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welcome to ’

Something Different

’! hope you’ll enjoy and stick around for this!!

Armando Dominguez

As I sat in the chair at the office, I pulled out a Sharpie and began to tag the blue plastic chair below me. I wrote my name, Armando, in curvy letters. 

“Mr. Dominguez!” A guy yelled. I looked up and saw my counselor, Mr. Carver, with his arms crossed over his chest and glaring at me. “Come with me.” 

I put the marker away in my pocket and stood up from my seat, grateful that I could finally stretch my leg and ass from that uncomfortable chair. Mr. Carver walked us to his office at the end of the hall. He sat me in a seat as he went behind his desk.

“You’re probably wondering why I called you in here.” He spoke.

“You’re finally quitting?!” I eagerly asked.

“No, Mr. Dominguez. But I admire your enthusiasm.” He reached into his pile of papers on his desk and pulled one out, handing it to me.

“I don’t see an issue,” I said, looking at my report card. “My grades are fine.”

“Ah, but that’s the problem. I don’t want you to have average grades, Armando. I want you to at least get a few C’s for your last semester of high school.” He said. He adjusted his round glasses on his nose.

“I was told I needed at least a D average to graduate. I’ve kept that since freshman year.” I replied.

“Still, we want to encourage our students to not settle for average. And the school board voted last week to raise the minimum requirements. Even though you won’t be here next year, imagine how schools will feel, knowing that you earned a now defunct average.” Mr. Carver said.

I groaned loudly and almost crumbled the paper in my hands. “I’ve told you in the past, I don’t plan on continuing my education!” 

“That’s what you say now. But even going to a trade school can open doors for you. Do you really want to stay in such a place and continue the cycle of poverty?” My counselor asked.

“A higher education has never interested me.” I said. By this point, I began to get irritated. 

“I figured you would say that. I spoke to the principal and she agreed to use you as an example.”

“What does that mean?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“You have three months until June to get a few C’s in your classes. Otherwise, you won’t be allowed to walk the stage or receive a diploma.”

“You can’t do this!” I yelled, standing up and clenching my fists.

“Actually, I can and did.” Mr. Carver replied. “No more slacking around. Not only that, but you’ll also be banned from any senior activities, including prom and GradNite.”

“This– How am I even supposed to get my grades that high!?” I asked.

“An email was sent out to your teachers. They’ve agreed to offer extra credit work in aiding your journey. But if that wasn’t enough…” There was a knock on the door.

“Mr. Carver,” His secretary poked her head into the room. “He’s here.” She said.

“Send him in.” My counselor replied. She opened the door all the way.

Walking into the room was… a twink. He was a lot smaller than I was. His eyes were huge and blue. Freckles were scattered on the bridge of his nose and cheeks. And his brown hair was neatly fixed on his head. He clutched a book in his hands and first stared at me, looking at my attack position, then at Mr. Carver.

“Come in, Mr. Hazelwood.!” Mr. Carver said. The twink walked in and took a seat next to me in the other open chair.

“Why am I here?” The twink asked.

“So glad you asked. Armando, meet Brian Hazelwood. I’m sure you two know each other.”

“No.” I said.

“Yes.” Brian said at the same time as me. I looked at him as he had a hurt expression on his face. “We have four classes together.” He told me.

“Four?!” I asked loudly. Mr. Carver shook his head. 

“Well, then this should be a good time to get to know each other. Brian, I want you to help Mr. Dominguez here with his work and get him on track to graduate. Could you do that?” He asked the twink.

The twink, Brian, looked up at me and then down my body. I didn’t help that I came to school with a black compression shirt that showed off too much. 

“I can do it.” Brian replied.

“Good! Go back to class and I expect some changes to come from you, Armando. I’m counting on you Brian to fix him.” Mr. Carver said.

“I’m not a dog in heat!” I said.

“Mhm. Sure. Now go to class, both of you. Three months.” He said. I stood up and grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulder. I glared at Mr. Carver while he winked at me. 

As I walked out the office and down the hall, I heard a pair of footsteps behind me. Out of the corner of my eye, Brian managed to catch up with me. Though he had to walk twice as fast to match my speed. 

Brian looked down and twiddled his fingers. His book was in his armpit. He also bit on his lips, probably trying to get the courage to say something. I don’t see it, I’m not that terrifying. At least, I don’t think so. 

“When do you want to meet up?” Brian asked me.

“Hmm? I’m busy today.” I replied.

“Tomorrow?” He asked.

“Also busy.” I replied. 

“If you really want to graduate, you’ll need to make time for study sessions!” Brian said in a higher toned voice. I stopped in my tracks and turned to him. 

I reached my hand up. He flinched and stepped back, covering his face. I scratched the back of my head. 

“Fine, tomorrow.” I said. Brian let out a sigh of relief and lowered his hands. 

“Oh, good grief.” He muttered. “Tomorrow then. Where should we meet?” He asked.

“Mmmm… Sugar Hill Park.” I replied.

“Are you sure?” He asked.

“Yeah, I am. Do you have a problem with that?” I asked.

“N-No, not really! But, there’s a lot of gangs there!” He said. His eyes trailed to a small tattoo on my left arm. 

“You mean my cousins?” I asked. Brian gulped hard.

“If they’re family, then I guess it’s fine.” He said.

“Perfect. Meet me there after school tomorrow. If you’re even a minute late, I’m leaving.” 

He nodded aggressively. “Of course.” 

“Alright, buddy. I expect my grades to rise quickly.” I patted his back. He stiffened and didn’t move upon my touch.

“I hope you don’t expect me to do all your work.” Brian said.

“I never said. But if you’re offering…”

“No. I was told not to do that. That could jeopardize my graduation status. I’ll tutor and help you. But don’t ever try to push your work on me.” Brian said.

“Okay, bossman.” I chuckled and continued walking down the hall. He quickly ran up behind me. 

“Glad to know we’re on the same page.” Brian said as he finally managed to catch up to me. 

“You’re welcome.” I opened the door for both of us. We stood in front of the office. “See ya.” I said, turning to my right and walking towards my class. 

Brian once again caught up to me. I turned to him and raised an eyebrow at him.

“Can I help you?” I asked him.

“We have the same class right now.” He replied.

“Shit! Am I that blind?” I asked. Brian didn’t say anything. He just walked alongside me. 

When we approached class, we returned to our circles. He sat in the front of the class with his other friends while I sat in the back with my friends.

“Aye, what did they want?” Ricardo asked me. 

“I gotta get tutored.” I replied.

“With that gringo?” He asked, nodding to Brian.

“Yup.” I replied.

Brian turned around to get something from his backpack. He made eye contact with me as I nodded at him. He smiled at me and pulled out his book. 

I think this is going to be an interesting three months.

2

Brian Hazelwood

Here I was, in Sugar Hill Park. A location known for its dangerous and criminal activities. And I’m here to tutor Mr. Armando Dominguez himself, the known gangster.

I’ve known Armando since elementary. I remember transferring to Texas from California. He never noticed me. We had a few classes here and there. The most he’s ever acknowledged of me is bumping into me one time and apologizing. Either way, the two of us were essentially strangers.

And it didn’t help that we were in different social circles and even classes. My family is prominent and has enough money where I can live comfortably. And I hang out with other studious friends that all prioritize their education. Meanwhile, Armando was known to be a member of a local group of troublemakers. He also comes from one of the poorer parts of town.

Still, when I was asked to tutor him, I didn’t see him as a gangster or troublemaker like every other teacher and student sees. I saw a guy that just needed help.

It’s a bit hypocritical that Armando warned me of not arriving late when it’s been 10 minutes. Finally, I heard a loud motorcycle and turned to see Armando hopping off it and walking over to me.

Fuck. Even if he is a bad boy, he’s also handsome.

“You’re still here.” Armando said in his deep voice.

“Yeah. But you’re 10 minutes late.” I replied.

“Shit. Sorry, little man. Got caught up with something.” I looked down and saw his knuckles were red.

“Whatever. Just sit. Did you bring your books?” I asked.

“Uh…” He stammered. Nope, no books.

“You can borrow mine. We’re going to be doing our literature assignment. I’m sure you’ve read The Catcher In The Rye?” I asked.

“We have a reading assignment?” Armando asked. I shook my head.

“We’re halfway into the story. Just go home and read the Cliff Notes. Or maybe read the actual story.” I pulled out some paper and began to write some sentences down. I then slid over the sheet to him. “This is essentially what the story is about. I think you’ll like it.”

“Alright, man. If you say so.” He said. There was a honking sound. Armando turned as a guy with a cart walked down the path. He stood up and turned to me. “Want a drink?” He asked me.

“Uh…”

“You look like a vanilla kind of guy. I’ll be back.” He stood up and walked away. I sat confused while Armando bought things from the guy. He returned with two cups of shaved ice with syrup. He slid over a yellow one.

“Can we get back?” I asked.

He chewed on the ice. “Mhm.” He replied.

Luckily, Armando is able to grasp information quickly. I’m surprised he managed to understand everything I told him. In the end, while his paper wasn’t the best, it was better than I could have imagined. His information all came from me. But it was good information.

I eventually did drink my ice drink. He smiled as I drank it all down and ate the ice.

“Wow, you’re crazy smart.” Armando said.

I blushed hard. “Thank you.” I muttered.

“You a teacher’s pet?” He asked.

“Not at all.” I replied.

“Mm.” He scratched his stubble on his face.

This man doesn’t know how crazy hot he is. Or maybe he does. It’s no surprise that he has a track record of several hook ups. But none he has ever stuck with for more than a week. As for me, I’m as virginal as Athena.

And partly is because I don’t root for the other team. While I’ve never said it out loud, I know what I am. And Armando is like my Chris Evans or Henry Cavill, the first guy that made me realize my true feelings. My gay awakening.

However, I would never try to attempt something on him. He’s obviously straight. And thus, he can never be mine. But it’s fun to imagine what it would be like.

“Hey! Brian! You there?!” Armando said, snapping his fingers on my face. I snapped out and quickly faced away from him.

“Sorry.” I muttered.

“I was asking what you like to do in your free time.” He said.

“I stay home mostly.” I replied. He frowned at this.

“That’s it? You don’t go out with friends? Or go to the movies?” He asked.

“My friends and I hang out at the mall.” I replied.

“Malls are for sissies.” He chuckled.

“No it’s not! It’s actually fun. And at least I’m not endangering my life!” I said.

“Chill, little man. And it’s not dangering your life if you know what you’re doing.” He winked at me.

“So what’s your definition of having fun?” I asked.

“Tagging.” He said. “Riding my motorcycle. Hanging out with my cousins. They’re pretty fun. Maybe you can join me.”

“I think I’m okay.” I said.

“The offer will be there. You should have fun while you’re still in high school. I assume you’re going to college in the fall.”

“I am.” I said. “In California.”

“Good. You should get out of here while you still can.” Armando reached into his leather jacket and pulled out a packet of cigarettes and Zippo lighter. He lit on up and inhaled the toxic fumes.

“You smoke?” I asked.

“Helps calm me down. You want one?” He asked.

“I have asthma.” I replied. He stopped smoking and threw the cigarette on the floor and stomped on it.

“I didn’t mean to trigger it. Sorry.” He said.

“Nah. I’m okay. It’s not that severe.” I replied.

“I’ve been trying to quit these for a while. Sorta hard when they’re so addicting.”

“Well, then I guess you must not really want to quit if you keep coming back to them.” I said.

“I guess. Some things you just can’t escape from.”

There was loud chatter from our left. We turned and saw a group of guys walking over to us. They were all wearing dark clothing and had tattoos on their arms and necks.

“Armando!” One of them yelled. “Let’s go!”

Armando turned to me. “Shit, I gotta go.” He told me.

“I understand.” I replied.

“Thanks for the help. I’ll talk to you tomorrow and we’ll set our next appointment.”

‘Or you can give me your number.’ I thought to myself.

“Okay.” I replied.

“Armando!” The guy yelled louder.

“I’m going!” Armando replied. He stood up and put his cigarettes and lighter back into the pocket of his leather jacket. “Can you hold onto this for me?” He asked, pointing to the paper he wrote.

“Okay.” I replied.

“Thanks. See you later.” He said. He stood up and walked to his friends. They all greeted him and punched him lightly on the shoulder.

I sat as he walked away with his group while I was by myself in a dangerous park. I called myself an Uber and packed my things. Luckily, I wasn’t shot or sold drugs to, so I returned home quickly.

“How was it?” My mom asked when I walked through the door.

“It was good.” I replied.

“Be careful around that boy. He’s bad news. Sadly your counselor didn’t want to remove you from that responsibility.” She said.

She doesn’t know that Mr. Carver asked me if I wanted to drop out but I declined.

“I got homework to do. Call me when dinner is ready.” I said.

I climbed up the stairs and walked into my room. I threw my backpack on my chair and changed into some comfortable clothes. Then, I called my friend.

“Oh! Thank God you’re alive!” Veronica said.

“Yeah, I am. Were you worried?” I asked.

“Of course, dummy! You hung out with THEE Armando Dominguez.” She replied.

“He’s not that bad. He’s just a normal guy.”

“He’s Javier’s little brother. He’s anything but normal.” She said.

“Piss off, Roni!” I giggled. “Nah, he’s sweet.”

“Armando? Sweet? Honey, did he give you drugs? Are you high?”

“Cut the guy some slack.” I replied.

“Just don’t get too close to him.”

“We’re going to be hanging out for three months. That’s going to be impossible.” I said.

She huffed. “I can picture you falling in love with him already. Unless you already are. Then this is going to be torture for you.”

“I don’t want to get into this, Roni. You already know how I feel about him.” I said.

“True. Then it’ll be his turn to fall in love.” She said.

“He’s straight.” I told her.

“Maybe he hasn’t had the right guy yet.” She said. I ended the call as she texted me laughing emojis. As I pulled out my books, Armando’s paper fell onto the floor.

I grabbed it and looked at his messy handwriting. I smiled to myself, seeing him using the old ‘g’ writing and some small scribbles on the page.

He’s scary indeed. But I think that I’m going to see a side of him that no one has yet seen. And that puts a smile on my face.

3

Armando Dominguez

At school, I leaned against a brick wall and smoked a cigarette while next to my friends. Class was starting in a few minutes but I had enough time to crank a few puffs out. Walking through the hall was Brian. As soon as he saw me, his eyes widened and he walked over to me.

“Here’s your work from yesterday.” He handed me a folder with my paper inside.

“Thanks.” I replied, taking the folder at him and giving him a nod.

“I’ll see you in first.” He continued his walk down the hall. He met up with a girl with brown hair. The two turned to me and giggled with each other.

“You got a pet now?” Ricardo asked me.

“Nah. He’s just helping me. I told you already.” I said.

“Cause if he’s offering to do people’s homework, I’ve got a physics project.”

“He’s helping me. And I don’t think Brian wants to be around you.” I teased him.

I chuckled and put out my cigarette and walked to class. I took my seat in the back of the class. Brian sat in the second row, next to his friend. He waved at me as I held up my hand at him. His smile was… endearing.

When literature class came, I handed in my work. My teacher accepted it, though her eyes did bulge out when I walked to her desk and placed it on the pile. Brian winked at me when I returned to my seat. I mouthed a ‘Thank you’ to him.

One thing that I’ve felt myself doing is watching Brian a lot more in classes. Before we were assigned together, that boy was invisible to me. He was nonexistent to me. Now, in the classes that we have together, he’s the one I spot quickly. And he’s the one I can find in a crowd.

“Yo! Mando! You listening?!” Raul Gomez said.

“Yeah yeah, I heard. We’re going to 7th Street later. I gotta go.” I said, standing up from where I sat during lunch.

“Where’re you going?” Raul asked.

“I have a question.” Is all I said. I grabbed my apple and walked towards Brian’s table on the other end of the cafeteria.

As soon as I approached, the entire table, which was all reading a book or writing something, all looked up at me. Brian looked at me with a wondering look.

“Armando?” He asked.

“Can we talk?” I asked him. He turned to his friend from earlier. She nodded at him. Everyone else was speechless and just kept their eyes on me. One of them gripped his fork tightly in his hands. My pocket knife could do more damage than that.

“Okay.” Brian said. He stood up and left his things behind. I escorted him to one of the secluded walls of the cafeteria. I leaned against the wall and stared down at the little guy.

“I need help with Calculus.” I said.

“Wanna catch up later today?” He asked.

“Yeah. I’ll bring my things this time.” I told him.

“Good.” He said. It was silent between us. I took in his outfit. A simple blue sweater and denim pants and white Converse shoes. The epitome of basic. Though, it doesn’t look basic on him. In fact, it complimented him. It’s something that a person like Brian would wear.

Brian has an issue with looking people in the eye. It’s something I caught on when we had our first study sesh. He only looked at me when I joked around with him and made him feel more comfortable. But he also has this issue with teachers. I’ve seen him get called on and never answer while making eye contact. Instead, he’ll look down his page as if he’s reading off something when he already knows it in his head.

“Can I have your number?” He asked.

“My number?” I said.

“Yeah. That way you can text me whenever you need help. If you have a problem, just text me and I’ll answer.”

“Aww! But it’s much better talking to you directly.” I said.

His entire face turned red. “I like helping you. But having our numbers means you can ask me when we aren’t in school.” He said.

“Makes sense.” I held out my hand for his phone. He gave it to me unlocked. I put in my contact, while recognizing his lack of contacts. One his mom, dad, sister, and three other friends.

“Are we done?” He asked.

“For now.” I said.

“Okay. Can I go back to my table?”

“Mhm.” I nodded. He walked back as I followed him.

“Why are you following me?” He asked.

“Just making sure you aren’t attacked.” I replied. He shook his head but chuckled. When he reached his table and sat, I stood behind him. “I’ll see you later.” I said.

“You too.” He said. I placed my hand on his head and touched his styled hair and rubbed it. It was incredibly soft.

“Bye.” I said, snapping myself out of that weird trance. I returned to where my friends sat.

“Don’t tell me you’re friends with that gringo?” Fernando asked me.

“Is that a bad thing?” I asked.

“Next thing, you’re pulling up to school in a button up and speaking fucking Latin.” He muttered.

“Don’t mind him,” Ricardo told me. “He’s upset cause Alma isn’t putting out for him.”

“My concerns still remain. You planning on going to college?” Fernando said.

“I’ve told you already. I’m not going. Just drop it. Maybe you should join us, actually. You’ll learn a thing or two.” I said.

“You calling me an idiot?”

“No one is. But if that’s the label you want to call yourself…” I said.

“Stop! You two! Can we just calm down?” Ricardo stepped between us.

“I’m willing to drop it.” I replied.

“Fer?” Ricardo asked him.

“Dropped.” Is all Fernando said.

“Good. We got that thing to do later.”

“What thing?” I asked.

“Carlos wants to ‘get’ some things from a truck coming in. You in?” Raul asked me.

“Can’t. I already have plans with…”

“… with Brian.” Raul finished my sentence for me. “I’ll tell Carlos that. But don’t begin to forget the gang. You have responsibilities to do.” He reminded me.

“It’s just one time.” I scoffed.

“I’m just saying. You two are different. That Brian kid grew up with both his parents and in a nice ass house with everything he wants. You? Your mom is gone and your dad is in prison. All you got is Javier and Rosita.” Raul told me.

“You saying that we can’t be friends because he’s rich and I’m not?” I asked.

“Not really. But it’s hard to find common ground from that distance.” Raul told me as he typed on his phone.

I’ll prove him wrong…

When I was in the parking lot, getting ready to go to Sugar Hill Park, I got a phone call from Javier.

“What?” I asked.

“Mando! Can you go to Rosita’s school? She got into an accident!” My older brother asked me.

“I have to meet someone! Why can’t you?!” I asked.

“I’m still at work, idiot! And the neighbor isn’t available. Just do this once and you can have my fries when I get home.” Javier told me.

I watched Brian exit from the school and walk through the parking lot.

“Sure.” I eventually gave in.

“Thanks!” He quickly hung up. I looked up and saw Brian walking. I ran over to him quickly, shoving people aside. Before he got into his mom’s car, I assume, I put my hand on the door to prevent him from opening it.

“Armando!” He gasped out. I waited a few seconds to get my breath back.

“Brian. I have to cancel today. It’s a family emergency.” I said.

“Oh, alright. Go handle it!” He said.

“Thanks for understanding! Can we do it tomorrow?” I asked.

“Of course.” He replied.

“Thanks. See you tomorrow!” I said.

“Bye, Armando.” He waved at me.

“Goodbye.” I replied and walked back to my motorcycle. I hopped on and turned it on. Brian’s car drove off down the street. I took the opposite direction and drove to my sister’s school.

I quickly ran into the main office and asked for my sister. I was escorted to the nurse’s office. My sister, Rosa, or Rosita, sat on a stool and swung her legs back and forth.

“What’s wrong with her?!” I asked. I took a look at my sister and saw she had a bruise on her cheek and a scratch on her arm. “Who did this?!” I angrily asked.

“Calm down, Mr. Dominguez!” The nurse said.

“Calm down? My sister was attacked! Give me the address of the brat that did this!” I yelled.

“Sir! She started it first! You’re lucky Rosa is only get a few days off and not expelled. Or worse, having CPS called!” The nurse said.

I calmed down and turned to Rosita who was smiling and humming a song to herself.

“Ay, Rosita.” I shook my head.

“Can we go?” She asked.

“Come on.” I said. She grabbed my hand and we walked out of the school. She happily skipped along the way. She climbed onto my motorcycle and put on my helmet.

After fastening the helmet and getting on, she hugged my back tightly.

“Gonna tell me why you attack a kid?” I asked.

“No.” Rosita replied.

“You shouldn’t do those kinds of things.” I told her. “Watch until Javi gets home.” I warned her.

“I already beat up one boy!” She replied. I turned on the motorcycle and began to drive us slowly down the street.

When we got home, I gave a quick lunch and changed her out of her uniform. We then watched TV and waited until my brother got home with food for us.

4

Armando Dominguez

I completely fucked up.

After Rosita got into a fight and was suspended for three days, she had to stay home for the entire day. Luckily, the neighbor was able to look after her while I was at school. But the neighbor had to leave as soon as my classes ended. And so I rushed back home to look after her.

But then I remembered that I had to meet up with Brian for our study session. And since Javier wasn’t home and no one could look after her, I had to bring this little brat with me.

I just hope that Brian understands this.

“Armando! I want ice cream!” Rosita whined at me.

“Too bad!” I replied. She huffed and kicked her legs. “Go play with the other kids.” I told her.

“No. Those kids are ugly!” She replied.

“Be nice, Rosita.” I told her.

Brian’s parent’s car pulled into the parking lot of the park. He emerged from there and walked over to me with his backpack in hand. Brian quickly spotted my sister and gave me a confused look.

“I’m sorry I brought her! She got suspended and no one else could look after her. I hope it’s fine!” I apologized to Brian.

“It’s fine!” He chuckled. “No harm done!”

“Thank you for understanding!” I said.

“What’s her name?” Brian asked.

“Her name is-”

“Rosita!” My sister replied for herself.

“Nice to meet you, Rosita.” Brian said. He waved at her as she chuckled. “Did you bring your calculus homework?” He asked me as he sat down across from me and my sister.

“Yup.” I pulled out my work and textbook. “I don’t understand integrals. They’re a bitch to understand.”

“Armando! Your sister is right there!” Brian reprimanded me for cursing in front of her.

“She’s heard worse. Right, Rosita?” I asked her.

“I’m bored!” She cried out.

“I’ve got just the thing.” Brian said. He dug into his backpack and pulled out some white paper and crayons and handed them to her. “Here you go.”

Rosita gasped as she quickly began coloring on the paper.

“You’re a lifesaver.” I thanked him.

“Let’s solve these problems.” Brian said. We began to work on the problems quickly. For some reason, Brian is able to explain things much better than my math teacher. I don’t know if it’s because my math teacher is boring and has a whistle voice or maybe Brian makes it more fun, but I began to understand what he was saying.

“Like this” I asked.

“U-huh! Don’t forget to add ‘+c’ at the end.” He pointed to the problem. He leaned over the table and his face was close to mine. I stared up and was met with his huge blue eyes, staring deep into my soul.

I smirked at him as he blushed and quickly sat back.

“I invaded your personal space.” He said.

“You’re fine. It’s not like I’m going to beat you up.” I told him.

“Would you ever beat me up?” He asked.

“There’s very few people I tolerate in life. You just so happen to be on that list.”

“Is that a no or yes?”

“I wouldn’t lay a finger on that hair of yours. Trust me, Brian. You’re good in my books.” I told him. He seemed to sigh in relief. “Wait? Did you think I would actually beat you up?” I asked him.

“I- Well, you have gotten into fights in the past.” He said.

“Cause those were idiots who deserved it. I don’t go around beating up nerds.”

“I don’t think you should be beating up people in general. Can’t you just talk it out copacetically?” He asked.

“I don’t know what that word means, but no. In this life, you have to be violent for people to understand you. I’ll stop beating people up until people learn to respect me.”

“Just don’t hurt yourself too badly! If you get into a fight, attack them in the knees. It’s a person’s weak point.” He told me.

“Thanks for that info.” I replied.

“So why was Rosita suspended? Did she sneak into the cookie jar?” He asked.

“I beat Billy up!” Rosita said. Brian stared at her wide-eyed. “I went like this,” She punched the air. “Then like this!” She did an uppercut.

“Rosita! What did I tell you!?” I said to her. “Don’t tell him why you were suspended!”

“But you said I should be proud that I beat him up!” Rosita whined.

“It does sound impressive.” Brian said.

I turned to him. “But when I beat people up…”

“That’s because you’re a whole senior. She’s just a kid defending her honor.” Brian said.

“Seems to me like you’re favoring my sister over me.” I said.

“Maybe…” He muttered.

“Look!” Rosita held up her drawings. She handed me one that was a stick figure of me, Javier, and her in a house. “I made one for you!” She slid it over to Brian.

His drawing was a stick figure of himself with his brown hair and perfectly encapsulated blue eyes.

“It’s beautiful.” Brian said. “I’m gonna put it in my folder to protect it.” He opened his folder and slid the paper in.

“He likes it!” Rosita said to me.

“He does. Because you’re an amazing artist.” I told her. I looked down at my phone and saw that it was time to end.

“Is time up?” Brian asked in a sad tone.

“Yeah. I have to get this one home before Javier comes home.” I told him.

“Then we should pack up.” Brian said. He texted on his phone and began to put his things away. Rosita put the crayons back into the box and began to slide them back to Brian. “Do you want to have them?” He asked her.

“Can I?” She asked.

“Sure. You like to color. You can keep them.” Brian said. Rosita smiled and jumped with joy.

“You don’t have to do that.” I whispered to Brian.

“She’ll need something to entertain her for the next two days.” He replied.

“You’re right!” I replied.“Tomorrow is Saturday. Got any plans?” I asked.

“I’m staying home. I just need some alone time.” He replied. “You?” He asked me.

“Gotta do some work for… nevermind.” I said.

“Then I’ll see you on Monday.” He said. There was a honk of a car a few minutes later. Brian stood up and grabbed his bag. “Bye, Armando.”

“Goodbye, Brian.” I replied.

“Bye, Rosita!” He said to my sister.

“Bye bye!” She replied. He walked to his mom’s car and got into. He gave me a final wave and drove away from the park.

“Let’s go home.” I told my sister. She grabbed her things and we got back to my motorcycle.

When we got home, Javier was already home and was sitting at the table with bags of fast food.

“You’re home early.” I said.

“And you’re home late!” Javier yelled at me. “What the fuck were you? You were just supposed to look after Rosita!”

“Calm the fuck down, Javi!” I yelled back. “We went to the park! She was coloring while I was doing my homework!”

“At least tell me next time where you’re taking her!” Javi said. It got quiet between us until Rosita ran up to Javi and hugged his legs.

“Javi!” She said.

“Rosita. Did you have fun with Mando?” He asked as he picked her up.

“Mhm! His friend gave me colors!”

“That’s good. Let’s go eat and you can tell me why you beat up a kid.” Javier said as he took her to the table. I left my room to change out of my clothes.

I got a text from Brian. It was a picture of the drawing Rosita drew pinned on a wall.

‘Tell Picasso I said thank you.’ He texted me.

‘Done!’ I replied.

When I reached the table, Rosita was eating chicken nuggets and fries while Javier chewed on a burger.

“So who’s this Brian that Rosita keeps talking about?” Javi asked as soon as I took a seat and chewed on my food.

“A guy that’s helping me with my work.” I replied.

“He sounds like a good guy.” Javi said.

“He is…” I muttered.

“But just remember your place around him. He’s just a guy helping you out with work. That’s all.”

I ignored him because he has no idea what he’s talking about. It doesn’t feel like Brian is just my tutor. Instead, I consider him a sort of friend. Someone I trust.

A person I have a close connection with.

5

Brian Hazelwood

When the final bell rang and it was time to leave, I got up and went towards the door.

“Brian! May I speak with you!” My government teacher, Ms. Estelle, called me. I gave Armando a glance telling him to continue and that I’ll see him later. I walked over to my teacher’s desk and stood next to it.  

“Is there anything wrong?” I asked.

“Not at all! I just want to thank you. I’ve seen the work you’ve done with Mr. Dominguez. He’s certainly doing better in class.” She said. I was looking at the paper behind her because I hate looking people in the eye.

“Yeah. Armando is a good kid.” I said.

“Indeed he is. Keep doing what you’re doing and he’ll graduate on time.” She said. I nodded at her and walked out of the class.

Later, I would describe the interaction with Amrando. He seemed to relish the fact that people are seeing him improving. The next two days, I had the pleasure of also hanging out with Rosita, the sweet little girl that is an exact version of Armando.

Armando couldn’t do Wednesday or Thursday for unknown reasons. But we were able to meet on Friday. However, the park was unavailable because an incident happened the day prior. This is when Armando offered his home. 

It’s one thing to have to tutor the guy you’ve been crushing on for years. But it’s another when you tutor them in their own house and walk into the place they live in! He didn’t want to go somewhere like a diner because he felt that we would be distracted. 

And thus, to his house we went.

“Call me if you hear any bullets. No matter how far they sound, you call me or the police!” Mom told me.

“I’m going to be fine, mom! I’ll call you when our session is over.” I replied.

“Still! Promise you’ll recognize any danger! And text me an ‘x’ if you want me to call the police for you!”

“I promise. Can I go now?” I asked.

“Go. I love you.” My mom said. I responded and exited the car. 

I was faced with a simple small house. The grass on the outside was dead and some clutter was around. Armando’s motorcycle was in the driveway, meaning he was home. I walked up to the door and knocked on it. I waited a few seconds until Armando opened the door.

“Welcome.” He said. He stepped aside to let me in. I turned to my mom as she waved and drove off. 

As I walked in, I noticed that the living room was spotless. There was a couch, recliner, coffee table, and a stand with a TV. Some picture frames hung on the wall. All of them were of Rosita.

Then I turned to Armando. He no longer wore his usual leather jacket and dark denim jeans. He instead changed into a black tank top that clung to his muscles perfectly, with the bottom of the shirt raised to show his abs and treasure trail. And he wore a 5 inch inseam short that clung to his thighs and didn’t leave an imagination to the weapon he wielded in his shorts.

He’s dressed like a slut.

“Rosita is going to be watching TV and you and I will go to my room. Is that okay?” He asked.

“Of course.” I replied. Rosita walked out of a hallway and as soon as she saw me, she ran to me and hugged my legs.

“Brian!” She cheered.

“Rosita!” I chuckled out. I took a packet of markers out and gave them to her. “I got these for you.” 

Her smile grew wider. “Thank you!” She said. She ran to the couch and sat down. Her backpack was nearby as she pulled out a notebook and began to color.

“You go to my room. It’s the first door on the left.” Armando told me. 

I walked into the hallway and found said door. I opened it and saw a small room. There was a bed in the left corner. A TV in the right directly in front of the bed. A dresser and some scattered clothes thrown all over the room. On a chair was his leather jacket. I touched it and felt the recent warmth from Armando’s skin. 

“Let’s do this! Physics’ been kicking my ass this whole week!” Armando said. I jumped upon hearing his voice. 

“Uh, where are we going to sit?” I asked.

“My bed, silly boy.” He walked and touched my head. He jumped on his bed and leaned back, staring at me. “You gonna join or what?” He asked.

He has to know what he’s doing.

“Okay.” I replied. I walked over to the bed and sat on the other end from him. I placed my backpack on the bed and pulled out what we needed to use. 

“You like Edwards?” Armando asked, still leaning back and crossing his arms over his head, showing off his huge biceps.

“Our physics teacher?” I asked. He nodded. “He’s okay. But he’s old. He was probably around when the apple fell on Newton’s head.”

Armando let out a small chuckle. “You should joke more.”

“We went over acceleration this week.” I said.

“Ugh. Don’t remind me. I wanted to shoot myself the entire time.”

I managed to help Armando with his work. Out of all his classes, it seems that physics is his weakest area. So I’ll work on helping that part. 

“We’ve been hanging out for a while. Tell me, you like anyone?” He asked.

“N-No…” I muttered out.

“Ahh! Come on! Tell me! I know that face! You like someone.” He teased, poking my shoulder.

“It’s no one! I swear!” I said.

“You lying to me, Brian. Is it that chick you hang out with? Veronica, I think.” He said. I shook my head.

“If not her, then who? Which girl has the pleasure of having your attention.” Armando said.

Fuck it!

“It’s not a girl!” I blurted out. 

He stopped teasing me and his face turned a bit more serious. His smile was gone and he sat up against the wall. 

“Oh…” He said. 

The silence was horrible. This is the first time I’ve technically come out to anyone. And I happened to profess to the one guy that was the sole reason for finding my identity. 

“I’m cool with it.” Armando finally said.

“You are?” I asked.

“Sure…” He replied.

“I thought we were going to hate me.”

“Why would I do that? You’re a chill dude and fun to be around. Just cause you like dick doesn’t change that.” He said. 

I blushed hard at that last bit. 

“You’re the first I’ve told.” I muttered.

“No way! So this is like… an us thing!” He had a smile on his face. 

“Yeah. I guess it is.” I said in a happier tone. 

Armando grabbed his pencil and began to write something.

“Holy shit!” I gasped.

“What?!” He jolted up.

“You’re left handed!” I pointed out.

“Yeah?” He raised an eyebrow. “I’ve always been left handed. Did you not notice?” He asked.

“No, I haven’t.” I replied. I haven’t noticed because I’ve been looking at other parts of him. Guess we both figured out things about each other.

The bedroom door opened and in walked a tall, muscular man. He wore a white tank top that had car grease on it. His jeans were also dirty and ragged. His arms and chest were littered with tattoos. He walked in with dominance and glanced at me then at Armando.

“You’re home early, Javi.” Armando said.

“Some guy almost got his hand cut off.” The guy replied. He then turned to me and scanned me up and down. 

“Shit! Brian, meet Javier, my older brother. Javi, this is Brian.” Armando said. 

“Ah, so you’re the Brian that Mando and Rosita have been talking about.” Javier said, leaning against the door frame. “I heard you’re pretty smart.” He said.

“I like to think I am.” I replied.

“Hmm.” He was silent for a bit. “Listen, you know how to fill out a 1040-Form?” He asked.

“Okay! That’s enough. Out!” Armando said. He stood up and began to shove his brother away. 

“What? I’m just asking.” Javier said. Armando managed to push him out and shut the door on him.

He turned back to me and shook his head. “Don’t mind him. He’s always intruding in our shit.”

“I heard that!” Javier yelled from the other side of the wall.

“You want a snack?” Armando asked me.

“Yeah.” I replied. We walked out the room and walked to the kitchen. I sat at the table while Armando grabbed some snacks for me. I heard Bubble Guppies playing on the TV where Rosita was at. 

“Here. I know it’s not much. But I hope you’ll like it.” He said, handing me a simple sandwich. 

Javier walked out the house and walked back in a few seconds later. He held a series of envelopes in his hands and was looking at them all. 

“Mando! Your grades.” He said. Armando ignored him. I watched as Javier stopped and read another letter. “Mando…” He said. He held up an envelope towards Armando.

“What?” Armando asked. He turned and saw the envelope. I saw the logo on it. It was at the local county jail. 

Armando grabbed it and quickly threw it in the trash. I pretended to be busy with my food.

“Dickhead.” Armando muttered. I decided not to press the matter.

Though, I’m guessing this dickhead does not have a good relationship with Armando. Which, in this town, could be anyone. 

Except me, I suppose.

6

Armando Dominguez

“So… have you ever sucked dick?” I asked Brian.

“Excuse me?” He asked, looking up from his book.

“After you told me you were… yeah… I figured that maybe you might have done those types of things. Or did you discover it another way?” I asked.

Brian turned red in the face and looked away. “If you really want to know, I never liked to look at girls the way that other guys talked about. I knew I was different then and didn’t find the word for it until later in life.” He said.

“Oh.” I muttered. He looked back to his book while I gave a side glance at him. My eyes lingered on his soft mess of hair that I ruined earlier by petting him.

Snap out of it!

“Uh, is there any guy at school you’re interested in?” I asked.

“I don’t feel comfortable talking about this. I only came out to you a few days ago.” He replied.

“Right! Sorry. Didn’t mean to pry.” I said and looked back down to my worksheet. “But if you had to pick-”

“Shut it!” Brian firmly said.

“’Kay.” I replied.

I felt Brian’s leg shift forward. He rubbed against mine and he quickly muttered an apology. But for some reason, I didn’t pull away. This has been a common occurrence for the past few days ever since Brian came out to me.

I’ve been having him in my imaginations more often. My imaginations range from having our normal study sessions to us at my bed and talking like close friends. And right now, I’ve been staring at his face for too long because he was making eye contact with me.

“Are you okay? You look sick.” He said.

“I’m okay!” I quickly said. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom!” I stood up and walked to the communal bathroom a few feet away from our table.

While I sat in a stall, I kept wondering why Brian was polluting my mind so much. I guess it might be because he’s one of the closest people I have. He makes me happy and I get excited when I see him.

After slapping my head multiple times and smoking a few cigarettes (sorry Brian), I exited the bathroom and walked to where Brian was at.

“Kid! Where the fuck is Armando!” A voice yelled.

“He went to the bathroom!” Brian squealed out. I ran quickly and saw Carlos, my “boss”, holding Brian by his collar and lifting him up.

“Let him go!” I yelled. Carlos turned to me and smirked. Brian had a scared look on his face and turned to me with wide eyes. Carlos obliged and dropped Brian back onto the bench.

“There you are! I thought I was going to have an Amber Alert issued to find your ass!” Carlos spat.

“What do you want, Carlos? If I remember correctly, I don’t have an assignment today.” I told him. I walked and placed myself between him and Brian.

“Change of plans. We’re going to Dallas for a quick trip. We have to go.” Carlos said.

“Can’t. I have a thing.” I replied.

“You busy with your gringo boyfriend?” He chuckled. “It’s not up for debate. Come with us. We’re leaving right now!” He commanded.

I turned to Brian who was still breathing hard from almost getting assaulted.

“I’m sorry, Brian. I have to go.” I said.

“I-It’s okay.” He muttered. Carlos and the others all left for the car while I packed my things into my backpack. Before I left, I reached into my jacket and pulled out my pocket knife.

“Here. Keep this with you. Use it if there’s any danger. And if you end up stabbing someone, just call me and I’ll handle it!” I said.

Brian carefully took the silver pocket knife from me. “Okay, Armando.” He muttered. He was looking down at the knife but was still silent. I put my hand on his shoulder and rubbed my fingers into it.

“I’m sorry about what Carlos did. I’ll talk to him so he doesn’t do that shit again.”

“I’ll be fine.” Brian said. The car horn honked as Carlos yelled for me. “Go. They need you.” He said.

“Call me when you get home so I know you’re safe.” I said. “Goodbye, Brian.”

“Bye, Armando.” He replied. I gave him a smile and then ran to the car. I took a seat in the passenger side as Carlos pulled out and drove away from the park. I looked in the rearview mirror as Brian watched the car drive away.

“You gay now or what?” Carlos asked.

“Hmm?” I asked.

“You’ve been hanging with that kid for weeks already. Don’t tell me you’re falling in love already.”

“We’re just friends.” I replied.

“He looks easy to beat.” Carlos said.

“Don’t you put a fucking finger on that kid! He’s innocent. All he’s doing is tutoring me.” I firmly told him.

“If you say so, Mando.” Carlos kept his eyes on the road and let out a demeaning laugh.

“Just- Don’t bother Brian. It’s the one thing I ask of you.” I replied.

“Fine. I won’t lay my hands on him.” Carlos said. He kept driving as the car became silent.

After a few minutes, my phone dinged and Brian texted me that he managed to get home without being jumped or mugged. And that brought a smile to my face, knowing that he was safe.

The trip that Carlos needed me to go to was a small shipment that we had to take back to our town. I didn’t need to come to this but Carlos insisted I came so I can get used to these types of things.

In the end, Carlos entrusted me with looking after the package, which was a pound of marijuana. I stored it under my bed and didn’t tell anyone about it.

“Mando.” Javi said, leaning against my bedroom door.

“What?” I asked.

“Why’d you throw the letter away?” He asked.

“Because I can. I don’t want to talk about this, Javi! Drop it.” I replied.

“Mando, he wants to see you. Just give him at least five minutes. That’s all. Just tell him that you’re eating well and that Rosita is fine. You can even tell him that you’re getting a tutor from that… ah, what’s his name? Bryce?”

“Brian.” I reminded him. “No, I’m not going. You can’t make me.”

Javi groaned loudly. “Fine. It’s your decision.” He said. He slapped his hand on the area above my door frame and walked back out into the hallway.

I laid back in my bed and just closed my eyes. The face of Brian showed up in my head quickly. Strangely, I felt calmer and more relaxed as I remembered his sweet voice and adorable eyes. I especially like it when he blushes because it’s impossible for hito hide.

Why the fuck was I thinking about him so much!

Sure, he’s cute. But I would only date him if he was a girl. Or if I was a girl. The idea of being gay is just so… foreign to me. I’ve always considered myself straight. I lost my virginity in 10th grade at some random party. I like chicks, not dicks.

Maybe I’m just emotionally deprived. Yeah, that’s it! I haven’t ever had anyone that I can just talk to and be normal around. Brian offers that relaxation and removes all the facades I put on around everyone else.

I’m just close with him.

Eventually, I went to sleep and dreamed of me and Brian back at our table. We talked when something snapped in him. He stood up from his seat and walked over to me. He sat on my lap and played with my hair.

He firmly placed himself on me and pinned me to the bench. When I tried speaking, he would shush me and tell me to not say anything. As we stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, he began to lean in until…

“Mando! Get your wrinkly balls out here and get Rosita ready!” Javi pounded on my door and woke me up before the ending happened.

“I’m going!” I yelled.

My pillow and shirt were wet with sweat. The cold breeze from the window cooled me off a bit. But the most shocking part about this morning was when I looked down at my boxers.

There it was, standing hard. I was fucking hard? Just from thinking about Brian! What the fuck is going on?!

“Come out, Mando! I’m leaving right now!” Javi pounded the door again.

I quickly tucked myself upwards and grabbed some clothes.

“Let me take a quick shower!” I yelled. I entered the shower and painfully took a cold shower to calm myself down. It luckily went down. But the shock of that still left me wondering…

During class, whenever I saw Brian, I gave him a small smile but had to restrain myself. Even his smile makes me happy. We didn’t have a study session today. I needed to take my motorbike to the shop and get it fixed.

As Brian was getting ready to enter his mom’s car, I stopped him and grabbed him by the shoulder. I spun him around and was met with his beautiful eyes.

“Hey, Armando? Is something wrong?” He asked.

“Nothing’s wrong.” I replied.

“So why did you ambush me?” He asked with a smile on his face.

“I just wanted to talk to you.” I replied.

“You can always text or call.”

“It’s not the same if I don’t see you face to face.” I said.

“You play too much, Armando.” He said.

“What can I say, I’m a player.”

“Indeed you are.” He muttered. We stood in silence for a while until I remembered I had to get to the shop. “Bye, Brian.” I said.

“Bye, Armando.” He said. I stepped back and allowed him to enter the car. His mom looked at me up and down and turned forward to face the front. She turned on the car and began to drive.

Brian looked at me from outside the window and smiled at me. I smiled back at him and wanted to run after his car.

This boy has no idea the impending hold he’s going to have on me. Or maybe he does and he’s enjoying it. Because I know I am.

7

Brian Hazelwood

Something feels off about Armando. I’ve noticed him staring at me more often. Back then, the glances we shared were coincidental. But now, no matter when I look at him, he’s just staring at me.

As I sat in Armando’s bed, I pulled one of his pillows and smelled it. It smells just like him. He wears one of the best colognes that just makes him feel like a man’s man.

“Whatcha doing there?” A voice asked. I jumped and saw Javier, Armando’s older brother, looking at me.

“N-Nothing! I swear!” I said, tossing the pillow behind me.

“Didn’t seem like it was nothing. You were smelling his pillow, pervert!” He said.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! But please don’t tell Armando! He can’t know!” I pleaded.

“Woah! I may be a bitch but I’m not heartless.” He said. I sighed in relief and calmed down. “I expected this sort of thing to happen.”

“So, you’re not going to tell Armando?” I asked.

“Not at all. Your secret’s safe with me. But let me tell you something.” He said. He stepped in and closed the door behind him and walked up towards me. He grabbed a chair and sat next to me.

“Is everything okay?” I asked.

“Look, you’re a good kid. You’re smart and I’m sure you’ve gotten into some good universities by now. But if you’re going to be attracted to anyone, don’t let it be my brother.”

“Excuse me?” I asked. Javier gave me an emphatic look.

“You know what I said. I’m sure there’s other guys at school that are better choices than my brother. And they won’t drag you down to his level.” Javier said. I stared at him in disbelief.

Does he really think that low of his own brother?

The door opened and Armando walked in holding juice pouches and bags of chips in his arms. He looked at me then Javier.

“What’s going on?! Why are you in my room?!” Armando asked, walking to the bed and throwing the things on the mattress.

“I was just asking Brian if he knew about the Boltzman Brain theory.” Javier said.

“I’m sure he does. Leave him alone and go punch the wall or something.” Armando said. Javier stood up and Armando pushed his back towards the door. Javier gave me a last glance until the door was shut in his face.

Armando returned to the bed and sat back. He handed me a juice pouch and he drank his.

“I hope he didn’t bother you.” He said.

“N-No. He didn’t.” I replied. I didn’t want to tell him what his brother told me. I have a feeling that Armando is going to snap at his brother. He already doesn’t have a mom and dad. I can’t cause any more tension in this family.

“Good. So… did Nick really like Gastby?” He asked.

“It’s a popular theory. There’s parts in the story where Nick talks about how infatuated he is with Gastby. He’s also one of the few people that is sympathetic towards him. Everyone else uses Gatsby or has surface level connection. But Nick is a close friend who gives Gatsby the confidence in pursuing Daisy.” I explained. “Plus, Nick judges Gatsby differently. There are things that Tom or other elites do that Nick finds disgusting, but when Gatsby does them, he seems them as admirable.”

I turned to Armando, who was watching me intently. His eyes were on me.

“Do you think Nick was in love with Gatsby?” He asked me.

“Personally, it’s a likely scenario.” I replied. I gulped hard because he was still staring at me. “There’s also rumors that the author himself was bi and engaged in affairs with men. So…”

“Right… right.” Armando said. He looked away and back to his paper.

I began to bite the eraser of my pencil and looked around his room. Then, Armando placed his hand on my knee. Our eyes met. God… this man is amazing.

My pencil that I was biting on slipped from my grasp and landed on the floor.

“I have to get that!” I blurted out and got on my knees to retrieve my pencil. While I was down there and got my pencil, I saw a weird package covered in plastic. I grabbed it and held it up.

“Brian…” Armando said with his eyes shocked.

“Is this what I think it is?!” I asked.

“Look, just put it down!” Armando got up and grabbed the package from my hands. He placed it on a chair and turned to me. “Listen to me-”

“Listen to you? You have weed under your bed! Do you smoke? Have you ever been high around me? What if someone found it?! I found it easily! You idiot! Who else could’ve found it?!” I said. Armando placed his hand around my mouth.

“Please shut up!” He said. I stared into his eyes. He looked guilty. “I’ll answer any questions you have. Just, don’t be so loud. My brother doesn’t know.” He said. I nodded and he let me go. He grabbed the weed from the chair and sat in it while I sat back on the bed.

“Do you smoke?” I asked.

“No. And I’ve never smoked ever. The most I’ve done was a weed gummy two years back. But that’s all.”

“Why doesn’t your brother know about this?” I then asked.

“He used to be part of this when he was in high school. But when… something happened and he had to step up. And he had to leave that life. If he knew that the guys I hang out with were doing this type of thing… he would beat my ass.”

“He wouldn’t do that.” I replied.

“Trust me, Brian. He would.”

“And were you planning on always hiding this from me?” I asked.

“Yeah. I knew that if you found out, you’d be disappointed.”

“I am, Armando. You’ve worked so hard these past few weeks. Imagine if you get caught with this? I don’t want that for you.” I said.

“I’m not going to have it for long. I’m just holding onto it for a few days. Then I’m handing it off to someone at a function.” He said.

“Promise me it’s just for a few days.” I said.

“I promise. In fact, why don’t you come with me on that day? So that you can see that I’m not going to smoke it.” He said.

“I trust you already.” I said.

“I know. But just come with me.” He pleaded.

“Fine. I’ll go. But I’m not going to drink or smoke or do anything illegal.” I told him.

“I’ll look after you the entire time.” He said.

“I’ll come to your house. Then we can go.” I said.

“You’re so amazing and understanding, Brian.” He said. He grabbed the block of weed and slid it under his bed. “Shall we get back to work?” He asked.

“This essay isn’t going to write itself.” I replied. Armando sat back on the bed, a little closer to me, and he went to write things down.

My eyes looked up and I saw him furrowing his eyebrows when he was struggling trying to find the right words to write. And when that word came to him, his eyebrows went back to a neutral position.

When I was getting ready to leave, I stood next to Armando on his porch.

“Thank you, once again, for being understanding. I’ll make it up to you one day.” He said.

“I’m helping you with school. Consider your secret as payment.”

“Still. Let me do something for you. Anything at all.” He said.

I turned to him and he placed his hand on my shoulder.

“I’ll let you know when I want my favor.” I said.

The horn of my mom’s car knocked me out of my trance. I turned to the road and saw my mom pulling up on the side of the road.

“I have you go.” I muttered.

“See you tomorrow.” He muttered.

“You too.” I replied. He let go of my shoulder and I entered my mom’s car. She began to drive away while I waved to Armando.

“Your sister is visiting from Santa Barbara for a few days.” My mom said.

“Finally. She can pay me back for those glasses I lent to her.” I said.

Mom chuckled and she turned on the radio the rest of the way.

When I got home and got changed, I finished up my work and began to get my clothes ready for tomorrow. As I walked past my wall, I saw the picture that Rosita drew of me. That girl is something…

That’s when I remembered Armando placing his hand on my knee. Why did he place his hand there? It’s a little too intimate. And Armando isn’t the type to be all touchy-feely.

His stares have been getting more frequent. Even my friends have begun to notice and point it out when they see Armando looking at me.

If given the option, I would date him indeed. But then there’s that conversation I had with Javier. While he approves of me, he doesn’t approve of me dating his brother because he thinks Armando is a bad influence.

As I was getting ready to head down for dinner, my bedroom door opened and in walked the wicked witch of the west.

“Briana!” I shrieked.

“Why didn’t my baby brother tell me he has a boyfriend!?” She yelled. I giggled and ran over to her, hugging her tightly.

“I missed you!” I said.

“I missed you too, Bumblebee!” She replied. She set me down and played with my hair. “So, you’re dating someone?” She asked.

“No! Did mom and dad tell you that?” I asked.

“They may have alluded to it. Why don’t you tell me all about it after dinner?” She asked.

“Of course.” I replied. As we walked out the door, I punched her arm randomly.

“Ow! What was that for?” She asked.

“That’s for entering my room without asking me.” I replied.

She then tried to push me down the stairs but I managed to out run her before she was able to land the blow.

8

Brian Hazelwood

Briana sat on my bed and played with my Squishmallows. 

“So, you’re gonna tell me about this new man of your’s?” She asked.

“First of all, he’s not my man. Second, yeah! I’ll tell you about him!” I said. I jumped on my bed and joined next to her. “He’s so fucking handsome! He had the most beautiful eyes and the most beautiful lips!” 

“He certainly sounds amazing. And how does he treat you?” She asked.

“He cares for me. At least, I think. But I’m sure he’s straight. Or, at least, I thought.” I muttered.

“How so?” She asked.

“I’ve caught him looking at me a lot recently. And he’s been more affectionate to me.” I whispered in her ear. 

“No way! He’s totally falling for you.”

“You think so?” I asked.

“Fo sho. I mean, you’re so adorable. Who wouldn’t fall in love with you.” She teased me and tickled my arm. 

“Shut up.” I chuckled and threw a pillow at her. 

“So what’s his name? Maybe I know him.” Briana said.

“Uh, Armando Dominguez.” I replied. 

Her face quickly turned sour and she frowned. Her eyebrows furrowed, something that she does only when something really pisses her off. It takes a lot to piss off my sister.

“As in, Javier Dominguez?” She asked.

“Yeah, that’s his older brother. Do you know him?” I asked.

“Of course I fucking know him! Everyone knows who Javier is!” She snapped and stood up. “Look, you need to stop liking Armando! He and his brother are bad news!” 

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Surely you’ve noticed that Armando hangs out with the wrong people. Well, so did his brother. He caused mayhem at school. He was two years older than me, but even I knew who he was.”

“What did he do?” I asked.

“He was always in a fight. Everyday. He also dealt drugs while at school and tried to sell me some one time. Just stick to tutoring that guy and once you’re done, cut all contact with him!” She told me. 

“I’m not gonna do that, Bri.” I muttered. 

“Don’t tell me you’re blinded by love? He’s a fucking gang banger! I know it. Mom and dad know it! The whole school knows it! But you seem to cling to this fantasy that he’s going to change just for you!” She almost shouted.

“You don’t know him like I do! He’s a nice guy who just happens to hang out with the wrong people!” I shouted back. 

“I know as much as I need to! And I know that he’s bad news! Keep hanging out with him and you’ll go down the same path as him.” She said. I stared at her in anger. “I’m just warning you, Brian.” 

She placed her hand on my shoulder but then I pushed her hand away. I stood up and walked to my door. 

“For your information, Javier isn’t a gang banger. He has a job now. It may not be some prestigious paid internship like you have, but at least he’s working on providing for his younger brother and sister.” I told her. 

I walked out my room and saw my mom and dad were a few feet away, listening to us. I turned the other way and left to go to the bathroom where I washed my face and calmed myself down.

It’s easy to judge someone from the outside. But until they’ve walked a few steps in their shoes, their criticism is invalid. 

When I returned to my room, my sister was gone. I texted Armando and just seeing his messages made me happy. While I don’t plan on changing him entirely, I just want to help him and leave some sort of impact. I want the best for him. If no one is going to help him, then I’ll do it. 

As I texted Armando, my feelings for him only seemed to grow more. The Armando that I’ve seen in school and the one that I know personally are two completely different people but deep down they are the same person.

There was a knock on my door. 

“Go away, Bri!” I yelled.

“It’s me, Brian.” My dad replied. “Can I come in?” He asked.

“Okay.” I replied. My dad opened the door and he walked in holding a glass of lemonade. He handed it to me.

“Brian–”

“I know you heard our conversation.” I said.

“I did.” He admitted. “When you came out to us a year ago, I was happy for you but, just like your sister, I worried that you would choose someone who wasn’t the best person.”

“I already had this conversation with Briana.” I said.

“That’s not what I’m trying to say. While I’m not sure of Armando because I’ve heard of his father, I can tell that he’s a good person deep down.” My dad said.

“And what led you to that conclusion?” I asked.

“You. I heard you defend Armando and his brother. If you truly believe they’re good people, then I believe you. You have good judgment, there’s no doubting that.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“The problem is I just want you to be safe. Even if Armando is a good person, the people hangs out with are not. Just be safe around him if he’s ever around anyone that you feel uncomfortable around.” Dad said. He patted my back while I sipped my lemonade. 

“If I were to ever go out with Armando, would you…”

“Would I accept him? I’ll need to meet the guy first before I approve, just like I would with anyone Briana would date.” He said.

“Thank you, dad.” I said.

“No problem. Keep your head up, kid. You’ll find the right one some day.” Dad said. He stood up and walked past the wall where Rosita’s drawing hung. “Did Armando draw this?” He asked.

I giggled. “No. It was his little sister.” I replied.

“Is he a good brother?” Dad asked.

“He is.” 

“Then he’ll be a good boyfriend. But only if he’s also into you. Don’t try to force feelings into him. True love is better when it forms over time.” Dad opened my bedroom door and stepped out. “Good night.” He said.

“Good night.” I replied. He shut the door behind him. I finished my lemonade and looked back at my phone screen. 

Armando had sent a video of his sister spinning in circles while singing the theme song for Sofia The First. I could hear Armando chuckling and encouraging her to keep spinning. Eventually, Rosita got too dizzy and fell on the floor. 

He turned the camera around for me to see his face.

“She’s high on sugar right now. Really wish you could’ve seen this in person!” He said. He looked up and his eyes widened. “No, wait! Don’t vomit on the–!” The video cut out with Armando having a panicked expression.

I chuckled and liked the video he sent. I replied with a good luck on his clean up duty. 

As the week went on, I kept checking up on Armando, making sure the weed was in fact hidden and not seen by his brother or sister. He kept assuring me that it was concealed. 

One particular moment that stood out was on Friday, I waited outside Armando’s house, waiting for my mom to come and pick me up. He stood next to me and chatted with me about something from school when I felt his hand begin to touch mine.

At first, I thought it was an accident and that his hand just moved there. But as we kept standing and talking, his hand kept brushing up on mine. My fingers edged forward and began to touch his hand. 

Then Armando grabbed my finger that was touching his palm. We both looked down and stared as he gripped me tightly. He quickly let go and blushed hard, something out of nature for him. 

I blushed too but made it obvious. 

“Sorry.” He muttered.

“It’s okay.” I replied.

“You sure?” He asked.

“Mhm. Of course.” I replied. 

“Cool… cool.” He muttered. His hand never went back to grab mine. Probably because he felt too awkward. But if he wanted to, I would happily welcome it. 

Our moment ended when my mom pulled up and picked me up. As I began to leave, I just wanted to grab a hold of his hand and tell him everything that I’m feeling. 

By this point, I’m beginning to wonder the true feelings that Armando has for me. While I’m not making assumptions, I have my suspicions. And I’m thankful that I’m able to see the signs that he has for me. 

Luckily, I consider myself patient. And I’ll wait for Armando to make his own decision on when to come out… if there’s anything to even say. But if he does, the feelings will be mutual.

When Saturday came, Armando sent me the time to come to his house. I disguised my trip today as an extra study session because he has a presentation soon. In reality, I was going to a house party so he could deliver a package of weed. Totally safe.

When I arrived to his house at 7, he was waiting for me outside.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Hazelwood.” Armando greeted my mother.

“Afternoon, Armando. I’m entrusting you with my son.” She said.

“I’ll protect him with all my everything.” He replied. 

I turned to my mom. “There’s a possibility that I might stay over, mom.” I said. My mom gasped and just as she was going to protest, I stopped her. “Mom, I’m almost 18. I’ll be fine. You can pick me up tomorrow morning.”

“If you say so. But text me every 30 minutes so I know you’re safe.” She said.

“Okay. Bye, mom!” I said.

“Bye, Brian! I’ll see you tomorrow maybe.” She rubbed my hair as I got out of the car with my backpack. She drove off down the street as I stood with Armando behind me.

“Ready to party?” He asked. 

I turned around and was met with his beautiful face smirking at me. Party time indeed. Though, I don’t plan on doing any partying tonight. What am I getting myself into?

9

Brian Hazelwood

Armando kept telling me what to do and what not to do while I’m at the function. I shouldn’t walk into a room without him. Don’t eat anything that looks unassuming. Don’t make any weird hand signs. And always stick around him.

That last one is easy to do.

“I’m going to hand this off and we’ll spend a bit of time hanging out. Yeah?” Armando asked me.

“Let’s do it!” I replied, my voice mixed with excitement and fear. Weed package in his arms, we walked forward onto the dry grass lawn of the house. I followed closely behind as he greeted people who mingled on the porch.

“Hurry up!” Armando yelled because of the music that was getting louder. I ran faster and ignored the weird stares people gave to me.

Inside the house was mostly filled with other people who all either drank or smoked or both. People danced against one another and grinded on each other. We moved to a side wall where we squeezed through the crowd.

Armando had to grab my hand to make sure I didn’t get lost in the sea of people. And when we emerged from the crowd and into the kitchen, our hands were still together. He let my hand go and turned to look outside.

“There he is.” Armando said. From the kitchen window, looking outside, was a small campfire with several men all huddled around. He looked around the kitchen and opened a bottom cupboard.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“In case there’s a shooting, you’ll need to hide somewhere if I’m not around.” He said. He signaled to an empty cupboard under the sink. “This looks like a good place for you to hide in. You’re petite enough to fit.” He said.

“I’ll make note of that.” I said.

“Now I’m gonna go and turn this in and then we’ll leave. Don’t drink anything!” He said. He patted my hair and handed me his leather jacket to hold. I put it on and watched as he exited through the backdoor and went outside.

I watched as Armando greeted people. He also held the weed in his hands and was holding it out for someone.

“Oh my God!” A girl’s voice shrieked out. I turned and saw two girls who were about my age all standing near the kitchen table and staring at me.

“Bitch! There’s a white boy here!” The other girl said.

I blushed hard and wanted to melt. The two approached me and looked at me intently.

“Are you lost? Do we need to call someone? Alondra! Check the nearest Cracker Barrel!” She told her friend.

“Idiot! Maybe he doesn’t like Cracker Barrel! That’s racist! Here, why don’t we walk you to Olive Garden?” Alondra said.

“Do you not hear yourself, you sack of idiot bitch!” The two girls bickered with each other while I stepped back and put my hand on the handle of the cupboard that Armando told me.

“Let’s just ask him!” Alondra said.

“Are you lost?” The other girl asked.

“No.” I replied. The two glanced at each other.

“Then who are you here with–?” Alondra stopped and tapped her friend on the and whispered something in her ear. They turned to me and looked at the jacket I was wearing.

“Is that Armando’s jacket?” The other girl asked.

“Yeah. He gave it to me. He was the one that brought me here.” I replied. The two girls looked like I had just confessed to a murder.

“Armando doesn’t let just anyone wear his jacket.” Alondra said. “He almost killed a guy back in ninth because some kid spilled milk on it.”

“Yeah! You must be pretty special for him to trust you with it. What’s your name?” The other girl asked.

“Brian Hazelwood.” I muttered.

“I’m Alondra. This is Katherine.” Alondra pointed to the other girl.

“Kiki.” Katherine said. “I go by Kiki.”

“Nice to meet you two.” I said.

“So polite.” Kiki muttered. “So why did Armando leave you alone in a place like this?”

“He needed to do something outside.” I pointed outside. The two girls looked outside.

“Damn. He’s with Carlos.” Alondra said. “Armando was right. You should just stay inside. Want a sip?” She asked, holding up a beer.

“No thank you.” I said.

“Then a puff?” She held out a vape.

“I don’t smoke.” I replied.

“Smart kid. Don’t vape.” Alondra said as she took a hit of her vape and then a drink of her beer.

“So why is Armando hanging out with a kid like yourself? If I remember correctly, aren’t you a smart kid and Armando is… not?” Kiki asked.

“I have to tutor him but we sort of become best friends.” I said.

“Fascinating. A nerd and a gangster. How cliche.” Alondra said. “I hope… nevermind. What college are you going to? I assume you have some choices in mind.”

“I’m thinking about going to UCSB because my sister goes there. But then I got waitlisted for USC. I really want to go to USC because my dad went there. So I’m still deciding.” I said.

“Nice! Kiki here got into UCR.” Alondra said.

“If it wasn’t for this bitch who told me to apply, I wouldn’t have known my full potential.” Kiki said.

“I’m proud of you. Any college is a good college.” I said.

“But let’s get back to Armando!” Alondra said. “I’m honestly surprised that he even invited you here. You for sure are an important person to him.”

“Well, he is a really good guy. I’m just thankful that I got to know him on a deeper level.” I said.

“You sound like a boy in love.” Kiki said. We all turned to look out the window. The group of men were all huddled near the campfire. Armando was handed a can of beer and he chugged it down quickly.

He threw the can on the floor and stumbled a bit. People cheered him for chugging it so quickly.

“He’s drunk. Were you planning on becoming a designated driver?” Kiki asked.

“We walked here…” I muttered.

“Designated walker? Because when Armando gets drunk, no one is safe.”

“I think I’ll be able to handle him.” I said.

“Whatever you say, Brian.” Kiki said.

We kept talking for a while longer. Luckily, they seem like nice people. And the company is very much needed since Armando left me to get drunk. While we were discussing a TV show, a pair of hands grabbed my shoulders from behind.

Both Kiki and Alondra gasped. I turned around and saw Armando looking down at me.

“Let’s go home.” He said with a slight slur while smirking down at me. I turned to Kiki and Alondra.

“I have to go.” I told the two girls.

“Go. Keep him safe and get home quickly.” Kiki said. I said goodbye to them and helped Armando through the crowd and out the house.

By this point, the party had begun to die down and it was around 10 in the night. I had Armando’s right arm slung over my back as he stumbled around. I pretended to ignore him rubbing my shoulder with his hand.

“Sorry I left you alone.” He muttered.

“It’s okay. Let’s just get you home.” I replied.

“You talked to… Kiki and Alondra.” He slurred. “They’re nice.”

“They are.” I said.

I walked him for the three blocks we needed and arrived at his house. After climbing up the three steps, which was more difficult than it needed to be, we were finally at his front door.

“I need the keys, Armando. Where are they?” I asked.

“You took care of my jacket…” He mumbled.

“Armando. The keys.” I said.

“In my pocket.”

I reached my hands into his pocket. As I reached in, I felt my hand brush up on something hard and sticky. Armando let out a soft groan. I didn’t want to think about what it was. So I just reached in and grabbed the keys.

Once I unlocked the door and we got in, I sat him on the couch.

“Do you want me to get a blanket so I can sleep on the couch?” I asked.

“No way! You’re my guest! Take my bed! I’ll— sleep here.” He said and laid back on the couch. He began to remove his shoes.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Of course.” He replied with a smile plastered on his face. I quickly left to get a spare blanket from his room.

When I came back, I saw Armando had changed out of his clothes. That’s it. He just laid on the couch wearing his black boxers. His body was chiseled precisely. There were small specks of hair on his pecs. When he breathed, his chest rose. And when he exhaled, it deflated. Most important was his erection, which almost busted from his boxers.

After taking in as much as I could and memorizing every part of him, I placed the blanket over his body and tucked him in. As I was leaving, he grabbed my wrist and tugged me to look at him.

“Brian?” He asked. His eyes opened to look at me. There was a glaze in his eyes. Probably from his drunken state.

“Go to sleep.” I said.

“I– I think I like you.” He said. My world stopped as I began to try to say an answer. But it seems that I had forgotten every word to say. “Please don’t leave me.” He said, his voice in a soft daze. Leave him how? Leave to go to his room and sleep there? Or leave this city and go somewhere else without him?

“I– I need to go to bed, Armando.” I managed to say.

“Go to sleep, beautiful boy. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He said. He brought my hand close to his face and planted a kiss on it. He let go and finally slipped into a peaceful rest.

Once he was fully asleep, I left for his room and carefully shut the door behind me. I changed out of my clothes and laid in his soft bed that smelled like him and tried to go to sleep.

But it’s hard to go to sleep when the man that you’ve been in love with for years reveals that he likes you and thinks you’re beautiful.

10

Armando Dominguez

I just remembered why I don’t like drinking. And it’s probably because I genuinely feel like shit after waking up. When I woke up, I was on the couch and was wearing nothing but my boxers. I looked around and then remembered that Brian was still here. I ran to my room and opened the door. 

But he wasn’t here. The bed was made perfectly. I stood next to the bed and saw that his sweater was here. I lifted it and began to smell it. 

Just then, Brian appeared at the door. His hair was wet and all he wore was a towel around his waist. He stood shocked. Walking in on a guy smelling your clothes isn’t something you see everyday. 

Combined with his scent and Brian literally standing nearly naked in front of me, I felt myself harden. And I just realized that I was only wearing boxers. I looked down and saw that half of my dick popped out from my boxers and was pointing forward at Brian. 

Brian looked down and gasped. He turned around quickly.

“I’ll give you space!” He squealed out. 

“I ain’t got nothing to hide.” I said. “And, this is my room.” I said. I saw his back shiver.

My fingers began to pull down my boxers until I stood naked in my room. 

“I think I’m gonna take a shower.” I said. I rummaged through my drawer and looked for clothes. Brian was still turned around. 

As I was looking, I saw him begin to turn his head. We made quick eye contact and he jumped and turned back around. As he jumped, his towel shifted and it ended up falling into a mess at his feet. 

There they were. Two beautiful globes staring directly at me. Brian gasped even louder and bent down to pick up his towel. He turned around, his entire face red, and took the sweater I had been smelling from the bed. He quickly put it on and then sat on a chair facing away from me. 

The entire time, I leaned back and watched him adorably freak out. 

“I’m heading out.” I muttered. I left the room, closing the door behind me, and went to the bathroom to take a quick shower. 

Brian had left his bathroom essentials in the shower. While I showered, I may or may not have used his shampoo and conditioner so I can have more of his scent around me. 

After getting changed, I barged into my room but didn’t see a small twink sitting on my bed. 

Where the fuck is my boy?

Then I heard the giggling of Rosita. I exited my room and walked to the living room. Rosita and Brian were both sitting next to each other on the couch and watching the TV. 

“Everything okay here?” I asked.

“Yeah!” Rosita said. I turned to Brian. He quickly looked at me and then away to the TV. His face turned red. 

Javier walked into the living and stopped. He looked at all of us.

“Something’s off.” He said.

“Nothing’s wrong!” I quickly said.

“Mhm. Sure.” Javi said. He sat in the recliner and leaned back, placing his legs on the coffee table. “Mando. Make breakfast.” He said.

“Wha–! Why me?!” I asked.

“Because your ass woke me up last night when you told Brian… Just make breakfast.” He said. He gave Brian a side glance. Shit! He knows!

“Why don’t I make breakfast?” Brian said. 

“No! You’re the guest!” I blurted out.

“It’s not up for debate. I’m cooking today.” Brian said. “Now sit down!” 

“Yes sir.” I replied. I walked to the couch and sat while Brian walked over to the kitchen. I turned to Javi who was watching me. “What?” I asked.

“Nothing…” He muttered and looked away. “Ooh! Miraculous! My favorite.” 

“Yes!” Rosita shouted.

The sound of pots clashing and mixing kept bringing me back to the fact that Brian was in the kitchen right now. What the hell happened last night?

‘I–I think I like you.’

Fuck!

Fuck fuck fuck! I fucking told Brian that I liked him! I asked him to stay with me! And I called him a beautiful boy! And the worst part of it is… I meant it all.

I audibly let out a gasp. Javi asked me what was wrong but I didn’t reply. I just balled my fists tightly and tried hard not to scream at anyone. I just sat during the remaining time that Brian was cooking and reprimanded myself for getting drunk last night!

But do I regret saying it? Honestly, no. I don’t regret saying it. I’m honestly glad that I said it while drunk so I could possibly have avoided the embarrassment from it. 

Holy shit, I also kissed his hand!

Next thing you know, we probably fucked last night…

“Breakfast is ready.” Brian said, walking into the living room while wearing an apron.

“You’re wearing our mom’s apron.” Javi said.

“It looks better on him anyways.” I said.

“True. Not even a sack of potatoes can make that bitch look pretty.” Javi said. 

“Momma’s a bitch!” Rosita said. Everyone turned to her as she said that. She really is a Dominguez. 

During breakfast, which was delicious, I kept avoiding Brian. However, it seems that our eyes are magnets, the way that we keep being attracted to each other. I eventually settled on just facing the music and looking at him as I ate.

“So where are you going in the fall, Brian?” Javi asked.

“Still deciding.” Brian replied.

“Any UC’s?” He asked.

“UCSB, UCI, UCSC, and UCLA.” Brian replied.

“Results?” Javi asked.

“Accepted into UCSB, UCI, and UCSC. Rejected from UCLA.” Brian said. “But I got waitlisted from USC. That’s my dream school.” 

“Well, I believe that you’ll get into USC. You’ll look great as a Trojan.”

“Thanks, Javi.” Brian said. I kicked Javi from under the table to stop flirting with my crush. He glared at me but quickly saw that I was jealous. 

“I’m gonna take Rosita to get changed. Mando, clean up.” Javi said. He grabbed Rosita by the hand and the two walked out the kitchen. 

I was left alone with Brian…

“I’m still going to help.” Brian said. He grabbed the empty plates and cups and walked over to the sink. He began to clean up while I got up from my chair and stood next to him.

“I’m sorry I said all that last night.” I said. “I was drunk and…”

“Clean the table for me.” Brian said. I obliged and wiped down the table. After I was done, I then turned to Brian. He’s finished washing the dishes and now is facing me. 

“Listen, I–”

“Did you mean it?” He asked. “Did you actually mean it when you said you liked me? Because I need to know now so I don’t hurt myself later.” Brian said. 

His eyes teared up a bit but he held them back. I can’t hurt this little man. He’s too precious. If I lie and say that I was just messing around, he’ll be heartbroken and our relationship that’s been built on authenticity will be fractured. 

It seems that confessing is the only thing I can do.

“I meant it. I meant every God damn word I said last night. I may have been drunk, but those words were just waiting to be said.” 

“And you aren’t messing with me? Nor are you trying to find some gay guy to use and experiment with?” He asked.

“I would never do that to you! You’re one of the few people that I like. To hurt you is to lose you.” I said. 

I felt a few tears form in my eyes. I can’t cry. But this is all emotional for me. So I sat in a chair and just looked at the floor.

“I started to develop these feelings a few weeks after we began to hang out. I just thought that I was in awe of you because of how smart and genuine you are. But now, I see that it’s because I’m falling for you.” I explained it all to Brian.

“Armando…” He said. He pulled up a chair next to me and sat down. “You have no idea how much I’ve wanted you. Ever since that time we bumped into each other in ninth grade, I knew that my eyes would only linger on you.” He placed his hand on my knee. 

“But I’m scared. I’ve never been with a guy before? And what will people say? Not to mention, I’m not exactly the boyfriend material. You should just stop liking me before I drag you down with me.” I said.

“Absolutely not. I know what I’m getting into if I’m with you. And that’s funny messages at night. Getting to wear your leather jacket. Watching you as you try to sound out supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. I want those moments with you, Armando. Because you’re the only one who can give them.” He said. 

I placed my head into my palms and wiped a few loose tears.

“I want that too.” I said. 

“Then why don’t we go out?” He asked. I perked up and he was being genuine. 

“Are you serious?” I asked.

“Mhm. I am. Go out with me. I’ll show you what it’s like to be in a beautiful relationship.” He said. I grabbed both of his hands and kissed them.

“Yes! Yes, I’ll go out with you!” I eagerly replied. 

He stood up and opened his arms for a hug. I hugged him back, but also picked him up and spun him around. We giggled as we knew that our feelings have been given something that only we can put on it, a label.

“When’s our first date?” He asked.

“Leave that to me.” I replied.

Truth is, I have no idea where I want to take Brian. It needs to be somewhere special for the two of us. But knowing Brian, he’ll want to be anywhere, so long as we’re together. 

Because Brian is fucking amazing! I just wish I had told him sooner.

11

Armando Dominguez

A museum. It’s the best thing I could think of. And though it sounds boring, I have a feeling that it will be something fun for Brian.

I still couldn’t believe that I was going on an official date with Brian. Dates have never been my thing, not even with girls. This is the only time I’m doing something like this for anyone. But Brian deserves to be with someone who will want to put all their effort into it.

I’m giving it 110% on this!

As I waited in front of the museum, I kept looking down the street and at my phone, waiting for Brian to finally come. Finally, after waiting for 10 minutes (I arrived a few minutes earlier), Brian’s mom’s car drove down the street. The car stopped in front of the main entrance.

Brian exited the car. Immediately, I was in awe of him. Normally, he would already catch my attention. Today, however, He fixed himself up. His brown hair was more neatly fixed on his head and slicked a bit back. He wore a beautiful teal knitted sweater and some black pants.

“Uh, Armando? Are you okay?” Brian asked. I snapped out of my stare and saw that both Brian and his mom had gotten out of the car and stood in front of me.

“Sorry, Brian.” I said. I turned to his mother. Even though she’s shorter, she’s my date’s mom, which means that she has to be respected. “Good day, Mrs. Hazelwood.” I said.

She stared at me and turned to Brian. “Take good care of him.” She muttered.

“That’s my main priority.” I replied. She let out a satisfied huff and returned to her car.

“Stay safe, Bumblebee Brian!” She shouted loudly. Brian’s face turned red and just shushed his mom as she drove away.

“Bumblebee Brian?” I asked, turning to him.

“It’s a nickname! Can we just drop it and get this date started?” He asked. I smirked at him, letting him know that there was no way I’m dropping this. But I gave in and held out my hand for him to grab.

Seeing this, I quickly knew it was a bold move. It had only been a few days ago when we had confessed our mutual feelings for one another. To ask him to hold my hand is a huge leap that I probably shouldn’t have jumped to, especially with Brian who is inexperienced with such things. I’ve already began to take things too far with this and–

Oh, he grabbed my hand.

“Can we go look at dinosaurs now?” He asked, looking up at me with his wonderful eyes.

“Of course. That’s what we’re here for.” I said. Hand in hand, we started to walk towards the main entrance. Brian walked a bit faster, eager to get ahead and get inside.

Once inside, we bought our tickets. We showed our school ID’s and got a huge discount on our tickets. We each paid for our own tickets. Now it was time to look at some dinos!

“Look! It’s a triceratops!” Brian eagerly jumped and pointed forward at the large fossil that was built to resemble the now extinct animal. He ran towards it and looked at the bone while I stood to the side and watched him get excited.

Brian had on a small backpack that I only just noticed.

“What’s in there?” I asked.

“I brought some food and water for us since it’s expensive here.” He replied.

“You really are smart.” I rubbed his back. He shivered at my touch but the smile on his face assured me it was a pleasant one.

“Can we go see the insect exhibit?” He asked.

“Sure.” I said.

This time, Brian was the one who grabbed my hand and dragged me down through the halls of the museum. After skipping several exhibits, we entered a room with the walls covered in dead insects. I shivered upon seeing the creepy crawlies.

“You don’t like bugs?” Brian asked me.

“Fuck no! They’re so weird with their little legs and little weird bodies!”

“They’re not all bad.” He muttered. “Look at this one! Isn’t she a beauty?” He awed at the large moth.

“Jesus! That’s the most fucking terrifying thing that had ever come out of the hands of God himself. He made a mistake creating those things.” I said. Brian gave me a glare but then rubbed my back, just like I had done to him earlier.

“Don’t worry, I’ll protect you from these devilish beings.” He said.

“Promise?” I asked.

“Of course, Armando. Now how about we look at the Age of Man exhibit.”

When he wasn’t looking, I took random photos of Brian. Whether he was reading a sign, or talking about an artifact, even when he was scratching his nose. I just know that these memories will be cherished by me as my first date.

I’m an idiot. How long did it take me to notice the beautiful boy that sat a few seats away from me? Because now that I know of his existence, I can’t forget about him.

“Can we go to the gift shop?” Brian asked me.

“Of course.” I said. He beamed with happiness and skipped into the shop while I followed close behind.

He began to look around the shop, scanning everything that was on the shelves. I walked over to some dinosaur pins that would look good on my leather jacket. Brian came up from behind me and grabbed one.

“We should get one for each other.” He said.

“Good idea. I’ll get you… this one.” I said, grabbing the small triceratops pin.

“Why a triceratops?” He asked.

“Because they’re adorable and you’re adorable.” I simply replied. He reached up and grabbed one.

“You get a brachiosaurus.” He said.

“Because?” I asked.

“Well, the neck is long and you’re uh…” His eyes trailed down to my pants.

“That’s right. You saw it already.” I said. His face turned red but he agreed with me.

I paid for everything that we got, despite the objections of Brian. Before we left, my date wanted to check out the botanical gardens in the museum. Once we found the gardens, we sat on a bench overlooking a large fountain. Brian opened his backpack and handed me a sandwich and bottle of water.

“I’m glad we’re doing this.” I said.

“Me too.” He replied. “I’ve been waiting for this day for so long.”

“You’ve liked me for that?”

“Maybe even longer than that. And now I’m here, sharing a meal with you on our first date!”

“I hope it’s even better than you imagined.” I said.

“Everything’s better when your longest dream comes true.”

I chuckled and grabbed a piece of sandwich bread and threw it at the pigeons on the floor. My eyes turned back to Brian. There was a small smile on his face. I reached over and wiped a bit of sauce from his lips.

He was caught off guard and just watched as I wiped his lip and licked my finger.

“You had some on your lips.” I muttered.

“Thank you.” He replied.

“Anytime.”

After we had spent a few hours at the museum, we knew it was time for us to go home. As we walked out of the museum, our hands began to hold each other again.

“My mom should be here soon.” He muttered.

“I’ll wait until she picks you up.”

“You don’t have to do that.” He said.

“But I want to.”

I touched his beautiful hair and chuckled to myself. He looked up at me, his bright blue eyes watching me. My hand that was touching his hair trailed down to his cheek as I felt the soft skin. Then his pink lips, which looked ever more enticing.

Grasping his chin, I made him look up at me. His lips quivered a bit. Though, it made him even more attractive. And dare I say, more kissable.

“Armando…” He muttered.

I leaned in and also slowly pulled in his face towards me. He obliged with this and also leaned in. Right before our lips touched, the honk of a car stopped us.

“Crap! It’s my mom!” He said and pulled away. He composed himself and quickly walked to his mother’s car. Before getting in, he turned around and faced me.

“Goodbye, Brian.” I waved at him.

“Bye, Armando! Make sure you give Rosita that stuffed animal.” He called back. I waved and he got in his mom’s car and he left down the street.

Brian poked his head out the window and gave me a bright smile. How adorable.

Now it was time for me to get home. I left for the parking lot and found my motorcycle. I tied the bag from the gift shop to my handle bars. But before it got on my motorcycle, I unwrapped the brachiosaurus pin and pinned it on my jacket over my left pec.

I revved up the engine and pulled away from the museum. As I drove down the street, I chuckled to myself and carried a bright smile on my face.

This date felt like a new gate opened for me. And there’s a new outlook in life for me. I know it’s crazy for me to think that based on one date. I guess that just shows how monumental this moment is for me.

When I got home, still smiling, I handed Rosita the dinosaur plush and left for my room.

“Are you high?” Javi asked as he barged into my room.

“No…” I replied. He raised an eyebrow at me.

“M’kay. Just don’t be doing anything illegal.” He said.

“Trust me, I’m not.” I said. Javi left my room after scanning my eyes for a while longer.

Once he was gone, I felt my phone vibrate. It was a text from Brian.

And I quickly picked up my phone and checked to see what he wrote to me.

12

Brian Hazelwood

“Brian! Brian!” My sister Brianna yelled from across the dining room table.

“What?” I asked, snapping back to reality. I had just been remembering my amazing date with Armando at the museum. I already attached the triceratops pin onto my backpack so everyone can see it.

“I was asking you if you liked your date with that Dominguez kid.” My sister said. She smirked at me while my parents both gave each other looks.

“It was fun. I had a good time.” I replied.

My dad set his utensils down and turned to me.

“Brian, listen. When your sister was old enough, we gave her the standard safety talk. Y’know, using protection and that kind of stuff.” My dad said.

Oh God, I hope this isn’t going where I think it’s going.

“However, we don’t know much about… men with men things.” My dad’s face turned red quickly. “So we asked that nice gay couple down the street for some advice.” My dad reached under the table and grabbed a packet of papers and placed them on the table.

“I know how uncomfortable this is, Brian.” My mom spoke. “But we want to make sure that, just in case you and Armando take things further, you’ll have the knowledge you need to practice safe sex.”

“Does she have to be here for this?!” I pointed at Brianna.

“I don’t. But I want to.” My sister replied smugly.

“Now, let’s start with loosening yourself up…” Dad said.

“Dad! Mom! Stop this!” I slammed my head on the table and tried to hide away from everyone.

“No can do, bumblebee. We need to explain this to you so we both can be more informed.” My mom said, slamming her hand on the table.

“We’ll go buy you some water-based lube so you can explore yourselves. The nice couple told me to use your fingers first and be gentle.” Dad continued speaking.

“Wait! Why are you guys assuming I’m going to be receiving?” I asked.

My mom, dad, and sister looked at each other with knowing glances.

“Come on, Brian…” Mom muttered. “It’s pretty obvious.”

“Let’s get to positions!” Dad quickly said. I leaned back in my seat, feeling humiliated and wishing the world would swallow me whole.

After the most awkward conversation with my parents, which included me having to write down notes and recite to them what I learned, I left for my room and just curled up on bed.

While I sat on Armando’s bed, helping him with Physics, I kept wondering about the possibility of us doing it. I haven’t so much as had my first kiss. So to imagine having full blown sex with the first guy I’ve been with is too far fetched to think of.

Nevertheless, doing it with Armando just seems like the good choice for me. He’s shown to be caring for me, already a check in my books. And if he chooses to top, which he will, I’ll happily bottom for him.

“Hey, Brian, are you okay? You’ve been in your head a lot recently.” Armando said, placing the back of his hand on my cheek.

Something that’s changed ever since our date is that Armando doesn’t shy away from physical touch. When we’re alone, his hands will always find their way to me. Around his family, he’ll place his hands on my shoulder or back. And in public, he’ll graze my hand lightly to make sure that I know he’s there.

“My parents gave me the talk.” I replied.

“As in, THEE talk?” He asked.

“Mhm. It was so embarrassing!” I said.

Armando looked like he wanted to laugh out loud. “Did they do the condom and banana thing?” He asked in a snicker.

“…yes.” I replied.

He lost it and let out a loud laugh that echoed off the walls. Armando wiped some tears away from his face, while his face became a deep red color.

“Oh, shit! That’s hilarious, Brian!” He slammed his hand on my knee and rubbed his fingers.

“It… kinda is.” I muttered.

“Ey, lighten up, kid. At least this means that they sort of trust me with you.” Armando said.

“I don’t even know if I want to have sex.” I said.

“Well, would you want to do it with me if the time came?” Armando asked.

I looked at him. He had shaved earlier this morning. His aftershave smells so enticing, it just lures me into him.

“Maybe…” I replied in a whisper-like voice.

“Brian, listen to me. I don’t want to rush you into things. Whether you want to or not, I’ll respect your boundaries. But if you ever decide to, just know that I’ll treat you like the king you are.” He said to me while holding my chin in his hands and making me look up at him.

“I understand, Armando.” I said. He nodded and turned back down to his paper and let go of my chin. “We’re talking about this even though we haven’t had our first kiss yet.”

Armando stopped flipping his worksheets and looked up. His eyes were wide as he watched me intensely.

“First kiss, huh?” Armando said.

“That’s what I said. So…”

“Hmm.” He smirked and looked at my lips. “Do you want a kiss?” He asked.

“… yes please.” I softly said.

“You sure?” He asked. I gave my confirmation.

In a swift motion, Armando swiped his hands across the bed and threw off all of our books, papers, and pens onto the floor. He lunged forward and grabbed my face, then planted his lips on mine.

My hands quickly grasped onto his arms and felt his biceps flex. We exchanged a passionate kiss. He tried to slip in his tongue but I refused to open my mouth. So he let me go and looked down at me while he breathed hard. His mouth then left my lips and trailed down to my neck. His kissed my neck softly while I let out moans that I’ve never wailed before.

“How was that?” He asked in a deep, raspy voice.

“Amazing…” I replied.

“Good. Cause I don’t feel like doing work now.” He said.

“I think physics can wait a day or two.”

“That still seems like too few days. But I’ll take it.” Armando grabbed my face again and started to kiss me again.

This time, when he wanted to slip his tongue into my mouth, I accepted. I leaned back and sat on his pillows. Armando climbed on top of me and continued to bend down and kiss my lips.

The two of us made out on his bed for minutes. They were the most magical few minutes of my so far short life. Armando always made sure that I was comfortable with him. His hands came up to gently grab me by the shoulders and arms and switch me to a new position.

If this is how sex is going to be with Armando, I’ll give myself to him right now. Sadly, I’ll need to compose myself for now.

… But one day.

There was a knocking on the door that interrupted us. We quickly split apart from our kisses. I lept down to the floor and began to pick up the scatter supplies while Armando opened the door.

“You two alright in here?” Javier asked as soon as he walked into the room and skipping Armando.

“Y-Yeah! We’re good!” I whimpered out, not wanting to look at him.

“Mando? You? Are you good?” He asked his brother.

“Mm? Me? I’m perfect!” His voice was higher pitched.

I looked up and saw Javier looking at his brother, then at me. He scanned my face quickly before turning away to leave back outside.

“Rosita’s show is on. There’s an emergency at work, so I’ll be gone for a bit. Try not to blow up the house or something like that.” Javier said.

“You can expect to come back to a normal looking house later!” Armando said. Javier just looked at him with a blank expression.

“Coming back to a normal looking house will be even stranger.” Javier stopped at the door and then turned around to look at me.

Javier just looked at the both of us.

“Brian.” Javier called my name. “Cold spoon.” He said.

“Excuse me?” I asked.

“Get a cold spoon and put it on there.” He pointed to his neck. I touched that part of my neck and felt something wet. “Gotta go. Bye!” Javier quickly left the room.

Meanwhile, I ran to a mirror and checked my neck. I had a fucking hickey on my neck. Armando must’ve done this during our kiss. I guess the euphoria from making out with him made me blind to what he was doing.

“I’m sorry, Brian. I shouldn’t have done that. I should have asked you beforehand.” Armando said from behind me.

“Are you kidding me?” I asked. I turned around and placed my arms around his neck and pulled him in. “Get a few spoons into the freezer…” I muttered to him.

“So, you’re okay?” He asked.

“More than okay.” I replied. He chuckled and lifted me up in his arms and kissed me. He brought us back to the bed and laid me down, his lips never leaving mine.

“Mando?!” Rosita yelled from the living room. “I’m hungry!”

Armando stopped kissing me and split away from me.

“’Scuse me, sir. I have to tend to familiar matters.” He said.

“But of course, mister. I shall wait for your return.” I replied. He chuckled and quickly bent down to kiss me on the lips.

As he left the room, I laid back in his bed and just basked in his sheets that smell just like him. God, this feels like a dream come true. I might be accepted into my dream school, my grades are at their best, my family and friends are happy, and most of all, I have a perfect boyfriend.

And everything is going great in my life.

13

Armando Dominguez

My attention on my homework was shifted to the beautiful boy on my bed as he let out a shriek. I looked up quickly and saw him looking at his phone. 

“What is it? Is Will Poulter dating someone? Is the world ending?!” I quickly asked.

“N-No!” Brian replied. He turned his phone around and showed me an email. “I got an email from USC.”

I grabbed his phone from his hand and read the email. I saw that the email said that Brian has received his updated admission status. Brian has made it clear that USC is his first choice, his dream school. A while back, he was waitlisted and told that he was going to receive a future choice if a spot opens up.

“Did you get in?” I asked.

“It doesn’t say. I have to access my portal!” I saw him panicking a bit, his breathing picking up quickly. 

“Why don’t I read it for you? Does that sound good?” I asked. Brian nodded and took me to the USC portal website. He told me his sign-in information and I went to his admission status.

“Tell me that I got rejected. Just say it. I know already!” Brian muttered.

I waited for the page to load. I read the first line, which addressed Brian. Then I read the next few lines.

‘Congratulations!’ was the first word I read. As I read the next few lines, it was obvious that he got accepted! My boy did it!

“You got in!” I yelled. Brian looked up with shock. I turned the phone over to him and showed him what the letter said. As he read the letter, his eyes grew wider and he smiled bigger. 

“No way! I got in!” Brian cheered and jumped forward, hugging me close. 

“I knew you would get in!” I whispered in your ear.

“Thanks for believing in me.” He whispered back. He hugged me close tightly. 

We adjusted ourselves so I was laying back and Brian was hugging me by my chest, placing his head on my chest. He kept reading the email over and over again.

But then the thought hit me. He’s leaving for California. In a few months, the guy that’s opened me up and has made me feel something deep will be away from my grasp. He’ll be off in a new city, furthering his education and becoming something more in life. 

Meanwhile, I’ll still be stuck here. I have my family, of course. And… friends… but none are Brian. I’ll just continue the cycle of bad choices that led my father to where he’s at right now. And I don’t want to lose him. 

“Armando? Are you okay? You look like you want to cry.” Brian muttered to me. 

“I guess I’m just happy for you..” I muttered in reply. 

“I’m gonna go home and put on my USC shirt! I’m going full blown Trojan from now on!” He squealed. 

I smirked at him. “You better not join any frats.”

“You know that’s not my scene.” He replied. 

Before we returned to our work, I squeezed him close to me and kissed his face and lips multiple times. I know that our time is limited, it always was. But now, the truth has settled in even more with his acceptance. 

Right before we were to finish our work, there was a loud knocking on the front door. Both Javi and Rosita were out, and my job is to protect Brian, so I left for the living and opened the door. I was quickly met with Carlos who barged into our home.

“The hell are you doing?” I yelled. Carlos, followed by two of his goons, sat on the couches and leaned back. 

“You’ve been MIA for a while, Domginuez.” Carlos said. “You forget your duties.”

“I’ve been busy.” I replied. 

“With what? Sucking dick?” He let out a chuckle, followed by his goons. 

“I would explain it to you, but I remember that you dropped out cause you’re actually an idiot.” I replied. 

Carlos clenched his fist. “Watch your mouth, Dominguez. I know all about you and that little white boy you hang out with. Don’t forget that I can still hurt him.”

“You’ll do no such thing!” I angrily spat out. “Touch him and I’ll kill you myself.”

“This could all end if you just continue doing your duties.” Carlos said.

“Fine! Just get out! And leave Brian alone!” I said. 

Carlos and his goons stood up, grabbing the dinosaur plush that Brian bought for my sister. He looked at it and then threw it at me. I quickly caught it and waited for them to leave.

“You need to remember your place, Armando.” Carlos said. He turned around and looked behind me. I turned and saw Brian peeking his head from the corner of the wall. 

“Brian!” I gasped. 

“Hmm. I’m not even surprised. I’ll you two fags alone. But next time I text you for something, you better fucking reply.” Carlos said. He turned back and left the house and walked down the sidewalk. 

I quickly approached Brian and pinned him against the wall.

“Why the hell did you come here?!” I yelled. 

Brian looked up at me. “I- I just wanted to make sure they weren’t going to hurt you!” He replied.

“Well, don’t! They could’ve hurt you! I can’t bear to see you hurt!” 

Brian whimpered out. “I’m sorry, Armando!” 

I stopped my yelling and looked at my favorite person. I quickly hugged him close to me, placing my chin on top of his head.

“I’m sorry, Brian. I shouldn’t have yelled. I just don’t want anything bad to happen to you.” I closed my eyes and gripped his shirt tightly. “You have so much to live for…”

“I understand, Armando.” He replied. “You were just worried for me.”

I kissed his forehead and helped him to stand up straight. His cheeks were red, something that I adore about him. 

“Let’s go back and finish our work.” I said.

“Mhm. Okay.” He replied. I took him back to my bed and made sure he was safe. I looked out my window and shut the curtains. Then I tucked a pocket knife under my pillow. 

That scare that I had, it’s a type of pain that I’ve only felt a few times in my life. And it was only ever with Rosita or Javi. And I know that this panic that I faced means more. 

It means that I’ve completely fallen for Brian Hazelwood. And that can only mean one thing: The pain of seeing him go will absolutely destroy me. So the question remains, do I stay with him because I like him? Or do we end things right now to avoid that pain?

“Catch!” Brian yelled. He threw me his notebook and showed me the sketches he made of some cartoon penguins. The chubby penguins were doing adorable things together. Two of them were sitting on a bench and eating snacks. 

“Is this supposed to be us?” I asked, pointing at the two sitting penguins.

“Mhm. That’s us on our first date.” He replied, giving me a huge smile.

Yup, the pain will be worth it. 

Eventually, Javi and Rosita returned from shopping. Rosita dragged Brian to the kitchen where they sat and drew some pictures. Meanwhile, Javi stood next to my bedroom door and watched me clean up my bed.

“Anything happen between you two?” He asked.

“Homework.” I replied.

“Sure.” He said. “I know that something is going on between you.” He said. Of course he knew. He saw the hickey I gave Brian. He knows how close we’re getting. He’s not blind. He raised me, so he knows me well.

“Are you upset that I’m into guys?” I muttered.

“What makes you think that?” Javi asked.

“Well, you aren’t exactly fond of a lot of people.” I said.

“I’m not fond of people, period. Gay, straight, white, black, doesn’t matter. I hate people in general. But it doesn’t mean that I would kick someone just because they like dick or pussy or the amount of melanin in their skin. It’s none of my business.” Javi said. 

“So you’re fine with me and Brian…?” I asked.

“Brian is a good kid. A great kid. He’s smart, and has a future. But are you sure you’re the right person for him?” He asked.

“Are you saying that I’m going to drag him down with me?!”

“I never said that.” Javi protested.

“But you’re implying it!” I snapped back.

“Maybe if you actually gave a shit about your future, you’d be a good match for Brian! Instead, you’re turning out to be like dad!” He yelled. He knows how much I hate being compared to our dad. 

“Get out.” I said. Javi tried apologizing but I just yelled at him again. “You have no idea the amount I’ve changed for Brian. If he wants to be with me, then let him. It’s his choice after all.” 

Javi didn’t say anything. He just left my room to go to his. I finished packing our books and waited for Brian to return. When he returned, he quickly jumped into my arms and kissed me. 

“Do I have to go?” He asked.

“Yes, bumblebee. You have to go. Who else is going to tell your parents that you got into your dream school?” 

“You’re right!” He said. He grabbed his backpack and I escorted him out of my room and outside. 

His mother was waiting for him. He waved at me goodbye and ran to the passenger side, getting in. The car drove down the street. I waved goodbye to Brian.

After all that, I could really use a nap. On my pillow was a single Post-It note. Drawn on it were another two penguins. One was small, wearing a sweater. The other stood over it, wearing a leather jacket. The two penguins were facing each other and blushing. 

Adorable.

14

Armando Dominguez

My Brian was tugging on my arm and making me walk faster into the large mall in front of us.

“Do we have to go here?” I asked.

“Yes, Armando! I need to start shopping for college and since your muscles are so big and strong, you can carry all my things.” Brian replied.

“You’re taking advantage of my body?” I asked.

“Of course. This is all mine.” Brian put his hand on my chest and ran it down through my chest. He quickly pulled his hand away and just turned around. “Let’s go.” He muttered.

As soon as we walked in, I smelled the weird aroma. A mix of fast food and new shoes. Brian ignored the shops on the first floor and took us up the escalator into the second floor. We finally approached a clothing store.

“How much do you plan on buying?” I asked.

Brian pulled out a credit card. “My dad gave me his card.” He smirked.

“Just don’t take long because I’m hungry.” I told him.

“We’ll get some food after we’re done here.” Brian said. I followed him through the clothing aisles and just stood next to him.

Brian would grab a shirt or sweater, see if it’s big enough, and then hand it for me to hold. After 15 minutes, my arms were full of clothes.

“To the changing rooms!” He commanded.

Luckily, there was a bench outside the changing room where I could sit down. My job was to hand Brian any clothes. Once he tried them on, he either gave them to me to put in a buy or leave pile. Who knew that such a little guy could need so many clothes.

“How do I look?” He asked, stepping out of the changing room. He had on a black leather jacket, similar to mine.

“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious…” I said.

“You finally said it.” Brian said.

“Cause it’s the word that best describes you right now.” I stood up and walked over to him, kissing him on the lips.

“You hungry? Let’s go get some food.” Brian said.

“Finally.” I groaned.

Once Brian had paid for everything, we walked out the store, with me holding four large bags in my arms. Luckily, we didn’t have to walk long to find a food court. I went to find us a seat and waited for Brian to come back with food.

“I got you a burger with no ketchup and pickles.” Brian said, coming with a tray of food.

“You know my order.” I said.

“Javi told me.” He replied. He sat next to me and handed me my food.

“Are you excited to go to USC?” I asked.

“Incredibly! My dad even gave me his old Trojan sweater that he wore. I can’t wait to go!”

“California sounds fun. Lots of fun things to do there.” I said.

“I really wanna check out Exposition Park and Santa Monica! I’ve already made a bucket list of things I’m gonna do there!”

“You better not hang out with those rich snobby kids. There’s a reason USC is called the University of Spoiled Children.” I said.

“Even if I wanted to, which I don’t, I’m not rich enough to fit in with them.” He said.

“Yeah, don’t change. You’re perfect the way you are.” I told him. He blushed and looked away quickly.

“How come we haven’t made things official?” He asked.

“You mean, boyfriend and boyfriend?” I asked.

“Mhm. We’ve gone on a date, technically we can consider this one a third one. And we’ve made out already.”

I smiled at him, making sure he wasn’t joking with me. “Then do you, Brian Hazelwood, want to be my official boyfriend?” I asked.

“Of course!” He quickly said. I grabbed his face and kissed him.

I’m falling for this guy hard.

“Do you have anywhere else to shop at?” I asked.

“Just one more store. But I promise I’ll be quick.” He replied.

“Let’s go then. Because there’s a pair of lips that I really want to make out with.”

“You do things to me, Dominguez.” He muttered.

“Hope it’s good things.”

“They’re great things.”

I grabbed our bags while Brian threw our trash away. This time, we had to go to the third floor and travel to the back of the mall. But true to his word, Brian was quicker this time. He only bought two pairs of shoes and some graphic t-shirts.

As we walked out, Brian grabbed something out of one of his bags.

“I got this for you.” He said.

“What is it?” I asked.

“It’s some sunglasses. I think it’ll make you look cool when you’re on your motorcycle.” He said. I stopped and let him put the sunglasses on me.

“How do I look?” I asked.

“All you need is a cigarette in your mouth and it’s perfect.”

“But I quit them for you.”

“So just don’t smoke it. Sort of like The Fault in Our Stars kind of thing.” He said.

“Maybe your lips on mine would look better.” I said.

“Of course.” He leaned up and kissed me on the lips.

A set of loud footsteps walked by us. The guy muttered “… faggots.”

“What the fuck did you just say?!” I angrily asked.

The guy turned around and looked at me and Brian.

“You heard me, groomer.” He replied. I moved Brian to stand behind me.

“Say it louder, pussy!” I yelled.

“Armando! Just leave it alone! Let’s go!” Brian said, tugging on my sleeve.

“Listen to your bitch and leave.” The guy said. There was a hideous smirk on his face. I noticed that his sweater had a large ‘BoD’ engraved on it.

“Armando!” Brian pleaded.

“I’m not letting him say that shit!” I said.

“Why don’t you come back from where you came from. You won’t be here in a few years.” The guy said. I was going to lunge forward and attack him but Brian held me back.

Still, I looked around and saw a large rock on the floor. I picked it up and hurled it at the guy. The rock brazed his forehead and left a large cut. He seethed in pain and held on his wound as blood poured out.

“Leave.” I told the guy. He ran in the opposite direction, away from us.

“Let’s get to the car before anyone sees!” Brian said. I kept my eyes on the guy as he ran off into the distance. He got into his pickup truck that was littered with stickers of a political party and drove off.

Now that he was gone, I turned back to Brian. He was on the verge of tears but managed to pick up the bags of clothes and lead us to the parking lot. As soon as we reached Javi’s car, since he lent it to me, we got in.

As soon as we sat down, Brian hugged me by my neck and let out some ragged breaths.

“You idiot! You fucking idiot! That guy could’ve hurt us! Why are you so stupid! You- You idiot!’ He whimpered into my neck. I held him close and let him cry it out.

“I’m sorry, Brian.” I muttered. He cried for a while until he pulled away and wiped his eyes.

“I’ve just never experienced something like that, y’know.” He muttered. “It was just so scary. I thought I was going to be hurt or worse.”

“I’m sorry for not walking away. I could’ve handled it differently.” I said.

“Honestly, he deserved it. Guys like him deserve to get hurt.” Brian said. He then looked up at me with his reddish eyes from crying. “And honestly, it was so hot seeing you defend me like that.”

“I’ll always defend you.” I said.

“I know you will.” He replied. I wiped some tears from his cheek.

“Let’s take you home.”

“Okay.”

As I drove him to his house, an idea popped into my head.

“Y’know, seeing as how we did something you like today, we should do something I like next time.” I said.

“It… does seem fair.” He replied.

“Perfect.” I said.

“Will it be legal?” He asked. I stopped at a red light and turned to him.

“Absolutely not.” I replied. “You have some black clothes?” I asked.

“Yeah…?” He said.

“I’ll let you know when it’ll be my turn.”

“I’m shaking in anticipation.” He said.

I won’t make him break any major laws. But some laws will be broken. This good boy needs some dirt on his hands.

15

Brian Hazelwood

Once I was dropped off at Armando’s house, I checked the time and saw that it was nearing night time. I still couldn’t believe that my parents agreed to let me stay over at Armando’s house. I’m guessing they’re still excited since I got into my dad’s alma mater, and thus, they’ve been more lenient on me.

“Is that my favorite person?” Armando asked as he walked outside to greet me on his lawn. He wore some gray sweatpants and a black tank top, showing off his muscles. I was just in awe of him.

He’s so handsome…

“Bumblebee! Wake up!” Armando snapped his fingers in my face.

“Sorry!” I blinked away. “What were you saying?” I asked.

“I was asking if you brought your things.” He said.

“Y-Yes! I did!” I turned and showed him my backpack, which has the triceratops pin on it.

“Perfect! Come inside. Let’s get settled. Then we’ll head out.” Armando grabbed my hand and dragged me inside his house. As soon as I entered, I could hear the chaotic screaming of Javier and Rosita.

“Rocky is the best one!” Javi said.

“Nu-uh! Rubble is!” Rosita yelled.

“They’ve been going at it for hours. I’ve just chosen to ignore them.” Armando said. Javi and Rosita both turned to me.

“You! Which is the best dog?” Javi asked me.

“What?”

“Paw Patrol! Which one is better!? Rubble or Rocky!” Javi asked. Armando took off my backpack and he quickly ran to his room.

“I-I like Marshall!” I said. Rosita looked at Javi.

“Good choice.” She whispered threateningly.

“I’m just gonna…” I was able to slip away from him and walk into Armando’s room. Armando was getting the bed ready. He turned around and quickly ran over to me. He picked me up and spun me around, kissing me.

“You’re alive!” He beamed.

“Thankfully.” I said. He set me down and walked back to the bed. “So what’s the plan tonight?” I asked.

“We’re gonna wait until everyone is asleep and sneak out. I’ll tell you the rest afterwards.” He said. I nodded in response, beginning to anticipate the impending adventure.

Once a few hours passed, in which we spent all that time with his siblings, the house calmed down. However, instead of changing into our night clothes, we dressed in all black clothing. Armando checked that the coast was clear by knocking on Javier’s door. Since Javier didn’t answer, it means that he was asleep.

“Let’s go.” Armando whispered. He grabbed a black backpack from under his bed and the two of us tiptoed outside his house. The street was silent, with only the sound of a car driving by or dogs barking.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

Armando turned to me. “Down the street. I put my motorcycle down there.” He muttered.

Down the street, parked on a patch of dry grass, was his motorcycle. He quickly got on but I stepped back.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“I’ve never been on a motorcycle.” I replied.

“I’ll go slow. I promise.” He said. Hesitantly, I agreed and got on behind him. He handed me his helmet and then turned on his bike. He did go slow, riding down the street without making much noise.

He drove through the streets and began to drive into the more business part of the city. The buildings were much taller and the streets had some occasional cars. No one seemed to bat an eye at two guys wearing all black.

Armando pulled into a dark alley between two tall buildings and stopped the motorcycle. He got off and helped me off. When I took in our surroundings, I noticed we were at the base of a building under construction. There was some yellow tape to keep people out. But Armando just ducked under it and entered the construction zone.

“Brian! Come on!” He softly yelled at me.

“O-Okay!” I replied loudly. He shushed me. I followed behind and entered the building. Armando turned on the flashlight of his phone and walked ahead while I followed back.

“This seems like a good place.” He said, stopping in front of a large concrete wall. He placed his backpack down and zipped it open.

“What are we doing here?” I asked.

“Something fun and daring.”

“But this feels illegal.”

“Cause it is…” He threw something at me, which I quickly caught. It was a spray can. Oh shit!

“I don’t think I can do this.” I said.

“Just a small drawing. Then we’ll leave. I promise.” He said. He placed his hand on my shoulder and lightly gripped me tightly.

“Fine. Just one drawing.” I said. Armando let out a huge smile and opened his can and shook it. He set his phone down, which provided some light for us.

He was quick to draw some symbols and those weird gang letters that no one ever understands. Meanwhile, I looked at my can and drew a chubby penguin that Armando loves. He glanced over at mine and gushed about how adorable it was.

Armando went on to draw a bumblebee in one corner. I giggled lightly and finished my penguin. Something about drawing on private property, doing something illegal, just feels so… exciting. And the power of the spray-can took over me.

I quickly began to draw our dinosaurs. A brachiosaurus and triceratops. I quickly realized that Armando had stopped drawing. I turned around and saw that he was watching me draw.

“You’re so elegant when you draw.” He muttered.

“Thank you.” I replied. He walked over to me and kissed me. He groped my behind tightly in his hands. I moaned into the kiss and held onto his hair tightly.

“Promise you’ll remember me when you leave.” He said.

“I promise. You’re the best person ever for me. No way am I forgetting everything you’ve done for me.” I said. I hugged him and planted my face on his chest.

“Don’t leave…” I’m sure I heard him mutter. I pulled away from him and looked up at him. His eyes had a slight glaze on them.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

“Yeah, I am. Just… stuff.” He said. But he quickly hugged me tightly again and didn’t want to let go.

I really don’t want to leave this man.

But our moment was cut short when we heard a set of heavy footsteps from the side of us. We turned and saw a guy walking into our area with a flashlight. He wore a security guard uniform.

“What are you two doing here?!” He yelled.

“Run!” Armando said. He grabbed his phone and backpack quickly. I was frozen for a few seconds but snapped out and ran after him. We ran back outside and quickly hopped onto Armando’s motorcycle.

“Armando…!” I whined.

“I’m gonna go fast!” Armando quickly said. He turned on the bike and sped out of there. I turned around and saw the security guard pointing his flashlight at us but he gave up running.

I held onto Armando’s back, realizing that he was driving fast down the street. I shut my eyes and placed my head on his back. But then I felt the cool air of the night blowing through my hair. There was a calming feeling that I felt around me. A sense of freedom with the man that I love.

So slowly, I looked up and saw the streets pass by us. I grinned and just felt myself let go from everything that troubled me. And how much freedom I felt… It truly is a gift to feel such a wonderful moment.

Armando stopped his bike at a red light. I was breathing heavily and just sat still.

“It’s my birthday next week.” I muttered.

Armando turned around to look at me. “Really?” He asked. I nodded. “Shit!” He muttered.

“Don’t get me anything. I just want to spend the day with you.” I replied.

“Usually when people say that, it’s because they want to be treated like royalty.” He said.

“No! Not at all! Trust me, really!”

Armando just smirked at me. “Too bad. I’m treating you like a king on your birthday. A person like you deserves to.” He said.

“Fine.” I said.

“Good. Now, kiss.” He said.

“Armando!” I said.

“Kiss!” He demanded. I relented and leaned to his face and kissed him.

“The light’s green.” I muttered in his ear. He quickly faced forward and drove forward.

He continued the drive through the city and eventually reached the patch of dry grass where he had left it before. He stopped the motorcycle and we both got off.

“Thanks for this, Armando.” I said.

“Of course. Anything for my boyfriend.” He booped my nose.

“We should do that next time.” I said.

When we got into the house and quietly made our way to his room, we started to change into our night time attire.

“Take my bed.” He said.

“Where will you sleep?” I asked.

“Floor.” He replied.

“Why don’t we share?” I asked. He raised an eyebrow. “We won’t do anything! Just sleep.” I added.

“Alright then.” He said. We got into bed. Both at one side. But slowly, we made our ways back to each other and spooned.

And we ended up sleeping, hugging each other and not letting go.

16

Brian Hazelwood

Before Armando, my boyfriend, can officially take me on a date, my parents had to meet him. Which seems like a fair decision. I’ve already met his family. It’s only fair for him to meet mine. Still, I can only anticipate what my dad will say to my boyfriend.

“Relax, bumblebee.” My mom said. “We just want to meet him and see what kind of kid he is and if he’s a good match for our son.”

“So why is dad loading his gun?” I asked. Both mom and I turned to my dad, who sat on his recliner and was adding bullets into his handgun.

“It’s just a precaution.” Dad said.

There was a knock on the door, followed by the chime of the doorbell. I quickly perked up and sat straight on the couch. Mom skipped over and greeted someone. She then told them to come in. I looked up and saw Armando walking in.

He held a bouquet of orchids, my mom’s favorite flowers, and handed them to her. She gladly accepted them and walked off to put them in a vase. Meanwhile, he stood at the entrance of our living room and just awed at our large house.

My dad cleared his throat, which caught his attention. Armando quickly looked over at us and put on a handsome smile. Dad got up and walked over to greet him.

“So you’re Armando.” My dad said.

“I am.” Armando replied.

“I’ve heard some things about you.”

“I hope they’re good things.” My boyfriend replied.

“We’ll see.” My dad replied. He stepped aside and signaled for him to sit on the couch that I was on. Armando sat next to me, with a few inches between us. My dad returned his seat and grabbed his gun.

My dad, being who he is, decided to squeeze himself between Armando and I. Armando had to scoot over to the other end of the couch. My dad then placed the gun on his lap, with the exit facing Armando.

“So, Armando, tell me about yourself.” My dad said. My mom walked back into the room and sat on a nearby chair.

“Uh, my name is Armando Dominguez. I was born on February 28. I like to…” He stopped himself and took a quiet moment. “I like to spend time with the people I like. Primarily my brother and sister, and Brian, of course. I also like learning things. But only if it’s taught by someone who understands me.”

“And I would assume that’s Brian.” My dad said.

“Yes! He’s the one that’s been able to catch me up. Thanks to him, I’m on track to graduate.”

“That’s so sweet!” Mom said.

“I understand that you are involved in some…” My dad said.

“I know!” Armando quickly said. “But I’m working on fixing that. I want to be able to provide a safe space for Brian.”

“Mhm.” My dad muttered. “I also understand that your father is-”

“My dad has no relevance in my life!” Armando quickly interrupted my dad. “He won’t be a bother.”

“I understand. Not everyone has a close relationship with their parents. And at least you’re doing it to protect yourself.”

“That’s right.” Armando said.

“Do you smoke?” My dad asked.

“No. I quit a while back since Brian has slight asthma. I can’t sabotage his health.”

My dad looked at Armando, then turned to me. “He’s good so far.” My dad muttered to me. “Now, tell me about your plans after high school.”

“Uh…” Armando stuttered. “I’m looking into some community colleges.” He replied.

This alerted me. I leaned back and looked at Armando. Community college? He’s never spoken to me about this before. He’s always been adamant that he won’t continue his education. And now, he’s talking about going to school.

We’re going to be having a deep talk about this later.

“Brian, go help your mom with something in the den.” My dad told me. I got up and followed my mom behind her. As I turned, I saw my dad holding the gun in his hands and sitting closer to Armando. My boyfriend gave me a panicking look. However, all I could do was mutter a ‘Sorry’ as I left him alone.

My mom was rearranging some pillows on the couch while I fixed the coffee table ornaments.

“Armando seems like a nice boy.” My mom spoke.

“He is, mom. Trust me! You and dad will like him!” I replied.

“He does seem like a good boy. And we can only have the best for our Trojan.” She said. “So, brachiosaurus?” She asked.

“What?”

“Well, you have that triceratops pin and I noticed him with a brachiosaurus pin. Is it some sort of couple thing?”

“Yeah.” I replied.

“That’s good to have. Your father and I have something similar. Have you ever noticed my tattoo?” She asked.

“Yeah. That butterfly tattoo on your shoulder.” I pointed out.

Mom pulled the neck of her shirt down and showed me her shoulder. There was a gray tatted butterfly.

“On our second date, we watched A Walk To Remember. That was the first ever time that I saw your father cry. And that was the moment I knew he was perfect for me. Your father, on the other hand, has a blackhole tattoo on his wrist because my favorite movie is Interstellar.”

“That’s adorable. You guys are the standard.” I said to her.

“No relationship is perfect. Your dad and I have had our ups and downs. But it’s during the worst when we truly see how people love us.” She rubbed my back and kissed my forehead.

“I wonder if Armando and I will ever have something like that…” I whispered to myself.

“From what I can tell, you already do.” Mom said.

“Should we head back in? What if dad kills Armando?” I asked.

“Sure. I bet they’re done with their… conversation.” Mom began to walk back into the main house.

“What did they talk about?”

“Stuff.” Mom replied. I kept pressing her more but all she would say is, “Your dad is just having a small talk.”

Luckily, when we walked back into the living room, both Armando and my dad were sitting with their legs crossed and chuckling over something.

“Everything okay here?” Mom asked.

“Everything’s good!” My dad said. “Didn’t know that Armando was a mechanic.”

“Well, not exactly a mechanic. I just do some work.” Armando quickly said.

“It’s a trade you should look into.” My dad patted his back and stood up. “Is dinner ready, honey?” My dad asked my mom.

“Sure is, babe. Let’s get you fed.” My mom replied. Dad walked over to her and kissed her, then the two walked off into the kitchen. “Come on, kids! Dinner is ready!” My mom yelled.

Armando placed his hands around me and hugged me. “That was terrifying.” He muttered in my ear.

“Hey, you survived. So that’s good.” I told him.

“Yeah, I got your dad to laugh.” He said.

I turned around to face him. “How come you never told me that you wanted to go to community college?” I asked him.

“Well, because I knew that you were gonna want to help me. And you’ve done so much for me already.”

I pouted. “You shouldn’t be afraid to ask me for anything, Armando. I’ll gladly help you with anything you need.”

“Then we’ll talk about my options for later.” Armando said. “Let’s go join your parents for dinner.” Armando grabbed my hand and led me to the kitchen.

While we ate dinner, which went better than I expected, I kept wondering about Armando and his future.

Would it be a bad thing if I try to persuade him to attend a community college next to my school. This would mean that Armando would have to move to southern California. And I don’t want to take him away from his family.

As I walked Armando out of my house, I stopped him by grabbing his shoulder.

“Armando.” I said.

“Yeah, bumblebee?” He asked.

“What are your current options?” I asked.

“Uh, Seattle, Austin, Tempe, Chicago.” He replied.

“Scratch Chicago off that list. You’ll want to stay away from there.” I told him.

“Got it. No Chicago.” He said.

“Try Colorado or California.”

“Alright, I’ll do some research.” He said. “Is that all?” He asked.

His handsome smile was all I needed to look at.

“Just this.” I tiptoed up and kissed him.

“Then have a good night.” He said.

“Good night, Armando. I’ll see you soon.” I said.

“I’ll see you later. Tell your mom that dinner was amazing.” Armando opened the door out of the house. I watched him as he mounted on his motorcycle and revved up the engine.

Before he drove off, he blew me a kiss. And he left down the street.

17

Armando Dominguez

“Could you hold still!? Geeze!” Javi whined.

“Just finish! I have to leave!” I said. Javi finished fixing my hair and then handed me his car keys.

“Look after her.” He said. I nodded and went to grab my wallet. Before I left, he slipped a condom into my pocket.

“I’m leaving!” I yelled.

“Good luck!” Javi yelled.

Javi was generous enough to let me borrow his car once again. I drove away from my street and towards Brian’s home. As soon as I pulled up to his house, he quickly ran outside and towards the car.

“Let me in.” He said. As soon as he got in, he kissed me and gawked at my outfit. “You dress up amazing.” He remarked.

“So do you.” I replied.

“Where are we going?” He asked.

“August & April.” I replied.

“Isn’t that place… expensive?” He asked.

“A little. But let me treat you, baby.” I said. Brian looked conflicted but agreed.

I pulled up into the valet and we both stepped out of the car. I handed the keys to the valet guy, who took them and drove the car off.

“Fancy…” Brian muttered.

“Do you have a reservation?” The hostess asked.

“Yes, it’s under Dominguez.” I replied. The hostess scanned through a chart.

“Ahh! Yes, Dominguez. Follow me and I’ll escort you to your table.” She said. I went ahead while Brian followed me from behind. The hostess walked us to an elevated booth. This booth was surrounded by plants, which made this place more private.

“Good evening, gentlemen.” A new guy walked to the table, wearing a waiter uniform. “Here are your menus. Today we’re having a special on mushroom risotto. Can I get you two something to drink?” He asked.

“I’ll have tonic water.” I said. Brian gave me a scowl.

“And I’ll get uh…” Brian leaved over to me. “Can I get a cocktail?” He asked. I nodded. “I’ll get a virgin strawberry daiquiri.” He told the waiter.

“Got it! I’ll get you your drinks and be back.” The waiter said. He left while I turned to Brian.

“Really? Daiquiri?” I asked.

“Tonic water? Seriously?” He asked.

“It tastes good!” I said.

“Nu-uh! My dad drinks that shit! It tastes like TV static!” Brian said.

“You got a daiquiri! You might as well wear a t-shirt that says ‘I’m a bottom’.” I told him. His face turned red.

“You play too much.” He muttered.

“Did I go too far?” I asked.

“Not at all!” He replied. “I just realized that we haven’t discussed those types of things.” He said.

“Things involving sex?”

“Yeah. I’m a virgin, and I’ve heard about your… escapades. If we were to have sex, I hope that you would just go easy on me.” Brian said in a jumbled mess of words.

But all I heard was, “You want to have sex with me.”

“I- I do.” He sighed and just lowered his head.

“Let’s do it then.” I eagerly said.

“Have sex?” He asked in a quivering voice. “Right now?”

“No, not right now. But some day, when we have the time, we’ll do it. And trust me,” I extended my hand and placed it on his. “I’m gonna treat you carefully.”

“Maybe. Give me time to think about it.” He replied.

The waiter came with our drinks and we were ready to order.

While Brian was eating, I got up and excused myself to the bathroom. But in reality, I talked to our waiter and informed him of Brian’s birthday. I gave my order, which was a dark chocolate cheesecake that Brian loves.

“Okay, I’m back. What were we talking about?” I asked, sitting in my seat.

“We were talking about what I should wear for prom.” Brian replied.

“You’d look cute in light blue.”

“You think so?” He asked.

“I know so. Who do you plan on taking?” I asked.

“Uh, aren’t you going?”

“I- I don’t know. I was warned I wasn’t going to go.” I said.

“If you weren’t told no, then it’s a yes.” Brian said.

“Does this mean you’re asking me out to prom, Brian Hazelwood?” I asked.

“Yes, Armando Dominguez, I’m asking you to prom.”

“Wait! No! We need to do it right! Just hang onto that thought. I want to make a sign and ask you out properly! Just, don’t bring it up anymore.” I said.

Brian wanted to say something, but instead shut his mouth and just gave me a smile. “If you say so, Armando.”

We heard several footsteps and turned to see our waiter, followed by the rest of the staff, walking into our dining area. The waiter held a plate with cheesecake on it with a candle. They began to sing the ‘Happy Birthday’ song.

Brian turned to me, giving me a sly smirk. He knows I’m behind this. After the staff finished singing, Brian blew out his candles.

“Happy Birthday, my bumblebee. You’re finally 18.” I said.

“Damn. 18 already.” He mumbled. “Guess I’m officially an adult now.”

“Indeed you are. We can now do adult things.” I said.

“Yeah, but also get charged as adults for anything illegal.” He leaned into my ear. “Don’t think I forgot the trespassing and spraypainting.” He whispered.

“Hey, I went to the mall with you! Consider it a fair trade.” I replied.

“Doesn’t seem like a fair deal.”

“Well, what are you gonna do about it?” I asked.

“I’ll think of something.” He said in a teasing tone.

We finished lunch and I paid for the bill and left a huge tip for the waiter. As we walked out the restaurant, I slung my arm over his shoulder and pulled him in.

The valet went to get Javi’s car. As we waited, I leaned my head on top of his head.

“I think I love you.” I muttered.

“You do?” He asked. I pulled away and just stared into his blue eyes that captivated me for every second that I stared into them. The sea of blue that gets me lost.

“I do. I love you, Brian.” I said.

“I love you too, Armando.” He tiptoed up and planted a kiss on my cheek.

The valet brought the car over and handed me the key. I went to the passenger side and opened the door for Brian to get in. Then, I got on my side.

“Are you buckled in?” I asked Brian.

“Mhm.” He replied. He was staring out the window. He looked high.

“Are you on drugs? What are you on?” I asked, starting the car and pulling out of the restaurant.

“Love…” He muttered.

“Adorable.” I said.

“Now that you love me and I love you, how will this change our future?” He asked.

I kept my eyes on the road but clutched the steering wheel tightly.

Right. He’s leaving in a few months.

“We’ll figure it out when we get to that point.” I said.

“Yeah, you’re right. For now, just take me home.”

Brian leaned back on his seat and shut his eyes. I quickly glanced at him and felt immense emotions running through me.

Goddammit.

18

Brian Hazelwood

My parents were gone for the weekend. It was quiet in my house for a long time. I haven’t heard from Armando all day. Normally, he would’ve already texted me something. But he was radio silent.

There was a loud engine roaring from outside. I know that sound. It’s Armando’s motorcycle. As I headed out for the driveway, I watched as Armando parked his motorcycle on the concrete pavement. 

“Armando!” I gasped out. He got off his bike and stumbled over towards me. 

“Hey, Brian.” He said, lifting up his head. His face was covered in bruises, a large gash on his cheek. He clutched his arm tightly and limped towards me.

“What the hell happened!?” I rushed over to him and put his good arm over my shoulder. I carried him into my house carefully.

“‘Tis but a scratch.” He said with a grunt and chuckle. 

“Stop saying stupid things, Armando!” I panicked and brought him to the bathroom on the first floor. “Sit here!” I pointed onto the toilet seat. 

“Whatever you say.” Armando said. 

“How can you be so calm about this!?” I asked while I rummaged through the cabinets to get the first aid kit. 

“I’m used to this. Or, was.” 

“What does that mean?” I asked. 

He just gave me a grin. “I got out.” He proudly proclaimed.

“Of what?”

“The gang.” He said. 

“Why? I mean, that’s good! But what caused you to want to leave?”

I kneeled in front of Armando, opening some bandages and trying hard not to panic. But then Armando reached down and grabbed my chin. He made me look up at him. 

“I left for you.” He said.

“You should have at least told me. I could have waited for you and fixed you up quickly! Or what if you got injured badly! Or maybe even–” He cut me off by leaning down and kissing me. 

“Calm down, bumblebee. I’m okay. I’m here, I’m next to the person I love. That’s all I need.” He said.

“You’ve suddenly become so romantic and cheesy.” 

“I’ve been learning…”

I pulled out a cotton swab doused with disinfectant. 

“Hold still. I’m gonna put this.” I said. Armando leaned back and just watched me as I cleaned his wounds carefully. “How was it?” I asked.

“Hmm? Getting out? Pretty chill. I just went up to Carlos and told him that I wanted out. He figured that was going to happen at some point. All I had to do was get jumped out. Me versus 5 other people.” Armando explained.

“Are you still going to be friends with them? I know you were close friends with some of them.” 

“Maybe with just two of them. The rest, fuck them.” 

Once I finished the last few bandages, I packed everything away and stared into the mirror. I clutched the sides of the sink tightly and tried hard to to cry. But a tear fell and I wiped it away.

“You worried me.” I muttered. I heard movement and then felt some arms around my chest from behind. Standing behind me, looking at me in the mirror, was Armando.

“I know I should’ve told you where I was going. But I also didn’t want you to worry for so long. I’d rather you worry for a short while but know that I was fine, rather than make you worry for so long and not know if I was alive.”

He put his arms around me and held me tightly against him. 

“No more stupid decisions.” I told him.

“No more stupid decisions.” He reiterated. 

“Good.” I said. I fully turned and hugged him. “Is your arm okay?” I asked.

“A little. It’s just bruised.” He said. 

“Looks like you need some relaxation. Come with me.” I said. I tugged on his arm and led him out the bathroom and up into the second floor. 

“Where are you taking me?” He asked. 

“To my room.” I said. I opened my bedroom door and allowed him inside. Once inside, Armando began to inspect around my room and observe everything. 

“Rosita’s drawing.” He said, pointing to the drawing that his sister drew for me. 

“It’s been there ever since I got it.” I patted the spot on the bed for him to sit next to me. He sat down and leaned his head on my shoulder.

“You’ve changed my life so much.” He mumbled.

“Just from tutoring you?”

“You did more than tutor me. You helped me with school. You helped me escape the gang life. You showed me that I am capable of love. You, Brian Hazelwood, you saved me.” 

“I love you, Armando.” I muttered. 

“And I love you too.” He replied. “Just don’t leave me.” 

“But I’m going to California in a few months, Armando. Unless you come with me, how are we going to be able to continue this?” I asked.

Armando quickly removed his from my shoulder. I turned and saw him thinking of something.

“Why don’t I come with you?” He asked.

“Come to California with me? Are you sure about that?” 

“Of course! You can attend USC, meanwhile, I can go to a community college nearby!”

This sounds promising. “Yeah! Yeah!! Let’s do it! Let’s move in together in California!” I jumped on top of him and pinned him down. “We’ll live together.” I muttered.

“It’s the only way I want to live.” He said. 

I leaned down to kiss him. Armando’s hands grasped my back and pulled me into him. Our kiss became deeper and he eventually flipped me over onto my back. 

My right hand began to reach down his body until I found the waist of his pants. Before I could touch him there, I stopped myself. 

“What’s wrong?” He asked. 

“I- I think I…” I mumbled.

“You want to…?”

“I think I want us to go farther.” I confessed.

“Are you sure, Brian? I don’t want to hurt you in any way.” 

“You could never hurt me.” I said. Armando pinched my waist. “Ow!” I groaned.

“Sorry, you said I couldn’t hurt you.” He replied. 

I reached up to kiss him to remove that smirk on his face.

“Let’s do it! Let’s have sex. My parents are gone. It’s just you and me.” I told him. 

Armando was in thought for a while. He then got up and dug into his pocket. He pulled out his wallet and opened it. He finally fetched out a small silver packet.

“I was bound to use this…” He muttered. 

“What is it?” I asked, still laying on the bed.

“A condom. I don’t think my brother expected me to use it on a guy, but who cares.” Armando said. A hard blush settled on my face. 

“When are we starting?”

“Right now.” He said. He grabbed my ankles and dragged me towards him at the edge of the bed. “Since you haven’t done this before, I’ll show you what to do.”

“N-No! I’ve been watching some porn. I know what to do!” I pathetically said.

“Really? Porn? Let me guess. Do you want me to pretend to be a pizza delivery driver? Or should we bring out an ultrasound machine? Or how about I dress myself as a goblin and-”

“Okay okay! I get it!” I said. “I know it’s gonna be uncomfortable the first time. But I should still experience it.”

“Alright then. I’ll make sure to stop when you tell me. If at any point you want to take a break, tell me and I’ll stop. If you want to try a new position, just ask. If there’s an accident, tell me and I won’t judge. Got it?” He asked.

“Mhm. I got it.” I replied. 

“Perfect.” Armando began to remove his shirt. I was faced with his muscles directly in my face. “Your turn.” He said.

I kept my eyes on Armando but still removed my shirt. Armando then unbuckled his pants and lowered them, leaving him in his boxers. I stood up and did the same. 

“Only one thing left, Brian. Last chance.” Armando said.

I went ahead and lowered my briefs down. 

“I guess you’re in it fully.” He muttered and did the same. 

Armando then gently embraced me and kissed my neck. 

“I’m gonna make you feel so good.” He said between kisses.

“Armando…” I moaned. 

“Yeah. Keep saying my name. You’ll scream so loud that the neighbor’s baby’s first words will be ‘Armando’.” He muttered in my ear. 

“Fuck…” I groaned. 

Armando slowly sat me on the bed. We laid back and he got on top of me. I reached my hand over to my desk and handed him the bottle of lotion I had.

He opened the condom wrapper with his teeth, still keeping eye contact with me. And I was ready for him to take me right then and there.

19

Armando Dominguez

While I colored on the table with Rosita, Javi went out to get the mail. As he walked in, he checked through them all until he stopped at one.

“Mando. It’s your last progress report card.” Javi said.

“Shit!” I quickly got up and snatched it from his hands. “Don’t look at them!” I said as I ran into my room and locked the door behind me.

As soon as I sat on my bed, I video-called Brian.

“Hey, Armando!” Brian’s beautiful face showed up on my screen.

“Bumblebee! My grades are here!” I said.

“Open them! And don’t worry if they aren’t good. You have a few more weeks to get them back up before the final report card.” Brian assured me.

“I’m nervous. What if I didn’t do good?”

“You did good. You turned in all your work. Plus, you got help from me. You’ve got this!”

Thanks to his small pep-talk, I opened the report card and scanned it.

“Oh God!” I gasped out.

“Are they good? Bad? Talk to me!” Brian said over the phone.

“I’m- I’m-”

“What?!”

“I’m doing good!” I said.

“Really?” Brian asked. I nodded and turned the camera over to show him my report card. I watched as he scanned over the paper. “No way!”

“Yes way! I’m not failing!” I cheered.

Despite the report card being mostly C’s with a few B’s, it’s a better jump from the previous D’s.

“We have to celebrate!” Brian announced.

“Yes! We do!” I replied.

“Wait! I’m gonna get my confetti!” Brian said. He got off his bed but quickly collapsed on the floor. I watched as his camera fell and I was in view of his bedroom ceiling.

“Are you okay?” I asked with a slight chuckle.

“No! My ass still hurts!” He groaned out. He limped back in view of the camera and looked into the screen. His face was bright red.

“You’ll be okay.” I said.

“Maybe. But it still hurts.”

“That’s not what you were saying when I was railing you.” I smirked. Brian just scoffed and looked away from the camera. “Come on, Brian. My bumblebee. You were acting like a whore under me.”

“Stop, Armando.” He blushed. He crawled back into bed and laid down.

“Guess this means I’m going to prom and GradNite.” I said.

“Oh! We need to buy our tickets! When are you buying yours?” He asked. I looked at my wallet that sat on my bedside table.

“Soon.” I replied, trying not to imagine how much it’s gonna hurt my wallet. I’ll be spending so much. But if it’s to make Brian happy, I’ll even sell the shirt off my back.

Brian gave me a look. “Tell you what. I like planning things. You buy your ticket and I’ll pack us our backpacks and lunches and all those things for GradNite.”

“Yeah, that sounds nice. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. Afterall, we’re boyfriends. And you deserve the best.”

“But what about your friends? Aren’t you going to be blowing them off by hanging out with me?” I asked.

“They’re fine with it. But maybe I can introduce you to them. They’re going to UCI, so we might catch up once in a while.”

“Maybe I will meet them.”

There was a knock on my door. Someone slipped something under my door.

Javi…

I walked over and picked it up. Once again, I was met with the envelope from the county jail. Brian must have seen my sour expression, because he asked me what was wrong.

“Nothing.” I replied. But I made the mistake of wiping my forehead while holding the envelope in my hand. Brian saw this.

“It’s from the jail.” He said.

“Yeah.” I replied.

“I’ve wanted to ask, but felt like I would be intruding.”

“No, it’s fine. If you want to know, I can tell you about my parents.” I said.

“Tell me, then.” He said.

I sat on my bed, holding my phone a few inches from my face.

“To give it quick and simple, my parents struggled with money. After Rosita was born, my mom and dad struggled even more with money. My dad ended up getting into some trouble and got sent for theft. And afterwards, my mom didn’t want to be stuck raising three kids by herself. So she packed and left for Oklahoma.”

“Have you seen her?” Brian asked.

“No. I know where she lives. She called us one day, three years after she left. She wanted to reconnect. But Javi and I told her off and told her she was no longer our mother. She hasn’t called since, nor have we.”

“And your dad?”

“He’s still in jail. I know that he only got in there because he was looking out for us. But part of me still blames him for mom leaving us. Because of him, he caused my mom to be a single parent. And then she left us. Javi literally had to get a job at 14 just to help us.” I said.

“Kinda seems like you hold some resentment.” Brian said.

“Kinda.” I muttered.

“Well, I’ll tell you one thing. That fact that your mom hasn’t reached out to you shows something. Yeah, you guys told her that you guys didn’t want to see her, but a parent doesn’t give up that easily. Your dad, however, still wants to see you. You know why?”

“Because he cares about me.” I answered.

“Exactly. You don’t have to forgive him. But just acknowledge that you still know of his existence. You can tell him how you’re doing. And school. Or that you’re moving to California soon.” Brian said.

“WHAT!?!” Javi yelled.

“Go away!” I yelled. “Sorry, Javi must’ve been eavesdropping.”

Brian chuckled. “Just go see him. Sooner or later, he’s going to be released. Give him a reason to want to live a better life. Just like how I gave you a reason to be better. Now it’s your turn to do the same.”

“Shit. You might have actually convinced me.” I muttered.

“Is that a good or bad thing?”

“Good. Definitely good.”

“Good!” He said.

“So… how’s your ass?” I asked.

“You bitch! I knew that the brachiosaurus was the perfect symbol for you.” He giggled. “You haven’t told Javier about moving?” He asked.

“No. I was going to bring it up. Guess I have to have a talk with him now.”

“It’ll be fine. If you need help with anything, just call me and I’ll sort things out.” Brian said.

“Fo sho.” I said.

“Kay. I have to go. But call me later.” Brian said.

“You got it.”

“Bye, Armando!”

“Bye, bumblebee.” I said.

As soon as we hung up, there was a loud knocking on my door. I opened it and was met with a stoic Javi.

“You’re leaving?” He asked.

“Yes. I was gonna tell you soon.”

“Before or after you abandoned me?!” He angrily asked.

“Before. I know it’s gonna mess things up. But just trust me, Javi. I want to go to school. Maybe get an associates degree. And I’ll get us a better life!”

Javi looked down and just groaned. “Fine! We can work through this! But we’ll still need to talk more.”

“Of course.”

“And you’re gonna go see dad?” He asked.

“Yeah. Brian talked some sense. So I’ll go see him.”

“Good.” He said. “He misses you.”

Javi walked out my room. I stood and just wondered how amazing my life is going. Life really became better when Brian came into my life.

20

Armando Dominguez

“Armando Dominguez?!” The receptionist called out. I stood up from my seat, turning to Brian.

“Good luck!” Brian said. 

“I’ll be back, Bumblebee.” I leaned down and kissed his head. “I love you.” I said.

“I love you too.” Brian said. I walked out of the waiting room and was escorted by a cop into a gray hallway. 

“Remove anything metal.” The guard told me. I removed my belt, jacket, and shoes and walked through the metal detector. They also patted me down. 

Once everything was clear, I was given a ‘Visitor’ sticker that I placed on my shirt. I was soon led to a large room that was full with several tables and chairs. Around me were a few other people. Ordinary dressed people sat across from people wearing dark blue jumpsuits. 

I sat at a table at the edge of the room. I waited for a few minutes until a buzzer went off, and then a gate opened. I looked up and saw that the door led from the prison into the visitor’s room opened by a guard. 

Walking into the room was my dad, Miguel Dominguez. He still had the same eyes, dark brown, that I remember. His hair was slightly graying. And he had grown his beard more. But the part that reminded me that he was indeed my dad was his smile lines. 

As soon as my dad saw me, his eyes lit up. He quickly walked over to my table. I stood up and the two of us awkwardly stood in front of each other. A guard came over and unlocked my dad’s handcuffs. 

“Armando…” My dad muttered.

“Hi, dad.” I muttered. 

“Sit. Let’s sit!” My dad said. His voice was more hoarse, but calm. I sat back in my seat, while dad sat across from me. I looked down at my fingers and tried hard not to break down. It’s been almost 5 years since I’ve seen him. Of course I’m going to be emotional.

My dad grunted and cleared his throat. I looked up and saw him clench his jaw. His eyes had a slight glaze to them. He too was holding tears.

“How have you been?” He finally asked.

“Good.” I replied.

“How’s Rosita?” 

“She’s good.”

“Is she doing good in school?” 

“Yeah. She’s pretty smart.” I said. My dad extended his hands forward but stopped himself.

“You hungry? There’s a vending machine over there. I can get us some sodas and–”

“I’m sorry.” I blurted out. 

“For what?” My dad asked.

“For not visiting. I know that you’ve wanted to see me for a long time but I rejected your letters. I could’ve at least written you back and told you how you were doing.”

My dad chuckled. “Mando, it’s okay.” He said. “I understand why you didn’t want to come. As long as I knew you were alive and well, that’s all I needed.”

I smiled and bit my tongue. “How’s it in here?” I asked.

“Pretty okay. First year is tough. But once you get the hang of it, it’s easy to navigate.” 

“I never asked, but how long until you get out?” I asked.

“Two more years. I was only supposed to get four years, but the DA wanted to make an example out of me and got the maximum sentence.” My dad explained. “Enough about me. How are you doing? You’re graduating, right? We need at least one high school graduate in this family.”

“Yeah, I am. My GPA is doing pretty good. And I’m graduating with merit.” 

“No way!” My dad smiled and beamed. “I knew you had it in you!” He cheered.

“I didn’t do it alone. I got a lot of help. And I’m going to community college.” 

“Community college? That’s a big deal. Where?” My dad asked.

“California.” I said. 

“California? That’s– That’s far. Why California? Are you chasing your heart?”

I blushed hard. “Maybe.” I muttered.

“Awe! How adorable? Who is she? Is she that girl, Nina, that we used to joke about?” He asked. I shook my head. “Sasha?” He asked. I shook my head.

“Dad, it’s–”

“What’s that?” My dad pointed to my dinosaur pin on my jacket.

“It’s a gift.” I said. 

“It’s nice. I knew it was a good choice to give you my jacket. You really know how to rock it!”

“Dad, no one says that.” I muttered. 

“Let’s get back on track. Who’s this girl you’re going to another state with? She must really be something.”

“It’s not a girl, dad.” I said. “It’s a guy.”

My dad was silent. I watched him as his shoulder slumped. I anticipated for him to yell at me. But instead, he brought his hands forwards and grabbed my hands on the table.

“I’m proud of you.” He said. 

“Really? I thought you were going to hate me.” 

“Nah. I don’t care if you’re gay, or bi, or ace, or demi, or whatever. You’re my son. That’s all that matters.” My dad said. I sighed in relief.

“Wait. How do you know about all those terms?” I asked.

“My bunkmate is a gay guy. He’s in there with me because he beat up some guys who called him and his boyfriend some slurs. He’s taught me some terminology, just in case any one of you comes out.” 

“Seems like jail isn’t all that bad.” 

“It’s pretty tame. But who’s this boyfriend of yours? Do you like him? Is he a nice kid?” My dad asked.

“He’s really nice. And smart. He was my tutor, the one that got me back on track to graduate. You’d like him.”

“If he managed to tame you, he must be strong willed.”

“Yeah.” I pulled out my phone and found a picture of us. “That’s him.” I said, handing him my phone. My dad grabbed it with both hands and looked at it. 

“He’s white.” Dad said.

“He’s Brian.” I corrected him.

“You’re right.” My dad looked back at the picture. “He’s a… how do you say it… twink.”

I just sighed loudly. He’s learning, at least. 

“When are you leaving for California?” Dad asked.

“In three months. He’s going to USC and I’m going to a nearby community college.” I replied.

“USC. Then he must be crazy smart. You certainly picked a good one.” Dad handed me back my phone. “And does he get along with Rosita? If he doesn’t, you have to break up with him.”

“Rosita LOVES him. She’s attached to him. They’re honestly best friends.” 

“Good. He sounds like a good kid. I’d like to meet him one day.” My dad said.

I smirked. “I’ll invite him one day.”

My dad and I continued talking for nearly an hour nonstop. We shared snacks, stories, and jokes with each other. Javi was right, I am just like my dad.

As I was getting ready to leave, I pulled my dad into a hug. We embraced for a long time until he had to go. And I promised that I would come back soon. 

With a smile on my face, I left the visitor’s room and back into the waiting room. Brian stood up. 

“How was it–” I cut Brian off by kissing him on the lips. He kissed back and let out a moan. “I’m guessing it was good.” He said.

“It was.” I replied. I then hugged him tightly. “You know I love you, right?” He asked.

“Your kiss definitely tells me that.” He chuckled. 

“Let’s leave this place.” I said. 

“Okay!” Brian said. I hooked my arms over his neck and walked us to the parking lot. 

“I want my dad to at least see my graduation.” I said.

“Hmm?” Brian muttered. 

“Well, I’m gonna be the first one to graduate. He should be able to come see me.” I said.

“He can apply for a furlough.”

“A what?” I asked.

“A furlough. It’s a temporary release for prisoners to attend things like medical reasons or family matters.”

“How have I never heard of this?” I asked.

“My dad told me that they don’t tell people that because they don’t want families to abuse it.” Brian said. “I can help you fill out the paperwork.”

“That’d be amazing.” I kissed his head. “You’re amazing.”

“I know.” Brian said. 

I escorted Brian and the two of us hopped on my motorcycle. I pulled out of the parking lot and made sure that my boyfriend hugged me tightly. 

As I pulled away from the prison, I knew that it was a good idea to come here and finally get closure. Because it brought me closer to the only parent I have.

21

Armando Dominguez

One of those annoying office aids came into class and handed me an office pass. Mr. Carver, my counselor who set me up with Brian, wanted to see me. I was actually enjoying learning about The Count of Monte Cristo. 

My counselor’s secretary opened the door for me to get in. 

“Welcome, Mr. Dominguez!” Mr. Carver said. I sat in one of the two seats in front of his desk. 

“Am I in trouble?” I asked. Mr. Carver put on his glasses and let out a chuckle. 

“No, absolutely not.” He replied. He clicked something on his computer and then the printer behind him turned on. We waited as the machine printed a sheet of paper. Then he handed me the warm paper in my hands.

“My report card.” I pointed out, looking at the newly printed paper. 

“Indeed. And if you look, there are no F’s or D’s.” He said. 

“I hope this means that I’ll be able to graduate…”

“Indeed you will.” He smirked. “I’m proud of you, Armando. You’ve really stepped up and have proved everyone wrong.”

“Is all thanks to Brian Hazelwood.” I said. “If you hadn’t paired me with him, I wouldn’t be where I am today.” 

Mr. Carver smiled at me in understanding. “He’s a good kid. And I hope you two are happy together.” He said. There was a grin on his face. Does he know?

“I… how did you-?”

“My secretary saw you and Brian on a date a few weeks ago. It’s perfectly fine, Armando. But I do want to give you something.” He opened a nearby folder and handed me a list. Some of the words on the list were highlights. 

“Scholarships?” I asked, looking at the words printed. 

“If you ever need some scholarships, just apply to these. The ones that I highlighted are ones best suited for you, based on your information. And many of these scholarships are rarely applied to, meaning it’ll be easy money.” 

“Thank you, Mr. Carver.” I said. He blushed, since I usually never refer to him as ‘Mr. Carver.’ I looked down at the paper and saw a highlighted title was for LGBTQ seniors. Great…

“You can head off to class now, Don’t forget to buy your GradNite and prom tickets!” He reminded me. 

Shit! I need to buy those things! But where am I going to get the money from? I can’t ask Javi. I have some money saved but I was waiting to use it during college. Maybe I can ask someone for a loan and pay back later. Either way, I want to be there for Brian. 

I bumped into Ricardo on my way back to class. He was leaning against a brick wall and using a vape. 

“Armando?” He asked.

“Ricardo.” I said. Truth is, I have no issues with Ricardo. He’s a chill guy, and unlike the other guys I used to hang out with, he’s more calm. Just a lazy bum.

“You haven’t been around ever since you got jumped out.” He said, puffing out a mouthful of smoke.

“Why would I? I’m busy.” I replied.

“With your boyfriend?” He asked. I nodded, since I have nothing to hide. “Listen, I’m fine with it. And I honestly respect you for leaving to better your life. Wish I could do that.” 

“Why can’t you? You still have time. You could take summer classes to make up for lost credit.” I told him. 

“Armando, truth is, I’m a lost cause. My counselor already told me that I’m repeating this year. Just go to college and be the guy that proved everyone wrong.” He assured me.

“… You still have a chance, Ricardo. I believe in you.” I said, patting his shoulder.

“If you say so.” Ricardo replied. I just smiled at him and nodded my head. I began to walk past him and went to return to class. From behind me, I heard a hall monitor yelling to Ricardo to stop vaping in the hallway.

When I reached English class, the bell rang and people began to leave the class. I stood aside and watched as everyone piled out of class and went on to their next one. The final one to walk out was Brian, alongside his friend Veronica.

“Brian!” I called out loudly. He turned to me and gave me a wave. I marched over to him, ignoring his friend as she let out a small gasp.

“Armando. How did it go with the counselor?” He asked.

“Good. I’m on track to graduate and he gave me a list of scholarships to apply to.” I replied.

“That’s great!” He cheered. 

“Can I join you for lunch? I kinda want to have lunch today.” I told him. 

“Of course!” He quickly said. His friend gave Brian a stink glare, probably because Brian didn’t ask her. 

“Then I’ll see you then.” I said. Brian nodded and just looked at me with a stupidly adorable smile. His friend began to tap on his shoulder. Brian turned around and she showed him her phone. “Crap! I have to go! By Armando!” He said as he began to walk away from me.

“Bye! I’ll see you later.” I waved. He turned the corner and left from sight, while I leaned back on the wall and daydreamed about my lover. Someone coughed next to me. 

“Mr. Dominguez,” My English teacher was at her door, just looking at me. “Don’t you have class, Armando?” She asked.

“Shit!” I exclaimed. I ran down the hall and ran my way to my next class. Luckily, I barely reached my next class as the bell only rang a few seconds later. 

As lunch rolled around, I bought a bag of pretzels from the vending machine and approached the seating areas, where all the tables were at. My eyes searched around until I found the table where Brian was at. He made eye contact with me and waved me over. 

Once I reached the table, Brian scooted over for me. Meanwhile, his three other friends all watched me intently with their eyes. I glanced over at Brian, who just gave me a reassuring look. 

“Everyone, this is Armando. I’m sure you guys know him.” Brian introduced me to the group. 

“Pleasure to meet you guys.” I said to them. They all just sat quietly and clutched their books or utensils. 

“Uh, guys, this is Armando. You’ve already met Veronica.” He signaled to the girl who had dark brown hair and freckles on her face. “That’s Paco.” He pointed to the guy with curly brown hair and held a large book in his hands. “And that’s Wren.” The last guy had a military-style haircut and clutched his spork tightly.

“Hello.” I said. 

“Hey…” Paco said, being the first one to greet me. 

“Nice to meet you.” Veronica said, that being the first time she’s ever said anything to me. Wren just gave me an upwards nod, a sign of acknowledgement. 

“Watchu reading?” I asked Paco, the only one who was reading something.

“Plutarch.” Paco replied.

“Oh… okay.” I replied.

“Did you guys know that Armando fixes his own motorcycle?” Brian asked the group. I turned to him while he nudged my shoulder. “He’s great at fixing those types of things.”

“I’m an amateur at best.” I muttered.

“If Brian thinks you’re good, then you are. Just take the compliment.” Veronica said. 

“So, Armando,” Wren said. “Brian tells me that you’re following him to California.” He said. I’m guessing Brian’s told his group about our plans to be together.

“I-I am. I want to be there for him while he reaches his dreams.” I replied. The three gave each knowing glance.

“Will you be able to provide for him?” Veronica asked.

“If he gets into a fight with someone, are you going to act out in violence or talk it out?” Wren asked.

“If Brian ever needs to leave for an emergency, are you willing to drop everything for him?” Paco asked. I felt an overwhelming sensation as everyone ganged up on me, pressuring me to answer their questions.

“I– I don’t know!” I said. “Look, I don’t have answers for all that. But the thing about relationships is that you figure things out together. So if Brian and I ever come up to that point, we’ll solve it together.” I said to the group. 

It was quiet until Brian spoke up. “What’s this about, guys?” He asked his friends.

“We just want to make sure that he’s good for you.” Paco said.

“My parents already approve of him…” Brian said.

“Look, Armando.” Wren said, turning to me. “You want my honest opinion? I don’t think you’ve proven yourself enough. Yeah, you left that gang and have gotten your grades up. But as a person, I just don’t see it.”

Before, I would’ve pressed this guy and forced him to say it again. But this time, I calmed myself down and decided to copacetically argue with him.

“Honestly, Wren. We’ve only just met and your opinion of me is already tainted. Yes, I’ve done some shitty things in the past. But you haven’t seen how much I’ve changed. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Brian himself. And I’m changing for him, not for anyone else.” I said. I stood up and scanned the group one more time. “It was nice meeting you.” I said. 

I walked away quickly and found myself in a nearby empty hallway. I heard Brian call out to me. He ran after me and placed his hand on my shoulder.

“Armando. Look, I’m sorry about what they said!” Brian said.

“Don’t sweat it, Bumblebee.” I patted his head. 

“I’ll talk to them. You’re right, they don’t know you. And they aren’t entitled to judge you based on your past actions.” He said. 

I just smiled at him. “I’ve got a thick skin, Brian. What they said, I’ve heard multiple times before.” I assured him. He still had a small frown on his face. 

“Still, I didn’t like the way they talked about you. And I’m gonna talk to them.” 

“If you say so.” I said. Brian handed me the bag of pretzels I left on the table. 

“Eat. Please.” He said. 

“I will.” I told him. He leaned up and kissed me on the cheek. I grabbed his hand and held it tightly before he walked down the hall.

He’s the only one that can judge me, because he’s the one that has seen me truly grow. And I will only prove to him that I am a changed man. Because he’s the reason why I am changed.

22

Brian Hazelwood

My friends were following behind me as I walked towards the ASB office with my wallet in hand. They all pleaded with me to hear them out but I just ignored them. 

“Come on, Brian! Just hear us out!” Veronica said. 

“I’m busy.” I replied, not bothering to turn around and see them.

“We just pressed him a bit. It’s not like we insulted him!” I heard Wren said. Once I reached the office window, I asked for two prom and GradNite tickets. Using my dad’s card, I paid for it and was given the tickets and receipt.

“Actually, you guys did insult him!” I loudly told them as I turned around and faced them all. Everyone jolted back, taking a step back from me while I held my ground.

“We didn’t mean to…” Paco muttered, being the more caring one out of the three. 

“Well, you guys did. You guys don’t know jack about what Armando has done to change! He’s actually become a better person, and I love him! So don’t tell me that you guys were worried about me. Because you all haven’t gotten to know him!” I angrily said. 

“Brian…” Veronica said, trying to get my attention.

“I have to go.” I said. I turned around and walked away from them until I reached the parking lot. Luckily, my mom was waiting for me to take me. 

“Everything okay, Brian?” Mom asked as soon as I got in and she started the car. 

“I’m fine.” I replied, not looking at her.

“Is it Armando?” She asked.

“No, it’s my friends.” I told her. 

“Want to tell me about it?”

I let out a huge sigh and slammed the back of my head on the headrest. “My friends were judging Armando based on his past.”

“And you defended him but they also felt like they were in the right?” Mom asked, guessing the conversations that followed afterwards. 

“I just told them off.” I muttered. 

“I think it’s sweet of you to do that. That young man certainly has changed, and I can see that part of his change is for you.” Mom said. She stopped at a red light and reached over to touch my hair. “Any man who is willing to better himself for you rightfully deserves you.” 

“Is my mom actually saying that Armando is a good boyfriend?” I asked her. Mom just shook her head and let out a small chuckle. 

“Yes, Bumblebee. Armando is a good boyfriend for you. And I’m placing lots of trust in him to look after you in LA.” Mom started the car once the light turned green. 

“We’re both going to look after each other.” I replied. Mom finished the drive as she pulled up to the Dominguez residence. Armando was quick to walk outside and greet me on his driveway. After giving my mom a kiss, she drove off while I ran to my loving boyfriend and hugged him closely. 

“Come on, Bumblebee. We’ve got homework.” He said, lightly taking my hand and leading me inside his house. 

“Brian!” I heard Rosita yell. The little girl came running towards me and hugged my legs. I crouched down and returned the hug.

“Rosita!” I said. “How’ve you been?” I asked.

“Good! Javi got me a new backpack!” She said with excitement. 

“You know what would go well with your new backpack?” I asked. I grabbed my bag and pulled out a sketch book and some color pencils. A bright smile gleamed on her face as she thanked me and gladly took her new art supplies.

“You didn’t have to bring her that.” Armando muttered in my ear. 

“I know,” I said. “But look at that smile.” I said. Armando had a smile on his face as he watched his little sister sit on the couch and begin to experiment with her gifts. 

“Come on, we have work.” Armando said, tugging me by my wrist. I caught up with him. I greeted Javi who was in the kitchen cleaning the stove. 

“I got something for you.” I said. Armando began to strip down from his jeans and shirt, changing into tight shorts and tank top. I had to pinch myself to look away before drool began to seep from my mouth.

“A gift? But it isn’t my birthday.” Armando said, coming up behind me and hugging me to his chest. 

“Remember that one time I said that I owed you?” I asked, turning around and hugging him back. Armando shook his head. “It was from a while back. You didn’t want me to owe you but I figured I should pay up.” I slowly split away from Armando and began to reach into my wallet.

I pulled out two pieces of paper. One was a light blue ticket and the other was a receipt. 

“What is it?” Armando asked. His eyebrows were raised in a curious manner, a handsome trait of his that just sends me every time he does it. 

“It’s your prom and GradNite ticket.” I replied with a smile on my face.

“Wha–”

I put my finger on his lips, cutting him off. “Don’t you dare try to give them back! Like I said, I owe you! And you’re gonna take these things and you’re not gonna argue with me! Got it?” I sternly asked.

Armando nodded his head. “Got it.” He told me. 

“Good.” I said. “I assume you have a prom outfit ready?” I asked. Armando just blushed and turned away.

“Ya’see, I kinda don’t–”

“He does.” Javi said, leaning against the door frame. 

“I do?” Armando asked, caught off guard.

“You do.” Javi affirmed. Javi just gave his brother a nod and left towards the living room. 

“Guess I’m going to prom.” He said. 

“But with whom?” I asked. “I haven’t seen you do a promposal to anyone…” 

“Shit!” Armando muttered. He left me and searched in his backpack, pulling out a sheet of paper. He then grabbed one of the markers I had in my backpack and began to quickly write something on it. 

After finishing, he held the paper sideways and showed it to me. Written in purple marker was ‘Will you go to prom with me?’ in bold letters. Armando was still panting from running around, but still retained a smile on his face. 

“I know it’s not much. I don’t have a bouquet of roses, or a boombox to play music. But I know that you don’t care about any of that, Brian.” He cleared his throat. “So, Brian ‘Bumblebee’ Hazelwood, will you go to prom with me?” He asked.

“Yes! Of course!” I said, jumping into his arms and hugging his neck. I peppered his face with several kisses while Armando held onto me tightly. 

“I love you, my Bumblebee.” Armando muttered in my ear. 

“I love you too, my love.” I replied. 

“Fuck. There’s no way we can do work now.” He said.

“Just this assignment. The sooner we do it, the more time we’ll have later to be together. Does that sound nice?” I asked, patting his hair. 

“Yeah, it does.” Armando replied. He crouched down and lifted me up, carrying me to his bed. He sat me down on the soft mattress and handed me my bag. 

I felt a weird sensation on my neck. I turned and saw Armando’s nose was next to my neck. His eyes were closed and he was in some sort of trance.

“What are you doing?” I asked him. 

“You just smell really good.” He said into my neck.

“I think it’s the pheromones.” I replied. 

“Probably…” 

At some point, we both just gave up on trying to do work. Combined with our natural excitement for one another, and our upcoming prom and end of the school year, nothing could get done. And even though I’ll be seeing him again in a new city, something still feels like we’re saying goodbye. 

Perhaps we’re simply saying goodbye to this adolescent life, where we’ve blossomed from young teens into mature men. And thus, we both can enter adulthood with a mature mind, knowing how to exactly love one another. 

“What is going to happen to us when we graduate?” Armando asked as he snuggled into my chest while I played with his hair. 

“We’re still gonna be the same. Nothing’s gonna change the way I feel about you.” I replied.

“So, basically,” He said. “We’ll still be together, just with high school diplomas now.”

“Mhm.” I replied. “Plus, we’ll have the summer to have fun before we leave.” 

“Let’s make a bucket list.” Armando said, removing his face from my lap and walking towards our books. He rustled around and walked back with a piece of paper and pen in his hand. 

“What do you have in mind?” I asked, grabbing the paper and pen from him. 

“Road trip!” He suggested.

“And let’s go to the Moonlight Drive-In theater!” I said.

“We should also go to Houston. I’ve never been to the beach before.” He also suggested.

“Let’s bring Rosita and Javi.” I told him. He nodded excitedly. “We’re gonna have a shit load of fun this summer.”

“And then it’s off to California…”

“Did you apply to those scholarships that Mr. Carver gave to you? You’re gonna need that money for tuition.” 

“I did!” He replied. “I should hear back in a bit.”

“Good. But most of all, did you do your FAFSA?” I asked. His eyes bulged out of their sockets.

“My what?” He asked. I simply rolled my eyes and chuckled. 

He has a long way to go. But for me, he’s the perfect man that I’ve known him to be. I can only wish that those eyes will always look at me.

23

Armando Dominguez

I thought Javi was bullshitting me when he confirmed to Brian he had a prom suit for me. But no. Turns out, Javi had been talking to dad and told him about my prom. In which, my dad told Javi where to find his old dress clothes so I have something to wear.

“Catch!” Armando yelled. He threw me a condom packet which I quickly caught. “Don’t wanna end up with a pregnancy.” He chuckled.

“I-” I stuttered.

“Brian’s pregnant?” Rosita asked from the couch. She had a huge smile on her face. “I’m gonna make him a picture!” She practically jolted off the couch and ran to her and Javi’s room to get her drawing supplies.

The clothes are a bit old. But with enough ironing, they look newer. It’s no Armani, but it’s… Armando.

Sadly, I also didn’t have a limo. But I had Javi’s car. Nothing a bit of air freshener can’t fix. And with my tie in place and my hair styled, I began to drive to pick up Brian.

After parking in the driveway and knocking on their front door, Mr. Hazelwood opened the door for me and escorted me inside. I sat on the couch while Brian’s dad sat on the recliner which was moved in front of me. He was staring me down while I just sat nervously.

“Seth! Leave him alone!” Brian’s mom said as she walked into the living room. “Don’t worry, Armando. He isn’t going to hurt you.” She assured me.

“Just making sure.” Mr. Hazelwood replied, never taking his eyes off me.

“I’ll go check on Brian!” Mrs. Hazelwood said, leaving and stomping upstairs. I continued awkwardly sitting until Brian’s mom pretended to make a trumpet noise with her mouth.

“That’s them…” Mr. Hazelwood said, standing up.

“Introducing!” Brian’s mom announced from the top of the stairs. We both went to the foot of the stairs and looked up at Brian’s mom standing up there. “The King of The Night! The rose among the thorns! The-”

“Get on with it!” I heard Brian yell from behind. Mrs. Hazelwood just chuckled and stepped aside.

My Bumblebee made his way to the top of the stairs. True to his nickname, Brian had on a light yellow button up and some black slacks that fitted his legs perfectly. He descended the staircase elegantly until he reached the bottom.

“Wow…” I muttered. Brian blushed and looked down. I walked over to him and I lifted his head using my fingers on his chin. “You look marvelous.” I told him.

“Really?” He asked.

“Of course.” I replied honestly. Because it’s true.

“Shall we head out?” He asked. Before we could leave, Mrs. Hazelwood took multiple pictures of us. After Brian managed to get his mom to stop, we exited to the driveway and into the car that Javi let me borrow.

I drove us a few miles towards the venue where the dance was at. Luckily, it seems that we arrived just in time for there to be a few more parking spots. A bouncer stationed at the entrance for our tickets. Handing them, our access was accepted.

“Pictures first!” Brian said. He grabbed my hand and began to tug me through a main hallway. We passed several other students, all engrossed with their groups or partners.

A simple photobooth with a sign congratulating the class of ’24 was set up. Small props were pleased on a table nearby. Both Brian and I opted not to use props, but instead placed our dinosaur pins on our dress shirts.

Part of me was nervous to enter the dance hall. But Brian assured me that he’s going to be by my side. While I consider myself a confident person, some instances make me like a ball of nerves. One of these scenarios is being in an enclosed space with several people around me.

But when Brian held my hand and led me through the tables to find ours, I felt a bit calmer. All of the normal seats were occupied, obvious by people leaving their purses or coats on the chairs. Thus, the only place available were the standing tables.

“I’m gonna get us some drinks! Be right back!” Brian loudly said to me over the music. I nodded and he left, disappearing through the crowd. I waited around until I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“Armando!” I turned and saw Ricardo, of all people, behind me. “You certainly dress up.” He said.

“You’re not too bad yourself.” I remarked, scanning his simple button up and slacks. “I thought you weren’t allowed to participate in prom.”

“They said I can’t buy a ticket. But they never said that I can be someone’s plus one.” He said.

“A date. Interesting…” I said, leaning back on the table.

“So, Brian Hazelwood. How did that happen? I don’t recall you ever coming out.”

“Don’t feel the need to. It’s just a label. I’d rather let people see my actions.” I remarked. Ricardo just nodded his head with a slight approval.

“I kinda knew something was bound to happen between you and him. Once you stopped caring about the gang, that’s when I knew that you changed for him.” He said.

“I had to. For myself, for Javi and Rosita, for dad, and especially for Brian.” I told him. I fixed the cuff on my wrists. “And what about you? Are you gonna leave?” I asked him.

“Not yet,” He scratched the back of his head. “Ever since you left, Carlos has been pushing all of us to pick up the slack. I’ll hoagie down until the dust settles.” Ricardo explained.

“I’m wishing the best for you.” I patted his back.

“Ricky!” A female voice called. A girl walked behind Ricardo and she placed her arms around him. “You look so handsome!” She gawked. I quickly recognized her as Kiki.

“Kiki.” I said.

“Armando! Oh, aren’t you the handsomest man in this room!” She said. “So where’s Brian?” She asked me.

“Wait, you knew?” Ricardo asked his date.

“Yee! Aren’t they adorable! Where’s Brian?” She asked me.

“He’s getting drinks.” I replied.

“Awe!” She stopped and turned her head towards the dance floor. “Come on, Ricky! I love this song!” She practically began to tug at his arm. “Bye, Armando! Hope you get lucky tonight!” She yelled before she and Ricardo disappeared into the crowd of people.

Midway through the song, Brian returned to the table with two cups of red punch. He slid mine over to me. As he began to sip on it, I pulled out a flask from inside my coat pocket and poured a bit of vodka.

“Want some?” I asked him.

“Uh, no…” He muttered. “Don’t get too drunk.”

“You should get drunk.” I remarked.

There was a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Brian’s friends standing there. Brian quickly walked over to us and placed himself between me and them.

“What do you guys want?” Brian asked them in a tone that he’s never done.

“We…” Veronica muttered. “We wanted to apologize.”

“For what?” Brian asked.

“It wasn’t cool of us to jump on him like that. We don’t know how his life is and we shouldn’t have assumed things.” Paco said.

“Don’t say it to me.” Brian said. I placed my hand on his shoulder, insisting he calm down. Brian turned around to look at me. “Do you want them to leave?” He asked me.

“I want to hear what they have to say.” I replied. Brian assured me that I didn’t have to. But I insisted. Brian returned to his side of the table while his three friends approached me.

“Armando. I- We wanted to apologize about pressing you a few days ago. It wasn’t cool of us to do that.” Veronica started.

“We had no idea about all the things you’ve done to help Brian and your family.” Paco said. “We just thought that you were still the gangster that everyone assumed you were. But that’s where we fucked up, when we assumed everything about you from hearsay.”

“We’re truly sorry, man.” Wren said. “If we could take it back, we would. And we know how much of a great deal you are to Brian. And if Brian gives you the seal of approval, then so do we.”

I stared them all down. But then I just smiled. “It’s all good.” I told them.

“Really?” Paco asked.

“Sure. You guys had your doubts. And that’s understandable. But at least you knew to apologize.” I said. They all let out a sigh of relief.

“So, we’re good?” Wren asked.

“All good.” I added.

Brian’s friends ended up joining our table for the rest of the night. The person I got the closest with was Wren, as the two of us talked while the others went off to dance. I even gave Wren some vodka from my stash.

For the final song of the night, I joined Brian on the dance floor. I held onto his hips while he placed his arms on my shoulder. I swayed him to the soft music, never letting my love go.

“Are you drunk?” He asked me.

“No. I can hold my liquor well.” I replied.

“The last time you got drunk around me, you professed your feelings to me. And you even kissed me.”

“Are you hoping to get lucky tonight?” I asked him. He blushed and hid his face in my chest.

“… Maybe.” He softly replied.

“Well, it’s pretty late tonight. And I don’t feel like driving almost an hour back home.”

Brian looked up with a smirk on his face. “I have an idea.” He said with a sly voice. I’ve only seen the look in his eyes whenever he pleasures me. I think I have an idea on what’s going to happen…

Prom ended afterwards. When we got in the car, Brian pulled out his phone and began to direct me through the streets. He led us to the parking lot of a nearby motel.

“What are we doing here?” I asked. Brian began to get out of the car.

“You said you didn’t want to drive home, right?” He asked. I nodded yes. “Let’s spend the night here.” He signaled to the Vacation Inn motel sign.

“You sneaky boy…” I muttered. He just giggled and pranced into the hotel lobby. Meanwhile, I quickly ran to a vending machine nearby and grabbed some snacks for the night.

Brian returned later with a pair of motel keys.

“Come on! I want us to do other things before we sleep!” Brian said.

The only memories I had after that point were hazy. But I could tell that it didn’t matter what we did. So long as it felt good and that it was with him.

24

Armando Dominguez

Pretty much after our night in that motel, we managed to return home in time for breakfast. I dropped Brian off at his home and then went to mine. Javi didn’t seem to mind that I was out for the night, as he patted my back and congratulated me. Meanwhile, I later was told by my boyfriend that he was given an earful for coming in late. 

Though, they weren’t angry for long. According to Brian, they figured that he was just a teenager who needed to live before he goes off to college. But for now, they just need him to go home before midnight. 

It had been a while since I’d last seen my dad. I made an appointment and asked Brian if he wanted to meet him. My dad’s been interested in meeting Brian. In his phone calls, he talks about wanting to meet the guy that’s taking his son away.

Brian, holding my hand, leaned into my ear. “I’m scared.” He whispered.

“Don’t be. You’ll be fine.” I assured him. Still, I could feel him shaking. “We’re just gonna take any metal things off. Then we’ll be fine.” 

I went ahead first and passed through the metal detector. Next was Brian. He needed a bit of help, as he removed his belt and his pants almost fell on the floor. Though, it was a funny sight. 

Here I was, back in the visitor’s room where I came a while back. Where I had seen my dad for the first time in many years. A loud buzzer rang out and the guard opened the door. My dad walked through and quickly smiled at me. 

He walked over to our table. I stood up and gave my dad a huge hug. Even though we had only met face-to-face once before, it feels like I had only just seen him yesterday.

“My Mando!” My dad said. He pulled away and turned to Brian, who had stood up and was behind me. “Is this the Brian I’ve been hearing?” He asked.

“Yes!” I replied. “Dad, meet Brian Hazelwood. Brian, this is my dad.” I said. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Brian said, extending his hand. I noticed a slight shiver in his hands. 

“Come here!” My dad lunged forward and trapped him in a bear hug. “He’s so small!” 

A loud whistle was blown. One of the guards warned my dad of too much contact. So my dad let go and made us sit down. 

“Armando tells me that you’re going to USC. You must be smart.” My dad said. 

“Oh, I wouldn’t say I’m smart.” Brian said. 

“You kidding? You’re crazy smart, Brian!” I said. “Don’t listen to him, dad. He’s being modest. But he really is smart!”

“I’ll tell you one thing, though. You’ve got some skills.” My dad told Brian. “I mean, you got into USC and managed to tame this wild bull here. Do you love each other?” My dad asked the both of us. We stopped talking and turned to him. My dad had a smirk on his face.

“Uhh…” Brian stuttered.

“Yes, we do.” I replied for us. 

“I can tell by the way you two look at each other.” My dad said. 

Brian decided to speak up. “Mr. Dominguez, have you ever heard of a furlough?” 

“A furlough? I think so. They said I can apply, but that I’ll have to pay a lot of money.” Dad replied.

“Well, you might not have to.” Brian said. He pulled out an envelope that I asked earlier what it was. He opened it and displayed several pages of different documents. “It’s complicated to explain, but essentially, if you’ve been on good behavior for at least more than half your sentence, you can apply for a free furlough.” 

“So I can get out temporarily for free?” Dad asked.

“Exactly! You’ll need a guard to verify your behavior. But I can fill out the form and send it in!” Bumblebee explained. 

“Could I possibly be able to go to Armando’s graduation?”

“Yes, you can.” Brian said. A huge smile came on my dad’s face.

“I can’t wait until you two get married…” My dad muttered. Brian blushed and muttered something quietly. 

“You can finally see Rosita. She’s been dying to meet you.” I told dad.

“She has? But she was too young when I went away.” Dad said.

“Well, we may or may not have been hyping you up to her.” I said. “Just saying things, like how you’re a fun person and that you care about us.”

Dad’s eyes began to fill with tears. But he sucked in a deep breath, acting like he wasn’t just on the verge of a breakdown. 

“I can’t wait to meet my Rosita.” Dad muttered.

It was refreshing to talk to my dad again. Phone calls are great and all, but to see him is much better. It’s almost like seeing an older version of myself. And Brian got along great with my dad. The two of them instantly became friends. There’s nothing better than seeing your dad and the man you love get along…

I gave my dad a huge hug before I left. And Brian promised that he would send in the furlough application. Though, as we were walking back to the car, Brian did tell me that my dad wasn’t going to be there on the day we leave for California. 

But at least my dad will get to see his son graduating from high school. A first for this family. 

“D’you ever want to meet your mom?” Brian asked me.

“No, not really.” I replied. 

“Why?” He asked. 

I took a deep sigh. “My mom wasn’t really a mom, if you get what I mean.” I told him. Brian just gave me a confused glance. “She kinda did the bare minimum. When my dad went to jail, Javi ended up becoming the parent for us. He stayed up all night, making sure Rosita got cleaned and that we were all fed.” I explained.

“Poor Javi. He must’ve really had to step up.”  Brian said.

“For sure. He’s still basically our parent. At least until my dad gets out.” I said. 

The rest of the drive home was quiet. I made a quick stop and got Brian some food. He was happy to eat it and shared some pieces with me. Before I dropped him at his house, he gave me a run down of some things that were upcoming. Graduation practice, buying the yearbook, and GradNite. 

When I got home, I told Javi what happened. Javi had a slight smile on his face, excited that our dad might come out and get to see us again. I could feel nothing but excitement for my future. 

The next few weeks went by quickly. We were at the point of the year when teachers barely gave out work. We took our finals and did nothing else in class. 

GradNite was approaching. I’ve never been to Six Flags before, since we could never afford it. I promised to bring some gifts to Rosita. I didn’t know what to bring. I just got a small backpack and packed some essentials.

Brian was ready for me in the afternoon. I picked him up and we parked at the school parking lot. The buses were all there with everyone waiting to get in. 

“Sit next to me.” Brian told me.

“Of course. Where else am I going to sit?” I asked him.

“But no funny business on the bus. Got it?” He asked.

“Sure…” I teased him.

“Armando. What are you planning? Armando?” He said. I just walked away from him and went to get us signed in. 

My Bumblebee was tired just on the way there. He slept on my shoulder until we arrived at Six Flags. But his energy came right back. I just sat back and watched as his eyes filled with happiness. 

He truly is the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. Beautiful Bumblebee Brian. A beautiful boy. God, I’m just so obsessed with him. What did I do to deserve this boy? I haven’t been the most virtuous person. I’ve stolen, beat people up, and lied. 

But for some reason, the universe came and handed me him on a silver platter. 

“Armando!” Brian said. I snapped back to reality. His blue eyes were looking back at me. It wasn’t a dream. He really is real.

I grabbed Brian’s face and just planted a huge kiss on his lips. He leaned back on the window and held me tightly.

“Get a room, you two!” I heard Veronica yell. 

I let go of his face and just smiled at him. Brian’s face was flushed a bright red. He scanned around him and saw people looking at us.

“What was that for?” He asked. 

“Can’t a guy just kiss his boyfriend?” I asked back. 

“Y-Yeah. But you never do those things in front of other people.” He replied.

“Maybe I just want them to see me now.”

“Well, we’re here now. So can we go have fun?” He asked.

“Of course. We’ll do whatever you want tonight.”

He placed a kiss on my cheek and we waited for the buses to stop. Once the buses were parked, everyone was told to carefully get out. But we were too excited and caused havoc. I temporarily lost Brian but managed to find him in the sea of people.

“Hold my hand.” I told him. He grabbed me and I led him out of the crowd and away. 

“Do you have my location?” He asked.

“Yup! If we lose each other, we’ll find each other.” I replied. I wanted to pull out the dog leach I bought and wanted to tie him, but I just realized how incredibly weird that would be to treat him like an animal. 

“But I don’t plan to separate from you.”

“My Bumblebee is too attached to me.” I ruffled his hair. “That’s good.”

“Shall we go in and have fun tonight?” Brian asked.

“Let’s go! Our last night as high schoolers!”

“Wait!” He called before we went back to the group. “I love you.” He said. 

“And I love you too.” I replied. He gave me a quick hug and kiss on the cheek. 

Then we walked back to the group and joined everyone as we got ready to have one last night of fun before we become adults.

25

Armando Dominguez

The time is now here. It was time for my graduation. I am the first Dominguez in my family to get a high school diploma. And by the grace of my boyfriend, my dad was able to get a temporary leave and be able to see his son graduate.

The day my dad came out from the prison was one of the happiest days of my life. Everyone waited for him outside the gates. My dad walked out the gates, escorted by a guard. Before we left, we were told that he needs to be watched carefully, and that any slip up will result in an extension of his sentence.

The moment dad saw Rosita, he broke down in sobs and just hugged her close. Rosita knew who our dad was from the photos and stories we shared. Now, she can finally see the man who named her after his mother.

Dad seemed to be pleased with the state of the house. He admired the cleanliness and lack of mess, except for Rosita’s art supplies on the couch. He lightly cried when he saw the portrait of his mother hanging on the wall.

Three days passed by and now, it was time for graduation. I woke up much later in the day, at around 12 in the afternoon. I then spent an hour showering and another hour getting my gown ready.

My cap was painted by Rosita. It’s a bit of a mess, but it means so much more than just splatters of colors. It’s her art. Dad could not stop hugging me, to the point where I panicked that he was going to hug me to death. Meanwhile Javi still had a stoic expression on his face, but there was a small smile.

As we approached the school, I left towards the auditorium while my family left for the stadium. While inside, the graduating class was told about what to do. I couldn’t see Brian, but he assured me that he was there.

‘Pomp and Circumstance’ was playing on the speakers as we all lined up and took our seats. I looked around and saw my family on the bleachers. I waved at them but my tassel poked my eye.

At my seat, I scoured around and saw Brian in the front row. While the rest of us had blue caps and gowns, the top 20 students had white caps and gowns. And Brian was adorned with honor cords and honor stoles, one of them being for a future USC student.

The ceremony went off. As I walked across the stage, I turned to Brian who was clapping the loudest. I could hear Rosita’s gladiator-like scream from the peanut gallery. Ahead of me was the principal, vice-principal, district official, and counselors.

“Congratulations, Mr. Dominguez.” Mr. Carver, my counselor who set this all up said to me. I gave him a tight handshake.

The ceremony ended with the turning of the tassel and throwing out caps in the air. Once done, I searched for my cap and began to look around for Brian. I felt a pair of hands grab me from behind. I turned and saw Bumblebee standing behind me.

“Armando!” He yelled.

“Brian!” I lifted him and spun him around. I kissed him on the lip, not wanting to let him go.

“Armando! We have to go!” He said to me. I gently let him down and grabbed his hand, following the crowd out of the stadium.

Our families waited for us at the table where Brian frequents. He said a quick goodbye to his other friends, with the promise that they would meet during the summer and hang out. And they also invited me to join them once in a while.

During the time we were gone, both of our families had met each other. Brian’s parents met Javi, Rosita, and my dad. And thus, almost an hour later, all of us sat at a restaurant where we ate.

“Briana. Stop staring at Javi like that!” Brian told his sister. Briana kept her eyes on Javi, but just lowered then.

“Just making sure.” She replied. Brian rolled his eyes. He placed his hand on my knee under the table.

“So, Armando. Do you plan on getting a job?” Mrs. Hazelwood asked me.

“Uh, of course!” I replied, clearing my throat.

“Don’t worry, ma’am.” My dad said. “I’ll make sure that my son doesn’t leech off your son.”

“Dad!” I said. He just gave me a glare.

“Briana. I assume you know Javier.” Mr. Hazelwood said.

“Sure do.” The sister replied. Javi just turned away.

“Was he that bad?” My dad asked. Briana nodded.

“He’s changed.” I heard Brian whisper to her. We turned and saw Rosita had spilled some sauce on her chin and her hands were covered too. Javi grabbed a napkin and gently cleaned her.

“I’ll see for myself.” Briana muttered.

“Boys. Any plans for the summer?” My dad asked me and Brian.

“We’re gonna do a few things.” Brian said. His hand began to rub my knee gently. He didn’t seem to care, possibly even knew what he was doing.

“There’s this lake that I used to take Javi and Armando to when they were little chitlins. You remember, Javi?” Dad asked my brother.

Javi nodded his head. “I got cut on one of the rocks.”

“It wasn’t that bad!” Dad said. Javi gave our dad a deep glare and just chewed on his steak.

“And Mr. Dominguez,” Mrs. Hazelwood said.

“You can call me Miguel.” Dad replied.

“Miguel, do you ever plan on dating when you get out?” She asked.

“Not necessarily. Once I get out, my main goal is to settle back with my kids and provide for them like I should’ve done.”

Brian’s mom gave a satisfied grin. “A true father indeed.” She said.

Two waiters came by and placed a small cake for me and Brian. The cakes were to congratulate us for graduating. Apparently, many places give out perks to newly graduates. I leaned over to Brian and told him that our first summer plan should be to go to different places and get as many freebies as we can.

He was on board with that idea.

Our dinner came to an end, and so did the night. I was waiting for the car to come until I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and saw Mr. Hazelwood behind me.

“Can I speak to you privately?” He asked me. I turned to Brian who just gave me a confused look. But nevertheless, I followed Mr. Hazelwood around the corner.

“Did I do something wrong?” I asked.

“Not at all. I wanted to give you something.” He reached into his wallet and opened it. He pulled out a dark blue card and handed it to me. “Here.” He said. I took the card and saw that my name was on it.

“I don’t understand, Mr. Hazelwood.” I said.

“It’s yours. We were talking and we’ve decided that you’re going to be pretty busy for the next few years. You have your dad, who needs money to survive in prison. And your brother and sister are going to be alone. So we want to take off some of that weight off your back.” Mr. Hazelwood said.

“Are you giving me a card to use?” I asked.

“Precisely. It’s loaded with money already. And it’ll be reloaded every month. Use this for whatever you want. But just know that this doesn’t mean you can slack off and do nothing. You’ll still need a job. But this should make it less stressful.”

“I can’t accept this, Mr. Hazelwood.” I tried handing it back to him. “I don’t want to feel like a burden.”

“Take the card, Armando. Use it to take my son out on a date once in a while. Or use it to go on a trip. Buy books or buy some clothes. This is your money.” He said.

I nodded. “I’ll pay you back.” I told him.

“You can pay me back by making my son the happiest man in the world.” He placed his hand on my shoulder and gave it a few pats.

“Thank you, Mr Hazelwood.”

“Of course, Armando. Let’s get back.” He walked back to where the rest of the others were. I stood in shock for a few seconds before I slipped the card in my pocket. Brian was waiting for me when I returned.

“What did my dad want?” He asked.

“He just wanted to talk.” I replied, deciding not to tell him. If Mr. Hazelwood didn’t want to tell me in front of Brian, then it must mean that he wanted it to be a secret.

The cars came and before I left, I gave Brian a huge kiss with the promise that we’ll see each other soon.

On the drive home, dad kept talking about the fact that I graduated. He went on to say how proud he was of all of us. Me, for getting a diploma; Javi for looking after us; even Rosita for her artistic abilities.

Javi decided to let dad sleep in his room, since that was once dad’s room. Javi set up his mattress on the floor of my room and went to sleep. My phone rang and I got a message from Brian.

Really miss you!

I smiled, knowing how attached he is to me. I began to text back.

It’s only for a few days. We’ll see each other soon <3

Brian began to text but the bubbles went away. He then sent a picture of himself with his shirt off.

If only you were here now… ;)

Fuck…

I stood up and walked over to the bathroom. Once inside, I began to FaceTime Brian. He picked up quickly and showed me his face.

“I don’t have much time!” I whispered.

“Perfect. Cause I’m ready right now.” He replied, panning his camera to show me his naked body. I stripped all my clothes quietly.

We both began to talk dirty to one another. I wanted to try and do a sexy pose for Brian. But it ended with me slipping my leg and hitting my forehead on the sink.

“Fuck!” I grunted.

“Armando?” Brian asked. The bathroom door opened and my dad walked in to see me naked on the bathroom floor. My phone showed Brian also naked and panicking.

“I’ll give you a few minutes.” Dad muttered. He slowly turned around and exited the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

“Shit!” I grunted and got up. “Looks like we’re gonna have to do this some other time.” I told Brian. Brian pouted but agreed.

We hung up the call and I put my clothes back on quickly, going back to bed. Javi luckily wasn’t awake but I still felt that hint of embarrassment. And now my dad knows what kind of fucktivity I get up to with my boyfriend.

26

Brian Hazelwood

Summer had started and it was only a few weeks in when we realized that our plans were short. We’d only been able to come up with a few things to do, and we had done most of those things. It was only a few days before the 4th of July when Armando came to me with an idea.

“The lake.” He said. 

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Mhm.” He said. “We can take our families. They have this amazing firework display. It’ll be fun!” 

There were no other plans, so we agreed. I talked to my parents and sister and they agreed. Which led to us packing our bags and leaving during the morning of the fourth. Armando insisted we get there early to find a good spot.

It was hot, I was sticky, and I just wanted to take a break. The spot Javier found for us was on the other side of the lake, away from where most people are. The location was on a large hill, which sloped downwards into the sand and then lake. 

A few other families were scattered around us, but it was less dense than the usual main beach. 

“Come on, Bumblebee!” Armando said, lifting me up in his arms and going down the slope.

“Wait!” I yelled. Armando carried me into the water. My foot touched the cold water and sent shivers around me. “It’s cold-!”

Armando lowered us into the water. There was a quick flash freeze around me until I got used to the cold. I smacked Armando’s back in retaliation. 

“Asshole.” I said to him.

“It’s fine.” He replied. We stopped and just stood in the water, swaying from the current. I took this moment to stare at his beautiful chest. My hand went onto his pec, feeling the light fur on them. 

“Can you grow it out?” I asked.

“Sure.” He replied. My hand trailed down to his abs then his happy trail. 

“You two! No fucking in the water!” Briana yelled. I moved my hand away and threw myself underwater to hide myself. I swam away until I almost ran out of breath. When I came up, I had only swam a few feet from Armando. He was just standing there with his arms crossed over his chest and staring at me. 

“You done?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Whoops!” I muttered and swam back over to him. Javier slowly waddled deeper into the water, holding Rosita as she doggy-paddled in the water. 

“Whatchu staring at?” Armando asked me.

“I’m guessing that muscle genes go through your family, huh?” I asked.

“Are you checking out my brother?!” Armando asked. He put his hand over my eyes and guided me away. “You’re only supposed to look at me!”

“I wasn’t!” I chuckled, not knowing where he was taking me. Armando removed his hand from eyes. We were much farther away from everyone, near a tree that provided shade for us. Javi just gave his brother a blank expression while Armando looked triumphant. 

“There, my job is done.” He said.

“I was just pointing it out…” I muttered. Armando floated on his back and closed his eyes. I watched him, pretending not to notice the growing tent in his tight shorts. 

Those are the same shorts he wore when we, along with my other friends, went to the community pool. It was a fun day, but we all got sunburnt except for Armando, who put on sunscreen before. He did warn us to put it on, but we were all too excited to get in the water. 

Come to think of it, Armando takes on a parental role whenever we go somewhere. For example, we took a small road trip to Austin a few weeks back. While we were all aweing at the sights and visiting every place, Armando was making sure that none of them got lost or hurt. He even threatened Paco with putting him on a leash.

It doesn’t seem like Armando cares about his role. Part of it is because it’s in his nature to be caring and attentive. Another is because he loves me and he’ll do anything to keep me safe. But I’ll have to reward him some time for putting up with us.

“What are you thinking about?” Armando asked. He was sitting on the river bank, his elbows holding him up while his body leaned back. Water droplets dripped onto his shoulders and chest. 

“I wanna give you something.” I said, joining him on the sand.

“Really? I told you, I don’t need anything. Just be with me.” He replied.

“Still. So, I thought about it. I’ll let you do anything to me for one night.” I told him. His pupils dilated. Armando slowly turned to me, a smirk forming on his lips.

“Anything?” He asked. 

I nodded. “Just for one night. You can do anything…”

“So, I can use the…”

“Yes.” I said.

“And we can try the…”

“Of course, Armando.” 

Armando’s bulge was now more pronounced. I glanced down at it and took a deep gulp. 

“Well, shit. We can’t go back now.” He chuckled out. “You think you could…”

“I’m not doing that, Armando. There’s kids around.” I replied. Armando pouted and placed his head on my shoulder. 

“Meanie.” He huffed. I rolled my eyes and held his head close. 

We stayed in this position for a long time. The water would come up towards our legs and recede back. There was an occasional duck that swam by and didn’t pay mind to us. Our bodies were now dry, except for our bottom half. 

“Wanna go back?” I asked. Armando kissed my shoulder.

“Yes.” He replied. I grabbed his hand and slowly led him back into the water. There was a moment of cold shock but our bodies got used to the temperature. The rest of them were either still in the water or drying off on the shore. 

Briana was relaxing on the sand. My mom and dad were in the water, my dad wearing goggles and my mom holding a bucket for his little treasures he finds. Javi was getting some wet sand for Rosita to build a sand castle.

“It’ll be a lot better when your dad gets out.” I said to Armando.

“I can’t wait until that day.” He replied. 

We reached the shore and grabbed our towels to dry off. We also grabbed some snacks and sat on some chairs and watched the scenery. It was a serene experience.

A few hours passed and the sun slowly began to set. When it was dark enough, the first firework was set off. There was a platform built in the center of the lake where a few people were at and launching fireworks.

“This is just the start. It gets better eventually.” Javi told us. The fireworks began to go off. They illuminated the sky in different colors. 

I’ve never been fond of fireworks. There’s this weird feeling I get when I’m around them. It’s probably my fear of something going wrong with them. Maybe one will blow up or a stray spark will burn me. Either way, fireworks terrify me. 

Only this time, the experience was more fun. I did feel fear, but that fear was overpowered by excitement. 

“This reminds me of the time we went laser tagging.” Armando said in my ear over the loud popping. 

“That was fun!” I replied. 

I can still hear Wren yelling ‘I surrender!’ while Armando let out a deep chuckle and shot him. Paco ended up surrendering by shooting himself. Veronica had gotten eliminated earlier after she failed to climb a wall and was trapped. All that was left was me.

Before we began the game, Armando challenged that he could take on all of us. We considered ourselves masters of laser tag. So we took on his offer. 

We didn’t expect the blood shed that would ensue from that moment. 

All that was left was me. I hid in the tallest tower in the room. I couldn’t find Armando in the dark room, despite his armor having bright blue lights. It wasn’t until I felt a pair of footsteps climbing up the tower. 

Armando appeared and managed to wrestle my laser gun out of my hand. He tossed it and walked towards me until I reached the edge. Down below me was a foam pit. He told me to give up but I refused. After arguing back and forth, Armando admitting he didn’t want to shoot me, we agreed to jump down together. 

Hand in hand, we jumped down into the foam pit to quit the game. But as we walked back, I turned and Armando held his laser gun at me. ‘I lied.’ he muttered before shooting me. 

We had to give him all of our arcade tickets and he bought himself a mini-gumball machine…

The firework show was slowly coming to an end. The popping was speeding up. Everyone knew the climax was reaching when there was a minute long pause where nothing happened. The first firework went off, followed by another, and another. They sped up and the sky transformed into a mess of colors and lights.

The final show was spectacular, the last firework being a large explosion of gold and white. Claps resonated as we cheered for the wonderful event.

All of us sat around and waited until we felt it was time to leave. Armando and I didn’t want to clean, so we walked along the river bank.

“Bumblee, can you do something for me?” Armando asked. 

“Anything for you.” I replied. Armando turned to face me and got down on one knee. 

“Promise that one day you’ll marry me.” He said.

“Armando, we’re just getting started with life. Isn’t it too early to think about that?!” There was a small panic in my voice.

“I don’t need a lifetime to know that I want you. If I don’t proclaim now, I’ll lose you forever. So just promise me that you’ll marry me in the future. You can marry me tomorrow, or in five years, or twenty. But just give me that reassurance that you’ll say yes when I ask.” 

I wiped a loose tear from my eye. I nodded and launched towards him, hugging his neck.

“Yes, Armando. I’ll marry you one day!” I said. Armando held me tightly. 

“I love you, Brian.” He said. 

“We have to go, Armando.” I said. He let me go and the two of us returned to our families. We didn’t tell them our promise. 

At least, not yet. Until it becomes official and we have a reason to celebrate. For now, Armando and I are going to grow, ourselves and our relationship. And one day, his wish will come true.

27

Armando Dominguez

Summer went by quicker than I expected. Back then, when I wanted summer to pass by quickly, it instead was a sluggish affair. But this year, when I wanted to spend the most with Brian, it was gone in a blink. But I know that there will be plenty more summers again.

I had said goodbye to my dad before we left. It was a tearful goodbye. But there was a promise that we would keep in contact with Javi as a mediator. Still, he’s my fucking dad. And I only just got to know him.

Why was I so selfish? I should have given him a chance before. Nothing can fix what I’ve done. But I can work on healing.

The day of departure came. Brian’s dad rented a large moving truck. I thought it was overboard until I saw Brian taking a whole dining set, bed, and other furniture. Meanwhile, I just had my bag of clothes and some pictures with me. I did use the card Mr. Hazelwood got me and bought some more outfits and some dorm essentials.

Once all the pieces were in order, we took the long drive from Dallas to Los Angeles. I’ve never been to California before. Throughout the drive, Mr. Hazelwood kept pointing out things he remembers from when he used to live here.

He recalled visiting the Santa Monica pier. He talked about the photos he and his family would take at the Urban Lights and visiting the Getty’s Museum. Brian and I told each other that we would too visit these places.

Finally, we arrived at University Park. We took a stop and looked around the campus. Brian wore his father’s USC sweater and knew he made the right choice. I just made sure that no drunk guys tried to hit on him.

Our dorm- or apartment- was located a block away from Brian’s campus. Brian didn’t want to live on campus, and I wanted to live in his bed so I didn’t really care. We could get our place and do whatever we want.

“Selfie!” Brian caught me off guard and snapped a picture of the two of us. I just lightly smacked the side of his head. I checked the time on my phone. My lock screen was of me and Brian, both wearing leather jackets, and holding finger guns.

It was his idea.

The apartment was spacious enough for two college kids. Two college kids in love. Rosita quickly left her mark by hanging up her drawings. Javi and Mr. Hazelwood worked together to assemble the furniture. Brian, Ms. Hazelwood, and Briana talked about how they could decorate the rooms. I leaned back against a wall and watched everything unfold.

A few months ago, I was just lost in life. I didn’t want to go to school, had a string of one-night stands, and was an overall aggressive person. But today, as I stood in the apartment that my boyfriend and I are going to co-own, I knew that this was what was missing in my life.

“Just don’t join a frat.” Briana told her brother.

“Nah, those aren’t my places. Armando, though, looks like he could be in one.” Brian said. I just shook my head.

“My job is to work, go to school, and protect Brian. I won’t have time for frats.” I replied.

“God, where did you find him? I want one.” Briana said to her brother.

“Luck, I guess.” He replied.

“Well, the bed is set up.” Javi said, as he and Brian’s dad walked into the living room. “Let’s get something to eat before we leave.”

“I’ll go grab something.” Mr. Hazelwood said. He and his wife left, leaving us kids alone.

“Now,” Briana said. “Why the hell did I find a collar in your bag, Brian?”

Brian began choking on his water, his face turning a bright red. “It’s nothing! Why are you looking at my shit!”

“Is this some kink? Are you perverting my brother, Armando!” She asked me.

“Don’t answer, Armando!” Brian told me.

“I’m just simply doing what he wants.” I replied.

“I- You mean, this was your idea?” Briana asked Brian. I heard Javi chuckle while Rosita asked if Brian is a dog.

“It’s- It’s just something!” Brian pleaded and slammed his head onto the table. This was how it was for the next few minutes. It stopped when Brian’s parents came back with food.

We ate on the couches and table. Brian was angry and began to chow down on his food.

“Slow down, Brian.” Mr. Hazelwood said. “You’re eating like a starving dog.”

Soda came out of Briana’s nose. She began to laugh hysterically and had to step out of the room. My boyfriend just wanted to disappear by this point.

Before they left, we had our pictures taken. Javi clenched his jaw, something he does when he doesn’t want to cry. Rosita didn’t want to leave, but I promised her that I would be back for Thanksgiving and bring her many gifts. Brian sweetened the deal by promising to get her some Prisma colors she wants.

Briana was still suspicious of me, but she did warn me to look after her baby brother. And I agreed. Mr. and Mrs. Hazelwood gave me a huge hug before they left.

Brian and I stood at the parking lot, watching the rest of them leave the parking lot. We waved goodbye to them until they disappeared down the street. Brian quickly began to cry into my chest. I turned to our reserved parking spot and saw my motorcycle that Mr. Hazelwood insisted I bring.

But we’re not done. Because we still have plenty to do.

There was still much to unpack. Dishes, blankets, Brian’s ridiculous 10-step skin care routine, and my pictures. Brian nailed the drawing that Rosita first made for him on the wall next to our bed.

“Why did Rosita ask me how far along I am?” Brian asked.

“Huh?” I asked.

“She came up to me and rubbed my belly, asking how far along I was. Care to explain?” He asked. I chuckled to myself. Classic Rosita behavior.

Brian’s phone rang. It was a picture from Veronica. She sent a picture of herself in her dorm after getting moved in.

“You’re not gonna be crying for the next few days, are you?” I asked.

“N-No.” He stuttered, his eyes continuing to sob.

There was a knock on our door. I went over to answer it. On the other side was a girl who was probably only a few years older than us. She wore a USC shirt and overall had a preppy look.

“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” She said. “My name is Gladys Waters! I am this apartment’s sort of RA. I am here under the administration to ensure that students outside of campus are behaving appropriately.” She said.

“Uh, hello.” I said. “I”m Armando Dominguez. And this is Bumble- Brian Hazelwood.“ I said. She smiled.

“Nice to meet you both. This is a list of all the rules in our building.” She handed me a packet of papers. “And I’m also here to let you guys know that we’re having a mixer at the pool area for everyone to get to know each other.”

“We’ll check it out.” Brian said.

“Great! My number is on that packet. If you ever have an issue, just give me a text and I’ll respond. As long as it’s not from 10 pm- to 6 am.” Gladys said.

“Got it.” I replied.

“Welcome to our building! Have fun!” She said. She thanked us and walked down the hall.

“She’s nice.” Brian said.

“Yeah…” I replied. “Do you want to go to that mixer?” I asked him.

“Why not? It could be fun to get to know people.” He said.

“But they’re all USC students. I’m just a community college student.”

“Just cause you aren’t a student here doesn’t make you less valuable.” He said. He kissed my cheek. “Go get dressed. We’re talking to people.” I groaned loudly.

I sat on the couch and just watched Brian finishing cleaning. His small legs quickly raced across the room, putting things in their place. His eyebrows grew frustrated when there wasn’t enough room to put something somewhere.

But no matter what, he managed to get something to fit in.

“When do classes start?” I asked.

“The end of August.” He replied, taking a break and sitting on the floor next to my legs.

“Have you registered for classes?” I asked.

“Yes. Have you?” He asked back. I nodded. “Don’t forget, we have to go look for jobs.”

“We’ll do that after getting settled in, my love. For now, let’s just enjoy what we have to enjoy.” I said.

“Okay then.” He patted my thigh. “We need to shower and get changed.”

“Want me to join?” I asked.

“Why not? But no funny business. I don’t need people knowing that I’m the bottom when they first meet me.” He said.

“They can already tell.” I snarkily replied.

I thought it was going to take a few minutes to shower then get changed and leave. However, Brian spent an additional 10 minutes finding the best outfit. Then he spent and additional 20 minutes because my outfit was sloppy

But once he was done, he let out a satisfied huff.

“We look good.” He said.

“Yes you do.” I replied.

“Now we can go! Let’s go!” He said. I walked towards the front door. Before I opened it, Brian called out to me.

“Wait!”

I turned around and he quickly walked over to me. He held something in his hands. He tip-toed up and dug into my shirt. He attached my brachiosaurus pin on my shirt. It was his turn to put his triceratops pin on his shirts.

“Now we’re ready.” He said. I opened the door for him and he walked out into the hall.

I turned around and gave a final scan at the living room, the place I’ll be living in for the next few months.

This is the life I’m destined to live. Not to remain as a failure, but to be someone that people can love. Be the man that Brian truly deserves.

I didn’t know what I wanted to do in life. I just settled for whatever path was easiest for me. But Brian came along and cleared the fog that blinded me.

He showed me that I could want anything. I wanted something different in my life. And I’ve got it now.

So, Brian ‘Bumblebee’ Hazelwood, thank you. You saved me and that’s something I will always thank you for.

THE END

---

it’s over!

Something Different

is officially done! thank you all for reading this story if you made it to the end! this story has been an unexpected ride for me. i’m sad to see these characters go, but at least they got the happy ending that they deserve!

once again, thank you guys for reading this! please check out my other stories!

until the next adventure!

♥️

Bonus 1

thanks for all the support for this story.

surprise! 3 bonus chapters are coming your way.

hope you’ll enjoy them <3

Armando Dominguez

The clock struck 12 exactly. The professor finished her lecture and I quickly threw all my materials in my backpacks and left the room. As soon as I reached the parking lot, I hopped on my motorcycle and turned it on.

I breathed in the air as I rode down the street until I reached the front entrance of one of the buildings at USC. Then, I got off my bike and leaned against it, waiting 10 minutes until Brian finished his class.

“Armando!” I heard Brian yell. I looked up from my phone and saw the eager boy running towards me. We both ran into each other’s embraces and hugged one another.

“How was class?” I asked him as I kissed his face repeatedly.

“Boring, as usual. Quickly! Let’s get home and get ready!” He said. I handed him my helmet and we both got on my bike.

Inside our apartment, Brian ran around and fixed together an outfit for himself. I just put on a shirt and some jeans, not caring too much about how I looked.

“Armando! Help! What do I wear?” Brian asked as he held up two jackets. I walked past him and reached into his closet, pulling out the jacket that he bought, the one that looked similar to mine.

“This.” I said, handing it to him. “Wear it.”

Brian took the jacket and checked to see how he looked. Then, he clicked his tongue and smiled. “It’s perfect.”

Before we exited the apartment, I pulled him aside and sprayed some of my cologne on him.

“What was that for?” He asked.

“I want anyone who smells you to know that you’re taken.” I said. Brian’s face turned red and he patted my back to get us to move quickly.

I wasn’t sure how to navigate the streets of LA. Brian and I haven’t had too much time to explore the city since we’ve been busy with work. So the address that Brian gave me was something I was unfamiliar with.

The location seemed to be located somewhere that is dubbed ‘Greek Street.’ Brian had been invited to a party by some friends he made. I was weary because frats are something I despise. But Brian promised nothing would happen to us, so long as we stuck together.

I didn’t take my bike, instead preferring to walk. As we approached the frat house, the sound of music and drunken chatter of students could be heard.

“Brian,” I called him before we walked in. “Remember, don’t drink too much. If someone offers you a beer or cup of something or even a water bottle, make sure it’s closed and not already opened. You can never be too careful.” I said to him.

“Got it, big boy. I’ll be careful.” He kissed my lips. Then he let out a giggle and grabbed my hand, leading us into the large house.

The music blaring made my head dizzy. I didn’t even drink anything and already felt off from being here. The house was slightly dark, only flashing lights shining. I bumped into a few people and was quick to apologize.

“This way!” Brian yelled through the music. “My friends are over there!” He pointed to a hallway.

Past the crowd, we approached a much calmer hallway. There was still music and people drinking, but we paid no mind to them. Instead, we walked towards a den. Then, some girls screamed Brian’s name.

“You made it!” One of them said.

“It’s my first college party, of course I’m gonna come!” Brian eagerly said. I stood to the side awkwardly, trying to find an emergency exit just in case.

“Is this the famous Armando we’ve heard about?” Another girl said. Everyone’s attention turned to me. I felt nervous as so many eyes were on me.

“Guys, this is my boyfriend, Armando Dominguez.” Brian said. He placed his hand on my back and lightly nudged me forward.

“Hi,” I muttered.

All his friends looked rich, which doesn’t surprise me. They all wore expensive clothing and even had a rich aura around them. I felt out of place among them.

“I’ll introduce you.” Brian said. “This is Violet Forrest II.” He signaled to a blonde girl. She gave me a small wave. “And this is Mari Chimari. She’s a foreign exchange student from Japan.” Brian signed to the Asian girl. Mari gave me a small bow. “And this is-”

“Sabrina Landon!” The girl who was being introduced said eagerly. “Sorry, Just my first time seeing a gay couple! Quite exciting!” Sabrina said.

“Still reading those Korean comics?” Violet rolled her eyes.

“Why don’t we get something to drink! You must be thirsty,” Mari said. Brian began to push me towards a wall where several other people were standing.

“Here,” Brian said. “Get to know the guys. I’ll be back quickly!”

“But I-” I tried saying but Brian ran with Mari to go get something from a different room.

I turned to my left and right and saw I was standing near several men who were tall and frightening. All of them had Solo cups in their hands and were sipping and talking with one another.

“You must be Armando,” A guy to my right said. I turned and saw a guy with light brown hair and hazel eyes talk to me. He too wore expensive looking clothing.

“I am,” I replied, trying to keep my cool around so many new people.

“Relax, man. No one here is going to bite you. Unless you flirt with their girls. But I don’t think you’d be into them.” He said.

“Damn right. I already have my eyes set on someone.” I said. The guy laughed and patted my back.

“How rude of me. I didn’t even introduce myself. Name’s Giles Blakesley. First born son to a family that owns several buildings and rules over Wall Street.” He said.

“Armando Dominguez. Boyfriend to a Trojan and motorcycle enthusiast.” I replied. By this point, despite my anxiety, I began to feel calmer. And that came with me not trying to pander to these kids.

“Nice. No shame in blue-collar work. Respect.” Giles said.

“Are you a student here?” I asked.

“Of course.” He replied. “You know, your boyfriend, Brian, is kinda annoying.”

I clenched my fists tightly.

“Woah, buddy! I didn’t mean it like that!” Giles quickly said. “Nah, I just meant that he loves talking about you. I’m a little jealous because you have someone that will annoy anyone about you.”

I still felt off.

“Enough about me. What’s with you? You have a family or something at home?” Giles asked.

“Yeah, an older brother and younger sister at home.” I said.

Giles leaned against the wall. “I have a younger sister too. Her name’s Rosette. She’s 10.”

Just as I was about to say something, Brian returned with two cups in his hands. He approached me and handed me one of the cups. “Don’t worry. They’re safe. Figure we could use something to liven up.”

“Thank you, Bumblebee.” I said. Brian blushed and took a sip of his drink.

“I’m gonna be over here on the couch. Let me know if you need anything.” He said. He walked to a couch and sat next to his friends.

I took a sip of my drink and continued my small talk with Giles. Luckily, he seems to be a good guy. He just doesn’t know the proper words to say sometimes and comes across as ignorant.

But I think I may have made a friend. I did have some smaller talks with other guys. Though those conversations were short.

The night went on. I got loose and was approached by Brian. He held my hand and brought me to the packed dance floor. Some upbeat music was playing, and Brian began to drunkenly dance on me.

He grinded himself on me and made sure I touched him everywhere. I knew he was drunk. And drunk Brian is something I hadn’t seen yet. He’ll have his fun while I watch for any predators.

“Armando…” Brian leaned up to whisper in my ear. “I love you.”

I planted a kiss on his cheek. “I know that, Bumblebee.” I replied.

“What do you say we get out of here and go home.”

I smirked at him. “If that’s what you desire. Then your wish is my command.” I told him.

Brian grabbed my hand and the two of us quickly went to say goodbye to his friends. Then, we traversed through the packed house and made it outside. The fresh air opened my lungs, and I no longer had to smell the scent of alcohol and sweat.

“What time is it?” Brian asked.

“It’s 1 am.” I replied, checking my phone.

“You know, I’m kinda hungry. Want to go to Denny’s?” He asked.

As I was going to say no, my stomach grumbled. The only thing I had eaten tonight were some strawberries that Mari had brought.

“Sure. I could eat.” I said.

We walked through the street as several other frat parties were taking place. Brian and I were at a crosswalk and he complained about being tired.

“Want me to carry you?” I asked.

“Yes, please.” He said. I crouched in front of him and he hopped on my back.

“Hold on! Next stop, Denny’s!” I said.

Brian played with my hair as he drunkenly talked about how much fun he had at the party. I chuckled to myself as I became the partner that watches for danger while Brian is the one to walk into danger.

Bonus 2

Brian Hazelwood

My friend, Mari, and I were walking back from the library after finishing up some research for one of our classes. I checked the clock and saw it was almost time for me to go home. 

“Brian, you listening?” Mari told me. 

“Huh? Oh, yeah!” I replied, acting like I was indeed listening to her. In reality, I was too focused on what to give to Rosita for her upcoming birthday. 

“I was saying. Did you hear the report that men are starting to be born at a lower rate? There were several sample studies in different countries and all found that men are .42% less likely to be born.” Mari explained.

“Doesn’t seem like a lot.” I mentioned. 

“Trust me, it actually is. And… you’re not even paying attention.” Mari said. 

“Huh? Oh, sorry! I have to go somewhere right now! Can I call you later about the project?” I said, quickly walking ahead of her. 

“Fine. Go to your boyfriend.” Mari said. I waved to her then quickly walked out the building and towards the lawn of the campus. 

After making it here, I went in the direction of Armando’s workplace. Every Tuesday, I like to arrive early to his workplace and see him in action. There’s just something about a buff guy grunting while his tank top is covered in car grease that just turns me on. 

Before I made it to his workplace, I stopped by a smoothie shop and got us both something to drink. I know that he’s going to be tired and will need his energy for later. 

“Excuse me. I’m here to see Armando.” I told the guy at the font, whose name tag read ‘Gene.’

He looked up at me and scanned me up and down. I must’ve looked out of place. A short guy with two drinks in his hands asking for a random guy. 

“Uh, sure. Follow me.” Gene told me. He walked to a door in the back and I followed him.

There was a large room with several cars in different stages of assembly. Everywhere I looked, there was someone tinkering with something. They all slightly reminded me of Armando. 

“Aye, Armando!” Gene said. We approached an unfixed car on the other end of the room from where we entered. “Some twink is looking for you.”

I didn’t see anyone until I saw Armando slide out from underneath the car. As soon as he saw me, a large smile came on his face. He quickly got up and went to hug me until he glanced down at his shirt. 

“Not yet.” He said. 

I took a good look at him. His hair was sweaty and falling down the front of his head. His white tank top was covered in sweat and car grease, clinging onto his muscular chest. The outline of his pecs and abs were visible. 

Armando brought a hand up and slicked his hair back. That only added more to attractiveness. He was driving me crazy and he doesn’t even know. Or maybe he does and is doing this intentionally. 

“Whoo! I’m tired.” Armando sighed out. I brought his drink forward and let him drink from the straw. 

“Better?” I asked. He stopped drinking and smacked his tongue. 

“Much better.” He replied. 

I stepped aside to look at the car. 

“It’s not quite finished yet. I still have ways to go.” Armando said. 

“Well, I don’t know about cars. But I can definitely say that this is indeed a car.” 

Armando came up to stand next to me. He was wiping his hands with a dirty rag. 

“Is this for a project?” I asked. 

“Yes, it is. We have until the end of the semester to fix it.” He replied. “Workshop is almost over. What do you say we go home and take a long shower together. Then we’ll make something for dinner and stay up all night.”

Armando bent down and began to sip his smoothie. I put the straw of my drink to my lips and teased the staw with my tongue. I hope I was seducing him right now. 

“And do what all night?” I asked. 

He came up from his drink and leaned his head down to my level. “Well, what do you think?” He asked. 

“Hmm. I was thinking… calling Rosita and wishing her a happy birthday!” I said. Armando chuckled and kissed my cheek.

“I was actually thinking the same thing.” He said. 

“Then-you-can-fuck-me-later.” I quickly said. 

“What was that?”

I stuck my tongue out to the side and winked. “Nothing. Let’s get you into a shower.”

“I thought you liked me like this.” Armando said. I patted the exposed part of his chest lightly.

“I do.” I said. Armando planted a kiss on my forehead and finished his drink. He then left to go get changed while I waited back in the lobby of the auto shop. 

After a few minutes, Armando emerged while he was talking to a few people. But as soon as he spotted me, his eyes turned wide and he walked over to me. 

“I missed you.” He said between kisses on my face. 

“I missed you too. But you were gone for only five minutes.” I replied. 

“That’s still too much time apart.” He grabbed my hand and led me outside. He said a quick goodbye to his friends and we exited the building. 

Hand-in-hand, the two of us walked down the street and just talked about anything that interested us. It was either talking about school, or something someone said. It was these small moments that made me appreciate the things I have in life.

At home, Armando went to shower while I began to research what we were going to be making tonight for dinner. While I was getting ready to cook, Armando emerged from the bathroom with only a towel around his waist.

“Cooking already? I thought we were gonna do that together.” He said, hugging me from behind and placing his head on my shoulder.

“If you want to help, go get changed.” I told him.

“But what I want to stay like this?” He asked. I gave him a side glance and he just let go of me to get changed.

During the process of cooking, Javier began to call Armando. When he picked it up, instead of Javier being on the other end, it was Rosita. 

“Hi, Mando!” Rosita cheerfully said. 

“Rosita! I miss you!” Armando replied with a huge smile on his face. 

“Where’s Brian?” She then asked. Armando turned the camera so it faced me. I waved at the camera and Rosita waved back. “Brian! Brian! When are you coming back to visit?” She asked.

“Soon, Rosita. We’ll be back soon. And we’re gonna bring you so many presents.” I told her. 

Javi appeared on screen and had an eyebrow raised. “Rosita, when did you learn how to call people?” I heard him ask his sister. 

“Cause I see you do it with that lady.” Rosita replied. 

Javi quickly took the phone from Rosita’s hand. His face was turning red. I turned to Armando, and he just had a grin. 

“A lady, eh?” Armando asked. 

Javier had the phone facing the ceiling. It was clear that Javi was hiding his face. 

“Javi. You still there?” Armando asked. 

“You better not tease me. I didn’t say shit when you and Brian began dating.” Javi said. 

Armando rolled his eyes. “You kinda did.” He said. Javi moved the camera and showed his face, which was slightly red. “So, tell me who this lady is.” 

Javi was looking at something until he brought his full attention to us. 

“The old lady next door, the one who sometimes babysits Rosita–””

“You’re dating an old lady?” Armando quickly said before Javi could finish his sentence. 

“No. I’m not. As I was saying: The old lady’s granddaughter is living with her. And I guess me and her have struck up something…”

Armando had a large smile on his face. He’s talked in the past about how he wishes his older brother would start dating. Javi spent a large part of his childhood and early adulthood looking after his younger siblings.

So now that Javi is starting to talk to someone, I can only feel happiness for him. He’ll finally be able to focus a bit on himself. 

“What’s her name?” I asked. 

“Uh, Claudia. She’s a year older than me. But we get along great. We’ve gone on a few dates.” Javi said bashfully. 

“She sounds like she makes your heart flutter, Javi.” Armando said. “I know that feeling.” His hand held mine. 

“Javi! I’m hungry.” Rosita yelled. 

“Go feed her. Call us later for her birthday.” Armando said. 

Javi said goodbye to us before hanging up the call. As soon as the video call ended, Armando grabbed my torso and kissed me. 

“What’s gotten into you?” I asked. 

“Nothing. I just love you.” He said. 

I lowered the heat on the stove and placed this lid on the pot. 

“We have a few minutes to spare.” I said. 

“Then come with me. I have a surprise for you.” He said. 

He led me to the living room where he sat me down. Then, he pulled out a box inside a black bag. I was expecting it to be something sexy, but I was wrong. 

“Ta-da!” He said as he showed me an unopened Lego set. “Wanna help me?” He eagerly asked like a child. 

I guess not now. But I did grab the box and examined it. 

“We’re gonna be here all night.” I told him. 

He still had a smile on his face. “That’s fine. I like spending time with you.” Armando said. He opened the box and poured out all the bags inside. 

I sat back and decided to just watch him eagerly put everything together. Maybe I’ll buy him some more Legos as gifts. As long as I get to see him smiling like this everytime he builds one.

Bonus 3

Armando Dominguez

After finishing my phone call with my dad, I began to receive a phone call from a number I didn’t recognize. I was home alone, since I had the day off and Brian was at school. He wasn’t coming back until an hour later.

With no one else to be around me, I pressed the answer button.

“Hello?” I asked. The other line was quiet. “Hello?” I asked again.

There was the sound of breathing on the other end. I was going to hang up until a voice belonging to a woman said, “Armando.”

Instead of hanging up, I put the phone next to my ear again. I received a random phone call from an unknown number with someone saying my name.

“Who is this?” I asked.

“Uh, hi, Mando.” She said. She used my nickname, something only my family does. Who the hell was the woman?

“Do I know you?” I asked. The woman was sniffling on the other end. She was crying.

“It’s me, Mando. It’s your mom.” She said. I put the phone down and stood up, walking to the other side of the room.

My mind began to go berserk. It’s been years since I’ve heard from my mom. When my dad went to prison, my mom couldn’t handle the stress of looking after us and abandoned us. Then Javi was the one that raised us from that point on.

For a long time, I despised my mom. She was the reason we grew up suffering without a parent. But it wasn’t until I reconnected with my dad that I began to let go of that hatred. Instead, it was replaced with nothing. I did not think about my mom at all.

I do understand that she was under a lot of stress, having to take care of three kids. But at the same time, she was a mother. The moment she became a parent, that should’ve been her main priority.

After taking a few deep breaths, I returned to the couch and saw that my mom hadn’t hung up. So I figured I’d bite my tongue and see why she’s decided to call after so long.

“Mando! Please answer!” I heard my mom say as soon as I put the phone next to my ear.

“What do you want, Marcella?” I asked, preferring to use her first name. I want her to know that I don’t see her as a mom. “You haven’t spoken to me in years. Why now?”

She was quiet on the other end, only sniffling. “I just wanted to hear the voice of my baby. I miss you and Javi and Rosita.”

“To be fair, you were the one who left us. We should be the ones missing you.” I spat back.

“Do you… guys miss me?” She asked.

I chuckled loudly. “Honestly, no. Neither of us have thought of you since you left.” I replied without any emotion.

I’ve thought many times what I would say when my mom were to ever contact me. I imagined myself yelling at her and telling her every horrible thing I could think of. But now that she’s actually here, I just want to hang up and stop listening to her.

“Look, if you need money, I’m sorry but I can’t. I’m not in the position to do so-”

“That’s not what I want!” My mom quickly added. “I don’t need money. I don’t need anything. I just wanted to talk to you. I want to hear the voice of my baby.”

I sighed loudly. She wasn’t irritating, I just wanted her to say what she needed to.

“Is that all?” I asked. She didn’t reply. “How did you even get my number?”

“The phonebook. An obsolete way, I know. But I couldn’t find any other way.”

“Have you called Javi? Cause if not, don’t. Save yourself the pain and don’t bother him or Rosita. They’re trying to fill up the hole that you left.”

Mom’s sniffling got louder. Despite having not seen her in years, part of me felt guilty. She is my mother, after all.

“How’s Rosita doing?” She asked.

“Good. She’s a smart girl. Very into art.” I said.

“And Javi?”

“As good as he can be. He’s working and looking after Rosita.” I replied.

She let out a loud exhale. “And you? You were always my baby, even if you’re older.”

“I’m in California right now.” I said. “I’m in college. I have a boyfriend who put me on the right path.” I told her.

“A-A boyfriend?” She asked.

“Yes, mom. A boyfriend. Am I still your baby? Or will you reject me once again?” I asked.

Mom began to cry. Her wails were loud but also broke my heart a bit. “You’ll always be my baby, Mando! No matter what, your mother will always be here.” She said.

My eyes began to tear up a bit. “Always there, but you left us.” I muttered.

“And I will forever be sorry for that, mi amor. But I couldn’t handle the stress. With your father in jail and me being left to raise three kids, I just wanted to disappear to get away from it all. I know I went about it the wrong way, because in doing so, I hurt you three.”

“Are you expecting me to forgive you? Because it’s going to take a lot more than just a phone call to fix a years long wound.” I said.

“You never have to forgive. You can blame me for the rest of your life, if that’s what you want. But please, just give me a chance to mend what little could be fixed.” Mom said.

I wanted to hang up and stop hearing her voice. But something stopped me. Maybe if she called me a year ago, I would’ve hung up immediately and blocked her number. But ever since I met Brian, I was more conscious of my actions.

So instead of hanging up, I sighed loudly. “How do you plan to make it up?” I asked her.

“Seriously?” She asked. I didn’t say anything. “I-I don’t know. But I first want to catch up to you. I have a lot of things I want to say to you.”

“Before we can even do anything, I just want to remind you that this doesn’t mean that I’m going to forgive you for all this. While I’m not letting you in immediately, I’m also not closing the door on you.” I told her.

“That’s fine. I understand.”

“Also, don’t call Javi. I’ll talk to him and ask him about you. I don’t know if he’s going to even want to see you, so don’t get your hopes up.” I said.

“I know.” Mom muttered.

We were both silent. I wasn’t sure what to say. I’m still grasping my mind through all this.

“Are you with someone?” I asked her.

“Uh, yes, I am.” Mom replied. “He’s a sweet guy. His name is Phil Williamson.”

“Hm.” I grunted. “Have you had any new kids?” I asked.

“Yes,” Mom sounded slightly sad. “You have two younger siblings, Carlos and Francisco. But they didn’t replace you three! You, Javi, and Rosita will always have a place in my heart.” Mom added the last part quickly.

“And how are you?” I asked.

“I’m doing as good as I can be. Still feel like parts of me are missing.”

I leaned back on the couch, feeling myself become more calm. While I wasn’t completely open, I felt a bit comfortable.

I spent a few minutes talking to my mom about obscure things. It wasn’t like I was talking to my mom, but rather like an old friend that I’m reconnecting with.

Our conversations were mostly about catching up with life things, such as my education and her children. I refrained from talking about Brian because we weren’t that close yet.

After a while, it was time for her to hang up.

“Can I call you again, Mando?” Mom asked.

“Yes, you can.” I replied. “Just let me know in advance.”

“Okay. Thank you, Armando! I will always be here to talk if you ever need to.” She said. I said a standard goodbye to her before I hung up and threw my phone on to my side.

I looked at the TV, not even watching it, already remembering what we talked about. Parts of the conversation I’ve already forgotten. Though, if I’m going to be honest, I didn’t hate it all.

Now the real dilemma happens: Am I going to tell Javi that our mom called me. Javi isn’t too fond of mom. He’s outwardly insulted her and despises her. Perhaps I can slowly introduce the subject to him.

My train of thought was interrupted when the door to the apartment opened and Brian strutted in with a few bags in his hand. He smiled at me and held out his arms.

“Would a gentleman help out a damsel in distress?” He asked. I got up quickly and took a few bags from him.

“What did you bring?” I asked.

“A new cookie shop opened on campus. I went to try it and liked them so much I bought some more for you to try.” He replied.

We placed the bags on the table. I grabbed Brian by the shoulders, spun him around, and planted a kiss on his lips. He returned the kiss and he joined our hands together.

“Everything okay? Did something happen while I was gone?” He asked.

“Nothing,” I said. I figured I wouldn’t tell him just yet what happened. Not until more has happened. But when the time comes, he’ll be the first person I’ll confide in.

“Let’s try these cookies! And let’s watch a movie!” Brian suggested, looking up at me with his bright eyes.

“Anything you want, my dear.” I told him.

He set up everything while I checked my phone. A simple ‘I love you’ text from my mom was sent. I didn’t respond, just turned off my phone. But it did put a small smile on my face.

I sat back and placed my head on Brian’s lap. He began to stroke my hair while I gently closed my eyes.

“Don’t ever leave me, Brian.” I said to him.

“I never will. I’d rather die than leave you.” He said. “I love you.” He planted a kiss on my head.

“Love you too.” I replied.

I shut my eyes and smelled Brian’s cologne, which was also my cologne. I adjusted myself and felt completely at ease with myself.

Just when I thought my life was good, it seems to slowly get even better. So I closed my eyes and slept, knowing my life is going to be better than my dreams.

---

thanks for reading! hope you enjoyed their story.

until the next adventure.

♥️