Jumping Over My Mountain - 18. Chapter 18

Jumping Over My Mountain
by Tiffani Chin

Chapter 18

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

***********HELAKU************

I headed to my Uncle’s office on the top floor. He had called me minutes before, telling me he needed to see me right away. I was curious and I hurriedly made my way to his office. I stepped inside and saw my Uncle fidgeting at his desk, rubbing his light brown hair nervously.

He looked up at me, his bright blue eyes piercing into me.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Helaku, I'm an uncle, well, besides an uncle to you. I'm a new uncle to a new baby, and you're an older brother!" he said excitedly.

I frowned. He was talking so fast, it took me a few minutes to process what he was saying. Then my eyes widened with understanding and I did a little jig.

"Sheryl had the baby!" I exclaimed, "Ohmigod!"

I just stood there, not knowing what to do.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" I asked when I regained my wits.

"A girl!" my Uncle said, smiling widely, "Why don't you go down to the hospital and visit them?"

I nodded and headed to the door and then turned back abruptly. .

"Yes, you can bring Bryce along," my uncle said smiling. “Both of you take the rest of the day off.”

I smiled in return. "Thanks! I'll see you tomorrow!"

I ran back down to my floor and burst into Bryce's cubicle. He looked at me, his blue eyes wide at my flushed appearance.

"Hela, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," I said, "But Sheryl had the baby. We have to go see my Dad at the hospital, now!" I reached for his arm.

"I can't leave," Bryce said haltingly.

I nodded, "Yeah you can. My Uncle said so. Now let's go!" I pulled him into a standing position and we sped out.

When we got to the hospital, my Dad was waiting for us at the main entrance. Apparently my Uncle had given him the heads up. Dad embraced me and then Bryce as soon as he saw us.

"Congratulations," I said smiling, hugging him tightly. "Can we see Sheryl and…?" I trailed off, not knowing the name of the new baby girl.

"Madeline," Dad finished, smiling broadly.

"Madeline McAdams, that sounds beautiful," Bryce said. My Dad smiled at him.

"Come, come and see her," Dad said excitedly, leading us to the baby area, "Sheryl is resting right now."

He pointed to the far right and I saw my baby sister all bundled up in pink blankets. I immediately fell in love. She was so tiny and small, sleeping soundly, her tiny little head off to the side.

"Little Madeline," I whispered staring at the sleeping baby.

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

"Hey, is everything ok with you? I haven't seen you in awhile," I asked Callum when I ran into him in Zen's apartment building.

Callum looked slightly downcast. He glanced up at me, "Yeah, I've been ok. Just busy."

I eyed him suspiciously, not buying it, "Are you sure? You seem kind of down."

Callum was still silent, looking lost in thought.

"You can tell me, Callum. I thought we were buds," I said smiling slightly.

Callum finally looked up at me, "Yeah we are," he said softly, "buds."

"So then spill!" I encouraged, punching him playfully.

He took a deep breath and then trained his eyes on me, "When you were with
Skyler," he began hesitantly and I frowned, waiting for what he was going to say next.

"It surprised me," he finished carefully. My frown deepened.

"Surprised you?"

"Not in a bad way!" he added quickly, "Well that's not true, in a good and bad way I guess."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, I'm gay too and I liked you since the beginning. I mean you're cute and really nice," Callum said avoiding my eyes, "but I wasn't sure if you were gay. I figured you weren't and that I didn't have a chance whatsoever. Then when your boyfriend visited that weekend, I realized you were gay-which is a good thing-but that I also had no chance with you, and it bummed me out."

I looked away from him not knowing how to answer.

"I'm sorry Callum," I finally said.

He smiled sadly, "It's ok. It's not your fault. I mean you found someone you love. I can tell by how you look at each other."

I smiled, "Yeah."

Callum sighed and looked away, "I still like you though."

I fidgeted awkwardly, "Um, ok, do you want to try to still be friends?"

Callum looked at me and smiled faintly, "Yeah, I'd like that."

So even though I knew he liked me we still spent time together, sometimes as a large group or sometimes just the two of us.

We saw movies and ate lunch together whenever he visited on weekends. It was obvious we were becoming tight friends. Even Davy was eyeing Callum suspiciously.

"I still love Skyler," I reminded Davy when I was about to see Callum.

"I'm just telling you to be careful," Davy warned, "the guy is nice, but he has it bad for you. When guys have it bad, they don't act rationally. Trust me."

I rolled my eyes, "I'll be fine, Dad!" I teased and then left our room.

"Aren't there any cool guys in NY?" I asked Callum.

He smiled, "Sure, but none that I am interested in," he said staring at me pointedly. I swallowed and turned away briefly.

He turned serious, "I'm sorry."

I forced a smile, "That's ok."

There was an awkward silence.

"Want to see a movie?" I blurted out, figuring that we didn't have to talk in the theater.

"Yeah."

I sighed with relief.

Thank God.

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

"He should be coming by about now," Davy said.

"Thanks," I said before closing my cell phone. I got out of my car and scanned the area for Zeke.

I had come up to Boston. Even though it was a two months into the semester, I figured I could still manage my schoolwork and make time to see Zeke. Zeke was a priority for me. I knew he missed not seeing me. I had to try to make things better for him and show I was willing to put in the effort for this relationship.

I finally took notice of Zeke and he was walking along with Callum.

I frowned slightly. I knew that Callum didn't even go to this school, yet he managed to visit Zeke-supposedly to visit his cousin-every single weekend. I didn't care for the guy too much. He was nice enough and didn't seem to have any ulterior motives, but I hated how he was everywhere Zeke was, especially when I couldn't be with Zeke all the time like I wanted.

I walked behind them, about to call out to Zeke, but suddenly Callum pushed Zeke up against the side of the dorm building and planted a kiss on his lips. I could see Zeke's eyes widen as he placed his hands on Callum's chest to try to push him off, but Callum just grabbed them and pinned them to the wall.

I was shocked and for a second I froze, not knowing exactly what to do. I had never been in this situation before. Plus, jealously had never really been my thing.

Well, I figured Step One would be to get Callum off my boyfriend. I reached for Callum and literally yanked him off forcefully. So forcefully in fact, that Callum went flying slightly into the bushes. I realized I was breathing hard and frowning.

"Skyler!" Zeke exclaimed with round eyes as he looked to Callum and then back at my angry expression. "Skyler, it's not what it looks like," Zeke tried again, but I didn't say anything.

Instead, I grabbed his arm and pulled him along with me towards the entrance of the dorm building. I stuck my hand in the door before it fully closed and edged the both of us inside.

I still didn't say anything as we headed to his room and I banged loudly on the door. Davy opened it and smiled at us, but I roughly took hold of Davy's broad shoulders and shoved him outside.

"Sorry Davy, it's urgent. I'll explain later," I said quickly and then I pushed Zeke inside, slamming the door behind me.

I didn't mean to manhandle everyone, but I was angry. Zeke stumbled and then flopped onto his bed, looking up at me with regret in his eyes.

"There's nothing going on between Callum and me," he started. I interrupted him.

"You have a lot of fucking nerve giving me all that shit about how guys and girls like me and you're always so worried I might leave you for one of them. I always flat out turn people down. Yeah, that's right, I've gotten offers. I admit it. Surprisingly there's a huge gay population at Rutgers but I just never noticed it before! If guys or girls get too pushy or aggressive, I just ditch them because they're not respecting my boundaries, but you? You hang out with a guy who likes you and then let him make a move on you?" I accused furiously.

"Jesus! What a lovely image I'll have when I head back home. I guess I'll know what you always feel whenever I'm not around, huh?" I continued.

"Skyler," Zeke tried.

"This was the first time anything has happened between you two, right?" I demanded. I knew they had only been hanging out for two months, but that was about eight weekends and a lot could happen on those weekends. I waited for his response.

Zeke stood up, "He kissed me for the first time. I have no feelings for him, at all! You have to believe me," he pleaded.

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair.

"Please Skyler."

"I believe you," I said quietly. I heard his audible sigh of relief.

I turned to face him, my expression serious for a change.

"I don't want you to see him anymore."

"What?" Zeke asked with shock, taking a step back.

"I don't want you to see him anymore. No more hanging out together, no more movies, lunches, or smoking up together, ok?"

"Skyler, there's nothing-"

"I know there's nothing, but still! I have every reason to feel a little unnerved by all this! The guy knew you had a boyfriend and a very serious boyfriend at that. Hell, he even met me and my brother! It's like he has an insight into who I am and I'm a very real person, not just your boyfriend in another state who is never around. And he still made a move on you! That means he really likes you and would be willing to do anything to get you! I don't trust him!"

"Don't you trust me?" Zeke asked with hurt in his voice.

I licked my lips with frustration, "Of course I trust you Zeke. I don't trust him. Don't you get it? He kissed you tonight and who knows how many other times he'll force a kiss on you, or a blow job, or a fuck, if he gets the chance. Let me tell you, when you're in the middle of sex-which is usually pretty pleasurable, I don't think anyone can stop it from going through," I said staring hard at him.

Zeke swallowed hard, "But he's a good friend."

"Obviously not a good enough friend!" I argued, "If he was really a good friend and respected you, he wouldn't have done that. He would have controlled himself!"

I turned my back to him and rubbed my neck, "I stand by what I said Zeke. I don't want you to see him anymore. I need you to do this for me, ok? I'm not the jealous controlling type, but this guy has crossed the line and I don't like him at all."

Zeke sighed and rubbed his hands over his hair, "Listen I'll just talk to him and make it clear that if he can't control himself, we can't hang out anymore."

I shook my head, "No, no warning. He did it already, the consequences has to be made known. Don't see him anymore."

"I can't just do that to him!" Zeke protested.

"Why not?" I asked, my face feeling hot.

"Because I just can't!" Zeke shot back, "I never asked you to ditch any of your friends."

"Well that's different!" I snapped.

"How, because it's you?" Zeke demanded angrily.

My mouth fell open, but I easily regained my composure, "No, not because it's me," I said in a controlled tone, "But because none of my "friends" ever tried to kiss me. You were worried for no reason. I, on the other hand" I said pointing at myself, "Have a REAL reason to worry. I don't concoct little ideas in my imagination like some people," I said emphasizing the last word and shooting him a pointed look.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zeke asked crossing his arms.

I tugged on the long strip of hair on the top of my head in frustration.

"It means," I said in a condescending tone, "That you think every person is trying to get into my pants or steal me away from you, and you get all bitchy over that. Then when I'm worried for once about a guy trying to take you away from me, you get defensive and act like I'm the crazy one!"

"Bitchy?" Zeke asked narrowing his eyes.

"Yeah, bitchy, just like a little bitch" I said my voice dripping with disdain at this point.

I swear Zeke's face turned scarlet with anger and a vein popped its way out of his forehead.

"Well, Callum is my friend. He chills with me and makes me feel not so sad when you're not around. I can't just ditch him without letting him know anything," Zeke said stubbornly.

"Yeah, I'm sure he does everything he can to make you feel better when I'm not around," I muttered under my breath, but Zeke caught it nonetheless and glared at me, furiously.

We had a little staring contest for a few minutes, neither of us saying a word. I stared hard at Zeke, my jaw twitching and my teeth grinding together.

"Fine," I said my jaw set, "Then I'm out of here. Have a good weekend, with Callum" and then I opened the door and slammed it behind me.

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

I watched Skyler leave my room. I flinched when the door shut with a loud bang.

"Fuck!" I muttered dragging my fingers across my hair, feeling all my energy drain right out of my body.

For some odd reason, I felt angry with myself, like I did something wrong. This was our first real fight, but I couldn't just do what he said, without question. I wasn’t some stupid obedient puppy dog. I didn't want to ditch Callum just like that. Besides the fact he was harboring a crush on me, he was a really nice person and a good friend.

Sighing loudly, I flopped onto my bed, my face nestled in my pillow.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" I cried out.

Was Skyler right? Could I trust Callum from now on not to mess up my relationship with Skyler? Did Callum already screw up what I had with Skyler? Was I stupid to have argued with Skyler when some of his reasoning made sense? All these questions were running through my head and I actually hit my head with my fist as if to shake all the shit out of it.

Deep down I knew parts of what Skyler said was true, but when he told me not to see Callum anymore, I bristled.

All these years I had had random hookups, shitty one night stands, or some form of an abusive relationship and I wanted out of that mode. I wanted to become a stronger person and stand up for what I believed in.

But Skyler wasn't really telling me what to do and I knew he would never hurt me. In truth, he was probably doing what was best for OUR relationship and his intention was not to control me. I had something great going on with Skyler and I couldn't help feeling as if I threw that away in some stupid petty fight.

I knew Skyler would do just about anything for me, and I couldn't even give him this.

Shit.

I took my phone off my dresser and was about to call Skyler. Maybe he hadn't made it too far and he could come back and we could discuss this.

I shook my head. I should give him time to cool off. Skyler got pretty hot headed sometimes and I was still in a pissy, confused state of mind.

Nothing good would come out of an angry conversation. We both needed cooling off periods.

I needed to think and clear my head. I quickly changed into some Adidas sweats and two long sleeve shirts and headed to the gym.

Maybe I could run my troubles away on a treadmill.

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

"Dude, what happened before?" Davy asked as I walked back inside our room at 10:30.

I had been at the gym for almost two hours. I felt mentally drained and physically exhausted; after running an hour straight on the treadmill and then lifting weights for 45 minutes.

I never worked out that much in my entire life before. I was kind of regretting my decision to hit up the gym. I might have been better off smoking up or something. At least that way I wouldn't be sore in the morning and I’d be hallucinating happy thoughts by now.

"I don't want to talk about it," I said getting my shower kit.

"Skyler came all this way to see you and he looked mad pissed when he threw me out of my room. I deserve to know what happened," Davy said firmly.

I glanced at him, his face had a stony expression and I knew I couldn’t brush him off. Sighing loudly, "I'll tell you after I shower, ok?"

Davy nodded and I walked to the bathroom, my feet and heart feeling heavy.

It did feel good to wash the sweaty grime off my body though and change into fresh clothes. It made me feel better, if only slightly.

Davy was sitting at his desk writing an email when I walked back inside our room. I saw him swivel in his chair when I walked in and I knew I wouldn't be able to avoid this talk.

"Talk," Davy said in a commanding voice and I sat down at my own desk, facing him.

"We had a fight."

Davy raised his eyebrows, "A fight?"

"Yeah."

"About what? You guys don't fight."

I smiled half heartedly, "Well, there's always a first time for everything."

"What happened?" Davy asked in a gentler tone.

I rubbed my hand over my face, "Skyler was getting out of his car as I was walking over here. Callum was with me."

"Uh-oh," Davy said as if he could sense what was coming, which made me feel like an even bigger idiot or jerk for blowing up at Skyler. Obviously Davy agreed with Skyler that Callum was trouble.

How come I couldn't see it? Was I fucking blind or something?

"Ok, and then Callum suddenly, without any warning, threw me against the wall and kissed me," I went on.

Davy's eyes widened and he gasped, "Holy shit."

"I know."

"And Skyler saw it?" Davy asked stating the obvious, but for some reason felt compelled to ask it anyway.

"Yeah."

"Did you try to fight him off?" Davy questioned.

"Of course!" I said a bit defensively.

Davy held up his hands in a neutral manner, "Just had to ask man."

"He caught me by surprise. By the time I gathered my wits he was full blown kissing me. And when I tried to fight him off, I didn't have enough leverage to do so," I explained and Davy nodded.

I studied Davy, "You didn't think I would have returned his kiss, did you?" I asked curiously.

Davy shrugged, "No, not really. I know you love Skyler. I can tell by how you both act when you're together," he said shaking his head, "But then I know how sad and lonely you get when Sky isn't around and I see how Callum cheers you up. So I don't know if you were developing some sort of feelings for Callum or he was just your crutch while Skyler was away or maybe you enjoyed his attention."

"Enjoyed his attention?" I asked shocked.

"I didn't mean it like that," Davy said leaning back in his chair, "I just meant that it feels nice to be liked and have someone flirting with you or showering you with attention. So basically what I'm saying is that, while Skyler can't provide that for you when he's back in Jersey, Callum is a substitute for those good feelings, you know?"

I stared at Davy blankly.

"But I know you love Skyler," he added.

"I do," I said confidently, "And Callum is just a friend," I said looking him straight in the eye.

"I believe you," Davy said sincerely and I nodded in satisfaction.

"So what was the fight about then? Callum kissing you?" Davy asked.

"Well it was definitely a major part of it," I said, "Skyler said he didn't want me to see Callum anymore, at all. I said I couldn't do that to Callum and I wanted to at least talk with Callum and tell him to back off. But Skyler said he didn't trust Callum and was worried Callum might seduce me into doing something more or some shit like that."

"Then that argument turned into something more where we compared who got more jealous and clingy and he basically called me a bitch."

Davy smirked at that.

"What?" I demanded testily.

"Nothing dude," Davy said covering his mouth.

"You think I'm bitchy?" I asked narrowing my eyes.

"No, I just found it funny. Him calling you a bitch," Davy snorted.

I rolled my eyes, "Glad my life is a source of entertainment to you. Thanks a lot Roomie."

Davy chuckled, "Sorry, sorry."

"Anyway," I said shooting a dirty look at Davy as he continued to smile, "I wouldn't give in and Skyler just left."

Davy stayed silent and just looked at me as if thinking about something.

"What?" I asked impatiently.

"You don't think Skyler has any reason to worry?" Davy asked carefully.

I hesitated, "No."

Davy shot me a "You're full of shit" look.

"You, my man, are too trusting and have way too much faith in people," Davy said. He held up his hand when I opened my mouth to protest, "But I think Skyler was right. Callum has a big crush on you and kissed you knowing you were taken. It's like he doesn't care you have a boyfriend, he just wants you nonetheless. And even I don't trust a guy like that."

I fell silent thinking over his words.

Damn it! He was saying exactly what I was thinking, causing me even more guilt.

SONOFABITCH!!!!

"Everyone could see that Callum was trouble, not in a bad way, he's not some violent maniac or a stalker, but he likes you Zeke. He gets those lovesick puppy eyes when he's with you. And you're the only one that couldn't see it," Davy finished and he left me with those words running through my head as he turned back to his laptop and continued with his email.

I made a mistake. Now it was up to me to fix it.

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

"Skyler, pick up the phone," I said as I got his voicemail for the tenth time. I groaned and shut the phone. He was avoiding me. Skyler always had his phone on him and usually got back to me on either phone calls or texts pretty quickly.

The fact that his calls were going directly to voicemail was probably because of me. I felt this gnawing desperation in my gut. I needed to talk to him and explain everything, but I couldn't do that if he wouldn't return my calls.

This was worse than I thought.

I needed to talk things over with him before the weekend was up, because I couldn't ditch my classes to see him until the following weekend. That would mean an entire week of feeling worried and stressed over this whole thing. I was tempted to throw my phone onto the ground, but that wouldn't accomplish anything.

Grinding my teeth, I stuck my phone inside my jean pocket and continued walking. I didn't feel like sitting around and thinking nonstop about what happened. I was antsy and jittery. I had to be on the move. Hence the walking.

"Zeke!"

I turned my head and saw Callum running up to me. I shut my eyes; I really didn't need this right now. I turned on my heel and attempted to keep walking, but unfortunately, Callum wasn't going to leave me alone.

"Zeke, wait!"

I felt a hand on my arm and I was pulled to a stop, facing Callum. I took a step back to distance ourselves. I didn't want to be near him at the moment. I partly blamed him for the large shit pile I was in.

"What do you want?" I asked the irritation evident in my voice.

Callum licked his lips and his eyes darted nervously, "I just wanted to say I was sorry for last night."

"Well you should be," I said hugging myself.

"I know, but I couldn't control myself. I just needed to kiss you, just once, just to know what it would feel like" he said desperately and I glared at him.

"Well your stupid desire might have cost me my boyfriend. I'll never be able to forgive you or get over it if Skyler and I break up," I snapped turning around abruptly.

The thought of me and Skyler breaking up was making me sick. I think I was about to vomit.

Callum walked alongside me, "I'm sorry. I could talk to him for you, if you like."

I stopped in my tracks, "No thanks Callum. You would only cause more trouble."

Callum stayed silent, looking at the ground, seeming lost. I felt a pang of sympathy.

"Listen," I began gently, "I don't think we should hang out so much for awhile."

His eyes snapped up to meet mine, "What?" he asked in shock.

"I just think we should spend some time apart, take a little break, until I can fix things with Skyler," I said keeping my voice even.

"Zeke, I promise, I promise I won't try anything ever again," Callum said frantically.

I shook my head, "It's not that. I just need to be away from you for awhile. When I see you, I'm reminded of what caused my fight with Skyler and then I get angry at myself for being, I don't know, a bitch about the whole thing. Now, well, I can't handle all this, ok? I need to get Skyler to talk to me! I can’t even get him to fucking take my call!"

Callum stepped back from the volume or the force of my words and the pain etched in my strangled voice.

"Zeke, I-"

"I'm sorry Callum. You were a good friend. Just, can you just, leave me alone, for now, ok?" I asked staring him directly in the eyes. Then I slowly walked away.

This time he didn't follow me.

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

"Skyler, are you ok?" Crew asked frowning at me as he picked up another slice of pizza.

I turned to him and nodded, not really registering the question. I was pissed at the whole Zeke situation and it was still bothering me even as Storm and I hosted our weekly lunch.
An entire week had passed and our fight wasn't resolved yet. I guess that just goes to show that both Zeke and I were stubborn mother fuckers. Neither of us wanted to cave.

Plus I was just annoyed by everything and even though Zeke called me all week, I just wasn't in the mood to talk and rehash everything out again.

I was a little sick of babying Zeke. Reassuring him when he got jealous or clingy when girls or guys gave me attention. I was sick of him being oblivious or uncaring of my feelings when I got worried about guys hitting on him!

I trusted him completely, but I didn't trust Callum. I didn't want Zeke to accidentally get roped into something that could ruin us. Did that make me a bad boyfriend? I think not!

"Are you sure?" Crew continued, "You're awfully quiet and you're, like, never quiet," he pressed.

"Crew, I'm fine really," I answered taking a long drink of soda so I didn't have to talk anymore.

There was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," I said eagerly getting up. Crew's stares were bothering me and I didn't feel like talking about my relationship troubles when I hadn't thought everything through yet.

"Hey Hela, Bryce what took you oldies such a long time? You live two floors-" I stopped mid sentence when I opened the door, realizing that it was not Bryce or Hela, but Zeke. A very sorry and flushed looking Zeke with dark circles under his eyes.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, harsher than I meant to, "Aren’t you supposed to be hanging out with a certain friend?" I asked in a sarcastic tone. Zeke flinched and was silent as he shuffled around nervously.

Zeke looked downcast and glanced at my arm blocking the entrance. "Can we talk? Can I come in?"

"No," I said and his face fell before he looked confused as I shuffled him out into the hall way and closed the door behind me.

"I don't want those nosy bastards listening in," I explained and then looked at him, crossing my arms, "So, what's up?" I asked flippantly.

"Skyler," Zeke said after a long, drawn out pause. I instantly felt my resistance crumbling as I heard his small, unsure tone.

I could tell by his appearance how much our fight had affected him. Sighing heavily, I leaned forward and pulled him into my arms, hugging him tightly to me. I felt him exhale and fall into me, his lips resting on my neck.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I'm sorry, too, for giving you an ultimatum or an order. But I'm still not sorry for telling you not to see Callum," I said into his ear quietly.

I felt him nodding against me, "I know. I thought about it and I could understand where you were coming from. It just took me a while to realize it. If the situation were reversed, I would ask you to do the same and I know you would."

"I would," I affirmed, "For you."

"I know Skyler, I know. I'm sorry for not agreeing right away," he said sniffling, "I love you Skyler and I won't see Callum anymore. You were right. He really likes me and wants to be with me. He doesn't respect me and my relationship with you. I shouldn't hang around people like that."

I rubbed his back, hugging him more tightly.

"Thank you, baby."

"I thought we were over," he mumbled, "I felt terrible. You wouldn't return my calls. I just had to come see you."

"We weren't over Zeke, I was just upset," I assured him, "I wanted some space."

"It still scared me, the thought of not being with you. I'll do anything," Zeke said his voice cracking slightly.

I kissed his head, his forehead, his cheek, and then finally his lips when he tilted his head.

"Oh jeez, what is with you two!"

I looked up and saw Bryce shaking his head while Hela was smiling.

"Why are you two out here instead of in there?" Hela asked, "What's up Zeke?" Hela looked slightly confused with Zeke's presence, since Zeke didn't come back on weekends, usually. Zeke waved to Hela.

I waved them away, "Get inside and eat. We're busy," I said. Bryce and Hela laughed as they walked inside my apartment.

"Want some pizza, since you're here?" I asked Zeke nipping at his ear, still holding him in my arms.

"Mm, later," Zeke said smiling as he leaned in for another kiss, "Much later."

"Sounds good to me," I murmured as I sucked on his tongue passionately, running my hands up and down his back.

********BRYCE*******

"I want a baby," I announced to Hela as Hela bounced Maddy on his knee.

We were at his parents’ house, babysitting Madeline while Hela's Dad worked at the office and Sheryl was still resting.

"What?" Hela asked shocked.

"Don't you want a baby?"

"Um I hadn't put too much thought into it since I realized I was gay. I mean, neither of us have the right equipment."

I chuckled, "That's true, but we could always adopt."

"Well, I think it's a little too soon to be thinking about that," Hela said.

I frowned, "What, you don't visualize having a family with me in the future?"

Hela looked at me, "Of course I see a future for us. But we're still young, Bryce. I never considered having to take care of a baby full time yet. I enjoy having our alone time. Babysitting isn't the same as having our own, you know. This Maddy here," Hela said kissing his sister, "Can be handed off every night, but our baby can't."

"True," I agreed nodding.

"Besides we can't have sex as often if we had a baby, and you know how often we do it," Hela pointed out with a grin.

I rolled my eyes, "We can manage."

Hela sat on the couch, cradling Madeline delicately in his arms. I stared at him with a faint smile on my lips as I watched how careful and loving he was with his baby sister. There was nothing sexier than a gorgeous strong man like Hela showing his soft side with a baby.

He looked up and caught my stare, "What?"

I shook my head and sat beside him, "So when do you think you'll be ready for a baby?"

Hela looked shocked, "I don't know, Bryce. I'm still young. I really hadn't thought that far ahead."

"You'd be a great Dad," I said softly.

"When did this baby fever come about?" he asked curiously.

I shrugged, "I don't know," I replied honestly, "I know that I love you. I want to be with you. I want us to have a family and everything."

Hela smiled lovingly at me and touched my cheek with his free hand, "I love you, and I do want a family, but not now. I kind of just want to enjoy being with you. Then when we're more settled we can think about having a baby," he grinned suddenly and lifted Madeline so she was looking at me, "For now, we practice with this little baby girl." He kissed her cheek, fluffing her dusting of dark brown hair.

I smiled, "Ok, just as long as we think about it and it's a possibility."

"Of course, I love you," Hela said as he leaned in to kiss me. As I deepened the kiss and ran my hand underneath his shirt to pull him closer to me, I felt Madeline stirring in his arms. Then she began to cry.

The shrillness of her cries broke our embrace and ruined the mood. I reluctantly pulled away and watched as Hela attended to his sister.

Perhaps Hela was right about waiting for a baby.

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

"Hey honey, I didn't know you were coming home this weekend," Mom said as she greeted me when I entered the kitchen.

"Well I have to talk to you about something," I announced and she looked at me curiously.

"Oh yeah, what is that?"

After Zeke's last visit, our relationship was stronger than ever. Even if I didn't particularly trust his friend choices, what was I gonna do about it?

We had discussed more of our future plans. I decided that since it was early November, it would be a good time to discuss a potential trip to California over winter break with my Mom. But first I had to actually tell her my plans!

"After graduation, Zeke and I want to move to San Francisco. So I was wondering if you would fly out with us over winter break to look at some property," I said easily.

Ok, there was no easy way to blurt that out, except to tell it like it was. So I did. I called that ‘Skyler Style’.

Mom’s eyes widened. "Wait! You and Zeke want to move?"

"Well, did you expect us to live in Jersey for the rest of our lives?"

"No, but California? That's so far," she sputtered.

I smiled at my Mom.

"Aw, Mom, I'll miss you too," I said sitting down at the kitchen table.

"But, California? That's a big move."

"Yeah," I agreed, "But I want a change of scenery. It would be nice to be on my own. We'll get jobs out there. I think it's better to buy property. If you cosign the mortgage, Zeke and I can pay you back. Plus, I have about twenty grand in savings that can hold me and Zeke off for awhile, for I don't know, groceries or something."

Mom was silent. She appeared to be thinking.

"Well, buying property is a better investment," she said thoughtfully, "At least that way you're getting something out of it. I think we can afford it," she murmured to herself.

She looked at me, "This is a curve ball, Skyler. I didn't even realize you were thinking of moving."

"I know Mom, but I really love Zeke. I really, really do. It would be nice to have a place of our own and a life of our own."

She smiled at me and ruffled my hair, "I'm glad honey. I do want you to be independent and on your own. It's even better that you found someone to be with, but it's never easy letting go of your baby."

I shot her a look and she laughed.

"You'll be forty Sky, and you'll still be my baby," she said. I sighed.

"So, what's the verdict? Will you come with me and Zeke to San Francisco this winter to look at some real estate?"

She paused, "Yeah, I will. San Francisco is a rather nice area to live. I could imagine you there. Have you told Storm about this?"

I shook my head, "I guess it never really came up."

She nodded, "Ok, well, make the arrangements, you know flights and hotels. Meanwhile, I’ll contact a real estate agent and we can go from there. I'm sure we can find something," she said confidently.

"Thanks, Mom," I said hopping up to hug her.

"Maybe I'll look into a bigger house there, so I can visit you often," she said smiling. “Don’t tell Storm, but you’re my favorite,” she whispered jokingly.

I hugged her tighter, "Yeah, we should buy enough rooms so that you can have your very own whenever you come out. Oh and about me being your favorite? Yeah, I already knew that. It was common knowledge. I’m sure Storm knows that too."

She snorted and slapped my back.

***********

I took a long swallow of coffee as I made the tedious drive to Boston.

I finished my papers and readings remarkably fast last night. I figured I could finish the rest on Sunday night and Monday morning if need be, but it was common knowledge by now that the professor didn't really quiz on the readings like he said he would.

Despite it being a gloomy Friday afternoon, I was making the trip out anyway, to see Zeke. This was senior year, the classes weren't as hard and I wanted to see Zeke more before snowboarding season started. At that point, I would have no time to see him.

I made good time and finished the last of my cooling coffee as I parked the car in the guest parking lot. I knew Zeke had class and was probably getting out soon. I was early so I dumped the empty coffee cup and threw my hood over my head as the wind almost knocked me over.

I walked around and bumped into a familiar face.

Callum.

He looked surprised to see me and took a step back.

My facial expression didn't change much. I just stared at him, waiting for something. It looked like he had something to say, but it wouldn't come out.

"Hey," I said finally breaking the silence.

He licked his lips, "So I guess you're the reason why Zeke won't see me anymore," he said almost bitterly.

I shrugged, "Listen, I didn't really care if you hung out with Zeke and had a crush on him. But you stepped over the line when you pinned him against the wall and kissed him, knowing he had a serious boyfriend," I stated matter of fact.

He frowned, "It was an impulse. I wouldn't have done it again."

"Bullshit," I scoffed, "You're lying to my face. I'm sure you would have done something else if you had the chance. Smoke up a little, make the moves," I said, "I'm not dumb, Callum. Don’t feed me this load of crap, ok? It's insulting. I’m Asian, man. I was born fucking smart." I clenched my jaw and stood my ground.

He folded his arms and after looking at me heatedly, spat out, "I hate people like you."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "Care to elaborate?"

His brow wrinkled angrily, "You're just too perfect! Everything works out for you, doesn't it? I know all about you. You come out; your family is so accepting. You're super popular, smart, athletic, good looking, and on top of that, you get the guy. Nothing bad ever happens to you, you always get what you want. Not like the rest of us, who get kicked out of their home, have to scrape by to get an education-all alone, by the way. What's so great about you, huh? Why do you get everything? You have everything else. I should have Zeke," Callum seethed furiously, "I need him more than you do!"

I stepped back, slightly shocked at the ferocity of his words. I opened my mouth to retort, but then closed it again. I thought over my next words while Callum tried to catch his breath after his angry rant.

After a couple minutes I decided to take a different approach to this little situation. One that could benefit everyone.

"Callum, I know you're not a bad guy, ok? I know Zeke likes you, but only as a friend," I said almost gently, "I know you don't really hate me, but you're just lashing out. I'm sorry if things didn't work out for you, but destroying my relationship with Zeke isn't going to solve anything and it won't make you or Zeke happy."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Callum. Zeke and I, we have something special, ok? Say we broke up and you got Zeke on the rebound, would you really be happy? Zeke would be miserable and hung up on me. You would be neglected because Zeke could never fully love you. What I'm saying is you deserve Zeke, sure. But even more, you deserve a guy who can be invested with you one hundred percent. Someone that completely loves you, who will be there for you, take care of you and all that. You can find that someone, but pining after the first nice guy you meet and ruining his relationship is not the way to do it. Zeke will only resent you for doing that," I added.

Callum was looking at his shoes. Finally he muttered, "Damn you, I hate you even more now."

"Why, because I'm right?" I smirked.

"Now I see why everyone loves you so fucking much. Most guys would have knocked me out by now," Callum said.

I smiled widely, "Yeah, I'm far too laid back to do that. Or lazy? My limbs feel too heavy at this early hour."

"You're a good guy Skyler, but I still like Zeke."

I nodded, "Fair enough. Well then, I'll just have to find you someone else to go after and latch onto," I joked, putting my arm around his slim shoulders.

He looked at me with surprise, "Really?"

"Yeah, I know lots of people. You go to NYU. I go to New York all the time. I can gather our little group and you should come along. I've even taken my brother to a gay club before. He'd do it again for me," I said confidently.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked curiously.

I shrugged, "Because like I said, you're not a bad guy, Callum. Just kind of bitter and a little down. Everyone deserves to find someone and be happy. Of course, I also want to keep you away from Zeke!" I added grinning.

Callum smiled, "Thanks, I guess. So you really mean it?"

"What?"

"Hanging out in New York?"

"Yeah, definitely, we should set it up. We have to plan in advance because my brother and I, and Crew, and maybe even Hiro, work as snowboarding instructors, so we have to ask for a day off," I explained.

Callum nodded, "Ok, that sounds good."

"Great," I answered smiling. I paused, "Uh look, I have to find Zeke-"

He nodded and started walking in a different direction, "That's ok. I'm going to see my cousin now. See you, Skyler."

I waved and watched him walk away before I went towards Zeke's dorm building.

My assumption was right; Callum was just a lonely guy and fell too easily for the first nice gay guy he met.

I shook my head. What a strange day and it was only 11:15. Way too early for this kind of drama or any drama at all.

"Skyler!" Zeke said with surprise as he opened his door. I pushed past him and went inside.

"Hey Davy," I said. Davy was sitting at his desk cranking away on his laptop.

"Hey Sky," he said completely engrossed in his work, not bothering to turn around.

"Deadline," Zeke offered in explanation. I nodded.

Zeke smiled at me and sat beside me on his bed, kissing me briefly, "So what's up?"

"We're going to San Francisco for winter break," I said grinning widely.

Zeke looked confused, "Your mom?"

"She said she'll go with us!" I said pulling him towards me, "See, I told you she would be cool with it."

"That's awesome!" Zeke said hugging me back, "Did you book anything yet?"

"No, I figured we could do that together," I replied.

"Good. We should start soon," Zeke said.

"Yeah, is your laptop around here or do-?" I was interrupted by my cell phone ringing.

"Hold up," I said to Zeke as I checked the caller ID. I groaned. It was my Dad. I rarely talked to my Dad. He was kind of a pain in the ass, and not the good kind.

"Hey Dad," I said, forcing my voice to be neutral. My Dad hated it when Storm or I spoke to him with an attitude. Something about being disrespectful to your elders and all that shit.

"Skyler, your mother told me you're planning on moving."

I sighed heavily, "Yeah, what about it?"

"I don't think it's a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Skyler, you don't even have a job lined up! What are you gonna do for money? Do you really think your relationship with Zeke is going to last?"

"Why wouldn't it?" I demanded.

"Skyler, be serious, trying to make it on your own is going to be a huge strain on your relationship. You're gonna be flying home as soon as things get too difficult," my Dad said.

I fought to keep my temper under control. Zeke peered at me worriedly. I gave him a tight smile.

"Dad, it doesn't really matter what you think. I'm doing it anyway. Mom has agreed to help and support me," I said emphasizing the word support, "I’ll be fine. If I'm not, I know I'll always have Mom."

Dad started to say something, but I cut him off.

"Dad, I really have to go now. I have to look up plane flights with Zeke now. Go call Storm or something, ok?" I said in a rush before closing my cell.

I sighed again and rubbed my head.

"Are you ok?" Zeke asked with concern. He knew I didn't always get along with my Dad.

I smiled at him, the tension fading away, "I'm fine, just the usual crap with my Dad, but he doesn't matter," I said taking Zeke's hand and squeezing it.

Davy headed towards us with his laptop under his arm.

He grinned, "I can finish this in the student center. Give you guys some privacy," he said winking at us. He waved and shut the door behind him.

Zeke was looking at me, his dark blue eyes shining.

"So want to look up some flights?" he asked me.

I shook my head and moved closer to him.

"Later," I said wrapping my arms around his waist.

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

"Hey, do you guys want to come with us?" I asked Crew and Hiro as they were hanging out with me in my apartment.

"To San Francisco?" Crew asked.

"Yeah, why not? It could be fun," I said.

"Won't you be busy looking for a house?" Hiro asked.

"Yeah, but not all day, everyday," I pointed out.

"Sounds cool, but I don't have much money now. How about we visit when you and Zeke officially move?" Crew suggested.

I smirked, "Fine, start saving now."

Crew opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the door slamming.

We all turned our attention to Storm who had just walked in. Right away I knew something was wrong and it wasn't just that weird twin thing. He just looked off. His skin was paler than usual. His face looked shocked, stressed, pained, and just tired. I felt worried. Storm was always pretty put together.

"What's up?" I asked.

Storm didn't answer. He numbly walked over to the couch and plopped down without a word.

"Storm?" Crew said tentatively.

Silence.

"Hey Storm, what's wrong?" I asked moving closer.

He didn't look at me. I didn't know where he was looking or if he was seeing anything at all through his blank stare.

"I fucked up. I fucked up bad," he said.

I turned to Crew and Hiro who seemed as confused and worried as I was.

Hiro slowly stood up and grabbed Crew's hand, "We'll see you guys tomorrow," he said heading to the door. Crew trailed behind him, looking back every once in awhile. Once they were gone I turned all my attention to Storm.

"What happened?" I asked.

The way he was acting, I was afraid that he ran someone over with his car.

Storm turned to me and his eyes were full of unshed tears. My stomach clenched apprehensively.

"Sky, I fucked up. I fucked up so bad," he repeated and then he dropped his head into his hands.

I scooted closer to my brother and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Storm, what did you do?" I asked more forcefully, desperate to know what had happened.

"Mom and Dad are gonna be so pissed," he said in a small voice.

"Why Storm, what happened?" I pressed.

"Remember over the summer?" he began.

I nodded, although I wasn't really following him.

"I had this shitty date, but then I ran into Kate?"

"Uh huh?" I prodded.

He looked at me again, sadly, "Kate's pregnant. She's been pregnant with my child for practically three months."

My mouth dropped open with shock.

Storm continued to rub his eyes and his hair.

"Mom and Dad are gonna fucking kill me," he repeated over and over again, rocking back and forth on the couch.

There was nothing I could do or say at the moment, so I just sat beside him, silently giving him my support.

 

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