SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2018

Carol was tired and needed caffeine. She'd flown in from London and arrived home long after the school dance ended and headed straight to bed. As she stepped out the back to join Lars and Zach for coffee the next morning, she noticed Lukas and Simon in the yard. The boys were snuggled up tight to each other to stay warm in the cool February air. It was clear to any observer the boys were naked under their covers. Clothes, including two pairs of underwear, littered the yard. It was such an intimate moment, she felt like she was invading her son's privacy. Quietly, Carol entered the backdoor to the Meijer residence careful not to wake the boys.

"Those cinnamon rolls smell delicious," commented Carol before she even made it to the kitchen. Then she remembered that Matthew might still be in bed. She tiptoed to the kitchen and found Matthew at the kitchen table with the two men. "Oh good, you're already up. I was afraid I woke you." She gave Matthew a side hug and a kiss on top of his head.

Matthew swallowed and took a drink of his milk. "How could I sleep with the smell of these filling the house." He held up the remaining morsels of his cinnamony treat for Carol to see. His brilliant smile indicated that he was in a better mood than the last time she saw him. The introspective teen seemed almost bubbly this morning. "Thanks dads. These rolls are the perfect breakfast this morning."

Carol glanced at Zach and saw the young adult smile. She knew Zach and Matthew had really bonded since Matthew started playing in the band. Lars had also mentioned some late-night conversations the two had since they discovered Matthew's nightmares. They even spent time one-on-one with Zach giving Matthew voice lessons, practicing guitar together, and just talking. Though they weren't really that far apart in age, Matthew's show of love and respect for Zach by referring to him as "dad" was noted by everyone in the room. Lars even reached over and gave Zach's hand a squeeze.

"In all the hub bub of your morning," Carol addressed the group around the table, "did anyone notice where Lukas and Simon ended up last night?" She took a sip of her coffee and helped herself to a cinnamon roll while she waited for an answer.

"Aren't they at your place? The last we saw of them they were heading to your house." Lars got up to grab his phone.

"Before you make any calls, look out in the backyard."

Zach got up and joined Lars and the two men craned their neck to see the two boys sleeping soundly in the backyard.

Zach was first to say anything. "Are those their..."

"Yes," answered Carol, laughing. "Every last stitch of clothing."

"Boys will be boys," sighed Lars. "At least they didn't wake the neighborhood up."

"No, but we still need to talk to them about privacy. I'm sure they thought they were being stealthy, but the lights from the house and hot tub provided enough light to see exactly what was going on last night." That was enough details for Lars. She wasn't going to tell him that she saw her son pounding his little lover's hole until both boys had body trembling orgasms. She didn't think he needed to know that once she saw what the boys were doing, she couldn't tear her eyes away. Nor was she going to share that when she looked back out, she had to search the yard to find them partially obscured by the gazebo roof. From her angle, she could only to get a glimpse of the lower half of Lukas' legs thrown over Simon's shoulders, ankles locked behind her son's back. She couldn't see what they were doing, but there was only one thing she could imagine in that position. She wasn't being a voyeur because she got off on seeing two boys have sex, though it did turn her on enough that it made her uncomfortable. She looked on because to her, the boys and their relationship was the most beautiful thing in the world. There was something almost magical about them when they were together, especially in their most intimate moments.

"Do you think any of the neighbors saw them?" Lars was a bit concerned with the idea of the boys unknowingly putting on a show for the neighborhood. Little did he know they had an audience of at least one.

"That's hard to say," reasoned Carol. "Everyone's lights were out, so we could assume they were all in bed. However, with all the lights off you'd have a clear view of the backyard at night."

"Good point, I'll have a talk with them later." Mental notes like these Lars never forgets. "Does anyone want any eggs or bacon? I need to take the edge off my sugar rush."

Zach wasn't paying a whole lot of attention to the conversation. He was entertaining himself with thoughts of dragging Lars into the backyard one night and making love under the stars. He'd just have to make sure that no one else was home that night, especially Carol.

Matthew didn't care to listen either. His attention was split between thoughts of April and the taste of her lips, and the taste of the cinnamon rolls that he continued to shove into his mouth.

"So how was the dance last night?" asked Carol.

Matthew just grinned ear to ear.

"That's the same response we got when we asked that question," said Lars. "But, he had April home before curfew so it couldn't have been THAT good of a time." They all laughed when Matthew blushed.

"Who was it you took to the dance last night?" Carol remembered, but she wanted to get Matthew talking about his date.

"April Evandale."

"Is that Dr. Evandale's daughter?"

"Yes, Jack and Heather are really nice."

"Oh," she teased, "you're on a first name basis with her parents already?"

Matthew just grinned again.

Carol continued digging. "What do you like about her?"

"Well, she is just herself. She doesn't follow what everyone else does. Her family is all about quality time together and having experiences, not about material wealth or anything like that. Like, she loves to run and stay fit, but does it because she enjoys it, not because she wants to be on the cross country team. Some of the girls at school are rude to her because she doesn't dress in designer clothing or wear makeup. But honestly, she's so much prettier without makeup than any of those girls all made up."

"She sounds really special," said Carol, knowing Matthew was completely infatuated with this girl.

"She is," replied Matthew with a huge grin on his face.

"Well, treat her as such," she leaned over and gave Matthew a kiss on the cheek. "When are you going to invite her over for dinner so we can meet her?"

Matthew looked to Lars and Zach. The both nodded their approval. "We always make enough food for an army. Just give us a heads up so we can make sure we have enough chairs around the table."

"Thanks."

The backdoor opened and shut. Expecting to see Lukas and Simon walk around the corner, they were surprised when Trey turned the corner.

"Are they..." he began to ask, motioning with his thumb toward where he'd just come from.

"Yes," everyone answered in unison.

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Jordan said "bye" to Will and Curtis when they left to walk home. They only lived a couple blocks away. The three boys had been best friends since the Kings moved to the neighborhood. Heading back up to his bedroom, Jordan wanted to grab some clothes and get a quick shower before they left to take Michael home. Passing his mom's office, he thought it odd that Michael and his mother would be having a closed-door conversation. But the two seemed pleased with themselves when they opened the door. Frankly, as long as whatever his parents did didn't involve him, he wasn't all that interested.

"I'm gonna get a quick shower so we can get going!" yelled Jordan as he bounded up the stairs to his room. Yeah, he liked helping his mom with her business, but he believed he had an understanding with his parent. He would get good grades, not get in trouble, and help out with events and around the house, and they would stay out of his business and give him the privacy he wanted. It seemed to work well as far as he was concerned.

He didn't dwell on the meeting. Jordan's focus was on their trip to the mall after dropping Michael off at home. He needed some new pants. His latest growth spurt made all of his pants too short and too tight. It was embarrassing to the eighth grader to have you junk on display like that since he'd had a growth spurt there too. But his real excitement wasn't the clothing store. He knew he could talk his mom into swinging by GameStop and buying him the new EA Sports UCF 3.

A quick shower, though the thoroughness of his body care during this shower was a bit sketchy, Jordan threw on some khaki cargo shorts, white T-shirt and his gray East Harbor hoodie. Rummaging around under some dirty clothes, he found his red Nike Air Max Typha. He didn't bother with socks, or tying his shoes, before he ran down the stairs to see if everyone was ready to go.

He found them in the kitchen enjoying a quick breakfast -- coffee for his mom and a cherry Pop Tart and orange juice for Michael.

"Well, you may have the legal right to do this on your own, but I would prefer Lars be on board with all this." Mrs. King ruffled Michael's hair.

"Are you about ready, Jordan?" asked his mom.

"Yeah, let's go!" he said, bouncing with excitement over getting a new game. Janette recognized that body language and knew he had plans to ask for something when they got to the mall.

Michael stuffed the rest of the Pop Tart in his mouth and chugged the remaining orange juice. Chewing and swallowing on his way to the sink, he rinsed off his plate and juice glass and left them in the sink with Mrs. King's coffee cup.

She grabbed her purse and keys off the counter. "Okay boys, we're taking the Escape."

Michael and Jordan headed and got in the white SUV. Jordan hopped in the front seat and Michael sat behind him. Not being 13 yet, he didn't even try to push the idea of riding in the front seat.

It was a quick trip home and Michael entered the house through the front door.

"I'm home!" he called out.

He didn't get a response but it didn't faze him. For the most part, his dads didn't like to yell through the house. They would come find him when they were available. Heading through the house, he noticed a plate of cinnamon rolls setting on the breakfast bar.

"Cinnamon rolls!" He rushed over and dropped his backpack by the bar, poured a glass of milk, then climbed up on a bar stool and helped himself to the sweet, cinnamony, deliciousness. As he finished his first, the office door opened and an embarrassed Simon and Lukas walked out followed by Lars.

"Hi Michael," said Lukas. Simon offered a "hey Michael" as both boys hurried to their bedroom and shut the door. Michael wondered what that was all about, but not enough to prevent him from helping himself to another cinnamon roll.

Lars walked over to Michael and wrapped an arm around the boy's chest to give him a hug and a kiss on the head, careful not to interrupt the boy's ravenous consumption of the breakfast treats.

"How was your evening?" asked Lars, adding a bit more coffee to his cup to warm up what he hadn't finished earlier.

Michael finished chewing and swallowed, washed it down with some milk, then answered, "It was great!" But for Lars, no words were necessary. The twinkle in his son's eyes and the smile on his face told him everything.

"I'm glad. Do you think you guys will do another sleep over?"

"Oh yeah, we had a lot of fun." He'd wolfed down two large rolls already and way eyeing a third. "Oh, dad, I set up a meeting for us this afternoon. Mr. Cooper and my business team will be here at 2:00."

"Really? Did you consider that I might not be here for that meeting?"

"Dad..." Michael rolled his eyes. "You never go out after lunch on Sundays. You always run your errands after breakfast."

It was Lars' turn to roll his eyes. He should have known better than to second guess the little man. 'He'd be a great chess player, he's always several moves ahead of me,' he thought. Mr. Cooper was obviously his friend Stephen who helped with him getting custody of Michael and had been helping Michael with other legal loose ends. Michael's "team" consisted of Mr. Calloway from the theater and Mrs. King.

"Is there something we should talk about before the meeting?"

"No, I'm going to go finish my presentation and meet you back here for lunch before they arrive." The boy hopped off the stool and pushed it back in place. The rinsed glass was placed in the dishwasher before Michael grabbed the rest of his half-eaten roll and his backpack and headed to his bedroom over at Carol's.

"What is he up to now?" sighed Lars as Zach entered from the laundry room.

"Michael seems to be in a good mood. Was it the cinnamon rolls?"

"Maybe, but he's up to something and has arranged a meeting with the attorney and his 'business team' for two this afternoon." Lars emphasized 'business team' for Zach by making air quotes with his fingers. Both men laughed.

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"I don't think I can ever face your mom again." The blond had his face buried in a pillow as he griped about being seen having sex in the backyard the night before.

Simon wasn't paying much attention to what Lukas was saying. He was staring at the cute ass pointing directly at him. But he heard enough to know his boyfriend needed some consoling. Ignoring his urge to climb on top of the sexy boy, he sat by the head of the bed and massaged the boy's back.

"Lukas, if mom really had a problem with catching us having sex, she would have stopped us."

Lukas rolled over at looked at Simon. "Dude, I was on top, she saw my 'everything' in all its glory!" He used his forearm to cover his eyes as if that would make it all go away.

"Well, as I figure, from that angle, she saw mine too, and she's my mom!" Simon placed his hand on Lukas' chest and shook the boy to get his attention. Lukas uncovered his eyes and looked at Simon. He knew that look.

"OH NO! NOOOO!"

It was too late, Simon's fingers dug into his ribs before he could cover them with his arm. As Lukas thrashed around trying to dislodge Simon's hand, he didn't notice the bigger boy changing position until it was too late. Simon sat on Lukas's middle, pinning him down and leaving him at the older boy's mercy.

Screams of laughter filled the house as the boys conducted their tickle fight despite how one-sided this particular battle would be.

Lars and Zach just laughed. "Oh, to be a teenager again," lamented Lars. "Com'on, I'll help you fold the laundry."

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Michael entered his bedroom and threw his backpack onto his bed. He was more interested in getting to work on his laptop than emptying his overnight things. Reaching down to grab his laptop, he unzipped his school backpack when two hands grabbed him from behind. Momentarily startled, the hard cock pressed against his ass was a giveaway. The boy laughed before he addressed his attacker.

Placing his laptop and hands on his table, Michael joked, "From what I can tell, you must have had a good time at the dance last night."

Trey ground his erection into the sport shorts clad ass. He'd was drying off after a shower when Michael entered the room. Not caring if the bedroom door was open or closed, Trey dropped his towel on the floor and snuck up starkers behind Michael.

"The dance was a lot of fun, but it was boring after I got home," explained Trey. After playing "I'd fuck that", knocking his package against Melanie's ass, and an all-too-brief make out session with the girl which included her bra-less boobs pressed against his thin dress shirt, having to go to bed alone was disappointing. No matter how excited Melanie's erect nipples made him when they rubbed against his chest through their thin shirts during their post-dance makeout session, Trey was determined to hold out until he could put his pent up load where he wanted -- in someone's ass.

"Hey," laughed Michael as Trey pulled down the boy's shorts and underwear in one quick motion. Now the hard, bare cock was rubbing up and down the exposed crack. Checking the time, Michael determined he had plenty of time to get ready for the two o'clock meeting and enjoy some fun. In response to Trey's advance, Michael pulled his t-shirt over his head and tossed it aside. He could feel Trey's precum lubricating his crack. The ridge of Trey's dickhead dragged back and forth across Michael's pucker sending shivers through the smaller boy's body.

"Not here," Michael groaned.

In a flash, Trey was airborne and landed on Michael's bed. Michael kicked off the clothes and tennis shoes leaving him only in white ankle socks. He shut the bedroom door and joined Trey on the bed. The 13-year-old was spread eagle with a stupid grin on his face while "little Trey" stood at attention.

'Time for Trey's next lesson,' thought Michael. Trey had no idea what was behind Michael's smile.

Michael dropped to his hands and knees and syphoned Trey hard dick down to the root.

"Fuck," squeaked Trey at the sudden attack. His body flinched before the teen relaxed into the mattress.

The 11-year-old enjoyed the freshly showered boy. The precum smeared around Trey's cock was just the appetizer. While Michael's tongue rewashed the stiff appendage, the worked-up teen's body began to surge with hormones. The teen's pheromones provided the younger boy with the next wave of sensory stimulation which would eventually culminate with the eventual main course.

Michael's randiness matched Trey's. When he sensed the teen was ready for the next step, Michael sucked Trey down to the root then moved his body over Trey's. When drippy, pink, tween cock appeared above the teen's face, Trey eagerly gobbled it up. In the moment, it didn't occur to Trey that this was a "69", even though he'd heard the term before. All he knew was this was almost as good as plowing Michael's ass.

In Trey's excited state, he wasn't going to last much longer. He lifted Michael into the air by the hips to slide the tasty morsel from his mouth.

"I don't want to cum this way," pleaded Trey, trying to pull his cock free from the suction Michael applied. Michael relinquished and moved on to the day's lesson. Wiggling his hips, the got Trey to lower him back down onto his knees. Michael sat up and spread his knees, lowering and presenting his hold for Trey.

"Use your tongue," ordered Michael.

Trey stared at the clean, boy hole just inches above his face. Since Michael waited to shower after he got home, the younger boy provided Trey with a heavier dose of musk than the teen typically experienced. It sent Trey's head into a spin. Leaning forward, Trey sniffed again before taking a swipe at the twitching hole. Michael didn't expect Trey's sampling of his ass so soon. It caused the kneeling boy to flinch -- his hole closing tightly before relaxing and opening for more. Trey's second swipe coincided with Michael's hole opening, causing the inexperienced tongue to excavate unintentionally. Michael whimpered and his body shook with pleasure. He lowered himself closer as his way of asking for more.

Thoughts about what he was doing swirled through Trey's head. 'I just stuck my tongue in a butthole,' thought Trey. What bothered him more was he didn't think it was gross and he liked that Michael enjoyed it. When the hole came closer, he gave it another lick. This time, Michael pressed his as firmly to Trey's mouth, not giving the boy any option other than to continue.

Trey's tentativeness and inexperience translated into simply teasing Michael's needy hole. The younger boy worked his hips to help Trey along. "More," he groaned, begging Trey to get down to serious work. As Trey redoubled his exploring, the boy on top had another idea to get this moving along. He reached out and grabbed the leaky cock that swayed in front of him. Trey moaned as the pleasuring of his cock sent sparks of electricity through his body. With slow strokes, Michael gently masturbated the cock he needed in his ass but he was patient. Trey needed to learn to prepare him the right way.

"Get it wet and loose," he ordered, giving Trey's cock a squeeze. Trey responded by adding slobber and applying more pressure to his technique. It occurred to Michael that Trey's cock was kinda like a remote control for a delicious sex toy. A squeeze, faster strokes, different manipulations of the stiff cock caused different responses of the tongue in his ass.

Michael basked in the treatment of his hole, even if it was amateurish. But Trey's tongue grew tired and his cock grew impatient. Placing his hand under Michael's ass, he lifted the boy off his face and tossed him aside. Trey was upon the boy before Michael knew it. He pulled Michael to his knees and sidled up behind him. Michael rose up onto his hands as Trey lined up with his hole.

When the head of Trey's erection aligned for entrance, he pushed forward as Michael shoved back. Both boys moaned in pleasure. Both were past foreplay and ready for a hard fucking. The older teen quickly learned the ropes in finding the right grip, the right alignment, and the need to hold the bottom tightly to keep him in place if you're going to fuck him hard and fast.

Trey'd been longing to get off since the dance. He'd held out far to long for any young teenage boy. Once his cock was inserted and he found his groove, Trey pounded the hole relentlessly. Being held in place and pounded by the young stud turned Michael on even more. He squeezed his hole and pivoted his hips to increase Trey's gratification and to help the inexperienced teen hit his boy's place.

When Trey's grip tightened on his hips, Michael knew Trey was ready to blow. He dropped onto an elbow to free up his right hand. He grab his leaky, nearly four-incher to attempt to bring himself off with his buddy. With blazing speed, Michael tried to bring himself to a climax, knowing Trey would be getting there any second. Michael arched his back to increase the assault on his prostate.

Grunts and groans from both boys filled the air and echoed down the hallway. Their voices grew louder and their vocalizations came faster as they sped towards their ultimate goal. Trey won the race.

"Rrrragh!" growled Trey as he unleashed his first blast of baby batter drenching Michael's bowels. The injection coated Michael's rectum, slicking up the passage Trey continued to pound. The feeling of Trey's cock sliding through the freshly lubed flesh tube and the thought of being bred clicked in Michael brain and sent him over the edge.

"Uuugh! Fuck, yessssss!" His ass clamped down on Trey's rod and his body shuddered through the delicious agony of his "petit death". His cocklet clicked with each shot of thin, clear boy's cream he painted across his striped sheets.

Trey dribbled the last of his supply into Michael's ass before he collapsed onto the boy's back. Michael, in turn, dropped onto the mattress. The teen had just enough strength left to wrap his arms around the smaller boy just before they napped.

----------------------     

"Hi Janette," greeted Lars. "How were the boys last night?"

"Hi Lars," she greeted her friend with a hug. "I'm sure last night was tame compared to when you have half the middle school over."

Lars laughed. 'If she only knew what the boys get up to during those sleep overs.' Lukas' father was more than suspect, he was quite certain but he didn't want to know more than that. His boys wouldn't let anything happen to someone who didn't want it to happen and they would never let anyone be harmed.

"That is true," he agreed. "Do you know what today is about?"

"Yes," she replied, "but I made an agreement with Michael. I told him that I wouldn't sign off on any part of his plan unless you agreed to it. His only request is that I allow him to be the one to present the idea to you. I'm certain he will have plenty of surprises for me too."

"That is so true," laughed Lars.

"But I will say this," continued Janette, "it was nice to see Michael having fun like any other 11-year-old instead of acting like a little adult." The boys were louder than usual the previous night. Of course, she expected that when they agreed to allow Jordan to have more friends over than usual, but when she heard Michael's laughter and his bonding with the other boys, she couldn't bring herself to admonish them for being noisy. She and Jonathan had their white noise machine on and ear plugs in. The funny thing was, they were more confident the boys wouldn't tear the house down or do something stupid because Michael was there. Otherwise, they keep an ear to the ceiling (figuratively speaking) to make sure the boys aren't getting into trouble.

"He said he had a really good time and they were planning another sleep over." Janette took a seat at the kitchen table while Lars welcomed William Calloway. Michael had a computer monitor at one end to display his presentation, but the boy was nowhere to be seen.

"Coffee?" asked Lars, filling his cup again.

"Yes, please," they both said. William sat patiently while Janette pulled out her planner for the meeting. She had no doubt that Michael was going to throw a lot of stuff at them.

Lars served them each a mug of coffee and placed sugar and creamer on the table before heading to the front door. When the doorbell chimed, he knew was Stephen Cooper, his attorney.

"Come on in, Stephen," welcomed Lars. "Sorry Michael dragged you out on a Sunday. Want some coffee?" Stephen followed Lars in to the kitchen and took a seat at the table.

"Yes to the coffee, thanks. As for coming out here on Sunday, there's only one client I'd ever do that for..."

Lars was honored that Stephen appreciated all that he tried to do and the legal red tape that entailed. "Thanks Stephen, I appre..."

"...Michael," the attorney said, finishing his sentence. Everyone cracked up laughing knowing it was completely true.

Stephen continued, "Your littlest one keeps me on my toes and I'm always interested in what he has on his mind."

"Here, here," agreed Lars and the four adults clinked their coffee mugs to cheer the boy who'd stolen their hearts.

Over at the Novak's Michael was just wrapping up. After lunch, he practiced his presentation.

"What do you think?"

Simon, Lukas, Matthew, Trey, and Zach were lined up, sitting on the edge of his bed. He'd just finished presenting to the band the ideas he was taking to "the business team" and wanted to make sure they liked the presentation and its content.

The band members' minds swirled with all the information Michael downloaded to them. Trey, on the hand, was excited by everything he learned.

"That's so cool! You guys are so lucky!" The other four sat quietly.

Michael looked at his phone. "I'm presenting this to dad in five minutes. You guys are onboard, right?"

Zach spoke up first. "Guys, even if we decide later not to do these things, there is one thing Michael is absolutely right about. We should form a legal entity to manage and protect the band. You guys are starting to write your own music and you're getting paid for your shows. Even if your dad agrees to the other parts of the plan, it doesn't commit you to anything."

"Yeah, okay," agreed Matthew. It made sense. Plus, he was already resigned to the fact that Michael would plead with him and he'd give in anyway. The little squirt knew just how to manipulate him, and Matthew was fully aware and incapable of doing anything but what Michael wanted.

"I'm in," said Simon. "I'm not certain I understood and remember everything I'm agreeing to, but Zach's right too. We're not committing to anything, just that we don't not agree with what Michael's going to ask dad."

Not sure he completely followed Simon's logic, but if Simon was in, Lukas was perfectly fine with the plan. "Me too."

"Cool. Gonna go talk to 'the team' now." Michael checked his bowtie in the mirror and straightened his jacket. He pulled the HDMI cable from his laptop and headed next door.

He entered the kitchen and plugged the monitor in to display his PowerPoint presentation.

"Thank you for coming this afternoon," greeted Michael as the monitor flickered to life. "I appreciate you coming over on a Sunday, but with our schedules, this is the easiest time to bring everyone together without other business interfering."

The adults nearly choked. Michael had prepared a formal business presentation, no doubt something he'd learn in his online business class last fall. Even funnier was the fact that he came across more prepared and professional than most presenters they'd suffered through.

Janette was right. Michael overwhelmed them with a tsunami of information and ideas. Without taking notes, she'd never have remembered everything he discussed or her list of action items. That morning, before she'd taken Michael home, the boy asked her if she was too busy to take on another project. She didn't know what the boy had in mind, but she admitted to Michael what she'd told Lars she was looking for more challenges to keep her busy now that Jordan was older. Not just something to do, but something to build and grow.

When Michael finished, Janette reviewed her notes highlighting Michael's presentation.

Incorporate Band
- Legal protection for band's shows
- Band's original music
- Finances
- Copywriting merchandise and likenesses

Commercializing band's online presence
- Set up to generate income from ads and hits
- Offering original music and recordings of covers (music and video) for sale
- Apple Music(?) Spotify(?)

Grand Opening concert
- Posters and advertising
- Marketing plan
- Ticket pricing
- Recorded for student movie
- Live stream (?)
- Merchandise (sell at concession? online?)

Retail store
- Space at end on Maple
- "Saberspace" (name available?)
- School supplies
- Gym uniforms
- School jackets, hoodies, t-shirts, etc.
- On-demand printing equipment
- No need for printed inventory
- Can produce band's merchandise too
- Leverage EHHS' DECA chapter
- Ongoing project/interns from Pasadena City College
- 50/50 ownership

Health Fitness store
- 50/50 ownership
- Vision -- cater to rec center visitors
- Smoothie/snack bar
- Supplements
- Fitness apparel
- Simple gym appropriate equipment
- Store branded apparel printed on demand
- Me to lead endeavor and leverage students

Majestic Music Studios
- Grand opening April 6 (concert evening)
- Increase recruiting of music teachers
- Recruit sound/recording engineer to run recording sessions
- Use new engineer to teach us to use studio equipment
- Logo
- Marketing plan

Janette looked over and saw Lars and Stephen had similar, frantically scribbled lists. Michael rattled through his presentation at a pace that forced them to use mental agility they typically reserved for the work week.

"Well?" asked Michael, anxious to hear "yes" from his dad.

"Michael, that was one of the best business presentations I've ever heard. Well done," complimented Lars. The smile on Michael's face from the praise of his new dad was worth sitting through the long presentation.

"Is it okay if I go through my notes and talk about each piece?" asked Lars.

Michael nodded enthusiastically.

"First, the things about the band. I think all of this is a good idea. Stephen, can you head up putting in place all the legal safeguards for the boys, the band and their music?"

The attorney nodded. "I'm already ahead of you. I've reached out for some help from friends that work in that area of law. We'll get the band's legal documents drawn up."

Lars continued. "I also like the idea of the band generating revenue from your social media and online activities. Since you've invested in the theater and the studio, you should generate revenue from using those resources. But I don't think we should invest heavily in marketing these things to drive sales. This is NOT a job and I don't want it to become a job. You boys don't need the money. If what you are doing now can generate some cash for you boys, that's a good thing. If people see you online and go buy a song or video, good for you. But we aren't trying to make a living from the band. If you guys choose to do that later, fine, but not now."

Michael nodded. That's what he thought too, and he knew Matthew felt the same.

"I also don't mind advertising the grand opening and your concert to open the Theater. That will drive people to the Majestic's and Majestic Music Studio's web sites and kick off generating business for both. But we aren't going to do a lot of advertising of the Live Streaming of the concert. Having it on the posters and your social media sites will be enough. We aren't going to invest in advertising the event. The recording of the concert will show of the venue for those visiting the theater's web site, but I don't think you'll have a lot of eyes on the live event from a business standpoint."

"I do like the idea of 'Saberspace' and the on-demand printing. With the timeline you presented, the equipment would be in place in time to print merchandise for the grand opening and if my notes are right, you want to launch an online store to sell band merchandise online starting by that date. Correct?"

"Yes, I have found several options for creating online stores that can look like different stores but is really only one site. That way we can have online stores for the band, Saberspace and the fitness business, and maybe even Majestic Music Studios since there really wouldn't be any additional cost for that." Michael was excited that they liked his plans and asked questions so he could explain in more detail.

Lars turned to Janette. "With Saberspace and the health and fitness store, do you think you'd have capacity for that?"

"I think so. Picking up where Michael left off, I think Saberspace will be relatively easy to launch, but we'll have to see how it goes for generating a profit. I like the idea of using DECA and college students to drive the business, particularly the marketing and merchandising. Since the store has a very targeted business focus and much of the merchandising will be on-demand, I think we'll be keeping the overhead low. Additionally, if we can formalize our relationship with the schools, the students can get school credit for their internships and many schools do not allow students to be paid for internships for which they are getting credit. I also like the idea that Saberspace will be the wholesaler for the branded gear for the other businesses. If those are successful, that will create an underlying revenue stream to carry the store through the summer months when business may be slower."

Janette took a sip of her coffee before continuing. "I still like the idea of the health and fitness store. The details you added during your presentation makes me like the idea even more. I agree that this should be more professionally managed and thank you for thinking of me to do that. I know that we started thinking it would be nice to find tenants to fill the vacant storefronts along the Mallway, but I like the challenge of getting these stores up and running for ourselves. These businesses will each have to pay rent and be established as separate business entities, but I believe we can consolidate them under one umbrella corporation."

Lars raised an eyebrow. "So, you are wanting to take on all of these additional projects?"

Janette thought for a moment and replied, "Yes. Once the studio is ready, we'll move that construction team from the music studio to help get these spaces ready. We'll need to get the workspace for the on-demand merchandising ready first, then the health and fitness retail space. We need to get that up and running as soon as possible or someone else will fill that market niche. We'll shoot for launching Saberspace for back-to-school in late summer."

Michael liked how this conversation was going.

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2018

Matthew startled awake again.

"Quit it," whined Michael. It was the third time his big brother woke him up that night.

"Sorry," whispered Matthew, trying to not wake Trey who was sleeping on the twin bed across the room. In order to bring the boys back to his house for bedtime to help Matthew sleep better, they brought one of the old twin beds from Carol's attic and set it up in Matthew's bedroom.

Michael was sleepy and frustrated. Not knowing about Matthew's nightmares, the boy sought an alternative place to sleep. He grabbed his pillow and Matthew watched the red boxer brief clad booty swish and sway its way across the room and crawl onto the twin bed with Trey. Michael fluffed his pillow and slipped under the blankets with their friend. Trey didn't even wake, he simple snuggled up to Michael out of habit.

Matthew too, was frustrated. No matter how perfect life seemed to be during the day, at night his demons haunted him. In his dreams, they came in different forms. Some nights he found himself locked in the interrogation room with his father. It was the same room they'd last seen that man -- the last time they'd seen their father. While trapped in the room with Bruce, the man assaulted his oldest with a barrage of insults and half-truths about the teen's complicity over what happened to his little brother. He always woke when Bruce broke free from his handcuffs lunged for Matthew with the look of a killer.

Other nights Matthew had to witness Michael being abused as the boy pleaded for Matthew's help but the teen was helpless to save his little brother. He would fight to get to his little brother and beg for the men to stop, but unseen hands held him in place. No matter how hard he struggled and fought, he could never protect Michael.

Just now, he awoke from the newest of his nightmares. He's having a nice dinner with April and her family. They are having a great meal and conversation when the police bust in the family's front door to arrest Matthew. They reveal to the Evandales Matthew's secrets about his past relationship with his little brother. How he was a child predator and once convicted, he would be a registered sex offender for the rest of his life. The look of horror and betrayal on April's face ripped his heart to shreds. He begged for her understanding and forgiveness as the police dragged him from her home.

Matthew laid there thinking. 'At least Michael being here keeps the other nightmare away.' In the dim light of the room, he stared at the angelic, peaceful face of his little brother. Since Lars got the boys to come back to his house with these new sleeping arrangements, he'd stopped having the nightmare where Michael was missing and he was the only one looking for the boy. With every person he pleaded with for help, the all told him the same thing. "You let him go off with your coach by himself. It's your fault he's missing. You find him."

The teen wiped the tears from his eyes. He wished he could talk to Zach right now, but he didn't want to wake anyone. 'No reason for anyone else to be miserable,' he thought. He tossed and turned trying to get some rest but scared to fall back to sleep.

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"You're supposed to roll off and go to the net!" yelled Michael at the junior lacrosse player. The older boy ignored him and walked away.

Michael's frustration was getting the best of him and the coaches looked on wondering if their experiment was an abject failure.

The seventh, eighth and varsity teams were running like well-oiled machines. The work the boys put in during the off season translated perfectly into their preseason drills and practices. Lukas and Simon stepped into the leadership roles and earned the respect of their teammates on the field to match the respect they held off the field.

In contrast, the JV team was a mess. Michael's presence and leadership, instead of being a unifying factor like it had for the soccer team, was polarizing the JV team. Those that worked with the boys in the off season sided with Michael. They knew the boy and carried the mindset and passion from the offseason practices to the team. The members of the team that did not participate in those practices felt insulted that a little kid was even on the team, let alone a captain.

Matthew being on the team didn't help. Anytime Matthew backed up Michael, it actually undermined the boy's ability to earn the respect of his older teammates. They looked at it as Matthew having to step in to help his little brother because the boy couldn't do it himself.

At the end of practice, the coaches had a talk with the team about coming together and playing as one and having mutual respect for everyone on the team. No matter how they tried to mask the true meaning of the talk, everyone on the team knew it was about respecting Michael as a teammate and captain. To those most opposed to the boy, the talk did more damage than good.

As the boys left the field, the coaches spoke, joined by the varsity coaches. They were even split. Some felt it was better to replace Michael as captain, or remove him from the team altogether, to simply salvage the season. The others felt that sent a bad message to the boys who opposed Michael. If they were team players, these coaches argued, they would act like teammates. Changing anything would mean those with a bad attitude won and would encourage more negative behavior. It was suggested those boys be removed from the team. But when they weighed the consequences of that, it didn't look much better. It would prevent Michael from earning their respect and even further cut down his ability to earn the right to lead because it would once again look like others were stepping in to prop him up.

Back home, the boys went their separate ways to get showers. Matthew headed to his bathroom in the hallway, Simon and Lukas to the bathroom in Lukas' room, and Michael went to his bathroom next door.

Matthew walked into the bedroom where Trey was sprawled across the twin bed messing around on his laptop. Though is books were out to do his homework, he'd gotten distracted and was surfing the web. He wasn't so much distracted by what he was finding on his computer, but the show he was about to get. Since moving into Matthew's bedroom, Trey realized that if he found a reason to be in the bedroom when Matthew came back from practice, the teen would strip for his shower. Yet another confirmation for the 13-year-old that he was indeed bi. Today he laid prone on the bed so the boner he threw in anticipation of seeing Matthew naked before and after the older teen's shower.

Next door, Michael slammed his equipment bag onto the floor and entered his bathroom. He tripped out of his dirty practice gear. Being smaller than the other boys, he got knocked around a lot and seemed to be constantly picking himself up off the turf. When the water was the right temperature, he climbed into the shower.

He was pissed. He saw the looks and he heard the comments the older boys threw his way under their breath. He was doing the same things he did during soccer, but it only seemed to make some of the guys mad. Michael tried to analyze the situation and figure out what he could do differently, but it was no use, the words of the older boys rattled around in his head growing louder and louder. Eventually, they were loud enough to wake the demons that lived there.

Joining the voices of the older boys on the lacrosse team were the bullies from back in Oregon. Their cutting remarks filled with hate and vile inflicting their damage to the young boy. Echoes of the degrading and demeaning words said by the men who used his body added to the cacophony in his head. Finally, the devil himself added himself to lead the demons in their chorus. His father's words blaming him for everything that had happened. His abuse, the beatings, and his mother's death.

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Matthew dressed and the show was over. Trey waited for Matthew to leave the room, so it wasn't obvious that he was only in the room to see the oldest boy's body. When he deemed the appropriate amount of time had passed, Trey packed up his stuff and went looking for Michael. Since the boy hadn't come back, he figured Michael had started his homework or was messing around with his Legos again.

Trey climbed the stairs, listening to music on his earbuds from an old phone the boys dug up. The cellular service didn't work, but he had WiFi and they'd helped him load tons of music. When he entered the bedroom, he didn't see Michael. He put his backpack down and took his ear buds out. That's when he hear crying coming from the bathroom.

Peeking in the bathroom, he saw the small, naked boy sitting on the floor bawling his eyes out and pounding his fists against his head.

"Michael?"

The voice startled Michael. Embarrassed he'd been caught in such a private moment, he lashed out.

"GET OUT!" he screamed. "GET THE FUCK OUT!"

Trey was taken aback. He didn't think he deserved to be spoken to like that and he wasn't going to stand there and let the boy continue to do so. The teen turned and stormed out of the bedroom but stopped at the top of the stairs. He could hear Michael continue to cry. He debated with himself. Should he leave like Michael told him to, or should he go back to see what was wrong with his friend.

Retracing his steps, Trey entered the bathroom and sat down beside Michael.

Michael whimpered and tried to catch his breath. "Leave me alone," he begged. "Please, just leave me alone."

"No," was Trey's answer. He put his arm around Michael's shoulders and the boy collapsed against his friend's shoulder and continued to cry.