WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5

Mason's eyes fluttered open. The sounds of Alejandro and Michael getting ready to go to the gym woke him gently from his slumbers. He noticed the pillow and blanket and suspected Alejandro had stayed and slept next to him all night. That brought a smile to the little blonde's face. He pulled his phone from under his pillow and turned off the alarm. Excited to see his new friend, he hopped out of bed and crossed the hallway to take his morning pee and brush his teeth.

He noticed Michael's door was open and the lights were on, but the sounds of the bathroom faucet and the distance of the boys' voices told Mason they were both in the bathroom getting ready.

Mason made quick work of his basic morning prep. Afterall, they would be showering and getting ready for the day after their visit to the gym. Still only in his underwear, Mason crossed the hallway back to his bedroom and grabbed some shorts, a t-shirt, socks, and the tennis shoes he would exercise in. He was tying his second shoe when Alejandro and Michael appeared outside his door.

"Good morning," greeted Michael. "I thought I heard you up."

Alejandro entered the bedroom to be closer to Mason. He gave Mason a warm smile and asked, "How did you sleep?"

"Great," admitted Mason. "I can't believe I'm up this early to go to the gym. Man, if you tried to get Aiden up this early to workout...well...he'd be a total grouch."

The boys headed next door to grab the others as well as drinks and protein bars to snack on post-workout. Matthew, Lukas, and Simon were already in the kitchen munching on their pre-workout snacks and picking out their workout snacks. "We've got Gatorade in different flavors down here or bottled water. Grab whatever you want and as much as you want. And over here we have protein bars and energy bars. You might want to eat something before we leave. Some of us get really hungry by the end of our workout so we take one to snack on to hold us over to breakfast."

Mason thanked them and grabbed an orange Gatorade and a cookies'n'cream flavored protein bar to eat along the way but only grabbed water for his workout.

Christian caught up to the guys when they passed his house. "Hey Sweetie," he said before planting a kiss atop Michael's head. "I missed you last night."

"Yeah, I missed you too," said Michael. He gave Christian a squeeze with the arm around his boyfriend's waist. "I think that was the first time we haven't spent the night together since we became boyfriends."

"It was," confirmed Christian, "and I didn't like it much. I'm used to your snoring."

Michael gave Christian a shove with his shoulder. "I don't snore!" The boys laughed. "Besides," added Michael, "I ended up sleeping alone last night too."

"Really?" Christian was surprised. He spent the night at his house because he was tired and expected Alejandro and Michael would have kept him awake all night.

"Yeah," came the reply. Christian looked when Michael nodded his head forward towards the boys leading the way down the street. "Alejandro needed to check on Mason last night and never came back."

"Oh really?"

"Not that!" Michael shoved Christian with his shoulder again. "When I checked on them, Alejandro had fallen asleep on top of the covers and Mason was under them. Seems the talked themselves to sleep."

"They do seem even closer today than yesterday," observed Christian. "And I don't think it is just a physical thing."

"I don't think so either. Otherwise, they would have been all over each other last night." They chuckled at that factual statement. "Com'on, let's catch up to them."

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Alejandro asked Mason, "Have you ever worked out in a gym like this?" He wasn't an expert, but he'd been there with the guys enough to know his way around.

"No," said Mason as he shook his head making his wavy blond locks swoosh back and forth. He was impressed by the size of the building and looked around taking in all the sights.

"Let's just get on the treadmill to warm up," Alejandro suggested.

"Okay," agreed Mason. It seemed safe enough that he couldn't make too much of a fool of himself. "Where's Michael?"

Alejandro made a detour leading Mason to the upstairs railing and pointed down at the gymnastics equipment. Mason looked just in time to see Michael warming up on the pommel horse. He practiced some single leg swings and scissors, circles and flares, then ended by swinging up into a handstand, turning 180 degrees, and dismounting. Mason couldn't stop himself from clapping.

Michael looked up and saw Mason and Alejandro watching. He smiled and gave his friends a wave before moving on to practicing some similar moves on the floor.

"He's really good," expressed Mason. He followed Alejandro towards the treadmills.

"Yeah," agreed Alejandro. "I think he would win lots of medals if he would compete, but he doesn't like the pressure. He says it takes away from what he loves about gymnastics."

"I wish I could do that," confessed Mason before they turned and headed to the treadmills.

The two boys started off at a brisk walk on the treadmill. Alejandro focused on the screen before him. Mason, on the other hand, held onto the crossbar so he wouldn't trip while he looked to see what everyone else was doing.

Matthew was across the way, shirtless, working on a speed bag. Mason watched the teen's muscles ripple as he practiced his timing and rhythm, giving his arms and upper body a workout. Sam, Gregory, Alex, and some of the other incoming eighth graders were on the weight machines, cheering each other on to reach their personal bests. Lukas and Simon were on the free weights. Lukas stood above Simon's head as he spotted his boyfriend while Simon bench pressed.

Christian was with his classmates in the corner. Most of the guys were on treadmills, but Christian followed the workout routine his tennis coach gave him. Currently, he was using resistance bands to strengthen the muscles he used for his forehand and backhand swings. In just the week he'd been working this new exercise regime, Christian had been able to see the results on the court and in the mirror.

Mason could see the benefits each of the boys was experiencing from their workouts. He imagined what Aiden, Nolan, Gordy, and the boys back home would look like if they took weight training more seriously. He noticed Alejandro sped up to a jog and decided to follow. Stopping when the speed got to 3.0, it seemed like he'd found a pace that he could maintain yet push him physically. It felt good.

----------------------     

The boys were lively on their way home, including Mason. He was surprised by how good he felt after the time on the treadmill and the weight machines. But the other boys were excited about something else, something that Mason wasn't privy to...yet.

He caught up to Michael, "What's going on? I noticed you guys talking to Alex and he was upset about something."

"Ummm...well...Josh, Alex's boyfriend, was beat up by his dad for being gay. Josh is in the hospital and a lot of the guys have been covering for Josh at his job so he can go to the hospital to be with Josh. But when he went yesterday, Josh was in surgery, and Alex never got to see him. He's going back today to try again."

"Poor Josh," said Mason. "I hope he'll be alright." He remembered Alex bringing Josh to meet the team at the beginning of the tournament.

"Me too," said Michael. "Josh is a pretty cool guy."

Michael explained how some of the guys were helping with Saberspace and the music store. They were hoping the store would be ready enough to open by the weekend. With the help of Alex's friends, the store would be completely ready by this afternoon.

"Shouldn't we be helping?" asked Mason.

"We would, but they already have more than enough help. We're going to throw a pizza party for them at lunch. If we're at a stopping place, we'll join them."

"Are those store's yours?" asked Mason.

Michael didn't like to brag, but he knew Mason was someone who'd read a lot about the band, so he wanted Mason to have the story with as much accuracy as possible.

"Wow," said Mason. "No wonder you were able to send a private plane for me."

That wasn't me," explained Michael. "I don't have nearly that much money by a long shot."

Mason froze in his tracks. "OMG! I'm so stupid!"

Michael stopped and turned to Mason. "Dude. What?"

Mason waited until the other boys walked past and lowered his voice. "Trey. Alejandro. He's THE Alejandro Carlos Diaz. That was HIS plane and Jacob is HIS bodyguard. Oh, my gawd. Oh, my gawd. Oh, my gawd."

Michael thought Mason panicking was cute. "Mason, stop. He's still the same cool kid I met in Hollywood. He just has a bit more money now."

"A BIT?" asked Mason emphatically. "His family is one of the richest families in the world."

"And of all the people in the world that he could have a crush on, he's picked YOU!"

"Why me?"

"Why not you?"

"Because I'm, I'm...I'm just me."

"Yes, you are just Mason Johnson. One of the most awesome guys I know. You come from a little town in southwestern Washington from a good family with a mom that works hard and loves you endlessly. You play baseball on an awesome team with some of the best friends you could find anywhere in the world, and you sing like an angel."

"But I'm just me."

Michael thought for a moment. "Mason, what do you think of Aiden, Nolan, and Gordy?"

"They are the bestest best friends EVER!"

"Are they good people?"

"The best. You can't get better than those guys."

Then Michael said, "There's a wise old saying." He made sure Mason was listening closely. "'You are judged by the company you keep.' That means, you are just as awesome as they are. They wouldn't hang out with you if you weren't. That's what we see in you. We don't see you as a kid that Aiden, Nolan, and Gordy hang out with. We see you as a single group of friends. The four of you, as one. Because you are all equally as awesome as each other."

Mason started to tear up. He kinda always dismissed it when Aiden said it to him because it was Aiden and Aiden is beyond awesome and would always say the right things. But hearing it from Michael was different. His heart swelled with pride and hurt because he was missing his friends.

"Mason, that's what Alejandro sees in you. He doesn't care about how rich someone is. He never has. He always seeks to find the best in people and in you, I'm sure he sees how incredibly awesome you are. Just keep being yourself." He pulled Mason into a hug and Mason hugged him back tightly.

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"I like those song choices," said AJ. "There are a couple of interesting songs on here that I'm surprised to see, but I think this is a solid list. So, here's what we'll do. We'll record all of these, and then play with the song order and decide on the final song list."

"Okay," said Mason, a little timid. The moment to start working on the album had come and Mason's insecurities were starting to creep back in.

"What's wrong?" asked AJ.

"I'm worried I will screw it up when we go to record."

"Why? You've already done a great job. What's different now?"

Mason's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I stayed up last night mixing your first song -- the song you recorded last night."

"But we were just messing around," explained Mason.

"Well, let me play back for you what I mixed last night." AJ headed out of the studio and back to the control room. "You tell me if it sounds like you were just messing around."

The band, Mason, and Alejandro sat in the studio and waited. The music started and it sounded just like something you'd hear on the radio. The vocals didn't sound like they were dubbed over the music, but the sounds were blended making it a cohesive, sonic experience. It sounded so perfect, Mason kept forgetting it was actually him singing on the record. There were lots of whoops and applause when the song ended.

"That is what we recorded last night?" asked Mason.

"Yeah," called in AJ from the control room. "Well, the vocals were. The band had laid the instruments earlier. There was a good bit of editing, mixing, and engineering to put it all together, but that is the work you did last night. It's what all of you did last night."

Mason felt a pair of arms wrap around his chest and pick him up. "You were awesome!" said Alejandro, his face pressed against the side of Mason's. Being held by Alejandro felt wonderful.

Jacob appeared in the control room and said something to AJ. AJ called in again, "Time to go, Alejandro."

He put Mason down and the little blond turned around to face Alejandro. "Good luck, Alejandro! You'll do great at your interview!"

That brought a huge smile to Alejandro's face.

"Yeah, bro," agreed Michael. He put his arm around his friend and gave him a reassuring side hug. "Go take care of business and we'll see you later."

"Thanks, guys."

he others wished Alejandro luck and then he was heading to Pacific Ridge School for his final admissions interview before making his big decision.

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"It's alright," said the nurse. She held the door open for Alex. "He's probably still asleep, but you can wait by his bedside. We'll only bother the two of you when we need to check up on him."

Alex looked at his mother. She smiled and teased him, "I'm going to head back to the Mallway and make sure your friends aren't wrecking the stores."

He rolled his eyes and gave her a hug. "Thank you."

"Thank your friends. They've made it possible for us to get all the work finished and for you to spend as much time as you can with Josh. Did you remember to bring money for lunch?"

Alex nodded, "And dinner."

"Okay. Call me when you are ready to come home, or when they kick you out. Whichever comes first." She smiled at her son. "Go on, get in there and I'll see you later. Give Josh my best." Alexa turned to leave, and Alex entered the hospital room. The nurse quietly closed the door behind Alex.

Josh was sleeping on his back, his face turned to the left. Alex noticed a seat on Josh's left and rounded the foot of the bed. That's when he saw the bandages on the left side of his boyfriend's face from where they performed surgery the previous day to repair the orbital bone and cheek bone. Alex felt sick to his stomach. It was only the fact that Josh looked at peace sleeping that Alex was able to observe the cast, bandages, and bruising without crying.

Hey," came a whisper from the bed.

Alex looked up and saw Josh's eyes partly opened and a slight, half smile. Alex returned the smile. "You're awake."

Alex's presence brought a bigger smile to Josh's face causing him to wince in pain. "Sorry. It hurts."

"It's okay. I'm fine just sitting here while you sleep. I'm just happy you're safe. I told everyone something was wrong, but they either didn't believe me or didn't know what to do. But I got Agent Parker as soon as I got your text messages."

"Agent Parker?"

"Yeah, he's an FBI agent, the one that helped Michael."

"Thanks."

"I can tell it hurts when you talk. You don't have to."

"I missed you." Josh reached for Alex's hand, but with his arm in a cast from his wrist to his shoulder, he couldn't. Alex reached out and intertwined his fingers with Josh's.

"I missed you, too. I'm sorry this happened to you."

"It' okay."

Alex's anger towards Josh's father rose to the surface. "No, it's not okay! Your dad's crazy and I hate him for what he did!"

Josh watched quietly as Alex gained control of his temper and calmed back down. "I hate him too," Josh confessed.

"I'm going to be right here, every day, until you get out of the hospital," declared Alex.

"Aren't you going with Jaden to Mayfield to visit your friends?"

Alex had momentarily forgotten about the trip. "No. I don't think I should go. I'm going to stay here with you."

"No, you should go. It will be fun."

"But what about you?" asked Alex.

"From what the doctors' said, I'll be right here in this room when you get back."

"Then I should stay to keep you company."

"Alex, when are you going to get a chance to go back to Mayfield if you don't go this time?"

Alex thought for a moment then shrugged his shoulders.

"It might not be for a long time. You know how important it is for you to make amends. Even though you did that with the guys on the team, going back to Mayfield and being with them and other guys you may have known back there will heal you even more."

"But I don't want to leave you," admitted Alex.

Josh continued. "You need to go and come back even stronger. I'll need your help when I get out of here." Alex nodded in silence. "Promise me you'll go."

"But we leave in the morning."

"Promise me."

"Okay," Alex agreed with a nod. "I'll go. Just for you."

Josh smiled. The conversation was the most rigorous thing he'd done, and the exertion took a lot out of him. Satisfied he'd gotten Alex's promise, he drifted off back to sleep.

----------------------     

"How did you like the school and grounds?" asked Luke Michaels, the Middle School Headmaster at Pacific Ridge.

"They're great!" stated Alejandro. He loved how the grounds felt casual and friendly, but the classrooms were state of the art. He also found it interesting that the teachers had cubicles in one large, shared office instead of each teacher having their own classroom. One of his favorite spaces was the student gathering area -- a casual, open area for the middle school students to hang out before school and between classes. The area had large, full-window garage doors that open the space up to a grassy courtyard when the weather permitted. "It's like this place has all of my favorite things about the other schools wrapped up into one campus."

"I'm glad Jennifer was able to give you a tour." Luke looked at the notes from the admission committee members. "Alejandro, your interview was superb. As a matter of fact, it was clear to us that you have been interviewing at the most elite schools just from the way you presented yourself and the thoughtful answers you shared."

"Thank you, sir," said Alejandro using his best manners.

"And your admissions essay is quite unique. Your story is not one I could imagine. Are you familiar with the saying, 'life is stranger than fiction?'"

"Yes, sir."

"Honestly, the committee is wondering why Pacific Ridge. We're not Eton. We're not an elite international school. When you have an opportunity to attend any elite school in the world, we don't understand how Pacific Ridge even ended up on your list. Frankly, we have a few people on the admissions committee who are suspicious. They wonder how serious and committed you are to your education, and you are picking Pacific Ridge as a less serious alternative to your other options."

His grandmother had been teaching him to anticipate others' objections and questions and Alejandro was prepared. "Are you saying I have less of a chance of attending Columbia or other Ivy League schools if I come to Pacific Ridge than other schools?"

"Oh, no, no, I'm not saying that at all," replied Dr. Michaels.

"Good," said Alejandro. "I want to attend Pacific Ridge because it seems to be the ideal transition for me. You've read about my story and understand that just months ago, I was a runaway on the streets in Hollywood. Finding my family has been a blessing, but it poses two challenges for me. First, the academic success that is expected of me to prepare me for taking over managing my investments and businesses. The other is adapting to and learning to navigate social circles I've never dreamed of. I don't want to drown myself in a social environment that is completely foreign when I know I have some catching up to do to meet my personal academic goals. Pacific Ridge will provide the challenges and support I need to attend my university of choice and provide a social stepping-stone to prepare me for the culture at an Ivy League school. I want to attend Pacific Ridge."

Luke smiled. "Did your grandmother write the speech for you?"

"No, I wrote it. But Jacob helped me wordsmith it."

Dr. Michaels stood and extended his hand. "Welcome to Pacific Ridge School. You're now a Firebird."

----------------------     

Part of recording Mason's album was learning the songs. That's just what the boys were doing. Each was in his own little world learning their parts, vocals, lyrics, etc. for each of the songs. To keep the noise down and to allow the boys to focus on their own work, they plugged their headphones into their amps and went to work. It didn't help much with Lukas on the drums and Mason playing the piano, but it helped. Since Mason was the only one not wearing headphones, he was the only one to hear the doors to the auditorium open. He looked over to witness Carol directing a group towards the stage.

"It's them! It's At the Majestic!" cried out one of the boys. The other two lads followed the first as they ran to the stage. The two adults followed behind carrying props and musical scores.

"Uh, guys?" said Mason trying to alert the band members. They couldn't hear Mason over the music playing through their headphones. Mason watched the three boys climb onto the stage to meet their favorite rock band.

Before the band knew it, three tweens were on the stage asking questions and requesting autographs.

"Boys!" shouted one of the ladies accompanying the tweens. The three stopped abruptly and faced her. She and the other lady placed all they were carrying on the edge of the stage. "Set up the scene between the piano and the stage front."

The band members packed up their things to evacuate the stage before they were yelled at too. On his way by, Michael whispered to Mason, "We're heading up to the studio to practice. Looks like you are in good hands here."

Michael's sarcasm was quite evident. Mason gave Michael a pleading, "don't leave me here" look, but the guys hurried off the stage and disappeared around the corner.

The new boys hurriedly moved the boxes in place and positioned the props as the ladies introduced themselves. "I'm Helen Penny, the assistant director of Finding Neverland and this is Nadine Leeds, one of our vocal coaches. We're here to rehearse with Mason."

"I'm Mason."

The ladies made their way onto the stage. Nadine replaced Mason at the piano and opened her sheet music. Helen handed Mason the musical's score with a Post-It® bookmarking the song. "Mason, you'll be filling in on the role of Peter Llewelyn Davies. Dusty plays George, Steven plays Jack, and Mark is Michael. Your character is sad and troubled by your father's death and your brothers sing this song with you to help you see the possibilities in life."

Dusty, the oldest of the boys, rolled his eyes. He understood that Mason was completely new to this, and that Helen had left the boy in the dust. "Have you seen the YouTube video of this song being performed on stage?"

Mason nodded. "I saw it yesterday."

Dusty held up the uke. "I'm the one that plays the uke." He pointed to the wooden sword and Steven picked it up. "Steven is the wannabe adventurer, and Mark sits in that crate."

Mark walked the prop book over the Mason. "You're the boy who sits on the crate beside mine and wants to be the writer."

Mason was thrilled. It was his favorite part and the role for which he'd already memorized the lyrics.

"Alright," said Helen, "take your places and we'll do a run through to see where we are musically."

Mason had a feeling that Helen was drastically underestimating his abilities. He took a deep breath and remembered the basics of what the Peter character in the video did. He heard Aiden's voice in his head. 'Just do your best and have fun.' Mason opened the score to see which parts of the four-part harmony he would sing. He set the prop book aside and decided he'd use the score as the prop.

Dusty started the song with the last line from the script before strumming the intro on his uke. Mason joined in on cue. He focused on his vocal performance while adding in some of the choreography and acting he remembered from the video. It was easy since the boys followed the same general choreography.

When Mason's solo came, he sang it loud, clear, and confidently.

If I could write every single day,
I would write all my cares away,
I'd be living a different life

Mason couldn't believe the joy he felt singing with these boys, and it showed in his performance.

When the song ended, Mason looked to Helen for approval, but she did not look happy. "Well at least we have ONE professional here. You boys know when we're rehearsing, we rehearse like we are performing in front of an audience. Thank goodness Mason carried you. Let's try this again. Mason, we'll go through this again with the score and then I think you'll be ready to try this without it. Thank you for your preparation and professionalism. You're making this much easier than expected. Alright, Dusty. Start us off again when you're ready."

After about an hour or so of working on the song and the choreography, Mason had lost track of time. A delivery driver from Los Junior's entered the auditorium distracting Mason and the tweens during their rehearsal. Michael and his brothers entered the stage just in time to satisfy everyone's curiosity. "We were hungry, so we ordered lunch for everyone. I hope you don't mind."

For Mason, he was enjoying the rehearsal so much he hadn't realized it was well past lunchtime. The thought of food sent his stomach growling. He joined the other boys in helping organize the food so they could eat. The food was arranged along the front of the stage, and everyone enjoyed making their own tacos and nachos for lunch.

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"Where are we going?" asked Alejandro. They passed the turn going back to the Mallway and he was anxious to get back to see Mason and to tell him about the school visit.

"You've decided on Pacific Ridge, correct?" asked Jacob in what was clearly a rhetorical question.

"YES!" stated Alejandro emphatically.

"Then we're going to need a place to live. I've found a three-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom home that is in a secure location. It has solar power, which I know you would approve of, and a swimming pool with a view all the way to the ocean."

"When did you do that?"

Jacob smirked. "About a month ago. Your grandmother liked the house too. Even though the house wasn't on the market, she made an offer the owners couldn't refuse. The lawyers closed on it Monday."

Alejandro was excited. He committed to a school and already had a home to move into. But he was worried when Jacob continued to drive away from the Mallway. "It's not far, is it?"

"It's not too far."

"What are the neighbors like?" asked Alejandro. He knew Jacob would have already completed thorough background checks. It might not always be obvious to Alejandro, but the boy knew Jacob was the consummate professional.

Jacob turned into a more residential area. "It's on a court at the top of a hill. There are three houses. The first is a retired couple. The second house is a hospital administrator and his wife. They have a teen son and twins. They also have another boy living with them. Our place is at the end of the court." As he ended his explanation, he turned onto Deeb Court and climbed the hill past the retired couple's home, then the home with boys around Alejandro's age. The homes were stunning. Deeb Court ended in the brick courtyard of the last home. Jacob parked in front of the two-car garage. To the right, across the brick-paved driveway, was another one-car garage. The entrance to the home was between the garages in a shady courtyard.

As soon as Jacob turned off the motor, Alejandro was out of the vehicle. That's when he noticed the view. Being at the apex of the hill, the property had a 360-degree view. He ran around the left side of the house and yelled for Jacob to follow. Around the home was a retaining wall allowing for a level, small, well-manicured lawn with palm trees adding some additional greenery, but little shade. Rounding the back of the house, Alejandro spied the staircase down to the patio and gazebo next to the hot tub and pool. Then he looked to the west. Below, the rooftops of the other homes faded the farther he looked until he saw the blue of the ocean meeting the blue of the sky.

Jacob turned the corner joining Alejandro in the backyard. Jacob was overjoyed with the boy's excitement. "So, you like the view?"

"I love it!

Jacob stood behind Alejandro with his arm over the boy's shoulders. The Diaz boys were more than charges to Jacob, especially Alejandro. He felt the boy lean back into his body.

"Are you..."

"...our new neighbors?"

The trance the view of the Pacific held over Alejandro and Jacob was broken by the voices. They turned to see twins standing by the corner of the house. The twins were curious enough to trespass, but only far enough to see the people with the SUV. They didn't dare enter the backyard without an invitation.

"You two live next door?" asked Jacob. He approached with Alejandro on his heels.

"Yes. I'm Connor."

"I'm Cooper."

"Hey!" exclaimed Alejandro. "I know who you are. Your brother is...um...oh! It's Craig. His boyfriend is Oliver. Right?"

That not only shocked the twins, but Jacob too.

Alejandro noticed everyone's surprise. He turned to Jacob. "They're friends of Michael."

"You know Michael?" asked Connor.

"Do you go to East Harbor Middle School?" asked Cooper.

"We'll be sixth graders there this year."

"How come we haven't seen you at any parties?"

"I did," explained Alejandro, "but I moved to Spain with my family. But now I'm back. I'll be attending Pacific Ridge, but I'll be around Michael's and the Mallway loads of the time."

"Com'on!" said Cooper, grabbing Alejandro's hand.

"Come meet our parents," added Connor.

"And Craig and Oliver!"

"Hold it!" bellowed Jacob.

The twins froze, intimidated by the large Irishman and his booming voice. Then Cooper giggled. "He sounds like Sean." Connor caught the giggle bug too when he nodded in agreement with his brother's observation.

"We have work to do today," explained Jacob. "Boys, you head back home. If we finish, Alejandro and I will stop by to meet your family. Otherwise, that can wait until another day."

Connor giggled again, "He definitely sounds like Sean."

A car door was heard in front of the house. The interior decorator had arrived. Getting the house ready to move into was now the top priority.

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"Relax your wrist," instructed Michael, "it's too stiff."

Mason sighed, "My guitar teacher tells me that all the time."

Here's how I remember how to do it," said Michael. He explained what his father had taught him and demonstrated. Mason followed his lead and found it worked for him too. "Yeah, that's it. I think it's harder on an electric guitar than an acoustic."

"Yeah," agreed Mason. It was the first time he'd ever played an electric guitar. "This is taking a bit to get used to."

"I like the guitar you're playing because the neck is thinner. I think it's easier to make the cords since my hands are smaller."

Mason nodded. He'd noticed that too. He practiced a bit longer with deep concentration because he wanted to impress Michael. His new friend explained that Zach wasn't available as much as they needed the next couple weeks, and the band was hoping Mason could fill in on guitar and keyboard. When Mason protested, Michael explained that the band mostly recorded playing together, at least the main recording. Then they may go back and rerecord and add to the song later. That made Mason feel better in case he messed up. His confidence on keyboard far outweighed his confidence on guitar.

They were learning "Wake Up Call" by Nothing But Thieves. No one was certain the song would be used for At the Majestic's album, but Michael loved the song especially when Matthew sang it. "You're getting it. Let's try it again," Michael suggested. He turned and hit play. Alright. A minor... key change is coming...F, now D minor, and back to A minor..."

The rhythm guitar part was simple and very repetitive which Mason appreciated. After playing the song three times through without mistakes, Michael took their rehearsal up another level.

"Now let's play it standing up."

Mason lifted the guitar off his knee and stood facing Michael.

Michael inspected Mason's stance and the position of the guitar. They hadn't adjusted the strap since they were sitting while learning the song. Michael immediately noticed the position of the guitar was all wrong. "We need to lower the guitar. You'll want it down below your waist. I think it is easier to play rhythm guitar with the guitar lower. It's easier on my arm when I'm playing lots of chords. I wear it higher when I'm playing lead, especially if I'm going to play a solo." Mason took it all in while he adjusted the guitar strap.

"Now stand with your feet farther apart like this." Michael shifted his foot to broaden his stance. Mason became self-conscious. Michael looked like a rocker and Mason imagined himself looking silly. When Mason didn't follow his lead, Michael explained. "Playing an entire song when you're strumming chords it's hard to walk around. It's also hard to stand there like you normally stand. Spread your feet to strengthen your base. Bend your knees a bit...there. Now you can strum harder and not sway or lose your balance."

"Oh," said Mason. He tested Michael's recommendations and found Michael was correct and laughed. "I thought guys only stood like this to look cool on stage."

"I did too," admitted Michael. "Then I realized that for us kids, it is really beneficial."

They played the song again then on the second time through, Michael played lead guitar and let Mason carry the rhythm guitar part by himself.

"Awesome, dude," said Michael. He leaned over the guitars and gave the blond a bro hug.

Mason was flying high. Since returning to East Harbor, he got to play music, sing, and even a little bit of acting. He loved Aiden and his friends back in Mayfield, but there was something about being with people who love what you love. From the moment he woke to the time he went to bed he was doing what he loved more than anything in the world.

"I'm back," announced AJ over the intercom. The boys saw AJ getting settled into his chair. Their producer's presence let Michael know it was time for him to head out. AJ planned to work with Mason on the boy's vocals for the songs on his upcoming album. Mason was starting to get more comfortable in the recording studio but was still learning the nuances of performing live and recording.

Matthew had already taken off for his baseball practice. Simon and Lukas were changing before heading to the high school to play lacrosse with the rest of the players. Michael decided to head to the courts to watch Christian's tennis practice.

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This was the first time Michael had been granted permission from Christian to watch his practice and he was excited to see Christian play his favorite sport.

Michael heard Christian's coach before he reached the tennis courts. When he was able to see the action on the court, Michael was intrigued. He expected to simply see the coach hitting balls for Christian to return, or for his boyfriend to be practicing his serve.

Instead, the coach placed a Bosu ball on the court and was running drills to improve Christian's power and balance. Alternating between his backhand and forehand, Christian would prepare for the return shot to the left or right of the ball. When the coach signaled to Christian, Christian would approach, stepping onto Bosu ball with his plant food and balanced there on one foot. The coach would toss the ball for Christian, and the boy would step into his shot from the Bosu ball. After his follow through, he would move to the opposite side of the ball to set up for the next shot.

The drill was fast paced forcing Christian to be laser focused. He hadn't noticed Michael's arrival, even when the boy climbed the small set of bleachers to gain a better vantage point.

The heat of the day and the strenuous workout were evident. Christian was wearing his high-tech tennis shirt, yet it was still soaked, clinging to his torso. You could see the outline of Christian's pecs, the ripple of his abs, and the flexing of his lats with each stroke of his racquet.

After a while, Michael was no longer paying attention to Christian's practice. Seeing his boyfriend's lean, fit body and watching him exhibit power that belied the boy's temperament, Michael's mind wandered, and his shorts constricted.

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"How's everyone doing today?" asked Simon as he stood in front of all the Saber lacrosse players who'd shown up for the day's practice. The boys were in good spirits and gave Simon enthusiastic responses as they playfully shoved each other and goofed off.

Simon began giving instructions for the day's practice when he noticed the older teens stop moving and stare over his right shoulder. Some of the other boys caught sight of what they were looking at and froze like statues. Most of the younger boys also looked but didn't seem to care. Simon turned to Lukas standing beside him and found his boyfriend had turned in the direction of everyone's eyes.

When Simon turned, the older of the two boys approaching said, "Sorry we're late. Had to wait for my dad to show up with my equipment."

"Gavin?" asked Simon, rhetorically.

"What's up, bro?" The older teen walked right up and gave Simon a hug like they were long lost friends. Simon wasn't so certain that was how things had been left when Gavin moved to the east coast.

"Hey Scott," greeted Lukas brightly. He'd missed Scott being around all the time.

Scott just gave Lukas a half-smile. "Hey," he said joining the rest of their teammates.

Once the shock of Gavin's presence wore off, the boys got practice going. Things ran smoothly and Gavin played hard and kept his mouth shut. It was a bit of a hit to his ego having once been the varsity lacrosse captain, but after a season playing with a bunch of homophobic assholes, Gavin was happy to be back on this familiar field with friendly teammates.

During their first water break, Gavin's former teammates gathered around to welcome him and to catch up. Lukas sought out Scott.

"Are you okay?" asked Lukas. He hadn't seen Scott in days and had expected Scott to be a bit happier to see his best friend. Lukas knew Scott well enough to know something was bothering him.

"I've been better," Scott admitted.

"I heard about Najma. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Once we started hanging out away from school, we really didn't have much in common. I mean we were great friends and supported each other in what we did, but we didn't like to do those things together."

"Well, even if you guys decided only to be friends, I know you'll miss her since she moved back to India."

"Thanks."

Lukas realized there was something else on Scott's mind. He dug a little deeper. "So, what's with you arriving to practice with Gavin?"

Scott sighed forcefully and rolled his eyes. "I don't know. He's hanging out at our house since his dad is busy with work."

"I didn't realize you guys knew each other that well."

"We don't," admitted Scott. "And frankly, he's weird. I don't like him, and I certainly don't trust him."

Lukas knew Gavin was a show-off and a jokester, but Scott's critical assessment set off alarm bells. "How did he end up at your place?" asked Lukas.

"Your dad. At least that's what my dad said."

"My dad?" Then it occurred to Lukas that if Agent Brian Parker had asked his father, Lars might have recommended somewhere else to keep Gavin away from Michael, Christian, and Mason. He might have talked it over with Zach and that's how Gavin ended up at the Schultz'. "Well, hanging out at our place right now would be kinda boring," noted Lukas. "We're at the theater almost all day these days." It was a lame excuse for why his dad would have declined to have Gavin stay with them, but it wasn't for him to divulge details around Gavin's departure.

Before Lukas could question Scott for more information about what was bothering him, Simon called the guys back to the field.

----------------------     

"Alex," came a whisper. Alex's eyes fluttered as the boy tried to remember where he was and what he was doing. The droning of the infusion pump reminded him that he was in Josh's hospital room. When his boyfriend had fallen to sleep, Alex remembered putting his head down on the forearm of the hand holding Josh's. He must have fallen asleep too. It was a good, peaceful, deep sleep; his first since Josh had gone missing from Alex's life.

"Hey," added Alexis, rubbing her son's back to help him wake. "Visiting hours are up. It's time to go home."

Alex struggled to regain his faculties. Still groggy, he resisted leaving Josh's bedside.

Alexis knelt by his side, keeping her voice low as to not wake Josh. "Did you two have a good visit?"

Alex nodded and rubbed his eyes.

"Com'on." Alexis tried to help Alex from the chair and out the door.

"No," mumbled Alex, "I'll stay here with Josh."

"Com'on," repeated Alexis. "We need to get you to Jaden's. You guys are catching the train in the morning."

"But mom..."

"Shhh... Don't wake Josh. Com'on."

Alex allowed his mother to lead him out the door by his hand, but not before he planted a gentle kiss on the good side of Josh's face and whispered something in the boy's ear. Alex and Josh had talked all day, between Josh's naps, ultimately wearing Josh out. The boy wasn't about to be woken by a kiss on the cheek or the conversation between mother and son.

"Bye, Alex," said the nurse, "see you tomorrow."

Alex gave a half smile and wave. He wasn't pleased about leaving and felt grouchy. But when his stomach growled, he realized he was starving. "What time is it?"

"It's eight. Do you want to stop to get something to eat?"

"Can we get McDonald's?"

Alexis smiled and pulled her son close. Alex put his head on her shoulder as they walked. McDonald's had always been a treat for Alex, especially after she'd become a single mother. Asking for McDonald's tonight told Alexis that Alex was feeling unsure of himself and needed reassurance. "Sure," she said giving her son a squeeze. "We'll hit the drive thru."

----------------------     

Alex couldn't sleep and turned over yet again.

"Are you alright?" asked Jaden, his voice tinged with irritation. They'd gone to bed early because they had to get up extra early to get to Oceanside to catch their train. Alex, however, was sharing his bed and the boy's tossing and turning was making it impossible for either of them to sleep.

"I'm fine."

"No, you aren't," declared Jaden. "You can't lie still; and I can't get to sleep."

"I'll sleep on the floor."

Alex grabbed his pillow and started to get up when Jaden grabbed his arm. "You've always been able to talk to me about stuff. Start talking." Jaden sat up and turned to face Alex. Alex put the pillow back in its place and collapsed back into the bed on his back.

Lars and his sponsors' voices were echoing in his head. "I feel really guilty about leaving while Josh is in the hospital."

"I do too," admitted Jaden.

"You do?" It surprised Alex that Jaden felt that way too. Josh was his boyfriend, not Jaden's. "Why?"

Jaden dropped back down onto his pillow and stared at the ceiling like Alex. "It's what we do, you and me. We like to take care of people. That's why I'm always in trouble with Isaac. I think he's actually glad I'm going to be gone for a while."

"Why's that?" asked Alex, worried that his friends might break up.

"Because I've been getting on his nerves. He's fighting with his parents for more independence but when I'm around him, I'm always checking to make sure he's okay and helping him out when he doesn't want the help."

Alex didn't know what to say so he just nodded his head to let Jaden know he was listening.

"I know more than anything he wants to be normal. He still misses playing soccer and I think it makes him sad seeing everyone else playing their sports. But he's not normal. He's still working on his balance. He still can't be around too much noise or use his eyes for too long without getting massive headaches. Alex, if he were to fall and hit his head, he could die!"

Alex thought Jaden was being a bit melodramatic. "Die?"

"YES DIE." Jaden explained to Alex what Isaac's mom told him about the tumor and how jarring it could cause it to put pressure on different parts of his brain and cause more serious problems or could cause it to start to swell again which could kill Isaac. "I'm so worried about him. I don't want to lose him."

Alex didn't feel remotely qualified to give Jaden any advice on this. He could see both sides but didn't know how to relate that to Jaden. Instead, he just reached out to give Jaden a hug to comfort his friend.

Both boys would be leaving for Mayfield in the morning carrying more baggage than their luggage and backpacks.

----------------------     

"Hey," said Alejandro when he cracked the door to Mason's bedroom.

"Hey," said Mason with a smile that turned into a yawn. He'd already finished his call to his mom and was texting Aiden good night when his crush came calling. He hit send and put the phone under his pillow.

Alejandro crossed the room in his boxers and t-shirt and stretched out on top of the covers next to Mason. His feet felt the blanket from the previous night. He reached down and pulled it up before he placed his head on a pillow facing Mason. Mason turned on his side to face Alejandro.

"I'm sorry I didn't get to hang out very much today," apologized Alejandro. "Things were kinda...hectic, I guess. How was your day?"

Mason's wavy bangs fell across his face. Alejandro reached out and gently brushed them aside and smiled. Mason blushed.

"You're cute when you blush."

Mason wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Thank you?"

Before the moment could turn awkward, Alejandro broke the silence. "Sorry to interrupt," he said, "you were going to tell me about your day."

Mason told Alejandro about the stern lady and his new theater friends. He related how much he enjoyed singing the Broadway number and acting with the other boys. Alejandro thought it sounded like Mason really impressed the theater folks. Mason also talked about the songs Michael wanted him to sing and play during the benefit concert. He told about the songs, why he was excited about each one, and how much he practiced the piano and guitar and his singing all day. Mason concluded that it was one of the best days of his life even if he felt completely worn out. Alejandro was engrossed in Mason's stories. He hung on every word the talented, cute boy said.

"How was your day?" asked Mason. "Did you like Pacific Ridge? Are you going to move back to East Harbor to go to school here?"

"Yeah," said Alejandro, "and you know where the school is?" Mason shook his head. "It's really close to the airport we flew into! We practically drove right by the school!"

"Really?"

Alejandro nodded his head. "We passed the road the school is on when we drove from the airport to here. After the visit, Jacob showed me the house my abuela..." Alejandro was embarrassed to talk about his family's wealth to Mason.

"It's okay," assured Mason.

Alejandro searched Mason's eyes.

"I know. I figured it out." Mason rolled onto his back and looked at the ceiling. "I should have figured it out when you picked me up, but I guess I just wasn't thinking."

Alejandro rose to his elbow. "What do you mean?"

"I thought they sent the plane for me."

"I'm sorry I let you think that. I thought about telling you, like when we were talking about the catering and how Jacob had ordered all my favorites, but I didn't want you to think I was showing off or anything."

Mason's feelings of insecurity reared their ugly head. Alejandro had been to his house. He'd seen Mayfield and knew he didn't come from money. Why would a boy like that be interested in a boy like him?

Alejandro watched Mason's mood darken the cute blonde's face. "Hey," he said, putting his hand on the side of Mason's face, gently turning the boy's attention towards him. "It goes both ways. You don't need to be self-conscious about where you come from or how well off your family is, and I shouldn't be either. If you know my story, you know that my wealth is new to me. Yeah, it's cool, but I didn't grow up with it and it doesn't define who I am. What it does do is create a lot of responsibility for me and I have to prepare myself to take that on when I turn 18. My life hasn't been easy, but I think it has forced me to learn to be a good judge of character. From the moment I met you, I knew you were awesome. And the more I've learned about you, your character, the way you care about your friends and mom, playing sports, and singing... Everything about you is just...amazing..." Alejandro continued to look into Mason's eyes while he let those words settle in. Then he continued, "And you're hella cute, too. Do you know how hard it is to not just kiss you right now?"

Mason stared back into Alejandro's eyes. There was no sign of deception or dishonesty on the boy's handsome face. Michael considered Alejandro to be his best friend and Mason considered Michael to be pretty smart. He also remembered Michael's words about the friends you keep. Mason whispered, "You can, you know. It's okay."

Carlos' words of warning rang in Alejandro's ears. He'd promised his cousin he wouldn't give his heart away, but it had happened before he knew it. Alejandro knew that this one last act would seal his fate. Slowly and gently, Alejandro leaned down and kissed Mason softly and lovingly.

Mason closed his eyes and returned the kiss. His body tingled from head to toe. The kiss they shared was a completely new experience for Mason. The room disappeared and it felt like they were floating in space.

The kiss ended and the boys opened their eyes. Alejandro adjusted his position to slip his arm under Mason's neck and pulled the smaller boy into a tight hug. Mason wrapped his top arm over Alejandro and held him even tighter.

Alejandro kissed the mop of blond hair then whispered. "Your heart; I can feel it. It's racing."

"Yeah." Mason couldn't think of anything else to say. He just wanted to lie there in Alejandro's arms forever.

After a while, Alejandro rolled onto his back pulling Mason with him. Mason rested his head on Alejandro's shoulder and draped his left arm across Alejandro's chest. He opened his heart to Mason like he only ever did with Michael.

"I'm really excited about going to Pacific Ridge this year. It's like the perfect blend of casual and friendly but still has really high academic expectations. I want to go to an Ivy League school like Columbia or Princeton, but I have some catching up to do to be on track and I need to go to a school that will help you prepare. That's what they'll do at Pacific Ridge. They'll help me get to where I want to go. My grandmother, she's really awesome, you'll like her, and she'll love you. I interviewed at school all over the place, like Seattle, New York, London, and even Switzerland, but she knew all along I would pick Pacific Ridge. She purchased a house here in East Harbor for me and Jacob and Constanza, she's my Spanish tutor. Jacob took me there this afternoon. It hasn't been painted or anything, so we decided on colors and furniture and stuff. We'll move in right before school starts unless the house is ready sooner. The house is so cool. It's on top of a hill and the backyard has a swimming pool and hot tub. And you can see all the way to the ocean! Oh! And the next-door neighbors have boys. There's Craig and Oliver and the twins."

Mason raised his head and looked at Alejandro in surprise. "You met the twins?"

Alejandro returned Mason's gaze. "Yeah...um...Connor and Cooper, I think?"

"Oh man," laughed Mason. "They were at our championship party. Those dudes are wild."

"I can't wait to show you the house. I was going to take the downstairs bedroom with doors out to the patio, but Jacob vetoed that immediately. He wanted me to take the upstairs since it would be safer. The upstairs is the master suite with its own bathroom and another room that I want to use as a gaming room and stuff. Will you be allowed to spend the night once the furniture arrives? I hope so."

Mason yawned, "Me too."

"I'm sorry I'm blabbing on and on," said Alejandro. He reached over and turned off the light. "I'm tired too. Let's get some sleep." Though Mason remained under the covers and Alejandro on top, the blanket was pulled up under their chins before they wrapped their arms around each other and snuggled.

Mason fell to sleep immediately, but Alejandro had too much on his mind. Mainly, what was on his mind was the talented little blond boy he was holding in his arms. Meeting Mason and his own feelings put a whole new spin on moving back to the States to go to school.

He hoped whatever he did and wherever he went, he could share those experiences with Mason. He took the boy's scent and kissed the top of the mop of blond hair again.

" Buenas noches mi ángel, mi corazón, mi amor. (Good night my angel, my heart, my love.)"