SATURDAY, AUGUST 1

Derek expected to dream about the cute boy smorgasbord, something known to others as the SoCal BaseBrawl. However, falling to sleep in the early morning hours with aching balls didn't afford him that opportunity. Instead, he slept like a rock. He should have known better the moment he and Jack were invited to spend the night at the Kendalls. His logic had been sound. They all planned to go to the BaseBrawl in the morning for a long day of boy watching, so spending the night made sense. But that's also where Derek's reasoning faltered. Being the most physically mature of the four boys, more specifically, having the biggest and being the only one that can squirt, Derek was in demand that evening. Before dropping off to sleep, he was glad they didn't have to be at the Majestic until 9:00 am.

Through heavy lids, Derek saw the southern California sky awakening with the rising sun. Hearing a rustling under the covers, he felt someone coming back for more.

"Noooo..." he groaned, "it's sore."

The boy under the covers switched to sucking Derek's balls, trying to coax one more erection. It was more comfortable than when the mouth was on his pecker, but Derek still didn't think he would get hard again for at least a week. When the tactic changed, so did Derek's body's response. Whoever was under the blanket pushed Derek's knees back and went down under.

"Ohhhh..." Derek's little man perked right up despite his discomfort and exhaustion. He figured this must be Connor and settled in to allow the twin to apply his trade.

In the quiet, Derek could tell the other two boys were asleep. He could hear Jack's breathing. He'd recognize that sound anywhere. His attention was brought back to his situation when he felt the mattress move and Connor's head peeked out from the covers above his own.

Connor whispered, "After Jack and Cooper wore you out last night, I thought you'd like someone else to do the work." A smirk graced Connor's face. "I know you prefer to bottom." Connor was quick to align and slip in and Derek moaned softly. Derek pulled his knees back farther to provide a better angle.

The bed rocked quietly, and Derek enjoyed having a boy on top of him taking and giving pleasure. Connor may not have the experience of some of the other boys he'd been with, but Connor's natural talent was quite evident.

"What are you guys doing down there?" came a voice off the top bunk. It was a groggy Jack. He suffered from FOMO even more than Cooper did, especially when it came to these types of activities.

Derek used his heels to stop Connor from moving. "Go back to sleep, Jack. It's still early," whispered Derek.

Cooper's voice answered, "Are you guys doing it without us?"

Derek rolled his eyes and pushed Connor off. "No," he said rolling out of bed. "I'm just getting up to pee." Naked, he walked over to the twin's bathroom and relieved his bladder. He was disappointed he and Connor didn't finish, but he wasn't up for the other two boys joining them.

He shook off and checked the alarm clock Mrs. Kendall put in the twin's bathroom in preparation for the school year. Too early to get up, but too late to bother going back to sleep. Derek turned on the shower and stepped in when the water was warm enough. The force of the water through the jets felt good on his tired muscles. He changed the water to a pulsing massage and turned his back to the shower head to direct the water to his neck.

Connor opened the glass shower door and slipped in while Derek's eyes were closed. "They're asleep," he whispered. "Wanna pick up where we left off?"

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"Goodmorgen farfar!" greeted Michael cheerfully.

"Michael!" greeted Big Isaac. "Hvordan har mit lille barnebarn det her til morgen?" ("How is my little grandson this morning?")

"Jeg har det godt! Vi er Christian...er...Vi er hos Chris...um...Vi er hjemme hos Christian i dag." ("I'm doing great! We're at Christian's house today"), said Michael. He was proud of himself for using some new vocabulary. "Hvordan har farmor det?" ("How is grandma?")

"I'll let your grandmother answer for herself," laughed his grandfather. "You've been practicing your Danish. How was your week?"

"It's been fun!" said Michael. "We had a show on Wednesday and we live streamed to over 100,000 viewers. And there's a baseball tournament down here and we've made some cool new friends from up north in Washington state. Like, almost all the way to Seattle. We're going to see them play again today."

"They're pretty lucky to have a new friend like you."

"Oh, grandpa," laughed Michael. The two had a great visit before Isaac turned the phone over to Lore for some facetime with her youngest grandchild. During both conversations, Christian popped in on the Facetime chat to greet Michael's grandparents and join in on parts of the conversation. The boys enjoyed their weekend morning calls to Denmark almost as much as Isaac and Lore. What started after their return as one weekly call where the phone got passed around to everyone had evolved into each boy or set of boys calling from wherever they were when they could, but typically Saturday mornings. This Saturday, Michael and Christian woke early and showered before calling from Christian's bedroom.

As their conversation wound down, Isaac got another incoming call. "Okay, boys," he said. "Matthew is calling. I'll talk to you soon. Love you boys!"

"Bye, grandpa!" they said before ending the call.

Isaac quickly answered the incoming call and said, "Matthew, my boy! Grandma, come here, Matthew has called!" Lore pulled a chair up next to her husband and joined Isaac on camera.

"Hi farfar and farmor!"

"How has your week been?" asked Isaac.

Lore added, "Michael hinted you had something exciting to share."

Matthew told of his game against Bakersfield and how two major league baseball players were there, including his favorite, and not only did he have a great game, but they were extremely impressed with him. Isaac and Lore were impressed that the professional athletes traded phone numbers with Matthew.

"Marty Carlson even asked me to meet him today because he wants to talk about something."

"What does he want to talk to you about?" asked Lore.

"I don't know. He did tell me to keep Sunday open. I'm just excited!"

That was obvious. Lore and Isaac had never seen their even keeled, oldest grandson so animated.

Matthew exited his bedroom on the way to the kitchen. "I don't think Lukas and Simon are up yet, so you'll probably get a call from them later. Morning Zach. Hey dad!"

Lars asked, "Are you talking to mor og far (mom and dad)?"

"Yeah," answered Matthew. "Love you both! Here's dad..." He handed his phone to Lars then went on the hunt for breakfast.

"Hej mor og far!" greeted Lars.

Zach popped up over Lars' shoulder to wave "hi" to his future in laws.

Lore spotted him and called out, "Hej Zach!"

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Alex got to the Majestic early for a ride to the sports park. Instead of sitting behind the theater in the shade, he took a seat on the edge of the water fountain in the Mallway to enjoy the morning sun. Checking his phone again, he still didn't have a reply from Josh. It stoked the voices in his head making him rethink everything he'd done and said to Josh. Did he run Josh off? Did he miss the clues to Josh not wanting to be together anymore? He felt the panic and anxiety rising from within. He didn't like that feeling. He didn't like that feeling at all. It was a feeling of being out of control. It was a feeling that made him want to do things he didn't want to do.

Alex: I don't know what i said or did but im sorry
Alex: Please text or call me
Alex: I miss u
Alex: Im sorry

Alex looked up when he heard a car door shut. Jaden was running his way. "What's up?" he asked Alex.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I still haven't heard from Josh. Since we became 'official' boyfriends, we've talked or texted at least a couple times a day, EVERY day. But I haven't heard from him since he texted that he couldn't come to the game on Thursday. He doesn't answer my calls... He doesn't text me back... I have no idea what's going on. Did he ghost me? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, dude," said Jaden. "I was with you guys on Wednesday. You two were solid. Didn't you say that he had a family emergency or something?"

"That's what he said, but it's been days."

"Yeah," agreed Jaden. "But what if he went out of town and forgot his phone?"

Alex thought about it. "Maybe, I guess. But I think his mom would have my phone number...maybe not."

"Then there you go. He probably forgot his phone and will call you as soon as he gets back. And if this is a family thing, then he probably won't be back until late Sunday because adults always take advantage of the weekend and come back the evening before work or school."

"Maybe you're right," said Alex with a smile.

"Here come Michael and Christian." Jaden waved to their friends coming down Maple Street. Alex stood and joined him. Michael and Christian waved back.

Alex suggested, "Must be about time for us to load up and head to the BaseBrawl."

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Jaden had texted Grant earlier in the morning to learn the Goats were playing on Field 2. When Lars and Zach parked their vehicles, the boys hopped out and the gang headed to the field to cheer on the Yard Goats.

The national anthem rang out, echoing around the sports park. "We better hurry or we'll miss the first pitch!" said Michael. He took off in a trot and Christian took off after him. The younger boys followed, as well as Jaden and Alex right behind them. "Save seats for the rest of us!" shouted Craig. He and Oliver enjoyed the tournament, but they didn't feel invested in the outcome.

When the others climbed the stands behind the third-base dugout, Michael had the East Harbor contingent cheering for the Goats' starting pitcher and trumpet player, Calvin. Simon and Lukas found that to be worth cheering for too. There was something infectious about the way Calvin approached life and carried himself. Easy going, serious but loose, you just wanted to be around him. It didn't hurt that he was cute too.

The Goats were the home team and Cal stood on the mound waiting for the umpire. The ump inspected the new ball before handing it to Mac who threw the ball to Cal. Michael, in his excitement, yelled out, "Play ball!" The crowd cheered in support of Michael's command. With that, the Huntington Beach Wave sent their leadoff batter to the plate.

Once the game started, the players and fans settled in for a pitching duel. The first hit of the game didn't come until the bottom of the third inning when Calvin, in his first at bat as a Yard Goat, slapped a shot between the Wave's shortstop and third baseman for a single. Michael led the cheers for Calvin. The cheers quieted quickly, however, when Mac, catcher for the Yard Goats, hit a sharp grounder to the Wave's shortstop giving the defense plenty of time to turn a double play.

The third inning ended with goose eggs on the scoreboard. Michael stood to stretch when he noticed the East Harbor parents moving around to make room for another adult. "Hey Matthew! Isn't that Marty over there?"

Matthew looked and saw the Mariners' third baseman taking a seat next to Coach Sanders. He turned back to Michael and put a finger to his lips. "Shhhhhh... keep that on the DL." Michael looked embarrassed. He made a motion that looked like he locked his lips and threw the key away. Matthew looked back to Marty and wondered again what the major leaguer wanted to tell him.

The fourth inning started out much the same way, but the Wave were coming up the second time around in their batting order. Batters weren't as surprised by the movement of Calvin's pitches this time around. He got the first batter to fly out to Miles in left field. The next batter Calvin walked for Huntington Beach's first base runner. The next batter was robbed when Gordy dove and caught a ball no one had any business stopping. A toss to Aiden got the lead runner at second for the second out of the inning. The next batter took Calvin deep into the pitch count, but the crafty pitcher used his newly improved, sickening changeup, embarrassing the Wave's cleanup batter for the third out.

Just as the Wave started the fourth inning with the top of their order, the Yard Goats had their leadoff batter Gordy starting off the bottom of the fourth inning. With a 1-1 count, a breaking ball into the dirt bounced and hit Gordy in the shin sending him to first. A couple of the Wave parents argued with the umpire from the stands unintentionally flustering the Wave pitcher. Stealing second and advancing to third on a wild pitch, Gordy was only 80 feet from scoring the first run before Aiden had much of a chance to even take his bat off his shoulder.

The boys were doing their "Go! Go! Goats!" chant as Aiden set up for the 3-1 pitch, a meaty fastball down the middle of the plate. Aiden drilled it into the gap between left and center field for an RBI triple. The East Harbor residents were cheering as loud as their visitors from Mayfield. The more baseball they watched the more impressed Michael was with Aiden as a baseball player. It reminded him of watching Matthew, and coming from Michael, that was an incredible complement.

Trent followed Aiden to the plate. A deep fly ball to center field scored Aiden on a sacrifice fly giving the Yard Goats a 2-0 lead. After Muddy struck out and Scott grounded to third, the game proceeded to the top of the fifth inning.

Riley came in to pitch for the Yard Goats and kept things going. He gave up the first Wave hit of the game, but Riley only allowed the Wave four batters forcing them to strand their baserunner at first.

Before the Goats came up to bat in the bottom of the fifth, Matthew gave into his excitement. He made his way through the stands to where Marty was sitting. Crouching behind Coach Sanders, Matthew whispered, "Hey Marty. Sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to catch you while I could. I wasn't sure when you had to leave to get back to the ballpark."

"Hey Matthew," greeted Marty. Coach Sanders also greeted the teen. "I know I won't have much time today to visit, but we will tomorrow." Marty reached and pulled out an envelope from his back pocket. "You did keep tomorrow free, didn't you?"

Matthew nodded.

Marty handed him the envelope. "Be at Angels Stadium by 10 am tomorrow. In the envelope is a pass that will get you into the player parking area and into the stadium. I've arranged for you to take some batting practice with me in the cage and on the field. There're are also two tickets in there for you and April to sit with my husband, Rich, in the players' family section during tomorrow's game."

Matthew was so excited he almost pissed himself. "I...I'm speechless. I don't know how to thank you."

"Be there on time tomorrow and take advantage of this opportunity. My batting coach will be there and a couple of guys to pitch will be on hand."

"Yes, sir!" said Matthew. "You'll have my complete concentration every second."

"I know," smiled Marty. "Let's get back to today's game." Matthew agreed and went back to his seat.

They didn't miss much. The bottom of the inning saw the Goats go down in order. Grant came in to pitch the top of the sixth inning and he was still throwing his warmup pitches.

"Hey," said Matthew to Lukas and Simon. "You guys are gonna need to cover for me tomorrow."

"Cover for you for what?" asked Lukas.

"I'm supposed to sing the national anthem, but I have to be somewhere else. Can you guys do it?"

Neither of them liked the idea at all. "What's so important that you are reneging on your promise?" asked Simon.

Matthew looked to see who was in earshot but decided that Marty wouldn't want him blabbing about this opportunity. "I'll explain later, but I promise you, you'll understand. Besides, maybe the three of us can talk Michael into doing it."

That sounded like the best idea so far. Simon and Lukas agreed, and they all turned their attention to the Wave batter settling into the batting box for the first pitch of the inning.

Michael hadn't noticed the conversation between his brothers. He was standing with Jaden and Alex cheering for Grant. The inning didn't go as planned, but it wasn't because of Grant's pitching. Lance lost a fly ball in the sun and gave up a two-base error. A couple batters later Mason almost made a diving catch. He missed the catch but was able to block the ball keeping the hit to a single, but the Wave finally got on the scoreboard when the runner scored from second. Then the Goats turned an incredible double-play to end the inning. A grounder to Trent at first. Trent gunned it to Gordy covering second. Grant got off the mound and made it to first base in time to receive a throw from Gordy for the final out of the top of the sixth inning. The Goats were three outs from a win. But first, they wanted to try to put up an insurance run or two.

Jaded and biased coaches called it luck, but coaches that understood baseball and appreciated the game recognized that the Yard Goats were good at playing "small ball". Good, fundamental defense and getting your bat on the ball as opposed to the teams that tried to stack their lineup with guys that can put the ball over the fence. The bottom of the sixth was a great example of how the Goats do what they need to do to win.

After Skip led off with a strikeout, Gordy and Aiden followed up with singles putting runners on first and second base. Trent moved Gordy to third with a deep fly ball that allowed Gordy to tag and go. Muddy, their cleanup batter, didn't swing for the fence. A single to left field scored the insurance run the Goats were looking for and moved Aiden to second. Scott grounded to the shortstop who forced Muddy out at second to end the inning, but the Goats extended their lead to 3-1 going into the final inning of the game.

The first Wave batter came to the plate while Max, the Goats' closer, stepped onto the mound. Max made short-order of the first batter, striking him out. The second batter hit a routine grounder to Aiden at second. The assurance of a second out evaporated when the sure-handed infielder let the grounder go through his legs. The error put a Wave baserunner on first.

The next Wave batter hit a double up the third-base line scoring the man on first. With only one out, the Wave were now only a single run down, the tying run standing at second. It was Max's turn to get flustered on the mound. It showed when he hit the next batter putting the winning run on first.

The following batter hit a fly ball into shallow left field. Gordy ran back while Lance, now playing left field, ran in, however, neither boy could get to the ball. Seeing the ball drop, the baserunners took off. Lance grabbed the ball and saw the runner rounding third to head home. He threw a strike to Mac at home. The runner skid to a stop and hurried back to third, barely beating Mac's throw to Scott.

"Wow!" said Connor. "That was an awesome throw by number 14."

"He's cute too!" added Cooper. He seemed to have a thing for baseball players. Back in Bozeman, it was soccer players in the twins' indoor soccer league.

Jaden said proudly, "That's Lance. He's my cousin Grant's boyfriend."

Bases loaded with one out. The Goats' 3-2 lead looked precarious which made the East Harbor contingent yell even louder. "Go! Go! Goats!" was being chanted by all the Yard Goats faithful. The tension on Field 2 could be felt by the crowds on the adjacent fields. Parents and spectators kept looking over to see what was happening.

The next batter came to the plate and worked the count full. Max felt the pressure. This was one of the biggest pitches he'd thrown in his young career. He knew what every coach in Mayfield would tell him, from Coach Sanders down. Throw a strike and give your defense a chance to support you, rather than to throw a ball and walk in the tying run. Mac flashed the signs and put his glove in the center of the strike zone.

Max threw a sinking fastball that the batter caught the top of. The ball was driven down into home plate and bounced high into the air. The batter was confused, uncertain if the ball was fair or foul despite the umpire's signal while the runner at third broke for home plate at full speed.

Mac stepped up from behind home plate. With his left foot on the plate, he caught the ball then tagged the batter who stood frozen in the batter's box. The umpire recognized the unassisted double play. The Goats' survived with a 3-2 win.

----------------------     

With the next Goats' game at 1:00, Lars and Zach herded the boys to the concession stands for lunch. They planned to take the food to Field 4 and eat in the stands before the game started.

"Dr. Meijer?" asked Jaden.

"Yeah, Jaden."

"Is it okay if I eat with my aunt and uncle? They're Grant's parents, from the Yard Goats."

Lars made the connection between Grant, Alex, and what happened back in Mayfield. He looked at Alex and could see the fear in the boy's eyes. "Sure, that would be fine."

"Can Alex come too?"

"Sure. You boys have fun. Be at the field for the next game." Zach was leading the way, so Lars shepherded the stragglers leaving Alex and Jaden to meet up with the Fosters.

"What do you mean, 'Can Alex come too?' Are you trying to get me killed or something?" asked Alex. "Mr. and Mrs. Foster hate me!"

"You don't know that. Well, okay, you do know his mom didn't like you very much, but that was a while ago. I'm sure they've heard lots about you since you and Grant reconnected. Besides, they're still letting him talk to you. That's better than before, right?"

Jaden was correct, but not very comforting. Before Alex could argue any further, Jaden grabbed his wrist and dragged him down the bleachers to meet up with Carla and Darren who'd just congratulated their son and teammates on their exciting victory.

"Jaden!" welcomed his aunt Carla. She gave her nephew a hug before her husband Darren could greet the boy.

Uncle Darren joked, "We thought you were going to be hanging out with your friends. I didn't think you'd want to visit with your old aunt and uncle."

"We have some time between games, and I thought we could visit until then," suggested Jaden.

"That works for us," said Darren, noticing how nervous Alex was standing behind Jaden, almost hiding. If Grant hadn't told him about reconnecting with Alex down in East Harbor and that Alex and Jaden were friends, Darren didn't think he would have recognized the boy. He looked clean, healthy...athletic even..., and well dressed. "How are you, Alex?" The boy smiled weakly expecting to be yelled at. "How about we buy you boys lunch, and we can visit while we wait in line?"

"Sound great," said Jaden. "I'm hungry."

Carla laughed. "You're always hungry. You probably need 5,000 calories just to make up for all the swimming you do!"

The four headed to the concession line. Walking past the Yard Goats, the players shouted out to Alex and Jaden to say "hi" and to thank Alex for the bags of cookies he'd given the team the day before. Darren placed his hand on Alex's shoulder to reassure the boy.

Carla was surprised by the warm welcome Alex got from the other Yard Goats players. She knew from Grant that by the time Alex went to rehab, he'd pretty much burned bridges with all his classmates, especially Grant's teammates. Somehow Alex had mended those relationships. Since Grant had reconnected with Alex, it seemed that Grant was less moody. She still didn't understand why Alex's friendship was so important to Grant. Aiden, the twins, and the other Mayfield boys were a much better influence on her son than Alex ever was.

As they walked to the end of the lines at the concession stand, Carla witnessed a similar outpouring of friendship from Jaden's friends. She didn't see them as Alex's friends-not yet at least. She couldn't imagine Alex earning such warmth and loyalty from what seemed like such a good group of boys.

Once they were in line, Jaden initiated the conversation. "There's a lot going on over in East Harbor. By our school, they are opening a new store that will sell school supplies and East Harbor school gear. They're also opening an instrument store so the people taking lessons at the music academy can buy music and instruments right there. Alex has been helping with all that. Right Alex?"

Alex simply nodded without raising his head or looking anyone in the eye.

Carla seemed mildly interested that Alex was working, but Darren took the bait to keep the conversation going. "Really? How did you get involved with all that?"

Alex waited for Jaden to answer, but Jaden set this up so Alex could brag about all the work he's done since moving to East Harbor. A quick elbow to the ribs got Alex talking. "My mom works for Majestic Enterprises and is in charge of their starting up their retail stores, Majestic Music and Saberspace. Josh and I work when we can to help."

Jaden looked at Alex, but Alex didn't understand what Jaden was trying to get him to say. Jaden rolled his eyes and whispered in Alex's ear. Alex then added, "We also help fill the online orders for At the Majestic gear and help get their gear to their concerts."

"Sounds like that is keeping you busy," said Darren. "Who is this Josh you mentioned?"

"He's my boyfriend. Josh Evans. He lives in Vista. We met at Alateen."

"Wow," said Darren, "it sounds like you've been doing lots of work."

Alex thought he meant work on himself, not working to earn money. "Yes. I talk to my sponsor regularly. I go to Alateen when I can make the meetings -- they aren't very close to home, and it is hard for mom to get me there every time. But I see Dr. Meijer every week. That's him up there." Alex pointed to Lars.

As much as she really didn't want to warm up to Alex, it did seem the boy was on the right path. "So why are all the boys talking about cookies?" she asked, her curiosity finally getting the best of her.

"Well, as part of my therapy, Dr. Meijer started to teach me to bake cookies. We would talk and do all that stuff while baking. Now I take baking lessons from my friend Sam's mother. I also bake pies, cakes, and bread, too."

Jaden interrupted, "Alex even invented his own cookie: Alex's Sweet & Salty Surprise. I named them. They're sweet and salty and surprisingly delicious!"

Carla laughed, not at Alex's baking, but at Jaden's enthusiasm. "So, what makes these cookies so good?"

Alex relaxed into the conversation when he started talking about his cookies and baking. Before he knew it, the group was sitting in the bleachers enjoying hot dogs and each other's company. Carla also relaxed and found herself enjoying Alex's company. The gleam in the boy's eyes told her he'd found his passion, and himself.

"Looks like the game is getting ready to start," said Jaden noticing players out on the field. "We promised Dr. Meijer we'd be back with the group before the game starts."

"I'm glad you boys came for a visit," said Carla. She stood and gave Jaden a hug.

"When are you coming back up to Mayfield for a visit?" asked Darren.

"Dad said you talked to him about me coming up before school starts," replied Jaden. "I think that would be fun."

Carla held her arms out to Alex to give him a hug. Alex froze momentarily, shocked by the gesture. Then he stepped up and shared a hug with Grant's mother. "You keep taking care of yourself and stay out of trouble."

It was more of an order than a request. Alex replied, "I will. I promise."

Darren also gave Alex a hug after he released his nephew. "And Alex, you're welcome to come visit too."

"Thank you!"

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"They're here," called out Sam to his parents. "I'll call you when I know what our plans are for this afternoon and evening."

"Okay," called out Harold, from the living room. "Tell Mr. Fielder we said 'hello.'"

Gladys was in the kitchen. "Be good!" she ordered.

"Yes, mother," said Sam, rolling his eyes while facing the door so neither of his parents could accidentally see. "Love you!"

With that he was out the door, racing to the car before they could embarrass him in front of Gregory and Chaz. "Hey!" he greeted them as he jumped into the back seat next to Gregory.

Chaz put the car in drive and pulled away from the curb. "I think that was a land speed record." The boys laughed at the "dad joke."

"Where are we going for lunch?" asked Sam. "I'm starving."

"I was thinking Los Junior's. How does that sound?" asked Chaz.

Gregory gave Sam an "I told you so" look. Sam just smiled in return. "Sounds good to me," Sam replied. "I'm always up for some Mexican food."

Before any conversation could take hold, they pulled into the little taqueria. Chaz asked and was told they could sit wherever they wanted on the patio. He guided the boys to the table in the corner where he and Gregory had had their talk. Chaz took the seat facing the rest of the patio, Sam and Gregory had their backs to the other guests. This made Chaz feel safe to discuss whatever came up knowing he could see if anyone was close enough to hear.

"Seriously dad?" asked Gregory, taking his seat. "This is kinda obvious."

"Yeah, well...," said Chaz, "it's a safe place to have these types of conversations and have some decent food."

They looked at their menus and ordered drinks and queso to go with the complementary chips and salsa. Conversation was light while they decided what to order. The waitress returned with sodas for the boys and a margarita for Chaz. Cheese and bean dip and cheese and spinach dip were placed on the table before she took their lunch orders. Once she was gone, Chaz took a sip of his cocktail.

Sam, on the other hand, was ready to get down to business. "So, how long did you watch me and Gregory the other night?"

Chaz about spit out a mouthful. He'd never have expected Sam to be so direct. "Long enough to see what you two were doing."

Sam smirked and leaned forward. "If that's all you were doing, you could have shut the door before Gregory squirted all over his bed." Gregory blushed and looked over his shoulder to see if anyone could hear.

"I won't lie," said Chaz. "You two were pretty hot. I don't think anyone would have been able to shut the door immediately after seeing you two."

"Mom would have," replied Gregory.

"Don't be so sure about that," added Chaz. If the boys wanted to be completely frank, so could he. "It's one thing to walk in unexpectantly or to catch you doing it in the kitchen. But now that she knows you two are sexually active, if she walked in on your two doing something in private, well, I don't think she would freak out."

"So why did you bring us here to talk?" asked Gregory.

"I want to make sure you two are being safe and I want you to know you can come to me and ask anything. I know when I was your age, I wished I had someone older, with more experience, to confide in and to ask for advice."

Gregory laughed, "We have Google, dad."

"And PornHub," added Sam. He flinched when Gregory jabbed him in the ribs. "What? We're being open and honest here, aren't we?"

"That's why we are having this conversation. Google and PornHub aren't the best places to get information and advice. With Google, you have to be careful to put what you are learning into context of what the site is trying to accomplish. Are they telling you what they want in order to sell you a product? Do they have a particular political viewpoint they are trying to push and limit the information they provide to influence your thinking? With PornHub, well, a lot of it is fake. I mean, yes, they are having sex, but it is fantasized. It is staged. And even with the amateur videos, you see people doing things, but you don't know the consequences they go through before, after, or long term."

Gregory was getting more comfortable with the conversation. He started to ask a question, but Chaz put his hand up. The waitress approached with their lunches. An assortment of burritos and tacos were placed on the table and the boys dug in.

"Sorry about that," apologized Chaz. "She's gone back inside. What did you want to ask?"

"You said you were worried about us not being safe," reminded Gregory. "Why do you think that?" he asked.

Chaz laughed. He wiped his hands and mouth with a napkin. "Well, how many times have you been caught?"

Both boys turned red.

"Gregory, your bedroom faces the neighbor's house. You might think about making sure the curtains are closed if you are going to be having sex in your room with lights on, even the light from your phone."

Chaz took a drink of his margarita and let that set in. "The other night you were having phone sex using Facetime, yes?" The boys nodded and continued to eat. "Have you recorded yourselves? Taken photos?"

The boys didn't admit to anything, nor did they deny it.

"You realize that even taking a photo of yourself naked or any of your parts that are hidden by your briefs, is by law, considered child pornography. If someone found your phone or accidentally saw it, you'd end up as a registered sex offender for the rest of your life, possibly be incarcerated, and you'd have a felony on your record when you apply for jobs. That would dramatically limit your career options."

"What are we supposed to do?" asked Gregory.

"We want to be together more, but you guys don't let us," stated Sam.

"Then that is something else we need to discuss. You'll just have to realize that we can come up with a plan, but your mom, and Sam, your parents, will all have to agree to whatever plan we can put in place. Okay?"

"Okay," said Gregory.

"Yeah," agreed Sam.

Chaz got down to the business of educating and protecting the young couple.

----------------------     

The Mayfield cheering section was much larger and louder than prior games. The San Diego Force didn't have a 1:00 game. The program's entry into the SoCal BaseBrawl decided to watch the Yard Goats take on San Antonio along with some of their family and friends. Their reasoning was two-fold. First, they held respect for the Yard Goats from their on- and off-field poise and performance. Second, Tim Whalen put in a lot of "good words" about his Mayfield friends.

As part of the Force family attending the Yard Goats game were some of Matthew's teammates. Those teammates all had younger brothers playing on the 13-and-under Force team. They joined Matthew and Jackson to wait for the game to begin.

"Guys," said Matthew introducing Jackson to his teammates, "this is Jackson Hallion. He's a senior baseball player in Mayfield and his dad is the Yard Goats' coach." Matthew then introduced each of his buddies in order they were sitting on the bleachers. "Jackson, this is River De Leon, Joey Kellmer, Brett Williams, and Andrew Nagtalon. They all have young brothers on the Force team that you guys will play this evening."

The other teens all teased Matthew for his comment. "Dude," Jackson cried out, "are you trying to jinx us or something?"

"Yeah, Matthew," said Andrew laughingly, "that's showing some confidence."

"You guaranteeing a Yard Goats' victory?" asked River, giving Matthew a playful shove.

"I'm just saying," answered Matthew.

While the teens worked on building their friendship, the younger boys did the same. Tim and a few of his close buddies on the younger Force team joined Michael and the others to cheer on their Yard Goats friends. Michael and his brothers already knew Tim's friends Eddie, Eduardo, Will and Oliver from their time together watching the 18-and-under Force games.

"Yo, man," said Eduardo. "These guys from Mayfield are cool and shit. But what the hell is a Yard Goat?"

They heard someone call out, "Google it!" That caused all the younger boys to laugh out loud.

"Hey! That's our new cheer!" said Connor.

"Yeah!" agreed Cooper. Then he sang out, "We are the Yard Goats! Google it! Google it!"

Finding the cheer to be a bit cheeky, Connor, Derek, and Jack jumped in and joined in the new cheer. They pumped their fists in the air with the first line and shook their booties when they shouted about the search engine. Not everyone thought they were as cute as the boys thought they were being. That didn't stop some of the older boys from shouting "Google it!" while staying on their butts.

The Yard Goats prepared for the first pitch and the boys started to assess the line up and prepare for the first pitch. Scott stood on the mound waiting for the batter to step to the plate.

Cooper noticed the third baseman. "Look!" he said to Connor. "There's Lance over at third." They started cheering for Lance. The other boys shouted the names of their friends on the field.

It took Scott a few batters to settle in. He gave up a single run before getting a strike out and a ground out to Gordy to end the inning.

The Goats responded in a big way. Gordy and Aiden led off the game with walks. Trent followed that up with a double scoring Gordy. A single from Muddy scored another run for the Yard Goats.

The next Yard Goats batter stepped to the plate. "Yay Lance!" yelled Cooper.

Connor shouted, "Com'on Lance! Get a hit!"

Jaden shouted over to the twins. "That's not Lance! That's Lenny!"

The twins looked at the batter and noticed the player's jersey number was 24, not 14. The twins looked at each other. "TWINS!" Connor and Cooper started shouting even louder than before.

The Stallions finally got three outs to end the first inning, but the damage was done. The Yard Goats were up 4-1.

Coach Hallion pulled Scott after four innings to save some pitches for Sunday. Skip entered the game to pitch with an 8-1 lead. Brilliant defensive plays like Aiden's diving catch at second which he turned into a double play and Mason's catch while sliding on his stomach supported Skip's scoreless inning.

With the eight-run rule in place, the Yard Goats would end the game in the bottom of the fifth inning by scoring a single run. Aiden led off with a triple putting the winning run on third. The twins tried to restart the "Google It!" cheer but the rest of the East Harbor gang stood and yelled "Go! Go! Goats!". The rally call was infectious. The Mayfield faithful and even the Force players joined in.

Trent was up next. He was perfect from the plate so far in this game, including two doubles. On a first-pitch fastball, Trent completed a perfect game at the plate with a home run over the left field fence. The Goats were still alive in the tournament with a 11-2 victory. The San Diego Force was up next. But first, some well-earned rest.

The Goats weren't in a hurry to get off the field. Back-to-back games had taken their toll. They were looking forward to having a few hours of downtime.

"Mason!" came a shout from the fence next to the dugout. Mason was helping to pack up the team's gear with Calvin and Miles.

Mason looked up, "Hey, Michael!" Calvin and Miles waved.

"Congrats on your win! You guys kicked some ass today," said Michael before Connor and Cooper appeared by his side.

"Where are the twins?" they asked trying to see around the corner into the dugout.

Miles took the equipment bag so Mason and Calvin could visit with the East Harbor kids.

"What are you guys doing now?" asked Michael. "Maybe we could hang out?"

"We're heading back to our hotel to get some rest and food before our game tonight," explained Mason. He was torn between spending time with his new friends and doing what he needed to do for his old friends and the tournament.

"Maybe we still can hang out," said Michael. "DAD! DAD!" Lars and Zach were talking with Coach Sanders and his husband. When Lars looked, he saw Michael frantically waving for him to approach the fence. Lars gave Michael a stern look for interrupting his conversation by yelling but acquiesced and walked over to see what his youngest wanted. Zach, Larry, and Phil followed.

"Sorry, dad, but we were wondering if there is a way for us to hang out with the Goats until their next game?" asked Michael. He used his finger to indicate the "we" meant Michael, his brothers, Craig and Oliver, the twins, Alex and Jaden, Mason, Calvin, and the rest of the Yard Goats. It was a rather liberal interpretation, but he was pretty confident everyone would like the arrangement.

"Where will the Goats be spending their time?" asked Lars.

Lars directed his question to Michael, but Larry offered an answer. "We're heading back to the hotel to rest and have a meal before the game."

"Larry, do you think James would mind if they came to hang out? It would give us the change to spend some more time to visit with Lars and Zach."

Larry turned as Phil put his arm around his husband. "You know, sometimes you have really great ideas." Turning back to the others, he added, "You guys wait here. I'll go talk to Coach Hallion."

----------------------     

The Meijer/Novak SUVs pulled into the Carlsbad Inn Beach Resort ahead of Mrs. Emerson and the bus carrying the Yard Goats. Lars and Zach had pulled out ahead of the rented bus, not waiting for the gaggle of boys to climb on board and settle down.

Though Zach and Lars weren't in a hurry to get out of the vehicles, the boys couldn't wait to get their feet back on the ground. As the boys gathered, Michael asked, "Where's Matthew?" The other boys looked around and wondered the same thing.

Zach answered, "He decided to stay at the ballpark to hang out with Jackson and his buddies from the Force."

"Zach," began Oliver, "how close are we to the ocean?"

"It's just across the street on the other side of the resort."

"Can we go?" asked Craig.

Lukas appeared next to Craig. "Yeah, can we?"

The four older boys looked pleadingly at Zach. The grad student simply rolled his eyes. "We'll ask your dad about that." Before the boys could begin to plead their case, they heard the brakes of the Yard Goats' bus. Zach glanced at the bus and when he turned back to the boys, the younger ones were gone.

"Boys!" called out Lars. "Back here!" The boys stopped in their tracks and returned to the SUVs. "They don't need you greeting them at the bus. Give them a chance to get off the bus and their coaches to lay down the ground rules before they have to return for the game later."

When Lars finished, he heard calls to hurry coming from the Mayfield boys as they entered the hotel. He glanced over his shoulder to see the boys from up north waving their arms. Turning back to his charges, he again found a vacant parking lot. The boys were already racing to join their new friends with the older teens following behind at a more leisurely pace, ready for the beach. Lars looked at Zach who stood close by laughing at his fiancé. "Come on old man..." The two headed to the entrance where Larry and Phil waited.

As the men entered the hotel and followed the boys towards the pool, they saw Michael pull Mason aside.

Larry looked to Lars with a raised eyebrow wondering what that is about. "It's all good," assured Lars. "I'm sure Mason will share it with you when he's ready."

Both Phil and Larry were a bit more protective of Mason than Aiden's other friends, but they had no reason to think Michael would harm the little blond. As a matter of fact, the two seemed to acting like best buddies.

Michael waved to his dad as the four men passed heading to the pool.

"So, what do you want to tell me?" asked Mason, still high from their win back in San Marcos.

"Well," started Michael, "it's more asking you than telling you."

"What?!" asked Mason, his wavy blond hair bouncing as he bobbed with excitement.

Michael put his hands on Mason's shoulders to get the boy to hold still. "We really like your singing," Michael began. "The guys and I, that is."

"Thanks," said Mason, relaxing a bit. "Singing on stage with you guys was like one of the best things ever."

"Our fans seemed to think so too. We've been getting a lot of messages from people asking about you and your music."

"Really?" Mason couldn't believe people would want to listen to his music.

"Yes, really. Christian has been having to answer lots of questions."

"What's he telling them? I don't have anything to share." Mason felt concerned that he might be missing out on an opportunity.

"He's been sharing your social media links so people can see your videos."

Mason's brow furrowed. "But those aren't as good as when I sang with you guys."

"Don't worry," assured Michael. "Remember, that's how we started." Mason nodded. "Just like us, to take you to the next level, we need to get you into the studio and record some music on real studio equipment."

"But how?" asked Mason. "I live in Mayfield. Where am I going to find a studio to record in? What music will I record? I'd need a band or musicians or something."

"Yes, you would," agreed Michael. "You can have that here, with us, at Majestic Studios."

Mason looked at Michael kinda funny. "You guys are kinda far from my house."

"True. But what if you signed with Majestic Records as a recording artist? Then you could come back down to East Harbor and stay with us and we could help you record some music."

Mason stopped bouncing and stood perfectly still. He looked Michael dead in the eyes. "Are you serious?"

"I'm completely serious. If it is something you want to do, we'll send our attorney with a contract to visit you and your mother to discuss the details and money."

"Money?"

"Yeah," said Michael. "You'll get paid to come down and record with us."

Mason's eyes grew wide. He couldn't believe he would get paid to do something that fun. "When?"

"Well, Stephen said he wanted to get up there Monday to start talking with your mom and if it all works, you can sign the contract when you get home from the tournament. We're hoping to get you back down here and record before school starts."

"I want to," said Mason. "What do I have to do?"

"Just say 'yes.'"

"YES!" yelled Mason. He started to jump up and down saying "Yes! Yes! Yes!" eventually leaping into Michael's arms. Mason was lost in the excitement of his dream of making music being so close, and not thinking about leaving his friends behind and all the things he'd known as long as he could remember to come back to SoCal by himself.

Michael held Mason and waited for the boy's excitement to die down. Putting Mason down, Michael pulled his phone out and sent a text to get the ball rolling. "Let's head to the pool and join the others."

"Michael," said Mason, grabbing his new friend's arm, "don't tell anyone yet. I don't want anyone to know until I decide to tell them."

Michael smiled, "You got it!" Then the boys hurried to the resort's courtyard to join the others by the pool.

They entered the courtyard and immediately heard the Kendall twins who'd hijacked the Hazen twins' between-game break. But it looked like Lance and Lenny were enjoying the antics of the wild ones. Little did Michael know that the Hazen boys were much tamer than Connor and Cooper. Jack and Derek seemed to find the two sets of twins very entertaining.

Mason and Michael spotted a table with Grant, Jaden, Alex, Nolan, and Aiden and pulled up some extra chairs.

"Congrats on the win!" said Michael, placing his butt in the chair he wedged between Aiden and Jaden. The Yard Goats around the table thanked Michael.

"So," started Nolan jokingly, "are you going to jump ship and root for your brother's team in the next game?"

Michael liked Nolan's smile and decided to dish a bit of it back. "Well, I do like cheering for the team with the cutest boys and Tim Whalen is pretty hot..."

"Wait a minute!" said Aiden putting an end to Michael parry. "Nolan is considerably hotter than Tim Whalen or any of the Force players."

"So is Aiden," stated Mason.

Alex was quick to add, "And Grant."

Michael said, "And I think Mason falls into that category too. I think I'll be rooting for the Yard Goats."

Mason smiled at Michael thanking him for that comment. The little blond was antsy in his seat. He wanted to share his big news with everyone in the courtyard, but even more so, he wanted to confide in Aiden.

"You better," teased Aiden, nudging Michael with his shoulder. The boys made eye contact, and each felt the connection. Beyond the intellectual or emotional connect they made during the concert, the two definitely found the other physically attractive too. Michael spent the games admiring Aiden's grace on the ballfield and the blonde's tight baseball pants. Aiden couldn't believe Michael's physique when the younger boy went shirtless towards the end of the concert. Sitting so close to Michael and his skin-tight t-shirt only added to Aiden's imagination.

Aiden's thoughts were interrupted by an uproar of laughter. All the boys in the courtyard stopped talking and looked at the adult men making all the noise.

"Looks like our dads are getting along," said Michael. He was happy to see Lars and Zach making friends. They didn't seem to hang out with anyone other than Carol and Christian's parents.

"Yeah," said Aiden, taking stock in his dad and pop having a good time. He hoped they would have as much fun hanging out with Nolan's parents on their upcoming vacation.

"When are you guys pitching next?" Michael left the questions open to all three pitchers at the table.

"I'll probably pitch an inning or so tonight. That's what I usually do."

"Kinda like a middle reliever?" asked Michael.

"Yeah, that's about right," confirmed Grant. "Otherwise, I play somewhere in the field."

Michael looked to Aiden and Nolan.

Aiden looked at Nolan before answering. "We both start, but if things get desperate, one of us might come in to pitch tonight, but I think he'd go with Max and Riley before us. If we win tonight, I'd bet the coaches start Nolan in the play in game. He'd give us the best chance of making the championship game."

Nolan thought about the implications of that. If he started the play-in game, would that mean Aiden would start the championship game against Torrence, the team that knocked him around the ballpark in his last start. Nolan decided to keep his mouth shut about that possibility.

That didn't mean Michael got that message. "Does that mean you'll start the championship game?"

"Yeah," answered Aiden with a noticeable hesitation and trepidation. "I guess it does."

"But first," added Nolan quickly, "we have to win tonight."

"Dinner time boys!" Coach Hallion held the door open to one of the hotel's dining rooms hoping he didn't get stampeded by a team of starving boys.

----------------------     

The teens exited the resort and walked to the corner of Carlsbad Village Drive and Ocean Steet.

Craig pointed, "That's convenient." Between the beachfront homes was a sign that said, "Public Beach Access" and a staircase down to the Carlsbad City Beach. They crossed when it was safe and ran down the steps to the sandy beach.

Being July, the cool Pacific waters were warmed by the southern California sun. It didn't make the water warm enough for swimming in the deeper waters without a body suit, but it did make the shallow surf warm enough to wade barefoot. Simon, Lukas, Craig, and Oliver were all barefoot before they reached the water.

Taking their partner's hand, the two couples strolled the beach. They made small talk, but mainly enjoyed a romantic walk in the surf. The water felt good after sitting in the sun at the ballpark all morning. The beach wasn't overly crowded and those present were picnicking and playing quietly in the waves. The boys were happy that the ocean's waves drowned out the noise of its visitors. It made their walks feel private.

"This is really nice," said Simon. He squeezed Lukas' hand for emphasis.

"I know," agreed Lukas. He moved closer to Simon and rested his head on his beau's shoulder. "We need to come to the beach more often."

"Now that things are winding down, maybe we'll have more time."

About five paces behind them, Craig and Oliver followed, Oliver's arm around Craig's waist.

"I still can't believe it," said Craig shaking his head.

"What?" asked Oliver.

"That this isn't a vacation. That we actually live here."

"I know what you mean." Oliver noted, "I think it will feel real once school starts back up."

"You're right, but still. The new house, going to school in East Harbor, all of our new friends, the running club, and being this close to the beach. It just is so perfect."

Oliver rubbed Craig's side. "I don't know about perfect, but it sure was a great solution after all the crap back up north."

"True." Craig put his arm around Oliver's waist. "But if it wasn't for Montana, we would never have met."

"I love you so much," said Oliver before planting a kiss on Craig's cheek.

Craig looked up at Oliver as they walked. "I love you too." He puckered up and waited for Oliver to plant one on his lips. He didn't have to wait long.

----------------------     

"Michael," called out Lars, "would you text the guys to round them up? I haven't seen them return from the beach. The team's getting ready to load the bus to head back to the park." Michael nodded and picked up his phone.

"It's a shame we have to head back to the tournament," said Larry.

Phil agreed. "We know a few gay couples, but mostly they are former players and their partners. It's not just the age gap, but it is also the fact that we coached them when they were kids."

Zach laughed. "Where does that leave me?" He joked because he was about the same age as Marty and Rich and Eric.

"Not being one of our former players," stated Larry.

"Too bad this party has to end," said Phil.

"What do you have planned after the tournament?" asked Zach.

"Nothing that I know of," stated Larry. "And we aren't traveling back to Washington until Monday."

"The boys are always throwing big parties at our house," said Lars. "Maybe the Yard Goats could come over for a post-tournament party. We have a pool, a hot tub, and two houses for movies and music."

"True," added Zach. "The boys could be as noisy and rowdy as they'd like and it would give us more time to hang out with you two."

"I think that is definitely something we should discuss with the coaches," stated Larry.

----------------------     

The Yard Goats fans were excited about the game against the San Diego Force, but after a long day at the park, they were tired and worried their boys on the field of dreams were tired too. Three games in one day are a lot for both fans and players. But this was the Yard Goats' chance to punch their ticket to play on Sunday. Though they didn't talk about it, the unspoken goal was to play on Sunday. Not playing on Sunday would be considered a poor showing in their minds.

Torrance punched their ticket earlier in the day in the last game between the undefeated teams. The loser of that game also punched their ticket for Sunday. The Yard Goats' buddies from Surrey, British Columbia were waiting for the winner of the Goats versus Force in the first game Sunday morning. The winner of the game gets to face off against the Torrance Bulldogs for the tournament championship.

Though the teams considered themselves friends, or at least friendly, both teams were all business when they stepped onto the field.

The East Harbor boys were all business too. Sitting behind the third-base dugout with the other Yard Goats' fans. What surprised Michael and the gang was the Surrey Mounties sitting along the third-base line instead of behind home plate. From the chatter, it appeared that the Mounties knew the Yard Goats.

"How in the hell is that?" wondered Michael out loud.

"What?" asked Derek who was within earshot of Michael's comment.

"Mayfield is in the middle of nowhere. I've looked it up," he stated. "I can't believe that the guys from Canada also know the Yard Goats."

Matthew interjected, "The teams playing in this tournament play in several tournaments a year. My guess is, the Mounties and Yard Goats have crossed paths before."

"I recognize some of those guys," added Jaden, "They're staying at the same hotel as the Goats."

"Hey Meijer!"

The shout came from behind the first-base dugout. Matthew recognized Delvecchio's voice. He knew Dylan and his teammates were ready to give him a hard time for sitting with the Yard Goats' fans. He looked over to let them know he heard.

Dylan yelled, "What are you doing over with the Yard Goats?"

Matthew put his arm around Jackson. "I can see your ugly mug any ole day!" answered Matthew. His teammates laughed and ribbed Dylan for getting burned. The older Force players, there mainly because their younger siblings being on the 13-and-under team, stood and started the team chant to fire up the younger Force team taking the field.

Tails failed. The Yard Goats lost the coin flip. The Force said they wanted to be the home team, so the Yard Goats prepared to bat first.

The Force meant business. The top of the Mayfield order, Gordy, Aiden, and Trent went down in order with a strike out, a strike out, and a grounder back to the pitcher. Seeing Gordy and Aiden strike out back-to-back worried their fans, though the diehards -- those who'd been with this group of boys during their baseball journey -- knew better than to worry after just one inning.

After setting down the Goats, the Force went to the plate to face Trent. The first inning was a little touchy for Trent. He gave up two quick runs to the boys from southern California. The Force's inning was capped off with an RBI triple by Tim Whalen. Michael and the boys who'd met Tim congratulated him for his hit, despite being on the opposing team. But they didn't feel guilty when they heard a couple of the Goats do the same after Tim reached third base.

Trent settled down and the game became a pitchers' duel, backed by great defensive play, until the fourth inning. After Trent's grounder was bumbled by the Force's second baseman and errors landed Trent at second base, he proceeded to steal third base to put him in position to score. Muddy's sacrifice fly brought Trent home and the Goats within one run of the Force.

The top of the fifth inning brought more runs for the Goats. With Skip and Gordy at the corners, Aiden hit his fifth triple of the tournament making the score 3-2 and giving the Yard Goats their first lead of the game. Trent scored Aiden and ended the scoring in the fifth inning. The Goats led 4-2. In the bottom of the inning, Trent went back to the mound and shut the Force down for yet another inning. That exhausted his pitch count for the day. Trent gave up two runs on four hits. He struck out seven batters and gave up only one walk. All while facing one of the best lineups in southern California.

Skip did his part by driving in another Yard Goats run in the sixth inning, so the Goats had a 5-2 lead when the new pitcher took the mound.

The twins stood and cheered. "It's Lance!" shouted Cooper pointing to the pitcher.

"And Lenny!" yelled Connor pointing to the catcher.

Then the twins invented another cheer. "Twin Power! Twin Power!"

The Kendall twins' enthusiasm was infectious, and the other boys joined in, though they remained seated while the twins bounced in their excitement.

Despite Riley making a leaping catch against the homerun wall and Lance ending the inning with a strike out, the Force managed to score. However, in the top of the seventh inning, the Goats got that run back and extended their lead. Going into the Force's last at bat, the score was 7-3. The Goats were three outs from playing on Sunday.

The Mayfield crowd were on their feet cheering for their boys. Even the Mounties were on their feet. To many, this may have been the biggest upset of the BaseBrawl so far. To seal the deal, the Yard Goats brought in Max. A strike out, pop fly to right, and another strikeout ended the game.

The Yard Goats did the improbable. They eliminated the pre-tournament favorite and would be playing on Sunday.

----------------------     

It was some time after eight in the evening when the boys stepped onto the stage in the dark and quiet Majestic Theater. Lars wasn't thrilled about dropping the boys off since they needed to be at the ballpark the next morning, but once Matthew explained what was going on, he understood.

"Now tell us what the big deal is that means we have to fill in for you tomorrow," griped Lukas.

"I got invited to take batting practice with the some of the Mariners before their game tomorrow. I'll be right down on the field at Angels Stadium and getting some pointers from their batting coach."

His brothers looked at each other. Matthew had been right. They had no argument and resigned themselves to their fate. "So, what are we going to do? We're performing the national anthem in less than 12 hours," noted Lukas.

"You should sing it," said Michael, trying to get himself out of the task.

Simon asked, "Do we still have the backing track we created for Matthew?"

"I know where it is," said Matthew. "Do you want to use it, Lukas?"

"How did we decide I'm doing this?" whined Lukas. He'd never sung without being on stage with his brothers and he wasn't sure this was the time to start.

Michael walked over to an amp and turned it on and turned up the volume. He picked up the guitar plugged into it and stepped on a specific pedal. "We could do this," he suggested. Taking his guitar pick, he ran the edge of the pick down the strings then tore into Jimi Hendrix version of the national anthem from Woodstock. His brothers laughed at the thought of the crowd's reaction, as well as Robert Perez', if Michael started off their day with this rendition.

"I vote for Michael playing," stated Lukas when his little brother finished.

Simon added, "It would be different from what they've had so far."

"I know Lukas doesn't want to perform by himself. And I know the tournament wouldn't be satisfied with a guitar solo," stated Matthew. "Why don't the two of you perform together? Michael can accompany Lukas on guitar."

No one said anything. The brothers just looked at each other and considered the idea.

Finally, Matthew broke the silence. "Don't look at me, I'm not going to be there, but I think it is a great idea."

"Me too," added Simon.

Lukas punched him in the arm. "You like it because you aren't part of it."

Michael sat on the sofa and started playing a simpler, fuller version of the "Star-Spangled Banner" that would work as accompaniment. Where there would be sustained vocal notes, Michael messed around with simple embellishments.

"Try that again," said Lukas when Michael finished. This time, Lukas sang along timidly as he felt his way through the music.

"Wow," said Simon. "I think you guys have the start of something there."

----------------------     

"Paranoid?" asked Sam. He giggled watching Gregory check to see if the neighbor was spying before shutting the curtains to the side window. "I think he was watching but turned off the light just a minute ago. Do you think he enjoyed our make out session?"

Gregory looked at Sam with a discriminating eye. He saw the corner of Sam's mouth twitch. "Stop it," demanded Gregory. All afternoon Sam teased Gregory whenever he'd gotten the chance. Once he'd exhausted all the comments he could think of about his father's interest in their sex life, Sam switched to the different topics of conversation they'd had with Chaz. What drove Gregory crazy wasn't so much what Sam was doing, as much as it was when he couldn't tell if Sam was kidding or being serious.

Sam held his look of innocence even though Gregory already suspected he was fibbing. "Do you think Mr. Thompson watched on other nights?" he asked. It all started out as a joke, but after saying it out loud, Sam was struck by the idea of someone watching them having sex. They'd done it with Alex and Isaac in the room, but the other two were busy doing their own thing. He imagined Mr. Thompson watching from the dark window across the way. It creeped him out as much as he found it oddly interesting. Then his imagination replaced Mr. Thompson behind the darkened panes of glass with Gregory's father. Chaz was what Sam imagined Gregory will look like when they are in their 30s. He'd dreamed of what it will be like when he and Gregory are older and married. In his dreams, their sex life was just as hot as it was now.

"Sam!" said Gregory for the fourth time. "What were you dreaming about?"

"Nothing," answered Sam.

Gregory reached out and clutched Sam's rock-hard boner through the blonde's red boxer briefs. "This tells a different story."

"I think that's a story we need to get to the end of," said Sam. "Do you want to read first?"

Gregory slipped his fingers under the elastic band of Sam's underwear and slipped them off.