Jumping Over My Mountain - 15. Chapter 15

Jumping Over My Mountain
by Tiffani Chin

Chapter 15

---------------------------------------------

************SKYLER***********

"I got all A's this semester!" I chanted as I followed Storm into Mom's kitchen. It was a few days after finals. Storm, Crew, and I were having dinner at my Mom's house.

I was never one to care about grades. Honestly, getting straight A's really didn't make me that happy. On the other hand, knowing that I got all A's, while super smart Storm got A's and one B, made me giddy.

I loved feeling superior to my twin.

"Now who's smarter?" I taunted, "That's right, in your face!" I said, hopping behind him.

"I just proved my superior status. I'm smarter than you! I'm smarter than you! I'm smarter… suck it-oh shit!" I yelled out, as I tripped over my hockey stick that was lying around on the floor.

I crashed to the ground with a loud smack.

Storm spun around and immediately started laughing at me. He then headed into the kitchen. I was still on the ground laughing at myself.

Crew helped me up since he had been walking behind me.

"Thanks bud."

"Boys, are you ok?" my Mom called out.

"Yeah, Skyler just fell!" Crew called back.

"Oh ok," my Mom said and then there was silence.

I laughed. My mother’s concern for me was just touching. Truly touching!

We all took our seats at the large rectangular table. I smiled as I looked at the food she had prepared. There was nothing better than Mom's home cooking.

"What was all that shouting I heard before?" she asked curiously, as she took Crew's plate and started to fill it with food.

I smiled when I saw the almost unconscious gesture. When Storm and I met Crew almost three years back, we learned of his tragedy. From then on, he had become a constant fixture at our house. Our Mom pretty much treated him as if he were another son.

I swear if she could have, she would have adopted him. She totally liked him more than me!

"Skyler got all A's this semester," Storm said.

I watched as Mom's mouth dropped open. She looked at me with amazement.

I would have laughed, but I knew her reaction was completely genuine.

"See Mom, I'm not dumb after all," I said, reaching for a piece of garlic bread.

"Skyler, honey, I never thought you were dumb. I always knew you were smart, but you never applied yourself. That's what every teacher told me every single year. I'm just shocked that you suddenly decided to work harder. Don't think I haven't noticed a change in your, uh, habits," she said handing Storm the bowl of salad.

I shrugged, "Yeah, I don't know what happened either. I just felt like going to class all of a sudden."

"Wow," she said, still in awe, "Well, that's just great. I am so proud of you, and you too," she added, looking at Storm, then Crew, "I know you both did well."

"Sure, except Stormy boy got one B," I said with mock horror. "Mom, you better hide those razors so he doesn't try to do something crazy," I said in a solemn tone as I did the universal gesture for an insane person.

She shook her head in a disapproving manner, "Skyler!"

I burst out laughing.

"Well, I hope you keep it up, Skyler. You have a lot of work to do if you're going to bring up that GPA of yours," my mother went on.

I rolled my eyes, "I will," I said sighing, "Jeez, couldn't let me enjoy this, could you?"

She smiled and studied me silently for a moment. I would have said something but I was too busy taking a bite of her shrimp.

"What?" I asked her after I had chewed and swallowed.

"I was just wondering when this new academic side of you occurred. Why this sudden desire to go to class and do your homework?" she mused.

"I don't know. I guess I just felt like it," I said, not knowing what the big deal was.

"No way, I think there's more to it than that," she said, smiling knowingly, "I think this all started this past winter break after you and Zeke, you know, got together."

I heard Crew laughing at the other end of the table. I shot him a dirty look that he pretended not to notice.

"Yeah," my Mom continued, "I never realized how great an influence Zeke had over you. This is just great. Well now I couldn't be happier with you and Zeke. I wish you had met him freshman year. It would have saved me a lot of threats to pull you out of school."

"Hmm, maybe I should send him something as a thank you," she pondered aloud in a thoughtful tone, tilting her head and placing her index finger on her chin.

"Mom, don't," I groaned.

"What?" she asked innocently, "Why not? He is the one responsible for saving your college career. I feel grateful to him and I should do something to show my motherly appreciation."

"Mom," I whined, "Don't embarrass me."

Ignoring me, she asked, "He goes to school in Boston?"

Crew nodded. Traitor!

"Mom, don't! Otherwise, I'll flunk next semester," I threatened.

She didn't appear to be too worried though, "If you did that, don't you think Zeke would be disappointed and sad that you had screwed up your future?" she asked deviously.

"Yeah, wouldn't want to upset Zeke," Storm mocked, making a loud whipping noise. Crew snickered and choked a little on his food, as he was unable to coordinate eating and laughing.

I opened my mouth to argue, but nothing came out. Seconds later, I shut my mouth.

They actually had me on that one.

I didn't consider myself whipped, but I cared about Zeke's opinion. I knew that he wouldn't want me to fail college. I would only be hurting myself.

In some ways, I guess I was more focused and motivated to do well in school because of him. In addition, I was no longer interested in having wild parties on a daily basis.

Mom smiled triumphantly, "I knew it," she said smugly.

I stuck my tongue out at her before stuffing a large forkful of pasta into my mouth.

"Is Zeke planning to visit for the summer?" she asked.

I nodded.

"When does he get in?"

I eyed her suspiciously but answered nonetheless.

"Tomorrow afternoon. He wanted to sleep after his last final, to get some rest before he drove over here," I replied.

She nodded, "He should come for dinner."

I nodded. That sounded reasonable. I could live with that.

She then turned to Crew.

"Crew, you should bring that boy you were with last time, at the Christmas party. I would love to have him over for dinner as well."

I smiled as Crew flushed a little.

"Yeah ‘Crewy’, bring Hiro along," I said smirking.

"He seems like a nice young man, if a little quiet. I don't usually care for quiet boys, well actually, no that's not right, I would love quiet boys. It would be a nice change from what I usually deal with," she said, glancing pointedly at me before facing Crew again, "You two seem wonderful together."

Crew nodded, "Ok, I'll invite him next time."

"Good," Mom said, nodding in satisfaction, "I want to make sure my boys are being taken care of," she said, smiling at Crew affectionately.

I saw Crew blush but smile widely. I knew he loved it when my Mom showered him with attention. I loved it when people showered me with attention. I was definitely an attention whore. But Crew was different, especially since his own mother wasn't around anymore. I couldn't imagine not having my Mom around.

"Do you boys have any plans for your birthday?" she asked, turning to me and Storm.

"We're thinking of having a party at the apartment. It won't be a huge as our New Year's Eve parties. It's over the summer and a lot of the kids will be at work, at summer school, or will have gone back home," Storm said.

"That sounds like fun," she said before pausing, "I feel like I should get something special for you boys, it being your 21st birthday and all, but I have no idea what to get you two nowadays," she said thoughtfully.

"That's ok Mom, you don't need to get us anything," Storm said.

I actually agreed with him on that. I never felt the need to demand gifts from either of my parents. They really provided everything we needed and everything we ever wanted-any time of the year, not just on holidays and birthdays.

Storm smiled at me, "So Sky, what does Zeke plan to get or do for your birthday?" he teased, " I bet, though, that I have a pretty good idea what he's gonna do."

I glared at him. My twin innocently popped a shrimp into his mouth.

"I don't know," I declared. I raised my eyebrow at him challengingly, "Why don't you stay and see what he gives me? I'll, um, open it in front of you," I said grinning.

Storm got my meaning and shook his head.

"No thanks Bro. I'm gonna have to pass on that."

"What? You don't want a front row seat to the live show?" I asked, getting into the game.

Storm looked stricken, "No way! Jeez, it's bad enough I have to hear the audio part of your "show" every night when he's here. If I had the visual, I might go blind."

I snorted and even Crew was trying to hold it together. His mouth was full and I could tell he was trying to make sure it didn't go all over the table. That would have been a perfectly good waste of delicious food.

My poor mother looked confused, "What show? You and Zeke have been performing a show?"

"Oh Mom!" I sang out, "It's nothing."

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

"You got all A's? That's awesome!" Zeke exclaimed when he came over Saturday afternoon.

"Yep!" I said, swinging him around when he walked into the apartment. "Oh! Beware of my Mom. She wants to buy you some kind of gift for getting me on track," I said, plopping him on the couch and lying on top of him, kissing him gently.

"Mmm, so I'm the reason you're suddenly smarter?" Zeke asked.

"Nah, I was always brilliant. I guess you just brought it out of me," I answered smiling.

"You know, I did a lot better too. I didn't have all A's, but I got a mixture of A's and B's, which for me, is like ‘wow’," he said, "I guess I didn't really go out as much."

"Because you have a boyfriend?" I asked grinning.

Zeke looked at me through half closed lids, which I found to be really attractive.

"Yeah, I guess whenever someone finds a boyfriend or a girlfriend, they no longer feel the need to go out and socialize. Normally I would be pissed about becoming a sudden hermit, but with you, I just don't care," he said.

"Aw, what a nice sentiment!" I joked, but then I became serious, "I know what you mean though. Yo, I haven't been to a single party, gotten drunk or high since we officially started dating. Hell, actually a little before then even," I said, listing them off my fingers, "Everyone's always coming up to me and inviting me to things. It was terribly heartbreaking to watch their faces when I declined their offers," I said, tracing a fake tear down my cheek. I edged my face closer to him, "It's because you, my little blond boy, were on my mind constantly."

Zeke placed a small kiss on my neck.

I sighed contently, "I don't mind. I don't miss the single life anymore," I drawled, attacking Zeke's mouth again as he giggled. I rubbed my hand along his stomach.

"I'm so glad that it's finally summer. We have a long time together," Zeke said, running his fingers through the long top part of my hair.

"Yeah, it's great," I agreed.

"What should we do the entire time?" he asked.

I smirked, "Stay in and have sex everyday," I answered smiling, "Duh! In fact I think we should get started right now," I said, dragging my fingers down to his pants and fiddling with his zipper. Zeke nudged me playfully.

"We'll figure something out. Anything is fine with me as long as we're together," I said pausing to think, "I don't know, want to get a part time job for the summer? We can work together and save up some cash for when we go out other times."

Zeke nodded, "That sounds like a good idea. Where do you want to work?"

"Somewhere in the mall, I guess. I think Storm's working at the Banana Republic in Menlo. There’s a PacSun. Wanna apply there?" I asked, looking at him for approval.

"Yeah cool! I always liked that store," he said nodding in agreement.

"Cool, we'll go there later and apply," I said pecking him on the lips, "But first, there is something urgent we need to do. It's a matter of life and death."

Zeke looked at me questioningly.

"We have to go grocery shopping. There is no food in this joint and I'm going to die!" I proclaimed, before standing up and dragging him along with me.

**************ZEKE*************

I never realized how much fun grocery shopping could be, but that could have been because I was with Skyler.this time around. Wherever he went, fun always followed.

He went down aisles, throwing things into the cart. A couple of times, when we were far apart, looking at different items, he would grab a bag of chips or a box of cookies or some ice cream and yell to me, "Go deep!" Then he would chuck it at me. Now I knew Skyler was a naturally athletic guy, and I'm not sure if he was purposely doing badly, but his aim sucked.

One time, he hit a young guy stocking sodas, with a loaf of bread. The guy turned around, shooting us dirty looks. I'm sure he became even more annoyed when Skyler laughed loudly while attempting to apologize. I didn't help matters by turning red with my fit of giggles.

"Oh, check it out," Skyler said, "Cooking classes." He flipped through some fliers with interest. He glanced at me, "We should do this together."

I looked at him, "You want to take cooking lessons?"

He smiled, "Well you have to learn how to cook, baby, because I am helpless in the kitchen. Otherwise, I might have to find someone else," he teased. I pinched his ass, "Or we can hire someone to cook for us, but it would be better if you learned."

"You can cook. What about winter break?" I asked.

He shook his head, "That was barely me. I cracked some eggs and washed some vegetables, and cut them up. The rest was all Crew. Hell, I didn't even know to put oil in the pan or stir the eggs in the pan."

"So how about it, baby?" he finished, looking at me.

I laughed. The fact that Skyler was helpless in the kitchen just made him even more endearing in my eyes.

"Okay, we'll do it. It does sound like fun," I agreed, smiling when Skyler shot me a pleased look. He pulled me into a corner of the aisle behind a case of cereals, wrapped his arms around my waist, and kissed me.

When we broke apart, I noticed the same stock boy who had been hit by the loaf of bread, looking at us with a shocked expression, his eyes bugging out and his mouth hanging open. Skyler took my hand, and grinned, winking at the guy before pushing our cart to the register.

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

"So where's Hiro?" I asked Crew when I popped by his house Sunday morning.

The twins had gone with their mother to visit their grandparents in New York and they were making a big day of it with all the aunts, uncles, and various cousins.

I didn't mind not seeing him for the entire day because I had spent all of Saturday with him and would have the rest of the summer.

The second reason I was glad that Skyler was away, was because I now had an opportunity to spend some time with Crew. We were still tight friends, but ever since Skyler and I became a couple, and he and Hiro got together, we barely spent any one-on-one time together anymore.

In the past, I used to spend all my breaks with Crew. Now I practically lived with Skyler whenever I came to Jersey. I loved Skyler but I missed my best friend. Now I really felt the need to just talk with Crew and see how everything was going. I felt like we had tons to catch up on.

"He's coming over later tonight. We're going to make dinner together," he said, mopping the kitchen floor with concentration on his face.

I watched as he methodically ran the mop over and over again on the tiles. Crew was such a cleaning freak. Then again, that was probably a good thing. If he didn’t take the time to make sure it was clean, I can’t imagine what the house would look or smell like.

Even when his parents and brother were around, Crew still did most of the house cleaning. He was the one that had helped his mother the most.

"Keep your feet up!" Crew ordered as he mopped underneath the chair I was sitting on.

"Yes sir!" I mocked, "Cooking together, how cute!" I teased, "I thought Hiro would be here already. Don't you guys spend all your time together?"

Crew snorted, "You're one to talk. I'm surprised you remember me at all."

I hung my head and looked at him sheepishly, "Well today I'm glad I’m here. I’ve missed you."

He smiled, "I’ve missed you too, bud."

"How are things?" I asked. The question came out slightly awkwardly and kind of general, like I was talking to a stranger, but I didn't have any specific questions to ask him.

"Um, they're good," Crew said nodding.

I smirked, "Did you have sex with Hiro yet?"

Crew grinned.

Yeah, the tension had been broken with that one single question.

"I thought you would have known already. I told Skyler the other day-or more like he teased it out of me."

My eyes widened, "No, he didn't tell me anything."

Even Crew looked surprised, "Wow, I thought you guys talked about everything."

"Well, we do, but your having sex with Hiro never came up," I said.

Crew rolled his eyes, "Well, that's a good thing in my mind. I don't want my friends talking about my sex life behind my back. It's unsettling."

I chuckled, "I guess it is. So, you've done it?"

Crew blushed a little, then nodded.

"When?"

"It was a Saturday, his last night of being able to stay over before term started. I was so nervous about even bringing it up. But Hiro had me figured out," Crew said.

"He knew you wanted to have sex?" I asked.

Crew shook his head, "No, I tried to act normal and everything, but as soon as he walked in, he knew something was up with me. He eventually got it out of me, although it was slightly awkward on my part. Hiro, of course, was as cool as a cucumber."

I smiled, "Yeah, you can be pretty jittery when you're nervous. I think anyone can read you like a book."

"Thanks," Crew said.

"Was it good?" I asked excitedly.

Crew turned even redder but nodded.

I slapped my palms loudly on the table and Crew jumped a little in his seat.

"Which position?" I asked.

"Bottom."

"Hiro's a top?"

"No, it's not that. He's done both and likes it either way. But he asked me which way I preferred my first time to be. I said I wanted to experience taking it. Hiro even said we could switch since I started to get nervous."

"That's pretty cool. I'm always bottom with Skyler," I said.

"Weren't you bottoming with most of the guys you hooked up with?" Crew asked.

"Yeah, but sometimes we would switch. With Skyler, I mainly like being the bottom."

"Hiro and I haven't done it that many times," Crew said, "Like on weekends and stuff, but not nonstop like you two. I've been bottom every time so far. Hiro never pressures me and usually does what makes me most comfortable."

I smiled. I was glad Hiro was so mindful of Crew's feelings and took such good care of him.

"I was so scared it was going to hurt the first time," Crew said, "But Hiro is amazing. He took such a long time preparing me, you know, and he was so good, I didn't even notice him slipping into me. He made it almost painless. Maybe that's why I don't want to top him; I'm not sure I can prepare him as well and I don't want to hurt him."

Crew paused, "I'm so glad I waited for Hiro," he said, his blue eyes brighter than usual. I smiled.

"I'm happy for you Crew, you really deserve this, after everything," I said sincerely.

Crew nodded, knowing what I meant.

"I'm happy too. It feels like I'm finally where I'm supposed to be in life. I never realized what I had been missing out on when I was like some zombie for two years straight."

"Well, you seem perfectly normal to me now," I piped in.

"Yeah, how things change," he looked at me, "Can you believe we're going to be seniors next year? We're going to be in our last year of college. Eight more months of actual school work and then it's all over. We graduate and we're off into the real world. It kind of scares me," he admitted, "I'm happy right where I am. I'm not ready for anything new. I don't want anything to change. I want to stay in this moment forever." He looked questioningly at me, "Is that bad?"

I shook my head, "No, I know what you mean. Once we graduate, we lose the routine and comfort level we've been in for four years straight. Now after we graduate, we'll be forced into the unknown. That can be stressful and scary. But things will work out, you'll see. Who knows? Maybe something better will happen along the way."

"You're excited to be done with school then?" Crew asked.

"In a way. I had fun in Boston for the most part. I'll miss the area and my friends and my roommate, but I haven't been going out as much with all my classes and shifts at the school gym. I always miss Skyler whenever I'm there, so it brings me down to not be with him," I explained, "To be honest, I do look forward to my future with him."

"What are you both gonna do when you graduate? Are you going to come back home?" he asked.

"Skyler and I plan on moving in together, but we haven't decided where yet," I said, "He wants a change and doesn't know if he wants to be in New Jersey or even the East coast any more."

"You're going to move far then?" Crew asked, looking bummed, "Wow, I'll miss you."

I flicked his ear, "Come on! Don't be like that. You know I would love you to visit. We both will. You're my best friend. Besides, it's not like you'll have tons of spare time for us with Hiro around."

"Hopefully. I mean, I can't plan my future. We all know things never go according to plan. Who knows what may happen to me or to Hiro? Who knows if we'll still be a couple? I hope we're still together for a long time after school ends, but it's no guarantee. Meanwhile, I'm just going to enjoy life, right now, as it is."

"Things are so perfect now, I kind of wish I could freeze everything and stay here forever," Crew said wistfully.

"Everything will be ok, Crew," I said, rubbing his arm comfortingly, "Even if things don't pan out how you want them, it will still be ok. You turned out ok, even after everything. I bet you never thought that would happen," I murmured soothingly. He nodded in agreement.

Crew shook his head and visibly brightened, "Come on! It's officially summer for us. We shouldn't be having this sad, serious talk. Want to do something?"

"Sure," I replied.

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

"Uh, Crew, buddy? Since when do you do archery? How long have you been doing it?" I asked, raising my eyebrow when Crew aimed his bow carefully. I watched his arrow hit the center target with a loud zing.

He smiled at me, "I tried it with Hiro a while ago, before we started dating. Hiro is good at everything," Crew joked, licking his full lips suggestively.

I laughed loudly. When Crew and I stopped laughing, we picked up our equipment and headed towards the outdoor range.

"Hey Zeke?"

"Yeah man?"

"The stuff I told you before, you know about me and Hiro? Do you think you can keep that to yourself? I mean Skyler is cool and everything, but he kind of talks without thinking. I don't want Hiro to think I'm telling everyone about our sex life," Crew said looking serious.

I smiled, "No problem Crew. I completely respect that."

"Thanks."

I looked at the bow and arrow in my hands and frowned in confusion.

"Now what the hell am I supposed to do with this?" I asked, dangling the bow with my fingertips.

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

Shortly after applying to PacSun at the mall on my first day back in New Jersey, Skyler and I both got hired immediately at the clothing store. At first, I thought it would be unlikely they would need many people because the store didn't look too crowded, but Skyler could be charming, well, just about whenever he wanted.

He smiled and introduced himself to the guy behind the counter and even though I didn't think the guy was gay, he was obviously taken with Skyler because of the punk and surfer look he was sporting these days. It was a funny combination and definitely caught people's attention.

Once Skyler started talking about snowboarding and skateboarding, they were engaging in an animated conversation about techniques, tricks, and the best mountains and parks. Then, when Skyler mentioned he was interested in surfing next, the guy seemed to like me and Skyler even more.

He was he wasn't the manager, but his brother was and he knew the store could use some extra hands, especially on the weekends when most people wanted time off. Clint took our applications and told us to come back the next day when he knew his brother would be around, to give a brief interview and maybe even a little training.

Skyler then proceeded to make up some story about how I was living with him for the summer and didn't own a car, so he would appreciate it if our schedules matched.

Clint nodded and looked at me sympathetically. "I'll try to match your schedules or at least make it close by an hour. Bummer, on not having a car, dude."

I nodded, faking sadness, at my so called ‘lack of a car’.

"I can't believe you lied like that," I said, grinning when we were walking out of the mall.

Skyler shrugged, "So what? I'm not hurting anyone and now we can be together. There would be no point in getting this job if we never saw each other. Besides, don't you want to be with me?" he asked, turning his lips downward in a mock frown. His deep brown eyes bore intensely into mine. I never thought brown eyes were that nice before, I mean they were just brown eyes, but Skyler had wide, round, brown eyes with really thick, long black eyelashes. My breathing quickened.

"Yeah," I said breathlessly. He smiled at me.

So now, here we were, working together. It was a weekday. For now it was just the two of us. Eddie, the manager was in the back. Eddie was cool, relaxed, and young, but he could be stern when necessary. He trusted his employees and didn't stalk around breathing down our necks. He was the perfect manager.

Today the store was rather quiet. The weather was so nice that most people were at the beach. Since there were so few customers, I just stocked some things and hung around the register. Skyler looked at the new Vans inventory with interest.

When lunch time came, only one of us could leave at a time, but it was no big deal. I could survive a half hour without him-I wasn't that clingy! Skyler waved to me and left, heading for the stairs to go up to the top floor where Storm was working.

I drummed my fingers on the counter top, slightly bored, but that was to be expected. Work was never that fun, especially when there was nothing to do and no customers. So I did what Skyler had been doing and began looking at some shirts and skateboards. I kept an eye on the entrance in case a customer walked in and I needed to greet them.

My mind was wandering, thinking of what to do this weekend. Skyler and I both had the weekend off. I knew Crew had taken a job as a waiter, but that was only at night, so we could still do something during the daytime. I wasn’t sure what Storm's schedule was like, but I could easily find that out. I knew that Hiro worked at a bookstore that closed early everyday. I was in the mood to do something as a group. I just wasn't sure of what exactly.

Before I knew it, Skyler was back.

"I brought you lunch," he said throwing me a Wendy's bag, "So you can eat lunch around here and I can still see you."

I smiled at him, "Thanks, baby."

Skyler shrugged modestly, "It was mostly for me. I wanted to keep your pretty face in front of me at all times."

I rolled my eyes and slapped his ass. Skyler then grabbed my hand before I was able to fully pull away. He yanked me to him, planting a hard kiss on my lips.I wanted to pull back. We were in such a public place and I didn't want Eddie or any customers to catch us. But I always had so much trouble resisting Skyler.

He pulled me down behind the counter and continued to kiss me, his hands rubbing my neck softly.

"Ahem!"

I fell on my ass in surprise. We both looked up.

Eddie's face was looking at us. I would have been worried, except he was smiling and shaking his head, his green eyes twinkling with laughter.

"I know it's a quiet day around here, but try to keep your make-out sessions in a private area, preferably at home," Eddie advised, before retreating into the back again.

Skyler and I looked at each other and burst out laughing.

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

I shook my head from side to side to clear the water that had fallen into my eyes. I smiled as my favorite ride, Thunder Canyon, came to an end.

It was the third Saturday in May, and Dorney Park and Wild Water Kingdom were both open. We all requested that Saturday off, so we could drive to Philadelphia and spend time in the Parks. I always enjoyed coming here. I hadn't come since my family died. It was nice to be here again.

I noticed Hiro on my right, wiping his long slender fingers over his eyes briefly. He caught my eye and smiled at me as our raft came to a stop. We had to unbuckle our seatbelts and make room for the next group of ride-goers.

"I want to go again!" I announced, as soon as we were off.

"Again?" Bryce groaned. His blond hair was plastered in clumps over his forehead. "We went on this ride exactly six times. I know because I've been keeping count."

"So what? It's a great ride," I argued, "I bet you want to go again!" I said, grinning at him, trying to look as charming and convincing as possible.

Bryce looked at me and sighed, then turned to Hela for help

"Maybe we can take a little break and eat something, relax and then come back," Hela suggested, "We have all day here," he reminded me when I began to pout.

"You'll go with me again, right?" I asked Hiro, giving him my best puppy-eyed look.

Hiro briefly touched my lower back, "We should really eat something. We haven't stopped going on rides since we got here. It would be good for us to get something into our systems."

I scrunched my nose when Hiro didn't agree with me. He only smiled and leaned in closer to me, so he could whisper, "Come on, baby, don't be like that. We'll all take a break and I promise we'll go back on this ride. Even if no one else wants to go, I'll go with you. Just you and me," he said, before pulling back and smiling.

"Ok," I relented.

"Come on," Bryce said, "The twins and Zeke have already left to get food."

"Without saying anything?" I asked frowning.

"Well, Skyler said ‘food’ and rushed off, taking Zeke of course. Storm just went along," Hela explained, shrugging.

"Aren't you a little hungry?" Hiro asked me.

I nodded and the rest of our group walked to the food area. When we arrived, there was a huge line and I saw the twins already waiting. Hela, Bryce, and Hiro got at the back of the line.

"Crew, why don't you go find a table while I get us our food," Hiro told me, "What do you want?"

"Cheeseburger, fries, and a Sprite," I answered immediately. Hiro nodded and motioned with his hand for me to shoo along.

I scanned the area for an empty table and saw Zeke waving at me from a far corner that was kind of isolated and hard to spot initially. I wove through throngs of people and finally took a seat opposite from him.

"Skyler getting your food too?"

"Yep."

I noticed a group of girls at the table next to us get up and leave. I instantly jumped over and claimed it. There were seven of us and two tables would be better than one.

I was still close enough to talk to Zeke however.

"What ride are you going to go on next?" I asked.

He shrugged, "I dunno, maybe the wave pool?"

I had forgotten about the wave pool. I liked the wave pool. Yay.

"Maybe Hiro and I will hit that up later. I want to go to Thunder Canyon again."

Zeke rolled his eyes, "You and that freaking ride! You've been on it seven times in a row!"

"Nu-uh! Only six times. Bryce actually counted," I shot back, sticking out my tongue.

"Whatever," he said, brushing me off with an amused smile.

We sat in comfortable silence together. Occasionally, I checked to see how the food line was coming along. It was, albeit slowly. The twins were close to ordering and Hiro waved to me since he was looking in my direction instead of paying attention to the line.

"Look at Hiro, even watching you from afar," Zeke joked, "Keeping his eagle eye on you in case someone tries to get in your face."

I chose not to answer him. We became silent again.

My eyes wandered in front of me to the other people sitting and eating. I finally rested my gaze on a group of guys, maybe a little older than me and my friends, maybe around Hela's age. Actually the group didn't really attract my attention. They were loud and laughing, but they weren't doing anything out of the ordinary. But one dark haired guy in particular caught my attention.

He was sitting with that group but facing me and Zeke. He was staring right at us, or more exactly, at Zeke. I glanced at Zeke who didn't seem to notice. Zeke was looking around but not really seeing anything, as he was primarily checking out Skyler's ass in his wet swim trunks.

Zeke," I hissed.

"Hmm?"

"Some guy is staring at you."

"Can you blame him?" Zeke said carelessly.

"No, he's staring at you in a creepy way."

That got his attention, "Who?"

"Ok, do you see the four guys over in front of us, laughing? The dark haired one directly facing us, but a little off to the left," I instructed, making sure to keep my eyes on the table while I talked so the guy wouldn't notice I was talking about him.

I waited while Zeke did a quick scan of the area. Suddenly I heard a gasp.

"What? Do you know him?"

"It's him," Zeke breathed out.

"Him who?" I asked curiously.

"Xavier."

"Who the hell is Xavier?"

"Boston Xavier."

I frowned but then it dawned on me.

Zeke's abusive ex-boyfriend, Xavier, from Boston.

Shit fucker! What bad timing to run into some violent ex!

It was about to get worse. Xavier apparently felt confident in his recognition of Zeke. I saw him stand up and head towards us.

Oh man.

I scanned for our friends, anyone - the twins, Hela, Bryce, Hiro… but it seemed that everyone was occupied. Hiro was ordering, the twins were getting condiments, and I couldn't even spot Hela or Bryce.

Besides hearing stories about Xavier, I knew first-hand what he was capable of doing. I knew for a fact that Zeke and I couldn't handle him by ourselves, even with the two of us combined.

For one thing, Zeke and I were both 5'11 and although we had lean muscles, we were still kind of skinny. This dude looked taller than Hela and Bryce who were the tallest in our group at 6'2. This fucker must have been, like, what, 6'4? Stupid, fucking giant. He was big and muscular, not body-builder muscular, but bigger than most guys.

As he got closer to us, he smiled, and his smile alone freaked me out. The guy was good looking at a quick glance, but somehow his whole demeanor just spelled trouble. How Zeke had even found him attractive was beyond me.

I didn't have much time to think further on that subject as Xavier was now in front of Zeke.

"Hey there Zeke, long time no see," he said casually, his voice deep and cocky, matching his expression.

Zeke looked visibly nervous. From his body language, I could tell he was ready to bolt.

"Yeah, since you broke my ribs and gave me a concussion, I haven't been in the mood to hang out," Zeke said, his voice surprisingly even and steady.

"Hey, those were just accidents Zeke, baby. I never meant to hurt you. That stuff happens. We had some good times. We should get together again… maybe later?" Xavier said suggestively, "I live around here."

I stared at him in disbelief. This guy was actually serious.

Xavier leaned forward, his huge frame looming over Zeke. Zeke shrank away. Xavier noticed this and chuckled. He reached for Zeke's wrist. I could tell his hold was tight because Zeke grimaced and was clenching his jaw, trying to pull away.

"Don't be like that, Zeke-baby. You know you want me," Xavier said, leering, "You miss my dick and I miss your hot ass."

I couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't bear to watch Zeke looking this distressed.

"Stop it!" I cried out, standing up, "He doesn't want you! Just leave him alone!"

Xavier turned to me abruptly and scanned my body up and down. I gulped as dread filled me.

He turned to Zeke and smiled, showing his white teeth in a devil-like manner. "Zeke, you never mentioned a brother. Wow, you're fucking hot!" Xavier said, taking a step closer to me and releasing Zeke. I took a step back. The giant appeared even larger from this angle.

"How would you like to come back to my place, beautiful? See what your brother over here has been missing? We can have some fun. Perhaps Zeke will join us." Zeke looked really pissed now. "Double my pleasure!" Xavier said grinning, as he inched closer to me.

He moved so fast, I didn't have time to react.

With one arm, he grabbed my right wrist, holding it so tight, it immediately began to hurt. His other arm wrapped strongly around my lower back, squeezing my ass painfully with his large bear-like hand. I tried to squirm free as I felt his fingers pinching and pulling my ass.

"Such nice lips," he whispered, his lips centimeters from mine, "I bet they would feel real nice around my cock. Do you want a taste, huh, red lips?"

"Let go of him," I heard Zeke yell around us. I would have yelled out too, but I was in too much pain as Xavier roughly handled my body.

In the midst of my struggle, I saw a pale fist shoot out and hit Xavier in the side of his neck. Xavier's eyes widened in shock and he let go of me. I saw that same hand push gently on my chest as I fell backwards onto Zeke. I followed that arm with my eyes, as it swung backward in a large arc and flew forward, connecting sharply with Xavier's throat, at the level of his Adam's apple. I heard a loud thwack, then Xavier's strangled choke, and then coughing.

Hiro never stopped punching. He continued mechanically, as if he were in some kind of trance. I think he was aiming for certain areas because, although the blows didn't look painful, Xavier's reaction spoke otherwise. Xavier clumsily stumbled backwards, trying to regain his balance and understand what had just happened.

Hiro turned to me and pulled me into his arms. He ran his eyes and hands over my entire body, as if checking for bruises or blood. I kept trying to assure him I was fine, but he didn't listen, so I just let him inspect my body until he was satisfied.

When he was, Hiro cupped my face and looked into my eyes, "Are you ok?"

I nodded wordlessly.

Hiro turned to Zeke, "Are you ok?"

Zeke nodded silently as well.

All of sudden, I saw Hiro's head knocked out of the way. Hiro was hunched over, but spun around nevertheless.

One of Xavier's friends had decided to do the honorable thing and defend his giant friend. The guy tried to land another punch on Hiro, but this time Hiro was prepared. He knocked the fist away, reached for the guy's throat, and squeezed tightly, while twisting his arm behind his back. The guy's mouth opened but no sound came out. His eyes were popping out of his head.

"What the fuck?"

I turned and saw the twins standing around us. They threw their food onto the empty tables beside us. Hiro released the guy, who immediately began to wheeze, and he shot Hiro a nasty look while rubbing his throat. Two more of Xavier’s friends had also gathered close by, but, upon the arrival of the twins, hesitated to do anything.

The twins did look pretty menacing, as they weren't their usual jolly selves. They looked tense and prepared for a fight, their tight, muscled bodies twitching with anticipation. Hiro stepped in front of Crew protectively, while Skyler made his way to Zeke's side. Xavier observed all this. A sneer made its way across his features.

"Oh, I see how it is. You two little blond bitches," pointing to me and Zeke, "Need someone to protect you."

"Fuck you, shithead," Skyler snapped, "Why don't you stop with the steroids since they don't do shit for you? You still got your ass beat, you overgrown fucker. Go home and fuck your mother, you inbred bitch!"

Xavier took a step toward Skyler, but stopped when he caught sight of Hiro looking at him. He seemed to still be recovering from his previous altercation with Hiro. He obviously did not want another reminder. He shot another nasty look at us, lingering on Hiro before he and his friends stalked off.

Uneasily, we all took our seats. Hiro huddled close to me; our sides were practically touching.

"Hiro, I'm ok," I insisted.

"I know," Hiro said, but he still didn't move further away.

I sighed, realizing I would have to deal with Hiro's overprotective stance for the rest of the day now.

"What happened?" Storm asked, "Why were those guys starting shit?"

I shrugged and glanced at Zeke, wondering how much I should say. Zeke just shook his head at me and looked down.

I could feel Hiro's eyes on me. I knew he had caught the interaction between Zeke and me, but it wasn't my place to tell everyone about Zeke's past abusive relationships. I knew for a fact that Zeke didn't tell many people about Xavier. He felt ashamed, like most abuse victims.

"Did you know them?" Storm pressed.

"No," I answered for Zeke, since technically I was telling the truth. I didn't know those guys.

"Why was that guy looking at you so intensely?" Skyler asked Zeke.

Zeke didn't answer and continued staring down at his hands.

"Zeke? Come on, who was that guy?"

"I don't want to talk about this right now," Zeke snapped suddenly, and he stood up abruptly, walking toward the bathrooms.

I was surprised, as was everyone else. Skyler and Zeke rarely fought. We watched as Skyler sighed and went after Zeke. I saw Storm shrug as he began to eat. The rest of us followed suit. There wasn't much else we could do now.

Hela and Bryce arrived at that moment and pulled up two chairs.

"Hey kids," Bryce said cheerfully.

"Hey, where have you been?" Storm asked.

"I ran into some people from grad school and was catching up with them," Bryce replied.

"You went with him?" Storm asked Hela.

Bryce grinned and nudged Hela, "Hela saw that some of the guys were good looking and decided to loom over us and make his appearance known."

Hela shrugged indifferently, "What? I was just keeping him company!" he said innocently. Bryce laughed heartily.

Hela looked around briefly, "Where are the horny boys?" he asked, referring to Sky and Zeke.

No one answered right away. Hela and Bryce looked confused as they looked at us curiously. They immediately sensed something was off.

"What's wrong?" Bryce questioned, "Did something happen while we were gone?"

"Crew and Zeke were kind of, in a fight, or got attacked by some jerks, before we all stepped in," Storm explained.

"What? Really?" Bryce asked, looking at me with wide eyes.

"They just randomly attacked you?" Hela asked.

I sighed and closed my eyes. I hated repeating myself, let alone when lying. Why couldn't Hela and Bryce have just been there before?

"I don't know what happened. A guy just came up to us and started talking shit; then he was grabbing at me and Zeke," I replied, hoping that would be enough explanation.

"Grabbing you?" Hela asked frowning.

"Listen, I'm fine! Can we just drop it?" I said testily. Everyone fell silent looking at me.

"Alright Crew," Hiro said soothingly, rubbing my back. With that, everyone quietly ate their food.

I kept glancing at the bathroom wondering what was taking Skyler and Zeke so long.

Was Zeke really upset?

Hiro must have noticed the worried expression on my face because he rubbed my arm, "They're ok, Crew. Skyler can fix this," he assured me. "Finish your food."

When we were done eating, I leapt up and started heading for the bathroom but Hiro grabbed my arm, pulling me back.

"Let go, Hiro," I said childishly. Instead he gripped me more firmly and held me to him.

"Crew, I know you're worried, but Zeke's probably upset now and doesn't want to talk. It's best if we just give him some time and let him come to you when he feels ready, ok? It doesn't do anyone any good to push him when he's feeling vulnerable," Hiro reasoned.

I stared at the bathroom door stubbornly but didn't make a move to shake Hiro off.

Hiro pulled my chin so I was looking at him. He smiled at me, "Come on. Let’s go back on that ride you love so much. We can go on as many times as you want," Hiro said, running his thumb along my lips and jaw.

"Come on, baby," he said tugging me gently along. I didn't put up any resistance, because deep down, although I wanted to comfort Zeke, I knew Zeke had Skyler. He would be alright. So I followed Hiro.

*************SKYLER*************

"Zeke, open the door, man!" I said, pounding on the stall door. There was silence and I sighed heavily.

"Why are you making this so difficult? You can't shut yourself off or push me away, you know," I said determinedly. "I won't let you. You're gonna have to talk to me sooner or later. I drove here after all."

More silence.

"Zeke, open the door," I groaned, resting my forehead against the cool stall door.

"I just want to be alone right now," Zeke said quietly.

I sighed.

Well, I was a stubborn bastard. I never listened when someone told me something, so why start now?

"Fine," I said, clenching my jaw.

I crouched down and laid flat on my back and slid under the stall door. It must have been comical to see. The stall wasn't that big and I was far too tall to fit my entire body. So basically my legs were sticking out. eke looked down at me, shocked, before an amused look came across his face. Finally, he started laughing.

I mock glared at him. "Aren't you going to help me up?" I asked, raising my arms. I then started to laugh too.

Zeke gripped my forearms and tugged, while I used my hips to propel myself upright.

I felt the grime and dirt on my back and grimaced, "Yuck."

I stared at Zeke. "You gonna talk now?"

Zeke looked at the floor. "That was him."

"Him-who?"

"Xavier, the ex-boyfriend who beat me," Zeke whispered.

I closed my eyes. They suddenly felt much heavier.

I wrapped Zeke in a hug and squeezed tightly. I felt Zeke's arms cling onto me.

"I haven't seen him in such a long time. He's just as shitty as ever. He doesn't even feel sorry for what he did to me," Zeke whispered.

I kissed Zeke's forehead and rubbed his back. "People like him don't feel sorry for what they’ve done. They're not normal. You can't let him bother you."

"Then he started on Crew!" Zeke added angrily, louder now.

"I know, baby, I know. But you're ok and Crew's ok. Who cares about idiots like Xavier? You have me and all our friends who care about you, ok? Just remember that."

"I know."

I thought for a second, "I didn't know who he was. We would have told Hiro to continue to choke him. I mean, what's the point of having someone like Hiro as a friend, if he doesn't kick your ex-boyfriend's ass?"

I felt Zeke laughing against my chest. I smiled.

"Let's salvage the rest of our day, yeah?" I asked Zeke. I leaned back to kiss his nose and then his lips. "We shouldn’t waste our time being angry at people who don't matter, ok? I love you, Zeke."

"I love you too," Zeke said smiling, looking more like his normal self.

"Good! That’s settled. Now I need you to do something for me," I said.

"What?"

"Wash my back. I don't know what it is, but it does not feel or smell good," I said wrinkling my nose. Zeke laughed and unlocked the stall door, heading towards the sink.