Kayden and Zac
Chapter 8 - Complications
***Jett***
"I told you guys, Brad is bad news," Scott said, almost proudly.
Everyone seemed to ignore him. Lenne was hiding her face in her sweater, as if she didn’t want us to know she was there.
I could understand that, a bit. During lunch on the day of Zac's slave duty, he had been forced to sit with Lenne and Alicia. That resulted in a few of us sharing their lunch and a couple of Alicia's crowd joining us at our table. Mai and Lenne had warned us that Alicia's friends are exactly like her. They think they deserve celebrity treatment wherever they go.
That lunch period was marked by Alicia’s nagging at Zac to choose between her and Lenne, her friends taunting Mai and Kayden, and Zac being completely oblivious to Alicia's venom.
"I swear, that bitch Alicia is going down," Mai said with determination. "Why can't we tell Zac what she did to us?"
Shin, Scott and I exchanged looks of desperation. Truth is, when Zac gets pissed enough at someone, those around him seem to follow his lead, and for some odd reason the effect eventually spreads on an almost global scale. That's what would happen if Zac ever came into a position that held a lot of power, like Prime Minister or something.
In our elementary school, there were these guys who were big bullies. After we stuck up for Brad against them, Zac made it clear that he didn't like them. People in our grade followed Zac's lead and shunned those guys, and eventually almost half the school hated them. That’s probably the reason they don’t go to our high school. Alicia’s a bad person, but I'd feel like shit if anything like that happened to her.
"It'll be a better world if Zac doesn't know," I answered Mai. "Trust us on this. You cannot tell Zac!"
Zac being such a stubborn guy doesn’t help much. He'd never forgive her, and… I don't even want to know what would happen.
"You guys exaggerate!" Maya scolded. "I went to elementary school with you guys. What happened there won't happen here. Those jerks were bullies. It doesn’t take much for a whole school to hate people like that."
I wasn't convinced, and it appeared that Scott and Shin were with me.
"Just to be on the safe side," Shin said, "let's keep it between us. Kayden knows, but he promised not to tell. Where are those two, anyways?"
"Kayden's probably running late again," Maya said, shaking her head. "They've been late a lot since Kayden's gotten his motorcycle license."
"Hey, if we can't tell Zac, maybe we can just scare Alicia off, once and for all," Mai proposed, smiling.
"I like it when you talk like that," Shin purred as he put his arm around her and buried his head in her neck.
"Will you please not do that here!" Maya said harshly as she scanned the cafeteria. She must have been worried about the new restrictions on how close couples can be in our school. I had a feeling Mai and Shin were to blame for those.
"And, Mai," Maya continued, "let's play defensively. We'll watch Alicia. If we see something fishy, then we can decide what to do. So far, she's just been fishing for Zac's attention. There's nothing wrong with that."
Mai cupped her face with her hand. "Well, if you're all going to be against my idea, then fine… But a good defense is a good offense. Alicia is planning something."
"No, Brad is. Alicia's too stupid," Scott grinned.
"She did undermine all the girls in our gym class," Lenne broke in. "She's not as stupid as she makes herself out to be."
Maya was getting
annoyed. "We shouldn't talk about people behind their backs."
"Sorry…" Scott replied.
I don't know how Maya controls Scott like that, but damn, she's good.
***Zac***
I felt my toes tingle, but I forced my voice out in spite of my panting. "Kayden… We're going to be late!"
He ignored me as he kept his hands under my shirt, exploring my back.
"Kade…" I whined with my eyes closed.
He silenced me with his lips. I knew that was wrong. Not wrong, but at the wrong time. We were going to be late and Kayden knew it. But, something stopped me from pushing my boyfriend away.
I felt his fingers slowly slip down my back and into my pants. When the tingling sensation spread up and down my spine, I knew we were going to be late.
What Kayden did next was the meanest thing he could have done, but because of it I was free from his charm.
"Want me to stop?" he asked slyly.
I shuddered, swallowed, and opened my eyes.
"We have to go to school."
"Really?" He winked.
I was again fully in charge of my body. "Yes!" I said, pushing him out of my room. "Get your ass downstairs and let me work on my messed up hair."
With that, I gave him a shove out of my room and made my way to the washroom.
Kayden followed me but didn't try any more moves. He leaned against the bathroom doorframe and watched my reflection in the mirror as I shot some gel into my hand.
"So, about the dance this Friday…"
"I already planned out everything. I’ll announce my sprained ankle on Thursday. By Friday, the whole school will know about it. That night, I’ll sit out every dance. That should bore Alicia enough to make her leave me alone and dance with her own friends. I don't get why she wants to go to the dance with me, anyways. She has guys falling head over heels for her."
Kayden just smiled like he knew something I didn't.
"What?"
"Like me, she sees an amazing guy who she can only hope to ever win," he whispered.
I turned to him. "Unlike her, you have me."
Kayden breathed a sigh. "I'd feel more at ease if she just left school or something."
I rolled my eyes and turned back to the mirror. "She's not that bad of a person. She's gotten better. Brad has gotten worse, and he’s become even more of an ass. I can't stand that guy, and I see him every morning."
"He’s not that bad," Kayden said, defending Brad for the millionth time. "He's just misunderstood. Why do hate him so much?"
"I can ask you almost the same question: Why don't you like Alicia?"
Kayden’s smile didn't fade. "I guess for now neither question is important."
"I guess not. All right, let's go."
"I can have us
at school in three minutes."
"How about you observe the speed limit. You promised my dad
you’d obey traffic laws like you obey the Ten Commandments. Damn, I was
hoping to go in early and find Phil."
Kayden's face suddenly looked gloomy. "You'd think one of the Ten Commandments would be 'Thou shall not be gay', if it really mattered to God."
I understood Kayden's irritation. Phil's brave step forward had opened a floodgate of harassment from assholes at school. Only half of it was stopped by faculty or other students. Kayden even stepped in at one point. Brad's earlier encounter with Ted had definitely warded off any harassment to Brad’s face.
"Maybe we can have Jett pretend to hate gays and have Phil beat him up," I joked, trying to ease the mood. It seemed to work.
"And have Mr. Jock ruin his perfect image? That would break the heart of every girl at school."
We laughed and headed out to Kayden’s bike.
"You were joking about the sprained ankle, right?" my boyfriend asked. I simply smiled at him.
***Jett***
The dance started off okay. The guys who had been auctioned off had the first dance with their dates. There were some issues with girls who’d shared the cost of buying, but all of that got sorted out. I still couldn't figure out how people could do that to themselves. Spending more money than they should be carrying, they go to a dance with the 'popular' people. I hated it. Popularity means nothing to me. I'd be happy to lose it if it meant winning over the boy I love, but that's just wishful thinking.
Scott found me an hour after the dance started. He had been helping Maya with the drinks. Mai and Lenne had a plan, but Scott and I couldn't understand how Mai planned on pulling it off. She wanted to follow Zac, Alicia and Lenne. When Zac was dancing with Lenne, Mai was supposed to say something to Alicia that would supposedly scare her off. It seemed highly optimistic to me, because Scott and I have dealt with Alicia's kind before. Even though we knew she had no chance in hell with Zac, she was an inconvenience to him. I wasn't going to let that prince-starved chick get away with that.
I was glad my best friend was at least enjoying himself amidst all the chaos. He had almost convinced everyone his ankle was sprained, but Maya saw through it. She made him swear on their friendship that he really had sprained his ankle. The moment we saw Zac hesitate, we knew he was lying. Zac's a great guy, but he's too damn stubborn for his own good.
Scott and I had our own plan, and it was going pretty well, since Maya hadn’t seemed suspicious when Scott had volunteered to help her with the drinks. I guess his role was pretty damn important. I just had to look pretty and play the dumb, stereotypical jock.
"Filia, you sure you're okay?" I asked the girl I had my arms around.
She had an uneasy look on her face and finally broke out of my arms. "Sorry, Jett. Can you wait for a moment? I need to use the ladies’ room."
I held my laughter in. "No problem. I'll just be over there," I said, pointing towards Zac.
She didn't answer, but just took off. From the looks of it, it was pretty serious.
***
"So," I said, making my presence known to the people around, "how are things over here?"
Mai gave me an impatient look. Lenne looked bored out of her mind, and Zac was just being his normal self. He seemed ignorant of the situation he was the center of. The way Alicia looked me over made me feel embarrassed. I swear her eyes analyzed every inch of my body.
Zac was the only one who bothered to answer me. "We're good. What about you? Where are your dates?"
"One’s in the washroom. Went to powder up. Where's Kayden?"
"That boy?" Mai said, surprisingly normally. "He's macking it up with the ladies."
She pointed to a corner where Kayden stood chatting with several girls. The girls seemed to be closing in on him, but it looked like he was trying to keep his distance. Oddly enough, there were two other guys among the girls.
"Anyways, can I get you guys something to drink?" I offered. The four of them made their requests, and then I went to get their drinks.
"It's time," Scott said when I brushed past him as he stood behind the punch table. I went to the end of the line, and when I reached the table, Scott walked away with me, carrying a tray of drinks.
"Did you use it?" I asked him hesitantly.
"Oh, yeah! Awesome stuff, by the way." Scott grinned.
"Yeah, well, Bambu Rum doesn't come cheap, man." I had sneaked off a mickey from my sister's alcohol stash. Bambu Rum is supposed to be strong stuff, but it’s known to be almost tasteless.
"It'll be all right," Scott said, in a tone that almost made me shit myself. It was the same tone he uses just before he lands us in a shitload of trouble. "There's Zac. Let's just…"
"Scott!" Shin called out as he fell in beside us. He had been working the sound system with another student, so we hadn’t seen much of him. His joining us obviously meant something. "Maya is looking for you, man. She looks pissed! You smoking again?"
The colour drained from Scott's face. "I- I swear! I didn't smoke all day!"
"Well, I wouldn't want to be you right now, man." Shin grinned happily.
"Aww, man." Scott looked around desperately and then shoved the tray into my hands. "Yo, take these. Left cup!"
I looked at the drinks to see which one was the spiked cup. I guess it was time for the dumb jock syndrome to kick in.
Which left? Mine or his?
The cups must have shifted when Scott passed me the tray, because the four drinks were no longer in the diamond pattern he had arranged. They were in a square with one side towards me.
"Wait! Which left?" I called out as I looked up.
Scott was already gone.
"Hey, is that the punch?" Shin asked, grabbing a cup. "I haven't had any yet. The line was pretty busy."
My mouth decided on its own to freeze up as Shin put the cup to his lips.
"This tastes like shit. I gotta find my girl." Shin winked as he strode off.
I continued to watch him in silence.
If Shin gets drunk… Oh, fuck…
In an instant, the tray felt a cup lighter. I turned sharply to see Brad holding a cup that was definitely from my tray.
"Thanks, Jett." Brad blew me a kiss before taking off.
I didn't have time to stop him, as Zac popped up, together with Kade and Alicia.
"There you are!" Zac said, showing his boyish smile. "Who do you have to bang to get a drink around here?" He immediately took a cup.
"Zac!" I must have sounded surprised.
"Here, Alicia," Zac said, offering her the cup. "You take it. Kayden, take the other one. I'll get more when Lenne comes back. They’d run out of drinks before we could get the gorilla here to fetch us more."
I didn't have it in me to stop them. I watched wordlessly as Alicia and Kayden chugged from the cups, praying that Alicia's drink was the one Scott had spiked.
"There you are!"
I jumped. “Julia!”
"It's my turn, Jett! I've been waiting two hours for this," the girl whined, pulling my arm. "Come on. I only have you for an hour. You can talk to your friends later!"
"Wait! I need to talk to…"
"Don't be like that, Jett," Zac said, crossing his arms. "We gotta do our part, right?"
I was royally fucked. I decided that the first thing to do was to make sure the damage could be kept to a minimum. My first priority was to make sure Shin wouldn’t do anything stupid. He’s a problem when he’s drunk. He becomes as daring as Scott, not knowing any boundaries. I remember one time when he thought it would be funny to prank call his own house.
Scott is the easiest to deal with when he drinks. The dude gets paranoid and refuses to do much. That counters with Shin's drunken state, so it works out all right.
Zac and I have pretty good control when we drink, which is not often. We don’t get really drunk, but when Zac drinks, he’s more or less the same as he always is, except he tends to talk too much – almost annoyingly.
I stayed with Julia for the next half hour or more, while she talked my ear off. I gave barely-thought-out responses. She seemed interested in stuffed animals, from what I could understand.
"Hey, a couple of my friends are just over there," I said. "Let's go say Hi to them."
Before she could say anything, I started dragging her towards Mai and Shin.
I was glad to see that Shin was with Mai. They seemed to be in a romantic mood. Even Mai can get sidetracked from her goals. She didn’t tell me how her own plan was working out.
"How's Shin acting?" I asked Mai, ignoring Shin and the girl who had me by the arm.
"Why not ask me instead of my girlfriend? Aren't you going to introduce your date?"
"Oh, yeah," I said, feeling embarrassed. "This is…uh…J-Ju…ah"
I watched as Mai's eyes widened in anger. It was like she was saying, "You didn't! Jett…of all the things!"
I turned to the girl and felt a bit of me die. Her once happy eyes and little smile seemed to fade into total disappointment.
"You know…I think I'm going to get a drink," she said, and then walked off. I knew that was the last I'd see of her for the night.
I felt something strike my back.
"Hey! You're starting to act like a normal guy," Scott said, grinning as he and Maya stepped out from behind me.
"You heard that?"
"Every word," Maya said, shaking her head in disgust.
It seemed that what I feared most had happened. Shin laughed, but it wasn't his usual laugh.
*************
"Oh, my God!" Maya whispered.
Mai just held her forehead and turned to glare at Shin. Scott was frantically looking around for the other three who had taken drinks. To our luck, Shin wasn't the one who drank the spiked punch – he was just acting goofy.
"What in… Scott!" Maya shrieked.
Several curious dancers turned our way, but Mai started screaming at them to mind their own business.
Shin wasn't any help at all. The ass kept laughing as I was trying to explain what was in one of the cups.
"Let's not get so upset right away," Scott said, in a not-so-confident sort of way. "If Brad or Kayden got the drink, at least they'll be able to hold their stuff. Brad, anyways…"
"That's not the point!" Maya seethed through clenched teeth. "If Alicia gets drunk she could be expelled! What the hell were you guys thinking?"
"She wouldn't get expelled," Scott argued, tossing Maya’s worries aside. "The worst thing that could happen is she'd be suspended."
"You are such a dumbass!" Maya threw her hands forward as if she wanted to deck Scott.
I tried to step in, but Mai grabbed my arm. "You reap what you sow, Jett," she said, showing a disappointed look on her face. "Don't think you're out of this. I haven't decided what to do with you, yet."
Shin finally saw the seriousness of the problem at hand, and suddenly he was more civilized. "Don't you get suspended for smoking on school property? Being drunk at a school dance is grounds for expulsion, seriously."
I felt my heart drop. I had just wanted to get Alicia out of the picture, not screw up her life.
"Hey, maybe Alicia can hold her stuff," Scott speculated. "She's a strong girl, right?"
"You’ve put me in a really tight position, Scott!" Maya said, shaking her head angrily. "The student council could lose all dance privileges for the year! And if you're caught…"
"I won't get caught," Scott said confidently.
Underestimating Scott to his face just makes him more irrational. Still, I feared for my wellbeing too much to try and stop a girl like Maya.
"Besides, I tossed the bottle…"
I nearly choked.
"You okay, man?" Shin asked.
"You used the whole bottle? The whole mickey?" I demanded.
"Yeah!" Scott boasted, with his head high. It was like he was trying to step up to me, but I was very close to choking him.
"Scott, there was enough in there for…" I was beyond words. I was scared. "Man, that stuff is forty per cent alcohol! I'd be dead drunk off that. You were only supposed to use…"
"How the hell was I supposed to know?" Scott yelled. He was starting to panic.
Maya was about to have a panic attack. "Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!"
"All right, listen," Mai commanded. "Jett and ShinBaby, you two find Brad and see if he's sober. I don't think he'd be a problem, but we can't take chances."
I was in no position to argue. I knew everything was at least half my fault.
"Maya," Mai said sharply, "get a grip! The rest of us will find Alicia and Kayden. Alicia will still be all over Zac, and Kayden should be somewhere near them. Understood?"
There was no need to confirm anything. We broke off into two directions.
***Zac***
"…and so I said…" The rest of Alicia's words faded as I turned to Kayden. He had just finished his drink, and it looked like he had swallowed a frog as he looked into the cup.
I smiled at him but I didn’t think he was totally there. He stared into the cup like he expected something to jump out.
"Is that so?" I asked Alicia without any real interest.
"You bet! And that's why I…"
I sighed and wished the night was over. Lenne sat with one hand under her chin, looking bored while she stirred her drink. After zoning out for a few minutes, I felt something that I knew wasn't right. Something was on my lap.
I turned immediately to Alicia, ready to fire off some sort of profanity, but I saw that she was still talking, with both her hands in front of her face, doing some weird impression.
I darted my gaze to Kayden, who was sitting at my other side. He was watching me with hungry eyes.
What the hell?
"I mean, can you believe that?" Alicia said. "I swear, I make better chicken teriyaki at home, and…"
"Can you please just SHUT UP!" Kayden said in a drawn-out tone.
My mouth popped open in shock. Lenne jumped back from Kayden's sudden outburst.
"Kayden?" I said.
"Let's get outta here, Zac." Kayden smiled at me, but his eyes were practically closed. "She's putting me to sleep."
I didn't know what had come over Kayden, but he was acting pretty messed up.
"Kayden, why are you even here?" Alicia asked, sounding spiteful. "Why are you always hanging around Zac? You probably think you're cool or something."
"Actually, bitch," Kayden started, slumping backwards in his chair and pointing a finger at Alicia. "Zac and I are…"
A hand closed over Kayden's mouth as he tried to keep on talking.
"Kayden, that's so not nice," Lenne scolded, smiling tightly. "Yawning in public is just not right. You should at least cover your mouth."
Kayden mumbled incoherently, with Lenne’s hand still over his mouth. I could tell he wasn't happy.
"Kayden," I said hesitantly, "are you okay, man?"
"Alicia, up!" Mai demanded as she unexpectedly stepped up behind the girl.
"What is this?" Alicia screeched.
"Get up, or I'll tell Zac about a certain incident involving a girl named Megan!"
Alicia immediately stood up and was dragged away by Mai.
By the time I turned back to Kayden, Maya had shown up and she was trying to talk to him in a weird way. It was like she was talking to a baby. Whatever it was, it was working. Kayden reacted like he was…
Is he drunk?
"Big problems, Zac," Scott said quietly as he took Alicia's seat. "Kayden's kinda drunk. We need to get him outta here, pronto."
I just sat there stunned. I couldn't tear my eyes away from Scott.
Kayden actually is drunk? Why? How? All he drank was…
"Was there something in Kayden's cup that wasn't meant for him?" I asked my friend, trying to sound calm. Scott looked away while trying to say something that sounded like an explanation.
I ignored him and turned back to Kayden.
"Kayden," I
whispered, "how are you feeling?"
His smile made me want to smile with him, but I couldn't. If he
got caught, it would cause a lot of problems for him.
"Kade," I said slowly, "how about we go for a walk? Would you like that?"
He suddenly looked depressed and said, "I'm tired, Zac. We'll walk tomorrow."
He turned to his left and seemed surprised to see Lenne and Maya, who were talking in hushed tones.
"But Kayden, I need you to come with me. Something might happen to me if I walk by myself."
Kayden shook his head violently. "Don' go 'lone… Lez all go!" He suddenly smiled and tried to stand up. Lenne and I grabbed him, since he was surely about to fall.
"Maya, distract the teachers," I said.
She moved quietly towards the faculty members who were monitoring the drinks.
"Lenne, you'll have to lead Kayden out by yourself. Can you do that? Use the exit right there." I pointed to the nearest doors that lead outside. "It might look weird if we both go. You’ll have to hold his hand and waist. Try to make it look like you guys are just going out for some fresh air, or whatever."
Lenne was surprised at my sudden request, but I knew she wouldn't refuse me.
"Okay, but where will we meet you?"
"I'm going to find Jett. We'll need to get his sister to drive us to my place. We'll leave Kayden's bike here for the night."
Kayden kept trying to break out of our hold, but he was failing miserably.
"Kayden," I said slowly, "Lenne is going outside with you, but you guys have to be very, very sneaky. Okay?"
My boyfriend's eyes opened wide. "Wudda bout you?"
That time, I had to smile. He was too cute. "I need to find Jett and Shin. We're all going out, right?"
He nodded. " 'kay, guh luck!"
Lenne rolled her eyes before smiling and walking off with my boyfriend. I watched as they made their way to the doors. Kayden kept trying to dance with Lenne. I knew she was getting really annoyed, because she nearly pushed Kayden outside instead of leading him.
"Zac…" Scott started.
"Later, Scott," I said coldly. "Go catch up with Lenne and Kayden. Help Lenne if she needs it."
As I tried to walk off, someone grabbed my hand.
"You can't leave!" Alicia said desperately. "I still have you until the end of the dance."
Mai stood behind her, obviously grumbling to herself.
"Sorry, Alicia. There's an emergency at home. How about I treat you to dinner next week. Is that okay?"
It must have been, because she released me as her eyes glowed with joy. I took that as my cue to find Jett.
***
It was a good thing Lenne had gotten Kayden out of the building. When I found Lenne, Scott, Mai and Kayden, my boyfriend was bent over by the edge of the forest, hurling his guts out. Maya, Jett and Shin had followed after me.
"Who did this?" I demanded.
None of them said anything, but Jett and Scott exchanged looks.
"Guys!"
"Sorry, Zac," Jett said, rubbing his forehead. "Scott and I are responsible. We messed up real bad."
"No shit!" Mai shouted.
By that time, I realized that the drink was probably meant for Alicia, and that pissed me off.
"Alicia hasn't done anything to me, so why are you guys treating her like that?" I knew none of them liked her. Mai apparently had something on Alicia that freaked her out. "Dammit, Scott. You crossed the line on this one, man!"
The only sound was Kayden’s vomiting, as Lenne gently rubbed his back.
"What the hell did Alicia do to any of you?"
Mai looked like she was about to flip, and finally she did. "Fuck it. Just tell him, guys!" She sighed and looked away.
Everyone was silent.
"Tell me what?" I crossed my arms and glared at all of them.
**************
I didn't know whether to be pissed or happy. For one thing, my friends had been worried about Alicia bothering me, and I was okay with that. And, after hearing about what she had done to Lenne and Mai, I understood why they didn't like her. They had kept a secret from me, though, and that pissed me off.
"Well, we kinda know how you get when you're angry with someone," Scott mumbled.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I snapped.
A horn blared just then, and I turned around and saw that Jett's older sister, Ashley, was flashing her car lights at us.
My anger died away. I was tired and wanted to go home.
"I'll take Kayden to my house," I said, before walking towards my boyfriend. "I must say I'm pretty disappointed in all of you." I felt like my words literally crushed them, but that was how I felt. I also felt a bit happy, though. "I know you guys want the best for me, but I'm not so weak that I can't take care of myself. Even still, I'd probably do the same for all of you…so, thanks."
"You okay?" I asked Kade as I slowly guided him towards Ashley's car.
"Sorry, Zac. I don't know what happened to me…"
"I'm not mad at you, Kayden. I don't think I ever could be. Anyways, you didn’t do anything wrong. It's okay, we're going home."
Some of Kayden's weight suddenly shifted off me. I looked over and saw Scott helping us.
"I'll ride with you guys. It's the least I can do for causing all this." I felt Jett move to my other side. "Same. We can't just leave Kayden like this."
I smiled. "Scott can come with us, but if you want to apologize, Jett, go back to the dance and make sure you take care of your ladies."
Jett grinned and nodded before stepping back with the rest of our group.
"Bye, Zac. Sorry about all this" Lenne said.
The rest of our friends followed through with goodbyes and apologies. I couldn't have felt prouder.
***
My dad was already sleeping when we got Kayden to my house. During the whole ride, I lectured Scott about his plot against Alicia. It got to the point that Ashley laughed at me and told me to lighten up. She said I'd look back on the night and treasure it. I couldn't understand why I'd treasure a memory of Kayden barfing, but I didn't argue.
Scott mentioned that he was afraid of what might happen to Alicia if I shunned her at school. I thought my friends were blowing things out of proportion. I was amused at what they believed I was capable of, but at the same time I was embarrassed.
On the other hand, I knew that I should probably be straightforward with Alicia. I decided that when I saw her, I’d tell her I’m interested in someone else. It wouldn’t be fair to let her waste her efforts on a gay guy.
***Brad***
"Hey!" I called out to the boy. He turned around and a flash of a smile welcomed me.
"Hey, Brad, what's going on?" Joe asked. "Crawled out from under that rock, I see. What do you want?"
The front I put up is pretty good, but that hurt. I knew that as long as Joe thought of me as some asshole, I had no chance of being friends with Phil.
"Listen," I said uneasily, "about what I said…"
"About you thinking I wanted to blow you? Oh yeah, I still remember it clearly. And my answer is still 'fuck you'. Now what else can I help you with?"
"I'm sorry about that," I muttered.
This isn't me. I don't apologize. I'm better than this…
"I was a jerk, I know that," I told him flat out. "But, you came out of nowhere and offered me your friendship. How else was I supposed to act?"
"Oh, so everyone who ever wanted to know you better also wanted to blow you?" Joe spat with mock amusement.
"The only ones to approach me always want something from me. I just wanted to apologize. Sorry." I turned and walked away.
I guess I really was sorry. No one ever approached me wanting to actually know me. They saw my clothes, my wealth, my status, and they wanted a piece of that, one way or another. It was wrong of me to assume that Joe was like that. I remember feeling pretty shitty about the whole thing, after it was said and done. I decided that maybe the friendships I saw between Zac and his friends weren't as superficial as I had thought.
What I couldn't get was how they could fall for Zac's games. He manipulated them and used them. They might regard him as a friend, but Zac was obviously enjoying the domination over his small posse. Who wouldn't?
He has Scott, the badass that everyone gets along with. Everyone who is rejected by the popular crowd can talk freely with Scott. That may be the reason why he isn’t as popular as other students, but he has the support of every skater, Goth, and outcast at school. His existence is almost contradictory; he voices his dislike of jocks like Jett, but he’s clearly friends with him.
Even Mai has people who follow her every move. She’s like a role model for feminists. She states her opinion wherever and whenever she feels like it. Unafraid, bold, and beautiful. You could compare her to a rose, except she'd probably cut you more.
Maya is the elegant lady. She might be a princess, born in the wrong part of history. Not only does she have the dignity of a princess, but also the beauty, and the indication of royal blood. That makes it possible for her to keep Scott twirled around her fingers.
Techno Shin. A boy with a few screws loose, but as calculating as a thousand computers. There’s a side of that boy that’s hidden behind his stupid laugh, but once in a while it pops up in our drama class. He’s brilliant, but he doesn’t harness his potential. According to some of the guys at school, he’s a programming whiz. He even helps brainiac Scott with his programming class.
Jett speaks for himself.
I don't know much about that Lenne chick, but there’s something about her that I can’t really touch. Like a flower that has yet to bloom. She is an interesting girl.
Kayden. A boy so mysterious, so sexy, so special, that words cannot begin to describe him. There is so much I don’t know about him, and that makes me want him even more.
And then, back to Zac. A prissy boy who is nothing special. He doesn’t deserve Kayden and he doesn’t deserve friends. His only gift is the gift to deceive, and I have plans to end that.
"Hey, Jett!" I called out to the big guy. "Where ya been?"
He looked at me glumly and shrugged. He looked a bit scared, like someone had chewed him out and put him in a corner to think about what he had done wrong. Whatever it was, his date was oblivious to it.
"The night’s almost over," I said to him. "The final event is about to start."
"Final event? What final event?" Jett asked, showing sudden interest.
"You weren't told about it? I was surprised, myself. You'll have to see for yourself," I whispered, before heading off to return to the girls I’d left at one of the tables.
***
When it finally struck midnight, Joe announced that the final event of the night would take place soon, and he asked that all of the slaves step onto the stage. Auctioned slaves from all grades were soon lined up behind Joe.
"Before the night ends," Joe said, "I think it's only fair for the buyers to be kissed by their slaves. The rest of us will judge how hot each kiss is. How about it, guys and gals?"
The entire hall exploded in woots and cheers. I grinned, totally anticipating the fun I was about to have.
When I found out what the final event would be, I knew I couldn't have asked for a better gift. Torn between Lenne and Alicia, would Zac have the balls to still play the straight boy act, or would he cower away from the girls and then be embarrassed for the rest of the year? People would begin to wonder if he's gay. I'd have to play a part in filtering that information. He'd deny it for sure if people accused him. A guy like him only cares about his image, but there's nothing great about Zac Hunter. Even if none of that happened, it would still trigger doubt in Kayden's heart to see his boyfriend kiss a girl. Small steps turn into large opportunities in the future. For now, I'll just plant the seeds of Zac's downfall.
I saw Maya step on stage and whisper something to Joe.
"Sorry, it looks like Zac Hunter won’t be with us for the big event," Joe announced. "Something came up and the dude had to jet." The whole crowd booed. "Don't worry, folks. We'll grill him for that later. Anyways, Zac's two dates will have the choice of kissing one of the other guys up here. So, ladies, just make your requests when it’s your turn."
I felt my whole head explode.
He's gone! The fucker left! No!!!
I clenched my teeth so hard it felt they were about to break.
"Okay, buyers, join your dates on stage. Lenne and Alicia, please stand by the guy you would like to kiss."
The girls who had bought me surrounded me, and I felt like puking. The kissing thing was part of my plan, but it was useless without the target present. I was reduced to kissing a bunch of obsessed girls who would throw their skirts up for me any day.
Zac Hunter must have been born with a horseshoe up his ass.
***Zac***
"Come on, Kayden," I coaxed, "just a few more steps."
"You're so good to me, Zaccie," Kayden mumbled as he stroked my cheek for the hundredth time. "You won't leave me, right?"
"No, Kayden, I won't ever leave you." I smiled at him.
"Goood," he said between hiccups, "’cause then I'd kick Alicia's ass!"
I covered his mouth, because was starting to raise his voice. The last thing I wanted was for him to wake up my dad.
God, even Kayden is worried that Alicia’s going to attack me or something.
"And here we are," I whispered as I opened my door. "Let's get you to bed."
"Will you sleep wi’ me?" Kayden blinked weakly. "Innuh bed?"
I had to smile. Drunk, Kayden was so cute. I made a note to do that with him sometime.
"Of course, Kade. Just lie down."
I turned around to close the door and thought Kayden was stumbling towards the bed. Instead, I felt his arms under my own, undoing the buttons of my shirt.
"Kayden, what…"
"Shhh…"
It was like he cast a spell over me. Either that, or my body didn't want to move. He slowly unbuttoned my shirt and pulled it away.
I turned around and did the same for him. He stepped back slowly and kept me tailing him until he eased down onto my bed. In his sitting position, he went for my pants.
I watched him as my heart sped up. It was different than our usual times. I can’t describe it, but Kayden is usually playful before we really get into things. But, the way he was acting, it was like I was under his power. He unbuckled my belt and I threw my head back and closed my eyes, anticipating the sensations I would be feeling.
I felt wetness at my navel. I trembled as Kayden applied a gentle suction to my belly. In an instant, it was gone. My eyes were still closed, waiting for what he would do next. I waited and waited, but nothing happened.
I finally opened my eyes and nearly busted out laughing.
Kayden was flat on his back, snoring lightly.
He had gotten me going, and I was totally turned on by his drunken play. I didn't blame him, though. I doubted he'd remember any of it in the morning.
I turned off the lights and nearly tripped over my fallen pants. I quickly took them off and did the same for my boyfriend. I adjusted his position and slowly maneuvered over him to the side of the bed. His light snoring made me giggle on the inside. He was sprawled over the bed, so I adjusted his arms and flipped him to his side.
I pulled the blankets over us and spooned up behind him. With my arm over him, I rose a bit to give my boy a loving kiss on the cheek. He didn't react, but I was satisfied. Maybe not sexually at the moment, but I knew I would be in the morning. I just hoped he wouldn’t have a hangover.
***
I woke up suddenly to movement in my bed. I blinked my eyes and watched as Kayden sat up and tried to stand, only to fall back onto the bed.
"You okay?" I asked groggily as I sat up.
"Wha- where am I?" Kayden groaned as he pressed a palm to his forehead.
"At my house," I said, turning towards the window. The sun was shining in on me and it felt like a wonderful day. "Remember what happened?"
"Why do I feel like I have a hangover? No, scratch that. Why do I have a hangover?"
I shuffled over to the edge of the bed where he sat and wrapped my arms around his torso. "Don’t be mad, but some of our friends kinda spiked your drink by accident."
Kayden didn't say anything, and I knew he was thinking hard. It didn't take a genius to figure it out, but he had a hangover.
"What did Scott do?" Kayden sighed in annoyance.
"Looks like you're not the only one who hates Alicia," I said, as I rested my head on his back.
"I'm going to kill Scott…"
"Well, things happen when Jett gets involved. Nothing really goes according to plan. Something always goes wrong. It's like God makes sure any plans Jett joins in get foiled, somehow."
"He did pretty good sneaking me into the hospital at Christmas," Kayden said, turning his head to see a bit of me.
"Yeah, well, even God has His off days."
We stayed motionless for moments that felt like hours, but I didn't want to move.
"Do you need to go to the bathroom, too, or are you just happy to see me?" Kayden said, totally deadpan.
I chuckled on his back and moaned as he made an effort to move.
"Help me, Zac," he said, trying to get up. "Help me quick, or you'll be sleeping on piss tonight."
I helped my baby up and moved him towards the washroom. I thought he was acting more disabled than he really was. I had to completely pamper him until we got back to my bed.
"Am I going to have to do this all day?"
"Tell you what," Kayden said, smiling sexily. "Let's just relax today and enjoy doing absolutely nothing."
"I still have a ton of movies you haven't seen," I said.
"Fine, just no subtitles. We're never letting Shin choose another video, ever!"
"Hear, hear! But first, let's get some breakfast."
"Will you feed me in bed?" Kayden whispered sexily.
"Yeah, you're looking pretty ill. I'll fix you up some oatmeal, so you won’t have to eat any of those pancakes I'm sure Dad is making."
"I'm up…" Kayden said with some effort.
***
Dad went to do some work in the home office he built a few years ago. The moment I saw him go in, I knew we wouldn't see him until sometime in the afternoon.
"Let's start with something funny," I said, from in front of the shelf of DVDs. Kayden was sitting on the couch with a hungry look in his eyes. I knew what he was thinking, but I wanted to see how long he could last.
"You can watch anything you want," he said in a low voice, "but I won't be watching the screen."
"Oh, smooth, Romeo," I joked. "Hey! How about Scary Movie?"
"I don't want to see a scary movie," Kayden said, seeming slightly disappointed.
"No, no," I said, pulling it out. "It's a comedy that makes fun of the recent scary movies. I think we pretty much watched all of those already. Trust me, you'll think it’s hilarious."
"Whatever. Just get your ass back over here. My headache comes back when you're away."
I thought his whining was cute. He was acting very different from his usual self. He has never struck me as the type who has a lot of needs, but that day he sure was acting it. All I wanted to do was tend to every one of his needs. It would be his day.
We were maybe thirty minutes into the movie when Kayden started drawing pictures on my stomach. He'd look at me every other minute to gauge my reaction. I just stayed neutral and pretended he wasn't affecting me. He knew he was, and I could tell he was enjoying it as much as I was.
His finger moved up my chest and back down. I finally looked down at him, his head on my lap with his entire focus on me instead of the movie.
"Not feeling it?" I asked, indicating the movie.
He shook his head.
I pressed the stop button on the remote and returned my gaze to the boy on my lap.
"So, what do you want to do?" I asked.
He sat up and looked at me, and then he brought his face close to mine and held his lips about an inch from my face. As his gaze drifted from my lips upwards to my eyes, I felt his breath on my face. It was like I could feel his heart beating faster. I held my breath, wondering what he was planning.
He moved closer but went past my lips and around to my ear. "Your hair looks so weird when it's scrunched like this."
"I can't help it. The gel is all messed up and I haven't showered yet."
"Well then, why don't we shower?" Kayden asked in his dark, sexy, seductive tone.
"Today's your day, so you call the shots."
"How long will your dad be in his office?"
"At least until after two. If we're lucky, we won't see him until five."
"Then let's take our sweet time," Kayden whispered as he inhaled my scent from my neck.
I shuddered as he grazed my skin with his own.
"We can't make too much noise," I warned.
"We make noise now?" Kayden teased.
I blushed. "All right…I won't make too much noise. Just don't…you know…"
"No, I don't." Kayden grinned naughtily.
"Screw you," I laughed. "I'm not saying it."
"I thought today I was going to get what I want."
I gave in. "And what do you want?"
"I want you to have me," Kayden whispered. "Just like I had you…New Year’s."
I felt my heart race. "Are you sure?"
"I've always wanted it," Kayden said, seeming annoyed. "But you…"
"I want it to be special for you, just like it was special for me," I told him honestly.
"Listen to yourself," Kayden laughed. "It is special, because I'm giving myself to you."
"You know what I mean!"
"I know, but really, that's how I feel. Everyday with you is a perfect day. I don't need a special day like New Year’s to give myself to you."
"Are you sure, though?" I asked. "I mean, my dad's just downstairs."
"I won't be loud." Kayden smiled.
"And what if I hurt you?"
"I can take it."
"But…"
"Please?"
I looked at my Kade, who was watching me with pleading eyes.
"All right," I agreed.
Kayden attached his lips to mine, and within moments we were locked in an embrace.
I was ecstatic. I'd been dreaming of that ever since Kayden and I became boyfriends. I kept telling myself that it would happen and it would be magical like New Year’s. Well, that wasn't really magical; it was awkward, but since then we’ve had some practice. Now that Kayden wanted to reverse the roles, I was suddenly afraid I wouldn't satisfy him.
That feeling lasted for about three seconds before Kayden invaded my mouth again with one of his skillful kisses.
After a sensual shower and a lot of touching, I led Kayden into my room.
There was no music, like on New Year’s, nor were we half drunk. Even with those factors missing, the passion was every bit as strong. It was just a regular Saturday, but it was perfect.
*************
"Zac, I need to talk to you, son," Dad said during our drive back from Kayden's house.
Kayden had ended up staying for another night, but then he had to go home. He wanted to grab his bike, too, since he would be teaching that night.
"Sounds important. You get a promotion?"
Dad turned to me with the oddest smile. "Well, it's something. Not a promotion, per se. Let's just wait until we get home."
I didn't push it, but Dad was acting pretty weird. He hadn’t said anything while Kayden was over, and I was wondering if he knew what happened the day before. I felt my face melt away and tried to stay calm, hoping it was nothing like that. It was like he was happy, but at the same time unsure of his happiness. It was like when I try to read Kayden, sometimes.
***
"Take a seat, son," Dad said as I followed him to a couch in our living room. We hardly ever go into that room. It’s more of a social room, with plants, the piano, a nice coffee table, and some comfy couches. It was odd that Dad led me there instead of to the kitchen.
Before I had a chance to sit down beside him, Dad shot up from his seat. "Zac, do you want something to drink? Let's grab some cokes."
Dad was doing something I'd never seen him do before; he was stalling. I followed him into the kitchen and took a seat as he rummaged through the fridge for some drinks.
He placed a Coke in front of me and was about to sit, but then he thought up something else. "Do you want something to eat?"
"Dad! You're acting like a kid. What's up?"
My father stood silently for a whole minute before crashing into the chair across from me. He looked me straight in the eye and held his gaze so strongly that I thought he was glaring at me.
"Diana's pregnant."
I’m sure I stopped breathing. I knew he had said something about Diana, but I thought I must have heard it wrong.
He said Diana's present! Yeah…I bet her birthday's coming up! No wonder he's nervous. He doesn't know what to get her.
"Condom… I mean, flowers?" I suggested. "I mean…what?" I was confused. I was sure Dad had said he needed a present, but the thought of a condom was the first thing to pop into my head.
"Zac, I said Diana's pregnant," Dad said, without blinking or shifting his gaze.
I felt my eyes bulge out.
"What?" I shouted.
Dad sighed and sat back. "I said she's pregnant, Zac."
"I heard what you said!" I was shouting again as I got up. I don't know if it was from standing up so fast or if it was from the news, but I suddenly got light-headed. I tried to walk but I didn't know where to go. I couldn’t seem to find much space to move. I just sort of shuffled on the same spot. "How the hell did it happen?" I finally asked.
Dad gave me a funny look and cleared his throat. "Well, usually, the process involves the male organ…"
"That's not what I meant!" I cut in angrily.
"Now, Zac, it's obvious you're upset."
I laughed sarcastically. "Oh, is it obvious? I mean…when did this happen?" I was breathing pretty fast. "I was always awake when you came home from your dates with her! And there were only two dates!"
"Well, you sort of missed the Blue Mountain one..." My father finally looked away while he scratched the side of his head. "One night, we didn't go back to either of our rooms. We sorta borrowed one."
I just stared at my dad, probably looking disgusted, because that was the way I felt.
"And we don't really need to go back to either of our houses to… I mean, we have cars, you know."
"Don't!" I interrupted as I looked away. I clamped my eyes shut trying to block the mental image of my dad and Diana in the back seat of his Honda. "I didn't want to know that!"
"Well, you asked."
I was still stunned. "I can't believe you! How can you be so calm about this?"
By then, Dad was his normal self. His jolly, cocky, arrogant self; your typical cool engineer. "Well, I've been through this all before, in case you've forgotten. It's nothing new…"
I felt like punching my own father. "How can you make the same mistake twice?!"
His cocky, arrogant look fell. "Hey, now," he said, his voice hardened, "it's not a mistake. It's unexpected, but it is definitely not a mistake." I felt my shoulders sag, but then Dad smiled again. "I'd call it another miracle."
I didn't think I could keep on standing, so I grabbed for my chair.
Calm down, it's okay. Breathe! Not the end of the world…
"What are you guys going to do?" I asked as I adjusted the chair I was about to return my butt to.
"I asked her to marry me."
All I felt was the hard tiles on my ass after I completely missed the chair. Dad was by my side immediately, trying to help me up, but I pushed his hands away.
"Are there any more surprises?" I shouted as I got up by myself. I carefully sat in my chair. "Wait, don't tell me, you have everything already planned – the wedding, the reception, the whole shebang."
"I was actually going to break some things to you on different days, since I knew how you were going to react, but since I've told you two of them already…"
I felt my stomach drop. "There's more?"
"Well, when we marry, we'll need to move to a bigger house. We’ll need three bedrooms."
I glared at him.
"That's the end of it, I promise! And it'll be a house in Whitby, somewhere close to the school."
My glare didn't go away. I got up and went to my room, not wanting to hear anything else my dad might say.
I ripped open a drawer and found my address book. I took my cordless phone and called the number. I knew that I was being really immature, but I didn't care. I was pissed at my dad and I couldn't think of any other way to get back at him.
"Hello?"
"Grandma?" I didn't wait for her to answer. "Dad found Diana and he got her pregnant again and he’s going to marry her now!"
After less than a minute, I hung up, like Grandma told me to. Just seconds later, the phone rang. I let it ring until Dad picked up. It was maybe only five seconds later that I heard the phone slam down.
"That was so low, Zac!” Dad shouted angrily.
I slammed my door, wearing a satisfied smile.
*************
Kayden was over the next morning before school. Dad took off, as he and I were sort of not talking. It wasn’t like we were really pissed at each other. We just needed to cool off. I knew that what I had done was totally uncalled for, and he knew that he couldn't blame me for my reaction.
"So, your dad is marrying Diana?" Kayden asked with a worried look.
I nodded.
"Maybe I shouldn't tell you what I have to say just yet, then."
"What? No… What? Tell me."
Kayden sighed the same way my dad had done before he spilled the beans about Diana.
"Well, Brad teaches at the dojo now…" he began.
I clenched my teeth so hard that my jaw muscles ached.
"And my sensei invited me to a martial arts competition in Ottawa in August," Kayden added slowly.
Wait, that's not that bad.
"And for it, I'm going to have to practice a lot. I leave with him at the end of June to go to a cottage his friend owns in Northern Ontario. I'll be gone for almost two months."
I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up.
"Oh, my God! I can't believe all these things are happening…"
"Zac, calm down." Kayden stood up beside me. "It's not the end of the world."
"You don't need to go, right?" I begged. "You can stay here, right?"
I knew deep down that I wanted to wish Kayden the best. But too much was happening to me at once, and I felt like I couldn't take it.
"I wanted to do this, Zac," Kayden said sadly, "but maybe you need me here with you more…"
"No, no," I cut him off. "I didn't mean that. I know you want to do this. You told me about it before, remember? You were hoping maybe your sensei would take you. I'm really proud of you, Kade. I want you to go."
"Are you sure?"
"Stop it." I smiled. "You're going. You're right, it's not the end of the world. But damn, you and my dad both have a way with the element of surprise."
"Would you like to come?" Kayden smiled sweetly. "It would be really fun."
I saw an image of Kayden, shirtless, practicing his martial arts near a waterfall. Hard-earned sweat breaking from his face, droplets of water springing from his fists with each thrusting punch, the insanely hot look he gets when his attention is seriously focused. I almost passed out.
"I don't think so," I whispered, watching carefully for any indication of disappointment on his face. There was none, and I knew why. I knew if I went with him, he'd be distracted and wouldn't be able to train properly. I knew it, and he knew it. I wouldn't be able to go.
"Dad and I are doing the triathlon again this summer. I might be pissed at him, but I think that’s something we'll be doing annually."
"They have them every year?" Kayden seemed surprised. "Don’t people train for those events? And they take forever to plan."
"This is not a major triathlon," I laughed. "It's kind of like a junior triathlon. Swimming four hundred metres, biking twenty kilometers, and running five kilometers."
Kayden whistled. "I could maybe do one of those, but not all three."
"Dad and I train
for the events. Well, actually, last year was my first time. It used to be
only Dad that did it, but you can’t believe how great you feel after you
complete it. Dad totally dominated me by like thirty minutes, but I did
pretty good. I want to beat my old time this year."
Kayden watched me thoughtfully like he was enjoying letting me
talk. I smiled at him and we just shared a silent moment.
"Sucks that we won't be spending time together during the summer," Kayden said, looking away.
"We'll have plenty more," I said, taking his hand. "We're only in grade ten, man."
"And we'll have the rest of August when I come back."
"Will I be able to come to the main event?" I asked.
Kayden's eyes exploded with happiness. "Really? Will you come?"
"Of course I will!"
"I'll be the best, Zac. Just watch me!" He grinned confidently.
I suddenly got a sickening feeling. "Brad's participating too, isn't he?"
Kayden shook his head, still wearing his grin. "He has to go home to Vancouver during the summer. That's the condition his parents put on his ass for living away from home."
"He lives by himself, right?"
"That's the rumor," Kayden said, looking at nothing in particular. "And he's usually the first to knock down rumors about himself. People thought he was an Abercrombie and Fitch model, but he killed that rumor pretty fast."
"You sure know a lot about him," I joked. "Should I be worried?"
"Unlike you, I still talk to him. I don’t see why you two can't get along. He's decent. Maybe a bit full of himself, but there are worse people out there."
"Like Alicia?"
"Exactly." Kayden's smile faded into a calm look. "We always seem to come back to this discussion."
"But I'm not worried," I told him
"Neither am I. And when were you going to tell me that you’re going on a make-up date with Alicia?"
I had totally forgotten about that. Apparently, Alicia had gone around the hall after the dance telling people we were going on a date. I guess Maya or somebody told Kayden.
"Yup, I am, and I have you to blame for that."
"Well, at least I know she has no chance with you," Kayden said a bit shyly.
"Because you have me and I have you? Or ‘cause you don't think I can get it up for a girl?" I joked.
Kayden gave me a level look that made me laugh. He was serious about the whole thing.
"Don't worry. You have nothing to be concerned about," I reassured him.
END OF CHAPTER 8
© December 2005 by Ryan Keith Ryan_Kayden@Rogers.com
Ryan's Corner!
27 December, 2005
Hey peeps, what's going on. Sorry about the lateness of this chapter, it's all my fault, lol. Been busy with exams. My first one was on the 9th, another on the 11th, then a double rapage on the 20th and 21st. Oh Electronics and Satellite Communications… I was going in both exams with an A and A+ average, I'm lucky if I have a B+ now, lol. Yeah it was pretty bad.
After that, there was that crazy Christmas shopping, then Christmas itself, lol. But I had fun, I love the Chistmas Holidays. But I hate those damn Christmas songs. They piss me off for some reason, call me Mr. Grinch, but when I heard Hark The Angel's Sing, I wanna punch somebody!
Anyways, I almost forgot what this chapter is about, lol, but I hope you guys enjoy reading it. I'm off to battle old ladies and crazy soccer moms at the mall.
As a side rant, I'm perplexed on how rich some kids really are. On Christmas Eve, I watched a cousin get a PSP (For those who don't know what that is, it's worth about $400), and I almost choked. I never got cool stuff like that! And this kid's only 10! Oh well, I don't really need it, but what happened to kids getting other toys. I remember when I was thrilled to get Pogs for Christmas. Geez, I really do sound like someone's grandfather now…haha, I'll stop. Anyways, enjoy this chapter, more to come!
Oh before I forget, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and any other holidays people are celebrating!
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.
So yeah, if you guys haven't joined the One Life and More Yahoo group, you might want to check it out! Added more photos since last chapter.
Cheerz!
Ry^!