SATURDAY, MARCH 31, 2018

For Simon, Lukas and their friends, Spring Break doesn't really start until Saturday afternoon. So much so that most of the families plan their spring break travel to accommodate their sons attending the cookout and pool party at Dr. Meijer's house.

Jordan and his mother Janette, along with Scott, Will, Trajan, and Curtis, arrived early to help set up since the band was playing down on KBZT 94.9 in Serra Mesa, on the north side of San Diego. They arrived and got most everything set up before pulling up the live feed of the show on the TV in the family room. With the sound turned up, they watched At the Majestic on LIVE.

When the show was over, Janette and Carol wrangled the wound-up boys to finish setting up as guests arrived. Boys from the East Harbor soccer and lacrosse programs arrived along with a few others invited.

Alejandro and Jacob also arrived before the band. Sam and Gregory were thrilled to see their close friend, and the others were happy to see Alejandro, too. There were questions about his new name and his British bodyguard. Alejandro answered the questions but kept details like his true wealth and his new family's businesses to himself. He thought it was silly when his abuela suggested he not reveal too much about his family and newfound wealth. He felt his new friends would understand he wasn't bragging, but when he came face-to-face with them, those details seemed out of place. He simply explained his full name and how the nickname Trey had come about. He also told them they were more than welcome to continue to call him Trey.

Lewis and Christian were at the cookout. Robert McCall showed up with his little brother, Derek, as well as Caleb and Preston from the JV team. The teens had joined their teammates for the early morning workouts. They finally warmed up to their younger teammates and their love for lacrosse was reawakened.

All in all, nearly 50 boys attended at the party. Lars and Carol catered in toppings, side dishes and desserts, but fired up grills to cook up hot dogs, hamburgers, and black bean burgers for their guests. The crowd was getting hungry and Lars hoped Zach would be back soon to help him grill up the food. When Carol and Janette's suggested catering the entire affair fell on deaf ears, they decided to leave it to the men to do their thing. They were enjoying the look of worry on Lars' face. A yard of hungry boys and he hadn't started the first burger. When would the riots start?

The hosts of the party were the last to arrive. They dropped off their equipment at the Theater leaving the van in its reserved parking space and walked back to the house. From more than a block away, they could hear their friends. Michael, Lukas, and Simon took off running to get home. Matthew and Zach continued their leisurely walk.

"You sounded really good today," noted Zach. "Especially on 'I Was Just a Kid'. The vocal work you put in was evident." Zach put his arm around Matthew's shoulders and gave him a squeeze.

"Thanks." Matthew accepted the complement with his typical humility. "I've had a good teacher. Thank you for all your help."

"Sorry April's not coming to the cook out," offered Zach. Lars and Carol had decided it should be a boys only affair as a way of helping to limit the number of guests. It gave the boys an out from having to decide which female friends to invite, and which boys to not invite, and stay within the maximum number of guests.

"Yeah, but I totally get it." And he did. He needed to spend time getting to know his male friends better anyway. If April was there, no one would be able to pull him away from her side. "I did invite a couple of guys from the football team to get to know them and learn more about team."

"Why don't you run ahead and join your friends," it was more of a suggestion than a question.

Matthew laughed, "What about dad? Isn't he waiting for you to help him on the grills?"

This time Zach laughed. "Yeah, but I agreed with Carol and Janette. We should have catered the whole thing. I think he can sweat it out until I get there." They both laughed.

Simon, Lukas and Michael poured out of the back door of the Novak residence in nothing but their swim trunks. With a scream of "cannonball", Michael was the first of the band in the pool with Lukas and Simon close behind.

Matthew and Zach followed a short time later, coming through the Meijer's home. Matthew had changed into his trunks and flip-flops and drew a great deal of attention when he entered the backyard shirtless. In the locker room he was rather modest. He managed to not let many see him unclothed. He'd not always been this modest. Back in Oregon, he'd been the typical jock who'd walk around the locker room naked or in only a towel and never gave it a second thought. But after everything that went down with his football coach and his father, Matthew was more self-conscious. Even in the hot tub and pool, he would wear a sweatshirt and only take it off when he was in the water. His work with Lars and Zach was helping and today, he made a point to go shirtless.

The daily workouts had Matthew is peak form. He'd bulked up some and shed body fat, so his body was ripped and cut. His future football teammates saw Matthew and hoped he played as good as he looked. They knew right away they needed Matthew on the team, and he'd be a star.

Zach gave Lars a kiss as he joined his partner behind the grills. Lars gave his mate a knowing look. "You about got me roasted for not having the food ready."

"You can handle the heat," said Zach, full of innuendo.

"Oh," replied Lars. "Let's get these boys fed then leave them to Carol and Janette to watch." The men shared a more passionate kiss.

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As evening approached, the crowd dwindled as boys went home to prepare for Spring Break vacations. The remaining boys were those staying for a legendary Meijer overnight and a few stragglers.

"Hey, thanks for coming to the party," said Michael with complete sincerity. Preston and Caleb had been a hoot at the party and had shown the adults great respect. Their attitudes had really changed, and Michael liked the older boys.

"Thank you, lil'dude," said Preston giving Michael a fist-bump. "That was a great party. I haven't had that much fun in a long time."

"Yeah, man." Caleb shared a fist-bump with Michael. "Appreciate your including us after we were such assholes."

"Like I said, what's in the past is in the past. I'm glad we've gotten to know each other. I think we're gonna have a lot more parties like this once summer gets here." At least Michael hoped they would.

"Cool! Have a great break. Maybe we'll run into you at the gym over break," said Preston. He and Caleb would be in town over break but planned on keeping up at the gym to stay in share. They hoped to suit up with the varsity the week after break and wanted to be ready. They waved as they headed out to Caleb's mom's car.

The remaining boys helped clean up and tear down from the cookout. Lars left the coolers of iced down sodas by the pool and as a late dinner, bought the remaining boys Pappy's Pizza. Their energy level rose as did the noise level in the backyard.

"Uh oh," laughed Carol. She averted her eyes and returned to the dining table with Janette, Zach and Lars.

"What?" Lars' wasn't alarmed, but curious.

"I saw a swimsuit go flying."

"Who's?" asked Janette.

Zach, Lars and Carol answered in unison. There could only be one answer. "Derek's."

"Whoop! Whoop! Whoop!" hollered Derek, twirling his boardies over his head. On the third whoop, he released the trunks and the wet garment flew the length of the pool and landed at the feet of Lewis and Christian. Everyone looked to Derek who swung his hips to show off his thin, four-inch boner flopping around over his smooth, tight nut sac. The cool water had caused his balls to draw up tight against his body. With a shout of "Geronimo" Derek cannonballed into the pool.

When the blonde emerged from underwater, Will asked, "What are you doing?"

"Skinny dipping. Duh!" Derek looked at everyone as they laughed at his response. Then he swam over to Michael who was hanging onto the side of the pool talking to Curtis and Jordan. Before Michael knew what was happening, Derek had pulled the string on Michael's boardies and slid them down to Michael's ankles.

"Derek!" shrieked Michael. Letting go of the side of the pool, Michael was pulled underwater as he struggled to pull his swimsuit back up. But Derek had the advantage and soon Michael's trunks joined Derek's on the decking. Derek and Michael began splashing and wrestling around in the pool until Derek whispered something in Michael's ear. Michael looked to see where Derek pointed, and he nodded his head.

Michael subtly got Simon's attention and motioned with his eyes. Simon noticed where Derek had moved.

"Here," offered Simon, "let me hold that for you." Simon took the can of Coke from Lukas' hand just before four hands grabbed Lukas' gym shorts and pulled. The shorts made it to Lukas' knees before he caught hold with his right hand. To keep his balance, Lukas leaned forward pointing his tight ass toward everyone in the pool.

"Nooooooooo!" squealed the teen. But he didn't have a chance against the two younger boys. The tweens placed their feet on the wall of the pool and toppled Lukas backwards into the pool.

Laughing, everyone watched to see what would happen. The first thing to emerge from underwater was Michael's fist, clenched in victory around Lukas' shorts and boxers. Lukas and Derek talked Trajan and Simon into joining in and a soon Alejandro, Sam, Scott and Curtis were naked and in the water.

"Come on, Jordan," urged Curtis. "You'd normally be one of the first to strip and jump in."

"Dude, my mom's inside. I don't want her to catch me skinny dipping!"

"Jordan, it's not like they don't know what's going on out here. If anyone cared, they'd've already stopped us," argued Scott. He'd been around enough to know Lars and Zach knew more about what was going on than his friends realized.

Jordan stood and looked to the house to see if anyone was looking at the window. Not seeing any adults looking, he slipped off his boardies and hopped in the water. Soon, everyone left at the party was naked in the pool or hot tub.

Michael hurried over to grab another bite of pizza and a drink. Lukas got there about the same time.

"This is fun!" grinned Michael. The boy's fat little boner had already told Lukas how much his little brother was enjoying himself.

"I know," said Lukas, matching Michael's grin. "Why didn't we ever think of this?"

"I don't know, but I'm not surprised Derek did." Michael looked around. "Hey, where's Lewis and Christian?"

"I think they left. Christian can be sort of a prude about things," Lukas pointed out.

"Don't say that about Christian." Lukas' comment lit a small fire in Michael. "He's just a little shy. His life's changed about as much as mine has since moving here and I think he's still getting use to things."

"You're right," agreed Lukas. "I'm sorry. Looks like there's some room in the hot tub. You coming?"

"Naw, I'm grabbing a towel and a lounger to eat." Michael did just that. With a plate of pizza and a cold soda, he grabbed a giant beach towel and wrapped himself up. With some decent pizza from Pappy's, the joy of a great performance on the KBTZ LIVE, an incredible Spring Break Blowout party, and his closest friends hanging out before the sleep over, Michael was on top of the world. Taking in the scene of naked boys, he unconsciously played with his boner while he scarfed down pizza and Coke to reenergize. It would be a grueling week of practicing for the upcoming show Friday night and wrapping up the other videos, but tonight was all about having fun.

In addition to Lewis and Christian slipping out of the party, Michael noticed Matthew had disappeared too. That, of course, didn't surprise him. He would be the oldest of the crowd remaining and Michael suspected he would prefer to spend the evening with April.

"Hey!" came from behind Michael as a body bumped up against his own.

"Hey, Derek!" said Michael in a sing-songy tone. Michael dropped his empty plate and can on the side table before Derek wrapped himself, and his own giant beach towel, around Michael.

The boys sat there quietly and watched the older boys. Alejandro, Sam and Gregory were joined in the hot tub by Scott and Trajan. If the laughter coming from the hot tub was used as a measure, they seemed to be having a lot of fun. Mrs. Greenfield hadn't allowed Sam to spend the night with anyone after his coming out. She wasn't so much upset with his being gay but learning that her precious son was sexually active was something she was still coming to terms with. Until then, Sam was under lock and key. He and Gregory had to move heaven and earth to get her permission to come to the party. Since they wouldn't spend the night and Lars and other adults would be there, Sam's mother finally relented.

Hanging out in the deep end of the pool was a more subdued group. Will, Curtis, Jordan, Lukas, Simon, and Luke were enjoying their conversations, even if their laughter wasn't as robust.

"Are we going to have an orgy tonight?" asked Derek. Michael laughed at Derek's direct manner. It was something that never ceased to tickle Michael.

"We'll see," replied Michael. "Those things aren't planned." He knew Derek asked not because the little swimmer couldn't remember the answer he received every time he asked. Derek asked out of hope it would happen. Unlike the showering after swim practice with a bunch of naked boys, at Michael's house he got to touch too!

The tweens watched Scott and Trajan climb out of the hot tub and walk to the swimming pool. The warm water had relaxed their bodies and their junk hung low and full. The swaying cocks and balls captured the attention of Michael and Derek. They watched intently until the teens slipped into the cool, pool water to join their peers.

Michael felt the back of his towel being pulled up. He leaned forward releasing the item from under his weight and he felt the terry cloth slide up to his shoulders. Derek's warm arms wrapped around his torso and Michael leaned back into Derek's body feeling a hard spike poke his lower back. Michael pulled his towel over his head so the boys were wrapped in Derek's, with Michael's towel piled in his lap. The younger boy's hands drifted south until one cupped Michael's balls and the fingers of the other toyed with his stiffy. The older boy grabbed the blonde's legs and pulled them around his body to maximize their body contact. Unable to do much for Derek in return, he rubbed the boy's legs and enjoyed Derek's hands massaging his cock and balls.

Derek rested his cheek on Michael's shoulders and closed his eyes, using his other senses to fill his being. Michael's eyes drooped as the growing warmth under the towel and the fingers rubbing his precum around his hard dick had him relaxed and horny. Mesmerized by the feelings his body was experiencing, Michael's head lolled from side-to-side. That's how he just happened to notice what was going on in the hot tub.

Checking the pool area, Michael realized no one had noticed what was going on under the gazebo. Michael chose not to say anything to Derek. If the little blonde saw, it wouldn't be because he exposed his friend's activities.

Sam sat on the edge of the hot tub with a towel around his shoulders. His eyes were closed, and head thrown back while Gregory and Alejandro stood in the tub. When Gregory adjusted his position, Michael got a glimpse between the two boys' bodies to see Alejandro's fingers toying with Sam's hole and Sam's cock reaching for the sky. Alejandro pulled his finger free and spit on his hand. This time, he slid two fingers into Sam. The blonde seventh grader twitched in satisfaction. Sam hadn't gotten to mess around since he spent the night with Michael and lost his virginity. He was determined to have fun at this party before he had to go home.

Alejandro added a third finger and Sam's toes curled. Michael thought it was curious that Gregory was there. For a boy that was adamant he wasn't interested in having a boyfriend, he was right there in the midst of things. One thing Michael knew for sure, Alejandro had bigger equipment that what Michael drilled that hole with. He watched Alejandro twist his wrist, so his hand was palm up. The embedded fingers curled to rub Sam's love nugget. Sam bit his lip to keep from making noise.

Scooping up Sam's dripping precum, Alejandro lubed up his cock then added another large gob of spit. He lifted Sam's ankles to his shoulders, as Sam reclined onto his elbows and waited for penetration. Alejandro, with an ankle in each hand, turned to Gregory and said something. After a brief exchange, Gregory reached over and guided Alejandro's cock to Sam's hole. Michael watched Alejandro's ass flex as he pressed his cock head against Sam's boy hole. Sam's toes curled again, and Alejandro's ass relaxed. Successful penetration had been achieved. Gregory withdrew his hand, but his eyes were glued to the connection between his friends.

Alejandro's hands moved down to Sam's quads to hold the boy in place then Alejandro's hips began to move. Michael almost moaned out loud at the erotic sight. Checking again to see if anyone was watching, it seemed no one had noticed. He turned his eyes back to the gazebo and watched Alejandro slip his left arm around Gregory and pull him close. No longer able to see Sam's torso, Michael watched Alejandro's ass work the boy's cock in and out of Sam's love canal.

When Alejandro's head turned towards Gregory, it drew Michael's attention. He wished he could read lips. He wanted to know exactly what Alejandro said to Gregory, but he had a good idea. After the exchange, Gregory leaned in and kissed Alejandro. As they kissed, Alejandro let his arm slip down the handsome seventh-grader's body until his hand cupped the boy's left ass cheek. The hand gripped the cheek tight, the kissing became more passionate, and Alejandro's hips sped up then thrust forward and stopped.

"Oh fuck," groaned Michael.

"What?" murmured Derek, luxuriating in the body contact and the toys he played with.

Thinking quickly, Michael said, "I almost came."

"You can cum on my hand, I don't mind."

Michael about laughed. Anybody that knew Derek knew he was more than happy to get cum on him -- especially if it was some where he could lick it off himself.

His attention returned to the hot tub and watched Gregory and Alejandro shift their positions. Alejandro pulled back, his deflated cock glistened from the hot tub's lights. Gregory moved between Sam's feet no longer obstructing Michael's view of Sam.

Michael couldn't believe what he was about to see. The almost 12-year-old's breathing and heart rate sped up as he watched Alejandro scoop his cum from Sam's ass and use it to lube up Gregory's cock. All the while, Alejandro kneaded and caressed the straight-boy's tight ass. Michael could tell Sam was looking into Gregory's eyes. The look of love and need on the boy's face was unmistakable. Alejandro's hand centered on Gregory's ass then pushed the virgin boy forward. Gregory's body shuddered as his cock slid into Sam's tight, hot, wet ass for the first time. Gregory paused for a moment once he'd bottomed out.

That gave Alejandro the opportunity to move behind Gregory. He lined up the underside of his semi-hard cock with the crack of Gregory's ass then hugged the boy from behind, pressing their bodies together. Alejandro humped Gregory's ass as if he was instructing the boy how to fuck Sam. In only a few attempts, Gregory matched Alejandro's movement, keeping full contact with the boy while he sawed his cock in and out of Sam's ass.

Alejandro stopped, allowing Gregory to do all the work. Though he stood still as Gregory slid his ass up and down his cock, Alejandro's hands were busy. They stroked Gregory's chest and abs before settling in on the boy's nipples. Michael wasn't exactly sure what Alejandro was doing, but he knew Gregory liked it. The boy's hips sped up and he fucked Sam for all it was worth. Then, like Trey, the young boy peaked too soon. His chin dropped and his hips drilled into Sam's hole and stopped while he unloaded. Sam's head dropped back and his back arched. The bottom's cock pulsed and jumped sending Sam's young seed wherever it may.

Michael groaned at the sight. Derek assumed that meant his friend was getting close and shifted gears. His hand masturbated Michael with lightening speed. In just seconds, Michael's head was thrown back and his body twitched through an extremely intense orgasm. He collapsed into Derek's body. Derek swiped up the trails of Michael's ejaculate and slurped it off his fingers.

When he recovered, Michael opened his eyes in time to see Luke, Simon, and Lukas leave the swimming pool and head to the hot tub. Michael checked to see if his friends were decent, not that the older boys would mind. In the hot tub, Sam was resting on Gregory's lap, his forehead against the dark-haired boy's ear. Gregory had a shit-eating grin on his face. Michael thought, 'I think he finally figured out the benefits of having a gay best friend.'

With that thought, Michael drifted off for a nap in Derek's embrace.

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Unlike prior sleep overs, the boys scattered across the two houses and four showers before settling in for the evening.

The showers in the hall and Michael's bedroom made quick work of boys and the chlorine on their bodies. Lukas, Simon, and a few others did their thing at the Meijer house before heading to the second story of Simon's house. The boys played video games in Michael's room and watched movies in Simon's room.

Matthew even joined after his date with April. They'd had dinner with her parents then they went to Hammond's and spent the rest of the evening enjoying ice cream and the beautiful weather. The Everdales were leaving for Hawaii in the morning so they called it an early night. He enjoyed spending time with April and her parents and was pleased they were taking their relationship slowly, even if his heart had raced far ahead.

He poked his head into the family room to let Carol, Zach, and Lars he was home. They appeared to be having their own sleepover. Dressed in sweats, shorts, or other comfy clothing, the adults were enjoying hot beverages and a movie. They mentioned their enjoyment of having a quiet evening with the boys next door. Matthew offered to check on everyone to make sure they didn't burn the house down. He changed into gym shorts and a tee then headed next door in his bare feet. He opened the backdoor and heard a cacophony of noise coming from upstairs. The boys were obviously having a great time. In Simon's room, Lukas, Simon, Derek, Trajan, Luke, and Alejandro were watching Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Comedy, music, video games...the boys loved it, laughing and talking to (well, yelling at) the characters in the movie. Matthew stood in the door and wasn't sure if he laughed more at the movie, or the boys watching it.

After a bit, he checked on Scott, Will, Curtis, Jordan, and his little brother in Michael's bedroom. There was as much yelling coming from this room as the other, but for a different reason.

"SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORE!" cheered Jordan as Scott scored another goal on Will. Even when Will played FIFA against someone outside their small group, Jordan still liked to razz Will and Will's sometimes over inflated ego when it came to video games.

"I thought you said you didn't play very often?" whined Will. After losing to Michael and Jordan, losing a third match was a little much for the boy to swallow.

"I don't play every day, but that doesn't mean I'm not pretty good," explained Scott with a little smirk on his face. Everyone laughed and Will, despite his competitive nature and ego, took it all in good fun.

Matthew watched Michael hanging out with his friends. It wasn't often he had a chance to observe Michael with anyone other than his brothers, so Matthew sat back and took things in. His little brother was having the time of his life hanging out with friends with complete acceptance. The joy Michael was taking in life brought tears to Matthew's eyes when he realized this was something Michael never experienced back in Oregon.

The introspective teen found the scene in Michael's bedroom leaving him confused. He'd never seen his brother so happy, yet, he would have never achieved it if they hadn't moved to East Harbor. But they would never have moved to East Harbor if it weren't for the events that nearly destroyed the two boys. In an odd, uncomfortable, and confusing way, he could reason that he should be grateful for what happened to them.

He'd heard that there could be no good without evil. But he thought that was simply a philosophical perspective. Good is only seen as good in contract to evil -- otherwise, we'd be oblivious to things being good. Kind of like Adam and Eve in Eden before Eve plucked fruit from the tree of knowledge.

But he'd also once heard, or read, a character say, "How much evil do you have to do to do good?" Can evil, in some strange way, be treated like negative numbers? A double negative becomes a positive, so doing extra evil can be good? It was making his head hurt. He settled on the idea that he was over thinking it. He should just feel blessed that Michael was living his best life and it was wonderful to see. Matthew would just have to forget the horror that made it all possible.

He approached Michael and gave the boy a tight squeeze. "I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late, we have a big week."

Unashamed to show affection in front of his friends, Michael spun around and gave Matthew a huge hug. "Love you," he told Matthew.

Matthew kissed the top of his head. "Love you too, Michael."

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Lukas and Simon were the next to turn in. They headed back to Lukas' bedroom next door where it would be quieter. Will and Luke each took a twin bed in the Novak guest bedroom.

After they gave up playing video games, everyone had migrated to Simon's bedroom to watch TV. The Casey Affleck movie "A Ghost Story" was playing on Netflix. The lights were out, and the boys were still and spellbound by the suspense of what would happen next.

During a transition scene where they were certain nothing would happen, Trajan looked around the room and noticed Scott wasn't around. Everyone else had said their goodnights but Scott hadn't. Did he sneak off without saying anything or was he in the bathroom or something. Then it occurred to him. During the Valentine's Day dance, Scott had let it slip he'd messed around with Lukas before. If Scott had followed Lukas and Simon to the other house, this could be Trajan's chance to join in and get with Scott.

There was no decision to be made. Without a moment of hesitation, Trajan excused himself and went directly (and quickly) to Lukas' room. Putting his ear to the door, he couldn't hear any conversation, but he was certain he was hearing sounds of sex. He gently opened the door and stepped inside.

Back in Simon's room, the rest of the boys watched the remainder of a movie. Michael stretched out on the floor next to Derek who was snuggled up against Alejandro. Curtis and Jordan relaxed on the bed.

"I expected that to be scary, not sad," whined Curtis. He tried to downplay the emotions the movie stirred in him.

The group agreed. They had joined at different parts of the movie but even after they realized it was more of a drama than a horror movie it was too late, and they were too tired to bother changing the movie.

Michael yawned and stretched toward the ceiling. "I've got to get to sleep," said Michael. At the door to the hallway, he turned to his friend. "Anyone else ready for sleep, there's plenty of room in my bed. Otherwise, you guys can stay up and sleep in here. There's a stack of bedding and sleeping bags over there, and you can use Simon's bed. G'night!" The sleepy boy headed to his room and crawled into his bed. He was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

Jordan looked at Curtis. "I'm hitting the hay to. Have fun." Jordan gave Curtis a wink then left to join Michael.

There was a sudden nervous tension in the air. Alejandro was hoping for some fun this weekend but didn't really know these boys well. Curtis was straight and as far has he knew, never messed around, and Derek was always with Michael or Trajan. As a matter of fact, Alejandro realized he was almost always with Michael. However, Derek's warm body against his own, and the young boy's hand on the inside of his thigh sent the message to Alejandro that he would not return home neglected.

Whereas Alejandro may not have been as gifted academically as his best friends, he did match Lukas in one very important trait. Even if he didn't realize it, he was very intuitive. He looked up to Curtis who sat nervously on the bed and read the boy like a book. "So, you're curious?" It was more a statement of fact than a question on Alejandro's part, but he couldn't think of a better way to break the ice.

"Uh... yeah," confirmed Curtis, wondering how it had been so obvious.

Derek, keeping his head on Alejandro's shoulder turned enough to look up at the other boy. The tween's boner grew even stiffer at the thought of getting the hot eighth-grader naked.

Curtis' long, dark-blonde bangs had fallen across his face almost obscuring his hazel eyes. The boy knew he was pretty, but it embarrassed him. The girls, for the most part, had given up on flirting with him concluding he was gay, mostly by association with Lukas. They also came to that conclusion because their flirting got them nowhere. Curtis, who'd unbeknownst to his friends had been helping his family out financially by doing some modeling, was suspicious of anyone coming on to him. Being quiet and observant served him well when learning the ropes on a photo shoot. It was an education on the superficial nature of beauty and flirting. He'd seen how ugly beautiful people could be inside. He'd witnessed flirting between individuals who, alone, talked horribly about the other. He'd even been on the receiving end of enough flirting from males and females, kids and adults, that he'd grown jaded and skeptical about it all.

He worked and got good grades, keeping those facts to himself. He enjoyed video games and sports and worked to do what was expected. However, he never really applied himself to excel at anything. He didn't want to draw attention to himself.

Curiosity about sex and, in particular, getting a blow job, had sparked his imagination. He'd shared this fact with Jordan who suggested he join in when the boys who wanted to play wandered off to Lukas' room. It seemed like a great idea, but then the evening took all sorts of different turns. The skinny dipping, secretly watching boys having sex by the hot tub, ending up at Simon's house instead of Lukas', and now ending up with Derek and Alejandro. He'd felt more comfortable admitting what he wanted to Lukas. They'd known each other for years and he, Lukas and the rest of the gang had messed around a little years earlier. How this evening had gotten to this point, Curtis wasn't sure, but he was too eager to turn the opportunity down. 'Maybe,' thought Curtis, 'it will be less embarrassing since I won't have to face either of these two at school after break.'

Derek stood revealing his skimpily clad body. In only a pair of low-riding, box-cut briefs, the white and baby blue striped garment was obscenely tented by the little blonde's erection.

Curtis leaned back until he was completely reclined on the bed, never taking his eyes off the boy in front of him. It wasn't Derek's body that turned him on, it was the idea that someone other than himself was going to get him off. His growing erection was evident just below the hem of his t-shirt.

Alejandro stood. Rising to his feet beside Derek, his Adidas compression boxer briefs left little to the imagination. The climalite material pressed Alejandro's erection along the right-side of the v that defined the transition from his waist to his groin. The fabric was so thin you could make out the ridge of the boy's cock head and the veins of his rock-hard shaft.

"So, what do you think, Derek? Is Curtis worthy?" Alejandro surprised himself with this newfound confidence in taking control of the situation.

Derek checked out Alejandro's erection and compared it to what he could see of Curtis' encased inside a pair of briefs and basketball shorts. Curtis' was definitely thicker, if it wasn't longer than Alejandro's. Thicker was more to Derek's liking for satisfying the itch in his booty. "Yeah," conceded Derek with a nod of his head, "he's worthy."

"I think Curtis would appreciate some privacy." Alejandro pointed to the door and Derek hopped over to close and lock it. "Now, the deal is, just because you are straight, doesn't mean you get to lie back and just enjoy the fruits of our labor. You need to participate too." He intentionally left the level of participation vague to allow Curtis to stay within his comfort zone.

When Derek returned from the shutting the door, he dropped his drawers and climbed onto the bed next to Curtis. The tweener slid his hand under Curtis' shirt to check out the boy's chest and abs.

Letting Derek get things started, Alejandro turned off the TV and desk lamp, leaving only the LED lights on the stereo, and the glow of the street lamps lighting their activities. He returned to the side of the bed and waited for his vision to adjust to the low light. Slowly from the darkness, emerged the sight of Derek and Curtis making out with Derek's forearm under the teen's shirt, caressing the boy's chest. 'These two look fucking hot together,' thought Alejandro. He shucked his briefs before reaching for the elastic waistband of Curtis' shorts.

Starting with both hands by the draw strings, Alejandro eased the front of Curtis' shorts and underwear down before spreading them to the hips and easing the shorts down farther. Next, he slid his hands to Curtis' sides and the older boy raised his ass allowing the Diaz boy to pull the garments down past the firm cheeks. Alejandro watched the boys making out as he returned his hands to the front of Curtis' shorts to pull them over the boy's painfully erect penis, off his legs, and onto the floor. Curtis broke the kiss and pulled his t-shirt over his head and tossed it to the floor with the other discarded garments. With all three boys naked save for Curtis' ankle socks, Alejandro joined the pair on the bed.

Curtis expected this to be a night of firsts, but he didn't imagine one of the firsts would be his first kiss, or skinny dipping, or being completely naked in bed with other boys for that matter. He quickly realized how naïve he'd been about this whole thing. When boys have sex, they have sex just like he'd seen in the straight porn he'd watched on his phone. His ideas of just some guys having a circle jerk or a quick blow job grossly underestimated what his friends had been up to. He wrapped his arms around the smaller body as it crawled on top of the teen. The kissing and body contact made Curtis hot.

Alejandro watched Derek and Curtis make out. He stroked Derek's back and perky ass as the tween taught the older boy some life lessons. Wanting to be sensitive to Curtis, being his first time, Alejandro thought it best to not draw things out. Moving to the edge of the bed, his view moved beyond Derek's ass. It was quite a sight.

With Derek straddling Curtis, the tweens tight, little ass spread open revealing the pink, wrinkly hole hidden within. Just a few inches away, Curtis' fat five inches of boy meat stood proudly pointing at the ceiling. The circumcised cock was the same color as the surrounding flesh of Curtis' pubic area, but his nut sack was a few shades darker. Though Curtis appeared to be lagging behind his peers in physical maturity, the thickness of his cock rivaled Simon's dick. A nice tuft of blonde pubs matching the dark blonde on Curtis' head topped off the attractive package.

As beautiful a sight as it was, Alejandro didn't waste any time. He dove right in. Derek moaned in surprise feeling Alejandro's tongue dig into his boy hole. The little imp began humping Curtis' stomach and worked his tongue into his partner's mouth. Curtis' final apprehensions vanished. With a moan, he became the aggressor in his tongue battle with Derek when he felt a hand gently stroke his cock and balls.

Time was short for this first round. Curtis was hot, locked and loaded. He'd been anticipating this for days and had abstained from jacking off. Alejandro shifted gears. He lapped up the leaking precum with his tongue then swirled it round the head of Curtis' cock. The boy worried about trying to take a cock so much thicker than any he'd sucked before. Once he was satisfied it was slicked up, Alejandro took the plunge. What he discovered was the delight of having his mouth truly filled with cock without it being so big he gagged. Curtis squirmed with pleasure and the passion he shared with Derek intensified.

Alejandro worked Curtis' cock with all his developing skills and stroked the boy's balls until he heard what he thought to be a muffled warning from Curtis. Pulling off, he licked the underside of Curtis' cock. Alejandro's used his tongue to point Curtis' erection towards Derek's rear. Just as the head of Curtis' cock pressed against Derek's ass, it exploded. Stream after stream of hot boy's cream splattered against Derek's hole and wetted his entire crack.

Curtis grunted and twitched through the most intense orgasm of his life. Derek, for his part, held on to keep from getting thrown off. The warm cum squirting on his ass made the young boy even hotter.

Just as Alejandro expected, Curtis' cock didn't wane once his orgasm ended. Though the boy was spent, his cock was ready for more. Derek felt Alejandro pull on his arm. Rising to a sitting position, Derek felt Alejandro line up Curtis' cock with his hungry hole. The little blonde relaxed and pushed out.

"Oh!" squeaked Derek. Curtis was thicker than anything that'd been up his booty before. He froze while he adjusted to the fat intruder.

Alejandro watched the cock push into the impossibly small hole. He was amazed as he watched Derek work his way down to the base.

"Fuck that feels good," groaned Derek.

"Damn, Derek. Does your mother know you use that language?" asked Alejandro, crawling back up on the bed.

"No. And as dad says when it comes to mom, 'don't ask, don't tell.'"

Curtis nearly fainted from his orgasm, but Derek and Alejandro's laughter brought him back to his senses. He opened his eyes to find he was looking directly into Alejandro's deep brown eyes.

"How was that?" asked Alejandro.

"AWESOME," said Curtis with a huge grin. "Oh shit, what was that?"

Alejandro moved from his line of sight and Curtis realized for the first time that the tight grip on his cock was Derek's ass. Derek gave the fat fuck stick another squeeze and Curtis groaned and closed his eyes.

Derek started to ride Curtis' cock causing the boy's mouth to drop open, though no words were spoken. As Derek sped up, Curtis' breath came faster. Not to be left out, Alejandro rose to his knees and kissed Derek. Derek eagerly kissed back. He'd had a small crush on the boy of Spanish descent from the first day they were paired at lacrosse practice. The little swimmer grabbed his pecker and started jerking it in rhythm to his rising and falling on Curtis' cock.

Alejandro broke the kiss with Derek, determined to spend more time with the hot little tween in the future, and turned his attention to Curtis. He bent down and planted his lips on Curtis' and the older boy kissed him back with some newfound skill. But just as the kiss with Derek, the kiss with Curtis was cut short. It was time for Alejandro to have his needs satisfied too.

Curtis felt the bed move and opened his eyes again, this time he was face to face with Alejandro's leaky member. The boy straddled his chest and leaned on the wall above Curtis' head.

Breathlessly, Alejandro gave Curtis instructions. "Watch your teeth." Then he pressed forward smearing precum across the straight boy's lips. Remembering the rule about giving as well as receiving, Curtis opened his mouth and let the cock slid in.

There they were, Alejandro giving Curtis instructions on how to improve his cock sucking skills as he slowly fucked the older boy's mouth. Derek watched, enthralled by the view. It was almost like watching porn as he pleasured himself on the cock in his ass and with the spit in his right hand. (Not that Derek had ever watched porn as far as his mother knew.)

With his left hand, Derek reached out and explored the bodies before him. Tweaking Curtis' nipples, rubbing Alejandro's back, caressing the parted ass cheeks, then eventually, moving to the exposed hole.

"Yeah," moaned Alejandro at the touch of Derek's fingers on his hole. The blonde pulled his fingers away from Alejandro's ass and stuck them in his mouth to slobber on them. He rubbed the spit on Alejandro's ass then slipped a finger into the teen's virgin hole. Derek was encouraged by another groan of pleasure from Alejandro.

Alejandro reached down to cradle the back of Curtis' head, improving his angle of penetration. Curtis continued to practice his lessons and wondered what the big deal was about sucking cock. It didn't taste gross, it wasn't even unpleasant, but you could make your friend feel really good. He was pleasantly unmindful of the ultimate outcome of his actions. Nor did he realize what Derek was doing to help it along.

Once the little blonde worked a second slender finger into Alejandro's hole, he got his body into a steady rhythm of bouncing on Curtis' cock, pounding his own, and fingering Alejandro's ass. The three boys filled the room with sounds and smells of boy on boy sex.

Derek was the first to feel his orgasm approaching. He sped up his leg work, driving Curtis' cock in and out of his hole as fast as he could. His right hand also sped up, trying to get the most out of this erotic experience. Not caring much about his partners' pleasure, Derek focused on his own orgasm. Once he came, he figured, Curtis and Alejandro could take care of each other.

Nearly losing his balance, Derek twisted his left wrist to catch and support himself. This caused the pad of his two fingers to press directly on Alejandro's prostate. The unrelenting pressure Derek inflicted on Alejandro's prostate caused the older boy's climax to hasten its approach, much the same way Derek's increase in speed was quickly bringing Curtis to his second orgasm of the evening.

Alejandro made a quick decision. He decided to feed Curtis his load while the boy climbed to his orgasm, rather than after Curtis had his second cum. He wanted to make sure Curtis was still in the mood. Besides, Derek's fingers in his ass really didn't give Alejandro much of an option. Their strumming of his prostate threatened to send him over the edge whether he was ready or not.

"I'm gonna cum, Curtis. Make sure you swallow so you don't choke," panted Alejandro, uncertain if his words were intelligible or if Curtis was even listening. It was too late to ask. With a grunt that sounded like the young teen was having a seizure, Alejandro's body jerked and twitched as he served up a helping of young teen baby batter to the straight blonde boy.

Luckily Alejandro's portions were still kid's size, because Curtis hadn't been listening and was caught completely by surprise when the dick he was sucking swelled and squirted three quick jets of cum into his mouth. The still watery emission had a mild flavor and was easy for Curtis to gulp down once he got the hang of swallowing with a cock in his mouth.

Alejandro caught his breath then dismounted. Sliding down the bed beside Curtis, he checked the boy's face to make sure he was okay with taking a load of cum in his mouth. Curtis' bangs were stuck across his sweat slicked face masking his eyes, but one couldn't miss the boy's bright smile as he fucked for the first time.

Derek rode Curtis' cock like it was a bucking bronco. The younger boy was desperate to get off but fought to delay it as long as possible. Curtis peeked at the sight of his cock reaming Derek's ass now and again before closing them and enjoying one of the simple pleasures of life, sex.

Alejandro leaned in and kissed Curtis who returned the kiss. Alejandro enjoyed tasting his cum on the boy's tongue, knowing he was the first to plant his seed in the boy's mouth. He reached for the far nipple and rolled it between the pads of his fingers while he whispered into Curtis' ear. "Cum for Derek. He's working really hard to make you blow your load. He wants it so bad. Breed his ass. Inject those babymakers into that tight little ass." Pleased with his dirty talk, Alejandro chalked one up for watching porn and reading stories on Nifty.

Cupping Curtis' chin to hold the blonde's head in place, Alejandro began to nibble and tongue Curtis' ear. Curtis emitted a long whining sound then punctuated it with an "oh fuck". His hands clamped onto Derek's thighs shoving the boy down as Curtis drove his cock up. Curtis uttered a series of unintelligible syllables as he fired shot after shot of cum into Derek's rectum.

The stiffening and expanding of Curtis' cock set Derek off too. The youngest of the trio twitched as he grunted through seven or eight pulls of the trigger. Even if only the first three were wet, spraying clear drops around Curtis' torso, it was a highly satisfying orgasm for the little blonde nymph.

Derek collapsed onto Curtis resting his head just below the older boy's chin. Curtis wrapped his arms around the smaller boy and sighed in his own satisfaction. He felt Alejandro drape a blanket over their bodies and cozy up next to them.

"So, what did you think?" asked Alejandro.

Curtis just grinned.

Then Alejandro had an idea. "You want to come to my place tomorrow and go surfing? I mean, if you aren't doing anything."

"Really?" asked Curtis. This time Alejandro simply grinned.

"I'll have to ask my mom and dad, but that would be awesome!"

"Yeah, it would," agreed Alejandro. He rested his head against Curtis and the boys drifted off to sleep.

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As Trajan's eyes adjusted to the darkness of Lukas' room, he witnessed the most erotic sight of his life. Lukas was on his back with his legs over Simon's shoulders. Simon's black hair was active between Lukas' thighs, but Trajan couldn't tell exactly what he was doing. Lukas was making out with an equally naked Scott. The eighth graders' tongues battled while Scott caressed Lukas' chest and Lukas stroked Scott's cock.

Trajan lost himself in the sight. Scott Schultz, the boy he's been in love with since he could remember. The boy of his sexual fantasies since he discovered sex. There was Scott in all his naked glory. Tonight, Trajan rejoiced, he would fulfill as many of those fantasies as possible.

Eventually Trajan woke from his dream and moved to put it into action. He approached the bed without anyone noticing his presence. The boys were too hot and heavy into their sexual escapades to take account of others entering the room. It happened anytime there was activity in Lukas' bedroom -- boys come and go. Not knowing how to join in, Trajan stroked Scott's bare calf. It was heavenly and his hand shook with excitement. Trajan took a deep breath and allowed his hand to travel up Scott's thigh towards his prize. Scott opened his eyes to see who it was.

"Shit," cursed Scott under his breath as he tried to roll away. They'd hoped Trajan hadn't seen Scott slip out and join them for the night. Not that they didn't like Trajan, but they worried that this would lead to complications that no one wanted. Scott pushed Trajan's hand away. "Please, stop."

"Why?" asked Trajan, his feelings hurt.

The three boys on the bed broke off what they were doing and sat up to face Trajan. "Trajan, I don't think we should mess around," explained Scott. He'd worked out weeks ago what he'd say in this situation.

"But why?" whined Trajan. The hurt feelings he felt the day he realized he and Scott would never be a couple came flooding back. Nearing tears, he stated his case. "Why would you mess around with Lukas but not me? You know how I feel about you."

"That's exactly it," replied Scott, "you're in love with me and I can't return those feelings. I love you. You're one of my best friends, but if we messed around, you might get your hopes up or something and I don't want to hurt you again."

"So, do you love Lukas?" asked Trajan.

"Well, yeah, but it's different," explained Scott.

"Different than the way you feel about me?"

"Well, yes... no, I don't know how to explain it," fumbled Scott.

"What the fuck?" fumed Trajan.

"Well, how I feel about Lukas has nothing to do with it. Look at how you're acting. This is exactly why us messing around is a bad idea."

"What does that mean?" Trajan's voice grew louder with his anger.

"I mean," said Scott with growing frustration, "Lukas and I are on the same page about what's going on. We are just messing around and that's it. We can have fun, or we don't do anything, and that's it. It's fun. If you could do that, you wouldn't be mad right now. You're too emotional about this. Us messing around won't work."

Trajan was crying now. "Well fuck you," he shouted at Scott. He looked at Lukas, "And fuck you too!" He stormed out of the room and went looking for a place where he could have some privacy.

The other three sat in silence until Simon spoke up. "Well that went well, didn't it."

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SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2018

For the friends of the Meijers, this was the first day of Spring Break. Breakfast was a revolving door as boys woke and headed home. Jacob drove Alejandro and Curtis to Curtis' house to get permission for a day of swimming and surfing up in Laguna Beach. Trajan avoided Scott and Lukas and skipped breakfast. The band got ready for the start of a grueling week leading up to Friday night's concert and the grand opening.

They met up for breakfast once their friends were gone to eat and discuss the week's activities. Since they needed to help organize transportation, Carol, Lars, and Zach joined them. Or maybe it was because the boys wanted someone to cook for them. Either way, Michael grabbed his backpack, and everyone converged on the Meijer dining table to enjoy French toast, bacon, and a healthy dose of planning.

"So, what is on today's schedule?" asked Lars, filling his coffee mug with his second cup of coffee.

"I've got the schedule here." Michael opened his backpack and pulled out a white FedEx pack so he could get to his books and devices beneath. He pulled his iPad out and opened it to check the schedule.

"Isn't that the package the DJ at ALT94.9 gave you?" asked Zach.

"Oh yeah, what is it," asked Matthew, curious about the gift the band received.

"Open it!" said Lukas excitedly. The sugar from the syrup was kicking in.

Michael set his iPad aside and opened up envelop. Peeking inside, Michael stood up knocking his chair over.

"OH MY GAWD! OH MY GAWD! OH MY GAWD!" He jumped around the room screaming at the top of his lungs.

The house filled with laughter and curiosity. When Michael regained a portion of his senses, he heard the requests from the table to explain what all his excitement was about. He reached into the envelop and pulled out a bunch of VIP passes on lanyards.

"We've got passes to the Hella Mega tour next week!" Michael was almost floating with excitement.

"Whose tour is that?" asked Lars. The boys looked at Lars like he'd lost his mind.

Michael squealed, "Green Day and Weezer!"

----------------------     

MONDAY, APRIL 2, 2018, Bozeman, Montana

"Awww. Look at the little faggot crying!" The taunting voice shouted from across the parking lot. They knew better than to confront the boyfriends. Even the high school boys had suffered at the hands of the younger boys. They knew to keep their distance to avoid embarrassment. The upper classmen with their own vehicles provided shelter and quick getaways for the provocateurs, leaving the two eighth-graders at their mercy.

The eighth-graders, Oliver Samuelson and Craig Kendall, were the only out boys at Chief Joseph Middle School and the only out couple in the entire school district. In the Bozeman school district, the middle schools didn't have their own track facilities. The student-athletes rode the bus to the high school to train with the high school track team. Though the district claimed to have bullying policies, the athletic department seemed to have trouble enforcing it, throwing Craig and Oliver to the wolves.

"Don't look back," warned Oliver, comforting Craig with an arm around his shoulder. However, both boys shook with rage.

Craig carried the remains of his school work. During practice someone broke into his gym locker, ripped up his books and notebooks, smashed his laptop, and left it all in the showers with the water running. Oliver admired his boyfriend's composure. He knew the assholes really hit Craig where it hurt -- his school work. Craig's academics and the pride he took in his work were unmatched. Oliver feared that the hard drive wouldn't be recoverable and worried about how much of Craig's work would be lost. They made it to Mrs. Samuelson's car before Craig broke down.

The entire way to the Kendall residence, Craig sobbed and shook uncontrollably. Oliver held Craig and plotted their next move. They'd spent the entire school year leaving this in the hands of their parents. 'Work within the system,' they'd say. 'They have to enforce their policies,' they'd reason. As far as Oliver was concerned, he was through with that and he wouldn't stand for Craig to suffer one more minute.

They pulled into the Kendall ranch to drop Craig off, but Oliver jumped out of the car too. He helped Craig gather his things and walked his boyfriend to the house.

Oliver's mother called to him. "Come on, Ollie, we're meeting your father at the Blackbird for dinner." He ignored her and walked into the Kendall home. When Oliver completely ignored her, she knew he was extremely upset. This evening, she wasn't surprised. She texted her husband to come to the Kendall's instead. She parked and followed the boys into the house.

When Juliana Samuelson entered, Amanda and her husband William were in a heated conversation. "Oh, hi Juliana. Come on in," welcomed Amanda. Since the boys became a couple the previous summer, the Samuelson and Kendall families functioned more as one family than two.

"Hi Amanda, Bill. I see the boys told you what happened?"

"No, we heard them come in, but they went straight to Craig's room. What happened?" asked Bill.

"I don't know, but I don't think I've ever seen Craig that upset. What's the hot topic here?" asked Oliver's mother.

"The twins," stated Amanda, referring to Craig's 9-year-old brothers Connor and Cooper. "They got into a fight today after some boys at school bullied them about having a gay brother."

"Did they win?" asked Juliana, hoping to bring some levity to the situation.

Bill perked up. "Yeah, they did," he laughed.

"Yes, they can take care of themselves," said Amanda. "But the twins are sensitive. The words still hurt, even if they know the bullies were wrong."

"Well, Jonathan will be here in a bit. We cancelled our dinner plans and thought we could order pizza. I have a feeling this is going to be a long evening."

The parents were patient and Jonathan and the pizzas arrived before the boys came down from the bedroom. When they were called for dinner, they decided it was time to draw the line in the sand.

Conner and Cooper were in the family room watching TV and feeding their faces while the adults were sitting at the dining room table keeping an eye on the twins.

Oliver and Craig took Craig's school things with them. For dramatic effect, Craig dumped his ruined books and notebooks on the floor and Oliver added the shattered laptop.

"We're never going back to that fucking school," stated Oliver.

"Watch your language, young man." Jonathan and Juliana weren't sticklers about their son's language. He got excellent grades and was a model citizen. However, Juliana's nod pointing to the twins who were staring at the spectacle in the dining room.

Oliver looked at the curious faces of Craig's precocious little brothers and said, "Sorry."

Feeling Oliver's resolve take a hit, Craig took the lead. "I can't," he said, barely audible to their parents.

"What honey?" asked Amanda.

Craig started shaking again. Oliver took his hand. "Go ahead. Tell them." He squeezed Craig's hand to give him courage.

"I can't take it anymore."

"But honey, if you quit..." started Amanda before Craig cut in.

"I don't care if they win. I can't take it anymore. Why should I have to suffer through all this shit just to prove a point? Huh? Why?" His voice grew louder as he found his stride. "It's not like I'm going to school drunk and high. I'm not disruptive or mean to people. I work hard. I train hard. And I try to do my best. But instead of getting to enjoy my success, being with Oliver, and stuff, all I get is shit like this!" He pointed to his school things.

"Why?!" he raised his voice. "Why should I have to deal with this?" He burst into tears again and Ollie took him into his arms. Craig clutched onto his boyfriend and let the tears and pain flow.

Bill had brought the family to Bozeman to be safe. After Craig's close call on the el, he'd had it with the big city. But it seemed like they'd jumped from the frying pan into the fire. His wonderful son was being devastated by this. The boys were right. Returning to school out of principle wasn't worth the cost.

That evening, they agreed to homeschool the boys, all four, the rest of the school year while they figured out what would happen the next school year. This was a huge sacrifice for Oliver. His dream of a track scholarship would have to take a back burner. He wouldn't be allowed to participate on the track team if he was home schooled and there weren't any track clubs in the area.

With the plans settled, they agreed Oliver would spend the night at the Kendall's and his mother would return on Tuesday to work with Amanda to register the boys and coordinate home schooling the boys together.

Connor and Cooper were tucked in and Ollie and Craig were already asleep in Craig's bed when Amanda joined Bill. Bill had his laptop open and was engaged intently in whatever he was doing.

"What's that?" she asked. She pulled the blankets up to protect herself from the cool Montana spring night.

"Remember Lars Meijer? He called me and asked if I'd be interested in a job as Chief Operating Officer at one of the health care systems he works with. He's on the search committee and thinks I'd be a really strong candidate."

"Where's the job?"

"It's the COO of UC San Diego Health Physicians -- it's the doctor's side of the business."

"But wouldn't that take us back into the city?"

"Well, I mentioned that to Lars, and he suggested we look into living in East Harbor. He's raising four boys around Craig and Oliver's age and three are gay and out. Not only are the schools and community safe and affirming, East Harbor is tops for a public school and a few miles away is Pacific Ridge, a top-tier private school."

"That sounds great, and I'm sure it would be a raise, but let's not put the cart before the horse."

"I'm not, but we need to start thinking about the solution to the big issue no matter where we go," said Bill, trying to put the entire discussion into context.

Amanda gave him a questioning look.

"Taking Craig away from Ollie."