Chapter 17

Happy tears streamed down Ben's cheeks. "Babe, please don't cry," Kadin said, pulling him close and drying his eyes.

"I can't help it," Ben said. "I feel like I'm on a roller coaster ride when it comes to my emotions," he said. "If I sleep tonight, will I wake up tomorrow and find out that this was only a dream?" Ben asked.

"No, love," Kadin said, shaking his head. Ben left the bedroom and headed into the living room.

"What time do you need to be at home?" Ben asked as they sat down on the couch.

"I can stay until 4, then I need to head home for dinner," Kadin said.

The boys sipped hot chocolate while they watched random TV shows. "I heard that you had homework," Kadin said.

"Yeah, it was because I couldn't concentrate in math class," Ben said.

"Did you get it done?" Kadin asked.

"I did once my mind settled down," Ben said. "I emailed the teacher and the school once it was done," he said.

"You usually don't have homework," Kadin stated.

"I know," Ben said. "With everything that's been going on, I had trouble focusing," he admitted.

Kadin glanced at his phone when it chimed, telling him the time. He stood up and faced Ben. "I need to head home," he said. "Don't stress so much or you'll make yourself sick," he advised.

"I'll try my best to stay positive," Ben said.

"Remember, if you need anything, I'm just a phone call away," Kadin said.

"Thanks," Ben said, smiling. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said.

"See you," Kadin said, kissing him on the cheek.

It was dinnertime at the McBride house, so Ben helped by setting the table.

"How did the talk go?" Alec asked while fixing spaghetti and meatballs.

"It went well," Ben said. "He meant what he said when he confessed," he said.

"Ah, young love," Alec said, grinning at him.

"Oh shoot," Ben exclaimed. "I need to buy him a present." "His birthday is coming up," he said.

"What does he like to do?" Deb and Alec asked.

"Carpentry mostly," Ben said.

Alec narrowed his eyes in thought. "That's a week away," he said. "I'll make you a deal," "Keep up your grades, and I'll help you buy a set," he offered. "We'll start an alliance after that," he added.

"It's a deal," Ben said, nodding his head.

"Now, let's eat dinner," Alec said. Ben took his bowl, scooped a heaping helping of spaghetti, and set it back down. Alec passed Ben a plate of garlic bread, and he took a couple of slices. After dinner, Ben helped clear the table. He also helped dry dishes while Deb washed them. He went into his bedroom once chores were done and gathered everything to take a bath.

Ben thought about the allowance that Alec offered the night before. "That'll be good," he thought to himself. Ben thought over what he'd do with the money once it started coming in.

"I'll save up some for Christmas."

"I want to be on my own some day, so I need to save up for that,"

"If I need anything, I can buy it,"

He finished his bath, got dressed in warm pajamas, and got under the covers. He checked the clock, which read 9 p.m., then set the alarm for 5 a.m. He rolled onto his side and closed his eyes.

***Beep Beep Beep***

Ben woke up to the loud sound. He reached his hand out and cut off the irritating noise.

"Well, back to school," he said to himself. He rose from his bed, stretched his arms, and yawned. He dressed in a lavender hoodie, gray sweatpants, and sneakers. Ben stepped into the kitchen and made his lunch for the day. Once that was done, he grabbed an apple and ate it.

"Morning," Alec said, walking in the room.

"Morning," Ben said, smiling.

"Are you ready for school?" Alec asked.

"Almost," Ben said. "I've got to take my medications," he said.

Thirty minutes later, they arrived at the school. "Hello there," Ben said cheerfully as he approached Kadin, who stood in front of the lockers.

"Hello," Kadin said, giving Ben a peck on the cheek. The boys headed to class while Alec headed to his office. The first half of school sped by, and it was finally lunchtime. Jaws dropped and eyes fell upon Ben and Kadin as they walked into the cafeteria hand in hand. A familiar blonde waved and motioned for them to come over.

"Hello Andre," Kadin said. "How was your holiday?" he asked.

"Boring as always," he said. "Mom and dad always argue over who to invite and who's cooking what," he said.

Ben opened his lunchbox and grabbed his turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich. "So, are you two together now?" Andre asked. Ben stared at him and swallowed his bite.

"Yes, but do not advertise it all over school," Kadin said.

"Yes, sir, Mr. Alpha, sir," Andre said, bowing his head. The three boys continue to eat their lunch.

"My birthday is Saturday, and I am having a party," Kadin said. "It'll be at 1 p.m.," he said. "Would you two like to come?" he asked.

"I'll talk to my foster parents about it," Ben said.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," Andre said, grinning widely. "You'll be driving soon," he said.

Kadin nodded and said, "Yes," looking at Andre. "I can drive my parents' car if one of them is with me," he explained. As they walked to PE class after lunch, they talked about cars and how cool it would be to drive them. They changed into their gym clothes and took their seats on the bleachers.

"Alright, time for some stretches, then we're running laps," the teacher stepped in and announced. Everyone stood up, walked away from the bleachers, and stretched. When it came to running laps, Kadin ran beside Ben even though he could've run faster.

Ben turned his head when he heard, "Get a move on, slackers, or you'll be running laps for me after school," from their teacher. When gym class ended, Ben was winded. Luckily, Ben could rest in his next class. The second half of school wasn't as tiring.

"Phew, school is over," Ben said as they stood in front of their lockers. "I'm exhausted," he said. Alec walked up and asked, "Are you ready to go?" Ben nodded his head.

"I'll talk to you later," Ben said.

"Rest up, and we'll chat online," Kadin said.

Ben laid down on his bed when they got home and took a nap. He was met by Alec when he headed into the living room.

"How was school?" Alec asked. "You looked tired," he said.

"Tiring," Ben said. "We ran laps today in PE," he explained.

"Do you have homework?" he asked.

"No," Ben said, shaking his head. "I got it done at school," he said.

Alec noticed that Been was deep in thought. "Kadin is having a birthday party at his house," Ben said. "He invited me and one of our friends over," he said. "Can I go?" he asked.

"What time will it be?" Alec asked.

"1pm," Ben answered.

"Keep up with your studies and don't get into trouble; you can go," Alec said.

"Thank you," Ben said. "I'll message and tell him now," he said.

"We'll go get his present after school on Friday," Alec said. Ben turned his head and smiled in delight.

Ben entered his bedroom and shut the door. He grabbed his laptop and switched it on. His heart beat fast when he opened the chat room screen. There was no sign of Kadin. He randomly chatted with people until Kadin's nickname popped up.

"Hi, I need to talk to you," he said, sending a private message. A few minutes later, they were in a private room.

"Did you say that you needed to talk?" Kadin asked.

"Yeah, I wanted to tell you that I got permission to come over on Saturday," Ben said.

"That's great!" Kadin said. "Will your foster parents be bringing you?" he asked.

"Yeah," Ben said. "Don't ask too many questions, but I'll be bringing you a gift," he said.

"Okay, I won't pry," Kadin said.

The two boys exited the private chat and reentered the main chat room. They talked until Ben heard a knock on his door. "Dinner's ready," Deb said from the other side of the door.

"I've got to go," Ben said. "It's time for dinner," he said. Ben logged out and shut down his laptop. He walked into the dining room and sat down at the table. A big bowl of chicken Alfredo sat in the middle of the table. Green salad and garlic bread sat on each side of it.

"I told my friend that I could come to his party and that you would be bringing me," Ben said.

"That's good," Deb said.

"That way we can meet his parents," Alec said, chiming in.

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