FRIDAY, JANUARY 19, 2018

Christian was having a fantastic time in East Harbor and his parents felt like they had a new child. Their son's reunion with Lewis gave Christian a new lease on life and it was wonderful to see.

Christian also thought getting to know the boys and their lacrosse friends was a blast. He even looked forward to starting each day with a great workout before school. Arriving at the rec center, the boys learned that today was cardio and weights. The boys, along with some other lacrosse players, had already started. They talked and joked around while doing laps on the second-floor track. When the boys went to lift weights, Michael went downstairs to the corner where he worked on the pummel horse, rings and his floor exercises.

"Wow! He's really good," said Christian.

"Yeah," said Lukas. "He enjoys gymnastics but hates competing, so he won't join a club."

Christian watched Michael for a couple minutes more. This morning, Michael wore only his gymnastics shorts and socks so Christian could see the younger boy's muscular arms, chest, back and legs. Clothed, Christian never suspected Michael's physique. But seeing the boy doing his workout Christian was not only impressed by Michael's strength, but his young friend's focus and concentration.

Coach Harris had turned the boys onto the Schwarzenegger Body Mass program and today's workout was shoulders and back. Simon tracked the workout and led the group through the routine with Coach Harris' adaptations. Because of the boy's ages, he showed them how to execute similar exercises on machines instead of using free weights. It was safer for the boys, especially when there weren't enough adults there for him to dedicate his attention to just one group.

After the workout they showered and prepared for school. They were starting to dress when Michael entered the locker room for his shower. Christian watched the boy quickly strip and grab his towel and headed to the shower.

Michael wasn't long and the boys walked to school. The middle schoolers said "bye" to Matthew and Simon and the older boys when they headed up the steps to the high school. The younger boys turned and headed to the other end of the Mallway to the middle school. First point of order, a post-workout snack in the cafeteria.

Lewis and Christian finished first and headed to their lockers. Lewis still couldn't believe Christian was back in his life and here in East Harbor.

"You now," said Lewis, "I'm really happy you are here."

Christian gave Lewis a smile. "Me too."

The students at East Harbor Middle School were skeptical when Lewis 2.0 arrived when school resumed at the start of the new year. More than one student made a joke about aliens abducting Lewis and leaving behind this impersonator or wondered out loud what drugs the ginger boy was on. They hadn't noticed the changes in the boy before the kidnapping and they certainly didn't know all that transpired over Christmas break. Spending time with Michael, mending fences with his father, and reuniting with Christian helped Lewis make his transformation. Each was key to helping him fulfill his commitment to be the young man that he knew would make his mother proud. He woke each day to live his life to honor her memory and everything in his life was better for it -- much, much better.

When they arrived at school the first day after break, Lewis was bouncing off the walls. He took Christian around to everyone to introduce the new boy. Some students froze in fear wondering what Lewis was plotting. Other's flinched expecting the ginger bully to attack. With each negative reaction, Lewis apologized to the student for his past indiscretions. There was A LOT of apologizing.

Two weeks in, the students accepted that Lewis had emerged from his cocoon as a social butterfly to the shock and relief of his classmates. This strange new being acted as if he'd been everyone's best friend since he arrived in East Harbor and wanted everyone to know how proud he was of his friend Christian.

With Lewis around and the friends he'd made at lacrosse, Christian didn't really feel like the new kid, but he did feel like a new boy. He smiled, laughed, made new friends, and caught the eye of quiet a few girls. His mop of blonde hair and kissable pink lips drew stares even though the 13-year-old could have easily passed for a sixth grader. Even if he didn't look as old as the other boys, a turnoff for most teen girls, Christian's intelligence and sharp sense of humor drew their admiration.

Perhaps the biggest surprise for the small blonde since arriving in East Harbor was Lewis' announcement that they would be going on a double date to the basketball game against Mission Hills. It was a surprise for two reasons. One, neither boy had a girlfriend. Two, neither boy had ever gone out on a date. But on this day at lunch, Christian was informed that they were taking two girls to that evening's ballgame.

"What?!" exclaimed Christian with a horrified look on his face.

"Dude," consoled Lewis, "it will be cool!"

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"Dude, com'on," whined Lewis. "Hurry up! I don't want to be late picking up the girls.

Lewis continued to pace around the upstairs while Christian tried to decide how he wanted his hair. Tonight, getting his hair just right seemed to be more important than ever before. Parting his hair, combing it back or to the side, nothing seemed to look right. Giving up, Christian shook his head to erase all the work he'd done, turning his hair into the shock of yellow straw it looked like every other day.

Before leaving the bathroom, Christian took one last look at himself in the mirror. He wondered why he was letting Lewis drag him off on a double-date. His friend made such a big deal of the entire occasion that Anna and Kristoffer came down to see their son off on his first date. The little blonde slumped as he resigned himself to his fate. This was NOT how he ever imagined his first date. He thought he'd at least know the person and made the arrangements.

"About time, man. I bet the girls didn't take that long to get ready," teased Lewis. He was on cloud nine. He and Christian were going on their first dates and Lewis had a major crush on his date. "I can't believe Courtney said 'yes' when I asked her to go to the basketball game tonight," said Lewis in disbelief.

"I know," replied Christian, rolling his eyes. "You've only said that every 10 minutes since you asked her."

"Well what about you. Emily asked you out. Emily Jenkins! She's been the hottest girl in our class since, like, fourth grade." Lewis was more than a little jealous. Christian only blushed.

"She didn't ask me out," corrected Christian. "She asked YOU if you would bring me along. I don't even know Emily."

"Dude! Who cares? It was HER idea. She's into you, man."

"Do I look okay?" asked a sullen Christian.

"YES! Com'on!" Lewis led the way down the stairs where Anna was standing with the keys to her Odyssey.

"Don't you boys look nice." It took a lot for Anna to resist giving her boy a hug and kiss. She wondered if she was feeling sentimental about Christian growing up so fast, or if she just wanted to embarrass him a bit more.

"Thanks mom," mumbled Christian. His nerves were getting the best of him.

The Rear Admiral was standing with Christian's father. "Both of you boys look handsome." Kristoffer noticed how proud George was when he looked at his son. The man stood a bit straighter, puffed his chest out a bit farther, and grinned broadly. Lewis saw it too and headed right into his father's welcoming arms. When they parted, the Naval officer slipped some money into Lewis' hand. "Enjoy yourself tonight and be a gentleman."

"Thanks, dad." Lewis grinned ear-to-ear.

"Come here, gutten min," requested Kristoffer. Anna released their boy and her husband embraced him. Father to son, Kristoffer asked, "Are you nervous?" The blonde hair nodded up and down.

"Dude," consoled Lewis with the gentleness of a snow plow clearing a highway. Putting his arm around his best friend, he continued. "Nothing to worry about. We're just going to a basketball game. You and me. We just happen to have two beautiful girls going with us."

Kristoffer held the front door as the boys followed Anna. "You boys have everything you need? Money? Your cellphones?"

"Yep, Mr. Olsen."

"Yes, dad."

"Condoms?"

"DAD!!" Christian turn one hundred different shades of red and Lewis just laughed.

"You boys have a good time tonight," George said with a smile. "Call after the game and I'll pick you up and we'll take the girls home."

The boys agreed to meet the girls by the side entrance, close to the gymnasium. When both girls arrived, they bought tickets for themselves and their dates and headed to the student section.

"Let's make sure we get good seats, so we can see the stage," said Lewis.

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For Mission Hills, a win would give them sole possession of first place. East Harbor, on the other hand, was not a basketball powerhouse, but with a 7-2 record the varsity team had its best start in decades. A win over Mission Hills would be icing on a very delicious cake.

The boy's pregame show had the crowd riled up and the atmosphere in the gym was electric. From the start, the home team fed on that energy. Tight, inspired defense created turnovers that led to fast-break points and a tied score at the intermission.

It was time for Michael and the band to take the stage again. They were excited that the theater department set up stage lighting to make it feel more like a real show than they'd expected. During the final minutes of the half, they took the stage and prepared to play. Lukas behind the drum kit and Simon had his orange Fender bass. Matthew was nervous and kept fiddling with his electric guitar while Zach make sure he had everything set up. Tonight, he was running the soundboard and playing the whichever instrument he needed to play to fill out the sound.

For the game, the boys decided to wear their green Chuck's and matching ties, their gray shirts untucked with their sleeves rolled up, with blue jeans.

When the teams headed to the locker room, the boys got things underway. "What's up EAST HARBOR!!" Michael shouted into the microphone. "We got permission to use the basketball court as a dance floor tonight, so we need y'all on your feet! We're gonna bring you something a bit different tonight and you're gonna need the space dance around. And you guys from Mission Hills. We're gonna show you how we do things here in Saber country."

Lukas counted off and started thumping out the beat on his bass while Matthew started with the syncopated guitar line with Zach laying over the synthesizer. The crowd rushed the court and started dancing before Michael started signing.

Just shoot for the stars if it feels right
And aim for my heart if you feel like it
Take me away and make it okay
I swear I'll behave

The crowd started singing with him, especially when Simon joined in on bass for the chorus and they got to the lyrics everyone knew:

I've got the moves like Jagger
I've got the moves like Jagger

For their first performance of a dance/pop tune, or a Maroon 5 song, they kicked ass. At some point, Michael lost his shirt and tie and was dancing and singing all over the stage.

The crowd roared when the song ended. The music gave the crowd a chance to burn off nervous energy caused by the close basketball.

"Matthew," Michael told his brother. "If you get nervous, just close your eyes and imagine it is just you and I in your bedroom practicing. You'll rock this." Matthew just nodded and took center stage and Michael introduced the next song.

"By now you guys know the newest member of our band, our big bro' Matthew. Tonight, we want to show you a bit of what he can do."

Lukas counted off and Zach and Michael joined Lukas' funky drum riff to kick off "Live Like Animals" by Nothing But Thieves. It wasn't a song that their classmates knew, but the catchy beat and Matthew rattling off the opening lyrics got the crowd moving.

In nervous energy, Matthew started hopping up and down to the beat and the students on the gym floor join in. This was a song that helped Matthew release some of his pent-up anger, as well as his frustration with the social discourse and apathy people showed to other humans. So when the bridge came up, he closed his eyes belted out the lyrics.

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

The entire band danced around as they tore into the interlude as Matthew, realizing that the kids were with him and the lyrics of social awareness, allowed the natural showman inside to come out.

"Come on Sabers! Show me what you got!" He raised one fist in the air and pumped it as he jumped to the beat. The mass of kids followed.

After the next verse the band repeated the next bridge as Matthew got the students to sing along.

If you're a something don't ask for nothing,
If you're a nothing don't ask for something...

The student continued to sing the bridge with Michael, Simon and Zach as Matthew moved the song forward singing the chorus over the backing vocals.

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

This time when the band rocked the music interlude, a mosh pit broke out in front of the stage.

So wake up, so wake up,
So wake up, so wake up!

Then Matthew broke into his incredible falsetto amazing the entire gymnasium.

So wake up,
This ain't a dream
'Cause everything's exactly how it seems
So wake up!

When the song ended, and the building vibrated from the response of the crowd. Michael gave Matthew a high-five and a huge smile. Off mic, Michael shouted into Matthew's ear, "That performance will definitely get you laid!" Both boys laughed at the comment.

Without introducing the last song, the boys started playing and the crowd came alive with the recognition.

"Yeah, we're playing some newer songs tonight, and our last number is currently on the charts. It's really personal to me. If you feel it too, sing it along with me."

The crowded joined Michael from the beginning singing "Believer" by Imagine Dragons.

I was broken from a young age
Taking my sulking to the masses
Write down my poems for the few
That looked at me, took to me, shook to me, feeling me

Nearly the entire mass of students punched their fists in the air and screamed "pain" then sang the chorus at the top of their lungs.

*PAIN*
You made me a, you made me a believer, believer
*PAIN*
You break me down, you build me up, believer, believer
Pain, oh let the bullets fly, oh let them rain
My life, my love, my drive, it came from
*PAIN*
You made me a, you made me a believer, believer

When the end of the song, the scoreboard announcers asked the crowd to take their seats for the second half of the game. As students, and some adults, filed past to return to the bleachers, Keith Evans and Asa Dixon just looked at each other.

When the end of the song, the scoreboard announcers asked the crowd to take their seats for the second half of the game. As students, and some adults, filed past to return to the bleachers, Keith Evans and Asa Dixon just looked at each other.

"He wasn't lying, those guys are really good," confessed Keith, shaking his head not believing what he just saw.

"I'm already getting some ideas," said Asa. "I think we found the perfect subject."

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"We're going to go get something to eat. Do you want anything?"

"There's two minutes left in the third period," said Lewis, totally riveted to the excitement of the close ballgame. "Why don't you wait until... YEAH!!!" The entire crowd on the East Harbor side rose to their feet to cheer a timely three pointer.

"We'll be back," said Christian. He led Emily down the bleachers into the corridor and towards the concession stand.

They stepped to the end of the long line. Christian strained his neck to read off the items on the menu, so Emily could think about what she would like. It was simply another courteous and charming act by the cute blonde. Emily had gone out with a dozen or more boys since her mother let her start dating in sixth grade. Yes, the boys were as good, if not better, looking than Christian, but none were as polite or listened as well as Christian.

Christian blushed when he felt Emily's fingers weave between his own. He looked at her briefly and she simply smiled. His face turned another two shades darker red before he continued reading off the items available at the concession stand.

"Does anything sound good to you?" asked Christian.

Emily squeezed his hand then placed her other hand on his bicep and moved a few inches closer. She wanted him to know that she was enjoying his company and had learned that this was a one way to communicate her feelings. But this was all new to Christian and he felt like his heart would burst through his chest at any moment.

"I don't know," said Emily. "What are you going to have?"

"Uh..." Emily was close enough that Christian could feel her body heat and it was making him nervous and uncomfortable. She squeezed his hand and arm again. "Ummm... I think I'm going to get a hot dog and nachos."

"Okay. I'll get a hot dog too. Can we share the nachos?"

"Uhh... yeah, sure." Christian returned her smile with a half-smile and a look that told Emily that he was scared to death. Things were changing so fast for Christian. Not even a month ago, his classmates at his old school might have described him as a wallflower. He didn't make friends, play team sports, or participate in afterschool activities. Now, here in East Harbor, he had his best friend back, a bunch of friends, he worked out and was learning to play lacrosse, and was on a date with a girl that seems to really like him.

His lack of social interaction over the years made him feel awkward around his peers. He felt he had only gained his popularity because of Lewis introducing him to everyone, and all of his new friends at lunch. Christian believed that they were friends by association more than they were friends because they liked him for who he was. He was mainly quiet at school -- listening to everyone's conversations, but not saying much himself for fear of making a fool of himself.

Talking to Emily during the basketball game was easier than he'd expected once the conversation got started. That was the painful part. He and Emily had never spoken to each other before. She was in two of his classes and had seen each other at lunch, but that was about it. It was a surprise to Christian that she asked about him, let alone knew his name. But even though she initiated the "date", he felt it important to be the gentleman and pay for the tickets and refreshments.

By the time the cashier made change, the other members of the Athletic Boosters had their food ready. Grabbing the food and drinks, the couple stopped by the condiment station to prepare their hot dogs.

"Ewwww..." teased Emily with a smile and a gentle poke in the ribs. "You're putting relish, mustard AND onions on your hot dog?"

Christian immediately felt like he'd made a massive social faux pas but wasn't sure what he'd done.

"Don't worry," Emily assured him. "I'll still kiss you." Wide-eyed and embarrassed, Christian looked around to see if anyone overheard her comment. Emily just laughed.

Instead of heading back into the gym to see the game, they grabbed a table in the cafeteria.

"You can have the jalapeños, their too hot for me," informed Emily as she used a nacho to move all the peppers to Christian's side of the paper basket.

"That's fine," he said, "I love hot peppers!"

In between bites, they continued their conversation.

"Since your tennis coach is back in Lemoore, what are you going to do?" asked Emily.

"I'm not sure," said Christian thoughtfully. "I'm good at tennis, but I'll never be a pro. I am having a good time playing lacrosse with the guys. I've been thinking about trying out for the team this spring."

"That would be so cool. I'm on the girl's lacrosse team."

"Really? Is it your favorite sport?"

"No, I think swimming is my favorite sport, but we don't have a school swim team."

"I used to be on the swim team back home. Is there a club or something around here with a swim team?"

"I swim on a team at the YMCA," explained Emily. "The top team travels and competes around the area. You should try-out for the team. We have a lot of fun!"

"Hey lovebirds!" came a shout from the concession line. Emily and Christian gave Lewis a wave out of shear embarrassment. It was the end of the third quarter, so he ran down to grab two orders of nachos, two large Cokes, and a hot pretzel for Courtney and himself.

From Lewis' standpoint, things seemed to be going great between Christian and Emily, and he and Courtney were getting along pretty good, too. He was already planning the next couple double dates in his head.

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"Dude, my dad's on his way to pick us up. Until he gets here, Courtney and I are going to walk around the corner for a couple minutes. You know what I mean?" Lewis wiggled his eyebrows.

Christian facepalmed and shook his head. "Does she know what she's getting into?"

"I sure hope so!" Lewis walked back to Courtney. Hand-in-hand, they slipped around the corner of the school into the shadows.

The crowd leaving the game was especially rowdy after the thrilling one-point victory by the Sabers. "Oh my gawd! That was such an incredible game," expressed Emily, still shaking with excitement. Everyone stood the last few minutes of the game as the outcome rode on each possession, the lead bouncing back and forth.

"I know! I can't believe it. I've never been to such an exciting game -- and we won!"

"You're sounding like you've been going to school here your entire life!" she laughed.

"Well, things are so different for me here. It's like my life restarted once we moved here." Christian wasn't sure why he told her that, but Emily was really easy to talk to.

"You mean now that you and Lewis are friends again?"

"Yeah, that, and well, I don't know." He looked down at his feet as he pushed a rock around. "Being happier has allowed me to open up and be myself again. Just having friends and doing stuff like coming to the game is not something that I would have done. I feel like I'm discovering myself."

"Well the person I've discovered, the Christian Olsen I've met, is pretty cool." Emily's smile made Christian glad it was dark so she couldn't see his embarrassment.

"Thanks."

The Olsen's green Odyssey with George and Kristoffer pulled up, momentarily rescuing Christian from having to figure out what else to say. He called for Lewis who came around the corner of the school with a stupid grin on his face and Courtney looked just as happy.

The fathers delivered the boys back to the Fuerst residence after taking the girls home.

"How was the game, honey?" asked Mrs. Olsen.

Christian knew she was asking about spending time with Emily. His mom cared little about athletics, unless he was participating.

"It was nice," he said. "We all had a really good time." It was true, he'd enjoyed the game, the getting to know Emily, and her interest in learning about him.

"I'm glad," said Anna. Christian's smile said so much more than his words. It was a smile she was so happy to see. It had been far too long since a smile graced her son's face so easily.

Kristoffer cut things short. "It's getting late. Your mother and I need to head home." It was nice visiting with George during the ballgame, but it had been a long week and they were both tired.

"Bye mom," said Christian giving his mom a hug. He did the same with his father and saw them to the door.

"I won't mind you two staying up tonight but keep the noise down so I can sleep. Okay?" asked George.

"Yes, dad," said Lewis with a cheeky smile. The boys said their goodnights and ran up the stairs to Lewis' bedroom. The door shut immediately upon entering the bedroom.

"Damn, I need to rub one out!" said Lewis.

"Really?"

"Dude, look," said Lewis, lifting the tails of his untucked dress shirt. "I had to untuck my shirt after I made out with Courtney, so you guys wouldn't see my boner."

Christian could clearly see the outline of Lewis steel rod and a wet spot where he'd leaked through his jeans.

"Jeeze dude, hide that thing. Why don't you take a shower first, I'll get ready for bed after you." Lewis was in the bathroom stripping before his guest even finished the offer.

Only a minute or two after he heard Lewis get under the spray of the shower, he heard a series of muffled grunt as his friend unloaded a batch of baby makers destined for the drain in the shower.

Lewis was a lot more relaxed when he exited the bathroom and Christian didn't waste a second getting his own shower. After taking care of his night time routine, he joined Lewis in front of the TV.

"Dude, I can't believe you tried to cop a feel in front of our dads," laughed Christian in disbelief.

"I didn't know you guys were watching."

"What were we supposed to be watching? You were on Courtney's front porch -- the whole world could see you."

"That's probably why she slapped my hand away."

They both laughed.

"So, what did you and Emily do? Her porch was around the corner denying our ability to spy on you two."

"Not much."

"Did you kiss her?"

"Yes."

"Did you kiss her on the lips?"

"No, we both just said we had a really nice evening and that we'd like to go out again. Then I kissed her cheek."

"You dawg! You already got a second date lined up? Must have played it really smooth with the kiss on the cheek and all."

"Gotta show the ladies some respect," said Christian, trying to sound cool but ended up laughing at himself.

"Whatever it was, it seemed to work. I think Emily really likes you."

"I like her too. She's really easy to talk to."

"Dude! It's about more than talking, if you know what I mean."

Lewis ducked but the pillow Christian swung at him clocked him upside the head with both boys laughing.

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Carrying an extra pillow, Michael entered big brother's bedroom. Matthew didn't hear him at first. He had ear buds in and was busy reading posts to band's Facebook page about their performance at the ballgame. He looked over at the younger boy and pulled the buds out.

"You joining me tonight?"

"Yeah," said Michael, crawling into bed. "The look on Simon's face said Lukas was going to be walking funny in the morning and I need some sleep."

When Matthew stopped laughing he was able to reply, "And what does that 'look' look like?"

Michael made a silly face mocking lust, horniness, and what can only be described as lunacy, cracking both boys up. "What are you listening too?"

"Parts of our show tonight made it to Facebook."

"Were you listening to yourself sing?"

Matthew's embarrassment was evident. He thought it was a bit conceded to watch himself perform.

"What are you embarrassed about? You fuckin' killed it." Michael snatched the phone and started reading the comments. "Oh my gawd," Michael laughed, "I was right! You are so gonna get laid." Michael fell into a full-on fit of laughter, nearly falling off the bed.

The comments to one of the videos posted of Matthew singing was a debate on which member of the band was sexier. When one of the girls pointed out that Matthew was the only straight member of the band, the girls ended up in a debate on who was going to date Matthew.

Michael's thumbs started rapidly tapping the screen.

"What are you doing?"

"It's not what I'm doing," he said, "it's what you are doing. You are friending all of these girls from..." Matthew tackled Michael, grabbing the phone from his little twerp of a brother, and both boys landed on the floor. Matthew sat up straddling Michael's hips and mercilessly started tickling his ribs and arm pits.

Lukas stepped out of his bathroom with a towel over his head as he dried his hair. "I'm really happy Matthew's here. I think the two of them have healed a lot of wounds. If I had a big brother, I'd hope we had a relationship like theirs."

Pulling the towel from his head, Lukas looked up and Simon took his boyfriend's face into his hands. "I prefer our relationship." Simon pressed his lips to Lukas' and worked his tongue into the blonde's mouth. As he stepped closer, the head of his hard cock brushed a swath of precum across Lukas' body, just above his small strip of pubs. The towel landed by their feet and Lukas arms wrapped around Simon's back, pulling their bodies together.

Simon broke the kiss and stared into Lukas' eyes. Lukas put his arms around Simon's neck and lifted himself so he could wrap his legs around the taller boy's waist and kiss him. Simon placed his hands under the smaller boy's thighs and held him in place as he walked them to the bed where he'd already turned down the covers. Instead of lowering Lukas to the bed, Simon reached under the pillow and grabbed the lube. Putting some on the index and middle fingers of his right hand, he dropped the lube on the bed and found Lukas boy pussy. With his legs wrapped around Simon, his hole was completely exposed and vulnerable to Simon's lust. Wrapping his left arm around the boy to hold him in place, he gently rubbed the lube on the wrinkled ring of skin and muscle making Lukas moan and squirm with desire. No matter how much Lukas tried to get the fingers to penetrate, Simon managed to maintain the lightest touch, making slow circles around the entrance.

His teasing worked Lukas into such a state the boy couldn't even focus on the kissing. His whole world was focused on his hole and his need for something long and hard pounding it. Simon watched as Lukas head was thrown back and the boy's body trembled as he whimpered with desire.

Climbing onto the bed on his knees, Simon lowered Lukas' shoulders to bed, lined up, and slid in.

"Oh, YES!!" shouted Lukas. Then he uttered involuntary grunts each time Simon bottomed out as the larger boy pounded his hole, making sure he rubbed against the firm, little knob of a prostate located in the hot, moist tunnel.

Michael turned to Matthew and noticed his brother was hard too. Listening to Lukas and Simon was even making the straight boy horny.

"You can fuck me if you want," offered Michael, wishing he'd decided to stay with Simon and Lukas tonight, even if the boys needed some one-on-one time.

The brothers had their pillows propped against the headboard of the bed as they sat there messing around on their phone. They feigned interest in the Netflix show playing on the TV. Their lack of interest in the show made them more susceptible to the distraction caused by Simon and Lukas in the next room.

Matthew reached over and pulled Michael too him. He had his arm around his little brother's shoulder and hugged him tight. "Michael, I know that is a way of showing your love for me. But honestly, the look you give me when I do something that makes you proud of me is more than I could ever ask for. You're the best little brother anyone could ever have."

"You're the best big brother anyone could ever have," replied Michael, laying his head on his brother's shoulder. "But we still have boners and I'm going to need to do something about mine before I go to sleep."

"Well, I guess would could jackoff together."

"Okay," Michael shed his underwear in a flash. Matthew wasn't far behind.

The boys scooted down in the bed and got started.

"You're getting bigger down there," noted Matthew.

"Yep. I even shoot a little."

The boys closed their eyes and listened to the activity in the room next door. Matthew used it as a sound track to his fantasy of fucking a girl in his art class. She was quiet and pretty in a very natural way. Her smile always made Matthew smile.

Michael, on the other hand, imagined he was the one being pounded by Simon while he sucked Lukas. In Michael's fantasy, the older boys made out above him as he was spit roasted. In his imagination, the teens unloaded into Michael. The thought of being fed their teen loads from each end trigged Michael's orgasm as he laid there in bed with his brother.

With a squeak, Michael's toes pointed and his body gave a shudder. The his small, fat cock swelled and squirted clear boy's cream onto the ripples of his musclar abs.

Moments later, he sensed Matthew reached his peak. The younger boy lifted his head in time to see his brother unload. It had been weeks since Matthew was so inclined to take care of this human need. The teen pressed his head into his pillow and straightened his legs a split second before a torrent of pent up frustration and cum shot from his cock.

"Holy shit!" whispered Michael. He had never seen that much come shoot out of any one person, or two, or maybe even three. He watched as his brother recovered from the teen's much-needed release.

When he regained his senses, Matthew opened his eyes to see Michael gawking at his man-sized piece of meat and the load he's sprayed all over his upper body.

Looking down, he saw Michael's mess. "You are shooting now."

Michael leaned back to give his brother a better look. "Yup. See?" Three thin streaks of clear cum reach towards his belly button, the last still stringing from his pee lips.

"Can you grab a towel or something?" He didn't need to explain further. Michael giggled and hopped up. Naked, the boy crossed the hall to the bathroom and grabbed a used towel and skipped back to Matthew's side. With a quick wipe of his belly, Michael handed the towel to Matthew. Matthew made a half-ass attempt to clean up and pulled the covers up over their naked bodies. Michael scooted back against his big bro and the boys drifted off to sleep.

In the other room, Simon was still on his knees pounding Lukas at a steady pace. Lukas' hands were planted on the wall above his head to prevent Simon from driving his head into the wall while his hips were being held in the air. This caused Lukas' boyhood to flop freely from all the commotion. The older boy was committed to making Lukas blow his load first. When the blond started to groan, Simon knew the orgasm was near and sped up his work on Lukas' prostate.

Lukas yelled out as his cock twitched and sprayed young boy's cream in all directions. One of the first spurts landed on his face. Simon relentlessly accosted Lukas' prostate until he was certain he couldn't impel one more spasm from the blonde's little nugget.

Simon laid the boy's body on the mattress as he caught his breath. Lukas' mind-blowing orgasm caused the blonde to giggle as he recovered. Starting at the tip of Lukas' still stiff penis, Simon lapped up the cum covering Lukas' body. While Simon worked his way up towards Lukas' face, Lukas continued to giggle. Only now it was because Simon's tongue tickled.

Scooping up the cum on Lukas face, Simon held it on his tongue and fed it to his lover. The kiss lasted minutes and ignited another round of passion between the two boys.

Simon flipped around and took Lukas' cock into his mouth. He loved how it fit perfectly. He loved the taste and the texture. And most of all, he loved the boy it was attached to. Not remembering how it happened, Simon's next moment of awareness found him on his back with Lukas' knees by his ears as the young lovers participated in the age-old act of a sixty-nine. With reckless abandon, each boy worked the other's cock with lips and tongue. Lost in his passion, Lukas was able to throat Simon for the first time since Simon had grown to adult size down there.

This load was for Lukas ass and Simon was not going to let the imp get it before he was ready. He pried the boy's mouth from his engorged tool forcing Lukas to sit up. The rocking of Lukas' hips when he changed position brought his hole directly over Simon's mouth which was exactly what Simon wanted. He attacked.

Lukas gave a squeal and started grinding his ass onto Simon's mouth. More vocal than normal, he couldn't help but moan and grunt with each delicious flick and thrust of is boyfriend's tongue. As Lukas' ardor climbed, he started moving too much for Simon to keep his face planted in the boy's ass. Simon grabbed Lukas' wrists and pressed them to the boy's hips, preventing him from jerking himself off and immobilizing him so he couldn't accidentally dislodge Simon's tongue. Simon turned up the intensity another notch and Lukas shook and screeched through another orgasm shooting a somewhat smaller load across Simon's chest.

Releasing Lukas, the smaller boy collapsed on the bed. Simon crawled out from beneath his legs and scooped up the Lukas' load, mixed it with his own pool of precum, and used it to lube up his swollen member. He knew he had worked up a huge load and he knew exactly where he was going to put it.

Leaving Lukas where he fell face first onto the bed, Simon crawled over the prone boy and quickly inserted his cock back into Lukas' ass. Both boys moaned in pleasure. Simon wrapped his arms around Lukas's chest and rutted the boy like an animal. The older boy snort through the exertion of thrusting his hips to achieve the ultimate release. Lukas adjusted the angle of his hips to maximize the pleasure as the teen fucked him in a frenzy.

"Fuck... ugh... yes!" On the next thrust, Simon unloaded a huge load of boy batter right where it belonged. He pressed himself tightly against Lukas as he squirted his cum as deep into the boy's body, then lowered himself to Lukas' back. There was something comforting for Lukas being wrapped and covered by Simon's body. Adjusting their position so Simon's weight was mainly on the mattress, the two lovers dreamed sweet dreams.

----------------------     

SATURDAY, JANUARY 20, 2018

Quiet weeping came from the room at the end of the hall, but no one was around to hear. Slumped in his chair, tears streaked his cheeks as his shoulders bobbed in time with his labored breathing. To combat the memories and pain, he would sit in his room and build intricate Lego houses and imagine the happy family that lived in the love-filled home. Some days, like today, that wasn't enough to keep the tears away.

Though he'd been told over and over that it was the adults to blame, at times he couldn't do anything but listen to the voice of his father bouncing around in his head. The man blamed him for the things he'd done -- from the man's misguided behavior to setting in motion the chain of events that led to his mother's death. No matter how much love he felt from his new family, it felt like the hole in his chest where his heart once was would never heal. If only he hadn't been himself. If he could have been the boy his father really wanted, Matthew 2.0, then none of this would have happened.

"Michael," called a voice from downstairs.

Carol was calling him. Lukas and Simon had left for the theater to set up for her birthday surprise. Glancing at the clock, it was time for them to head to the Majestic to what those two had planned.

He took a deep breath to gain some composure and hide his activities of the last half hour. "Coming," he replied, as normal as he could pull off. Michael hurried to the bathroom to splash off his face and check himself in the mirror. Satisfied he disguised his crying well enough, he headed downstairs.

"Happy birthday," he said, greeting Carol with a hug and a kiss. She'd arrived from New York late in the evening after the boys were sound asleep.

She gave Michael a tight squeeze and kissed him back right on top of his head. "Oh, thank you, Michael," she said. "I've missed you so much."

Though Michael doubted her words, he did like to hear them. He figured Simon, Lukas, Lars, and even Matthew, whom she seemed to have a real connection with, would be on her list of people to miss before she would miss him. He didn't deserve to be missed.

"Let's go get everyone else, okay?"

Michael nodded and they headed next door to get Lars, Zach, and Matthew. With everyone was accounted for, they walked together down Maple Street to the Mallway.

When they passed the Café, Carol spotted the theater's marquis. It read "Happy Birthday Mom" and bouquets of large balloons framed the entrance. It was clear Simon and Lukas had put a lot of time and planning into something, but no one knew a thing about this surprise -- but it was clear they enlisted Mr. Calloway's help.

More balloons adorned the lobby along with poster-sized photos of Carol with Simon and Lukas over the years. Carol took a moment at each of the stands to recall the moment the photo was taken and share her memories with the others. More than one tear was shed.

After each photo was visited, they passed the concession stand and pushed open the doors to the theater. To the surprise of all, it was dark despite all the new lighting that had been installed. Centered in front of the stage were two sofas lit by PARS lights. Since the lights faced the sofas, the stage was blacked out in shadow. It was clear to Michael and Matthew that Simon and Lukas intended for them to have a seat. The boys led the way and Zach, Lars, and Carol followed, watching and wondering if a surprise was going to jump out at them at any moment.

The guests seated themselves and felt the need to whisper despite being the only members of the audience. After a couple minutes that allowed the audience to get settled in, there was a loud *kachunk* as the circuit was thrown open turning the PARS lights off. Left in the pitch black of the theater, there was silly giggling and nervous laughter. The suspense had them all anticipating the next.

A blazing guitar riff burst from the stage. In the sixteenth bar, the drums joined in before the guitar riff repeated. Lukas' driving drum beat echoed the sound of a training running down the tracks. On the second time through, the stage lit up with bright white flashing lights from along the front of the stage. The lights revealed Simon on bass standing beside Lukas on drums as the boys ripped their way through the introduction to "Come On Over" by Royal Blood.

Michael jumped to his feet and bounced around between the stage and sofas in time with the music. Matthew stood and pumped his fist in the air and moved to the infectious beat.

Carol gasped and clutched Lars' knee. With the new lights and amplifiers the boys purchased for Christmas, Simon and Lukas looked and sounded like a professional band. Simon wore ripped jeans and a tight, body fitting vintage ash green t-shirt with dark green trim. His bangs flopped down over his face as he played his blue Fender bass. Lukas wailed away on his metallic green Ludwig drum kit wearing a wife beater and a thin, gray headband to keep his blond locks out of his face.

I'm on a train,
Going nowhere,
I ran away,
To make you care.

Simon's vocals were effortless and flawless. Today there was passion and purpose to Simon's performance that made it stand out. He and Lukas were as in sync on stage as they were as lovers in the bedroom. If you were to ask Lukas, performing with Simon on stage was almost as good as sex.

The seed that germinated the grew into this performance was planted that one morning while the boys relaxed in Simon's bedroom. While Lukas napped, Simon caught up on Riverdale. When Jughead entered that barbershop to meet the snake handler, "Lights Out" by Royal Blood played in the background. The sound reignited that fire deep in Simon's soul. He immediately searched for the song and learned about a two-piece band of just bass and drums that sounded like four or five players. Since then, Simon and Lukas learned several of the bands songs in secret and decided to put on a surprise show for their loved one for Carol's birthday. Simon studied Mike Kerr's bass playing and with research and experimentation, he discovered the right pedals and filters to build the same sound as his new favorite band and bass player. Royal Blood was everything Simon loved about making music -- challenging bass lines, great lyrics, and melodic vocals that were fun to sing. Lukas felt the same way about Ben Thatcher's drumming.

The new stage lighting system was computer operated. Simon and Lukas worked with Mr. Calloway, who'd studied theater back in the day, to put together dramatic lighting for each song. Lukas cued the computer at the start of each song with the tap of his left foot on a button next to his high hat pedal.

Halfway through the first song, they had created five new Royal Blood fans. But mostly, these fans loved Simon and Lukas. When they say the sum is greater than its parts, it was never more accurate than at this moment. The two boys were so in sync they played as one but sounded like several musicians.

Though Carol tapped her foot and bobbed her head to the music, she cried with joy at the sight of her son on stage. There was something different on this day and Carol knew it wasn't because it was her birthday. She knew. She'd seen it in Stephen. There was no surprise, she knew Simon would feel it just like his father. Playing music was no longer something Simon did for fun. Playing music was now as essential to Simon's existence as breathing... and Lukas' love. The fact that the boys could do this together brought them closer and she was jealous. That was something she was never able to share with Stephen.

Lars slipped his arm around Carol's shoulder and hugged her gently. She turned to look at Lars who smiled brightly. He knew it too. She rested her head on her friend's shoulder and watched the rest of the performance.

After "Come On Over", Simon switched instruments. With his candy-apple red bass, he stepped up to the mic and cried out the opening line of "I Only Lie When I Love You". Funkier, Simon moved with the beat and Lukas, surprising everyone, sang back up vocals. Zach joined Michael and Matthew rocking out to their brothers' sound.

Simon switched instruments again to a pearl white Fender bass that once belonged to Bruce Grant. Their third song was darker and angrier. "Betrayal" spoke of unforgivable hurt and ultimately rising like a phoenix from the ashes.

Switching back to his blue Fender and immediately started the opening bass line to "Figure It Out".

Nothing here to see,
Just a kid like me,
Trying to cuss and see,
Trying to figure it out.

At the end of the song, the drums and bass duel. Simon faced Lukas as he played, and the blond gave his boyfriend a mischievous smirk. Lukas tore through the drum riffs and Simon ground out the bass. When the song ended, Zach, Michael and Matthew screamed and yelled their approval.

For the last song, Matthew grabbed his metallic orange bass and wheeled up a keyboard. The boys had planned to play their hardest songs first and last. "Hole In Your Heart" provided the boys two challenges. There were parts of the song where Simon played the keyboard then switched to laying down a thundering bass line. For Lukas, this song he'd actually sang harmony. Up to this point, he'd only provided incidental backup or "oohs" and "ahs". In this song, he'd layer in his high tenor on top of Simon's voice. It was one thing to do it when the two boys practiced it secretly. For Lukas, it was a whole other thing to sing publicly - even if only for family.

Simon assured him before they took the stage. "Remember how nervous you were before the talent show? This will be the same -- don't worry."

Every time I think about it,
I shiver like I've never shook,
And all the while we talk about it,
It never feels exactly like it should.

The slow grove of the song brought Lars and Carol to their feet. The boys' voices melded together and Lukas matched Simon's passion when they sang together.

When the song ended Simon returned his bass to its stand and turned to find Lukas standing behind him.

"I love you," said Lukas.

"I love you, too," choked out Simon, fighting back tears.

The boys hugged and Lukas whispered in Simon's hear. "That was the best foreplay ever!" Then the smaller boy bumped his boner into Simon's thigh.

Simon replied by squeezing Lukas tightly and digging his fingers into the drummer's ribs. Lukas squealed and struggled to get away from Simon's assault. Simon relented and the two sweaty boys joined their family in front of the stage.

"Happy birthday, mom," said Simon, going in for a hug. Carol didn't care about Simon's condition, she hugged her son back.

"Thank you," said Carol. "That was amazing. You are amazing."

"Mom, I need to tell you something," said Simon, a bit nervous about how his mother would take it.

"I know, honey. I could see it in your performance today. You feel it like your father did."

Simon nodded, happy to hear that his mother understood how he felt about his music.

"We'll support you however we can, okay?"

Simon nodded again and gave his mother a smile.

"Come here, you," Carol said to Lukas, pulling the boy into a tight hug. "You were amazing, too. Who knew you could sing like that?"

Lukas blushed and gave a shrug.

The group rearranged the couches so they faced each other and plopped down to visit. Simon and Lukas told their story of how they discovered Royal Blood, their secret practices to keep this a surprise, and working with Mr. Calloway to pull off the show.

The whole time, Michael was curled up on the end of the couch listening to the story and messing around on his phone. He downloaded Royal Blood's two albums then marked the songs the boys had played as favorites in Apple Music.

"Hey?" questioned Michael with a quizzical look on his face. "How come I can't find that one song you played in the middle?"

Simon and Lukas looked at each other but neither spoke.

Michael rattled off the names of the songs his brothers played. He was able to identify them when he sampled the songs on the albums "Royal Blood" and "How Did It Get So Dark?". He even downloaded the single "Hole". But he couldn't find the fifth song.

"That song is called 'Betrayal'," offered Simon.

"Where is it? I want to download it. That song was my favorite that you played!" said Michael impatiently.

"You can't download it," replied Lukas.

"What? Why?" Michael was disappointed.

Simon's answer resolved all questions. "Because we wrote it."

----------------------     

Carol's birthday celebration flowed over to the Maple Street Café and lunch. The warm southern California day made sitting on the patio enjoyable. The sun had just climbed high enough in the sky to shine down on the outdoor tables and the clear blue sky provided the perfect canopy for the party of seven.

When lunch ended, Zach checked his watch. "I hate to break up this party, but I need the boys to come back to the theater with me."

It was a strange request. Zach usually played a supporting role in everything. Asking the boys to come with him piqued everyone's curiosity.

"It's nothing much," defended Zach. "I just have a surprise for them."

"Cool!" exclaimed Michael excitedly. He liked the first surprise of the day. Why not have more!

The boys said their goodbyes and birthday wishes to Carol before she and Lars headed home. The rest headed back to the Majestic.

When they arrived at the theater, Zach suggested they set up for practice.

"Okay," offered Lukas, "but we have lacrosse at 4:00, don't forget."

"No worries," said Zach. They went about bringing the instruments back to the stage. Once the stage was set, Zach called the boys together for a meeting.

"Hey guys," started Zach nervously. "I know it's not my place to make decisions for the band or anything, but..."

"Dude," stopped Lukas, "you're just as much a part of this band as any of us. What's going on?"

"Well, first of all, Mr. Cooper, your dad's attorney, received this in the mail." Zach held up an envelope. "It is a 'Cease and Desist' order from the Courage Game Lacrosse Nonprofit Board of Directors."

"Cease and desist what?" asked Lukas. "Playing lacrosse?" The boys cracked up laughing.

"Well, no," explained Zach, "but if they saw you play lacrosse they just might." The boys burst into another fit of laughter.

"No, seriously though," continued Zach. "They want you to stop using the name." The boys stopped laughing.

"It's not a big deal," offer Zach to a skeptical audience. "First, are you guys really attached to the band's name?"

The boys thought about that question for a moment. At the time, it seemed like the perfect name. Now it seemed antiquated. It didn't take an ounce of courage for them to step on stage. They loved to perform. There wasn't a shred of doubt about being out and proud. Where was the courage in that? They simply did what came naturally to them. They were simply being themselves.

With no defense of the band's name being offered, Zach plowed on. "We could fight it in court. We may win, but how much money would it cost to fight for a band name you aren't passionate about? I think you should change the name anyway."

"To what?" asked Simon.

"At the Majestic," announced Michael.

"What about the Majestic?" Matthew wondered where this was going.

"That could be the band's new name, At the Majestic," replied Michael.

The other band members looked a bit confused, so Michael explained. "This is the Majestic Theater. We are the house band here for events. We'll practice and play our shows here. We are at the Majestic all the time. Plus is sounds like a grownup, professional band's name. What do you think?

"I kinda like it," said Matthew. "At the Majestic. It sounds pretty cool." The name grew on him the more he thought about it.

"I like it, too," agreed Simon. "Plus, Courage Game doesn't really fit for Zach and Matthew anyway. At the Majestic sounds like a name we can use forever. We are planning to stay together forever, right?" The boys all nodded.

"I think it's settled," resolved Lukas. "At the Majestic is the band's new name."

Zach's ringtone sounded and he checked his phone. "Ah! Now it's time for my surprise." He leapt from the stage and headed to the front doors of the lobby. The boys looked at each other wondering what Zach was up to when they heard loud greetings and the banging of equipment.

Entering the theater was a ragtag bunch of college students -- obviously friends of Zach. What caught the boys' attention was what they hauled into the theater. Carts of cameras, tripods, sound, light, and computer equipment.

"What's all of this?" asked Lukas.

"So, here's my surprise. I hope you guys don't mind me making a decision for the band. These are some of my friends from SDSU. They're in the School of Theatre, Television and Film and are looking for ideas for their final project. I mean, Asa and Keith are. They're seniors and need to do their senior project for graduation. They've partnered with some of their friends who need to do projects for other classes. They're teaming up. Asa and Keith are directing, producing and editing, Jess is taking a sound class, Stone is going to be doing lighting, and Itsuki make-up." Zach stumbled through his explanation in excitement and fear the boy's would hate the idea.

"Yeah," said Asa, "we came up and saw you guys play at the basketball game."

"You guys fucking rock, man," added Keith. "I'll never be able to play as good as you guys."

"To say the least," laughed Zach, "they were impressed and wanted to meet you guys." Zach took the opportunity to introduce the boys. No one moved, but everyone said their niceties and greetings.

Asa noticed the boys still looked confused. "So, here's how this all went down. We were talking to Zach about trying to figure out what we wanted to do for our project. We all agreed that it would be cool to do something that had to do with music."

Keith jumped in. "Yeah, but all of the bands around campus are pretty lame. That's when Zach suggested you guys."

"So, we went to the game last night to check out the band," continued Asa. "If you're interested in helping us out, we think you guys would be perfect."

"What we thought we'd do today is film you guys playing some songs," explained Keith. It will help us see how you guys are on camera, give you some experience with being filmed, and we're going to run sound so we can produce some basic music videos of your performances. We'll give you guys copies to post online and it will give us something to take to our professors when we pitch our project."

"What do you think?" asked Simon. He wasn't sure what to make of this whole thing, but he was willing to go with whatever the rest of the band wanted to do.

Matthew spoke up. "If you film us today, does that commit us to doing whatever you want to do? We don't even know what your project will be?"

"No," answered Keith. "We aren't even sure what we want to do. We wanted to be inspired by you guys so the project features what you do best."

Asa made a suggestion. "How about this. We're here so let us set up and film you. It's all digital so we can playback what we filmed before we leave and we can discuss what the project might be."

"When we're done taping, we'll pack up and head back to the house," Zach suggested. "We can watch the recordings on the TV so we can all see it and order some pizza or something. I don't think we should make any decisions without your dad being involved."

"After lacrosse," added Lukas. "Besides, that will give you time to edit the video and prepare to talk to dad."

The boys nodded. It seemed like a good idea. Each of them had their own thoughts on the project, but they didn't want to express them if the others didn't agree. It was odd. They had no hesitation to voicing their opinions about song choices, but each of them was timid about this project.

"Let's warm up and decide what to play while these guys set up." Zach got the boys up and moving.

"Mr. Callaway is around somewhere," suggested Michael. "He can set you up with the rest of the stage lighting we have." Asa went off to find the building's caretaker.

"Are you going to put make-up on us?" asked Lukas. He feared going to lacrosse practice and being teased by their teammates. They'd never life that one down.

"Oh, heavens no boys," offered Itsuki. "Child, you boys are too cute without makeup. Wait 'til I work my magic on you. Mmm, mmm, mmm. Honey, I can't wait. But not today. Oh no, we don't have time today."

The boys practiced for about a half an hour before Asa and Keith were satisfied with the lighting, sound and camera locations. When the boys had a break in the music, Keith interceded. "We're ready when you are."

They decided the first song they wanted to get on video was one of their favorite and it seemed to be a crowd favorite. Matthew was comfortable taking over Garrett's guitar part and was in a real treat. He'd seen Michael practice the song, but never perform it. That's when his little brother takes it to a whole new level.

"Okay. Michael, we're going to be filming with both cameras so you can play up to either camera -- I'll have one and Asa will have the other." Keith was in full director mode. "Perform like there's an audience and we'll capture everything."

Michael listened intently and nodded that he understood. He shook off any nerves and loosened up. He nodded and Lukas and the blond behind the drum kit counted off and Zach began the opening guitar riff of "Hate to Say I Told You So" by The Hives.

The performance was electric. Michael was in top form and Matthew couldn't believe what a performer his little brother was. That loosened Matthew up and he got into the performance. The band killed it.

"Woohoo! Fucking awesome!" shouted Stone from the catwalk.

"He's right," said Asa, "that was really good. I know I got some great footage. Play the song again so we have more footage of the whole band to mix in with the rest of the footage." They played the song again, even better than the time before. Keith got closer to the stage so Michael could really play to the camera and Asa worked from a tripod and filmed the entire stage.

"Let's change the lighting up for the next song. What do you guys want to play next?" asked Keith.

"Let's do 'Live Like Animals'?" suggested Michael. As popular as their performance at the game was, Michael suspected this video would be one of their most popular.

Stone, with Itsuki and Jess' help, set up three different stage looks. After hearing the performance the night before, he'd downloaded the song. Breaking the song into three section, he wanted to switch the lights on the stage to be different between the verse, chorus and interludes. Nothing too elaborate, top lighting version front stage lighting, bright white flooding the stage to cause brilliant reflections off the boys' instruments.

"We're going to record this song a few times. The first time, we're going to just record the entire stage. Then, Asa and I will come up and record close ups on stage." Everyone nodded.

"Whenever you're ready Matthew," said Lukas.

The older boy closed his eyes and recalled the experience from singing at half time at the basketball game. Simon walked over and put his arm around Matthew's shoulders. "You got this man."

"Thanks," said Matthew, giving Simon a nod. The bass player returned to his place on stage and Matthew let Lukas know he was ready. Then he looked over at his little brother and Zach. Michael gave him a big smile and a thumbs up.

The music started and Matthew closed his eyes and started moving to the music. The stage was bigger allowing him to really get into it without having to worry about bumping into one of the other guys. Taking cues from Michael's performance, Matthew used the stage and expressed the lyrics with an amazing vocal performance. Each take, he got better.

The next song Stone and Itsuki got more creative with the lights. The boys played the song through three times with them just recording the stage and close ups off stage, before Asa and Keith joined the boys on stage on stage. The first time through, the band stage was lit in a blue glow but the back wall was brightly lit. This allowed the boys to see what they were doing, but to the camera, they looked like they were in silhouette. The second time through they did the same thing, but the lights were green. For the third time, the, stage lights were turned off and the boys were only lit by bright white lights from the catwalk and the lights the students brought and set up as footlights. This cast the bands shadows against the rear wall of the stage. Asa and Keith wanted to cut these different lighting effects in rapid sequence.

For the song, Matthew took over on bass and they played one of the new rock songs they'd been practicing. Keith assured them that even if they messed up the first couple takes, they'd just match the video to the best take of the song. With each take, Simon got more and more into being the front man as they shredded "Kickstart My Heart" by Mötley Crüe. They all knew Simon always had the vocals to be a brilliant rock singer, but with the cameras, direction, and the multiple takes, Simon let loose with the moves and the attitude.

"Hey Zach, do we have time to film one more song?" asked Keith.

The boys were getting tired, hungry, and antsy about lacrosse practice, but this was a lot more fun than they'd imagined. Zach pulled out his phone to check the time, then called Lars. Lars was aware of they might be bringing the SDSU students home when the boys returned from practice, but Zach hadn't let him in one what his schoolmates were up to.

"Do you guys have to go home before practice," asked Zach.

"No, we have our stuff here," replied Michael. "Are we going to do another song?" All the boys looked hopeful.

"Yeah," informed Zach. He turned back to the boys, "What song do you guys want to do?"

"Actually," Keith interrupted, "can we make a request?" The boys shrugged and no one objected. "Would you guys do 'Moves Like Jaggar'?"

Michael cheered, "Yes!!!" It hadn't occurred to him, but he loved performing that song and the idea of getting it recorded excited him.

The boys played the song a half dozen times with Keith encouraging Michael to do all sorts of different dances as the cameras circled the boys on stage. From some locking and popping, to his "rock star moves", some sexy hip shaking and his "stadium rock poses", Michael showed off for the camera and Asa and Keith filmed it all.

Sweaty and completely spent, the boys turned off their equipment and hurried to lacrosse practice while their new friends toredown and pack up their equipment. Zach and his friends hung out around the theater making some rough cuts to the video to show Lars, Carol, and the boys later that evening.

On the way back to the house, Zach asked what they thought.

Asa answered first. "I think they're great. They sound incredible for being so young. They are developing great stage presence. And they are so much easier to work with than any band around campus."

"And they look great on camera," added Keith. "Jess? Itsuki? Stone? What do you think?"

Itsuki snapped his fingers, "Grrrl, those boys are fine. And I've got an idea for a video that will be perfect for my project. We're gonna kill it! Whoo!"

Jess laughed, "They've got some good equipment. The band sounds great. I'm good with working with these guys for my project."

"Only if we could use that theater," dreamed Stone. "I've got some really fun ideas and that stage would be a great place to work. It looks like one of the few places we could spend days setting up and filming without being interrupted or having to tear down and set up each day."

"Well," Zach started, "you're in luck. The theater is ours."

"What? Really?" Stone was shocked by their good fortune.

"Yeah," Zach realized he probably should reveal too much. He hesitated before he answered Stone's question. "We have access to the theater 24/7 as long as we stay out of the way of the construction crews."

"You're shitting me." Keith was certain Zach was pulling his leg.

"Nope. You can set up and keep your equipment on site for the entire project."

Keith slowed and parked the van in front of the house. Asa opened up the back and grabbed one of the cameras, a cord, and the memory cards. Jess grabbed her backpack where she kept her laptop, the memory cards used this afternoon, before stuffing some cables in the pocket of her hoodie.

Lars and Carol were in the kitchen getting some extra food ready to go with the pizzas and Carol's birthday cake. It was the first time Zach introduced his friends and Lars felt like he needed to impress. While he made a delicious tossed salad with lettuce, spring greens, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, green olives, artichoke hearts, and a variety of sliced peppers, he reflected on his behavior. He knew better. He knew he shouldn't feel like he needed to validate himself by impressing people, especially college students. He pulled some fresh bread from the oven and it occurred to him why he felt this way. He felt like he needed to justify his relationship with Zach to Zach's friends for Zach's sake. He was afraid that Zach's friends would judge Zach for being in a relationship with an older man with a bunch of kids.

He put the bread on the cooling rack and took a moment to himself. A deep breath and blowing it out, he closed his eyes and out loud told himself, "Let it go."

"Are you nervous?" asked Carol, amused at the idea of her friend being intimidated at the idea of meeting some college students. Before he could answer the front door opened.

Zach led the group of SDSU students, each in their early 20s, into the house. He headed straight to the kitchen with his friends in tow and gave Lars and hug and a kiss. "Thank you," he whispered. Turning to his friends, he said, "Guys, this is Lars. Lars, this is Jess, Asa, Stone, Keith, and Itsuki."

"Oh honey," said Itsuki, flipping his wrist into the air. "Zach, sweetie, you did not do your man justice."

Lars just said, "Thank you." He already felt better about his going the extra mile.

"The boys should be home soon and will be starving. I hope the pizzas will be here soon," informed Zach, preparing his partner for the tsunami that was about to hit the front door. "Let me show you guys the entertainment system so you can set up."

Impressed, the SDSU students found more audio/visual equipment than they expected. While Stone and Asa connected everything to the TV and sound system, Keith and Jess downloaded everything to Jess' laptop to organize the videos they wanted to preview.

Heading back to the kitchen to check on Lars, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," said Zach.

Before he reached the door, it flew open. "DAD! Pizzas are here, you need to pay the pizza guy!" Lukas and Matthew were carrying the pizzas, Michael and Simon were carrying the two-liters of soda. Gym bags and lacrosse sticks created an obstacle course between Zach and the door.

"Whoa!" Lars snapped, putting a stop to the boys before they started to eat. In response, the boys hands flew into the air. "First, we have guests. Second, let's get some order to this madness. Third, put the sports equipment away and get cleaned up. Okay?" The boys nodded and hurried off.

The crew returned from the family room. "Everything's ready when you are."

Lars and Carol set the pizzas out. There was a combination of pan, hand-tossed and thin-crust pizzas with assorted toppings. Motioning to the students, "You guys are our guests so please help yourself. Dishes and napkins here, pizza, salad and salad dressing, I've got fresh baked bread and ice, cups and soda over here. Help yourself. I thought we'd eat in the family room and watch what you recorded today and talk about your project."

A clean quartet of boys joined the end of the buffet line and helped themselves to enough food for an army. Once everyone had their food and found a place to eat in the family room, Jess hit play. It was the first time the boys heard themselves recorded on something other than an iPhone.

They watched videos of all four songs while they ate dinner as well as some uncut, single-camera video footage. The boys didn't say anything, they were too busy stuffing their faces, but the look in their eye told the entire story.

The boys gathered all the dishes and trash and put it all where it belonged. With all the guests and dishwasher full, Lukas hit "start" and joined the others in the family room.

Zach started the conversation. "What does everyone think of the videos?"

Lukas was hyped up from the sugar, caffeine, and watching the band on the TV. "We're fuckin' awesome!" He immediately regretted his choice of words and the look on his dad's face made him feel worse. "Sorry dad."

But the other three agreed with Lukas. Turning to the SDSU students, Zach wanted to know their opinion since it was there school project and ultimately, their careers.

"I think we should each speak for ourselves," said Keith. "For myself, you guys look great on camera -- you look natural. You took direction well and understood what I was asking. If our professors approve the project, I hope we can work together."

Asa followed with his comments. "I agree with Keith. If we are allowed to do the music video project, we're going to need to do some different types of videos with a variety of songs. I think no matter what songs we choose you guys will be able to pull them off and kill it.

"And if we can use the theater for some of the videos, that would be killer. That place has more lighting than I'd ever be able to get my hands on. I can program some incredible lighting leaving us to only worry about getting enough cameras for the shots we want. But I'll still need to do some work where we try to produce natural and outdoor lighting too, else they won't accept it for my project."

"Jess?" asked Asa.

"I'm good. We may need to do some studio work so I can show my ability to mix or have something with sound effects. Would you guys mind doing some acting? You know, delivering lines from a script?" The boys shrugged and agreed they'd do it.

"I'm in the same boat on that," added Itsuki. He might be a lot of fun and a bit scattered-brained at times, he was serious about make-up. "We'll probably need to do at least two videos that allow me to be creative, showing off special effects make-up or something."

"Boys, what do you think?"

"When would we do this?" asked Matthew. With studying and lacrosse, he wasn't sure when they would have much time to do devote to learning new songs and taping all of this stuff.

"If we agree to this, we can record evenings and weekends come up on weekends or even evenings. We don't live that far away. If we can get all this recorded by the end of your spring break, we'll have time to get it edited and turned in for school," suggested Keith.

"Mom, dad," asked Michael, "what do you think?" The boy had a hopeful look on his face as he wished they would both consent to this exciting project.

"Well," began Lars, looking to Carol for confirmation. After all these years, she trusted Lars' parenting and gave a slight nod, agreeing to whatever her friend decided. "You boys have a lot on your plates. School, the theater, lacrosse... Do you boys understand how important a project this is for Keith and Asa? If you guys quit, can't handling the additional workload, or just don't do you absolute best, they may not graduate."

It was clear from the solemn look on the boys' faces that they understood the gravity of the situation.

The Lars addressed the college students. "We're honored that you want feature our boys in your project. But have you considered that you are putting your graduation plans in the hands of four boys ages 11 to 16? Let's do this. Zach, you stay here with your friends and discuss this further. Boys, you go to Lukas' room and discuss your end of this. Carol and I are going to go next door and have a talk. Let's meet back here in 30 minutes."

Each of the boys felt the gravity of what Lars was saying. This wasn't just a fun little project like recording a song on their phone to post online. It was a serious project with serious consequences if it failed. They would have to focus on making each video the best they could because they owed it to the students whose grades, and graduations, depended on them.

"Are we ready for this?" asked Lukas.

"What do you mean?" inquired Simon.

"I mean, even when we've prepared for a performance, it was all fun. This sounds like work. Do we want our playing to be work?" Lukas really questioned whether he wanted to take on this project.

"I do," replied Simon. "I want music to be my life. This could be a really big break for me."

"Is it really going to be that much work?" questioned Michael. "I mean, today we made some videos and it didn't seem like work. I had fun."

"But would it be fun if you were tired and had other things to do?" Lukas understood what his father was trying to say and wondered if his father was right.

The boys continued their debate while Matthew listened carefully. Things were moving fast. Just the night before he performed in front of a crowd for the first time. Now he's facing a huge opportunity, and a huge commitment, and he wasn't even sure where he stood in wanting to perform at all.

When Carol and Lars entered the Novak residence, Carol spoke first. "Lars, I have complete faith in your decision. You have more at stake in this decision since I'll be traveling so much. You and Zach will be dealing with the boys and their schedules."

Lars surfed his phone for the right phone number the tapped call. "I know Carol. I told the boys we needed to talk to buy us some time. Hold on..." He raised a finger to Carol and addressed the voice on the other end of the phone. "Hi Brian. Carol and I need to talk to you about something. Can I put you on speaker?"

In the family room, the student film makers were having their own debate.

Zach led the discussion. "Lars is right. Are you guys willing to hang your future on some kids?"

"Dude, you told us these boys would be reliable. Are you having second thoughts?" Asa couldn't hide his frustration. If Zach thought centering their project on these boys would put their project at risk, they would never have come up to East Harbor in the first place.

Zach quickly defended himself. "No. No, that's not it at all. What I'm saying is, no matter how reliable these boys are, or what I believe they can do, it is your future on the line. Are you willing to go all in on this project? Coming up to East Harbor to film? Working with mostly middle school age kids? Is that too much?"

Itsuki offered his two cents first. "Honey, this is nothing for me. What I have to do for my class is far less than this project. If we choose not to do this, I can whip up something just fine for school. But this project is fab-u-lush-ush! If this happens, I want to be part of it."

"I'm kind of in the same boat as Itsy," Jess added using her nickname for their friend. "I could probably finish editing the footage we got today and that would suffice for most of my class project. Keith and Asa have much more on the line that I do at this point."

Stone agreed. "It's the same for my class. We have more than enough from today for me to do my class project. I'm not really the overachiever, but this project could really be good for all of our careers. I think any of us would love to get into the music video business, even if it is just a stepping stone to motion pictures. If we do this right, this project would be an excellent student resume by itself."

Keith looked over at Asa. "Are we biting off more than we can chew?"