Jumping Over My Mountain - 11. Chapter 11

Jumping Over My Mountain
by Tiffani Chin

Chapter 11

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*************CREW************

Saturday came quickly enough and it was a few hours until our entire group was about to head out to New York. The twins and I weren't working at the mountain today because we wanted to make the most of our winter break. Although I normally hated missing work, I was looking forward to tonight with my friends.

It was amazing how fast time went when you did absolutely nothing and also when you were extremely busy. I really wanted to make the break last and be able to have limitless amounts of time with my friends; unfortunately that wasn't possible. I had to take what I could get.

Normally I was psychotic about school and getting everything done super fast but I felt I had changed a lot since the end of sophomore year. I was becoming more relaxed and open, having more fun. As Skyler would have put it, I was finally a normal person again, which from his point of view, I could understand. Skyler really never grasped the whole concept of working hard when it came to academics.

"There is way too much stuff in life to get done to always just worry about one little aspect that means shit when you get into the real world," Skyler once said as I was ranting about how worried I was over a grade.

I was hanging out at the twins' place until it was time to leave for New York. We would all ride in together. Normally I would be with Hiro, doing nothing, just spending time with him. Unfortunately, his grandmother was feeling ill and Hiro was staying home to take care of her and be there in case anything happened. That was just like Hiro-to sacrifice his own time and fun to help someone else. I really liked that quality about him.

Storm was off taking a nap because he insisted he would drive there this time. Last time was too insane, in his opinion.

"Hey we got there in one piece, didn't we?" Skyler demanded, taking offense to Storm's attack on his driving style.

Storm just shook his head as he took off to his bedroom to sleep. After Storm had retreated to his room, I was left with Skyler and Zeke. I would have felt like a third wheel because they were being all couple-like, but I was having such a good time just watching them; I was extremely fascinated. It was like being in a zoo and witnessing a panda bear being born or something. It was something to be seen once in a lifetime.

Watching two of my close friends interact on this level was amazing.

For one thing, I was so happy for Zeke; he had been my best friend for so long. After an abusive relationship and a series of meaningless nothings, he finally had someone.

As for Skyler, I was so used to him being a party animal and dating a new girl every week. That was how he was when I first met him. A lot of the time I never remembered the name of the girl he dated; that's how many he would see in the course of a month.

Hell, sometimes he never even remembered the names himself. The funny thing was that no one ever had anything bad to say about Skyler. It was like, he had a new date every weekend, or several dates in one weekend and the girls were just content with that.

Yup, Skyler was just THAT good I guess-or charming. I swear everyone liked him. Sometimes I don't know how he managed it. I was pretty popular and outgoing in high school-before my parents got in that accident-but I had never seen popularity of that magnitude until I met Skyler. He was more popular than Storm, but then again because of Skyler, Storm was equally well known. Skyler's popularity was due to the fact that Skyler went out of his way to meet new people and talk randomly. If it weren't for him, I may never have gotten to know Hiro; after all it was Skyler who invited Hiro to have lunch with us.

That's why I was friends with Skyler. He was a magnet for all types of people.

Now Mr. Popularity rarely went to parties or anything like that. He was spending all of his time with Zeke; he seemed perfectly content with that. In the past, Skyler would usually be dragging me or Storm off to do something, claiming we were too young to be sitting cooped up at home. Now none of us could manage to get him out of the house unless Zeke was with him.

Right now, in front of my very eyes, I was watching Skyler playing with Zeke's hand while Zeke was watching some program on TV. Zeke acted as if Skyler massaging his hand and his wrist was a daily occurrence. That's how comfortable they were with each other.

I noticed the matching rings they wore right after Christmas, but I didn't want to pry. They didn't seem keen on talking about what was going on with them, even though they were ok with showing their affection.

Strange.

I watched as Skyler lifted Zeke's hand to his lips and kissed his palm; then Skyler leaned over and kissed Zeke's neck. Zeke giggled and shifted away.

"Stop, Sky," Zeke said, although he didn't sound like he really meant it.

I think Skyler knew that as well because he lightly kissed Zeke's neck and ear again.

Zeke tried to wiggle away but Skyler easily grabbed him before he got too far.

"Crew's here," Zeke murmured softly, but I caught it.

Skyler looked at me as if he had forgotten I was even in the room.

Yeah-what a good friend!

"You guys are cute," I sang out, smiling widely at them. "Now who's in love?" I teased getting back at them for all the times they had teased me about liking Hiro.

Skyler was rubbing his hands up and down Zeke's legs. Zeke's face was turning red.

"Sky, you're getting me horny," he said twisting around.

"So?" Skyler asked, smiling mischievously and leaning in for another kiss.

"We have company. We can't have sex now," Zeke whispered.

I snorted; Zeke shot me a dirty look. I smiled innocently.

Skyler grinned. "Come on, we can make it quick. Crew won't mind, will you buddy?"

I shook my head. "Not at all."

"I mind," Zeke said crossing his arms. Skyler sighed as if disappointed but I could see the smile he was trying to hide.

"Okay, baby," Skyler said to Zeke. He looked at me, "I was shot down."

I laughed.

"I think that was the first time I was ever shot down in my entire life," Skyler said in mock amazement. "I don't know how to handle this. This is all so new to me," he said in fake distress.

"Oh yeah?" Zeke challenged. "What if I decided to stay with Crew for the rest of my time here?"

Skyler immediately sat up and hugged Zeke. "Okay, I'm sorry."

I rolled onto the floor laughing. "My God, Sky! You are so whipped!" I crowed, making a whipping sound.

Skyler chucked a couch cushion at my face which caused me to fall to the floor again.

"I am not!" Skyler shot back although he was smiling. He paused, "Well maybe a little," he admitted but he never stopped smiling.

"Jeez Zeke, you must be one amazing guy to keep Skyler in check like that," I said, smiling at my best friend.

Zeke grinned. "I am one amazing guy; right, Skyler?"

"Abso-fucking-lutely!" Skyler replied without missing a beat.

"And I keep you in check?" Zeke pressed.

"Yup," Skyler quipped.

I shook my head. "You guys are sickening."

Zeke smirked at me. "Oh! Like you and Hiro aren't?"

"How are we sickening?" I protested.

"Oh, come on!" Skyler said rolling his eyes. "The way you guys always sit together and hold hands. Don't forget that Hiro is always watching over you like a hawk. You better hope you guys are together forever; as long as Hiro is around, no guys are ever gonna get near you."

"What?" I asked in confusion.

"Dude, Hiro is cool, but I've never seen anyone follow you around like a puppy before-usually you're the puppy," Skyler said.

"Hey!" I exclaimed.

"He didn't mean it in a bad way," Zeke defended his boyfriend. "It's just that Hiro is very protective and watchful of you-in a caring, non creepy way, of course!" Zeke explained.

"For once, you call the shots," Skyler added.

I frowned at him, willing him to continue.

"Like with Hela, you would do the things he wanted to do or go along with his plans. With Hiro, you do something and Hiro is never that far behind, watching you," Skyler said.

"I'm glad; now I don't have to go back to Boston and worry about ‘my little baby Crew’," Zeke said, wiping his brow in mock relief.

I stuck my tongue out at him. "Hey, I'm not a freaking baby."

"Look, Skyler, I got like ten more wrinkles on my forehead because of Crew. This boob is always worrying me. I have to lie awake every night praying to God he is ok," Zeke went on with the charade and even leaned towards Skyler, who gamely pretended to count wrinkle lines.

I rolled my eyes.

"I think Hiro loves you," Zeke blurted out.

My eyes widened. "What? Why would you think that?"

Zeke shrugged. "It's just a feeling I have. He seems so into you and you guys spend as much time as we spend together," pointing to himself and Skyler.

I nodded as I thought it over. "I guess so, but I don't want to get too ahead of myself and make pseudo marriage preparations or anything."

"Do you love Hiro?" Zeke asked.

"I don't know," I said, even though I was beginning to.

"I think you do," Zeke said smiling knowingly. He knew me all too well.

"I just don't want to get ahead of myself," I repeated.

"Don't be scared Crew," Skyler said rubbing Zeke's stomach. "Being scared can stop you from discovering or being a part of something great."

"Not everyone is like you Skyler," I said. "You can do anything and it always turns out well for you."

"True, but that doesn't mean it can't turn out well for you also," Skyler pointed out.

"Well, I just…just don't want to talk about this anymore," I said flustered.

Zeke and Skyler started to laugh at me.

"No worries," Zeke reassured. "You'll have plenty of time to sort out your feelings. I don't think Hiro is going anywhere far from you anytime soon nor in the next few years."

"Hey, I'm getting bored hanging around here while Storm gets his beauty sleep. Let's go out and get something to eat or do something. I'm going out of my mind," Skyler said, changing the subject.

"Where do you want to go?" I asked.

"Grease Trucks?" Skyler asked. "I could go for a couple fat sandwiches."

"Don't you mean a dozen?" Zeke asked.

"Yeah," Skyler said unabashedly. "Let's go."

He led the way; within a few minutes we were at the little mock truck food stand. There was no line since technically it was winter break and not many students were milling around.

Skyler bought a few sodas and got two sandwiches right off the bat. He polished them off before Zeke and I finished our first ones. In total, Skyler got down an impressive seven sandwiches.

"What, they aren't THAT big," Skyler said in defense.

These sandwiches were known to be artery clogging. One sandwich could contain fries, mozzarella sticks, chicken, or other various fatty type foods. Skyler may have maintained his fit build despite his diet, but it certainly wasn't healthy. I think Storm definitely had the right idea in trying to eat balanced meals.

Apparently Zeke was thinking the same way.

"Skyler, when was the last time you got your cholesterol checked?"

Skyler looked at Zeke as if he had two heads. Then he frowned although it really couldn't be considered a frown because he was smiling slightly.

"When did you talk to my mother?" he demanded.

"What?" Zeke asked in confusion.

"My mom-she must have called you somehow to harp on me about my eating habits," Skyler said. "That woman," he muttered.

Zeke shook his head. "She didn't," he said in amusement. "I'm just worried about you."

"Why?" Skyler asked, honestly looking perplexed.

"You could get a heart attack at any age. You don't have to be old, you know," I added.

Zeke looked at me gratefully.

Skyler looked bummed. "But I love food," he said in a small voice.

I smiled at him as I continued to chew my sandwich.

"How about I stop eating junk food when I start to get fat?" Skyler reasoned.

Skyler didn't seem like he would ever be fat. I had seen his parents; getting fat just wasn't in his genetic makeup.

"Will you dump me if I get fat?" Skyler asked Zeke imploringly.

Zeke shook his head. "No. Would you?"

"No, I would just work out with you and make you lose the weight," Skyler said smiling. "Then you'd be all hot again."

"So you just like me for my looks then?" Zeke asked sarcastically.

"You got it," Skyler said cocking his finger at Zeke. Zeke just rolled his eyes.

Skyler looked adoringly at Zeke as he ate. "I love you."

Zeke smiled. "I love you, too. I'll love even a fat you."

Skyler smiled sweetly.

"You're being gross again!" I whined. "I think we should go back to your place so I can retch," I said sarcastically and Zeke tossed his straw wrapper at me.

Skyler glanced at his cell. "We should be getting back anyway. Storm should be up and I want to shower before we leave."

We made the walk to his apartment. Storm was just getting dressed.

"Hey I was wondering where you were," he said.

"We were getting some greasy food," Skyler said.

"Trucks?" Storm asked. Skyler nodded.

"Get ready," was all Storm said. Skyler nodded again.

"Wanna shower with me?" Skyler asked Zeke. "It will save time," he added grinning.

Zeke blushed but wordlessly followed Skyler into the bathroom.

I flopped onto their cool leather couch and closed my eyes. I heard a knock and Storm was fussing around in the kitchen.

"Can you get that?" he yelled out.

I ran to the door and swung it open, coming face to face with Bryce and Hela.

I smiled. "Hey guys."

"Hey Crew," Bryce said smiling back. He and Hela took a step inside.

"We're almost ready," I said, "But Skyler and Zeke are showering."

"Together?" Bryce asked in amusement.

I rolled my eyes. "Those two horn dogs were this close to having sex in front of me," I said.

Hela smirked. "A free sex show? Who would pass that up?" Bryce smacked his chest with his hand.

"Free sex show? Where and how do I sign up?" Skyler asked as he stepped out of the bathroom, fully dressed, thank god. He was toweling off his damp black hair. While wet, it hung close to his sides.

Zeke was a couple of steps behind him, looking a little flushed. He blushed further when everyone stared at his face knowingly.

Storm stepped out of the kitchen with a coffee mug.

"What's up with the coffee? Why are you so tired all the time? Why all the napping and the coffee?" Skyler asked.

"I don't know, I'm just beat lately," Storm replied. "Dry your hair, you'll get sick," he said to his twin. Skyler rolled his eyes but headed to the bathroom; seconds later, I heard the blow dryer going.

"I can drive," Bryce offered, "If you're that tired."

"Nah, that's ok. Maybe on the way back though," Storm said. He grabbed his keys and waited for Skyler to primp. Five minutes later we headed out the door.

"What show are we seeing?" Hela asked.

"Alter Boyz," Skyler called back. He was already downstairs.

"I’ve never heard of that," Bryce said.

"It's good."

"You've seen it?" Hela asked.

"Yeah, but it's funny with good dancing and music, so I don't mind seeing it again," Skyler said.

"It's about five guys in a boy band and they're performing a type of concert," Storm added.

"Are the guys good looking?" Crew asked.

"Very," Skyler said approvingly. "Not as good looking as you Z- man!" he added without turning around. Zeke grinned.

"Did you buy tickets yet?" Hela asked.

"No need. It's off Broadway so it's easy to buy tickets on the day of," Storm said.

We got to his silver G35-yeah, he and Skyler had the same car-but in different colors. It must have been some kind of twin thing.

Hela and Bryce piled into the back. I forced Skyler and Zeke in the back with them.

"It's cramped here," Skyler commented.

"Zeke can sit in your lap," I said as I claimed shotgun. I immediately started fiddling with the radio, searching for a decent song.

"Oh yeah," Skyler said in a sleazy tone as he motioned Zeke towards his lap. Zeke easily plopped himself between Skyler's legs.

"Ready for that sex show?" Zeke asked Bryce and Hela.

"Make the audio loud! I want to hear from up here!" I called to the backseat.

"No!" Storm cried out as he shifted into first gear. "Not on the leather seats!"

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

The ride to New York was much smoother and less nerve wracking since Storm was driving. His style was considerably safer than Skyler's.

We ended up parking in Chinatown, in a lot. Saturday nights, it was hard to find parking on the streets. Then we went to get some cheap Chinese food. As I walked behind Storm and Skyler, I couldn't help noticing the looks we were receiving from both men and women.

In all fairness, our group had two hot Asians, three blond guys, and an exotic Irish-Native American mix. Hell, if I were them, I would stare at us too.

When we were seated, the waiter asked us for our orders in broken English. I guess he assumed the twins didn't know any Chinese since they were with a group of white kids and Hela.

But I knew the twins knew Chinese, both Cantonese and Mandarin. They even knew how to write and everything. I remember when I first met them, Skyler complained about how he and Storm still had to go to Chinese classes. I was 18 at the time; the twins were a little less than seven months younger than me and were still 17.

"You know, these Chinese classes are really lame," Skyler grumbled as he, Storm, and I went somewhere to eat after work one night.

"They're not bad; besides, it's important to Mom," Storm reminded.

"I hate going every Saturday morning. It sucks!" Skyler cried out dramatically.

"Why don't you just tell your Mom you don't want to go anymore?" I asked.

Skyler rolled his eyes. "Check it out Crew; I've been trying to weasel my way out of those freaking classes since I was like 10. My Mom is surprisingly adamant about this. I mean, even I couldn't convince her," he said, shocked at his lack of control over his mother.

I smiled. "Well you got something out of it though. It wasn't so bad," I offered.

"Blah, as soon as I turn 18, I'm not going to another class ever again," Skyler groaned. "We have to wake up early for those things!" he said to me, his eyes wide with mock horror. I laughed.

"Big deal, Sky. It's not like you don't wake up early for school during the week," Storm said in exasperation.

"It is a big deal!" Skyler shot back, "We get up early for school Monday thru Friday; I think it's only fair that on weekends we get to sleep in."

I nodded. I guess I did see Skyler's point.

I knew that Skyler loved to complain about these things, but I knew that even now, at almost 21, he still sometimes visited the Chinese school to teach, tutor, or chat with the kids. He was remarkably good with kids. It never ceased to amaze me how much of a people person Skyler was, regardless of someone's age.

After our waiter took our order, we just sat in the Chinese restaurant, taking in the loud noise, the chatter of those around us. Suddenly Skyler and Storm started grinning.

"What's so funny?" Hela asked frowning.

Storm was laughing and Skyler couldn't even talk because his eyes and mouth were squeezed shut as his shoulders shook from his silent laughter.

"What?" I asked in amusement, leaning forward on the table towards them.

"That table over there, with the two Asian guys and that one girl," Storm began but was cut off by Skyler.

"They were talking about us," Skyler informed.

"What were they saying?" Zeke asked curiously.

"They were saying how hot everyone was. They want to get a closer look to see if Storm and I were twins," Skyler said.

"He wished we were gay," Storm added after a moment.

"I swear people always speak Chinese in front of us, even loudly, expecting us not to understand. Making assumptions about us is just plain dumb," Skyler added.

Suddenly Skyler turned to face the table with the two guys and girl. They were diagonal from the right of us and a couple seats ahead. He started talking to them in Chinese. Storm was laughing and mid-way, slapped Skyler's arm. Moments later, Skyler turned back to face us. The two guys were blushing and suddenly paying rapt attention to their food.

"What did you say?" I asked curiously.

"I thanked them for the compliments and I said that Storm and I are twins, but only I was gay," Skyler said, "And taken," he added for Zeke's benefit.

"I think they were disappointed," Storm said.

"Yeah, well I'd be disappointed too. I'm a great catch," Skyler said confidently.

"Is that right Zeke?" Storm asked smiling.

Zeke shrugged. "Occasionally. The feeling comes and goes," he said nonchalantly; a small smile forming on his lips. Skyler only smiled and rolled his eyes.

For the rest of the time, we just talked about meaningless stuff until our food came. It did come relatively fast. After eating, we hopped the N train to get to 42nd Street. From there we could easily walk through Times Square and towards the Altar Boys show which was further down-not that we minded the walk.

Like Skyler and Storm said, there was no problem obtaining tickets. After all, the show had been playing for awhile and wasn't as popular as it once was. We got our tickets and headed inside to get seated.

The theater was small; that wasn't surprising since it was off-Broadway after all. Our seats were in the middle, but towards the right. Overall, it was good; I had a clear line of vision.

As soon as it started, I loved the show. The dialogue was humorous, some Jewish and gay jokes were included, and there was an openly gay guy in the cast. He would be what one considered ‘a flamer’, but he was cute and had quite a nice voice.

There was a lot of dancing and singing. I enjoyed it. All the guys had good voices and the choreography was amazing. I think everyone had a good time. It was a short show, less than two hours long and no intermission. It was only about a quarter to ten when we got out. We decided to just walk around and maybe find something to eat.

Even though we weren't in Times Square, there were restaurants around. Since it was a fairly nice Saturday night, despite the chill temperature, and it wasn't even ten yet, lots of people were around. Young and middle-aged people were walking around, crowding the streets. I could tell some restaurants were packed. It was fun being in New York because you could always feel alive and vibrant in this type of setting.

The only thing was that I wished Hiro was here. He was definitely missing out. I would have liked him to be here with me.

"FOOD!" Skyler chanted as he hopped up and down. Everyone looked at him with amusement, including the passing strangers.

"Let's get some FOOD!" he continued, hopping backwards.

We started walking around, not necessarily in a certain direction. The night was young and we had plenty of time to waste.

"Ooh, let's go here," Skyler said pointing to Tasti Delight.

"Ice cream?" Zeke asked.

"That's not food," Storm put in.

"Okay then, dessert now and FOOD later," Skyler called out since he was already headed in the direction of the ice cream place.

We had no choice but to follow. Once inside, we realized it was a nice place, cute. And they had a nice selection of flavors. We each ended up getting a cup of ice cream and just sat down to eat it and talk about the show we had seen.

Of course when we finished, Skyler was still hungry and even Storm agreed.

"Every time I eat anything chocolate, I get cravings for real food, whether or not I'm really hungry," Storm said.

Hela checked his watch. "Well, we ate around six and it's past ten now, so it's not that far out if we're hungry," he reasoned.

"Yeah, I could eat too," Bryce added.

"Let's go walk to Times Square and find something to eat. Then we can just walk around there. There are more people," Storm said.

"Cool," Zeke agreed; he planted himself beside Skyler as we made the trek back to 42nd.

As Storm said, there were loads of people in Times Square. I had some trouble walking around without getting knocked by people.

We decided to eat at Applebee’s; although it was a restaurant we had at home, Skyler was in the mood for their molten chocolate cake he liked so much and at least we knew what we liked from there. Inside, there was a considerable line in front of us. The bar was crowded with people as well. I had trouble hearing my friends over the laughter and sounds of people eating.

By the time we were seated, it was around 11:45 and the service was kind of slow since it was so packed. I was happy though and in no rush to get out of there. I looked at Skyler and Zeke poring over a menu together and Bryce and Hela whispering to each other about something.

I realized that I was having such a great time. The thought of school starting in a few days caused me to bum out. I didn't want to leave here and go back to school.

Ugh, school.

I forced myself not to think about school.

I must have been thinking too long because I felt Storm elbowing me in my stomach. I grunted as I looked over at him questioningly. Storm just jutted his chin upwards. I noticed a waiter was standing with a pen and pad of paper, looking at me expectantly.

"What can I get for you?" the guy asked, smiling widely at me.

I blushed. "Uh, the chicken fingers platter and a Sprite," I managed to get out.

The waiter smiled at me again and took my menu, never taking his eyes off of me.

Once he was gone, I saw everyone smiling at me knowingly.

I was becoming creeped out by all this staring.

"What?" I demanded defensively, shrinking into the booth under their stares.

"Well, dear Crew, while you were off in the clouds, Charlie, our waiter was totally checking you out," Skyler said in a haughty tone.

"Not that you noticed," Zeke said shaking his head.

"I think he was disappointed you didn't notice him," Bryce added grinning.

"The waiters certainly do love Crew," Hela piped in smirking.

"It's because Crew's so adorable," Storm said in a baby voice, as he pinched my cheek.

I knocked his hand away, blushing furiously, which caused everyone to laugh at my discomfort.

"He was not checking me out," I retorted folding my arms.

"He definitely was. His mouth was hanging open. I think some of his drool is over here; hold up; let me check!" Skyler said, holding up his finger and inspecting the wooden table. "Yup! This spot right here is drool caused by looking at you."

Zeke snickered at me and Hela and Bryce were smiling.

I felt hot and sweaty. God, I hated it when my friends teased me about guys checking me out.

"I bet you wish Hiro was here now, don't you?" Zeke teased.

"Yeah, Hiro would set Charlie straight. Hiro would shoot him the evil eye and hold your hand," Skyler said cackling.

"Ooh, you better not mention this to Hiro. He might come down here just to kung fu Charlie's ass for looking at his Crew," Zeke taunted smiling. He was enjoying this way too much, in my opinion.

"Don't worry, Crew; I know what it's like to be hit on and not want the attention. Remember that gay club we went to? I couldn't keep this guy's hands off of me," Storm said. "I'll be your boyfriend tonight," he said, draping his arm over my shoulder just as Charlie came back with our drinks.

As he placed the drinks down in front of us, I noticed him glance at Storm's arm around me; he smiled slightly, in disappointment. I avoided his eyes for all it was worth.

"I'll be right out with your food," he said before walking away.

"Ah, the poor boy has to mend his broken heart," Skyler said, adding a fake sniffle for effect. “He’s probably bawling in the kitchen as we speak. And the cook, Miguel, who doesn’t speak a lick of English, is trying to console poor Charlie, telling him that there are other fish in the sea,” Skyler grinned at me.

I glared at him causing everyone else to laugh at me.

"By the way, bro, nice evil stare. Have you been secretly taking pointers from Hiro?" Skyler said, turning to his brother.

"Nah, I came up with that all by myself," Storm said proudly, taking his arm away from me.

"Nice," Skyler commented in admiration.

Even though Storm was supposedly my boyfriend for the evening, that didn't stop Charlie from shooting me lust filled looks every time he came by to ask us how we were doing or if we wanted dessert.

"The way Charlie was looking at Crew, I swear he wanted him as a dessert!" Zeke said laughing. I continued to blush and really just wanted to bolt out of there.

Charlie came by with the check. He smiled at me one more time before turning away. Thankfully, my friends were busy as they studied the check to see how much they needed to put in for their own share.

"We should give the guy a good tip. His service was pretty good," Bryce said.

"Yeah, I bet if Crew were single, he'd give a different kind of good service," Skyler said, winking at me; Zeke snickered. I rolled my eyes, feeling my face flame up once again and Storm patted my head.

"Come on, let's walk around. I feel really full now," Hela said, nudging Skyler and Zeke out of his way. As we made our way to the door, I spotted Charlie at the host stand talking; he caught my eye as we walked past.

"Thanks for coming," Charlie said, smiling at me.

I nodded and quickly marched ahead of my friends, breathing a sigh of relief when I made it outside. I saw Skyler grab Zeke's hand and jerk him forward. We followed them towards the Swatch store where Skyler and Zeke checked out strange looking watches. They seemed more like jewelry than watches to me.

It was late now, around one am. For some reason, I felt like talking to Hiro, but had a feeling he would be sleeping already. I figured there would be no harm in texting him, so I wrote a message saying how I missed him and wished that he was here with me.

A few minutes later, my cell started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Hey baby," Hiro's voice drifted in my ear.

I smiled widely. "Hey, you're still awake."

"Yeah, whenever my grandmother was napping, I napped too since I had nothing better to do. Now I'm kind of wide awake. Are you having fun?" he asked.

"Yeah. The show was really good-good singing and dancing. We ate Chinese before we came here and then at Applebee’s. Now we're just looking at some stores, or rather Skyler and Zeke are looking at stuff, and the rest of us are milling around," I said.

Hiro was in the middle of saying something; I couldn't make it out because the next thing I knew, Skyler was ripping the phone out of my hand and Zeke had jumped on my back, effectively holding me back.

"Hey Hiro, this is Skyler. How's it going?" Skyler said grinning.

"Oh yeah, we're having a great time. Especially Crew here. Did he mention some guy totally hit on him at Applebee’s?"

I tried to reach for the phone but he held it away from me.

"Zeke, get off me," I said.

"No, don't worry; Storm stepped up to the plate. He pretended Crew was his boyfriend; the guy backed off, well mostly. He still couldn't tear his eyes away from Angelina Jolie over here," Skyler said, smirking at me.

I leaned forward abruptly. With a cry, Zeke rolled forward off my back and landed on his feet; I lunged at Skyler.

"Yeah, because his lips are really red and-"

"Give me that," I demanded, taking the phone back. "Hiro?"

I heard Hiro laughing. "Yeah Crew?"

"Uh, just forget everything Skyler said, he's just being an idiot," I said, shooting him a dirty look. Skyler started bowling over as he cracked up, earning him some strange looks.

"It's ok, Crew. You can't help it if guys find you attractive. Hell, I find your Angelina Jolie lips attractive too," he said snorting.

"I see that Skyler has corrupted you. Goodbye Hiro," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Wait, Crew, I was just kidding," Hiro said still laughing. "Listen, just have fun and call me tomorrow ok? I think I might try to get some sleep now."

"Okay Hiro. I'll call you tomorrow," I promised. "Bye."

"Bye baby, love you," and then he hung up.

I just stared at my cell and looked at it stupidly.

"What's up?" Bryce asked when he saw me staring at the phone. Apparently Skyler and Zeke had headed off to another store with Hela and Storm in tow. That left Bryce to come and find me.

"Nothing," I said, shaking my head and stuffing my cell into my pocket.

"Are you sure? You look weird," Bryce said for lack of a better word.

"No, it's just that," I began, not knowing where to begin, especially with Bryce, whom I didn't know all that well. Then again, since I didn't know him too well, maybe it would be good to get his opinion. Plus, he was older than and not as immature as Skyler or Zeke.

"Actually, I was just on the phone with Hiro, my boyfriend. Then when he said bye, he added ‘love you’ and hung up," I said, shaking my head. "I don't want to be a girl and over analyze this or anything, but did he just say ‘I love you’, or was it just a friendly nonchalant ‘luv ya’?"

Bryce smiled at me. "How long have you guys been dating?"

I shook my head. "That's the thing. We officially started going out two weeks ago, but we've known each other since the beginning of September."

"Do you think it's too soon to say ‘I love you’?" Bryce asked.

I shrugged. "Maybe?"

"Do you love him?" he asked.

I hesitated. "I don't know?"

Bryce laughed. "That sounds like a question to me, Crew."

I blushed. "Well I think it's dumb to exchange ‘I love you’ so soon in a relationship. I just…I'm just confused. I don't know anything anymore," I sighed.

"Listen: try not to let this stuff stress you out, ok? Just let things come naturally. When you feel ready, you can tell him you love him-I know you do," Bryce said smiling. "Your face tells it all. I'm sure he loves you back; all the time you've been spending together, he was there too; it was probably just as special to him as it was to you."

"Plus," he said, breaking into my thoughts again, "Maybe he'll say it again to you sometime soon; then you can be like, ‘love you too’ and gauge his reaction." I watched him pause and frown. "You know what? This is hard and I'm confusing myself!" he said, clapping me on the back; I laughed. "My main point is, not to worry," he finished.

I chuckled. "Great advice, Bryce," I said.

He shrugged and gave me a friendly smile. "I tried," he said helplessly.

"Thanks, I actually do appreciate it. It was the first conversation I’ve ever had about Hiro without someone laughing at me," I said, pointing over at Skyler and Zeke who were laughing loudly, most likely about something stupid.

Bryce grinned and grabbed my arm. "Come on; let's catch up with the rest of the group."

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

I yawned loudly and poked Storm's side to get this attention.

"Can we go yet? I'm exhausted," I said, barely able to keep my eyes open.

I didn't look at my cell or anything, but it felt late. Yet, people were still walking around the brightly lit area. New York was, after all, the city that never sleeps.

"There can't possibly be anymore stores to look at," I whined.

Zeke wrapped his arm around my waist. "Yeah, it is getting late. We should get going," he agreed.

"It's like almost three in the morning. I could use some Zs-or one Z in particular," Skyler said, pulling Zeke from me.

"My god; how the hell do you keep Skyler off of you in the middle of the night?" Hela asked, shaking his head at Zeke.

"Handcuffs," Zeke replied smartly.

"My kinky boy," Skyler joked, laughing.

Storm rolled his eyes. "I think we should crash at Mom's tonight. My room is farther away from yours. I don't want to hear moans all night long," he said shuddering.

"Fine; whatever. My bed at home is bigger," Skyler said, winking at Zeke.

"Let's go," I said, leading the way to the trains. I was suddenly filled with energy, due to my eagerness to get home and sleep.

This late at night, the train system was creepy. It was empty and eerie. Sometimes you encountered strange people. That’s why it was a good idea to travel in large groups when staying out into the morning.

Finally, the R train came and we headed to Chinatown. Once we got on ground level and were walking towards the parking lot, we encountered a large group of guys. The only difference between them and us was that they seemed loud, obnoxious, and slightly intoxicated. All in all, that spelled a bad combination, especially with the way they were eyeing us, or more specifically, at something behind me.

I glanced back and noticed that Skyler and Zeke were lagging behind the rest of us, holding hands and hugging. Skyler was rubbing Zeke's neck and kissing his cheek. This did not go unnoticed by the guys, who looked like young, rowdy, bigoted, frat boy types.

I braced myself for trouble; I could sense it. Apparently Storm could too, because he stepped forward slightly, squaring his shoulders as if preparing for something bad to come.

"Hey look at those fags over there!" one of them slurred out loudly. I glanced at Skyler and Zeke who blanched and froze behind us.

"I bet all of them are fags. They probably get together for one mass orgy."

"Fucking disgusting, stupid fudge packers," another one sneered.

I didn't even get a chance to register the fact that Storm had lunged forward and punched the guy in front while kicking another one at the same time. It took Hela, Bryce, Zeke, and Skyler a few seconds to process what was unfolding in front of them. It was not until the frat guys ganged up on Storm that my friends jumped into action.

Everyone but me. For some reason I froze and couldn't make my limbs move.

Except for Zeke who was kind of small like me, all the guys were pretty tall and built. Hela and Bryce easily handled the guys they were fighting, and Skyler was busy tearing a guy off of Zeke. Storm was going wild, striking two guys at once. I had never seen him like this before. So many bodies were moving nonstop, I couldn't count the number of guys we were fighting. I would estimate it to be about six maybe?

I saw Storm get punched and he stumbled to the ground.

"Storm!" Skyler yelled out, noticing his brother fall. He kicked a guy in the stomach before heading in the direction of Storm.

"I'm fine!" Storm managed to shout, "Help Zeke!" as he saw Zeke being tackled by the guy who had gotten up from the asphalt.

I was breathing hard and looking around wildly, desperately searching for help, but it was oddly deserted on the streets. I think I was having a mild anxiety attack or something. I felt paralyzed. Suddenly I felt a heavy weight fall on top of me. I grimaced as I felt my head knock against the concrete sharply, my face scraping the asphalt, and then a burning feeling. I was rolled roughly onto my back and saw a brunette guy with a bloody lip straddling me.

"You a fag too?" he asked me. "Want some of this?" he asked, groping his crotch.

"Get off me!" I shouted, struggling underneath him. He punched me and my head snapped to the side. Warm liquid spilled out of my nose. I groaned and tried to roll over, but I couldn't since the guy's weight was still pressed on me.

"Crew?" I heard someone shout. A moment later, I was being pulled into a sitting position. I felt slightly dizzy.

"Want some more, huh, you fucking punks?" I heard Storm shouting, but it sounded faint to my ears.

"Crew, are you ok?" Bryce asked me. I zeroed in on his face; his blue eyes were filled with concern. "Come on, kiddo, stand up," Bryce said, trying to lift me.

I tried to but my legs gave out. "Crew, stand up!" Bryce hollered at me, forcefully dragging me up. He slapped my face and shook my shoulders roughly.

"Hey, calm down; he could be hurt," Zeke snapped, pushing Bryce's arms away and taking hold of me.

"I'm fine," I mumbled. "Just tired."

"We have to keep him moving. We don't know how hard he hit his head when that guy jumped him," Bryce argued.

"Yeah, but don't slap him," Zeke shot back.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Skyler said, holding onto Storm's arm.

"Is the fight over?" I murmured dropping my head onto Zeke's shoulder.

"They're knocked down," Hela said. "They were too drunk to be much of a threat."

"Let's get to the car," Zeke ordered Skyler and Storm as he tried to drag me along. It was hard for him since we were about the same height and build.

I saw Skyler and Storm run ahead of us towards the lot we parked in on Worth Street, while Hela, Bryce, and Zeke stayed with me.

"You're bleeding," Zeke said frowning.

"So are you," I said smiling stupidly.

"We have bruises; you're bleeding on your cheek and from your nose. You might have a concussion," Zeke said.

"No," I said fluttering my eyes. "I'm fine."

I closed my eyes but forced them open when I felt the sting on my cheek. "Who slapped me?" I demanded, shaking the sleep from my eyes.

Zeke grinned. "I'm thinking you had the right idea, Bryce."

Bryce smirked. "That's why I was being so rough on him before," he explained.

I smiled. "I'm ok, Zeke," I said hugging him and shutting my eyes again.

"Crew! Snap out of it!" Zeke said, pushing me away and slapping my face.

What the fuck? I was getting beat on by my own friends. Was that messed up or what?

"Ugh, what an asshole," I muttered. "I'm just tired, that's all!"

"The car's here," Hela informed us.

To prove I was ok, I walked to the car all by myself and planted my ass in the front.

"I'll drive," Skyler volunteered.

"No way," Storm said firmly, "Not my car."

"Storm, you were like fighting five guys at once, let me drive, ok?" Skyler asked seriously.

"Fine, but Bryce and Hela are sitting on one another. I'm not having Zeke on my lap," Storm grumbled.

Zeke grinned. "Why not, Storm? I'm not hideous, am I?" he pouted, rubbing his hand along Storm's back slowly. Storm shot him a dirty look and knocked Zeke's hand away. Zeke giggled.

"Wait, I'll sit in the front and we should let Crew be in the back. He can stretch out on all of your laps," Storm suggested.

Before I had a chance to protest, I was being forced into the backseat. My legs and torso were resting on Hela and Bryce's lap, while my head was in Zeke's where he could make sure I didn't fall into a deep sleep.

When Skyler stopped short at a light, Storm sighed loudly. I felt three pairs of hands quickly latch onto me, to stop me from falling forward.

"Sorry guys," was all Skyler said.

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

"Why the hell are we at White Castle?" Storm said, when Skyler pulled off Route 1 and into the parking lot.

"All that fighting got me starving," Skyler said, getting out and holding the door for Zeke to come out.

I stumbled out. "I'm thirsty," I said.

"No problem, Crew. We'll get you something to drink," Skyler said, wrapping his arm around me and heading towards the entrance.

As soon as we got inside though, Zeke pulled me to the bathroom.

I glanced at my reflection and gasped. I had caked up blood on my nose, lips, and chin, and an ugly scratch on my left cheek, and a swelling bruise on my forehead.

"I look like shit!" I exclaimed, examining my face.

"You look fine," Zeke cooed. He wiped a cold wet napkin on my bloodied face.

"Ouch, watch it," I said as my eyes began to tear. "I did get punched in the nose."

"What happened to you back there? Why did you just stand there?" Zeke asked curiously.

I shook my head. "I don't know. I just blanked."

"Well, you'll be fine," Zeke reassured me. He led me out and I saw that everyone was already seated. Skyler was the only one with food. He had six burgers, onion rings, and fries. Everyone else had a soda. I smiled when Skyler handed me a large cup of Sprite.

"So, that was some fight," Skyler said breaking into everyone's thoughtful silence. Everyone laughed at that.

"Yeah, it was," Hela said grinning slightly.

"We took them out pretty easily," Bryce agreed.

"But what made you go all ape shit, Storm?" Zeke asked cocking his head. “I swear you were out for blood or something?”

Storm paused dramatically. "All I can say Skyler, is that we're even."

"Even?" Zeke asked in confusion.

"Fifth grade," was all Storm gave to us.

We all frowned confusedly, looking back and forth between Storm and Skyler, our gazes finally resting on Skyler as a look of understanding came upon him.

"Oh, fifth grade."

"What the hell happened in the fifth grade?" Zeke asked impatiently.

"Some guy in gym class wouldn't let Storm play in their game and called Storm a chink, the racist bastard. Storm felt really bad about it and told me," Skyler explained.

"Then, after school, Skyler totally jumped the poor kid and beat the shit out of him," Storm said smiling.

"I got in mad trouble for that one bro," Skyler pointed out. "Mom and Dad were not happy."

"Yeah, you got grounded," Storm said, "For two weeks."

"It was worth it," Skyler said shrugging. "The next day he was practically begging you to play with him."

"He couldn't even play! His face was too swollen," Storm crowed.

"So this was…?" Zeke asked, his brow knitted.

"We're even now. You defended me then; I defended you now," Storm said.

Skyler smiled. "Bro, I'll defend you whenever and you don't even have to pay me back for it."

"I know. I was just in the mood to return the favor," Storm said shrugging nonchalantly.

We fell silent, sipping our drinks as Skyler munched on his food. We all looked at each other. For some reason, we burst out laughing at absolutely nothing. The workers and few individuals eating there shot us weird looks which only caused us to laugh more.

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

On the drive home, I managed to get everyone off my case so I could finally nap, which I did. When we arrived at the twin's house, I was surprised to know that Hela and Bryce had already been dropped off at their apartment. I must have really passed out.

I shook my head of the sleep and walked groggily inside the twins’ home. I was glad we were staying at their mom's house instead of their apartment. I was mad tired and I didn't want to crash on their couch. This way I could sleep in their mom's guest bedroom which was just as nice and comfortable as the twins’ own bedrooms.

The twins opened the front door quietly. Zeke and I followed them inside.

Mrs. Chin was in the kitchen. We were all surprised that she was still up. It looked like she was in the middle of heating up some water and didn't hear us come in.

"Hey mom," Skyler said and she spun around quickly, holding her hand to her chest, obviously startled.

"You scared…what the hell happened to you?" she demanded, suddenly taking in the bruises on her sons’ pale faces, Zeke's swelling lip and eye, and my scratched up cheek.

She placed her hands on her hips and shot pointed glares at her sons.

Skyler and Storm stared at their mother and simultaneously pointed to one another.

"It was his fault," they said in unison. Her frown only deepened.