MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018

After traveling to Mayfield for Spring Break, Mrs. Price expected Jaden to be a bear to wake for swim practice. She even considered letting him miss Monday's practice to catch a bit more sleep before school. It was quite the surprise when she knocked on Jaden's door and he opened it, dressed and ready for the day.

"Can I get to swim practice a little early today?" asked Jaden.

"Uh, okay," replied Jaden's mother, caught off guard by Jaden's unusually chipper disposition this morning. "Breakfast is ready."

"Thanks!" replied Jaden. He turned off his bedroom light and kissed his mother on the cheek before heading down the stairs to eat.

They arrived at practice 10 minutes earlier than usual. "Bye, mom," called out Jaden as he shut the car door and ran up to the door of the YMCA. Entering the locker room, Jaden found he was the first to arrive. It gave his brain time to run through all the boys he'd get to see change before and after swim practice. For once, he was looking forward to Derek's body-slamming hug. Instead of hurrying to change this morning, he took his time in the hopes that he'd be wearing as little as possible when Derek threw himself into Jaden.

However, when it was time to walk out to the pool, Jaden was still awaiting his hug. This morning Derek seemed sedate and distracted. No matter how available Jaden made himself to Derek, there was no body contact.

Throughout practice, Jaden stayed close to Derek who, until today, never passed up an opportunity to fawn over the older boy. Jaden started to feel rejected. During a moment of downtime, he sat next to Derek and put his arm around the little blonde.

"Are you okay, Derek?"

"I'm fine," Derek answered. It wasn't very convincing, and Jaden was concerned.

He squeezed Derek's shoulder. "You know, if you need someone to talk to, you can talk to me."

"Really?" asked Derek. Jaden had always been a great teammate and friendly towards Derek, but "friends" was not a way to describe their relationship.

"Yeah, really," answered Jaden with a nod of his head. "We should hang out sometime. I've got something I want to talk to you about." It wasn't the way Jaden hoped to approach the subject of coming out now that he was back in East Harbor, but it was the best he could do under the circumstances. He came to practice excited about this life changing moment, but it turned out today's practice was not going to be the right moment to begin.

After practice, Jaden grabbed his bag and changed next to Derek, hoping the younger boy would get the hint, but Derek continued to be all business.

"See ya tomorrow," said Jaden, giving Derek a quick wave has he started his walk to the middle school. Derek waved back as he got into his mom's minivan on his way to the elementary.

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Coming back to school from Spring Break was usually a drag, but this year, the boys found it exciting. It seemed like so many of their fellow students either came down to the Mallway to watch the grand opening concert, watched the Facebook Live streaming of the show, or watched the recording later. The congratulatory comments and chats about the show made the day pass quickly. Before they knew it, it was time for lunch.

Lukas packed his lunch and headed directly to the gang's lunch tables. He ran into Lewis on the way and they joined Curtis, Will, and Jordan at their regular spot. Trajan followed, setting his lunch tray down with a bang.

"Hey, Trajan," greeted the boys almost in unison. Their happy dispositions soured Trajan's even more. He was still pissed about Scott and Lukas. Spending the week of Spring Break ruminating only made things worse. In fact, now he also blamed them for ruining his entire Spring Break.

Michael joined and Sam and Gregory weren't far behind. Scott and Will were the last to arrive and noticed a level of tension at the table. Scott pinpointed the source of the negative energy as Trajan and knew better than to address it. He and Lukas both kept their heads down and ate their lunch.

But it wasn't just Scott and Lukas that recognized Trajan's mood. He'd made sure everyone was fully aware he was having a shitty day. All it would take is one person to ask and it would be like a pin pricking a balloon.

The final morsels eaten, the boys still had a few minutes before they needed to bus their table. There was nothing to do but start up a conversation.

Curtis asked, "So what's up your butt, Trajan?" Normally, the friends talked that way to each other, and it was taken in good natured humor, but not today.

Trajan exploded, "My so-called friends are fucking around behind my back, that's what."

No one else at the table, other than Scott and Lukas, knew Trajan meant literally fucking. Both boys prayed no one would ask Trajan to elaborate.

"Let's take our trays up before the bell," suggested Scott.

"Of course, you'd want to go now," spat Trajan in an accusatory manner.

"Why are you acting like that?" asked Jordan.

"Scott's fucking Lukas." When he saw the shock on everyone's face, he thought it was the surprise of what Scott and Lukas had been up to, not his audacity to expose their personal business to everyone within earshot. "What? Didn't you all know that already?" Trajan's mock innocence came across bitchier than anything else.

"What?!" came of voice of shock.

All eyes turned to see Najma standing behind Scott. Mortified and embarrassed, she took off at a near run.

"Najma! Wait!" Scott left his lunch items on the table and took off after his girlfriend.

"What the fuck!" yelled Lukas standing and leaning over the table at his friend. "That's exactly what Scott said would happen. You wouldn't keep your damn mouth shut!"

Trajan stood to defend himself, knocking his chair over.

"Mr. Meijer! Mr. De Luca!" Principal Trance made her way to the table. She kept her cool but in reality, she was shocked that Lukas and his friend were causing a stir at lunch. "Do we have a problem over here?"

"Yes, ma'am," admitted Lukas. "I need some space at the moment. May I be excused to go to my locker." He turned and walked away without waiting for permission.

Principal Trance was caught so off guard, she didn't know what to say. She decided to let things cool off before she interrogated anyone. "Make sure you clean up Scott and Lukas' items too." She walked away stunned and noted to put a call into Dr. Meijer to see if he could share any insights.

Michael leaned forward to look around Christian who sat between him and Trajan. He glared at the curly-haired teen and whispered, "What the hell are you doing?"

Trajan didn't bother to keep his voice down, or what he said private. "Scott's fucking around with you guys but told me he wouldn't mess around with me because he's straight."

"That's nobody's business!" hissed Michael.

Lewis jumped in to defend his friends. "Yeah, keep your fucking mouth shut. That's private."

"What? Are all of you guys fucking around? Seriously? You guys are all having sex behind my back?" Trajan was aghast by the false conclusion he'd drawn from the look of horror on his friends' faces.

"Shut up!" hissed Michael.

"Well fuck you, too! Like you have any business talking. You're fucking around with everyone -- even Sam and Trey!"

"Oh my god! Shut the fuck up!" Michael couldn't believe his ears.

"Even Curtis got laid at your last sleepover. But nooooo... not me. I was told 'no'." Trajan was fully into his self-pitty party. Curtis about shit his pants and Sam looked like he was about to cry.

Michael wasn't finished with Trajan. "Yeah. No means no. The only rule is to respect that. Just because one person said 'no' doesn't mean you didn't have other opportunities. That was your choice. You don't have anyone to blame but yourself."

The bell rang indicating the end of lunch. The boys gathered the trash and trays on the table while Trajan continued. "Fuck all of you." Trajan walked away leaving his half-eaten lunch on the table.

Lewis started to go after him, ready to punch him in the face but the boys grabbed him before he could get out of his seat. Christian, really out of the loop on everything being discussed, tried to process all he learned. He added Trajan's garbage to his own and the boys stood to finish bussing the table.

"Hey guys!" greeted Jaden. He had second lunch and decided to say "hey" to Lukas, Michael and their friends before going through the lunch line. He figured if he was going to come out, knowing the most popular, out gay boys would be important.

The older boys shared a "hey" or "hi", but it wasn't the warm greeting Jaden had hoped. As a matter of fact, they barely acknowledged his presence - even his classmates Sam and Gregory. He didn't take it personally. It was clear something was going on. That didn't mean it didn't sting a little. He was doing his best to connect with guys he thought it would be safe to come out to, and it wasn't working out very well for him. He watched the guys head to the trash bins to throw away their garbage before he turned to get in line for lunch.

As the boys walked to the trash cans, Will turned to Curtis. "You got laid? Dish dude! Enquiring minds want to know!"

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Tension was high and rumors flew as the school day dragged on. When the final bell rang, students went to their busses or headed for home on bike or foot. That is, all the students not involved in spring sports. The boys track, baseball and lacrosse teams flooded into the locker room.

For the 15 minutes or so that all teams prepared for practice, it was chaos. But it had been drilled into the players and athletes to change quickly and get to practice. Consequences for being late were severe and that threat usually put a damper on any horseplay.

"Hey Fielder," called a voice from across the locker room loud enough to be heard above the din. "I heard you and Sam are boyfriends."

The voices hushed. The other boys were shocked that someone would come out and say that, even with all the rumors going around school about what happened at lunch.

Gregory looked at Sam who was clearly upset by everything that happened during the day. This comment from one of the eighth-grade baseball players didn't help at all. He turned to see Ian Holt giggling with is buddies, thinking he'd gotten one over on the seventh-grade lacrosse players.

In a clear, uncompromising tone, Gregory responded loud enough to make sure everyone in the locker room heard. "Sorry Ian. You heard wrong. I'm not gay, but if I were, I'd be lucky as hell to have Sam as my boyfriend."

The snickers and giggles that followed weren't directed at Gregory or Sam, but towards Ian and his friend.

"Jesus Christ, Holt!" called out one of the members of the track team from over the row of lockers. "That's none of your fucking business."

Another voice called out, "Ian's just jealous because all the gay boys are smashing every chance they get and Ian's only dated his right hand!" The locker room erupted with laughter and shouts in agreement.

A booming voice shouted from the locker room door, "Stop talking. You have two minutes to get out to the fields. Get a move on it!" Coach Reed was a man to be taken seriously. None of the boys said another word until they were out the door.

The eighth-grade lacrosse players had kept their distance and spent as little time in the locker room as possible. The team, heavily populated by Lukas and his posse, was somber. With a game the next afternoon, the coach tried to pick up their spirits and get their focus on practice.

Drills went okay, but the coach noticed the team didn't have their usual spark. When they switched to work on their offensive playsets, Scott, Lukas, and Will were on offense while Curtis, Jordan, and Trajan were on the defense with Lewis in goal. With the plays being run, Lukas and Scott kept cutting just outside the crease - the circle around the goal. Playing a zone defense, meant the attackers, including Scott and Lukas, passed through the defensive zone of each of the three defenders.

Lewis noticed that when Lukas or Scott moved through the defensive zones, Trajan would go out of his way to bump into them or smack them with his stick. It was hard for Lewis to keep an eye on what was going on, but he did what he could. The team had barely gotten into their drills when Trajan, who'd gotten more and more furious at his friends with each minute of practice, stepped back and drove his shoulder into Scott's chest, knocking him to the ground. Lewis dashed from the goal and tackled Trajan, blindsiding the boy. A melee erupted on the field as teammates checked to see if Scott was injured or pull Lewis off Trajan.

The seventh graders stopped and watched as their coaches joined their counterparts to sort out the mess. Before the coaches could start asking questions, Scott spoke up.

"Coach, can Trajan and I go back inside to talk. I think I can sort this all out."

The coaches were surprised by Scott and Trajan causing trouble but were happy to give them some time and space to clear things up between the long-time friends. Scott headed back towards the school and Trajan followed. He wasn't so much interested in what Scott had to say at this point but would rather deal with Scott than tongue lashings by the coaches.

Scott hastily walked ahead and entered the doors leading to the locker room far ahead of Trajan. Trajan finally reached the locker room but didn't immediately see Scott.

"Get your pads off and com'on," called Scott from over by the bathroom stalls. He stood along the far wall shirt in hand.

Trajan headed to his locker and found Scott's helmet, stick, pads and cleats tossed on the floor. He quickly took off his own until he was down to only his t-shirt, shorts and socks and headed in Scott's direction.

Scott saw Trajan and waved his hand to hurry him up. "Let's get this over with."

Trajan watched Scott enter the handicap stall leaving the door open. The faint shadows playing off the open door told of activity inside the stall, but Trajan wasn't sure what Scott was doing. He reached the doorway and peered into the stall and gasped. Stripped down to his white ankle socks and jock, Scott sat on the toilet with knees spread and head and shoulders resting against the back wall.

"Well, what are you waiting for? This is what you wanted, isn't it?"

Trajan nearly fell over trying to get inside the stall and shut the door. With the door finally secured, he turned to face the boy that awakened his sexual identity.

"Get naked and do your thing," stated Scott.

Trajan scrambled to undress. Clothing dropped to the floor here and there. He didn't stop until he was down to his own black and white sports socks. Kicking his tee between Scott's feet, Trajan dropped to his knees and buried his face in Scott's bulging jock. He groaned in excitement. Not wasting a moment, he switched to lapping at the sweaty garment.

"We don't have much time," reminded Scott. "We need to get back to practice."

Trajan nodded in agreement and reached for the waistband and pulled. Scott lifted his ass to help Trajan remove his jock. Trajan's eyes were fixed on the slab of boy meat between Scott's thighs while his hands worked to get the jock off his friend's feet. Getting it past Scott's left ankle was enough to get full access to what he desired. He cupped Scott's balls in his left hand and his right, shaking, reached for the limp cock. He gave the cock a few tugs then transferred the organ to his mouth.

He moaned with the taste of the sweaty cock. Not because of the taste, but because it was Scott's. Trajan really couldn't recall ever being this turned on. His body felt like it was on fire and his erection was so stiff it hurt. Bobbing and sucking, he devoured Scott's dick, working it with everything he had.

"Com'on," whined Trajan. "Get hard."

Scott watched Trajan's curly brown hair flop as his head went up and down trying to bring his soft dick to an erection. He tried to think of things to turn himself on, but the situation drowned out his fantasies.

Trajan came up for air panting. "Why aren't you getting hard?"

"Because I'm not into this," answered Scott.

"What do you mean? This was your idea."

"Well," Scott tried to find a nice way of putting it, "I'm trying to do this for you, so you'll stop wrecking everything."

Trajan took offense. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Trajan, since you started like liking me, I feel like I lost my best friend. You want, like really badly, for us to be boyfriends. That's like all you think about when we're hanging out. You're always looking at me like a piece of meat and we never seem to be able to talk anymore or do anything together."

"So," he accused, "you go off and fuck someone else just to get back at me."

"My relationship with Lukas is none of your business. That's between me and Lukas."

"And Simon," Trajan pointed out.

"Again, none of your business and certainly not yours to share with the entire school."

"Well..." was all Trajan could come up with.

"And no matter what you say, this isn't about you and I or our relationship. This is all about you!" Scott stabbed his finger into Trajan's chest for emphasis.

That put Trajan on the defensive. "How can you say that?" argued Trajan.

"Because it doesn't matter how I feel about any of this. You're mad because you want my dick and to hell with anyone that stands in your way -- including me. You don't care how I feel about this. Hell, you were getting mad at me because I wasn't getting hard for you. You didn't care about me."

For the first time since the party, Trajan saw the other side of things. He realized that he hadn't once considered anyone else's feelings. He stepped back and leaned against the cool metal of the door. The two friends were standing in the locker room's handicap stall naked from the ankles up. It was no longer about sex for either of them. It was coming to terms with the reality between them and mending a strained friendship.

Trajan looked up at the florescent lights as tears filled his eyes. "I'm sorry."

Scott stepped up and wiped a tear from Trajan's face. "I know it must be hard for you."

Trajan laughed at the understatement. He wiped the tear from the other cheek. "Yeah, I didn't know you knew that I'm in love with you."

"Well, I made the mistake of thinking that if I let you know I knew, that I'd be encouraging you. We should have just talked it out."

"Maybe," admitted Trajan, still unable to look at Scott. "You know, it's not because your hot, which you are by the way, if you didn't know already. I mean, I think some of the straight guys would turn gay if you asked them to." Both boys chuckled at that remark. "What I'm trying to say is, I fell in love with you first because of how you treated me as a friend. You listen. You care. You always had my back." Trajan wiped more tears from his face and turned his attention to the floor and the piles of clothing here and there.

"I guess I really didn't get mad at you when you started dating Najma and I knew you wouldn't ever be my boyfriend. I think I got mad at you when I realized that you treated all of our friends the same way. That I wasn't special to you."

Scott tucked his fingers under Trajan's chin and lifted the boy's face so their eye's met. "Don't ever judge our friendship on how I treat other people. We have a special, and different, bond than I have with anyone else. And the friendship I have with Lukas and Simon is special and different than my friendships with anyone else. It doesn't make one better than the other. They are just different."

Trajan wiped tears from his face and nodded that he understood. Scott pulled Trajan into a hug. In the moment, it didn't occur to either one of them they were naked.

"Okay guys," came a voice outside the stall door, "Scott, get dressed and head back out to practice. Trajan, grab your clothes and come with me."

Scott and Trajan froze. They recognized the voice of Mark Lange, coach Lange's youngest son and a part-time assistant coach with the middle school teams. The 19-year-old member of the California State University San Marcos Cougars lacrosse team would hop over to East Harbor to help with his dad's lacrosse program. Learning to coach was the reason he gave his father. When he asked to help with the middle school teams instead of the high school teams, his father didn't understand and had to be convinced this was a logical stepping stone. Now, all the finagling he'd done to get this position was about to pay off.

The door creaked outward as Trajan peeked out to see where the coach was standing. Mark grabbed the door handle and helped Trajan open the door wide, exposing Scott stepping into his jock. Trajan's hand, now free, gripped the clothes he held in front of his crotch to ensure he didn't drop them and expose himself.

"Right this way, Trajan," said Coach Mark, pointing towards the lockers. He lingered a moment or two too long, leering at Scott fumbling to dress quickly before Mark followed Trajan, leaving the handicap stall door ajar.

"Let's talk privately in the coaches' office." He headed to the office shared by the middle school coaches, just off the locker room. When Trajan followed him into the room, Mark shut the door and stepped up to Trajan.

"I overheard part of your conversation with Scott. It must be hard to be in love with someone who doesn't feel the same way."

Trajan's emotions started to rise to the surface again. When he was with Scott, he felt they were coming to terms with the nature of their friendship and preparing to start the next chapter of their friendship. When Coach Mark brought it up, it felt like the wound reopened. He started to say something, but the tears welled up in his eyes and the words stuck in his throat. Instead, he nodded in agreement.

Mark pulled the naked boy to his chest and held him tight. Trajan burst into tears and buried his face into Mark's chest as the older teen soothed the eighth grader. Trajan still held his clothing in front of himself, but with one hand he hugged Mark while his coach ran his fingers though the hair at the base of his skull and along the back of his neck. The college student's other hand stroked Trajan's back, casually drifting lower and lower each time. He eventually settled with his hand on the rise of Trajan's left cheek.

When Trajan finally stopped crying, he backed a way. Mark took the opportunity to run his hands up and down Trajan's sides from his hips to chest before pulling them away.

"You feeling better?" asked Coach Mark. Trajan nodded and wiped his face with the back of his hand.

"Here, let me take these so you can get dressed." Mark reached out and pulled Trajan's clothes away from the boy, leaving him trying to cover his junk with only his hands, but not before Mark got a look.

"Here," he handed Trajan his jock.

"Um... I usually wear my jock over my underwear." It was less embarrassing when he felt modest in the locker room.

"Well, they fit better if you wear them underneath. Come on, hurry up," encouraged Mark.

Trajan took the jock and turned his back to the coach, just as Mark hoped. The boy bent over to slip the garment over his feet and Mark bent to get a better look. 'Thank god I'm wearing my own jock,' he thought.

The process repeated when Trajan was handed his underwear. He his toe caught on the leg band and he lost his balance, Mark was right there to catch him even though Trajan wasn't in any danger of falling.

Fully dressed, Trajan looked at Mark observing the coach's chiseled jaw-line, intense, dark eyes, and solid physique. Trajan went to the older teen for another hug. "Thank you," he said, enjoying the feeling of the muscles under the t-shirt.

Mark smiled and kissed the top of Trajan's head. "Any time. We're friends now, right?"

Trajan stepped back and gave Mark a smile. "Yeah. Thanks. Oh, sorry. I got your shirt all wet." He pointed to the wet spot on Coach Mark's shirt.

"No problem," he said. He walked over to his gym back and pulled out a fresh t-shirt. "I always keep a few extras in my bag." He turned to face Trajan and removed his t-shirt. He didn't just take it off, he did it like he was in one of his movies. Yeah, Coach Lange didn't know his son was also known to the world for his "modeling" work for Helix Studios. Taking his time changing shirts, Mark noticed Trajan's flushed cheeks and the nervous tapping of his fingers on the side of his leg.

Mark shoved the old shirt into the bag and zipped it shut. "Let's go get your gear." He put an arm around Trajan's shoulder and led the boy back to his locker.

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After dinner, Zach and Carol cleaned up the dishes while Lars talked to the boys.

"I got a call from the school today," announced Lars. Simon and Matthew wondered why they were involved in this meeting since they didn't attend the middle school.

"Oh, you heard?" asked Lukas.

Obviously, something happened and both Simon and Matthew's ears perked up. Zach and Carol looked like they were busy, but their full attention was on the meeting as well.

"Yes. Would you care to explain?"

Lukas looked for a way out of the conversation by stating, "Well, it's kinda private."

"It's not so private that the entire school doesn't know about it or at least some version of it."

"Oh, yeah, well..." he really didn't want to get into this. After practice, Scott said Trajan understood and the case was closed.

"Let me put this another way, what happened between you boys, and the rumors going around the school are probably very different. Some of the students, intentionally or unintentionally, have fed those rumors to parents who are very upset. Before anything else happens, I need to know the facts."

Lukas related the ongoing fun Scott had had with him and Simon and how Trajan, who had a crush on Scott, walked in on them during the sleepover and made a big deal about it. He told Lars how Trajan blabbed everything about Scott, so Najma heard, and about the other boys who have been having sex.

"Who are we talking about? What names were given?"

Michael spoke up, "he named Lukas, Simon, me, Sam, Alejandro, and said Curtis, too. But then he accused everyone of doing it -- going behind his back and having sex."

"Well, from the call I got this evening before you all got home from practice was that at least one parent contacted the school saying they heard a boy was sexually assaulted here. You two," pointing to Simon and Lukas, "get showers and get ready to go. We are heading over to the De Luca's. We need to do some damage control and Trajan has to be involved."

Lars went to his office to make some calls while Simon and Lukas got ready. Michael and Matthew helped finish cleaning up.

In the end, everyone met at the Meijer house instead. Trajan and his family, Scott and his parents, as well as Stephen Cooper, the family attorney, a detective from the East Harbor sex crimes unit, and Brian Parker via Facetime. Lars wanted transparency and wanted the rumors shut down immediately.

All of the boys were mortified about having to discuss their sex lives in front of their parents. They tried to evade questions and skirt the facts until Brian spoke up.

"Boys, I know this is the last thing you want to talk about in front of adults, especially your parents. But here are the facts. The rumors that have started will grow a life of their own whether they are true or not. You guys have all played the telephone game where you tell something to someone, and it gets passed from person to person. You know how in the game what the last person says is funny because it isn't what was originally said? That's what we are up against now. All it is going to take is for someone to repeat the rumor incorrectly, or add their own spin on it, and falsehoods will spread like wildfire."

"But..." Lukas was going to defend the boys, but Brian would have none of that.

"Lukas, you don't understand how severe this is. If the parents are sharing a rumor that a boy was sexually assaulted at your home, it isn't a big jump for a parent to accuse your father, a gay man, of being the perpetrator." He stopped there to let that set in.

Michael, visibly upset, walked over to join Lars. The man pulled Michael into a bear hug when the lad climbed into his lap. Michael squeezed him back. The older boys felt the temperature of the room drop several degrees.

"Boys," spoke Scott's father, "I think I speak for all of us, I mean, the adults. We know boys mess around and we aren't going to be upset by it. You are all good kids and we are happy you are all friends. Right now, the most important thing for you to do, the only way to really protect yourselves, your friends, and everyone else in this room, is to tell us everything. In this situation, keeping secrets is the most harmful thing you can do.

Detective Meadows added his own take of the situation. "We need to know the facts now. In today's hostile climate, once a rumor gets out, some people will never be convinced otherwise. Any evidence that contradicts their beliefs is fake and part of a coverup. We have to set the record straight before those rumors are spread on social media or even picked up by the news."

The boys got it and spilled their guts. They talked over each other and interjected to make sure Detective Meadow got everything perfect.

At the end of the evening, Trajan apologized profusely to everyone, especially Lars and Scott. Detective Meadows said the police would coordinate to issue a joint press release with the school district in an attempt to head off escalation and accusations.

"But how can anyone who wasn't there make accusations?" asked Trajan.

"Trajan, if everyone stopped to reason out and check the facts of everything they hear, then this wouldn't be such a big issue. But many people don't. For some people, once they hear something they think is true, you'll never convince them otherwise. That's why they need to hear the truth before they hear the rumors. Otherwise, they'll flood the police and children's services with calls reporting whatever they think happened."

After everyone left, Michael shadowed Lars, not leaving his side. Lars understood the boy needed assurance that everything would be okay. The problem was, none of the adults could give him the definitive answers he wanted, and he was too smart to be mollified. He would see right through it and call them out on it.

Before bed, Lukas and Simon found their parents and Michael in the family room watching TV. Michael was draped over Lars, holding onto his father while Lars rubbed his back.

"Dad," interrupted Lukas during a commercial, "we wanted to apologize for being so stupid about all of this."

Lars sat up and motioned for the two teens to join him. Around Michael, they had a group hug. "Guys, I'm not upset with you. Honestly, I'm proud of the way you guys handled this. Scott took it a bit too far in the locker room, but he got his point across. What you guys are doing isn't wrong. As a matter of fact, for being so young, you boys have good heads on your shoulders. What I'm worried about is the rumors getting in the hands of some hate groups and they come after us. They could really disrupt our lives and that's what Carol, Zach and I have tried to protect you from. The press conference, the video shoot, the grand opening -- they are all over. Janette and her team have the social media and incoming requests in check and the movie premiere isn't for months. We just want you four to have fun, play lacrosse and enjoy being with each other and your friends. I mean, when it comes right down to it, this is between Scott and Trajan. We're just collateral damage."

"Is this going to be like back home?" asked Michael. "You know, where everyone thought I was bad and made things up and no one wanted to be around me anymore? I mean, not just me this time, but all of us?"

Lars rubbed Michael's back and kissed his hair. "I don't know, Cuddlebug. I don't know."

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TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 2018

Lars headed to the Middle School early. He wanted to meet with Principal Janice Trance before the calls started coming in to make sure they had their responses aligned. The press release went out the night before and they expected it to raise just as many questions as it answered.

Before they even ended their conversation, Mrs. Benedict buzzed in saying a parent was on line one. Janice looked at Lars and took a deep breath before answering. Lars listened intensely but could only hear one side of the conversation.

"Good morning Mrs. Andrews. How can I help you today? Mmmhmmm. Yes. I do know what you are referring to. Some students got into an argument at lunch yesterday. Students that overheard the argument have started rumors that have completely missed the facts. No ma'am, the school did not investigate. Mrs. Andrews... Mrs. Andrews... please let me finish. What I'm saying is, I was there and witnessed the argument. Additionally, we allowed the police and FBI to conduct the interviews. Yes, that is correct, the East Harbor Police Department and the FBI. The school district and police released a joint press release last night explaining the situation. No, no one has been harmed nor have any of the students involved in the argument claimed to be harmed. That has been 100 percent fabricated by the rumor mill. Correct. Okay. Thank you for calling. Good bye."

"It sounds like the work we did to head this off went over okay with Mrs. Andrews?" Lars started off as a statement and ended with a question seeing the look on Mrs. Trance's face.

"Well, Mrs. Andrews is not a fair test. She's a frequent caller reporting every rumor she hears. And of course, her daughter is one of the biggest gossips in the school."

"How bad was the rumor?"

"I think what Mrs. Andrews has in her head falls just short of a satanic cult that's eating babies."

A pit formed in Lars' stomach. He took another drink of his coffee and Mrs. Benedict buzzed back with another parent on the phone. At the same time Lars' phone buzzed with a text message. He listened to Janice take another call from a concerned parent while he dealt with his first patient cancellation.

When the call ended, Lars made an offer. "We have some support over at the Majestic taking incoming calls for the boys and the business. Would it be helpful if they came over here to provide you support? I know they aren't school employees, but the extra set of hands may be helpful."

"Let me talk to the district office. We may be better served if everyone taking calls is a district employee. They may be able to spare a few heads to come help us out unless they are getting bombarded too."

"Here's Janette's number over at the theater in case they can help you out."

Janice thanked Lars then added, "Lars, we'll do everything we can to put a stop to the rumors. Even if there is a backlash in the short term, hang in there. Most of the parents here in town are pretty level headed and will come around."

"Thank you. I needed to hear that. But it is only going to take one to create a huge problem. We've been trying to shelter the boys from this type of backlash when it comes to their being gay and becoming public figures. But this could easily get out of hand and I worry about how it will impact them - especially Michael. He's already starting to feel uncertain about the security of his family."

The phone on the Principal's desk buzzed before Mrs. Benedict's voice broke through again. "Janice, you have parents on lines 1 and 2."

Janice hit the button to respond. "Thank you." She grabbed a card from her drawer and handed it to Lars. "This is the public relations person for the district. She would be a good person to work with to see if there is anything further to be done."

Lars thanked Janice and headed home.

----------------------     

It was a dismal night for East Harbor lacrosse. For the first time all season, all four teams lost. It was apparent to the coaches, and those closest to the problem, why the boys were off their game. Trajan and the boys in his path of destruction during Monday's lunch spent the day dodging the fallout that rained down on East Harbor the following day. The varsity team needed Simon on the top of his game but mental lapses on his part cost the Sabers a two-point loss. The JV team was closer to the events of the week. They faced an older and bigger club team and fell short, losing by a score of 12-18. The coaches were furious that the boys gave up losses on their home field against an opponent they could have beaten if they had given the effort and focus of any other game that season. Any other night Coach Lange would have taken the boys back out on the field to run laps, tonight, he had a heart-to-heart talk with them about dealing with personal issues, supporting team mates in their time of need, and shrugging off bad outings and moving onto the next game.

The middle school teams had played away, and the games were a bloodbath. Of course, it happened the night they played the farthest from home. The seventh-grade team just didn't have the depth to make up for Gregory and Sam's lackluster performances. During the eighth-grade game, Lewis fared better than most of the gang. When having to sacrifice your body to stop shots on goal, it is hard to not be in the game. But even the solid performance from Lewis wasn't enough to stop the onslaught of shots on goal. The eighth-grade defense was almost nonexistent, and Lewis faced more than double the shots he would normally face on any given night.

The middle schoolers were embarrassed by their double-digit losses. After a talk from the coaches, it was time to board the buses and head home. They packed their bags and equipment before boarding the busses. They didn't even change into their regular clothes. The long bus ride back from San Clemente was almost silent. Only whispers were exchanged between seat mates and those couldn't be heard above the noise from the tires rumbling down I-5.

Trajan, feeling the remorse and guilt from causing all the problems, sat near the front of the bus in the usually empty seats between the players in the back of the bus and the coaches the front.

When the bus merged onto the interstate, Coach Mark moved to sit next to Trajan. Mark rested his arm along the back of the bus seat behind the boy. Trajan stared blankly out the window at the passing traffic. Sensing that Trajan wasn't going to acknowledge his presence, Mark leaned so Trajan could hear him.

"Hey buddy," said Mark in a calm, caring tone. "You doing okay?"

Trajan ignored the coach, so Mark took a slightly different tactic. He slouched down in the seat and put his knees on the back of the seat in front of him. Many of the other players were sitting similarly and Mark had done that during his middle and high school playing days. Once comfortable, he dropped his hand down between him and Trajan, resting it on Trajan's bare knee. He gave it a squeeze.

"You know," he continued, "shit like this passes. Soon, no one will remember any of this."

"Until then," Trajan mumbled, "everything sucks because of me." He let his head bounce off the bus window then settle against the pane of glass. The vibrations were soothing.

"Dude, it's going to be alright. I promise." Mark's fingers lightly caressed the inside of the boy's knee. After a while, he kept his palm pressed against the bare skin and slid it higher up Trajan's leg revealing more skin. Mark let his fingers glide against the inside of Trajan's lower thigh under the hem of his lacrosse shorts. The boy's eyes drifted to where his coach's hand had drifted as his cheeks flushed with embarrassment. He turned his head to look at Mark who seemed to be paying no attention to what he was doing. The coach looked off into the distance down the bus aisle.

Confusion swirled in Trajan's mind, distracting himself from his self-pity. He tried to determine if the coach was playing with his leg on purpose which was creepy and inappropriate, or did he not notice where his hand had drifted, and it was a complete accident.

Mark knew he couldn't sit with a student the entire trip back. The current situation gave him cover to spend some time with Trajan to talk, but that window was coming to an end and he needed to retake his seat next to the other coaches. He gave Trajan's thigh a squeeze then sat up. The coach turned his back to the aisle and faced Trajan.

"Until things blow over," Mark said, "you've got me. I'm here for you anytime." With that, he slid his other hand up under Trajan's shorts and gave the boy's upper thigh a squeeze. Pulling the hand back out, he patted Trajan's knee the moved to a seat by himself.

Trajan was flushed. His cock strained against his jockstrap and the boy's confusion escalated to another level. He didn't welcome or want the touch of his coach but having a hand under his shorts only millimeters from the pouch of his jock had physically excited Trajan. The discontinuity of his physical and emotional feeling made the boy question where the truth lay. His cock fighting to become erect made him wonder if he really did want the coach's touch, despite his brain telling him he didn't, and it was wrong.

Their arrival in East Harbor found Trajan more troubled and confused than before with Coach Mark's actions adding to the turmoil already crashing through his skull.

----------------------     

After dinner, the Meijer boys and Simon camped out in Matthew's room and discussed the events of the past two days. They suspected something was troubling their father and assumed he was having issues with the parents of his clients. Speculating was all they would be able to do. They knew Lars would never share such issues with them. They would have to simply watch from the distance.

The mood in the room wasn't much different than after their respective lacrosse games. Not much was said as each boy messed around on their phones, but words weren't necessary. It was the simply being together piled onto Matthew's bed that comforted the boys. Simon held Lukas in the crook of his arm and Matthew was stretched out beside them with Michael lying across the trio -- his head on Matthew's stomach and legs draped over the boyfriends. The four boys couldn't have thought of a better place to be than together.

Michael's phone vibrated as a text message came in. "You guys know Alejandro's going to Spain on Monday, don't ya?" He typed his response to the text.

His brothers nodded that they knew. Michael had only told them a million times since he'd learned the news. "We're invited up to his family's place up in Laguna Beach on Sunday for a party." He hit send on another text message.

"Wow," said Simon, "I bet that place is nice."

"Doesn't it sit right on the beach?" asked Matthew.

"Yeah," replied Michael. "He's been learning how to surf. Dad said Elena already reached out to them and the plans are all set. Sounds like it is going to be a big party. Sam and Gregory were also invited. We're supposed to get there in the morning, and we'll have lunch and dinner up there."

"I'm glad you're going to spend the day with Alejandro before he leaves," added Lukas. Lukas was sad to see Alejandro go. After a great deal of consideration, Lukas concluded that the forlorn look on Michael's face when he was thinking had to do with the impending departure of one of his lil' bro's closest friends. Honestly, Lukas wondered why the boys never decided to just be boyfriends. 'Maybe,' thought Lukas, 'this is more of a heartbreak than just distance between friends.' The only thing Lukas knew for sure was there was somebody was on Michael's mind.

"I'm gonna go talk to dad to see what else he knows about Sunday." Michael crawled over Simon and Lukas and trotted out to door.

"He's going to miss Alejandro," noted Lukas to the other two.

"Yeah, I am too," offered Matthew. He really did like the little seventh grader.

Lukas continued to make his point. "Well, we'll have to really be there for Michael when we come home on Sunday. It's the last time they are going to see each other for a while."

"Wait," said Simon, putting down his phone, "why are you so concerned about this?"

"Well," said Lukas, sitting up and lowering his voice, "have you noticed how Michael gets that faraway look like he's daydreaming sometimes."

The older boys nodded.

"That's the same look he used to get when he was crushing on Gavin."

"You think he's crushing on Gavin again?" asked Matthew.

"Seriously?" Lukas gave Matthew a look of disbelief. "That's where your mind went?" Matthew shrugged it off.

Simon jumped in, "But you do think Michael is crushing on someone. Wait, you think he's fallen in love with Alejandro?"

The bed's springs creaked as the older boys moved to sit and face Lukas. "Yeah, don't you?" asked the blonde.

"No," said Simon, "I thought he's been crushing on Sam. Those two have mad chemistry in bed. We heard it every time Sam spent the night. I thought Michael started acting like that once Sam wasn't allowed to spend the night anymore."

"I don't think it is Sam," said Matthew. "You two said that at the party before spring break, Sam was having a good time with Alejandro and Gregory in the hot tub and Michael was with Derek. Those two seem to be very touchy-feeling and intimate with each other. I think he's got it bad for Derek."

The boys continued their hushed debate until Michael returned.

"What are you guys talking about?" The teens turned to find Michael standing in the doorway, arms crossed, a look of suspicion plastered across his face.

"We were uh..." stuttered Lukas.

Matthew interrupted. "We were discussing what we thought Alejandro's party was going to be like and if we should get him a going away gift."

"Yeah," agreed Lukas, satisfied with Matthew's explanation.

"Cool!" smiled Michael. He took a couple of steps and bounced into the air landing on the bed. "What do you have so far?"

----------------------     

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2018

As soon as Derek got home from school, he ran up to his bedroom and dumped his backpack on his desk chair. He checked the hand-written invitation he wrote and slipped it in the pocket of his striped t-shirt. Reminding his mother that she'd granted him permission to ride over to the high school to see the lacrosse practice and he'd come home with Robert after practice.

"Be careful riding your bike! Wear your helmet!" she yelled after Derek as he burst out the door and headed to the garage to get his bike.

He had his helmet on in a flash and wheeled his bike out the garage door. "Bye mom!"

He followed all the rules laid out for him when riding his bike, but he rode as fast as possible. The high schoolers were already practicing. Since they got out of school earlier than the elementary students, they were well into their second hour of practice. The coaches decided to really work the boys hard to get their minds back onto lacrosse after the fiasco the night before.

Derek parked his bike next to the bleachers then climbed up a few rows before taking a seat to watch. He enjoyed watching the practice. All of the times he got to practice with the guys before the season started and the times his brother played catch with him, Derek was seriously considering trying out for a rec lacrosse team this summer.

When practice ended, he ran out onto the field to catch up to the players heading for the locker room.

"Hey Derek!" called out Robert. Derek waved to his big brother as he jogged ahead.

"Michael!" called out Derek, before the JV players entered the the door.

Michael stopped and looked for the source of his name being called. When he saw Derek running his way, he closed his eyes and braced for impact. Moments later he realized he was still upright. Michael opened one eye and saw Derek standing in place, fishing a piece of paper out of his shirt pocket.

The boys were in the way of the rest of the lacrosse players. Michael opened his other eye and guided Derek off to the side to let the rest of his teammates enter the building.

"Hey Derek," greeted Michael, "what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to give you this," said the little blonde, extending his arm to hand Michael the note from his pocket. To some it seemed odd that a fifth grader would be hanging out with a member of the high school lacrosse team. Four grades is a big difference. But age-wise, there wasn't that big a difference. Michael would turn 12 in two months, and Derek would be 12 in September. Michael was older by only three months.

Michael unfolded the paper and read the message inside:

You are invited to a sleepover at Derek McCall's house Saturday, April 14, 2018. Please be there for pizza at 6:00 PM.

Surprised by the invitation, Michael asked, "You're inviting me to a sleepover?"

"Why wouldn't I?" asked Derek defensively, immediately thinking he may have insulted Michael by inviting him to a little kid's party. Before he could apologize, Michael continued.

"I can't believe we didn't do this sooner!" stated Michael flashing Derek's his brightest of smiles.

Derek smiled back. "Yeah, I know. I want you to meet my posse. Rodrigo, Sean, Sebbie, Mochi, and Jack."

"They're all going to be there?" asked Michael.

"Yeah, they're all spending the night too! It's gonna be awesome!" The boys bumped fists.

"Thanks for thinking of me, Derek!" Michael was really excited to be invited. "I'll ask dad, but I'm sure it will be okay."

The smile on Derek's face couldn't have been bigger. "AWESOME! Oh man, here comes Robert. I gotta go!" Derek gave Michael a big hug then ran to grab his bike.

Michael smiled and watched his friend scamper away before going into the locker room to grab his things and head home.

----------------------     

Michael had been ready for bed for an hour, but he wanted to get a little farther on one of his school projects and stayed up to work on it. When he sat at his table to work, a familiar feeling came over him. It started a few weeks ago. He'd get a warm, loving feeling coming over him. It was brief but strong. He thought it was weird and pushed it from his mind. Now, the feeling was happening several times a day and every night around bedtime.

Of course, Michael analyzed the situation and determined what the feeling was but didn't trust his conclusion. Tonight, the feeling came over him when he sat down at his table. He tried to connect to it, understand it, to see if it fit his conclusion. An hour later, he decided he wasn't going to get anything done and crawled into bed.

Pulling his blankets up, he stared at the ceiling and sighed. He decided to put a message out into the universe hoping it would give the other boy the courage to reveal himself. "I know it's you. I can feel you thinking about me and I like-like you too. Please tell me in person."

As he slept, Michael dreamed of being in a forest. He felt the presence of the boy but couldn't find him. It was as though they were being drawn together by an unknown force, yet something was keeping them apart. Michael knew that what was drawing them together was stronger than what was keeping them apart and one day, someday soon, it would happen.

----------------------     

THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2018

Jaden was frustrated by Derek's sudden lack of interest. Four days in a row the little blonde that occupied his thoughts ignored him. As the week wore on, Jaden was less concerned about Derek ignoring his flirting (though Jaden didn't know to call it that) but grew more worried about what was on his team mate's mind.

In the meantime, he worked to make friends with the only other gay boys he knew. Monday's events scared him. He didn't have the courage to approach the boys again until Wednesday, but his social studies teacher droned on past the bell causing him to miss Lukas, Michael and their friends at lunch. Today, however, he told Mr. Kerns he wasn't feeling well and wanted to see the school nurse. There were 15 minutes left in class when Jaden slipped into the hallway. He dropped his books off at his locker, grabbed the lunch he packed much to his mother's surprise, and headed straight to the lunch room.

"Hey guys!" greeted Jaden, standing at the end of the two tables.

The boys greeted him in a friendly, but unenthusiastic manner. They had accepted Trajan's apologies, but there was still tension between the boys and fallout from Trajan's actions. Jaden, however, would not let that deter him. "Can I sit with you guys until my lunch period starts?"

Again, the boys were friendly and offered him the empty seat at the opposite end of the table next to Michael and Christian.

"Hi, I'm Michael." They bumped fists.

"Yeah, I know. Everyone knows all you guys," admitted Jaden. He blushed when he realized he sounded like a fan and not a fellow student. But it was true. Everybody in the school knew Lukas and Michael Meijer and their group of friends.

"And you're, ummm..." Michael thought for a bit, "Jaden, right?"

Jaden was shocked that an eighth grader knew who he was. "What? Yeah. How?"

"I went to one of Derek's swim meets and he pointed you out to me."

"Cool! And you remembered me?" asked Jaden.

It was Michael's turn to blush. How could he not remember Derek's teammate with the hot swimmer's body.

Fifteen minutes wasn't long enough to call these boys his new friends, but he felt he fit in well with them. The strange thing to Jaden was, hanging out with these boys was just like hanging out with any of his other friends. He knew Lukas and Michael were gay, and there was a rumor that Sam and maybe Gregory were too, but it didn't make it any different than being with his other friends. The bell rang and the older boys collected their thrash. "Hey," said Jaden, getting Michael attention. "Do you think we could hang out sometime?"

Michael shrugged, "Sure." The boys exchanged phone numbers then Michael ran to throw his garbage in the bin and hurried to Phys Ed.

----------------------     

"I'm glad you liked your AA and Ala-Teen groups. Have you heard from Josh since last Friday's meeting?" Lars referred to the boy Alex talked about extensively when relating how things have gone since his last appointment. He couldn't tell the extent to which Alex liked Josh, but his excitement at potentially making a friend was a good sign, even if that friend went to another school district.

"Yeah, we've texted a lot; talked a few times." In his conversations with Josh, Alex played it cool. He didn't want to act like he was too excited about having a friend in case Josh changed his mind.

It was only their second appointment, so Lars kept things light and friendly. Alex was still feeling him out. Diving into a treatment regimen would shut the boy down. From all the man was seeing, the boy was making progress using the tools he'd been given. That was more powerful than anything Lars could do for the boy at the moment. What Alex needed, in the doctor's expert opinion, was encouragement and the building of his confidence and self-esteem. Digging in and dealing with some of Alex's personal demons would happen in time, and Lars would be ready.

"Alex, I think you are making great progress. Do you think your journaling has helped?"

Alex nodded and unconsciously touched his backpack an ensure it was still there. It was enough for Lars to know how important the journal was to the boy.

"So, Alex," asked Lars in a paced manner so he could carefully word the question, "of the things you've written about in your journal, what threatens your sobriety?"

The penetrating question caught Alex a bit off guard. He turned his eyes away from the doctor and eyed his backpack. In his short pause, a million thoughts ran through his mind. He decided it wouldn't hurt to discuss things that didn't have to do with things back in Mayfield.

Alex answered tentatively. "Something weird is going on and I can't figure it out." He told Lars the story of how his mom met her boyfriend while he was in rehab and how they pulled him out of rehab to move to East Harbor. Once he got going and he trusted Lars was listening to what he was saying, and more importantly, believing him, Alex's thoughts spilled from his lips.

"Alex," replied Lars when Alex finished, "I'm not even going to pretend to understand what is going on. I'm just as lost as you. The things that are making you suspicious also seem suspicious to me. Keep me informed on what's going on. You've got my number in case you feel scared or you're in danger. We'll also need to find an AA sponsor in case you feel like wanting to drink again." Lars made a note to himself to see if he could speed up that process.

"I'm proud of you," said Lars. He didn't finish that thought immediately because he wanted to make sure those words had full impact on the boy.

"Why?"

"Because you are watching and observing and discussing the things in your life instead of internalizing and self-harming."

That hadn't really occurred to Alex, but the doctor was right. Though it may have more to do with solving a mystery than practicing what he'd learned in rehab, it felt good to know he could do the right thing for a change.

Lars was torn. He wanted to invite Alex to hang out with the boys instead of sitting in the diner waiting for his mother to get off work. If her intention was to keep John and Alex apart, he was all for it. He'd never met John, but from what Alex shared, it seemed reasonable that it was her objective and that was enough for Lars. However, the last thing Alex needed was to feel like he was being thrust upon the boys. He was hoping this evening would get things going in the right direction without his intervention.

Checking the time, Lars realized it was getting late. "Well," said Lars, getting up from his chair, "it's time for your next baking lesson."

Alex grinned. He'd hoped they would get to make cookies again -- especially more oatmeal raisin cookies. Thinking about the complements he received the previous week still made him feel good. Especially the look on his mom's face when she took her first bite.

This time, Lars gave Alex a list the ingredients to gather and a set of measurements. He told Alex the order of the steps, but it was up to the boy to read and measure the correct ingredients, stir, scoop, and bake.

The timer rang letting Alex know he needed to remove a batch of cookies from the oven and slide the last sheet of cookies into the oven when the doorbell rang.

"Go ahead and swap the cookie sheets," said Lars heading to the living room, "I'll get the door."

"Hi! You're right on time," greeted Lars.

"Thank you for asking me to help with baking," replied Gladys Greenfield, giving Lars a one-arm hug as she entered his home. She was carrying baking ingredients in one bag and baking dishes in the other.

"You must be Alex," said Gladys when she got sight of the handsome, Hispanic boy in the kitchen. He was nicely dressed and well groomed, an upgrade for the boy who looked disheveled the week before during his first visit to Dr. Meijer's home.

Alex stood as still as a statue. He felt anger boiling from within. His time with Lars was being invaded -- violated -- by some old lady. His hands clinched into fists.

"My, something smells absolutely delicious. Are you baking cookies?" The question was directed at Alex. He didn't replay, nor did he need to. Gladys came into the kitchen to put her bag on the counter. Two sheets of cooling cookies and a plate piled high answered her questions for her. "May I try one?"

Lars noticed Alex's reaction to Gladys and jumped in to answer for him. "Please do. They are delicious." Both Lars and Gladys sampled a cookie.

"Oh heavens!" Gladys clutched her chest for dramatic effect. "You've only been baking since last week? These are incredible."

Alex relaxed a bit. The complements about his cookies eased the tension but he still wondered why Gladys was standing in Lars' kitchen during his baking lesson.

"Well," she continued, "if you can bake cookies like this, then you'll be mastering pie baking in no time."

'Pies?' Alex thought that was what he heard. His self-doubts came flooding back.

"I can't bake a pie."

"Of course not," agreed Gladys. She put her arm around Alex and said, "That's why I'm here to teach you!" Gladys and Lars laughed and Alex joined in, loosening up a bit.

The timer rang on the last batch of cookies.

"When you pull those out, Alex, please set the temperature down to three fifty."

He pulled the last batch out of the oven and set it on top of the stove before tapping the temperature controls and preparing the oven for pie baking.

The cooled cookies were moved onto the plate and the cooling cookies were moved to the dining table in order to make room for baking a pie. "We need a lot more space for pie making," explained Gladys. Once they got into the process, Alex quickly learned just how much more space it would take.

"You're in luck, Alex. I decided it would take too long to cut up apples for the pie, so I brought a bag of cherries I pitted and froze last fall. Apple pie may be my favorite, but coring, pealing, and slicing apples is not my idea of a good time."

Before they started the pies, Lars ordered everyone to enjoy more cookies and some cold milk. While they munched on the cookies, Gladys talked non-stop.

"So, Alex, do you have a girlfriend?" she asked. "Oh, or boyfriend. No judgement here, my son is gay. I'm trying to be up with the times, but I don't succeed all the time."

Alex just laughed before answering that he'd just moved to East Harbor and hadn't really met anyone yet.

Gladys was slowing growing on Alex. She seemed to have taken a liking to him and he began to look to her as a grandmother. Lars washed the mixer to prepare it for mixing pie crust. They made enough for two pies. This allowed Alex to mimic Gladys' crust preparation. Lars was impressed with how well Alex picked up on the details of what Gladys was doing and copied her competently. The crust went into the refrigerator to rest while Gladys walked Alex through making the pie filling.

When the crust was rested, Alex followed Gladys' lead in rolling out the crust, layering it into the bottom of the pie pan, then rolling out and cutting the strips of dough to make a lattice crust for the top of the pie.

"Well," stated Gladys looking at the two pies side-by-side before going into the oven. "If I didn't know better, I would have trouble telling whose pie is whose. I don't think I've taught anyone who's picked up how to make the pie crust as quickly. I think you are a natural when it comes to baking."

Alex tried not to smile, but his chest was bursting with pride. If he really had found something he was a natural at, then he had one more reason he wasn't as worthless as the voices in his head said he was.

The front door burst open and boys flooded into the house. The boys, with Christian and Sam in tow, poured through the door with their lacrosse gear, gym bags, and backpacks full of school work.

Michael stopped in his tracks. He sniffed the air. "COOKIES!!" The other boys followed him as he made a dash to the mountain of cookies on the dining table.

"Hey! Don't eat all those. Leave some for Alex to take home." All six heads popped up.

"Hi mom!" greeted Sam. The other boys greeted Gladys as well, in a more formal manner.

"So, you're Alex?" asked Christian. "I saw you at the Café last night, didn't I?"

Alex nodded. Christian had stopped in to pick up a carry out order and spied the boy sitting at the last table. Christian's blonde hair and slight stature caught Alex's attention. For a moment, Alex thought it was Grant and his heart soared. When Christian turned and gave Alex a wave, Alex waved back though his heart sank. If the Olsen family order hadn't been ready and waiting, Christian would have headed over to meet the boy. Instead, he paid and needed to hurry home before the food got cold. He did look Alex's way as he used his shoulder to open the door, but his hands were full, so he couldn't wave goodbye.

"And these cookies are even better than the ones you made last week!" Michael was gaga over the oatmeal raisin cookies -- his all-time favorite.

The other boys made their greetings while gobbling cookies and thanking Lars for the glasses of milk he was passing around. Lars finally called a halt to the boy's pigging out on the cookies and sent them to go get their showers.

"You too, Sam," added Gladys when Sam hung back and grabbed another cookie.

Michael's head popped around the corner from the hallway. "Can Alex stay for dinner?"

"I'll check with his mother," answered Lars. Then the boys were gone. Matthew to the hall bathroom, Lukas and Simon to the en suite in their room, and Michael, Sam and Christian next door where Christian took the hall bath while Sam and Michael showered together in his bathroom.

Alex stood quietly, shell shocked by the explosion of boys and noise. His one-on-one baking lesson with Lars was far from one-on-one today and Alex wasn't all that happy about it. He watched his doctor box up most of the remaining cookies to send home with him and Gladys popped the pies into the oven and set the timer.

The boy looked around feeling out of place. Lars was dealing with his sons and Gladys had her own there. He was the odd man out and wanted to leave.

"Alex, I know most of the other boys are older than you, but I think you and Sam will be in the same grade. He's in seventh. Is that where you will be?"

That was a good question. Alex didn't know what grade they would put him in. His grades back in East Harbor weren't great. It wasn't that he was dumb, he just never did his homework. He worried if all the alcohol and drugs had wiped away everything he'd learned, and they'd make him start over. "I don't know. Mom said don't worry about it until Monday when I pick up my schedule."

"Alex, if I may," interjected Lars, "I believe the plan is for you to be on grade-level, but you'll be in the student tutoring program. If you are okay with that, they'll provide you tutoring over the summer to ensure you are ready for the eighth grade."

"Why would they do that?" asked Alex, skeptical of any adult claiming they wanted to help kids -- particularly him.

"East Harbor schools are a little better off than the Mayfield school district. The extra money allows them to provide services smaller districts can't. Our goal is to help all students succeed, even the new students."

"How am I going to get to tutoring? I'm stuck at the Café every evening waiting on my mom."

"If it's alright for you, your student tutors will be Michael and Christian, the boy you saw at the Café. That means on nights when your mom is working, you can come here for dinner and hang out until your mom gets off work." He watched the unsettled look on Alex's face. "No, I'm not trying to force you to make friends. Christian and Michael have tutored other students and are very good at it. Plus, we're close to the Café in case your mother needs you for anything. And I think it is better than being at the apartment with her boyfriend."

Alex might not have been book smart, but he understood what Lars meant. The man was giving him an alternative to the Café and away from John. He wasn't happy but he gave Lars a confident nod to indicate he understood.

----------------------     

"Where's mom?" asked Gregory when he jumped in the car with his father. "I thought we were all going out to dinner tonight."

"We are," replied Chaz, "your mother's going out with some of her friends. I thought we could use a little guy time tonight."

"Alright!" Gregory gave his dad a first bump. He loved his mom dearly, but he cherished his one-on-one time with his dad. It was something he felt they didn't do often enough.

"You're looking almost presentable," joked Chaz as they pulled away from the curb. The quick shower after practice rinsed the smell and dirt away, but he had on the clothes he'd worn to school -- a soccer jersey and sweats. A nice sit-down restaurant was out but finding a place with some privacy so they could talk was the intent for this evening. "Let's go to Los Junior's. The patio should be pretty empty this early in the afternoon."

Gregory and his stomach agreed with a simple, "Awesome."

They chatted about lacrosse and school on the way to the local establishment. The owners advertised the place as "dine in, drive thru, carryout", and it really was just a little shack with, parking, a drive thru window, a tiny dining room, but a spacious patio. All the same, the staff was fun and friendly, and the food was on point for taste and price.

They collected their food, condiments, utensils and napkins before entering the patio. As Chaz expected, they'd beat the crowd. He directed Gregory to a small table at the rear of the patio. He expected it to be a while before the patio was so busy, the tables closest to them would be occupied. It gave him the time he needed to have "the talk" with his son. He eventually steered the conversation in that direction.

Chaz cast his line to see what he could learn. "You and Sam seem to be closer than ever after the little fiasco you two had."

"Yeah," agreed Gregory before taking a slurp of his soda. "He's the best. And he's so much happier now that everything is out." Gregory snickered at his pun.

"Well, you seem to be happier too," noted Chaz. Gregory seemed more at ease with himself. Things that once would have tested the teen's nerves he seemed to let roll off his back.

"You think?"

"Yeah, I do. And I think it has something to do with you and Sam."

Gregory took a bite of his taco before responding. "Why do you think that?"

"For one thing, your mother checked on you two the other morning after Sam spent the night." He stared at Gregory to catch his son's reaction when the boy realized what that implied. After all, embarrassing one's children is the main reward for raising those little rascals.

Chaz watched Gregory with great anticipation. Like most teen boys when food is placed in front of them, their brain function goes into low-power mode so they can focus on consuming and digesting large quantities of nourishment. Chaz almost laughed out loud when Gregory realized what his mother may have seen. He could see the expression on his son's face when his brain powered back up to full engagement.

"No," said Gregory, hoping his father was joking.

Chaz smiled and nodded "yes".

"No," stated Gregory emphatically. He still held out hope that this was a ruse, his brain frantically working to find some form of plausible deniability.

"Oh yes," chuckled Chaz. "Apparently, she got quite the eyeful."

"Oh shit," groaned Gregory as he closed his eyes and dropped his chin to his chest.

"No, I think the more accurate term for it would be 'Oh fuck'."

The boy's cheeks and ears turned multiple shades of red. Now it was time, Chaz realized, to find out what was on Gregory's mind.

"I don't want you hurting Sam, you hear me?"

"I won't dad. You know I wouldn't ever hurt Sam."

"I know you wouldn't do it intentionally, but if you and Sam aren't on the same page, he could mistake your intentions and get hurt in the end."

Gregory didn't know what to say, so Chaz put on a bit more pressure. "Maybe you two should stop hanging out."

"But dad..." pleaded Gregory.

Chaz came back with greater conviction. "No buts. We need to put Sam's feelings first in all of this."

"No!" cried Gregory. "No, dad, I l..." Gregory stopped midsentence.

Chaz softened his expression and said quietly and compassionately, "You what son?"

Gregory sat there with a stunned look on his face. He knew what words nearly spilled from his lips, but their meaning left him perplexed. Did he love Sam? He's always loved Sam as a friend, but that wasn't the meaning behind what he about said just now.

"Say it, Gregory. You need to say it out loud."

Gregory's expression morphed from confusion, to fear, to anxiety, and back to confusion, with countless other variations on the theme in between.

Chaz reached out placing his hand on top of his son's and gave it a slight squeeze.

"It's okay. Say it."

"I... I... I love him."

Then his father asked, "Do you find that confusing?"

"Yeah, I do. I like girls, but Sam..." he didn't have the words.

"Gregory, have you ever heard the term, bisexual?"

The boy nodded his head.

"Do you know what it means?"

"It means a person who likes having sex with men and women."

"In a crude way, yes. That is the definition, but I also think it has something to do falling in love with someone regardless of their gender."

Gregory nodded as he took it all in.

"Gregory, do you find all girls attractive?"

"No."

"Then it shouldn't surprise you that you don't find all boys attractive either." His son nodded in understanding. "I'm guessing that Sam isn't the only boy you've messed around with."

Gregory started to protest but remembered his willingness to include Alejandro in their activities. He'd not only enjoyed the other boy's dick but kissed him while they took turns fucking Sam in the hot tub. The pieces started to fall into place and Gregory's world began to make more sense.

"Do you know anyone that identifies as bisexual?" asked Chaz.

"Yeah. Trey, I mean Alejandro does, I think. He's the boy that Michael Meijer met up in Hollywood and he came to East Harbor until they found his family. You remember him, don'tcha, dad?"

Chaz did remember hearing stories about the boy and meeting him at Dr. Meijer's house. But now was the time to get to the point of this conversation. "You know someone else, too."

Gregory's mouth scrunched up in the corner as he went through everyone he knew trying to figure out who his father was referring to.

"Son, I am bisexual."

"Huh? What? But mom? What?" Gregory's food was long forgotten. The evening's conversation had skewed his self-image and now his image of his father.

"Yes, Gregory. Before I met your mother, I dated both guys and girls. As a matter of fact, the most serious relationship I had before I met your mother was with a man."

Gregory didn't know what to say or do. He just sat there at stared quizzically at his father.

"Why don't you finish your food then we'll finish our conversation."

Gregory nodded in agreement. Father and son ate in silence. In the meantime, Gregory worked up the courage to ask his dad the one burning question on his mind.

When they were finished, Chaz bussed the table and noted the number of customers who'd arrived on the patio. "Let's head over to Hammond's for some ice cream before heading home."

Gregory followed his dad out to the car. As soon as the door shut, Gregory blurted out his question. "Do you ever miss it?"

"What?" asked Chaz.

"Dick?" Gregory immediately realized he wasn't speaking to one of his friends and that he'd just asked his father if he missed getting some dick. "I mean... I mean..." But it was exactly what he meant, he just couldn't find another way of asking the same question.

Chaz laughed like he hadn't laughed in a long time. The look on his son's face was priceless. He caught his breath and said, "It's okay. I knew that was the question you were going to ask. Everybody asks that question." He wiped his eyes and started the car. He waited until he'd pulled out onto Santa Fe Avenue before answering his son's question.

"First, let me start by saying every relationship us unique. When you are young and new to dating and relationship, it is easy to think that relationships work a certain way and that you have to do it that way. It's not true. Every relationship is a give and take between the two people involved. You need to find a middle ground that makes both people happy and work hard to make sure you stay in that happy middle ground."

Gregory's eyes about popped out of his head. "Mom lets you cheat on her with other guys?" Gregory asked incredulously.

"No, I would never go behind your mother's back and cheat on her. Your mother and I have an understanding."

"She knows you are bi?" asked Gregory.

"Yes, I shared that with her while we were dating. It wouldn't be fair to her to not be completely honest. But again, this is how our relationship works. Some bisexuals never commit to one person because they feel that committing to one person denies their attraction to the other gender. Some fall in love and are perfectly happy having a monogamous relationship. Do you know what monogamous means?"

"I think it means you only have sex with one person," answered Gregory. Chaz nodded. "Then that means you and mom are not in a monogamous relationship?"

"That is correct. She knows and consents to my other sexual activity."

"Does mom have sex with other guys?" asked Gregory. Then it occurred to him. "Or women?" He wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answer to that question now that he'd asked it.

"I'm not going to get into your mother's sexuality. That's her business and if she wants to share that with you, she will. But I will tell you, your mother is not bisexual."

They sat in silence the rest of the way to Hammond's. The scoops at Hammond's were large so they each only got a single scoop. Gregory ordered Orange Dreamsicle in a sugar cone and Chaz ordered a bowl of Jamocha Almond Fudge ice cream.

Finding a table away from the other patrons, Chaz continued the conversation. "Do you think you might be bisexual?" asked Chaz.

"I don't know. Do you?" asked Gregory.

"Well, I don't want to define you. That is up to you. And don't feel the need to label yourself. You don't have to conform to any label. The reason I'm bringing this up is to help you bring clarity to your attraction to girls and the love you have for Sam. If you choose to continue to have a relationship with Sam beyond just being friends, then you both have to understand that you'll want to date a girl at some point. But that doesn't preclude you being in love with Sam and being boyfriends. If you discuss this and are on the same page -- find a middle ground that makes you both happy -- then there is no reason you can't be with Sam, and still explore and date girls."

"But if I'm dating Sam, then I can't date girls. You only date one person at a time," stated Gregory.

"That's not so. Until you really commit to being with just one person, you should date as many people as you want -- boy or girl. Dating just means you are going out with and spending time with someone. Dating, by definition, doesn't mean you are exclusive unless you both decide together that you plan to be exclusive. You just have to be honest with everyone you date, so they understand where you are coming from -- especially Sam."

"So, I can be Sam's boyfriend and date girls too?" This was a revelation to Gregory.

"You don't have to be boyfriends, but you can be in a loving relationship with Sam and still date others. To some people being boyfriends implies a level of commitment. That's why you need to be open and talk to Sam about how you feel and what you are thinking. If you assume the other person knows, then you are bound to hurt them. You and Sam need to work that out for yourselves and you both have to be happy with what you decide."

"Thanks dad. I love you." Gregory scooted his chair closer to his dad and gave him a hug.

----------------------     

With the crowd for dinner, Lars ordered out from Pappy's and the boys, all seven of them, hardly left a morsel of food for the four adults. The longer Alex was around the other boys, the more comfortable he felt. When he forgot his situation and lost himself in the fun and conversation that the boys generated, he laughed and joked right along with them.

After the meal, the boys dispersed leaving Sam and Alex at the dining table. The boys were becoming fast friends but soon, Gladys wanted to head home with Sam in tow, much to Alex's disappointment.

"Alex," said Carol, "I'm heading next door. Do you want me to show you to where Michael and Christian are hanging out?"

Alex's initial reaction was to say "no", but he fought that. He took a deep breath and quickly considered his options. Those two were going to be his student tutors and they seemed like alright guys. 'I might as well get this over with,' concluded Alex so he replied to Carol, "Yeah. I mean, yes, please."

Carol showed Alex out the back door and over to the rear entrance of the Novak household. "The boys are upstairs at the end of the hall in Michael's room."

Alex headed up the stairs and realized he should have turned on a light but felt foolish going back down the stairs to do so. He continued into the darkness finding a pale glow coming from around the edges of a mostly shut door at the end of the hallway. At the top of the stairs, he stopped and listened. Music played so softly he really couldn't make it out. He could just catch a word or two said here and there to know the two boys were talking. He decided to head on in and see what was going on.

----------------------     

"I'm stuffed," groaned Michael as he flopped into his oversized beanbag chair.

"I bet," laughed Christian. "You kept going back to get more in order to delay working in your workbook."

Michael rose to his elbows and gave Christian a critical look. "How do you know that?"

"Each time you finished a piece of pizza, you made all of your 'I'm full' noises. Then you'd look at your phone to see how late it was getting, then you'd go get another piece and slowly eat it trying to waste time."

"I don't think I like you knowing me so well," said Michael with a pout.

"Well, get you and your pizza baby over here and let's get started."

Michael laughed and stood. He posed to show off his protruding belly as he worked to distend it further. Christian tried to keep a straight face, but he couldn't. He cracked up and Michael joined him in a round of laughter.

"I really don't want to do this tonight."

"I know. Writing that letter to your mom wasn't fun," acknowledged Christian.

"It wouldn't have been so bad if you hadn't made me work on it for three days," whined Michael, taking a seat next to Christian at his work table.

"If you didn't hem and haw you would have gotten it finished in one night."

"Well, I was trying to stretch it out because I don't want to do tonight's work." Michael crossed his arms and let out a huff.

"I don't blame you." Christian opened the book to the correct page and slid the notebook they were using for Michael's writing assignments. "Tonight, you start your letter to your dad."

"If you think it is just as shitty as I do, why are you making me do it?"

"I'm not," replied Christian. His even tone and demeanor counter balanced Michael's emotional state. "You're choosing to do it because it is the right thing to do. To get past all the hurt you've experienced, you have to go through it. You can't go around it."

"You sound like my dad."

"And the author of this book," added Christian.

Michael let out a growl and snatched the pencil from the table top. Getting the notebook ready, he took a deep breath blew it out the set to writing.

Dear Sperm Donor,

I hope you fucking rot in jail then burn in hell. Do you know how badly you hurt me? Do you even care?

You should be punished every day for what you did to me and what you allowed others to do to me. You don't deserve to be forgiven and I will never tell you that I have, but it is something I have to do for myself.

I am forgiving you because I need to move on. I need to get rid of all this hate and pain in my life. I need to let go of my anger and sadness, so I have room for the good stuff. I don't want to waste any more time being mad at you. You aren't worth it. I have too much good happening in my life to mess it up thinking about you and everything that happened.

But I need to know one thing. Why? What did I ever do to deserve it? Why could you never love me? Why did you hate

Michael burst into tears. Christian, who'd been reading ahead to the next assignment looked up from the book. "Uh... Alex... Hi."

Alex froze. He didn't know if he should help, leave, or go get Carol. He watched Christian stand and pull Michael out of his chair and into a hug. Michael collapsed into the boy and was soothed by the stroking of his back.

Alex stuttered, "I... I... I'll come back later."

Michael shook his head. He broke the hug and faced Alex red-eyed and wet-faced. "No. Come on in and have a seat." He waved his arm offering the bed and beanbag chair as options.

Christian rolled his eyes. He assumed Alex was just an excuse for Michael to bottle up his feelings and ignore the work he was doing.

Alex sat on the edge of the bed and Michael crawled on top and snuggled up to Max, who'd been promoted from under the bed to the top of the bed full-time. Christian joined them sitting with his back against the wall at Michael's feet.

No one said anything and Alex felt very uncomfortable. He felt like an intruder having walked into such an emotionally charged moment. The silence only made it worse. He didn't bother to turn and look at the other two boys. Instead, he choose to look down at his hands and feet.

"So... it's all true, isn't it?" asked Alex. It was more of a statement than a question, but it got his point across. This was yet another confirmation that the story Lars told him during his first appointment and that Michael was the boy. But with each bit of evidence, Alex still wanted to deny the truth of the events in the story.

"What my dad told you?" asked Michael. Alex nodded. "Yeah. Yeah that was all true."

Alex knew he didn't know the full story and wasn't about to ask. Instead he asked, "Is that why you are so upset?"

Michael pulled Max's arms around him then nodded. "In my recovery book, I have to write a letter to my sperm donor of a father."

"To send to him?" asked Alex.

"No. Well, if I wanted to I could, but I'm not going to. He's a prick and if I talk to him again, he'll try to contact me and I don't want that."

"Oh," said Alex. He really didn't fully understand all of it but got why Michael didn't want to hear back from his birth dad.

"It's an exercise in the book," Christian explained. "We're in a section about letting go of the past and forgiving."

"Why would you ever want to forgive that asshole?" retorted Alex. From what he knew, he sided with Michael on this one. He wouldn't want to write that letter either.

"No, it's not about giving his father forgiveness, it's about forgiving his father, so Michael has forgiveness." Christian's explanation only confused Alex and the look on his face said it all.

"According to the book, forgiveness isn't for the other person. Even though we say, 'I forgive you' or 'I beg for your forgiveness', it isn't for the person that did wrong. It is for the person that was wronged. For example, Michael is really angry at his father."

"Sperm donor," corrected Michael.

"All that anger takes a lot of energy and it doesn't make his life better. And we should only spend time and energy on the things that add value to our life, not detract. So, by forgiving his father and letting go of all that anger, Michael can take the time and energy he would spend being mad at his sperm donor," Christian looked at Michael when he said it, "so he can use it for something fun!"

That didn't sound like a bad idea to Alex, but it also sounded vaguely familiar. It occurred to him Mr. Anderson, his drug and alcohol counsellor, had said something similar.

"Do you ever feel like killing yourself?" asked Alex. He was horrified he'd even asked the question before he finished saying it, but something inside him felt compelled to send that question out into the universe. Alex turned and looked at Michael.

Michael's eyes teared up and he nodded 'yes'. It wasn't something he'd admitted to anyone ever. Not even during his sessions with Lars.

A tear ran down Christian's cheek and Alex looked down at his hands again. "I tried to kill myself. I was feeling sorry for myself back in February and decided to take all the pills I could find and drink a bunch of alcohol, but it didn't work. The doctor said the drugs I took wouldn't really kill me as much as make me really sick. Man, I can tell you that was true. I was sick for like a week and then they sent me to rehab." By the time he finished his mini testimonial, Alex was shaking. It was the first time he'd shared these secrets openly -- not under the threat of a therapist or counselor. Michael reached out an placed his hand on Alex's arm to give his new friend a bit of comfort.

"I'm glad you didn't die," said Michael, giving Alex a smile.

"Me too," added Christian.

"So how do you get through it all?" asked Alex.

"Music," answered Michael, crawling out of the bed and heading to his bedroom sound system. "Singing helps me feel my feelings. You know when everything just builds up inside and you feel like you are going to explode?"

Christian listened intently while Michael opened up and shared things with Alex that he typically didn't share. It seemed the boys felt the other would understand in a way almost no else could.

To Michael's question, Alex nodded. "Yeah. When I used to feel that way, I'd drink or get high. Now I try to write it out."

Michael found the song he was looking for and hit play. The intro to "Migraine" by Twenty-One Pilots came on. A digitally modified voice sings, "Am I the only one I know? Waging a war behind my face and above my throat. Shadows will scream that I'm alone..."

The music kicked in with a danceable beat and that is just what Michael did. He full-on danced, working off the emotional energy built up in his body. Then he turned to Alex and Christian, singing along with the song as if he was speaking to them.

I I I I I've got a migraine
And my pain will range from up, down and sideways
Thank God it's Friday
'Cause Fridays will always be better than Sundays
'Cause Sundays are my suicide days

I don't know why they always seem so dismal
Thunderstorms, cloud, snow, and a slight drizzle
Whether it's the weather or the letters by my bed
Sometimes death seems better than the migraine in my head

Let it be said what the headache represents
It's me defending in suspense
It's me suspended in a defenseless
Test being tested by a ruthless examiner
That's represented best by my depressing thoughts

I do not have writers block
My writer just hates the clock
It will not let me sleep, I'll get some sleep when I'm dead
And sometimes death seems better than the migraine in my head

Michael grabs Alex's hand and pulls him to his feet.

Am I the only one I know
Waging my wars behind my face and above my throat
Shadows will scream that I'm alone
But I know we've made it this far, kid

Alex was reluctant to join Michael in dancing. To help, Christian gets up off the bed and starts dancing. As much as Christian would have preferred keeping his dancing skills to himself, it felt good to just feel the music and connect with the other boys.

Freeze frame please let me paint a mental picture portrait
Something you won't forget it's all about my forehead
And how it is a door that holds back contents
That makes Pandora's box contents look non violent

Behind my eyelids are islands of violence
My mind shipwrecked this is the only land my mind could find
I did not know it was such a violent island
Full of tidal waves suicidal crazed lions
They're trying to eat me blood running down their chins
And they know that I can fight or I can let the lion win
I begin to assemble what weapons I can find
'Cause sometimes to stay alive you gotta kill your mind

Alex and Christian both kinda knew the song, but never really understood the lyrics or it's meaning. Now, connecting with the song, both joined Michael singing the chorus.

Am I the only one I know
Waging my wars behind my face and above my throat
Shadows will scream that I'm alone
But I know we've made it this far, kid

A far less experienced dancer than the other two, Alex found the beat and demonstrated a natural ability. He moved with the rhythm and began to experience the freeing nature of music.

And I will say that we should take a day to break away
From all the pain our brain has made
The game is not played alone
And I will say that we should take a moment and hold it
And keep it frozen and know that life has a hopeful undertone

All three sang the chorus at the top of their lungs and danced around the room.

Am I the only one I know
Waging my wars behind my face and above my throat
Shadows will scream that I'm alone
But I know we've made it this far, kid

As the song was ending, Michael picked up his phone and looked over to Alex who gave an eager nod in agreement. Michael set for the song to repeat then hit play.

Downstairs Carol smiled. She knew what that song meant by how often Michael played it when he was alone in his room. This time he was sharing it with friends. With her iPods in place, she played her own playlist and continued reading her book.

----------------------     

FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2018

Lars nervously waited for the others to join the meeting. Scolding himself, he remembered what he always tells his patients. "Most of what we get ourselves worked up about are things that never happen." In other words, don't start making up stories in your head about what might happen and stick to the facts. Today, he was finding his own advice hard to follow.

Other than Zach, he hadn't shared with anyone the impact Trajan's outburst and the ensuing fallout had on his practice. Luckily, the boys and Carol had been busy and weren't around the house to notice the lack of patients Wednesday and Thursday. Nor did they hear the number of phone calls he took from parents cancelling appointments. It was somewhat comforting that his colleagues in the area reached out to him when they noticed the number of Lars' patients seeking appointments in their office. Their support and promised referrals took the edge off his anxiety, but suggested they wait a couple weeks before suggesting patients come his way in hopes the worst of the storm would have passed.

Principal Trance brought Lars a coffee and the meeting room filled up. The school Superintendent, a member from legal, the district's public relations director, as well as a representative from the police department, and children's services. Even though he felt he had a strong relationship with the school district, they were still one of his employers. He may have turned down his attorney's advice to have his own representation there, but he didn't come without allies. Via the district's virtual conference system, Brian Parker was sitting in on his meeting.

The last to arrive at the meeting, and a surprise to Lars, was Sandra Kowalczyk, Brian's friend and colleague from the bureau's San Diego office. When Sandra walked in, Lars sat up a bit straighter. He knew if Sandra was there in person the FBI was more involved in this whole mess than he thought.

"Thank you, everyone, for attending today's meeting," greeted Dr. Jerrard Randolph, the school's superintendent. The hiring of an African American to fill the lead position of a school district with a small minority population bewildered those who were looking for a great culture fit. However, the search committee was focused on finding a great culture add -- someone who had a similar vision but would bring an outside, alternative perspective to what could be. Dr. Randolph had a steep hill to climb to win over the teachers and parents. However, once they learned of his dedication to the success of the students and teachers, his receptiveness to creative ideas, and his commitment to working towards student outcomes, not simply fixing problems, he was not only respected, he was revered.

He continued, "I know we are all anticipating what Agents Kowalczyk and Parker are bringing to us today, I think we should get our updates out of the way first. Mary, would you begin?"

Mary Palmer, the head of public relations for the East Harbor School District shared her update. "First, I'd like to thank Majestic Enterprises for their support. Without their assistance answering phone calls this week, our school administration would have ground to a halt -- particularly here in the middle school and at the district offices. I am happy to say that the calls began to slow down as of Thursday afternoon and so far this morning, the call volume is reduced from the four days prior. I think this is an indicator that the wave has passed, and we should be starting to return to normal call volumes by the end of next week. A key to this success has been clear, consistent messaging coming from all parties present. Thank you for your support, everyone. We are also seeing a decrease in prevalence of this incident and associated rumors being posted to the district's social media sites. With each post we have responded with warnings about misinformation and a clear, consistent response. Again, without Majestic Enterprises assistance, we would have been unable to keep up with the online activity."

Lars responded to Mary's gratitude. "Carol and the team thank you for your kind words. She suggested that Majestic and the school district formalize an agreement that would allow Majestic Enterprises to support the district in a similar capacity when the need arises, giving the district the ability to flex the size of its public relations team on demand."

"That sounds like a great idea," replied Mary. "I'll reach out to Carol to discuss how our two groups can work together going forward."

"Thank you, Mary," stated Dr. Randolph. "Working with an outside vendor has created a successful partnership and I see no reason why we wouldn't formalize our relationship and put plans into place that we can quickly execute in an emergency. Please talk to Carol. I would like to have your ideas on my desk by next Friday. Buddy, what is legal's position on this?"

Buddy Figueroa, the junior attorney fresh out of law school was reporting in place of his boss who was out of state dealing with the loss of a parent. "Since Dr. Meijer is not a union employee with the district, the district can take unilateral action. Based on the outrage from the parents, our position is that Dr. Meijer should be suspended indefinitely."

"Buddy, I know this is putting you in a spot since Douglas out of town, but is this your recommendation, or did you consult Douglas?"

Buddy's face flushed with the examination of his work by his boss' boss. "I wasn't able to talk to Mr. Ferguson, this is my recommendation."

"Buddy, I know you are new and young, but before you make recommendations, there are some things you need to take into consideration. Reprimanding a district employee, even if he or she is only a contractor, can appear to be an accusation or admission of guilt. In this case, we have an external investigation that absolves Dr. Meijer of any wrong-doing. Why would we suspend him and give the rumor mills reason to believe they are correct that something happened? Additionally, how does this look to other district employees? They need to be confident that the district will support them in the case of false accusations and throwing Dr. Meijer to the wolves breaks that trust. What's also important here is taking action other than what is recommended by the FBI and police makes it look like we trust our internal investigation MORE than we trust the police or FBI. We don't allow internal investigations to supersede those conducted by the police or other criminal justice organizations and in this case, we didn't conduct an internal investigation because the police stepped in first. Why would we take actions that give the impression we did an investigation that came to a different conclusion? This undermines the police's authority and puts pressure on them to take further action. So no, we are not taking any actions against Dr. Meijer."

Buddy was sweating profusely from the public dressing down he just received. He felt certain he would be reprimanded, or even fired, for his report. However, Dr. Randolph was a much more understanding boss than the young attorney knew.

"Dr. Meijer, how are things going for you?" asked the superintendent.

"Thank you for asking," began Lars. "This week I've had rash of cancellations for appointments this month. From my conversations with colleagues, many of these patients are seeking other caregivers. I'm preparing for a loss of perhaps over 50, maybe even 75% of my current clientele. As these patients fill up other practices in the area, new clients to these doctors will be referred my way as these doctors turn away patients due to capacity issues."

Dr. Randolph shook his head. "Dr. Meijer, Lars, I want to extend a sincere personal, and professional apology for the professional, financial, and personal impact this incident has had on you and your family."

Lars thanked the superintendent and anticipated Sandra's report. But first, Principal Trance gave her report on what's been happening around the middle school. "Overall, the drama is settling down. I've spoken with the key culprits of the rumors and I think I have squelched those perpetuating the drama, but I think Trajan is still taking the brunt of it. Though Lukas and his other friends are standing by him, he is still suffering from some bullying. He won't tell me who it is, but we have our suspicions."

"Is it affecting his performance in his classes?" asked Lars, ever concerned about the boys in his son's group of friends.

"Some. We've been meeting with his teachers to provide him extra support." Everyone around the table nodded in support before Dr. Randolph passed the meeting to the FBI contingent.

"Sandra, you are closer to the investigation, why don't you fill everyone in."

"Thank you, Brian. I've been working closely with our cyber investigation team that looks into online sources of misinformation and conspiracies. What sparked this partnership was the discovery of online accounts on both our watch lists. That means this handful of accounts being watching for seeking, mailing, or downloading child pornography were also sources of fake news and misinformation about everything from vaccines to politics."

"What surprised us even more was the connection to the current situation here in East Harbor. There are two accounts that have sought or downloaded child pornography, but not shared, and these two accounts have been key in propagating conspiracies and misinformation to cause harm and mischief." Sandra's voice quivered as she finished her last sentence. She paused and took a deep breath to calm herself.

"In the last week, these two accounts have been the leading drivers of misinformation about what has happened here at the middle school. We initially thought the individuals behind these two accounts may have connections to East Harbor. However, when we delved deeper, we have concluded that the owners of these accounts are not targeting the school or Lars." This case upset her more than most and it was causing her composure to falter. "These two accounts have a very targeted focus when it comes to the child pornography they are acquiring. They have been searching for images and videos of Michael. We believe they tracked him down to East Harbor and this incident gave them the fodder they needed to rile up the public against Dr. Meijer."

"Why?" asked Principal Trance.

Sandra looked to Lars who was already two steps ahead of everyone in the room. "You tell them," offered Lars. He didn't feel like speaking at the moment.

"We believe they are trying to destabilize his home situation. Children with unstable home situations are more susceptible to child predators, especially those children with an abuse history."

Dr. Randolph rested his elbows on the conference table and thought for a moment. "Is this a physical threat, or strictly cyber?"

"We don't know yet," was all Sandra could offer.

----------------------     

After lacrosse practice, the boys were in a hurry to get home. Matthew had plans for a nice evening with April and couldn't wait to get it started. Simon and Lukas planned for an evening out on their own, something the adults all recognized as a date night for the couple, even if they seemed to be blind to the fact. Michael would be home for the evening, but he was having friends over and wouldn't have time to miss his brothers.

The walk home was brisk and business-like. Much different from the jovial, leisure walks the boys had most days, the boys didn't play catch or even joke around. Instead they discussed and finalized plans and hurried home to shower.

Gregory and Sam tagged along almost struggling to keep up the pace. Michael was trying to hang with his big bros, but then his pace would slip and the two seventh-graders would catch up to him.

"Hey Michael!" came a shout from behind. The three boys trailing the older boys stopped and turned. Jaden Price waved before slamming on his brakes and skidding to a stop by the curb. "Hi Sam. Hi Gregory."

Michael stepped over and greeted Jaden with a fist bump. "You know Gregory and Sam?"

"Yeah, we just always seem to end up on different teams so we never have classes together."

"He swims with Derek McCall," said Michael putting two and two together for Sam and Gregory.

"Yep!" smiled Jaden.

"Cool," said Michael as the quartet headed to his house, "I'm spending the night at Derek's tomorrow."

Jaden felt a twinge of jealousy, but it soon passed. He was finally getting some alone time with some boys he knew were gay so he could finally come out and (fingers crossed) make some new friends.

The boys spent the time getting to know each other as they headed to the house. When they entered the house, Michael led them straight to the kitchen to grab some of the cookies Alex made the day before. He knew Alex was at some sort of meeting tonight but hoped he'd be by later.

"What are you boys up to?" asked Lars, appearing from the hallway.

"Hey, dad," said Michael, not missing a beat, "we had a hard practice today and I'm starving."

"Great cookies, Dr. Meijer," reported Jaden between bites.

"Those were made by a new classmate of yours, Alex Guerrero. He'll be by later." The boys made noises of approval while them munched the cookies.

Lars poured milk for each boy. He handed the new boy the first glass. "You must be Jaden."

Jaden gulped down some milk before speaking. "Thank you. And, thanks for letting me come over and hang out."

Lars continued to pass around glasses of milk. "You're welcome, Jaden." He admired the fine group of boys before him. Jaden might be new to the residence, but not to Dr. Meijer. He checked in with Principal Trance about Jaden Price before he left the school in the morning. She had nothing but glowing comments about the boy.

Then it struck him, Michael was with his friends, not Lukas'. These are all boys that joined the gang after Michael arrived and they are all younger than Lukas and his friends. He smiled to himself.

"Let's head next door and get showered and ready to swim." The boys chugged the rest of their milk. "Here, put your glasses in the sink." Michael organized the cleanup then led the way out the back and into the house next door. They bounded up the stairs.

Gregory called out, "We'll take the hall shower." He grabbed Sam by the wrist and pulled the surprised boy into the bathroom and shut the door. Jaden laughed and suspected what might end up happening behind that closed door. If anything, his trip to Mayfield had awakened him to the things boys do when they don't have to worry about adult interference.

Once in the bedroom, Michael dumped his bags on the floor. "You can play video games or whatever. I won't be long." With that he grabbed his swim trunks and headed to the shower.

Jaden was still in a really good mood. Where most people found Friday the 13th to be unlucky, he began to have the complete opposite opinion about this day. Even if the day's high was only 72, the cool evening air wasn't going to deter a bunch of determined middle school boys from swimming. Besides, they had the hot tub in case it got too cold. He dug into his bag and pulled out one of his Speedos. He took his time disrobing slowly while he checked out Michael's room. He dropped his boxer briefs and kicked them off his feet just like he did in the locker room.

He stood there taking in the room of Michael Meijer, the boy he knew mainly by reputation for his exploits on the soccer field, on stage, fighting crime, and being the youngest East Harbor high school student ever. Part of the 12-year-old's brain was star stuck -- he was hanging out in the bedroom of one of the most popular kids at school and perhaps a bit of a celebrity in some ways. On the other hand, after coming to the realization he was gay and taking a different look at the available boys, he'd also developed a bit of a crush on the boy. Even if Jaden was only a seventh grader, he was, after all, a year older than Michael.

When Michael opened the bathroom door he was taken aback. Jaden was standing in his room stark naked, toying absent-mindedly with his impressive erection. Jaden's lean, muscular swimmer's build and scrumptious package that was advanced for most 12-year-olds, Michael quickly found himself suffering from the same condition.

"Oh! I'm sorry!" apologized Jaden when he noticed Michael's presence. He turned his back exposing his firm buttocks and his still virgin pucker flashed at Michael. Luckily for Jaden, his erection quickly wilted in his embarrassment making it easier to stuff into his Speedo. He wasn't ashamed about being naked, especially not in front of Michael. Jaden was shaken by being caught gawking at Michael's awards, Lego buildings, and other items that gave him insight into the boy who'd recently captured his imagination.

"Dude," laughed Michael, "what gay boy is going to complain when he finds a hot guy standing naked with a boner in his bedroom?"

"True," agreed Jaden, turning to face Michael. That's when he noticed the front of Michael's boardies were tented. "Nice," commented Jaden, staring at Michael's reaction to his nakedness. His eyes moved from the tented swim trucks to the six-pack abs to the bulging pecs then up to the bright smile on his new friend's face.

"Okay," said Michael, "I don't think anyone's looked at me that way who wasn't gay. So?"

Their eyes met and Jaden returned a smile as bright as Michael's. "Yeah. That's what I've been trying to tell you and Derek all week. When I was up in Mayfield, I got to hang out with my cousin and his friends. Long story short, I realized that I'm gay and wanted to make some friends here at home that are too."

"Hey, what's up brooooooh shit he's hot... I mean, you're hot, Jaden." Before, Sam would have blushed fiercely at admitting something like this. Today, Sam just eyed Jaden like a thief eyes a priceless gem he plans to steal.

"Thanks, Sam. So are you," smiled Jaden at Sam. "Is it true? I heard that you came out."

"Yep, I'm gay," stated Sam proudly. "Wait, are you..."

Before Sam could finish his question, Jaden blurted out his answer. "Yes! I guess like right now is the first time I'm coming out here at home."

Sam and Gregory looked puzzled, so Michael added, "He came out last week while on vacation."

"Welcome to the club, Jaden." Sam walked over and pressed his bare torso against Jaden's and gave him a hug.

Gregory felt a surge of jealously watching the two boys hug. He'd wanted to say something to Sam while they were in the bathroom showering and changing into their swimwear, but it just didn't seem like the right time. Now he wished he had. Sam needed to know how he felt.

"Alex won't be here for an hour or so, so let's head out to the pool." Michael took off in a tear and the other three followed. Laughing and clowning around, the boys raced and tussled to see who would be the first into the pool. In rapid succession, four bodies splashed into the water. Michael leapt and tucked into a front flip entering the water feet first. Jaden dove, piercing the water with a minimal splash. Gregory cannonballed while Sam jumped as high as he could before making his body as stiff and straight as a board before dropping vertically into the pool.

----------------------     

"Thanks, Matthew," said Lukas, climbing out of the backseat of his big brother's car. Simon held the door and offered his hand. It was a drawback of having a coupe, but Matthew wouldn't have traded his car for anything in the world.

"Yeah. Thanks, Matthew," echoed Simon.

"Mom or dad is picking you up, right?" asked Matthew.

Lukas rolled his eyes, "Yes." It was only the third time he'd asked.

Simon playfully punched Lukas' shoulder. "Dude, he's only being a good brother." He turned and ducked to look at Matthew. "Thanks bro. We'll call mom and dad when we're ready to go home. You have fun with April and don't worry about us."

Matthew smiled. "You got it. Have fun you two."

Simon shut the door and Matthew pulled away from the curb and headed to the Evandale's home. Simon turned and took Lukas' hand and the boys walked over to Rubio's Coastal Grill. They planned for a nice dinner at the beach-themed restaurant featuring Mexican-inspired seafood entrees before heading to the Regal to catch a movie. Since the boys were on foot, it made perfect sense with Rubio's being located right in front of the movie theater.

Having beat the crowd, the boys were seated immediately. The waitress brought chips and salsa before taking their drink orders.

Simon gazed at Lukas when he saw the blonde's eyes light up. "You know," said Lukas, "this is like our first date or something. No parents. No friends. Just the two of us."

The smile on Lukas' face was what Simon lived for. He reached his hand across the table and took hold of Lukas'. When their eyes met, Simon professed, "I love you so much."

----------------------     

Matthew pulled up in front of April's house. She was already heading to the car when he stopped. She turned and said "goodbye" to her mother who'd come out onto the porch to greet Matthew with a wave. She opened the door and hopped in quickly fastening her seatbelt. With another wave to her mom, they headed out.

"So, what's the big secret? What are we doing tonight?" asked April.

Matthew grinned and just continued driving. He liked teasing April, especially when she was excited about something. Tonight, however, he was excited too and couldn't keep the secret for long. When they got on I-15 heading south, she knew they were heading to San Diego.

"Well," began Matthew when he decided to finally let April in on his plans, "the San Francisco Giants are in town and I snagged two tickets behind home plate for tonight's game." It had been a long time since either had been to a Major League Baseball game. Matthew's little league team had made the trip to Seattle to see the Mariners play. April was even younger when her family met up with her cousins and their parents to take in a game at Dodger Stadium.

They parked in the Lexus Premier Lot and crossed Trevor Hoffman Way. Being at the park energized Matthew in a way few things did. Now that he could drive, he was going to be taking in more games -- a lot more games. Being early, they walked around the shops and eateries at Petco Park like Hodad's, Randy Jones Grill, the Seaside Market, and the Blue Water Seafood Market and Grill. Matthew, however, planned on filling up with stadium food -- particularly hot dogs and nachos. The two agreed to just sample and snack before grabbing the first load of food and finding their seats.

"Matthew, how did you get these seats?" asked April. They were only 15 rows from the field and just to the right of home plate, so they had a clear view of the pitches passing through the strike zone for right-handed batters.

"StubHub. Someone couldn't make it to the game tonight and sold these seats online." The stadium might not have been full for the early season game on a cool April evening, but for Matthew it didn't matter. When they finished their first round of hot dogs and nachos with plenty of jalapeños, Matthew slid their trash under his seat, relaxed, and put his arm around April.

To end the top of the fourth, Tyson Ross struck out Hunter Pence. That left Brandon Crawford heading for second on a hit and run. Austin Hedges, the Padres catcher, gunned him down at second for a strike out, throw out double play.

Matthew's mind wasn't into the game. Yeah, he knew the stars on the Giant's lineup like Andrew McCutchen, Buster Posey, and Evan Longoria, but he didn't know a single player on his new hometown team. It didn't matter. It was baseball and he was with April. As the players changed sides in this scoreless contest, Matthew squeezed April's shoulder. She turned to look at him and he leaned in and kissed her lips. "I love you, April."

----------------------     

"Hey Alex," greeted Zach when the teen walked in the front door.

"Hi Zach." Alex walked over to where the grad student was proofing a research proposal he and his advisor were submitting for a grant. "What are you up to?"

"I'm proofreading this proposal again. I feel like I have it memorized which is bad because it makes it hard to find mistakes."

"Yeah. My teacher back in Mayfield always said to read it backwards or something. I guess it makes you slow down and read every word."

"Oh, wow. That's a good idea, thanks Alex." Zach scrolled to the end of the Word document to try Alex's suggestion.

Alex had another boost to his self-esteem with Zach's gratitude. This came on the heels of his Ala-Teen meeting where the older kids praised him for his openness to talk about his fear of his mother's boyfriend and his confusion over how his mother felt about him. Even Josh was impressed and continued to tell him so right up until Alex's mother picked him up.

Alex noticed how quiet the house was. "Where is everybody?"

"By everyone if you're referring to Michael and the other guys they are out back."

"Is Dr. Meijer here?" asked Alex. Hopeful to see the doctor he was looking up to as more of a mentor or even a father figure.

"He'll be back in a bit. He ran down to the theater to take care of some business. He'll be back in a bit and will be happy to see you."

That brought a smile to Alex's face. "Okay, thanks!" He headed out back to see what everyone was doing. The boys were in the pool splashing around and saw Alex approaching.

"Hey Alex!" greeted Michael with a smile. He pointed to Sam and Gregory. "Alex, you know those two, but this is Jaden Price. He's also a seventh grader."

"Hi," said Alex.

The boys all welcomed Alex.

"Are you getting in?" asked Jaden as he climbed the ladder out of the pool.

"I don't have a swim suit." Back in Mayfield, Alex didn't have many opportunities to go swimming and he honestly didn't have a swimsuit anymore. He never had the need for one after he grew out of his last pair.

Jaden offered, "I have an extra suit in my bag upstairs."

Alex's eyes widened when he saw Jaden in the wet Speedo. "Uh... well..." A Speedo wasn't what Alex had in mind when it came to borrowing trunks.

Michael climbed out and grabbed a towel. He started to dry off and suggested, "I bet Lukas or Simon has an old swimsuit you can wear."

"Yeah, uh... okay."

"I've got a better idea," said Sam has he pulled himself up and out of the side of the pool. He ran over to the hot tub, slipped out of his boardies and tossed them on a chair. "Com'on!" Then he stepped into the hot tub naked.

"Oh yeah!" added Gregory. He jogged over to the hot tub and kicked off his own trunks before joining Sam in the steamy water.

Jaden headed that way too. "Dude, you guys are so much like my cousin's friends. They're like naked all the time!" His Speedo landed on top of Sam's trunks before he lowered himself into the hot tub.

Michael looked at Alex. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. We can run inside and find a pair of swim trunks or shorts for you to wear, or we could join them in getting naked. It's up to you."

Alex thought for a moment. Back when he was getting drunk all the time, he'd be embarrassed to go naked at a time like this. It was like the drinking shriveled up his dick, so it seemed he always had a tiny dick perched above his oddly large balls. But since he stopped drinking, or maybe he'd just been growing lately, he wasn't as ashamed of his equipment as he used to be. Plus, it helped that he was chubbing up a bit. He walked over to the hot tub and dropped his backpack on one of the chairs. He stripped and laid his clothes neatly over his pack. When he was down to his tighty whities, he looked over at Michael who had joined him. Both boys shoved their last bit of clothing to the ground and hurried into the hot tub.

The boys jostled for position to make room for all five. Though the hot tub could easily accommodate even more boys, Gregory took the opportunity to pull Sam onto his lap. The blonde eagerly accepted the offer and melted into Gregory's body. In turn, Gregory wrapped his arms around his best friend as a sign to the others that he was claiming Sam for his own. When the boys settled down, Michael was to Gregory and Sam's right and Jaden was to their left leaving Alex sitting between Michael and Jaden.

The warm water and jets felt terrific as the boys relaxed and got to know each other better. Before long, they were acting like old friends.

"So, Jaden," began Sam's inquiry, "tell us about your self discovery during Spring Break."

Jaden was excited to tell his story and bounced around in his seat while he rattled off his tale.

"Well, I went to visit my cousin -- he's only three weeks older than me and he's also in seventh grade. Anyway, the foldout bed was broken so I ended up sleeping with him."

"Is he cute?" asked Sam.

"Yeah, he's really cute. He kinda looks like Christian. And he's a really good kisser too." All the boys leaned in to hear more.

"So, we messed around in bed each night and I really liked it. I also realized I'd never been interested in a girl. That's when my cousin set up a test for me to help me see if I was really gay. His friends were having an overnight party and he invited me along. It was crazy. Like, most of the boys were naked the whole time, even while playing games and getting in the hot tub and stuff."

Michael laughed, "How is that crazy? That's what we're doing right now!" The others joined in the laughter, but Alex's was subdued. His mind was wandering back to Grant and how he missed his friend. As Jaden continued the story about the party, Alex remembered the stories he'd heard about the parties at Aiden's house and how if he hadn't been such an asshole to everyone, he could have been friends with those boys and even invited to the naked pool parties.

"But what really topped it off is I got to spend the night with the kid who was hosting the party and his stud boyfriend."

"You mean you got to do a three-way with those guys?" asked Sam in awe. It never occurred to him that his times in bed with Michael or Gregory, or the action he'd had the last time he was in this hot tub were comparable to Jaden's story in the eyes of his friends.

Jaden just nodded and toyed with his boner. The grin he gave his friends communicated just how much he enjoyed that night with Aiden and Nolan.

Alex realized he'd been quiet and distracted during the conversation, so he spoke up. "Did you do butt stuff?"

"No. I wish." Jaden's disappointment was apparent. "If I had been there a couple more days, I'm sure I would have. I wanna do it. Have you done it?"

Alex blushed. That wasn't the direction he'd expected the conversation to go.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to," assured Michael. "But I am gay. I'm out. And since you brought up the topic, I prefer to bottom, but I've also topped."

Sam hardly waited for Michael to end before he shared. "I'm gay. I've topped before but I love to be the bottom."

Logically, it was Gregory's turn and all eyes turned to him. "Well," he stated, "I was hoping to have some privacy to discuss this with Sam before everyone else found out." Sam turned his head to get a better view of Gregory to hear what his friend had to say. Gregory looked into Sam's eyes and said, "I'm bi and I've only topped."

"Bi?" asked Sam.

"Yes. My dad helped me realize that. He also helped me realize that I'm in love with you, Sam. I want us to be boyfriends."

The other boys watched as Gregory and Sam shared a loving kiss before Sam wrapped his arms around Gregory's neck and cried softly into the crook of his elbow. Only Michael and Gregory understood the emotional relief and happiness Sam was feeling.

Jaden watched as he made a mental note to himself. He was learning that relationships are a lot more complicated than what he'd experienced so far.

Alex watched and longed for what Sam and Gregory shared. His mind went back to Grant and how he'd been so shitty to his best friend. He even called Grant a "faggot" knowing full well that he was too and wanted Grant to be his boyfriend. But Grant deserved someone better than himself. Plus, their moms would never have let that happen. But at this moment, the torture of seeing Grant across the lunchroom with Aiden and his friends was better than dealing with the loss and guilt he felt at that moment. He cursed himself but couldn't stop the tears.

"Whoa, Alex. Are you alright?" asked Jaden.

Alex nodded yes, but the tears ran faster.

Jaden wasn't sure what to do. Instinctively, he scooted close to Alex and put his arm around his new friend. "Whatever it is dude, I'm here with you."

Michael scooted closer and put his hand on Alex's knee. "Yeah, bro. We're all here for you."

Between sniffles and gasps for air, Alex related the story of how he and his best friend had gotten into alcohol together and it ended up ruining their friendship and the trust of their parents. He also told them about how his friend had gone through recovery, but he hadn't, and the alcohol and self-loathing drove the wedge deeper between them. Then his mom pulled him out of the treatment center early because she and her boyfriend were moving them to East Harbor.

"Don't worry Alex," assured Michael. "No one here will go telling your business."

Alex nodded. For once in his life, he was finally accepting the support of friends. 'If only,' he thought, 'I'd learned to do this sooner.'