SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2018

"It's a good thing your mom has a sentimental streak," joked Lukas as he rummaged through another box in the Novak attic.

"Shut up," laughed Simon opening another box. "Here they are." He pulled out an old pair of cleats that were Trey's size.

"Cool," said Lukas, relieved they didn't have to look through more boxes. They each put the contents back in the box before him and stacked the boxes as before. Looking around, Lukas added, "I hope your mom doesn't come up here anytime soon."

Simon joined Lukas as they looked at the mess they'd made over the last week searching this or that for Trey. "She'll kill us. I know what we need to do after practice."

"Have a yard sale?" asked Lukas, only half joking. They both laughed and went to find the others.

Hurrying to meet everyone next door, they nearly missed Trey sitting alone at the kitchen table.

"Hey. What's wrong buddy?" asked Simon as he took a seat at the table next to his new friend.

"Oh, nothing." His mom may have had acting aspirations, but Simon seriously doubted Trey was cut out for the business. His response was less than convincing.

"Dude, com'on," said Lukas in his super cheerful, friendly manner from the chair on the other side of the depressed teen. With Lukas' infectious energy and enthusiasm, Trey couldn't help but crack a smile.

"It's just that..." Trey paused as he tried to put all of his emotions into words. They'd gotten the DNA kit shipped overnight, activated it online, and returned it to the lab for processing. Now they had to wait for the results. "This has been the best week of my life. I don't know if I want to find my family. I think I want to stay here with you guys."

Simon and Lukas laughed, but Trey took offense. "What the fuck?"

"I bet it is the best week of your life!" Simon laughed harder at his own comment confusing Trey even more. Trey thought these guys were his friends and now they were laughing at the idea of him sticking around.

"Yeah, we hear exactly how great this week is every night!" added Lukas as the couple laughed even harder.

Trey finally realized what they were talking about. They could hear him having sex with Michael at night. His anger turned to embarrassment and his face burned hot.

"Trey, I don't know why you are embarrassed." Lukas' attempt to comfort the boy fell flat because he was still laughing at his own joke. "If you two ever took a break, you would have probably heard Simon and me doing the same thing." All three boys laughed at that admission. It did make Trey feel a little better.

"We'd better go," said Simon checking the time on his phone. "Here's some cleats to wear. I'm glad you finally decided to join us for practice. You'll have fun."

They caught up to Michael and Matthew and said their "goodbyes" to Zach and Lars before the boys headed to the high school fields to set up for lacrosse. They joked around before they noticed a moving truck down the street.

"Hey!" said Lukas getting everyone's attention. "Someone's moving into your old house, Michael." He looked over and saw the look on Michael's face. "Sorry lil'bro," added Lukas quickly. He stepped over and put his arm around the boy. All the boys felt weird walking by the house since the shooting. A new family moving into the house didn't feel right to anyone, especially Michael. For Trey, this exchange added another mystery to Michael's story.

The boys stepped into the street to pass the front of the movers' truck. The men worked quickly to transport the boxes and furnishings into the home. A man stood inside the doorway giving directions. He was obviously the new homeowner and his subtle accent let the boys know he wasn't a local. Not looking where they were going, the boys almost ran into a wobbling stack of boxes.

"Dritt!" hissed a female voice as the top box slid to the side.

"Whoa!" cried Matthew as the boxes came directly at him. The teen steadied the middle box, but the top dropped off the side. Michael saw it all and was there in a flash to catch the box.

The boxes lowered to the ground and a beautiful blonde lady appeared from behind.

"Oh, thank you, boys," she said with a slight European accent.

"You're welcome," replied Matthew.

"Hi, I'm Anna," she offered her hand and each boy took his turn to introduce himself.

"We live up the street at 739," offered Lukas.

"Well, it looks like you boys are busy. It's nice to meet you."

The boys said their goodbyes and headed towards the school. Well, all but Michael. He stood there uncertain of what to do with the box he was holding.

"Um, Miss Anna?" said Michael. She turned to see the youngest of the boys still holding the box. When Michael saw he had her attention, he held the box out to her.

"Thank you. But you can just call me Anna. It's Michael, isn't it?" She took the box from his hands.

"Yes, ma'am," said Michael. He grabbed his gear and dashed after the other boys.

Simon and Lukas were pleased with the number of boys that had shown up early to set up for the day's practice. Not only was it less work for the Meijer and Novak boys, but it showed the commitment of their teammates to the team.

Michael reached for his stick when a familiar body tackled him from the side. "DEREK!" screeched the 11-year-old. The other boys burst out laughing. Robert had been bringing his little brother to more and more practices as the little swimmer took to the land sport. It didn't hurt that Trajan was also coming to practice. He kept the little demon occupied.

The boys paired off to warm up and Lukas got the two least experienced players together. "Derek, this is Trey. He's new to the sport and we thought you could help him today." Derek gave Lukas a huge grin. He was excited that he got paired up with such a cute boy. It also helped Trey to be with someone that was closer to his experience level.

After warm-ups, Simon got the boys together. "I appreciate you guys coming out to practice -- especially those of you that came early to help set up. We're all here because we want a state championship. In this sport, East Harbor is always going to be an underdog because we play in a conference against club teams. They may get to play at fancy facilities and pick who is on their team, but that doesn't mean that they can out work us and they will never out shine our commitment and dedication to each other. Lacrosse try-outs are Monday. That means we finally get a chance to show our coaches what we've accomplished since last season. We get to show them that we mean business." The boys on the field rallied behind Simon and itched to get on the field.

Simon shouted, "WE ARE..."

The boys shouted, "SA-BERS."

They repeated the chant even louder the second time and on the third, the boys screamed then took the fields, quickly organizing into four teams to conduct two scrimmages. After months of practices, the boys knew to sort themselves by ability and into teams.

Practice was rough and physical, and all the boys had a fantastic time. From the seniors to the middle schoolers, the practices developed a culture of hard work and commitment. Most importantly, it created a culture in which the lacrosse players took pleasure and pride in their hard work and commitment.

Heading home after practice, the boys continued dribbling balls off the sidewalk, passing balls back and forth, and retelling their best plays of the day. It sounded like a herd of cattle entering the Meijer residence. "Dad! We're home!" shouted Lukas as the boys headed to the kitchen to guzzle Gatorade.

Lars laughed to himself. 'How could I mistake that entrance for anyone else?' He finished folding the last two t-shirts then headed to the kitchen to join the boys and fix lunch.

"I'm hungry, dad," stated Michael before wiping off his red mustache. "When's lunch?"

"Yep," laughed Simon, "he's definitely being hit by the big 'P'." Lukas laughed too but no one else was in on the joke. The only response anyone made to the inside joke was Michael's stomach. It growled loud enough for everyone to hear and the room filled with laughter once again.

"What?" asked Michael innocently though his smirk belied his intentions. "I said I was hungry."

Lars pulled out enough lunch meat, bread, cheese, fruit and veggies to feed an army. The boys also devoured a family size bag of potato chips, a two-liter of soda, and more Gatorade and bottled water.

He sent the smelly boys to get showers while he assessed the damage. The kitchen looked like a war zone. There was one good thing he realized trying to find a bright side in all of this. Clean-up was going to be easy. The boys didn't leave a single leftover for him to put away. He also realized that with lacrosse season starting, his grocery budget would need to be reassessed.

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The boys were refreshed after their showers and decided to practice down at the Majestic before hitting the books. They were feeling the pressure of learning new songs and preparing for the upcoming Singles Mingle on Valentine's Day. It would be the first event at the newly renovated theater. Mrs. King would have three Mingles before the Majestic's Grand Opening in mid-April. Alvin Kahale, the young architect hired to bring the back stage renovations to life, continued to assure the boys everything was on schedule to make the deadline.

"You boys heading off to practice?" asked Lars.

"Yeah," answered Lukas. "Is Zach already down there?"

"I think so. He had to run a few errands first." Zach had been using the theater as a quiet place to focus on his school work away from the house.

"Cool," said Simon. The boys headed out the door.

"Trey?" Lars got the boy's attention. "Could you hang out here with me?" Trey stepped closer to Michael and eyed Lars with suspicion.

"It's nothing bad," smiled Lars. "The attorney we sent up to LA to look into your case is stopping by and I thought you'd want to be here."

Trey moved even closer to Michael. "I don't wanna go back."

"I know. That's not what this is about. Stephen checked into getting you placed here so you can stay here legally and be enrolled in school."

Trey looked to his friends then back to Lars. He was still skeptical when it came to adults -- any adult. Though Lars was growning on him.

"Really?" Michael asked in excitement.

"That's what we're going to find out. He's stopping by to fill us in on what happened this week."

"I'll wait. I'm gonna to go with them to practice." If it was bad news, Trey wanted to put it off as long as possible.

"Okay, suit yourself." Lars didn't want to pressure the boy into doing anything he didn't want to do. "I should have everything in place and ready to fill you boys in when you get back. Since we didn't get to do movie night last week, I was thinking you guys could take the evening off tonight. We could order out and watch movies. Sound like a plan?"

"Pizza?" asked Lukas hopefully.

"Indian?" was Michael's idea.

"Hunan Dragon?" hinted Simon.

"Burritos!" offered Matthew when he voiced his food craving.

Lars laughed. "How about if I just surprise you guys?"

The boys laughed and headed to the theater as Stephen pulled up in front of the house. Lars watched carefully as the boys' protection detail followed them down Maple Street.

"You have one fine group of boys there," stated Stephen.

Lars laughed. "If those boys are so good, how come I'm calling you all the time?" The attorney joined in the laughter. The men entered Lars' office and set to work.

"I contacted Brian and he had an idea that worked out nicely," began Stephen as he extracted documents and folders from his leather courier bag. "He found a missing child case of a boy named Trey out of New York City. The boy has the same birthdate as your Trey. The grandparents were able to win custody in the courts and the case became an interstate abduction case."

"Okay. Do they think Trey is that boy?"

"We don't know, but what that does, is put this case in the jurisdiction of the FBI," explained Stephen. "There are enough similarities that the Feds consider Trey a person of interest in the case and that means they get to decide where Trey is placed during the investigation."

"I think the boys will be happy to hear that," sighed Lars. He was glad he had good news for the boys. "In Brian's last call he said he was able to get the lab to expidite processing Trey's DNA since it is part of a Federal investigation."

"That's great. Ah, here they are. I was able to get the temporary custody orders in your name, his school and medical records from CPS, and the rest of Trey's belongings from his old foster home are in the car. We made sure we got those before they told the family they wouldn't be fostering any more children."

"Good," said Lars. "That asshole of a step-dad did a number on Trey. It's going to take a lot of time and patience before he trusts any adults again."

"And that is something you have an abundance of," assured Stephen. He knew if anyone would get through to Trey, it would be Lars.

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2018

Christian hardly slept. When he and Lewis returned home from lacrosse practice, his parents told him to pack because they'd be ready for him to move into his new bedroom the next day. As much as he'd enjoyed staying with Lewis and his father, Christian was ready to have his own room again. He'd been careful not to collect too many things at Lewis'. His mother was glad they could get all of his belongings in one trip.

Once they were on the road, Christian was full of questions. "So what's the house like? Do I get my own bathroom? How far is it from the school? Will I have to ride the bus?" Like so many middle schoolers when they get excited, Christian forgot to stop talking and let his mother answer his questions.

"You'll see," was all she'd tell him.

When they drove past the Mallway, Christian pointed to get his mother's attention. "There. There. That's my new school. And we play lacrosse on the fields behind the high school over there."

"I know kjære," she noted.

"You mean we live close by?" Christian had always wanted to ride his bike or walk to school. "Seriously? We really do?"

Anna slowed to a stop, then backed her vehicle into the driveway of a yellow two-story home. Her son's heart soared. It was everything he'd always wanted in a home. The move to East Harbor just kept getting better."Oh may gawd!! Are you serious? This is our new house? My friends live right down the street! The school's right there! This is so AWESOME!" Christian was about to explode with excitement.

"Before you go running into the house, grab a box and hold the door for me." Christian nodded and hurried to the back of the minivan. When the rear door opened, he grabbed a garment bag full of clothes on hangers and threw his sports bag over his shoulder. The lacrosse stick almost took out his mother when he turned.

"Whoa!" laughed Anna. "Let me get the large box. You get the door."

Kristoffer met them at the door. Before he could welcome his son to their new home, Christian blurted out, "Where's my room?"

"Upstairs," said his dad with a nod toward the staircase.

Christian ran up the stairs banging his sports equipment on the wall and bannister. He looked to the right to see his desk, tv, Playstation, and boxes of his possessions. Looking to his left, he found his bed, dresser, and other boxes and assorted furniture items.

"I get both rooms?" shouted the boy. Shouting wasn't necessary since his mom and dad were right behind him.

"Son, let's put the boxes down." Kristoffer had taken the box off Anna's hands, but he didn't plan on spending the afternoon standing on the steps waiting for Christian.

"Oh, sorry!" Christian headed into his bedroom dropping his lacrosse equipment on the floor and crossing the room to the closet. "My own bathroom!"

"That's the plan," said Anna, giving Christian a hug. "If we have family visit, there's a mini apartment above the garage. Since our bedroom is downstairs, you can have the entire upstairs."

"Thanks mom," he kissed Anna on the cheek. "Thanks dad," he gave his father a huge bear hug and kissed his cheek.

Anna, always keeping her boys on track, smacked their butts. "Alright, let's unload the rest of your things and you can start unpacking."

Christian carried the last box into the upstairs bedroom and set it by the bathroom door. His parents had finally joined him in East Harbor and he couldn't be happier. He opened the box and started unpacking his bathroom items as he contemplated how to arrange his new rooms. Yes, rooms. He was excited that he would have the upstairs to himself. He wanted the room on the right to be his bedroom, he really liked the built ins, but the room on the left had a door directly into the bathroom. He was glad his parents put his bed in that room.

January had been the best month of his entire life. Somehow, he still couldn't believe his parents had agreed to the plan of letting him stay with the Rear Admiral and his son so he could start school in East Harbor at the end of Christmas break. Now he was settling into his new home just down the street from his school. Planning where he would put his bed, how to arrange his study room, and what colors he wanted to paint the rooms kept his mind from fully connecting the dots.

Anna and Kristoffer saw the move to East Harbor as a reset for Christian's life. He reunited with his best friend, Lewis, and the two boys picked up their friendship right where it left off years before. Christian was excited that Lewis would be coming by after dinner to help him unpack and organize. While Christian prepared for Lewis' visit, Anna and Kristoffer were organizing the kitchen.

"He still seems to be handling it well," said Anna, organizing the glassware in the cupboard to the right of the sink.

Kristoffer was on his knees arranging the pots and pans in the cabinet in the island. "Yes, he is," said Kristoffer thoughtfully, "but he may just be distracting himself from thinking about it. Or maybe he hasn't realized it. I wonder if he will still feel the same way when students point out what happened in this house. Especially if the other students have fears or rumors about the house."

"Well, I think today's visit from Lewis might be a sign of what's to come," offered Anna. "Lewis was part of the events that led to the murder."

"Are you having second thoughts?" asked Kristoffer.

"No," said Anna. She turned to face her husband. "I still feel lots of love in this home despite the tragedy that happened here."

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2018

Though Christian's family would have been happy to have Lewis over in the morning, the Rear Admiral thought it was good for Lewis to have contact with Lars on a daily basis too. So this morning, like the many school days in January, George Fuerst dropped Lewis off at the Meijer residence. George especially wanted Lewis to build a relationship with Lars in case he took Lars up on the offer of counseling.

"I'll see you later, son," smiled George. Lewis finally looked up from his phone to realize they'd pulled into the Meijer's driveway.

Lewis smiled back, "Thanks dad. Have a good day at work." He hopped out of the car and grabbed his things from the backseat.

The hustle and bustle of the Meijer household on a school morning made Lewis smile. Boys shuffling between the bedrooms, bathrooms and kitchen getting their workout clothes, backpacks, and sports equipment ready to go while dressing and eating breakfast. Lars had given up having the boys all sit together for breakfast. And right now with five boys and three bathrooms, efficiency won out over family time. Despite what looked like chaos, it was a pretty smooth process as the boys got ready for school, Zach for his commute to the university, and Lars for his slate of patients. Some days Carol came over to help, or simply watch and laugh, but she was in New York and then London later in the week.

"Good morning, Lewis," welcomed Lars. "Looks like I've got some extra bacon and oatmeal this morning. Would you like some?" It was mostly a rhetorical question. Lewis was a 14-year-old boy. What 14-year-old boy turns down food? Lars figured if Lewis was going to be by in the mornings to wait for his friends to get ready for school, he'd better have some extra food ready too.

"Yes, sir," replied Lewis, taking a seat at the table. "Thank you!" Lewis scooped some fruit and berries to add to his oatmeal and Lars brought him some orange juice and bacon.

Lewis focused on his breakfast as the boys went about their morning. He pulled out his phone and texted Christian.

Lewis: how far from school u live?

Christian: rlly close
Christian: where r u?

Lewis: at Lukas'

Christian: I live dwn the street

Lewis throught back to his visit to Christian's the night before. He and Christian had been texting the entire time so he'd never really gotten a good idea of where his friend's house was. "Dr. Meijer? What street do you live on?" asked the red head.

"Maple."

Lewis: U live on Maple st

Christian: srsly
Christian: did you pass my house this morn

Lewis: idk it was dark

He conveniently left out that he was messing around with his phone the entire drive.

Christian: stop by and get me
Christian: 697 maple st

Lewis: k

He finished his morning meal just before Lukas joined the other four in the front room, ready to depart for the gym. "Thanks again, Mr. Meijer!"

"It's Lars, and you're welcome, Lewis. You boys have a good day today."

Once they were on the sidewalk, Lewis tried to get everyone's attention. "Guys, guys! We've got to stop and pick up Christian."

"Where?" asked Matthew.

"Um, hang on," Lewis pulled out his phone. "He moved this weekend and he lives somewhere around here. He sent me his street address."

The boys continued towards the school while Lewis retrieved Christian's address.

"Here it is... 697."

"697 what?" asked Simon.

"Maple Street."

The boys froze in their tracks but Lewis, looking at his phone didn't stop.

"He wants us to stop by and get him this morning to go to the gym." Lewis' smile seemed to light up the street. Then he noticed his friends weren't behind him. "Hey, why'd you guys stop? Oh, that's Christian's house."

Christian was anxious for his friends to come so they could go to the gym but Anna and Kristoffer wanted to meet their son's friends. Checking out the front window again he saw the boys standing on the sidewalk in front of his house.

"They're here!" yelled Christian. He threw open the front door and greeted his friend. "Come on, my parents want to meet you." Lewis and Lukas headed up to the front door but Simon and Matthew stayed with Michael who was frozen in place.

"Christian, go get your bags," directed Anna.

"Okay."

"Hi, Lewis!" greeted Christian's mother. "Um, is something wrong?"

Lewis noticed that only Lukas had joined him at the door and turned to see the other three remained by the street. Michael stared at the house and the older boys seemed to be consoling him.

"Oh, umm... I dunno," Lewis tried to figure out why his friends hadn't joined them.

"Anna," Lukas interjected, "this is where Michael and Matthew's mom... umm..."

"Oh." Anna turned and shouted to the men in the family, "Christian, grab your father and come outside to meet the boys."

She then walked Lewis and Lukas down the sidewalk to meet the other boys. Reaching them, she slid her arm around Michael. "When I met you yesterday, I didn't realize you were the Michael I've heard so much about from Lewis and Christian. It's an honor to meet such a hero."

Michael looked up at Anna and smiled. There was something about this lady, her gentle nature, the way she looked at Michael, even the way she smelled, reminded him of his mother. That's what was so unnerving when he met her the day before. Today, he was more prepared.

Kristoffer and Christian joined them at the street. "Boys, this is my husband, Kristoffer. Apparently, you already know Christian. I didn't realize you boys were his friends when we ran into each other yesterday. Kristoffer, these are the boys that helped me when I nearly dropped those boxes." Christian was proud of his friends and introduced each to his father before they headed off to the rec center.

When the boys were out of ear shot, Kristoffer asked, "What was that all about?" Wondering why they met the boys by the street instead of in the house.

"The little one, Michael, is the boy who sold us this house."

"Was it his mother?"

"Yes, his and Matthew's, the oldest boy." Anna took her husband's arm and they headed back into the house.

Kristoffer reflected. "Maybe we should have pulled him aside to connect the dots for him before he left."

"Maybe," agreed Anna. "If Michael wasn't looking horrified, I would have brought it up before they left. But it was just too awkward with the woman's children standing there."

Kristoffer nodded. "Well, if he doesn't connect things for himself, I'm sure someone will by lunch. I just wish I knew how he's going to react."

----------------------     

When Christian entered Mrs. Holtermann's room for Algebra, everyone found their seats. Two students, particularly Ava and Madison, couldn't wait to talk to Christian.

"We heard you moved this weekend," stated Ava.

"Yeah, my parents bought that yellow house on Maple," explained Christian.

"You mean Michael's old house," clarified Madison, excited that they thought they knew something Christian didn't.

"Michael's house?" questioned Christian.

"Yeah," said Ava, "that's the house where Michael's mom was killed. Isn't it creepy living in the house where someone was murdered?"

"You mean that's the house where Michael and Matthew's mom was shot?" This was news to Christian and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. He felt like he should have put two and two together. All those mornings the boys walked past the house in the morning, no one had mentioned it was where Michael had lived, but the conversation always seemed to quiet down and their steps seemed to quicken each time they passed the house. Lewis had mentioned that Michael and Matthew's mother died and that was why they lived with Lars, but he never asked for details. Now all the pieces fell into place and he couldn't wrap his brain around it.

"You didn't know?" asked Ava with an air of mock horror. She ate up the fact that she got to break the news. She loved gossip, and this was the best! "Yeah, so the week before Christmas, Lewis and Michael were kidnapped by some child sex ring thing but they killed their kidnappers and got away. So, the sex ring people sent a gunman to kill his mom. The guy got caught on his way to kill Lukas and Simon and all of them." The basic facts were close, but the story was more for shock value than to be informative.

Scott Schultz hurried into the classroom and found a seat in front of Christian. It was just one of those days where he's late to everything. He arrived late to the gym this morning, tried to clean his locker and was late for homeroom, and then stopped at the bathroom before class then just barely beat the bell for third period.

"Hey Christian," said Scott as he got his notebook out. Ready for class, he turned to his new friend and saw the look of horror and confusion on his face. "Whoa, who pissed in your corn flakes?"

"So, I'm living in Michael's old house?" asked Christian in disbelief.

"You are?" asked Scott. It was news to him, and it was a topic of conversation that made Scott very uncomfortable. He didn't like talking about other people's private business, especially his friends like Michael.

"Excuse me Mr. Schultz," interrupted Mrs. Holtermann. "Can we start class?"

Scott blushed and turned to face the front of the room. "Sorry."

It was difficult for Christian to focus on class and Mrs. Holtermann noticed, but didn't say anything. She heard the conversation with Ava and Madison and suspected Christian was processing the new information. Today she had the students working in small groups. She assigned the eighth graders their partners and gave each group their project.

"Christian, join me at my desk to discuss your honors assignment."

The boy nodded, collected his notebook and pencil, then pulled a chair up to Mrs. Holtermann's desk.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Huh?"

"I heard Ava trying to shock you with the information about Michael and your new home."

"Oh." He looked away not wanting to admit the new knowledge bothered him. "Do you think Michael is mad at me for moving into his old home?"

"Oh no, honey?" comforted Mrs. Holtermann. She'd really taken to liking the newest student at East Harbor Middle School. They spent the period discussing the events that led to the death of Michael's mother, the school and community's reactions, Matthew's arrival in East Harbor, and what she knew about Michael's trip back to Oregon and how his friends and classmates rallied around him.

Mrs. Holtermann continued, "I don't think he's been in the house since the shooting. What I do know is when he gets upset, he tends to isolate himself and think. So, his going off and doing gymnastics by himself this morning instead of talking to you or celebrating your new home probably means he just needed some alone time. Remember, he also worked out away from his brothers, his teammates, and everyone else too -- not just you."

When the bell rang, Christian had his project topic and felt better about everything. He felt even better finding Lukas' friendly face in his fourth period English class. They joined Trajan and Jordan and the four boys sat together in the back of the room and goofed off when they found downtime despite Ms. Crawford's best efforts.

Lunch brought Lukas' lunch table gang together with Lewis, Christian and a few other members of the lacrosse and soccer teams that felt like joining them that day. It seemed to Christian that Michael was back to being himself -- he was laughing and joking around with his buddies and showing off his dimples.

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Monday afternoon was tryouts for the lacrosse teams. This year Coach Lange tried something different. He brought the middle schoolers to the high school and had tryouts for seventh grade through varsity on the same field at the same time. The other coaches agreed that this would be a good way of capitalizing on the work Gavin had started in unifying the different teams onto one cohesive program. Coach Lange was very impressed with the leadership of Simon, Lukas and Michael and their ability to keep the momentum going after Gavin moved to Connecticut.

Though the coaches didn't track which boys were participating in the ongoing student-organized lacrosse practices, it was evident during try outs.

First, the participants had advanced their skills tremendously during the off season. The impact was felt across the entire lacrosse program. For example, the seventh graders that participated in the student-led program were well above their eighth-grade peers who didn't participate.

Second, the chemistry of the participants showed on the field. Their comradery, their encouragement, their communication and gentle remidners of the things they'd been working on. It was evident which boys had worked with Simon and the others and that was something the coaches wanted for their teams.

Tuesday gave the coaches a chance to talk to the teachers and other coaches to learn more about the students trying out. It was also the second day of try-outs and they went even better than the day before. The coaches were encouraged. After try-outs, the coaches ordered some pizza, sorted out the players, and discussed their hopes for the upcoming season.

Wednesday the team rosters were posted. Over at the middle school, Lukas, Michael, and the boys headed to the gymnasium before eating their lunch. They were too excited to see who made the team.

Looking down the list posted outside Mr. Harris' office, high-fives were exchanged as Lukas read off his name, as well as Lewis, Scott, Jordan, Trajan, and the last name on the list, Christian.

"Dude, I told you all that eye-hand coordination you have from tennis made you a natural for lacrosse." Lewis was so proud that he and Christian both made the team.

Jordan turned and joked, "Well, that and we were only going to have 15 per roster and only 18 eighth graders tried out."

"What the fuck!" said Lukas, reading he list a second and third time.

Mr. Harris had just turned the corner when Lukas dropped the "f-bomb". "Mr. Meijer, please remember where you are before you speak like that."

"Sorry Mr. Harris, but how did Michael NOT make the team? If Michael doesn't play then..." Mr. Harris cut Lukas off before he could finish his statement.

"Lukas, before you jump to conclusions, get all the facts. Lukas, Michael, please step into my office. The rest of you boys, congrats if you made the team, but you need to head back to the cafeteria now."

The boys nodded and started back to the cafeteria, discussing under their breath the surprising name missing from the eighth-grade lacrosse team roster.

"Have a seat, boys," said their PE teacher, pointing to the two chairs across the desk from his office chair.

"How did..." began Lukas but again, the teacher cut him off.

"Lukas, remember Michael's first day when you got mad at me because you thought Michael was in trouble, but he was really just leaving class early to get to the high school?"

"Ummm... yeah," said Lukas, recalling the day he thought Michael got in trouble for standing up to Lewis on the soccer field during gym.

"Then please give me the opportunity to explain before you jump to conclusions."

"Okay."

"Coach Lange and the other coaches have been talking to the teachers and debating on the best way to structure the teams. It's more than just sorting out the best players from each grade, it is also putting leaders in the right places to lead. This year, each team will have two captains, one will be voted on by the players, the other will be selected by each coach. They want to reward players who have shown remarkable leadership skills during the off season. We also had an interesting situation about course credits and class rankings we had to deal with. I don't want you talking about what I'm about to show you, but here is a list of who made which team, all the way through varsity. The name in yellow will be the coach's selection as team captain if that person isn't voted captain by his peers."

Michael looked over Lukas' shoulder at the list. The first column was the middle school. Lukas' name was in yellow for the eighth-grade team. For the seventh graders, Gregory will be the coach appointed captain. He's attended every session that the boys had organized. The tall, lanky boy would be a great choice thought Lukas. His passion for lacrosse was evident, he always asked for feedback so he could improve, he worked as hard as anyone and he was great at being supportive and encouraging of others. The second column was the high school teams.

"Simon made varsity!" Lukas was excited that not only his boyfriend would be so happy to make varsity his freshman year, he was proud that Simon would also be one of the team captains. But the bigger surprise was the JV roster.

"What?!" said Michael. "How am I on the JV team? How am I a captain? I've never even played in a match?"

"That, Michael, is the interesting thing. Your leadership during the soccer season and with the student-led lacrosse group made you a prime target for being a captain on the team. We expect Lukas to actually be voted team captain and we were going to appoint you to be his co-captain, but we ran into two problems. First, the JV team lacked a strong leader and could really benefit from it. Second, with the credit you earned from your extra online classes and your independent study Algebra II class, you are technically a Freshman this semester, so you can't play on the eighth-grade team."

Michael and Lukas looked at each other in disbelief before Lukas cracked a smile first. "You little shit, you're a grade ahead of me now!" The boys laughed as Mr. Harris admonished Lukas, again, for his language at school.

"I'm happy for you Michael," congratulated Mr. Harris, "Did you see your brother Matthew also made the JV team?" Michael's smile reached 100 watts.

After lacrosse practices on Thursday, the teams voted on their team captains. The seventh graders did what the coaches would have done and voted Gregory Fielder team captain. The coaches appointed his best friend, and participant in the student led sessions, Sam Greenfield as co-captain.

Lukas, knowing the coaches were going to appoint him as co-captain, tried to talk the team into voting Lewis as the player voted captain. It was a close vote between four nominees, but Lewis won by a single vote. The coaches kept to their word and made Lukas the co-captain.

The JV team voted Luke Drake, the Luke from Michael's geometry class, and Michael was introduced as the coach appointed co-captain. Luke, a sophomore, would split time with the varsity, suiting up with the varsity if the JV team doesn't have a game.

The Varsity voted Robert McCall as captain. Only a junior, the coaches were surprised, but Robert had really stepped up and taken the reins. They could tell that his experience in the student-led sessions had boosted his confience and leadership skills. He'd seen others lead and took it upon himself to fill those shoes. Simon had gotten some votes as team captain, so it wasn't a surprise to the team that the coaches appointed him co-captain.

With the lacrosse season starting in three weeks, the boys were excited and ready to get to work.

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2018

Lacrosse wasn't the only thing going on this week. On Monday, tickets went on sale for the middle and high school Valentine's Day dances the Saturday following the holiday.

All week the middle school buzzed with speculation on who would ask whom to the dance. With the dance still a week away, ticket sales had been slow as the students worked up the courage to ask someone to the dance.

When the lunch crew got together, everyone's spirits were high. Everyone who'd tried out for lacrosse made the team. Lewis and Lukas were the eighth-grade captains and the boys invited the seventh-grade captains, Gregory and Sam, to join their table. That's when the word slipped out that Michael was captain on the JV team.

"No, f'ing way!" exclaimed Scott, one of Michael's biggest fans. "Those guys are so lucky. Congrats lil'bro!" Scott and Michael bumped fists. The other boys congratulated Michael and asked him about being on the JV team with the "big boys".

"Hey, where's Trey?" asked Michael.

"He's getting tickets to the Valentine's Day dance," said Sam. Sam, Gregory and Trey had become fast friends. When Lars enrolled Trey on Monday, his new charge was a seventh-grader. Though Trey was worried he wouldn't fit in, Gregory was in his homeroom. Knowing each other from the student-led lacrosse practices, Gregory sat next to Trey and struck up a friendship. It turned out that either Gregory, Sam, or both, were in nearly every class Trey was in.

When Trey approached the table, Sam scooted over and Trey slid a chair in between the seventh-grade lacrosse captains instead of taking his usual seat beside Michael. He set his lunch on the table then pulled out two-tickets to the Valentine's Dance out of his pocket and set them on the table.

Michael's heart skipped a beat. He and Trey had known each other, in the Biblical sense, every night since he found the stowaway in the equipment truck. They hadn't discussed being a couple nor had Michael ever considered it. But now, with the dance tickets on the table, he realized it would be a natural progression of their friendship, but he didn't expect Trey to ask him to the dance.

Gregory turned to Trey and looked on in anticipation. "Sooo..." he prompted Trey, waving his hands to get his friend to spill the beans.

Michael's face flushed. He couldn't believe Trey was going to ask him to the Valentine's Dance in front of everyone. But they are all friends. Everyone would be supportive of them officially becoming a couple. His mind fast-forwarded. It would be so romantic for them to be a couple like Lukas and Simon. He and Trey could spend every night together and the four of them could double-date.

"She said, 'yes'!" gushed Trey.

"What?" asked Michael. Not sure he heard right.

Sam jumped in to fill in the gaps for everyone at the table. "Trey asked Melanie Drake to the dance. She's like the hottest girl in our class! You dog! I can't believe she said 'yes'!" Melanie had attended some of the student-led lacrosse practices while her older brother, Luke was on the field. When Trey sat out and watched the first few practices, he sat with Melanie and they got to know each other.

Conversation turned to plans for the dance. Of course, Simon and Lukas were going, but hadn't decided who's dance to go to. Scott was taking Najma, Trajan got permission to bring Derek, and Lewis and Christian set up another double date with Courtney and Emily. This time, however, the other boys at the table didn't want to go stag, after all, it is the Valentine's Day Dance. Will, Jordan, and some of the guys from the soccer and lacrosse teams, including Mateo, were going out for pizza and a movie instead.

Michael's heart sank. He got up from the table grabbed his lunch and backpack. Throwing what was left of his lunch in the trash, he scuttled down the hallway away from the cafeteria.

Over at the high school, Luke and Carly were still dating and since Freddie had his driver's license, they were going to double date with Freddie's girl, Serena, as the fourth. Robert McCall had been dating Cassie Wright since the start of the new year and they would attend the dance together.

It took until Friday morning for Matthew to get up the nerve to ask his crush to the dance. He sat beside April Evandale each day in art class. This girl had absolutely captured Matthew's imagination from her striking, natural beauty, her attitude towards life, and her artistic talents. All week he'd been trying to get up the nerve to ask her, but each time he opened his mouth to ask, the words just didn't come out. In all reality, he wasn't sure she even noticed him. Any conversation they ever had, he initiated. Otherwise, she seemed to ignore him. It was driving Matthew crazy and April knew it. She hadn't dated anyone and didn't feel the need to validate herself by having a man. But she'd witnessed Matthew's tender side with his little brother, his passion and talents for the arts, and she'd seen him stand up for the those that couldn't stand up for themselves, even when he didn't know them. It also helped that he was incredibly hot. Today, as soon as he sat down, he blurted out the question before he chickened out. Waiting for her rejection, like she'd handed out to every other boy that had ever asked her out, she laid her hand on Matthew's and gave him her brightest smile. "I'd love to," she said.

----------------------     

Trey sat on the beanbag chair playing Minecraft while Michael tried to work on his latest Lego project to get his mind off everything. It wasn't working and there was one major reason why.

"Oh my god! I can't believe she said 'yes'!" gushed Trey for the one thousandth time. Each time the younger boy's frustration grew.

"I'm sleeping with Lukas and Simon tonight," announced Michael. "See you in the morning."

Trey turned to say something, but he only saw the underwear clad butt slip out into the hallway before the bedroom door shut. When the door shut, he turned back to the TV and continued his game.

Without knocking, Michael entered Lukas and Simon's bedroom. Simon was naked toweling his hair and Lukas was in bed messing around with his phone.

"What's up lil'bro?" asked Simon, not bothering to cover himself.

Michael just walked over and crawled into bed and snuggled up to Lukas. Wedging his head up under Lukas' left arm, Michael laid his head on Lukas' chest so he could see the iPhone screen.

Lukas was replying to and liking comments posted to the band's Twitter account. When he had the account up to date, he put his phone down and hugged his little brother and Simon climbed into bed on the other side.

"What's up? You've been down since lunch?" asked Lukas. He'd seen Michael wander off but didn't think much of it. The boy often left lunch early to make phone calls and check in on construction at the theater.

"Nothing."

Lukas looked over at Simon. Neither boy believed nothing was wrong. The bigger boy moved closer to Michael and wrapped his arms around both of the boys in his bed. They both felt Michael's body relax when he felt the comfort of being wrapped in their warmth.

Simon kissed the back of Michael's head and asked again. "What's got you down?"

"I'm just being stupid."

"About what?" asked Lukas. There was a long pause before Michael said anything, but it was too soft for them to hear.

"What?" asked Simon, turning his head in hopes of hearing Michael repeat his answer.

"Trey."

A look of realization came over Lukas. Simon was still in the dark and gave Lukas a questioning look.

"So, you thought Trey bought the tickets to the dance to ask you to go with him, not Melanie Drake."

Simon's eyes widened and an eyebrow shot up. Michael just nodded.

"I'm sorry, lil'bro," comforted Lukas. "I was surprised he asked a girl to the dance."

Simon thought for a minute then added his thoughts. "You know, Michael, I think dad would say that we are all young and on our own journey to discover who we are. Trey probably doesn't know if he likes boys or girls or both."

"But he said he got caught looking at gay porn," explained Michael.

"Well," said Lukas looking for a gentle way to make his point, "a lot of guys look at porn just out of curiosity. Me and Simon, we've looked at straight porn, but that doesn't mean we're straight."

They could tell by the look on Michael's face that he was thinking and processing what they said. Simon and Lukas both knew the question that needed to be asked next. Simon held his breath as Lukas spoke the words. "Did you think Trey liked you because you guys were having sex?" With a slight nod of his head, Michael put that last piece of the puzzle in place.

Simon felt the need to break the tension in the room. With a loud sigh, he stated, "Our lil'bro, so sexy even the straight boys can't resist." Even Michael laughed at that statement. Michael sat up and the three boys had a long conversation. Lukas recounted his overnight with Scott who's dating Najma. Simon cautiously told about the night Gavin wanted to bottom.

"Sometimes sex is just sex," explained Lukas.

"I know," sighed Michael. "That's the way it is when I mess around with Derek and Trajan. But when he bought the tickets, I thought maybe this was different."

Simon rubbed Michael's back. "You never know. It might be. Maybe Trey needs to learn more about himself before he really knows who he is and what he wants. Besides, we're going to find Trey's family and he will be leaving. Let's find you a boyfriend that's here in town."

The brothers crawled under the covers and chatted until each fell to sleep.

----------------------     

Christian crept down the steps. Anna and Krisoffer were curled up on the loveseat in the living room watching a movie together.

"What's up, honey?" asked Anna when a figure appeared in the archway.

"I can't sleep," said the sleepy teen. It was past midnight and after not being able to sleep well all week, his parents expected Christian to crash out for the night and sleep in Saturday morning.

"Come here," directed Kristoffer, making room for the boy to sit between his parents. "What's going on?"

"I don't know," mumbled Christian, clearly not wanting to tell his parents something.

Anna pulled him into a hug and Christian curled up on the seat. Kristoffer rubbed the boy's legs and feet to help him relax.

"What's keeping you from sleeping?" she asked again.

"It's... I don't... I'm not..." Christian couldn't bring himself to say it. He didn't know how his parents would react or if he was just being crazy. They sat patiently waiting for their son to get something off his chest.

"It's just, when I'm sleeping, I feel like someone is watching me," explained Christian.

Anna and Kristoffer exchanged a glance. They were worried about how Christian would take moving into a house with a tragic history. Maybe if it hadn't happened so recently, the kids at school wouldn't have known anything about it. As it stood, their son's friend, and partner on a school project, was part of the house's past and a constant reminder of what happened there.

"I wake up thinking you or dad are looking in on me, but no one's there," yawned the thirteen-year-old.

His mom and dad didn't have an answer for this, but seeing their son drift off to much needed sleep was a precious moment. Anna shifted so her feet joined Christian's in Kristoffer's lap. The Olsen family shared a closeness most families with teen boys have lost and Anna and Kristoffer cherished every moment of it.

----------------------     

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2018

Something woke Lukas but he wasn't sure what it was. It was still dark and if he remembered correctly, it wasn't a school day. Groggy, he reached for his phone to check the time. Saturday, 5:10 am. 'Fuck,' he thought. Dropping the phone back on the night stand, he shifted his position and settled in to go back to sleep.

*poke* *poke*

Something hard poked the fourteen-year-old in the hip. He waited to see if it happened again. This time the mattress wobbled with the more determined pokes into his hip. These were intentional to get his attention. Lukas rolled over and faced a wide-awake Michael.

"What..." was all Lukas got out before he hissed at the feeling of two small hands wrapping around his morning wood.

Pulling the waistband of Lukas' bikini briefs out, Michael slipped his hand inside and cupped the teen's warm ball sac.

"Not here," whispered Lukas. "Let Simon sleep." He wanted to sleep too, but now he needed to get off before he'd be able to return to dreamland.

The boys slipped out of bed and crossed the hallway to the guest bathroom. The nightlight luminated the room as the boys entered and quietly shut the door. In no time, Michael was on his knees tugging Lukas' underwear down his long, thin legs.

"Ah, shit," groaned Lukas. Michael had his face buried in the blonde's crotch before his only garment reached his knees. The younger boy drank in the young teen's musky scent and rejoiced in the tactile sensations of the young, firm genitals rubbing across his face.

The boys were right. Michael was getting hit hard by puberty. The little walking erection had been relieving his sexual tension with Trey but since that didn't happen the night before, Lukas was the target, or beneficiary, depending on how you look at it.

With Lukas' cock pressed along his nose, Michael bathed the blonde's smooth balls with his tongue, taking in a heavy dose of pheromones. When his mission was accomplished, Michael's tongue wandered up the stiff spike and sampled the precum oozing from the tip.

The older boy stepped out of the briefs tangled around his feet and kicked them to the side. He ran his fingers through Michael's brown hair and encouraged the boy.

"Damn your tongue feels good," whispered Lukas as Michael's tongue searched for every drop of delicious precum from wherever it may be hiding. Satisfied he hadn't missed a drop, Michael went right to the tap to find more.

"Shit," exhaled Lukas as he gritted his teeth. Michael's mouth drove Lukas crazy. His knees shook as the younger boy vacuumed his hooded, pink five-incher.

Michael ravishingly attacked his friend's, his brother's, equipment like it was the last meal he'd ever eat until the blonde couldn't take it any longer.

Lukus pried Michael off his dick and tapped the vanity counter next to the sink. Michael hopped up there and waited for Lukas' next move. The older boy reached for Michael's tented boxer briefs and ripped them off and tossed them aside.

"You're getting bigger," admired the older boy. Michael was getting closer to the four-inch mark and his little peanuts were now the size of grapes. The boy's nut sack was drawn up tight and a little burp of precum capped his circumcised cock.

"You really are beautiful," offered Lukas before he set to giving Michael the same treatment the boy had bestowed on him.

"Huh uuuugh," groaned Michael as Lukas immediately applied suction to draw as much of Michael's cock through his puckered lips and he possibly could. The 11-year-old's body shook and shivered in delight. White-knuckling the edge of the counter, Michael's knees twitched and his toes flexed and curled as Lukas pulled out all of his tricks.

Lukas lowered himself to the floor and attacked the rest of Michael's groin area. It tickled in such a glorious way, Michael spread his legs and lifted his knees to give Lukas better access to the creases between his balls and muscular thighs. Holding his knees, Michael relaxed back into the mirror.

Rolling backward onto his lower back changed the angle of the boy's hips. It brought his wrinkly, pink backdoor into range of Lukas' tongue. The blonde didn't hesitate. In lust, he dug into Michael's boy hole.

"Oh fuck. Yes!" groaned the young boy. His maturing testes churning out a steady flow of hormones into the boy's body inflaming his desires. He grabbed Lukas' hair and held the teen's head in place while the tongue flicked and plunged into his needy hole.

Michael finally released Lukas' hair and gave one, simple command. "Fuck me."

Lukas rose to his feet and took in the sight of the relaxed and wanting boy. Knees pulled back and his slick, open hole winked at Lukas. Michael's rod stood proud and needy, dripping a fresh stream of precum down the side. The boy's heaving chest and puffing cheeks were flushed red with desire.

Lukas spit in his hand and smeared his saliva around his cock which jumped in time with his heartbeat. Stepping into place, he lined up and slid into the hot, wet hole. Both moaned their approval. Michael used his fist to masturbate, pumping his hand in time with Lukas' thrusts. Each boy lost in their own pleasure and didn't notice the increase in their tempo. Faster and faster they went, seeking the ultimate release. With the activity, Michael slid until he was lying on his back, ass hanging completely off the vanity. Lukas simply grabbed him around the waist to hold Michael in place so he could continue to drill the gripping, slippery hole.

Michael's orgasm came upon him quickly. Two full body twitches then his eyes squeezed shut and his legs wrapped around Lukas pulling the teen in tight. Michael's back arched and his mouth opened to scream in joy but only gave a squeak as his ass clamped down on Lukas' cock and spasmed. His pink cocklet twitched and flicked small streams of clear boy's cream against Lukas' abs and then his own.

Lukas responded by rising to his toes and launching his batch of baby makers into the boy's depths. The teen's new larger, more potent load searched for their destination in vain. He shuddered as Michael's thighs nearly crushed him while the boy orgasmed.

Michael's ankles locked when he relaxed with a huge smile on his face. Lukas lowered himself from his tip toes onto the soles of his feet. Michael held his arms out and Lukas leaned forward. Reaching around the blonde's neck, Michael was able to pull himself up and the boys kissed deeply.