Jacob Finding His Way - 56. Chapter 56

As they got out of the truck, Jacob held every one back in order for Caleb to help Joey into the house. None of them said a word as they stood watching Joey and his new family head into the house. All of a sudden Joey stopped and turned his head. Caleb must have said something to him, because he couldn’t have known that they are not right behind them walking into the house.

“Hey guys come on in and kick off your shoes. No one will bite you or eat you for dinner.” Joey turned and walked into the house.

Jacob and the others followed Joey to the living room. After Caleb helped Joey to the couch, Jacob and the others took whatever seat is available. They started out with small talk and eventually started talking like they were in hospital. It took Tom to move the conversation away from comparing the schools to normal topics.

Harold walked into the living room, but stopped short at the door frame. Caleb got up and walked over to his dad to see if he needed something. He and his father spoke for a little and Caleb walked over to Jacob. He tapped Jacob on the shoulder to get his attention away from the conversation that is going on.

“My dad is wondering if he can speak with you.” Jacob looked at him with a puzzled look in his face. “I have no idea what my dad needs to talk with you about. All I can say is that it’s nothing bad.”

Jacob got up and followed Caleb out of the living room. Caleb escorted Jacob into the kitchen where his dad is sitting at the table. He left Jacob there without saying another word. Jacob has no idea what to do, so he just stood there waiting to see what Harold wants to talk with him about. Harold looked over at Jacob and asked him to join him at the table.

The instant Jacob sat down, Harold started talking to him. He is not talking down to Jacob, but he is talking to Jacob with authority in his voice making Jacob get on the defense immediately. He is worried about why he is here, he is getting ready for a showdown with Harold. One thing he wants to make clear to Harold and that is the fact he won’t be pushed around.

Harold seemed to be uptight that he can’t get a hold of Al. Harold asked Jacob if he knows of a way to get a hold of his grandfather whenever he is not at his office or at home. Jacob simply told Harold that his grandfather doesn’t have a car phone and since he is not at either of those two places that Harold mentioned, he is simply unavailable.

It looks like Harold took the tone of Jacob’s voice or the way he answered the wrong way. He came back at Jacob with even more authority in his voice. Harold is not yelling at Jacob, but it looks like he wants to show he is in charge. That is one thing Jacob doesn’t care about here. He knows where he is at.

Jacob looked at Harold with a questioning look on his face trying to convey the question why he needs to talk with his grandfather. Harold read Jacob and started to explain to him why he needed to get a hold of Al.

He started explaining to Jacob the facts that he already knows. That Al has the power of attorney over Joey’s money and no one can touch it except Al or Joey. Jacob confirmed to Harold he understood that, but tried to clear up the misunderstanding they are having about who has control over Joey’s money.

Harold explained to Jacob why he needed to get to Joey’s money. He kind of got a little mad when Harold told him that the hospital released Joey before his time because he didn’t have insurance. He has the money to pay for a hospital stay, just not insurance. It came across to Jacob that Harold is blaming Al for Joey getting released before he should have.

“First with all do respect, don’t blame my grandfather for Joey being released. He is doing this for Joey as a favor. If something goes wrong beyond his control and he gets the blame, he won’t do this anymore. I won’t allow anyone to push blame onto my grandfather when it is not his fault.”

“Wait, you are getting me wrong. I am tired and I worded it all wrong. I am not blaming Al for anything. All I am trying to say is I would have liked to have Joey in the hospital like the doctors wanted; not to be released early like they did.”

Jacob settled down by taking a couple of deep breaths. He doesn’t like it when someone is trying to put down his grandfather. He is the only person that has been behind him from day one without having to re-earn the respect that he had already earned! His grandfather is the only person that loved him when he thought he lost his entire family; the only other man that he truly loves with all his heart besides Dewayne!

After gathering his thoughts, Jacob softly spoke to Harold. He explained that he should have pulled him to the side and told him what was going on. He would have loaned Joey the money because he knows Joey is good for it. Jacob tried to convey no matter what has happened with him and Joey; he would always be here for him.

As Jacob started to get up, he threw one final punch at Harold. “There were several different avenues for you to take, but you chose the one that got Joey released. That decision was yours and yours alone and now you have to live with it!”

Jacob started to walk away from the table when Harold called out to him. “I don’t want you to think wrong of me or my family. I don’t know you and you don’t know me. How could I go up to you and ask you for thousands of dollars? You would have looked at me worse than you do right now Jacob.

No matter what you think, Joey will always consider you family. When I brought this idea up to Joey, he only wanted Al and no one else. I will never stand in the way of Joey’s family or friends. If you guys somehow get through your past with each other and become friends, we all are going to have to deal with each other. I would like to do that as friends, not as people just tolerating each other because we have a person in common.”

Jacob turned and explained to Harold his thoughts of the future, what he thinks will become of him and Joey as far as friends. He made it clear it is going to take time because the hurt that Joey left him with is still there. At the same time he made it clear no matter what is going on between him in Joey, he will help Joey whenever Joey is in trouble. That includes moving mountains if needed.

As Jacob approached Harold to shake his hand, he asked Harold to call him if he can’t get a hold of his grandfather in the future. They shook hands and Jacob headed out of the kitchen He walked back over to the living, rejoining the conversation. Dewayne grabbed hold of Jacob’s hand as they talked about what is going on in their lives.

During dinner, they continued the conversation they started in the living room as they ate. Joey moved the conversation over Jacob. He asked about the McDonalds and how they are running. Jacob didn’t go into a lot of detail, but he answered the question.

The question raised flags for Jacob. This very subject is how Beth planted the seed of doubt in their relationship. She kept watering that seed and the plant turned out to be a weed that killed their relationship. No matter how hard Jacob tried to keep them together, it was too late. The weed had already killed everything they had.

Jacob can’t help but think that Joey is asking about the business because he is now feeling that he has some rights to the business. Before he left the kitchen, Jacob promised himself that he will make it very clear to Joey that he is not getting a thing from him. Joey chose to leave and end their relationship out of the blue. Joey is not going to also get anything that Joey has no right to.

It seemed that Joey figured out that Jacob is uncomfortable talking about things of the past that left a bad taste in his mouth, because he quickly changed the subject. Hoping that he changed topics quick enough! Joey started kicking himself or bringing up the very subject that broke them up. At least that is what everyone else thinks.

Once they finished eating the main meal, Helen served dessert. It didn’t take long for everyone to eat their dessert. As they did, they excused themselves and headed out of the kitchen. Before Jacob knew it, he found himself once again in the kitchen with Harold, Helen and this time Joey. He decided to take advantage of the situation.

“Joey since I am here I need to talk with you about something. Do you have a few minutes so we can talk with Harold and Helen here?”

Joey agreed, but wondered why Jacob is being so serious. Harold and Helen walked over and sat back down at the table hearing the concern in Joey’s voice when he asked Jacob why he is talking so serious. The question didn’t faze Jacob at all. He got down to business without thinking how Joey is feeling with his tone of voice.

The first item Jacob took care of with Joey is his aunt’s and uncle’s house. He went step by step on his thoughts of the issue. How he felt having the house since Joey and he are no longer together. He explained that he bought another house for his mother to live in and what he had planned to do with Joey’s aunt and uncle’s house.

They went back and forth on who has the rights to the house. Joey claimed it’s Jacob’s house because it was his half for the new house. Jacob came back saying that he had no rights over the house since they are no longer together. At the end Jacob won out. They agreed to rent it out and deposit the monthly rent into Joey’s checking account.

Then they went on to the subject that bothered Jacob. When Jacob opened this part of the conversation, he thought that he was going to get a different response from Joey, but Joey surprised him. He agreed with Jacob that everything is where it should be. He has no claim over anything that Jacob owns and Jacob made it clear that everything that Joey took with him is his. That included the truck, because it was a gift to Joey for his birthday.

“Jacob, I hope this is a start for us to some day becoming friends. I know what you think of me, but I hope to at least prove to you I can be a good friend. You and your grandfather have done a lot for me. We both dislike each other’s parents and nothing will change that. I don’t think any of us will be seeing my mom for a long time, not after what she did this time with my uncle.”

“I agree this is a start for us to become friends. What we should do is start out slow and talk on the phone with each other. Maybe after getting to know each other over again, as friends this time, we can hang with each other in person.”

Both Joey and Jacob felt good with what they talked about. At the end, Jacob said his peace and had nothing more to settle with Joey. He turned to Helen and Harold at that point and asked to borrow a phonebook. He knows it is getting late and he needs to get several rooms for him and the others that came down with him. He doesn’t want it to get later for the fear of not getting the number of rooms that he needs.

Once again, Joey surprised Jacob by offering his house. At first, Jacob felt weird taking Joey up on his offer. That passed and he did take the offer. That will save him money that he really doesn’t want to spend. The only thing that bothered Jacob on sleeping in Joey’s house is Beth.

No one really knows where she’s at. One thing is for sure is that she might pop up at Joey’s house to ask him not to press charges. Jacob doesn’t want to be in the house if that happens. He knows if he sees her he will go off on her, not for what she just did, but also for her planting lies about him in her son’s mind!

While Jacob got stuck in his own mind, Joey spoke with Fran. He told her about the sleeping arrangements. She couldn’t be happier that Jacob took her brother up on his offer. After she left, Jacob and Joey rejoined the others in the living room. But within a couple of hours, Jacob and the others decided to call it a night. They all said their goodbyes and headed out to Joey’s house.

With the instructions from Fran, Jacob got to their house without getting lost. They actually live close to Caleb’s house and that made it easier for Jacob. Fran unlocked the door and turned off the alarm as they walked in. Fran showed them the rooms before pulling Marie into her room.

Jacob felt very uncomfortable sleeping in any of the rooms that Joey had slept in. So Tony and David took the master bedroom and Alan invited Chase to crash out in his room. Leaving Jacob, Dewayne and Tony to crash in the living room! They didn’t mind sleeping one night on the floor or the couch.

The very first thing Dewayne pulled out of the truck is Jacob’s machine. He set it up while Jacob and the others unloaded the suitcases. Fran and Marie walked out to get Marie’s bag and that is when Fran noticed the machine on the floor near the pile of blankets. She has no idea what the machine is for.

“Hey this may sound like a stupid question, but I need to ask; what is that thing over there on the floor?” Fran pointed to the machine. “It looks like some kind of bomb. I know it’s not a bomb, but it looks like one.”

No one said a word, which made Fran even more uncomfortable. “This machine takes out the blood of a person, cleans it and puts it back in. I am only using it because Dr. Whitmore saw something he is not for sure of. He wants to be on the safe side. So I agreed and started to use it. It is nothing to worry about.”

“Yeah, there is no need to tell anyone about this. More than likely Jacob will be taken off this machine next week.” Tom looked at Fran with a serious look on his face.

Fran can tell that they are covering something up, but she has no idea what it is. She decided to just drop it and head back to her room. She wanted to ask Marie about it, but decided not to. There is no doubt that Marie is going to go along with the story that she was just fed, more so now that they are no longer part of Jacob’s inner circle.

Jacob and Dewayne changed in the living room, while Tony changed in the bathroom. By the time Tony rejoined Jacob and Dewayne, he found them already under the covers. He looked over to the machine and can’t believe how quiet the machine is. Tony thought that he might have a restless night because of the noise he thought the machine would make.

“Jacob, you look very tired. I don’t like what I am seeing. There is no color in your face and you are shaking really bad. You should have not have skipped any of treatment and told Helen about your diet. What would happen if you got sick because of not following your diet on top of skipping a treatment?”

“If I would have gotten sick like the last time, I know what to do. I know the signs and will make sure that it doesn’t get to that point. I promise to be careful about what I eat on this trip for now on. If I see something that might send my body over the cliff, I won’t eat it.” Jacob leaned in and kissed Dewayne.

As they cuddled against each other and Jacob wrapped his arms around Dewayne. Jacob thought to himself that Dewayne is right. He is messing with fate and he might do it one too many times. He is away from home in a town and doesn’t know his way around. Plus he is driving and if he gets a dizzy spell or blackouts, he can hurt everyone in the truck.

Jacob tried to fight to stay awake, but his body had other plans. The minute Jacob closed his eyes, he was out. He didn’t wake up again until he heard noise coming from the kitchen. Whoever is in the kitchen tried their best not to make noise, but didn’t succeed.

Trying to focus his eyes, Jacob looked over at the kitchen. Finally his eyes adjusted to the light coming from the kitchen and he saw Alan in the refrigerator. That answered the question in Jacob’s mind about the noise. Alan tried to be quiet, but because he can’t hear he doesn’t know the noise he is making.

Jacob crawled out from under the covers and walked over to the kitchen carrying the machine. He set it on the table as he sat down watching Alan tip-toeing around. When Alan turned around and saw Jacob sitting there, he dropped the plate of food on the floor. Jacob got up and helped Alan clean up the mess. He felt bad that he caused this by scaring Alan.

“I know that I am not a handsome guy, but I didn’t know that I was that ugly that I could scare a person to this point.” Jacob chuckled as he made sure Alan could see his lips as he talked. “I am sorry; I should have told you that I was here. This is my fault and please tells Joey and Fran it was me that dropped this, not you.”

“Don’t worry Jacob; they won’t get mad over a broken dish.” Alan got up and put the pieces of the plate in the garbage. “And by the way, you are not ugly at all. If I was into guys I would go out with you. All of us that didn’t know you wondered what kind of person you were. Now that I have met you, I can see why Joey cares so much for you.”

"Joey and I have history that will never go away. It is very hard to adjust from being boyfriends to just being friends. No matter what happens in the future, Joey will always be my first. He is a great person and Caleb is very lucky to have him. I'm not saying that Joey isn't lucky on getting Caleb. I don't know Caleb as well as I know Joey."

Alan prepared another sandwich as he listened to Jacob talking about Joey. No matter how much Jacob tries to show that he is over Joey, his feelings show through when he talks about Joey and their past. Before sitting down at the table with Jacob, Alan made sure that Jacob didn't need anything.

"I don't know you and by the looks of it if I didn't know you we would be good friends. Joey pulled me off the streets and gave me a roof over my head without asking one single question. You don’t ever find a person like that. I really do hope you guys can overcome your past and become friends."

"There's still a lot of baggage that we both have to deal with. One thing that we are lucky about is the baggage doesn’t concern our new significant others. The way things ended between Joey, I can never forgive him for that. That doesn't mean that we can’t be friends, we just can never be boyfriends again.

You're right when you say he is a good guy and I am sitting here in person telling you he has a big heart. No matter what happens from this point on, Joey will fight through it and become a stronger person than he was. Eventually we will become friends, but it won’t be overnight."

"I won’t sit here and say that I know everything you two are going through. Joey doesn’t talk about the breakup and I don't ask. The only thing I do know for sure is the fact that his mother has become a witch. His days are filled with always looking over his shoulder for his mother and uncle. After what had just happened, it is going to be even worse. Until his mother and uncle are brought to justice, Joey and Fran won’t be safe."

"That I do agree with you on about Joey's mother and uncle. He's going to need you, Caleb and his family to help him stay safe. Right now he might be safer staying at Caleb's house than staying here. The reason I say that is because at least at Caleb's house there is always somebody there that will make it difficult for Beth or Dominic to try something again."

Jacob and Alan continued talking until Alan finished his sandwich. After Alan headed back to his room, Jacob just sat there in the kitchen in the dark. His head is filled with thoughts of the past and what is to come. One thing he knows for sure is that nothing of the future has been decided for him or anyone.

By three in the morning, Jacob crawled back under the covers. He wrapped his arms around Dewayne and fell to sleep. He didn't wake up again until he felt someone shaking him awake. Every time the person shook him, Jacob went further under the covers trying to get more sleep. Finally he gave up and pulled the covers away from his face. Not even looking at who is trying to wake him up, he barked out in anger.

"What the hell! Let me get some more sleep! I haven't been asleep more than an hour or so and here you are waking me up." As Jacob's vision cleared up, he saw Dewayne smiling down at him. "Don't get me wrong, I love seeing you when I wake up, but I want to get some sleep."

"I let you sleep as long as I could, but it is time for you to get up. Mrs. Evans just called and told us she started breakfast. So you need to get up, shower and get dressed so we can go. While you're showering, we’ll go ahead and load the truck with all of our stuff. That way when we are ready to go we don’t have to come back here."

Reluctantly, Jacob pushed the covers to the side and got up from the floor. Still half asleep, Jacob started to walk away from the dialysis machine without unhooking from it. He felt it tugging at his IV in time. He turned around, unplugged the dialysis machine and headed over to the bathroom.

As he stood underneath the hot water, he couldn't wake up if his life depended on it. Jacob felt worse now than he did when he went to bed last night. Trying to snap out of it, Jacob turned the water all the way to cold, hoping it will send a shock through his system to wake up. It didn't surprise him at all that it worked. Jacob finished taking a shower, got dressed and joined the others in the living room.

Before heading out, they made plans on what to do. The trip back to El Paso is at least six hours long if they don’t run into problems on the way. So they decided to stay a couple of hours with Joey and head back no later than twelve. That will give them plenty of time to get back, unload the truck and get ready for school.

The minute they walked through the doors of Caleb’s house, they can smell breakfast in the air. Fran escorted them over to the kitchen, where they found everyone taking their seats. Without hesitation, the boys sat down and dug in. It didn’t take long for them to devour every bit of the breakfast that Helen cooked.

After breakfast, they hung out in the living room for an hour or so before heading out to the back yard. Just like the night before they talked about old times and what might happen in the future. Chase, David and Tom all agreed to come up during the summer if they could. Jacob and Dewayne didn’t give an answer to a trip back here one way or another. That meant if Jacob doesn’t come, Marie won’t be able to come either.

“Jacob, I know there is a lot to be done before we can start planning trips like this between me and you. I just hope that you leave here with an open mind on working out our differences. Just like I said last night, I would like us to become friends; friends that talk once a week, at least, and visit with each other whenever time permits.”

Jacob didn’t look at Joey as he spoke. Of course Joey had no idea that Jacob wasn’t looking at him. Instead he looked around the yard and at the others. He wants to be friends with Joey, but he can’t get out of his mind the way he left. He can understand a lot of what happened, just not when Joey kicked him to the side when he was begging him to stay. That was all Joey and no one else.

“We will see what happens the rest of the school year Joey. Right now we all have a lot of things going on in our lives, nothing can be planned that far in advance. Plus neither of us knows what is going to happen when we go our separate ways today. Even when we were together, outside influences creped in and changed the direction of our lives! It will be worse now that we are not together.”

“That is one thing I won’t allow to happen again. I screwed up allowing others to influence me one way or another. No one will ever have that power over me again. The people I surround myself with will have to accept me for who I am and not want to change me. If they can’t handle that, than I don’t want them around.”

Caleb gabbed a hold of Joey’s hand to let him know that he is supports him. At that point, Jacob got up and signaled to the others it is time to go. They looked at their watches and saw they stayed longer than planned. Each of them said their goodbyes and headed out to the truck. The only one’s left in the backyard is Jacob, Dewayne, Joey and Caleb.

“I really do hope you and Dewayne come back up during the summer. If you do, I can take you places that you didn’t get to go this time. Plus I will be completely on my feet with my eye sight back. Things will be different Jacob; I just hope that you do give us a chance to build a friendship!” Joey reached out his hand to Jacob.

“I know you really want to become friends, because you keep saying it. Let’s take it step at a time like I said. We talked about the hard stuff this trip and whatever we missed we will deal with over the phone. Maybe by the end of the school year we can make plans for a trip to come back here.

No matter what you are thinking Joey, I never will wish you anything but the best. You deserve so much and I hope you get whatever you want in life. We both have another in our lives, and for me I love Dewayne as if there is no tomorrow. By the looks of it you love Caleb the same way. If this weekend shows what we can become, there is no doubt in my mind we will find our way to a friendship given time.”

Jacob brushed Joey’s hand away and pulled him into a hug. “You will always be my first love Joey and own that part of my heart. I love you no matter what has happened. So don’t give up on a friendship that will come as I learn to get past what had happened between us.” Jacob whispered in Joey’s ear.

Dewayne walked up and hugged Caleb and Joey before leaving with Jacob. Joey stood there feeling a lot better about the future after Jacob whispered his thoughts in his ear. He knows it is Jacob that needs to heal, not so much him. Simply put, Jacob is the one that got blind sided with the break up. From this moment on, Joey decided that he’ll work very hard on building a friendship with Jacob.

On the way home, no one talked much. The minute Jacob got on the highway; everyone fell asleep, leaving only Jacob awake. He looked over to Dewayne and couldn’t help but smile. Jacob started to think about all the things that Dewayne has dealt with since they got together. Dewayne has not complained once about a single thing that is going on.

Jacob started to feel sharp pains coming from his mid section. He gripped the steering column with one hand and with his other hand he gripped his side. Hoping by pressing on it, the pain will at least die down. No matter how hard Jacob pressed on his side, the pain would not die down.

Not wanting to wake anyone up, Jacob kept pushing the pain to the back of his head. The more that Jacob thought about other things, the more the pain seemed to go away! It got to a point that the pain was dull enough that he removed his hand from his side. As he reached out to turn the air on, he noticed his hand trembling. No doubt this is being caused from the pain in his side.

As hard headed as he is, Jacob refused to say anything to anyone. He thought about pulling over when he reaches the next city, but he decided against it. He feared that if he gets out of the truck, the pain might hit him even worse. If that happenes, he will need to go to a hospital in a city that no one lives in.

The sun started to set when Tom and David woke up. They looked out of their windows to see that the trip is almost over. Just as they looked out the window, the saw the sign saying they have entered the city limits of Las Cruces. Once they get through the city of Las Cruces, it is about an hour more to El Paso.

“Man Jacob you must be flying! I didn’t think that we would get home no earlier than nine or ten. By the looks of it, we will be getting there no later than seven thirty.” Tom leaned forward in order not to wake up the others in the back.

The only response that Tom got from Jacob is a nod. He sat back into the sit and started to whisper to David. Whatever they are whispering is getting them into the mood. It didn’t take long from the talking to move to touching each other but not to the point that the others in the back seat or in the truck would be bothered by it.

Just as Tom projected, they entered into the city limits of El Paso at seven twenty. Jacob woke up Dewayne, while David woke up Marie and Tony. Everyone one stretched as they looked out the window. They saw the traffic starting to pick up when they got more into the city.

It seemed by entering into the city limits of El Paso, it was like turning on a switch. Everyone started talking all at once about different subjects. Not one group talked about the same thing as they exited off the freeway. Even Jacob put on a happy face as Dewayne talked to him about how good it will feel sleeping in their own bed.

Jacob pulled up to the drive and got down from the truck. Just as he thought, the pain got worse the minute he stretched out. Just like before, he ignored the pain and helped unload the truck. As they walked up to the front door, Jacob couldn’t believe that the porch light is not on. Stumbling around with his hands full, Jacob unlocked the door and went in.

Just as they walked in Alex and Matt walked out to the hallway. Matt came over to help with the bags, while Alex seemed more concerned about Jacob. Jacob polity thanked Alex for his concern and walked over to the kitchen.

Not stopping on the way, Jacob and the others have not eaten since breakfast. Jacob grabbed whatever had been saved from dinner and threw it into the microwave. As the food warmed up, Jacob walked to the bathroom to wash up. By the time he walked back into the kitchen, the others found their way there. They had already warmed up the rest of the food that Jacob pulled out and dug in.

By the time Jacob got to the bowls, they had already been wiped clean. He looked over at the guys, but kept his mouth shut. He knows if he would speak right now, he would say something that he in a way that he’ll regret. So instead, he just walked out of the kitchen and headed out of the house.

The bags had already been unloaded from the truck, so Jacob doesn’t have to worry about taking off with their stuff. As he started to pull out of the driveway, Dewayne came running out. He jumped in front of the truck; causing Jacob to slam on the brakes in order not hit him. Jacob can’t believe that Dewayne would actually do something that stupid.

As Jacob sat there in disbelief, Dewayne got into the truck. “Where are you going in such a hurry Jacob? You are worn out and need to get some rest. You don’t need to be driving anymore this evening. So let’s go in and I will fix you a couple of sandwiches while you go upstairs and get ready for bed.”

Jacob looked over to Dewayne and can see the concern in his face. He nodded in agreement and pulled the truck back into the driveway. For the second time that evening, they walked into the house, but this time. Jacob went upstairs to get ready for bed while Dewayne went to the kitchen to put together a couple of sandwiches for Jacob.

As he walked past the TV room, he could see the others sitting there telling the ones that didn’t go about the trip. He laughed to himself as he walked up the stairs and over to his bedroom. He found Jacob lying on the bed when he walked in. Dewayne walked over to Jacob and gave him the sandwiches with a soda to drink.

The next morning during breakfast at school, Alex’s friend Carlos walked up and introduced them to his girlfriend. Jacob noticed that there is something is going on underneath the surface. The look on Alex’s face gave it all away. Whatever it is, Alex is not happy about it. It looks like the girl that Carlos brought over is causing the problem.

Jacob didn’t stay around for the fire works. He got up, dumped his trash and headed over to the ROTC building like he always does. As he made his way down the narrow hall and out the door, Jacob ran into Loraine. Before he could react, the guy that Loraine is with pushed Jacob against the wall.

“I hear that you have been giving my girlfriend a very hard time in the ROTC class. In fact you took away her standing in the class. I am getting tired of hearing about this and I am aiming to fix it. So whatever it takes, you are going to go back over there and give back my girlfriend everything she had.”

Jacob pushed Loraine’s boyfriend off of him. “You stupid fuck, it doesn’t work that way and Loraine knows it! I am just one person, and I can’t make that decision alone. There is no way she is ever going to get back a leadership position. The guy that approves those will never sign off on another promotion for her.”

“You aren’t getting what I’m saying here. I don’t care what you have to do, you will get it done. If you don’t, you will wish that you were never born.” Loraine’s boyfriend slugged Jacob into the stomach. “This is just a warning of what is to come if you don’t do as I ask.”

There is no way Jacob is going to let this guy get away with this. He has had enough of people thinking that they can come up to him and beat him up if they want to. The last time Jacob fought, he had hoped it would have been the last time but this guy is leaving him with no other choice but to defend himself.

“You don’t have the balls to carry out your threats. Because if you did, you would have just done it! There is no way in hell I am going to do anything for this woman. She has made her bed and now she can sleep in it. Loraine has…..”

Before Jacob could complete his thoughts, Loraine’s boyfriend swung at Jacob again. This time though, Jacob moved fast enough that the punch didn’t connect. Instead of trying to talk reason to this guy, Jacob swung back and connected to the guys face, knocking him off balance.

Not allowing the guy to regain the upper hand, Jacob moved in on him. He swung at him and connected each time. Loraine’s boyfriend stood his ground and connected with his punches. By this time, the crowd has gathered around to see these two fight. Jacob couldn’t believe that he is still standing. As far as muscle, this guy looks like he spends every minute of his free time in the gym.

Then it happened, Jacob got hit with a blow to the face that knocked him against the wall. The guy started the wail on Jacob as Jacob tried to get away from the wall. Still unwilling to show defeat, Jacob kept swinging at this guy’s mid section, but it didn’t matter. He had Jacob pinned against the all and in return he has the fight.

Jacob somehow mustered enough strength and pushed Loraine’s boyfriend off of him! He stumbled away from the wall as he put his fist in front of his face for protection. Just as the guy came at Jacob, security guards came up and pulled them apart. Jacob stood there battered, but not defeated. He stood his ground and never went down.

When the principal came out to see what is going on, Loraine tried to say that Jacob is the one that started it all. Not realizing that there were several groups standing out there when this all started and told the principal the truth. He sent Jacob down to the nurse to get patched up while he pulled Loraine and her boyfriend to his office.

With that help from several students, Jacob made his way to the nurse’s office. When he walked in the nurse rushed over to his aid. She quickly had the students help Jacob to a bed before they left. She started to clean Jacob up as she asked what had happened. At first Jacob would not answer, but by the third time he gave in.

“A girl that is in the ROTC program didn’t like the decision I made about demoting her so she got her boyfriend to send me a message. He got a surprise of his own when I refused to back down with his threats. Although I lost the fight, he didn’t win it either.” Jacob held the ice pack to his face.

“If you lost the fight, that means he won Jacob. I think you got hit one too many times in the head.” The nurse kept on cleaning Jacob up. “Should I be calling Dr. Whitmore about what just happened here? You know, the kidney issue you are having, this might have made it worse if he actually hit you there.”

“No, there is no need to call Dr. Whitmore. I will be seeing him on Wednesday and more than likely I won’t be returning to school for a couple of days.” The nurse looked up at Jacob with a confused look on her face. “My kidneys are not working at all, so he more than likely will put me into the hospital this time around.”

When the nurse touched Jacob’s forehead, he shouted out in pain. She looked closer to his head to see if she can see anything penetrating the skin. The only thing her naked eye can see is the beginning of bruising. That caused her some concern.

“Jacob I am afraid that I might need to send you down to the hospital to get x-rays to your forehead. Did the guy that was punching you hit you on your forehead?”

“When he knocked me against the wall, I lowered my head to the point that is all he was hitting. I though that is the hardest part of the body. That is the only reason I did that. If I don’t go to the hospital, what is the worse that can happen?”

“You don’t want to even know that Jacob!”

“Yes ma’am I do! I don’t want to bother my grandfather, Dewayne or really anybody. My poor grandfather has being dealing with a lot from me over the last couple of days. He has been running himself ragged going back and forth from New Mexico and here all because of my ex. I put these problems at my grandfather’s feet and I know it is taking a toll on him.

Dewayne has been putting up a lot from me as well. I really don’t think I can ask anymore of him before he ends up leaving me. I don’t want to lose another this year. So please I do want to know. If I don’t go, what is the worse that can happen?”

“Jacob if your broke any bone in your face, hand or anywhere else on your body it can be serious! You got to go and get ex-rays done Jacob. If you don’t and let’s say you nod off to sleep, you may not wake up again Jacob. The worse can be death and that is something I don’t want happen to you.”

“Please ma’am, just patch me up and let me got to class. If you need me to sign something so you or the school doesn’t get sued, I will. There is no way I am going to go into the hospital right now. I have three days before my doctor leaves me with no other choice but to go in.”

The nurse kept trying to explain to Jacob that he needs to go, but she couldn’t change his mind. She gave up, patched him up and gave him a couple of Tylenol for the pain. The bell had already rung for first period, so she gave Jacob a pass to return to class. Before he left, the nurse made him promise her that he will return at lunch to be looked at and if he feels weird in any way before and after lunch to come back immediately.

Before leaving the nurses office, Jacob looked himself over in the mirror. No matter what he does with his clothes, people will know that he was in a fight. His blood is all over his shirt and some on his pants. There is no way he can hide the fact that he got beaten up.

As Jacob walked out of the nurse’s office, he thanked the nurse for everything she did. He noticed a worried look across her face as he thanked her. Feeling bad for making her worry, Jacob walked over and hugged her.

“I know you are worried ma’am and I am sorry for that. No matter what I say, I know it won’t put you at ease. I do promise you that if anything comes up during the day; I will come down here as I promised.” Jacob walked out feeling that the nurse still doesn’t like the idea of him not going to the hospital.

By the time he got to first period, the bell rang releasing the class. He walked in and handed the teacher the pass to excuse him for missing class. After the teacher gave him the assignment, he ran to his second period. Just as the tardy bell rang, Jacob walked into the classroom with everyone looking at him.

Jacob made his way to his seat and sat down. No one asked him about the fight, but Jacob knows they want to. The looking and his fellow students talking behind his back went on all morning long. When he walked into the cafeteria the fight that happened earlier in the morning is the only thing on the students’ minds.

After getting his food, Jacob made his way to the table. Chase right away scooted over and let Jacob sit down. They all looked at Jacob and couldn’t believe that he walked away from the fight that they heard about.

“I don’t know about the others Jacob, but if I ever find that bitch and her boyfriend, they are dead where they stand.” Chase spoke with hatred; “No one jumps one of my friends and gets away with it. Fuck Loraine, if she thinks by being a woman I won’t beat her down, she has another thing coming!”

“Look you guys, you do…….”

“No Jacob I agree with Chase on this.” Alex interrupted Jacob before he could get more than five words out of his mouth. “No one should be allowed to step up to any of us and get away with it. No matter if we are together or by ourselves, we need to make it clear to everyone that you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us.”

Everyone at the table agreed with Alex, not allowing Jacob to get a word in edgewise. No one at the table knows what the principal did with Loraine and her boyfriend. One thing they all agree on is if they see them, let the others know about it. As a group, they will deal with those two. They will make it clear to them that they made the wrong choice when the decided to pick a fight instead leaving it alone.

No one left Jacob’s side, even when he reported back to the nurse’s office as promised. They all promised each other not to let anybody in the group be by themselves after what happened this morning. They felt bad that they got to the scene of the fight after it ended, not during it. As a result they all felt that they weren’t there for Jacob when he needed them to be so they are not going to let the past repeat itself.

Jacob felt good that he has a group of friends that care so much about him. Still he doesn’t want them to get revenge at the cost of their freedom, or get suspended. He figured that the principal at least suspended Loraine and her boyfriend, leaving time for his friends to settle down before those two returns to school.

The minute Jacob walked into the ROTC building, he ran right into Major Moore. To Jacob’s surprise, Major Moore has been waiting to speak with him ever since he heard about what happened between two of his cadets. Not saying a word, he waved Jacob to follow him to his office.

Sergeant Haney joined Jacob and Major Moore in the office, closing the door behind him. He sat down at his desk, Major Moore at his, while Jacob waited for Major Moore to give him permission to sit down. Once he did, Jacob sat down and waited to see what they plan to do with him. He knows that fighting is against the rules and he will more than likely get some kind of punishment for doing so.

“I got called over to the principal’s office this morning like a little kid. To say I didn’t like that is an understatement.” Major Moore looked Jacob straight in the eyes. “When I first heard what had happened, I was ready to demote both of you. After sitting down and listening to the students that were there and heard what was being discussed between you guys, I couldn’t believe it.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine a cadet would go as far as Loraine did this morning to get her position back. She should have never gotten her boyfriend to beat you up like she did. He threw the first punch and you had no other choice but to defend yourself after that, Jacob.”

Sgt. Haney added; “I agree with Major Moore on that point. If anyone approached me and swung at me, I will fight back as well. No matter the size of the person, I would not allow that person think they can walk all over me. Loraine was wrong and she should have known that the minute she asked her boyfriend to do what he did.”

Jacob sat there listening to both of his instructors, waiting for the other shoe to drop. They are praising him right now, but there is a ‘but’ in there somewhere. When that ‘but’ comes up, it won’t be good for him.

“Now with that that said Jacob, we have to make a hard decision here.” Here it comes Jacob thought. “We can’t allow our leaders walk around thinking they can do whatever they want to do without answering for it. If that were allowed to happen, we will lose control of this program and never get it back.

As far as Loraine is concerned, she is kicked out of the program. When she returns from her suspension, she will go to study hall instead of here. With a heavy heart, I have sent to Colonel May a demotion request. If he signs off on the demotion, you will be demoted down to a captain and you won’t be allowed to advance from that rank your final year.”

“When do I turn in my rank that I have right now sir?”

“For now you will still wear the rank until Colonel May signs the demotion on you. I would like it that you continue with the same duties you are doing in this program outside of the battalion commander if you get demoted. You are good at it and I don’t want to lose you dealing with those programs.”

“With all due respect sir, you never wanted me in this position. We have had this discussion many times in the past. I wasn’t going to come back because you weren’t going to promote me. You went as far as talking with Joey to talk me into coming back and I did. Now you are able to knock me down without looking like the bad guy.

No matter what you think, I was in the right this morning. I was attacked and I wasn’t about to let that guy beat me down without defending myself. If I would have done that, I would not be walking right now. Too often in the past I let others knock me down. NO MORE! I won’t allow that to happen to me again!

So if the demotion gets signed, I will finish the year out in the program. Since I won’t be able to advance next year, there is no need for me to come back next year. As far as the other things, I did them to get advancement in this program and that is gone. Therefore I will no longer do any of the extra duties. You will need to find someone else to do what I have been doing.”

Jacob got up to leave, not waiting to for Major Moore to excuse him. “I won’t ask my grandfather to pull funding to the program. The future kids in this program should not suffer because of your inability to see what is before you; the truth. As far as the other companies funding the programs, I won’t go out and ask for them to renew their agreements. You will have to find someone else to do as well! There is no incentive for me to work my butt off anymore!”

Major Moore called out for Jacob to stop. He didn’t even look back. Jacob just kept walking out of the office and back into the large classroom. Jacob sat down when Sergeant Haney walked over to his desk. He knelt down, trying not to get interrupt the senior cadets.

“Look Jacob, you are needed in this program. Take the demotion that Major Moore is putting in. That way you can show the others you are a better person than Loraine and the others we have demoted recently. Come back next year and I will see what I can do to get you at least on the battalion staff again.”

“I am taking the demotion that Major Moore has requested. No one here is winning on this except Loraine. This is what she was aiming for and got. I am fine with it, but there is no way I will come back next year; not under the guidance of Major Moore and you. You two are not teaching us a thing. Instead, you guys are using the cadets in this program. Feeding us lies to get what you guys want for this program.

When I do leave this program, I will report this program to the school board. If that doesn’t go anywhere, I will talk with a friend I mine. I believe you guys had a run in with him last year. If I recall correctly, his father, the governor, had to come in and deal with several issues last year. When he hears things are worse, I think there will be changes.”

Sergeant Haney doesn’t know what to say in response to Jacob. He got up and walked to the front of the class. By then, the class looked back trying to find out what is going on. Because Jacob and Sergeant Haney spoke in low voices, no one heard them not even those that are sitting near Jacob’s desk.

The minute the bell rang, Jacob ran out of the ROTC building for the first time, in a long time. To his surprise, Jacob felt relieved as if a weight has been lifted off of his shoulders. Feeling better that this period is over; Jacob started his way back to the main building. As he stepped into the main hall, he heard someone calling for him. He turned to see Fierro running up to him.

“Look Fierro, I am tired of this back and forth with Major Moore and his program. I don’t care what is going on with him. I have a lot of issues of my own to deal with. The years that are supposed to be the easiest, will be the years that will kill me. No Fierro, I am done trying to please Major Moore and his moods.”

“Everyone that has held the position you are holding right now has felt the same way. At least we have only had to suffer it for a year. The way things are you will have to deal with him for two years. That is something I don’t even wish on my worse enemy. That includes Loraine and the others that have caused me problems in the past.

With that said, there is no way you will stay under Major Moore next year. You have the knowledge and training that you will get brigade commander. This very subject has been talked about in many of the brigade meetings this year.”

“Yeah, but, and there is a ‘but’. I won’t get a chance to go in front of the promotion board for that position. Major Moore has put in a request for a demotion on me. That request he feels is a done deal because I broke a rule that we all must follow. Although I didn’t start the fight, I am getting the worse end of it in many ways.”

“Jacob, you know that is nothing but bullshit. Remember what happened to us at Austin High School. Not only we got into a fight, we were in uniform when it happened. Nothing happened to us then and nothing will happen to you now. You fought because you had no other choice but to do so. That is something Colonel May sees.

Colonel May called me out of class last period to speak with me on the phone. He spoke with the principal and got the details of what happened. With that and the fact that Colonel May likes you a lot, he is not going to sign off on the demotion. Major Moore is stuck with you and you are stuck with him at least until next year, when you get promoted to brigade staff.”

“I said some things that I won’t be able to take back. Words that needed to be spoken, but not in the fashion I did. There is no way Major Moore and Sergeant will ever work with me again.”

“Colonel May spoke with Major Moore about the conversation your guys had. He told me that Major Moore should not have spoken with you until the demotion was signed. So that is Major Moore’s fault for jumping the gun. Keep doing what you are doing and this will blow over like it has in the past. I wish I could stay and chat some more, but you and I need to get ourselves to class.”

Fierro slapped Jacob on the back and ran down the hall. Jacob turned and did the same thing. It seems that he has been running to class all day and barely making it. To no surprise to Jacob, he stepped into the classroom right when the tardy bell rang.

After school, Jacob found Tony and headed straight home. He didn’t feel up to going to practice for many reasons. All Jacob wants to do is go home and put his feet up for the evening. His head at this point is really pounding as well as the rest of his body. The pain on his side is barely registering due to his body aching all over.

Jacob isn’t surprised when he drove up to the house to not find Dewayne home yet. Ever since he got promoted at work, his hours have changed. When he starts his new job, the hours are going to be even worse. Both of them would be lucky to see each other during dinner a couple nights out of the week.

Franseca peeked out into the hallway when she heard the door open. When Jacob walked in, she couldn’t believe her eyes. She walked out and called out to Jacob as he walked up the stairs. Jacob turned around and walked back down.

“What happened to you Jacob?” Franseca walked up to Jacob and softly touching his face being careful to not cause any discomfort. “It looks like you got ran over by a train. Who did this to you Jacob and does your grandfather know?”

“The ones that did this to me got suspended for fighting. As far as my grandfather, I didn’t want to disturb him for something so petty. He has already been taking off a lot of work; I didn’t want to have him miss anymore.”

Franseca grabbed Jacob by the arm. They walked into the kitchen where Franseca asked Jacob to take a seat. She walked over to the laundry room, got the first aid kit. When she returned, she took off the bandages that the nurse changed out during lunch, cleaned the cuts again, and put clean bandages back on.

“Jacob you are going to kill yourself before you have a chance to live. It really hurts me when I see any of my kids like this.” Franseca couldn’t hold it in anymore, she started to cry. “I love you as my own son and I hurt’s me when I see you like this Jacob.” Franseca tried to say what is on her mind, but couldn’t.

Jacob got up and pulled Franseca into him. “I love you like my mom. I know I have one, but you have shown me more love than my mom has in years. Thank you for patching me back up.” Jacob pulled Franseca away from his shoulders. “Please don’t cry, because if keep crying. I will start crying too.”

Not saying another word, Jacob pulled Franseca back into him. He held her until she stopped crying. Even then, Jacob stayed with Franseca for a while. They talked while Franseca made him something to eat. After Jacob finished eating, he headed upstairs to get his homework done before Dewayne got home.

When Jacob finished his homework, he laid his head on his pillow. The minute he closed his eyes, he was out. Before starting his homework, Jacob took a couple of his pain pills that normally knock him out.

About ten minutes later, Dewayne walked in. At first Dewayne didn’t walk over to the bed, he went into the bathroom to change out of his uniform. Once he took a shower, he walked over to Jacob and couldn’t believe his eyes. Just like Franseca, he softly brushed against Jacob’s face as he slept.

The anger got the best of him. Dewayne rushed out of his room, down the stairs and over to Tony’s room. He knows that the others are still at work and the only one that can explain to him what happened to Jacob is Tony. When he barged in without knocking, he scared Tony to the point that he jumped out of his seat.

Not wasting any time, Dewayne got down to business with Tony. Tony told him what he knows, but it wasn’t much. He explained that none of them were there when Jacob got jumped, but that won’t happen again. Still that didn’t satisfy Dewayne one bit. He wanted to lay into Tony, but he held back because he isn’t the one that hurt Jacob.

Leaving no other choice for Dewayne, he has to let it go. He thanked Tony for telling him what had happened and left the room. On his way back to his room, he didn’t hear Al call out for him. Dewayne just walked past Al and up the stairs.

As soon as he walked back into the room, Dewayne plugged Jacob into the machine and crawled into bed with him. Gently he pulled Jacob close tom him, trying not to hurt him, and wrapped his arms around Jacob. He gently stroked Jacob’s hair as he kept a watchful eye on Jacob’s breathing. He doesn’t want to lose Jacob over a stupid fight at school.

Just as Dewayne started to doze off, Al and Virginia knocked on the door and walked in. They walked over to the bed to take a look at their grandson. The same anger that went through Dewayne when he first saw Jacob, Al is feeling it now. He wants to tear the persons responsible for this from limb to limb.

“Dewayne you need to go down and get something to eat. You just finished a long day at work. We will stay by Jacob’s side and if he wakes up I promise to go and get you. So go down and eat some dinner.” Al sat on the edge of the bed.

Dewayne agreed with Al and slowly walked out of the room. It didn’t take Dewayne long to eat. He pretty much inhaled his dinner and went back upstairs. When Dewayne walked into the room, it surprised Al and Virginia. After thanking Al and Virginia for staying with Jacob, he crawled into bed and pulled the covers over them.

The next morning, Jacob got up as if nothing had happened. No matter how much he tried to dodge Dewayne’s questions, he ended up answering them. Not leaving a thing out, Jacob told Dewayne what had happened. As Jacob told the story, Dewayne just sat there in disbelief that anyone would go to that point to get back into a school program. In his mind, there is nothing at school worth beating someone up for.

With no other choice, Dewayne had to accept the fact that Jacob is going to go back to school as if nothing has happened. Except, Dewayne got Jacob to promise him that he will have lunch at Taco Bell while he is still working there! At least that way he can make sure that Jacob is not getting hurt in the morning at school.

They joined the others down at the breakfast table. No one thought that Jacob would be going to school. When he walked into the kitchen in uniform, they almost choked on their breakfast. They just watched Jacob sit down and start eating his breakfast. Now his face is black and purple all over. That alone in their minds should keep Jacob home.

As soon as they got to school, instead of going to the cafeteria, Jacob went straight to the ROTC building. He needs to run the officers meeting and doesn’t want to be late for a second week in a row particularly with Major Moore wanting blood now. From now on, Jacob knows that he has to be on his toes.

Jacob felt it best to not run the meeting in the condition he is in. The XO still has not been promoted into her spot, so Jacob let the S1 run the meeting. He just stood in the back and watched over the officers as the meeting moved along. Every now and then an officer would look back at Jacob, but for the most part. They all paid attention to the meeting, unlike last time.

Once the meeting ended, Jacob headed over to the main building. Normally he would talk with his instructors, but he still has a bad taste in his mouth after yesterday. Neither Moore nor Haney tried to talk with Jacob, but you can see in Major Moore’s body language he isn’t happy. No cadet has ever escaped demotion when Major Moore has requested it. Jacob is a rare species in the program.

The morning flew by! Before Jacob knew it, he is in his truck and on his way to Taco Bell with the guys. Although Dewayne couldn’t get away, he kept looking over at Jacob. They would wink at each other when they saw the other stilling a glance of the other.

Before leaving, Jacob went up to Dewayne and whispered to him that he loves him. Dewayne said the same thing, but they didn’t kiss. Out of respect to the customers they held back. They don’t know if any of the customers would take offense to them kissing. Neither worried about Dewayne loosing his job, they just want to respect the customers that are there.

On the way back to school, Jacob prepared himself for a rough afternoon. He has been able to dodge those he doesn’t want to deal with so far, but that will come to an end during fifth period. Jacob knows that Major Moore is going to put him through hell in his inspection today. He also knows that Major Moore is not going to pass him no matter if he gets everything right. His grade is in the hands of a man he pissed off.

As he got out of the truck and started his way back to the main building. Jacob didn’t realize that he said his thoughts out loud. When the others turned and asked Jacob what he meant by bring it on, Jacob asked them to ignore him. He was thinking out loud about what is to come. He is ready for it and that is what he meant by bring it on.

TO BE CONTINUED………………..

WRITER’S CORNER:

{Another great chapter, even if I do say so myself. (LOL) It started with action and ended the same way. There is never a quiet moment in Jacob’s life. He keeps trying to be regular, but it seems that the world keeps throwing him back into the mix of what he is trying to get away from.

Let me start at the beginning of this chapter. I don’t like repeating myself when I write out my chapters. I have read a lot of stories on Nifty and other sites before I started to write. One thing I don’t like is reading along in a story and the writer repeats himself on the same subject. I know there are times I put in a lot in detail, but the reason I do that is to get you guys to see through the eyes of the character. That I don’t feel is repeating.

What I feel is repetitious is taking the same thing from one chapter and putting it into another chapter. This chapter goes along with chapter ten of “Regrets and Heartaches”. There are a few paragraphs repeated, but nothing in a huge amount. The difference between the two chapters is a lot of this chapter is in the mind of Jacob and in “Regrets” it is actually in conversation mode.

Jacob and Joey finished putting the money and the property in the past. They both understand what the other owns and doesn’t own. Now that they got over this hump, they might be able to move into a friendship in the future.

Joey wants that friendship now, but Jacob doesn’t. I don’t blame Jacob, he has a lot of things that he has to either forgive Joey for or just put behind him before he can move on to a friendship with Joey. That kind of baggage is going to take a long time to unpack. Joey has either forgotten or doesn’t think much of it when he kicked Jacob to the side. Jacob sees that as the biggest issue that he has to overcome in order to move on.

Now I know that some of you are getting tired of reading about Jacob being sick. I let it fall to the back and now I brought it back up. The only reason I have done this is to close this plot off. If you read “Beneath the Mask” chapter 25 and 26, you will see something that Jacob doesn’t know. Therefore you will see that this plot is coming to an end. In the next chapter I will be closing off the plot of Jacob being sick. I dropped hints throughout this chapter as well in chapter 25 and 26 of “Beneath”.

I left the Loraine plot hanging in the air. If any of you thought that Loraine was going to go quietly into the night, you got a surprise. She is angry and is willing to do whatever she needs to do to get back on top in the ROTC program. That included getting her boyfriend to kick Jacob’s butt.

Although Jacob lost the fight, he stood his ground. Jacob isn’t this muscle guy that can kick anyone’s butt. He will defend himself, but he can’t win a fight when the other person is a lot bigger than him. I know you guys keep asking me not hurt Jacob anymore, but I needed to keep this plot going. Also if you think Loraine is gone, you have another think coming. Look at the key word; she just got suspended from school.

What is there to say about Major Moore except he needs to get his head out of his ass? He keeps changing how he treats Jacob, and that is getting old. One way or another he needs to accept the fact that Jacob is an asset, not a liability. If he tries to remove Jacob again, I am afraid that Major Moore will be going down, not Jacob.

Colonel May is a smart guy and he looks at the bottom line, running the program. With help from Jacob, the program has the money it needs to run. If they keep messing with that set up, they might lose it all. It won’t be because Jacob is pulling it away, but the companies that are supporting the program only know Jacob. Those companies only trust Jacob and until Jacob hands off his position to another, they won’t trust anyone else.

Franseca, I can’t say enough kind words about this character. She is great, lovable and just loves every one of the guys in the house as one of her kids. She fell apart when she saw Jacob walk through the door. As she said, she can’t stand seeing one of her sons get hurt in any way. Don’t be surprised in the chapters to come that Jacob leans more on Franseca than he does with his own mother. When his mother move moves into the new house maybe things will change with Gloria so close.

Jacob has surrounded himself with people that care about him. From Dewayne, to his friends, to his grandfather, everyone doesn’t want to see Jacob hurt anymore. They are willing to kick someone’s butt if they hurt one of their own. This is a rare thing to see now-a-days. I hope this never changes in this house.

As always I can go on and on about the open plots in the story! If I do that, I can actually write several more chapters. There are so many plots that can take a turn at anytime. You might think it is going to go one way, but things end up going another. Don’t miss out on anything, or you will be kicking yourself for it.

I keep saying over and over again don’t forget about Chase. He will be spending time between two of my stories. I am giving that away, but look for him in “Beneath the Mask”. He is going to come back full and what is happening in his life will stun you.

There is a so much to answer in the chapters to come. Stick around and keep reading the future chapters, and enjoy! Please email me and let me know how I am doing at jacobmillertex@aol.com, Thanks!}

EDITOR’S CORNER:

Jacob is more forgiving than I could be under his circumstances with Joey. The hurt that Joey laid on Jacob is of a nature that I couldn’t get past. I have loved deeply and totally and lost that love, but I was never kicked to the side the way Joey did Jacob. As an aside, I lost a love (my one TRUE love) some 22 years ago. Last year, he got back in touch and we have reunited as friends. I thought I had that loss processed until I answered the phone and heard his voice. There is no way that any writer could begin to convey the emotions I felt at that moment! My life quality is enhanced immeasurably having him back as a friend even though we live some 300 miles apart. We make sure we spend a weekend together every couple of months.

Jacob had no choice but to defend himself when Loraine’s boy friend threw the first punch. I admire Jacob for standing up for himself as best he could.

Now, who really needs a beat down is the ROTC instructors! Major Moore, I suspect, is going to get his from Colonel May. Haney is a spineless lackey. Jacob is right on target saying that the instructors aren’t teaching them as they should. They aren’t teaching honor or code as they should in a military program.

Jacob finally let Major Moore know that he will not be taken advantage of. If Moore wants him demoted, Moore loses all the benefits he and the program have enjoyed by Jacob’s good offices. It would be the ultimate example of cutting one’s nose off to spite the face. I simply can’t get into Moore’s head and figure out why he runs so hot and cold on Jacob. If I were in his shoes, I’d be kissing the boy’s butt!

I agree with our author…it’s about time for Jacob’s health issues to be resolved completely and let health concerns fall to the background.

Jacob continually has a cloud hanging over his head. I look forward to the day when his issues are resolved and his life can be less angst ridden so he can enjoy life. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be challenges, but I hope that he can, at some point, be able to focus outward more rather than dealing with a plethora of personal issues that resist resolution and take a severe emotional toll.

Until next time,

“Daddy” Rick