by Ryan Keith

Chapter  6 - Good Times, Good Times

 

***Zac***

 

       I found Kayden sitting on a small patch of snow, looking out over a pond where people were skating. None of our group had noticed him slip away, but Dad had found me and told me where Kade was. Kayden needs time alone, but I had thought the empty house he goes home to every day was enough.. Sometimes I worry about him. At times, I can’t tell what he’s thinking, and on occasion I get the feeling he's hiding something from me. He knows he can trust me, but I have to remind him of that every so often. I approached my boyfriend with a new resolve.

       "I like it here, Zac," he said, before I could say anything.

       Kayden hadn’t even turned around, but he knew I was there. I had thought I was pretty quiet.

       He turned to me and I blinked. The cloud of worry and doubt seemed to be gone. Before me sat the boy who means the world to me. His smile was clear and meaningful. Whatever had been eating him alive was gone.

       "Sit with me."

       I sat beside him without another thought. I sat closer than I usually would in a public place. I felt an arm wrap behind me and I was surprised when his other hand rested on my thigh. I leaned in on him and rested my head on his shoulder. I couldn't believe what was happening. We usually wouldn't do something that would expose us, but at that moment I didn't care if everyone from school saw us. I felt Kayden gently kiss the top of my head before leaning his head against mine. In silence, we shared an almost perfect moment. If there hadn’t been so many screaming children on the frozen pond it would have been perfect. After a while, though, I knew the moment had to end.

       "How can you stand this?" I asked.

       "Stand what?"
       "Your ass freezing. Come on, let's go get something hot to drink. Everyone must be inside by now. Even Shin can't be swinging that piece of stick for so long in this weather.."

       Kayden chuckled, bringing a warm feeling to my chest. It was better than heat pads, and I felt the warmth flow through my body. It didn't do much for my feet or hands, though, because they were way too cold.

       I got up, no longer feeling the cold snow on my ass. I offered my hand to Kayden. He looked up at me, gave me a wicked smile, and grabbed it.

 

       We found our friends playing pool in a billiard pub. Jett had sent a message to my cell phone, so we tracked them down pretty fast.

       "All right! Teams!" Jett called out when he saw us.

       No one asked where we had been, and we didn’t tell them. It was almost like it didn't matter. I noticed Dad having a beer and chatting with the bartender.

       "Zac and me against Kayden and Scott,” Jett proposed. “Is that okay?"

       "What about Shin? Isn’t he going to play?" Kayden asked.

       I turned to Scott and Jett and we busted into laughter.

       "Dude, if Shin plays, whoever partners up with him will lose. None of us ever like playing with Shin," Scott explained.

       "That’s why he never plays pool at Zac's house," Jett pointed out.

       "Isn't that a bit harsh?" Kayden asked with some uncertainty.

       We all turned to Shin, who gave us the biggest grin in the world.

       "Nah, Shin's really better off playing on his own," I told Kayden. "Don't worry about him. I'd be more worried about you."

       When we play at my house we always have a ten-buck pot. Every one coughs up ten bucks and the winning team splits the money.

       Shin walked over to play on the table beside ours. I watched Kayden keep a steady gaze on Shin. I knew he was worried we were hurting Shin's feelings by not letting him join the game, but it was for the best. Even Shin knew that, but Kayden hadn’t known him long enough to understand.

       "Hey, don't worry, he'll be fine," I told Kade.

       I saw Dad leave the bar and walk up to Shin. Dad picked out a cue stick, which meant he and Shin would be playing a game. Kayden seemed to ease up a bit and we finally got our own game going.

       After three games, Scott and Kayden were leading by one. Kayden was amazed at the number of stupid mistakes Shin was making while he played against my dad, and he finally admitted that whoever teamed up with Shin would definitely lose.

       I saw Dad take off after he got a call on his cell phone. It pisses me off when his cell phone rings during our trips. Usually it means there’s some emergency at his office, and those are never cool. It could even mean he’d have to go back, and it was seriously going to suck if that was the case. Dad only pulled that once on me when I was a kid. I got really upset that time, and he promised me it wouldn't happen again.

       Jett immediately noticed my concern and was on me before I could even show any signs of anger.

       "Hey, don’t worry about it. It's nothing, okay? Just a phone call. Your dad won't bail on us," my best friend said, nudging me. "And if it is what you think, he's not going to cut our trip short. We can handle ourselves, remember? He'll let us stay."

       I just nodded. It was true enough, but I wanted Dad to stay with us. If work called him back early, I'd probably have a miserable time because he ditched us.

       "Yo, check out Shin," Scott whispered to us.

       Kayden was nearby, and I could immediately sense his worry.

       "They're hustlers, Zac," Kayden stated confidently.

       "No way," Scott replied. "They're just kids. See? They're just going to be playing a friendly game. Shin isn't in trouble."

       "I'm telling you, guys, Shin's in trouble if you just leave him," Kayden said, seeming annoyed. "Zac…" He turned to me and I could see a pleading look in eyes.

       "Don't worry, man. Shin's a big boy. He's street smart, too, you know. He's not as stupid as he leads on to be," I told him.

       Kayden looked at all of us like we were crazy.

       "I can't just stand here and watch them. I'm going over," Kayden announced. He walked over before we could say anything.

       "Should we?" Scott asked.

       "I haven't seen Shin play in a while. Let's go," Jett answered.

       We walked over and Kayden stared hard at me. I was confused until I noticed the two fifty dollar bills on the table. It was a pot game. Shin was against a guy who looked like he was about seventeen, and definitely a local.

       Kade walked up to me and asked, "You just going to let Shin lose that money?"

       I pulled Kayden to the side, smiling at him. "Have faith in Shin, man, he's your friend!"

       "What are you talking about?" Kayden nearly snapped. "You know he sucks, so why would you…"

*CRACK*

       We turned to the sound of a perfect break. I watched as Kayden's mouth opened and he let out a little gasp.

       A ball was sunk, and two were set up nicely for perfect shots later on. The cue ball slowed down to the middle and was opposite of a cluster of balls. At a certain angle, a shot could spread the balls all over the table and get the game rolling. That was Shin's strategy. It hardly failed.

       "What the…" Kayden whispered.

       "Told you not to worry, man. Shin's like a pro at this game."

       "I thought he sucked," Kayden whispered again.

       "He does, when he plays any of us. It's not fun for him to play us. We’re not good enough competition, so he just fools around and always ends up losing. But when he's against people he's never played before, and the pot is big, it's a whole different story. In a way, he's like Scott. Scott's game is chess, and he actually plays around with us, slowly taking out pieces until we either forfeit or our king is the last one standing."

       Kayden released a relieved sigh. "You could have told me, you know."

       "Nah, it was funner watching you sweat a bit," I joked.

       "Funner isn’t a word, dumbass," Scott piped up.

       I gave him the finger and he laughed and walked off towards Jett. Kayden was focusing on the game and I noticed Shin's opponent starting to get agitated. I knew he had been watching Shin. He had been playing at the next table watching Shin and my dad when they were playing. Even when Shin plays around, he makes total fluke shots that no one ever expects to go in. I guess even for Shin, it was hard to try to lose.

       This game was nothing like that, though; Shin was totally dominating the table, and it showed on his opponent’s face.

       The winner was decided in the next minute. Shin sank his last ball, then called the pocket and sank the eight ball.

       I felt a rush in me and knew it was all good. Shin had won, and I couldn't have been more proud.

       "Yo, Shin, buy us drinks, will you?" Scott joked as he draped his arm around Shin's shoulders.

       "This is money well earned," Shin laughed as he walked towards where the bills were held by the cue chalk. "I'm going to invest it!"

       Before Shin could grab the bills, his opponent made a move, snatching the money. He stared hard at Shin and I knew trouble was brewing.

       Shin's smile faded as he looked squarely at his opponent.

       "Hey, man," I said, stepping forward, "my buddy won that money fair and square."
       "Your buddy hustled me!" the older boy sneered. His angry buddies stood around their loser friend.

       "Dude, don't even start that shit," Scott said, his voice raised. He was going red in the face, and I knew he was edging towards letting it all out. "I saw you come up to our man here. I watched you challenge him. I heard you laugh when he told you he was good. He won that money hands down. Now cough up, man!"

       "Well, he was tricked," Shin spoke up.

       "Shin…man," Jett tried to silence him.

       Shin ignored Jett and smiled at the guy. "How about we call that last game a trial. We'll settle this in a new game. I'll give you the break.."

       The guys around the loser stared long and hard at all of us. Kayden was quiet but I could sense he was ready to jump at any sudden movements.
       "Marty, you start shit in my bar and I'm going to whip your ass, boy," the bartender shouted out.. "You leave those boys alone. They're good folk. Now quit being a pussy and give the boy his money."
       The guy, whose name was apparently Marty, got red in the face and slammed the money down on the table. He called his troop and stalked out of the building.

       Shin quietly walked up and slipped the bills in his pocket.

       "Shit," Scott groaned, apparently not satisfied, "I thought I'd be able to open another can of whoop-ass."

       "You mean you almost got another ass whooping," Jett joked.

       I turned to my best friend and noticed why those guys had stared so hard at my friends. Kayden stood beside Jett with his hands in his pockets, a look that could scare a tiger distorting his usually gentle face. Jett’s arms were crossed, really showing muscles and even some veins. Together they looked like a death squad that only crazy people would think of trying to beat.

       Scott ignored Jett and approached Shin again. "So, how about those drinks?"

       "You boys get over here," the bartender called out, smiling. "I'll fix you boys up some drinks, on the house."

       We all exchanged looks, but didn't think twice about accepting the free drinks.

       Scott was the first to sit at the bar, saying, "Thanks a lot!"

       "Sorry about the chaps back there," the older, balding man said, passing a drink to Scott first. "They try to hustle the tourists all the time. Glad to see they were put in their place. They're nice boys, really. They just get a bit angry when they lose at their own game."

       "No fault was done," Kayden said earnestly. The usual calm and kind look was back on his face.

       "Sorry about all the noise, though," I spoke up. I had noticed that everyone in the bar stared at us when the Scott shouted out like he did.

       "It's all right. I take care of tourists," the man said, showing a big grin. "You guys put money in my pocket."
       A sour look came over Scott's face.. "Is this coke?"

       "It sure is," the man said as he glanced over his half spectacles at Scott. "If you can show me some proper ID, I'll gladly upgrade your drink."

       Scott grinned and shook his head. "Coke is good."

       We all laughed and proceeded to have an easy-going chat with the bartender.

 

       We went for dinner after Dad showed up with a smile on his face. He had gotten a call from work, but he told us he had no intention of going back..

       "I told them I'm not going back for anything less than a meteor falling," he joked.

       I knew Dad was working on the new RADARSAT-2 project that was going to launch in 2005, and I knew he was a big player in the process. I was a bit ashamed of myself for thinking he would drop all of us so he could go back to work, though.

       While Dad was occupied with Scott, sharing details about his project, Shin was replaying everything that had crossed his mind while he played pool with Marty. I was eyeing Kayden's steak. Even after chowing down my wraps, which were pretty damn big by any standards, I wanted to know how good that steak was.

       Kayden, being the sharp boy he is, noticed me and paused as he was raising his fork towards his mouth. He gave me a teasing smile and put the meat in his mouth. He chewed slowly and tried to look like he was savoring the taste, without being overly dramatic. I laughed at the way he was playing the part, and then I was surprised when he tilted his fork towards me with a piece of steak on it.

       He swallowed his piece and smiled, waiting for me to take the bite.

       I didn't think twice before taking it. The steak was good, but I was more thrilled at the fact Kayden had fed me, and in public.

       "Uh…guys," Jett interrupted with a hard look. "Do you mind not doing that here?"

       Kayden and I turned to Jett and noticed everyone at our table was looking at us.

       "I'm sort of still eating here, and you two are worse than Shin and Mai," Jett said, suddenly smiling.

       Dad, Shin, Scott and Jett busted into fits of laughter at the expense of Kayden and me. I turned to my boyfriend and noticed a definite change of shades.

       "Oh, by the way," Dad spoke up after the noise died down, "I got a call from Diana while you guys were playing pool. She's coming up here with the girls. She didn't feel too comfortable letting Lenne come up here, with Maya's brother being single and all. Does Lenne have the hots for Maya's brother?"

       "She does, actually," Shin beamed. "Mai told me. Lenne told Mai that Maya's brother is like an older Jett. Her kind of man." At that, Shin turned to Jett and added, "Maybe you should join the military."

       We all cracked up laughing while Jett nodded his head, taking in the insult. "Yeah, they could use me.I heard we're going to have a bad winter this year. They'll need all the men they can spare at the front lines…you know, shoveling."

       We couldn't have been any louder at our table. No one seemed to mind, though. In fact, some people smiled at us.

       "Oh, I am so telling her brother that when they get up here," Scott said, clapping his hands.

       "Go ahead," Jett said confidently. "We have enough snow here. I want to see how I stack up against those big military men."

       "Jett's just mad because Lenne has turned him down so many times," Kayden said, laughing.

       Jett turned red as we went through another round of laughter.

       "Diana’s coming up here with the girls, huh?" I said to Dad.

       "Oh, yeah!" Dad said as he took a swig of his Alexander Keith's, a beer he really likes. "She told me to tell you guys that the girls will be here tomorrow night. She has to make last minute preparations at the hospital, so they’re holding back for a day while she finds a replacement."

       "I think we can last a day or so without the girls," Jett said, nodding his head.

       We all said something along those lines and then agreed we'd go snowboarding before the girls arrived.

      

       Our suite was like a fancy condominium. It had two bedrooms, each complete with a TV, a washroom and a mini bar. There was a large common room that could easily seat eight people, a kitchen, a general washroom, and a larger bar.

       Jett, Kayden and I would share one bedroom, and Dad, Shin and Scott were going to share the other one. 

       "Were you stocked up by your sisters again, Jett?" Dad asked in a suspicious tone.

       "Aww, whatever do you mean, Mr. Hunter?" Jett joked, trying to keep a straight face. "Maybe you’re asking if my sisters packed me with alcohol to bring up here and have a fun time with my friends, but surely you know I’m not of age and it would be wrong of me to try to sneak something like that by you. You know me, Mr. Hunter, straightedged all the way!"

       Shin was rolling on the floor in tears and Scott was already filling glasses with ice, a knowing smile spreading on his face. Kayden and I just watched television with amused smiles on our faces. We heard the entire exchange and knew that Jett was teasing my dad with the whole Mr. Hunter thing.

       "Whatever," Dad said, shaking his head like he was disappointed.. "I'm going to sleep. I want to have full energy tomorrow when I show you boys how real men snowboard." He turned to Scott and said, "Scott, you and me, man, on the slopes. Tomorrow we decide who the better Canadian is."

       Scott waved off Dad's challenge like he was a fly.

       "Don't stay up too late, guys, and don't drink too much. We came here to ski and snowboard. You can get smashed at home whenever you want." With that, Dad entered the chambers, and the rest of us held our glasses towards Jett, who had the Southern Comfort and Coke.

       We decided to play Texas Hold 'em poker. We used the change from our pockets as chips. After an hour or so, I was clearly losing, but next hand I had a full house. I went all in, betting everything I had, and was sure I’d win. When Shin saw my bet, I was still sure I’d win, but he had a full house, too, and he had an ace high. So, I was the first one out of the game. I sat and watched until Kayden was the next one out, and then decided to change out of my clothes. Kayden said he'd join me, and the other guys were so into the game they didn’t notice us leaving.

       When Kayden and I went into the room, I kissed my boyfriend gently. My lips began to curl as a thought passed over me. Kayden opened his eyes and broke the kiss.

       "What?"

       "You planned this, didn't you? You lost on purpose," I accused him.

       "I may have lost, but who’re the real winners, them or us?"

       I answered that with a lip lock. 

 

       "All right, how do we do this?" Jett asked as he stumbled into the room.

       Kayden and I quickly separated from our embrace and I grabbed up my boxers from the side of the bed. Luckily, Jett was having a bit too much of a buzz to know what I was doing.

       "I warned you," Kayden whispered with a wink, "he wasn't going to stay out there all night."

       I blushed as I sat up to face Jett. "Hey, man. Game's over already?"
       "It's already two in the mornin'," Jett said, kind of giggling. "Where’d you two go off to?"

       "Uh, Zac and I decided to turn in early. But you woke us, man," Kayden replied.

       Jett was switching his gaze between Kade and me and it looked like he was pondering something. He opened his mouth, then froze, seeming to forget what he was about to say. He looked towards the empty bed.

       "I reckon I bunk with Kayden. That way you two don't get any ideas while I'm in the room," Jett said, as he sat on the empty bed. I felt my cheeks heat, but I knew I didn't have to be embarrassed around Jett..

       I noticed him look around the room as if he suspected something. "Sorta hot in here isn't it, guys? Open up a window or something."

       With that, he opened a window, letting a cold gust through. I quickly brought the covers over my body to shield myself.

       "Come on over, Kade. Tonight it's you and me, tomorrow night it's Zac and me, and we'll change up like that."

       Kayden stood up, wearing only boxer briefs. "Why can't I sleep with Zac?"

       "’Cause I don't wanna have to listen to you guys make kissy sounds!" Jett said, falling back onto the bed. He already had his eyes closed as he quickly removed his shirt and pants. He was in his boxers as he slipped under the blanket. In a minute or so, he was out cold.

       "I gotta sleep with that?" Kayden wondered as he turned to me.

       "Good night, Kade." I winked and added, "Have fun. I know what it's like to sleep in the same bed with Jett. All I can say is, try to get some sleep."
       Kayden apparently didn't like the sound of that, but I turned my back to him and closed my eyes. Sleep overcame me.

 

       I woke up to the smell of bacon. I felt my stomach rumble as I sat up in the bed. I remembered what had happened the night before and turned to Kayden. Sure enough, he was in the predicament I’d been sure he’d find himself in.

       Kayden was on the near side of the other bed, and he was awake. I looked at them and couldn't help laughing.

       "It's not what it looks like!" Kayden spat out immediately, his face reddening.

       Jett was snoring lightly, with half his body draped over Kayden like he was hugging a teddy bear. One of his legs was wrapped around Kayden's legs and Kayden was on his side trying to survive the attack.

       I just shook my head at him. "Don't enjoy it too much," I said, and nodded towards his morning condition.

       He blushed even more and covered his crotch with his hands. "It's morning…and I have to piss!"

       I just continued to laugh.

       "And it's not helping much that the snake is out of the cave," Kayden's voice faded into a whisper.

       I focused my attention between my best friend and my boyfriend and howled loudly.

       Sure enough, Jett was poking through the fly of his boxers and onto Kayden's leg.

       "Fun sleeping with Jett, isn't it?" I asked.   

       "You knew this was going to happen!"

       "I've slept in beds with Jett for as long as I can remember," I said, sitting up to face Kayden. "He always sleeps like that. It's why Shin and Scott always make me bunk with him instead of one of them."

       I actually prefer Jett over the others. Usually I wake up to find Jett holding me gently, as if I’m going to shatter. That’s way better than sleeping with Shin and feeling like my ribs are going to splinter, or even worse, being pushed off the bed by Scott. Scott and Shin somehow deal with each other's aggressive bed movements and manage to sleep perfectly fine.

       Lost in my thoughts, I almost forgot about Kayden. 

       "What does this boy eat? It's fucking huge! How do I get it off me?" Kayden asked embarrassedly.

       "Well, it's all right if you pick it up and move it," I teased.

       Kayden looked away and went even more red, if that was possible. "I already tried that. It just made him move his hips back and forth."

       I lost it. I fell forward off my bed and felt the air leave my lungs. I tried hard to breathe, but I was laughing too hard. I was finally able to take in short bursts of air, but I was having too good of a laugh to stop. I made enough noise, though, and Jett finally woke up.

       He didn't even say anything about his position. He sat up with his eyes half open, scratched his head, got up, and headed towards the washroom. It was just the exactly way he always woke up.

       Kayden immediately jumped into my bed. "Please don't make me go back," he whimpered.

       He was only kidding, but I loved the way he was playing cute. If only for a few minutes, I was able to hold Kayden the way Jett always held me. I felt my boyfriend melt in my arms and I was totally contented.

 

***

       "It's been that long?" I asked Kayden as we browsed through the rental shop.

       Kayden had just told Shin and me about the last time he had hit the slopes. It had been more than three years since Kayden last skied.

       "Never actually snowboarded, though," Kayden said as he examined a snowboard. "Just skied. Broke my ankle, so I was out of commission for the trip. Wouldn’t mind learning, though."

       "All right!" I clapped my hands. "You, me and Shin do the training for snowboarding."

       "You know how to snowboard, Zac," Shin said, turning to me.

       "Yeah, but I need a refresher, you know?" I lied. I’m not great like Scott and Dad, but I’m decent.

       "Well, why don't we ski today," Kayden suggested. "I figure Lenne hasn't snowboarded before, so we might as well all take the lessons."

       "Great idea," I said, smiling at Kayden. He returned the smile and gave a wink.

       "What about Mai?" Kayden asked, turning to Shin.

       "I don't think she does this kind of stuff," Shin grinned. "She'll probably just skate with Maya, or something."

       "Hey, guys, you ready yet?" Jett shouted into the store.

       Several people turned to him, and I saw the counter girl take a second look.

       Jett had on all of his equipment, including a yellow snowboarding jacket with matching yellow pants. He was definitely going full jock style. He wore a headband and some really cool shades that had gold-coloured reflective lenses. Scott stood behind Jett, wearing almost the same getup, except that his colours were blue and black and he was wearing a toque.

       Jett isn’t that great of a skier/snowboarder, but he has always joined Scott, Dad and me when we go. Shin has only occasionally gone with us.. Poor guy’s scared of moving too fast down the hills. He actually hates roller coasters.

       Kayden waved Jett off as we headed towards the checkout with our supplies..

       I went with Shin and Kayden on the more gentle slopes while Jett, Dad and Scott attacked the steeper ones. Dad was coaxing Scott and Jett into showing who was the man of the mountain. That didn't faze Jett at all, as he was used to that sort of talk from opposing hockey teams. Scott, on the other hand, reacted to every insult Dad threw at him.

       In spite of his three years without skiing, Kayden did pretty well. By the second run, he was actually skiing better than I was.

       The look on Shin's face as he skied down was worth a million words. With his eyes focused only on what was directly in front of him, he didn't notice little kids passing him until one brat snowboarded right into his path. He literally jumped to the side to avoid hitting the kid, which wouldn't have happened anyway, seeing how the kid was more than two meters in front of him. He grumbled as he tried to get up, and then Kayden and I laughed at his expense as we watched our Asian friend wobble his way down.

       We only made three runs down the slopes before Kayden and I got hungry. We met up with the other guys and grabbed some easy burgers at a nearby grill.

       I got a call from Lenne, who said their group would be there by six in the afternoon. We decided to meet up with them for dinner.

 

       Later, when dad said he had to make a few phone calls, I gave him a look that showed I was angry. He saw it, but just smiled and walked off. That didn’t cast a foul mood over the other guys, though, and I recovered pretty fast as we took a tour of the immediate area. There were shops everywhere, and it took all of us to beg off Shin from going into any of them. We made some lame excuse that we wanted to wait for the girls before we did any shopping. He was satisfied with that, so we headed towards our hotel.

       Shin and Kayden were lost in a conversation about martial arts and sword fighting, which I didn't care too much about, so that left Jett, Scott and me. Scott took notice of a pretty girl who ran by, apparently in a hurry, but who turned around as she passed, aiming a lingering smile at us..

       She was pretty, but I knew she was more likely to be Jett's type than Scott’s. But a pretty girl is a pretty girl, and Scott is only human.

       "Wow, she was hot!"

       Jett turned to me and together we rolled our eyes and shook our heads.

       Scott turned in time to see us and gave Jett a skeptical stare. "Well… I'm taken, so why don't you go after her? I mean, your secret girl doesn't seem to be serious, so I doubt she'll mind." 

       "Yeah, what's the deal, man?" I brushed against Jett. "Who is she? It's not like we'll make fun of you… Scott might, so don't tell him," I joked.

       Jett laughed ruefully and brushed off the comment.

       "Seriously, man," Scott whispered to me, "we gotta find someone for Jett. I feel sorry for the guy."

       It was pretty funny hearing that from Scott, because he always complains that Jett seems to get all the girls. With a catch like Maya, Scott really shouldn’t complain.

       I felt something cold smash against my head and I stumbled forward. Slightly alarmed, but then realizing what it was, I purposely fell forward and landed flat on my stomach. I didn't move a muscle.

       "Yo, Zac, you all right?" Scott asked as he crouched beside me.

       I quietly hushed him from ruining the moment. He got it immediately and joined in. I love that about Scott. He senses mischief almost immediately, and joins in at any opportunity.

       "Holy shit, Shin! He's out cold!" Scott shouted.

       Jett stood by, trying hard to cover his smile, serving as the lookout. He crouched down and whispered, "All right, they’re both coming. Shin's looking a bit apprehensive. I think he senses something. Kayden's caught, though. Get ready… Now!"

       At that moment, I grabbed a handful of snow and compacted it, spun my upper body around, and launched the snowball towards the target. Jett and Scott soon followed up, and we pelted Shin with snowballs. Kayden was beside Shin and was hit in the face by a stray snowball.

       Wiping his face of the cold white, Kayden blinked with difficulty. "You bastards, I didn't throw it!"

       "You're guilty by association!" I declared.

       The little incident turned into a full out snowball fight. At first, it was Shin and Kayden against us, but then Scott launched one at Jett. Jett immediately turned to Scott and gave him a look that would scare anybody. Scott took the hint and ran for his life as Jett chased him. That left Kayden, Shin and me. Shin smiled evilly at me, and I turned to Kayden with a pleading look. He grinned and turned to Shin. "Sorry, man, boyfriend calls."

       Before Shin could respond, Kayden nailed him in the shoulder. Jett finally caught Scott, threw him into a snowbank and kicked snow at him until most of his body was covered. Deciding that Scott had had enough, I threw a snowball at Jett. The result was a five- to ten-minute snowball fight.. People watched us, smiling at our game. I saw some guys slightly older than us approaching.

       "Hey!" one guy called out.

       We all stopped and turned to him. He was surrounded by four other guys, some of them from the pool bar the night before. The guy that Shin beat was among them.

       I was ready for anything, and I could tell the rest of the guys were, too.. We were all breathing hard because of our snowball fight, but we had the adrenaline pumping and we were ready for a real battle.

       "I heard from my friends that Marty gave your boy a hard time," the first guy said as he approached us.

       He stuck out his hand to Shin and gave an earnest smile. "The name is Matt, and I’m really sorry how Marty acted. Wouldn't have happened if I was around, but I was with my girlfriend."

       Shin shook hands and said, "Not a problem. No harm done."

       The guy named Matt turned to the rest of us. "Looks like you boys fancy a game of war. There's five of you guys and five of us. Interested in a game of paintball?"

       I turned to Scott and Jett and saw their eyes flashing with excitement. I knew, though, that Kayden would be skeptical about the offer.

       "There's protection, right?" I asked.

       "Of course." Matt laughed as he tilted his head. "We got suits and helmets for you guys if you’re interested. Actually, they're Tommy's. The guy who owns the pool house. Heard from him you guys were decent folk, and I was hoping to run into you so I could apologize for Marty's behavior.”

       I tried to gauge my guys’ reactions. Jett seemed for it, and Scott didn't look a bit suspicious. Kayden's features were simply neutral. I knew he couldn't find trouble in the offer, which probably bothered him more than if there really had been some. Good ol’ Shin look elated.

       "Well, I guess we're in," I announced.

       After short introductions we headed towards Tommy's bar to pick up the equipment. Tommy greeted us and was delighted to hand over the items. He then told us that Matt was a great guy, and that we really had nothing to worry about, which seemed to put Kayden at ease. In no time, we were making our way to a forested area that seemed like a perfect place to play.. It was probably their usual playing ground, since there was old paint splattered all around.

       Matt and his friends proceeded to show us how the guns worked and taught us how to release the ammo pack when it got jammed, which Matt said happened at inconvenient times. The helmets we were given were clean and fresh smelling. Matt told us that Tommy owned more than twenty full sets of gear and had a blast when his family and friends came up to visit him. Matt was Tommy's nephew, so Tommy was willing to let us join in.

       "And lastly," Matt said as he loaded the last gun, "each gun is loaded with fifty rounds. That should be enough for three games if you don't go Rambo style." With that last comment, he turned to Marty, who turned slightly pick while his friends laughed. "Also," he said with a hint of seriousness, "sometimes the balls don't burst on impact. Those are faulty ones. If you run out of shots, don't be tempted to pick those off the ground. I load the guns myself for safety reasons. If bits of rock got into these guns, I assure you that paint wouldn’t be the only thing splattered on the trees."

       I gulped at the sudden realization of what might happen if rocks got mixed in with the paintballs. I knew they would most likely jam the guns, but there was also a slight chance they wouldn’t, and it definitely wouldn’t be cool to be hit by a rock. I could see why Matt didn't want to take any chances. The risk was way too high.

       "I understand," I said, speaking for our group. "We won't do anything stupid. I promise."

       It looked like Matt trusted my word on that, and he smiled and passed me a gun.

       "The game is manhunt. Once you get hit, you raise both hands so your enemy knows you’re hit, and you make your way to the hill over there," he said as he pointed to the hill we had walked over. "Team that survives, wins...obviously."

       We wished each other luck and made our way to opposite ends of the wooded area. It took several minutes to get to the blue flag that Matt had pointed out to us. Once we got there, we knew the game area was massive.

       We decided to split into two smaller teams to avoid an ambush. I was with Shin for the first round. That scared me, because Shin's gun had misfired while we were choosing teams. We all turned angrily to Shin, but he just laughed it off. I was hoping we weren't going to be on the ‘caught’ side of an ambush. From our flag, we separated, each team going in a different direction.     

       Shin walked a few meters ahead of me. He had jumped at the position of head scout, which I was more than willing to give. He claimed his quick reflexes in kendo would give him an advantage. I didn't show him my doubt, but there’s a big difference between dodging a bamboo stick and dodging a bullet.

       "This is so cool," Shin whispered. "It feel like I'm fighting in a war and I'm representing Japan and Canada." He turned to me and grinned. "We could be the only ones left!"

       "Well, okay then, we better tread softly," I told him. "Everything depends on us."  

       A look of fantasy heroism plastered Shin's face as he moved with much more caution.

       I heard a sound that for sure was paint splattering. I turned to my left and saw green paint running down a tree trunk. Before I could say anything, Shin called out, "Get down."

       I instantly crouched and hid behind a giant log. I was surprised to see Shin standing, facing me with the same shocked expression I must have had..

       "They're in front of us," he said in a tight voice. "You're going to get hit."

       "Well, unless these are magic paintballs that can change directions, then it’s safe to say we're being attacked from behind as well."

       Shin's eyes compressed into slits, as if he was grinning at me. "Well then, we're pretty much screwed. How about we try to take them down."

       "Agreed!" As I said that, I rolled to the end of my log, trying to get a clear view of my attacker. Luckily, he was making his way towards me. I didn't waste time trying to aim; I just opened fire.

       I must have wasted like fifteen balls, but I did hit him at least three times. He shouted for me to stop and raised his hands. I stopped firing and he started to walk off.

       "Dammit, man, those things hurt, you know!" he called out as he walked in the direction of the hill.

       I went after Shin to see if he’d gotten his target. To my surprise, they were just exchanging pellets, but then Shin took off to his right, circling his target. I took that as my cue to cover Shin as he made his way around to the enemy. Without warning, I felt what seemed to be a strong punch to my shoulder. I turned to see Matt pointing his gun at me, ready to fire again. He didn't say anything, but motioned with his gun for me to go towards the hill. I had to leave Shin on his own.

       I was glad to see that Scott was at the hill with three of the Blue Mountain guys. Marty was laughing with Scott and I just managed to get the last part of the conversation.

       "I got you good, though!" Marty beamed.

       "Yeah, well, I was careless," Scott replied with some attitude. He never likes to lose. "But I managed to take two of you down."

       I chatted with the other guys and found out more about them. Those guys didn't play as often as I had thought they did. The pellets were about thirty bucks per bag, and they weren't willing to spend that much on just two hundred pellets. They only played when a group like us came up and they could play team matches. Matt was apparently the only one who was really good at paintball, and it showed. I soon saw Shin approaching with another guy, who I assumed had been his target. Kayden and Jett walked back soon after. Marty grabbed a megaphone that one of their guys had brought and yelled into it, "Blue Mountain wins!"

       Within moments, Matt returned with his helmet off.

       "Not bad for your first round. You guys did pretty damn good," Matt complimented us. "New guys usually shoot nothing but air."

       We talked for a while, but I was eager to get back to the flag and start another game. After another few minutes, we made our way back while choosing teams again. For that round I was with Jett and Kayden, and we managed to do really well. We saw two targets and didn't think twice about shooting at them. We were lucky enough to hit one of them, and it was Matt. We won that round, with only Scott as a casualty.

       We decided to stick together for the final round. That wasn't a good get up. Although we started with some distance between us, we ended up grouped together pretty tightly, being attacked from in front and behind. I ran out of pellets and so did Shin. Our enemies took the opportunity to spray all of us with a barrage of bullets. We were done.

       We recapped our games during the walk back to Tommy's. One spot where I had been pegged in the shoulder twice was starting to feel sore. Matt said it would be even worse the next day. I just hoped it wouldn’t interfere with my snowboarding. I decided that if we had to, Kayden and I could spend a day or so with Mai and Maya, just skiing or snowshoeing.

       The vibration against my chest told me Dad was giving us a shout.

       "Hey, buddy," he said happily when I answered my phone.

       I knew he was probably doing some sort of work in a private office the hotel provided for him, but I wasn't too angry. I had my friends and Kayden to keep me company, and if Dad had played paintball the teams wouldn't have been even.

       "Hey, Dad," I replied. "How's work?"

       He chuckled. "Yeah, you got me. Sorry about that. I hope you guys have had a better day than I’ve had. Anyways, Diana just called. She and the girls just got here. They're going to need about fifteen minutes to fix up and stuff, and then I'm going to meet them in the lobby. Where should we meet for dinner?"

       After a moment of thought, I said, "Hold on for a sec," and turned to the guys I was walking with. "Hey, Matt, do you know any place where we can grab some great food?"

       He nodded and flashed a smile. "My brother owns a restaurant up here.. I can get you and your friends a reservation right now, if you want."

       I could tell by the reactions from Kayden and our friends that Matt’s suggestion was very acceptable.

       "Dad, we met a few locals. They can get us reservations at a great restaurant. Mind if we invite them along?"

       I noticed Marty and Matt grinning with their friends and knew they would love to join us.

       "Yeah, sounds great. What's the place?" Dad asked.

       After the short conversation, we entered Tommy's bar and returned the equipment. Jett, Scott and Kayden all insisted on giving money to Tommy for lending the equipment, but the man wouldn’t accept it. Instead, he made us promise to come in later that night or the next day to have a drink. Not likely alcoholic.

       We headed towards Matt's brother's restaurant and saw Dad and the girls walking in the same direction. The girls looked stunning and cute in their winter gear, and Maya's cheeks were a bit rosy. They were talking and didn't notice the ten of us. Quite funny, now that I think about it.

       "Check out those hotties!" Marty said excitedly.

       Matt laughed. "Well, I'm taken, so no looking for me."

       "Yo, Marty," Scott said, turning to him with an impish smile. "Bet you twenty bucks I can walk up to that girl in the red jacket, get her number, and grab a kiss."

       Before I could stop him, Marty was already jumping into the trap.

       "Bullshit, man! You're on," he said, and vigorously shook Scott's hand.

       Scott immediately winked at us and sped towards the girls. He shouted something and waved at them.

       Everyone watched him approach the girls. He said something to Maya that caused the cluster of females to turn in our direction. Dad was standing with the most amused look on his face. It was funny, to say the least. Scott was talking fast, using hand movements and stuff.

       Marty had a smug look. "He's probably making a snide comment. A guy like him thinks he's all that. He's going to get slapped."
       Sure enough, Maya did slap Scott. It looked painful, but Lenne and Mai were cracking up. So were Dad and Diana.

       "See?" Marty said with satisfaction.

       Scott did something I had never seen him do. He grabbed Maya and pressed his lips against hers. Maya started struggling, and I was afraid she was going to beat the shit out of Scott. I was wondering if maybe she was enjoying it, because her struggling mellowed down until Lenne finally pulled them apart. Dad looked like he was going to choke from laughing, and Diana was going a bit scarlet.

       I still felt my temper rise just at the sight of Diana, but I’d already promised myself I'd give her a chance. Everyone seemed to think she was great, and deep down I did want to know her…sort of.

       I completely forget about Marty until it sounded like he was going to shit an egg. "That jackass! He just forced… I'm gonna go kick his ass," he shouted, stomping forward. "He can't do that to a lady!"

       Kayden grabbed Marty while Jett buckled at his knees from laughter. Matt and his friends looked a bit worried. They didn't know what to make of Scott's attack on a stranger.

       "They're going out," Kayden told all of them, grinning big.

       They all seemed to get it at the same moment, and Marty’s buddies laughed at him.

 

       "This is Maya," Scott said. "She's my girlfriend."

       The guys all expressed greetings, but Marty seemed to have his tongue tied. Poor boy turned red when he realized he was acting really nervous.

       "I'm Mai," Mai said in a sweet voice. "I'm dating Shin." She took Shin's hand into hers and accepted a peck from him.

       "And that's Lenne and her mom. The old man is my dad," I said, continuing the introductions.

       My dad gave me a playful glare and Diana seemed to find my joke hilarious..

       The guys introduced themselves and each took a moment to shake Lenne's hand, except for Matt.      

       "Should we head in?" Matt asked through chattering teeth. "I guess our introductions were in order."

       We walked in and surveyed the classy but friendly atmosphere of the restaurant.

       We were seated immediately, at several tables that had been brought together for us. Dad and Diana sat at one end and the rest of us filled the other chairs. I sat next to Kayden on the side with the Blue Mountain guys, since Scott and Shin wanted to sit with their girlfriends. Four of the guys sitting across from Lenne  were trying to grab her attention with various questions. She looked flattered, but at the same time overwhelmed. She was lucky Jett was sitting beside her.

       "Are you guys trying to get me angry?" Jett asked. When the guys looked at him he casually placed an arm around Lenne. "She's my girl, you know."

       The poor guys became stone-faced after that announcement. I guess it was my fault for introducing Lenne and Diana at the same time. I may have hinted she was single, but Jett saved the day.

       "Sorry, guys," Lenne said, winking. "I didn't mean to lead you boys on."  

       I turned to Kayden and we both rolled our eyes. From the looks of it, Lenne was enjoying the attention.

       Various conversations sprang up around the table. They mostly consisted of what we had done that day, plus brief discussions about Blue Mountain and Whitby.

       After sampling the appetizers, we were given the main courses we’d ordered. The talking died out a bit, mostly because we were stuffing our faces with food.

       "Hey, Shin," Scott said, "give me a bite of fajita? It looks great and Matt said it's to die for."

       Shin grinned at Scott. "It is to die for. So my answer is no!" He stuffed his face with half of the fajita.

       "I let you copy my work, you jackass!" Scott said, showing some anger.

       "Don't know what you're talking about," Shin said, turning away..

       Unfortunately for them, their girlfriends weren't too happy with that information.

       "You let Shin copy your work? What kind of friend are you?" Maya began.

       Mai slapped Shin's hand. "You're not going to pass if you keep copying Scott's work."

       Scott and Shin just wiggled in their seats as their girls grilled them.

       "Are those guys whipped?" Matt asked as he leaned in.

       "Whipped and chained," I whispered.

       "Cool. Just like me," he chuckled.

       After dinner, the Blue Mountain boys thanked us for inviting them, and then took their leave after we had made plans to meet up the next day for a game of pool at Tommy's. After they left, we all headed back to our hotel.

       Diana and the girls entered our suite with us, and Scott broke out the cards.

       "You girls in?" he asked as he shuffled the deck.

       All three called in and we took seats at the round table.

       "What's the card game, guys?" Diana asked as she walked by.

       "Texas Hold ‘em," Shin replied. "You want to join?"

       "No, we won't be joining you," Dad said, coming out of his bedroom. "We're going to hit one of those clubs they have here."

       "What?" Diana and I said together.

       "Dancing!" Dad smiled as he grabbed his coat. "Come on, Diana."

       Diana turned first to me and then to Lenne. "B-but…"

       "Go for it, Mom," Lenne cheered. "When do you ever go out to have fun?

       Diana turned to me again; in fact, everyone turned to me.

       "What?" I asked. "You don't need my permission. Just don't stay out too late."

       "See!" Dad grinned. "Now, lets go."
       Diana accepted her coat from Dad and turned one last time to me. It took everything in me to smile at her, but the smile I received back was overwhelming. A warm spot erupted in the center of my chest, and pride that I can't even begin to describe started to overflow.

       After they left, the gang was still staring at me, but I pretended not to notice.

       "Zac," Maya began slowly, "are you sure you're okay with that?"

       I released a sigh. I was among my closest friends. They’d always been with me through everything. The past eight months had definitely changed my once-so-simple life. Everything I'd been through with them had greatly affected all of us, but I didn’t regret anything. I knew I could trust them.

       "I never really liked any of the girls my dad has dated. For some odd reason, he'd pick one up and bring her around to our place, saying he forgot something. I knew he wanted me to see her. I guess he could easily gauge how I would react if he brought home someone serious, ‘cause he never had a second date with any woman."

       I looked around and I was greeted with familiar faces, showing expressions that ranged from Kayden's smile to Mai's majestic, dreamy look.

       "But with Diana, I don't know…" I crossed my arms. "I don't get any bad vibes from her. I've thought this through before. I was so sure I wouldn't be cool with Dad dating her, but…" I paused. I didn't know how to describe my feelings.

       "But the truth is you really like her, don't you?" Lenne teased..

       "I didn't say that," I argued. I felt a warm sensation in my chest but ignored it.

 "I just think she's a lot better than the women my dad had me meet," I finished.

       "Well, I'll tell her that," Lenne beamed.

       "No you won't!" I said a matter-of-fact tone.

       "Zac," Mai said, "Diana was really worried how you were going to react when you heard she was coming up here with us. She was almost sure you’d be angry about it."

       "I'm not!" I shot back.

       "I know, I know," Mai said, laughing, "but she thought maybe you still needed some space to recover. We didn't let her change her mind, though, about coming with us. She almost turned right around several times on the way up here."

       I pondered that information for a moment. "She's…scared of me?"

       "Not really scared," Lenne said, "but she was worried she was intruding too fast into your life. She wants to be a part of it, but she wants to give you your space."

       The other girls nodded.

       I turned to the guys, confused. "Am I the only one lost in all this?"

       "Actually, I don't really get it," Shin said submissively.   

       "Ditto," Scott replied.

       "What does Zac need space for?" Jett asked Maya.

       "Do you mean Diana wants to be Zac's mom?" Kayden asked.

       Lenne, Mai, and Maya shook their heads and smiled, then told us to forget about it. I really couldn't understand what Diana or the girls were thinking, but I was convinced it was a girl thing.

      

       Later in the evening, Maya's brother called to check up on us. Jett had broken out the drinks and we were having a good time playing cards. It turned out that Maya's brother was in another hotel and just wanted to let her know where he was, in case she ever needed anything. To Scott's relief, Maya's brother didn't insist on meeting up with Maya anytime during the week.

       We sat around playing cards for a bit, while listening to some CDs Lenne and Mai had brought along. Since they had the same taste, we were suffering through some Destiny's Child and Monica music. I’m not too much of a fan of R&B, hip hop, or pop, but some of it was tolerable.

       "Wanna go for a walk, Zac?" Kayden asked after he was out of the poker game. I still was struggling, with a few chips left, and I knew that if I didn't get good cards in the next hand I would be out. Deciding that a walk would do me great, I called all in and accepted the inevitable loss.

       "I guess we shall go for a walk, Kade," I said, smiling and then getting up.

       Kayden looked a bit hesitant when I decided to join him, like he had hoped I'd say no. I didn't really understand what was going on. He had been awfully quiet during the last hour, and had given only brief replies when anyone asked him something. I was determined to figure out what was up..

       "We'll be back soon, guys," I called out as Kayden and I were leaving. Only the girls seemed to hear me; the guys were too into the poker game.

       Kayden didn't say anything as we took the elevator down. I was silent as he led me outside, and I didn't question him as we made our way along the snowy walkway.

       I knew something was wrong, but I also knew Kayden had begun to share his concerns with me, at certain times. Something I understand about Kayden is that sometimes he tends to drag things on a bit before spilling the juice. If he had really wanted to, he could have told me in the elevator what was bothering him.

During our little journey outside, I couldn’t help but reflect on my true love for Kayden. He lacks initiative when it comes to explaining himself, but he makes up for it when decisive action is needed. It's what I love about him so much. I’ve known I love him ever since I realized I actually cherish his faults, too.

       We walked over to a pine tree that was not far from our trail, and Kayden suddenly turned to me and trapped me in his arms. He placed his head lightly into the crook of my neck, and I felt him swallow, as if he was going to regret everything that he was about to say.

       Was I scared? Maybe, but I knew I loved him, and I knew I wasn't going to let him break up with me without a fight. I was ready for anything. Although I didn't expect the tears, I was ready for that as well.

       I lifted my arms and wrapped them around his waist, "What's wrong?" I whispered.

       My words didn’t seem to reach him, and he remained attached to me.

       "Kayden," I began, "I can't help you if you won't…"

       "Can we just stay like this for a bit?" he asked in a defeated-sounding whisper.

       "Sure. Anything..."

       I don't know how long we stood there, but the cold didn't touch us. I could feel Kayden's warmth enter my body. I closed my eyes and prayed that he would find courage within himself. I wished that I could give him strength.

       "And I'd give up forever to touch you," I sang in a whispered tone, "’cause I know that you feel me somehow."  I felt Kayden's grip grow tighter. "You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be, and I don't want to go home right now…"

       I felt as his movement stabilize, and the pounding beat that wasn't my own heart started to slow down.

       "And all I can taste is this moment, and all I can breathe is your life."

       At that moment, I inhaled Kayden's scent and smiled. "’Cause sooner or later it's over, and I don't want to miss you tonight…"

       I held on to Kayden and waited for him to recover. A minute passed by, then two. Just when I thought our heartbeats were synchronized, I heard a majestic voice. "And I don't want the world to see me…" Kayden sang, "’cause I don't think they'd understand. When everything's meant to be broken, I just want you to know who I am…"

       Kayden took a deep breath and then released me. If he’d told me he hadn't been crying I'd have believed him, because his face looked clear in the light the moon was giving us.

       "Can we go in?" he asked, smiling. "I think I've calmed down now."

       After he said that, I realized I was starting to feel cold. The warmth had disappeared the moment he released me.

       "Sure," I said, putting my arm around him. "Anything you want."

       Some people watched us walk into the hotel, but I couldn't have cared less at that moment. I was proud of the boy whose hand I was holding, and I didn’t even know why.

       Instead of going back to our rooms, Kayden led me to a large lounge that had a fireplace, tables and couches. Several tables and couches were occupied, but there were some empty ones in a corner. We went for the privacy.

       Kayden didn't waste any time after we sat down. "I know I've been acting weird, lately, and I think I'm starting to know why."

       Kayden looked into my eyes, and I noticed his eyes flickered. I took his hand that lay between us and scooted closer. If he needed any support, he'd know I was behind him all the way. He smiled at me.

"It's almost that time. The day when…Sean was killed." He said the last part coldly. I felt his grip on my hand tighten for a split second.

       "I've been having dreams. Not nightmares, but because of them, I can't stop thinking about Sean. The only time I forget is when I'm with you.."

       I felt something good ripple through me as Kayden's smile radiated warmth and made me feel comfortable.

       "I think deep down I blame myself for Sean's death…even Rick's death. It seems like I'm surrounded by death. I was afraid I might push you away again. I can't lose you, though. I'm afraid of what might happen in the future," Kayden said, dropping his gaze.

       "You're not to blame for any deaths, Kayden," I said, and kissed his hand.

       "I was responsible for my father's death," he replied coldly.

       I froze and looked up at him. The blue eyes were gone, replaced by the pale grey ones that scare me whenever I see them.

       I didn't hesitate as I leaned in. I closed my eyes, prayed, and whispered into his ear, "Come back…"

       As I pulled away, the ocean blue greeted me again, filled with sadness.

       "What happened?" I asked him.

       His words rushed out in a steady torrent.

 

**************

       Kayden took a deep breath, and I could almost feel the pain that wrenched through his body.

       God, why Kayden?

       After a moment of silence, Kayden repeated part of what he had just finished telling me. "I killed my father."

       "You didn't kill him, Kayden," I said weakly.

       "But I did," he said, agonizingly..

       I grabbed him and held him close, not caring that there were adults staring at us. I didn't care what anyone thought. The most important person in my life was in agony and I was powerless to help him. At times, Kayden acts like a complete kid, as if he’s making up for a lost childhood, but most of the time I think he’s the more mature of the two of us. At that moment, he was acting like any sixteen-year-old would act after recalling those deaths.

       "You didn't kill your dad. It wasn't your fault; it was an accident," I whispered.

       "I killed him…" Kayden repeated.

       I couldn't do anything but hold him. This was one scar that would take a long time to heal. Even as I held him, I was forming a plan to help him though all this.

       I was slowly sorting through everything. Kayden's father died at the end of June. Sean died the following April, and then Rick died in August. April, June and August. Death anniversaries are coming up soon, every two months. Has Kayden been dreading those this whole time?

       "You aren't to blame, and your father, Rick, and Sean all know that. They don't blame you, Kayden. They were really happy to have known you and to have had you love them... The more you hurt at the parting, the more it proves the depth of your love."

       Kayden's trembling subsided. I took a moment to look around. People were still watching us, yet none seemed even a bit hostile. It was more like they were curious to know what was wrong, or that they felt sorry for the boy in my arms. Either way, I felt their sympathy for my boyfriend, and I was content.

       Kayden is always protecting me. This time I will protect him.

 

      

END OF CHAPTER 6       © October 2005 by Ryan Keith

 

So another easy going chapter. No cliffhangers. Just a couple of kids having fun. There's a lot of comedy in this one and a lot of emotions too, hope I didn't get to any of you too badly.

 

I didn't realize it until Aaron told me, but this whole chapter is through Zac's perspective, cool! Now I know a lot of you are pissed cause you still don't know Kayden's past. We're getting there. Eventually you will have it all. Zac might know a bit about it now, but the readers are clueless. It kinda opposite of that word that describes plots that the reader is aware of and that the characters are clueless of, lol.

 

So yeah, if you guys haven't joined the Yahoo group, you should probably check it out!

Three files I uploaded recently are:

1.     The song Leah sings in the “One Life” epilogue (from the final fantasy X-2 game)

2.     Slow version of Maya's piano song she plays during the Christmas follies (“Kayden II” Chapter 8).

3.     Fast version of Maya's piano song she plays during new years.

So yeah, stay tuned for the next chapter. Who knows what will happen next. Why some of you might like this chapter? Brad's not mentioned at all in it! Yay!

 

Don't worry, I'll make up for in shortly :P

 

Thanks to my editor Aaron and thanks to that gang of his at The Mail Crew for hosting my stories. They do great work, so be sure to check out their site.

 

Cheerz,

 

Ry^!     Ryan_Kayden@Rogers.com

 

Added note: recently I've been victim to an e-mail virus which literally cleaned out the messages I had in my inbox. I still have the senders address, but the msgs have been erased. It's really my fault. If I returned your responses sooner, I wouldn't have this problem. I guess the only thing I can ask you to do, is if you have a saved copy of the e-mail you sent me, to send it again and I will respond promptly. I'll send this note to each of the e-mails that I couldn't respond to in time. Again I apologize and pray something like this doesn't happen again.