Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry

                                                                     Sincerely,

                                                                           Rayne, who loves you very much

Note: Both Takoda and Tanner will be used when referring to the same character in this chapter. Just a reminder that he has lots of different names. HUGS AND KISSES!! XOXOXO

The next morning I wake up in the middle of an orgasm, Images from my sleep quickly fading away as my muscles shake and I push myself further into my bed. The intense waves of electrifying heat are already at their peak by the time I'm fully conscious and aware that what I had just experienced was a dream. Just like I had never bothered with touching myself, I had also almost never had wet dreams throughout the height of my puberty. It was honestly pretty rare.

Until now that is.

Once it's over I lay in my bed for a couple more minutes too dazed to stand up and deal with the mess I just made. Damn it Theo Tetera, look what you've done to me. I never even realized that I was a sexual being until I met you. I've kept these doors locked and then you had to come along and slam into them like they were never meant to be there in the first place. Now you're running away and trying to make it look like an accident. Sitting up I peel my wet underwear off before throwing them into my dirty clothes hamper. In the middle of pulling new ones on I wonder if I should really just let those sit there like that until the next time I decide to do laundry. After carefully reevaluating the situation I grab the giant container of dirty laundry that I've been avoiding and exit my bedroom.

As I pass the kitchen on my way to the laundry room I can already hear Theo cooking breakfast. My eyes narrow involuntarily with strong suspicion but I decide to keep on walking. Theo never makes breakfast on weekdays and when I say never I mean it. The only time he has ever made me breakfast has been on weekends. If my calculations are correct today is Friday. Which means that either he's completely fucked up his mind calendar, or he's trying real hard to put up his dad wall. My money is on the dad wall.

Rolling my eyes I throw my clothes into the wash carelessly before turning around and entering the kitchen. It smells heavily of cleaning fluids which makes me scoff. Did he murder someone last night? The kitchen table is pushed against the wall with chairs neatly stacked as well. I can practically see him scrubbing the table and the floor beneath as if his life depends on it. As if he's trying to get rid of the evidence. I don't say anything as I sit down at the counter because I know that he is already fully aware that I'm here. Just with my entrance alone his whole body has stiffened as if on he's on guard, and he looks like he's simultaneously trying to keep an eye on me while appearing as if he could care less about my presence. You aren't fooling anyone Theo. I don't say anything for a couple minutes allowing him to cook in comfort before I shift and clear my throat letting him know that I'm about to speak.

"Theo, I have something important to talk to you about." Instantly the muscles in his back tighten through his black T-shirt and his head tilts slightly towards me letting me know that he's listening. I look down at my hands innocently in an attempt to make it seem like I'm not staring shamelessly. "This morning I had a wet dream and you were in it." Theo chokes on his mouthful of coffee. He jerks around for a second trying to breathe and in the process hits the handle of the frying pan causing it to flip onto the floor; eggs spilling everywhere. I quickly stand as the chaos ensues slightly amused and simultaneously worried. Sprinting to the fridge, I snatch a water bottle before hurrying to Theo and handing it to him while slapping his back.

I never understood why people slap your back when you choke. It's pretty much a natural instinct, but I find myself wondering if it ever actually does anything. I would try the Heimlich maneuver instead but I'm pretty sure Theo would rather die than have our mouths that close again anytime soon. It takes a minute but Theo eventually gathers his breath before he turns to look at me with a serious glare. "CHIP!"

My hands are up instantly and I shake my head. "What? This is serious!" I start to explain as Theo shakes his head vigorously, and cleans up eggs from the floor. "Okay, so I know for you this is going to be completely unbelievable since you were such a playboy before I got here, and you probably are like the most sexual being on the planet," Theo drops the now empty pan into the sink before forcing his eyes closed and exhaling loudly. "But all throughout puberty I very rarely had wet dreams, I've never really had any sexual thoughts until now. So as you might imagine it wasn't really very necessary to have any talks with my dad. Actually I just avoided the talks altogether."

"Get to the point Chip." Theo growls leaning over the sink like it's supplying him with air.

"Okay so I'm really curious about what determines the frequency of wet dreams, because oh my god if I wake up like that every morning I don't think I'll live long enough to graduate in a week."

"You're doing this on purpose aren't you?" Theo questions turning to me with a look of disbelief on his face.

"No! Well, admittedly that bit about you being in my dream was unnecessary, but I was just letting you know because you seem to think that liking me is the will of Satan. Just making you aware that the will of Satan has infected my dreams."

Theo lets out a wry laugh and rolls his head back like he's trying to work a kink out of his neck. I find this movement very attractive but I don't say anything. "Stop being overdramatic Chip and go get dressed for school."

I shrug and fold my arms, leaning against the counter. "I can't."

The look on Theo's face is that of an unimpressed parent. "And why is that?"

Sighing theatrically I throw my hand in his direction. "Because someone demolished my last clean uniform shirt yesterday." Theo's facial expression changes noticeably from blasé to uncomfortable in seconds. "So now I have to wait until the wash is done, which should take about an hour and fifteen minutes, and after that I have to put them in to dry which is going to take about another fifty minutes." I glance at the kitchen clock and then turn back to the older man. "That's about two hours until my shirts are ready and school starts in thirty-five minutes." Smiling innocently I turn to go back upstairs. "Oh well. I guess I'll just stay home today."

"Oh no you won't." Theo snaps, before grabbing my arm in his hand and dragging me upstairs. Theo is very serious about me attending school every day, especially since I transferred during my last year. He's super worried that my grades will suffer from the change in environment and in effect I won't be able to graduate. Jokes on him, my grades were suffering even before I got here. In fact, they may have even improved because he has such a huge stick up his ass. My dad was never that strict, but that's because he had a soft spot for me. Theo has always been a hard ass. Before I know it we are in his bedroom and he's digging into his closet looking for a white button up that can pass for uniform material. He doesn't often wear white so this is quite a challenge for him, and I enjoy watching him seethe in frustration at the realization that he requires more basics in his closet. Finally, he finds probably the only white shirt he owns and turns to me holding it up. "This will have to work for today. It's probably going to be too big, just do the best you can."

I nod and take it only slightly upset with the fact that I won't be staying home today. Who am I kidding? I knew Theo would send me to school on time no matter what, it was just amusing to watch him squabble around like a chicken with his head cut off for a second. Theo turns around to hang up some shirts he had tugged out of the closet, while I look in a mirror to the right to judge the fit of the shirt as I pull it over my shoulders. "Oh my god." I say as I button the last button and hold my arms out. The shirt could be a dress on me if I was into that kind of thing. The sleeves extend maybe about an inch past my fingers and the bottom stops right at mid-thigh. I can't help but wonder how I'm going to tuck this into my pants without looking like an idiot. "You were this big? I could fucking wear this to Sunday brunch."

Theo turns around with a displeased expression (probably about to scold me for swearing again) before freezing. I raise an unconvinced eyebrow and extend my arms again to show him while looking down at my legs. My red briefs peek out from beneath the white fabric when I kick my leg up, and I shrug. "I mean who am I to complain? It's all for education right?" I turn around and walk towards the door already dreading the thought of classes. As I exit I quickly glance back in at the older man who is still staring after me in the same position. "By the way, you aren't getting this back. It's one hundred percent mine now. Not like you wear it anyways." He doesn't respond so I take that as a sure thing kid and return to my room to get dressed.

Fifteen minutes later Theo and I are on our way to school. The car ride is painfully silent, even when I try to start a conversation Theo either answers with one word, or doesn't respond at all. When we finally pull over I get out of the car but before I can get half of a sentence out he interrupts. "Get a ride home." Then he's driving away as fast as he can with the sea of expensive minivans. I sigh quietly and stare after him before turning around. Right as I enter the building Takoda is on me with a very unsatisfied look on his face.

"Thanks for yesterday dick."

"You're welcome. What did I do yesterday?"

He scoffs and shakes his head in disbelief before stopping next to me at my locker. "You ditched me to go get bitched at by your senior citizen boyfriend."

I pause as I put a book away and then look at Takoda. "Since when did you use words like 'ditched' and 'bitched'?"

He groans and throws his head back in exasperation. "Oh my god whatever! You abandoned me with Raid!"

I slam my locker door shut and turn to Takoda. "Well what did you expect me to do? Theo was about to rip out his jugular!"

"I was about to rip out his jugular!"

"Takoda...you and I both know that you would never rip out Raid's jugular."

My best friend narrows his eyes before punching me in the arm. "The point is that friends are supposed to save friends from awkward situations!"

I throw my hands up in the air. "Well where were you during my awkward situation then huh?" His face scrunches up in confusion and I point at him. "Exactly."

His eyes sparkle and he sidles up closer to me as if we are about to share juicy gossip. "Did something happen between you two?"

I worry my bottom lip trying to decide what exactly to tell him but, before I can come up with anything the bell rings. "We'll talk about it at lunch." I respond walking away from him quickly while throwing a dismissive hand in his direction.

"Lunch it is! You said it!"

The day continues uneventfully and this time I'm the one texting Theo at an intensely annoying rate. I'm not texting him anything particularly important, just lots of greetings and complaints about all my schoolwork and stupid people in my classes. I'm actually surprised I haven't done this before. Texting him for no reason never crossed my mind until now. Of course he isn't responding but I have a sneaking suspicion that he's read every single one of my texts. That's just the kind of person Theo is, heck I read all of his texts too, I just deleted them after. Narrowing my eyes I shift in my chair and try for a different tactic. I open up snap chat and put a cute little pink deer filter on myself as I take a video to see if this will reap any results. Send.

"Are you snapchatting right now?"

"Nope." I respond putting my phone face down on the table as Takoda sits down with his lunch in hand.

"I thought you said Snapchat was for losers who can't talk to people in person." He says with a pointed look on his face.

"I said I wasn't snapchatting."

"Sure" He looks entirely unconvinced when I say this but I try to act like I don't care.

My phone vibrates and I open it to see a little snap chat notification. PRAISE THE LITTLE DEER LORD! Opening it I'm shocked to see nothing. A black screen with simple white script on it that reads...

Pay attention in class

It's lunch time Theo. Hey, at least I got a response this time. I'm so engrossed in wondering if I should respond that I almost don't notice Raid enter the abandoned classroom.

"Hi."

"Well, howdy do." I respond putting my phone in my pocket as Raid takes a seat next to me. Takoda stares across the table as if Lucifer himself just sat down and called him a shit eating donkey.

"What the hell is he doing here?"

I cough and swallow part of my sandwich before looking at the other boy. "Oh I forgot to tell you. The dynamic duo is now a trio."

"Are we seriously letting him eat with us?"

Raid chews quietly looking mostly undisturbed by Takoda's distress but I can tell that it hurts his feelings. You know the ones that are buried deep, deep down inside. "Look at it this way," I say patting the big guy on the back. He stops chewing and looks at me with an expression that says both I-am-going-to-kill-you and thanks-for-being-such-a-great-friend. "Now every time you want to complain about what an ass Raid is, you can do it to his face. And what can he say really? Because he knows he's an ass." I reach up and pat his head. "Perfectly self-aware of his assiness."

"That's not even a word." Takoda complains glaring at the both of us.

"Sure it is. I just made it one," I smile hanging my arm around Raid's shoulder, pointing at him with my other hand. "Assiness: the state or quality of being an ass, a.k.a, a complete and utter fool."

Takoda shakes his head and waves his hand in the air. "Okay you know what whatever. I don't care. I just won't acknowledge him. You promised me a story and that's what I want. What happened with you and Theo?"

"Won't acknowledge him? How can you not acknowledge him? He's literally the elephant in the room!" I say throwing my hands out to make a point. I guess I passively insulted Raid too many times though because he's pinching my ear between his fingers within seconds. "Ow! Ow! Okay I got it! You're not an elephant." He let's go and I glare at him, rubbing my appendage. "That really hurts my feelings Raid, I thought we were closer than this."

"Talk." He says, hiding a smirk behind his sandwich.

Sighing I turn back to Takoda. "What do you want to hear?"

"What happened? Why did he come and get you from school?"

"How about how you started dating an old guy in the first place?" Raid pipes in nodding at Takoda's questions.

I sigh. Guess it's time to spill the beans. "Actually...he's my guardian."

Raid chokes flailing like an octopus causing Takoda to shove his bottle of water at him. He breathes heavily while taking a large swallow. As soon as he's finished he turns to me with a wild look on his face. "You're fucking your dad?"

Takoda's face contorts in disgust. "Ew!"

I roll my eyes and smack the bigger boy on the back of the head. "He's not my dad you idiot! Does that man look like he could be my dad?" I shake my head and pinch the front of my shirt jerking it to air out the sweat that suddenly accumulated. "You two are so stupid sometimes. You're perfect for each other."

"You said guardian!" Raid protests.

"Yeah, you dingus I did! A Guardian doesn't necessarily mean a parent! That's why I said it!" I shake my head again. Wow. What are we teaching our teenagers these days? "He's my dad's friend. My dad didn't have any living relatives so when he died custody was given to Theo per my dad's wishes."

Takoda nods in understanding and Raid takes another swig of his water. "So you're fucking your dad's best friend."

"Oh my god!" I say turning and smacking Raid on the head again. "Would you stop saying that? I am not fucking anyone for goodness sake!" I take my seat again once I've hit him enough and then look at Takoda. "I lied to get Giovanni dipshit off my ass. We aren't dating. He's just substitute dad."

"That makes sense." Takoda drawls putting his head in his hands.

"Hell no it doesn't," I look at Raid and he's giving me an expression of disbelief. "The look that he gave me yesterday was not the look of an angry dad."

I shrug. "Theo's...different."

Raid scoffs. "Different how? Different because he's not your dad? Different because he really wants to fuck you?"

Before I can reach over and smack him again Takoda does it for me. "Would you shut up for five seconds and let him talk?" I nearly fall over laughing as I watch this play out though, because Takoda hitting Raid really just looks like someone booping a cat. Adorably non-threatening.

"Ow! I'm just making an observation! The look in his eyes was the look of a jealous and angry lover. You can't fake that."

Takoda rolls his eyes and sits back in his seat. "You would know wouldn't you?"

Raid isn't insulted by this statement in the least. In fact it seems like it just proves his point. "Exactly," He states, as if this is obvious. "You guys might not be dating, but he absolutely likes you. Substitute dad or not."

Groaning I drop my head onto the table. "Why are relationships so hard? If he likes me then he should just do it all the way. This half-hearted nonsense is killing me." I turn and glare at my two friends before pointing at them. "You two stop being ridiculous and figure your shit out, it pisses me off that you're sitting across from each other like this. The tension is palpable. I have my own load of bullshit to sort out, don't add to it with your melodramatics. If you like each other than fucking like each other, and if you need to repent first than repent with your lives." Angrily I stand and gather my half eaten lunch. "I've lost my appetite so I'm going to go wallow in self-pity for a while. Have a nice lunch."

Takoda looks completely lost for words that I'm ditching him with Raid again, while Raid looks ecstatic at the next opportunity for alone time. I decide that right now I'm not going to care and that I'll let Takoda rip me a new one when we go home today. My destination is the tree outside and my purpose is to just let everything go.

As I sit in the soft grass I wonder about the friendship between Theo and my father. How long did they know each other that his loyalty to my dad runs so deep? Their friendship must've been incredibly important for him to be so immobilized by it. What do I have to do to make him see me not as my father's son but as Chip Masaya? Just Chip Masaya. I know that my father would want me to be happy, but Theo doesn't see it the same way. I guess it's up to me then. I'll have to show him that I'm not kidding when I say that I like him, and that it's okay to like me back.

The ride home with Takoda is exactly how I thought it would be. Lots of passive aggressive complaining on his part. "And then he had the nerve to ask me how my date with his cousin went and I absolutely did not want to talk about that."

I tap my knuckle against the window as I watch the familiar sidewalks flash by, my best friends droning catching my attention. "Oh you mean the date you actually didn't go on?"

"Exactly...I mean....wait...how did you know I didn't go?" Takoda questions his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

I laugh. "Are you kidding? Of course you weren't going to go. Raid totally knows that too, he's actually really intelligent he just has an appearance that people consider to be typical of someone who's stupid."

"What does that even mean? And how would he know that I didn't go on the date?"

Rolling my eyes I nudge Takoda's shoulder. "I don't know maybe the same way he knew about the date in the first place. His family gossips and shares personal information like no other."

"Why would he ask about it in the first place if he knew I didn't go?"

"He was teasing you Takoda, and probably trying to flirt. The whole date escapade just gives him another excuse to talk to you." Takoda scoffs as we pull into my driveway and he puts his car in park.

"I don't want him to flirt with me!"

I laugh out loud and push my door open. "You keep telling yourself that buddy."

"HEY I MEAN IT!" He shouts toward the passenger window as I shut the door. I lean in to look at him through the window and roll my eyes.

"You can lie to yourself Takoda, but you can't lie to me." With that I tap the side of his truck and wave goodbye running up the stairway to the front door. Immediately I head to the kitchen because I've got that weird disease where the first thing I do when I enter my house is open the fridge. The only thing that stops me in my tracks is Theo standing at the counter drinking a glass of water. The minute he sees me his posture changes. He stands up straighter, like he's puffing up with caution.

"Hi," Is all that I say to him as I open the fridge. He doesn't respond at all, just keeps drinking his water as if I never entered the room in the first place. I can't help scrunching my nose in anger is I reach into the fridge and pull out Tupperware that contains the ever coveted watermelon. I see he's just going to pretend I'm not here. I slam the door of the fridge and turn around hoisting myself onto one of the counter stools before prying open the green container in front of me. It takes a minute of silence to make me believe that he's comfortable enough for me to ruin it for him. "Can you hand me a fork?"

The glass in his hand freezes halfway to his mouth but the pause only lasts so long before he's swallowing a mouth full of water and placing it back down on the counter. The silence is vast as he pulls open a drawer and grabs a fork handing it to me as if he's holding a bomb. "So what are you up to? Today was your day off right?" I ask taking the fork from his hand.

He nods and clears his throat glancing out the back door. "I ran some errands, and I'll probably head to the gym in about an hour."

"Can I come?" The question leaves my mouth before I even realize what the gym entails. Ugh. Physical activity. But....I can watch Theo sweat.

Theo looks at me like I've grown a second head because he knows how much I hate exercise. "You want to come?" He questions his tone flat as if there is no way that I'm serious.

"Yes," I say squinting to formulate my response. "I'm an adult now right? Exercising is an adult thing to do, so I am all about it." I glance down at my almost empty Tupperware before stabbing a piece of watermelon and shoving it in his face. "See! Look at this! I'm eating a fruit that was finely cut into geometric shapes. What is more adult than that? I think it's only right that I join you in the next rite of passage."

Theo's eyes scrunch together and he leans away from my fork like I seriously freaked him out. "Whatever." He says and walks out of the kitchen without glancing back once. I quickly grab my empty Tupperware and wash it. Knowing Theo his hour will turn into a half hour just so that he can have an excuse to leave me here. So that means I've got to move fast. The speed at which I run up the stairs is admirable but I'm even quicker at getting dressed in what I assume are gym-like clothes. I pack my duffle bag with a change of clothes and other essentials before I'm back downstairs and ready to go. Right on time as it seems because Theo is just coming down the hallway as if he's about to leave me behind. As soon as he spots me a look of surprise smacks across his face.

Never expected me to get ready that fast huh?

"Let's go get fit and what not!" I cheer throwing my fist into the air. I can tell that I've rained on his parade as his expression twists into a not so pleasant wince. I choose to ignore this and follow him to the car. This drive is quite similar to our awkward time on the road this morning. Except for this time around the silence seems to be too much for the both of us. We both reach for the radio button at the exact same time. I don't really mind at all but Theo's hand shoots back to the steering wheel like he just got an electric shock. Psh, what a baby. Our fingers barely even grazed. Like that's a big deal. I press the button and turn to look out my window trying to ease the flush out of my cheeks.

The gym is a lot more intimidating than I thought it would be. There are tons of beautiful people flawlessly doing exercises that would make me look like a deranged ostrich. Of course they make it look like an Adidas commercial with their fashionable clothing and sparkly sweat. Theo starts to move out of sight the minute we walk in and as soon as I notice I latch onto him. "Where are you going?"

He glances down at where my hands are clutched onto his bicep before looking at my face. "Treadmills"

"What about me?"

"You're the one who said you wanted to come here. Go get fit and what not." I narrow my eyes at the attitude but let go of his arm. I decide to stay within range of Theo because I am completely out of my element. If I have a sudden heart attack he'll need to be able to spot me. I choose to commandeer a bike looking contraption that is not too far in front of Theo's treadmill. Bikes are good. You don't have to run and your butt is in a seat. Perfect for me. It doesn't take me too long to get the hang of it and soon I'm actually kind of enjoying myself. I know right? Who is this imposter? Theo hasn't stopped running once since we've been here, which completely blows my mind. Is he even human? I guess he must've gotten those abs from somewhere. I find that as I peddle I mindlessly stare at the sweat on his shoulders. God, the way that his muscles move is surreal. I feel the same feeling well in my stomach that I get when I watch the sunrise. It's this rush of warmth that's violent but gentle all at the same time. My whole body sings just from looking at him.

I want to touch him.

He'd probably punch me in the face if I tried. No, who am I kidding? He wouldn't punch me. That's too far even for Theo. He might throw something in my general direction though. I'm starting to think that's how he shows his affection. I don't know if Theo knows this but he is violent. Most of the time he's pushing, pulling, shoving, grabbing, throwing and yelling. Then all of a sudden there's this moment when he's tender and kind. I never know how long the moment will last but I try to stay in it as long as possible. Then he grabs, and pulls all over again.

And I let him because I'm sort of in love with it.

Theo is the eye of the storm.

And you know what?

I'm a fucking storm chaser.

In the middle of my thoughts a hand pats my shoulder. I jump in brief surprise and look to my left where a dude I don't know is standing. He's good looking with tan skin and dark hair that curls around his temples. Actually...he looks a great deal like Raid. Could this be the mythical cousin? Intrigued I stop what I'm doing and pull out one of my ear-buds.

"Hi. I'm Liam." He says giving me a big smile. His smile could bring peace to every continent. I smile back.

"Uh, Hi Liam. Can I help you?"

"I just saw you from over there," he says pointing at the weights "and I wondered if you would like to come join me?"

"Join you?" I glance at the weights again. They look like a death contraption. "Uh...sorry I'm not really a weights kinda person." I grab my scrawny arm and squeeze it in demonstration. "I'd like to live to see another day, and I doubt I can do that over there."

He laughs. Like really laughs. His voice is deep and sincere and reminds me of running in the park with my dad and our dog. If this man is who I think he is then it's no wonder Takoda was charmed by him within minutes. "Wow. You're really honest huh?"

"Honesty is my middle name."

"Well Honesty, I can teach you. Your twigs might become actual sticks one day." He pokes my arm as he says this and I flush.

"Wow. You sure know how to sell. You ever consider going into marketing?"

He raises his eyebrows. "Of course. I'm getting the degree and everything."

"Well. It would only be respectful for me to pretend to fall for your strategy. In the spirit of knowledge of course." I say this as I climb off the bike and gesture towards the weights. Lead the way to my doom man-puppy.

"Of course. In the spirit of knowledge. How can I ever repay you?"

"Just don't kill me and we'll call it good." I mumble as we come upon the bench where you lay down and lift the bar. You know the thing...I'm sure it has a name. I just don't care. "So what's the first step oh great one?"

"Oh great one huh?"

"Liam the Oh Great One?"

"Better," He grins and begins changing the weights, probably so I don't crush myself. "We're going to start you off with one pound, because you fear for your life."

"I'm liking where this is going."

"All you gotta do is lay down in a comfortable position. Put your head here. After that it's pretty self-explanatory. Lift the bar with your arm and shoulder strength. Don't go too fast and don't accelerate your movements too much. Hold it steady at the start to make sure that you can maintain it for a few seconds without movement before lifting. I'll make sure I catch it if you can't hold it anymore."

"You make it sound amazingly uncomplicated."

"That's because it is amazingly uncomplicated. You just gotta maintain form. "

I scoff and sit down on the bench before laying back and shimmying under the bar. In this position I'm even more intimidated by the weight just waiting above me. Even if it is one pound.....oh god I'm such a loser. I'm not even confident enough to lift one pound of weight with both of my arms.

Hey, at least I don't over shoot. There's no chance that I could crush myself with too much self-confidence.

"Okay now lift." Liam says standing above my head like my guardian angel. I lift the bar from its resting place and begin to my slow torturous descent into Jell-O armed hell. "So you never told me your name." Liam comments keeping his eyes on my arms as they lift up and down.

"You ask me after I'm stuck in this trap?"

"That was my plan all along didn't you know?" He teases. I laugh and put the bar back where it started. It's not heavy.

"My name is Chip. No it's not my real name but it's what I'm called. Also I think I can do more than one pound."

Liam nods and moves to change the weights as I lay there lazily. I don't even have to move, he just does everything for me. My kind of exercise. "Okay you want to do two or three?"

"Three. Not because I think I can do it, but because I'm hoping to actually gain something from this little excursion and I don't think that'll happen with two pounds."

"As you wish." He adjusts the weight and comes back around to where my head is. I lift and can already feel a difference. Yup the laws of nature still hold true. Three pounds is heavier than one. "Do you come here often?" Liam asks eyes watching like a hawk just in case I drop the bar and crush my torso.

"Pfft! Can't you tell by my mad exercise skill?" I groan "I don't come here ever. Like at all."

"You hate physical activity that much huh?"

"Oh yeah. I'll only run if the devil's chasing me." Or Creed. "How about you? Do you come here often?"

"At least once a week, at most four times a week?" Damn the whole family must be hugely muscled and intimidating.

I put the bar back into place and let out a large breath. I can feel the sweat dripping down my temples. It's moderately difficult. Three pounds. Sad. A baby weighs more than that. "You go to the gym four times a week? What's wrong with you?"

Liam shrugs. "It's not that much. I should be coming more but I just don't have the time."

"It's that marketing degree huh? It won't give you any freedom."

"How do you know everything?" Liam fake gasps.

"It's a gift really." I wipe my hands on my shorts and raise a finger to Liam. "One more time and let's go five."

He raises his eyebrows in mock surprise. "Are you sure?"

"I'm more than sure."

"Okay Evel Knievel." I watch as Liam moves around me readjusting the weights to five pounds. He looks so used to doing it like its second nature. Humans are so fascinating. They're all so different it astounds me. I mean compare Liam to Raid and we have a Jedi Knight versus a Sith Lord. A respectable Sith Lord...but still a minion of the dark side. He's got a heart of gold in there somewhere. "Done. Lift."

I lift the bar for what feels like the millionth time today and I swear I feel the molecules in my arm screaming at me. I want to lift this thing at least five times before admitting defeat though. Even my non-existent muscles have pride.

"What are you doing?!"

The sudden sound of Theo's voice causes me to lose my grip and a strike of fear bolts through my body. I'm going to drop it on me. I probably won't die but it's going to hurt. Before this thought can manifest into anything else Liam is already lifting the bar and putting it back into place. "Are you okay Chip?"

"Yeah I'm fine."

"Hey! Chip! Did you hear me? That's dangerous! Look you almost dropped it on yourself!"

Liam turns to Theo with his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance and his arms crossed. "He almost dropped it on himself because you surprised him. Why are you yelling like that anyways?"

"Who the hell are you?" Theo questions sharply words sticking into the air like knives with every syllable. I can clearly see the look of familiarity as he sizes up my new friend. He can see the resemblance to Raid and he's not a fan. I sit up and rub the back of my neck.

"Theo this is Liam, Liam this is Theo." I grumble.

"Is he always like this?" I look up at Liam whose eyes are glaring right back into Theo's.

"Yup. It's sort of his character flaw."

"Enough. I don't know who you are or what this is about but you almost killed him."

"Actually you almost killed him. This is heavy equipment you can't go running around and screaming at people like a maniac. If you would've come over and talked like a normal person that wouldn't have happened."

"Actually," I interrupt standing and stretching my arms. "I almost killed myself because I'm a weakling. Neither of you are at fault here. Good?"

The tension between these two men who have never met is ridiculous and I find myself getting just a little bit embarrassed by Theo's behavior. Before I can say anything more Theo reaches around Liam and grabs my arm dragging me towards him. I wince but don't argue. "Go get your stuff. Now."

This is perfect timing according to fate because a loud voice interrupts the terribly thick and angry air around us. "Liam! Hey man I haven't seen you for a while!" I glance behind me and see none other than Marc sauntering towards us with a gym bag thrown over his shoulder. It's so strange to see him outside of school and without a girls hand down his pants. He almost seems like person. Liam's face lights up when he notices him. Strange that Raid's cousin seems to be so involved in all of the players in Raid's life. Small world I guess. "Oh Pocahontas is here too!"

Rolling my eyes I turn around and walk away from them. I don't even want to acknowledge a human who is stupid enough to continuously display the same ignorant behavior. Perhaps this is a sign that it is time to leave. We've already been here for more than an hour anyways. I hurry over to the bike that I had previously occupied and scoop my bag onto my shoulder. Theo is waiting for me near the shower entrance so I head in that direction throwing a quick wave at Liam before leaving. As we walk in Theo shakes his head and throws his bag down near the lockers. "Never a quiet moment." He mutters mostly to himself as he rips off his shirt. I play with the idea of ignoring him but it's just not in my nature.

"You know Theo the reason there's never a quiet moment is one hundred percent because of you." I snap unzipping my gym bag and taking out my shower necessities.

Theo turns around his dark eyes slightly wide as if I've said something completely unwarranted. "Me?"

"Yeah you. You embarrassed me out there. Can't you act normal for five seconds?"

"Oh excuse me! I didn't realize you're number one concern was trying to impress a sweaty gym rat." He growls his voice raising as he glares at me. His fist is gripping his bottle of shampoo so tightly that it looks like the liquid is about to erupt from the top. "You know what? Maybe coming to the gym isn't the best idea for you. No more gym."

"Oh I get it," I say reaching over and taking the shampoo from his hand in order to spare it's very short life. He swallows, his adam's apple bobbing up and down as his eyes following me closely. "You're jealous. Again."

"I'm not j-"

I interrupt him with a friendly pat on the shoulder as I step closer and lean against the locker doors. He looks both annoyed and slightly mortified. "Theo...I don't know if you realized this but the reason I came to the gym today was to watch you sweat," He flinches as if I've pinched him but I can clearly see color tinge the skin of his neck as he averts his gaze. "You have absolutely nothing to worry about. The only sweaty gym rat I have any interest in impressing is you."

"Do you ever stop talking?" Theo grunts in response to my shameless flirting grabbing for my hand in order to retrieve his shampoo. I move it behind my back quickly sending him a smile.

"There is only one way to get me to stop talking and I think we both know what it is."

"Seriously Chip stop playing around. Give me my shampoo." Theo orders reaching behind me to wrestle the bottle out of my grasp. I can tell he's getting exasperated but I don't care. It's at this moment that I lift onto my toes and dare to give him a quick kiss on the lips. Even though it's fast I can still feel how hard and smooth his mouth is on mine before I fall back onto my heels. Theo sputters and backs up like I just sprayed water in his face, his hand moving upward to wipe his mouth. "CHIP!"

"What?" I ask setting the shampoo down on the bench behind me.

"That was incredibly inappropriate!"

I squint at him shaking my head. "I don't think it's inappropriate. I used to kiss my grandmother like that when I was little. If that is inappropriate someone should've let me known ten years ago."

"I'm not your grandmother Chip!"

"Are you sure? Because you're pretty old fashioned like her." I tease reaching out and sticking my fingers into the belt loops of his sweatpants to pull him towards me. He looks sort of afraid which stimulates the wicked side of me that I never knew existed until now. Theo puts up solid resistance by slamming his arm against the lockers above my head but he's still close enough that I feel a little shiver of pleasure crawl up my spine.

"Stop being ridiculous Chip." His voice is hard but I can sense the shakiness underneath the severity. "This isn't like you."

I laugh and peer up at the older man. "Oh? And what am I like? Am I supposed to hide in my room and wallow in self-pity over the fact that you're too much of a wuss to admit that you want me?" Theo grabs my arms quickly after hearing these words and shoves them to my sides.

"I do not want you Chip."

Even though I know he's lying it still hurts to hear him say it. "I'm pretty sure we crossed that bridge when you jerked me off on the kitchen table Theo."

"Fuck this." He spits shoving me aside and digging into his duffle bag. He finds his keys and turns around throwing them at me before tugging his shirt back on and gesturing in my general direction. "Drive yourself home." Are the only words he says before practically running from the locker room. I grip the keys in my hand and stare at where he was standing. Perhaps it would be best not to follow him for now. Instead I sit down on the bench and take out my phone searching for directions on how to get home.

The final week of high school passes by far quicker than I had originally anticipated but I find that I don't actually mind. I'm kept busy as assignments in school are wrapping up and classes consist mostly of presentations and final projects. All of this distracts me from the cold reality that I have barely seen Theo at all during the last couple days. He really is going all out to avoid me this time around. I guess our locker room tryst was the last straw. He's not home in the morning when I wake up and he is never back by the time I go to sleep. I've basically had to rely on Takoda and Raid to get me to and from school which has really solidified our friendship bonds. I guess there's always a silver lining?

I chant this under my breath as I stare at the clock in the kitchen my eyes following the second hand closely. My cap and gown are uncomfortable but I endure it hoping that Theo will walk through the door with keys in hand ready to go. Who am I kidding? If he's not already here then he's not coming. I doubt he's even set foot in the house at all during the last week. My phone vibrates and I glance down to look at an exasperated text from Takoda who has been sitting outside in his truck for the last twenty minutes.

Chip forget it. He's not coming. We have to go.

He's right. Sighing I stand and grab my bag from beside me hefting it over my shoulder before I glance at the note tapped to the outside of the back door. Even Creed remembered my graduation day and he doesn't even like me. Takoda is waving happily as I walk down the doorstep, already glowing in his cap and gown. I tug open the back seat and throw my bag in before hopping in next to the smaller boy. "Are you ready to be done with the most terrible years of our lives?" Takoda shouts pumping his fist in the air.

"For some reason I highly doubt we are done." I respond rubbing my fingers against my aching temples.

Takoda rolls his eyes as he drives towards the local university. "Okay then could you at least be excited for the party tonight?"

"Anything to get me out of that damn house. It's so fucking quiet."

"Did he go on a business trip or something?" He questions already aware that I'm talking about the missing Theo Tetera.

I shake my head glaring out the window. "It doesn't matter. He promised months ago that he would be at my graduation. We made plans. Family plans."

Takoda shrugs tapping a thumb against the steering wheel. "Plans change sometimes. Either way who cares if Dr. Douche face is there anyways? We'll have an awesome night at Raid's apartment drinking way too much alcohol and playing strip poker without him."

I squint at this and turn to my friend. "Strip poker?"

"Sure what's graduating without strip poker?"

"Was this your idea or Raid's idea?"

"I'm not entirely sure how to answer that question."

"So it was Raids idea."

"Who cares? Raid is clearly challenging me. He thinks that I'm going to chicken out so instead I'm rising to the challenge. Wait...you're coming right? Please come....don't tell me you're chickening out. " Takoda panics pulling into the parking lot and turning off the car.

"I'm not chickening out Takoda," I respond shutting the car door and heading toward the unfamiliar building with my friend by my side. "I have bigger problems than you and Raid seeing my dick."

"Inspiring words Chip. Now let's get this show on the road!"

You know they make a big deal about graduating from high school but to be honest it's nothing special. It's just a bunch of kids you never talked to all sitting in neat little rows listening to the smart ass of the school give a speech that hopefully represents how they feel about their high school experience. Despite this I'm still miffed that Theo never bothers to show up. There is not a peep from the older man the whole entire night not even a congratulatory text or an apologetic phone call.

At two in the morning right before they drop me off at home Raid and Takoda surprise me with an incredibly fancy cake. I think that it's their way of trying to make me feel better. Of course I appreciate it and I doubly appreciate the fact that they've slowly started trying to get along. Raid even asked us if we all wanted to move into his apartment with him, a roommate situation if you will. Who would believe that the big guy would be willing to cohabitate with the two people who annoy him most? I guess Takoda annoys Raid in just the right ways. I really don't care  since it just means that the drive to my house is that much more entertaining with the two of them bickering like an old married couple. When we pull up in the dark driveway I'm both relieved to see Theo's car and a little pissed off. He promised that it would be a family day, just the two of us. I know it was a while ago that he said that, but he still promised. For a guy who preaches so much about  family he sure failed the test.

"I'll come back for my bag." I say through the open car window, adjusting the graduation gown that I put back on and hefting my fancy cake into both hands. As I walk up to the house I run through all the possible things that I could say when I come face to face with the older man. Where were you? I thought we had plans? You promised we would go out for dinner. As I open the door I shake my head dissatisfied with all of these options. No doubt none of these would go over well. He would probably just tell me that I talk too much. I kick the door closed behind me with one leg and head towards the kitchen the smell of pasta wafting through the air. I haven't seen Theo for a week, so naturally as I walk down the hallway excitement blooms in the pit of my belly, causing my heart to start rolling around in my chest cavity. 

I expect the older man to be standing at the stove with a blank expression on his face as he mixes a pan of his best rigatoni. Instead when I walk into the kitchen I see a shirtless Theo laughing at the flirtatious words of a dark haired woman who is sitting on a stool at the counter nursing a glass of red wine. It's the woman from the party and based on the side boob I'm spotting she's only wearing a red button up shirt which I'm positive belongs to Theo. 

You've got to be fucking kidding me.

The flood of emotions that surges through my chest at this sight is uncontrollable. I don't think I've ever felt so confused and so hurt all at the same time. It feels like a tsunami has swept through the foundations that's have been holding me together forcing them to crumble beneath me. Before I realize it my hands have completely let go of my fancy friendship cake and the sound of the container hitting the floor draws all attention in the room to me. Theo's confused as he looks over but when his eyes lay on me and take in my appearance an expression of complete shame paints his face.

"Ch-"

So you remember now.

"Oh hey honey it's the kid you were talking about! I guess he graduated today huh? Why didn't you tell me? I could've brought him a present." She reaches over the counter and swats Theo's arm playfully extending her long naked legs across the stools next to her before turning back to me. "You're so cute sweetie! What's your name? I'm Julia but you can just call me Jules."

All the pain I felt seconds ago slowly turns into flickering rage as the woman infantilizes me.

Ah I get it. So this is what he was doing after he promised to come to my graduation. So this is what he was doing during the last week while I sat around the house waiting for him to show his fucking face.

"Well come on over sweetie don't just stand there! Don't worry about that mess we can get that cleaned up in a little while." She smiles and downs the rest of her wine shaking the now empty glass in my direction. "Why don't you come over here and have a little wine? I know you're not twenty one yet but what's a little celebratory drink as long as you have permission?"

I glance at the glass and back at Theo and from the look in his eyes I know that he can see fury in my gaze. I walk forward while saying nothing and Julia smiles sitting up and setting the glass on the counter. She reaches for the dark bottle of Bordeaux that I recognize to be one of Theo's most expensive wines and begins to pour it into the glass.

"Chip-" Theo starts; a worried but parental tone tinging his voice as he watches me approach.

"Is that your name sweetie? What a strange name. I've never known anyone with that name before. You kids these days have all of the interesting names don't you? I mean seriously what is Julia?" She furrows her brows and scrunches her nose before handing me the glass. "Come to think of it I've never met another Theo either. Would you look at that honey? You have a unique name too!"

She beams a smile full of pearly white teeth and I despise how beautiful she is so much that before I can control myself I'm tossing the contents of the glass into the woman's face. I watch with great pleasure as she gasps in surprise, the red liquid dripping down onto Theo's stupid fucking shirt. Honey fucking honey.

"Chip!" Theo shouts and I can already tell he's about to scold me so I turn toward him and meet him halfway-throwing the wine glass in his direction with all my might. His eyes enlarge with shock and he ducks just in time the glass shattering against the refrigerator behind his head. No wonder he throws shit all the time; it's incredibly satisfying. So satisfying in fact that I think I'll do it again. As I reach over and snatch the expensive bottle of Bordeaux from the counter little miss Julia jumps out of her seat screaming and runs over to the back door to get away from me. I don't bother with her and toss the dark bottle straight at Theo's head. He rolls across the floor barely evading it but still managing to get splattered with red wine in the process. "FAMILY!" I shout, hardly noticing my angry tears or the sound of Takoda and Raid letting themselves in as I rip my cap off. Theo's already standing up and coming around the counter but I throw my cap at his face in order to stop him. He flinches and catches it in his hands before putting it down gently.

"CHIP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Takoda shouts grabbing my shoulder and pulling me backwards but I ignore him as I tug off my graduation gown and roll it into a ball hucking it at Theo as well. Of course he catches it laying it down on the counter next to my cap.

"FAMILY!" I growl. I want to hit him more than i've ever wanted to hit anything in my whole entire life, but Raid and Takoda are grabbing me and pulling me towards the front door.

"Come on Chip let's just go!" Raid grunts wrapping his arm around my waist and tugging me as if I weight nothing and offer absolutely no resistance.

"WAIT!" Theo orders slipping on red wine as Julia runs to his side.

"YOU AREN'T MY FAMILY! YOU NEVER WERE YOU SACK OF SHIT!" My screams are probably so loud that Bobby and Creed can hear them but I don't care. Theo was the one that called us a family first. He's all I have and he threw it in my fucking face. I fight hard against my friends' hands the urge to rip Theo's hair out motivating me but Raid having had enough leans down and tosses me over his shoulder carrying me out to the car as quickly as possible.

"Drive Tanner!" He shouts, shoving me into the back seat and holding me down as he slides in next to me. I kick him and reach for the handle of the other door but he grabs my arm and pins it against the seat.

"What?" Takoda yelps holding the car door open.

"I SAID DRIVE!"

"BUT IT'S YOUR CAR!"

Groaning Raid digs into his pocket with one arm and tosses his keys at Takoda who fumbles to catch them as the front door opens. "NOW IT'S YOURS! LET'S GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE!" Takoda doesn't say another word as he jumps into the front seat not even bothering with his seatbelt as he powers up the car and peels out of the driveway. The high pitched screech of the vehicle completely drowns out the sound of Theo's voice as he runs down the driveway and I find that I don't care because he's the last person I want to hear anything out of.

We are ten minutes into the drive when I realize how much I'm crying. Raid is sitting next to me looking more than a little disturbed and Takoda keeps glancing at me in the rear view mirror. I shudder and wipe my face with my hands plopping my head against the seat in front of me.

"Chip." Takoda says glancing at the road.

"Yes?" I respond sniffling and looking up.

"What the fuck just happened?"

I can feel my eyebrows furrow as volcanic tears threaten to burst but I don't try and stop it. Instead I rub at my runny nose with the sleeve of my sweater and let the salt water fall. "He...." I swallow and the car fills with the wet sounds of my misery. Dramatic? Yes. Uncalled for? No. "He fucked her. Didn't you see?"

"If you're asking me if I saw him fuck her the answer is no." Raid answers scratching a stain on his jeans.

A pained laugh bursts from my throat and I shake my head. "No. She was wearing his shirt. She was naked and she was wearing his shirt."

An awkward silence fills the car as we all carefully consider the current situation. "Well...there could be... loads of reasons for her being...naked and wearing his shirt." Takoda stumbles over his response signaling a left turn at a stop light.

Raid shakes his head and jams his knee into the back of the driver's seat. "Don't be stupid Tanner."

"Sorry."

"I thought that...if I waited he would be okay with everything but he...." I'm unable to finish and Raid pats my back staring out the window as if trying to give me privacy.

"Fuck him man." He mumbles.

"That woman...talked to me like I'm a child. I'm not a fucking child!" Takoda nods along with my words as if silently agree with me and Raid rubs my back. "She treated me like I was a guest in my own house and Theo just let her. I don't fucking need that bitch's permission for shit! It's my goddamn home."

"Chip..." Raid rubs his hand into my hair and messes it up affectionately. "Maybe it's time you found a new home. You're an adult, you don't have to stay there anymore. I have a room with your name on it at my apartment. You'd have to get a job and pay rent but that's all part of growing up. Seriously, I want you to come live with me." I turn to look at the bigger boy and find myself nodding as he gives me a sincere and crooked smile. 

It's part of growing up. 

"Yeah...you're right. I think I'll do that."

Hi Everyone. It's been awhile but i'm still here and I promise that I read all of your comments and messages. Again I want to remind all of you that i'm not throwing away any of my stories even if a long period of time passes. I have been working on this chapter for as long as I've been away but I had school and other life events that take on the gauntlet of importance. I sincerely apologize for that. I love all of you so much and I hope you remember that. You are all extremely wonderful and beautiful human beings and you make me smile pretty much everyday when I read your comments on all of my stories. You give me the strength and motivation to move on please don't forget it. 

-Rayne