A STORY BY THE BRAT
     
The Boys of East Harbor: Michael
Chapter 42: Love and Friendship
     
   

(ns)

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SATURDAY, APRIL 11 (Special Note About Date Change)

"Dude," scolded Sebbie. He grabbed Derek by the shoulders, tossed his long, wavy, black bangs from his sight, and peered through his blue-framed glasses at his fretting friend. "Settle down, you told him not to be here until six and it is only 5:30!"

Derek knew Sebbie, short for Sebastian, was right, but if Jack was right, this was his best opportunity to make Michael his boyfriend and everything had to be perfect. He invited his posse over early to help in preparations.

"Bloody hell, Derek," added Sean in his surprisingly heavy Irish accent. He'd been living in East Harbor for years now, but his accent hadn't mellowed one bit. "We got everything done. There's nuthin' more t'do."

Jack laughed at how wound up Derek had gotten himself. He knew, as well as the rest of the posse, when Derek got wound up, there wasn't much anyone was going to do about it. While Rodrigo, the boy of few words held true to his nature, Mochi joined the others in trying to calm their friend. "Com'on Derek," Mochi grabbed Derek's wrist, "help me arrange the rec room."

"What?" Shear panic showed on the blonde's face. "The rec room isn't finished?" The tables turned as Derek dragged Mochi to the rec room. Jack, Sean, Sebbie, and even Rodrigo burst into laughter before following.

Just before 6:00, Matthew dropped Michael off and he rang the McCall family doorbell. Before Derek could make it upstairs, his brother Robert answered.

"Yo Michael." The high school lacrosse players exchanged fist bumps.

"Robert!" yelled Derek stepping between the teammates. "Michael's my guest. Com'on Michael, let's put your bag up in my room." Derek tried to shove Robert out of the way with his elbow but the high school junior barely budged. Grabbing Michael's hand, Derek led the laughing boy up the stairs. Thus, began Derek's assumption of the job of Michael's shadow for the evening.

Before Derek could talk Michael's ear off, there was a call from downstairs. "Pizza's here!" called out Judith McCall, kicking the front door shut and handing Robert the bag of two liters and salad. She knew from past experience how much food the posse could consume. Tonight, Michael and Robert were also there for dinner, so she picked up two extra pizzas and up-sized the salad. Even with that much extra food, she knew there would be a stack of empty pizza boxes and salad tray to take out to the trash bin in the morning.

"Com'on!" Derek headed to the door then returned to grab Michael's hand and led him down to the rec room where the pizzas and salad were being set up with everyone's help.

"Okay boys," sighed Judith, "have at it."

While the boys started to attack the food, Derek set up the TV and started the movie he and Jack had chosen for dinner. When the opening credits started, Michael cheered, "Iron Man 2, my favorite."

The boys took over the rec room creating their spread of food and drinks as they enjoyed the chow and chatter. They'd all seen the movie, so the boys spent the time getting to know each other when they weren't chewing (well, mostly).

Michael learned a lot about Derek and his friends. Rodrigo, the youngest of Mrs. Gutierrez, the Vice Principal at East Harbor High School, was surprisingly talkative. He told Michael about how the posse stood up for him when he was getting bullied by kids thinking he was Mexican, not Spanish. Sean talked about how the posse took him in as their friend when he moved to East Harbor from Derry in Northern Ireland. Feeling like an outcast because he was Asian and in all the gifted classes, Mochi told Michael about the day the posse came and sat with him at lunch to be his friend. When it came to Derek and Sebbie, they'd been friends for as long as they can remember and those two had been the catalyst that brought the posse together.

As Michael learned about the posse, the posse learned more about Michael. Other than Derek, the boys didn't know Michael personally. They each harbored concern about meeting him. He was a star athlete, he'd been on TV and radio, he was popular on social media, the band was kinda famous. Plus, he was older and they were a bunch of elementary school kids. However, they came to realize he was only three months older than Derek and behind all the stuff everyone knew about Michael, he was just a kid like them. By the time their bellies were full and the movie was over, Michael fit in with the boys as if he'd been part of the posse all along. It was exactly what Lars had hoped when he realized Michael was going to be hanging out with some boys his own age.

After the pizza, the boys cleared out the trash and grabbed Derek's new game, Speak Out.

"How do you play this?" asked Mochi, examining the box.

"It's easy," said Derek, taking the box and opening it to set it up. "Here, you each get one of these." He passed out the mouthpieces and explained that you put the mouthpiece in and you have to read the cards out loud and the other players race to guess what you are saying. The trick is, the mouthpiece prevents you from using your lips so it's really difficult to understand what's being said.

"Here, I'll go first. Whoever guesses what I'm saying gets the card. Whoever's won the most cards at the end of the game wins." Derek looked at the card and rolled his eyes. He put the mouthpiece in and the boys started laughing. It looked like Derek was ready for a teeth cleaning or something and it cracked up the boys. Then he tried to speak the phrase from the card: "Prickly Pine Trees Turn Brown".

Before Derek even got to the word "turn", the other boys roared with laughter. Even Derek had trouble completing the phrase without laughing at himself. When he calmed down he tried again and the boys rolled on the floor laughing, tears streaming down their faces. Despite Derek's best efforts, the boys couldn't stop laughing long enough to guess what Derek was saying.

"Let me try!" stated Sean. He put the mouth piece in and read his card. "I Want to go Home to my Hamster." Well, that's what he tried to say. What came out was totally different and the boys laughed so hard they couldn't catch their breath.

Sebbie waved his hands. "Stop! Stop!" he begged. "Sean, stop. You're killing us."

Sean took the mouth piece out. "What?"

"I can't understand a thing you're saying," explained Sebbie. "It's your damn accent!" Laughter bounced off the walls and Sean laughed and lunged for Sebbie. The game turned into a giant wrestling match and pillow fight. Derek's parents didn't worry about what the boys were doing, they long ago made sure the rec room couldn't be turned into a wreck room. Everything was nearly unbreakable or moved to another room.

Hours passed and the boys laughed and bonded. All too soon, it was time for bed. Sleeping bags were spread out on the floor of Derek's room while the boys took turns brushing their teeth. As planned, Derek went last. The idea was, Derek would return from the bathroom and turn the lights out. Then, instead of crawling into his own sleeping back, he would crawl into Michael's and Derek would ask the big question.

He finished brushing his teeth, rinsed, then dried his face. Looking at himself in the mirror he saw a boy that looked older than he remembered -- older and more serious. He'd been hurt by Trajan. The older boy had been self-centered and cruel in the end. It taught Derek a few lessons. Though Derek had been hurt, he was not broken hearted. However, for the first time, he felt he understood what people meant by following his heart.

Standing there looking in the mirror, he felt a warmth flow through his body as he thought about the boy he dreamed about at night and knew what he felt was different and so much more than what he ever felt for Trajan. He turned off the lights and returned to his room.

Derek didn't realize how long he'd been gone, but the other boys were asleep or close to it. He closed his bedroom door and stepped over shoes and bags to reach the desk light that sent a soft glow throughout the room. Before he turned it off the light, he took a look at his friends. One thing Derek learned from his experience with Trajan was gratitude. He had the best friends in the world, including Michael. He was super lucky and he knew it. He felt brotherly love for each of the boys, but he felt something special for one.

The light was turned out and Derek slipped over and carefully unzipped the sleeping bag. Careful not to wake the occupant, he slowly zipped it shut and snuggled up to the boy inside.

Groggily the boy rolled over to face Derek and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I'm snuggling with my new boyfriend," whispered Derek.

"But..."

Derek cut him off with a kiss. "I'm right where I'm supposed to be. I love you, Jack."

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When Chaz had suggested the boys get out of the house to find a private, neutral site to have their talk, Gregory knew the talk his dad meant. Gregory suggested to Sam they go get something to eat thinking they could have their talk over a snack. Sam misunderstood what was being suggested and the whole thing had turned into Gregory taking Sam out to dinner as a date.

Now the boys were riding their bikes to the Mallway. The entire time, Sam couldn't wipe the smile from his face. He glanced over at Gregory once more to make sure this was really happening. Gregory always returned the smile. They rode to the side of the middle school building and locked their bikes to the bike stand.

"Com'on," said Gregory.

Sam looked up and saw Gregory with his hand out stretched. Sam placed his hand in Gregory's and felt his friend give it a squeeze. Hand-in-hand, they walked to the Maple Street Café for dinner. They waited to be seated in a booth. Sam was thrilled when Gregory slid onto the bench beside him instead of across the table.

While Sam was out of his mind with excitement, Gregory was nervous. Since his talk with his dad and realizing he was in love with Sam, things hadn't gone exactly the way he'd planned. He'd planned to have a talk with Sam about being bisexual and that if they decided to be boyfriends, they needed to come to an understanding of what that would mean for them. Instead, at Michael's he'd felt like he was put on the spot and revealed his feelings before he and Sam could talk. Now they'd jumped into being boyfriends and still haven't had "the talk" yet.

Sam was so proud to be seen with Gregory as a couple. He practically glowed. Gregory's excitement sank as Sam's grew. Despite his belief in his father's advice to be open and talk about things to make sure you are on the same page his concern grew that he was going to crush Sam's joy.

The appetizer came quickly. A seafood basket with fried calamari, fried shrimp, and hush puppies. The boys shared the cocktail sauce as Gregory gathered his nerves.

"Sam, we need to talk."

Not the best way to start a conversation about your relationship, but he got the ball rolling.

"Okay." Sam practically sang his answer before turning to gaze at the most handsome boy in the world.

Gregory looked around to see who might be listening. The Café was noisy and being in the booth with their backs against the wall. He decided it was as safe and as good a time as any. He turned back to Sam. "Sam, you know I'm bi, right?"

"Yeah. And you are my boyfriend." Sam's smile shone brighter.

Gregory's expression softened. He did love this boy, he no longer had any doubt about it. But his dad told him he needed to set the record straight, or bi, from the start.

"Yes, Sam, and I love you." He leaned over and gave Sam a peck on the lips. Sam blushed and looked around to see if anyone noticed. "My dad pointed out to me that we need to be honest and open with each other, so we are always on the same page. That way we are both happy and no one gets hurt."

Sam slurped his strawberry milkshake and thought about what Gregory said. He didn't expect to have a serious conversation tonight. Sam had always thought dates were supposed to be all about having fun together. He set his drink down. "That sounds like a good idea. What's bothering you?"

"Well, you know I'm bi."

"Well, duh. You keep saying that. And if you weren't we wouldn't be dating."

"Sam, you know what that means." Gregory's frustration started to bubble to the surface. Sam wasn't making this easy on him. "It means I like girls too."

"But you looove me!" Sam smiled at that knowledge.

That he did. Gregory again melted a little and smiled at Sam. He decided to try another tactic.

"Sam, my dad is bi."

Sam almost choked on his hushpuppy. "What?" He knew Chaz and Maria. They were the perfect parents. The idea of Chaz being bi blew Sam's mind. "But..."

"That's what I'm trying to tell you. My parents talk about things and keep it real and we need to do the same thing."

Sam gave Gregory a quizzical look then his eyes grew large. "OMG!! You mean your dad..." Gregory slapped his hand over Sam's mouth before he blabbed something to everyone in the restaurant.

"Shhhhh!!!" Sam nodded and Gregory released his hand.

In a whisper, Sam repeated, "You mean your dad is doing you know what with other dudes?"

Gregory nodded.

"And your mom knows?"

Gregory nodded again.

"What does that have to do with us? We're two dudes?"

Gregory rolled his eyes. "Seriously? Dude, I'm bi. That means I'm attracted to girls too."

He watched as Sam's heart sank. "No, Sam. I love you, but some day, I might want to have fun with a girl. That doesn't mean I don't love you, it just means I'm curious and want to have fun."

"But what about me?"

"Sam, you have my heart." He reached over and wiped a tear off Sam's cheek. "Remember what you suggested when it came to messing around with our friends?"

"That we should be allowed to mess around with them?"

"Yeah. That we love each other and we're okay with messing around with our friends if we want to."

Gregory nodded. "I just want to include girls in that too."

"You have a girl you like?" asked Sam, not really wanting to know the answer.

"No, but if I did, I would talk to you about it like my parents do. We just needed to talk about this so you wouldn't be surprised in case I do want to get with a girl."

"But what if you end up liking girls more than boys?" Sam asked.

"Well, first, I won't do anything with a girl without talking to you first. I promise." Sam nodded in understanding. "And second, I love you. But we are kids and we're really just trying to figure this world out. All I know is I want to figure it out with you. Dad says, if we work at being honest and support each other one hundred percent, we might be able to make this work forever. I want that."

"I want that too," added Sam.

Between the boys, Gregory took Sam's hand to reassure the blond of their bond. Sam gave Gregory's hand a squeeze and smiled. Then Gregory added with a glint in his eyes, "Besides, you're the one I want to spend the night with tonight."

Sam smiled and blushed. He'd seen that look his Gregory's eyes before -- right before a wild night between the sheets. Well, it was actually on top as Gregory's mother witnessed. Before taking another sip of his milkshake, Sam shifted in his seat to release the growing discomfort in his bunched up shorts.

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"We have to agree before we tell our parents," insisted Craig.

"But we need to go to a school on the east coast so you can get into Princeton or some place," argued Oliver.

"No. We need to go someplace where you can get your track scholarship to ASU like you've always wanted."

The boys bantered back and forth just as they had for days. Now, they were just minutes from a families' meeting, and they had to be ready to bring up the topic of boarding school with their parents.

"Look," said Craig, "we're gonna have to compromise on the university we go to because if you go to Arizona State and I go to an Ivy League school, we'll hardly ever see each other. Let's not worry about college and just pick the best school."

"How?" asked Oliver.

"Well, we're both running cross country and track. Let's pick some place warm."

"That rules out these schools." Oliver picked up the literature from three schools and tossed them in the trash.

"That leaves three. Let's go after our first choice and if that doesn't work, we'll try another. On the count of three, put your finger on your first choice. One, two, three!" Craig and Oliver looked at where the other's finger landed then looked at each other.

"I guess we've decided," smiled Oliver.

"Boys! We're waiting," called Oliver's father, Professor Jonathan Samuelson.

"Let's go," suggested Craig.

"It looks like we are all here," announced Dr. Kendall, Craig's father, as the two teens took their seats. Both sets of parents and Craig's 9-year-old twin brothers sat patiently waiting.

"Dad, can Oliver and I go first?" asked Craig.

The nerves in his son's voice told him it was something very important the boys wanted to share so he relented, saving his announcement until after. Tempted to call out Craig's use of "can" instead of "may", he only said, "The floor is yours."

Craig spoke for the young couple. "We've been thinking a lot and doing research. You all know my academic goals and Oliver's athletic goals. Being here in Bozeman, we can't reach those goals. No offense to you mom, but home schooling or online schooling isn't going to be enough. And for our running, outside of the school teams, there aren't enough club events for us to participate in for Oliver to get his dream scholarship. We love you guys, but staying here, not being allowed to go to school, just reminds us of all the shi... stuff we went through at school."

Craig pulled the materials for Cate School, a private boarding school in the small town of Carpinteria, just north of Los Angeles. He set the materials, including their completed applications -- sans parental signatures -- in the middle of the table.

"We want to go here. It's called Cate School. It's tops academically, they have great athletic programs, and it is somewhere we can train year around. I know it is expensive, but we called, and they have academic and athletic scholarships and it sounded like there was a good chance we'd each get one."

"It sounds like you boys are serious," noted Juliana, Oliver's mom.

"Yes mom," started Oliver. He choked up a bit and wiped a tear from his cheek. "This school year has been horrible, mostly for Craig, but when he hurts, I do to. I feel like this place is crushing us."

It was true, the stress and strain of the school year showed on the boys. Their parents hoped that pulling the pair out of school and allowing them to spend their time together -- at Craig's during the week for home schooling and then with the Samuelson's on weekends -- the boys would get back to their old selves. It worried their parents when the boys just didn't bounce back and they knew if something wasn't done soon, it would get harder and harder to get their boys back. The only good that had come out of all of this was the boys seemed even closer than before, if that were possible.

"We know," admitted Amanda, Craig's mom. "We know."

Dr. Kendall wanted to get to his news, but he wanted to allow the boys to finish. "So, what are the next steps?"

"Well, we need you to sign our applications. The Admissions Office is expecting them. They would like us to come visit the campus and interview for admissions in early May." Craig looked at Oliver who met his eyes. Their parents were taking it better than they expected. Under the table, Oliver took Craig's hand.

Dr. Kendall slid Oliver's application to the boy's parents and in a moment both applications were signed. "Now there will still be the issue of tuition. Once we hear about the situation with scholarships and other aid, then we'll be able to make a decision. But I think the timing is perfect."

That puzzled the boys. "What do you mean?" asked Oliver.

"It's just that I called this meeting to tell you boys that we, you, Craig and I, will be heading down to Southern California the first week of May."

"Heeeyyyy..." cried Connor.

Cooper finished, "...what about us?"

"I'm hoping you little munchkins will be down there soon enough. I need to go to San Diego to interview for a job."

"But you just got this one?" asked Craig astonished that his father was making such a reversal after being so hellbent on moving to Montana to get away from the dangers of the city.

"Craig, son, at the time, I needed to get you and the family away from the gun violence in Chicago. I think it scared your mother and me as much as it scared you. Moving to Montana was obviously the right thing to do, despite how bad things have turned out, because if we hadn't, you would never have met Ollie. We love you both so much, we just can't see you suffer through this any longer. I think the Cate School is a great option if I don't get the job. But my friend on the inside let me know that I'm the top candidate so if the interview goes well, the job will be mine if I want it."

"Congrats, dad. But why do you need me and Oliver to go with you for an interview?"

"I don't. I need you to do sort of an interview of your own. When you aren't at the Cate School doing your thing, I need you to check out the community where I think we will live. We're going to stay with my friend, Dr. Meijer, and his boys. You'll go to school with them to see how you like it and hopefully make some new friends."

"How do you know it won't be the same thing all over again?" asked Oliver who'd become skeptical and a bit jaded over the last school year.

"Well, from what I understand, some of Dr. Meijer's boys are gay and are out. They play athletics and apparently even gay couples are cool to go to school dances together."

Oliver put his arm around Craig to hold the smaller boy as he sobbed. This school sounded like everything the boys ever dreamed of. "But if you move there, what about us?"

"Ollie," his mother called to get his attention, "we know that you need to get away from Bozeman, but right now, your father can't leave his job. So, if you boys don't end up going to a private school, you'll be moving with the Kendalls to California."

Tears wetted Oliver's face too. The huge sense of relief the boys felt allowed their emotions to spring forth. Connor and Cooper left their seats to hug the older boys.

"Don't worry..." Cooper said.

"...we got you," Connor finished.

----------------------     


SUNDAY, APRIL 12

Carol turned back to face the windshield. "No need to hurry. All four of them are out cold." She reclined her seat and relaxed.

"Even Matthew?" asked Lars, surprised that the oldest of the boys was worn out like the others.

She turned and looked back at Zach who had his ear buds in and messed around on his phone. "I'll bet Zach falls to sleep too."

Lars laughed. It had been a long day. After breakfast with the Diaz family, the boys were in perpetual motion. They didn't even slow down when joined by the rest of Alejandro's guests at lunchtime. Swimming, surfing, and whatever the boys got up to when they disappeared into the house. Lars was relatively certain it didn't involve being idle. Between the food, fun, and friendship, all of the boys were exhausted -- especially his four.

He'd meant to get the boys home earlier since they had school in the morning, but seeing Alejandro and Michael wrapped up in a blanket together talking intimately at the end of the evening, he didn't have the heart to split them up. He knew whatever they were talking about was necessary and important. The boys had played important roles in each other's life and now Alejandro's life was taking another major turn. Moving away from California would be traumatic enough but moving to Spain for the summer will be very stressful, even with the support of his grandmother and cousin. Lars made sure Alejandro had his cell phone number in case he ever needed him.

He was also a bit worried about Michael. Yes, the boy had his brothers and friends, but it was clear to all that Alejandro had a special place in Michael's heart. Lars often wondered if Alejandro stayed in East Harbor, if the boys would have become a couple. He knew it was probably reading more into it than there really was -- best friends can be extremely close. However, there was something special between them. It was enough to keep Lars from taking Michael home until he noticed Alejandro and Michael had both fallen asleep in each other's arms.

"So, what was the conversation you and Elena had?" asked Lars.

Carol looked down at the manila envelope she held in her lap. "She and Alejandro wanted to start a foundation to help homeless youth in the LA area. But since they are leaving town, she thought it would be a good fit to merge their idea with the boys' nonprofit work. She asked if Janette and I would create and run the Foundation."

Lars glanced her way. "That's a big ask. What did you say?"

"I know I don't have to justify this to you, but I like their ideas and think the boys will support it too. Plus, I think the boys will need to do something other than support NCMEC. Partnering with Alejandro and Elena to build a Foundation and programs that directly help and protect youth will be important. And it didn't hurt that she handed me a check as seed money. It's pretty hard to turn that down."

"How much?"

"You know, I never looked." Carol reached up to turn on the passenger side light. She pulled out the manila envelope Elena handed her and looked inside. "Hmmm... Well, there are a few things in here." She opened the envelope indicated it was for the nonprofit. "Well, she gave us a personal check, there's a check from Alejandro, and one from each of their corporations. Lars, there's over $20 million dollars here." She pulled out a stack of letters committing similar donations over the next five years to also create an endowment. "I'll never say Elena doesn't go all out. She's committed donations for at least the next five years and provided a list of individuals she will be contacting to match her contributions or to be on the board." Carol slipped everything back in the Foundation envelope. "She's certainly making our job easy." Lars got a chuckle out of that.

Then Carol retrieved the other envelope. "The other envelope is addressed to Michael."

"Is it sealed?" asked Lars. Carol could see his smirk in the dim light.

She slipped her hand into the envelop and pulled out the contents. "Whoa." Carol was stunned by what she saw and read it again to be certain. "Elena wanted to thank Michael one last time and she did it in her over-the-top style."

"What do you mean?" Lars looked over trying to get a peek at what Carol was reading. "Well... don't leave me hanging here."

"She paid off the balance on the Mallway property and got a donation from the seller for the boys' nonprofit."

"What? That's crazy."

"That's not all. She also purchased the east side of the Mallway and gifted that to Michael. She wrote a note and said, 'Fulfill your dreams of an art district and it will be the ultimate gift to your community. The world needs more dreamers like you. With all my love and gratitude.'"

Lars shook his head. "I don't even know what to say about that."

"Let's not say anything," suggested Carol putting the items back in the envelope as if nothing happened. "I have a feeling Michael will know more about this than we do."

"This has been quite a day."

"Yes," agreed Carol, "for everyone."

"What do you mean?"

"Michael and Alejandro had their goodbye. Lukas finally got to learn to surf and feed his infatuation with Carlos. Did you see the look on his face the whole time Carlos was teaching him? I also think it was good for him to spend some time making a new friend on his own. And while Lukas was spending time with Carlos, Matthew was sharing his knowledge of surfing with Simon. I think the two of them took another big step in brotherhood."

"How did I miss that?" asked Lars.

"Because you and Zach were busy drooling over Carlos yourselves." That drew a laugh from Carol and Lars that momentarily drew Zach's attention, but not enough for him to remove his ear buds and ask what was going on.

"I'm glad Sam, Gregory and Curtis made it down. I think they are going to miss Alejandro as much as our boys. Curtis is becoming quite a surfer. I guess he's made a few trips up to Laguna Beach and has been surfing with Alejandro."

They drove in silence for a few miles thinking about everything that happened throughout the day. "What do you think he's going to decide about school?" asked Carol.

"Alejandro?"

"Yes." Carol knew his future, past this summer, was up in the air. School in Europe or the States? Which school?

"I'm really on the fence. Part of me would expect him to choose to stay close to family. Perhaps a school close to his grandmother or maybe in New York to live with Carlos. Hell, he may even decide to stay in California with Jacob as a guardian to be close to his friends here. But I won't be surprised if he chooses to strike out on his own and pick a top-flight school away from everyone. He's grown so much since he's been reunited with his family. Whatever he decides, I think he's going to be okay."

"You're going to miss him, aren't you?"

Lars smiled.

----------------------     


MONDAY, APRIL 13

"Look what I've got," announced Scott with a huge grin. He was holding up two tickets to Saturday's Spring Dance.

"Two? You mean Najma's finally forgiven you?" asked Jordan.

"I don't know if I would go that far, but at least she understands, I think." Scott didn't sound very confident, but she did agree to go to the dance with him. They'd had a few long Facetime chats before bed and talked about everything no matter how embarrassed they were -- Scott in particular. In the end, Scott was ready to swear off boy-on-boy sex, but Najma surprised him and said she was fine with it. What Scott didn't know was Najma began to think that maybe she needed to loosen up a bit to heat things up between her and Scott.

"Awesome, Scott!" said Lewis, "Courtney, Emily, Christian and I have our tickets too."

"And I got tickets for me and Simon," added Lukas. "What are the rest of you guys going to do?"

"I don't know," said Curtis. "I kinda wanted to go to the dance, but I don't want to go alone. Do you guys wanna go?"

Jordan sighed then answered, "I'll go with you. Will?"

"Ugh," groaned Will. "I'll go too. We should do a sleep over afterwards. What about you guys?" Will was referring to Trajan and Michael. Neither boy jumped in to join their friends.

"Come on. It will be fun. I'll see if my parents will let us all sleep over at my house," encouraged Curtis. He pulled out his phone to text his mom.

"You guys really want me there?" asked Trajan.

"Come on, Trajan," said Scott, "you've apologized. We're cool."

"Yeah, not that Najma is cool," said Will half-jokingly. The boys around the table snickered.

"True," admitted Scott, "but there's no way I could stay mad at Trajan forever."

"Thanks," said Trajan. "I guess I'll go."

"That leaves you, Michael. Are you in?" asked Jordan.

"Aw, damn," whined Curtis. "My mom says grandma is coming this weekend. I can spend the night with you guys, but we can't do it at my house."

"I've got an idea," offered Lukas. "Why don't we all hangout and sleep over after the dance -- not just the single guys. We can do it at our house. We can walk there after the dance and we have plenty of room for all of us."

"Can we ask Alex, Sam and Gregory, too?" asked Michael.

"Sure can, lil'bro. So, are you going to the dance too?" asked Lukas.

"Yeah, I guess."

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The day had been uneventful for Gregory which was unexpected. He and Sam were now a couple and he thought things would be different, but school was just school. Then again, he really didn't know what to expect. Yeah, he knew same-sex couples, like Michael when he was with Gavin and Simon and Lukas, but the boys didn't go to school together so he didn't know how he was supposed to act.

Gregory ran upstairs to the eighth-grade floor to find Lukas and ask his advice. After Lukas congratulated Gregory, his only advice was to act like all the other couples at school. That's when Gregory really noticed the other couples. Hanging out at their lockers, furtive acts of affection, hand holding, and even couples sneaking a kiss when the coast was clear.

He caught up to Sam at his locker after the school day. "Hey Sam. What's up?" As soon as it came out of his mouth, he knew it sounded stupid.

Sam put the rest of his books in his locker and turned to face Gregory. "Look, I know this is a big change for you. But if you are having second thoughts..."

That was all Sam was able to say before Gregory shut him up by planting his lips to Sam's right in the hallway in front of anyone who was looking. It was only a few seconds, but it completely changed things for the boys. They both were smiles when they broke the kiss. They even heard a few catcalls and congratulations from passing classmates.

"Come on," said Gregory excitedly, "let's get to lacrosse practice."

Sam closed his locker and spun the combination dial. On their way to the locker room, Gregory threw his arm over Sam's shoulder as they walked together. He turned to look at Sam and saw his boyfriend beaming with pride. He noticed his hand just beyond Sam's face and it occurred to him that he was again treating Sam as a buddy instead of the most important person in his life. He slid his arm down and took Sam by the waist until they had to open the door to enter the locker room.

It was the noisy chaos that Gregory loved. Boys in all different states of dress laughing and joking around. Sam and Gregory kidded with their friends and headed to their lockers. Sam opened his and turned to find Gregory standing on the bench.

"Hey everyone. I have an announcement." The locker room quieted down a bit as attention turned to Gregory. "I wanted to let you guys know that I've come out as bi. And Ian, I want you and everyone else to meet my boyfriend, Sam Greenfield." Gregory pulled a half-naked Sam up onto the beach. There were enough congratulatory cheers that any naysayers kept their opinions to themselves.

Gregory motioned for the guys to quiet down. When he was certain he could be heard over the din in the locker room, he asked, "Sam, will you be my date for the Spring Dance?"

Sam smiled and hugged Gregory.

----------------------     


TUESDAY, APRIL 14

Matthew spent the evening with the Evandales and arrived home close to 11:00. It was later than he meant to be out and he was tired.

Everyone was already in bed so he locked the door behind him and quietly made his way to his bedroom in the dark. He didn't even turn on his bedroom light. He was ready to just collapse into his bed. His shirt was draped over the back of his reading chair then he kicked off his shoes.

"Matthew?"

The groggy voice caused the teen to jump. Matthew landed on his shoes and lost his balance, catching himself when his left hand luckily found his dresser. "Shit," whispered Matthew, "you scared me, Michael." He finished stripping and made his way to the bed.

It had been a while since Michael spent the night with him and even longer since his little brother simply popped up in the middle of the night because he needed his big bro. "What are you doing in here?" He found Michael with his hands and crawled over the boy and nestled into his normal position next to the wall.

"I just needed to ask you something."

"What's up?"

"How do you know if someone likes you?"

"And when you say like, you mean like like. Like if you want to be boyfriends, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, it's hard to say."

"I asked Lukmon but they weren't any help."

Mathew laughed, "Lukmon?"

"Yeah, you know, it's always Lukas and Simon together and it takes too long to say both their names so, you know, Brangelina, Kimye, Bennifer, TomKat, Lukmon."

"So, what did they have to say?"

"Well, since they always liked each other, they felt they didn't really know what to tell me. They said to ask you. How did you know that April liked you and that you liked April?"

"Oh, I don't know. The way she smiled at me. The way she took interest in my sketches and shared her artwork with me. One day, our hands brushed against each other and it felt like... I don't know. It just made me feel warm and happy. What about you? Do you think he likes you?"

"I think so. Sometimes I think I can feel him thinking about me. Just out of nowhere I feel like he is right here with me. And I keep having this dream where I'm in some woods somewhere. I know he's there with me, but I can't see him through the trees. It's like he wants to tell me he likes me but is scared."

Matthew replied, "Then why don't you tell him?"

"Because I'm scared. What if I'm wrong? What if this is all in my head?"

"Being in love is a scary thing. It makes you vulnerable to the other person. It gives them the power to hurt you deeply. But at the same time, it gives them the power to make you feel incredibly happy and loved."

"But I'm not good with words."

"Michael, you don't give yourself enough credit. You are fantastic with words. You just say that when you lack the confidence in the feelings behind the words. When you are speaking about something concrete -- school work, business, music -- you are confident, and you speak eloquently. When you need to speak about something you are less confident about, like your feelings, you say you aren't good with words, but it isn't the words at all. It's your confidence in what you are trying to say."

"I could say it with music?"

"Yes, you could."

"Will you and Lukemon help me with a song?"

"You know we will."

"Thank you. Can I stay here tonight? I don't want to get out of bed."

Matthew pulled Michael into a cuddle. He held him tight and felt the smaller body relax as the boy fell to sleep. 'Alejandro is one lucky boy,' thought Matthew. 'They are going to need a lot of support if they are going to try to have a long-distance relationship. I know we'll do all we can...' He drifted off to sleep mid-thought.

----------------------     


WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15

Mrs. Aberdien walked around the art room offering support and suggestions to her students. She was excited about the new kiln and offering a sculpture segment this year. This was her favorite period. The talent in this class and hunger to learn this group of students brought to her classroom each day is what she dreamed of -- it's why she became a teacher.

She approached her favorite student, April Evandale. The girl had skills with paint brushes that Amber, Mrs. Aberdien, had yet to achieve. Knowing her artwork would never achieve the level of recognition to make it her primary career, she now focused her efforts on helping young artists reach their dreams. April had promise. She worked at her craft, had natural talent, and was more focused on expressing herself than making something that would be commercially successful. But what thrilled Mrs. Aberdien was April's work was relatable. It connected with the observer. Even her abstract works sparked a consistent emotional response from its observers.

Sculpture was new to April, but she attacked it with the same ardor with which she approached her painting. 3D artwork was a challenge, but her experience with brushes helped her work the clay with these new implements. The assignment asked each student to create a piece of sculpture that demonstrated three different techniques for working with clay. April had used the coil technique to create the top of a small wooden tree stump. The shag bark on the stump demonstrated the additive technique. Sitting atop the stump is a small bird. Amber watched April use a needle tool to etch details to the feathers with the subtractive technique.

"Using that tool reminds you of using a size 0 paint brush, doesn't it?"

April nodded then pulled her hand away. "It does, but I can't get the right level of detail. It's leaving grooves that are too deep. I keep smoothing it out and trying again but it's not working. Do we have any with a finer tip? I couldn't find any."

"No. They may make them, but we don't have any. I think you will get better results by changing your grip. When you hold it like a paint brush, your fingers are on top of the handle and their weight alone will add more pressure to your tool than you desire. If you hold it so it is lying across your hand like this, you only have to control the weight of the implement. From underneath, you can control how much of the tool's weight you use. It takes a bit of getting use to and even more practice to have the same level of control as you have with a paint brush, but you'll get it."

"Thanks, Mrs. Aberdien."

"You're welcome, April. Have you seen Matthew's project?"

"Not since he moved back there." On the second day of working on their projects, Matthew asked permission to use one of the study carrels stored in the back of the room. With Mrs. Aberdien's permission, Matthew set the desk up so his back was to the corner of the room and the walls of the carrel blocked everyone's view of his project. He found time to work on it after school or during study halls, but otherwise it was covered to keep the clay soft and moist as well as out of sight from curious onlookers.

"Okay," said Amber. "You're doing a fantastic job for your first time working with clay." April smiled and returned to work as her teacher approached Matthew.

"Hi Matthew. Do you mind?" She motioned with her hand indicating she wanted to see his project.

Matthew nodded then apologized. "I'm sorry. I'm only getting two techniques in, but I just need to finish this before..." He stopped talking when Mrs. Aberdien gasped upon seeing his project. "Really. Once I get this finished, I'll figure out a way to get a third technique in."

April heard the gasp and watched the art teacher standing over a defeated looking Matthew, her mouth agape. Unable to translate Mrs. Aberdien's body language, April was compelled to join them to see what this was all about. Moving around the carrel to see Matthew's project, April was just as shocked.

"I've used a combination of the subtractive and additive techniques where I'm taking the clay from around here and adding it above to..."

Mrs. Aberdien put her hand on Matthew's shoulder. "You don't need to explain anything. Don't worry about the directions for this assignment. Finish the project just the way you are."

Amber and April looked at each other in amazement. They'd known Matthew was an excellent sketch artist and was talented, if unpracticed, as a painter. However, the boy was showing a rare talent with clay.

The piece was heart breaking. From top to bottom, the piece transitioned from realism to absolute abstraction -- a square block of clay. By using these two techniques, Matthew had used a wire sculpting tool to remove small pieces of clay from which he was constructing a figure rising from out of the clay. The further the figure emerged from the block of clay, the more detailed and realistic the figure became. It was the figure of a young boy fighting to free himself from his clay prison. The struggle was evident on the boy's face -- a face both ladies recognized as that of Matthew's little brother.

----------------------     


THURSDAY, APRIL 16

Christian slipped into the control room quietly. AJ had his headphones on, but Christian could still hear the boys on the other side of the glass.

"Hey Alex," whispered Christian as he took the seat next to the Hispanic boy. "How are you doing?"

Though Alex was playing games on his phone, he was only doing it while he listened to the band recording their newest project.

He looked up from his phone and gave Christian a fist bump. "I'm good bro. You?"

"I'm good. Do you think they are almost finished?" asked Christian nodding his head towards the studio.

Simon, Matthew and Michael were practicing vocals while Lukas was laying down another take of the drum track. Backed by the other instruments already recorded, the older boys sang, "Na na, na na na nah na na", while Michael sang "Hello, hello, hello" at the top of his lungs. It took Christian a moment, but he identified the song as "Trees" by Twenty-One Pilots.

"Lukas, that sounded great," offered AJ. "Are you satisfied, or do you want another take?"

Lukas gave AJ a thumbs up. "I'm good."

"Cool." AJ rolled his chair to the Mac where he mixed the music. "I'm gonna add the drums to the master and we'll use that for recording the vocals. Just give me a couple minutes."

"Hey, AJ," called out Christian to let the Majestic's recording engineer know he was there.

"Hey Christian," replied AJ. "What's up?"

"Just needed to get the guy's input on some stuff for social media. How much more do they have to go?"

"Only the vocals," AJ hadn't even turned around. "They've been practicing so it should only be a take or two." He finished up preparing the soundtrack the boys would listen to as they laid down the final vocals for the song. Christian watched the boys make final adjustments to their microphones and headphones. Alex put his phone to sleep and joined Christian in watching. Both boys found it more interesting to watch the vocals being recorded than the instruments. The vocals made it sound like a song. To keep the microphones from picking up each other's vocals, each boy adjusted clear, plastic partitions creating their own mini sound booths in the studio.

"So, what are they recording this song for?" asked Christian.

"Not sure exactly," answered AJ. "I think Michael picked this song especially for someone." AJ checked each of the microphones to ensure he was picking up clean audio.

Michael stepped away from the microphone to tap into something inside before the music started. A forlorn look took over his face. His brothers looked at him with love, knowing Michael was feeling scared and vulnerable about baring his feelings - longing to be closer to someone and not knowing how to tell him.

Michael stepped up to the mic and closed his eyes.

I know where you stand
Silent in the trees
And that's where I am
Silent in the trees

Why won't you speak
Where I happen to be?
Silent in the trees
Standing cowardly

For the chorus, Michael took a deep breath and belted it out with all his heart with Lukas and Matthew singing harmony above the melody.

I can feel your breath
I can feel my death
I want to know you
I want to see
I want to say hello

The emotions poured forth from Michael and the microphone picked it all up. AJ had to take a moment to wipe the tears from his eyes with the sleeve of his t-shirt. He turned on his mic to speak to the boys. "I think you nailed it. Any more takes, you're going to sound more produced and will lose the rawness of your performance."

The boys nodded and decided to call it a night. AJ took his headphones off and turned to say something to Christian, but the boy was gone.

"Where did Christian go?"

"I dunno," said Alex. "About half way through the song he just got up and left."

"Oh. I guess the social media stuff wasn't that important." AJ turned back to the studio. "That's a wrap for tonight. You boys were great."

Michael nodded. They shut down their instruments and turned off the lights as they exited to the control room.

"AJ," began Michael, fishing a flash drive out of his pocket, "would you put that song, and a copy of Screen on this?"

When AJ looked, Michael was holding a green flash drive to him.

"Of course. Give me a few to do some final mixing of your vocals and I should be ready to publish it for you."

"Thanks, AJ," said Matthew. "We'll be hanging out upstairs."

"Come on Alex," said Michael as his mood lightened up. "Let's play Fortnite!" Alex was out of his seat in a flash and the boys raced to see who would get to the controllers first.

Alex and Michael played for a while and his big brothers relaxed and chatted. Since Alex and Michael were wearing headphones so the noise wouldn't bother the music instructions going on down in the practice rooms, the older boys could speak freely.

"Who do you think Michael is going to give that flash drive to?" asked Matthew. He wanted to see if "Lukmon" were thinking the same thing as he did.

"Well, we can rule out Sam and Gregory. Gregory had the guts to come out in the locker room before practice on Monday and announced to everyone that he and Sam are a couple."

"No shit?" said Matthew. "That takes some guts."

"Or being madly in love," suggested Lukas. "You should see those two these days."

The other two laughed before Simon added some intel of his own. "Well, I was wondering if Derek invited Michael to the sleep over to make a play. But according to Robert, Derek is claiming Jack Vance is his boyfriend, even if Jack isn't so certain." That drew more laughter.

"Do you think it is Curtis?" offered Lukas. "I mean, Michael got a lot closer to those guys when he slept over at Jordan's and then from what I've heard, Curtis had a great time with Derek and Alejandro at our sleep over. And, Curtis has been up to Laguna Beach more than anyone else. Maybe he's not as straight as we think?"

"Well, I don't think being gay has ever been a prerequisite for a gay boy to have a crush on him." Matthew continued, "There are plenty of times gay boys have had huge crushes on a straight boy and if that is the case for Michael, it could be anyone."

"And this guy could attend the middle or high school," reminded Simon. "Who do you think it is, Matthew?"

"I'm still thinking it is Alejandro. I mean, you guys saw them at the party."

Simon and Lukas nodded in agreement before Simon wondered, "But do you think Michael couldn't get up the nerve to say that to Alejandro? It seems like they share everything."

"Yeah, I wondered that too," explained Matthew. "But if they agreed to be friends and not boyfriends, Michael might have a hard time asking to change the status of their friendship."

"Good call," said Simon.

"But with Alejandro in Spain for the summer and who knows where next school year, for Michael's sake, I really hope that isn't who it is." Simon and Lukas agreed with Matthews.

The boys sat there and watched Alex and Michael play Fortnite. They each began to glance at each other to see if the others were noticing. As Alex and Michael played, they seemed to always find ways of making body contact. Leaning over and bumping shoulders, nudging the other with his knee, and scooting closer to each other. It had been clear the two were getting closer with Alex hanging out at the house almost every day after school.

Matthew looked at the other two and wagged his finger at the two boys playing video games. Lukas and Simon just shrugged and wondered themselves.

"Hey guys," greeted AJ, holding up the flash drive with the songs Michael requested.

Michael threw off his headphones and dropped the controller to retrieve the copied songs from their producer and recording engineer. "Thanks AJ."

"I'll see you boys tomorrow."

"Good night, AJ," called out the teens.

Alex, noticing that Michael wasn't coming back to play, took off his headphones in time to call out to AJ, "See ya!"

"Let's get home," said Lukas, standing up and pulling Simon to his feet. "I'm tired."

They shut down the game and TV and headed down the stair and through the auditorium. Passing through the dark, empty lobby, the boys exited the front of the Theater and checked to make sure the doors were locked.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow," said Alex. "My mom will be getting off work soon so I'm just going to hang out at the Café."

"See ya, bro," said Michael, giving Alex a hug. The older boys said their goodbyes to Alex and waited for him to enter the Café before heading down Maple Street to home.

Lukas finally decided he would be the one to ask the burning question everyone wanted to know the answer to. "I know you aren't going to tell us who you are giving the flash drive to, but can you tell us when?"

"Tomorrow," said Michael with a confidence he hoped he would still have the next day.

   
         
   

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