. Mattie had wanted a real turtle, but he wanted his son to learn the basics of taking care of a pet by letting him have a stuffed animal to practice with. Mattie was really happy, of course. It didn't take long for Mattie to take the stuffed turtle swimming in the tub and `eating' red tomatoes and stuff. Mattie was learning how to look after the stuffed animal and Kenneth almost bought him a real one. However, things just went crazy and he...well, he let himself drift farther from his son when he noticed that Mattie was acting like a little sissy. And he didn't have enough time to straighten things up since he was leading his own police force.

`Where the hell are they going?' he thought, but by now, the SUV has long since turned and disappeared around the corner of the street.

A few yards away, another man saw what happened. However, he had a different question bothering him.

`Kennie?' Dan thought, his heart racing, not from excitement, not from fear, but from something he could not place. Nothing ever went his way. What was he supposed to do now? The authorities were looking for him and his brother was now out of prison and it seemed hard to get to Mattie. What about those two airplane tickets he bought? Well, he could just tear the other one and that's what he actually did. Wait, he tore the two tickets, in fact.

~*~*~*~

"Gabe."

"What do you want?"

"Stop this. Oli's our best friend. Why can't you just be there for him? You had the three of us promise that..."

"I'm doing this for him," Gabe interrupted, pulling up his pants.

"You're a bully," Anthony argued, a towel still wrapped around his waist. "What happened to you?"

"Nothing," Gabe said, turning around to face Anthony. "Oli forgot `bout us. You should ask him."

"You don't even know what you're talking about!"

"Yeah?" Gabe snorted. "All I can see is Oli and Dash spending too much time together. And us? What are we to him, huh?"

"We're his friends, for god's sake! We should have his back..."

"Oh, I have his back," Gabe chuckled. "...but he doesn't have mine. He set me aside just `coz of some...lame ass loner."

"Do you even know that Dash and Oli already knew each other? You haven't even tried hearing their story," Anthony argued, despite him not knowing the whole story and only that part where Oli and Dash were, indeed, childhood friends.

"Why should I? It's not about them! It's about..." Gabe trailed off, his voice lost within the walls of the locker room. The other kids were still in the shower or left a while ago, not bothering to mess around too much. After all, PE was their last class for today and nobody wanted to stay for much long in school.

"...what?" Anthony asked.

"None of your business."

"I'm your friend, Gabe. I'm Oli's friend. It is my business."

"Hn," Gabe scoffed. "You can't do anything now. I'll get Oli back and...and James will take care of Dash."

"Oh yeah?" Anthony retorted, closing the distance between the both of them. "You still don't know what I can do, Gabriel."

"I know you, Anthony," came Gabe's low response. "I know that you're hiding something. I know that between Oli and me, you'd always choose him. We weren't friends before Oli came. Hell, we fought a lot..."

"But he made you promise, both of us," Anthony continued. "...in exchange for some candies. Always so stubborn, he stood between us."

"We're best friends, eh?" Gabe said. "Then don't stop me. If we both lose Oli, who knows how many punches I can throw at you."

"We're losing him already. You're losing him."

"Fuck. Off."

"Wanna see what your brother taught me?"

Gabe's eyes squinted, not sure what Anthony meant.

"I'm doing this for our friend," Anthony said, before pushing Gabe against the lockers and pressing their lips together fiercely.

`Step one,' Anthony thought. `...nibble, suck, part lips."

With added ferocity, it wasn't a nibble that he did. He bit into Gabe's lips, sucked like he was taught to do so and Gabe's lips parted on their own.

`Step two. Teeth and tongue.'

Anthony's tongue brushed against Gabe's lips and teeth before both their tongues wrestled each other. It might have been on instinct, but Gabe was actually good at mimicking his moves. His own lips was being sucked, the sound of saliva quite audible and their erratic breaths eventually brought their chests against each other.

`Step three. Hands...'

Idle hands are the devil's workshop. So, Anthony ran his right hand down Gabe's chest, feeling the other boy's shiver. His left hand worked through Gabe's dark hair, damp and soft. He didn't dare go far below Gabe's waist. That was off limits, Brian told him.

`Step four...step four...give it everything you got.'

Their moans gained volume as their kiss intensified. Forget about feelings and mushy stuff. Right now, only the outburst of every other emotion took over. Love was out of the equation. Only the kiss mattered. Love for a friend, perhaps. But that was something far less than passion.

With one last sloppy sound, Anthony broke the kiss. He knew that he closed his eyes once he locked lips with Gabe, but he didn't expect to see Gabe's eyes still closed after their kiss. He smirked. He did what he came here to do. Now, to see if Gabe understood.

"Made you close your eyes, didn't I?" Anthony whispered.

Gabe's eyes opened, squinted and looked clouded. He was still trying to catch his breath, but he heard what Anthony said clearly.

"What...the fuck..."

"You see now why Oli doesn't like you the way you like him?"

"Huh?"

"You don't know anything except fooling around. Oli's a sweet guy, Gabe. He doesn't just fool around," Anthony said. "Dash knows how sweet Oli really is."

"Shut..."

"No," Anthony interrupted. "This is your fault, y'know. You're closer to Oli than I am, but you don't know how close you two really are. Now, Dash...he knows everything about him."

Gabe tried pushing Anthony off him, but the other boy just pushed back harder with equally fierce eyes staring back at him.

"You might not know this," Anthony said. "...but Oli's not yours to begin with. Not mine, either but I don't care. So just leave him with whoever he wants to be."

Anthony finally pushed himself back and started toward his own locker. Just then, Gabe's phone sounded off. A text message. He looked back toward Gabe and saw the flicker in his friend's eyes. A sort of twisted smile even made its way to Gabe's lips.

"We'll see," Gabe said, shoving the rest of his things into his locker and picking up his shirt before heading out of the room.

Anthony's phone also sounded off and as he read the message, he felt his heart skip a beat. Shoving it inside his bag, he hurriedly dressed up and went out as well. It was too late, he feared. He needed to get to Oli and fast.

`They have Dash,' the message on his phone read.

~*~*~*~

"Come at me, faggot."

"Fuck you!"

"Watch your mouths or you're both getting detention!"

"Right, Oliver," James sneered. "I'll break every bone you got."

Oli didn't say anything before charging toward James and tackling the larger boy onto the mat. But, James easily overturned him and pinned him down, his arms held tightly onto the floor and his torso bore James' weight.

"That all you got?" James scorned.

Oli struggled, kicked his legs wildly and tried overthrowing James, but he just couldn't do so. Finally, James shifted his position and now pinned Oli for the count, succeeding at doing so.

"Fags like you don't have guts," said James as he stood up, smirking as he did.

"Fuck you," Oli hissed, and almost tackled James again, but his attention was immediately stolen by someone shouting his name.

"Oli!" Anthony shouted as he came running toward the boy. Panting, he said, "Dash...he's in trouble."

Oli's heart froze as he scanned the gym for any sign of Dash. Nowhere. Dash was nowhere.

"What now, Oliver?" asked James, his voice still full of contempt.

Oli glared at James before glancing toward Anthony with worry-filled eyes. He didn't even excuse himself as he ran for the exit while still wearing his PE clothes. Anthony ran behind him while his teacher was shouting about detention and other stuff.

"He was s'posed to be there!" Oli shouted, feeling angry with himself for getting distracted by James. It was all part of their plan, but he only realized it now. "Where is he?"

"Oli!" Anthony yelled as he tried catching up with Oli. It didn't take long for the bell to ring, signalling the end of classes and several students started getting out of their rooms.

Both Oli and Anthony ran past the other kids and they didn't even bother to say sorry after bumping into others.

When they got the school's entrance, Oli's eyes widened as it settled on another boy, his anger only intensifying by the second.

"Where is he?!" Oli demanded, his hand tightly gripping Brian's shirt collar.

"Oliver!" Anthony finally caught up with Oli and he immediately tore Oli's grip on Brian. "Brian didn't do anything!"

"He wrote those fucking things!" Oli argued. "You're both a part of this, aren't you?! You both..."

"Shut it, Oliver!" Anthony yelled back. "We have nothing to do with this."

"Oh yeah? Then why is he here?" Oli pointed to Brian.

"I know where they took Dash," Brian said.

"Where?" demanded Oli.

"The playground. The plan was to..."

Before Brian could finish, Oli stormed off again, leaving the two boys running after him.

"Slow down!" Anthony shouted, but Oli just ran faster and faster.

When the three of them got to the playground, there was no sign of anyone, let alone Dash. Oli could feel his heart racing and his gut told him that Dash was in so much danger. He took a few steps forward, not knowing where to start looking, before turning back toward Brian who was still breathing heavily.

"Where?!"

"I...I don't know. They didn't tell me anything else. I think they know `bout me," Brian said.

"I'll look over there," Anthony said, pointing to his left. "Oli, you go straight for the swings and Brian will look near the sandbox."

"Shout when you find him...or anything," Oli said before heading toward the swings.

The whole playground wasn't that big and there weren't any people around since it was barely past the end of classes for that day. However, it was hard looking for someone and harder when that someone was deliberately hidden and, maybe, kept silenced.

Oli scanned his area but found nothing out of place. This was the same swing he sat on when Mattie confessed to him about Dash's secret. A few yards back was where he hugged and kissed Dash that night when he found out the truth about him being adopted and being Dash's childhood best friend. Far to his right was the same bench where Mattie slept on his lap while he talked things through with Dash. Nothing out of place. No sign of Dash.

"Oli!" came Anthony's faint voice. "Over here!"

Oli ran toward Anthony's area and was soon outside the public restroom with graffiti all over its walls. Anthony was by the entrance, partially blocking the way inside. Oli took hesitant steps toward his friend as Brian soon joined them.

"Oli," Anthony whispered, putting his hand on Oli's shoulder as if trying to stop his friend in his tracks.

Oli shrugged off Anthony's hand and easily sidestepped his friend. The room had a really foul smell and more graffiti littered its tiled walls. The urinals were covered in yellow stain and the mirror had dirt all over it. The stalls had no doors or the doors were hanging on only one of its hinges.

"Dash?"

"Oli," Anthony whispered behind Oli once again, turning his friend's attention to him. "I'm sorry."

Oli ran past the first two stalls, but found Dash nowhere inside. While making his way toward the last stall, the farthest from the entrance, his sweat turned cold and he could feel his body shake with how fast his heart was beating. He knew he was hyperventilating, but he needed to find Dash. Hesitantly, his eyes wandered into the last stall. Graffiti on its wall, a drawing of a penis up above. And on the floor, against the yellow-stained toilet, was Dash.

"Dash!" Oli immediately kneeled in front of the boy, tears making its way through his eyes. "Oh god..."

Dash was unconscious. His shirt was missing while his pants were pulled halfway down. If he didn't have his knees against his chest, it would have been obvious that his boxers were pulled down as well. He had both his hands behind his back, as if they were tied to the toilet itself. His hair was a mess and as Oli lifted his chin, it showed red marks on his face.

"Dash?"

Dash grunted, but he still wasn't gaining full consciousness. Oli tried pulling him up, but he only collapsed into Oli's arms.

"Tony!"

Anthony was behind Oli at that instant and didn't even wait to be told to help. He lifted Dash's right arm while Oli took care of the left. Dash's head hung low and his pants would have made its way down to his ankles if it wasn't for Oli's hand pulling it up in place. He was dragged outside the stall and brought in front of the mirror. Brian took Oli's place as the other boy removed his shirt and dampened it with some water to wipe off the red stains on Dash's face.

"That's not blood," Brian commented.

"It's lipstick," said Anthony. "What the hell did they do to him?"

"I'll kill them," Oli hissed as he wiped Dash's face with his damp shirt. "I'll fucking kill them."

Oli moved down to Dash's chest and wiped the lipstick off as well. Whoever did this to Dash had apparently wrote FAG on his chest. Not only that. It seemed...

"He got these bruises long ago," Anthony said. "I don't think they beat him up just now...Oli?"

"..."

"They drugged him," Brian said.

"We should bring him to the nurse or call..."

"No," Oli said. "I'll call my dad. Tony, can you stay with him? I'll just get my stuff and..."

"You're not going to..."

"Stay with him. Please."

"I'm not dumb, Oli," Anthony said. "I know you'll go looking for James. You ending up in a fight is the last thing we need right now."

"I don't care! He'll pay for this." Oli placed a quick kiss on Dash's lips, his one hand gripping tightly on Dash's hair at the back, his closed eyes forcing tears out of them. "I'm sorry..."

Before Anthony or Brian could protest, Oli stormed off back to their school with only one thing in his mind. Revenge. Everyone who had something to do with this would know what hell is like. James, his boys and even Gabe.

"He's stubborn, I'll give him that," Brian said.

"You don't know half of it."

"What do we do?"

"Let's take him to the nurse. Oli needs our help. Put your jacket on him."

So it was Anthony and Brian who supported Dash's weight on their shoulders, dragging the unconscious boy back to their school with several kids looking strangely at them. When they got to the clinic, Dash was immediately attended to while Anthony and Brian dodged the questions thrown at them before they went looking for Oli.

"You know where James is?" Anthony asked.

"Maybe he's still in the shower or locker room. Oliver should be there, too."

Down the hallway, around a corner to their right, and past some other kids, they eventually stopped in front of the locker rooms. It was kinda noisy inside, with all the other kids running around with a towel around their waist or without one at all. Almost instantly, the few kids who were scattered in the room started gathering toward the third row of lockers and Anthony and Brian also made their way toward there.

"Whatcha gonna do about it, huh?!"

"Fuck you!"

As Anthony and Brian slipped past the kids in front of them, they immediately saw Oli push James against the lockers, with James half naked from the waist up and Oli still in his PE clothes.

"Oliver!"

"How's your boyfriend, Oliver?" taunted James, not minding the fierce look in Oli's eyes.

"Stop it Oli!" shouted Anthony, making his way toward the boy just in time to stop him from throwing a punch.

The other kids, much to their delight, kept on chanting a chorus of `Fight, fight, fight.' When Anthony grabbed Oli's arm, the chorus mostly turned to `boos' and `Get out, loser!' Oli, despite his desperation of throwing that punch, couldn't free his arm from Anthony's grip.

"Back off!" shouted Oli.

"What's going on here?"

Almost everyone immediately backed away and returned to what they were doing earlier when their teacher came in. The man looked annoyed and disgusted at what the boys were doing. He made his way toward Oli and James and broke the two apart.

"It's Monday," he said in a deep voice. "I don't want to give anyone detention, but you boys are already getting on my nerve. That stunt you pulled in gym earlier, I'd let that slip. But this? Do you want me to..."

"Sir," interrupted Brian. "We won't cause any more trouble. But, please, our friend is in the clinic and the nurse requested for Oliver to be there."

"Clinic? What the hell happened to him?" Turning to Oli and James, he added. "You beat him up?"

"No...sir," both Oli and James said.

Oli didn't want to admit anything to the teachers and his eyes even showed concern when he heard about Dash being brought to the clinic. He sent a questioning look to Anthony, but the boy just looked sorry. On the other hand, James didn't want getting detention. That's why he kept his hands clean and let his boys take care of Dash in the first place. What would a boy like him do in detention anyway? Nothing should ever keep him restrained.

"I'll let this one slip," the man said, still sounding stern. "If I ever catch the two of you at each other's throats again, it's detention for a whole week. Got it?"

The two boys nodded and the teacher left them. Oli still wanted to tackle and punch James, but Anthony held onto his shoulder tightly, reminding him of Dash.

"You wanna get even?" James asked, making his way toward his locker. Oli just sent him a warning look. "Playground. 4PM. We'll see what you can do, faggot."

"Like hell you're gonna..."

"Oh, to make it more worth it," James interrupted. "We won't be sending that video we have of Dash to anyone or posting it online if you beat me."

"I'll kill you."

"I can't wait."

And so all the boys eventually got out of the locker rooms, chatting fervently about the fight that almost took place while they were changing. James went to meet the rest of his buddies while Oli, Anthony and Brian went to the clinic.

"Why the hell did you bring him there?"

"He needs medical attention, Oli," Anthony said. "And we can't let you get into a fight on your own. You might've gotten suspended."

"I don't care `bout that!" Oli argued. "I told you to stay with Dash and not bring him to the nurse."

"Does it have something to do with his bruises?" Brian asked.

Oli just looked at Brian, not knowing what to say or how to avoid the question. Both Anthony and Brian looked expectantly at him, and before they turned the corner toward the clinic, Anthony spoke up.

"Is he...is someone abusing him?"

"None of your business," answered Oli, his pace quickened and his back turned toward both boys.

When they got to the clinic, a very quiet Dash who apparently had his gaze downcast greeted them. A nurse was crouched in front of him while he was seated on a chair. It looked as if the nurse was asking several questions in a hushed tone.

"Dash!" Oli said as he approached the boy. "Are you okay?"

"You know him, dear?" the nurse asked. She looked like a sweet lady in her early thirties and seemed to be genuinely concerned.

"We're his friends, miss," Anthony answered. "Is he okay?"

"He's still dazed, but just give him more time to rest and he should be fine," the nurse said. "I have some questions, dear. If you don't mind me asking."

"Can we just go home?" Oli hurriedly asked.

"I tried calling his parents, but our records show that he's living with his uncle. Do you know the man?"

"No."

"I just want to help him," she said, standing up and turning toward Oli. "You might think it's none of my business, but I've recently heard about his uncle. Is he..."

"It's taken care of," Oli said. "He's with us now and I promised...I promised him..."

"I understand, dear. If you need anything, just find me here. We want all of you to be safe after all."

"Thanks," said Oli. "Can we go home now? My dad's waiting outside."

"I'll keep this between us, okay boys?" she said. "But if I ever see something troubling again, I can't do anything but report this to the..."

"Please, miss," Oli interrupted. "You have nothing to worry. He has every help he needs, but...we just don't want everyone else to know."

The nurse smiled and nodded before sending the boys off. Indeed, she was really worried for Dash earlier, but judging from the recent news about his uncle, the boy's secret was out and the authorities must know it already. And she knew that such things must be kept to minimum exposure considering the boy's young age.

"His uncle?" Anthony asked as they were walking toward the school's entrance.

"Yeah, but please," Oli said, then he turned his gaze toward Dash who was walking quietly beside him.

"Oli," Dash whispered, looking back at him. "It's okay."

"Who did this to you? I'll make them pay for it."

"I...I don't know. I can't remember who they were."

"Doesn't matter," said Oli. "James will pay for what he did."

"What are you saying?"

"You'll see. But...I don't want you to stop me, okay?"

"Oli..."

"No, Dash. They'll pay for what they did. James, Gabe and everyone who did this. You...you..."

"We found you unconscious in the restroom by the playground," said Anthony. "...and, well..."

"What? All I remember is someone putting a cloth to my mouth and...what did they do?"

"Don't worry," said Oli. "I'll tell you when we get home. Right now, I'm gonna make James see what hell is like."

"I don't think that's a good idea, Oli," said Anthony. "It might be a trap."

"Knowing James, he likes to play tricks on his victims," Brian said.

"I don't like what he did to Dash. He wants a fight, I'll give him one."

When they were finally outside, only a few more kids can be seen walking about. Everyone was starting on their way home. Oli still hasn't called his dad and he doesn't plan on doing so until he gets his revenge. Alex had said that he'd pick them up on their way home from Mattie's appointment, but they were running late, it seemed.

~*~*~*~

"Is he gonna be okay?" Mattie asked, his eyes showed worry and doubt.

"They'll fix him, don't worry," Alex said, ruffling the boy's hair.

Mattie's gaze turned back to examination table in front of him, still holding onto his stuffed turtle. He felt like crying just from watching the whole scene unfold before his eyes. Golden brown fur, covered with some blood and a steady tail were the only things that held his attention. The poor dog had its leg broken and its body wounded while it lay asleep.

"I'm sorry, son," Alex whispered, holding Mattie's shoulder. "I should've been more careful."

"You didn't mean it," Mattie said.

On their way from the doctor's office, Alex had run over the stray dog. He was talking to Mattie who was in the backseat and had removed his eyes from the road when the dog crossed the street. It was Mattie's shout that made him step on the break immediately, but it was too late. The next thing he heard, after getting out of his SUV, was a dog's whimper and Mattie's worried voice asking if they could take the dog to a vet. Of course, he agreed. It was his fault anyway. But right now, they were running almost an hour late to pick up Oli and Dash.

"What'll happen to him?" Mattie asked.

"Well, they'd take him to a shelter after they fix him. Maybe someone will adopt him someday."

Mattie's heart broke at the thought of a dog without a place to come home to. It was exactly how he and Dash were right now. They have nowhere else to go. Luckily, Oli's parents were kind enough to take them in. Alex had fixed the necessary papers to provide a temporary home for them. Still, the thought of not having a real home felt a lot like a dog being sent to a shelter, waiting for that day when some kid would find them adorable enough to be adopted. In his and Dash's case, maybe they were waiting for that day when their dad would come for them. What his uncle told him, it was clearly a lie.

"You want to keep him?" Alex asked.

"Huh?"

"You already named him, haven't you?"

"Lucky. He's Lucky."

"I'm sure he is," said Alex. "But I'm afraid we can't keep him."

"I know."

"Come on. Oli and Dash are waiting for us."

"Bye, Lucky," Mattie whispered. "Be a good boy, okay?"

~*~*~*~

"His line's dead," Anthony said, pressing redial on his phone again for the last time.

"Why do you wanna call Gabriel anyway?" Brian asked.

"I want to end this here and now," said Oli. "...with both of them."

"Maybe he's with James," Dash said. "Do you even have a plan if this turns out to be a trap?"

"Yep! Make them pay for what they did."

"We need to think of something," Anthony suggested. "That's not a very good plan at all."

"It's easy to follow and I'll make sure it won't get messed up," Oli argued. "What's taking him so long?"

"Five more minutes," Brian said.

The four boys were by the swings, with Oli on one and Anthony on the other. Dash, who was still wearing Brian's jacket, chose not to sit, telling the other three boys that he'd feel dizzy if he sat for too long. His head still hurt a bit and he tried real hard to remember anything that happened during the last hour.

Oli, Dash, Anthony and Brian looked around for where those faint voices came from. They could see no one, but judging from how those voices sounded, it was clearly some sort of recording.

"Did I..." Dash stuttered. "Were they talking about me?"

"I swear, if you don't show yourself..."

"Oliver," Brian cut in. "...look."

The three boys looked toward where Brian pointed and hanging from a tree branch was a phone from where those voices clearly came from. They approached the tree and saw the disturbing video of Dash on the tiled floor, stripped off of his shirt, pants pulled down and several boys' back turned toward the camera, taunting him and putting lipstick all over his face and chest.

"Fuck..." Dash whispered, his eyes squinted as he wiped his lips, not believing for one second that it was him in the video.

"It's uploading," Anthony pointed out, quickly pressing the `cancel' button on the screen when the loading bar was at 30% complete.

"I'll kill them," Dash almost snarled. "I'll fucking kill them."

"But where are they?" Anthony said. "And we don't know whose phone this is. I'll just delete the file to make sure no one else gets it."

"They chickened out, I bet," Oli mocked.

It was yet another video being played nearby. They rushed to where the sound was coming from and found another phone on one of the benches. Like the previous one, the video was uploading and it was Oli who stopped it this time from going over 40%.

"Show your fucking ass James!"

"That's it!" Oli shouted. "I'm gonna beat you to a fuckin' pulp!"

"Hear that?" someone said, which made Oli, Dash, Anthony and Brian turn toward him. "I still have my phone here, Oliver. Wanna see how it all ends?"

"Fuck you!" Oli yelled as he charged toward James who was a few feet away.

"Hold it!" James yelled back. "One more step and this video gets its first hundred views."

"Don't you dare," Oli growled as he held his ground.

"Stop this, James!" Brian shouted. "You'd get in trouble if you do this."

"My wingman," James mocked. "...what made you change sides, Brian? You like Oliver, too?"

"You're an asshole," Anthony interrupted. "Brian's not like you."

"Oh, I see. You're his boyfriend, aren't you?"

Oli's gaze immediately went back to Anthony and noticed how his friend's expression turned dim as he clenched his fist and stole glances toward Brian a few times. So that's how Anthony knew Brian, wasn't it? That explained their desire to help to some extent.

"Great," James said, turning the screen of his phone to Oli showing the uploading progress at 58%. "I get to get rid of four faggots here. See this, Oliver? I'll make you a deal."

"I don't want..."

"Beat me, I'll stop this upload. But if I beat you, everyone at school will know `bout this and who knows how many views this will get. Do we have a deal?"

"I don't trust you."

"I play by my own rules, Oliver. What I say is true. I promise," said James, a sly smile forming around his lips.

"Where's Gabe?"

"Gabriel? Don't worry. He's safe with my buddies."

Oli didn't like how James' voice sounded so deceitful and confident. It seemed like he actually planned for all this very carefully, down to the last detail. However, Oli couldn't even guess what would happen next.

"Deal," he said.

"Oli, let me take care of this," Dash said, tapping Oli's shoulder.

"No. I'll kill him. Watch me."

"I told you already. I don't need you to protect me from James or anyone."

"I know, but please...you still need to rest. I won't get hurt, I promise."

"You done talking?" James asked as he put his phone inside his pocket. "I've paused the upload. Come at me, faggot."

And so Oli charged toward James again, shrugging off Dash's grip on his shoulder. His eyes burned with anger, despite its usual shade of indigo. He could feel his heart pumping, adrenaline rushing and even without a war cry, his vengeance drove him toward the larger boy.

"Too slow," James said as he dodged Oli's fist, leaning toward his left and grabbing Oli's arm before twisting it behind his attacker. He wrapped his other arm around Oli's neck and held onto the boy tightly.

"Ugh," Oli choked, struggling hard enough against James' headlock. He tried hitting the larger boy's torso with his elbow, but it was futile. So his free hand went to James' arm around his neck and desperately tried to pull it off him.

"One step from anyone of you and I'll break his neck," James warned the three boys, noticing how they approached him recklessly.

"Let him go!" Anthony shouted.

"Not `til I get him to do what I came here for."

"Let him go or I'll fucking break your neck," Dash said with the same threatening voice he used against his uncle.

"Careful, gayboy. You don't want me to kill him, do you?"

"F-fuck...y-you," Oli managed to say.

"Listen, Oliver," James whispered, making sure that only Oli heard what he was saying. "...change of rules. I won't upload the video if you break up with your boyfriend. He's nothing to you. He can't even protect you from me. He's nothing but a lame ass faggot. Got it?"

"Like hell I'll..." James tightened his arm around Oli's neck, silencing the boy.

"I'm s'posed to leave you alone, y'know, but you just don't give up, do you? I'll let you choose, okay?"

"Oliver, listen to him! He's not joking!" Brian yelled, knowing perfectly what James was saying.

"I'll break your neck and upload the video," James said. "...or you'll break up with him, never talk to him again...not even look at him and I'll leave you both alone. I'll delete the video, too."

Instead of saying something, Oli elbowed James again and succeeded at making the boy grunt in pain and loosen the arm around his neck. Though it wasn't enough to break free of the headlock.

"You're a tough guy, I'll give you that," said James, chuckling mildly. "I guess I have no choice but to..."

"James!"

James looked over his shoulder and saw Gabe approaching them, the boy's eyes locking with his and looking fierce enough to burn a hole through his thick head.

"Gabriel! What the fuck have you done?!" Anthony shouted.

"We had a deal," Gabe told James, keeping a bearable distance between both of them as his gaze settled on Oli's accusing eyes and strained face.

"Where the hell are my boys?"

"Not my fault they can't handle me against all of them. I'm not an idiot. Stick to our deal and leave Oliver alone."

"Oh yeah? Ever tried talking sense into him? I'm doing my part of our deal, but see? Your friend doesn't get it."

"Let him go," Gabe said. "...or you'll know what I did to your friends."

"Hn," James scoffed, loosening his arm around Oli's neck. "You talk to him and see how stubborn he is. But I'll make sure to get back at you."

When James finally released him from the headlock, Oli twisted his body and threw a straight punch toward the boy's face. It hit and what a beautiful sound it was to his ears when his fist connected with James' nose.

James stumbled back, his face showing pain as he pressed carefully on his nose. It wasn't broken but there was blood dripping out. Up until now, he took control over his primeval desire to hurt someone, but when Oli released that drastic punch, he lost it.

"Why you!"

He tackled Oli to the ground, locking both his legs against Oli's side and punched hard on Oli's right eye. Luckily, Oli managed to partially block the fist and had only felt the pain on the side of his face.

Before James threw another punch, Gabe pushed him off of Oli. He landed hard on the ground, but his anger never got thrown out of his system. His fierce eyes locked gazes with Gabe's and he instantly pushed himself up and ran toward the boy.

Gabe dodged the punch coming straight at him, sidestepping on instinct before dodging the second punch. His feet shuffled backward as he avoided the several clenched fists thrown at him while releasing his own counterpunch. He didn't land any blow on James, however. Not knowing that he was backing toward a tree, his eyes widened when his back was against the hard bark. At that instant, an uppercut from James blew through his evasive defence and landed hard on his gut. It was supposed to be a knockout punch, but he was quick enough to receive the blow on his torso instead of it hitting his jaw.

He curled in pain, groaned and held his gut so hard. The pain was excruciating and he couldn't breathe. He tried holding it down, tried hard to breathe but he could only feel himself crouching while his back was still against the tree. He saw another punch headed for the side of his face, but someone was already behind James to prevent that from happening.

It was Anthony this time who kneed James in the gut, feeling satisfied when he heard the larger boy groan in agony, quite sure that he was experiencing the same pain that Gabe felt. However, it wasn't enough to stop him from thrusting his head into Anthony's chest.

Anthony was pretty sure that his heart and breathing stopped as he clenched his chest. He wasn't thrown to the ground, but he fell on his knees while his strength left him. Brian ran to his side before placing himself in front of him, making a shield out of his lean body. He held both his arms up in a cross in front of his head, successfully blocking James' fist, but he was thrown hard on the ground right beside Anthony.

"Hn," James scoffed, a contemptuous smile forming around his lips as a low chuckle escaped his throat. "...you almost had me, didn't you? All of you against me and look at you! I'm not even finished." Turning toward Dash, he added, "What do you say, gayboy? Want to join us and prove that you're not worthless?"

Dash saw every punch thrown during the last minute, but he couldn't bring himself to join the fight in such a reckless manner. He knew he had a slim chance of avoiding those clenched fists of James, and he didn't want to just be a punching bag. He observed what took place carefully and tried to time his attack perfectly, but James was difficult to push to the ground.

"Stay out of this," Oli, who had one eye partially closed and bruised while kneeling on the ground, said. "...Dash. I won't let him hurt you."

"Shut it Oliver!" James yelled. "Can't you fuckin' see that he doesn't care `bout anyone of you? He's a coward and a waste of your time!"

"He's not a coward," Oli hissed.

"Then why is he just standing there, huh? Why not fight me!?"

"I'll fight," Dash finally uttered as he gathered what strength he barely recovered. Smiling confidently, he said, "...chicken ass."

"That's right," came James' mocking voice. "Be a good little sissy and make your daddy proud."

Snap. It wasn't a branch breaking in two, or someone's nose fracturing. It was something else inside of Dash that had sent all the anger in him rushing out. Sissy. He wasn't a sissy. His dad was wrong. He knew how to fight and if he had to kill someone, he finally knew that he won't be thinking twice before breaking anyone's neck or inflicting those same bruises that he endured on that same person. He was ready to fight.

"No Dash!" Oli shouted, but it couldn't stop Dash from charging toward James.

It was reckless, but it was calculated perfectly for him to avoid being tackled to the ground by the bully. It was like his uncle pushing him against the bedpost, but this time, he dodged the push from James that would've sent him flying backward. He caught how James twisted his position, aiming for him once more with a clear sighted punch. Like how his uncle used to slap him hard across the face several times, James' punch would've hurt the same if he didn't stop it with his left hand. James ducked this time, aiming for his torso with a headbutt, but he was quick to dodge that one, unlike how he couldn't avoid his uncle's cold hands running over his chest while his hands were tied over his head.

It wasn't time to throw a counterpunch, yet. He was still waiting for that slip in James' movement, like how his uncle missed hitting that very sensitive spot right up inside of him. The first time it happened, he lost consciousness. But as he `got used' to it, he prayed hard that his uncle would miss hitting that soft spot, not wanting his body to yield into the pain and...pleasurable feeling. James' movement seemed fluid, but there was always one mistake. It was always too slow.

"What's wrong? Can't hit me, can you?"

"Hn," James grunted as he tried catching his breath. "You don't even know how to fight. All you do is dodge. Coward."

"We'll see," Dash said, shifting his feet on the ground into a stance that would launch his fist full force toward James. "...hit me."

James was definitely annoyed at how smug Dash was looking at him. He launched himself forward, but was well aware of how Dash prepared to throw a punch at him. When he saw a fist coming straight at him, he dodged to his left and kicked Dash's side. Those karate lessons he took had paid off. He managed to have Dash curling on the ground, wiping that smirk off the boy's face.

"Don't underestimate me," he said, looking down at Dash and feeling satisfied with himself. "Don't act so tough, faggot."

"Dash!"

James turned around and saw Oli running toward him. He repeated what he did earlier, sidestepped and caught Oli in another headlock. This time, though, his arm held tighter around Oli's neck. His other hand went to Oli's head and he looked prepared enough to break the boy's neck. He kneed Oli's leg and had him kneel on the ground as he crouched himself behind the boy.

"Look gayboy. I have your boyfriend. It will be so easy like breaking a stick in half."

Even with the lingering pain in his gut, Gabe pushed himself up and took desperate steps toward James whose back was turned toward him. Before he went to school that day, he stole something from Darren. It was supposed to be part of his fail-safe plan. It was just a pocket knife, but it could easily draw blood out from anyone. He pulled it out his pocket, slid the blade out and locked onto his target.

"No Gabe!" Anthony shouted which caught James' attention, making him look toward his approaching attacker.

He let go of Oli, pushing the boy to the ground and right beside Dash. In a swift and fluid motion, he stood up and caught Gabe's hand in his, turning the knife away from him. He twisted Gabe's wrist and took the pocket knife. He threw a punch and landed a hit on Gabe's gut again. He was stronger than all of them and he successfully asserted his position.

"Nice knife you have here," he said, "...mind if I borrow it?"

Leaving Gabe kneeling on the ground, he turned toward Oli and Dash, anger and disgust filling his eyes. With the knife in his right hand, he was ready to go for the kill. All those times he spent dodging his father's punches and whips had taught him the most important lesson in life. Don't be a fucking coward. If it wasn't for him, his father would have beat him up to death. But...with the slightest bit of luck, he overpowered the man and broke an empty beer bottle on his head. After that, the only thing he knew how to do was beat anyone who disgusted him. Learning his father's hateful words, he mocked anyone who looked down on him and made fun of those who were far beneath him. He became a bully.

"I'll get rid of him for you, Oliver," he said in the most sadistic voice a boy his age could manage. "...then, I'll teach you not to mess with me again."

Oli placed himself in front of Dash, despite the other boys protest. He stared angrily at James, but he wasn't scared. Nothing could frighten him each time he shielded Dash from anyone. He didn't want his...boyfriend getting hurt again.

"Want to go first, eh?"

"Brian! Get up!" Anthony half-yelled, pushing the boy off his side before standing up.

He picked up a rock and aimed for James. He knew how to throw a ball and throwing a rock was no different. His aim was straight and his target wasn't that far away for him to miss. He sent the rock flying toward James and it landed on the side of James' head.

James looked toward Anthony and Brian who was now gathering more pebbles and rocks and was about to launch them in succession. He almost ran toward them, his killing intent still overpowering his senses, but before he could take another step forward, Gabe's leg blocked him and had him fall on the ground.

Gabe pounced on him and locked their bodies in a wrestling match. He threw punch after punch, each hit landing on James' face. However, he was easily overturned and now had his back against the ground. A fist landed on the side of his face and another stinging pain broke through his gut.

"Dashu!"

Mattie came running toward his brother with Alex right behind him. When they were passing by the playground toward Oli's school, he caught sight of his brother on the ground and Oli right beside him. He shouted for Alex to stop and now he was frantically rushing toward Dash.

James' eyes saw an adult heading toward them and he immediately pushed himself off Gabe, throwing the pocket knife aside. He glanced at Oli and Dash and leered at them.

"This ain't over, yet," he said before leaving the scene.

"Mattie, what are you doing here?" Dash asked.

"What is the meaning of this, Oliver?" came Alex's stern voice.

"Dad," Oli uttered, looking up at his father. He glanced toward Gabe and caught sight of the...red stain on his friend's shirt. "Gabe!"

Anthony and Brian ran toward Gabe as well. Oli felt hot tears on his cheeks as he held onto his best friend. Gabe looked dazed, but was smiling at him.

"Hn," Gabe grunted. "...should've known he'd hurt you."

"What the hell happened here?" Alex asked. He crouched beside Gabe and lifted the boy's shirt up, revealing the cut through the boy's abdomen. "Get in the car. Now!"

As Alex lifted him up, Gabe felt his consciousness leaving him. Before he finally closed his eyes, he stole a glance from Oli and saw his friend's tearstained face. It was all his fault, wasn't it?

~*~*~*~

Right beside Gabe's bed were Oli, Dash, Mattie, Anthony and Brian. Except for Mattie, all boys had bruises on their lips and eyes and reeked of dirt and sweat. Alex wasn't pleased at all. He called Gabe's parents already and was talking to the doctor who stitched up the boy. Luckily, no internal organs had be ruptured. The cut was shallow.

"You're grounded," Alex said, looking at both Oli and Dash. "...both of you. You thought you can handle all this? You should've told your teachers and let them take care of this. What if we didn't get there in time?"

"Sorry," Oli whispered.

"I'm disappointed in you, Oliver." Alex turned to the rest of the boys and added, "I'll take you home. Gabriel's parents should be here soon."

"Where..." Gabe stuttered, turning everyone's attention toward him. "...where am I?"

"Gabe!" Oli exclaimed. "You idiot! I thought I lost you!"

Funny, Gabe thought. It was actually him who thought that he lost Oli. But, here he was with Oli accusing him of the same thing. He looked at the rest of the boys and as his eyes finally settled on Dash, he felt something twist in his gut.

"The video..." he whispered. "It's in my phone. Delete it."

"Already did," Anthony said. "...you went too far."

"I...I'm sorry," he admitted, looking down on his sheets. "I didn't think James would betray our deal."

"What are you saying?"

"That's enough, boys," Alex interrupted. "Gabriel's parents are here. Let him rest and I'll drop you off on the way."

"Oliver," Gabe said, before Oli and the rest started leaving. "I'm sorry."

On their way home, Alex dropped off Anthony and Brian, explaining to their parents what he saw the boys got into. Well, they all got grounded in one way or another. Taking matters into their own hands wasn't the wisest thing to do. Someone could've been killed.

"Dash, son," Alex started. "...Mattie. Someone wants to see you. He'll be taking you out for dinner."

"Who's he dad?" Oli asked.

"Mr Briz. Their father."

Oli shot a look at Dash who apparently held Mattie's gaze. The two brothers both felt scared. Dash was unsure if Mattie remembered that talk they had the other night about their dad being alive and just in prison.

"Why's he out of prison?" Mattie asked and it looked like he remembered everything that night.

"He's out on parole," Alex answered. "He's a client of my colleague and they found a new witness who said he's not guilty of what he did."

"You mean..." Dash uttered.

"He didn't kill your mother, son. Your uncle's the new suspect now. They're still investigating and figuring out your uncle's motive. They don't have him in custody yet but they're looking for him already. Your dad's lawyer wanted him to see both of you immediately so he arranged tonight's dinner..."

"Can I go with them?" Oli interrupted.

"I'm afraid not..."

"Please dad! I need to be there!"

"Why?"

"Dash said I should come," Oli said, holding Dash's gaze. "...and I promised him already."

"Please, sir," Dash said. "I want Oli to come with us."

"Me, too!" Mattie added.

"I understand," said Alex. "You boys clean up and be ready in an hour after we get home. I'll take you downtown to meet him."

When they finally got home, both Oli and Dash decided to immediately take a shower. Their clothes were covered in dirt and they looked horrible. They rid themselves of their clothes once they got in the bathroom and Oli could still make out the words written in lipstick on Dash's chest even though he wiped it clean earlier

"It was my fault," Oli said. "I got distracted by James and I didn't see..."

"It's not your fault," Dash argued. "...none of it was your fault."

"But...how `bout Gabe? He...why do you think he changed his mind just like that?"

"Maybe Anthony did something to him. He wanted to take care of Gabriel, right? And he said James betrayed him. I don't know what he meant, but..."

"Dashu? Oli?" Mattie called from outside the door. "Can I come in?"

When Oli went to open the bathroom door, he was mildly surprised and delighted to see Mattie with nothing but a towel around his waist. He stepped aside, smiling at the little boy, and let him in.

"Wanna join us?" he asked and Mattie nodded eagerly.

Both Oli and Mattie decided to use the bathtub and had Dash agree with them. The tub was large enough for the three boys to sit side by side with their feet dangling over one side. The water was tinted pink and reached their chests. There were no bubbles, though. Mattie was in between Oli and Dash, as usual.

"So you remember all of it?" Dash asked.

"Mm-hmm," Mattie said, looking down at the water. "...but I...I don't like what he did."

"What did he do?" Oli asked.

Mattie stayed silent, his hand settling on top of his little dick under the water's surface. He knew what happened that night he spent with his uncle inside their cabin in the woods. Right up until he lost consciousness, he remembered his uncle's hands...

Oli noticed Mattie unconsciously pulling his dick and toying with it like...actually jacking himself off. He glanced toward Dash and saw the same doubtful look in the boy's face. Now...what were they supposed to do?

"Mattie," Dash whispered. "...what..."

"He touched me right here," Mattie said, whimpering a little. "He...he put something in..."

"It's okay," Oli said, taking the boy's head to his chest. "...he won't hurt you again. Just forget what he did."

"...but," Mattie looked at Oli. "I...I can't"

"Look," Dash interrupted. "I know he hurt you and I know what it felt like...he did that to me. But...if you..."

Mattie was waiting for Dash to continue and so did Oli. Dash, however, didn't want to admit such shameful thing. Seeing Mattie's troubled eyes, he had no choice but to say it.

"If you want to do it to yourself, I'd understand...but please don't hurt yourself," Dash begged. "You're growing up, Mattie. I'm sorry I wasn't there to answer your questions, but I promise, I'll be here always. Okay?"

Mattie nodded, feeling the heavy weight on his heart leaving him. He hugged Dash and as their bodies connected, he can't help but feel warm and safe. He smiled at his brother and sent him a questioning look, asking if it was okay for him to...

"Come here," said Dash, lifting Mattie onto his lap.

Mattie rested his head on Dash's chest, his feet dangling over the side of the tub in between his brother's. He felt comfortable and wanted to stay just like that for so long.

"Hey! I'm your big bro, too, right?" Oli said, smiling. "I won't mind if you sit on my lap."

Mattie smiled back and giggled. He loved Oli and Dash so much. They were the best big brothers he could ask for.

"Did uncle really...kill our mom?" Mattie asked.

"I...I don't know," answered Dash.

"That means dad is innocent, right? He's not sick!"

"I guess not..."

"What about what your uncle told you?" Oli asked.

"What did uncle say?" Mattie asked. "...and you promised not to lie, Dashu. I want to know."

Dash had no choice. Mattie looked at him intently, as if studying his face. Those same eyes as his. How could he have lied to his little brother? He wanted to protect Mattie, but lying wasn't actually a good thing to do. It would only hurt both of them.

"Dad," he started. "He's not himself, okay? He thinks we're acting like sissies...like little girls, uncle said. That's why he didn't spend time with us. He hates us."

"That's not true!" Mattie yelled. "He loves us. I know he does! Maybe...maybe he thought I wasn't his son and didn't play with me, but we're brothers, right? He should love us!"

"Yeah, we're brothers. I'm sure of it," Dash said confidently. "...but dad. He's sick. I don't want you trust him right away, okay? I'll talk to him and see if uncle meant what he said."

"And I'll be there, remember?" Oli added. "He won't hurt both of you."

Mattie nodded and Dash looked thankful. Oli moved closer to the two boys and rested his head on Dash's shoulder while his right hand settled on Dash's thigh. He didn't want anything to separate them. Not his friends, not their parents, especially not Dash's dad. He'd do anything to be with Dash and Mattie.

"It's alive," Mattie whispered, holing his little dick with both hands, its tip going over the water's surface with the foreskin pulled back a bit.

Oli giggled and took Mattie's hand off it, saying, "Ask your brother what to do with that."

Dash shot Oli a warning look, but Oli just shrugged it off and smiled back.

"What?" Oli said. "...you want me to teach him?"

Dash didn't answer. Instead, he shifted his body away from Oli, lifting Mattie along with him which caused Oli to slip somehow, the pinkish water going over his mouth and nose.

"You did that on purpose!" Oli yelled after he sat back up again. Before Dash could say otherwise, he splashed water onto the boy's face and Mattie got splashed at as well.

And so the three boys took their bath in a series of splashes as they eventually filled the tub with bubbles. Even with the maturity they gained from everything that happened in their lives, they were still kids who enjoyed too much fun in the tub. They were laughing and giggling and they didn't even care about their own dicks springing up to life every time Mattie sat on their laps. They shouldn't be having erections, but Mattie just kept on moving on their laps and it didn't help that the little boy `accidentally' poked his own little erection against their dicks when he faced both Oli and Dash while seated on their laps. Thankfully, Mattie didn't ask Dash what to do to keep his little dick down. That would have to wait for a while as Dash was still preparing what would soon be the most difficult `birds-and-bees' talk he'd give to his little brother.

~*~*~*~

"A glass of wine, sir?"

Kenneth looked up at the waitress. Beautiful. Here he was at a fancy restaurant waiting for his sons. His lawyer arranged for him to be here. He thought it was too much, but realized it was the most reasonable thing to do. He couldn't just show up at the front door and be met with his kids' eyes on him. He only visited the house his sons were staying to see it for himself. This way, while having dinner, their reunion would be more or less civilized and his emotions kept in control. Back then, he had a reputation to keep, being the chief of his own police force. Right now, he still wanted to live up to that role.

"Yes, thank you," he said.

Looking out through the window, he saw an SUV park in front of the place. It was the same vehicle that he saw Mattie hop into earlier. He picked up the menu and sighed. Only a few more seconds before he came face to face with his boys again.

When, finally, he saw the boys walking through the entrance, he noticed the man who owned the SUV. He didn't know who the man was, but he recognized the boy beside him. It was Oliver. It was the same kid who spent too much time with his son. It was the same Oliver who he caught was kissing Dash on his son's bed.

`Calm down,' he told himself.

He turned his gaze toward Mattie and...Dash. His older son grew a lot after he last saw him. The boy had his mother's eyes, deep brown and curly hair and that same slim figure. It was like his wife coming back to life after more than three years. But that wasn't the only thing that bothered him. As much as he hated to admit it, Dash and Mattie reminded him so much of Dan...of his little brother back when he was their age.

"Mr Briz?"

"Yes," he answered. "And you are?"

"I'm Atty. Alex Smith. Your lawyer's colleague and this is my son, Oliver."

`His son?' Kenneth thought. Who was Alex kidding? He knew Oli's father. He knew that Oli got adopted when the boy lost his parents. But he didn't exactly know who it was that adopted Oli. So it was this man, huh?

"I'm sorry," he said. "Please, sit down."

"Thank you, Mr Briz," Alex answered. "But I only came here so you could meet your sons again. I'm sure Frank told you about that, right? He arranged this dinner, if I'm correct."

Kenneth glanced at Dash and Mattie. He only noticed it now that Dash had bruise on the side of his lips. And, glancing back at Oli, he saw the bluish spot beside the boy's eyes.

"You got into a fight?" he asked.

"Uhm," Oli began. "Not against each other, sir. We fought off this bully at school."

"I grounded them for it," Alex cut in. "Don't worry."

"No. That's fine," Kenneth said. "It's normal for boys to fight."

"Yes. It does happen sometimes." Alex moved aside and held Dash's shoulder. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll leave the boys to you for now. My son wanted to come and Dash and Mattie want him to be here. They're really close, you know. Best friends, they told me."

Kenneth narrowed his eyes on Oli. Best friends? What lame excuse was that? He knew what the boys were up to and he didn't like it one bit. He cleared his throat and smiled at the boys, telling them to take a seat.

"I'll be back by seven to pick you up, okay son?" Alex told Oli. "You boys behave." He nodded toward Kenneth before leaving the place.

"Roast beef," Kenneth uttered, his eyes scanning over the menu. "You boys want roast beef?"

"Yes, sir," Oli answered, seeing how Dash and Mattie kept eerily quiet.

"I'm not asking you, kid," Kenneth said. "I'm asking my sons."

"Dad..."

"Your mother cooked for us every night. Used to..."

"Dad..." Dash repeated.

"What?" Kenneth's tone seemed cold.

"Mom," Dash whispered, his eyes narrowed on his father. "You didn't kill..."

Kenneth brought the menu down on the table heavily, the loud noise gaining everyone's attention. He had enough of everyone accusing him of such murder. He knew he didn't kill his wife. He couldn't pull the trigger that night. He just couldn't do it.

"We're having roast beef, understand? And not one word from any of you accusing me of something I didn't do."

Their table was filled with silence after Kenneth placed their order. He took a sip of his wine and studied the three boys in front of him. Three years could change anyone so much. Dash grew taller and looked more mature while Mattie didn't seem like the little feeble child he once knew.

Dash, on the other hand, noticed the lines under his father's eyes. His dad apparently grew a moustache and kept his hair trimmed to a buzz cut. The man still had that same cold and precise brown eyes that failed to hide every bit of...anger behind them. What was he angry about? Did he still think of them as sissies? It looked like their uncle was right after all. Their dad was cold toward them.

"Dad," he began. "Why do you hate us?"

The question was asked in a way that it pierced through his ears. It was straight to the point. And his son even looked accusingly at him.

"I don't have a gay son," he answered flatly, keeping his voice in total control.

"That's it?" Dash scoffed. "You hate us `coz I'm fuckin' gay?!"

Several people were listening in and looked toward their table. Kenneth could feel almost everyone's eyes on him.

"You're not gay, you hear me?"

"I am dad!" Dash argued. "I can't do anything `bout it and neither can you!"

Kenneth slammed the table again, unable to keep his emotions in control. Something in Dash's eyes just made him lose his grip on the circumstances they were in.

"Don't talk to me like that," he warned. "You are not gay. I don't have..."

"Shoot me, then," Dash challenged. "If you hate me so much, shoot me!"

Without a gun, how could he shoot anyone? However, he also knew that he couldn't kill his own son; his own blood. Instead, he slapped Dash and made the boy abruptly shut up.

The restaurant staff immediately went to their table and asked what the matter was. A man slapping his own child was the last thing they needed. Several other customers even complained of the man's actions toward his son.

"Leave us alone," Kenneth told some of the staff who came to their table. "I'm talking to my child."

"Sir, if you..."

"I said, leave us alone."

"Dad?"

Kenneth glanced toward Mattie who now had tears in his eyes. Just as he thought, the boy was still a crybaby. He hated that about Mattie the most. Boys should learn to stand up for their own and not give in to their emotions. Man up, he once told his sons. But they just didn't listen.

"You're not sick, right? You love us, right? You're not sick!"

"Mattie..." Dash uttered, looking toward his little brother.

"No! I know he's not sick! Uncle was lying! He loves us, Dashu. He's just...he's..."

"Matthew, buddy," Kenneth said on instinct. Looking deep into Mattie's eyes, he could see way back into the past. Those same eyes that held so much trust, yet accused him of betrayal.

"Sir, I'll have to ask you to leave..."

Before anyone could say anything more, Kenneth pushed his chair away from the table and stood up. He almost left at that instant, but Mattie's voice caught his attention once again.

"I know you love us," Mattie whimpered. "...coz you're our dad. You have to love us..."

Kenneth looked over his shoulder and saw his sons holding each other. What was supposedly a fine dinner turned to a very emotional one just because he lost control of himself. Three years had done so much. His sons knew how to fight back. Not physically, but they were confident and brave enough to talk back to him. The lessons he should've taught them long ago went down the drain once he saw how Dash glared back at him and how Mattie still held so much trust in him. It was like his wife staring back at him from the dead. It was like Dan's eyes that looked confusingly back at him when they were younger.

He left the restaurant and the three boys, not knowing anymore how to handle the situation. One thing he needed for sure was something to drink and lots of it. He needed to forget about those pairs of deep brown eyes. He needed to forget about that dream he had on the bus earlier.

Back inside the restaurant, the staff was trying to calm things down a little. They brought the boys their food and the manager even gave them desserts for free. Several other people expressed their apologies as they walked near the boys' table.

At the far corner of the restaurant, Dan was sitting quietly. He had been following Kenneth all day and didn't expect to see Dash and Mattie here as well. He drowned his glass of wine before heading toward the boys' table. He had lost sense of any plan he had. Right now, in sheer desperation and, hopefully, with luck by his side, he would take Mattie with him. He wasn't even thinking that there were too many people, too many witnesses. However, he held confidence in his escape plan. It was foolproof. The staff had been careless not to check him out thoroughly. It had been easy to slip past the entrance with a gun right under his waistband.

As he neared the table casually, he smiled at the waitress who was in front of him, before asking if he could talk to the boys and express his sympathy like what the other customers did. Of course, the waitress stepped aside and let him through.

When he leaned his body over Dash's back, who was sitting near the end of the long chair he shared with Mattie and Oli, he immediately put on the best smile he could. His right hand went under his suit and he felt the cold handle of the gun. He cleared his throat, turning the boys' attention to him.

"Hey, buddy."

Right outside the restaurant, across the street, Kenneth heard the unmistakable sound of a gun going off. He was waiting for a bus, but even though several buses already passed him, he chose to just stand there and wait. He wasn't even sure where he would go for some drinks.

So when he heard that loud sound, his gaze immediately turned toward the restaurant and he saw several people crouching and others running toward the exit. Frantically scanning the large windows, his eyes finally settled on a man that looked vaguely familiar.

`Dan?' he thought.

He ran across the street and just when he passed the parking lot, he heard the shrill sound of Dash's voice and another gunshot going off.