Connor woke up early Saturday morning with a sharp pain in his head. He'd had another dream last night, one full of tension and distress, but he couldn’t remember anything but blackness…

He groaned and rolled slowly onto his side to find M lay next to him, fast asleep and smiling gently. The golden rays of morning light touched his sun-warmed cheeks. He wasn't so pale anymore. A couple afternoons hanging by the pool with Jamie had reddened him up.

Connor studied the boy's face in silence. Anxiety, and a lingering sense of panic weighing heavily on his body. He was beginning to have some serious reservations about the blond in his bed.

Nothing he did was outright suspicious or alarming, but after a conversation Connor had shared with his mother last night, things had started to click together in his head and he didn't like the conclusion he was coming to.

Julie had prepared thick-cut pork chops the night before and Connor, thinking big knives might come into play at some point, had decided to warn her about some of M's triggers.

"So, he goes into seizures when he sees steak knives?" Julie asked.

Connor nodded. "The same thing happens when he sees blood… sometimes," he amended. "He locks up when you touch or grab him from behind, too." Connor didn't mention the sex part, why the fuck would he?

Still, Julie gave him an odd look. "Sounds like something traumatic happened to him," she said.

"Yeah." Connor agreed, but he didn't elaborate.

"But isn't that PTSD? I thought you said he suffered from memory loss?"

Connor shrugged Julie's question off. She didn't bother him about it, thankfully, and she came up with a simple solution. That night, when dinner was served, Julie handed M the plates, the silverware (minus knives) and a handful of napkins and had him go into the other room to set everything up. She cut everyone's chops into bite-sized pieces straight out of the oven while he did that. M didn't even know there'd been a problem to begin with.

A potential crisis avoided, Connor was free to mull Julie's question over in peace. He'd thought about it after dinner and into the evening while everyone else watched Two and a Half Men on the couch.

When he and M had settled down for the night, the boy turned over immediately and went to sleep, just as he had every night since they'd arrived in Tampa. Whatever. Connor laid flat on his back, late into the night, dreading the morning and the inevitable headache he already knew he'd have. His mind wouldn't stop running though and his paranoia grew by the hour.

So… he was pretty sure M was starting to remember stuff. Whether or not he had full-blown amnesia, Julie was right. M's symptoms were like an extreme case of post-traumatic stress.

What did it mean that he couldn't stand the sight of large, serrated knives? Or that kisses and sex in general gave him the same sort of reaction – a jaw locking, eye rolling, body shaking seizure?

Blood had affected him… maybe once or twice, but then M showed up at Pizza Hut drenched in it and he hadn't even blinked an eye. The same was true with his name. Michael. The first few times he'd heard it, M had gone into fits, but now he seemed fine, if not annoyed, when anyone mentioned it.

Connor twisted the puzzle pieces around and scrambled them up, but no matter which way he looked at it, M seemed to be remembering some sort of rape or physical attack. Both, probably. M had been clueless about sex, but the second they started messing around – the very first time they'd fucking kissed – M had gone into seizure mode.

He couldn't figure out why M seemed to be able to turn his triggers on and off. He'd been able to get over blood and his name, while sex, kissing and knives were still a no-no. It was a mystery. Well, all of it was, but Connor was frighteningly sure he was on the right track.

That didn't explain the man in black, and the strange message he'd sent to Connor the other night though. The agent didn't want Connor to trust M? Well, he was seriously taking that to heart. He'd always known M was hiding something and now he was absolutely sure the seizures were a huge clue to his past, his identity and probably the rest of his memories too.

Unless he was fucking lying about everything… M was a pro at keeping things under wraps. Connor remembered that night in the motel, when he'd tried to get his cock sucked and M had ended up freaking the hell out. Afterwards, M had said: "We don't have to talk about everything..."

That's what M thought. Connor remembered disagreeing about M's lack of answer, but it hadn't made a difference. M had never bothered to fill him in on what the fuck had happened that night. On what he'd apparently 'seen' when his pupils had dilated and he'd started screaming.

Suddenly, Connor heard a loud crash come from downstairs and then the dog started barking outside. He forced himself to sit up, dizzy at first, but after a minute the feeling faded.

Greg's angry muttering drifted over from the master bedroom as Connor got out of bed. M didn't stir as he got ready for the day, he put on a t-shirt and shorts, nothing special, but he did make an effort to comb his hair.

In the bathroom, Connor did his business. He stared at himself in the mirror as he was finishing up. There were bags under his eyes and his skin really wasn't picking up the sun. He wasn't going outside as much as M was, but he'd gotten into the habit of walking Jack first thing in the morning and a few more times throughout the day after that, but never at night, and he'd stopped going through the neighborhood completely.

Jack's walks were usually no more than 10 minutes, and Connor felt the sun warming the back of his neck every afternoon… M's nose was peeling and his arms and calves were red, but Connor looked like death.

When he came out of the bathroom, he heard the water turning on in the master next door. He snuck out of the guest room and shut the door gingerly.

Down in the kitchen, Connor found Julie struggling to reach a large baking pan above the refrigerator.

"I got it," he said and hurried into the room.

"Oh, good morning," Julie beamed at him. "I hope I didn't wake you up with all my banging around."

Connor got the baking sheet down and Julie took it over to the island. She had a wide assortment of ingredients out from flour and butter, to fresh vegetables, seafood and spices.

"What are you making?" Connor asked.

"A couple things," Julie said, brushing her curly hair behind her ear. "I'm doing a guacamole, a spicy mango shrimp and I'm making my famous pineapple bars for dessert." The very mention of her specialty made her smile. "It was passed down through the family for the last three generations… now I'm going to teach Jamie how to make them."

Connor frowned, suddenly offended. He wondered if Julie was trying to make him jealous. He didn't say anything, but Julie caught the bitter look on his face. She pushed the baking sheet aside. "What did I say?"

He glowered at the wall.

"Connor?"

He folded his arms tightly across his chest. "I should walk the dog." From the corner of his eye, he saw Julie's face crumple.

"Oh, alright."

He left the kitchen and went into the backyard to retrieve the dog. Jack watched Connor approach with interest. He was wearing his new collar, and was tied up to the metal stake Julie had got him the other day. She'd been buying them stuff here and there since their arrival. She'd gotten Connor the phone the first day, and had offered other, frivolous things to him in the days since, all of which he'd refused.

On the other end of the spectrum, M accepted Julie's gifts at every opportunity. He'd become Julie's little helper during the day and had quickly started doing a bunch of different chores around the house. Julie, of course, thought that deserved constant praise and 'rewarded' him with treats at every opportunity.

Candy, clothes, little toys and trinkets… She got M a little of everything. Now the dog was the latest victim to Julie's onslaught of guilt-gifts... Maybe M liked all the bullshit presents and Jack sure as hell wasn't displeased with his fresh bag of food and the small mountain of new toys and chewies he had to play with, but Connor wasn't impressed.

All the stupid gifts, the famous pineapple bars that had been passed down for generations… Even the way Julie raised Nathan the uber-brat, the way she constantly overpraised him and rewarded him for dumb shit. Her ridiculous leniency with the rules and her complete lack of knowledge about punishment was laughable and Connor got the feeling everything she tried to do was some sort of apology for the way she'd completely ruined his life and Connor just couldn't accept it. He needed to know why Julie had abandoned him. He didn't need gifts and desserts and leniency….

Connor unchained the dog from the stake and hooked him up to his new leash. He gave the dog a mopey look. "Let's go," he said and the dog took off at a slow trot.

They headed to the bike path at the end of Julie's block. It was just a narrow paved walkway, but it ran along the edge of the bay and Connor found the views a lot more enjoyable. He calmed down as they walked the path and a gust of wind blew his hair back as he looked out over the water. The morning sunlight glittered over the gentle waves and he shaded his eyes.

His head was so jumbled up… that moment in the kitchen? It hadn't actually been Julie's fault. He just wished he could get up the courage to ask her about what had happened all those years ago when she'd left him behind. Better yet, he wished she would take up the responsibility. She seemed perfectly happy smoothing everything over with pleasantries, though. There was no end to the bullshit in sight.

Connor desperately wanted to retreat from his family and from the confusing headache of M's mysterious baggage and not for the first time, he missed the solitude of his trailer. With the lack of space, he was seriously finding it hard not to continually butt heads with everyone. He was doing the best he could to hold himself back, but his stress levels were rising and he felt cooped up and antsy and there was really nothing he could do.

At least when he came out on these walks, he didn't have to worry about anyone but the dog. Jack was pretty good on the leash, too. He didn't bark or tug incessantly at the end of the rope. Connor remembered the old lady who'd owned Jack before them, and her insistence that the dog wasn't trained. Obviously, she'd been terribly mistaken. Connor hadn't had a problem with the dog yet.

He and Jack had been walking the bike path for a couple minutes when Connor's phone vibrated in his back pocket. Thinking it might be Julie, he pulled on Jack's collar to get him to a stop. A steep, rocky embankment on one side led down to the bay's edge and on the other, a tall concrete barrier separated the path from the busy street beyond. There was a thin strip of grass bordering it and the dog wandered over to do his business.

Connor glanced at his phone. It was an email from the job site and he tapped into it with a niggling feeling of anticipation. It was a personal message from Derek, the hiring boss at the landscaping gig. The email explained that he was looking to hire a new guy on Monday and if Connor could make it in for a quick interview, despite it being Labor Day and all, they could discuss immediate employment.

Connor typed out a reply as the dog finished up. I can come in Monday morning around 10, he said and confirmed that he had his social security card and his ID. He typed his full name at the bottom, hoping the boss wasn't going to do a background check on him, but he sent it off and figured he'd just have to see what happened. This was the first response he'd had in two days and the other one had been for a pizza place. He wasn't going back to that again… Fuck no.

Landscaping didn't sound like a terrible option, he thought. He wouldn't have to deal with customers anymore, just lawnmowers and weed whackers. He wouldn't mind being outside, either. Maybe he'd finally get a tan…

At any rate, it was nice to think about something else for once. The setup here was terribly convenient, but Connor had no plans to stay. He couldn't wait to start making his own money again. He couldn't wait to get out of here. Feeling positive for once, he put his phone away and started to lead the dog back to Julie's.

They returned to the neighborhood and Connor hurried Jack down the sidewalk. They'd just turned into Julie's driveway when the garage door lurched open and Greg's big-ass Hummer shot into reverse.

Connor stopped and yanked the dog behind him. Greg started to whip out onto street when he saw them standing on the corner. He stomped on the brakes and rolled his window down.

"Connor," he said, nodding. "How was the walk this morning?"

Uncomfortable, Connor stepped a little closer and shrugged. "Alright."

"Great." Greg looked at him for a long minute. "I'm doing overtime this morning," he said.

Connor remembered. He nodded.

"Julie signed me up to run the grill this year, but I'm not going to be home until late," he said and spit bubbled from the corner of his thin-lipped mouth. "Have you ever grilled anything?"

Connor snorted. "Yeah. Me and my dad cooked off nothing but charcoal for a year straight when the stove kicked the bucket." He remembered being 10, standing in a foot of snow, freezing his ass off as he watched Marshall try to heat up some frozen burgers. "I can cook anything," he said firmly, like this was a challenge or something.

Greg blinked at him. "It'd be great if you could volunteer your services at the block party."

"Ok," Connor grumbled and he looked up as the dog pulled impatiently on the leash, his snout pointing towards the back yard.

"That'a boy." Greg checked the rearview mirror. "I'd better get rolling. Work's calling my name."

Connor bit his tongue; he watched Greg back out onto the street in his little-dick Hummer. The flabby loser waved halfheartedly, then sped down the road.

Connor sighed, wondering what sort of shit he'd just committed himself to... He took Jack into the backyard and changed the feeding bowls. He threw a couple toys across the yard in an attempt to entertain the mutt, but Jack planted his ass in the grass and watched with little interest.

"Whatever," Connor snapped and he turned to go into the house. He wasn't in the mood for this shit...

As soon as he closed the sliding glass door, he heard voices coming from the kitchen. He went in to investigate.

"...first visit to the doctor just handles the basics," Julie was saying as Connor poked his head into the room. M sat at the island, in front of the varied ingredients. "They'll go over Jamie's height and weight and they'll estimate when the baby's due. They'll be able to hear the heartbeat in a few weeks."

"How come they can't hear it this week. The baby's alive, isn't it?" M asked curiously. He wore his usual look of wide-eyed amazement when someone explained something new to him.

"Yes and no," Julie said as she mixed a big bowl of eggs, milk and cheese. She went to the stove and poured the mixture into a hot skillet. It looked like scrambled eggs and Connor's stomach growled. "The baby's still developing," she said, grabbing a spatula from a drawer close by. "The doctor won't be able to tell if the baby's a boy or a girl until it's sex organs decide which way to go."

If possible, M's vibrant green eyes widened even further. Connor snorted at the look on his face. The sound drew M's attention and he looked his way.

"Good morning," M said pleasantly.

Connor didn't look at him, he reluctantly stepped into the room and glanced at Julie. "Hey mom."

The woman smiled at him warmly. She continued to scramble the eggs in the skillet without looking, obviously very used to the mundane task.

He nervously cleared his throat. "I ran into Greg outside. I offered to take his place at the grill today."

"What?" Julie's smile faltered. "He said he'd be back before two. He said he'd definitely be here in time."

Connor shrugged. "He said he wouldn't."

Julie sighed and turned to face the stove fully. There was tension in her shoulders and Connor looked away, feeling tight and anxious watching her non-reaction. It seemed like this block party really meant something to her.

He awkwardly moved to stand next the island and closer to M. The boy watched him with a welcoming smile on his cheerful face. Connor hadn't known where to stand, but he knew instantly that this had been a bad pick. He could feel M's eyes on him and it made him feel uncomfortable, like he was a bug under a microscope.

They had to talk, Connor decided right there and then. He was getting really freaked out and paranoid about everything… they hadn't touched each other in days and they slept with a respectful distance between them. M hadn't tried to kiss him or be sexual at all really and Connor just felt like something was wrong. He was going to get to the bottom of it soon or he was going to snap.

An upbeat and whimsical chime sounded and Connor jumped a little. Beside him, M pulled his phone out of his lap. He checked the screen, typed something with a single finger and then put it down on the counter. "Jamie's on her way," he said.

"Connor? Could you go wake Nathan up? Jamie's coming over to help us start cooking," Julie said.

Connor grumbled, but he was already leaving the room. He stopped before he got into the hall. "Oh, I got an email this morning from Indeed," he said. "I have an interview Monday for a landscaping job."

"Connor, that's great!" Julie set the spatula aside and came to give him a hug. Connor put up with it; he was trying to hide his smile anyway and he needed a moment. He patted Julie on the back a few times. It wasn't a bear hug, it was just a simple, one armed embracement, but her face was filled with warmth when it ended.

Connor cautiously met her gaze. "Thanks," he said. "For the help."

Julie's blue eyes sparkled with happiness. Connor began to feel awkward again, and he shifted his gaze to the side. He happened to catch sight of M when he did and the blond sat with his head cocked to the side, looking as confused as ever. Connor was instantly ticked off by the look. If M was so good with his phone now, then he could look up anything he wanted. There was no reason for him to feel so confused all the time, but M insisted on playing the confused, helpless damsel in distress…

Connor huffed with annoyance. "What M?"

"What's a landscaping job?" he asked. "Do you… shape… the land?"

Connor rolled his eyes and simply refused to answer. He brushed past Julie on his way out of the kitchen and ran upstairs. She could answer M's never-ending questions if she wanted, but Connor didn't have the patience today. He reached the second-floor landing and went down the hall to knock on Nathan's door. He hadn't been inside the room yet, and he was fine with keeping it that way. He hoped Nathan would just call through the door and release him of any further discomfort, but the teen didn't respond. Connor knocked a few times more, but heard nothing; not a peep sounded through the door. He scowled and turned the doorknob, kicking it open so the door slammed noisily against the back wall, but even that did nothing to rouse the dark-haired teen sprawled across the wide and completely disheveled bed.

The room was a filthy mess, although Connor couldn't really talk; his room back at the trailer wasn't much better. There was the usual bullshit, piles of crumpled clothes, empty chip bags and pop bottles littering the floor. A bunch of homework spilled from an overloaded backpack near the closet and someone had let the teen hang a neon Corona beer sign over his bed. There were tons of hats piled on top of the dresser and a stack of pristine looking sneakers, in all different colors, stood under the desk in the corner. A broken computer with a smashed screen was on the desk, and Connor took a better look around, spotting more expensive, junked equipment. A laptop lay broken on the floor, hanging out from under the bed. One of those GoPro cameras dangled from the ceiling fan and some Beats headphones were cracked in half hooked on the closet door.

Connor sneered and kicked his way through the mess. He tore the covers off his lazy, spoiled brother and shouted: "Rise and shine!"

Nathan came out of his deep sleep at last and blinked blearily in the morning light. "Yooo, what the fuck," he groaned.

"Get up" Connor spat. "Jamie's on her way over."

The teen rubbed his face and sat up unsteadily while Connor continued to glower. "You don't have to be such a dick," Nathan said. "I'm up."

"The fuck you are." Connor curled his lip, but he happily left the room. Once he was back in the hallway, though, he didn't know what to do with himself. He marched downstairs, right past the kitchen, and stationed himself on the couch in front of the TV.

During the day, nobody usually bothered him here, but on a Labor Day weekend? Connor hoped to god everyone had their days planned out, because this is what he planned on doing until they need him to flip burgers.

He turned the TV on and zoned out to some Fox News. He was alone for maybe 20 minutes when Nathan came barreling in. He was still in his boxer shorts, barefoot and sporting a lovely head of bed hair and he squeezed past Connor to sit on the other end of the couch.

Connor did his best to ignore his brother and blithely continued to watch the news. Maybe two minutes passed, the silence tense and negatively charged, and then Nathan clicked his tongue and leaned over to snatch up the remote.

"Why are you watching this bullshit?" he asked and he flipped through the channels until he found a reality show with a bunch of big-titted bimbos wearing makeup-masks.

"You're kidding, right?" Connor snapped.

"It's my house," Nathan said, not looking at him as he did.

"Your house?" Connor laughed. "I think it's your dad's house. And mom's too," he said. "They let you stay in that trashed room up there."

Nathan mumbled something, but he wasn't man enough to look Connor in the eye.

"What did you say?" Connor asked.

"I said, that the news is boring. I'd rather watch MTV."

"I was here first," Connor said. "I have dibs."

Nathan's nostrils flared. "I live here. It's still my house." His fist tightened around the remote and Connor laughed at him. He was going to beat this fucking asshole into the dirt, but just then, the doorbell sounded and Nathan tensed up.

"Your pregnant girlfriend's here," Connor said with a lopsided grin. "Ready to man up yet?"

Nathan flipped him off. He tossed the remote back and got up to leave. Connor watched him go with his smile intact. He heard a loud clamor of voices in the front hall, but occupied himself with switching the TV back to the news.

"Connor," a soft voice called and he turned around immediately. M stood behind the couch, his hands clasped hesitantly in front of him. He bit his lip. "Breakfast is ready."

Connor had been hungry before when he had first saw Julie scrambling eggs, but after Nathan? He felt more queasy than anything. "Can you guys save me a plate," he asked. "I'm not hungry yet."

M nodded and Connor thought maybe the blond looked a little sad. He left Connor alone though; everybody did.

It was getting close to 11 when Connor took the dog for another walk. He spotted a group of 5 different guys setting up tents in the middle of the street and he pulled the dog quickly down the sidewalk and darted into the entrance of the bike trail. He'd regretted his decision to take over Greg's grilling duties as soon as he'd made it, but now he was absolutely dreading the affair.

They finished the walk and Connor brought the dog back and tied him up. He went inside and headed to the bathroom upstairs. He wasn't feeling the best. Another headache had started pounding at his temples while he'd been outside; the bright afternoon sunlight had bothered his eyes and now that he was inside, black spots dotted his vision, obscuring the reflection in the mirror. He looked pale and kind of sweaty, so he splashed cold water on his face.

Hoping it was just hunger, he went back down to the kitchen for a plate of leftover eggs.

Jamie and M stood at the island working on the guacamole. They had a bowl of diced avocados between them and M mashed the contents with a wooden spoon. Nathan sat across from them, playing with his phone. Connor spotted his mother at the stove and she hummed as she sautéed seasoned shrimp in a skillet.

Connor approached her first.

"Mom?"

Julie turned with a smile. "There you are," she said. "Hungry?"

Connor nodded.

"I already pitched the eggs," she said. "They're no good cold."

"Oh."

"But the shrimp will be done in a couple minutes. Take a seat."

Connor wasn't a huge fan of seafood, but it did smell pretty good. The shrimp was pinkening in the skillet and the aroma was sweet and tangy. He went to go sit at the counter next to his shitty little brother. The idiot had changed at some point. He was wearing shorts now, but his chest was still bare. He had a ball cap perched on his head, tilted to the side, and a gold chain around his neck. He was tanned up, but hairless. There wasn't much fat on him, but he also didn't have any muscle. Connor sneered at him, but Nathan was involved with his phone and didn't notice.

"Hey," M said as Connor sat down across from him.

Connor smiled tightly.

"How's Jack doing?" Jamie asked. She had a bikini top and micro shorts on and was showing so much skin, Connor seriously thought he was looking at a little striper. Her streaked hair was in a messy bun, letting the sloppy tie holding her top decorate her long neck.

"Uh… he's fine," Connor said. Honestly, he was shocked. No wonder this girl was pregnant!

"Connor takes him down the bike path now," M said, mashing up the new cubes of avocado as Jamie dumped them into the bowl. "He says there's less people to run into."

Jamie smiled. "We go there to smoke. We sit on the bank down by the bay after school sometimes." She started dicing another avocado. "I'm surprised we haven't run into you yet."

Connor usually waited for the teenagers to come home before he took the dog out for his late afternoon walk. So, he wasn't surprised.

"You smoke?" M asked.

"Of course," Jamie said. "Everybody does."

With a potential paycheck on the horizon, Connor's ears perked up at the mention of smoke.

"So…" he started, throwing a nervous glance towards his mom as he did. "You guys have a connection?"

"Only the best," Nathan said and he sat up on his stool and put his phone down. He grinned at Connor. "Interested? He can get you anything."

"I deal with the natural stuff," Connor said, sticking his nose up.

"He can hook you up," Nathan said confidently. "No problem."

Julie appeared next to the island, a plate of rice, colorful veggies, and mango shrimp in her hand. She set the plate in front of him. "Talking about anything interesting?" she asked.

"Connor's thinking of getting a new ride. Since he'll be getting paid soon," Nathan said quickly. "I know a guy selling a Jeep. It's the real deal."

Julie quirked an eyebrow, but she went back to cooking. Connor sighed, feeling his shoulders sag with relief. Nathan laughed at him and thumped him on the back.

"Mom knows I smoke," he said. "She doesn't care."

Connor shrugged.

"I knew he'd be all hard-core and uptight about this stuff," Nathan said to Jamie. "I told you he's a narc," he smirked.

Connor drew himself up, ready to rip the little smartass to shreds, but Jamie interrupted.

"Shut up, stupid. Can you see you're pissing him off?" she asked, nodding towards Connor's scowl.

Nathan rolled his eyes, but he leaned back and kept his mouth shut. Jamie gave him an apologetic look and Connor flushed, highly uncomfortable that a 16-year-old had just come to his aid.

M seemed inordinately pleased though and he beamed up at the slutty girl he was so obviously infatuated with. "Jamie invited me to her first doctor's appointment next Friday," he said. "Isn't that cool?"

Connor shrugged and picked up his fork. He just wanted to eat something and get it over with.

Jamie and M talked about the girl's doctor appointment like it was some big awaited event. Connor tuned them out, and beside him, absorbed in his phone, it looked like Nathan was doing the same thing.

The shrimp was OK and the plain rice mixed well with the peppers and the grilled mango. Connor cleared his plate and started to get up when Nathan spoke again.

"I could front you cash if you wanted to get a little something," the teen wagged his eyebrows. "I have a savings account."

Connor wouldn't dream of asking his brother for money, but the offer was appreciated. Even if he did get the job on Monday, he wasn't going to be paid anytime soon.

"Thanks," he said. He took his plate to the sink after that and washed up after himself. He caught Julie smiling at him. She was looking into the oven at the pineapple bars.

Connor took himself back to the living room after that. He found some court TV and zoned out.

Another hour passed. Soon, he heard Julie rallying up the troops in the front hall. M and Jamie tagged teamed the dessert trays, while Nathan carried the guac bowls. Connor wasn't concerned, if they needed his help, they knew where to find him.

As the bitter thought ran through his mind, he heard Julie calling his name. He turned to see her standing in the doorway, watching him with a sad little smile. Connor waited for her to speak.

"I know you're feeling nervous," she said. "But everything's going to be fine."

Connor scoffed.

"You'll fit in just fine. The people around here aren't so bad," she laughed, but Connor refused to look at her. Why did he always have to feel so awkward!? "C'mon," she said. "I need your help getting the appetizers out to the table."

Connor got up quickly, glad for the direction at least. He started to slide past Julie in the doorway, but she held an arm out to stop him.

"I'm really glad you're here," she said and Connor couldn't help it, he met her eyes. The same sky-blue Connor saw every time he looked in the mirror stared back at him and he chewed his lip, a strange anger brewing inside him. "No matter the circumstances, I'm glad you finally came to me," she said, smiling warmly, and she started to pull him in for a hug. Disgust crept up Connor's spine and he tore out of Julie's reach.

"So, it was up to me to come see you," Connor said bitterly and Julie's expression turned in an instant. "All this time, I was waiting for you to come save me... How fucking stupid of me," he hissed.

Julie started at Connor. Her rosy cheeks had gone pale.

"What the fuck, mom? How was I supposed to get out here? I had to lose everything to make it onto your doorstep. Those are the circumstances, that's the reason I'm here. I've needed you for years, this is just the first time I've been desperate enough to come meet your new family!"

Julie gaped at him and Connor stood breathing hard, his eyes narrowed with anger. He hated her right now.

"Ma?" It was Nathan. Connor could see him over Julie's shoulder and he was fully expecting the brat to come to Julie's rescue, but Nathan held back. "Everything OK?" he asked.

"Can you take the appetizers outside too, Nathan?" Julie asked over her shoulder, but her troubled blue eyes never left Connor's face.

Nathan hesitated. After a moment though, he shuffled off towards the kitchen without another word.

"Connor," Julie started and he folded his arms across his chest and waited for some grand explanation that would explain everything because that's the only thing he was willing to accept at this point.

Julie's gaze shifted. She looked nervous, like she could sense the anger burning inside Connor's heart. "We'll talk about this later," she said. "I'll come back for you once we're ready to start the grill."

"Fuck this," Connor muttered.

"Please," Julie said and she clasped her hands together in a prayer. "I'm begging you."

He sighed and looked away. Julie left him there and Connor went back to the couch and stared listlessly at the television. It wasn't much longer before she came back for him. Connor turned the TV off and followed her out into the bright afternoon sunlight.

The street in front of the house had been blocked off on both ends and was filled with tents, tables and chairs. Coolers, umbrellas and beach towels dotted the green lawns on either side, but most importantly, the place was packed with people. Lots of people, young and old, roamed about, smiling cheerfully in the strobing sunlight.

"We're setting the food up down here," Julie said and Connor followed her across the lawn. He squinted in the light, and shielded his eyes with a hand. The move effectively obscured his view of the crowded street. He could hear the murmur of a hundred different conversations and the distant sound of children yelling and playing together echoed between the houses.

He followed Julie's long tropical skirt along the sidewalk as they weaved through little clusters of neighbors. They passed a young woman setting up a sprinkler in the grass for a bunch of wiggling children. They were dressed in brightly colored bathing suits and giggled loudly amongst themselves. Connor saw some teenage girls basking in the sun on a blanket across from them and under the tent ahead, a gathering of middle aged ladies gossiped around a table.

They passed a handful of guys gathered around a cooler of beer at the end of a driveway and one of the guys waved at Julie. "Nice to see you, Frank," she said, nodding pleasantly to the guy in the Gators ball cap and they moved along briskly.

"Here we are," she announced. They'd passed several tents full of tables and chairs, but this one had a big stainless-steel grill on one end and tables laden with covered food sat on either side. The space in the middle was open; there was no seating, except for a couple camp chairs behind the grill. An elderly couple occupied all but one of the chairs. The bald, fat husband wore a Hawaiian shirt and leisurely drank a beer while his skinny wife carefully reapplied some bright red lipstick.

"You can go check out the grill," Julie said, waving him on. "I've got to grab the paper plates."

She wandered off, abandoning Connor under the tent. He reeled in discomfort, closing his hands into fists as sweat began to bead around his hairline. He took a deep breath and tried to redirect his attention towards the grill. He cautiously edged into the space behind the behemoth and spotted a little table in the back loaded with pre-seasoned beef patties stacked in aluminum trays. He picked up the metal spatula resting beside it and tested the weight of a raw patty. He didn't know what else to do.

"Hold on, buddy," said old Hawaiian Shirt man. He got up, leaving his beer in his chair and he ambled over to Connor's side. "I don't think we're ready just yet. We're still getting all the paper plates together."

"I got them, Tom." Julie's voice sounded behind him and Connor turned to see his mother hurrying back into the tent with an armful of paper plates. She set them on the corner of the closest table and started opening the packages.

"I'll get the cups, then," Red Lips said and she put her little mirror back into her purse and went to set up the drink stand at the far end of the tent.

"I guess we are ready then," Tom smiled and he clapped Connor on the shoulder. "I'm going to be your helper today. I'm Tom, nice to meet you, son."

Connor had to drop the spatula and the burger back into the tray in order to shake Tom's hand. He tried not to glare at the guy. "I'm Connor," he mumbled.

"Yep, Julie told us all about you. Her long-lost son from South Dakota," Tom laughed. His hand crushed Connor's, and he refused to let the shake be simple and quick. He pumped Connor's hand until Connor thought the old fucker would break his fingers off. Then Tom released him and clapped him on the back again, even harder than last time. "I'll get those dogs for you. We decided to do six burgers and eight hotdogs at a time. People are getting pretty hungry, so there's no telling how much demand there'll be."

Connor nervously looked over the hood of the grill.

He'd seen lots of different people here and there on the walk down the block, but he saw much, much more sprawling out down the length of the closed off street. There had to be close to a hundred people milling around and most of them had their eyes on the food.

Thunk!

Connor flinched and spun around. Tom had returned and he was patting a mega pack of hotdogs on the table beside the burgers.

"Feel the pressure yet?" Tom laughed and Connor turned back to the grill. He stared down at the burning coals.

Tom slapped a couple burgers down and Connor kept an eye on them. He gave the first row of burgers a flip when the bottoms browned and Tom tossed some dogs on the grill as he worked. They made a decent team and although Tom continued to ramble on about boring neighborhood gossip, he was mostly talking to his red-lipped wife and Julie. Connor cooked the meat and let the conversation flow around him like he was a rock in the middle of a stream. Across the table, Red Lips worked on uncovering the desserts trays next to the drink cooler while Julie did the same thing on the appetizer side. The burgers and hotdogs were the main course, it seemed, and as soon as Connor started putting cooked burgers and dogs into another aluminum pan Tom had supplied, the women began opening boxes of buns from under the table.

"What do you guys think, are we ready to start serving?" Julie asked, straightening up as Red Lips organized the buns on the table behind her. She was looking at Connor, but Tom answered for them both.

"We've got a pretty good head start," he said amicably. "You can bring some people down."

Julie smiled at Tom, then her eyes shifted back to Connor and he struggled not to start glaring. "Thanks for doing this Connor. You have no idea what a huge help your being."

Connor nodded curtly and luckily Julie left it at that. She skipped off to inform the first few tables of people about the food and he lowered his eyes again, scowling at the sizzling meat.

"The sooner we start, the sooner it'll be over," Tom said from behind him. He chuckled and squeezed Connor's shoulder in a death grip. Connor wanted to bite into the fat man's sausage arm, but he kept his cool. He just had to make it through this, he would concentrate on flipping burgers and dogs, he would keep his head down, and work through the pressure and the heat. It was almost like another night at Pizza Hut and he took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders to stretch out his back. He looked up just in time to see a small mob of neighbors heading their way and he quickly got to work.

At first, people were hungry and enticed by the food. It was mostly the adults in the beginning, although some of them had more than one plate in their hands, like they were trying to pick stuff for their family and friends. Tom, thankfully, handled the neighbors. He used metal tongs to put burgers and hotdogs on people's buns and moved the hungry line along. Connor cranked out food at a breakneck speed, pausing occasionally to take cooked meat off the grill and then to replace it with raw items.

Julie finished her rounds as the first wave of neighbors finished trickling through the grill section. A lot of them idled around the desserts, but Connor didn't look their way. When Julie came to stand behind the grill, she and Tom did a strange little shuffle and she ended up taking Tom's spot while the old man went to grab another stack of raw burgers.

Everything changed after that. Connor spotted another wave of party-goers building up around the tents in the back and they surged forward like a tsunami. Connor bent his head over the grill and sweat trickled down the back of his neck. People flooded inside the tent and their excited voices merged in a confusing babble. Connor's head began to pound, but he kept doing his thing. It didn't seem like he had much choice.

A swarm of people converged on the grill all at once.

"Who's this handsome boy?" some lady asked. She eyed Connor over the hood of the grill and he saw she had a big, hairy mole on her cheek. He quickly looked away.

"This is my son, Connor," Julie said proudly. "He came to town Monday night."

"Is he single?" another woman asked. Connor could see her from the corner of his eye. She had a large yellow sun hat on and fake cone-shaped tits. He tried his best to hide.

"He… just went through a breakup. I don't think he's ready to start dating yet," Julie said, shooting him a concerned look. Connor didn't meet her eyes though, he made angry faces at the burgers instead.

The women chit-chatted for a few moments while Connor finished some more hot dogs and got them off the heat. Tom followed promptly behind him, laying some cold ones in the space Connor had provided.

Mole Lady and Sun Hat finally wandered off and just as Connor sighed with relief, another group of people washed upon them.

"Is this your son?" Asked a middle-aged man with a fanny pack. He had his arm around a heavily pregnant woman with sunglasses perched on the crown of her head. "We're the Cooks," he said, stretching out his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Connor grunted, keeping his eyes down.

"Excuse him, Connor's really absorbed in cooking right now," Julie said before it could become awkward. Fuck this shit... Connor thought viciously.

"That's ok," Fanny Pack said. "Where's Greg at? I thought he volunteered?"

"He did, but he had to do overtime this morning at work. He should be here any minute," Julie said and she twisted her head around like she was expecting to see him pop out at any moment.

"Overtime?" Fanny Pack laughed. "On Labor Day weekend?"

"It's mandatory. Someone just quit so everyone on staff's been responsible for picking up the extra workload."

Again, Julie and her neighbors talked briefly before they moved on. Connor wasn't surprised when the next bunch of people asked about him, and the ones after that, too.

He was sweating profusely, and he barely managed to keep it out of the food. He felt dizzy, too, and after maybe an hour of cooking and listening to a barrage of nosy questions, he started seeing spots again.

"I have to take a break," Connor said suddenly.

Julie had been talking to two old ladies in sun visors, but they were shuffling off to look at the desserts now. Julie looked at Connor as he spoke, smiling slightly, but her expression grew into one of concern as she took in his appearance.

"Yes, please, take a seat," she said and hurried to Connor's side. She helped him move to one of the camp chairs and Connor fell into the it like a sack of bricks. He dropped his head between his knees and Julie rubbed his back. "What's going on, honey? Are you hot?"

He nodded weakly.

"I'll be right back."

The hand on his back vanished and Connor closed his eyes and waited, breathing slowly. The block party continued around him, but the noise of it was interrupted, and then distorted by the faint sound of crackling static. He screwed his eyes shut and pressed his balled-up fists into the sockets. He ground his hands into his eyes–

"Hey Connor."

The noise stopped and when Connor sat up again, the party sounded normal. The shrieks of the little kids running through the sprinkler was grating and the twisting conversations were just as jumbled and confusing as before. Connor's head spun a bit, but he made a conscious effort to focus his eyes on the tiny, blond figure standing on the other side of the serving station. After a moment, he saw that it was M, flanked on either side by Jamie and Nathan.

"Are you ok?" M asked and he circled around the table and came to kneel in front of Connor. M touched his thigh and Connor lowered his gaze, filling the field of his vision with the familiar sight of the blond.

M's green eyes were as calm and undisturbed as pasture of tall grass, far out in the country. The new tan he wore brought out hundreds of tiny freckles that scattered across the bridge of his nose. M's lips were strawberry red and just as sweet and plump looking, too. Connor's overloaded body was filled with an intense longing and he gripped the edges of the camp chair, knowing they had eyes on them.

"It's nothing serious," Tom said and M's beautiful face turned away as he faced the fat old man. "We think it's a case of heat stroke."

"What's that?" M asked.

"He needs to cool down," Red Lips said. She'd slipped in to take Julie's place and was serving up burgers and dogs to the thinning line of hungry partiers. "Julie's grabbing him some ice water."

Everyone was silent after that. Julie didn't take very long to return and when she did she clutched a cold bottle of water in her hand. She cracked it open and handed it over and Connor drank the whole thing in a single gulp.

"Those are some mad chugging skills," Nathan said with a bark of laughter. Connor wasn't alone when he glared at the teenager. Suddenly, Nathan was under several sets of glaring eyes and he drew himself up, pushing his bare, puny chest out. "What?"

Nobody answered him.

"We're pretty much done here," Julie said, turning back to Connor. "You helped us feed the whole block, plus guests."

Connor grunted.

"We can finish up without you, can't we Tom?" Tom nodded without looking up. "See? Let me get you a plate of food and some more water." Julie said.

Connor nodded and Julie disappeared again.

"I guess we're eating here," Jamie said, coming around to stand next to M. "Nathan, go get us some chairs."

The sulky teenager walked off and Jamie crouched down next to M. "We walked the dog just now," she said, patting Connor on the shoulder. "So, don't worry about Jack."

"I wasn't," Connor said, rubbing his face.

"He was scared of all the people," M said. His hand was still on Connor's thigh. "We had to take him around behind the houses."

"I wish I could avoid the crowd," Connor said bitterly.

"They're nosy, but they're all pretty nice," Jamie said. "At least they are to your face." The girl looked out at the couple stragglers, picking through the buffet. "You're not the only one they're talking about tonight. Trust me, I know how you feel."

Connor wouldn't normally have any sympathy, hell, the girl was practically begging for attention in her whorish getup, but she was 16, dumb and freshly knocked up... She was right, they probably were talking about her.

Tension he hadn't even known he'd been holding onto released and he sank limply into the camp chair. M gently rubbed his naked knee.

Nathan came back with a stack of plastic chairs right before Julie showed up with a plate of food and more water. There was a moment of confusion, where everyone was forced to move and some personal crap got tossed to the side, but the whole family got situated at the end of the buffet table and Connor was left in peace with his dinner while the others went to get plates of their own.

It was easily the nicest part of the whole fiasco. M sat beside him and Julie took his other side. They talked over Connor's head and across the table, where Jamie and Nathan sat. The attractive teenager obviously had a strong hold on her boyfriend's balls, because Nathan didn't say another word through dinner. He let Jamie do the talking and concentrated on cramming his mouth with Julie's pineapple bars.

The females plus M continued to talk about Jamie's pregnancy and Connor tuned them out instantly. He'd already knew more about the damned thing than he wanted too. He followed his brother's example and after eating a couple green beans and half of a burger, he chose to try the pineapple bar because he was fucking curious.

The treat turned out to be delicious… Julie's famous pineapple bars were fucking fantastic.

Connor finished his plate in a somber mood. Filling his stomach had taken his mind off the crowded surroundings. Having familiar faces around him helped a bit, too. When the last of the partiers got their food, Tom and his red-lipped wife shut the grill down and pulled up their camp chairs to eat right along beside them. They left Connor alone and he breathed a deep sigh of relief.

When his plate was clean and the water bottle empty, Connor checked the time on his phone. It was nearing 6 o'clock and he wondered where the time had gone. Whatever. Maybe now he could duck out of here and–

"Hey! You old salty dog," a loud and obnoxious voice boomed out from behind them. Connor looked back and saw Greg standing a few feet from the tent, poking a finger at Tom. His face was bright red and he was swaying slightly. He caught his footing and staggered forward. "Tommy! How's the block party going?"

"Greg… We were wondering when you'd show up," Tom said, dabbing his mouth with a napkin. He started to get up, but Greg swung around and saw Julie and Connor and the rest of them gathered together at the end of the table.

"Julie, honey." Greg made a disgusting kissy-face. "Do you forgive me for being late? Did you save me some dinner?"

"Of course I did," Julie said calmly, but Connor could feel the stiffness of her body. "Greg, how was work?"

"Great, great," Greg laughed. He lurched around, squeezing his fat body between the two tables where their corners almost met. Connor imagined him getting sliced in half between the table edges, like a fat grape getting sliced in two with a blade, but Greg got through and he went for Nathan. "Did my son tell you the good news, Tommy?" he asked and he drunkenly pounced on Nathan from behind. The boy had been sitting tense, stiff as a board like his mother, but he instantly began to struggle when Greg put him into a headlock. Greg barely seemed to notice his son's struggles, he tightened his grip, digging his forearm into Nathan's throat with aggressive force. “I swear, this kid right here is going places!”

"Let him go!" Julie stood up, kicking her chair behind her. She slipped between the two tables with ease approaching her husband, but the second she got close, Greg reached out and grabbed her arm.

“I’ll let him go when I’m damned well ready,” Greg grumbled, then bent Julie’s arm back and twisted so Julie fell to her knees, crying.

“Ah! I’m sorry!”

Connor shoved his chair back aggressively and stood up, but nobody else moved, everybody was in shock.

Greg suddenly let go of Nathan and the teen slumped in his seat. He blinked a few times, surprised to be conscious it seemed. Greg used the kid's surprise to his advantage and he released Julie as well and stepped back a little.

The fat man was breathing heavily and he pointed a shaking, accusatory finger at his son. "He got his girl pregnant. That girl, there," he nodded at Jamie and the girl blushed and wrapped her arms around herself, shrinking into her chair like she might have the chance to disappear. "He'll be a senior this year. So they'll have just enough time to have the baby before graduation." Greg laughed like it was some sort of joke. Like airing the family's dirty laundry was a typical source of entertainment. Connor cringed, and when he looked up again, Greg was grinning at him now. His eyes were glazed and full of a manic sort of glee. He forced his fat body between the two tables again, keeping his eyes on Connor. When he was behind them, Connor turned to face him completely, not letting the asshole get the pleasure of grabbing him from behind. Greg just smiled at him though, his grin becoming malicious.

"And you've met my step-son?"

"He's a nice kid," Tom said while Red Lips nodded her agreement.

"He's pretty tough." Greg's hand shot out, aiming for Connor's face, but he dodged backwards with ease. Greg laughed again while Connor steamed with anger.

I'm going to murder this fucking guy!

"Is that what you're trying to prove, Greg? That you're tough?" Tommy asked, his once cheerful voice sounding cool and rational.

"No," Greg made a gutsy sound of exasperation as he wobbled on down the table. His large body rocked unsteadily as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. "I’m just joking. I'm just being my usual funny self," he said, laughing yet again.

"It's not funny, Greg," Julie said from the other side of the table. She got up, rubbing her twisted arm. "Look, everyone's staring at you!"

Greg didn't look. He scowled, but Connor could see with a quick, half-assed glance that Julie was right. Everyone in the near vicinity watched the unfolding scene with flagrant amusement.

"Can't I catch up with the neighbors?" Greg cried and Julie flinched back. She put her hand on Nathan's shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. "Fuck, Julie. You always force me to come to these things and then you get your panties in a twist when I start having fun!"

"Greg, please, let's go talk about this at home–"

"I tried to go home, Julie! The whole street's blocked off!"

Julie started to say something else, but Greg's attention had already shifted. Before Connor could react, before anyone could do anything, Greg pulled M from his chair like he was a tiny child, and yanked him back flush against his bulging stomach.

"What do you think of our new maid, Tom?" Greg asked, shaking M, whose eyes rolled up in his head. "He came with Connor. Cute, ain't he? He's a miniature human and he fits in all the tiny spaces Julie can't and cleans all the cracks and crevices."

"Let him go," Connor said darkly, but Greg laughed heartily, ignoring him while he clutched M around the chest. The boy shook and his head thudded weakly back against the large man's chest. The only reason Connor didn't attack at that moment was because he was more concerned with getting M out of harm's way.

"Greg!" Julie screamed. "Put him down!"

Greg turned for just a second, looking angrily in Julie's direction, but the distraction gave Connor the chance to dash forward and wrench M from his step-dad's meaty hands. He held onto M loosely with one arm, and with the other, he brought his fist swinging upwards, catching Greg on the jaw.

"Fuck!" Greg screamed in pain, grabbing his bloody mouth with his grubby fingers. Connor gathered the blond in his arms and ran down the street. He didn't stop until he was at the entrance of the bike trail and when he turned back he saw that the block party had ended a couple houses down and it was mostly hidden from view now. He could still hear the noise, there was music playing distantly, but Connor's head felt clearer than it had in hours and he set the blond down in the grass and crouched beside him.

"M?" he called as he stroked the blond's soft, sun-kissed cheek. "Open your eyes. Please." The blond was slow to respond though. His eyes remained shut.

Connor heard footsteps approaching and he looked up to see Jamie and Nathan had followed them. Jamie stopped to catch her breath immediately, hunching over her knees. Nathan stopped beside her and took a deep breath while he surveyed the scene. Connor scowled at him and quickly looked down at M again.

"So… what was that about?" Nathan asked.

"He had a seizure. Certain things..." Connor hesitated. He was technically lying, but he believed this new theory of his so deeply that he just went with it. "Events, words, even inanimate objects, they trigger memories from before the accident. And it causes M to have a seizure."

Nathan laughed. "Um, what?"

Connor sighed. "Your dad grabbed M from behind. That's one of his triggers. He also can't stand the sight of big knives, but I don't want to tell you everything. I'm afraid you'll use it against him," he said heatedly, and he meant that in more ways than one. He didn't want his bratty little brother to know deep, passionate kisses made M seizure, too. He would probably laugh.

"Oh, I totally would," Nathan said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Nathan, stop," Jamie sighed and she stood up at last, still looking a bit winded. "Is he ok though? He's just lying there." She gestured to M, lying still in the grass, and everyone turned back to the blond.

"He's usually alright. It just takes him a few minutes to come out of it," Connor said, as much to reassure them as it was to comfort himself. "M," he called again. He patted the boy's face with his palm and slowly, finally, M’s green eyes peeled open.

"Oh, thank god." Jamie put a hand over her heart. Nathan crossed his arms and looked bored, but Connor's attention was firmly affixed to M's face. He watched as the boy's eyes filled with understanding. His bottom lip trembled.

"I had a seizure," he whispered.

"Yeah," Connor said. "Greg was drunk and he grabbed you. I don't think he meant it."

"He's always doing stuff like that," Nathan said grumpily. "I bet he didn't even have to work today. He probably spent the whole morning at the bar."

"What?" Connor asked.

"He's usually good at keeping sober through the week, but when Friday rolls around, he falls off the bandwagon."

Connor quirked an eyebrow, but he wasn't that interested at the moment. He turned back to the blond. "Can you stand up?"

"I think so," M said quietly and Connor stepped back to give him a bit of room. M got off the ground carefully. He looked unsteady on his feet and Connor slid an arm around his waist for support.

Nathan looked at them, his eyes focused on the comfortable point of contact Connor had initiated. Connor was a bit embarrassed, but he calmed himself with the knowledge that M needed his help. Fuck what anyone thought…

"Are you ok, M? That was pretty scary," Jamie asked the blond, peering at him with concern.

"I'm alright now," M said, smiling back at her.

"Good," Jamie said. "Now, how about we get out of here?"

Connor rolled his eyes. "How? The street's blocked off."

"Nathan moved his car earlier in case we wanted to leave," the girl said with a cocky little smile.

"Oh. Ok."

So, the four of them walked back to the sidewalk and took it another block past the bike entrance. Nathan's Toyota sat alone, parked on the side of the street and the teen took his keys out and unlocked it.

Nathan and Jamie got up front while M and Connor got in the back. Nathan started the car up and they rolled out of the neighborhood.

"Where are we going?" Connor asked as they zipped through a yellow light and onto the main road.

Nathan shrugged. He cranked up the radio and loud, bassy rap music started blasting through the speakers. M covered his ears and cringed and Connor fought the urge to do the same.

"Turn it the fuck down!" he yelled over the music, kicking the back of Nathan's seat as they came to stop at a red light.

Jamie reached over and twisted the dial. The music faded to a soft bump. "Seriously, Nathan. Grow up."

Nathan sulked, but when the light turned green, he screeched through the intersection and tore off down the palm tree lined avenue. The black Toyota passed a mirrored office building and the sun beamed off the reflective surface as they flashed by. Connor looked away, feeling nauseous.

They flew down the street, stopping rarely. Nathan treated yellow lights like they were green. He used very little care and Connor ended up closing his eyes as a terrible feeling of helplessness grew in his belly. He grabbed onto M's thigh for support and the blond touched his fingers lightly, but didn't otherwise take advantage of his car-sickness.

After maybe 10 minutes of speeding intercepted occasionally by quick, jerky stops, Nathan took a sharp right turn and Connor got slammed into the passenger door. His eyes snapped open. They pulled into the mall parking lot. The place crawled with activity and Connor seriously thought he'd be ill.

"Are we going to the mall?" Connor bitched.

"Why not? I want to buy something," Nathan said, but he was distracted and looking for an empty parking space as he weaved through the aisles of cars.

"You don't even have a shirt on!" Connor pointed out.

Nathan shrugged. "They don't care. The beach is 5 minutes from here."

Connor stewed in annoyance. "Fuck this crowded ass place," he growled. "And fuck you for taking me here!" he sat back moodily and crossed his arms. He couldn't wait until they parked. He wasn't going in, fuck that! He was going to climb into the driver's seat and planned on refusing to let Nathan drive on the way back. He sucked as a driver.

Nathan parked in a spot near the Nike store. "I want new shoes," he said, gazing longingly at the brand name.

Connor snorted and he started speaking in a high-pitched, whiny ass voice. "Poor Nathan, do you buy yourself a new pair of shoes every time daddy hits you?"

Nathan glared at him in the rearview mirror.

"So, Julie married another drunk," Connor said in his normal voice, incredibly bitter and angry. M rubbed his fingers soothingly, but it didn't help abate the negative feelings. "I'm not even surprised."

"Yeah," Nathan muttered. "I hate my dad."

Connor scoffed. "At least he takes care of you," he said bitterly. "I was lucky to eat regular meals when I lived with my dad... He couldn't care less if I was alive or dead."

"My dad cares too much," Nathan complained. "I'm a constant disappointment."

Connor rolled his eyes and sat back in his seat. "You're a spoiled brat, you know that? You probably drove him to drinking with the way you act. You don't have to be a constant disappointment, you're doing it on purpose."

"Fuck you, he's been like this since I was a kid. He was probably always like this," Nathan said and he gripped the steering wheel and looked away from the Nike store at last. "Fuck this place. I've got a better idea."

"I'm all ears."

"If you pay me back, we can go see my dude for some smoke. You get the rolling paper and some lighters and I'll get the bud," Nathan said.

"Done," Connor said. "But fuck rolling papers, pull into the nearest gas station and I'll get a couple packs of Swishers."

"Fine." Nathan backed out of their parking spot and they left the mall behind. Connor relaxed in his seat. He was actually looking forward to this.

Nathan drove into a 7/11 down the road and Connor ran in for supplies. Since he still had some money left, he got them some pop and a couple bags of chips before grabbing a pack of cigarillos and a couple Bics from the Mexican guy at the counter.

"Have a Happy Labor Day, sir," the Mexican said and Connor grabbed his shit and got out of there fast.

"I just called my dude, we're good to go," Nathan said when Connor returned with the bags.

"Thanks, Connor!" M said, grabbing a Mountain Dew.

"Yeah, thanks, Connor," Jamie said as she reached into the back for the grape soda. Connor took the Pepsi and left Nathan with the Root beer.

They drove out of the gas station and Nathan sped off in the opposite direction of their neighborhood. Connor wished he'd have thought to drive, but put up with the bumpy ride in silence.

Nathan had to stop at a bank first, and they pulled into the ATM and waited for the teen to withdraw some cash. They drove across town after that. Nathan turned his radio up again and they were treated to some old school N.W.A. It wasn't actually terrible when Nathan didn't insist on breaking everybody's ear drums. M watched the scenery pass his window, smiling and happy, completely unaffected by the seizures as usual. They weren't holding hands or anything, but Connor had never stopped touching the boy's thigh. M ghosted his fingers across Connor's at random and it felt nice. Connor really didn't know what to think about M anymore, but at that moment, he was content to let things lie.

After a 30-minute drive, they entered a shady looking neighborhood with a rundown convenience store at one end and a little 24-hour laundromat on the other. Between the two stores there were old apartment buildings painted in warm creams and deep reds. The main complex had a large open courtyard in front of it with palm trees and grass. It was worn-down and a cement walkway zigzagged through the grass. Nathan pulled up and Connor noticed a couple black guys hanging out on the benches.

They were wearing big baggy clothes and bandanas. They were talking loudly amongst themselves and exuded an aura of danger. Connor wasn't exactly impressed, but he also wasn't about to mess with the stupid gangsters either.

"I'll be right back," Nathan said and he bounced out of the car.

Connor watched the shirtless shrimp wander over to the gang. He held his hand up, and Connor heard him mumble something. It made everyone laugh, whatever it was and Connor hoped that was a good sign. He rubbed his hands over his face.

"Don't worry about him," Jamie chuckled and Connor peeled his hands off his face to look at her. "He'll be alright."

"Great," he said briskly, exasperated.

"So, that's a drug dealer?" M asked excitedly, peering out the window. "Can I go say hi?"

"No," Connor grabbed a fistful of M's shorts and restrained him. "Stay put."

M pouted, but he didn't put up an argument.

The three of them watched Nathan score some weed. The teen bullshitted with the niggas for a couple minutes; the homies seemed to be making fun of him. Nathan held his hand up again at one point, like he was looking for a sideways high-five, and one of the gangsters stepped closer. There was some elaborate and clearly practiced handshake between the two and when the black guy pulled Nathan in for a bro-hug at the end, Connor witnessed a hand-to-hand transaction.

Nathan pocketed something and then began to head in their direction again. Connor felt a spike of panic when he realized Nathan was going to get behind the wheel with weed in his pocket and he pushed M aside and forced his body over the armrest between the two seats up front. He slid behind the wheel and grinned over at Jamie who watched the whole thing with a look of surprise.

"I'm not driving dirty with Nathan," Connor said.

"I'm not complaining," Jamie said with a smirk.

But Nathan did. He finally made it back to the car and saw that Connor was sitting in the driver's seat. "C'mon! Screw you, Connor!" he cried, but he was already getting into the back and Connor started the engine despite the teen's whining. They took off before Nathan could even attempt to buckle up, but Connor drove smoothly and with care. They glided back onto the main road and Nathan sat back in his seat with a huff. M eyed the teen curiously, but he didn't poke the beast.

"Where are we going? Home?" Connor asked.

"Turn right at this red light here, actually," Nathan said. "Jamie's old McDonald's is down the road. We've parked and smoked before, nobody cares."

"Great," Connor snorted, but he didn't know where else they could go. It sucked living with parents…

He found the McDonald's further down the road to the right. It was a bloated, dirty looking building with cars overfilling the drive-thru lane. Connor found a space in the back by the dumpster; it was gloomy and hidden from the other cars, so he turned the engine off and parked.

Nathan was already rolling a joint in the backseat. M practically hung over the boy's shoulder, trying to observe Nathan's every move in micro-detail.

"Has he ever smoked before?" Nathan asked, nodding in M's direction.

"You can ask me, you know," M said suddenly, and the shine of interest and enthusiasm vanished from his eyes. His mouth tightened up and he glared at Nathan.

"Fine," the teen grouched. He looked up, staring directly into M's face. "Have you ever smoked before?" he asked clearly.

"Yep," M said and he proudly lifted his chin.

"Only once," Connor said, trying not to laugh at the blond's confidence. "But he handled it alright."

"Well, this stuff is medical grade. It's high-quality," Nathan said loftily. "I hope you guys can take it. I'm not in the mood to hold anybody's hand right now."

Connor flipped him off, but Nathan didn't even see. He was busy licking and sealing the blunt. He handed it over and Connor took it gingerly. The brown, course cigar paper was moist between his fingers and he tried not to gag with disgust. He hated using wraps.

Still, weed was weed, and Connor lit up with one of the new Bics. He made sure he got a good lungful of the burning smoke before he passed it along to Jamie.

"Wait…" Connor coughed, and the smoke came billowing out around the girl's face. "Are you sure you should be smoking… now that your–"

"Pregnant?" Jamie sighed, but the very valid question didn't stop her from taking a puff off the joint. "I'll quit soon," she said, before passing it along to Nathan who refused it. He was busy rolling another blunt.

"Pass it to Mr. Experienced," he said, waggling his eyebrows at M. "Let's see what happens."

"You're being a total dick," Connor said and his voice sounded much deeper than he'd meant it to be. "Whoa," he said, smacking his lips together. "I'm really super thirsty right now."

M took the joint and eyed it speculatively.

"Just suck on the end like it's a straw," Jamie said and Connor saw that she was hanging over the front seat, watching M like a mother hen. "There you go," she said, giggling, and Connor's gaze snapped back to M just in time to see him dragging off the blunt. He released it suddenly and ash fell off the end. The blond sucked in a breath and held the weed with a terrible, pinched look on his face.

"I think that's good, hun," Jamie said gently and M tried to let all the sticky smoke out at once. He ended up coughing much worse than Connor had and Nathan laughed at him.

"Give me that," Nathan grabbed the joint from M and the blond leaned back comfortably in his seat. He already looked stoned. Nathan puffed on the blunt a few times before he handed it to Connor again.

"I don't think you need to light up another one," Jamie said when Nathan started sealing the second blunt. "The car's baked out already."

"This one's for the serious smokers, then," Nathan said and he clapped Connor on the shoulder. "Right, bro?"

Connor was tired of people touching him on the shoulder, but he felt way too relaxed to complain. He wanted to smoke more, so he agreed. He took another hit then passed the first blunt to Jamie.

"Cool," Nathan said. "Jamie and babycakes finish off that little blunt there and me and Connor will start on this one here," he gestured for Connor's fire and once he had it, he started smoking the second joint.

“My name’s not babycakes,” M said with a little pout on his face and Connor couldn't help it. The nickname made him laugh.

“Seriously?” he asked.

"C'mon," Nathan cried, passing the blunt to Connor. "You and him are gay for each other! You're boyfriends, right?"

"Uhh…" Connor really had no idea how to respond to that. Lucky for him though, M was quick to fill in the blanks.

"Yep!" he said excitedly. "We sleep together and everything."

Nathan laughed and thick clouds of smoke swirled between them in dramatic patterns. The teen lounged in the back of his car, sweat rolling down his bare chest in the humid air. He actually looked somewhat attractive like that, with his dark eyes partially lidded. "I knew you guys were fags," he said smugly. He looked at Connor and smirked. "Pass the chronic, bitch."

All the positive feelings faded and Connor shoved the burning joint in his brother's face.

"You are a dick," he repeated.

"I know," Nathan said. "But not as big of a dick as my dad. You guys better be careful. If he finds out, all hell will break lose."

"Oh yeah?" Connor sneered.

"I'm serious," Nathan said and Connor grumbled under his breath with unhappiness.

"Well," Jamie piped up. "I knew you guys were together, too." She shot M a loaded look and it was pretty clear how she'd figured it out. Connor shook his head slowly with disgust. "I think it's awesome."

"What the fuck's awesome about it?" Connor scowled. "Every time someone figures it out, they have that look on their face!" He poked a finger at Nathan. The teen grinned stupidly, he couldn't seem to keep the smile off his damned rosy cheeks!

"That doesn't matter!" Jamie said. "How do you think people treat us when they find out I'm pregnant?"

"He laughed in my face," Nathan said, grinning at Connor.

Jamie quirked an eyebrow. "See?"

"Whatever," Connor said briskly. "You guys made a mistake. This isn't a mistake. We decided to do this together," he said, pointing between himself and M. The blond smiled and swayed to the beat of N.W.A playing in the background. Connor sighed. M was totally out of it.

"It isn't a mistake," Jamie said, touching her belly. "Just because I'm young doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing."

Connor shook his head. "I feel like an adult amongst children… Oh," he said bitterly. "I am!"

"I thought you were going to be cool, Connor," Nathan said, his voice filled with disappointment. Connor's ground his teeth together. "I thought you'd be on my side, I thought you'd be my friend–"

"And you know what? I actually thought for a second, that you could be my friend, too!" Connor cried. "But you turned out to be a spoiled little brat. You need to be put in your fucking place, Nathan. You don't need another 'friend' to cheer you on. I could actually help you, but you just want to bitch and complain and whine and moan–"

"Let's take this outside," Nathan spat and he got out of the Toyota.

Connor slammed his fists against the steering wheel in utter disbelief. "Fuck this kid!" he yelled.

"Connor! Don't–" Jamie started, but she took one look into Connor’s angry blue eyes and she shut her mouth.

Connor got out of the car and slammed the door behind him. Nathan stood between the dumpster and the Toyota, his hands up and blocking his face. He thought he looked tough, shirtless and sweaty. Fuck him! Connor tore his shirt off and threw it towards the car, revealing his flat stomach rippled with muscle.

“Oh look, Connor’s fucking stacked,” Nathan called out, laughing.

Connor gave him the finger. “Are we doing this or what?”

Nathan jogged in place and stretched his neck out. When he raised his head again, he locked eyes with Connor then charged at him with a cry.

Connor dodged Nathan with ease, twisted around, and landed a vicious strike right under the teen's ribcage. Nathan yelped and spun around with a backhand move, but Connor deflected him and shoved him back into the dumpster.

Nathan slammed into the metal and staggered to keep his footing. He brought his fists up again and bared his teeth with frustration. Connor flexed his biceps, readying himself for another strike attack.

When Nathan lunged forward and swung a fist into Connor’s face, Connor sidestepped the punch, then karate chopped Nathan in the back.

Nathan skidded in some gravel, then fell forward onto his knees, the wind knocked out of him.

"Happy?" Connor barked at him. Nathan looked up, his eyes teary and filled with betrayal. "I'll whoop your ass, because I'm older and stronger and smarter. I'm your big brother. I'm not here to be your buddy. You got that?"

Nathan nodded sadly.

"Don't fucking cry," Connor said roughly and Nathan sniffled obnoxiously. "I'm sure you're sick of getting beat, but you asked for that. You know that right?"

"I guess," Nathan said slowly.

"I can teach you shit, Nathan, if you let me,” Connor said and when Nathan continued to look dejected and sad, he offered the boy a hand, feeling bad for him all of a sudden. This kid got beat a lot. He had the wrong idea in his head though, if he thought bossing people around made him strong.

Connor yanked the teen to his feet and he shoved the kid back towards the Toyota. He grabbed his shirt off the hood of the car and put it on again as Nathan got obediently into the back seat.

Connor slid behind the wheel once he was dressed. "Let's go home," he said.

They continued to smoke while Connor drove. Jamie was good at giving directions. She lead them back to the development with minimal effort.

"The block party runs until 10, so we can't get back in the driveway yet," Nathan said from the backseat.

Connor nodded. He drove a couple blocks closer and then parked the car. They all sat in silence for a couple minutes. Jamie cracked her window and smoke slithered out of the car. It was close to 8 o'clock and Connor couldn't wait to go back to Julie's so he could look through the fridge for leftovers. He was starving, and the little bag of chips he'd picked up earlier wasn't going to cut it. He was pretty sure M and Nathan had started munching on it during the drive back anyway. He'd heard a lot of crunching sounds.

"We should walk the dog," M said. "Before bed.”

Connor agreed with him. It'd be getting dark soon. He nodded and started to get out of the car.

"I should probably take Jamie home then," Nathan said and his girlfriend gave him the strangest look. "What?"

"Nothing," Jamie said. "I guess you're just sick of being around me, right?"

"Oh, c'mon," Nathan sighed. "Not this stupid fight again. I want to go home and go to bed. I don't want to deal with my dad, please don't make this harder for me."

Connor wasn't interested in the ensuing fight. He got out of the car and waited for M to follow him. They left the couple behind, walking towards Julie's house with the setting sun at their backs.

As they walked, Connor started thinking about a lot of different things. He'd been hoping to get M alone for a while now, but the blond always seemed to be busy with something else. This was the first time M had offered to come on a walk with him. That had to mean something and Connor was going to take advantage of whatever that was.

They got back to Julie's without seeing anyone. The block party was still raging loudly out on the street. People sounded like they were getting drunk at this point. There was a lot of laughter and booming, exuberant conversations. Connor grabbed the leash off the patio table and M untied Jack from his post. They met in the middle and Connor took over the walking duties. M fell into step beside them and they headed across the neighbors' backyards and towards the bike trail.

Connor waited until they were completely out of sight before he started the conversation he'd been dying to have for days.

"Tell me M, what is it that you're remembering?" he asked.

"What?"

"The seizures," Connor said. "Their triggers, right? Like when Greg grabbed you today, what did you remember?"

It was slight, but Connor was sure he saw M shift nervously. His shoulders sloped inwards and a scowl appeared on his face. "Who said I remembered anything?"

"You," Connor said. "You let it slip once. When we were staying in the motels–"

"No, I didn't," M started and Connor grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. He let go of the dog, Jack would be fine on his own for a few minutes, and he stared deeply into M's green eyes. He began to speak quickly.

"I saw the man in black again," Connor said. "He told me not to trust you. And I don't M. You're lying to me."

The color drained from M's face. "He came to you?"

"Yeah." Connor felt a strange sensation in his gut. "You know him. Don't you?"

"Not personally," M said and he carefully avoided Connor's gaze. Connor dug his fingers into M's soft upper arms, demanding the blond's full attention.

"What does that mean!" he asked. "Who is that guy? What does he want?"

M was silent for a minute, and then he sighed. "He wants to put a stop to my mission," he said. "But that's because he's confused. He doesn't know what he's doing."

Connor gaped at the blond. "I'm fucking confused," he said.

"I can't tell you certain things," M said. "I told you that in the beginning."

"The beginning?" Connor sneered. He heard the dog barking further down the bike path, but he didn't spare the mutt a single glance. "What the hell is going on M?"

The boy swallowed. "The agent… he isn't completely human."

Connor stared at the boy. The horrible pressure headache he'd been experiencing the past few days started up again and it started eating away at the back of his brain.

"Are you human?" he asked.

M bit his lip and Connor stared at him intently, waiting for him to speak. He rubbed his aching head.

"M!" he snapped.

"No," M said quickly. "Not entirely."

Connor released the boy as though his flesh had burned him. He stepped back. "What do you fucking mean?"

"Connor." M's face crumpled. "Please, don't leave me."

"What are you, if you're not human?" Connor asked and M looked down at his feet, keeping silent. His bare legs were slim and toned. They were lovely and Connor had a hard time believing it, but... "Are you an alien?"

M made a face. "I don't like that word."

Connor laughed. "Yeah, I'll bet."

"Listen, I can't tell you much now. I don't know if I can ever tell you everything without putting my life in even more danger, but the agent and I are from the same place only he's acting on orders from a completely different mission, one which was decommissioned decades back."

Connor continued to stare at the blond in shock.

"I tried to reason with the agent. I'm here to live the human experience… but he can’t accept that. He wants to separate us from each other so that he can take me out without exposing himself. But he's having the same problems with the human memories that I'm having, only worse because his body is constantly at battle with him.” M spoke so quickly, Connor's pounding head started to spin.

"I don't even know what you're saying," he said weakly. "This is insane."

"You're safest when you're with me," M said and slowly he stepped closer. "That day you went into the abandoned house, back at the trailer?"

Connor didn't answer, but he knew the day M was talking about.

"The agent put a tracker in your head. That's how he's been following us so easily." M peered up at Connor and looked deeply into his fearful gaze. "Your head hurts, doesn't it?"

Connor nodded dumbly.

"He's searching for you," M said. "But he can't see you now." He pointed up at the sky and Connor followed the tip of his finger. "That's mother," M said and Connor though maybe he could see a little white light hovering far overhead, just between two dark clouds. "She watches over me and she's going to figure out a way to stop my seizures. She can take that tracker out of your head, too. We just have to be patient and stay together."

Connor was flabbergasted. He had no idea what to say.

Suddenly, Jack came flying up the path. He rushed to Connor's side and nuzzled his hand.

"Good boy," Connor muttered, glancing down at the happy, panting dog. When he looked up again, M watched him closely. Connor couldn't help it, he felt a terrible chill slither down his spine. "So, tell me? Which part of you isn't human?" he asked casually, but he was burning with the urge to know. He picked up the end of Jack's leash and wrapped it around his hand while M considered his next words.

"My mind, me, M," the boy said. "I'm not human. But the body… the horrible memories… those are Michael's."

"And how did you…" Connor searched for the right words, but settled on saying: "How did you take over his body?"

M didn't look like he liked the turn of phrase either, but he answered best he could. "He was badly hurt and very close to death," he said slowly. "Mother can repair the human body completely though. She can bring people back from the dead, if she wants. She put me inside his brain and though it took me some time to figure it out, this body is mine now."

Connor shook his head. "Are you sure about that? What's with all the seizures then?"

M hesitated. "The technology has its limits. Mother still isn't sure why certain things trigger the human's old memories."

"It's because Michael's alive isn't it," Connor said in a rush. "He's trapped in your head, isn't he!?"

M pressed his lips together.

"And what does the agent want? An alien invasion? A human takeover? Are you planning on who goes in my head next?!"

"Connor, it isn't like that–"

"And how can I be sure?! The agent said not to trust you!"

M smiled slyly. "Well, I gave you a blow job, so I'd say I'm the one you should trust."

Connor gawked at the boy in utter horror.

"That was a joke," M said, smiling weakly.

"And I'm not laughing," Connor said very seriously. He turned and started back towards the house. M fell in line behind him.

"I would never hurt you," M said quietly. "I just want to be with you, Connor. Without anything else getting in the way–"

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you stole someone else's body and tried to start some interspecies romance!" Connor snapped and he sped up, running toward Julie's backyard. Jack bounded alongside him, his tongue hanging out.

When Connor and Jack got back to the house, Connor quickly tied up the dog and checked his food bowls. He spotted M trudging over from the neighbor's lawn and he hurried inside the house.

He wasn't exactly running from M, just avoiding him. Connor was halfway upstairs when he heard M come in the living room.

"Connor?" M called after him.

"I'm going to bed!" Connor yelled back and then he raced to the guest bedroom and slammed the door behind him.

He went to sit on the edge of the bed and he buried his face in his hands.

His head still hurt, but distantly. He gently prodded the back of his neck, feeling for fine scars or bumps under the skin.

A fucking tracker?

He needed to talk to someone about this, but he wasn't sure who. He didn't want to end up abducted or something. Or had that already happened?

He shivered all over and hugged himself tightly. He was fucking terrified. There was a fucking alien downstairs…

Connor didn't leave the room the rest of the night and M never bothered to come to bed. Connor was glad… he needed all the time he could get to figure out what the hell he was going to do now.

And that night, he was haunted by dark dreams yet again. When he woke up around 3 am, covered in an ice cold sweat, he swore a pale light ghosted past the window.

He didn't investigate. He shut his eyes, soaked in sweat and terror, and he waited for the sun to come up.