{Regrets and Heartaches is pure fiction. As I am writing this story, I am above the age of 21. If you want a story with lots of sex, look elsewhere. This is a love story. Seeing as it is a love story, sex is in there, but it's in realistic balance in the characters' lives.

Any similarity to any real events, names, or life events is purely accidental. If you are a underage, (according to your state laws as a minor), if this literature is offensive to you or to anyone around your viewing area, or it is illegal for you to view such content where you are reading it, stop reading the story.

This story cannot be distributed in anyway, shape or form without my expressed consent. I will like to give a shout out to a reader that has helped me with ideas where the story is, thank you!}

Written by J.P.G.

Edited By : Ed

Edited By: Kent

Chapter 20

Breathing in a sigh of relief, Joey smiled as he took several steps back. Bill and his friends looked at who was yelling for the people he was about to throw down with and started to reconsider. His change of heart was not because he started thinking differently about people like Joey, but because those that were walking towards them were the type of people, you do not want to get into a fight with.

Before either group could say a word, the school principal and a couple of teachers walked into the hallway where they were. "Don't tell me that you guys are already causing trouble this morning!" The principal said as he walked in between the two groups starring each other down. At first Joey, thought that the principal was talking to Bill and his group, but he soon found out he was wrong. The principal ignored Bill as he put all his attention on Joey and his friends.

"You guys haven't even been here a day, and you are already causing trouble. I warned you people when you registered that I was not going to tolerate any trouble from you. Did I not make myself clear on what I expected from each of you?" Joey and the others shook their head. "I thought so, so why are you causing trouble than?'

"Sir we are not the ones that started this, it was..." Joey stopped Deejay from completing his sentence. He could see in the principal's face no matter what they said he would not believe them. In his mind, they are bad and they are the ones that started this fight.

"It looks like one of you has common sense." The principal looked over at Bill and his friends. "You guys get out of here and go to lunch." Bill shook his head as he turned and walked down the hallway towards the cafeteria with his friends at his side. "You guys also go wherever you were going." The principal instructed the four people that walked up to help Joey and his friends.

"With all due respect sir, we are not going anywhere. It looks like you are about to do something that is not right and I am not about to walk away knowing that." The principal was stunned that a student was talking back to him, but was going to let it slide since he is one of the star football players. He hoped that with him and his friends they will have a real shot next year on being the first school in El Paso to go to state and win.

"Then you will join these trouble makers in detention after school today." Not all the students that stuck around could believe their ears. "If you want to get tangled up with students like these, you will have to take the fallout on doing so. Today the fallout is you joining them in detention in the cafeteria after school."

The principal did not let Joey, his group or the four that walked up say a word. He looked over to one of the teachers that walked up with him and told her to take their names down for detention after school. Hesitantly the teacher did what she was asked, and took down the names of all in Joey's group.

When she, the principal, and the other teachers left, Joey walked up to Sam and pulled him into a hug. "Man it is good to see a friendly face here." Joey let go of Sam and did the same thing to Thomas, Adrian, and Juan. "Boy has things changed since I was attending this school. Where in the hell did they find that guy?"

"Who, you talking about our lovely school principal"? Joey shook his head. "It has been a while since you have been back here at Austin. He has been here now going on two years." Sam looked over at his friends and they all said yes. "Let me tell you, it took some getting used to when he walked into the doors and took over the school. He runs this like a prison and he feels that is the way this school should be run since we had the shooting."

"Well all I can say about him is that he actually scares me. I actually think if he had his way, he would never have allowed us to register here. The moment we walked in he looked at us like we were carrying some kind of virus that he doesn't want to catch or anyone at this school to get either."

They continued talking as they made their way to the cafeteria. When they reached the outer doors that lead into the cafeteria from the outside, they found the line already hanging out those doors. They got in the line and leaned against the wall talking. As the line moved, Joey realized that he has not introduced everyone from the shelter.

"Sam, guys, I am being rude here." Joey looked at Caleb and his friends. "I got into the excitement of the moment on seeing friendly faces here that I forgot to introduce my friends." Joey went down the line doing the introductions, leaving Caleb to the end. "And this handsome guy is my boyfriend Caleb, and Caleb these guys are my good friends I had here when I attended this school during my freshman year."

"It is good to meet you all." Caleb shook all four guys' hands. "I thought everyone at this school was like those guys but now I see I was wrong thankfully."

"Yeah those guys are pretty much jerks to everyone that are not like them. They think they run this school, but they are wrong, we do." Sam looked at his friends as they all shook their heads saying yeah. "After all they are not even on any teams like football or baseball. They just have a big following of idiots that make them think they run things."

"That sucks! I plan to stay far away from them and anyone that associates with them because I don't plan to spend my afternoons in detention for the rest of the school year."

Everyone cracked up laughing. "Don't worry about detention today, it is taken care of." Joey did not understand what Sam meant, which got a chuckle out of him. "The teacher that runs detention doesn't like being there as much as we don't. She doesn't get paid for staying, so she releases detention after fifteen minutes or so."

That is the only explanation Joey and the guys needed, which was good because they reached the front of the line. None of them spoke again until they got their food and sat down at the table. Once everyone was sitting down the conversation switched to football and if Joey and Caleb were planning to join the team next year. The answer Sam and the rest got is the answer they wanted, yes. Now with them on the team there is no way any school in the district could beat them, which means they are going to get to state.

Before the lunch was over, Joey showed his friends around the school, hoping they would remember at least half of what he is showing them. The last thing Joey showed them was how to get to their fourth period class since that is the only class he does not have with them. During that period, they all have PE and Joey has ROTC.

Just as the bell rang, Joey and Caleb were heading to their locker. They grabbed their afternoon books before heading off. When they reached the halfway point, they said their goodbyes. Both of them wanted to kiss each other, but did not. They did not want any more trouble from Bill, the principal or anyone else that might take offense at two guys kissing and showing how much they care for each other.

Not needing a map to get to his fourth period class, Joey got there a little before the warning bell. As he walked in, he half suspected to see his old instructors, but to his surprise, he found two new ones, a retired sergeant major, and major. He walked over to them and handed him his transcripts and schedule.

The senior army instructor pulled Joey into his office as the cadet company commander started to take roll call. "Mr. Alvarez I knew you were coming, it just I didn't know what period they were going to put you in." The major tossed Joey's schedule and transcripts on his desk. "I understand you have something else for me." The major reached for the file that Joey had been given to deliver to him.

"Oh yeah sir I forgot all about this." He reached in and pulled out the file. "Colonel Chandler asked me to deliver this to you, my cadet file."

"Yes I am aware of that, thank you." The instructor took the file from Joey and tossed it on his desk on top of the other two items Joey gave him. "My name is Major Massey, the senior army instructor for the second battalion of the first brigade. The other instructor you saw me with when you walked in is my assistant army instructor, Sergeant Major Moreland. The cadet battalion staff here you will meet in the next couple of days."

Major Massey opened Joey's file and started looking it over. "When I heard I was getting a cadet battalion commander transferring in, I was surprised. First, it is the middle of the year and normally someone that is high ranking as you does not transfer out of your school. Simply put the chances of you keeping your rank in the new school is very slim.

Secondly, I already have a full battalion staff here. I spoke with Colonel May on this and he told me I cannot take your rank since you have already been given it from your other school, but I am not forced to take out my battalion commander and put you in that slot. At the same time, I cannot have a cadet lieutenant colonel running around without a position. So as you can see I am in a dilemma here."

"Yes sir I can see that, and I am sorry! I never meant to come in here to have someone lose their position they earned."

"I know you didn't mean to do that, but that is what is going to happen here. I have to put you on battalion staff because of your rank. Therefore, with that said, I am making you the battalion executive officer and next year you will get the battalion if you are still attending this school. Do you have any problems with any of this so far?" Joey answered no immediately, which the major liked.

"Good I am glad to hear that. Now that we are done with that, let's move onto the other things I need to go over with you before I hand you off to the sergeant major to get you a uniform." Joey debated with himself on either telling the major that he has his own or not. After thinking about it for a few seconds, he decided against it since it seems that the major is not in a good mood.

"You will be in uniform tomorrow with the rest of the battalion. Make sure you are here at seven thirty in morning because that is when we hold our officers meeting. At that meeting, you will meet the rest of the battalion staff and officers. In addition, you will be introduced, as the XO to them, so be prepared.

Wednesday you will head down to El Paso High School and meet the battalion commander down there. The young man down there has installed many new items that we should have already done here, but have not. I want you to find out how to get it done and then come back here and start working on that immediately.

We will not put the new procedures into affect this year because the year is almost over. That is why I am sending you down to learn how to do it because you are going to be running this battalion next year when everything goes into effect.

With that said, I would like us to try to get out a couple of editions of our battalion newsletter. We do not have the software and instructions to do this, so pay attention on how that is done. Once you come back, that will be the first thing you are going to work with. The reason I want that to be your first project is that we are the only battalion in the brigade that is not printing out a newsletter. Any questions so far?"

"Only two sir; how much time will I have to spend at El Paso High School and will missing school on Wednesday go against my allowed absences."

"I would like you back here for this class on Wednesday. That gives you the entire morning to learn what you need to before having to come back. As far as how you are going to be counted on Wednesday is present for all your classes, which means it will not go against your absences that you are allowed to have each semester."

Joey and Major Massey went over a couple more things that were expected of him before he was handed back his class schedule and transcripts. "One more thing colonel before you leave. I am aware of your life style and I do not like it, but I have to take it since this is a high school class and not the real army. If it were the real army, you would not be allowed to put on the greens and call yourself a soldier.

Anyway, I am getting way off base here. When I walk into these doors, I put my prejudice aside and treat every cadet with the same respect as long as you do not do anything to bring shame to the uniform. We will never visit this topic again as long as you understand what I am saying here. Do you understand what I am saying?" Joey could not make heads or tails on what the major meant and the major saw that.

"I cannot tell you what to do when you are not at school. That is none of my business and I will never assume it is. However, when you are in uniform and on school grounds, you will respect the uniform that you are wearing. That means you cannot hold hands, kiss or anything like that with your boyfriend. If you do and I find out about it, I will demote you faster than you can say you will not do it again. Do I make myself clear on this point?"

"Yes sir, you have made yourself crystal clear on this point!"

"Good, I am done with what I need to talk with you about, so go out, and see the sergeant major. Make sure you have everything you need to be in class A's tomorrow. If you are missing ribbons, metals, your rank or anything else that goes on your uniform, get that from him as well. I demand the best out of my cadets, and more so my officers."

Joey did not question anything that Major Massey said. He just wanted to get out of this office as quickly as he could. Once the major excused Joey, he turned around and almost ran out of the office. When he walked into the hallway, he ran into the sergeant major. He looked at him nervously and at the same time worried because he thought that maybe the sergeant major was just like the major, but he was wrong. The sergeant major was totally the opposite of his boss, which caught Joey by surprise.

They chatted with each other as they walked into the classroom to the lockers where the uniforms were stored not as student and instructor, but more like friends. That really surprised Joey because normally the assistant army instructor is exactly like the senior army instructor. They had to be in order to work as close together as they do, but here is a different story. The assistant army instructor was cool and understanding.

Sergeant Major Moreland could see Joey was bothered by the discussion he had with the major and wanted to do what he could to make Joey feel more at home. "Look, don't take what Major Massey said to you to heart. No one, no matter who they are, should bring a person down or make them feel bad because of whom they are. By what I have read of your cadet file, you are a great addition to this battalion and this school. In fact I really think you are exactly what we need to be a better battalion, a breath of fresh air."

"Thank you sir and I hope I live up to what you think of me. Even though I attended this school before, it is hard to start over again. This is my fourth time I had to restart at a high school, and hopefully it will be the last time."

"I too, hope that this is your last stop! Let's stop talking about this and get you fitted for your uniform before the class returns." Joey felt comfortable enough with Sergeant Major Moreland to tell him that he has his own uniform. Therefore, there was no need to fit him as far as pants, shirt, and shoes. The only thing he needs is the jacket, and that is only for tomorrow because he needed a time to send his jacket in to get the patches put on.

The sergeant liked what he heard and only concentrated on the jacket. Once they found one that fit Joey perfectly, the sergeant major gave Joey the rest of the uniform, not worried that it fit or not. Joey was signing out everything just as the company came marching in. He and the sergeant major moved out of the way to let them take their seats.

Pretty much the rest of the afternoon went off without a problem from either Bill or the principal. When the final bell rang, and Joey and his friends headed down to the cafeteria for their detention. Just as Sam explained during lunch, the teacher holding the detention sent everybody home less than fifteen minutes into it.

As soon as they walked into the hotel, Joey went looking for Helen. He knew she was home because she has not started working yet, only Harold. He found her unpacking a box in her room in the penthouse. Softly Joey knocked on the door as he cleared his throat to get Helen's attention. She looked up at him and stopped what she was doing.

"You boys are just getting home?" Helen looked up at the clock on the wall. "Doesn't class get out at three thirty?" Joey shook his head. "Well it is almost four thirty and you guys are barely walking in. I know El Paso is a lot bigger than Alamogordo, but your high school is no forty five minute drive from here."

"No you are right, it is maybe ten minutes at the most." Joey went into detail on what happened before lunch. As he was telling Helen how things unfolded in the hallway, she was getting mad and Joey could see that. "Don't worry about us mom, we will be okay." Hearing Joey call her mom put the biggest smile on her face, and made her completely forget what Joey told her. "I need to ask you for a favor. If you say no I will understand."

"You can ask me anything to a point that is!" Helen smiled as he sat down on her bed.

"I know you and Harold are people of your word and you have given your word to run an Albertsons here, but I need you to reconsider. The shelter I started is going to be a lot bigger than I even dreamed it would be. It is not only going to hold gay teens, but several more programs as well. Being in school, I do not have the time to run it. In addition, I really do not know how to and right now I just want to be a teenager in high school.

What I am getting at is I need someone to step in and run this shelter as the director. I do not want to go out and hire someone I do not know. No, I want to put someone in that position that I can trust and know. That person in my mind is you mom! Would you please run the shelter instead of running a grocery store?"

Stunned at the offer, Helen was lost for words. "I really do not know what to say except I am surprised on what you are offering me. There are plenty of other people out there that you can hire to do a lot better job than me. In fact what about Janet and Gary, didn't you already select them to be the directors of this shelter."

"Yes, but at the same time no I didn't!" Joey sat down in the chair across from Helen. "I asked them to run the shelter in Alamogordo and they accepted the job. They still had no problem running it up here until they found out that the shelter was going to be a lot bigger than it was in Alamogordo and it was going to have several other programs at the same time. They came to me and asked if they could just run the floor they are on, which I have no problem with that.

By that change, I need to put someone to run the entire thing. Now what I am offering you is director, which is nothing like what you think. You deal with running the big picture, and you hire people to run each section within the shelter. For example, you hire someone to run the gay shelter and only the gay shelter. Then you hire someone to run the other programs that are being put into place here."

"I completely understand where you are coming from Joey and I don't see any big issues with it except one. Where are you going to get the money to pay everyone? I don't even see where you are going to get the money to pay the bills to keep the electric, gas and water running in this place, more less employees."

"A lot of that has been taken care of thanks to Al, Jacob's grandfather. As far as paying the cost to keep the doors, open in this place will be paid by the money we get from the state for each person we house here. If we fill everyone room and keep them filled at least nine months out of the year, we don't have to worry about what you said.

Now as far as paying for the staff, we have plenty of money still in the bank from our donors to pay for every staff member for two years. I am confident in myself and those around me that we will be able to get more donor money way before the money runs out. Plus once the houses in Alamogordo are sold, we will have more money there."

Helen thought about what she was being offered and the more she thought about it, the more she liked it. Working in the same place that she lives will make her life a lot easier than working outside the house. She will be her own boss with only Joey to report to, which she does not see a problem with that. Then what happened between her son and Joey before they moved popped back into her mind and got her second-guessing the offer.

"Everything sounds very good, but I have one concern." Joey sat up straight, as he looked straight into Helen's eyes. "Harold and I are worried that if you and our son get into another fight and are unable to work it out the next time, you will kick us out. That worry is there also if I accept the job. If you guys break up, you might let me go because you two were unable to work things out and stay as a couple."

Seeing that Helen was very concerned about where she and her family will stand if he and Caleb ever break up. If he were in her shoes, he would be wondering the same thing. After all, they have pretty much put all their eggs in one basket, basically, by moving in here, to a place he owns. It has to be scary where Helen and her family are right now.

"I will not lie to you mom! Caleb and I will probably fight again as we did before we moved up here, but hopefully the love we are building between each other will always keep us together no matter what the fight is. There are things we still haven't settled, but I believe we can get through it all because we have gotten through the hard stuff already." Helen was more confused with Joey's answer than she was before he started.

"Look I know I don't have the best track record when it comes down to staying with the guy I truly love. I screwed up my relationship with Jacob by listening to birdies whispering into my ear. You have that on your mind and as well, the major fight Caleb and I had last week. The fight got to the point that we did not stay in the same house for a couple of days, which I regret now. We should have talked it out the first day.

We are learning mom how to be a couple living under the same roof. There is a lot of give and take for both of us, which is something neither of us is used to doing. Both of us had plans before we met and we need to acknowledge that. At the same time, let each other fulfill what we planned before we got together. Since we understand that now, we are a stronger couple.

In others words mom, I really do not see Caleb and me breaking up. We love each other too much and there are no little birdies out there making trouble for either of us. That is something new for me because in my last relationship we had many people trying to break us up and one got it done. In addition, if that does ever happen, which I know it will not, you, Caleb, and your entire family will always be welcome here. As well, you will always have the job I am offering you. The only way you will not be in it is if you quit."

Helen liked what Joey was saying, but was more interested in what he was not saying. If a person listens closely and reads between the lines, they can pick up the true meaning what a person is really trying to say. No matter how much they try to mask it, they give away what they truly mean, and Joey did.

She was satisfied and believed that no matter where her son and Joey's relationship lands up, she and her family will not be thrown out in the street. They will always have a place to live. As well if she takes the job, she will always have it as long as she wants it. What Joey said was enough for her to move away from the conversation.

They talked a little more about the job that Joey was offering. Once they got through what she was going to be responsible for, they went right into what it paid. Stunned on how much Joey was offering to pay her for a job that she would have done free, but of course, she accepted the pay. By the time Joey left her room, they had their T's crossed and the I's dotted. Helen is now the director of the shelter Joey has put together.

After dinner, Joey and Caleb made their way up to their suite to do their homework and get ready for school the next day. They were in bed a little after eleven, but they were not tired yet. Therefore, they talked about what happened at school. The only problem about that was they could not keep their hands off each other. In return, they could not keep the conversation straight on the topic at hand.

Joey kept reaching over to Caleb's side of the bed gently squeezing his dick. It did not take long for Caleb to get hard as a rock. Before the boys knew it, they had kicked off their covers and were rolling around the bed in each other's arms, kissing.

Although it was not cold, they were used to wearing sweatpants and t-shirts to bed. That did not matter because their clothes were in a pile on the floor in no time. Joey worked his way down to Caleb's belly button and then back up to his lips several times, teasing him, making him hornier and hornier. It was driving Caleb up the wall so bad he could not take it anymore. He knew if he did not stop Joey from teasing him, he was going to explode without even touching his dick.

He gently rolled Joey onto his back and started kissing his way down Joeys chest, defined six pack and then to his belly button. Just like Joey, Caleb stopped right at the waistband of Joey's boxers and made his way back up. The second time down, he didn't stop at the waist band, instead he made it all the way down to Joey's dick and gently nibbled on it, making Joey flap around on the bed like a fish out of water.

Being cruel, Caleb did not go any further. He stopped and made his way back up to Joey's lips, kissing every inch of his stomach and chest on the way up. Not staying long kissing and nibbling Joey's earlobe, Caleb made his way back down to Joey's crotch. This time instead of nibbling at Joey's dick through his boxer briefs, Caleb removed them. The minute Caleb pulled the underwear off Joey his dick jumped out and slapped him on the belly button. Caleb could see the glistening of per-cum coming from Joey's dick, and could not wait to have it in his mouth.

Caleb's full attentions of both his mind and of his body were drawn to this most personal part of his lover. He slowly lowered his face to Joey's privates tenderly extending his tongue to the 'leaking' tip of the penis. Caleb's slow and gentle swipes of his tongue almost caused Joey to rise up from the bed.

Joey's body was sending him such powerful signals of pleasure that he seemed to lose contact with reality. Their lives have been so hectic, that the normal needs for such physical releases have not always been given proper attention. Now Joey was so immersed in such feelings of pleasure being given to him by the one man he so dearly loved that without Caleb even moving onto a sucking motion, Joey EXPLODED sending his own body fluids spurting into Caleb's surprised but welcoming mouth!

Joey needed several moments to recover, but Caleb used this pause to savor the taste of his lover's fluids as he swirled them around in his mouth. He then placed his mouth onto Joey's mouth and began to kiss him with much intention. As the two joined their tongues together, Caleb passed some of Joey's 'donation' back into his own mouth where together they mixed the fluids with their tongues.

Joey could tell that Caleb's own arousal was very evident as the now 'hard-as-a rock' member pressed into Joey's side. Just such rubbing of Caleb against Joey's body was, in itself, a major stimulant for them both, BUT that was not what Joey was now seeking for his lover. He wanted to bring Caleb to a full and extended orgasmic release.

With this goal in mind, Joey extended his own tongue to lick the seeping pre-cum off Caleb's hard penis. Lick after lick after lick up and down and around along with a little gentle stimulation by Joey's right hand was having a major impact on Caleb. Then Joey's left hand began to rub and pinch the nipples as well. Caleb's groans and moans were escalating to such a level that Joey feared the entire hotel might now be listening!

Next Joey moved on to use his full mouth to encapsulate Caleb's prick inside with an up and down motion with tongue licking all the way. After just a few minutes of this, Caleb's body began to rise up from the bed as his heels dug into the bed and his hips rose up higher and higher. Suddenly, Caleb's body also EXPLODED with a dramatic release of his own love juices filling Joey's willing mouth.

Both boys were now not only physically exhausted, but the loving and emotional connections with each other were also draining them. Sleep was deep and the dreams most comforting.

The next morning Joey was nervous as hell. Not only is this is first uniform day back at Austin, but also today is the day he will find out how the XO he is replacing took the news. If it was he, he knows he would not take it too well, which he is thankful it is not him. He knows that sounds mean, but it is the truth.

After eating breakfast with the guys in the cafeteria, Joey rushed over to the ROTC classroom. As he walked in, every student that was standing in the hallway stopped what they were doing and looked at the new cadet. None of them said a word to Joey as he passed them, which did not surprise him. He actually suspected this kind of greeting.

The first person he saw when he walked into the classroom was Sergeant Major Moreland, with a smile. Joey felt a little at ease seeing at least one person in the classroom was happy to see him. He made his way to the sergeant, and just as he reached him, Joey was sent back to the office where the rest of the battalion staff was about to get their briefing from Major Massey.

As he walked back into the hallway, he saw Major Massey walking in. Seeing that he was not in his office yet, Joey did not feel as bad as he was feeling on being a late. He waited for the major to reach the entrance to the office, and followed him in. All the cadets that were sitting down got up as he passed them on his way to his desk.

"Good morning ladies and gentleman, please stand at ease and take your seats." Joey stood there as the other cadets sat back down, not knowing if there was a certain order that they were seated. As Major Massey put down his brief case, he looked up and saw that Joey was still standing at the entrance of his office.

"It looks like you and Sergeant Major Moreland were lucky yesterday on getting a uniform that fits you." Joey just said yes sir and did not go into any detail on why his uniform actually fit him just right. "Why don't you take a seat by the battalion commander Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Alvarez?" The major was pointing to the empty seat.

Joey walked over to the seat and sat between two other cadets that did not look too happy that he was there. "Okay as you all are aware we have a new cadet from another battalion, so please make welcome Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Joey Alvarez." Joey looked to his left and then to his right and again did not see any kind of welcome from the other cadets.

"He has the rank of a battalion commander, but will be the XO for the rest of the year and then next year our battalion commander since he is just a junior this year. Whenever you have a chance, introduce yourselves to him and make him feel more welcome than you have done so far." All at once, the members of the battalion staff said yes.

"Good, now let's move on to what you all are going to discuss with your officers this morning." Major Massey handed each person a list of issues needed to go over. He went into detail on a few of them before excusing them to get the officers meeting going. They all got up and made their way out of the office. Before entering into the classroom, the battalion commander stopped and turned around.

"Listen we have to accept you to the battalion staff because you came in with that rank, but don't think we are doing it on our own free will. By you coming in one of my friends that I have known pretty much all my life lost his slot on staff, which is not fair. So don't suspect any kind of favors and welcoming from anyone here, because you won't get it."

The battalion commander turned and walked into the classroom without letting Joey respond to what he said. The other staff members followed him like a good lap dogs, which made Joey laugh. He walked into the classroom and made his way to the front with a big grin on his face making everyone look at him wondering why he is he smiling.

It did not take them long to get through the checklist that Major Massey gave them to go over with the officers. When they were done, they opened the floor for grievances. A couple of officers voiced a few, but the grievances were not settled. All that was said was that they would look into the issues and get back to them on a one-on-one basis.

When the fourth officer stood up and voiced his grievance, he was given the same line. Joey had enough and leaned over to ask the battalion commander if he could deal with the grievance that was just brought up. Stunned that Joey asked after the conversation they had before meeting, he went ahead and gave permission for him to answer. When Joey got up, the commander was hoping that Joey would make a fool of himself.

"None of you know me, so let me introduce myself. My name is Joey Alvarez and as you can see, I am a lieutenant colonel. I just transferred in from a school in Alamogordo New Mexico, but this is not the first time I have been in this classroom. I was part of this program in my freshman year so I pretty much know the ins and outs of everything here." Joey looked out to blank looks on almost every face in the classroom.

"Anyways the reason I got up here is to try to answer some of your grievances because I dealt many of them in my last high school. There are going to be a lot more procedures that will be put into place by the end of the year like a promotion and demotion board to handle the concerns you just brought up sir." Joey pointed to the officer that just asked a question about promotions.

Not going into a lot of detail of each of the new programs, Joey briefly touched on them. He did not want to take up any more of their time than he had to on these issues. In addition, he did not want the instructors to know that he knows everything that there is to know about the new procedures. If the instructors would figure out that he knew what he knew, they would not send him to El Paso High School tomorrow. Something he has been looking forward on doing since he was told. Mainly he wanted to surprise Jacob and the old gang.

The battalion commander was stunned on what Joey knew and just looked at his new XO as he sat back down. Once Joey was done talking, no one else had any more grievances or questions to put out there. Seeing that, the battalion commander ended the officers meeting. As they walked out, several of the officers stopped Joey wanting more detail about what he was saying on the new procedures.

Major Massey and Sergeant Moreland looked on as their officers flocked to Joey. Sergeant Moreland looked over at Massey and started to speak in a low voice. "It looks like we finally have a cadet that is willing to lead and not follow the guy that is on top. It is about time that we have that, don't you think sir?" Major Massey shook his head and walked out of the classroom and into his office.

The rest of the day went smoothly until the bell rang for sixth period. Joey, Caleb and the others were heading to their sixth period class when Bill and his cronies stopped them in the hall. It was the same ones with Bill except for one new face from the day before. Joey could tell that the new kid did not want to be there. He was trying to hide in the back, between the others.

"Look at this guy, one of the faggots thinks he is G.I. Joe or something like that." Bill walked up to Joey and raised his hand to hit Joey on the head, but Joey stopped him. "Oh you grew balls over night I see. No matter what you think faggot, the military will never let you in since you are not a man."

"By the looks of it, I am more man that you." Joey replied in a cocky voice. "At least I do not need a pack to back me up whenever I am confronting someone. You saw me this morning when you were alone, but instead of coming over to me with your cocky attitude, you hide your face and almost went running into the building." Everyone started laughing, including Bill's group of friends.

Bill turned and shot them a dirty look getting them to stop laughing. "Why don't we settle this once and for all right here in the hallway? Let us see who the man here is and who takes it up the ass. By the way you are walking around today; it looks like you have recently taken it up the ass." All of Bill's grouped started laughing like the idiots they are.

Joey set himself for a fight, but just as Bill swung, the principal once again popped out of nowhere. "Why is it that every time I come down this hallway I find you guys making trouble for the rest of the student body?" The principal walked between the two groups and once again put all the blame on Joey and his friends as he did the day before.

"It looks like I was not clear enough when you guys registered and giving you guys detention yesterday. Therefore let me be as clear as I can here gentleman, this type of behavior will not be tolerated here at this school." The principal went on ringing Joey, Caleb and their friend's neck as Bill and his friends looked on. Once again, the new face in Bill's group caught Joey's attention. He seemed more scared now that the principal had walked up than he was at first.

"Sir with all due respect I am not going to allow you to blame my friends and me for something we didn't start. It seems that you have a problem with us and I know what it is. If I were you sir you better get over it." Joey said in a confident voice.

The principal could not believe that not only one of his students was talking back, but also the way the student was talking. He started going over all the ways he could punish Joey and his friends, but did not settle on the punishment when Joey finished talking. He did not want dead air because he did not want the other students around to think that by the way Joey talked back to him that he has the upper hand.

"You listen to me young man, and listen well. I can make your lives here a living hell. It can get to the point that you will dread walking in the doors of this school every day."

"Oh then the way you are treating us now is not going to change." Bill and the others struggled to keep a straight face, but could not. They started to laugh. "You are already making our lives a living hell that we dread coming to school every day. Therefore there is not going to be any change on the way you are treating us."

"That is it young man you and your group will follow me to my office." The principal looked at the others standing there just looking on with big smiles on their faces. "The rest of you need to get to your classes if you know what is best for you. By the time I count to ten if any of you are still around, you will have detention after school."

Immediately the other students turned around and headed to their six period classes. As the crowd made their way down the hallway, the principal noticed the kid that Joey has been noticing. He called the kid by name to come over to him, but what came out of the principal's mouth next surprised Joey.

"Son, I told you not to be hanging around those kids. They are only using you so they will not get in trouble when they do something wrong by figuring I will not punish them if you are with them. What is it going to take to get you to understand that?"

"I understand dad completely what you are saying. You will have no problem suspending your own son if that sends a clear message to the other students here that no one is above your rules. They are my friends and no matter if you like it or not, I am going to hang out with them or anyone else here at school."

Not giving his dad a chance to respond to him, he started walking to his class yelling back at his father that he needed to get to class since the almighty came down and ordered it. That put a big smile on Joey's face and the others. They did not remove the smiles on their faces when the principal turned around, and this got him even angrier.

"You students think this is all fun and games, but wait until I suspend you guys on your second day. Let's see if you have those big grins on your faces then."

The principal started to walk towards his office, but Joey held the guys back. The principal did not notice that Joey and the others were not following him until he reached the door to his office. When he turned around he did not find them behind him, he almost blew a gasket. He looked down the hall for the students that he asked to follow him to his office, but did not see them anywhere.

Walking into his office, he yelled at his secretary to get him the new students. At first, the secretary did not understand what he was asking, but when he asked the second time, she figured it out. She let the principal go into his office before getting up and following him. As she walked in, she closed the door behind her.

"Sir I do not know if you know that one of the students you want me to call in is the son of a very important judge here in El Paso. He was handpicked by the governor, which means he is not a person you want to go toe to toe with. I know you are also important person, but you were not handpicked by the governor."

"Fine, don't call him in, but call the other boys that registered with him in."

"I am sorry sir, you know I will never disobey your orders, but I am trying to help you here. You really do not want to call any of them in. Put aside the boys you are referring to are the same boys that were in that ugly place. They have the ear of the public and if they go out and say, they are being mistreated here. The pubic out cry for your job will be too much for anyone to protect you. On top of that, one of them owns the shelter that is getting a lot of attention right now. You cannot keep doing what you are doing here."

"When you are sitting where I am sitting then you can say what you are saying." The principal turned around in his chair and looked out the window. "My son was there this time, my son! He is confused right now, on what he wants. If he sees a group of kids like those that just registered walking around this school as if what they are is okay, he will not fight the bad feelings he has inside of him. Right now, we are at the edge of no return. Anything or anyone can push him over before I can pull him back to safety."

"You are right sir. I am not sitting where you are sitting right now, but we have had many heart to heart talks since your wife passed away. Your hands are filled with running this school and then taking care of four boys. Overall, you have done a great job with the cards that you have been dealt. Give yourself a break and at the same time your kids.

If Aaron decides to go over the edge as you say, let him. Just be there when he reaches the bottom and support everything he does. The more you try to make him into something he is not, the more he will push away from you. Let him be the man he wants to be and who knows, maybe everything he is going through right now is just a faze."

Principle Haynes knows everything that his secretary is saying is right. All he has to do is look at how everything has unfolded in his house so far. The more he tries to tell his son that the feelings and thoughts he is having are wrong, the more his son hates him. Not just because of what he has said to him, but as well for not giving the support that he should be giving to his third youngest son.

"I cannot let what they did in the hallway go without any punishment from this office. If I do that, all the students that were there and saw it will think they could do the same thing. That will lead to returning this school to the way it was, kids running shooting each other. No I cannot have that happen and you know that."

"That I do sir, but you know as well as I do you punished them yesterday for something they did not do. I was there and I told you afterwards what you did was wrong. Just let it go that they have been punished for the wrong they have done, today's wrong. Everything somehow balanced itself out."

They talked a little while longer and by the time the secretary left the office, Principal Haynes was no longer asking her to get Joey and the others. He agreed to drop it and leave the new kids alone. If he does deal with them, he will make sure he is in the right if they need to be brought into his office.

Helen was relieved when Joey and everyone else walked into the doors of the hotel ten minutes before four o'clock. After what Joey told her last night what had happened at school earlier that day, she could not stop worrying. She was prepared to get in her car and drive up to the school if the kids did not walk into the doors by four.

As soon as Harold got home, everyone sat down and started to eat dinner. Since they live in the penthouses, they have their own full kitchens. Therefore, there was no need for them to eat their meals down in the restaurant with the rest of the residents of the shelter. At the same time, Helen did not like the big kitchen. She liked her regular kitchen with regular size appliances.

None of them is comfortable eating their meals away from the others that live here in the shelter, but they have no other choice. Harold is a district judge in this county and he needs to be able to be able to rule on all his cases, and not be asked to step down because he and his family eat their meals with the residents that he puts here.

After dessert, Harold asked Fran and Allen to stick around, letting Joey and Caleb head to their penthouse. Helen walked them out and once she closed the front door, she rejoined Harold, Fran, and Allen in the kitchen. She noticed as she sat down the nervous looks on Fran and Allen's faces.

"Okay let me start out this conversation by saying that neither of you are in trouble. It's just the last couple of weeks have been a roller coaster ride to say the least that we haven't had a chance to sit down and have a serious talk with you both. Helen and I have been trying to figure out a way to begin talking about this topic. We figured out that there is no real easy way but to just throw it out there." Harold looked at Fran and Allen with a concerned look on his face.

"I know when we discussed us adopting you; we never touched on the relationship you two are in right now. To be completely honest with you Helen and I never gave it any thought, until the last couple of days. In the eye of the law, you two are brother and sister because you are adopted by the same parents. I know that does not sound right since you two are not actually blood related, but it is in the eyes of the law.

We know you two love each other, but now that the adoptions are finalized, you can no longer date each other. Not only it looks wrong, but also by law, it is wrong. Helen and I can actually go to jail if you two continue dating. That worries us, but losing you two worries us even more. We love you guys and don't want to lose you just as we got you."

Fran grabbed a hold of Allen's hand and held it tight. "I am not going to break up with Allen. If we have to go back into court and void out our adoption so Allen and I can stay together, then I say, let us do it. I am sure Joey will go to court with me and take on the responsibility of supporting me. Any court will take one look at what my brother is worth and will have no problem granting our request."

"No, no that is not what we are getting at here or want to happen." Helen interrupted Fran before she actually gets angry enough to act on her threats. "All we are trying to do here is bring to your attention what others may be thinking when they see you two together. We know the truth and do not have a problem with it. There is just that one person out there that needs to be in everyone's business. With our luck, we will run into that person and whoever he or she is will make it their personal mission to correct the wrong they are seeing."

"I agree with every word that Helen said on this matter." Harold said as he got up from his chair. "Why don't we do this for now? Let us table this conversation and we all think on it for a couple of days. I know once you two have had a chance to think about what we have said here tonight, you will see where Helen and I are coming from."

Fran and Allen got up at the same time and walked to their rooms. Both of them were thinking the same thing. There is no way in time they will see where Harold and Helen are coming from. They love each other and there is nothing, which will change that, including the adoption. Little do they know how wrong they are.

The next morning Joey did not change his routine. He went to school with the guys and had breakfast with them in the cafeteria. As they were eating, Joey noticed the principal's kid looking at him. It is not a look that can get under your skin. Nor is it so bad that you need to get up and confront the person giving you the look. No, it was a look that Joey has seen many eyes of his friends. A look he remembers his freshman year as he was coming to terms to whom he was.

Just as Joey got up to go over and talk with the principal's son, Bill and his group walked up to him. He got up and walked out of the cafeteria with them. On his way out, he looked back several more times at Joey with the same look in his face. Joey decided right there and then to make it a point to talk with the poor kid that is lost in his own body.

No sooner, after rejoining Caleb and the others at the table, the first bell of the day rang. They all got up and made their way to their lockers, Joey walked with Caleb and stood there talking to him as he got his books for the morning classes. As soon as he got all his books, they closed their locker and ran to the restroom to be alone.

When they walked in, they half suspected to find other students in there, but having a stroke of good luck there was not. Joey leaned and kissed Cesar right on the lips. They held the kiss until they heard someone at the door. Quickly as they could, they broke the kiss, made their way to the sink, and pretended to wash their hands. The ones that walked in did not acknowledge them, which neither Joey nor Caleb cared.

They walked out of the restroom and over to the side door of the school. "I know this is weird for you Caleb, but you have nothing to worry about. I will be back for fifth period and we will see each other then. Please make sure you guys stay away from that jackass Bill and his group. I do not want to come back to find out that the principal had an actual reason to suspend any of us, okay."

Caleb agreed and promised Joey that he will look out for the group while he was gone. Both of them wanted to kiss each other, but did not. Not only the principal was looking for that, but also so is Major Massey. So instead, they just shook each other's hands and went their different directions.

Joey had forgotten how far the central side of town is from the Westside of town. It took him almost forty minutes to get to El Paso High, but when he did arrive, he was happy. His heart was beating fast and his mind was going a million miles a minute. He stayed in his truck for a few minutes until he settled down. Once he got control of himself, Joey got down and made his way to the ROTC building.

When he walked in, it felt weird. He never thought he would ever walk through the doors again of this building, but here he is a few short months later doing it. Making his way to Major Moore's office, he was stunned to find Colonel Pigeon in there instead. Getting over the shock, Joey knocked on the door and waited to be invited in.

Colonel Pigeon looked up from what he was doing and waived Joey in. "When I got the call from Major Massey on Monday, I couldn't believe it". Colonel Pigeon stood up and shook Joey's hand before asking him to take a seat. "It is good to see you, truly it is. Now that I am over here, you are back at Austin High School, how weird is that?"

"Very weird if I say so myself sir!"

"Yes it is very weird indeed. I understand you are here to learn all the new procedures that were pretty much put in effect when you were here. When I heard that it was you, I was confused, but did not say anything because I wanted to see an old cadet of mine."

"You are right I was here when all the procedures were put into effect, but I was not part of getting it done. Jacob on the other hand was the master mind and I did see how it was all done since we lived together at the time." Colonel Pigeon smiled at Joey. "I will understand it if you send me back and tell Major Massey that I knew everything, but let me tell you why I didn't tell him the truth."

"There is no need for that Joey, no need at all. I know why you did what you did and I am not going to call Major Massey and inform on you. Let me get Jacob down here so you two can get down to business. After all you only have two hours to talk with your old friend before having to go back to Austin."

Colonel Pigeon smiled at Joey as he called the attendance office. Joey heard the colonel asking the attendance clerk to get Jacob out of his class and have him report to the ROTC building. Before hanging up, Colonel Pigeon instructed the clerk to mark him present for the next two classes and then hung up the phone. Colonel Pigeon then instructed Joey to go out, sit in the small classroom, and wait for Jacob there. He did not question why the small classroom, he just got up and did as he was asked.

Meanwhile back at Austin Caleb and the rest were okay without Joey, but did not like being there without him. From the very first day, they have been shown they are not welcome there, which makes it even harder starting at a school they do not know. They suspected that they were going to be treated badly from the other students, but not from the teacher staff and the principal.

Anyways they were on their toes all morning long. When lunch came around, they had hoped that Joey would walk through the doors and join them. Halfway through lunch, the principal's son walked up to the table and looked at everyone. At first, none of them could make out what was up with the kid. They all saw him with Bill yesterday and figured he was here to make them trouble.

"Where is the other guy that is always sitting next to you?" Aaron spoke softly as he looked at Caleb. He spoke so low, Caleb was the only one at the table that was able to make out what the kid said.

"He is not here right now. Is there anything I can do to help you out?" Aaron shook his head and started to walk away. Caleb got up and ran up to him. "He will be back at school during fifth period. If you want to talk with Joey today, meet us at the far side door of the school after sixth period. I am sure Joey will have no problem talking with you." Aaron shook his head as he tried not to smile.

When Caleb returned to the table, the guys all asked at the same time what the kid wanted. Since Caleb did not have the answer, he just shrugged his shoulders and went back to eating his lunch. They tried for a couple more minutes to get something from Caleb, but finally gave up and returned to the conversation they were having before Aaron had walked up to the table.

The rest of lunch period went by without any more excitement. When the bell rang ending their lunch, they made their way to get their afternoon books from their lockers. All through PE Caleb could not stop thinking about Joey, which was not out of the ordinary for him. Every day during this period, all he could think about is Joey.

PE dragged on and on and when they coach yelled out for the class to hit the showers, Caleb almost pushed everyone out of the way as he ran to the locker room. He quickly rinsed off in the shower and changed back into his regular clothes before heading to the door. He only had to wait a little over minutes for the bell rang, and when it did, he high tailed it out there faster than he has ever left a classroom before.

When he reached his fifth period classroom, he looked in to see if Joey was there yet, but he was not. Seeing that Joey was not there, he stood off to the side of the door and waited for him. When the warning bell rang, Caleb hesitantly walked into the classroom and took his seat. Just as the final bell rang, Joey came running in, putting the largest smile on Caleb's face that lit up the room.

He sat down and reached out for Caleb's hand. They held each other's hands as the teacher took roll call, but once she was done, Joey let go and pulled out his book and notebook. All through class, they passed notes to each other talking about how their day went. Both of them on their very first note to each other said that their day was not the same without the other at their side.

As they headed to sixth period, Caleb told Joey what had happened at lunch. Not surprised that Aaron had tried to find him, Joey acted as if he was. He knew what Aaron wanted because of what he saw previously so he did not ask any questions. By not asking questions, that got Caleb's attention. Before Caleb could ask what was going on his boyfriend's mind, they walked into their classroom. Not wanting to, Caleb dropped the subject, figuring in an hour he will have his answers hopefully.

Just like PE class, history dragged on for Caleb. The more he wanted the time to go faster, the slower it went. Finally halfway through the period, he stopped looking at his watch and the clock on the wall. Once he did that, the last thirty minutes went by in a blink of an eye. He and Joey were heading to the locker, grabbing their books that they needed for their homework and walking out the side door to meet up with Aaron.

Aaron was pressed against the wall when Joey and Caleb walked out of the door, so they did not see him right away. They stood there looking around, but not back at the building at first. As they were about to walk off, Aaron walked up and patted Joey on the shoulder. He turned around to see a very handsome kid. He stood around five-eight, black, short hair with these beautiful blue eyes that goes right through you.

Joey could not figure out if the kid was a Hispanic or White. If he was Hispanic, the guy needs to get out more because he is white as a ghost. The last thing Joey noticed about him before he started to talk is the way he was dressed. He was wearing faded jeans that just fitted him perfectly, not too tight, not too loose. A t-shirt that showed off his shoulders and arms, but he was not built, but he was not skinny either.

"Um you do not know me; my name is Aaron, Aaron Haynes." Caleb recognized the last name and started pulling on Joey to leave. He did not want anything to do with the son of the principal that was gunning for them. "Thank you for meeting me out here! I know you are probably thinking this is some kind of trick or something, but it..."

Just then, Principle Haynes walked out the door. "Get away from those two students Aaron." The principal quickly walked over to his son and grabbed his arm. "When I was told by Bill and his friends that you were out here talking to them I could not believe it. You get back into the building, go to my office, and wait for me there. Do you understand?" Principle Haynes tugged on his arms trying to make himself clear.

"I understand dad, you don't have to yell at me to get your point across." Aaron wiggled free from his father's grasp. "I am not two years old dad, so stop treating me like I am."

"I am not going to have this conversation out here in front of all these students. Do what you are told and go to my office." The principal turned his attention to Joey and Caleb. "I have had it up to here with you boys." Principal Haynes brushed his right hand across his forehead. "Tomorrow morning you come to school with your parents so I can discuss with them the disciplinary actions I am taking with you boys. Better go home and hope I don't decide to suspend you because that is what I am leaning toward doing."

Principal Haynes turned and walked back into the building, leaving Joey and Caleb standing there wondering what they had done wrong. They looked at each other to see if the other knew something they did not know, but they did not. Knowing that they were not going to get the answer by standing there, they turned and headed to the parking lot to meet up with the others at the truck. On the way, Joey decided to put all this out of his mind since he will not get the answer to what they had done wrong in the principal's eye until tomorrow morning. Until then, he is not going to waste another minute wondering.

TO BE CONTINUED...

I have a home page for you to see what the characters look like or what the places look like. If you want to walk in their shoes, please go to: http://jacobmillertex.com/

WRITER'S CORNER:

{Welcome back one and all to another chapter of "Regrets and Heartaches". I know I keep promising you that I am going to turn out more chapters of this story than I am, but have not done so. Therefore, I am going to stop promising that, try, and get it done. It should be easier now that they are back in El Paso, but we will see.

Now let us go over the chapter that you just read. As all my other chapters, I picked up right where I left off at from the last chapter. You all found out who was the group that was yelling for Joey. I warned you that older characters from "Jacob Finding His Way" were going to make an appearance here in this story. They are not going to go anywhere any time soon, so get familiar with them. Go to their bios on this story page and see how they look and everything else.

What is going with Principal Haynes? He seems to have it out for Joey, Caleb and the others. It was oblivious who started everything in the hallway, but he refused to listen to reason. Instead he gave Joey, Caleb and the others detention for something they did not start. I am glad that the teacher only held them for fifteen minutes.

Later on in the chapter we found out a little more on why the principal is acting the way he is acting. It is a shame that there are parents like him out there that try and change the way their kid is when the kid comes out and tells them that they are gay. With the last few parents, I have surprised you guys on how they ended up acting about their gay son. So do not be surprised if I do that here. Also, do not be surprised that I go back to my old formula and make him a bad parent as I did at first.

Bill and his group are not done yet. I am afraid by the time something is done about them. Someone is going to get hurt and hurt badly. For you guys to find out how this plot unfolds, you must tune in to the next couple of chapters of this story to get the answer.

We had the two sit down talks with Helen in this story. Let me start with the first one with Joey. I am glad that Joey offered her the director slot that is open and that she accepted it. She has a heart and understands things that many do not. She is wasting her talent running a grocery store. The new job I feel fits her like a glove.

The second sit down talk was between Helen, Harold, Fran, and Allen. This plot was brought to my attention by a reader who wrote me weeks ago on his concern about the adoption. The more and more I thought about his email, the more I realized I needed to touch on this in case there are more readers out there wondering how the relationship was going to go now that they are adopted. This is a mini plot that will be settled in a couple of chapters, and I hope when I conclude it, you all are happy with the outcome. Let me know what you think I should do here. Should they stay together or break up?

In this chapter, I went into detail on how Joey was going to fit into the new battalion. He is after all a battalion commander and that rank cannot be taken away from him. He was able to keep it, but he was not able to keep his position, which did not bother him since he was not in it at his old high school. Here he got the same position he had there.

I touched on a plot that was in complete detail in "Jacob Finding His Way", the visit to El Paso High School. So if you have not read that chapter yet in that saga please go and read it. As you know, I try my hardest to stay away from repeating the same plots repeatedly in my stories. Simply it bores you all to death.

Finally, let us talk about the ending, Aaron. The poor guy is struggling with his identity and he is reaching out to those he thinks could help him find his way. I truly hope his father gives in and accepts his son for who he is. I also hope the coming morning he changes his mind and does not do anything to Joey and Caleb. After all, they did not do anything wrong to be brought into his office once again. I cannot wait to see when Joey and Caleb get home and tell Harold and Helen what happened, what about you guys?

There is so much going on in this saga. I can keep writing, but I will not. You all are going to need to tune in to the next chapter to see what is going on. More plots are going to open and old ones will be closed. This story, like my others, will keep you on your toes. Do not miss what is coming up in the chapters to come.

I do not want to say too much more and spoil the future chapters to come, so I will not. I warn you though! Do not skip a chapter, or you will be lost. There is a so much to answer in the chapters to come. Keep reading the future chapters, and enjoy! Please email me and let me know how I am doing at jpg@tickiestories.us, Thanks!}

EDITOR'S CORNER:

Being an educator for over 50 years now, Principal Haynes bothers me greatly. His behavior violates so many basic principles of good management and ethical behavior. I don't expect him to actually be a pal to his pupils, but I do expect him to respect them and to seek justice within his building demonstrating such principles by being a good principal.

However, it seems there are some factors in his life that we are just beginning to learn about and they may be connected to his unprofessional approach as a principal. I hope he can be helped to improve. Do you think this will be possible?

Joey and Caleb, as with most couples have had ups and downs in their relationship but they have been working on how to handle these situations. I salute them on their willingness to work on their journey together. My wife and I will soon observe our 49th anniversary, but we have had to work on it together just as J and C have already begun to do.

I suspect that when Principal Haynes "forces" the Judge and his wife to come to school, he will regret it. What do you think? Let our author (and me) hear from you with your prediction as how this meeting will turn out!

--Kentohio@jacobmillertex.com