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You are here: Home > Story Shelf > All Authors > Nico Grey > Taking the Waters | Nico Grey

Taking the Waters

by Nico Grey

The shower washed the last of the sleep from Jake's mind, but it made no impression on the sense of unease that had troubled him all week. Too many unsettling thoughts were competing for his attention.

He had been looking forward to the adventure with Ish for weeks. It was their first opportunity since the previous October to experience freedom in the woods, streams, and hills of southeastern Vermont. At fifteen, those seven months had felt like a lifetime to Jake.

But the anticipation had been overtaken— and then overshadowed— in his mind by the recent absence of a classmate and friend. It had cast a dark cloud over Jake and all of his friends. They were a tight knit group. Mercury's sudden disappearance weighed on Jake's mind like the loss of a family member.

When Jake began planning the adventure three weeks earlier, he was intending to spend a relaxing day with Ish exploring the wild areas surrounding their community; a renewal of their adventures of the previous autumn. They would repeat the hike they had made to Chase Falls in early October, where they would meet their history teacher, Mr. Gilchrist, along with his friend, a local historian. Jake was eager to learn more about the tragic history of Chase Falls that Mr. Gilchrist's friend had sketched out during their previous meeting there.

Growing up in a town like East Grange, Jake was accustomed to the placid life of a small community. He assumed that it always had been that way and always would be. It was only recently that Jake had discovered for himself that sometimes danger lurked beneath the surface in quiet, rural communities.

The story that Mr. Gilchrist and his friend shared about their time as students at the local high school had upset both Jake and Ish. They were shocked to discover that the hatred and violence that they themselves had begun to encounter wasn't a new phenomenon at Ball Mountain Union High School, or in the East Grange community.

For Jake especially, who had deep roots in East Grange, it cast the image of his home town in an entirely new light. All week, Jake had been battling a foreboding that Mercury's sudden and unexplained absence might signal another dark, new chapter in the history of East Grange.

Jake wrapped a towel around his waist and stuck his head carefully out the bathroom door, a precaution before he dashed down the hallway to his bedroom. He was grateful for the thick carpet that muffled his footfalls and absorbed damp footprints.

Bright sunlight from his bedroom window greeted Jake as he burst through the doorway. The amount of noise coming through the same window startled him. There was more activity outside the Warren's home than he was used to at eight o'clock on a Saturday morning.

But it was mid-May. The official start of summer was just a week away. After days of rain and cool weather, conditions had started to improve. The forecast predicted temperatures in the low nineties by Monday. Jake suspected that some of Oak Street's residents would spend the entire weekend outside working on lawns and preparing beds for spring planting.

His mother would probably soon be among them. In that sense, Jake was relieved that he and Ish had planned their day well in advance. Otherwise, he'd probably be conscripted into helping his mother dig up and fertilize her flower beds.

Jake gave himself a final once-over with his towel before dropping it and rummaging through his dresser for something appropriate to wear on his first hiking adventure of the year. Hurriedly, he threw shorts and a t-shirt on his bed. He was trying to decide whether he should even bother to look for his swim suit when an electronic alert informed him that there was a text waiting for him on his phone.

He turned on the phone and toggled open his messages.

' Josiah,' he murmured to himself. He hoped that might mean good news.

There were actually three texts waiting. Two had arrived late the previous evening; one each from Ian and Josiah, both asking whether Jake had heard anything about Mercury.

The most recent text was disturbing. Josiah reported that Mercury's closest friend, Darius Sutton, had stopped at the Hayes' home to inquire about Mercury. Mr. Hayes had turned Darius away abruptly with the news that "Freddy" didn't live there any longer.

That felt ominous to Jake. Darius had called the Hayes' home several times during the previous week. On each occasion, Mrs. Hayes had informed him that Freddy wasn't able to come to the phone. Now he apparently didn't even live there.

Jake realized that he was pacing furiously back-and-forth on the carpet in his room. He sat down on his bed and contemplated his phone. It felt a little early in the day to be calling someone. But it was an emergency.

Josiah answered on the third ring. Jake hoped that meant his call hadn't interrupted anything.

"What are we going to do?" he demanded.

"Jake?" Josiah sounded confused. Then, after a brief pause, "I'm sorry. I saw your number on the Caller ID. But calls that start like that usually come from Ian."

"Have we started searching yet?" Jake saw no need to dwell on the misunderstanding. "Where should we meet?"

Josiah was having trouble keeping up with the conversation.

"I thought that you and Ish have plans for today."

" That's later this morning," Jake waved away the objection. "We aren't planning to leave until ten. And I can probably put that off for another hour. We don't have to be at Chase Falls until after noon."

" Jake," Josiah interrupted gently. "I think today means a lot to Ish. And I really don't know what we could do this morning anyway. We need to meet just to brainstorm places to even start looking for Mercury."

"I have to do something!" Jake insisted. "What if something happens to him and I could have helped to find him?"

" If you can think of any place Mercury might be, or anyone besides us that he might turn to for help, text me," Josiah suggested. "That's about all any of us can do anyway.

" For today, just focus on what you can control. That's having a good time and making Ish happy. We had a long winter. He's really missed spending time hiking around the area with you. Give him what he needs. I'm sure things are going to work out fine for Mercury."

It was easier said than done. Jake didn't give up easily. But Josiah persuaded him that there wasn't much point to spending the day conducting a general search around town. There were too many places to look. Before they started searching, they had to narrow down the possibilities.

Jake put his phone down on top of the shorts and shirt he had set aside to wear. He didn't want to risk leaving the house without the phone. He'd be checking in with Josiah throughout the day to see if there was any progress made toward locating Mercury. And if he thought of any place they might search, he wanted to be able to share that information immediately.

He bent over to pick up the towel from the floor when he heard his bedroom door open, followed instantly by a startled squeak.

"Ish!" Jake certainly hadn't expected to see him so early. "I thought we weren't leaving until ten."

Ish was trying to look everywhere at once, except at Jake.

" I was hoping we could start early," Ish said. "But I really should have called first. I can wait downstairs until you are dressed."

The blush suffusing his dark complexion was almost plum-colored.

"Oh, come on in," Jake insisted. "We've seen each other before."

Ish hesitated. He thought it only fair to warn Jake.

" You know I might not be able to avoid staring if I stay."

"I won't mind," Jake snickered. He felt a sudden frisson of excitement. "Just shut and lock the door, please. We don't need my father walking in right now."

Jake was grateful that his parents had eventually accepted his friendship with Ish. In return, he tried not to rub it in their faces by doing anything overtly sexual with Ish in their home.

But he didn't think there was anything wrong with a little looking if his parents didn't know about it. He was trying to figure out how to hint that Ish might feel more comfortable in less clothing without the suggestion coming across as too crass.

"Did my mother let you in, or is my father already home from work?" Jake asked.

" They were both in the kitchen," Ish said. "They offered me breakfast and we talked for a few minutes. I think your mother is planning to dig up your entire lawn today. But she said we should not stay here to help her. She said that she finds it therapeutic when she is working alone in her garden."

Ish shrugged.

"You didn't volunteer us to help?" Jake raised an eyebrow.

"It was the polite thing to do," Ish admitted. "But she said we should get out and enjoy the nice weather together."

Jake chuckled inwardly. Ish was always courteous and thoughtful with his parents. But he wouldn't have been very happy if his mother had accepted Ish's offer.

It was one thing to set aside his concerns about Mercury in order to pursue his plans with Ish. But he would have lost his mind if he had to dig all day instead of trying to help locate his friend.

---

Jake had considered hiking to Chase Falls by the most direct route; cutting east and following State Highway 42 for a while, then heading due north across country until they crossed Mountain Road and reached the Chase Falls development. But when he noticed Ish's disappointment at the suggestion, he amended his plans and let Ish take the lead.

" I just thought we might get to Chase Falls sooner and have plenty of time to hang out," Jake attempted to explain.

" We will still have time," Ish said. "I just miss so many of the places we visited last year. I want us to be together and see them again."

Ish's expression was apologetic.

" It has been years since I had adventures like that, Jake. I really missed them."

They followed Mountain Road out of town toward the northwest. When their cross-country training trail branched off from the main road, they turned west and ventured into the surrounding woodland.

It was a beautiful day for a hike; warm for mid-May, without the oppressive heat that would come with summer. The canopy of new spring foliage provided frequent shade, and the occasional sun-dappled meadows they traversed re-introduced them to scents and sensations that had been absent from southeastern Vermont for many months.

Jake was bemused when Ish paused in the middle of a meadow to absorb the scent of fresh grass and the sight of trillium, columbine, spring beauty, and even the occasional violets. In the distance, songbirds celebrated the arrival of spring weather.

" It is not the same as Beit She'an," Ish blushed when he noticed Jake observing him, "But it is starting to feel like home."

Jake smiled indulgently while he surreptitiously checked his phone to see if he had any messages from Josiah or Ian. Enjoying the landscape with Ish was pleasant, but he couldn't shake his concern for Mercury or his desire to be doing something active about his friend's disappearance.

Jake was familiar with most of the terrain they passed through. He, Ish, and their friends had run the trails almost daily for months the previous autumn. The sense of nostalgia it seemed to evoke in Ish was amusing. Jake just didn't feel such an intense appreciation.

It surprised Jake when Ish turned off the main trail and headed deeper into the surrounding terrain. The track they were following felt familiar to Jake, but he didn't recognize where they were until the trail entered a wide clearing that featured a hill he remembered.

Ish led the way up the gentle slope. When he reached the top, he turned to face Jake.

"We stopped here for lunch one time." His expression was hopeful.

Jake nodded distractedly. He knew they had visited the location before.

" My mother prepares baba ganoush and the roasted garlic hummus for us, just like last year. There is laffa and pita bread, too. She even made limonana," he added, displaying one of the botas slung over his shoulder.

"She sure made a lot!" Jake said, eyeing Ish's pack. He felt his stomach starting to pay attention. It had fond memories of their past adventures.

"I asked her to make shawarma and falafel for our lunch," Ish explained. "I know how much you like them.

" She also sends sabich. I think it touches her heart that you like our food so much. She says we should bring you to Israel someday."

Ish glanced at Jake through lowered eyelashes and blushed.

" She baked rugelach and spiced honey cakes for after our lunch."

"How will we be able to eat all of that?" Jake was willing to try but the pack looked awfully full.

"We share with our teacher and his friend," Ish said. "This is a special occasion. A feast," he added hopefully.

Jake shrugged. The hummus and baba ganoush refreshed fond memories. So did the limonana, when Ish extended a bota in Jake's direction. The frosty slush of lemon and mint was refreshing. It made taste buds celebrate in his mouth.

He sat on the ground atop the hill, tipped back the bota, and let the limonana wash over his tongue.

Ish spread a cloth in front of Jake and placed containers with hummus, baba ganoush, and bread on it. He sat next to Jake and rested against Jake's shoulder.

It was a side of the normally controlled and self-reliant Ish that Jake wasn't used to seeing. During the previous six months they had shared a few brief moments of stolen intimacy. But to Jake, those moments with Ish had felt cautious and carefully controlled.

Jake understood Ish's caution. Watching as his best friend had been killed by a terrorist rocket attack in Israel had been horrifying for Ish. Jake knew that he had spent months in a psychiatric hospital recovering from that experience.

When Ish and his mother had moved to the safety of the United States, Ish and his closest friend there had both been stabbed and seriously injured in a gang attack.

Ish had every reason to fear new emotional attachments. In his experience, they ended in pain. Jake had learned to respect Ish's feelings.

After months of careful negotiation of their developing relationship, Jake had been resigned to gradual progress. It was what Ish needed. It was what Jake expected now.

The young man leaning without reservation against Jake's shoulder felt like a surrender; an emotional release that allowed Ish to lower his personal defenses. Jake didn't understand the sudden transformation. But he also didn't question it. This was progress toward intimacy he had desired for almost as long as he had known Ish.

Jake was prepared to embrace it fully. But worry nagged at the back of his mind. He needed to know what was happening back in East Grange. He needed to be sure that Mercury was safe.

Jake reached into his pocket and glanced at his phone. There were no new messages. His disappointment was palpable.

Ish reached for the container of bread and offered it to Jake. He nudged the bowls of hummus and baba ganoush closer and subtly moved away from Jake's side.

When they returned their supplies and the cloth to Ish's backpack, Jake couldn't resist one more glance at his phone. It was hard to conceal his frustration over the lack of any news. Mercury was his friend. The fear that he was in danger was impossible to ignore.

Ish turned away to gaze out over the surrounding landscape. He breathed in the fresh mountain air and threw his head back to bask in the spring sunshine. Tension released gradually from his body and a smile began to spread across his face before he led the way down the slope and back onto the trail.

They continued north and east for a while, Ish pausing occasionally to breath in the air and the views. His enthusiasm seemed to revive as they hiked. After a while, he dropped back and fell into step alongside Jake, their shoulders bumping companionably from time-to-time.

Jake was surprised when the trail opened onto a clearing and he noticed Ball Mountain Union High School in the distance.

"You remembered all these trails?" Jake was amazed. He hadn't been entirely sure himself where they were.

" I could not forget," Ish said. "We had such wonderful times together when we were out here last year."

That gave Jake pause. He had enjoyed their adventures together. They just hadn't left such a distinct impression on him. He wrapped an arm around Ish's shoulder for a quick hug. It felt like the right thing to do.

Ish leaned into the embrace like he was trying to absorb the emotion; like he was also committing the moment to memory.

They circled around the outer fields surrounding their high school. Before they entered the trails north of the school, Jake stopped to check his phone.

"Sorry," he said. "Sometimes phone reception gets a little sketchy out on these trails."

Ish nodded thoughtfully before he led the way into the woods.

They hiked in silence for several minutes. Following only a few feet behind Ish, Jake had the sense that they had become separated by thousands of miles. One moment, it felt like they were sharing an adventure. Then it felt like Ish had left Jake alone in Vermont while he journeyed back to Beit She'an.

Jake had to ask Ish to repeat himself when he finally spoke.

"You had sex with him?"

It felt more like a pronouncement than a question. Jake wanted to ask for clarification, but he was pretty sure that he understood what Ish meant.

"That time after our evening run, he wanted to kiss you."

That rang a bell for Jake, too. Mercury.

"We did kiss," he admitted. He wanted to add that he had tried to deflect the kiss and turn the moment into a group hug. But that wasn't Ish's point. Even if they had never kissed, Jake loved Mercury.

It gave them both enough to occupy their thoughts while they continued to hike toward Chase Falls.

---

The trail emptied out into a clearing along the marshy banks of the stream that meandered away from Chase Falls.

Jake and Ish followed along the west bank of the stream toward the pool at the base of the falls, sticking to a trail that skirted the soggy ground and undergrowth through which the stream flowed. As they approached, the roar of the water that passed over the falls, swollen by spring runoff, grew louder.

There was firm ground on both sides of the stream where a branch of their trail crossed the stream. Ish led the way across the shallow ford and toward the sheltered area that served as a beach next to the pool.

Ish set down his pack and leaned it against a formation of large granite stones that protected their beach. He glanced about uncertainly, as if he was undecided about what he should do next.

Jake joined him hesitantly.

" We did have sex," he admitted. "Mercury and I. But it was just kind of making out and fumbling that got us both off. We had no idea what we were doing."

It was a clumsy explanation. Half dismissal, half apology.

Ish didn't respond. He didn't even turn around. But the stiffening in his shoulders told Jake that he had heard.

"I would have done more if he had wanted to."

Jake didn't intend to conceal anything from Ish. That was his apology and his penance.

"I do love him. Just like I love Josiah, Ian, and a lot of my friends. I'd do anything for them, or for the guys on my baseball team. But, Ish..."

Jake waited to be certain that Ish was paying attention.

" I haven't had sex with anyone since Halloween, since you agreed to be my boyfriend. I haven't kissed anyone. I haven't looked at in the shower. I haven't even looked at anyone!"

Ish finally turned to look at Jake. The troubled expression on his face was disturbing.

" I know, Jake. You are a very decent person." Ish paused to consider his words.

" I worry, Jake. I know you would not hurt me. But I worry." Ish sighed.

"What can I do?" Jake asked. "I want you to know how much I love you. I just don't know how to do it."

" It is not your problem, Jake," Ish said. "It is my problem. I have lost too much in my life. When something matters to me now, I always start to fear that I am going to lose it.

" My doctor said it is like pain is normal for me. I expect it. But that does not make it hurt any less," he turned away and buried his face in his hands.

Jake was conflicted. He understood that Ish needed comfort and reassurance. He just had no idea how to help.

Cautiously, Jake approached Ish and enclosed him in his arms. He swept Ish's long hair out of the way and kissed him gently on the back of his neck.

"Anything you want from me. Just say it and I'll do it," he assured Ish.

It was a strange experience for Jake. He and his friends had always cared about each other. But he wasn't used to feeling either the need or the desire to be so protective.

"Anything?" Ish leaned back into Jake's lips. He waited until he felt Jake nod.

" I want us to go swimming today. That is part of the reason I wanted us to start so early," Ish explained.

" I'm not sure the water is very warm yet," Jake said. "I don't think it really gets warm until summer."

" It is a nice day. And it is sunny. If we keep moving, we will stay warm," Ish pleaded.

"I didn't think to bring a swimsuit," Jake pointed out.

" I noticed," Ish offered a coy smile. "I do look in the shower. I like to. And I have missed seeing you there since you decided to play baseball instead of running track with us."

Jake found the argument persuasive.

Two minutes later, Jake and Ish were stroking franticly through the water. Ish insisted that the water temperature was exhilarating. Jake was pretty sure that he was starting to lose feeling in his toes. But he discovered that close physical contact with Ish helped them both conserve body heat.

Twenty minutes in the chill water was about all that Jake could stand. Ish didn't argue with him. He laid his pack and their clothing out side-by-side on the granite boulders that had been warming in the sun all morning. Jake glanced around carefully to make sure there were no witnesses before he lay down next to Ish.

For a few minutes they simply enjoyed the physical closeness and the heat of the direct sun. At first, Jake was simply relieved to discover that he could feel the warm stone with his toes. Then he began to notice the warm body lying next to him.

Almost without conscious thought, Jake found himself rubbing his shoulder against Ish, then his foot, then his hip. He reached out with his hand to help warm Ish and was surprised to find something hard and cold in his hand.

" Maybe you should call Josiah to find out if there is any news," Ish suggested.

He pressed Jake's phone into his hand.

" It might help ease your mind. And you will not be distracted by anything for what happens next."

Jake glanced at Ish uncertainly. But he didn't need to think about the offer when he noticed that Ish was unabashedly eager for them to continue.

"Hello?" Josiah picked up on the first ring.

" Sorry I didn't text," Jake explained. "Ish and I are kind of involved in some stuff and it seemed quicker to call than to exchange messages."

It wasn't a particularly long conversation. Josiah explained that Mercury still hadn't been located. But he and Ian had joined Darius and they had asked around Mercury's neighborhood. A boy there had reported seeing Mercury leave home the previous weekend. The boy thought it looked like Mercury hadn't been planning to return.

In a way, it wasn't terrible news. Mercury had been okay seven or eight days earlier. His father hadn't seriously injured him and hadn't locked him in the basement. Mercury had appeared upset but in good health as he was leaving. The problem now was to locate him before he could get into any serious trouble, then help him find a safe place to stay.

"So what kind of stuff are you and Ish involved in?" Josiah wondered.

Jake decided that it was safest to tell Josiah that he and Ish were swimming.

" At Chase Falls?" Josiah was astonished. "That water is still pretty cold, even in the middle of May!"

"Tell me about it," Jake rolled his eyes. "But Ish wants to swim."

"Didn't you explain that the water would be cold?" Josiah asked.

"I didn't know that was his plan until we got here," Jake said.

" Then why did you even bring a swimsuit?"

"Uh. . ." Jake really didn't have a good answer.

"Oh my god!" he heard Ian squeal in the background. "They're up to something!"

A moment later Ian's voice came through the phone at full volume.

" Don't you two dare do anything yet!" he demanded. "We'll be there in less than three minutes!"

The garbled sound of a disagreement came over the line.

" Okay. I forgot that Josiah doesn't have his driver's license yet. We'll be there in four minutes. Five minutes, tops," Ian insisted.

The disagreement escalated into the sounds of struggle. Finally Josiah returned to the line.

"I'll keep Ian occupied here," he promised. "You and Ish have fun. I'll text if we hear anything about Mercury."

"Bye!" Josiah added as he was breaking the connection.

The combination of encouraging news and the normalcy of Ian's bizarre enthusiasm helped to settle Jake's mood. He felt much more relaxed when he turned his attention back to Ish.

Ish searched Jake's face carefully. Apparently he was satisfied with what he found.

" I have lubrication in my backpack," he suggested.

"Lubrication?" Jake wasn't sure, but it really didn't sound like Middle Eastern cuisine.

Ish eyed Jake with a heated expression. He raised his knees and opened his legs suggestively.

Jake took the hint. His eyes widened and he sprang to life like the thermometer in his mother's Thanksgiving turkey announcing that the bird was ready to eat.

But he wanted to enjoy the appetizers first.

"Um, Ish?" he really couldn't take his eyes off what was offered. "We've barely done anything yet."

It pained him to say it.

"I want us to do that," he gestured awkwardly. "I want us both to do that. But I don't want us to rush. I want us to enjoy the journey."

Jake struggled to find words to explain what he meant.

"It's like today."

It felt like the perfect analogy.

"We both wanted to come here. But along the way, you wanted to visit a lot of places that meant something to you. Being here means even more because of all the steps that brought us here."

Jake was pretty sure that he wouldn't be able to explain what he meant any more clearly. He hoped that it made sense to Ish.

" So you do not want to?"

Ish seemed more than disappointed. He almost looked frightened.

"No!" Jake insisted. "I want to! But I want it to be like the final stop on a really amazing vacation. Like stopping at every great tourist spot along the way before we get to Disney World, instead of visiting them on the way home from Disney. I want every moment to keep feeling better."

Ish still looked skeptical.

" How do we know we will ever get there?" he demanded. "What if we do not?"

"We'll make it! As long as you want me, I'll be with you. I know that's what I want." Jake willed Ish to believe him.

To reinforce the message, he grabbed Ish's hand and began to tenderly kiss his way up the arm. When he reached Ish's shoulder and neck, he spent a little time teasing with gentle brushes of his lips while he stroked Ish's chest with his hand. He enjoyed watching the anticipation build in Ish's eyes.

Eventually his lips found their way to Ish's lips. He nibbled gently for a while before he accepted Ish's invitation to enter, losing himself in the heat of the moment.

Jake and Ish weren't experienced lovers. They had barely entered the realm of actual sex, graduating eventually to manual explorations that occasionally resulted in climax. But when Jake felt Ish thrusting with abandon against his groin, he instinctively understood that more was required.

Jake let finesse and tenderness surrender to passion. He slid gradually down Ish's body— past neck, chest, and stomach— his eyes seeking his his target.

When he reached Ish's scar, he slowed his pace to follow that trail sensuously. His kisses carefully marked every centimeter of his journey. Ish still had no warning track, but Jake knew that his goal was waiting at the end of the scar.

Ish had grown a half inch of so since he and Jake first encountered each other face-to-face, as it were. He was slightly thicker. He was still just as eager.

When Jake reached his objective, he began to take his time. He circled the base with gentle kisses, gradually working his way upward toward the summit. He was carefully planning his final ascent when Ish moved suddenly, swinging his body around completely, and Jake felt himself engulfed in the most remarkable sensation of heat, humidity, and passion.

A controlled approach to the holy of holies became simply impossible.

Three minutes later, Jake and Ish lay side by side, panting and exhausted. . . but still eager.

Jake wasn't certain whether he was more elated by what he had done or by what had been done to him. He felt exhausted, but his body was quivering with untamed energy.

Impulsively, he leaped to his feet and dove into the water before he remembered the temperature. The shock helped cool his ardor and brought his emotions back under control. Much sobered, he turned back toward the shore when he heard a loud whoop. Ish landed in the water beside him, pulled Jake into an ardent embrace, and began kicking them both out toward the center of the pool.

Jake was startled, but couldn't resist Ish's wild excitement or his fervent kisses. He simply focused on keeping them both above the surface of the water.

Ish finally paused to take a gasping breath.

" That was incredible!" he announced. "I can't wait for us to go to Disney World!"

Jake found it hard to resist Ish's enthusiasm. He really didn't want to. But his mind had started functioning coherently again.

"Soon, Ish. Soon," he promised. "But I think we've still got an amazing journey ahead of us before we get there."

Ish looked thoughtful, but not disappointed.

Both Jake and Ish were startled when they heard something approaching rapidly from the woods northeast of the pool. They barely had time to react before a blond boy of perhaps five years burst out of the trees and entered the clearing around the pool.

The boy was waving his arms wildly.

"The godfathers are coming! The godfathers are coming!" he shrieked.

---

Jake and Ish exchanged frightened glances. They tried not to panic.

Who were these godfathers? Were they dangerous?

"What should we do?" Jake worried.

The boy certainly seemed upset. But as he came closer to the pool, his excitement turned into curiosity.

"Are you cold?" he asked.

It took Jake a moment to realize that he and Ish were clinging to each other like the Titanic was preparing to take its final plunge.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I'm Jeff," the boy said. "Which one is Jake and which one is Itch?"

"I'm Jake." Jake was pretty sure of that. "He's Itch, uh, Ish," he shrugged apologetically at Ish.

The introduction barely registered on the boy. Something new had captured his attention.

" Hey! You got no swimsuit," he pointed out.

Jake's hands disappeared beneath the surface of the water, instinctively protecting his modesty.

The boy pulled his shirt over his head and had his shorts tangled in his sneakers when two more figures emerged into the clearing surrounding the pool.

"The godfathers!" the boy exclaimed. "We're going swimming!"

He kicked off his sneakers, socks, and shorts in a single ball of confusion, stripped off his underwear, and dashed into the water before anyone could react.

"Jeff!" Mr. Gilchrist looked horrified. "You can't just jump in the water naked with Jake and Ish!"

"They are," Jeff defended himself.

Jake and Ish huddled together even closer and tried to avoid making direct eye contact with their teacher and his friend.

Mr. Gilchrist looked embarrassed. But his friend burst out laughing.

" Come on, Brian," he said. "We'll go back to the house for some towels. Give the boys a little time to swim and pull themselves back together."

Mr. Gilchrist looked uncertain, like he was caught between impossible choices.

"Will you keep an eye on Jeff, please?" he asked. "He's already a pretty good swimmer. But sometimes he's a little impulsive." He cast an admonishing glance in the boy's direction before turning to follow his friend back into the woods.

"My god! Aislinn is going to kill us," he muttered before he disappeared into the trees.

---

Jake and Ish eyed each other uncertainly. What was the proper etiquette when swimming naked with a five-year-old stranger? Jake was frozen by indecision. He wanted to scramble out of the water and jump into his clothes, but Mr. Gilchrist had asked them to keep an eye on the boy.

Fortunately, Jeff had no inhibitions. He wasted no time tasking the older boys with watching what he could do in the water. He really did seem quite capable. He swam well, dove, and could even hold his breath under the water for almost a minute.

A frightened Jake counted the seconds, torn between fear that the boy could be drowning, and fear of how the strange boy would react if he tried to rescue him and it was unnecessary. No one was more relieved than Jake when Jeff burst triumphantly from the depths of the pool, demanding to know how long he had been under the water.

"Where's Mr. Gilchrist?" Jake asked, when his teacher's friend returned with a stack of beach towels.

" He's getting some food together," the man replied. "I'm going back to help him.

"You!" he pointed at Jeff, "need to finish up quick. We'll be back in about fifteen or twenty minutes. That should give you guys time to wear out the Energizer bunny, dry off, and get dressed."

Jake wasn't sure what sort of euphemism 'wear out the Energizer bunny' was, but it was clear that the man was giving them time to finish swimming and get dressed before he and Mr. Gilchrist returned.

---

Jake and Ish had barely persuaded Jeff to leave the water and had started to towel off when they heard a sharp whistle coming from the trees.

"Lunch is here!" a faint voice announced.

Jake and Ish scrambled to wrap their towels around their waists and hurriedly dragged shorts up their legs as their teacher and his friend emerged from the trees.

Jeff was amused by the older boys' antics. He wrapped a towel around his own waist before he dashed off to meet the adults and help them carry supplies back to the pool.

"Ish's mother sent lunch, too," Jake said. He was impressed by the amount of food that had suddenly appeared.

" I guess we'll have plenty of leftovers," Mr. Gilchrist laughed. He began to make room next to scattered clothing and Ish's backpack as he set down the platter of sandwiches he was carrying.

"Jeffrey," he scolded. "Aren't you going to put your clothes on?"

The boy pointed to the towel wrapped around his waist.

"I'm wearing my dress," he giggled.

"Oh, god!" Gilchrist groaned. "Perry is going to kill us, too!"

His friend laughed.

" Don't worry so much, Brian. Perry understands. He's been dealing with Jeff for almost five years."

"Are you still sure you want kids?" Gilchrist asked.

"Absolutely, love. Especially yours."

It was a touching moment. . . until the men remembered Jake and Ish.

It was a sign of their maturity that neither boy reacted openly to the accidental revelation. Jake was nonplussed. But Ish appeared to take the moment completely in stride.

Mr. Gilchrist cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry you boys heard that," he said.

" Now he'll have to kill you," his friend chuckled.

Gilchrist silenced his friend with a sharp glance.

" It isn't that I don't trust both of you," he explained. "But there are boundaries between adults and young people. They're especially important when the adults are in positions of authority over young people.

"It really doesn't bother me that you know Ross and I are partners. You're both terrific young men and I trust you. But it can become awkward when teachers and their students know each other too well. Complications could arise."

" We won't say a word," Jake promised. "We'll act like we never heard anything."

" Well," Gilchrist reflected, "it's probably too late to put that genie back in the bottle anyway.

"If you ever repeat a word of this I really might have to kill you," he grinned, "but Ross and I like you two. You remind us of what our lives were like when we were your age. We're on your side.

" You can always come to us if you need anything. But whenever we're at school or in public, we need to make sure we maintain the boundaries that are expected of us. I'm your social studies and history teacher, Mr. Gilchrist. And Ross is Mr. Donnelly. He teaches social studies at the Silver River Middle School, he's a distinguished alumnus of Ball Mountain High School," he couldn't help smiling at some fond memory, "and he and I are former high school classmates and friends."

" Distinguished alumnus?" Jake was intrigued by the description.

"We won a couple of state soccer titles while I was at Ball Mountain," Mr. Donnelly blushed.

"And wouldn't have done it without you," Mr. Gilchrist reminded him.

" But I couldn't hit a baseball to save my life, despite Brian's best efforts to teach me."

Donnelly offered a self-deprecating shrug.

Jake made a note to visit the high school's trophy case when he returned to school on Monday. This was another cool connection to the history of East Grange and Ball Mountain High School that he was eager to check out.

Ish and Mr. Donnelly were busy laying out food on the pile of granite rocks. Jeff was eagerly doing his best to help.

Ish was explaining the Middle Eastern food that his mother had prepared for him. Donnelly was intrigued by the cuisine, but Jeff eyed it skeptically. He had never seen anything like the hummus and baba ganoush in Vermont.

Ish explained that they were usually eaten on pita bread or laffa.

"Can I have jelly on my bread?" Jeff asked.

"I'm sorry, buddy," Donnelly explained. "We don't have any jelly."

The boy jumped up and delved into Ish's backpack. He pulled out a small, pale blue tube and held it up triumphantly.

Immediately, Ish turned an alarming violet shade. He appeared to be having trouble breathing.

Donnelly took the tube gently from Jeff's hand.

" I'm sorry, Ishmael," he whispered. "He doesn't even start kindergarten until the fall, but he's already reading at a third grade level."

He allowed Ish a few moments to regain his composure while he explained to the boy that not all jelly was good to eat and attempted to distract him with a sandwich.

" I'm glad we didn't go to the trouble of dragging the grill down here," Gilchrist said. "A cookout sounded like a good idea, but the food you guys brought looks wonderful."

Jake was tempted to give Ish credit for bringing everything in his backpack. But he decided that he shouldn't embarrass Ish any further.

"Ish always takes good care of me," Jake grinned. "I love his mother's food, so she always packs a feast when we go hiking for the day."

Ish appeared grateful for the compliment as he described the contents of each container he had set out. He even managed to pique Jeff's curiosity as he explained what was in each dish and talked about the land where it had originated. When Ish produced the botas of limonana, he persuaded the boy to try some.

"The godfathers don't give me this," Jeff said as he reached for the bota again.

That triggered a memory for Jake.

"What are the godfathers?" he asked. "When Jeff came running out of the trees screaming that the godfathers were coming, I thought we might be about to die!"

"That's Ross and me," Brian explained. "When he was born, his parents asked us to be his godparents."

"But why does he call you the godfathers?" Ish asked. "Is it from a movie?"

Brian shot his partner an amused glance.

"I may have encouraged that." Ross rolled his eyes. "I'm the fun godfather!"

He smirked at Brian.

"Well I'm glad he just meant you," Jake said. "I almost peed myself when Jeff appeared."

"I think you did," Ish corrected. "I was standing right next to you. The water suddenly became warmer."

Jake stared wide-eyed at Ish over the betrayal. But Ish just gazed back at him fondly.

" You are my friend," Ish explained. "It would not matter if you did. We share everything."

Jake decided that Ish might have suddenly remembered the company and his tube of 'jelly' as the color gradually rose in his face.

Jake reached out to take Ish's hand. He glanced at the two men, who had discreetly looked away. They appeared to be sharing a moment of nostalgia.

Nostalgia gave way to appetite for a while. Jake and Brian talked about their baseball season as they ate. They were reminded that Brian had played for the same Black Bears team that he coached less than ten years earlier, as he and Ross shared anecdotes about their senior year state championship team.

"You were state champs in soccer and baseball?" Jake was impressed.

Brian and Ross downplayed the achievement. They were proud of everything that they and their friends had accomplished together. The championships were just icing on the cake.

" You were both state champs in cross country this year," Brian reminded his students. "Our soccer team made it to the semi-finals. And we have a pretty good baseball team, too. Almost everyone will be returning for those teams next year. Ball Mountain may see a few more championships before you two graduate."

Jake didn't understand why, but just the idea gave him a thrill of excitement and pride. Even Ish was radiating modest enthusiasm. It felt like a special moment to Jake.

"What will you two be doing this summer?" Ross wondered.

" I'm going to get a job," Jake announced immediately. "I'll turn sixteen in July. I want to start saving money for a car."

He expected Ish to share plans, too. But when he turned to him, Ish was looking away, his shoulders slumped.

" I expect we'll still see you two up here a few times," Ross suggested.

"I hope so," Ish murmured as he continued to stare off into the distance.

---

" Can you tell us more about what happened here at Chase Falls?" Jake asked after everyone had leaned back to digest their meal. "It's hard to imagine that. . ." he glanced at Jeff and weighed his words carefully, "kids our age were so cruel to another person."

He really couldn't find a way to talk about sexual and emotional abuse so severe that a boy his age tried to kill himself. Not with Jeff sitting right next to him.

Ross had shared the story with Jake and Ish just six months earlier. He and Brian had lived it. There really was no need to speak more clearly.

"I don't know if there's all that much more to tell about that story," Ross considered. "It ended well. It got even better with time. Our friend graduated high school with us. He was an important part of our championship baseball team," he smiled fondly at the memory.

"After high school, he married a princess."

That perked up Jeff's interest for an instant.

" They have a little prince now," Ross smiled with a subtle nod of his head in Jeff's direction. "That's probably the most important part of the story. Even difficult journeys have happy endings if you make good friends along the path and find people who will help you through the tough parts.

" You'll both face challenges in your life."

"Some of you already have," Brian reminded with a glance at Ish.

Jake noticed the gesture and reached out for Ish's hand. He was disappointed that his friend's hand was cool in his own and that Ish didn't feel fully present.

"But with good friends who care about you enough to help you along your way," Ross continued his monologue as if he hadn't been interrupted, "you'll overcome obstacles and find your own happiness, just like we did."

Jake was searching for a way to connect with Ish. He didn't understand the distance that had suddenly appeared between them, but he could feel it like it was physical.

Instead, Brian interrupted his thoughts.

" Could you give me a hand, Jake? I need to get some of these leftover sandwiches back in the refrigerator. And we have some cookies back at the house. We might even have some chocolate and marshmallows."

"S'mores!" Jeff cheered as he leaped to his feel.

"You can stay here and keep Ish and the godfather company," Brian suggested. "Jake and I will take care of everything."

Jeff settled back reluctantly on the ground.

"Don't forget gra'm crackers an' fire," he ordered.

---

"Your house is amazing!"

Jake was overwhelmed by the sight as he and Brian exited the trail and were confronted by a two-story cedar and glass edifice that resembled an oversized Swiss chalet, situated at what appeared to be its own private road.

" It belongs to Ross' parents right now," Brian admitted. "But we're working on owning it. We should have almost ten percent equity in the property in another year or two."

He noticed Jake's confusion.

" I'm sorry," he said. "That's an adult consideration. We're buying it from Ross' parents. We pay them a little of what it's worth every month, like a mortgage. We may own it outright by the time we're ready to retire."

He sighed and led Jake around to the back of the house.

"That trail we just came up from Chase Falls is the same trail that your cousin Nicky ran to find Ross on the day they saved our friend," he explained. "This is where he found Ross."

He pointed toward a low stone wall that ran along the patio.

"Nicky ran all the way up here from the baseball practice field behind the high school. He located our friend and the crew that was tormenting him in that glade we showed you last fall. He ran past the falls and found Ross here. Then he ran back with Ross and helped rescue our friend."

Jake thought about the distance from the high school. It was almost as long as the cross country course he and Ish had run for the state championship. And Nick had never even trained as a distance runner. It really was an impressive feat. Thinking of what his cousin had accomplished made Jake swell with pride.

"And Nick and your. . . Ross. . . you're all still good friends."

" Best friends," Brian confirmed. "Ross and I. Nicky and Maeve. Perry and Aislinn. . . That's our friend," he explained. "Perry. Ross and Nicky saved Perry's life that day. Because of that day, I've got five of the best friends I could ever imagine. And Jeff. We all have Jeff," he added with an indulgent grin.

" So. . ." Jake suspected that it was a question better left unasked, but he was too curious. He couldn't help himself. "Who did Nick love? Was it you, Ross, or Perry?"

Brian's head snapped around and he glared at Jake.

"I'm sorry!" Jake instinctively took a backward step. "Nick told me that he once loved someone. . . after he figured out that I was gay," he babbled. "I just. . . I just wanted. . . I shouldn't have asked."

Brian examined Jake intently. To Jake, it felt like his coach was weighing his value as a person; maybe taking the measure of his soul. For a brief moment he wondered if he'd still be alive when the evaluation was complete.

He was surprised when Mr. Gilchrist sighed.

"I suppose I asked you to come up here with me for something like this," he admitted. "Not exactly this," he added pointedly, "but the subject is related."

"Jacob!"

To Jake, the change in Mr. Gilchrist's voice sounded again he was preparing to pass judgment.

"Can I trust you to never repeat what I'm about to share with you? In fact, when you're around anyone else, you really should forget that you and I even had this conversation, so you don't accidentally blurt something out," he cautioned pointedly.

Jake gulped. When the silence continued, he nodded convulsively.

"I promise! I swear! I know it was stupid to even ask. I'll never even mention it again!"

Mr. Gilchrist continued to watch Jake carefully, measuring his words against the unspoken signals his body was sending. Finally, he nodded thoughtfully.

"You're almost sixteen, Jake. You're not quite an adult yet, but you soon will be. What I'm about to tell you is about very adult things."

He waited for Jake to confirm that he understood.

"To answer your question, I'm pretty sure that Nicky did have a crush on Ross when we were in high school. We've never talked about it. It wouldn't do any good to mention it now. But I suspect that's how Nicky felt. And I understand it. I had a huge crush on Ross, too. I still do."

Jake grinned. He couldn't help it. He felt the same way about Ish. And it felt very mature to be having this sort of conversation with his coach.

" All personal relationships can be complicated, Jake. Not just crushes and romantic relationships," Brian explained. "But I suppose those tend to be the most complicated variety. Emotions run very deep in matters of the heart. They're confusing. Sometimes they surpass any attempt at rational understanding."

That made perfect sense to Jake. After their first meeting at the start of the school year, he had struggled with the weird ebb and flow in the emotional distance between Ish and himself, until Ish shared his past and explained that he was reluctant to get too close to Jake because he was afraid of getting hurt again.

Jake thought he understood Ish's fears and had even helped to assuage them. But he had been receiving confusing signals from Ish off and on throughout the day.

" Trying to make sense of your own feelings, let alone understanding how another person feels, is hard for anyone. Even for adults with years of experience, it's a challenge to make relationships work."

Jake wasn't sure what his coach was trying to explain, but it seemed reasonable. He decided that it probably made more sense to listen than to open his own mouth and risk inserting his foot again.

He gathered supplies as they were handed to him, packed them into paper bags, and paid attention.

" Ross and I have talked a bit about you and Ish," Brian explained. "We want to help if we can. We both made our share of mistakes when we were your age and would like to share some of our experience with you. Maybe it will help you avoid some of our mistakes."

He shrugged his shoulders self-deprecatingly.

Jake made sure that it was obvious he was paying attention.

" I think everything worked out well for us in the end," Brian said. "We're all happy with our lives now. But it was touch-and-go for a while. At least it felt that way when I was sixteen.

"I think Nicky was attracted to Ross. He just didn't know how to show it.

" I'm pretty sure that Ross was also attracted to Nicky. But he was new to this area at the start of our sophomore year. He didn't know what to do about his feelings for Nicky, partly because he didn't know what was acceptable here in East Grange, and partly because he didn't know what Nicky wanted.

" I knew that I was attracted to Ross. But I wasn't sure that he felt the same way about me. I wasn't even sure that he was gay. And when I became sure, it was because I could see that he was really attracted to another guy."

"Perry?" Jake whispered.

Gilchrist rapped Jake lightly on the side of his head.

"That thought never even crossed your mind!" he admonished. But he was smiling.

" Perry really liked Aislinn. Aislinn was involved with another guy at the time; a guy who really didn't care about her as much as he cared about how she looked.

"The only person in our little group who knew what she wanted and went after it was Maeve. She's Aislinn's younger sister. And once she made her decision, and Nicky's decision for him, things started to sort themselves out.

"Ross was still attracted to. . .well, you know who," Brian said. "But nice a guy as Perry is, and as much as he likes Ross, I don't think that could have gone anywhere. There's not much doubt that Perry's interest was in girls.

" So instead of attempting to get what he wanted for himself, Ross helped Perry get what he wanted. That's just the kind of guy that he is," he added proudly. "And he got a pretty good consolation prize out of it."

"You!" Jake grinned.

His coach laughed.

"Well, I was thinking that he made a life-long friend in Perry. But yeah, I hope that I was a bit of a consolation prize, too."

It was an awkward moment for Jake. With a peer, he would have said something that was both teasing and complimentary at the same time. He might have even bumped shoulders with Brian. Instead, he tried to send the right message with an approving and enthusiastic expression.

Brian smiled back.

" Everything worked out pretty well for all of us in the end, Jake. But we made mistakes. We had our doubts and fears along the way. Most of the time we had no idea what we were doing because what we were feeling was all so new to us.

"I don't want to interfere in your life unless it's welcome, Jake. Ross and I have talked. If you don't want us involved, of course we'll respect that. But if you want us to, we'd like to share some of our experiences and maybe some of what we learned when we were younger.

"Maybe knowing about some of our experiences will help prepare you and Ish for situations you'll be in someday."

" Yeah. Ish." That sobered Jake immediately. He had been trying to understand Ish's moods all day. Some of their moments together had been full of ebullience. A few minutes later, Ish had withdrawn and the connection between them felt remote and tenuous.

"Ish?" Brain asked. Then he waited.

Jake tried to figure out how to explain the difficulty. He and Ish weren't fighting. But at moments they felt like they were very far apart. The shift in emotion felt dramatic at times, even if their interactions hadn't changed greatly on the surface.

"It's like we were before we became boyfriends," Jake explained. "One day I would think that he really liked me. The next day it felt like there was a wall between us."

Under his coach's gentle questioning, Jake explained what had been bothering Ish.

" So Ish was afraid of committing to being your friend because he was more afraid of the pain of losing you afterward?"

That summed it up pretty well.

"I have talked to Ish," Brian said. "More than I do with most of my students. He told me about Jonathan."

"Yehonatan," Jake corrected absently. "He was Ish's best friend in Israel. His real name was Yair."

"That's a terrible shock. Seeing a friend killed," Brian said. "With someone as young as Ish was, it can have life-long psychological effects."

"He was in a hospital for months," Jake agreed. When he realized what he had said, he glanced up guiltily.

" Ish told me," Brian assured him. "And I would never say a word to anyone.

" But you do have to be aware of how that experience affects Ish. Losing his father, then his friend, were both very painful emotional blows to a child. He has become conditioned to anticipate loss and pain. But the pain was very destructive. Even subconsciously, he doesn't want to experience that again."

" I haven't done anything risky for months," Jake complained. "I'm trying to consider his feelings about that. It's hard, but now I really do stop to think before I do anything that could be dangerous."

"There are a lot of ways to lose somebody, Jake," Brian said. "They can be even more painful than physical loss. Maybe Ish needs reassurance that he isn't going to lose you in some other way."

"He won't!" Jake insisted. "I love Ish! I want us to be together for the rest of our lives!"

For a while, Gilchrist just watched Jake thoughtfully.

"Maybe he doesn't understand that," he decided.

"Although I'm surprised. If you boys are already using sandwich lube," Brian appeared to be having a hard time concealing his amusement, "I would expect him to have other things occupying his mind."

Jake could tell from the heat he felt radiating off himself that his face must have turned a brilliant shade of red.

"We haven't," he insisted. "We've never even talked about doing that. I don't know why Ish even had, uh, with him."

His coach inspected Jake thoughtfully.

"Well, I'm pretty sure Ish isn't using that with anyone else. Did he tell you why he brought it?"

Jake felt his face grow even hotter.

" He said he wanted us to. Do. That," he admitted. "But we haven't even come close to doing anything. That."

Jake decided that there was no point to further attempts at explanation. It wouldn't make anything clearer. It would only make him sound less coherent.

Brian nodded thoughtfully.

"Maybe Ish thought he needed to prove something to you," he decided.

Jake couldn't imagine why Ish needed to prove anything to him. Jake never had any doubts about his feelings for Ish. He was pretty sure that he had made that clear to Ish.

"Mercury!" he realized.

"Mercury?" Brian asked.

"Uh, Freddy. Freddy Hayes," Jake explained. "Ish said something earlier today about me having sex with Mercury."

Brian knew Jake well enough to be sure he wouldn't cheat on Ish. Rather than prodding Jake for an explanation, he decided to wait for Jake to say something that made sense.

"Mercury has been missing all week," Jake said. "Freddy. He's been having trouble at home. With his father. And then he just disappeared last weekend. I've been worried."

Jake could feel any attempt at explanation careening wildly out of control. He struggled to express the basic facts. He decided that his coach would be able to figure it out from there.

"Mercury is one of my best friends," he said. "Before I really knew Ish, I kind of messed around with Mercury."

After the confession, he could feel the color rising again in his face.

"Only a little bit. And not once after I asked Ish to be my boyfriend. But I've been worried about Mercury all week."

"So maybe Ish misunderstands your affection for Freddy," Brian concluded. "Or he knows you wouldn't betray him, but his mind has him worrying about it anyway?"

That seemed reasonable to Jake.

"But what can I do?"

He was frustrated.

"I can't not be concerned about Mercury!"

"Of course not," Brian agreed. "But Ish may still worry. Maybe that's why he brought the K-Y Jelly."

He busied himself digging graham crackers and chocolate bars out of the pantry while Jake had a short breakdown.

"Let's grab our supplies and head back," Brian suggested. "If we stay away much longer, Ish may think I was serious about having to kill you for finding out about Ross and me."

An awkward grin suggested that he understood it had been a lame joke.

" I don't know if you noticed," Brian said as he and Jake started walking back toward Chase Falls, "but Ish looked a little uncomfortable when you mentioned working this summer to save money for a car."

Jake groaned.

"I'll be a ridiculously safe driver," he vowed. "I'll never drive over the speed limit. I wouldn't take foolish risks."

Brian observed Jake thoughtfully. He weighed his words with care.

" That may not be why Ish reacted," he explained. "He may be more worried about what getting a job and a car represents."

He waited for Jake to get the point. When Jake continued to appraise him with a blank stare, he expanded his explanation.

"You're growing up. You're gaining more freedom. But you're also taking on more responsibility. Becoming an adult leaves less time for being a kid.

"Ish and I have talked. He still misses the adventures he had with his friend in Israel. And in his mind," he eyed Jake sympathetically, "I think maybe you're becoming his Jonathan."

" Yehonatan," Jake noted automatically.

They walked in silence for a few moments, Jake deep in thought.

"Is he. . .?" Jake couldn't put the thought into words.

"Losing touch with reality?" Brian interpreted Jake's concern. "I don't think so. Not in the way most would think of it.

"If I understand properly, I just think Ish is hoping for one more chance to relive his childhood, this time with a happy ending. For him, it's an opportunity to heal emotionally and finally begin his own growth toward adulthood."

"But how can I?" Jake demanded. "I'm going to be sixteen this summer. I have to start growing up."

" There's no right choice," Brian said. "Whichever choices you make will come at some cost— to you, to Ish, perhaps to other people around you— and will probably also result in some benefits, or personal rewards.

"You'll make choices that will have an effect on your life and on the lives of others. And after you make those choices, you and everyone else will live with them. Just like the choices that Ross, Nicky, and I made when we were your age."

Jake stopped in the middle of the trail. He sighed deeply.

"So what should I do?"

Brian's eyes were sympathetic but the message was what Jake needed to hear.

" You choose. You consider everything to the best of your ability and then you decide what you should do. And when you make your choices, whatever they are, you live with them. . . and you'll be one step closer to becoming an adult."

Without looking back, Brian started walking in the direction of Chase Falls.

---

Jake stood frozen in the middle of the trail.

He had to choose!? How could he? He wasn't even sure what his options were. He couldn't know how any decision he made would turn out. What if he chose wrong?

Jake tried to recall what Brian, Ross, and his cousin Nick had told him about choices they made that involved other people. It seemed like most of them involved making sacrifices for people that they cared about.

Choices that helped others resulted in stronger friendships and loyalty that was reciprocated. And he could see where that had often been the case in his own life.

He had a crush on his friend Ian for a long time. But when Ian started to crush on Josiah Brantley, and when Jake realized that Josiah probably felt the same way about Ian, he had set aside his own feelings to help support his friends and to bring them together.

Josiah had become a very good friend as a result. He went out of his way, and perhaps out of his personal comfort zone, to help Jake resolve some of his feelings and curiosity about attractions to other boys. So when Josiah had set a goal to win the state cross country championship, Jake had done everything he could— pushed himself beyond the limits of his physical and mental endurance, really— to help Josiah win that race.

That had earned Jake even more support and loyalty from Josiah. Whenever he was feeling uncertain or discouraged, he often noticed Josiah watching him closely, then offering just the right words of support or brief gesture of encouragement to bolster Jake's spirits.

Jake knew that he had a friend for life in Josiah. He would support Josiah to the best of his abilities— sometimes making sacrifices when Josiah's need was greater than the cost to himself of the necessary sacrifice— and Josiah would offer the same support and loyalty in return.

But in the case of Ian, the bond of reciprocal sacrifice hadn't been as strong. Ian was still his friend. Ian appreciated what Jake had done for him— when he noticed. The problem was that Ian wasn't as tuned in to the people around him as was Josiah.

Ian had never knowingly hurt Jake. And he valued Jake's friendship. Jake was certain of that. But sometimes Jake felt like Ian wasn't aware of how much Jake did for him. Or he wasn't aware of the effect of his choices on Jake. Sometimes Ian's insensitivity hurt Jake. It felt like there was an imbalance in their friendship; an inequality in the effort each put into the relationship.

Jake was pretty sure that Ish would offer him the same kind of support and loyalty that Josiah provided. He was sure that Ish would never knowingly hurt or betray him. But Jake worried that he could make a huge personal sacrifice for Ish, only to feel someday like he had given much more than he got in return.

Jake remembered how much Halloween had mattered to Ish; even at fourteen when most of his peers were well past caring about dressing up and going out for the holiday. Jake had understood instinctively that the childhood ritual meant a lot more to Ish than it did to his peers.

In retrospect, he understood that Ish was still working through his interrupted childhood. What he hadn't realized at the time was how important it was to Ish to finish living his childhood, or how much of it still remained for him to experience.

He had an opportunity to make a sacrifice that would have deep meaning for Ish. But the cost of this sacrifice would be much harder to measure until after it was paid.

In his memory, Jake flashed back to the moment at the state cross country championship when he found himself racing toward the base of the course's final steep climb, the last great obstacle of Morty's Monster, knowing that with just a few minutes of intense effort he could succeed in breaking Josiah's rival on that steep climb and help ensure his friend's victory.

It had been a daunting moment. Jake had understood the physical pain he was about to put himself through. But in his mind, he had prepared for the moment. He thought the potential reward was worth his sacrifice. And he knew that in just a few minutes it would all be over.

It would hurt a lot. He would succeed or he would fail. That was out of his control. But when it was over, win or lose, the pain would eventually fade. All he had to do was push himself beyond the limit of his endurance and hope that would be enough to help Josiah succeed. And then it would be over.

The cost of that sacrifice was largely known in advance.

What Ish needed, assuming that Mr. Gilchrist was right, would be more complicated. And the impact on Jake could endure much longer.

On the one hand, spending the summer with Ish in carefree adventure in the hills and streams around East Grange would be far less physically painful. Jake was pretty sure that it would actually be a lot of fun.

But the cost to Jake would come later. He'd be a year farther away from his first work experience, the freedom of his own car, and from becoming a responsible adult. Maybe it would even take two years to accomplish what Ish needed.

And what if it didn't really help Ish? Or what if Ish's mother was transferred to another job? Or what if Ish decided that he wanted to return to Israel? What if he sacrificed a year or two from the plan he had started to form for his own life, and in the end it accomplished nothing?

Jake could see personal benefit in becoming Ish's new Yehonatan. The strength of that relationship was something on which they could build a life together. But the outcome was far from certain.

But even if he and Ish didn't have a future together, Jake thought that it might be worth his sacrifice if it helped Ish to heal. He loved Ish. It would be worth the sacrifice if it made a real difference for Ish in his life.

But there was just no way of knowing that it would make a difference. Foregoing a year or two of his own plans in the hope he could achieve something more— and in the end, maybe for nothing— felt like a pretty big wager to Jake.

Jake picked up the bag he had dropped and started walking, still lost in his thoughts. After a few moments, he realized that he was headed back toward Brian's house, so he turned around and began to shuffle down the trail toward the falls.

---

"Where have you been?" Ish wondered when Jake finally shambled out of the trees.

"I got lost," Jake admitted. It felt like the truth.

" Well at least you're here now," Ross said. "Now Jeff can have his s'mores."

"Where is Jeff?" Brian glanced around curiously.

"He was wandering down along the creek," Ross said. "Ish and I were talking. I guess the little guy got bored."

"Do you think. . ." Brian started.

" He'll be fine," Ross assured him. "He knows this area at least as well as we do. He's out here almost every day. He'll smell the fire as soon as we get it started. Then he'll come running."

Jake watched with interest as Ross created a small pile of kindling, then arranged a structure made from larger pieces of wood over it. Jake was a bit embarrassed that, despite having grown up in the area, he really couldn't boast much skill as an outdoorsman.

Ross added a twist of dried grass and some shredded leaves beneath the kindling, then touched a lighter to that pile. While he protected the small fire and encouraged it to grow, Brian resumed the conversation.

" Jake and I were talking a bit about the pressures of growing up and learning how to make adult decisions while we were away," he announced.

He winked conspiratorially at Jake.

"Ross and I have some decisions to make in the next few weeks."

Brian never made eye contact with Ross, but Jake had the sense that Ross anticipated the subject and approved of Brian's decision to share their personal business.

"We've wanted to have children ever since we got married," Brian explained.

" We would use a surrogate," he explained when he noticed Jake's confusion. "Our doctor got us in touch with a few women who would be willing to give birth to a baby for us."

" Conception happens in a test tube," he added when he noticed the uncomfortable looks that Jake and Ish exchanged. "The fetus develops in the surrogate mother's womb. And nine months later we have a baby."

"Babies," Ross supplied.

"Maybe," Brian corrected. "That's part of what we're trying to decide. When Jeff's parents asked us to be his godfather, we thought it would be great if we had a son who would be Jeff's friend growing up. It's getting a little late for that, but. . ."

He glanced around carefully and lowered his voice.

"Perry and Aislinn just found out that Jeff is going to have a little brother or sister. It's a reminder for us. This feels like the time for us to start our family.

"The problem is that we have a lot of other things going on in our lives that make having a baby now quite difficult. I told you that Ross and I want to buy our house," he reminded Jake. "That takes a lot of money. Childcare takes money. And nobody gets rich teaching school."

Jake nodded thoughtfully. He had heard his parents complaining about property taxes to pay for school. But he also understood that teachers didn't get paid particularly well.

"Ross has a chance to apply for a job as an assistant principal at Silver River High School."

Ross shook his head vigorously.

"You have your MEd in Educational Administration. People in Antioch want you to apply, Ross," Brian said. "You're a great teacher. You're a great coach. And the students really trust you.

"The current assistant principal is involved in a scandal. He's being pushed out of his job at the end of the school year. A lot of parents in the school district think Ross is just the sort of person that they need to restore confidence in the administration."

"I couldn't be much help taking care of babies with an administrator's schedule," Ross said.

"But it would mean more money," Brian countered.

"I'd probably have to give up coaching the middle school soccer team," Ross complained.

" All of this is what we're trying to figure out," Brian explained to Jake. "We have things we want to do as a family. We have challenges and opportunities. Each choice offers benefits, but also comes with costs.

"We want children. We want to own our home. We want to teach. We want to coach. But we can't do everything we want to do. We have to make choices. And we have to live with the choices we make," he added with his eyes fixed intently on Jake.

Jake gulped. He really didn't know what to say. He knew his parents worried about similar issues. But he hadn't really thought about quite how difficult it would be to actually become an adult.

He was startled when Ish spoke up.

"We could help," he said. "At least with the babies. Everyone helped each other when I lived in Israel."

"I ain't giving birth to no baby!" Jake insisted.

He thought it had been an amusing remark until he noticed three sets of eyes watching him with concern.

" I'm sorry," he said. "I know that isn't how it works. And I really would help, if you want us to. I'd like to do that."

Jake decided that he had said enough.

"Thank you, guys," Brian said. "Ross and I will keep that in mind. We have a lot to think about and a narrow window of time for making decisions. Until we do, that fire is starting to look about ready!"

And it did. The flames had consumed the kindling and much of the wood had charred and was starting to glow a dull orange."

"Where's Jeff?" Ross wondered. "I thought he'd come back the moment he smelled smoke."

Ross and Brian exchanged concerned expressions.

" Jeff!" Brian sprang to his feet and started toward the creek. "Jeff! Where are you!"

"It's time to make s'mores, buddy!" Ross was right behind him.

"Jeff?!"

Jake and Ish followed behind the two men.

"Should we spread out?" Jake asked.

"Jeff! Where are you, Jeff?!" Brian demanded.

Jake thought that he was beginning to sound worried.

" I'm here," the voice was faint, but unmistakably that of a child.

"What are you doing down there?"

Brian led them as they ploughed through the creek and the brush that lined the bank.

"Just talking to my friend."

The boy sounded much closer.

"Friend?" Brian caught Ross' eye. "When did Jeff start having imaginary friends?"

They picked up their pace as they slogged through the water.

They were startled by a loud splash, followed by a wet thrashing noise ahead of them. It sounded like someone was panicking.

They sprinted toward the sounds of struggle. As the four rounded a bend in the stream, they noticed Jeff ahead, standing on its bank. A larger figure was flailing about in the water.

Ross hurried to Jeff's side and Brian took a protective stance between the boy and the person in the water.

"Mercury?!" Jake cried. "What are you doing here?"

"Freddy?" Brian inspected the person in the water more closely.

"He's caught on some brush," Ish observed.

Ish tore at the tangle of branches to free Mercury's leg from its snare while Jake helped support his head above the water.

When he was finally free, Mercury was quite a sight. His jeans were soaked and covered with mud. His shirt was plastered to his body. His hair was still blond, but looked much worse for wear.

Despite that, Jake thought he looked incredible. He was delighted to see him.

"What are you doing here?" Jake repeated.

Mercury looked frightened. He couldn't meet anyone's eye.

Jeff sniffed the air.

"C'mon!" He reached for Mercury's hand. "S'mores!"

---

The story came out gradually, while Jeff force-fed s'mores to his friend. Mercury looked uncomfortable in the midst of the group, but grateful for Jeff's company and the s'mores.

Mercury's story was much as Josiah had told Jake. He had left home the previous weekend. The details were more concerning.

"My dad finally figured it out," Mercury explained. He glanced at Brian and Ross uncertainly, but proceeded reluctantly. "He figured out that I'm gay."

He hung his head. It took encouragement from Jake and Ish, then reassurance from Brian and Ross, before he continued his story.

Butch Hayes had noticed that his son was paying attention to a new boy in their neighborhood. He was paying him a lot more attention than one might expect of a sixteen-year-old high school sophomore toward a fourteen-year-old boy.

"His name is Pan," Mercury explained. "Pan Vadimov."

Jake and Ish made eye contact with each other and shook their heads.

"His family moved here a few months ago. I think they come from Russia," Mercury said. "He has an older brother in our class now. Dmitri."

That rang a bell for Jake. He recalled a new kid with a strange accent that had suddenly appeared in a couple of his classes two or three months previously.

"I just couldn't stop watching this kid," Mercury explained. "Whenever he was outside. . ."

He couldn't maintain eye contact with anyone.

At first, Mercury's father had noticed the new boy. He had made a few remarks about 'that pansy foreign kid'.

That rang an uncomfortable bell for Jake. He studiously avoided looking at Ish.

Then Butch noticed his son and the way he kept watching the kid. He had commented on that.

Mercury tried to control himself. He stayed away from his home as much as he could. While at home, he kept to his room.

But eventually he found that he couldn't resist temptation. And when his father burst into Mercury's room unexpectedly, found him with his forehead pressed up against the window, and then noticed who was playing across the street and in full view of the window. . .

It hadn't ended well for Mercury.

Beatings followed. Plural. He had missed days of school recovering.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Jake demanded. "We would have helped!"

"What could you have done?" Mercury asked. "He's my father."

Mercury had done the only thing he thought possible. When he couldn't take the verbal assaults and the beatings any longer, he packed a few belongings and left home. He had a lightweight sleeping bag with him. He had brought a few changes of clothing in his backpack.

He headed toward Chase Falls because it would provide water to drink and to keep himself clean. Beyond that, he hadn't given much consideration to his escape plan. He hadn't even thought to take any food with him.

Jake did the math. Mercury had been living on his own for almost eight days!

"How did you survive?"

Mercury was reluctant to admit it, but he had remembered that there was a dumpster behind Maureen's Bakery. He had stolen into town in the middle of the night on a couple of occasions.

Ish immediately began rummaging in his backpack.

There weren't many leftovers. Jake had seen to that. But Ish introduced Mercury to Middle Eastern cuisine.

Further details about his story would have to wait.

While Mercury ate and Jeff kept him company, four heads clustered in a tight circle.

" Where can he live?" Brian asked the group. "Does he have any other family around here? Is there any chance his mother would kick his father out or move out on her own?"

Jake recalled a similar conversation with Mercury the previous fall. He was pretty sure there weren't any family options.

"Friends?" Brian asked.

Jake shook his head reluctantly. He would have done anything to help Mercury. But his father had to work with Mercury's father. There would be too many complications involved if he asked his parents to let Mercury move in with them.

He considered Darius' family. Darius was Mercury's closest friend. But Darius had three brothers and two sisters. The Suttons were already a large family by 2026 standards. That didn't seem a likely option.

He couldn't think of any strong possibilities.

Ross eyed Brian insistently.

"We can't," Brian sighed. "Freddy's gay. His father knows. Enough people in town know about us. I'm his teacher. It would end in disaster."

"So what do we do?" Jake asked.

" I don't think social services is a good idea. He's already sixteen. Long term," Brian explained, "emancipation is the best answer. If we can help Freddy find a job, a place to live, keep him in school, and prove that he's able to take care of himself, the courts would grant him emancipation— especially considering what's happening in his home.

"But he needs help now. He needs a place to live. He needs food. He needs a supportive home structure so he can pick up his life and move forward."

"Maybe I could help for a day or two," Jake volunteered. "My mom and dad couldn't refuse to help in an emergency."

But Jake understood that a couple of days wouldn't be enough.

"I will help," Ish volunteered. "At least for a while. Maybe until the end of the school year. I know my mother would not turn away someone who has no place to go.

"And she would not care about working with Mercury's father. They work in different departments. I do not think she likes him," he sniffed.

"I can share some clothes," Jake said. "My mom always buys me bigger sizes than I need. She keeps saying that I'll grow into them."

He didn't add that Ish was even smaller than he was. That went without saying. And he was feeling an intense warmth in his chest that Ish had volunteered to help. Ish and Mercury were mostly casual acquaintances. They ate lunch in the same group and went on training runs as part of Josiah's running crew. They hadn't any other reason to be close.

"That sounds like it could work," Brian agreed. "It would give us a month or so. But what could we do this summer? It will take months before we can petition a court for emancipation."

Ross had been following the conversation thoughtfully.

"Nicky," he suggested. "He and Maeve have been looking for a larger house.

"They're finally ready to start their own family. Just don't say anything to him until he makes the announcement to your family," he cautioned Jake.

"Nicky started managing a business down in Antioch a couple months ago," Ross added. "He'll be making a lot more money now. Eventually, I expect he'll be given an ownership stake in that business. If Nicky is willing to take your friend in for a while, that business might even be a place where he could work and earn his own income."

The idea excited Jake. He was confident that his cousin would solve their problem. Ever since hearing about Nick's role in the incident at Chase Falls, Jake had developed a serious case of hero worship.

" We'll need to get more help," Ross decided. "A few months ago, I met a couple of people who could probably help your friend. Jonathan West is a very good lawyer who lives in Judah. Fiona O'Connor is a lawyer, too. I think she still needs to get licensed in Vermont, but I'm sure she would help.

"Her husband is running PPO," he brightened suddenly. "He employs your friend's father. I'm sure he will do what he can to make sure the guy cooperates."

"We should probably start making some calls," Brian decided. "I hate to end this gathering so early, but I think Freddy's needs are more important."

"We have to go swimming!"

Jeff had been occupied with Mercury. But his ears had apparently been following the adult conversation. He popped to his feet and approached the adults with a pleading expression that would have moved stone.

" Jeff. . ." Brian attempted.

But the fun godfather had already surrendered.

" If you guys don't mind keeping an eye on Jeff again," he apologized to Jake and Ish. "Brian and I will bring the leftovers back to our house. We'll make some calls and get the ball rolling. When we come back in about thirty minutes, we'll have some ideas about what we need to do next."

Mercury observed what was happening uncertainly. He knew the conversation was about him. But he looked too beaten down and exhausted to play any role in decisions.

Jake looked uncertain, too. The water temperature had bordered on uncomfortable. But Ish was pleading with his eyes. He and Jeff persuaded the doubters.

Jeff was already out of his clothes and waiting impatiently at the edge of the pool for the older boys. Jake and Ish waited for Brian and Ross to disappear into the trees before they slipped out of shirts and shorts. Mercury was watching the activity very uncomfortably.

"Come on Mercury. It's not that bad," Jake lied.

Jake thought it odd when Mercury turned to face them directly before removing his clothing. The explanation presented itself as Mercury joined them at the water's edge.

"Whoa! Dude!" Jake was shocked. "What happened?"

Mercury's face flushed a deep crimson.

Most of Mercury's back was covered in broad patches of yellow, green, and fading blues and purples. Some of the darker areas still had an uneven texture.

"I told you," he said. "My father beat me almost every day for weeks."

Jake and Ish had no idea what to say. Mercury was too ashamed to meet their eyes.

"Hey!"

Mercury jumped.

"What are you doing, Jeff?"

"Making your boo-boos better," the boy explained.

Jeff continued his ministrations until Mercury squealed.

"You're kissing my butt!"

"I'm kissing your boo-boos," Jeff corrected. "It makes them feel better."

Mercury was speechless. He appeared torn between gratitude for the boy's empathy, and wanting to run away in embarrassment. Jake and Ish struggled to keep from laughing aloud at the scene. . .

Until Jeff noticed Ish's scar.

"Jeff!" Ish shrieked. "You should not do that!"

"It makes it feel better," Jake explained with a mischievous grin. "Just keep from getting too excited and I'll make sure that you feel even better on our hike home."

Ish looked at Jake like he had been betrayed. But he endured Jeff's attention until he managed to edge his way out into and under the water.

---

Three exhausted boys lay in the sun, atop the granite rocks beside the pool. A fourth boy buzzed excitedly about the base of the rock formation.

"Do you really think they can help?" Mercury asked Jake and Ish.

"The godfathers know everything," Jeff assured him. He was absorbed in chasing mayflies skipping along the surface of the water, but he had been following the conversation closely.

Mercury looked confused. Jake just waved in the direction of the trail to Brian's house as if that explained everything.

It had taken a while, but once in the water Mercury had gradually relaxed and eventually joined fully in the horseplay with the other three boys. For a few minutes he had become the same Mercury that Jake had known throughout their childhood together, before self-knowledge had introduced its poison to him.

Out of the water and drying on the warm surface of the rocks, awareness had returned. Mercury's burdens were weighing on him and pressing him against the granite surface beneath them.

Jake was searching for the right words to reassure his friend. He understood how Mercury felt— or at least he did to some extent. He had experienced his own doubts and worry about acceptance from his family. He had just been more fortunate than his friend.

Jake wondered if it would be more helpful to convey his support with a gesture, rather than with words. He worried that words sometimes expressed his feelings poorly and complicated communication. What Mercury needed wasn't words as much as the knowledge that he was loved and supported by friends.

While Jake was making up his mind, Mercury glanced covertly to his left, where Ish lay beside him, then to Jake on his right. Jake was surprised when Mercury suddenly threw an arm up to cover his face. The spring sun was warm, but it wasn't blinding.

It took Jake a few moments to notice that Mercury was trembling. He began to shake as sobs wracked his body.

Jake was frozen by indecision. While he searched for the best way to support his friend, the crisis had become worse. But he still didn't know how best to help.

He noticed Ish on the other side of Mercury, watching him and waiting for some direction. He was sure that his helpless shrug was communicated in his eyes.

"I don't know why I can't just be normal," Mercury moaned.

And that, at least, gave Jake something to work with.

"You are normal," he assured Mercury. "You're one of the coolest people I know. The problem isn't you. It's your father. He just can't accept who you are.

"Which is one of the coolest people I know," Jake repeated himself.

In his own ears, the repetition didn't feel the least bit lame. It was simply the truth.

"Then why don't I feel normal?" Mercury demanded.

The words were choked out. Tears were starting to leak out from under his arm and were rolling down his cheeks.

Jake prayed silently that Mercury wasn't about to have a full-fledged breakdown in the presence of his peers. No matter how much support he and Ish could offer, a moment like that would haunt Mercury's memory afterward.

Jake became aware of an insistent prodding against his side.

"Move," Jeff ordered.

Startled, Jake moved.

Jeff began pushing on Mercury.

"Roll over. Your boo-boos hurt."

Mercury dropped his arm from his eyes. He just looked teary and confused.

"His boo-boos are not hurting," Ish explained to the boy. "His heart hurts."

"Oh."

The explanation was simple. The solution was just as simple to a child.

Jeff leaned over Mercury and kissed him squarely in the middle of his chest. He leaned back, watched Mercury thoughtfully for a few moments, and leaned forward again.

For a few minutes, Jeff continued to alternate his version of therapy with careful observation. The heaving sobs that wracked Mercury's body had eased. But the tears flowed even more freely. He couldn't respond coherently when Jeff asked if he was feeling better.

Jeff looked uncertain as he examined Mercury closely. He grew thoughtful. Finally, a light registered in his eyes. He leaned forward again and kissed Mercury on the forehead, repeating the attention several times. He kissed his way down to Mercury's cheek, concluding with a determined kiss on his lips.

Jake expected Mercury to be horrified. Instead, tears flooded his eyes and flowed down his face.

Jeff looked up in confusion.

"He doesn't feel better. Momma says that fixes everything."

Ish reached across Mercury and patted Jeff's hand gently.

" I think you made him feel better. Sometimes we just hurt so much that when we feel better it makes us cry harder."

Jake noticed the moisture gathering in Ish's eyes.

Jeff seemed encouraged by Ish's reassurance. He was beaming when Mercury reached out and pulled the boy down beside him.

---

Brian and Ross returned to find the boys lying in the sun atop the rocks. Jeff was sitting Indian-style, cradling Mercury's head possessively in his lap. He was watching Mercury's face intently.

When the boys didn't panic at their sudden appearance, the men exchanged glances and continued on into the clearing around the pool.

Jake and Ish clambered to their feet, wiped themselves down a final time with their towels, and dressed deliberately. Jake decided to cover Mercury with his towel. He figured that Mercury might appreciate the concern for his modesty when he recovered from his catharsis.

Both boys reached down and patted Jeff gratefully on the shoulder before descending from the rocks to greet Brian and Ross.

"That was productive," Brian announced cryptically. "We'll discuss what we learned with everyone, but Freddy will have options. You don't have to worry for him."

Belatedly, Ish reminded Jake that Josiah and the rest of their friends should know that Mercury was safe.

"The cellular signal is pretty strong right here," Ross assured him when he noticed Jake looking for a way to climb to the top of the waterfall. "Better than it was when we were kids."

Once Jake was certain he had a strong signal, he handed the phone to Ish.

Ish grinned at him.

" You should remember that the phone has very good reception here. You already called Josiah."

Jake rolled his eyes.

" Maybe you should talk to your mom first," he suggested. "Just to warn her and make sure our plans are definitely in place before we discuss them with Mercury."

Ish shrugged, but he took the phone.

Jake was feeling expansive after all they had accomplished. He experienced his own moment of emotional release. After he hugged Ross and Brian, he wondered if maybe he hadn't gone too far.

Ross seemed appreciative. Jake had more trouble meeting Brian's eye.

"Thank you," Brian assured him. "But you need to know that if you ever hug your coach like that, he'll have to bench you!"

Jake giggled with relief. For a moment, he felt almost giddy.

Ish handed Jake back his phone with a satisfied expression on his face.

"My mother understands. Mercury will be welcome to stay with us until something permanent can be arranged."

Jake felt his emotions start to rise again. He pulled Ish aside.

" Thank you, Ish," he said. "I should tell you more often that I love you. And I know that you love me. So if you and Mercury ever do anything together. . . you know. . ."

He couldn't hide his embarrassment.

"If you ever do, I really won't mind. You're my boyfriend. Nothing will change that."

Ish was embarrassed, too. But he pulled Jake close and held him there.

"Nothing will happen," Ish assured him. "But thank you for trusting me, Jake."

"Just don't worry about it," Jake said. "Mercury is beautiful. I know. If something does happen, I'll understand. It won't change anything between us."

Ish inclined his head slightly. He leaned in and kissed Jake.

"Todah, Jake."

The word sounded familiar, but the tone was different. It took a moment for Jake to recall where he had heard it before, then to remember the meaning.

There didn't seem to be much more to say. But Jake did enjoy being in Ish's arms.

---

The four chatted about less consequential matters, waiting until Mercury decided that he was ready to join them.

Jake could understand that Mercury would feel comfortable lying in the sun. He was amazed that a five-year-old could sit so patiently.

But eventually the need to confront his future brought Mercury down to join the adult conversation. Fortunately, the news was encouraging.

" Our friends Nicky and Maeve have made an offer on a house, on Route 42 just south of the village," Brian explained. "Their realtor expects that their offer will be accepted. They'll have plenty of room in that house. They want to meet you first to make sure you'll be happy living with them, but they're sure it will work out.

"Nicky knows who you are," he grinned at Mercury. "He still goes to a lot of the youth and high school sports events here in town."

"So you'll have a place to live," Ross cut in. "Nicky and Maeve are great people. They'll support you as much as you want them to.

"You shouldn't have any more trouble with your father," he added. "I know his boss. If Butch values his job, he'll cooperate.

"I also know his boss' wife. Her name is Fiona. She's a lawyer and should soon be licensed to practice here in Vermont. We spoke with her and she agreed to help you.

" Fiona will draw up legal papers that free you from your father and give Nicky and Maeve the right to act in the place of your parents for things like health care and school— at least until you're legally an adult.

" You may want to become emancipated before you turn eighteen— that means the law will recognize you as an adult," he explained. "Fiona can help arrange that for you, too."

" Until their friend has his new house, my mother says you should live with us," Ish carried on the flow of conversation. "I talked to her. You are welcome to stay as long as you need to. And Jake lives just down the street from us," he added.

Mercury followed the conversation, but he seemed overwhelmed by all of the details involved.

"It's pretty simple," Jake summed up. "If you want, you'll have a safe place to live, with people who care about you, until you decide you want to live on your own. You can stay here in East Grange, go to school with us, play soccer with the team," he checked in with Brian to make sure he wasn't promising more than was reasonable, "and be safe to be who you want to be."

"You can come here all the time," Jeff crowed.

It really did seem like the most important point.

" You'll have a lot to think about," Brian advised. "While you're deciding what you want for your future, you'll be in a safe place, everything you need will be taken care of for you, and you'll have people who will help you figure out how to do what you want to do.

" If you want a job, perhaps even job training for your future, Nicky could help. He's the general manager for a company that services and repairs heavy equipment and large trucks. I'm sure he could find work for you there and help you learn how to repair heavy machinery or how to manage a business, if either interests you."

"There are also openings at PPO," Ross interjected. "I spoke with Fiona's husband when I called her. He has jobs available and can make sure you won't have any contact with your father if you want to work there."

Jake could see that Mercury was becoming overwhelmed by all of the information coming at him.

" Could we come back and talk about everything again tomorrow?" he asked. "We'll get Mercury settled in at Ish's house tonight. He'll probably have a ton of questions after he's had a chance to think about it and has had a good night's sleep."

"I think that's a great idea, Jake," Brian beamed. "Freddy has a lot to consider. Once he's thought about what we've told him, he'll probably have specific questions about the choices available to him."

With that settled, Mercury headed downstream to collect his belongings. Jeff chattered excitedly alongside him.

"Is there a problem?" Ross asked after Mercury had disappeared from sight.

"I don't think so," Jake said. "But after a while it looked like Mercury was having a hard time keeping up with everything we were telling him. He seems overwhelmed. I thought we could take him home, help him feel safe, and give him time to think. He'll probably have lots of questions tomorrow."

"Do you think he's bothered by the idea of living with strangers?" Ross wondered.

"He's been living in the woods," Jake pointed out. "And Nick is very cool. I think everything you arranged for him is great. And I think Mercury will agree. He just needs a little time right now to relax and realize he doesn't have to worry anymore."

"I told you he was a smart one," Brian bragged to Ross.

He winked at Jake.

Jake snorted.

"That's not what you told me when I tried to turn that double play against Northfield," he said.

"There were already two out, Jake!" Brian reminded him. "And I didn't say you weren't smart. I just said that sometimes you need to pay closer attention."

"I think Mr. Gilchrist is right," Ish said. "You forgot to call Josiah. Everyone will want to know that Mercury is safe."

It was embarrassing. All day, Jake had been concerned about keeping in touch with Josiah because he was worried about Mercury. But as soon as they found Mercury, the sense of urgency was gone. His attention had shifted to other concerns.

Of course Josiah was relieved to hear from Jake. He promised that he would be waiting for them at Maureen's bakery— along with Ian, Darius, and perhaps a few other friends.

When Jake tried to relate the story of Mercury's discovery, Josiah cut him off. He urged Jake to return to town as soon as possible. Stories could wait until after the reunion.

As soon as Mercury reappeared with his backpack and sleeping bag, Jeff was disappointed to learn that his friends were preparing to depart. He refused to let go of Mercury's hand until he had been reassured that everyone would come back the following day. Some careful instructions followed as Jeff made certain that Ish was competent to take care of Mercury's boo-boos if they started to hurt again.

Jake was bemused as he watched the scene played out. Ish listened solemnly to Jeff's instructions and repeated them back carefully, while Mercury seemed confused, embarrassed, and yet somehow relieved to find that people cared about him so deeply.

Brian and Ross insisted that Jeff remain with them as the teens prepared to depart. Jeff watched them, his heart exposed in the concerned expression on his face.

"We're going to Ish's house?" Mercury asked.

Jake interpreted the uncertain expression on his face as concern about meeting a stranger and trying to make the right impression.

"Darius and Josiah are going to meet us at Maureen's Baked Goods first," Jake explained. "Afterward, we'll all go to Ish's house to meet his mother."

"Maureen's?"

That prompted another uncomfortable look from Mercury.

Jake was tempted to tease Mercury and assure him that he would be eating inside the bakery this time. Fortunately, Ish spoke first.

"Everything is going to work out, Mercury," he said. "You have friends. We will not let you down."

Jake shared his appreciation with a covert glance in Ish's direction.

"Hey, Jake!"

Ross Donnelly called after him. He was waving urgently.

" I forgot to tell you that when I spoke with Eamonn O'Connor, he told me that PPO plans to hire high school students for several positions this summer. He promised that he'll hold a job for you if you're interested. Just ask your father to bring an application home for you."

That was exciting news! PPO had a reputation for paying well. It sounded like the job might even be full-time. Jake realized that he could earn a lot of money over the course of three months. It wouldn't be enough for him to buy a car on his own. But with some help from his parents, he might be able to afford a decent used car.

Jake could see his future opening up for him. But as his excitement grew, he could sense Ish's disappointment like a physical force beside him. He didn't need to turn his head to know what he would see.

He really didn't want to look. He knew that seeing Ish pretending to be happy for Jake while his own heart broke would be intensely affecting.

It didn't seem fair to Jake. He had just been handed a real opportunity. It was a solid first step on the road toward his future.

But taking that step would undermine the road toward another possible future; a future that he and Ish both desired. That future possibility just required that Jake sacrifice something that really mattered to him.

For some, it would have been an easy decision. A bird in the hand, and all that. Taking the opportunity to fly from the nest and into the adult world. Looking out for number one.

But that wasn't an easy path for Jake. Especially when he considered the emotional risk Ish had taken when he decided to become Jake's friend. He felt like he had an obligation to Ish, although that obligation carried an extremely high price.

Jake sighed. The price was high. But, he reminded himself, Ish had already made his own down payment on what he needed from Jake.

Ish was willing to make room in his home and his heart for Mercury; both because Ish was a good person, but especially because he knew that Mercury's safety mattered to Jake. And Jake couldn't forget the way Ish had put himself on the line many times to protect him and others from danger.

Most important, Jake knew that Ish cared about him. He showed it by paying constant attention to even the little things that made him happy. How, Jake wondered, could he do any less for Ish?

In the end, it really was an easy decision. A decisive step forward on the path toward his own future. Or a less certain— but much more meaningful— step on the path toward their future.

"Thanks," Jake called back to Ross. "I appreciate that you thought to ask for me. But I've decided that I really want to spend this summer out here."

The sweep of his arm took in the hills, the trees, the waterfall, before indicating the pool near the base of Chase Falls.

" I want to spend my summer out here. . . having more adventures. . . I want Ish and I to spend our summer together."

The distance between them was close to half the length of a football pitch, but Jake couldn't miss his coach's expression of satisfaction and approval.

"You're always welcome here, Jake."

Brian paused to consider his offer for a moment.

"And at our home, too."

Jake could feel warmth spreading inside him. He felt it even more intensely beside him.

When he turned his head, Jake was surprised to witness the emotional struggle on the face of the ordinarily self-possessed Ish. His friend's eyes were glistening.

Ish drew Jake toward his chest and rested his head on Jake's shoulder.

"Todah, levi," he whispered. "Todah rabah, Yoni."

-The End-

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