A STORY BY THE BRAT
     
The Boys of East Harbor: Michael
Chapter 46: Revenge Has An Aftertaste
     
   

(b/b, ns)

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

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

PLEASE DONATE TO NIFTY!

   
         
   


TUESDAY, APRIL 28

With an air of satisfaction, Lewis bussed his lunch tray. Trajan, Curtis and Will rushed to tail the redhead to further discuss Lewis' ideas on how to handle Mark Lange. Lewis may have won over Trajan's favor with his ideas for Mark's future, but Lewis was oblivious to the damage he'd inflicted on his friendships. The rest of the lunch gang were left in his wake stunned by what just happened.

"We've got to talk Trajan out of this," said Lukas, determined he and the remaining boys were on the right side of the argument.

"This is going to end badly," said Jordan. "I don't like this at all."

"That's why we aren't going to be part of it." Christian made that clear during the battle of ideas and the others still sitting at the table had agreed. They couldn't participate in a plan they adamantly disagreed with.

"What are you guys going to do?" asked Gregory. As far as the seventh graders were concerned, it was a problem the older boys were dealing with and he, Sam, and Alex were perfectly happy to be bystanders in this case.

"We can head this whole thing off by telling dad," suggested Michael. That was the prevailing point of view. When they'd argued against Lewis' plan and suggested they tell an adult, they narrowed the list down to the police, Trajan's parents, Coach Lange, or Lars. Those who wanted to tell the adults concluded it would be easier to tell Dr. Meijer than anyone else. But Lewis had other ideas and Trajan was hungry for revenge. Now they were in a conundrum if Trajan and Lewis do something drastic. Michael continued, "I mean, it's Trajan's business and all, but we know something's up. If we don't tell then we're just as complicit in anything that goes wrong, even if we aren't there."

"You and your big words again," teased Scott.

"Hey," Christian joked back, "don't permit our superlative lexicons to derail our deliberation." His humor was just what the moment called for. The boys cracked up and giggled. The boys grabbed their trash and bussed their own items from the table.

"Well, look at it this way," offered Lukas, "we still have a few days to either change Trajan's mind, or call-in reinforcements." The others agreed and they headed to their next classes.

----------------------     


THURSDAY, APRIL 30

Alexis Guerrero wondered where she'd been when her son morphed into a more responsible, friendly sort of fellow. Then she remembered all the stress she'd been under trying to earn money to make it on her own and protect Alex from her so-called boyfriend.

"Honey, I think it is great you have a friend...um..."

"Jaden. Jaden Price."

"That Jaden asked you to come over to his house, but I don't think I'm ready for that. Not because I don't trust you or Jaden or his family, but I just feel safer when you are at Dr. Meijer's while I'm at work."

When they had that conversation the previous night, Alex felt his frustration and anger rise quickly and it almost overtook him. His brain went immediately to his mother still holding his drinking and suicide attempt against him -- events from months ago. He took a deep breath and listened to the rest of what his mother said and calmed down a bit. It took a bit of thinking, but he eventually understood that she was saying the biggest threat to Alex, and their family of two, was not Alex or his alcoholism, but John Vance.

She went on to confide in Alex that she didn't trust John, but she couldn't pinpoint why. Alex shared he felt the same and told his mom about how he pushes the dresser in front of his bedroom door every night. In the end they agreed, until she figured it out or until she could afford to get an apartment for just the two of them, she was scared and needed Alex to stay at Dr. Meijer's while she worked to keep her mind at ease and Alex safe.

That was last night. It wasn't until this afternoon walking down Maple Street from school that Alex realized what had happened. Even if the conversation didn't result in his permission to go to Jaden's after school, he and his mother had connected and navigated an important conversation without anyone yelling or screaming. Alex felt happy about how he and his mom were getting along.

"Hey Alex!" came a shout from behind. He turned to find Jaden speeding his way on a mountain bike.

When Jaden pulled up beside him, Alex asked, "Are you on your way home?"

"Nope." Jaden stopped climbed off the saddle. "Mom said I could hang out with you until dinner."

"Cool! Let's get our homework done then we'll find something to do."

The boys hurried to the Meijer residence and said "hi" to Zach as they grabbed some Reese's Pieces peanut butter cookies Alex made Wednesday evening. Since Dr. Meijer was going to the lacrosse matches, he had moved Alex's appointment up a day.

"We're going to go do our homework in Michael's room. Is that okay?" he asked.

"Sure," replied Zach, relieved to have an interruption from writing his paper. "I don't think Michael will mind at all."

The two seventh graders hustled next door and up the stairs. Making room on Michael's worktable, they got out their school planners to see what they had left to finish.

"I'm so glad Mrs. Lacy was called away today," stated Jaden as he double checked his completion of the assignments that were marked finished in his planner. "Having an extra study hall instead of Science last period was epic."

Alex agreed. He too had completed most of his homework. "It looks like I only have math left."

"Me too. Did you understand today's lesson?" asked Jaden. He knew Alex was behind his peers in many ways and had been helping Alex whenever he could.

"Yeah," said Alex with enthusiasm. "I think this is the easiest math class I've had in ages." They were studying Geometry and today's lesson was on the cross-sections of three-dimensional objects. Spatial intelligence happened to be one of Alex's undiscovered strengths and today's lesson was intuitive to Alex. "It was weird. During class I kinda felt like one of the smart kids, ya know. I could like, just get the right answer and didn't know why other kids were asking stupid questions."

"No questions are stupid," corrected Jaden, "but I get what you mean. Sometimes I feel that way too. Like, I get it and wonder why everyone else doesn't. My dad says it is because we all learn and think differently from each other. So, what is easy for someone will be hard for someone else. I'm glad you got to be on the easy side today."

The boys continued chatting until they finished and put their books away. Then Jaden stood and cried out, "Free at last!" Then he took three steps and launched himself onto Michael's bed. "Ouch!"

Alex looked up from his backpack to see Jaden rubbing his arm. Then his friend went searching for what poked his tricep. Jaden ran his hands over then under Michael's blankets. "Huh. What's this?" Jaden held up a purple tube he found.

Alex laughed. "Dude, that's lube."

"Lube? It says Astroglide Gel personal lubricant. What do you need a lubricant for?"

Alex laughed harder. "For sex!" Jaden looked at Alex like he was an alien from another planet. Alex set his backpack on the floor then joined Jaden on the bed. "You've never used lube for anything before, have you?"

Jaden answered, "No. Have you?" Alex just nodded that he had.

"So, what do you use it for?" asked Jaden, desperate for an answer.

"Well, you can use it when you jack off, or you use it to do... uh...butt stuff." It felt awkward talking to Jaden about this. He'd never been in a position where he knew more about sex stuff than the other person.

"You mean like butt fucking?" asked Jaden. For a moment he felt silly even asking the question. Michael was gay so why wouldn't he be doing that type of stuff. Grant and his friends up in Mayfield were doing it too.

"Yeah. Like butt fucking. It makes things slippery so your dick slides in and out easier."

Jaden gave Alex a look the Hispanic boy didn't recognize. Then Jaden asked, "Do you wanna do it?"

"You mean like, fuck?"

"Yeah," said Jaden with excitement. "I've been wanting to try it since I got back from spring break."

Alex thought for a bit. "Do you wanna top or bottom?" The look on Jaden's face told him Jaden didn't understand. "A bottom is the one that takes it up the ass and the top is the one who sticks it in."

"Ooooohhhh..." said Jaden when he wrapped his brain around the new terminology. "I don't know. Both? It felt really good when a finger was stuck up my butt."

"Who did that?" asked Alex.

Jaden thought for a minute. He really wasn't sure if it was Aiden or Nolan, not that it really mattered. "My cousin's friend."

Alex just shook his head. "Man, your cousin and his friends seem like some wild guys."

Then Jaden turned the tables on Alex. "Have you done it before?"

"Yeah. I bottomed for some guys that lived across the street from my old house." Alex left out that those high school boys exchanged Alex's ass for drugs and alcohol. They weren't interested in his money.

"Have you ever topped?"

"No."

"Do you wanna try it? I'll let you do me." Jaden sounded hopeful and Alex found it hard turn him down.

"Why do you wanna do it with me?" questioned Alex. Jaden was quickly becoming his best friend, but he didn't see why Jaden would feel the same towards him.

"Why wouldn't I want to do it with you? We're friends." It was that simple for Jaden, but it was hard for Alex to accept. Other than Grant, he'd never had a friend whose friendship seemed so unconditional.

Otherwise, Jaden's reasoning seemed about right to Alex, so his mind turned to logistics. "Aren't they going to be back from lacrosse soon?"

"No. Remember? Dr. Meijer is going to the middle school matches this afternoon. Lukas said they'd probably stop by the Café for dinner with Simon, Michael and Matthew. They won't be back for hours."

Alex thought for a moment. "Well, what do we do?"

It was Jaden's turn to think for a moment. "I know, I'll call my cuz. He'll know what to do."

"I'm going to the bathroom while you call." Alex headed to the bathroom to pee and gather his nerves. He needed some time to figure out what he was feeling. Everything felt jumbled up -- excited and sad at the same time. He really wished he had time to journal. A flick of his finger flipped on the exhaust fan to drown out any noise he made so Jaden wouldn't hear.

"What's up cuz?" said Jaden when Grant answered his Facetime call.

"Not much. Where are you?" asked Grant. He didn't recognize the room Jaden was calling from.

"I'm at my friend Michael's. He's not going to be back for a while and we found this." He held up the Astroglide for Grant to see. "So, we want to put this to good use but needed to call you for advice."

Grant raised his eyebrows. He inquired, "Who's we? Do you have a boyfriend? Where is he?"

Alex opened the bathroom door and saw Jaden wave him over.

"We aren't boyfriends. We're just friends."

Alex joins Jaden on the bed and looks over his shoulder to see the iPhone screen. "GRANT?"

"ALEX?"

The two boys spoke at the same time - words flying fast and furious. Jaden couldn't keep track of what was being said. "Whoa!" he exclaimed causing the other two boys to stop and stare at Jaden.

"So," Jaden continued as he sorted things out in his mind, "my cousin Grant is your friend from back home that you always talk about."

Alex, with a huge grin and tears in his eyes nodded the affirmative. Then Jaden turned to Grant who had a look of concern painted on his face. "That means you were in rehab and you didn't tell me?"

"I... I... I... guess I was embarrassed. I'm sorry. Do you mind if I talk to Alex for a minute? We can talk about the other thing later. Okay?"

Jaden understood from Alex's side that there were things left unsaid between those two, so he turned the conversation back to Alex and Grant.

"Grant, I'm so sorry for being an asshole the day I left. I know this is just an excuse, but I'd just met my mom's new boyfriend and found out we were moving and was so mad. I'd looked forward to getting out of rehab and making amends to you and Aiden and everybody and when my mom and John came to pick me up, it blew everything to hell."

Jaden reached out and put his hand on Alex's shoulder to comfort his new friend. Of all the times Alex had talked about wanting to apologize to his old friend, he never maintained his composure. It didn't look like this time would be any different.

When Alex paused to catch his breath, Grant took that as the opportunity to make his apology. "I'm sorry too Alex, I should have been a better friend. But when you were moving and all upset and stuff, I just walked away." Jaden could tell his cousin was distressed and wished he was there to comfort him too.

"What are you talking about?" asked Alex. "I was being such an asshole to you, and you didn't even get mad at me. Grant, you're the best friend I've ever had -- my only friend. I was jealous of you getting your shit together and getting sober. And when I felt like you were making other friends and leaving me behind, I realized how much I needed you and just got angrier at you and at me for being so stupid and mean to you. That's why I tried to kill myself." Alex's composure crumbled and the Hispanic boy sobbed uncontrollably. It was such a relief to finally be able to say those things to Grant. He'd meant to share them the day he got out of rehab. When he couldn't, he bottled them up inside. Knowing his friend was over a thousand miles away and he might never see Grant again allowed the bottle to grow into an enormous weight bearing down on his chest. Being able to make amends to the single most important person in his life, other than his mother, felt like that weight finally lifted.

Grant cried too. He'd beaten himself up so badly about how things ended between him and Alex it almost destroyed him too. Alex's words, however, confirmed what all his friends, his sponsor, and his drug and alcohol counselor had said -- Grant had done all the right things no matter how he felt about what happened.

When the two former friends regained control of themselves, Alex asked, "So, from what Jaden told me, you came out and have a boyfriend?"

Grant sniffled and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. "Yeah." He smiled and nodded his head. "I'm going out with Lance."

"One of the twins?" asked Alex. Grant nodded. Alex tried to sound happy for Grant, but he was feeling sorry for himself for missing the opportunity to have Grant as his boyfriend.

"Well, since you already have a boyfriend, do you think we can still be friends?" asked Alex.

Grant thought it wasn't a bad idea, but the words spilled from his lips before he could fully consider. He wanted to reclaim his friendship with Alex, but Grant knew that this fractured alliance had broken him in some way. His heart said he wanted Alex back in his life, but the voice inside his head said to slow down. "I'll have to think about it."

"Oh," said Alex, barely audible. He didn't want to let on to Grant how devastating the answer was. If Grant didn't want to be friends, then Grant didn't need to know how those words cut through him. Alex knew it was his fault Grant got into drinking. He knew it was his fault the two of them had grown apart. He also knew he had used his words and actions as weapons to hurt Grant. Though Grant was only being cautious about bringing Alex back into his life, Alex assumed Grant was simply being polite and letting him down easy. "I'll let you talk to Jaden then."

Alex fought hard to control the pain and anguish building in him. He pushed the phone towards Jaden so Grant couldn't see his tears. Alex hopped off the bed and ran back into the bathroom. Shutting and locking the door, Alex turned the fan back on before he let his emotions flood the room.

Grant didn't notice it was only Jaden on his screen. He was recalling the words he had heard so often in rehab, from Sammy, and from Taylor, his drug and alcohol counselor. In their simplest form they could either be said, "first thought-WRONG, or "first thought--NO". Grant took off his glasses and wiped tears from his eyes. At this critical moment, he'd forgotten that simple little rule and hoped it wasn't too late to backtrack.

"Hey, cuz, that was pretty harsh," Jaden said when Grant returned his attention back to their conversation. Then Jaden saw Grant's face scrunch up fighting back more tears. "Are you okay?"

Grant ignored the question and cried out, "It wasn't only harsh, but it was also WRONG! Tell Alex to come back, please tell him to come back. I can't let this happen again. This time it would be my fault."

Jaden heard the sobbing from behind the closed bathroom door. "Don't go away," he told Grant. "I'll be right back." He walked over to the bathroom door and gently rapped.

"Go away!" shouted Alex. "He hates me and I don't blame him because I hurt him so much. It's why I'm so worthless," Alex wailed between sobs. "He hates me and he's right and all I wanted was to be his friend and I've fucked that all to hell."

Jaden looked at the doorknob and considered going in, then decided not to. "He's waiting to talk to you," Jaden said simply, not knowing what else to do.

"You're lying."

"Trust me. He asked me to come get you."

Jaden waited for what seemed like hours before the door opened. Alex tried to dry his face with the back of his hand. He saw where Jaden pointed, the phone was right where Jaden left it on the bed. "He won't be there," Alex said shakily as he brushed past Jaden.

"He's there." 'At least I hope he will be there,' Jaden thought. Then Jaden began to fret, 'What if he didn't hear what I said about not going away? What if he's gone? What am I going to do if he's not there? What will I do if Alex has a meltdown?'

As those thoughts whirled through Jaden's head, Alex picked up the phone. He was afraid to look at it, afraid Grant wouldn't be there and he would never be able to make things up to Grant for as long as he lived. Alex kept his eyes closed and said as calmly as he could, "Grant?" Alex shook with a sob he couldn't hold back, followed by more sobs.

"I'm here, Alex." Grant then added his own sobs. The two became a sobbing duet. Grant was the first to collect himself. "What I said was wrong. I walked away from you the day you moved and I can't do it--no, I won't do it again. I want us to be friends forever and always and, shit, I love you, Alex even if we aren't boyfriends. I love you because you're you and have been my friend, like since forever. I'm sorry if I made you mad."

Grant's outburst was met by silence. "Alex? You there, Alex?

"Yeah, I'm here...it's just...I've wanted this so bad... and I thought it would never happen and...," Alex paused to take a breath. "Why did you change your mind?"

"What did they tell you in rehab about your first thought?"

"They told me about it in a couple of different ways," Alex responded. "But the way I remember it is that your first thought SUCKS! Is that what happened to you? You paused and figured out that your first thought sucked?"

"I paused and realized I walked away from you that last day here because you were being an asshole and this time I was walking away from you when all you wanted was for us to be friends and I couldn't walk away from you again," Grant said. He wiped the remaining tears from his face and put his glasses back on.

"We can be long-distance friends, you know," Alex's tone was more hopeful. More so than any time Jaden had been around him. "But first we have to work on lots of amends and stuff, but I think we can do it even from a thousand miles away."

"But, I gotta be honest and this is nothing against you, but Lance is my boyfriend. But I want you to be my very bestest of friends forever."

Grant was met by another long silence and was just beginning to worry that he had once again said the wrong thing when he noticed a glint in Alex's eyes that hadn't been there from the time they restarted their phone chat. "Do you know what I need to do about that?" Alex finally asked.

"What?"

"Find me a boyfriend," he grinned.

"I'll be happy to help you," Grant offered.

"And you know what else?"

"What?"

"If you're going to be my bestest best friend who loves me then you need to know I love you, too."

This time when Grant took off his glasses to wipe away tears, he was wiping away tears of happiness. Alex felt the same way and he couldn't wait to tell Dr. Meijer about what had just happened between Grant and himself.

Alex turned to see what Jaden had to say and saw him sitting in Michael's overstuffed beanbag at the end of the bed wiping away his own tears of happiness.

----------------------     

Sam and Gregory led the Sabers on the field. The seventh-grade lacrosse team traded punches with the Torrey Pines Falcons. For each goal the cardinal and gold scored, the green and grey fought for one of their own. Neither team had been able to attain a lead of more than a single point. The score was 8-8 at halftime and the coaches pulled the boys together for second half adjustments.

While the coaches instructed the younger boys, the eighth graders stood around the perimeter of the meeting listening to the mid-game coaching. But not all the eighth graders had their minds on lacrosse. Lukas, Scott, Christian and a couple others stood to the right of the coaches glaring at a small group of their teammates on the other side of the circle. The focus of their attention was Trajan, Lewis, Will and their cadre who ignored their teammates. Instead, they were whispering back and forth about something. Lukas and his gang knew exactly what that something was. They were talking about Lewis' plan to help Trajan get revenge on Coach Mark.

"Tonight's the night," decided Lewis. He had no idea what they would do. It was just they pretty much had to do it this evening because after these matches, they probably wouldn't see Mark until next season. Even then, the boys would be in high school while Mark would probably continue to work with the middle school teams. Since none of the boys had Mark's phone number, Lewis determined it was now or never. After explaining as much to Trajan and the others, the boys agreed with Lewis.

Lukas leaned towards Scott. Keeping his eyes on Lewis and Trajan, he whispered, "They're going to do something tonight. I just know it."

Christian heard it and leaned towards Lukas and Scott to add his thoughts. "So, what do you want to do about it?"

Lukas turned to Christian, "We need to stop'em."

The eighth graders were startled back to the present when the seventh-grader players shouted "Sabers" and took the field for the second half. Both eighth grade contingents had another half of lacrosse to determine their next moves.

----------------------     

Matthew sat in the back of the bus as it returned to East Harbor. The lacrosse season was now over, and both the varsity and JV teams closed out the season with losses during their visit to Torrey Pines High School. The victor clinched their third consecutive league championship with the win. The teen agreed with Coach Lange that there is no such thing as a moral victory, but he couldn't help but celebrate with his teammates. The East Harbor High School lacrosse teams had accomplished two things that even had Coach Lange smiling. They'd finished the best season in school history, nearly making the playoffs, and they'd just taken the league's varsity powerhouse to the wire. The varsity Sabers scored the last three goals of the match falling only one goal short. It was the closest match Torrey Pines faced all season and the bunch from East Harbor had given them all they wanted. The Torrey Pines parents and fans expected an easy win to close out the regular season but instead got a match with the intensity and play of state playoffs.

The clamorous boys were rowdy---all except for one. Out of the corner of his eye, Matthew noticed a subdued Michael sitting quietly gazing out the window. Matthew excused himself and switched seats with Caleb to sit next to his little bro. "What's up?" he asked loudly to ensure Michael could hear.

Michael turned to Matthew with furrowed brow. The boy's distress was evident. Hesitant at first, Matthew finally coaxed Michael into divulging the details. He explained what had transpired earlier in the week with Lewis talking Trajan into taking revenge on Mark Lange whereas he and Lukas thought it was time to bring in the big guns--the adults. Tonight, his gut was telling him Lewis and Trajan were about to do something really stupid.

"What do you think they are going to do?" asked Matthew. His younger brothers and their friends were pretty good kids. Matthew couldn't imagine them getting into too much trouble.

"I don't know," grumbled Michael. "I thought they were going to do something this weekend. But I know Mark will be at their games tonight and I have a feeling they will jump at the opportunity. I've overheard bits and pieces of their conversations and I think they are going to blackmail Mark."

"Damn." Matthew was surprised by the audacity of Trajan. Then it clicked for Matthew. It was Lewis pushing Trajan. "Don't they realize they could end up in just as much trouble as Mark?"

Michael raised his hands. "That's exactly what Lukas and I were saying. But Trajan is mad and Lewis' push to extract vengeance of their own sounded fun. I don't think either of them are thinking at all."

"Why didn't you say something to dad?"

"I was going to give them until tomorrow afterschool to change their minds before going to dad. I thought Lukas and I could talk them out of it." He slid his knee onto the bus seat and braced his back against the wall to face his big bro. "Matthew, I have a really bad feeling about this."

"Dude," replied Matthew shaking his head, "I don't know why you let yourself get into this. You know what to do and you know you should have done it days ago."

"Yeah," agreed Michael. "I need to tell dad."

----------------------     

Alex and Jaden left the purple tube and their plans behind after the call with Grant ended. Both boys were emotionally spent but happy. Instead of sitting around Michael's bedroom until Jaden had to leave for dinner at home, they decided to head to the Café to give themselves a treat.

They took the long way around to get to the Mallway entering the south end by the high school. Jaden noticed a sign and wondered out loud. "Saberspace? What's that?"

"Oh! That's going to be a store to get school gear and supplies," offered Alex.

Jaden was surprised that the new boy would have a scoop like that. "How do you know that?"

"Because I heard Michael talking about it. He owns the entire Mallway now. They are putting Saberspace here," Alex pointed to the far end of the Mallway next to the Majestic Theater, "and they are putting a music store down there by the theater."

They boys walked out into the grass to avoid the construction going on between the new Saberspace store and the Café. "Do you know what they're doing here?" asked Jaden.

"I think that is supposed to be a dance studio."

"Cool," was all Jaden could think to say.

Walking past the Café's patio, Jaden stopped in his tracks. He took a few steps back for another look. "Isaac?"

The boy looked up and squinted, not recognizing the boy who'd spoken his name.

"Isaac! I didn't recognize you at first with dry hair and all."

Both boys laughed before Isaac added, "Hi Jaden! I didn't recognize you with your swim cap off and with all your clothes on." Isaac realized how that sounded once it'd left his lips. He blushed fiercely. Jaden just laughed harder.

Jaden waved Alex to approach and introduced his two friends. "Isaac, this is Alex. He's a friend of mine from school. Alex, this is Isaac. The boy I told you about from the swimming pool."

Alex felt sorry for Isaac being embarrassed. He made a point to even the score. "Hi Isaac," he said reaching out to bump fists. "Jaden, he's even cuter than you said." As intended, Jaden's cheeks turned a shade of red to complement Isaac's.

"Me and mom are getting sundaes. What are you guys doing?"

Jaden replied, "We were coming down here to get milkshakes."

"Cool! Come sit with us. My mom wants to meet you."

"Okay," said Jaden with a smile. He and Alex headed to the entrance.

"Dude," teased Alex with a quick elbow jab, "his mom wants to meet you? He's totally crushing on you."

"Yeah, but I don't even know if he lives around here." The tone of Jaden's voice betrayed his own crush on Isaac.

They entered the Café so Alex spoke quietly. "They live close enough to use the pool at the Y and eat at the Café. What more do you need?"

"Hi honey." Alex's mom had approached the boys without their knowledge.

"Oh, hi mom. This is Jaden. Jaden, this is my mom. But I guess you already figured that out."

Jaden and Alexis exchanged pleasantries before Alex cut in. "We came down to get milkshakes and ran into one of Jaden's friends so we're going to sit on the patio with him."

"That sounds like fun." She gave Alex a hug, much to his surprise, and shook Jaden's hand. "It's nice to finally meet you, Jaden."

When they arrived on the patio, Erica, Isaac's mother, was sitting with her son. "Hi," she said, standing to make room for Alex to slip in behind her. Alex took the seat along the patio's railing across from Isaac, while Jaden took the seat beside his friend.

As they settled into their seats, Isaac introduced the boys. "This is Jaden from the swimming pool, and this is his friend Alex." Erica shook hands with each boy and greeted them warmly. Isaac had been homeschooled the last few years and hadn't made any friends since they'd moved to East Harbor and it was long overdue. Other than the doctors and nurses, Isaac's only real friends were his siblings and the other kids at the hospital and so many of them leave Isaac's life because they get well or pass on. It was a doleful reality.

"Hi Alex," greeted Vera. "And it's Jaden, right?"

"Hi Vera," chimed the boys in unison.

"The usual?" She'd seen both boys in the Café enough to know their favorite meals.

"Just shakes, today," explained Alex.

"One chocolate shake for Alex and one mint chocolate chip shake for Jaden. Coming right up." She smiled and headed back inside to place the order.

"You know," said Erica, picking up her sundae and napkins, "I'm going to let you boys enjoy your treats together. I'll be inside at the counter if you need me, Isaac." Isaac smiled and nodded in understanding.

It's always easier to ask direct questions when you don't have any skin in the game. Alex, expecting Jaden to continue to make googly eyes at the other boy, decided to take charge of the conversation. "So, Isaac, do you live around here?"

"Yeah. My parents bought a house here a few years ago so we could be closer to... to San Diego."

"What grade are you in? We haven't seen you at school before." Jaden glared at Alex for being so nosy. Alex just shrugged his shoulders.

"Well..." Isaac thought about how to phrase his response. "I'm home schooled, but you might know my brother or sister. Elijah is 15 and played on the varsity football team this year as a freshman. My twin sister is Amelia Moore."

"Huh. I'm pretty new around here myself but I think I know who your sister is. Do you know'em Jaden?"

Jaden examined Isaac's face. "How did I not figure that out? You and Amelia look a lot alike," stated Jaden.

"Yeah, people say that. I think I look more like my brother."

"So," asked Jaden, "if Amelia is your twin, you're 13 and in seventh grade too. Why does your sister come to school and you don't?"

Isaac explained that he was home schooled and left it at that while Erica watched from inside the Café. The reflection of the sunlight off the glass windows made her gawking inconspicuous to the boys.

"Mine is Alex and I've met his friend Jaden. Is it safe to assume the third one is yours?" Erica turned to find Alexis across the counter.

"Sorry," she said, not certain why she was apologizing. "I'm Erica Moore. That's my son Isaac."

"They look like long, lost friends."

"Yeah, it's great to see." The two mothers watched their sons when out of nowhere, Jaden leaned over and planted a smooch on Isaac's cheek. Erica gasped.

"Erica, Jaden and Alex are both gay. You're okay with that, aren't you?"

"Oh, that's not what I meant by that. Isaac's had a crush on Jaden for a while now, but I was worried Jaden didn't feel the same way. I'm so happy Isaac gets to experience this before..." She didn't want to say it out loud and she left Alexis wondering where Erica was going with that comment.

----------------------     

Sam was so proud of Gregory and encouraged his teammates to praise his end of game heroics. With the Sabers up by a goal, Gregory shut down the Falcon's top scorer on two consecutive possessions, preventing him from even getting a shot on goal. It was a brilliant display of grit and teamwork -- two of the reasons the seventh-grade Sabers finished third in the league.

The eighth graders failed to capitalize on the momentum. For the most part, Lewis' goalkeeping kept them in the game. But it was clear to the coaches that the boys didn't have their heads in the game. Just like earlier in the season, the boys lacked focus and played far below their ability. The few games they didn't show up ready to play were the few loses that kept them from the upper echelons of the league. Coach Powell shared with the coach of the seventh graders, Coach Merrill, that he was certain Coaches Fitz and Lange would get it sorted out at the high school.

After showering, Lukas texted his dad he'd meet him and his brothers at the Café when the high school teams returned from their matches. Until then, he was going to hang out with his friends at the middle school. As Lars headed to the high school to collect the others, Lukas hurried back to the school. He'd either talk Lewis and Trajan out of whatever plan they'd devised, or he'd be spilling his guts to his father the next time they saw each other.

"Lukas!" called out Scott. Lukas turned to see Scott waving him around the corner of the school where he'd been surveilling Mark's car. Lukas set his school bags along the wall and followed Scott. Hightailing it around the backstop to the kickball field and into the parking lot, Lukas spied Trajan and Lewis across the sea of black asphalt speaking to Mark as the older teen stood poised to get in his car.

"Shit," spat Lukas as he sped past Scott. Scott shot off like a bullet in chase.

Lewis saw the duo speeding across the parking lot. He opened the rear passenger door to Mark's old Ford Escape. "Look Lange, you don't have a choice. You take us, or we're talking. Get in Trajan." Trajan opened the rear door behind Mark as Mark watched Lukas and Scott approach. He knew those boys meant business -- the kind that would get him into deep shit. Weighing his options, he felt dealing with Lewis and Trajan would be a better option -- at least for today. How did that saying go? Survive the fight to battle another day? Mark's survival instincts kicked in. He slammed his car door and had it in gear the moment the engine started. Scott slammed his hand against the rear window as Mark accelerated out of the parking lot and sped away.

"What next?" asked Scott.

"I'm telling my dad."

----------------------     

Jaden picked up his bicycle from the front lawn of the Meijer homestead. "Isaac's pretty cool, don't you think?"

"I do," confessed Alex. "You know, I'm glad we didn't do anything this afternoon. You really like Isaac and if you do it, it should be with him."

"Yeah, you're right. You know Alex, despite what you think about yourself, you're a good friend." Alex didn't know what to say. He didn't have enough practice receiving complements, so he'd never been afforded the opportunity to learn how to accept a complement gracefully. "Do you really think he like likes me?"

"Dude! Yes!" Alex couldn't believe how insecure Jaden, the honors student and stud athlete, could be when it came to other boys. "You should have seen his face light up when you kissed him. It was like he'd gotten the greatest present of his life. Are you going to ask him out?"

"What do I say? I don't even know what to do?"

Alex took a deep breath and sighed. "Jaden, man. Chill. He likes you. He's going to be thrilled if you even send him a text message."

"Okay."

"I'll tell you what. I think Josh and I are going to go to the movies Saturday night. Why don't you invite Isaac and the four of us will go?"

"Like a double date?" asked Jaden.

"I don't know. Maybe?"

"You told my cuz you were gonna look for a boyfriend. Don't you like Josh?"

Alex smiled. "Yeah, I do kinda like Josh."

"Alright then, I'll ask Isaac out on a date, and you have to ask Josh out on a date. Then we'll double date for pizza and a movie. Deal?" Jaden held put his right pinky and waited for Alex to seal it with a pinky promise.

Alex reached out and locked his right pinky with Jaden's. "Deal."

----------------------     

Scott and Lukas waited nervously at the Café. Lars had stopped by his new office space to check on the construction work before waiting at the high school for the other boys. He wanted to be there to greet them since he'd stayed at watched Lukas' match. Scott and Lukas also waited for Zach to show up. He was working on a big paper due Friday afternoon and welcomed the invite to meet everyone for dinner.

The boys were speaking quietly when Zach slipped into the booth. They looked far too serious for a couple of 14-year-olds. "What up?"

Scott beat Lukas to the punch. "Trajan and Lewis are up to something. They hopped in Coach Mark's car and left with him after the game."

A million different scenarios flashed through Zach's mind -- none of them ended well. He looked at Lukas. "When's your dad getting here?"

"As soon as the high school teams make it back."

Right on cue, the door to the Café opened. Three dirty lacrosse players and their father entered the establishment. It was apparent hunger won out over showers. Simon slid into the booth next to Lukas.

"Ewww!! You need to go sit over there with the heathens. You're too dirty and smelly to sit with us civilized folk! We know what a shower is."

Simon responded by simply lifting his arm and sticking his armpit in Lukas' face. The group burst into laughter settling down when Alexis arrived with the water and menus. She always made sure to have them seated in her section as a way of saying "thank you" for all Dr. Meijer does for her son. But no matter how many times she admonished him, he always tipped well.

When she walked away with their orders, the mood at the table took a serious turn. Then all the boys started talking at once.

"Whoa!" called out Lars, holding up his hands to put a halt to the verbal onslaught. "One at a time."

Lukas, Michael and Scott all started again until Lars put a stop to it again.

"This has something to do with Trajan and Lewis I gather." Their names were about the only things he could decipher from the boys' babble. They nodded that he had it correct.

"If this has to do with Trajan and you are worked up, then I'm guessing this has to do with Coach Mark too." The boys nodded again. "So, what do you know for sure?"

"We know Lewis talked Trajan into taken revenge on Mark," stated Michael.

"And we tried to talk them out of it," added Lukas. "Even today. But when we approached them, they hopped in Mark's car and sped off."

"You saw them get in his car and leave?" asked Lars.

"Yes," said Scott. "We got close enough to even touch the car, but they didn't stop."

"Do you know if their parents know where they are?" asked Lars.

Scott pulled out his phone, put it on speaker and called Trajan's mother. At the beginning of the lacrosse season, she'd asked Scott to give her number to his mother and she saved it in his phone so he wouldn't lose it.

She answered, "Hello?"

"Oh! Hi, Mrs. De Luca. I'm sorry. I meant to call Trajan but hit your name instead. Is he home?"

"Hi, Scott. No problem, though Trajan isn't here. He's at Lewis' house. He won't be back until nine or 9:30 tonight."

"That's right. I forgot. I'm sorry for bothering you. Have a good evening." He ended the call before she could reply, but it was enough to give Lars the answer he sought.

"What car was Mark driving?" asked Lars.

Scott offered, "He was in his old Ford Escape. Gray."

"I know his license plate," added Lukas. Everyone turned to him surprised. It just seemed so unlike Lukas. "What? It was easy. It's Mark lacrosse. M-A-R-K-L-A-X. But I bet they are going to get his other car. Trajan said Mark has a brand-new Mercedes."

Lars made a couple notes then turned his attention back to the boys. "I want you to remember. No matter how mad Trajan gets, or how much trouble he and Lewis get into, you did the right thing. I'm proud of you." Dr. Meijer excused himself to make a couple phone calls. After the fumbles by the East Harbor Police Department Lars had suffered, he chose to go to his friends at the FBI instead. That way, Lars didn't have to worry about the EHPD taking his call and not informing other agencies. But as a father, he felt his first obligation was to call Trajan, Lewis, and Mark's parents first.

----------------------     

"You tell him," whispered Trajan.

More insistently, Lewis retorted, "No, you tell him."

"But it was your idea."

"Yeah, but we're here for you to get revenge--not me."

Mark pulled his Mercedes out from the garage where he stored it. Trajan opened the passenger door and folded the front seat down and looked at Lewis. The redhead raised his eyebrows then rolled his eyes when Trajan didn't make a move. Lewis climbed in the back then Trajan moved the seat back to its upright and locked position before settling into the front bucket seat next to Mark.

Mark activated the garage door opener and pulled away. "So now what?"

Neither boy dared to speak. Their lack of a plan and faltering commitment kept them silent. The quiet was broken by Lewis' growling stomach.

"Are you guys hungry?" asked Mark. "We can stop and get something to eat." Glancing to his right and into the rearview mirror, the boys nodding heads confirmed they were just as hungry as he was. They seemed to be backing down from their earlier threats. Mark hoped a little kindness would go a long way. "Where do you want to go? Chinese sounds good to me. How about Chef Tang's?" Mark was thinking of ways to get the boys out of East Harbor so he wouldn't be seen in his Mercedes.

Trajan was willing to go along with anything. Lewis, however, didn't want Mark to get too comfortable. "How about Los Junior's? I think I'm in the mood for some Mexican food tonight. How 'bout it, Trajan?"

Trajan shrugged. "I don't really..." Lewis hit him on the shoulder. "Oh, yeah, Mexican sounds really good." Trajan looked over his shoulder to Lewis. Lewis used his hands and face to plead with Trajan to get with the game.

Mark started to sweat, then realized he really shouldn't be that worried. His windows were tinted so no one should be able to tell who was in the luxury car. Better yet, when they arrived, Mark was able to park behind Los Junior's and they made it into the restaurant without anyone seeing them.

Dinner calmed everyone's nerves and Mark started to believe he was going to get out of this in one piece. His phone chimed that he had a text message. He wasn't in a hurry to check his messages, but eventually he picked up his phone.

Dad: Son, I don't know what you've done, but you need to come home now. We love you and we'll get through this together. The police and everyone are out looking for you. Make it easy on yourself and bring the boys back.

"SHIT!" Mark felt like the world was caving in on him. His chest tightened and breathing became labored. He looked at the two boys across the table from him enjoying their nachos and burritos and wished he could go back to those carefree days of youth. 'Fuck,' he thought, 'I'm only 19. How did I get into this mess?'

The past several years flashed before his eyes. How he'd been seduced into the club boy life when he wasn't much older than Trajan. An older teen showed interest in him at a lacrosse camp and things quickly got hot and heavy. The next thing he knew he was attending parties at mansions and eventually doing favors for the men there. He was more level-headed and streetwise than many of the other boys. It allowed him to navigate the drugs and alcohol better than his peers. Where many of them dropped out of school and ended up strung out, he kept his nose clean and graduated. But the lure of easy money landed him in front of the cameras. Some of the other boys were making some extra cash making movies and they connected him with the talent agent at the studio and it was an easy gig for the hot, hung teen. But once the Boss found out and acquired a copy of his first movie, blackmail shackled Mark to the Boss and his drug enterprise. He continued to make movies -- it was easy cash. Mark reasoned that if he had to do the things the Boss wanted, why not work for the studio too? If anything, the Boss capitalized on his notoriety. His crop of young party boys that would draw a crowd of wealthy men to his events where cash would flow into the Boss' pockets. Mark gradually learned about the larger drug enterprise and kept his distance.

For the most part, he was fine with the arrangement. They would eventually tire of him--the Boss and the studio. Too many birthdays and he would just be too old. Too many movies and his fans would lose interest. Either way, if he played his cards right, he'd have his degree, maybe even a graduate degree, and a nest egg. But there was one thing he absolutely hated about working for the Boss. He hated recruiting the next wave of party boys. He didn't just hate it, he despised this part of the job. But it was a requirement to bring them in and he wasn't strong enough to face the Boss' consequences. Thank god he didn't have to ensure they got caught up in the machine and stayed. That's what he hoped he could do with Trajan. The boy could make an appearance and then he'd encourage Trajan to stay away. That's when things went seriously wrong. The Boss was home and watching. If Mark had steered Trajan away from the evening's events, it would have exposed his intended betrayal of the Boss. They would have immediately removed Mark from the party and Trajan would have been left to the wolves.

Fear, as we all know, can cause us to delude ourselves. Mark tried to walk the line between satisfying the Boss and making him believe that Mark was onboard with the seduction of Trajan, while protecting the boy from the others. But he believed he saw signs that Trajan was enjoying himself. With each level he dragged Trajan deeper into the mire, Mark convinced himself that Trajan was a willing participant. Then came the Rubicon. Mark had to decide between giving Trajan the laced drink, or not. If it was just the guys alone in the house with Trajan, Mark would have made a different choice. But with the Boss and some of his employees in the house watching, Mark made himself believe this was what Trajan would like and gave into his own personal fears.

Now the boy he deceived and betrayed may be his only salvation. "Trajan. I'll do whatever you ask. But I need you to do one thing for me."

Trajan looked at him dubiously. "What?"

"I need you to deny everything. To your friends, your parents, the police... everyone."

"Why?"

"I'm sorry about what happened. I never meant it to go that far, but my back was against a wall. If I tried to prevent anything that happened that night, I would have been thrown out of the house and you would have been left there by yourself and things would have ended a lot worse." He couldn't bring himself to tell Trajan about the myriad of drugs they would have given him hoping the desire or addiction would bring the boy back for more and willing to do anything they asked of him to get more.

"Then why did you take me there in the first place? I was supposed to go to the dance and that's where you said you were taking me."

"I know. I know. But we don't have much time. Is it a deal? I'll do anything I can within my power and means, if you won't rat me out. I swear, I'll make this all up to you."

Trajan scrunched up the corner of his mouth as he thought about the proposition.

----------------------     

What had been expected to be a long day of arduous travel turned out to be loads of fun. First, no one, especially the boys, expected to have an assortment of direct flights from Bozeman to LAX from which to choose. Second, though Oliver's family had made a few trips to Southern California when they lived in Scottsdale, Craig had never been so everyone was excited. As such, third, Dr. Kendall made plans to turn a simple trip to deliver the boys to Cate School into an adventure.

They flew in early and took their time traversing the 88 miles between the airport and campus. After picking up the convertible Mustang he'd rented, Bill Kendall drove the boys to the Santa Monica Pier for brunch. Then he followed Route 1 north to Malibu where he let the boys dip their toes in the cool Pacific waters off El Matador Beach. Oliver was fascinated by the rock formations formed by the erosion of the shore. He and Craig spent their time climbing and exploring before being called back to hit the road. With a couple more stops and lunch, Oliver and Craig arrived at the Cate School in time for their meeting with the headmaster and to participate in track practice.

The boys were excited to finally be on campus. Having studied every photo and article they found online, the environment felt familiar. Entering the administration building, Mr. Paul Denison, the Dean of Students, welcomed Craig and Oliver. There wasn't much to discuss from an admissions side -- the boys were more than qualified. As a matter of fact, the school was excited to welcome two students they expected to thrive in the rigorous academic environment and immediately contribute to the school's stellar athletic programs.

Before long Kenneth Stevenson, a freshman on the track team, arrived to escort the boys to the locker room to change. Once they left the building, Kenneth loosened up a bit and dropped the formalities.

"Like I said before, welcome to Cate school." This time, he reached out and bumped fists with each boy. "So, what events do you guys run?"

"We're both distance runners," said Oliver, throwing his arm around Craig's shoulder.

Kenneth noticed the comfort level between the boys. "Considering you two look nothing alike, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you aren't brothers. How do you two know each other?"

Oliver felt Craig tense. He squeezed his boy's shoulder to reassure him. Before they boarded the plane this morning, Oliver and Craig agreed to be open and honest about their relationship. If people had a problem with it, then Cate School wasn't the place for them. It was plain and simple. However, being open and honest was not so plain and simple. They'd learned the hard way what happens when people have a problem with their being gay or being in a relationship and Craig had borne more than his share of the problems.

"We met at science camp last summer after we both ended up in Bozeman, Montana. Our dads' got new jobs there." Oliver took a deep breath before taking the plunge. "It wasn't long after that we became boyfriends."

"Cool. You'll like it here. The school really strives for diversity and inclusion. The students here will honor and respect your relationship." Then he stopped and looked to see who might be close at hand. "I like you guys and I hope you decide to come to school here, but there's something you need to know. Some of the faculty might be too accepting of your relationship. I'm not saying go back into the closet, but I'd be careful who knows. If you do decide to attend, we'll fill you in on all the details. Until then, make sure you keep your door locked."

Kenneth turned and started to jog to the athletic facility. Craig and Oliver exchanged glances then hurried after Kenneth. They didn't grasp all he was trying to tell them, but the "keep your door locked" part was easy enough to understand. They put that out of their mind and prepared for what they loved to do together, run. (Well, their second favorite thing to do together.)

Craig and Oliver found a quiet corner of the locker room to change into their practice gear. They could hear Kenneth at his locker across the way, but it sounded like the rest of the team was heading out to the track. The boys quickly changed and hurried out to the field.

They stuck to their own personal expectations. They hit the track, warmed up and were race ready when the coach blew the whistle. As they jogged to the coach's meeting, a jab directed at the "little boys playing with the big boys" echoed though the sports stadium.

Craig snickered. "Don't worry Oliver. When we hit the showers, they'll learn who the real big boy is. Oliver grinned. The boys were laughing when they joined the rest of the team.

"First off," announced Coach Bertok, "I want you all to give our visitors a warm welcome." Though most of the team greeted the boys, a couple of the seniors laughed.

Kenneth spoke up to make sure the entire team could hear his remark. "Don't worry. That's Jonas. He just feels threatened by you. He saw your times and is worried you'll break his school record."

"We'll see about that," seethed Jonas. He hated being called out like that in front of underclassmen, especially middle schoolers.

"Cool it," ordered the coach. "You'll get a chance to show them what you can do, Jonas." He turned to the new boys. "This is Craig Kendall from Chicago, Illinois and Oliver Samuelson from Scottsdale, Arizona. They've been running for a school in Bozeman, Montana but are looking at enrolling here next year as Freshmen. I've asked them to practice with the high school team since you guys are who they would run with next year."

Practice started without a hitch, but it wasn't long before Jonas started running his mouth again and the coach wanted it shut. He called the distance runners to the starting line.

"The season is winding down and Jonas and Carter will be graduating. We're going to be needing to replace them at the 3200 meters. If you're interested in running the 3200 next year, I'd like to see what you can do."

Jonas laughed. "Com'on Carter. Let's run the campus and let these kids run."

Coach Bertok had had enough of Jonas' attitude. "Actually Jonas, I'd like you and Carter to run to set the pace for the younger boys. They need to know what a record setting pace is like." Coach turned his back to Jonas as he finished his snarky comment, unable to keep the smirk off his face. He suspected this Samuelson kid hadn't really been challenged and could run faster than his reported times. He hoped Oliver might be the person to shut Jonas up.

Craig and Oliver knew they were being put to the test -- mainly Oliver. They didn't speak to each other again until after the race. They'd gotten into the habit of hovering close to each other before a race exchanging glances occasionally. Words weren't necessary. They toed the starting line as the coach readied the boys who bowed out of the race with stop watches so they could track the times for each runner.

*fweeet*

On the whistle, the boys took off. Jonas took off in his typical manner. He raced ahead of the pack as he did in all of his races and led the pack. Oliver raced after him and Craig followed close behind. When Jonas settled into his distance pace, he glanced to his left and right. Unable to see any of the other runners, he smiled, unaware that the new arrivals were following in his blindspot. From cross country, Oliver had learned to "follow the leader". Finding Jonas' pace to be fast, but manageable. Oliver settled in behind Jonas stride-for-stride, their feet striking the ground in unison. Craig wasn't far behind.

As they passed the timekeepers finishing up their first lap, Jonas was astounded to hear two other times called out right after his. He nearly stumbled craning his neck to see who was behind him. Cover blown, Oliver moved up to Jonas' right and ran beside the high school senior. When the second lap ended with the new boys were keeping pace with Jonas, the rest of the team took notice. By the fifth of eight laps, practice all but stopped as the other boys in their blue and white practice uniforms gathered around the track cheering the runners on, careful not to make it too obvious they were hoping for Oliver to win. The Rams track team shouted encouragement as if it were a championship race.

With two laps to go, Oliver moved out in front of Jonas and the older boy sped up to keep pace. Craig fell back maintaining his current pace. He knew his limits and would beef up his time giving it all he could the last 200 meters.

To exert his position, Oliver moved to the inside lane to force Jonas to pass him on the outside. A yard or two ahead, Oliver now set the pace of the race. Coach Bertok shouted final lap as Oliver crossed the finish line with 400 meters to go. Oliver knew what he had left in his tank and cranked up the pace.

Jonas kept pace around the first turn but began to fade down the back stretch. Oliver's lead grew from six feet to ten, then to 10 yards by the final turn. That's when the boys lining the track noticed Craig gaining on Jonas. The cheers grew even louder. Like the boys rooting on the runners, Oliver, Jonas and Craig also treated this like a championship race. The Bozeman boys trained for this moment -- their single, meaningful race of their spring track season.

Coach Bertok took a second glance when he checked the stopwatch held by one of the boys on the team. He checked another boy's timer and couldn't believe his eyes. Tossing his clipboard aside, he raised his hands to his mouth and started shouting encouragement to Oliver. Heading down the final straight away, Oliver ran like a gazelle. It looked effortless as he sprinted towards the finish line.

Oliver crossed the finish line as Jonas started down the final stretch with Craig in a full-out sprint in the turn and gaining ground. Oliver turned and watched, yelling out to Craig to rally his remaining strength. The crescendo of the cheering told Jonas Craig was coming up fast. Digging deep, he managed to maintain his speed and beat Craig by four and a half seconds. Both Jonas and Craig collapsed to the track to recover from their race.

Oliver stood over Craig, straddling the midsection of the nerdy, science geek lying on his back gasping for air after the run of his fledgling athletic career. When Craig opened his eyes, the two boys smiled at each other and started laughing. "You did it!" congratulated Oliver. "You finished under nine minutes! I told you! I knew you could do it!" Craig beamed with pride.

"Yes, you did," congratulated Coach Bertok joining Oliver in congratulating Craig. "Do you boys realize the state record for a freshman is 9:01.3? You both smashed that. You completely crushed the times you submitted on your entrance paperwork."

"Those times were from like eight months ago--from cross country last fall," answered Oliver since Craig was still panting from the race. He took Craig's hand and helped him to his feet.

"And Jonas," said Coach Bertok to the boy lying to his left, "you had your personal best race." Then he couldn't help himself. He allowed himself one last jab. "If this were a meet, you'd have set a new school record, since Oliver isn't officially enrolled yet."

----------------------     

Jaden entered the living room where his mother was reading a book, ignoring the TV. He toweled off his hair and flopped down on the couch, resting his head on his mother's thigh.

"Hi, honey. You smell good."

"Mom?" he asked deciding to jump right into the reason for his presence. "Why didn't you tell me Grant went to rehab?"

Not the question she expected, Marlene slipped the bookmark into place and rested the novel on the end table. She looked down into Jaden's blue eyes and ran her fingers through his damp hair. "Well, it really isn't my story to tell."

"But I could have called him or sent him a get-well card or something."

She placed her hand on Jaden's cheek. "You're so sweet. You know that?" She stroked his cheek and brushed his bangs back. "When someone goes to rehab, they don't allow them to have contact with the outside world."

"Not even family?"

"Not even family. All I know is that Grant and a neighbor boy got into drinking and maybe some drugs and your aunt and uncle needed to get Grant away from the bad influences or it might have gotten worse."

"He's not a bad influence."

"Who honey?"

"Alex."

She thought for a minute. "Oh, you mean the boy I met at Dr. Meijer's house. I don't think he's a bad influence. He seemed very polite. Why would you bring up your friend Alex?"

Jaden sat up cross-legged and faced his mom. "Mom, Alex was Grant's drinking buddy."

"Did Grant tell you that?"

"No, not exactly. Alex had told us, me and Michael and the guys, that he'd been in rehab back home and missed his best friend. He was tearing himself up bad because he didn't get to say goodbye. When I called Grant today to ask him how to... well, I Facetimed Grant and Alex and Grant saw each other and that's how I found out."

"Wow. Small world."

"Yeah. I think Grant and Alex would be boyfriends if they still lived close to each other. They really do love each other, but they are so far apart." His voice trailed off. "Life's a lot more complicated when you get older, isn't it?"

Marlene reached out and took Jaden's hand in hers. "What do you mean?"

Jaden unburdened his heart of its fears. He talked about the things that his friends had been through in contrast to his sheltered childhood. How he felt scared to grow up, but how he also enjoyed the freedoms and liberties he was earning now he was a young teen.

Marlene pulled her son onto her lap. Jaden giggled and looked up at his mother while she held him like a small child. "Jaden, you will always be my baby boy no matter how big you are getting. Maybe we sheltered you from the world too much, or maybe we sheltered you until you were mature and smart enough to handle it. Either way, we are so proud of the man you are becoming. You are so kind and caring and loving. You're going to make someone very special, very happy someday."

"Even if it is a boy?" The question slipped out and Jaden blushed.

"Especially if it's a boy."

Jaden scooched up so he was sitting up more, placing his elbows on the arm of the couch. "Alex and I are planning on a double date Saturday. Is that okay with you?"

"A double date? What do you plan on doing?"

"Pizza and a movie. Alex is going to ask out Josh from his Ala-teen group. That's a group for kids with alcoholic parents."

"It seems Alex's drinking may have roots in things other than just being a bad influence on Grant, huh."

"Yeah, I think he drank because he hated himself. But now he has lots of friends and doesn't want to drink anymore."

"Are Alex and Josh boyfriends?"

"No. Not yet at least. Alex is pretty sure Josh wants to be boyfriends. I think they will be going as boyfriends on Saturday."

"What about you? Who are you going to ask?"

"Isaac." The grin on his face told Marlene how special Isaac was to Jaden.

"Now, how are you going to do that? You've only seen him at the pool, and you said you didn't have his phone number."

"I didn't, but I do now. Alex and I ran into Isaac and his mom at the Café today."

"Do they live in East Harbor?"

"Yeah. It turns out his twin sister is Amelia Moore. It's just Isaac is home school. That's why we haven't met."

"That's interesting. Most families would home school all their kids. She started school with you last year?"

"She moved here towards the end of fifth grade. I think Isaac is homeschooled because he's special. He struggles at the pool but tries really hard. He's kinda skinny like maybe he's been sick or something. And I think he was wearing a hearing aid today. Do you think there is something wrong with him?"

Marlene looked deep into her son's eyes. "Does it matter if there is?"

Jaden smiled and gave a slight giggle. "No."

"You think he's cute, don't you?"

"Mooommmm," called out Jaden.

"Do you think he's gay?" asked his mother.

"Well, he smiled when I kissed him on the cheek."

"Why you sly boy you," smiled Marlene before tickling her young son. Jaden jumped and fell on the floor causing both of them to burst out in laughter.

Still on his back on the floor, Jaden calmed down. "Mom, I love you."

"I love you too, honey. Your father and I are always here for you. Always, no matter what."

----------------------     

Mark tried to dry the palms of his hands on the legs of his short. "We shouldn't be here."

"It was alright to bring me here the last time. What's the big deal tonight?" asked Trajan. Mark's nervousness emboldened Trajan and he exited the car leaving the door open for Lewis once the redhead figured out how to work the front seat to facilitate his escape.

"Shit!" Mark slapped his palms on the steering wheel. He slammed the car door and followed Trajan to the mansion's front door.

An alert notified the security team. "Reynoso," called out Morales, pointing to his screen.

Reynoso, the team leader crossed the security office and peered over Morales' shoulder to the monitor showing the live feed from the mansion's front door camera. "What the hell?" He pulled out his phone and speed dialed the Boss.

The phone was answered on the first ring. "What?"

"Boss. Check out the front door monitor for La Jolla Farms property."

The Boss pulled the phone from his ear and tapped and swiped to pull up his security app. Launching the video feed from his La Jolla Farms home, he got a bit of a treat. 'Well, well, well,' he thought, 'that sweet little hole returned for more.' He brought the phone back to his ear and relayed his orders. "Unlock the door so they can get in. Head over to the house and make sure they don't leave. I'll be there in about 30 minutes."

After failing to get the boys to come back to the car, Mark joined them at the front door. "Guys, it doesn't look like anyone's home, and I don't have the passcode to enter."

"Why didn't you tell us that before we got here?" asked Lewis, trying to get further under Mark's skin.

"You don't understand," pleaded Mark. "I know you guys know about me making porn movies. But that isn't what goes on here. This is something totally different. Let's get out of here."

"What do you mean?" asked Trajan. "Everyone at that party makes movies. You're just a fucking liar."

"No, I'm not. Here's the deal. I got into making movies because of the guys I met here. Some of them were working there and hooked me up. But we all started out as party boys. We were hired to show up, dress in skimpy clothes, serve drinks and entertain rich men. We were the entertainment so the Boss can sell drugs and make business deals. He's like a big-time drug lord or something and he's dangerous. We're all endangered being here without being invited. Let's go."

Lewis caught onto what Mark was saying. "So, you are this guy's bitch. He, like, whores you out and you help him sell drugs."

Mark blushed furiously. "I don't have to have sex with the men. If I do, it's my choice and if they tip me..."

"...then you got paid for having sex," finished Lewis. "That's prostitution. You're a whore."

Trajan didn't care what Lewis was getting at. He whined, "Are you going to get us in the house or what?"

"Trajan," started Mark, "I don't have a key or the security code." Trajan let out a huge sigh and looked from Mark to the door and back again. When Trajan reached for the doorknob, Mark called out, "Don't! You'll set off the alarm!"

Instead, to everyone's surprise, the door opened. "Ha!" cried Trajan. He pushed the door open and strolled inside. Lewis and Mark looked at each other and followed, closing the door behind them.

Mark was the last to reach the sliding doors leading out to the pool. "So now what?"

"I think we should go swimming." Trajan unlocked and slid the glass wall to the left, opening the entire entertainment room to the pool and patio.

"Trajan, we aren't even supposed to be here. You don't know what kind of trouble we'll get in if we're caught and stripping to go swimming isn't going to make it easy for us to get away."

With Trajan standing there naked, the three quarreled. Mark wanted them to head to East Harbor so he could take the boys home. Trajan was taking great pleasure in Mark's discomfort and wanted to do the exact opposite of what Mark wanted just to frustrate Mark. Lewis wasn't helping matters at all. He now understood what a terrible mistake it was to come back to this house and wanted to get out of there in a hurry. Then he would jump to Trajan's side when he felt Mark trying to weasel his way out of this predicament. As a result, the three bickered about who was on who's side, whether they should leave or stay, and about almost anything else just to argue for the sake of arguing. They argued right up until the time they noticed three men standing inside the home watching.

"Oh shit!" Trajan grabbed his shorts from the pool deck and covered up his front. Mark and Lewis jumped and turned to see what scared Trajan.

"Sir!" called out Mark in astonishment. Lewis looked to him curiously, surprised by the older teen's formality.

The Boss took a few steps into the glowing evening light and spoke in a deep, booming voice. His thick Mexican accent made his voice seem even more menacing. "No need to cover up chico dulce [sweet boy], I saw it all when I plowed that cherry ass of yours." He saw the confused look on Trajan's face. "Awwww... Mark didn't tell you chico?" The boss walked over to Trajan and slowly pulled the garment from the boy's hand. He looked down to see the rest of Trajan before he looked back to the boy's face and continued. "I knew Mark had a crush on you from the way he talked about you before the party. But I don't care how much my little party boy cares about our prey." He took Trajan by the chin to force the boy to look him in the eyes. "I'm always first."

The mocha complected man released Trajan and moved to Lewis. "So Mark, is this some kind of trade or something? You want the dark-haired boy for yourself so you bring me the red-head?"

Lewis stood firmly in place as the man circled him, eyeing him up as if he were some kind of merchandise. The man came the full 360 degrees and looked deep into Lewis' eyes to size up the boy. He saw defiance in Lewis' eyes and chuckled. "You can think what you want, but know I am going to bust your cherry before you leave."

"Fuck you!" spat Lewis. He staggered on impact. The man was fast. Lewis didn't see the man's hand flying at his face.

"You will learn to fall in line, little man, like your two friends have."

Lewis rose to his feet and wiped a bit of blood from his busted lip. Glancing at Trajan, he saw his friend trembling in fear. Mark was white as sheet. In that moment, Lewis regretted not believing Mark when the older teen tried to warn them. His brain quickly switched gears. He remembered the events of his kidnapping and Michael's quick thinking that saved them. 'What would Michael do?' he thought.

"So that brings us to Señor Lange." The Boss now stood before his, at least in his mind, property. "Why do I have the honor of your presence this evening?"

Mark had been trying to think up an explanation for being there. He was unsuccessful at solving that puzzle before the Boss confronted him. The only thing that sounded plausible was the truth, but he didn't want to throw the boys under the bus. "I... I..." The slap caught Mark by surprise.

"Do you realize how badly you've fucked up? Every TV station is reporting their kidnapping and stations are splashing your name and image on every screen in California!" His voice crescendoed to a scream has he moved within a few inches of Mark's face. "I don't care why you brought them here. You just as well brought the damn police with you!"

"I..." This time it was the Boss' fist contacting Mark's face. Hitting the pool deck on his side prevented Mark's head from striking the ground but the punch alone fogged up his mind. Mark shook his head and rolled onto his back before attempting to sit up. Opening his eyes, he watched the Boss approach Trajan, the boy visibly shaking from fear and anger.

"When a man pops a boy's pussy cherry, the man owns the boy. You got that maricon (faggot)."

Trajan was on the verge of crying. He nodded his head to ingratiate himself to the man, hoping all this would end soon.

"Then let's see how well you understand your new status in life. Huh? On your knees."

Trajan grimaced at what he expected to come next. Moving his shorts under his knees, he knelt. Facing the man, his eyes traced the outline of the encumbered erection. He struggled with his composure until the man moved away.

"Okay, Red," said the man pointing to the spot in front of Trajan, "show us all what you got." Lewis didn't move immediately, and the man's patience was wearing thin. "MOVE IT!" he ordered.

Lewis scurried to the place the Boss commanded him to stand and begin unbuckling his pants.

"Shirt first you dumb shit. You can't have your shirt hiding the reveal when you drop your pants." Lewis pulled his t-shirt over his head and tossed it aside.

"Maricón," called out the Boss, "since you are already on your knees, finish helping Red take off his shorts.

Trajan looked up at Lewis who simply nodded his permission. Trajan then looked to Mark. He gave his former coach a pleading look, hoping the older boy would know how to put an end to this. Mark was only able to give Trajan a slight nod of his head.

In defeat, Trajan reached out and pulled down Lewis' zipper and helped gravity drag the cargo shorts to the ground. His mind swirled with conflicting emotions. The turmoil generated by the collision of fear, anger, confusion, and lust. He'd never thought of Lewis this way but seeing the red-head's package in his tight, black boxer briefs made Trajan flush with desire for what was gently nestled within the cotton material before his eyes.

Trajan placed his hands on Lewis' bare thighs and leaned forward face first toward the bulging briefs. When Lewis flinched, Trajan paused and looked up. Lewis was thrown into the pool and Mark was reaching for him. He was confused when the older teen grabbed him under his arms and his naked body was launched into the air. Time slowed to a crawl. Mark was facing him as the pair floated through the air parallel to the ground. His body twisted as he reached out to catch his fall. The blue of the pool water came at him when he caught sight of Lewis coming up for air to his left. Distantly aware of pops and shouting, Trajan closed his eyes and splashed into the cool water. Mark's body plunged into the pool almost simultaneously.

The cold shocked Trajan back to reality. He scrambled toward the surface searching for oxygen when a hand clutched his arm and pulled him to the surface next to the wall of the pool. When Trajan's head breached the surface, he pieced together what was happening. Police officers took strategic positions behind planters and other makeshift barriers as they battled with the Boss and his men. The gunfire was deafening.

Lewis shouted again, "GO BACK UNDERWATER!!"

Trajan turned as Lewis was pointing down. Then the redhead counted down from three with his fingers and both boys took a deep breath and submerged themselves. Again, the water altered their reality. The officers' commands and the cracks of gunfire receded into the distance as the two boys made their way to the deepest corner of the pool. Placing their backs to the wall, they saw Mark approach pointing to the wall adjacent to their position. The boys nodded and the three teens stayed against the wall keeping them out of the line of fire from the men in the house. Coming up for air, they kept their heads low, bodies pressed against the wall, and waited to see which side -- criminal or law enforcement -- would set the course of their future.

----------------------     

It was getting late, but Craig, Oliver and some of their new friends were hanging out in one of the dorm's guest rooms assigned to the Bozeman boys. The Cate boys came and went as they finished homework and managed their bedtime routines.

"I can't believe this is a dorm room," stated Craig for the tenth time. Their room had an en suite bathroom, two twin beds, desks, and wardrobes, and French doors out to a balcony overlooking a park-like landscape and some other dorms. He rested his weight on his forearms and leaned against the banister railing.

Chase laughed. "Yeah, the different quads have different architectural styles, but the rooms are just as nice." Skip and Kenneth confirmed.

Oliver felt the need to be closer to Craig and joined him on the balcony. He stood hip-to-hip with his partner and wrapped his left arm around Craig's waist. The boys in the room looked at each other and then back out to the two on the balcony watching Oliver's hand gently stroke Craig's side. Kenneth didn't say anything. He'd let the boys tell if they wished.

Skip, on the other hand, was always more direct and to the point. "So, are you guys a couple or something? I mean, coach said that you were from different places but were running at the same school back home. No offense, but if you are, you guys make a good couple."

Craig stood and leaned into Oliver, a wordless gesture that he was okay with the boys knowing. They'd agreed to be open and honest about their relationship. If there was going to be a backlash, it would be better now than next fall. Oliver slid his hand up Craig's side and squeezed him tightly before they returned to the room an sat together on one of the beds.

They told their stories, how they each unwillingly ended up in Bozeman but found each other. They shared the trials and tribulations of the fall cross country season. The smaller team of distance runners weren't welcoming but respected their talent as runners but weren't very friendly. The school year seemed to slowly go downhill. The LGBT community at the school took the boys in and provided them as much support as they could, but as that support increased, the intensity of the abuse the boys faced by some of the other students escalated. They shared what happened during the beginning of track season and the breaking point that left the boys being home schooled and without a team.

"Shit," said Skip. He got up and gave each of the boys a hug. "I don't understand why people act like that. If someone did any of that crap here, the rest of the students would run the perp out of here. The students here don't tolerate that type of shit."

Chase gave a nervous laugh.

"What?" asked Oliver. He looked at Kenneth. "Did that have something to do with what you warned us about earlier?"

Kenneth nodded his head.

"Oh, you warned them already?" asked Skip.

"Kinda," replied Kenneth.

Skip turned back to Craig and Oliver. He moved closer and lowered his voice. "Look. Something weird has been going on here but no one is really talking. It's like bits of information floating around but no one really knows how they all fit together. Kenneth and I have been gathering intel and here's what we know so far. It appears that one or more of the faculty or administration are getting too friendly with some of the students. Putting the rumors together, it sounds like they are using a master key to enter dorm rooms at night. Anything else is just us making up stories, but if you ask us, there are only so many things that could be happening if an adult is entering a student's room late at night, and none of it is good. You're on the second story so you don't have to worry about the balcony doors. I doubt anyone could climb up there and the doors lock and there's no keyhole to unlock from outside. We take extra measures to secure the door to the hallway. Maybe you could move a chair or the wardrobe in front of the door or something. At least that way, someone coming in the door will at least wake you if it doesn't prevent them from entering."

"We should be getting to bed. We have classes tomorrow," noted Chase. "Good night, guys." He waved as he turned the corner and headed down the hallway to his room.

"Umm..." Kenneth was trying to be friendly and helpful but didn't want to come across as too presumptuous. "If you two want to sleep together, we'll help you move the beds together."

Craig and Oliver smiled. "Thanks."

----------------------     

Alex was excited yet nervous when he called Josh. He was positive Josh wanted to be boyfriends and after his conversation with Grant, he felt energized and free from the guilt and pain he'd tortured himself with since leaving Mayfield. The only thing that gave him second thoughts was his heart. Seeing Grant reminded him of how much he loved the cute blond and he didn't know if it was fair to Josh.

Before he could change his mind Josh answered on Facetime.

A huge smile graced the lightly freckled face of the auburn-haired boy. "Hi Alex!"

That smile melted Alex's heart a bit more each time Josh flashed it his way. Alex's grin matched Josh's, "Hi!" He wondered why he was suddenly feeling embarrassed and shy.

"Whatcha been up to today?" asked Josh.

Alex left out the part about why Jaden called his cousin but told Alex about how Jaden and Grant are related and that he finally was able to clear the air with his best friend back in Mayfield.

"No wonder you are in such a good mood."

Alex laughed. "Yeah, I guess. After the call Jaden and I went to the Maple Street Café and ran into his friend Isaac. Before Jaden had to go home, we both realized something."

"What's that?"

"We both had someone we wanted to ask to be our boyfriend."

"YES!" squealed Josh before Alex could officially ask. On the screen, the room spun as Josh ran to tell his mom. "Mom! Mom! Alex asked me to be his boyfriend!" It appeared Josh hugged his mom, but Alex couldn't really tell since the camera on Josh's phone was covered and his screen was black.

Alex was laughing when Josh returned his attention to his phone's screen. When Alex opened his eyes, Josh and his mother were watching.

"I'm happy for you two," congratulated Josh's mother. "You two be good to each other."

"We will," answered Alex. Josh was too busy wiping tears of joy from his face. "Um... Mrs. Evans? Would it be alright if I took Josh out and he spends the night Saturday?"

Josh bounced in place anticipating his mother's answer. His mother, Pam, pulls her son's head close and kissed it. "I think that's a great idea. Alex, have your mom call me to make plans."

"Okay, Mrs. Evans. It might not be until tomorrow. I'm hoping this will be a double date with Jaden and Isaac," added Alex.

"Jaden and Isaac?" she asked.

"Yes, Jaden's my best friend. He's a seventh grader like me at East Harbor. He's on the swim team and an awesome student and friend. He's gonna ask Isaac Moore out tonight. I guess Isaac and Jaden met swimming at the Y. Isaac's really funny and nice. I met him today at the Café when me and Jaden went to get ice cream."

Pam realized she knew the Moore family from work. Sometimes her work as a oncology nurse at the UC San Diego Health Cancer Services there in Vista was heartbreaking, but the Moore family seemed to have beat the odds.

"I'm hoping Jaden and Isaac can go. They sound like nice boys."

Across town, Jaden was thinking the same thing. He woke his phone for what seemed like the tenth time but was too nervous to tap Isaac's number. Doubt plagued his mind.

"Hello? Jaden?"

Jaden hadn't noticed when his thumb twitched and dialed Isaac's number. When Isaac answered, all he could see was a nondescript ceiling.

"Oh! Hi Isaac. I accidentally called you... I mean, I was gonna call you, but my thumb called you before I was ready." In Jaden's opinion, this was going downhill fast.

"I'm glad you called. I had fun at the Café today," said Isaac.

Jaden finally made eye contact with the boy he was sweet on. Isaac's grin made him forget his nerves. "Yeah, I had fun too. I was really happy to run into you."

"Come here!" called out Isaac as he patted his knee. The camera on his phone waved with Isaac's movement. The camera settled back on Isaac cuddling a wiggling mass of curly black hair. A pink tongue lapped at his face causing Isaac to laugh. "Stop it Millie." She lapped at his face again.

Jaden laughed watching Isaac with his pride and joy. "What kind of dog is she?"

"She's a Schnoodle -- part Schnauzer, part Poodle -- and she's all mine. Aren't you Mille Hope?" Millie knew Isaac was talking about her and she turned and covered her boy's face with more doggie kisses.

"Hope?" asked Jaden.

"Yep. Millie Hope Moore. That's her name. She's my baby." Mille applied more doggie kisses.

Unexpectedly, at least to Jaden, he blurted out, "Would you want to go out for pizza and a movie Saturday night?"

"Just you and me?" asked Isaac, thinking Jaden meant to have Isaac join him and his family for dinner and a movie.

"Well, no. We'd probably be going with Alex and Josh. You met Alex today."

"Yeah, he's cool. Who's Josh?" asked Isaac.

"Josh is a friend of his from Vista. He's asking Josh out tonight, so I don't know if Josh is going or not."

"Asking out? Like a date? Is this going to be like a double-date or something?"

"Ugh... yeah. I was like, not just asking you out on a date. I mean, what I really wanted to ask you is if you would be my boyfriend?"

"Really?" asked Isaac. He was skeptical that anyone would like him that way.

"Yeah! I think you're awesome and really cute."

Isaac was quiet. "I really like you too, but I don't think you'll like me as much when you know everything."

"What do you mean?"

"I know you saw my hearing aid at the Café, but that isn't my only disability." Isaac was becoming upset. "In addition to not hearing very good, I have problems with my eyesight. Sometimes I have double vision and have to lie down and close my eyes until it goes away. And I fall down a lot. That's why I see you at the pool. I do some of my physical therapy at the Y to try to strengthen my legs and work on my balance."

"Okay. I don't care... I mean, I care, I want to know more, I want to help. I really care a lot, but that doesn't mean I don't want to be your boyfriend. I do. I really do."

"Really?"

Jaden smiled. "Yes. Really. I want to be boyfriends. I also want to know all about you -- including about what happened."

"Well, about three years ago I was diagnosed with a brain tumor."

Jaden's heart skipped. "Like cancer?"

"Yeah, it's brain cancer."

"Oh. So, you're better now, right?"

"No, not really. The tumor is inoperable. That means they can't take it out -- just try to keep it from getting bigger. It hasn't grown in a year, but it is still pressing on things in my brain that cause me to have problems seeing, hearing, and walking."

"How can I help?" asked Jaden.

"What do you mean?"

"I'll help in any way. I can help teach you to swim or something."

"Thanks," smiled Isaac. "I'll let you know."

"Okay, but you haven't answered my question."

"Which one?"

Jaden asked again, this time with complete confidence this is what he wanted. "Will you be my boyfriend?"

Isaac smiled. "Yes."

When the calls ended, Alex and Jaden immediately texted Grant. The three boys stayed up way past their bedtimes catching up and strengthening their bonds.

----------------------     

The quiet was eerie. Lewis peered over the edge of the pool. "I can't see anyone." That wasn't quite accurate. He could see two of the Boss' men lying motionless in the house, but that was inconsequential. Dropping back into the water, he looked to Trajan and Mark. "What do we do?" Mark held a shaken Trajan and comforted the naked teen. "Well..." drew out Mark to give himself more time to figure things out. "We can either wait here for whoever wins the gunfight, or we can make a run for it." "If your Boss wins, I don't want to be here," admitted Lewis. "Let's get out of here." Mark pointed to a cabinet in the corner of the pool area. "Towels are there. We don't have time to dry off or you guys getting your clothes. Get some towels to cover you and Tra up and we'll see if we can make it to the front door." Lewis cut through the water faster than Mark and Trajan. At the steps he was careful not to splash the water then hurried over and grabbed an armful of towels. He met the other two as they exited the pool. Mark helped Trajan to his feet and Lewis wrapped him in towels. "Com'on." Mark led the way. Entering the house, he kept his eyes locked on the staircase assuming the Boss fled upstairs, and the officers followed. Lewis and Trajan's eyes wandered around the room taking in the shattered table lamp, bullet holes in the 85" TV, the man sprawled out face down in the shards of glass from the coffee table his body smashed. Rounding the capsized sofa, Trajan squeaked. Mark and Lewis shushed him however Trajan didn't even hear them. He was frozen, eyes locked with the dead eyes of one of the men. Lewis poked him breaking the trance. Trajan's eyes dropped to see his toes squishing in the pool of blood trailing away from the man's head. Lewis grabbed Trajan by the shoulders and moved him toward the door. Mark held the door and watched their backs as Lewis helped Trajan cross the threshold and down the paved path leading to the parked vehicles. Mark gave one last look to see if anyone noticed their escape. The Mercedes' door was unlocked. Not bothering to take the time to climb into the back, Lewis climbed into the front seat and pulled Trajan onto his lap. He slammed the door and impatiently waited for Mark to get them out of there. Without a care for the expensive leather, Mark squished into the driver's seat, wet clothes and all, and pressed the start button. Nothing. He wrestled with his wet pants, eventually pulling the fob from his pocket. Water trickled from the seam of the plastic case and ran down his arm. "Dammit!" He shook the fob hoping to drain its flooded interior faster so he'd be able to start the car. "Mark..." called Lewis looking back at the house. Trajan watched as Mark desperately tried to start the engine. "I'm trying! I'm trying!" "MARK!" called Lewis, louder and more urgent. "Dammit! The fob is wet and the car won't start." "The key!" noted Trajan. "There's a key inside the fob. Use the key!" Mark had never noticed the key hidden in the side of the fob. He pried it open as you would a blade from a pocketknife. He reached to insert the key into the ignition. "MARK!!" screamed Lewis. The redhead shoved Trajan into Mark's lap and turned to shield his face as the butt of a gun slammed into the passenger window. Fragments of safety glass sprayed the car's interior and its occupants. "You did this you motherfucker. You brought the cops down on me and now you're gonna pay." Gunfire echoed throughout the courtyard.

----------------------     

"Love ya. See you in the morning," said Christian with a smile.

Michael looked down at his phone screen and smiled back. "Have a great night and dream of me."

"I always do."

"Me too," smiled Michael. "G'night." Just before Christian hit the end button, Michael could see the disappointment in his boyfriend's face. It was like a knife to his heart. He dropped the phone on his table and picked up his acoustic guitar and went back to work.

"What are you doing, lil'bro?" asked Matthew. He just returned home from watching a movie with April's family and wanted to check in on his brothers. Both Lukas and Michael had been kicking themselves for letting things go too long before telling their father about Lewis and Trajan's plan for revenge. Now Mark had disappeared with their friends, social media was blowing up with sightings and theories, and now the local news had joined in with the kidnapping and a deadly gunfight in an exclusive community encouraging them to interrupt with breaking news updates every 15 minutes or so.

"I'm working on something, but I can't concentrate." He set his guitar down and crossed his bedroom and into Matthew's arms.

"You worried about Trajan and Lewis?"

"Yeah."

"I am too. You've got nice friends and I don't want anything to happen to any of them, especially Lewis." Matthew had a particular fondness for Lewis after learning how he helped Michael after the attempted kidnapping. "Maybe I can help you with what you're working on and you can concentrate better."

"First, I have to ask you something."

Matthew sat on the edge of the bed and gave Michael his full attention. "Okay. Shoot."

Michael's eyes glanced around the room as he found it difficult to broach the subject. "How did you know it was the right time to tell April you loved her?"

"Oh..." Matthew thought back to the ballgame and wondered how to explain it to Michael. "I don't think I really decided it was the right time. I knew I loved her and it just slipped out in the moment." Michael's hope for a concrete answer slipped away and his shoulders slumped.

"So, what's going on?"

"I don't know if I should tell Christian I love him or not. I mean, I said it to Gavin, but it wasn't the right kind of love -- it wasn't a romantic love. I tell you I love you and that's a different kind of love. You know?"

Matthew simply nodded and allowed Michael to continue.

"How do you know if it is, you know, the romantic love? I don't want to mislead Christian if I don't get this right, but I'm hurting him by not telling him. I don't know what to do."

"Just go with your heart. Do you love him?" asked Matthew.

"I think so."

"You THINK so?"

"I don't know if it is the right kind of love."

"Does it really matter?" asked Matthew.

"Doesn't it?"

The brothers stared at each other.

"Michael, I see the way you look at Christian and the connection you two have. If that isn't romantic love, then I don't know what it is."

Michael smiled and hugged his big bro. Matthew squeezed Michael tightly. He loved April, but that love would never match what he felt for his brother.

"Now what were you working on when I came in?"

Michael retrieved his pen and notepad to show Matthew. "Well, all of you guys have been writing songs so I wanted to write one too."

"Dude, you help write all our songs. The whole band contributes to every song."

Michael playfully punched Matthew in the arm. "You know what I mean. Your poems end up as lyrics for songs Lukas writes. Lukas and Simon write lyrics we put to music. But I haven't written any lyrics. None of the songs are my idea."

"What's wrong with that?" asked Matthew.

"I just feel like I should."

"So what have you got so far? Play it for me."

Michael handed Matthew the pen and pad then slipped his head through the guitar strap. "Here's the music." He strummed out an upbeat acoustic tune that reminded Matthew of some cross between Shawn Mendes' "Stitches" and George Harrison's "Apple Scruffs". It didn't sound like anything the band had written, but it was catchy. Matthew looked at the notepad and saw "Lost and Found" scrawled across the top of the page.

Michael stopped and sat on the edge of his bed next to his brother. "I know. I'm not very good with words."Matthew ignored Michael and continued to read the lyrics, then he reread the entire song again. "Don't ever say you aren't good with words -- not ever again."

"So, you get it? You get the song?" asked Michael.

"It's beautiful, Michael. It's fucking brilliant. Lukas and Christian are going to be floored when they hear it."

Michael relaxed into Matthew and felt good about the work he'd done. Being smart had been his strategy for dealing with life so when he felt unsure of himself, he would throw himself into studying the topic to build his confidence. To that end, he found two areas where no matter how much studying he could do, it would never be enough for him to know if he was doing it right -- being creative and dealing with emotions. This song brought the two together and fed into Michael's insecurities.

Matthew placed his arm around Michael and squeezed him tightly. "You never cease to amaze me. I'm so lucky to have you in my life."

"I love you too big bro."

----------------------     

The light rattling of the doorknob proved that the door was locked. It didn't deter the figure in the dark hallway. A set of keys were pulled from his pocket.

"Oliver!" whispered Craig. "There's someone at the door!"

"Mmmmrrrh?" Groggy, he only comprehended that Craig was talking to him.

"Someone tried the doorknob. They're standing outside the door now." Craig shook Oliver with his eyes glued to the narrow gap under the door. The emergency exit signs cast enough light that he could make out a faint shadow of the would-be intruder.

The keys on the keyring rattled. Oliver shot straight up and looked to where Craig pointed below the door. The shadow moved to the left as the person walked away from their door.

"That's what the guys were warning us about," added Craig.

Oliver slipped out of the bed and Craig followed. The two boys padded quietly to the door and listened. They could hear the keys clinking in the distance as someone flipped through them. They carefully opened their door and peered down the hallway. A figure was holding the keys up to the exit sign in order to tell them apart.

The boys pulled back and shut the door, locking it securely. Oliver hurried to the bedside table and turned on a small lamp. "Let's move that dresser in front of the door. It won't prevent them from getting in, but if he tries to open the door, it will make enough noise to scare him off."

"OH! I have an idea!" Craig coordinated the placement of the dresser and he and Oliver grabbed their phones and piled into the bathroom to wait.

They heard the key slide into the keyhole and the door unlock. Oliver hit record on his phone and when the door to their room opened, Craig flipped the bathroom light switch startling the intruder and illuminating the scene for Oliver to record.

Craig used the heel kick he learned in a self-defense class back in Chicago and drilled the man in the nuts before the adult knew what hit him. The man gasped and dropped to the carpeted floor in the hallway.

Adding insult to injury, Craig shouted, "Stay the fuck out of our room, fuckwad!"

Oliver pushed past Craig and continued filming the man in the hallway. The adult tried to turn his face away from the light coming through the doorway, but it was too late. The commotion woke other residents on the floor. Lights came on and doors opened to see what was going on. At the end of the hallway, a student flipped the switch to the overhead lights in the corridor.

Students moved aside as they watched the man scramble to escape, but the wheels were set in motion. Craig and Oliver opened the door that would expose Cate School's abuse history. A history of student abuse that dated back decades.

   
         
   

Visit the Author's Story Forum

Email the Author

Other Stories by the BRAT