Copyright © 2026 by Julien Gregg
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The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.
EIGHT
For Christmas that year I went nuts buying things for Phillip. He made out like a bandit. Richard told me I was spoiling him. I told him he was my only nephew and I would take care of him when it came to toys and gifts. He laughed. He was so happy that our relationship was back on track. He was taking classes at the community college, and his trust opened. He asked me about my business plan, and I told him that I was planning to open an electronics store and sell items made in my factory. He wanted to know what kinds of items I was talking about. I told him gaming systems, music players, and a home computer. There were so many things that I wanted to put in my store. I told him they came from the future. He liked that idea. He told me that he wanted to live in this house when Grandma was gone. He said that all of his memories were here. I told him that he could, but I was going to Arizona for school, and then I would probably end up in Los Angeles. He said he'd miss me. I told him that I was going to open my store and factory in Los Angeles. He said that made sense.
Then I told him that I could open one here in Janus as sort of the Home Town Store. He laughed. I told him he could be in charge of that store if he wanted. He loved the idea. I told him that this all had to wait until I graduated from college. He said he understood that, but he was happy to know that it would happen before too much longer. I told him this way I was helping to provide for Phillip. He laughed. I was serious. Phillip was the first born of the next generation of Flynns. I would take care of him.
I got a lot of things for Christmas, too. I didn't really care much about my gifts. They were nice, and I loved them all, but I was more interested in Phillip's Christmas. This was his first. I had made it special, and Kevin had helped. April had bought for Jesse and all of us. I had bought a truckload for April, too. From makeup to jewelry, I had her covered. Grandma thought my gifts were practical for the most part. She could wear everything I bought her.
Later that night, we sat with steaming cups of hot chocolate and watched the tree lights in the living room. Grandma sat with us. She told us that she and Grandpa used to do this every year on Christmas night. Little Phillip had fallen asleep in his play pen. Richard got up and took him to bed. Kevin and I smiled at each other. This was rapidly becoming our own Christmas tradition. I hoped that when we were adults, he would come to my house or I would go to his so we could continue this.
We went to bed happy after that. I woke up the next morning, and I had breakfast with the family. Then I spent some time with my nephew. I played with him and his toys. Richard watched with a smile on his face. Kevin spent the day in his room, reading. I played with Phillip. He was a happy boy for the most part. He got cranky when he was hungry. Richard fed him, and I called Dustin to make sure he was still coming. He said he was flying in on Tuesday, and he was going back to school with us.
Jason floored me later that day. He came and got me and took me to dinner. He said he had some things to discuss with me. When we got to the restaurant, he told me something that had me stunned. He smiled and asked what I had left to change in the time line. I looked at him for a long moment, wondering how he knew. He told me that he'd overheard me telling Kevin what was coming, and he'd watched the news. Then he'd pieced together what I'd already done.
"You got Hank out of your lives," he said. "You used me to do it."
"No," I said. "I ran to the school that day, because it was the one place in town that I felt safe. I honestly thought he'd leave us alone when he figured out where we were going. He had other plans. I didn't know that you were having lunch with the liaison officer. That was all luck. I didn't use you to do anything."
"Okay," he said. "I like hearing that it was luck. I felt bad about things for a long time, I thought that if I'd stepped in earlier you wouldn't have had to do what you did."
"Jason, you couldn't step in earlier, because you didn't know," I said. "No one knew. My mother was good at lying for Hank and keeping him out of trouble."
"You prevented your siblings from being in an accident," he said.
"No, Kevin did that with the red rubber ball," I said. "I wished on birthday cakes, first stars I saw, and wishing wells to come back in time and save my siblings. I don't know what sent me back, but Hank forced the gun. Kevin broke his nose, and then Hank and Mom were in the accident instead of me and my siblings. Jason, in the original timeline Kevin died in that accident. Richard broke his neck and spine. He died later from pneumonia. April broke her pelvis and nearly shattered her hip. She was never the same after that. I came back to stop all of that from happening. I didn't know that Social Services would take us from our mother. That was a ripple effect that I had no control over."
"What about Maxwell Academy?" he asked.
"I'd never heard of that school before you brought the information for it," I said. "Kevin and I were studying so we could go to boarding school to get away from our mother."
"So, you haven't changed much then?" he asked. "Other things have stepped in to change things for you."
"I gave my grandmother the winning lottery numbers," I said. "In my original timeline, Hank won that lottery. He used the money to become the savior of the city. It was awful. People loved him. We knew who and what he was, but no one believed me."
"So you changed one thing yourself," he said.
"Yes," I said. "I wanted my grandmother to have the money."
"What about me?" he asked. "What was I to you in the other timeline?"
"You were the light in the darkness of my life," I said. "You stepped in and helped me a lot in the other timeline. I wished that you were my real father. You were doing all of the things that a father does. We grew close. I could tell you anything. You were always there for me much the way you are now. I didn't do anything to change our relationship."
"Okay," he said. "What about Dustin?"
"I never met Dustin the other timeline," I said. "Don't think that I used influence to get him, because I didn't. He's the one who told me he was gay and had a thing for me. I just chose to accept his affection, and I love him more than I've ever loved anyone in my life."
"Okay," he said. "I figured that it was this way. I don't think of you in a bad light, Killian. I love you like a son. You are the one I got close to. I tried with Kevin, but he always held me at arm's length. Richard didn't need me. You did. April did. I grew close to the two of you. Then I figured out that you traveled back in time and I understood something. I could talk to you like an adult. You seemed to know more than you should have at twelve. Now you're a man in a boy's body."
"Well, the boy's body changes my perspective," I said. "I had a terrible life in the other timeline. I didn't stop to think that I'd be a forty year old in the twelve year old body. Being in this body at this time changes the way that I think. I truly am a teenager. Jason, I have the memories of another life. They don't define me. Where you are in life is the deciding factor for how you behave. I'm a teenager with all of the problems and wonders that a teenager goes through. Puberty was a real experience this time. I was better able to counter the effects this time around. It wasn't the train wreck it was in my original timeline."
"You have been through a lot," he said. "That you are the person you are tells me that you were special in the other timeline."
"I wasn't special," I said. "I was half of myself without Kevin. I was constantly kicked when I was down. My mother sent me to live with my father after Kevin died. He was verbally abusive. He drank a lot, and told me I was scum and I'd never amount to anything. He said Flynns were cursed and there was nothing to do about it. They were some of the darkest years of my life. When I got out of that, I had a series of jobs and apartments. You helped me get the apartment over the bar. I lived there for twenty years. I worked at Burger Time as a manager for a long time. Then it closed and I started writing articles for the paper. I was supposed to start a job at the bank. I just came back in time before I could do it."
"Now you're at Maxwell Academy," he said. "I get progress reports about you and Kevin all of the time. You have a lot of friends there. I've met some of them. I'm in awe of you most of the time."
"Thank you," I said. "I was sent back in time, so I decided to be in this time and be the kid I should have been to begin with. I made friends and connections at Maxwell Academy. I thrived there. Kevin is thriving there. We're growing slightly apart which I think is sad, but it was supposed to happen. I'm just happy that he's alive and in my life at all. I had to spend a lot of years with him rotting in a grave. Jason do you know what it's like to lose the most important person in your world and be reminded of them every time you look in a mirror?"
"No," he said. "And I don't want to. That you went through that breaks my heart. I wish that in the other timeline I could have made things better for you."
"You did," I said. "You were always there, you asked about my day, you helped me with homework, and you paid for things that my father refused to. You did this even after my parents accused you of horrible things. They said you were a pervert and wanted me. I knew it wasn't true. You just stepped in when no one else did. You were never inappropriate with me. You were the father I didn't have."
"Was I married in that timeline?" he asked.
"No," I said. "You never married. I don't even think that you dated."
"Were we ever more than what you've said?" he asked.
"No," I said. "It wasn't like that. You loved me like a son. There was nothing dirty about us."
"Good," he said. "You know that I'm bisexual."
"I didn't know that then and I didn't know it until you just told me," I said. "I don't know what that has to do with anything."
"I married Sarah, because I love her," he said. "I love Grace, and I love my life the way it is right now. I just worried that I might have taken advantage of you in the other timeline."
"If you had, I wouldn't be as close to you as I am now," I said. "You'd have been another thing that happened to me growing up. Instead you were the light in the darkness of my life. I can't describe how much that meant to me. You saved me from insanity I think. My parents were going to drive me utterly insane. You stepped in and made sure that didn't happen."
Later, I was back at the house. Grandma asked me about my dinner with Jason. I told her it was fine. She watched me for a while that night. I had a lot to think about. I sat and thought about the other timeline. I had been miserable. Here I was happy for the most part. I had Dustin, Kevin was alive, and life was so much better. When I graduated from college, I'd have my business. I was looking forward to that.
I went to the basement and watched a movie. Kevin came down and joined me. He didn't say anything for the longest time. When the movie was over, he said he wanted to talk to me. He said he was worried that we were growing apart. I told him that we were growing up. We were still very much a part of each other's lives, we just had other things to distract us now. He said he didn't like it. He said he felt like he was losing me. I told him that I'd always be around for him. We'd spend time together when we were both available. It was part of growing up.
I had so much to think about. Kevin thought we were growing apart and didn't like it. Jason knew I had traveled back in time. There was so much. I was glad that he knew, but I was upset about the fact that Kevin and I had been so careless. There was nothing coming to tell anyone about now. Things were vastly different in my life now. Things were different in the world around me. News events were much different than they had been. For instance, America was in conflict with China. It had never been that way in the other timeline. They were refusing to send goods to us and our president was angry about it. Many companies were suffering because China wouldn't send products to the USA. That was just one thing that was different.
The attitude about gay people was different than it had been in the last timeline. I mean it had gotten to this point, but it had taken much longer. Laws were passed in this timeline making it illegal to call each other by gay slangs. They introduced hate crimes a lot sooner. There was a man in Texas that was killed because he was gay. They had set his house on fire with him in it. He'd died in the fire. It had made national news. It had also changed the way the American people looked at gays and lesbians. They were more accepting as more and more gay people entered into long term relationships with each other. People saw them being much like everyone else.
Then, astonishing me was that the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage. That hadn't happen in my original timeline. The states were still fighting over it when I'd come back in time. Now we could get married in all fifty states. Of course some states had to be reminded of that at times, but it was getting better. Gay people were no longer a minority. With all of the gays and bisexuals coming forward now they were almost the majority. Men and women were now being much more honest about who they were and what they wanted out of life.
They also closed down a lot of those camps that try to change a person's sexuality. Whistle blowers turned them into the Human Rights Organization. They threw fits. The ACLU brought suits against them for torture of innocent people. The president talked about them on national television and called them a stain on the American People. He called them criminal and outlawed them. The Psychiatric Community was up in arms about sexual conversion. They called it barbaric. They said that it didn't work, and all that it did was create psychological problems in previously well rounded individuals. It was crazy.
Richard was paying attention to the news a lot, too. He told me that he was amazed about the current climate for homosexuality in the country. He asked about the other timeline, and I told him that this hadn't happened in the other timeline. The conversion therapy was denounced, sure, but the rest hadn't happened. The Supreme Court hadn't legalized same-sex marriage in the country by the time I'd come back in time.
"Do you think this is because you came back in time?" he asked.
"It has to be the ripple effect," I said.
"What exactly is the ripple effect?" he asked.
"Think of time like a pool of water," I said. "My arrival in the timeline was like dropping a pebble into the pool. Ripples began to radiate from where the pebble hit the water. Each change I made or each change that was made for me created more ripples. Kevin living past twelve caused more ripples. You're causing ripples, because you're not paralyzed. April is causing ripples because she's not broken. Every person that Kevin encounters causes more ripples, because he was dead all of this time. Being at Maxwell Academy, meeting those people caused ripples. Just being there changed the lives of everyone at that school. More ripples. Each ripple moves out from the source and causes changes that no one knows about until they happen. It's a pool of ripples now. Do you understand?"
"I think I do," he said. "So in a way you are responsible for what is happening in the world."
"In a way, we all are," I said. "You had a son. That was a life that never existed in the original timeline. He's causing ripples now, too."
"This will give me a headache if I try to figure it out," he said.
"It gives me a headache just thinking about it," I said. "Richard, changes in the world are still happening every day because of the changes that have already happened. An entire group of people now have legal rights that they never had before, and that's going to cause a lot of ripples, or more changes."
"This is why they say that time travel is dangerous," he said.
"Yes," I said. "This is also why I now believe that it was God who sent me back. It's the only thing that makes sense. God is the only being capable of letting me cause so many changes in the world around me."
"I think it was God, too," he said. "It was why I was so jealous."
"I know," I said. "But God sent me back to save you. So, in a way he was there for you, too."
"I like that idea," he said. "God didn't like the way things happened, so he sent you to change them into what he wanted to happen."
"Something like that," I said with a smile.
"This is heavy," he said. "I feel like our family is the catalyst for the changes in the world."
"It is," I said. "Every part of the family now has caused its own ripples or changes. Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, you, Kevin, April, and I have caused so much to change in the world just by walking and talking to people."
"Well, we have to live in the world that we've created," he said.
"Yes, we do," I said.
We were at the Family Fun Center for New Years. Richard wasn't there, so our conversation didn't continue. Kevin asked about my conversation with Richard, and I told him that we'd gotten everything out in the open and were fine. He smiled at this. Then we played pool and darts. April had Jesse there and they were having a great time. Dustin was there with us and he was happy. We had pizza and sat at a table to eat it.
"Dustin, are you just going back to school with us?" Kevin asked him.
"That's the plan," he said.
"I have a train ticket for him," I said. "Jason has to work."
"I can't believe he stopped teaching," Kevin said.
"He likes what he's doing now," I said. "Sarah's parents were getting too old to run the store. It was nice that Jason took it over from them."
"Yeah, it was nice," Kevin agreed. "I just thought he'd teach."
"He told me that he was tired of teaching students who didn't really want to learn what he was trying to teach them," I said.
"That's sad," he said.
"Have you talked to your girlfriend?" I asked.
"She's not my girlfriend," he said. "She made that clear to me. She's just my partner for the dances."
"Sorry, Kev," I said.
"It is what it is," he said. "I think I'm going to stick to guys. I'll find the right one eventually."
"Yeah," I said.
When the night was over we slept at Grandma's until about two in the afternoon. Then Grandma woke us. We had a late lunch and watched movies in the basement. We'd go to school in two days, and I was looking forward to it. Dustin and I were cuddled up in the recliner. Kevin and Richard were on the couch. April was in the other recliner. She told us that she didn't like it that I could have my boyfriend over but she couldn't have Jesse over for movies. I told her to talk to Grandma about that. Get Richard in on it. He could be the older brother who watched over them. She laughed at that.
When we got back to school, I was happy to be in my room with Kevin. Dustin went to his room to drop his stuff off. Then we went to the Phoenix Club. I reconnected with Thalia. She told me that she and Danny had a great time together for Christmas and New Years. I smiled at this. I told her that Dustin and I had a great new year. She smiled at that. We talked about the next dance which would be the Sweethearts Dance. She said she was going to wear a red dress. I told her I'd get a red tie and cummerbund.
Classes got under way, and I did very good in those. I was only worried about myself now. Kevin was on his own. We were still close, but I wasn't as worried about his scholastic life as I had been. He could do it, he'd proven that to me. Professor Grant assigned us another free report. I did mine one the Supreme Court's decision to legalize same-sex marriage in all fifty states. I researched the opposition and the amount of couples who had already been married since the ruling. I referenced other countries with similar legislation that let same-sex couples marry. It was a fifty page report, typed and evenly spaced. He read it and gave me fifty points for the material, fifty for the research, and fifty for writing the paper itself. I got top marks. No one had anything to say about the paper. I was happy about that.
Before I knew it the Sweethearts Dance was upon us. I danced with Thalia, and we had punch and cake. They were passing out ballots for Prince and Princess of the Sweethearts Dance. We thought it was silly, but we voted for ourselves, of course. The ballots were collected and counted. We weren't shocked when we were announced as the Prince and Princess. We both got crowns, and she got roses. We danced alone in the center of the gym and then the other couples joined us. We had our picture taken for the yearbook. Then we were saying goodnight to each other.
I put the crown in a box in the bottom of my closet. There was another one and a scepter in the box. I changed out of my tux and put it back in the bag. Kevin sat on his bunk and watched me. He had already changed out of his tux. He waited until I sat at the desk in my shorts and t-shirt. Then he launched into this diatribe about what we were going to do in the future. He said the world was changing, and he suspected that it was our fault, and he wanted to know if I still wanted to open an electronics store.
"It's been my plan all along," I said. "The world is changing for the better. We may or may not be responsible for that. If we are it's indirectly. Changes that were made have far reaching consequences, Kevin. Richard and I discussed this at length when we were in Janus. Think of time as a pool of water. My arrival in my twelve year old body was like dropping a pebble into the pool. Ripples form in the water from where the pebble was dropped. Each ripple is a change in the timeline. Now saving you, getting Hank our of our lives, giving Grandma the winning lottery numbers, each of these things caused ripples. Now think of the face that you're alive when you were dead in the other timeline. Richard has a son that was never born in the other timeline. Jason has a daughter that was never born in the other timeline. More ripples. Each person you interact with will cause further ripples because you're alive now and affecting the lives of those you interact with. It's the same for Richard and for me. We are here in a place I had never heard of in the other timeline. We're changing the lives of every person here, because originally they didn't know anything about us. Do you understand what I'm talking about?"
"Yeah," he said. "I get it. I've thought about this a lot on my own. I know that what we've all done since you came back in time has caused changes in the world around us. I know that some of those changes cause major change in the outer world. So, I know that we are at least partly responsible for the changes in the world around us. I get it, Killian. I understand it all."
"I sometimes forget how smart you are," I said with a smile. "How are you feeling about the changes in the world?"
"Some of them are very positive," he said. "Some of them make no difference to me at all. I like the way the world in changing. It's becoming a better place for us to live in. So, I'm fine with the changes."
"Okay," I said. "So am I. I like that when I get older, Dustin and I can get married and it will be legal and binding. I like that there are now ways for people to live that weren't available in the past. People can live their lives the way they want to. There's no shame in being a homosexual now. Things are so much better in this timeline. I love it here."
"You have no more major changes to do to the timeline," he said.
"Right, but I'm still causing change by moving around and meeting new people," I said. "This is why they say that time travel is dangerous."
"God knows what he's doing," Kevin said.
"Yes, he does," I said with a smile.
We went to the cafeteria to get snacks. Then we went back to our room. Dustin joined us, so our conversation was over. We sat and talked about the dance and things that had been happening in school. Dustin said that he'd been spending some time in the art room, working on a project. I told him that I had models to take over there and work on, too. He asked if I would do a model of a nineteen fifty-seven Chevy and paint it powder blue with white interior for him. I told him I'd go buy the model kit as soon as I could get to the hobby store. He smiled.
Baseball season was upon us, and we were at practices three times a week. We had our first home game and Jason, Richard, and April came to watch us play a game against the Kline Institute Lions. The Kline Institute was a new school that had opened in Astoria. It was about fifty miles outside of Chicago. We played a good game, but we beat them fifteen to thirteen in extra innings. They were good, and they'd almost beat us.
After the game there was a celebration in the Phoenix Room. I learned that Thalia and a bunch of her friends had been at the game. I smiled at this. We had another home game three weeks later. We played the Sultans again this time. We beat them five to one. We played away games and home games and our streak was unbroken. The playoffs were at Maxwell this year, and the Ultman Academy Sentries came to campus. We played three games, and we won all three. We were going to state again.
Our coach was thrilled with us. This year the varsity team was going to state as well. He was beside himself. The varsity team played the first game of the state finals. They had to win two of the three games, and they did. They were state champions. The school went nuts. A week after their final game we were bussed to Wrigley and we played three games there and won all three. We were state champions, too. The school was thrilled. We got our trophies and baseball cards and then got into the van with Jason. Dustin surprised me by getting in with his bag, too. He told me that his mother told him to come home with us. He didn't know why.
When we got home we found out that Dustin's mother and uncle had moved to Janus. She was the new Director of Nursing at the home where my mother was. He was the new activities director at the same home. Of course he had money and didn't need to work. He liked his job, and they'd found a house not far from the one I lived in. Gina, his mother told me that she knew that Dustin would be at my house more than he was at their house. I told her that I'd make sure we were in their house more than she thought. She laughed at that. She told me that she was a bit shocked that we were still together. I told her we were going strong. She smiled at that.
"You love my son, so you're a good boy in my book," she said. "Plus David thinks the world of you."
"That's nice," I said. "I like David a lot, too."
"Dustin talks about you when he's home so much that we feel we know you already," she said. "You come for dinner soon and we'll get to know each other."
"Sure thing," I told her.
"What were you and my mother talking about?" Dustin asked as he put his arms around me.
"The fact that you will be spending more time in my house than in theirs," I said. "She invited me to dinner so we could get to know each other. David will be there, too."
"Okay," he said. "When are your coming to dinner?"
"Two days from now," I said. "We already worked it out."
When I sat at the table in Gina and David's new house, she served pork loin with potatoes and carrots. There was iced tea to drink. She told me that she had to get out of Nebraska. Her late husband's family wouldn't leave her alone. She said that she came here for a new start, and so that Dustin could be near his boyfriend. She smiled. She sat and asked me about my grandmother. She asked if she was doing well. I told her she was.
"She and others like to talk about the fact that you two are young," she said. "They've said you're probably too young to be in the type of relationship you're in. I don't feel that way. You may be young, but my son is very mature for his age. What I've seen of you matches that. You two are in love. I can see it when you look at each other. I can hear it when Dustin talks about you. For that reason, I say welcome to the family."
"Thank you," I said. "We may be young, but we understand that we're going to change as we grow older. We may not be interested in the same things. We've discussed how communication is the key to longevity. We'll survive growing up, because we love each other and communicate."
"See?" she said, looking at David. "I'm telling you that he and Dustin are much older than they actually are. I blame Maxwell Academy. It matures them quickly."
"It's a good school, Gina," David said. "I went there."
"I know you did," she said. "You came home for summers a different person when you started going there."
"Well, you know that," David said. "We had more freedom over our lives at Maxwell."
"It's the same as now," Dustin said. "We're free most of the time. There are people we can lean on, but they encourage us to figure things out on our own."
"Yeah," I said. "The Honor Code is made up of seniors from all of the houses, and they are the ones to decide if a person is guilty of a crime that might get them expelled. They have the power there."
"It was the same in my day," David said. "Although, Professor Grayson had the final say."
"Professor Pritchard can override the Honor Code," Dustin said. "He just rarely ever does it."
"You're going to be seniors this year," Gina said. "That's a big deal."
"Yes," Dustin said. "I can't believe I'll graduate at sixteen."
"Think of Killian," she said, smiling at me. "He's going to graduate at fifteen. Tell me, what are your plans?"
"We're going to Saguaro University in Arizona," I said. "We've already been assured that our acceptance is guaranteed. Saguaro is run by the same company as Maxwell."
"That's great," she said. "I don't think I like the fact that the two of you will be so far away, but you'll be adults by the time you graduate from college."
"Yes," Dustin said. "We'll be together, too."
"I'm glad that you know that about yourselves already," David said. "Now that same-sex marriage is legal, can we assume that the two of you will be married?"
"Of course," I said. "That is if Dustin is on board."
"Of course I am," he said, smiling at me. "I'm never letting you go."
The adults laughed at that. We had a great dinner. Afterward, I went home and Dustin stayed. Kevin asked me where I'd been, and I told him that I'd had dinner with Dustin and his family. He nodded at this. He and I went to the basement and watched television. He kept looking at me. He finally asked me if I was ready for our birthday. We'd be fifteen years old. It was time to start thinking about our senior year at Maxwell as well.
"I'm ready for our birthday," I said. "Robby and Pug will be here."
"You're still friends with them even now that they've graduated?" he asked.
"Yes," I said. "Robby is attending Saguaro, but he's flying back to be here for our birthday and to spend the summer with Pug."
"Okay," he said. "Are we going to Saguaro?"
"I thought so," I said. "I'm going there. I want you to go there, too. Dustin is going there, and Robby and Pug will already be there. Kevin, when we graduate I plan to move to Los Angeles to start my company."
"You know our trusts will open when we go to college," he said. "What are you going to do with yours?"
"I'm going to leave it in the bank until I graduate," I said. "I'll use that money to start the store."
"I'll help," he said. "You're going to use future technology in the store?"
"Yes," I said. "Robby and Pug, Thalia and Chad, they're all computer people. They'll create the things I tell them about. I'll give them good descriptions and set them free."
"So, they're going to be part of your company?" he asked.
"Yes," I said. "I want you to be part of it, too."
"I will be," he said. "I just wanted to make sure that you still wanted that."
"My plans have not changed," I said. "This is a way for you and me to be wealthy on our own."
"We're going to live in Los Angels?" he asked.
"Yes," I said. "We'll open a store here in Janus for Richard to run."
"Okay," he said. "What about April?"
"She'll be taken care of, don't worry," I said.
We geared up for our birthday. It was being held at The Family Fun Center once again. Dustin said he couldn't wait for it. I asked him why he was looking forward to my birthday instead of his. He said that he loved to see me happy. I kissed him for that one. The day of the party, Robby and Pug showed up, but then so did Thalia and Chad. I was shocked. Grandma got a kick out of meeting the girl in the pictures. Thalia introduced Chad. He was as tall as our own six feet with dark hair and dark eyes. She said he was Italian. I smiled at this. He shook my hand and told me it was great to meet me. He said that he'd been worried about me for so long.
"I'm gay, so you don't have to worry," I told him with a smile. I pointed to Dustin. "That's my boyfriend."
"Okay," he said. "It's really good to meet you, then."
I laughed. The party was a huge amount of fun. We played video games, munched pizza, and had cake and ice cream. Our gifts were practical this year. We got clothes and shoes. We got watches and stuff for baseball. We had a great time. Thalia and Chad went back to Texas after the party. Chad drove the rental car back to the airport where he'd got it. Robby and Pug spent the night in a hotel and went to breakfast with me and Dustin the next morning. They were staying for Dustin's birthday party. This year he was having a party in his mom's back yard.
Kevin and I went over there and helped prep the party. Gina was thrilled to have both of us over at the same time. She said she was surprised that Kevin didn't come to the dinners that we had. He said he had his own life and it sometimes differed from mine. She gave us a look but said nothing. She'd baked Dustin's cake, and we spent time icing it. I wrapped presents for him. David had him off looking at Cars. By the time he came back everything was set up. He got clothes and stuff for the car. I got him a watch like the one that Kevin and I wore. He loved it. He was sixteen. David bought him a Lexus. It was silver with black leather interior.
He enjoyed his party. He said that it was great that everyone was there, and he loved his presents. Then he talked about school. We'd be seniors this year. This was our final year at Maxwell Academy. I told him that I'd already told them that we wanted to go to Saguaro University in Osage, Arizona. He said that the Nevada campus was bigger, and I said that was why I chose Arizona. We didn't need a huge campus to do what we wanted.
Before we knew it we were headed back to Maxwell. We were on the train and we talked about classes we'd take this year and things we'd do. I told them that we still had baseball this year, and Kevin said that he hoped scouts were in the stands this year. I thought that was odd. We didn't need scholarships. We had the money to go to college on our own. Our trusts would open as soon as we were accepted. I let it go, though. I wasn't sure I wanted to play baseball in college. I might, but I wasn't sure. I'd have a heavy case load.
School was different for us as seniors. We had a hand in choosing the two new members of The Five, and we had a lot more free time. I spent most of my free time studying or making out with Dustin. He started to stay with us in our room. Coach said nothing about it, so we continued to do what we were doing.
"You guys can have sex up there," Kevin said one day. "It won't bother me. Just don't make a bunch of noise so I can't sleep."
"Kevin, I'm not sure I want to have sex with my twin brother two feet below me," I said.
"Well, know that you can," he said. "I'm not going to be all weird about it."
Dustin and I talked it over and we decided that we could have oral sex with Kevin in the room. He'd have to leave the room if we wanted anal sex. Of course there was always Dustin's room to do that in, too. His roommate didn't come back to school. We had other things to occupy us. Classes were harder this year, and I knew that they were all for college credit. I checked and the credits would transfer to Saguaro. I had a conversation with Professor Grant about what I wanted to do in college and where I wanted to go. He told me that all Maxwell Academy students who applied to Saguaro were accepted. I felt better about college after that conversation.
I didn't have as much to do with The Five this year. I hung out with Dustin and Kevin most of the time. I ate my meals at the table for The Five and talked to them when I was at the table, but they weren't my friends. They were all friends with each other. They paid very little attention to me and Dustin. We did get to meet the two boys that would be members of The Five when we graduated at the end of the year. Tommy Fielding was a freshman with dark hair and very blue eyes. He was physically fit from playing soccer. Danny Pressman was a blond with brown eyes who played soccer as well. They got excellent grades and next year they could play soccer for the school.
We had reports to write, code to write, and projects and experiments to do. The year moved quickly for me. Pretty soon we were going home for Winter Break. We boarded the train and headed back to Janus. Jason and Sarah were now expecting their second child. I was excited for them. Richard had met a girl at the community college named Anne. She was a pretty girl with blond hair and blue eyes. She was petite, and she loved Phillip just as much as she loved Richard.
"You boys will graduate at the end of this year," Grandma said to us when we were sitting in the kitchen.
"Yes," I said. "I was told that Maxwell Academy graduates are all accepted at Saguaro University, so we know where we're going."
"So far away," she said. "I'm going to miss you."
"We'll come home for Christmas and summer," I said.
"Are you going to play baseball there?" she asked.
"I'm not," I said. "I don't want to play baseball when I'm going to have such a heavy course load."
"Why are you going to have a heavy course load?" Richard asked. "Don't you get college credits at Maxwell?"
"Yes, and they transfer," I said. "We've got the Associate Degree under our belts when we get there. We're going straight into the Bachelor Degree. All of our classes will be in our major. I have many computer classes to get through. I also have business classes to get through. I'm double majoring in Computer Science and Business."
"What about you, Kevin?" Richard asked.
"I'm going to play baseball," he said. "I'm not taking a heavy course load. I'm only taking Business classes. I don't have a head for computers."
"Well, at least you know what you're doing," she said. "What about Dustin?"
"He's going to be an accountant," I said. "It's what he wanted all along."
"Is he going to be involved in the business that you two want to open?" she asked.
"Robby, Pug, Thalia, Chad, Dustin, Kevin, and I will all be involved," I said. "I'm even going to open a store here in Janus for Richard to run."
"You are?" she asked. "What makes you think these stores will be successful?"
"Because we'll be creating tech that isn't out there," I said. "I have ideas for so many things that Robby, Pug, and Chad will build and we'll sell it all in the store. We'll open a factory where everything is made. I have a notebook filled with tech ideas. All they need is to be built and tested."
"Killian, you are so prepared," she said. "How do you have time for your friends?"
"We all sat together last summer and made this notebook," I said. "I spend time with Dustin and a few friends from the baseball team at Maxwell. I hang out with Thalia at the Phoenix Club. When we get to college, we'll all be together again."
"That's remarkable," she said. "Jason told me that you would form connections and make friends for life there. I guess he was right."
"He was," I said, smiling. "Grandma, we have a lot of friends."
"That's wonderful, Dear," she said. Then she looked at Kevin. "No romance in the air for you?"
"Not at the moment," Kevin said. "I'll find the one I'm looking for when I get to college."
"If you're sure," she said.
We had dinner and then we went to Jason's to congratulate him on the new baby. He said he knew that it was a boy. They'd had a sonogram and it showed a boy. He wanted to name him Killian. I had to swallow a lump in my throat before I answered him. I told him that I would be honored. He asked me if I'd like to be his God Father. I said yes immediately. He hugged me. Sarah hugged me. I spent some time playing with Grace. She was happy to include me in her play with her toys.
"You're a natural with children," Sarah said. "When are you going to have children of your own?"
"Eventually," I said. "I want to get through college and get the store up and running before we find a surrogate."
"Does Dustin want children?" Jason asked.
"He does," I said. "We've been talking about how we'll do it. We'll find one surrogate and have two children with her. One will be mine and one will be his. But they'll be ours."
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