A STORY BY THE BRAT
     
The Boys of East Harbor: Michael
Chapter 40: Grand Opening
     
   

(ns)

DISCLAIMER: This work of fiction contains explicit material intended for adults over 18. If you are under 18 or are offended by non-traditional sex, or sex between minors, do not continue. If reading this type of material is illegal in your location, proceed at your own risk. This work is the sole property of the author and may not be reposted or reproduce without the author's written permission. This is a work of fiction. If any characters resemble the living or dead, or events are similar to actual events, it is purely coincidental.

Please contact the author via email, or visit the online forum to learn more about these stories and particiate in reader discussions with the author.

PLEASE DONATE TO NIFTY!

   
         
   


FRIDAY, APRIL 6, 2018

Alejandro was antsy. He couldn't wait to get to East Harbor to see his friends and the show. He kept checking the time until his Spanish tutor took his phone. What she didn't understand was not being able to check the time made him antsier.

¿Cómo se dice "I want to go surfing" en español?

"How do you say 'I want to go surfing' in Spanish?" he translated in his head. They kept telling him that eventually, he will think in Spanish and not have to translate everything first, but that will take a while. Either way, his Spanish was getting better. With everyone in the household outside of his other tutors speaking Spanish to him, how could it not get better.

"Quiero ir a surfear," responded Alejandro confidently.

"Excelente. ¿Planeas surfear después de tus lecciones?"

Alejandro thought about what the tutor asked and deciphered the question. 'Do I plan to surf after my lessons?'

"No. Voy a ver a mis amigos... um... play a concert."

"Tocar un concierto," corrected Seniorita Hernández.

"Voy a ver a mis amigos tocar un concierto."

"That's right," interrupted Alejandro's grandmother. "I hate to cut his lessons short today, but Alejandro needs to get ready to see his friends' concert tonight.

"Gracias, Seniorita," thanked Alejandro. He grabbed his phone and ran into the house to take a shower and dress for tonight's show.

The ladies continued their conversation in Spanish, not to keep the content from Alejandro, but because it was natural for the ladies.

"How is Alejandro coming along with his lessons?" asked Elena.

"Quite well. I don't know about the rest of this lessons, but his Spanish is coming along wonderfully." Constanza Hernández wasn't a push over when it came to her instruction. She was personally selected by Elena to work with Alejandro on his Spanish. Constanza grew up in Segovia, Spain in the Castile de Lyón region. This region is known for having speakers of the purest Castilian Spanish. Segovia was also the historic home of the Diaz family. Elena hoped that with her own influence on her grandson, and Constanza's tutelage, Alejandro would speak in the dialect and tone of his historic home and family. She never mentioned to him that it would benefit him in having the rest of the family accept him.

Constanza continued, "With the family and staff speaking primarily Spanish to him, and his desire to learn, I think he will become fluent faster than most students."

"He seems to be grasping the Castilian pronunciations and tones. Are you hearing the same thing?"

"Yes," agreed Constanza, "he has an ear for language and a work ethic to master it. How are the rest of his lessons coming along?"

"I'm happy to say they are coming along about the same. I'm so proud of how hard he is working at everything. Everything is coming along nicely, though his writing skills are developing more slowly."

"That is to be expected. It is a difficult skill to perfect."

Elena agreed. "At the suggestion of his Language Arts tutor, Alejandro has started reading in the evenings. We discuss how the author tells the story and writes as much as we talk about the story itself."

"Will we be staying here much longer? My mother's birthday is coming up and I'd like to see her."

"We'll be heading back to Spain soon. I thought about London for the summer, but I think immersing Alejandro in Castilian Spanish would be best. We won't do as much traveling this summer, but we'll need you to come along with us when we do, if you can."

"Like I said, I'm all yours as long as I can make it home by the 26th."

"You will," assured Elena.

----------------------     

"Try these," suggested Josh excitedly, "they're really good." He flipped his auburn bangs out of his eyes and handed the dark-haired Hispanic boy a Snickerdoodle cookie.

Alex took the cookie and found Josh to be right. 'Who knew attending an Ala-Teen meeting could be so delicious?' thought Alex. He giggled at the joke he'd made then realized it sounded kind of gay. He tried to shake that notion out of his head. But the gregarious, 13-year-old with an infectious smile just made Alex want to be around the boy.

"Aren't they good?" asked Josh giving Alex a huge smile.

"Yeah," admitted Alex, "they are pretty good." He grinned back at Josh exercising muscles in his face he hadn't used in this way for too long. It felt weird. It felt wrong. He wasn't supposed to feel happy. He was perfectly fine feeling like crap. But the stubborn, asshole persona he'd crafted so well while he was drinking back in Mayfield wasn't just cracking - it was down-right falling apart. Without that gruff exterior to hide behind, Alex felt uncertain about how to act.

It started when his mom dropped him off at the First Lutheran Church in Vista. It was about five miles from their apartment, but it was the closest Ala-Teen meeting on the list. He hated that he had to rely on his mother to get places. Tonight, she had to tell her boss she couldn't make it to the Café until after her son's meeting, losing a couple hours of pay and tips. Even though she didn't give him a hassle about taking him to his meeting, she still laid enough of a guilt trip on him to make him feel bad.

The moment Alex walked into the meeting Josh was right there to welcome him. As the meeting's greeter, Josh's enthusiasm and kindness brought a smile to everyone's face. The family-like atmosphere at this Ala-Teen meeting was life-saving for Josh. As the youngest, the older teens all took to him as a younger sibling.

Josh started attending Ala-Teen after his father was arrested. Josh's father's drinking was out of control. In a night of rage, he beat his wife and son and barricaded himself in the house. When the SWAT team finally talked the man out, they found his wife unconscious and Josh battered and suffering from a broken arm. Since that first meeting, he'd returned to being the happy-go-lucky kid he used to be.

This afternoon, Josh was thrilled to see a boy his age attending the meeting. He immediately decided that the taller boy with the intense dark eyes would be his friend. They sat together during the meeting and with Josh's encouragement, Alex followed Josh and shared at the meeting.

Josh focused on his fears about his father being out of jail and coming around the house again to see his mother. Though his mom vowed to never allow his father back into their lives, it looked like she was changing her mind.

Alex talked about how he and his mom moved from Mayfield to East Harbor after he'd gotten out of the hospital. Since it was Ala-Teen and not an AA meeting, he didn't tell them about his own drinking or his overdose. Following Josh's lead, he discussed how after his father left to pursue his drinking career his mother's drinking and drug abuse escalated. When she started dating again, she found fellow drinkers and with each boyfriend things got worse. The last boyfriend Alex could remember, his mother had to throw out before he raped Alex. When Alex got out of rehab, he found his mom was dating a man from East Harbor who moved them to Southern California to live with him.

After the Ala-Teen meeting, Josh waited with Alex. He wanted to spend as much time with his new friend and his mom would be late picking him up as always.

"So," began Josh, "I'm glad you came to the meeting today." He felt nervous around the new boy but desperately wanted to be his friend.

"Yeah, it wasn't as bad as I thought," replied Alex, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

"Where do you live?" asked Josh, trying to take back Alex's attention.

"Over by the Walmart shopping center."

"Which one? The one in East Harbor?"

"Yeah."

"That's funny. We live close to the Walmart shopping center on the other side of Vista. It's weird though. Our address is Oceanside and most of my friends go to Oceanside schools, but I live right on the border of the school district. I used to walk to school when I went to Bonsall West, but now that I'm in Middle School I get bussed all the way to Sullivan Middle School. It's like a million miles from home." He looked up to see if Alex was listening, but the boy was staring off into the distance. "Alex?" Josh asked. Then he repeated the boy's name a bit louder. He held up his phone and asked if he could get Alex's phone number.

"Yeah, uh sure," said Alex. Josh called the number he was given so Alex would have his number too. Certain he'd found a new friend, Josh saw his mom's car turn the corner.

"Damn, my mom's here." He was disappointed he'd have to leave Alex. "I'll call you," said Josh, offering up his fist for a bump.

Alex bumped fists and gave Josh a half smile. "Yeah, dude. I'll talk to you later."

Josh hopped in the front seat of his mother's car and bucked his seat belt. Before they pulled away, he waved to Alex.

"He's cute," teased Josh's mom.

"Mooooooom," whined Josh. "Alex and I just met."

"Don't mom me," she teased again, "I know that look you were giving him."

Josh blushed and slouched in his seat.

Alex wasn't happy Josh was gone. It was nice having a friendly face around. But he was happy to be with himself for a time to think. He hated when others were right, especially when it made him wrong. The doctors and therapists were right that he would benefit from the Ala-Teen meeting. He needed some space to think about that and the events that led to all of this.

Back in February, Alex had rummaged through the house and took all the drugs he could find. After that, the rest of February and March, he spent in a hospital, then rehab. Working with his drug and alcohol counselor, the group sessions, and the journal they made him keep, he began to learn that he didn't know everything. He fought it. He yelled and argued. He tried to prove them wrong, but time and time again, they showed him that his ways were self-destructive and didn't help anything.

Looking around the church yard, Alex spotted a bench along the side of the church. He took a seat and pulled his journal out of his backpack. Digging around in the front pocket, he found a pen and opened the book to write.

He added notes about how he felt sharing in the Ala-Teen meeting and how he liked that the other teens in the group were nice and had similar experiences in dealing with an alcoholic parent or two.

His writings joined notes about Nurse Suavez who came into his hospital room at night to talk to him. She helped him realize that he really didn't want to die, he wanted a way out of his circumstances and suicide would never be the right answer.

In rehab, he started to understand how alcohol and drugs contributed to his negative feelings about himself -- they didn't alleviate those feelings. He learned how alcohol was a depressant and amplified his negative feelings and self-image. The degrading messages he heard from his father, his mother, and her boyfriends, he eventually started to believe. When he turned to alcohol to wash away those feelings, it only resulted in making those feelings and beliefs about himself more powerful. The drugs and alcohol would lead to behavior that Alex felt proved they were right about him, instead of realizing it was the alcohol making him easy prey.

Today's brief notes followed two of his longest entries. He'd written a long rambling brain dump on how he felt about the way he acted just before leaving Mayfield. Returning home after the hospital and rehab, Alex felt ambushed by the news that his mother had a new boyfriend and they were moving in with him in southern California. Feeling like a trapped animal, he slipped back into his old façade, the rough, ass-hole, foul-mouthed boy he was before. It was comfortable and safe when his world immediately felt out of control. Then he ran into his one-time friend and drinking buddy Grant Foster. He'd lashed out at Grant just like he'd always done since Grant had gotten sober and Alex continued his downward spiral. In their last meeting, Grant had once again reached out to him and Alex shot him down one last time.

Now that he left town, he felt terrible about how he left things with Grant. The self-loathing, ass-hole that treated everyone who ever reached out to him as shit wasn't who Alex Guerrero was, especially now he was beginning to understand the hold the drugs and alcohol had over him. He learned that in rehab. Once he was sober and began to accept support and friendship from others, he started the long journey of rediscovering himself -- the boy buried under the years of verbal abuse and self-hate. Grant had been the victim of his anger about moving away from his home -- the house his parents bought when he was little -- when things were happier. Looking back on his last day in Mayfield, Alex journaled about his regrets and disappointment that he would never get to apologize to Grant, Aiden, Peter, or the other kids from the Fourth Dimension AA group who reached out and tried to be his friend.

The most recent entry was written just the night before. It was about his appointment with his new therapist. He wasn't quite sure what to make of the man. Dr. Mejier didn't seem like any therapist or counselor Alex had ever been to, which was a good thing. But that didn't mean he was certain he could fully trust the man either. What surprised Alex the most that night was his answer to the one question the counselor told him to always write about -- how he felt. Last night, after therapy and baking cookies, he answered that question by jotting down "proud". He couldn't remember ever feeling proud of something he'd done. Alex pondered the way the man made him feel. Trust? Safe? It put him in a space that made him uncomfortable. He was feeling things that were opposite of what he thought he should feel. They'd warned him of this - the doctors and therapists. They warned him that while he worked at his sobriety and taking control of his life, drunk Alex and sober Alex would conflict. He was pleased that he recognized what was going on, but he wasn't sure what to do about it.

As Alex finished his current journal entry, writing about the Ala-Teen meeting and meeting Josh, his mom pulled up. The pen and journal were tossed in his backpack and he zipped it up on the way to the car.

"Sorry you had to come pick me up," apologized Alex. He could feel the tension in the car. His mother was stressed out about getting to work or something.

She didn't say anything. They drove without exchanging any words to the Mallway. Security allowed them through to park behind the Café.

"What's going on?" asked Alex.

"I don't know," his mom answered sounding irritated. Alex couldn't tell if it was from having to answer his question or having to go to work. "There's some grand opening or whatever and there's some sort of party or something."

----------------------     

The Mallway buzzed with excitement. Folks were parking at the middle and high schools, and even in the surrounding neighborhoods and walking. The police managed pedestrian traffic crossing Maple Street with some of the crowd staking out seats on the steps of the middle school and others crossing to be part of the crowd on the Mallway. Fencing and security guarded the water fountain and most of the businesses along the Mallway were closed for the event, but Pappy's and the Maple Street Café both set up outside points of sale to take walk up orders.

Even for people who didn't know the band, the festive atmosphere and free show were worth the price of admission -- particularly for East Harbor middle and high school students who didn't travel for Spring Break.

As Jacob identified himself and pulled his black Mercedes SUV to the entrance of Majestic Music Studios, he and Alejandro heard the video start playing out on the Mallway. Some of the crowd whooped and hollered as the boys appeared on the giant display. Christian compiled and edited a series of the band's videos chronicling their development since Gavin shot the first video in Simon's family room to videos shot and edited by Keith and Asa. Christian's work was timed to end just before cutting to the live feed from inside the theater. The video also played on the Facebook Live feed set up for the show.

Jacob followed Alejandro in as the final music students for the day were on their way out. The studio would be closed the rest of the day for the concert and in preparation for Saturday's open house.

"Alejandro!" yelled Michael, waving both arms from the recreation area above the recording studios. Alejandro waved and took off running to join his friends. Jacob locked the door then swept the building and checked in with security before posting himself at the bottom of the stairs to wait for his charge.

"Qué hay, hermano!" greeted Alejandro asking Michael 'What's up, bro?' He gave Michael a huge hug.

"Your Spanish is getting better." Michael returned the hug and gave his friend a huge smile.

"Yeah," agreed Alejandro. "Everyone, except Jacob and my other tutors, only speaks Castilian Spanish to me all day. I have to learn it to survive!" He and Michael laughed at his exaggeration.

"Are you spending the night?"

"Yep. Abuela said she's really happy with all the hard work I'm putting in and I deserved a break."

"Yes!" He and Alejandro exchanged fist bumps. Michael continued chatting with Alejandro as he changed his clothes. "They sold like all the tickets, so all our friends are watching out on the mall. You and Jacob can watch from backstage or hang out with the guys and watch the broadcast."

"I'm sure Jacob would be happier if we stay inside. Besides, I think it will be cool to be backstage." Alejandro stayed out of the way as the boys warmed up. Lukas had a pair of drumsticks and tapped on anything and everything in his path, including his brothers. The other boys had acoustic guitars, each playing various riffs and scales.

Alejandro got the impression that the frenetic energy was nerves as much as excitement. He was correct in that assessment. There was a different energy this evening. The boys spent weeks preparing for this show. It was more than just the music. They were extremely proud of what they created and couldn't wait to perform. The research, practice, video shoots, and all the other work that'd led up to this show. The fact that this show was being filmed for Asa and Keith's project made it that much more important. But for the band, it was also the end of the journey that started when they met the two college students back in January. The band was excited to perform the show, but just as excited for the work on the movie project to be over. They were exhausted, but the nervous energy (and energy drinks) had them focused and ready to go.

"It's time," noted Zach. The boys headed down to the stage with Alejandro following close behind.

----------------------     

Craig and Oliver climbed the rockface to the ledge they'd come to know as their own private space. Since the first time they visited this spot and Craig poured his heart out about the events back in Chicago, they'd returned many times to discuss their lives and their love. Both felt safe high above the Gallatin River. It was a place where they could talk about anything. They unpacked the wood and kindling from their backpacks and built a small fire to fend off the chill of the damp spring air.

After sitting quietly for a while, they began to discuss the decision to be home schooled.

"I'm still pissed off about it," complained Craig. "I mean, I'm not mad about being home schooled. I'm pissed off that we can't go to school."

"Well, it's not like we are missing a lot of friends," offered Oliver trying to console Craig even though he felt the exact same way. The few friends they had kept in close contact with them through Facetime and texting, but that wasn't the loss either boy felt.

"You can go back to school if you want," offered Craig. "You're giving up more than I am. Running is what you love. If you don't go back to school, there's nowhere for you to train and compete and you won't be able to get your scholarship. It's your dream. I don't want you to give that up for me."

Oliver didn't respond right away. "You're giving up a lot too. You're a shoe in for a scholarship to any school you want to go to, but do they give scholarships to home schooled kids?"

"Whatever," groused Craig. "I can pay my way through school if I have to. But you deserve better." Craig fumbled around in his backpack and pulled out his phone. He woke it up and tapped on the screen a few times. "There's this school in Florida, IMG Academy. It's a boarding school for sports. It's really good, like, the top of the top of the top go there. I checked the times for their track and cross-country teams. Your times are better than their best athletes. You'd get a scholarship. I know it." He handed the phone to Oliver who scrolled through the school's web site. "You should apply."

"I don't want to go if you don't go." Oliver put the phone to sleep and handed it back to Craig.

"My times might be good, but I only have last cross-country season as a resume. I could probably get in, but I would never qualify for an athletic scholarship and IMG doesn't give academic scholarships."

"Maybe there is another school we could both go to." Going to a boarding school didn't sound nearly as bad if Craig was there too.

"There's a military school in St. Petersburg which is about an hour north of IMG. But the top boarding schools are by Orlando and on the east coast," explained Craig.

"If we aren't at the same school, we might as well be in different states. Neither of us are old enough to drive so whether we are 10 minutes away or 10 hours away, we won't be able to see each other."

Craig leaned into Oliver and wrapped his arms around the boy's chest. "I only want what's best for you."

"I know," sighed Oliver, returning Craig's hug. "And I only care that we stay together, no matter where we go."

"Well, it might be a challenge to find a boarding school that gives both academic and athletic scholarships." Craig also liked the idea of them attending the same boarding school.

"Well, whatever we do, I don't want to go to a military school. No fucking way."

Craig agreed wholeheartedly and added, "We also need to find a school where everyone's going to be okay with us being boyfriends."

"You know," said Oliver, "I think we should get accepted before we talk to the 'rents about this."

"Yeah, well, most of these schools have application fees and require parents' signature. I don't think we'll even be able to apply without them knowing."

Oliver thought about it then said, "Then we need to find the one school we want to go to before we apply."

"We better be quick because deadlines are like right now," stated Craig.

"Then as soon as the fire dies down, let's go back and start researching."

The boys quietly stayed in each other's arms until the embers turned to ash.

----------------------     

The lights on stage went down. Four blue spots gently lit the brick wall at the back of the stage from the floor. The audience could see silhouettes of people walking around on stage.

When Lukas pounded out the intro to "I was Just a Kid" by Nothing but Thieves, bright white strobes flashed with the beat. When the rest of the band joined in, the stage was flooded with brilliant white lights while spots rolled out across the audience following the wall of sound coming from the band. The boys' investment in time and hard work, as well as the investment in state-of-the-art lighting and sound, paid off. The audience was blown away.

The boys quickly transitioned to "Come on Over" by Royal Blood with Simon on vocals with the addition of lead and rhythm guitar as arranged by the boys. Then, as soon as Simon set his bass down and Zach picked his up, they played "Lit" by Buckcherry, again with Simon on lead vocals. The raven-haired teen lit the audience up as he belted out the lyrics and danced around the stage.

Simon grabbed his bass and a drink while Michael took the mic.

"What's up East Harbor?" he shouted. The crowd cheered.

"And how's everybody doing outside on the Mallway?" The crowd outside roared. The folks inside heard them and cheered again.

"This next song is available out on Apple and Google Music. Proceeds from the sales of the song and video are being donated so head out there and get a copy." Lukas counted off and they ripped into Weezer's "Hash Pipe".

They followed that up with Simon singing the band's original "Betrayal" and Matthew singing "April Showers". Michael sang and played guitar on a punk blues number by Deep Dark Robot, "Can't Get You Out of Mind". They finished up the first half of the show with Matthew dedicating the Shawn Mendes song "There's Nothing Holding Me Back" to April before the band brought the house down with Michael on vocals for "Holiday" by Green Day.

They stepped off stage to change shirts and rehydrate while the crowd hit the refreshment and merch stands. No one bothered the boys. They were in their zone and needed to get back out on stage.

The crowd cheered when they went back out on stage taking their time to set down their drinks and set up for the next part of their set. Michael sat at the grand piano and smiled at the stickers he'd collected and placed on his dad's Steinway. When the crowd seemed ready, Lukas counted off and they tore into the arena rock song "Cruel to be Kind" by Spacehog with Michael on vocals. He stayed at the piano for their original number, "Miss You."

Zach took a seat at the piano when Michael climbed on top for the next song. When Michael was ready, Zach hit the sampler and started the next song. As the sample started, Michael took his shirt off revealing a hand-drawn cartoon of a broken heart drawn in black on his chest. Matthew's guitar whined as he stood in front of the amp to create feedback. Michael grabbed the mic as the drums kicked in for Twenty-One Pilot's "Heavydirtysoul".

Michael rapped out the first verse and sang the chorus. He hoped this would be a crowd-pleaser, but the band underestimated the song's popularity with concert goers. The audience sang along with Michael on the chorus at the top of their lungs and pumped their fists in the air with each 'huh'.

Can you save?
Can you save my?
Can you save my heavy dirty soul?
From me, for me, *huh*
Can you save my heavy dirty soul?
From me, for me, *huh*
Can you save my heavy dirty soul?

For the musical interlude between verses, Michael stepped back, spun into a one-handed roundoff landing on the edge of the piano with his back to the audience. He then launched himself into a double back flip with a twist landing in a Spiderman crouch facing the audience. After a quick pause when he stuck the landing, he hopped up and raced to the front of the stage when he high-fived audience members and rapped out the next verse.

The audience loved the band of young teens and the little tweener. They didn't have high expectations from the ticket price, but they were getting their money's worth and much more.

They followed up with Matthew singing "Neon Brother" by Nothing But Thieves. Then Michael sang and played acoustic guitar for the White Stripes "I'm Bound to Pack it Up". They wanted to end with high energy, so they played "Ban All the Music" by Nothing But Thieves with Matthew on vocals and then Simon sang "Hole in Your Heart" by Royal Blood.

They'd originally planned for that to be the final song of the show, but decided they needed one more number.

"We have one more number for you," said Michael. He took a drink of his red Gatorade and watched Simon put his bass away. "A review came out about the band in the school newspaper that basically said we were boring and didn't know how to rock." The crowd booed and the boys just laughed and smiled.

Simon took his mic off the stand. "Yeah, well, we have a message for you, JJ," referring to the editor of the school's newspaper. All eight hands of the boys flipped the bird to the camera. The crowd cheered and joined the boys in flipping off Jacob Jenkins, wherever he might be, which just happened to be out on the Mallway watching the show. "This one is dedicated to all the old folks out there."

Michael's guitar sounded like a motorcycle accelerating and shifting gears then Matthew came in on rhythm guitar before Lukas joined on drums and finally Zach on bass. Simon sang vocals as the band played "Kickstart My Heart" by Mötley Crüe. The crowd jumped in with fist pumps and shouts of "oh, yeah" throughout the song as the boys rocked the house.

"Good night, everyone!" said Simon at the end of the song and the boys walked off stage. To change shirts and get more to drink.

It was a party atmosphere in the Majestic and on the Mallway. As they watched Asa and Keith's friends move equipment onto the stage, the crowd started shouting, "Encore!"

When the stage was ready, the lights on stage darkened and the projector beamed the band's logo against the brick wall behind the drum kit. Again, silhouettes of the band taking the stage could be seen.

The opening bars of "Feel it Still" by Portugal. The Man were heard before the lights on the stage came up. Michael was on drums, Matthew on bass, Simon and Zach were on guitars and Lukas was front and center on lead vocals. His sassy-self infused the song with attitude and engaged the audience. They clapped when he asked them to clap along with the song as he strutted and danced around the stage.

The band followed up with Michael grabbing his ukulele and Matthew his trumpet to play "We Don't Believe What's on TV" much like they did up in Santa Monica. They had the crowds inside and out shouting "Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!" right along with the song.

Then they pulled out the big surprise.

"Zach, come up here," said Matthew with a huge smile on his face. Zach was embarrassed and apprehensive. He knew the boys well enough to know this meant they'd planned something, and he didn't know what to expect. "This is my best friend Zach Schultz. He's been a huge part of the band, even if he doesn't like calling himself the fifth member. He pretty much stays in the back corner over there and plays whatever instrument we need help with and he's a great help with our song writing." The crowd whooped and hollered for Zach who blushed and gave a half wave.

"But in the past Zach's been a front man." The lights along the back wall of the stage dimmed and the projector and sound system played a video of Zach fronting one of his old bands in Los Angeles." Zach covered his face in embarrassment. The clip was short, and the lights came back up on stage. Michael ran up with Zach's mic and handed it to him.

"Everyone, turn around and wave 'hi' to our dad up there in the balcony." The crowd turned and saw Lars, Carol and Janette in the corner of the balcony. The audience cheered and waved, and the three unsuspecting adults waved back in embarrassment.

"Zach, we thought dad should get to see you perform live at least once so we prepared a song for you." Matthew walked away and prepared to play while Zach stood center stage with no idea what the boys planned next.

Matthew started off with the simple rhythm guitar riff of "Pressed Against the Sky" by the Toadies. Michael joined in on lead guitar and Lukas on drums. It was one of Zach's favorite songs to perform and he looked up at Lars. He tapped his heart and pointed his finger to the love of his life.

If this is a dream, I'm happy you're having it with me,
I will stay and savor the way you move me,
Don't want to miss one detail, one sweet smile from your lips,
One kiss sets me adrift, alright, yeah.

The song builds into a loud, thundering wall of sound as the vocals repeat, "Pressed against the sky, Eyes wide open."

For the next song, Michael grabbed his ukulele again. He'd planned to introduce this song but after the crowd's reaction to the other Twenty-One Pilots songs, he realized nothing needed to be said.

"Screen" is another song where Michael bounded between rapping and singing. The song climaxed as the crowd continued to sing "We're broken, We're broken, We're broken people, We're broken people," while Michael sang the chorus:

I'm standing in front of you
I'm standing in front of you
I'm trying to be so cool
Everything together, trying to be so cool

There was no pause between "Screen" and the last song of the night, Twenty-One Pilots' "My Blood". They bowed and left the stage for the final time as the crowds inside and out sang:

Stay with me,
No, you don't need to run
Stay with me, my blood,
You don't need to run.

----------------------     

Alex sat on the Middle School steps and watched the crowd after the show. Once the Café emptied a bit, he'd see if he could camp out in the corner and wait for his mom to get off work, until then, he'd have to just chill and bide his time. It gave him time to think about living in East Harbor and how his life was about to change.

He turned and looked back up at his new school. It was big and imposing but situated at the end of the Mallway facing the high school, it seemed kinda cool. The video screen at the opposite end of the Mallway lit back up, playing the video of the concert to entertain the crowd still gathered outside. It wasn't even 9:00 yet and many of the concert goers who exited the theater hung around the Mallway to enjoy the food trucks and chill.

The boys Alex spied earlier cheered when the video came on. The soccer and lacrosse sportswear offered the clue that at least some of this group were athletes. This group of boys reminded him of Aiden and his friends. When he watched them before the show, they were polite and respectful to everyone around them, they seemed super tight with each other and knew how to enjoy themselves and have a good time. Alex figured they all got good grades and all that shit too. This time around, if this group of boys offered their friendship, would he spurn them like he did the boys in Mayfield? He didn't dwell on that question for long because there was a fat chance in hell they would want to befriend a wreck like himself. Why would they befriend anyone with such a dark past.

He stood and decided to take a walk while he waited for his mom to get off work. From across the street he passed the Café and headed down Maple Street. Alex didn't think about where he was going and before he knew it, he was passing Dr. Meijer's house. It reminded him of his surprise when he recognized the boys in the band as the doctor's boys. 'It would be really cool to live in a family like that,' he thought. His heart ached not because they were richer than he was, but because there seemed to be so much love and support between the family members, even if they weren't a traditional biological family.

Alex's thoughts drifted to his father. The father who left because his responsibilities at home got in the way of his partying. When it came down to his father choosing to support his family or buy the next bottle of booze, he eventually chose the bottle. Inevitably, his father lost his job and left Mayfield. Alex hadn't heard from him since and no one seemed to know where he went. On the other hand, Alex would bet there wasn't a single bottle of alcohol in the doctor's entire house.

'That would be just fine with me,' he thought then stopped dead in his tracks. 'What the fuck? Do I really mean that?'

Which brought him to thinking about his own living situation. His mom wouldn't give him many details about how she met John Vance, her new boyfriend. What he knew was John, for some reason, had been in Mayfield and ran into his mother. He gathered that John and his mom went out every night until he had to return to East Harbor. He went back to Mayfield for the weekend a few more times before Alex got out of rehab. The next day they packed up a small truck of their most valuable belongings and moved to southern California.

John claimed that the bedroom Alex moved into was for his nephew when he spent the night, but Alex was skeptical. One good thing about mistrusting everyone was being skeptical of everything. Everything in the room looked and smelled brand new. The desk, the dresser, the bed and the bed linens all looked unused. There were no toys, clothes, or anything that belonged to John's nephew anywhere to be seen. When he set his backpack on the desk, he noticed a layer of dust thick enough to write your name. Inspecting the room further, he found everything in the room to be covered in dust. It seemed odd there would be so much dust if John's nephew visited as often as he claimed. To Alex, it just confirmed his feeling that John was a creep. He didn't like the way the man looked at him, talked to him like they were best friends, or even his offer to help him and his mom get a fresh start. It just all seemed wrong.

His mom seemed off too. With each day, she seemed more nervous and tense. Alex again tried to assess what was going on with his mother. She would hardly let the boy out of her sight. What Alex found most curious was she would let him go to AA and Ala-Teen meetings by himself, and even wander around East Harbor this evening, but she wouldn't let him stay at the apartment if she wasn't there. Did John have booze in the apartment? Was she afraid Alex would find it? It kinda made sense to Alex. Or was it John himself? Was she nervous about leaving Alex alone with John? If Alex had his way, he'd never be left with John. He was perfectly happy to accompany his mother on her errands or hang out in the Mallway during her shifts as long as he didn't have to be around John.

Alex continued to wander around the neighborhood. Even though they'd been in East Harbor for a few days, he was still in disbelief about how drastic a change this made in his life. He couldn't remember ever living anywhere other than his house in Mayfield. He was too young to remember anything earlier. Nor could he remember a time in his life when Grant wasn't there. The pain he felt from destroying that friendship cut through Alex's body with searing pain. Each time he thought of his ex-best friend, he would remember yet another time he'd been an asshole and pushed Grant away. Grant, the only person that ever cared for him, except maybe his mom when she wasn't drunk. These days, that was even questionable. He wondered if she looked at him as her son, or her obligation.

He wiped tears from his cheeks as he walked through the high school's east parking lot towards the Mallway. The food truck vendors were tearing down and the volume of the video playing on the big screen was turned down. The Mallway still had some fans and families hanging out, but they seemed to be finishing up their food and preparing to head out for the night.

Alex stepped into the Café. It was full of laughter and conversation making it difficult to hear his mother's instructions from behind the counter. When she pointed to the far table by the entrance to the bathrooms, he figured out what she meant and headed back that way.

He sat down and pulled his journal out. He felt like he should write down his thoughts from his walk. Laughter erupted from the other side of the Café and he sat up to see what the ruckus was all about. Alex immediately recognized Dr. Mejier and his family. It looked like they were celebrating the show with some of their friends and other adults. His mind drifted back to his thoughts about what it would be like to join such a close and happy family when he was interrupted by a figure. Looking up, one of the waitresses placed two Coke's on the table, followed by two hamburgers and a basket of fries. Alex gave the waitress a questioning look.

"Hi hun," she said in her sweet southern drawl. "I never like to eat alone so I brought you somethin' too." She reached for the ketchup at the end of the table. "Do you like catsup on your fries too?"

He still didn't know what to make of this, but the smell of the food stirred his hunger. "Yes, thank you."

"I'm Vera, by the way. You're Alexis' boy, Alex, right?"

Alex was in the middle of taking a bite of his burger, so he simply nodded his head while he chewed. Vera continued to talk but Alex just closed his eyes while he enjoyed the best burger he'd ever eaten. It was an old-style diner, but they were beginning to introduce some elevated foods to their menu to cater to the foodies. His burger was made from Kobe beef topped with fresh, home-made onion straws instead of raw onions, horseradish-sweet dill pickles, and the Café's "secret sauce" instead of typical condiments.

"Ya know," said Vera, getting Alex's attention, "the look on your face when you walked in, I've seen that look before." The comment immediately made Alex feel guilty, but he had no reason to feel that way.

"That little fella over there," she said, nodding towards Michael, "he came in here for breakfast on the first day of school. He seemed like a lost little puppy. I guess he and his mother moved here to escape family and other problems. He's such a sweet boy, I can't believe anyone would hurt him. There are some bad people in this world."

Alex looked over at Michael when it occurred to him, the story that Lars told him wasn't some made up story or something he read in the news, it was the story of his own son -- one of the boys he adopted. His mind swirled with thoughts about the story Lars related to him as he watched the subject of the story eat and laugh with his friends and family.

Years of pouring coffee refills at diner counters and some bartending gigs made Vera almost as qualified a therapist as Lars, but she didn't have the experience he had with the younger crowd. However, after interviewing and working most of a shift with Alex's mother, she had an idea of what Alex was dealing with at home.

"Darlin'," she said, "if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here for you. And there are a lot of great adults around here that will listen too." She watched Alex watching the Meijers. "Do you know Dr. Mejier?"

Alex nodded.

"He's a good man, Alex...the best. He will fight for you if he has to. If you want to be happy, he will help you get there." She reached out and took Alex's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"My break is about over. I better get ready to clock back in, hun. Thank you for having dinner with me."

Alex looked up, his eyes full of emotion. He nodded and croaked out, "Thank you."

----------------------     

Jacob finished his coffee and headed upstairs to check on Alejandro before heading to the guest room for the night. He was pleased that Lars and Carol planned to have a private room for him close to Alejandro anytime the boy came to visit. It made his job easier and improved his quality of life.

The boy's history made him standout from the other boys in the Diaz family. Though Jacob had only worked for Elena to protect Carlos, and now Alejandro, he'd been around the family long enough to get to know many of the other boys and men in the family.

In many ways, as he watched Alejandro's personality blossom, the boy was clearly a Diaz. But there was an underlying humility that set Alejandro apart from his uncles and cousins. After being Alejandro's security detail for this long, Jacob expected to know Alejandro better. But the boy focused on his studies and surfing. He didn't run out to eat, go to movies, or go spend his money, and as a result, Alejandro didn't have much need for Jacob. Thus, Jacob had to observe from afar and he was growing to love the boy like a son. It went against his training, but for Jacob, he'd prefer to care deeply for the person he's expected to take a bullet for.

It was quiet in Michael's room. Jacob stepped in to check on Alejandro one last time before he went to sleep. Passing the closet to see the head of Michael's bed, Jacob found two naked boys in a mess of twisted sheets and blankets. Alejandro rested his head on Michael's chest and hugged the smaller boy like a favorite stuffed animal. Both boys were sound asleep. Jacob found a blanket kicked off the end of the bed and covered the boys.

Gently closing the door to Michael's room, Jacob smiled to himself. Jacob assumed Alejandro was just as indifferent to the gender of his partner as his cousin, Carlos. Alejandro seemed more and more like a Diaz every day. But where most of the Diaz men and boys were about having fun and taking advantage of every opportunity for fun between the sheets, he was certain that Alejandro was more like Carlos. Carlos led with his heart and kept his fun between the sheets to only those he held close to his heart.

----------------------     


SATURDAY, APRIL 7, 2018

The boys arrived at the Majestic early for a Saturday morning. While the concert was the official grand opening and featured the event space, Saturday was the open house for prospective music students and recording artists. AJ reached out to everyone he knew in a band, that worked as a sound engineer or producer, or worked at one of the record labels, and invited them to come down to East Harbor to look at the recording studios. Additionally, all of the various instructors would be on site to give tours and enroll prospective students. Demonstration instruments were available to try out to see if the student and instrument might be a match.

Michael, Alejandro, and the rest of the band didn't have much to do with the open house. They wanted to be here for the ribbon cutting ceremony and the unveiling of the new signage that hung on the back of the theater by the studio entrance. After that, they planned to just hang out in their private recreation space atop the recording studios. They'd been trying out different names for the space like "the eagle's nest" or "the lookout". They currently referred to it as "the Loft" with a capital "L" to make it a proper name. It looked like that would stick unless they came up with something better. They figured from the loft they could see what was going on during the open house or do something fun, together.

But first, they needed to help clean the place up. People would be walking through the auditorium and for the grand opening, it needed to look spotless.

"I can't believe we're awake and picking up trash at 7:30 in the morning." Lukas was still tired. When they got home last night, Lukas and Simon were full of energy. Once they got into bed, they found other activities to burn it off. Their extracurricular activities kept Matthew awake most of the night too.

"Well," Michael reminded, "we said we'd get the trash picked up and floor swept so Mr. Calloway can polish it by 10 o'clock." They only had about 30 minutes to get the floor ready before Bill arrived.

Once Bill started on the main floor, the boys split up to clean the balcony, upstairs and downstairs lobbies and the staircase. That included tearing down and storing the merchandise and finishing up anything left over to clean up at the concessions counter.

Michael walked to the front doors that looked out over the Mallway. The fence company was removing the last of their equipment. The food vendors and production company packed up and moved out the night before. Save for the trampled grass, there wasn't much evidence of the last night's show.

Vacuums, Windex, and other items were used to get the theater ready for the open house then stored back in the closet. It was nearly 10 and the boys visited the Loft to freshen up and prepare for the Grand Opening. Checking themselves in the mirror they brought up before the show, they headed down the stairs and to the rear entrance.

"Whoa!" said Simon stopping just short of the door.

"What?" asked Michael, trying to see past his taller siblings.

Matthew stepped up to the door to get a better view. "There's like over a hundred people out here." He was correct. Between family (Zach, Lars and Carol), the instructors, and the Majestic crew (Bill, Janette, Alvin, and AJ), there were two local TV crews and dozens of families either to visit their instructors and the new facilities or looking for music lessons. They were thankful a reception tent with refreshments was outside instead of serving food and drinks inside. With this many people, food and drinks were bound to be spilled -- better outside than in.

The boys stepped through the door to join the festivities. Some of the crowd clapped for the boys, embarrassing them. Apparently, they'd made "an entrance" without even knowing it.

They didn't feel the gratitude was deserved for simply walking out the door. What they didn't yet know was the true success of their prior performance. The applause was for their show the night before. The free event on the Mallway was bigger than anyone anticipated. East Harbor students and neighbors came to enjoy seeing friends, food trucks that didn't frequent East Harbor, and some music too. While the event inside was a sold-out event for concert goers, the outside show was a family affair with parents bringing children of all ages for a good time -- including the families here for the open house.

Without much fanfare, Janette introduced Michael to say a few words.

"Welcome everyone! When the Majestic was purchased, I had a vision of creating a center for the arts. This, I hope, is just the beginning of what the East Harbor Mallway can become." He pulled the strings to reveal the new signage. To the top left of the door was Majestic Music Academy and to the top right of the door, Majestic Recording Studios. Michael then opened the door and welcomed everyone in.

The open house was busy. Michael gave up trying to keep track of what was going on, but he was happy to see instructors signing up students and AJ giving tours of the recording studio and auditorium to individuals of the music industry. What Michael really got a kick out of was the families that came into the auditorium to show their children where the band played. He especially enjoyed when the kids would start to play air guitars and jump around like they were playing a concert.

The boys munched on the refreshments in the Loft, grabbed lunch at the Café, and found moments to crash for a quick nap. Now that the filming and concert were over their bodies demanded rest.

Alejandro was kicked back on the sectional dozing with Michael draped over his lower body, his friend's head resting on his stomach. He jumped awake when a hand brushed his face.

"Abuela! ¿Que estas haciendo aqui?" whispered Alejandro in surprise.

Elena smiled when her grandson woke speaking Spanish. It was music to her ears. "Hello, mi amor. Wake your friend, we need to talk."

Alejandro stretched. He shook Michael by the shoulders, but the boy was dead asleep. The teen pried his legs out from under Michael and found his footing on the floor.

When his face smacked the leather cushion, Michael woke. Groggy, he pulled a pillow to his chest and tried to go back to sleep.

Alejandro snatched the pillow away. "No way, hombre. We have visitors."

Michael sat up and rubbed his eyes. He spotted Alejandro's grandmother and greeted her, "Hola, Señora Wertheimer-Diaz." Michael used his basic knowledge of Spanish to show his respect.

"Oh, heavens, Michael," laughed Elena. "Just Diaz. But call me Elena, please."

Michael agreed and yawned again.

"Well, I came down to East Harbor to see you, Michael, so you can show me your ideas for the East Harbor Arts District."

Michael was thrilled with Elena's interest. He grabbed a Red Bull from the fridge and offered his guests something to drink before they headed out to the Mallway.

Elena toured the Music Academy and Recording Studios before waking the boys. Michael took her out onto the stage to view the theater's auditorium. He explained the plans for the space and the updates they'd made to the theater. They led Elena through the lobby and out onto the Mallway. Michael took her through the plans for the other spaces on the west side of the Mallway on either side of the theater.

When the tour was over, Elena invited the boys to the Café for drinks. They took a table out on the patio. She ordered dark brewed coffee black while the boys ordered milk shakes. Elena wanted time with Michael to see how his mind worked.

"Running a luxury brand is more than simply catering to our client's need. We want to anticipate their other needs, so they don't ever have the need to go anywhere else." She paused and watched Michael's face as his brain started processing what she said. "I think you have some opportunities to optimize usage of space and to better fill your customer's needs."

She laughed when she saw the light bulb go off in Michael's mind. Elena could see the boy connecting the dots before he spoke.

"Instead of 'Saberspace' with all the gear and stuff for students, I should use the retail space facing Maple Street for higher end merchandise, like instruments for the Music Academy. We could have a music store and instrument repair in that space and we can put a door between the store and the music academy so people don't have to walk around the building."

Elena was impressed how quickly the 11-year-old picked up on what she suggested. "Besides," Elena suggested, "which students have the most money to spend on school apparel?"

"The high school students. I should put the store by the high school." Then he stopped and thought. "The only place else to put it would be where the fitness shop would be, but we were expecting higher revenue from the fitness shop."

Elena suggested, "What about the office at the end of this building?"

"I was trying to keep the revenue between the Majestic businesses. I'm not sure I want to raise prices on the school stuff to afford the rent. Besides, Mr. Haggerty's office is in that space."

"Mr. Haggerty is going to be retiring. That means other than the Café and the florist, the rest of this building will be available. Did you have plans to expand the art space to this side of the Mallway?"

"Yes!" said Michael enthusiastically. "I was hoping a dance studio would move into the space, but the landlord doesn't want to remodel the building. The weight-bearing brick firewalls between the three middle spaces would have to be knocked out and engineered beams put in place to hold the roof up to make the space big enough for a dance studio."

"I see," said Elena. "It is often easier and more profitable to rent out several small spaces than to rent out one big space. But I have a feeling you'll make it happen. But I do have one more thing I need to discuss with both of you."

The boys looked at each other then back to Elena.

"I need to head back home, I've been away from the office for too long."

"Does that mean I'm going too?" asked Alejandro.

"Yes, mi hijo, we're going back to Segovia for the summer," explained Elena carefully. No matter how she told Alejandro, she was certain he would feel blindsided by the news.

"But aren't your offices in London?" asked Alejandro. He knew the family's businesses were headquartered around the world, but his grandmother worked most closely with her designers in London.

"Yes, I will, but I want you to continue your Spanish studies and what better place than at our home in Spain." She watched Alejandro's face to judge his reaction. Before his feelings could turn south, Michael jumped in.

"Oh my gosh! You're going to get to go to Europe! I bet you'll get to go to Madrid and Barcelona and Lisbon and the nudist beaches along the French Riviera!" Michael blushed when he remembered Elena was present.

Michael's excitement rubbed off on Alejandro. He knew he'd be leaving California at some point in the future but putting a date to it made it real and frightening. He was leaving everything he'd ever known behind and traveling thousands of miles away.

"Maybe I'll be able to come visit. What do you think?" asked Michael. Alejandro perked up a bit.

"Can he abuela? Can Michael come visit us in Spain?"

"Of course, he can. But only if his parents allow it. We'll have to talk to them first."

Michael held up his fist and Alejandro bumped it then he returned Michael's smile.

----------------------     


SUNDAY, APRIL 8, 2018

Sunday was a day of rest under Lars and Carol's orders. The boys needed a low-key day before school picked back up. Janette and her team ran interference with the media and other requests and Carol confiscated the boys' phones so she could monitor their screen time. She didn't care if they played games, but she didn't want them spending all day answering calls and texts.

Alejandro was still in East Harbor. Permission to spend another night was granted once he learned his time to hang out with his friends was limited. The sixteenth of April was only days away! Michael's excitement about Alejandro going to Europe made the teen feel better, even a little excited about his pending trip. After breakfast they returned to Michael's room. Instead of showering and getting ready for the day, they booted up the PS4 and played video games.

Lukas and Simon spent the morning in bed. They saw Michael and Alejandro in passing, the younger boys just finished breakfast when Lukas and Simon emerged from their room. After the 'rents fed them their breakfast of choice, the teens crawled back into bed.

Matthew, who managed to get to sleep before the other boys, was up early. He went for a run with Lars and Zach and had breakfast with them, Carol and Jacob. When the men cleaned the table, Carol took Matthew aside. They sat on the couch in the front room to talk.

"I love you so much, Matthew," she said holding her oldest boy. It didn't take long for her to love her adopted sons as much as she loved Simon and Lukas. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay," he replied. Since he arrived in East Harbor, he'd felt a special bond with Carol. Her spending time with him one-on-one to just cuddle and talk was so important to Matthew. It was his favorite way to spend time with Megan, his mother, and Carol unknowingly filled that role perfectly.

"Are you?"

"Yeah, I am," Matthew assured her.

"Well, here's what I see. You tell me if I'm wrong." She ran her fingers through Matthew's hair as he rested his head on her knee. "I see a teen boy who is an excellent big brother but isn't sure how he fits in with his siblings. Lukas and Simon have each other and Michael is much younger and has his friends. You are their overseer, making sure the three of them are safe and protected, and I thank you and love you for that. However, are you making friends? Are you living your life?"

Matthew was silent.

"It's okay to step into your life. Your brothers are honored to have you supporting them in their dreams, but you have another role that is equally valid. By living your best life and chasing your dreams, you're setting an important example for your brothers."

Carol let Matthew mull over her message as she stroked his hair. Minutes passed as the two relaxed in the family room.

"Is it okay if I go to the batting cage this afternoon?"

"Yes, I think that's an excellent idea. And why don't you bring April over for lunch; we're cooking out. Her parents are invited too."

Matthew sat up and gave Carol a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks mom!" He hopped up to shower and give April a call.

----------------------     

Matthew raced to the door. "I've got it!" April and her parents were coming over early. Heather wanted to help prepare lunch and it was almost time for them to arrive.

"Oh! Hi Christian," greeted Matthew.

"Uh... Hi," replied Christian. The look of disappointment and confusion on Matthew's face was apparent to the younger boy. He held up the recovery book before Matthew could ask.

Matthew waved the boy in. "He and Alejandro are next door."

"Thanks."

"We're cooking out. You should stay for lunch."

"I am. My parents will be here at noon like your dad said." Christian headed out the back door and over to the Novak household. He let himself in and was surprised to see Carol cooking in the kitchen. "Oh! Excuse me. I'm sorry."

"You're welcome anytime, Christian. The boys are upstairs."

"Thank you, Mrs. Novak." He hurried up the stairs.

Michael's door was closed with music masking any activity within. Christian had been embarrassed enough by walking into things he didn't want to see. He wasn't going to do that again. He knocked and waited. When no one answered he knocked again a bit harder. Still, no one answered. He took a deep breath and gently opened the door and peeked in. Alejandro was sitting on the bean bag chair at the end of the bed playing video games. The headphones kept the noise down per Carol's request, but also prevented him from hearing Christian's knocking. Peeking his head in further, he noticed Michael's bare foot hanging off the bed. It was apparent that his young friend was napping. He breathed a sigh of relief and entered the room. Not wanting to wake Michael, he walked over to tap Alejandro on the shoulder to get his attention.

Alejandro sat fixed to the TV. He didn't even notice Christian enter the room. The intensity of the zombie hunt had the boy single-mindedly locked into the game. He knew there was a zombie close by and only one of them would be walking out of the warehouse. He turned a corner and the zombie roared something that sounded like, "Brains!" Just as the zombie popped into his view, Christian touched his shoulder.

"Shit!" screamed Alejandro dropping the controller. Seeing it was only Christian, Alejandro lunged for the controller, but it was too late. The zombie was munching on his entrails.

"What? Huh?" asked Michael, waking up from his nap and trying to get his bearing.

"Maldición! You got me eaten!"

Christian laughed harder. "What?"

Alejandro looked at Christian like he was weird until he realized what he'd done. "Oh, maldición. It's the Spanish way of saying 'damnit', but I think it sounds cooler."

Michael finally realized it was Christian. "What are you doing here?"

Christian held the book up. "Oh," was the reply he got.

"I'll help." Alejandro turned off the gaming system and TV then joined his friends at the table.

Christian reminded Michael, "We took last week off because you weren't ever home, but we should get back to it today."

"I know. I'm just not very awake yet."

"Well, we'll do what we can before lunch."

----------------------     

"Com'on. We need to get dressed for lunch," ordered Simon.

"I don't wanna. You're too cozy," whined Lukas.

Lukas was so cute and cuddly, Simon didn't want to get out of bed either. But he could hear the hub bub in the kitchen and knew guests had arrived for lunch. Lukas' laziness was quickly remedied with some quick fingers to his ribs. The naked 14-year-old hopped out of bed in an instant, escaping Simon's torturous digits. Simon, equally naked, followed Lukas out of bed and gave his boyfriend a kiss on the cheek.

"You better be nicer to me than that after tickling me," said Lukas with a pout.

Simon leaned to give Lukas a kiss on the lips. Lukas closed his eyes and puckered to receive the desired sentiment.

*smack*

"Owwwwww!" howled Lukas, exaggerating just how painful Simon's slap to his rear really was.

"Get a move on it!"

Lukas gave Simon a coy look. "Yes, sir!" Then he grinned and skipped to the bathroom. "Hey," he said peeking around the doorway looking back to Simon. "Should we shower, or not. I mean, we are going to be getting in the pool and hot tub, aren't we?"

"Yeah, but I don't think anyone wants to smell what we've been up to while we're eating."

"Good point." Lukas started the shower.

----------------------     

Matthew and April had the hot tub to themselves after Lukas and Simon went to join Michael and his friends in the pool. They watched Christian toss a soccer ball out over the water. Michael ran and jumped off the diving board and picked the ball out of the air, kicking it back to Christian before his splash landing. Alejandro and Christian cheered. Next, Alejandro tossed a lacrosse ball into the air and Christian ran and leapt from the diving board. Fully stretched out he caught the ball. Careful not to drop it, he grabbed the stick with a second hand then belly-smacked into the surface of the water. Laughter filled the air when Christian emerged. The red on his chest and stomach contrasted brightly from his pale complexion.

"Owww!" shouted Christian before joining the laughter.

"Okay Alejandro," shouted Michael, drawing out the rolling of the "r". It made Alejandro smile every time. "What do you want to do?"

"A double flip!" he ran and bounced on the end of the diving board. Getting as much height as his lean frame could generate from the firm board, he tucked tightly. But the board wasn't springy enough. He opened his tuck just as he reached the surface of the water.

*smack*

He met the water, back arched, legs fully extended. When he gingerly stepped out of the pool, the boy was red from the back of his neck to his heels. The others were on the ground laughing so hard.

"Shuddup," groused Alejandro before joining them in laughter.

"You really have a unique family," admired April.

Teasing her, Matthew mocked taking offense. "Unique? What is that supposed to mean? It sounds like you are just trying to find a polite way making fun of my brothers."

She elbowed him in the ribs. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do." Matthew still wondered about the whole thing - his life before East Harbor and his life in East Harbor. So incredibly different, it had been like living two, completely separate lives. Michael was the only one he felt could truly understand how disorientating it was. It was almost like someone flipped a switch and everything changed. The problem was, he couldn't change that fast. The things that happened before he ran away were still with him, even though the world around him seemed to have moved on.

"Seriously," continued April. "I don't think I've seen brothers more committed to each other than you guys, and you're really from three different families. I love seeing you guys together."

Matthew thought about what she was saying. His thoughts swirled about his love for his brothers, the events that led to his and Michael's journeys to East Harbor, and all the things he needed to tell April. Now, however, was not the time.

"You know," he changed the topic, "I heard for our next unit in Art we are going to be doing sculpture."

"Really?" asked April in surprise. "I don't think they've done that in a long time.

"I heard Mrs. Aberdien talking to one of the custodians about a new kiln being delivered during Spring Break."

"That could be fun," stated April, "but I'd rather we continue painting for the rest of the year."

"With your birthday, are you going to ask your parents to help you convert the attic into an art studio, or are you going to ask them for a car?"

"Both." Their laughter was interrupted when Jack and Heather joined them in the hot tub.

"Where are your hands?" asked Jack with mock seriousness.

Matthew sat up and showed his fingers above the water. April joined her parents in laughing at Matthew. He was still getting used to her parents not being concerned with their physical relationship, much to Matthew's chagrin. Jack and Heather were more comfortable with it than Matthew. Matthew simply blushed and relaxed before joining in the laughter, though not nearly as heartedly as the Evandales were cackling.

"I really like Jack and Heather," mentioned Anna, Christian's mother. She and Kristoffer hadn't made many friends in East Harbor since they moved. They spent much of their social time at the Fuerst home with their old friend George.

"We do too," added Carol, watching Jack and Heather teasing the teen love birds. "I also really like April. I think she's perfect for Matthew and he totally adores her."

"They seem to be very serious," observed Kris.

"I don't think either of them are much into the idea of dating around. I'm just happy they both have a good head on their shoulders," added Lars. "And while we have the boys occupied, I think we should have our conversation."

"Yes," said Anna with a grin.

"So, Christian wants to invite Michael instead of Lewis?" asked Lars. He was truly surprised by that fact.

"Yes," confirmed Kris. "Lewis and Christian are like brothers, including the bickering. Christian seems to be closer to Michael, so we weren't all that surprised by his choice after we thought about it."

"When are you thinking about going?" asked Lars.

"In June," answered Anna.

"Would you mind coordinating your dates with our family vacation?" asked Lars. "We're planning on going right after school's out."

"Sure," said Kris. The two families began working out the details.

----------------------     

Matthew hated leaving April, but he didn't have much time to get to the batting cage. He quickly showered and put on some comfortable workout gear. He loved his infield and outfield mitts. They fit and were well broken-in. He threw them in his equipment bag. On the other hand, his old cleats didn't fit, and he wanted a new bat and batting gloves. He grabbed his wallet and keys and drove to Dick's Sporting Goods in Escondido to get new equipment. With a new helmet, cleats, batting gloves and a white, black and gold Easton Beast X bat, Matthew drove straight to the SoCal Batting Center in San Marcos for an hour or so of hitting before it closed. The contact of bat on ball felt so right, especially with his new bat. He could also tell the difference from all the strength training they'd done during the morning workouts. Matthew quickly found his form - drilling line drives, blasting home run shots off overhead netting, and placing hits when he desired. His passion for baseball was back and stronger than ever.

The sound of the steel bat crushing the ball drew attention. Some of the younger boys and their dads gathered to watch the teen hitter putting on a clinic. Some of the fathers used Matthew's stance and swing as an example for their own son to emulate.

A voice called out from behind Matthew. "You want me to turn the speed up?"

Matthew nodded keeping his eyes trained on the pitching machine. He added, "Yeah, thanks!"

The man behind the cage held his left arm up and pointed his thumb to the sky. The attendant increased the pitch speed and Matthew continued to pound the ball. The man asked to speed the machine up again and Matthew didn't miss a beat.

The light flashed indicating he was on his last 10 pitches. The man behind Matthew called out, "Hank, keep'em coming." He indicated for the speed to be increased again. After 20 or so more pitches, Matthew stepped out of the batter's box and threw in the towel. Hank stopped the pitching machine and reset the speed.

"Where did we end up?" the man asked.

"91," shouted Hank.

The crowd dispersed and Matthew stepped out of the batting cage, ready to call it a day.

The man watching from behind the cage approached Matthew. "Son, I hope you don't mind my asking, but who in the hell are you?"

Matthew laughed. He offered his hand to shake and introduced himself. "I'm Matthew Meijer."

"Well Matthew, I don't get to see too many young boys such as yourself putting on such a show. You're obviously not from these parts because I'd know about you. I'm Tom Davidson. I coach the San Diego Force U-18 team."

"The Force?" asked Matthew.

"We're a summer/fall/winter baseball program for U-18 to U-9. We have an indoor training facility over in Poway and play at fields around this area. Who do you play for?" asked Coach Davidson.

"Well, I played middle school ball at Forest Grove in Oregon and travel ball with the Portland Baseball Club, but I ended up in a small town in Washington for my freshman year. Haven't played since."

"How old are you?"

"I'm a sophomore -- sixteen."

"You looking to get back into ball?"

"Yes."

"Would you like to try out for our team? There's a high school field not even a mile from here. I'd like to see if you can field and throw as well as you hit."

"I'm sure I'm a bit rusty, but it will feel good to get back on the field again."

"Meet me over at Mission Hills High School field in about 30 minutes."

"Will do."

----------------------     

The Mission Hills High School field was gorgeous. It was fitting for the best high school team in the area, and a favorite to win the 2018 Division II state championship. For a moment, Matthew thought of transferring just to play on this field.

"Welcome, Matthew," greeted Coach Davidson. He turned and introduced the three people joining them on the field. "This is Dylan Delvecchio. He's a junior here at Mission Hills and a pitcher on our U-18 team. This is Kingston Liniak, he's a senior outfielder here at Mission Hills. He's committed to University of San Diego but is expected to be picked up in the draft this June. And finally, this is my assistant coach, Bill Cook."

Matthew shook hands with each introduction and thanked them for coming.

"I was just telling them that you were crushing the ball up to 91 miles per hour at the cages. I suspect you could have gone faster, but you called it off."

"Yeah, I hadn't swung a bat in almost a year, and I'd been hitting for over an hour and a half."

"Well, why don't you and Kingston warm up. Dylan, you'll pitch some later. Warm up that arm with Coach Cook.

They warmed up before having Matthew take the field. "Where do you usually play?"

"I typically train for infield and sometimes sub in outfield."

"Let's see you snag some flies before taking infield practice. Kingston, you play cutoff and Dylan, catch for me." Coach Cook followed Matthew into center field.

Coach Davidson stood between pitcher's mound and second to hit the balls deep into the outfield. Matthew easily snagged the flies and hit his cutoff. With each flyball, his comfort grew. The transfer from glove to hand quickened and his throws became laser beams to Kingston -- fast and on target.

For the last dozen or so balls, Coach Cook told Dylan to stand at home and for Matthew to throw the ball to the plate. "Take it easy at first. Don't throw your arm out." The first few throws landed near the pitcher's mound and bounced to the plate, right on target. Then, with each successive throw, he threw harder and longer until he was sending ropes to the plate. The final balls were sent to his left and right to see if he could track the ball. Matthew's speed made it easy, forcing Coach Davidson to send the ball farther away to test Matthew's range. Matthew shagged them all and returned the ball on target.

Kingston moved to first base and Matthew fielded balls at short stop. It was a little rough to begin with. The coaches saw a fundamentally sound player who was a bit rusty. But the rust soon wore off and he snagged shots backhanded in the gap and dove for balls up the middle. He was quick on his feet and his footwork and throwing motion from short to first showed he was well trained and a diligent student of the game.

They ended the session with some hitting off a live pitcher. Coach Cook put on his catching gear and set up behind the plate. They allowed Dylan some time to warm up again and Kingston and Coach Davidson camped in the outfield to shag balls.

It had been a while since Matthew had stepped into a batter's box to face a live pitcher. He slipped on his new Easton Senior Z6 X-Series Ghost helmet, adjusted his batting gloves, and approached the plate.

Dylan was primarily a fastball pitcher and had good movement on that pitch. Though he didn't use them much in games, he also had a decent curve and change up to mix things up.

He started feeding Matthew a steady stream of fastballs down the middle of the plate. Matthew returned them up the middle.

"Okay Matthew, runners are on second and third and I want you to just put the ball into play." Coach Cook signaled for a curveball and set up on the outside of the plate. The pitch came in at Matthew's head. Dylan expected the younger boy to duck. Matthew stepped into the pitch and recognized it wasn't a fastball. He held up and took the pitch.

Dylan followed up with another curveball. Matthew stepped up and towards the plate. He took an inside-out swing and nailed a line drive that landed three feet inside the right field line and rolled into the corner. Coach Davidson with thrilled with the hit.

Coach Cook started throwing baserunner and out scenarios for Matthew who determined what his coach would expect then worked the pitch count to what he wanted and executed. He pulled a fastball down the left field line when told there was a runner on first with no outs. With a tie score in late innings, runner on third and the middle infield shifted to the left, Matthew grounded a change-up through the gap left by the second baseman.

Not wanting to get Dylan's pitch count up, Coach Cook finally told Matthew to hit for power. He got Dylan to move the fastball around. He topped out at 90 mph on a good day and he was in form today. Out of the last 12 pitches, Matthew swung at 10, launched eight deep into the outfield with four going over the wall.

The last balls were picked up while Matthew put his gear away and changed back into his tennis shoes. They all met at the dugout before going their separate ways.

Coach Davidson and Coach Cook broke their discussion and were the last to arrive. Coach Davidson explained the situation, "Matthew, we had tryouts back in December for this coming season. We go summer/fall/winter and then break for high school ball. We had a player move and have an open slot on the U-18 team. We're thinking of two options. We can move a player up from the U-16 team opening a slot for you there or offer you the open slot on the U-18 team. Are you interested?"

"Yes!" Matthew hadn't been this excited in a long time.

"How about joining the U-18 team? I would really like to coach you this year," suggested Coach Davidson.

"Yeah man, your hitting is sick," said Dylan.

Kingston added, "Your fielding is too, man. Where you going to school? Aren't you playing this spring?"

"Nah, I moved here too late. I'm playing lacrosse this spring at East Harbor."

"Oh shit, dude," laughed Dylan. "East Harbors got good this year at lacrosse."

"I heard they have some little kid on the JV team. Is that true?" asked Kingston.

"Yeah. One of the captains of the JV team is my little brother, Michael. He'll be twelve in June."

Dylan added, "Dude, if he's as good at sports as you, we need to teach him baseball!"

----------------------     

It was past dinner time when Matthew arrived home. He'd let them all know he'd be late and not to wait on him. After leaving Mission Hills High School, Matthew headed down West Mission Road back to East Harbor. He'd worked up an appetite and wanted to take a few minutes to think about how he was going to break the news to everyone. He spotted a Tacos Alex and the little hole-in-the-wall taqueria was the perfect place to stop.

He ate at an outside table under an umbrella and thought about what Carol said earlier that day. He was torn between how he thought his brothers would react, to Carol's encouragement to do his own thing. But a full stomach helped Matthew make a decision before he made it home.

Parking next to Carol in the next-door driveway, Matthew wandered into the house and looked for the family. He was surprised to find everyone in the family room watching a movie.

"Wow," exclaimed Lars looking at a dusty, dirty Matthew and the bright smile that lit his son's face. "What happened to you?" Everyone turned to see what Lars was talking about.

"I thought you were going to the batting cage?" asked Carol.

"I did," explained Matthew, "and I ran into one of the coaches for the San Diego Force. It's a traveling baseball team. He introduced me to a couple of the guys and I had a tryout."

"Did you make the team?" asked Michael, full of excitement.

"Yeah!" answered Matthew.

Michael jumped off the couch and into Matthew's arms. "Yes!" he squealed, punching his fist into the air.

"So, you don't like me playing lacrosse with you?" asked Matthew.

"I love being on the same team with my big bro. But you love baseball." Michael dropped to the floor and faced the rest of the family. "I can't wait for you all to see Matthew play baseball. He's the best!" Michael rattled off all of Matthew's game winning heroics and highlight-reel plays from his days back in Oregon.

"I didn't know you liked watching baseball," said Matthew when he and Michael went to the kitchen to get a drink.

Michael walked over and gave Matthew a hug. "I do. But most of all, I like you being happy."

   
         
   

Visit the Author's Story Forum

Email the Author

Other Stories by the BRAT