Luke was standing in the domestic flights arrival area of LAX with his aunt and uncle waiting for his parents and twin sister to come down the steps. It was a little over two months since he saw them so today was a big event in Luke’s life. As the moment of reuniting with his family was coming near, the teenage boy started to feel the entire gamut of basic emotions. These feelings came one by one.

The joy came from being able to spend time with his dad again. Being separated from his dad for so long brought sadness. Anger at his mom for putting him in a dress. Fear that he might regress back to not being strong enough to stand up to his mom and sister. Trust that his dad would do anything he could to make sure Luke did not get treated badly. Lastly, mistrust that his mom and sister would be on their best behavior.

Then finally the time to be one with his family came. His parents and sister appearing at the top of the flight of steps also brought the last two of the basic human emotions. Luke was surprised at how strong he felt seeing two of the people who tormented him. They lost a huge sway of their power over him. Luke was no longer the little and lonely boy who did not have the proper support to withstand their attempts. Not only had his strength grew but the ground which he stood upon was now firmer. The steadiness came from his fellow crew member being the support to steady the uneven ground which life gives us.

Now the teenage boy who was becoming a man was feeling anticipation. Luke could not wait to spend time with his dad. The beach, and the boardwalk were the main places Luke was going to take his dad. Luke felt as high as the crest of a wave thinking about his dad seeing him surf. Introducing Mary was going to be a treat for Luke. He knew his dad was looking forward to meeting his son’s first girlfriend.

Lori coming into focus only added to Luke’s anticipation. Spending time around her was going to be so different than before. Luke wanted to show his sister that he was not the weak person she made him out to be. Being able to not only withstand but thrive with her barrage on him should make her attacks stop.

Lori seeing her brother and his reaction made her become even more uncomfortable about the visit. She was not feeling her best with Blake dumping her out of the blue. Her brother standing tall when seeing Lori took even more of her strength away. This was evident to her when she did the finching. This change was wrong. Luke was the one who reacted to her, not the other way around. Lori had a bad feeling about the upcoming 9 days.

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

Harry Sellars did not mean any harm by repeating the rumor about Carrie Swift to his cousin Blake. The boy who was spreading unfounded stories as gospel did not know one huge truth about rumors, the only good one was from the Album by Fleetwood Mac. Rumors did nothing but entertain others by spreading an untruth about someone else. This untruth was always one which was of the unflattering kind where the person who they were talking about did something risque or taboo.

Those two were at another cousin’s confirmation party when they started to talk about one of the most popular topics for teenage boys, sex. Not having much knowledge and experience led to them using hearsay, gossip, and speculation to drive the conversation. Bringing up the report of a friend of a friend’s next-door neighbor being with Carrie was just a way for Harry to justify the conversation to himself. If kids his age were having sex then, the subject was normal to talk about it.

Today Harry was going to learn the downside of talking just to talk. The accidental teacher of this lesson was going to be Blake. Harry’s cousin's hidden motivation coming to the open was how the valuable knowledge would be gained. Seeing the bad actions and negative results from Blake seeing the untrue story as a truth was an unintended consequence of Harry opening his big mouth.

Harry brought Blake along with him to hang out with his friends. Bringing a visiting cousin along to be in the group was a time-honored teenage tradition. How eager Blake was to see Harry’s friends again did not seem out of the ordinary. If anything, Blake wanting to tag along made Harry feel more confident about his social group. Harry’s friends must be cool if Blake wanted to hang out with them.

Everything still seemed normal when they first got there. Blake going to talk with Carrie was as extraordinary as a teenage boy talking to a good looking teenage girl. Teenagers usually gravitated to members of the opposite sex that they found attracted to. The reason why this was normal was because Carrie was beautiful. Her legs and auburn hair were long. The teenage girl's high and sharp cheekbones drew attention to her almond-shaped and colored eyes. Her lips and chest were both full.

The only saving grace for Harry about Blake going to make a move right away on Carrie was that he came off as a creep. Coming on so strong to Carrie did not even make her question why the failed suitor was so aggressive. The teenage girl just chalked it up to him being a creep. Even if young Don Waun would have waited to spring into action his seduction would have failed. Being so upfront with Carrie was supposed to come off as confidence. Instead, it made him seem pushy and overbearing. His smooth-talking was as rough and unpleasant as a cat’s tongue licking her.

Blake displayed his low comprehension at reading signs from the fairer sex when he amped up his game after being rebuked. He took Carrie’s nonchalant answer as her being coy. Part miscommunication came from the notion that sometimes one of the people who was flirting would play hard to get. The bigger part came from him believing the rumor. Carrie was sexually active so she should be open to his advances.

The onslaught of bad pick-up lines and not so subtle hints just kept on coming. The crass words coming out of Blake’s mouth made him look like a blundering witless horny boy. So, those words just portrayed the boy who was pursuing Carrie for what he was. Finally, Carrie had enough of Blake’s unwanted and horrible advances. She tried to let him down as gently as a mother laying down her child but that did not work. He was being blunt so Carrie did the same. Maybe using a verbal hammer was the only way to smash the fact she was not interested in him into his thick skull. Carrie in a stern voice said, “Why do you think I would do anything with you?”

That tone along with Blake thinking he was racking up style points led him to think that Carrie was just being assertive in wanting to hear Blake’s case on why they should be together. “Because I know about you and want a woman like you.”

“What do you mean a woman like me?”

The not so subtle hints from Blake now went up to a full portion over the top innuendo, with a side of blustering. “A woman like you has a lot to show a man like me, and I can do the same for you. If you know what I mean.”

Carrie was like a bartender with a drunken belligerent customer, done dealing with Blake. She looked past that little boy and said to who should have been the bouncer and never left this boy here. “Hey Harry, get your cousin out of here.”

Blake “Hold up, babe….”

Carrie was not going to deal with this Blake anymore. Acting like a bartender who could not get the bouncer’s help she said “I am not your babe. Just leave. You are really bothering me.”

Blake said “Carrie, I will handle him. Sorry that he interrupted me before I told you we were leaving now. Come on Blake.”

Blake was about to object to leaving. It would just be better for him if he could stay and just leave Carrie alone. Not leaving would give him time to work out what he did wrong in approaching the object of desire and come up with a better plan for his second attempt.

Then Blake saw the looks he was getting from everyone. He knew he was as welcome here as a worn-out overplayed cassette tape. Being the coward he was, there was no way Blake was going to chance those feelings being translated into action. Plus his rep with these people did not count that much. They were not going to be in his high school so low standing to them would not hurt him. Yeah, it would be nice to say he had friends outside of his hometown. That would make him sound cool. One way to measure a person’s coolness was by how many friends they had. Yet not having friends from other places would not hurt.

Blake and Harry left. On the way back to his cousin’s house, the boy who was shut down by Carrie did not think much of his failed conquest. There was no time to dwell on what he could not have, when Blake had to work on getting back what he gave up. Before they arrived at their destination Blake knew the best plan for Lori was also the simplest. Stroke her ego and say how miserable he was without her. That he learned his lesson and he had not known how lucky he was to have her. Lori was the best girl not only for him, but for anyone.

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

The drastic disconnect between reality and how Lori thought it should be was becoming more concerning to Lori. How she was the one, and not Luke who recoiled at the airport bothered her a little. Then hearing her dad talk about being tired from traveling put Lori's mind at ease. Her brother was fresh and she was worn out from the flight. Things would quickly go back to the norm of her being in charge after a good night's sleep.

Lori came downstairs to be greeted only by her aunt Bridget and Uncle Maurice. Her mom not being there when Lori woke up was a little disturbing to her. Alice always made sure that she was there to greet her little miss sunshine in the morning. The feeling of being disturbed grew when Lori found out her mom went to the beach with Luke, her dad, and cousin Sam. Being with Luke had never been more important than being with her.

Then what happened after Luke and the rest of them came back was truly unsettling to Lori. The conversation was focused on Luke. There was no help coming to steer the topic of discussion about the true star of the Zahn family, her. Her mom was actually engaged in hearing about Luke riding those waves. This was not right, it should be about everything she was going to do when in LA. How could her mom want to hear about what happened when in a couple of days those two were going to see Lori’s favorite band, Boys +1.

Those two could spend the rest of the vacation talking about that pop band. Boys +1 was not your normal boy band. It had six not five members and one of them was a girl. So not only were all the traditional roles of a boy band represented, but there was everything great which came to listening to a solo girl pop singer included. The band also could do duets. This was not even taking into account how all of them could do solo projects. This band was a massive force in pop music.

As Lori spent more time in California the unfamiliar feeling of being anxious around her and her brother's place kept on growing. The foreign feeling of being unsure was not helped by how Blake dumped her. Being in a weakened state which was only worsening led to a little voice in Lori’s head to try to coax her into making the present just like the past.

This voice giving unsound advice was the Brat Princess. Seeing each lastest aspect of the new normal was so unsettling to Lori. When people are unsure there is a natural desire to go back to what is normal. The need for the familiarity made Lori a little more open to following what she knew was wrong. Each time the Brat Princess was brought up making the good old days more than a memory a little bit of Lori’s self-assurance waned away.

The Brat Princess finally was able to take control of the court inside Lori’s head after the first time she hung out with the Cove Crew. Most of them were very welcoming, but she knew that Luke was closer to them than her. That was not right the kids should like her more than him. Only one person noticed the small detail of Greg K. staying away from her. This was not good for Lori because she was the person. Lori was a savant at reading people and could easily see past Greg K being friendly to the truth. He liked her as much as surfers did thunderstorms.

The only thought on Lori’s mind was why did this boy not like her? She had never done anything bad to him. This dislike for no reason was wrong. He was acting like a bully towards her. Lori did not know she was rightfully being judged by her past. That Greg K. knew of the Brat Princess and her reign of terror on Luke.

Going back to her Aunt’s, Lori felt as defeated as Luke did when she used to get the upper hand. Her self-confidence was wrecked. How could someone believe in themselves when others will not even give them a chance. In a desperate attempt to get back to normal Lori asked her mom if they could go home now. That she hated being out in California and never wanted to return.

Alice was concerned at hearing her daughter’s pleads. Lori was not the type to ask, but to state what she wanted. As if her daughter’s severe change in trying to get what she wanted was not enough, Lori stated she much rather go home than go to the concert.

That concert was all Lori could talk about after she found out about the gift from Aunt Bridget. Even if Lori was not such an egotistical brat people would understand why. This was not just concert tickets, but the VIP experience. The night would include an exclusive shirt, a personally signed CD, backstage passes, a meet and greet session with the band, along with front row and centered seats.

Alice gave a little bit of advice to get Lori to want to stay. The encouragement led to cement the Brat Princess emerging again. These words of wisdom were for Lori to be herself. To Lori that was her mom telling her to be who Alice wanted her to be and not herself. These words were a clear sign that being Lori from the David Project or her dad’s sweet pickle was what was holding her back.

The Brat Princess’s first order of business was to perk up. The fresh smile on Lori’s face was a huge sign to Alice that her daughter was feeling better and more like her old self. Alice never even considered that Lori feeling like her old self meant that the same old problems would come back. Lori then gave a hug to her mom and in doing so also once again embraced being who her mom wanted her to be.

*****************
One of the great traditions in America is people having a deep love for their heritage. The country might be called the great melting pot, but the liquid was not totally smooth. There were little chunks of Polish-American, Italian-American, Somalian-American floating in the pot. These chunks did not make the content of the pot homogeneous but helped bind them together. Having the differences being respected more by the general public made people feel more connected to those who were not like them.

Ming wanted to be just like any other American teenager so he was a Sinophile. Him learning about the culture of his ancestral homeland made him become fascinated and in love with where his roots could be traced back to. Ming proclaiming he was Chinese-American was just the same as some of his classmates wearing a “kiss me I’m Irish” t-shirt on St Patrick’s Day.

This strong fondness for the Zhao’s homeland was how Ming got the skill to make an expression of his fondness for his new friend Lori. He sat in his room and was patiently working on some Zhe Zhi, the Chinese version of origami, of the leaves, flowers, and animals those two saw on their nature hike. How much Lori was enjoying learning about nature, Ming wanted to give her a memento of their day. To him doing so was a win-win situation. He was doing something he loved and was able to give it to someone who would appreciate his work.

As the artisan was folding the tail on the squirrel he heard a strong double knock on his door. Ming had no idea who the visitor was. His mom would be the only one who visited him in his room and that was not her knock. The knock was too forceful, she tapped on the door. The number of knocks was also wrong. She did three and there were only two.

After inviting the strong knocker in, Ming found out the unexpected visitor to his room was his dad. Yang Zhao’s entrance into his son’s room was accompanied with a slight feeling of dread. Ming’s dad never went out of his way to see his son unless he was going to instill wisdom. The instilling of wisdom was actually Yang explaining to Ming why he was a disappointment to him.

The dread quickly went when Yang said good job to his son. Now Ming was confused and prideful. It felt good to get a compliment from his father, but Ming had no idea on what he did. Not wanting to chance having his dad become irritated, Ming did not ask any questions. Needing to know would have meant that Ming was not thinking like his dad. Plus, if Ming played along he knew his dad would freely give the details.

Ming showed his pride by having a grin on his face when he said “Thanks dad.”

Yang then said “I never thought that my youngest son would turn out to be such a player. Getting an older girl as your first girlfriend, good job son. I guess it is true what they say, you have to watch out for the quiet type.”

Finding out why his dad was pleased with him quickly made both the confusion along with his happiness go away. Ming was not a player and could not feel good about his dad thinking such. Being true to himself was more important than being in his dad’s good grace. To Ming having self-approval was more important than the approval of others, even his father.

“Dad, Lori and I are just friends. She had a boyfriend.”

Yang chose not to believe his son. The truth did not break the narrative. The desire of getting his youngest son to be how he wanted was powerful. It subdued and held back the fact Ming was being honest from being able to come to Yang’s consciousness. “Wow, you are really a player. You being with Lori will be just between you and me.

I was just like you at your age son. If I saw a girl I liked I got her. I did not care if she was seeing someone or not.”

Ming said, “Dad”. His words were going to be like a T-square to the record and set it straight. Before the wrecking ball of the truth could break the wall of delusion Yang built, Ming’s dad stopped him. “Son, it is fine that you don’t want to talk about it. I just wanted to tell you I am happy and if you need to talk about being in a relationship come to me. You're my son after all.”

Ming was at a moral crossroads. He could continue on his route to be truthful and stay true to his principles or make a turn to use the pragmatic approach of dealing with his dad. Choosing the direction and the reason for that path was important to the boy who was still finding himself. Not only does he have to make the right decision but for the right reason.

Ming chose to be pragmatic. He felt the reasoning was sound. Allowing his dad to think he was more like how he wanted his son to be would make Ming’s dad ease off on pressuring his son to be like him. Ming would be losing some of the obstacles on the road of finding himself by just letting his dad think what he wants. Staying true to his principle in this instance was a steep hill. There was nothing to gain by correcting his father and no harm done so that was not a hill for Ming to die on.

Saying thanks was hard for Ming. He knew he was lying and that was as out of character as Russel Crowe was between takes. Taking the easy way out of this conversation might make doing what was convenient the go-to choice instead of doing the right thing. Finally, he would lose the feeling of pride he had. Ming was not able to take credit for what he knew was not true.

Yang left his son’s room and along with him the feeling of pride Ming had. His chest deflated. Then something strange occured. As soon as his chest was back to normal, it swelled up again with pride. Ming was proud of himself for making the path towards staying true to his principles easier to stay on. Ming knew he did not have to go deal with bickering with an authority figure about every little decision he made. Ming was strong enough to stand up to his dad, but knew wasting his energy would not be prudent. As the boy went back to folding the squirrel he contemplated how one can stay true to their principles when sometimes they have to accept it is best for them to give in to not following them. Being picky on charging up a hill did not mean to Ming he would quit doing so. It just meant that he would have more energy when he did.

**********

Blake had finished writing a text to Lori a couple of hours ago. The wait did not come from uncertainty about the message. The wording he found was perfect, but that did not make the text perfect yet. Using the right words was only a small part of making sure the right message was conveyed. The timing, the medium, and who wrote the message also played an integral part in making sure the target of the message was picking up what the message was putting down. The delay in hitting send did not come from nerves. Blake was as sure as a boxer in a fixed fight as to the outcome of sending the message.

The wait came from the boy wanting the most impact from his text. Sending it too soon would make Lori think that she was just the understudy in the role of Blake’s girlfriend. That he wanted to be with anyone until he found that special someone. Waiting too late would make Lori think that she only got the role because no one else auditioned. Sending it at the right time would make it look like Blake knew he messed up and make his flimsy excuse seem legit.

Blake’s bedtime came along and with it came the most optimal time to send it. Lori would believe that the lovelorn boy’s last thoughts before drifting off to sleep were of her. An added benefit of sending in now was Lori would not respond if she bought that bridge Blake sold. If she was bright enough to see through the smoke then she would. Blake would just ignore the text, put Lori on the block, and know that he had to move on from his safety girl.

***********

The Cove Crew did not go to the boardwalk every night. Sometimes in the evening they hung out at their home base and just lit a fire. Some of the older kids would drink or smoke. There were the unwritten rules that no one under 16 could partake in those substances and nothing stronger than beer, wine, or weed. Being somewhat responsible in not breaking the law gave their parents and the police a good reason to turn a blind eye.

Lori was not enjoying being at the fire. Everyone else was basking in the warmth of the fire and their friendship and she only felt the cold breeze from the sea and cold stare from Greg K. Tonight was not going how it should when Luke and her had to be in the social setting. The Brat Princess, not Luke, should be in the main cast. If Lori was not the star or the co-star she should at least be a special guest. Instead, she was relegated to the role of an extra.

The Brat Princess had nothing to say because she was also relegated to being an extra in her own life. The discipline her father had over her life took away the support system that the Brat Princess needed to stay in power. She did not have the time with her court to boost her upon her pedestal. Until being told to be herself earlier today there was no sign of the Nostalgia Queen.

Then a buzz came to her phone. That sound was welcome by Lori. It was a reminder that she did have friends. Then seeing it was from Blake made her remember how he broke up with her. Just being told that they were not a couple without a reason hurt Lori’s self-esteem. Being desperate to have a connection to anyone, Lori made the decision to read the text.

The message was yet another plea from one of her loyal subjects for the Brat Princess to ascend to her throne once again. The message stated that the only reason Blake broke up with her was because they were going to be apart. He thought that he would miss her less if they were not a couple. He found out that was not true. That he needed to be with her again and missed her.

Blake missing her reinforced her mom saying just be herself. The herself Lori needed to be was the Brat Princess. That was who the people who put her in the spotlight wanted her to be. A smile came to her face when Lori knew how it should be was about to be again. She had to tell Luke’s friends about him being in a dress. Only after she spread the vicious lie version of Luke’s petticoat punishment and only then would she revert back to her status as the glorious Brat Princess. Watching Luke fall from grace once again in front of his friends was going to be worth what she went through the last couple of months.

Lori only had to wait to tell the tale about Luke wearing dresses. The schemer needed the right set up by an unwitting accomplice. Her lie needed to be seen as a natural part of the conversation so the maximum damage was done to her dear brother. For this message to have the best impact it had to contain the right words, be communicated the right way, and be shared at the right time.

There was an added bonus of making the revelation of Luke’s fashion taste organic; the Brat Princess could not get into that much trouble. The benefit of the doubt would be given if the story slipped in the moment. Her mom and dad would have to believe there was no malice intended in her actions. At worse, there should only be a reprimand after Lori showed remorse.

Then some of the crew started to razz each other. This lighthearted ribbing in a playful manner was the perfect opportunity for the Brat Princess to enact her plans. The chance of regaining her throne being presented to Lori on a silver platter was a sign it was the right course of action. The accession back to ruling her kingdom would not have been so easy if being the Brat Princess was not God’s Mandate.

Then after Decaf, Silk’s girlfriend, told the story when on a Kindergarten class trip to the beach Silk ran for his life scared screaming off to warn everyone about the Beast, a 2-inch crab, Lori took her turn. Luke knew the story and braced himself waiting for the wave of laughter to hit him. Instead of being mocked and ridiculed none of the Crew laughed. Luke's fellow Crew members were as supportive as the beams holding up the nearby docks. The feel-good moment was short -lived when Lil told Luke that he was about her size and he could try on any of her outfits.

Luke meekly said the story was not true. The lack of strength came from the story being seen as the truth. To Luke now none of his friends will see him as a real man. Luke would never be who he really was to them anymore.

Lil took the weakness in her boyfriend’s voice as a sign of him needing her to be a strong pillar of support. She wanted to keep the dock which Luke confidence was on as sturdy as her feelings for him. “Luke, it is fine you are also Luka. I love you. I love how Luka sounds. I want to know the Luka side of you also.”

Luke got up and exclaimed “There is no Luka side to me. I don’t like to wear dresses and my name is Luke.”

Lil had patience. She learned it from waiting for the right wave to hang ten on. This made the girl able to stay calm as Luke was getting upset. She just had to find the right way to show her support. Lil then tried to console her boyfriend again “Luke you don’t have to share that side of you with me until you are ready. I just want you to know I am looking forward to meeting Luka.“

Luke had enough. Anything he said would have been useless. He knew that everyone’s mind was made up because of their backing of Lil’s words. Luke got up and declared he wanted to be how he felt, alone.

As Luke left defeated, the victorious Lori was happy. The response was not what she expected but she got the desired results. There was a wedge between Luke and his friends. Now onto the next part in reclaiming her place in the spotlight. Have the Crew see her as she really was.

*********

As Lori was trying to overthrow Luke's place in the Crew, Greg K. was apart from the fire. Him and a couple of his friends were partaking in a little toking session. They went away from the group so no one would have the stench of the weed on them. The last thing any of them wanted was to get one of their friends in trouble over something they did.

Greg K. was taking another drag from the bowl trying to reach that perfect high when he came crashing off of that TCH wave. The gust of wind which sobered him up came from Luke waking by him muttering something about being forced to wear a dress. Those words showed the true buzzkill was Lori.

Luke’s friend tried to stop him, but the hurt teenager kept his walk of shame to nowhere going. Luke's only words were “Greg K., it is not worth it. They all believe Lori. She told them about me wearing dresses, but not why. I tried to correct her, but no one believed me. I will always be seen as the boy who likes to wear dresses.”

Greg K. knew the truth about the story and his friends. He was going to set the record straight. Once he did so, the Crew would see the truth. He told Luke to stay and stormed Lori’s coronation. As the Brat Princess was raising herself up on the custom pedestal her mom made a cannonball of truth came to knock her down. “Everyone, Eck only wore those dresses because his mom forced him. That was her way to punish him.

“Lori lied, she used what her mom did to make people not like Luke. She can’t stand her brother. She made his life hell. He moved out here to get away from her.”

Lil got up and ran as quickly as she could to catch up with Eck. The woman in love had to make things between her and her man right. The truth coming out made Lil realize she made a mistake by trying to do the right thing. Instead of being supportive she should have believed her boyfriend. Being there for people is the right thing to do, but support without trust is not true support.

Shy’s girl temper flared up like someone spitting 151 rum on a fire. The truth of Lori trying to hurt her friend, the boy who brought her best friend joy, was an accelerant. Shy’s mouth became a flame thrower and the words out of her mouth were flames of rage. The target of the fire was Lori. “You lied about your brother after we welcomed you in! We treated you like one of us and you betrayed us. You tried to use us to hurt our friend! Worse, you betrayed your brother. How dare you?”

The revolt was only seen as a trivial inconvenience to the restoration of the monarchy. The Brat Princess fully expected dissenters; after all, some people are always against change. She also knew the best way to squash the rebellion was by becoming sympathetic. Lori said as she was crackling her voice like the fire between her and the leader of the revolt “Shy you have it wrong. I was just trying to help Luke. He moved out here to get away from backward thinking people. It hurts that you think that I would make fun of my brother. I love him. You saw how Luke got defensive when Lil was being supportive. He always mistook my being there as me mocking him.”

Shy treated Lori’s explanation like an adamant leader of a temperance movement being offered a drink, not having it and showing her disapproval. “Bullshit! Leave before I make you.”

Even with the dissenter becoming more intense Lori still thought she had this under control. She did get everyone to believe that Luke loved to wear dresses a couple of minutes ago, so making everyone think that Shy was being out of control would be easy. People tend to believe the person who kept their cool over the one who is getting their power fuel by the fire of rage. “Shy, you have to believe me. What have I ever done to you? You saw how Luke would not listen and now you are doing the same.”

Shy went to move towards Lori, The Brat Princess was about to show her true colors, yellow for being a coward and running until Decaf held the aggressor back. The situation was about to be cooled down so Lori stayed. One way Lori was able to manipulate people was she found out everything about them. So when she was introduced to the Cove Crew she made sure she knew how they got their nicknames. Decaf got hers because of how calm she was. Silk’s girlfriend holding back Shy meant that one of the leaders of the group thought the firebrand was overreacting.

Decaf said “Shy, Lori is not worth it. We all know the truth and she can’t use us to hurt Eck anymore. We can’t waste time with that little girl when we need to make amends with Eck.”

Those words suffocated the fire inside Shy. The anger came from wanting to make things right and the quickest solution was to hurt Lori. Decaf pointed out that right then an eye for an eye might make Shy feel better in the short term, but the long term was what needed to be worked on. Making sure Eck felt the trust and support of the Cove Crew was more important. Them being there would make another layer of armor against the piercing hurting actions of Lori.

Silk then spoke up. “Lori you should leave, now. Decaf only chilled Shy down for a moment. Plus none of us want you here. Right guys?”

Everyone shouted in agreement. Lori made a hasty escape from the angry mob gathering. Not staying was the only course of action. The throne room was about to be overrun by these barbarians and she was not going to be trampled as they were pillaging. She took off already spinning the events to fit her narrative. That the Cove Crew was not cool enough for her to waste her time. They only hung out in this secluded place because no one else likes them. Why else would they not always spend their time in all of those spotlights on the boardwalk? These lies were easy to believe, Lori wanted to, plus another lie she believed backed it up. That Luke could never be friends with people who were even as half as cool as her.

**********

As the rest of the Cove Crew was squashing the coup d'état, Lil was on a special search and rescue mission to recover a wounded brother in arms. This mission was critical to maintaining the comradery of the Crew. Not only because the one who was wounded was one of their own, but some of the injuries were from friendly fire. If those wounds were not attended to quickly Lil and the rest of her friends would blame themselves for the lingering effects.

Finding the MIA was easy enough, there was not enough time for Luke to be that far away. Once Lil had her boyfriend in sights, now came the hard part of the rescue. She knew that Luke did not know who to trust at that moment. The wounded veteran of the War of the Twins had his defenses up to protect himself.

When Lil was close enough she called out “Eck.” This signal flare was ignored by its target. When the lady who was not going to let anyone down fired out a second signal flare, it was a stronger one “Luke.” This time her target gave back a warning shot by saying “Don’t you mean Luka.”

Lil knew she deserved the fire. There was no way that the wounded teenager could know that she was there to help him. She was part of the cause of the pain. Instead of trying to defend or downplay the break of trust Lil committed, she accepted responsibility for her actions. “Luke, I am sorry I should have believed you.”

Those simple words were the beginning of triage and treatment of Luke’s wounds. He stopped to let Lil catch up to him. He was still being careful and not wanting to get closer to the bonfire. To him that captured site was now the new capital of the Brat Princess’s kingdom.

Lil hugged Eck. The warmth, caring, and love she had for him were able to infiltrate the fortifications around his heart. The boy who was holding the girl who cared for him the most and he cared for the most let down his defensives. That moment with both of them being honest and open made Lil become Mary and Eck become Luke.

“Luke I should have listened to you. I wanted you to know I care for you no matter what. I did not hear your words because I wanted to be there for you. But that is not enough, without trust caring means nothing. I will be there for you by listening and believing you from now on.”

“Mary, I overreacted some. I am just so used to people believing my sister over me. I should have stayed and made you and the rest of the Crew listen to me.”

“No, you did nothing wrong. You told us the truth and there was no reason not to believe you. We wanted to support you. Come on back I know the rest of our friends have something to say.

“I do wish you would have stayed, Greg K. came and set both the record and us straight. I know Shy had to scare your sister. Our friend was already calling her out on lying about you.”

Luke got back to the fire and then everyone in the Crew made it a point to tell him they messed up by not believing him, were sorry and it would not happen again. A couple of them said that they hated the pain which being petticoat punished caused, but were happy that it brought them together. They were happy to be able to show Luke what true friendship was.

Those words meant so much to Luke. Those words meant all the pain, all the tears he shedded alone, all the times he felt rejected were worth it. Now he had a close group of friends who would be there for him. That night the support beam under the boardwalk of Luke’s life became strong enough to withstand anything. It gave him the solid ground to be able to stand up for himself with all his inner strength. There was no way Luke could hit the rocky bottom below the solid footing of the support of his friends.