SUNDAY, JULY 5

With his heavy Italian accent, Mr. Rossini welcomed a couple coming into the Pizza Station for dinner. "Welcome, my friends. My apologies. We are open only for carry out. Our dining room is reserved for a very special occasion this evening." The couple ordered and waited patiently. The Pizza Station's reputation for excellent pies was growing despite the lack of advertising.

"This is the place," said Craig. Amanda Kendall pulled to a stop and let the boys out of the car.

"Thanks mom," called out Oliver before the boys headed into the Pizza Station. He'd finally started feeling comfortable calling Amanda "mom" after months of her asking him to stop being so formal.

Entering the restaurant, they found the tables set up in an "L" shape so the party could sit together and still fit in the cramped dining area. Karen, the waitress for the evening, welcomed the boys and got them seated as Sam and Gregory arrived.

"Hey guys!" chirped Sam as he and Gregory joined Craig and Oliver.

Karen took their drink orders as they waited for the others to arrive. They didn't have to wait long. Lars and Carol parked their SUVs and the gang hopped out. Michael and Christian rode with Lars and Zach, while Josh and Alex rode with Carol and Alexis.

The adults sat together at the short part of the "L" and the boys sat at the long end. Lars had called in advance to order the pizzas, consulting with Mr. Rossini on Josh and Alex's favorites. The waitress brought out the drinks as the boys chatted away.

"You'd think those boys had been friends forever," marveled Carol.

Sam and Gregory grew up in East Harbor, but the others were all new. Michael arrived at the beginning of the school year. Christian arrived after Christmas and Alex moved to East Harbor in April. Josh lived in Vista and met Alex at an Ala-Teen meeting. Craig, a native of Chicago and Oliver, a native of Scottsdale, Arizona, met in Montana and officially migrated to East Harbor at the end of the school year. From the way the four couples got along, you'd never have known they'd only recently become friends.

The animated comradery of the boys was full of smiles and laughter. It was particularly heart-warming to Lars and Alexis. Lars was proud of Alex and the progress he'd made since arriving in town. He thought back to their first appointment when Alex ran and hid in the bathroom and their first baking lesson. Since then, Alex had learned to open up and talk about what was on his mind or weighing down his heart. Alex had made friends, and even better, built close relationships with the boys invited for the dinner celebrating Alex and the way he handled Lars and the boys going on vacation. He'd never celebrated a patient's success outside the office before, but Alexis and Alex were more like family.

Alexis watched the boys interact and wondered how she'd been so lucky to have Alex as her son. She knew she'd fucked up back in Mayfield and blamed herself for Alex's problems. It was easy to blame Grant for getting Alex into drugs and alcohol and whatever else the boys had gotten into, but she knew the truth. She'd been an absent mother and when she was around, she'd been a poor role model. She didn't regret moving to East Harbor, but how wrong it could have gone with John Vance in their lives. Even with John and the danger he presented, it was Alex that maintained a level head and protected Josh, Derek, and Jack.

When Mr. Rossini and Karen brought out the pies, Lars stood. "Before you dive into the pizza, I'd like to say something." The Pizza Station staff quickly placed the pizzas on the table and refilled drinks then returned to the kitchen but stood by the pass-through to listen to Dr. Meijer's words. "We're all here in honor of the hard work of one individual, Alex. Well done with your challenge while we were in Europe. We're all proud of you and appreciate you as a friend. Well done."

The boys congratulated Alex on his success and dove into the pizzas, even the bleu cheese pear pizza.

After dinner, Carol and Alexis drove Alex and Josh up to Vista to take Josh home. Alex walked Josh to the door and said "goodbye" with a hug and quick kiss since adults were watching. When Alex got back in the car to head back to East Harbor, he put his ear buds in and Facetimed the friend he wished could have been there to share in his success.

"Hey Grant! I wish you could have been here tonight. You wouldn't have believed it!" started Alex.

----------------------     

MONDAY, JULY 6

Rested from their weekend, the boys headed to the Majestic after breakfast and arrived early for their 10:00 meeting. This was the first time Carol had called a business meeting with the band, but, in her words, "It was time for the boys to understand the business side of being a band."

Don't think Michael hadn't done his due diligence. He was sure to educate his bandmates and Christian on the ways the band was generating revenue, but they didn't know the actual numbers they were generating.

They'd heard that the opening of Saberspace was delayed because the staff was focused on filling online orders for the band's gear. Carol had also mentioned she'd been in regular contact with Jonathan and the Crush Music team, but the boys didn't know the context of those conversations. Back from their vacation and the birthdays celebration, Carol felt it was time to help the boys strike a balance between business and being kids.

She arrived on the stage with her laptop and the boys helped her build a make-shift table so she could share some PowerPoint slides. Normally she wouldn't have bothered, but she knew she needed to be prepared to answer the youngest boy's questions, and he was certain to want details.

Piling, literally, onto the couch, the boys readied themselves, but Carol waited. "Your dad and Zach should be here shortly."

As if on cue, the two men came from off stage, having parked behind the theater and entering through the Music Academy. "Thanks for waiting," said Zach with a huge smile. Lars' smile completed the story.

"I take it they approved your plan," said Carol.

The boys looked at their dad and Lukas spat out the question before the others could. "What plan?"

Zach answered, "Dr. Tsiklauri will continue to be my advisor for my clinicals, but the school has agreed to allow me to see patients here in the office. So, I'm officially allowed to join Lars' practice." Enthusiastic congratulations shared, Zach added, "Since I won't have to commute so much, I'll be around more for this crazy summer."

"What crazy summer?" asked Simon.

"Now I understand why mom called this meeting," declared Michael. The others turned their attention to Carol.

She started with the finances for the European tour. Even with Crush Music declining to take their percentage as a "thank you" to the boys joining Panic! on tour, the boys were surprised by how little opening acts are paid. But even with their spending on accommodations and taking so much family along for the journey, the boys still turned a small profit from the shows.

"Opening acts aren't in it for the money," explained Carol. "They are in it to get their music in front of the fans of the headliners. That should help them build their own fanbase and sell t-shirts and music. That's what your tour in Europe did for you." She went to the next slide and the boys' eyes grew wide. "Since we run the sales of the band's merchandise through Saberspace, you'll see here that Saberspace is already exceeding its expected revenue and we haven't even opened the retail space. We're only making the custom orders in house. Everything else is being produced by third parties because it would be impossible for us to do this quantity in-house. This influx of merchandise is currently being stored in what would be the retail floor. It currently takes up so much space we've delayed opening the store. As a result, we've been looking for storage for merchandise. Bill found us space under the stage here at the Majestic. The closet on the far side over there was originally the entrance to the theater's basement. We pulled the crew from setting up the music store to renovate the basement to store inventory for both retail businesses. That's put the grand opening of the music store at risk, but Alexis is certain she'll be able to get the store ready on time."

"This next slide shows the revenue from your social media and online music plays and sales."

"Congrats, Christian!" crowed Matthew.

"Thanks," said Christian modestly, "but you guys are the ones that people want to see. I just take pics and vids and put them online."

The boys laughed at Christian. "No dude!" corrected Lukas. "We told you we'd pay you from what we make from our social media revenue." He pointed to the dollar figure Carol put in the slide. "That's yours."

"I've been paying you with direct deposits," explained Carol. "You should check your bank balance."

Christian shyly looked around at the others before pulling his phone out and opening his bank's app. His eyes about popped out of his head.

"We did pay your taxes and such, so it isn't the gross amount, but I think you're doing okay for a 14-year-old," added Carol with a huge smile.

Michael gave Christian a hug and a smooch on the cheek, pleased that his boyfriend was getting the well-deserved recognition Michael felt Christian had earned.

Carol continued, "Jonathan has been monitoring your music data since Crush has subscriptions to all the industry research. Your downloads and plays across all sites are continuing to grow, particularly in the US. But here's something I think you'll be pleasantly surprised about."

"You still don't have wide-spread radio airplay for 'Lost and Found' in the US, but in Europe the single is getting traction." Since the tour in Europe, "Lost and Found" had charted across Europe and in Australia. It reached its highest position in Denmark where it was currently in the ninth position on the charts.

"After talking to Jonathan, we agreed that it would be good to continue to do public appearances to keep up the interest and drive sales of your music and merchandise. I think the term Lukas likes to use is 'to cash in on your fame.' We knew you'd want to play more shows and at the same time, your father and I don't want to take away your time at home and with your friends. So, here's what Jonathan and I thought would strike a balance between work and life this summer."

Carol introduced the boys to their schedule of appearances and the dates of the concert events leading up to the SoCal BaseBrawl. The baseball tournament would be followed by the fundraising concert event for The Diaz Foundation for At-Risk Youth and their show at OutFest and the premiere of their movie.

Collectively, the boys' minds were blown. They may have come home to East Harbor and returned to their morning workouts, lacrosse practices, and hanging out at the Majestic, but this was going to be a summer no one would ever forget.

----------------------     

TUESDAY, JULY 7

Michael grabbed his hot dogs and Coke and led the Meijer crew to what he thought were the best seats to watch his big brother. The rest of the family had seen Matthew play at least once since returning from Europe. Despite that fact, Michael felt it was his responsibility, since he had seen so many of Matthew's games growing up, to make sure this was the perfect experience for everyone.

"Dad," directed Michael, "you and the other adults sit down here in front of us. We'll take the top row here." 'We' meant Matthew's brothers, Scott, and Christian. The other adults included Carol, Zach, and Zach and Scott's parents. Their father Earl was a huge baseball fan. Besides, it was an opportunity to spend time with their son and his fiancé. He and Dorothy were still getting use to that idea, but it made them feel better about Zach and Lars living together.

It couldn't have been a better experience for Michael to see the San Diego Force for the first time. The team was one of the 18-and-under teams invited to the Mission Hills Invitational. The tournament was sponsored by the Athletic Department of Mission Hills High School in San Marcos. It was known to be a highly competitive tournament with teams from California, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, and Texas. The eight-team tournament was being played at the high school's baseball stadium, so the games stretched out for most of the day. In the random draw, the Force drew the sixth seed. The three vs six game was the last first round game with the first pitch at 7:00 pm.

Not all the teams came to the early games. No one wanted to spend the day in the southern California sun and heat. But it was cooling off as the sun drifted off to the west. Dropping below the school building, the field was in the shade. The lights were turned on even though there was plenty of light to play, however they would need the lights by the later innings, especially if the game ran long.

The Force donned their white pants and sky-blue jerseys with navy numbers and trim. They looked sharp contrasting against the Torrington Tigers from Wyoming in their white pants with black jerseys with orange numbers and trim and team logo that looked like the logo from Texas Tech. Being the sixth seed, the Force would bat first as the visiting team.

Matthew's stomach felt like a net filled with fluttering butterflies. Since returning from Europe, the coach had been easing Matthew into the lineup. It wouldn't have been fair to put him in as the starter after missing practices and games. But the coaches paced it out so Matthew would be ready to become the full-time starter at third or center field to anchor their batting lineup in the fifth spot. The coaches and Matthew's teammates knew that this tournament was to be his "coming out" celebration. From here on out, the games were either tournaments or conference and all held tremendous importance. To take a little pressure off the 16-year-old, Matthew would be starting in right field for the first game.

The Force got a couple of base hits and had runners at the corners with two outs when Matthew approached the plate for the first time. As he walked to the plate, he heard his name being chanted then the voices broke out into one of Matthew's favorite songs.

And now the kids are opening their eyes
And now the kids are starting up a fire,
Dancing around, dancing around the light!

Matthew looked up directly behind home plate to see his biggest supporters standing and dancing.

"Hey!" came a shout. "Isn't that At the Majestic?" The crowd craned their necks, and the murmur grew louder as they realized the batter was one of the band members. The chatter from the crowd and the hecklers from the stands and the visitor dugout had Matthew distracted when he stepped into the batter's box. It was clear the country boys from Wyoming were less than impressed by the success Matthew and his brothers had achieved on stage. Adjusting his helmet and loosening up his arms, he readied for the first pitch.

He had only a split second to dive out of the way. Glaring at the pitcher who threw a fastball at his head, Matthew caught the boy snickering. The pitch swept away any distractions and had Matthew focused solely on the game. Coach Davidson smiled to himself. He knew Matthew was going to get this type of welcome from time to time this season. It would be either his reputation on the field, or his reputation off the field. To the coach, it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was how Matthew Meijer responded.

Dusting himself off and stepping back into the box, Matthew warned the catcher, "You better wave the pitcher off on another pitch like that or he's going to regret it."

The catcher, thinking they had Matthew rattled, just laughed. "What makes you think he called that pitch?"

After a couple half swings, Matthew cocked the bat and rested his weight on his right foot to await the next pitch. The pitcher delivered another pitch high and inside, but this time Matthew only leaned back and let the pitch sail past his face. With runners on first and third, it was a great time for a wild pitch to score the first run of the game and if standing in the box made it more difficult for the catcher to make a play on the ball, he was going to be a statue.

"I warned you," Matthew said to the catcher as he readied for the 2-0 pitch.

The third-base coach hoped for another pitch at Matthew. Seeing the catcher working so hard to rattle the batter and catch pitches so far out of the strike zone, he felt it was a safe bet to have the runner on first steal. A wild throw by the catcher to pick off the runner would score the lead-off batter who was standing on third.

The next pitch was a curve ball. Hoping Matthew would take the pitch thinking it was another pitch at his head, the battery hoped to get a called strike. Matthew saw the spin and stepped into the pitch. Where Matthew would typically drive a curve ball from a right-handed pitcher down the third-base line, on this pitch he kept his elbows in to drive the ball down the center of the diamond.

The Torrington pitcher fell off the mound trying to dodge the line drive. The ball skipped off the dirt about a foot to the right of second base and sped into the outfield. The runner on first had taken off when the pitcher started his windup and rounded second after seeing the ball kick up dust when it skipped through the base path. At third, the runner held up to ensure the ball made it into the outfield then hustled in to lead off the scoring. Matthew turned and watched from first as the center fielder gunned the ball to third base just offline enough for the San Diego baserunner to dive safely into the base.

After making sure Matthew didn't try for second, the third baseman returned the ball back to the pitcher and Matthew returned to first.

The pitcher turned to walk back to the mound and glanced over at Matthew on first. Matthew just stared him down and prepared to lead off once the pitcher stepped on the rubber.

"That, my friend," said Coach Davidson to his assistant Bill Cook, "is why Matthew is a starter the rest of the season." The men smiled at each other before turning their attention back to the game.

Torrington lived up to their reputation, the team and the players they picked up from around the state for the tournament meant they had a solid batting lineup from top to bottom. The main team didn't have any real power hitters in their line up and when it came to choosing pickup players, they landed on guys that could put the ball in play over home run hitters that had high strike out numbers. Their pesky offense that made it difficult to retire the side was paired with a decent pitching staff equipped with a variety of pitches and styles.

By the seventh inning Matthew had been up to the plate three times, twice with batters in scoring position. His two RBIs were matched by the Tigers playing small ball leaving the score tied after six innings. The Force were batting at the top of the last inning with second baseman River De Leon from Grossmont High School batting third in the batting order. River grounded out to the short stop. The second batter, lefty first baseman Josh Villegas from Madison High School popped up to short right and the Torrington fielder made a great play catching the ball on a dead sprint next to the first baseline for the second out.

In this situation, Coach Davidson would typically pow wow with the batter before they stepped up to the plate. He appreciated Matthew's baseball intelligence and was certain Matthew knew what he wanted. Standing outside the batter's box waiting for the umpire to begin play, Matthew took in the ballpark. It was where he had his tryout for his Coach and was one of the fields the Force used for home games. The corners of the park were short at just over 250 feet, while dead center field was 300 to the wall. He looked over to the dugout where Coach Davidson simply gave him a slight nod. Matthew returned the gesture.

"Play ball!" called the umpire before stepping behind the catcher.

Matthew stepped into the box. The Torrington closer was a fastball pitcher. Throwing pitches that sometimes hit the low 90s, the closer relied on his ability to blow it by high school batters. After seeing what the Meijer boy could do in the batting cage, Coach Davidson hoped the Torrington pitcher would try that now with Matthew.

The first pitch was a fastball low and outside. Matthew stepped into it bringing his hands in front of his chest getting his timing down. The second pitch was just below his knees. Again, he stepped into it getting his body prepared for a quick turn on a pitch in the strike zone.

Down 2-0 in the count, the Torrington pitcher was either going to pitch around the strike zone and walk Matthew, or he was going to have to throw strikes. Matthew stepped out of the batter's box and used his bat to knock the dirt from his cleats. If he wasn't going to get a pitch to hit, he was going to have to chase one. He preferred going after low pitches and that's just what he prepared to do. Stepping back into the batter's box, he set up a few inches farther back in the box so he could reach low pitches over the plate easier.

The next pitch was too low for Matthew to go after. The catcher caught it on a bounce and traded the ball with the umpire. The new ball was thrown to the mound and the catcher set up for the 3-0 pitch.

The pitcher planned to walk Matthew and he expected Matthew to leave the bat on his shoulder for the next pitch. He eased his concentration a bit as he stepped into his windup. The pitch was dead center on the plate, just below the knees. Just where Matthew wanted it.

The sound of the ATAC Alloy Easton Beast X bat echoed off the surrounding school buildings when Matthew launched the low fastball into the sky. Never the showboat, Matthew took off for first in case the ball dropped. All but the Torrington fans started screaming and cheering when the Tiger outfielders stopped and watched the ball sail over the netting protecting the vehicles and buildings in the residential area behind left-center field. The Force fans were excited for their boys to take the lead. The other players and fans who stayed to watch the final game of the day appreciated a player going yard with the longest homer of the day.

The Meijers didn't think they could be prouder of their oldest son until the final out of the game. With a runner on second, the batter drove a line drive to right-center field. Matthew made a diving catch, rolling onto his back holding the ball in his glove in the air as he skidded to a stop.

After a brief team meeting, Matthew and his teammates stepped out of the dugout. Michael was there to greet Matthew by jumping into his arms and giving his big bro a huge bear hug.

----------------------     

WEDNESDAY, JULY 8

Matthew was enjoying being back home and doing the routine things. Things like getting up early to go to the gym and work out with friends and the student-led lacrosse practices. With the tournament this week, Matthew maintained his workout intensity, but pulled back during lacrosse practice, focusing on mastering fine ball handling skills versus full-speed drills.

The entire crew didn't plan on heading over to Mission Hills High School until it was closer to the 7:00 game time, but Michael, Christian, and Alex rode to the field with Matthew. The Force agreed to show up for the 4:00 game to see who they might play in the third round of the tournament.

First stop when they arrived was the brackets. The two losers bracket games were earlier. The Bulldog Elite Baseball team from Murrieta, California eliminated the Tourmui Baseball Academy from Santa Clara, California. Torrington fared even worse in their second game of the tournament. Their tournament ended with a shellacking by the West Texas Frozen Ropes from Lubbock, Texas.

If the Force won tonight's game, they were set to play the winner of the 4:00 game between the Scorpions from Winter Park, Utah and the OC Hustle Baseball from Garden Grove, California, a city between Anaheim and Huntington Beach, south of Los Angeles.

A few of Matthew's teammates were there when they arrived. The boys joined the Force players and waited for the rest to arrive. In no time, Michael, Christian, and Alex were surrounded by high schoolers in their navy jerseys with sky blue trim and numbers and light gray pants. Some of the guys were intent on watching every pitch of the game, others were staying loose and joking around as much as they paid attention to a potential competitor.

Both teams on the field, the Scorpions and Hustle, were known for their home run potential. The winner would be determined by the pitching staff that was able to shut down the other team's sluggers. The Hustle started a pitcher known for his strike out capabilities. The Scorpions took another direction, starting a groundball pitcher.

Before the first pitch, Michael led his friends to the concessions stand and the younger boys stocked up on junk food to eat during the game. Matthew's teammates saved their seats and welcomed them back.

While Matthew focused on the game, he did keep an ear on the conversations his teammates were having with the younger boys. It wasn't that he thought they would be mean or inappropriate, but a few were rather obtuse and could be insensitive without even knowing it.

The game was good. The pitchers were on their game keeping both sides from hitting the long ball. In five innings, the Hustle had five hits but only one run to show for it. The Scorpions hadn't scored and only managed two hits. The Force would watch one more inning before heading over and starting their pre-game warmups. Matthew stood to stretch before the beginning of the sixth inning when he heard one of the guys trying to tell the boys they were too young to know they were gay.

"Keep that to yourself," he said tersely, turning in the direction he thought the comment came from. "I don't care who said it, but when these boys, or anyone, declare their sexual orientation, you are not being consulted or being asked your opinion, you are being informed. If my little brother says he's gay, then the only thing you need to say is 'good to know.' And if tomorrow he declares he's straight, the only thing you need to say is, 'good to know.' And if anyone has a problem with that, with LGBTQIA+ individuals, or with anyone else, get the fuck off this team. If you don't agree, read the damn team handbook again."

A couple of the Force players clapped in appreciation of Matthew speaking up and a couple players who felt they'd disrespected the younger boys apologized and joined in as the clapping became the team's synchronized clap and team cheer. "We are the Force, the S.D. Force! We are the Force, the S.D. Force!"

Coaches Davidson and Cook were discussing the day's lineup and pitching rotation at a table behind the bleachers when they overheard Matthew's scolding and the team's reaction. Matthew had earned the respect of his teammates for his performance on and off the field. They respected him for his hustle and enlivenment of the team culture. Today was Matthew's first step towards team leadership and that was exactly what his coaches wanted. It was time for Matthew to join the team captains and flex his leadership muscle to set the tone for the rest of this season and seasons to come. They were a young team and having a peer as one of the team leaders was vital to their success when things got tough.

When the inning ended, the Scorpions having tied the game, Matthew was the first to get up, "Com'on guys. Time to warm up and get our game faces on." Then he looked at his little brother, "Save some seats for mom and dad."

Michael nodded and watched the guys leave to prepare for their game. It wasn't a long wait before Lars, Zach and Carol arrived with his brothers, as well as some of Matthew's other friends from lacrosse like Robert McCall, Luke Drake, Preston Peters, and Caleb Conley. Closer to the start of the game, April arrived and joined Carol.

The Force, once again the visitors, would be up first and face one of the aces of the Arizona Thunder. Matthew came to the plate with two on and two out. Apparently, the Thunder coaches had seen the previous night's game. They intentionally walked Matthew to load the bases and face Mason Wright, the right fielder from University City High School.

Mason, following the sluggers in the Force line up was known for finding ways to get on base. Even a walk would score a run and the crowd and dugout got loud with chatter and cheers. On a 1-2 count, Mason drilled a line-drive into the ally between the right and center fielders that made it to the wall. The hit cleared the bases and put the Force up by three runs right off the bat.

The Force started the junior right-handed pitcher Jake Molinar from Bishop's High School. With the excitement and a three-run lead, Jake pitched lights out. When the dust had settled, Matthew was walked twice, lined out to the shortstop and hit a double into the left field corner. The Force sent the Thunder to the losers' bracket with a 7-0 victory.

"Hey Matthew!" yelled Matthew's friend Kingston. "We're going out for pizza. Wanna come?"

"Next time, guys," answered Matthew. "I promised my little brother some one-on-one time tonight."

Michael overheard the exchange and smiled when Matthew chose hanging out with him instead of going out with his teammates to celebrate their victory. He walked over to Matthew and said, "We can do it another night. I don't mind. Go celebrate your victory."

"No, little man," replied Matthew. "You are way more important. But how about we bring April and Christian and make it a double date, my treat." Michael smiled and they went to find their other halves.

The four ended up on the patio at Hammond's enjoying ice cream and laughter.

----------------------     

THURSDAY, JULY 9

The boys skipped their morning workout and headed right to the Majestic this morning. They chatted excitedly walking down Maple Street, dressed as if they were going to be stepping onto the stage of an arena. Instead, they were only stepping onto the stage of the Majestic Theater on the Mallway in East Harbor, California.

Well, 'only' stepping onto the stage at the Majestic was a bit of an understatement. Asa and Keith had come up the evening before to prepare for this morning's telecast. The creative leads in Majestic Productions would be doing the camera work and sending the feed to CBS8 in San Diego. The boys were to perform two songs as guests on the morning show.

Keith, Asa, and Stone were already at the theater along with Bill Calloway who'd volunteered to arrive early to let the guys in. On stage, the boys could see a TV on the floor where they could watch the newscast and their interviewer if they decided to speak to the boys. Their earpieces allowed them to hear their music as well as anything said from the TV station.

The lighting was set up to be warm and subtle, not like a concert, but more like the stage when the boys are practicing. They also set up closer to each other, so it was easier for them to be on camera at the same time, instead of trying to fill the stage for a live audience.

They mulled around the stage and warmed up until Keith got their attention. "You're up next."

Watching the commercials, they took their positions and waited.

"We're back," said Eric Kahnert, one of the morning anchors on CBS8, "and we have something extra special for you today."

Neda Iranpour picked up the segment from there. As she began, the broadcast turned to clips of the boys in concert. "You may have heard these boys on the local airwaves with their singles 'Betrayal' and they're new hit song 'Lost and Found.'" The video switched to their latest upload to YouTube, Michael singing "Thinking Out Loud" at Apple Studios. "Or maybe you've seen them on YouTube. The band has a number of music videos including this one shot at Apple Studios in London. Uploaded Monday, it's gone viral and is one of the most watched videos this week. Just this year, they've opened for Khalid, Green Day, Weezer, Panic! at the Disco, and have played concerts in Europe and at venues most artists can only aspire to, like Dodger Stadium. We've got the band, At the Majestic, live from their home stage in East Harbor, with their current hit single, 'Lost and Found.'"

Lukas raised his sticks in the air and clicked off a four count and the band started the song. Nothing fancy, they just focused on playing the song clean and tight. Every time Michael sang this song his face lit up and his heart-felt lyrics touched the listeners. Keith and Asa added the professional camera work making the boys look like the professionals they were.

When the song ended, everyone in the CBS8 studio gave the boys a round of applause. "I love that song," said Eric. "My daughter introduced me to At the Majestic a couple months ago."

Neda added, "I've added it to my Spotify playlist and even play it on loop. It's so touching and catchy. Let's take a moment here and let our viewers get acquainted with the band. Would you boys introduce yourselves?"

Each boy, including Zach, introduced himself one at a time. The brief interview including them explaining how they met and how they are all related to each other. Then the station had to cut to a commercial break. To kill the 45 minutes until their next segment, they pulled out their phones to check the number of views and likes on YouTube.

As their second segment approached, the boys began to reconsider their song choice. They originally thought of doing a ballad, "April Showers". Now they were thinking it should be a rock song; something upbeat and energetic to get everyone's day going.

Coming back from the last commercial break before their second segment, Neda introduced the band. "Back to perform another song for us, here's At the Majestic."

Lukas started off laying the beat before Zach, Matthew, and Simon came in with the groove on bass and guitar. Everyone down at CBS8 were moving as Michael danced around the stage singing "Superstition". The band put the same energy into their performance as they did each night opening for Panic! at the Disco. Their appearance this morning on the local news program introduced the band to thousands of new fans.

----------------------     

"Hey!" greeted Alejandro smiling into the camera on his phone.

"Hey yourself!" said Michael with a huge smile. He was really happy to see Alejandro and was excited to share the news.

"What's new on your side of the world?"

"There's a lot of stuff going on," said Michael. "We just finished playing a couple songs on channel eight out of San Diego."

"You played live on TV?" asked Alejandro, astonished by how popular his friends had become.

"Yeah, but it was only the local station. Next week we are playing on the CBS' national morning show. That's gonna be real big I think."

"Wow! You think?" Alejandro laughed. He figured that had to be watched by millions of people.

"You know what's really gonna be big?" asked Michael teasingly.

Alejandro thought for a second. "No. What?"

"The fundraiser for the Trey Diaz Foundation."

"Really? Why?"

"Once the word got out about Panic! at the Disco, a bunch of other bands have agreed to perform at a benefit concert," explained Michael. "Mom's trying to figure out if we can even have the fundraising dinner the same day. She said we may have to have the dinner one night and the concert the other, or have them at the same time so people would have to decide if they want to go to the concert or the dinner, or both but miss part of the concert."

"What bands would want to play at a benefit for my foundation?" asked Alejandro.

"Well, you know we kinda work with Crush Music and that's the management company of Panic! at the Disco. Well, Crush has gotten other bands they manage to join: Weezer, Fall Out Boy, and Green Day."

"Aren't those all bands you guys have played with?" asked Alejandro.

"Yeah."

"So those bands are playing the show because they know you guys."

Michael thought for a minute. "Yeah. I guess."

Alejandro was astonished "Dude! Are you even listening to yourself? You guys know the coolest bands in the world and they will come do a benefit show because of you! That's the coolest thing ever!"

"Well, it's because of you, too."

"What do you mean?"

Michael explained, "Because of your story and the foundation you are setting up. If this was some half-ass, small time foundation, they wouldn't have done it. There's no way we could put together a fundraiser like this. With this concert and the benefactors your family will bring to this cause, your foundation will be one of the largest in the country. That's all you man. It's all you."

A smile threatened to break Alejandro's face. "Then we have to make this the best ever!" Michael nodded in agreement.

----------------------     

Day three of the Mission Hills Invitational and the tournament continued with some thrillers. It started off with the two games from the loser's bracket. The Arizona Thunder, the team the San Diego Force handed a loss to, defeated the Bulldog Elite Baseball team 4-3, scoring all four runs during the top of the seventh inning then holding on when the Bulldogs had runners in scoring position with only one out in the bottom of the inning. Game two found the Scorpions scoring two in the second inning and holding on to beat the West Texas Frozen Ropes 2-1. Arizona would face the Scorpions in the last game of the day to see who from the losers' bracket would survive until the final day of the tournament.

In the meantime, game three featured the last two teams from the winners' bracket. Matthew's team was to face the OC Hustle Baseball Club. Lars and the other adults were busy with their jobs, but the boys and their friends made it to the game. With a gaggle of East Harbor boys cheering for Matthew and the Force, the Force had the loudest fans.

The game was a battle between pitching staffs and who could control the other team's offense. Batters were going deep in the pitch count and fouling pitches left and right. With baserunners in nearly every inning, each team managed a run or two here and there. The Force managed a 9-7 victory with Matthew going 2 for 5 with three RBIs. The victory, however, was at the cost of using five different pitchers and losing their closer after he took a tricky grounder off the wrist of his throwing hand. Everyone was happy they made it to the final day of the tournament, but doubt was creeping in that there were enough arms left to close the deal on Friday, especially if they lost the first game and had to play a second game to win the title.

----------------------     

FRIDAY, JULY 10

The Mission Hills Invitational was exceeding everyone's expectations. The games had all been competitive. Even the teams that were two-and-out put-up good fights. Now, the final day of the tournament, the best-case scenario. Two of the Southern California teams and the closest out-of-state opponent were all that remained. That meant, the games would draw the largest possible crowds.

The losers' bracket featured the last two teams the San Diego Force defeated. The Arizona Thunder from the Phoenix area was going to take on the OC Hustle from outside of Los Angeles. The winner would take on the Force at 4:00 with a second and final game at 7:00 if the Force were to lose the first game.

Since it was a workday and the first game started at 1:00, the boys organized carpooling from the theater for those who didn't have a ride to San Marcos. By game time, there were more East Harbor students than fans for the other teams combined.

The Thunder had their ace on the mound knowing they had to put it all out on the field to get to the championship game. The OC Hustle were leading the tournament in pitching, hitting, and scoring categories. The Hustle were confident they'd win and were saving their ace to face the Force in the first game of what they hoped would be a double header.

The first game was a nail biter. The pitching was outstanding, but the bats were even better. Every inning both teams had base runners, but only managed a run or two leaving runners in scoring position. The lead was traded back and forth until the Hustles' final at bat. With one out, a double into the right-center field gap drove in two runs to win the game.

As the first pitch approached for the 4:00 game, the only vantage point to see the game that wasn't already taken was from the school's roof. That was only available because a few of the visiting teams' coaches had to dissuade their players from climbing up there.

The Hustle sent their ace to the bullpen to warm up for their next game. It tipped their hand to Coach Davidson. He called the team together for their pregame talk and starting lineups.

"Selga," called out Coach Davidson.

"Yes, coach," replied the sophomore from Eastlake High School in Chula Vista.

"Eli, you'll be starting." The coach ran through the rest of the lineup over the murmur of the players' side conversations about the choice of starting pitcher.

"It's not like I can't hear your chatter and I don't need to explain to you why I make the decisions I make. But this is a strategic move. They are starting their ace pitcher. They are going all in to win this game to get to a second game with us. If they win, we have Delvecchio to step onto his high school mound to close out the tournament at 7:00. But if we can save Delvecchio from having to pitch tonight, we have him Monday for our match up against Huntington Beach." The murmur from the team rose as they made comments about their archrivals.

"We've had success against the Hustles' bullpen and looking at the pitch counts, we should be facing relievers that we saw in our last game against them. That is our advantage. Selga is a better pitcher than their ace any day. Keys to winning. Run up the pitch count. Long, smart at-bats and playing small ball. If we don't score against their starter, we'll score against their relievers. And we have Klepsch set up to close. Let's get out there, play loose, stay focused, and let's end this tournament in 7 innings."

When none of the other players stepped up immediately, Matthew shouted, "Force on three. One, two..."

The team shouted pumping their fists in the air, "Force! Force! Force!" There were no players looking off into the distance or simply going through the motions. They looked into the center of the huddle and shouted with intent. For the first time in the tournament, the Force were the home team. They took up their defensive positions to warm up, Matthew at third.

"You've known this was going to happen all along, didn't you?" asked Bill Cook, the Assistant Coach.

"Bill," said Tom Davidson, "I predict this is the game where Matthew will become the true leader of this team. He's earned their respect as a player. He's earned their respect as a person. This game will be the test to see if he can fire them up and be the team leader on the field. If he does that, they will all follow Matthew wherever he leads them. And that boy has 'champion' stamped on his chest."

The transformation of the Force started in the first inning. With two outs and a runner on second, the Hustle batter drilled a line drive between second and third. Carson Keller was playing short stop and took a path towards the ball that was leading him towards the left field grass making a timely throw to first nearly impossible. But the ball didn't make it that far. With two steps to his left and a lunge, Matthew caught the ball before it skipped through the infield dirt. Landing flat on his chest and sliding to a stop, Matthew held his glove up showing he still possessed the ball. The Force players screamed with Matthew's brilliant play and their success at keeping the Hustle off the board. As his teammates slapped hands to congratulate Matthew on his outstanding play, he simply stated that that was how "we" play and challenged his teammates to play with the same intensity.

The next step in the progression was in the bottom half of the second inning. On a 3-2 pitch, Matthew drilled a fastball into the left field corner. With his speed he arrived at second base for an easy stand up double. The team cheered and he shouted back trying to encourage his teammates. Matthew was the only run they managed to score that inning giving the Force a 1-0 lead going into the third.

Having lined out in the fifth inning, Matthew's transformation didn't continue until top of the sixth inning. With a 2-2 tie, Coach Davidson brought in their closer Addison Klepsch to pitch the last two innings. If the game went into extra innings, he'd decide what to do then.

Addison sat the first batter down with three straight strikes. He was throwing scorchers and the first batter couldn't catch up to his fastball. The second batter wasn't faring any better. The first two pitches caused the batter to swat at the wind. The third pitch, however, was not as successful. Addison tried to jam the batter with an inside pitch. For most batters the ball would have simply been fouled off the neck of the bat. This batter preferred a wooden bat over the typical alloy bats used in high school baseball. When the batter tried to stop his swing on the inside pitch, the ball struck the bat right above his hands. The ball bounced off home plate foul, but the barrel of the bat flew back at Addison. He managed to get his hands up to keep the bat from hitting him in the head, but the barrel struck his pitching hand.

The coaches and his teammates on the field rushed to the mound. After some time examining his hand, there didn't appear to be any serious damage, but it was too painful to grip the ball tightly. Coach Davidson sent Addison to the bench for an ice pack while he contemplated his next move. He sent the outfielders back to their positions while the infielders stood around the mound waiting for their coach's decision. Tom called to the Force bench for Jake Molinar, a junior infielder and right-handed pitcher from Bishop's High School in La Jolla. He was one of the Force's starting pitchers. Jake walked out to the mound and held out his hand for the ball. Coach Davidson dropped the ball in Matthew's hand. "Jake, take third. Guys, get Jake warmed up." They hurried into their fielding positions and threw the ball around including grounders to Jake.

Matthew was stunned speechless. Tom turned to Matthew. "I know you pitched some back in Forest Grove and I've seen you pitch batting practice. These guys haven't seen pitches as fast as what you and Addison can throw. You've got open bases in case you walk a few, but I doubt they can hit you. I have complete confidence that you can keep them scoreless for a couple innings. Besides, no one else is warmed up, but you've been on the field playing. Go ahead and take some throws."

Coach stepped off the mound but stood close by as Matthew threw his warm-up pitches. Matthew didn't throw full speed or even try any pitches other than a fastball. He focused more about simply being on the mound and finding the rhythm of his wind-up.

"Looking good. Don't worry about base runners, just get outs." With that, Coach Davidson returned to the dugout to watch his favorite player do his thing.

In the stands, the East Harbor gang was hanging on every pitch. No one, however, was even close to the nervous wreck Michael had become and the batter hadn't stepped into the batter's box yet.

Facing a batter with two strikes, Matthew threw two balls before getting a pitch close enough to the strike zone to get a third strike when the batter swung and missed.

Matthew could still feel the adrenaline gushing through his veins as he stood next to the mound waiting for the next batter. It had been a long time since he pitched in a game, but it wasn't unfamiliar. He took a few extra deep breaths and blew them out forcefully to bring his nerves under control. He was overthrowing his pitches instead of throwing with power. Then he heard a single voice call out from the stands. "You've got this Matthew!" It was Michael. Those few words brought a smile to Matthew's face and a calmness to his being.

He looked up into the stands to find his family. Spotting Michael standing between April and Christian, Matthew tapped his fist to his chest and a pointed towards his loved ones telling them the message was received and he loved them too. Matthew stepped onto the mound to face the next batter. Two walks and a strikeout later, Matthew had closed out the top of the sixth without giving up a run.

The bottom of the sixth inning went as Coach Davidson suspected, but he didn't get the results he had hoped. The Force bats came alive. They managed to get runners to second and third, but the other three batters hit the ball directly to one of the Hustle outfielders.

Stepping onto the mound at the top of the seventh inning, Matthew finally felt he'd found the right mindset for standing on the mound.

The Hustle batters were catching up to his pitching, but not enough to keep the ball in fair territory. The first batter was a lefty. He slapped three pitches into the Hustle dugout making his teammates dive for cover before he struck out. The next batter was a righty. Matthew blew a pitch by him before the batter fouled down the first base line. Andrew Rivera, a junior from Imperial High School, was playing first base. The once gangling teen had finally grown into his body. With his new-found grace, the tracked down the pop fly just feet from the dugout.

Matthew yelled and pumped his fist before pointing to Andrew and pumping his fist again. Matthew was fired up and so were the rest of the Force players. Standing off the mound, Matthew held up his hand with only his index and pinky fingers raised indicating two outs. He made eye-contact with each player with a nod before taking the mound.

Back on the rubber, Matthew and the catcher agreed on the pitch. Taking a little off his fastball, the batter's eye grew like saucers before he swung and missed on a pitch low and outside. The second pitch Matthew smoked his fastest pitch yet straight down the middle of the plate. The batter was embarrassingly late with his swing. With two outs and a 0-2 count on the batter, Matthew surprised everyone and threw a changeup. The ball dropped out of the strike zone as it crossed the plate. The speed change and movement of the pitch caused the batter's knees to buckle as he flailed at the pitch for the third strike.

With the called third out, Matthew brought his fists together at his belt buckle, flexing as he screamed along with all the Force faithful. With a nasty changeup, some blazing fastballs, and by all accounts, some wild pitches, Matthew had held the Hustle scoreless. The teams were tied going into the Force's at-bat. It was win or go into extra innings.

First up was the Force's clean-up batter, Nico Libed, the catcher. Nico worked the count before pulling a curveball. The Hustle third baseman leapt straight into the air. When he came back down, the ball peaked over the top of his glove like the flavored ice of a Sno-cone.

With one out, Matthew came to the plate. The Hustle's coaches were aware of Matthew's ability to take a shot down one of the lines, so they moved their right and left fielders towards the corners to prevent extra base hits. That opened up lanes on either side of the center fielder.

Each time Matthew stepped into the batter's box, he studied the body language and position of the center fielder. He suspected the center fielder was reading the called pitch. The center fielder drifted to the right of center and the pitcher threw a fastball for a strike. The next pitch was an off-speed pitch after the center fielder drifted to the left of center. With a 1-1 count Matthew watched the center fielder drift towards right field. Matthew prepared for a fastball, and he was right.

Matthew drilled a laser directly over the second baseman's head. Both the center and right fielders sprinted in to catch the fly for the out. The center fielder saw his teammate had a better angle on the ball, so he drifted back about 10 feet to back him up. The right fielder dove falling just short of getting to the line drive.

As Matthew approached first base, he witnessed the ball skid in the grass before deflecting off the back of the right fielder's glove then over the head of the center fielder. In that instance, Matthew decided he was going to third no matter what. Shifting into another gear and without a moment of hesitation, Matthew burned down the basepath as the outfielders chased the ball to the wall.

Matthew had a stand-up triple. The East Harbor contingent led the crowd cheering for the Force. Frustration was evident in the body language of the Hustle's pitcher. Standing on the bag, Matthew waved to encourage the crowd to make more noise.

The crowd kept up the noise making verbal communication on the field more difficult. Andrew Rivera was up next. On the first pitch, he drove a high bouncing grounder off home plate. Both the pitcher and third baseman charged the grounder with the infielder collecting the ball. Instead of throwing to first, he turned to stare Matthew down. The shortstop had followed the others towards the plate on contact instead of covering third.

Andrew rounded first and turned back toward the infield to see what was happening. Matthew held a large lead off the base then feigned like he was returning to third.

The third baseman tossed the ball to the pitcher who turned to return to the mound. Andrew was still standing several feet off first base. Matthew waited for the third baseman to pass him by as the Hustle player posted up at third base to prepare for a possible pick off of Matthew. Once the boy passed Matthew, Matthew waved Andrew to increase his lead at first and for the crowd to make more noise. Andrew's antics at first got the pitcher's attention and the boy took a couple steps towards first and faked throwing the ball that way. The instant the pitcher's attention turned towards first, Matthew broke for home like an express train. Shouts from the catcher and the Hustle bench were not heard. When the first baseman frantically pointed towards home, the pitcher turned and threw a strike to the catcher. Matthew dove. His left hand brushed across the plate as the catcher's mitt swiped in his direction catching only air.

Matthew jumped up and flexed and screamed to release the energy rushing through is body. The Force players poured from the dugout to celebrate their victory.

Coach Davidson looked up into the stands and met Lars' eyes. The men nodded to each other knowing Matthew had fully come into his own as a brother, as an artist, as a lover, and now as an athlete.

----------------------     

SATURDAY, JULY 11

Showered after their morning workouts, the boys found a text message from Carol asking them to meet her in her office before packing up the truck to get to the day's appearances.

"What's mom texting us for? Are we in trouble?" asked Michael. He stared at his phone trying to make sense out of the text.

Lukas pulled his shirt over his head. "It could be about Pride today," offered Lukas.

Simon stopped rummaging through is gym bag. "Maybe, but she usually means business when she wants to meet in her office. Even when we were little if we got called into her office at home, we were usually in trouble for something."

They dressed in a hurry and headed to the Majestic to meet Carol.

"We'll help Zack get your stuff packed," said Christian. If there was trouble, Scott and Christian were more than happy to get to work instead of being in the room with their friends. They entered the auditorium while the others entered the Majestic Enterprises' offices.

Lately, it was rare to hear the offices so quiet. The success of the different businesses, the commotion of the construction and work to open the music store, Saberspace, and the dance studio, and all the hoopla the boys generated, Majestic Enterprises kept very busy. The boys found Carol working on her laptop. They filed into her office and found seats.

"Apparently," she began as she finished her email and turned her attention to the four boys before her, "you have been busy trying to get better tickets to that show you want to go see."

"That was me," admitted Michael. He'd called all their connections in the music business, including their friendly DJ, trying to get better seats for the Foo Fighters and Royal Blood show in Los Angeles. It was a dream concert featuring drummer, guitar, and vocalist David Grohl (idolized by Michael and Lukas) and Royal Blood bassist and vocalist Mike Kerr (idolized by Simon). The boys would do anything to be close to the stage for this show.

"You even called our friends at Crush Music, and they don't manage either of those bands," noted Carol.

The boys nodded, worried they may have damaged that valuable relationship.

"Well, you aren't getting your tickets upgraded." The boys' postures deflated. "As a matter of fact, you're going to either sell or give your tickets away."

"WHAT?!" gasped Michael.

"WHY?!" asked Lukas.

"You're not going to need them."

"What do you mean?!" exploded Simon. "We don't ask to do much stuff like this. We earned the money we bought the tickets with, and you said we could go!"

Lukas, Michael, and Simon were up in arms. They'd been so excited about seeing Royal Blood and the Foo Fighters. It was their dream lineup and the first real concert they would ever go to that they weren't going to be on stage. Lukas wiped a tear from his cheek. Simon crossed his arms slumping in his chair and pouted. Michael looked completely defeated. On the other hand, Matthew was disappointed the younger boys wouldn't get to go.

"In the end, you brought this on yourself. Instead of getting to see the show, they've asked you to open the show."

Matthew almost burst out laughing when he saw the look on the other boys' faces. Their faces went blank before they slowly realized what Carol said. Then chaos ensued.

"YO! Pull it together!" said Matthew clapping his hands. "We've got to pack and get to San Diego. Com'on you yahoos!"

----------------------     

Being a late add, it didn't seem fair to make At the Majestic Co-Grand Marshal after the announcement months ago. But it seemed perfect to create the position of Junior Grand Marshal, or in this case, the plural. But the boys were elated when Carol told them that they would be the Junior Grand Marshals for San Diego Pride.

They were invited to bring friends to join them on the float for the Pride Parade and play a set at the festival in the evening. In between, the boys would get to enjoy the festival itself.

When they arrived early to set up for the parade, amplifiers were mounted to a long bed trailer that was decorated with a blend of the festival's theme "Pride Unites the World", and the idea of being "at the Majestic Theater." There was a platform at the rear of the trailer with a wall to ensure Lukas couldn't fall backwards off the trailer. With the amps down the middle of the float, Zach and Michael set up on one side, Simon and Michael on the other. There were places for Craig and Oliver, Sam and Gregory, and Alex and Josh to join Christian and the band on the float and throw candy and beads to the crowd.

During the parade, the band played various songs that Simon and Michael sing -- Matthew begged off singing during the parade. He didn't want to distract the focus from Simon and Michael's connection to their community. The LGBTQA+ community in San Diego and the parade crowds loved the boys. They loved seeing a group of out gay boys with their boyfriends. The boys never tired when the crowd called out for them to kiss. The couples on the float were happy to oblige -- even Simon and Lukas got in on the action between songs. They didn't realize it until they saw the news reports about this year's Pride, but along the parade route, they played for over 200,000 individuals!

After the parade, the gaggle of East Harbor boys wandered around the festival, but they didn't get to see a whole lot. The popularity of the band drew a lot of attention. Matthew and Zach kept all the boys close together, but they couldn't keep an eye on all the boys in the crowd. They were particularly worried about Michael, eventually enlisting some of the event's security for help until they were ready to take the stage.

With the other paid acts already scheduled to perform in the evening, the boys were slated to play at 6:00 pm. The boys took the stage to a crowd nearly 30,000.

The heat and stress of the crowds had worn the boys out, but not to the point it would impact their performance. With their friends watching from off stage, some for the first time, the boys tore into their set, starting off with "Superstition". Their performance stopped the crowd in their tracks. Those at the festival that didn't plan to watch the early performances on stage were drawn to watch. Nearly everyone was on their feet dancing and having a blast. When they walked off stage leaving the crowd singing "My Blood," one of the security guards came up to the boys crying.

"I don't think you understand what you mean to our community," he stated. "You are living the open, out childhood my generation only dreamed about. When we see you on the float or on stage being open about your love for your boyfriends, it brings happiness to us. We worked so hard to make the world a safer place and you represent our success. Thank you." It was the first time the boys felt the weight of their responsibility to their community and pride that they had the opportunity to honor those before them.

----------------------     

SUNDAY, JULY 12

The first of the boys' appearances as a guest opening act at an outdoor concert was for Death Cab for Cutie. The alternative rockers had been around since the '90s and their management team liked to bring new, younger acts along on tour to continually introduce the band's music to younger and younger listeners. At the Majestic was exactly the right band at the right time. The offer to play this date was made when the media frenzy about them touring with Panic! at the Disco hit the BBC. Since then, "Lost and Found" had been released and charted.

"So, where's this gig anyway?" asked Lukas. When the boys learned of who they were opening for, they were less interested in where the concert was and more interested in learning about a group with the intriguing name Death Cab for Cutie. Now that they were loading their equipment onto a tour bus for the next day's trip, Lukas was curious about how far away this show was.

"Mesa," said Simon sliding the case containing Lukas' bass drum into the underbelly of the tour bus.

Lukas slid the cases containing his floor tom and cymbal stands and the two headed back into the theater to get more of their equipment. Passing Christian, Michael and Matthew heading out with guitars and pedal cases, Lukas asked, "Isn't Mesa in Arizona?"

"Yeah," answered Christian. "It's a suburb of Phoenix."

The boys carrying the guitar equipment exited the back of the theater into the Music Academy's parking lot. "Isn't Scottsdale also a suburb of Phoenix?" asked Michael.

"Yep," answered Matthew. He'd been looking up Major League Baseball parks he'd like to visit, and Chase Field in Phoenix was on his list. "Scottsdale and Mesa are right next to each other."

"Oliver's from Scottsdale. We should ask Craig and Oliver if they want to go to the show with us," suggested Michael. They slid their cases into the bus and while they were heading back in for more equipment, Michael pulled out his phone.

Michael: What are the wonder twins up to? LOL
Craig: Driving us nutz
Oliver: You'll never believe what they did
Michael: What?
Craig: They got different haircuts
Michael: REALLY?
Oliver: yeah, like really different
Craig: Connor left the back long but cut about half off the front and sides
Craig: Cooper left his bangs long but got the sides and back cut short
Oliver: and they aren't dressing identical
Michael: wow!
Michael: hey! Do you guys want to go with us to our show tomorrow?
Michael: You can ride the tour bus with us there and back
Craig: Really? That sounds like fun
Michael: Thought you guys might want to go. It's in Mesa, AZ
Oliver: REALLY!! That's practically my hometown!
Oliver: I haven't been there in over a year!
Oliver: YES YES YES
Michael: Have your rents call my rents
Michael: Leaving at 8am from the theater

Michael texted Zach, Lars, and Carol to give them a heads up about the invitation he extended to Craig and Oliver then went back to loading equipment on the bus.

"Be careful about how many people you go inviting. The tour bus is meant to give us plenty of room to relax to and from Mesa instead of being cramped up in the SUV or van," warned Zach coming in the front of the theater. He'd finished the paper he was writing for school over in his office and came over to make sure everything he needed got packed.

"Hey Zach!" greeted the boys.

"It's okay," explained Michael. "Matthew isn't riding the bus to the show."

"What? How's he getting there?" asked Simon.

Matthew gave Simon a look that said, 'I'm standing right here' then explained, "I'm getting there by plane. I've got baseball practice in the morning so I'm flying to Phoenix and riding the bus back."

"Scott's coming, isn't he?" asked Lukas.

"Yep," answered Zach. "He wanted to help pack up tonight and spend the night, but mom and dad wanted him to be home for a change. I think they miss him being around since he's been spending so much time with you guys."

Everyone looked around the stage and at the pile of cases remaining to be taken out to the bus. "I think we're packed," said Matthew. "Let's get this shit out to the bus so we can go home and relax. And don't forget to leave room for our merch. They're packing it in the morning."

For Matthew, that meant inviting April over to get in the hot tub and maybe a movie. For the other boys, that meant being loud and wild running around and jumping in the pool. Matthew smiled and grabbed the last of the cases and followed his brothers out to the bus.

----------------------     

MONDAY, JULY 13

Leaving East Harbor, the tour bus was lively and rowdy. Zach hoped the boys staying up late would mean they would be quiet and maybe even nap so he could get some studying in. They were, when all is said and done, going to be spending about nine hours on the bus that day. What he didn't account for was Mrs. Kendall treating all the boys to Frappés from McDonald's. The boys munched on the bagels and smears and slurped their large coffee drinks while joking around and disrupting every attempt by Zach to get something productive accomplished.

On the way to Mesa, the bus traveled south to San Diego then took I-8 along the border with Mexico and then north into the Phoenix area. The return trip would take I-10 from Phoenix to Los Angeles and then south back to East Harbor.

Once the bus turned east on I-8, the terrain reminded the boys of the hills just east of East Harbor. They eventually descended the other side into a desert landscape none of them had ever experienced except Oliver. The boys quieted down and watched the rock formations and alien landscape pass by their windows. The rocky landscape ended abruptly as I-8 passed into the Salton Trough, an area between tectonic plates where the crust of the Earth is stretching. Once the bottom of Lake Cahuilla, this landscape was completely flat. A stark contrast from the Californian landscape between the coastal cities and this basin. Even more stunning was entering the Imperial Valley. Irrigation turned the former lakebed into one of the most important agricultural areas in the US. As far as the boys could see were flat fields of a variety of crops.

Michael watched the landscape transition from desert to fertile fields, back and forth through California and southern Arizona. But Michael found it more interesting to watch Craig and Oliver.

Oliver was excited to be taking Craig back to his hometown. It reminded Michael of Christian's excitement showing him around Stavanger. But the closer they got to Mesa, the more thoughtful and melancholier Oliver became. Craig sensed it and leaned into Oliver to comfort the Arizona native.

It occurred to Michael that Oliver only talked about his life in Bozeman, but never said much about growing up in Scottsdale. Was Oliver returning to a land of sweet dreams or nightmares. It made Michael wonder if inviting his friends on this trip was a good thing, or a bad one.

----------------------     

Being outside in Arizona's afternoon sun and heat, there was no need for stage lights or a light show. The sunlight was so bright you would never see a light show and the bands on stage didn't need the extra heat generated by stage spots. So, the drama the boys generated by the "Welcome to the Majestic" announcement and the light show wasn't going to happen today.

The boys waited for showtime off stage with their friends. Oliver was antsy. He kept peering out into the crowd looking for familiar faces. Since being invited, he'd flip flopped on reaching out to the guys he knew from his track and field days in Scottsdale. If he recognized someone, he still wasn't certain if he would go say "hi" or avoid them.

It was time for the boys to walk out on stage. Scott, Christian, Oliver and Craig wished the boys a great show with hugs and high-fives.

"Let's go watch from out front," suggested Craig. With the passes hanging on their lanyards, they could come and go from backstage.

Oliver couldn't deny Craig anything when those blue eyes smiled as they did at this moment. He forgot about looking for or hiding from anyone he knew and followed the boy from the Midwest down the steps and through security into the soccer fields where the audience found space to lay blankets and place coolers of food and beverages.

At the Majestic took the stage without much fanfare. No special lighting, no taking the stage under the cover of darkness, and they didn't even bother with the "welcome" message they usually play before they start their show. They were first on stage and at first, the crowd hadn't even noticed.

When some of the die-hard ATM fans saw the boys. They screamed and rushed to the front of the stage. The attention of much of the rest of the audience was drawn to the stage while others continued to visit or engage their young children. It was a very laid-back atmosphere. Michael chose to have Lukas simply start "Superstition" cold. The drum fill drew even more attention to the stage.

As the audience recognized the song, people stood up and danced. The boys enjoyed seeing parents dancing with their small children, enjoying the beautiful weather and their music. The mood of the family-friendly festival lightened the boys' mood. Their set seemed more lighthearted and playful and the parents seemed to appreciate the rapport between the band and the audience.

Oliver and Craig were enjoying listening to their friends from the audience and seeing how much joy they were bringing to the families attending the festival. They were proud to know Michael and his brothers and their ability to make others happy with their music.

"Hey! Look!" said Oliver excitedly and pointing towards a food truck. "That place makes the best tacos ever. Are you hungry?" They're fourteen. It was a rhetorical question.

Craig read over the menu and couldn't decide. The Sriracha Butter Chicken taco with a Thai coconut basil sauce? The Korean BBQ taco with gochujang BBQ sauce and pineapple salsa? Or maybe something more traditional like the Ooey-Gooey with a hard shell, black beans, queso blanco, chicken, cilantro, onions, and "dirty sauce" (whatever that was). Each boy ordered three different tacos and a soda then found a place to sit and watch their friends.

"I could eat these for every meal," is what Craig said. However, with his mouth full of taco, Oliver was the only person who could understand what he was saying.

"I know," said Oliver. His eyes closed as he took another bite and savored the deliciousness that reminded him of the things he loved about his childhood in Scottsdale. "Whenever my mom or dad asked me where I wanted to eat, I always picked this place."

Craig moaned as he bit into his third taco and enjoyed the explosion of new flavors. "We have got to find a taco place like this back home."

They finished their tacos and rested for a bit to let their food settle. Eventually, they got up to throw their trash away and to check out some of the nonfood vendors.

"Samuelson!" shouted someone. Oliver and Craig, hands full of trash stopped in their tracks and looked to see if someone was shouting at Oliver. Craig tapped Oliver's arm and pointed to a handful of boys coming their way. Oliver and Craig threw their trash away and met the other teens.

"Hey. What's up?" said Oliver working to act casual even though his stomach was flip flopping. The boys were from his running club. It was kind of like a travel sports team, but for track and field. When the school season wasn't in session, these clubs provided training and competition the rest of the year.

With fist bumps and bro hugs, the boys greeted Oliver. Craig shyly waved and exchanged fist bumps with two of the boys. "Where you been, bro?" asked one of the boys. "You like, totally disappeared."

"Yeah, well, I was living in Montana. They didn't have a running club there." Craig was surprised by how uncomfortable and nervous Oliver was.

"Dude, that sucks," replied one of the other boys. The others agreed.

Craig jumped in, "But we live in California now and we're going to be running with SoCal Elite XC." The Arizona teens looked at each other. They knew SoCal Elite XC as one of the nation's top cross-country teams.

"So, what are you guys doing here in Mesa?" asked one of the boys. "We're running tomorrow. Wanna join us?"

"That'd be cool, but we're heading back to California after At the Majestic plays," explained Oliver.

A couple of the boys snicked when one uttered under his breath, "You came to see those fags?"

Craig saw the anger on Oliver's face. Craig had seen it plenty of times when he was the one being picked on back in Bozeman. Without considering what he was doing, Craig tried to calm Oliver by taking his hand.

"Oh shit," muttered another boy. "You're gay?"

One of the other boys snickered before adding, "He's been too busy sucking dick to run."

Oliver stepped forward but Craig quickly jumped in front of him to prevent any further confrontation. He now understood why Oliver was nervous about seeing his old teammates. Some of the audience members had stopped to watch the tension building between the teens.

"Shut the fuck up," said Oliver slowly through clenched teeth. All the anger he'd buried when he left Bozeman came rushing back. Craig placed his hands on Oliver's chest to keep him from doing something they'd both regret. He felt his boyfriend's muscles vibrate.

"Let's just go," said Craig.

"Yeah, just go on home."

"California's the perfect place for you."

Some of the adults were trying to intervene by asking the local boys to walk away, being careful not to start a physical altercation. Other adults were trying to find security.

From the stage, Michael noticed more and more of the audience turning to see what was going on and gathering to watch something. He looked to his brothers who also noticed something going on. When they could, they pointed in the direction of the crowd in the hope of getting security over there. Zach managed to get Scott to meet him out on stage so he could tell Scott to get security to see what was going on.

Michael finally got a better view of what was going on and recognized Craig and Oliver. He stopped playing and grabbed his mic. "Hey you! What they hell? Those are our friends!"

Hearing that Craig and Oliver were in trouble, Scott grabbed Christian's arm and both boys went racing to the aid of their friends.

Craig's fuse was shortening by the second. Attempting to distract Oliver, he said, "You know what they say about homophobes." Oliver and his old friends knew what Craig meant.

"Are you saying we're gay?" angrily shouted one of the boys. Craig turned just in time to see the boy draw back his fist.

From the stage it looked like a melee erupted. The band felt helpless standing, watching.

It wasn't long before they saw Christian and Scott bringing Craig and Oliver back towards the stage while security gained control of the situation. Michael and his brothers set their instruments down and greeted their friends off stage.

"Are you alright?" asked Michael giving Craig and Oliver hugs.

"Yeah," said Craig. "The security guards pulled us out of the way before they could land a punch."

Oliver laughed. "You should have seen the look on Ross' face when Craig said, 'You know what they say about homophobes.'"

Craig laughed momentarily, then turned serious. He hugged Oliver and said, "That's why you never talk about growing up here. You're supposed 'friends' were a bunch of crazy homophobes. I'm sorry."

Oliver returned the hug before Michael brought them all out onto the stage. Security had removed the boys from the festival and the crowd was waiting for the show to continue. Running around and checking in with Zach and his brothers, Michael told them what he had in mind, and they prepared to support him. Then Michael walked up to center stage with Oliver and Craig on his left and Christian and Scott on his right. Instead of speaking into the microphone, Michael and everyone else on stage raised their hands above their heads, thumbs together and their fingers curled to form a heart. Then they waited.

People in the audience started catching on and stood, arms raised holding their heart high in the air. As others stood, crowd members looked to see what they were doing and joined in. When most of the audience was standing Michael spoke.

"It doesn't take living on this planet for 18 or more years to know hate speech is hurtful, it is destructive, and it isn't American. Love is love. Love thy neighbor. And as Stephen Stills sang, 'Love the one you're with.'" Michael dropped his hands as did everyone else. "It's not enough to just NOT participate in hateful, divisive speech. We need to stop giving free passes to those that do. We need to speak up and say enough is enough!" The crowd cheered and clapped.

"We're gonna play a song for you that we've never played live, but I think it is appropriate for the moment. It's a cover from one of my favorite bands, Twenty One Pilots. It's called, Never Take It."

The audience members that knew the song cheered as the intro played and the band members sang the "oh, ohs". Michael gave his friends instructions, and they joined Matthew and Simon on their microphones to help with the simple back-up vocals. This song wasn't about the band's mastery of performing live. This song was about the emotions and the moment. Michael sang directly to the audience.

Now that they know information (information)
Is just a currency and nothing more
Keep the truth in quotations (in quotations)
'Cause they keep lying through their fake teeth

Oh-oh-oh They're trying hard to weaponize
You and I, we'll never take it
Oh-oh-oh They're asking for a second try
You and I, we'll never take it

Michael walked back and forth across the stage wagging his finger every time he sang "we'll never take it". During the interlude he checked out what his friends were doing and smiled. All four, including Craig and Oliver, had gotten into singing the "ohs" and clapping and the fact that the crowd was joining in. It was something he knew Christian and Scott would catch onto since they'd been on and off stage enough at their shows, but Michael was pleasantly surprised by Craig and Oliver's enthusiasm.

Why cure disease of confusion (of confusion)
When you're the treatment facility?
How can we seek restitution (restitution)
When they keep lying through their fake teeth?

Oh-oh-oh They're trying hard to weaponize
You and I, we'll never take it
Oh-oh-oh They're asking for a second try
You and I, we'll never take it
WE'LL NEVER TAKE IT!

----------------------     

WEDNESDAY, JULY 15

The hotel's restaurant didn't open in time for them to grab breakfast before heading out. It was only a nine-minute drive to 4024 Radford Avenue in Studio City, the gates to CBS Studio Center. Once there, they were directed to take a left on Mary Tyler Moore Avenue then left on Gilligan's Island Road across the Los Angeles River to the CBS Broadcasting building, home of KCBS-TV/KCAL-TV.

Yawning and stretching to work out their stiff muscles, the boys wandered into the studio where they'd spent the evening setting up their instruments and preparing for this morning's performance.

Breakfast was catered by the studio's kitchen and the boys took full advantage of the waffles, French toast, eggs, breakfast meats and pastries. There wasn't much conversation, even from the boys that hadn't experienced this type of treatment. As part of the compensation for their performance, they were invited to bring some friends and enjoy day passes to Universal Studios Hollywood. Of course, Scott and Christian were included, and they also brought Craig, Oliver, Jaden, and Alex. After setting up the night before, the boys swam before getting to bed at a decent hour.

Their friends would be watching the performance from the green room where they could watch on TV. In the meantime, the band played a few songs to wake up. It sucked going live on the east coast from the west coast. Directed to prepare to go live, the band took their spots and listened through their earpieces for the hosts to introduce the band.

Then they heard Gayle King. "Welcome back to CBS Mornings. We've got some special guests for you this morning. Almost like a cross between the Brady Bunch and the Partridge Family, this band of boys got together at the beginning of last school year and blew away the competition at their school talent show. Less than a year later, their music videos have millions of views, they star in a movie that will premiere at the OutFest Los Angeles Movie Festival in August, they've opened for some of the biggest names in the music industry, toured Europe, and currently have a single that has broken into the top 50 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Performing their hit song 'Lost and Found' from our studios in Los Angeles, here's At the Majestic."

The boys performed the song as well as they'd ever played it, despite the fact they were in a studio with only the camera crew. The six boys watching from the green room ran through a myriad of emotions seeing their friends on national television.

Like the local San Diego visit, the boys played a song, did a short interview, then played a second song. The main difference was, they did it a second time two hours later for the Pacific and Mountain time zones. The other difference was the national broadcast reached nearly three million viewers.

With the extra hands, their gear was packed quickly, and Matthew drove the van back to East Harbor so he could get some more rest before baseball practice. Zach loaded up the other boys and headed to the amusement park, getting to the park as it was opening at 10:00 am.

When it came down to it, it seemed to Zach that Lukas and Michael were more excited about Universal Studios Hollywood than performing in front of millions just an hour or so earlier.

----------------------     

SATURDAY, JULY 18

The Forum. The boys waved to the over 17,000 audience members continuing to sing "Stay with me, No, you don't need to run, Stay with me, My Blood, You don't need to run". They just finished their encore at one of the most iconic, most historic concert venues in America. They headed off stage and ran into the second band on tonight's bill, the Grammy award winning numetal band, the Deftones.

The aging rockers weren't overly impressed by the alt rock, pop sound of the boys coming off stage and the boys had learned about the legendary metal band and weren't much interested in their music. Instead of watching the next act, the boys had another appointment. Before getting to resume their exploration of the backstage area, the stage manager of the arena expected them in the main corridor. They arrived with their parents for the unveiling.

"Boys," he greeted them as they walked up to meet him by the wall. A videographer was there to capture the moment. "As you saw when you arrived earlier this evening, we use this hallway to honor every band that has ever played here. Tonight, At the Majestic joins some of the biggest names in the recording industry to have played The Forum." He pulled the wax paper that once held the vinyl lettering to reveal the last and newest name on the wall. In white lettering on the fire engine red wall, "At the Majestic". The boys beamed with pride and thanked the man. The ceremony was short and sweet. The Forum got their video for the records and photos for social media leaving the boys to themselves for about an hour before the headliner would take the stage.

They wandered around the backstage area looking at names of other bands who have played The Forum since it opened in 1968. On the walls and nooks throughout the backstage area they found tributes to some of the most historic performances and the artists who have played The Forum most frequently or upcoming shows. The hour passed quickly, and the boys wandered back to the stage to watch the headliner.

Brandon Boyd, the lead singer of Incubus walked up behind the boys. They jumped when he greeted them. Brandon and the other band members welcomed the boys, shaking hands and giving bro hugs.

"So, do you still want to do it?" asked Brandon.

Matthew's nerves made his entire body buzz but with a nod he said, "Yes." His little brothers were relieved that he agreed, and they were excited to see their big bro go on stage with one of his favorite bands.

They watched and danced to Incubus' set until Brandon waved Matthew on stage. "Alright everybody, welcome back Matthew Meijer. After hearing this kid sing, we wanted to have the opportunity to bring him on stage with us."

Matthew walked up to the mic at center stage and looked out at the thousands of people looking at him. He knew they expected Brandon's lyrics, and he was shocked when Brandon offered to let him sing one of their biggest hits, "Pardon Me." The nerves he felt the first time he took the stage with his brothers were nothing compared to what he felt at this moment. He'd never performed with another group by himself like this except when they practiced during the sound check.

"Thanks man," said Matthew with a shaking voice. "This song means a lot to me. There was a time when my family life was a disaster, and I was sent to another state to live with my grandparents. It was a mess, and this was one of the songs that got me through that time in my life."

Then Chris Kilmore came in on synthesizer and turntable then was joined by Ben Kenney on bass. Matthew closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The verses of the song were rapped and he feared messing up the lyrics.

A decade ago
I never thought I would be,
At twenty-three, on the verge of
Spontaneous combustion, -Woe-is-me.-

He was nailing the lyrics and the nerves started to melt away. He felt the lyrics and poured more of himself and his buried emotions into his performance. His performance exploded when they got to the chorus.

Pardon me while I burst
Into flames.
I've had enough of the world
And its people's mindless games.
So pardon me while I burn
And rise above the flames.
Pardon me, pardon me...
I'll never be the same!

The crowd sang along captivated by Matthew's performance.

His brothers screamed from off stage. They were so proud of their big bro. Zach couldn't have been prouder for Matthew. Matthew was proving to himself that he could perform with the best in the business and hold his own.

When the song ended, the crowd erupted as Matthew took a bow. Brandon gave Matthew a huge hug before allowing the teen to walk off the stage.

Brandon grabbed the mic and looked at his bandmates. "Don't get any ideas guys." The crowd laughed and the band broke out into their next song.

Zach was the first to welcome Matthew as he came off stage. Grabbing the teen and holding him tight, he said, "You fucking nailed it. I'm so proud of you!"

Matthew felt his brothers join the hug, but Zach's words meant the most.

----------------------     

TUESDAY, JULY 21

Michael stood nervously off stage watching the audience fill the over 16,000 seats at Pechanga Arena in San Diego. A pair of hands grabbed his shoulders and kneaded his trapezius muscles.

"Ohhhh," moaned Michael. The massage was needed and helped to calm him.

"Dude," said Matthew continuing the massage, "he specifically asked for you to do the song. Don't get so uptight."

It was true. The boys found out who they were opening for the evening before when Ed Sheeran's tour manager called them up and told them not to change their set because Ed wanted Michael to perform "Thinking Out Loud" just as he did in the shows in Europe. Of course, it wasn't a terrible surprise to them. When they learned the dates of their shows throughout the month of July, they got online to see what shows were happening those nights and made a list of possible shows. Initially they wrote off the biggest names in music and suspected some of the smaller shows. However, once they learned it was in fact Ed Sheeran they would be opening for, they realized they could be meeting and opening for some of their music idols.

For the youngest, it was one thing to have an artist see a video of At the Majestic covering that artist's song. It's entirely different to perform the song in front of the artist. Michael hoped he'd meet Ed during the sound checks, but the crew said he doesn't usually show up until halfway through the opening act. Since there were two opening acts and the boys would be playing before James Blunt, Lukas and Simon tried to convince Michael that Ed wouldn't even see their show. It didn't make Michael feel any better.

The local radio stations hyping the show had been mentioning that there was a special opening act for the show, but they didn't know who it would be. The stage was dark, and the typical Majestic Theater marquee was not being projected when the boys walked out and prepared for their opening number.

There was a loud rumble across the PA system that seemed to lap the arena getting the crowd's attention. Then the voice saying "Welcome to the Majestic" and the marquee appeared on the curtain behind the band.

The lights came up with Lukas and Matthew playing the introduction to "Superstition" and Michael dancing around the stage. Michael faced the crowd and threw his right arm out as his left brought the mic up to speak. "We're home San Diego!"

The crowd roared in recognition and the boys used that high they felt from the crowd's welcome to propel them through their set. When the time came for Michael to sing "Thinking Out Loud", he invited Christian to come out on stage. The crowd cheered and Christian shyly waved. He knew how nervous Michael was, so he gave him a hug for confidence.

The crowd erupted when the boys hugged, and they squeezed each other tighter. Michael felt his nerves melt away. He was ready to profess his love for Christian on stage once again. When they released each other, Michael got the shock of his life. The crowd wasn't cheering for the boys, they were welcoming Ed Sheeran onto the stage. The stage crew brought out another stool for Ed.

Ed swung his guitar around to his back and gave Christian and Michael hugs and shook hands with the members of the band while they waited for the crowd to quiet down. Christian and Ed took their seats and Michael got his acoustic and prepared to sing. He felt the heat radiating from his face and his hands shook with his nerves.

When the crowd allowed the show to continue, Ed took a microphone and spoke first. "What do you think of these lads?"

As expected, the crowd cheered for the boys then quieted back down.

"I wanted them to join us tonight because of their authenticity. Especially..." he had to wait for the crowd to quiet again, "Especially when Michael sings 'Thinking Out Loud.'" He paused to let the crowd express their agreement with his statement.

"When I saw the video of Michael singing to Christian, the love between these two was so evident. It's exactly why I wrote this song, and I wanted them to include it tonight so I could join in this special moment." Turning his attention back to the boys standing beside him, Ed asked, "Do you mind if I play along with you tonight?"

What was Michael going to do other than welcome Ed to join him in serenading Christian. Once the song started, it wasn't only Ed that joined in, it was also the 16,000 in the audience who sang along. Lukas, who'd come down from the riser where his drum kit sat to meet Ed, was held from behind by Simon and they swayed to the song while Zach and Matthew sat on the edge of the riser and watched. They hoped their upcoming guest appearances would make more special memories for them like this one.

----------------------     

FRIDAY, JULY 24

The boys were packing up, hoping to be finished before lunch. They couldn't believe they were playing the Staples Center the next night and meeting two of the bands most influential bands on their music. They made arrangements to get to LA early to setup and practice their set early. Today, they wanted to take a break from their music and get outside for some fun.

"Can we load the van or does Alexis need it to move inventory this afternoon?" asked Michael. With the music store's renovations running behind, inventory went into a storage unit until they could move it into the store. The last few weeks, the team finished sections of the store and Alexis would move inventory into that space on Friday.

"I don't know," said Simon, "I haven't seen her all morning." The other guys had the same answer.

"Mom's in the office," noted Matthew, "she might know."

Michael hopped off the stage and headed to the theater's lobby and the offices of Majestic Enterprises. The energy in the office was palpable. Off and on, the chaos and scandal that seemed to follow the boys had caused a frenzy of activity for their team and any help they could scrounge up. Now, with the different businesses underway and the boys coming off their tour of Europe and US appearances, the activity of a booming business was exciting. Most of all, no matter how busy they were, there were smiles on every face.

Carol's office door was open and Michael walked in and waited while she finished her phone call.

"Yes, the boys are doing fine and they're excited to play at the BaseBrawl Festival... Uh huh... Ha! Yes, even after playing all the big shows. They haven't gotten so big that they don't appreciate playing for their friends and peers... Oh really?" Carol smiled and motioned Michael to have a seat while she finished her call with her friend Robert Perez, the President of the Pacific Youth Baseball Association, the group organizing the SoCal BaseBrawl. "Well, you're right, it is pretty last minute, but what do you need, and I'll see what I can do."

"At some point in the first couple days of the tournament, we want to have someone sing 'America the Beautiful' or some other patriotic song. We haven't worked out exactly when yet, but we thought that would also accommodate the schedule of the singer we hire. If they have a specific time they can sing, that might help us land on when."

"I'm glad you called me, Robert, but I'm not sure if I'm the best person to find you another singer." Michael always listened carefully since he was still "banned" from participating in the business. It was his summer to be a kid. The thought of that always made him laugh because his summer was far from that of a typical 12-year-old.

"Actually, I was hoping the boys would bail me out. Maybe one of them, or all of them, would like to come sing?"

Carol looked at Michael to include him in. Making eye contact, she "asked" Michael while speaking to Robert. "You're thinking maybe one or more of the boys would come to the baseball tournament to sing 'America the Beautiful'."

The thought of singing "America the Beautiful" in front of an audience brought back dreaded memories of singing that song with his classmates at an elementary school choir concert. Carol saw his face scrunch up and a shudder ripple through his body.

She turned her chair and leaned back. "Robert, I don't think that is something the boys would be interested in. But I bet if we looked around at people who do the 'Star-Spangled Banner' for sports events, we can find someone who would sing 'America the Beautiful'." Something caught Carol's attention and she turned back to Michael.

He remembered seeing a video of someone singing the national anthem that would be perfect for this. He grabbed Carol's pen and a pad of paper and jotted down a note and showed her.

"Hold a sec, Robert. I may have something for you." She muted her phone and asked Michael. "Who?"

Michael started writing on the pad of paper as he explained. "We have this fan who is a singer. I saw a video of him singing the national anthem and he was incredible. He could sing 'America the Beautiful' in his sleep."

She took the pad and unmuted her call with Robert. "It seems the boys know someone who could perform the song for you. I guess you can check out his videos on Instagram... @mj_stix.11 is his username... And here's the best part. He'll be at the tournament anyway. Yes. His name is Mason Johnson, and he plays for the Yard Goats."

Carol got a puzzled look on her face and looked at Michael. "What's a yard goat?"

----------------------     

SATURDAY, JULY 25

The stage manager at The Forum met the band at the door and smiled, "Back so soon?" The boys laughed and followed him down the hall so they could get pictures of the "II" being revealed by the band's name indicating their second appearance at the venue.

It was early for the other bands to show up and the boys were quick to set up with the help of the stage crew and run through their sound check. While the boys were on stage, Lars and Carol hung around just off stage chatting with Christian and Scott. Lars noticed the boys' eyes widen. He turned and came face to face with David Grohl and Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters.

"You must be Dr. Mejier," said David, extending his hand to greet Lars. "I'm Dave and this is Taylor."

Meeting these men caught Lars off guard. "Oh, uh, wow, nice to meet you." The boys giggled seeing Lars at a loss for words. But if there was anyone Lars would be star-struck by, it would be these two. He'd been a Foo Fighters fan since their first album and his playing their music was an influence on Simon and Lukas when they first picked up their instruments.

By the time the boys walked off stage after their soundcheck and warm up, they found their father with David and Taylor, as well as Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher from Royal Blood. Both bands were well aware of the boys' musicianship and love of their music. That's why they wanted to meet up with the boys to plan some collaborations during the show. Any other show with any other artists Lars would have nixed the ideas so the boys could get on the road for their show in Las Vegas the next afternoon. But under these circumstances with these two bands, Lars didn't hesitate to give his permission. Carol never considered otherwise.

----------------------     

If you'd asked the boys how they'd feel about opening for their idols, they would have said "scared shitless" or something to that effect. But as they waited to take stage, they were flying high. Not in the traditional rock'n'roll sense mind you. After meeting with the men that inspired their music and finding the adults wanting to collaborate with them, they couldn't have been happier or more excited to step onto the stage.

"Hello LA!" shouted Michael when he greeted the crowd. "I can't believe it. We're here tonight with Royal Blood...and the Foo Fighters. WE'RE FUCKING STOKED!!!" The crowd screamed in response, matching Michael's energy and enthusiasm. When they quieted, he said, "Get up off those seats and let's get this party started!"

From that point of the show until the boys walked off the stage leaving the crowd singing "My Blood," they held the audience in the palm of their hands.

----------------------     

Simon waited nervously backstage. His brothers tried to calm him, but his stomach was doing flip flops. Mike Kerr had asked him to come out and play "Lights Out" with him. As Royal Blood finished another song, the time for him to take the stage grew near.

"Simon," called out one of the stagehands. "It's time."

Lukas and the rest of the East Harbor gang, including Lars and Carol, followed to see Simon's big moment playing with his favorite band. Rounding the corner to stage right, Simon went to get his bass but it wasn't there.

"What? Where? Fuck!"

The stagehand tapped him on the shoulder and pointed out onto stage. Mike took off his bass and held it out for Simon to take. Looking at Simon, Mike leaned into the mic and said, "Help me welcome Simon Novak from At the Majestic." It took a while for Simon to realize, but as he walked out onto stage, he understood that he wasn't playing bass with Royal Blood, he was going to play bass for Royal Blood and Mike was only going to sing. "This kid is an amazing bass player and if you follow them online, you know he's also a fantastic cello player."

Mike gave a stunned Simon a bro hug then helped him with the bass. Mike tapped the button to activate the pedals Simon would need for the correct distortion and harmonies for "Better Strangers." He turned his attention to Simon placing a hand on the back of Simon's neck and looking him in the eyes. "You played this perfectly when we rehearsed this early. Now you can play against all my tech to sound just like the album. This is your moment dude."

Simon knew this was a big moment. Since the band was only bass and Ben on drums, Simon was going to be providing all the music besides the drum. Even bigger in Simon's mind was that this song has a 30 second musical interlude that would essentially be a bass solo.

Ben kicked off the song with the four-measure drum riff with Mike beginning the vocals on the 15th beat. Simon joined in the fifth measure. The sound of Mike's tech giving the bass such a huge sound gave Simon chills and a thrill. By the end of that measure, Simon was feeling the music and completely at ease. Looking up at the crowd, he noticed that Mike was carrying his microphone leaving his regular mic on the stand.

Simon sang backup vocals with Ben, tore up the bass line, and when it came to the musical interlude, Simon stepped up to the edge of the stage and rocked it. When the song ended, Mike gave Simon a huge hug and the crowd gave him a loud round of applause for his performance. Walking off stage, he stopped and faced the crowd. Flexing and screaming to express his excitement about nailing the performance, the crowd yelled back and cheered.

Matthew was the first to greet Simon when he came off stage, lifting his brother into a bear hug as the two laughed while the other boys gathered around.

----------------------     

Lukas, on the other hand, knew he was ready when his time came. He'd come a long way from being the boy that was uncertain he wanted to perform in front of others. Now he stood stage right waiting to be called on stage.

"Now, I don't know if you know this, but the song 'My Hero'..." Dave had to wait until the crowd's cheering died down. "'My Hero' was recorded with two drum tracks. So typically, when we play it live, Taylor plays something that takes the best of both tracks. But tonight, we've got some help. Lukas, come on out."

Lukas ran out behind the speakers to the platform where his drum kit sat next to Taylor Hawkins. He was psyched when they asked him to play with them. He knew both drum tracks already, so rehearsal was easy. What excited Lukas even more was Dave, Taylor and the rest of the guys were more friendly than he imagined. They treated him like a fellow musician, not as a kid.

Stepping onto the podium, he climbed on his throne and grabbed his sticks. That's when he realized the crowd was applauding his arrival onstage. He stood and took a quick bow and waved before settling back onto the throne and making sure he was loose and ready. Taylor counted off and both drummers beat out the rhythm of the song. Lukas loved every second he was on stage with Taylor and Dave, smiling the entire time. When the song was over, he shared a hug with Taylor before heading down stage to share high-fives and fist bumps with the rest of the band and waving to the audience as he ran off stage grinning the biggest smile of his life.

----------------------     

The Foo Fighters ended their show with "Everlong," one of the boys' favorite songs to play. Michael bounced with excitement when Mr. Grohl asked the band to join the Foo Fighters on stage to play the song.

Lukas and Michael started the song playing the intro together before the rest of both bands joined in. Dave sang and the boys played their instruments and basked in the moment. The song and the night came to an end, but Michael, Lukas, Simon, and Matthew had lived out a dream.

Dave stepped to the mic. "Good night, everybody!"

While the crowd cheered their appreciation for the evening's entertainment, the bands on stage congratulated and thanked each other sharing hugs and fist bumps and the boys getting autographs and pictures.

----------------------     

SUNDAY, JULY 26

It was just after midnight when the boys boarded their bus. Instead of heading back to East Harbor then leaving for a show in Las Vegas, Carol and Lars agreed to an overnight trip to the Entertainment Capital of the World so they could sleep in before opening the Desert Oasis Music Festival.

The boys were riding high after their show with the Foo Fighters and Royal Blood. With Lars, Carol, and Zach riding the same bus, there wasn't going to be any hanky-panky tonight. The lads found places to sleep on the bus during the five-hour drive, but sleep wasn't going to come easy.

Lars and Carol sat and discussed the summer quietly. They had agreed to turn down any offers for the boys to play in August. They wanted them to get their heads ready for the start of the school year. Additionally, fall sports would be starting soon and they were expecting Michael and Scott to be trying out for the freshman soccer team. With fall baseball, lacrosse, music, and schoolwork, all the boys would be busy.

Zach approached and joined them. "That was some show tonight, wasn't it?"

Lars pointed out, "You sound more like an observer than one of the band members."

"Well, I am a big fan of both bands, but not like Lukas, Simon, and Michael. These were bands that inspired them to play together in the first place. I'm so damn happy for them and the encouragement they got from their idols."

"It was special, wasn't it," stated Carol. The boys had matured so much over the summer, both as performers and as individuals. It made her realize that Simon would be off to college in just three years. She wasn't ready for it.

The three discussed the future of the band and the band members. Zach was taking patients and would be taking more classes in the fall. When he graduates, he would be staying in East Harbor and being a full partner with Lars in their practice.

Matthew would be graduating in two years. Coach Davidson had told Lars and Carol confidentially that Matthew had more potential and a higher ceiling than any player he had ever coached. She wondered if he would pursue baseball or college after graduating. Either way, it would greatly diminish his availability to play in the band, especially if it took him away from home.

Lukas and Simon were in different grades. The current schedule would have Simon graduating a year before Lukas. They didn't know how that would work. Carol suspected Simon would go to school locally and then plan to transfer when he and Lukas decided where to go. Zach suggested that Lukas would work to graduate early so he wasn't left behind.

The wildcard in this was Michael. They already discussed ways of keeping their youngest challenged academically and even conversations with school officials led to the same conclusion. Michael would need to transition out of the high school to some higher education opportunity. If he and Christian did that, Lukas would truly be left behind his senior year.

"You know, if Lukas graduates early, that means all four of the boys will be off to college in the next three years," stated Carol.

"I know," said Lars with a hint of melancholy. "When I adopted the boys, I was prepared for the long haul. I mean, Michael was only 11. But now we're already facing the boys preparing to leave for college and expecting Lukas to graduate a year earlier than expected. It's just going by too fast."

Carol laughed then shared her thoughts. "You know, our lives before Michael arrived in East Harbor were pretty boring compared to how things have gone this year. Look at us. I'm working from East Harbor and helping Janette run Majestic Enterprises. We're running the theater, online and brick and mortar retail stores, a music academy, and managing the band and all that comes with it. Our simple vacation to Europe became a concert tour and we're still experiencing the ripple effects of that with these guest appearances and charting a single. What's next?"

It was Lars' turn to laugh. "I'm not sure I'm ready to know that yet. Let's just get through this show and the concert Wednesday."

They turned their attention to the activity in the back of the bus. The six boys were seated on the couch and floor of the bus watching TV together. Sharing snacks and taking about the show.

"You two take the bed," offered Carol. "I'll nap here until we get to the hotel."

As the night wore on, Matthew took the seat across from Carol. Michael joined Lars and Zach on the bed at the rear of the bus, Scott and Christian claimed the sofa, and Simon and Lukas fell to sleep on the floor next to the sofa.

----------------------     

Waking up in the hotel bed was a shock to Michael. He didn't even remember getting to the hotel, let alone going to bed. Groggy, he rolled out of bed and made his way to the bathroom to relieve his bladder. Returning to the bed, he snuggled up to Christian who woke enough to put his arm around Michael before the two were fast asleep. Minutes or hours may have passed, but to Michael it seemed like as soon as he closed his eyes, Carol was knocking on the door to wake them for the day.

Everyone showered and packed since they would be heading back to East Harbor this afternoon. Everyone met outside the Marriott Convention Center to load the bus before walking down to the strip for breakfast. Halfway down Convention Center Drive, the group stopped and called for Michael to catch up. He had stopped to admire the architecture of the West Hall, the latest addition to the Convention Center. The gentle arch over the full glass entrance captured his imagination and he lost track of time. They waited as their youngest ran to catch up.

The Peppermill was just a short walk from the hotel, but the summer heat of the desert was evident. It was going to be a hot one. They waved to the bus driver as he drove ahead to the Las Vegas Festival Grounds.

When they got to the corner of Convention Center Drive and Las Vegas Boulevard, they took a few minutes to allow the boys to look up and down the strip. They really couldn't see much past the curve by The Mirage and Caesars Palace. Being at the north end of the Strip, there really wasn't much to see looking towards downtown. There was Circus Circus and the Sands, but neither were close to the road and the vacant construction sites and the Festival Grounds made the north end feel like a let-down.

The Peppermill was just around the corner past the shopping center on the corner. It was an unimpressive freestanding building that reminded the boys of a Denny's. But once they entered, they realized The Peppermill was far from a Denny's. Blue and purple LED lights, trees giving the impression of being on a patio, large round booths that have been an icon of the restaurant and lounge since it made its debut in 1972.

The meals were large and delicious, filling up the walking bottomless pits. When they were ready to head to the festival, the group crossed the street and walked up the strip just past Circus Circus to the entrance to the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. The boys had some time to kill. They were the third band on the bill and needed to be backstage for their sound check at 12:30 and they would perform at 1:00.

The festival was to raise money for the homeless and needy families in the greater Las Vegas area and featured local food trucks, tattoo artists, piercing salons, leather craftsmen, artists, and other vendors. With a crowd estimated to be close to the Ground's 85,000 capacity, the number of vendors invited to participate made it impossible for them to see them all before the band would go on stage.

They'd made a point of stopping at each vendor to look at their work and merchandise. Stopping at a booth offering piercings, the boys looked at a selection of earrings in a glass case.

Lukas turned to his father. "Dad?" asked Lukas.

"Yeah, Jitterbug."

"Can I get my ears pierced?"

Momentarily surprised by the request, Lars mentally kicked himself for not expecting it. When it came down to it, the boys were in the music industry and around men with piercings all the time. Besides, boys getting their ears pierced wasn't as uncommon as it was when he was a boy. He took a deep breath then replied, "What do you have in mind?"

"Those," he said, pointing to a pair of onyx and black titanium cabochon earrings.

"Are you sure?" asked Lars.

"Yes. I've been thinking about this for a long time."

"Okay. Can they get it done before the show?" Lars checked his phone to see how much time they had before they needed to head backstage.

"I want to get my ears pierced too," announced Simon. He pointed to pair of stainless-steel skulls with black etching to enhance the skulls features.

"Me too!" said Michael.

"And which ones do you want?" asked Carol.

Michael pointed to stainless-steel hoops with black pressure beads. Carol and Lars looked at each other before giving the other two boys permission to get their ears pierced too.

"YES!" cheered Michael before giving his brothers a lecture on using salt water to help keep the piercings clean so they don't get infected.

Engaging the lady behind the counter, she collected the boys' selections and led them to the trailer behind the booth. Three of the four seats were empty, so the three boys were able to get right in. Two piercing artists approached Michael and confirmed with him his selection. They lined up the needles to piece his ears simultaneously.

"Three...two...one..." counted one of the piercers.

Michael hissed as the needles pierced his ear lobes. The pain only lasted a couple seconds. Before he could even say anything about the pain, they'd slipped the hoops in place.

"I'll sanitize and put the beads in," said one artist. The other turned around to Lukas.

"Did that hurt?" he asked Michael.

"No. It was just a little sting and then it was over," Michael replied.

The third artist was there to help pierce Lukas ears. They measured and marked the ears then counted down.

"SHIT!" cried Lukas, cringing in pain. The stinging quickly faded and he became aware of Michael laughing at him.

"Fuck off..." he grumbled, embarrassed he'd reacted like that.

Michael admired his new earrings before passing the hand mirror to Lukas. Turning to Simon, he already had his skull studs without making a sound. He took the mirror and checked out his new earrings.

He raised his right hand with his pinky and index fingers extended and shouted, "Hell yeah! Now we're ready to hit the stage."

"Wait!" said one of the piercing artists in recognition. "You guys are that band that sings 'Lost and Found.' At the...um... Oh! At the Majestic. You guys are At the Majestic!" The boys nodded affirming their identities.

"Back at the shop we have a wall with all our celebrity piercings. Can we get photos with you guys?"

They took some Polaroids before the boys left and headed to the stage.

----------------------     

Their walk to the stage found the boys taking pictures and signing autographs. They learned that after their management agreed to have them join the festival's line-up, Brandon and the members of Panic! at the Disco had been hyping up their appearance every opportunity they'd gotten.

It was a case where everyone knew the three local mega-bands on the bill: Panic! at the Disco, Imagine Dragons, and The Killers. The up-and-comers joining the show just a few weeks ago would help bring in the younger generation and promote the family atmosphere the producers were trying to create. It succeeded. The stage area was a sea of bodies standing shoulder to shoulder, kids on shoulders, waiting for At the Majestic to take the stage.

Standing off stage, the boys were apprehensive about their performance. Since school let out, they couldn't count the miles they'd traveled and had lost track of the number of show's they'd performed. Coming off of the previous night's emotion driven evening, the boys felt tapped. Then they walked onto the stage.

Again, the festival didn't provide them the support of the "Welcome to the Majestic" announcement and the lights coming up. But the rush of adrenaline the boys got when they looked out over the crowd of over 80,000 cheering music fans, the boys felt as fresh as they did their first show.

All their calls inviting the crowd to respond or sing were met with a tidal wave of sound causing the boys to smile and pour more into their performance. The desert heat made the mercury rise as well as the temperature on stage. By the time the boys played their more acoustic numbers and Michael would serenade Christian, the band members were all shirtless and sweating buckets. But today, they had a surprise.

When Christian would normally come out on stage, the boys skipped the serenade and went right into "We Don't Believe What's On TV" and had the crowd screaming like maniacs. Then they transitioned into "Never Take It". The first time they played it in Mesa, Matthew was nervous about the guitar solo. This time around, he stepped to the front of the stage, put his foot up on the speaker and ripped it. Then the boys revealed their surprise.

Christian and Scott grabbed Lars' arm and dragged the man onto the stage over to Michael. Michael greeted Lars with a sweaty hug.

"I don't know how much you guys know about us, but this man is our father. Last September, Matthew was living in Washington state with our grandparents and my mother and I moved to a new city not knowing anyone. The first day of school I met Lukas, and he introduced me to Simon and Dr. Meijer. He helped me put my life back together and adopted Matthew and me when our mother was killed. Dad, we all love you. This song's for you."

Lukas started pounding out the heavy drum intro. Simon joined in, then eventually Matthew added rhythm guitar. Michael took Lars' hand before layering in the lyrics. When it came to the chorus of "My Hero" by the Foo Fighters, Michael shouted out to the audience, "Help me sing this!"

There goes my hero
Watch him as he goes
There goes my hero
He's ordinary

Lars was embarrassed and proud. He stood there with Christian and Scott embracing him and let his boys and the audience sing to him. He wiped tears from his cheeks and put his arms around the boys holding him and soaked in the moment. With the end of the song, the rest of the band joined Michael centerstage in showing their love and appreciation of their dad, and in Zach's case, the man he loved.