Beneath the Mask

{Beneath The Mask is pure fiction. As I am writing this story, I am above the age of 21. If you want a story with lots of sex, look elsewhere. This is a love story. Seeing as it is a love story, sex is in there, but it's in realistic balance in the characters' lives.

Any similarity to any real events, names, or life events is purely accidental. If you are underage, (according to your state laws as a minor), if this literature is offensive to you or to anyone around your viewing area, or it is illegal for you to view such content where you are reading it, stop reading the story.

This story can't be distributed in anyway, shape or form without my expressed written consent.}

Written by J.P.G.

Chapter 25

Matt waited for Alex at their lockers before heading to their first period class. Once Alex joined Matt they got the books they need for their morning classes. They didn't speak about what just happened in the principal's office. Both of them just want to put the morning behind them. They feared the worst, but got out to live free another day.

No one really looked at Alex and Matt or talked about what had happened. In fact, Alex started to think that maybe they have no idea what happened. One thing that Alex has learned is that this school loves to gossip about everything and everyone. He feels lucky that no one is actually gossiping about him, Matt and his friends.

When they walked into Taco Bell, Alex had to look twice to make sure his eyes are not playing tricks on him. Dewayne is actually at the cash register instead of the kitchen. This is the first time since they have started coming down for lunch.

The line moved very quickly as it always does and before Alex knew it he started to put in his order. Jacob kept letting others go before him in order for him to place his order with Dewayne. Once Dewayne finished the customer he was working with Jacob walked up to place his order. Although they tried to hide it, Alex is able to see Jacob and Dewayne are holding hands as Jacob gives the order to Dewayne.

As soon as Jacob got his food he joined the others at their normal table. Even more now, Alex noticed Jacob unable to stop looking at his boyfriend. Then to everyone's surprise, Dewayne walked up to the cable and handed Jacob a bag of cinnamon twists. They both kept hitting each other and stealing a kiss.

This surprised Alex because he has never seen Jacob show the love he has for Dewayne in public like this. Everyone that lives in the house has seen them kiss, but never have they seen them kiss in public.

Alex turned to talk with Matt and Chase trying to give Jacob and Dewayne privacy. They really didn't know what to talk about, but they knew they had to talk about something in order to give Jacob and Dewayne privacy. But Dewayne only stayed for a few more minutes before getting up to clean the tables.

By the end of the school day, Alex really didn't want to go to work. The commotion from the morning has finally caught up to him and all he wants to do is go home. When he joined the others at Tom's car, he saw how excited they are and didn't have the heart to tell them he didn't want to go to work. So instead, Alex put on a happy face and decided to make the best of it at work.

They finished their very first print job and got ready for pickup. As they started to box it up, Alex noticed the print job is going to Jacob and his ROTC program. He walked over to Ron's office and knocked on the door.

"Ron, I have a question about the print job we just finished. I didn't know that this print job belongs to Jacob and his program. Are we giving him some kind of discount, or even the job for free?" Ron just looked up at Alex as if he is losing his mind. "The reason I ask that is because Jacob owns half of this print shop. Plus, if it wasn't for him, we would be up and running like we are doing right now."

"Alex, I tried to do the job for Jacob for free and after he declined it, I tried to give a discount he declined that also. He made it very clear that this company is yours, although he is fronting the money. He doesn't want any special treatment or discounts for his ROTC program. Whatever price we are charging the others he wants us to charge his ROTC program the same amount."

"Okay, I can understand that. But when anything comes from his company, we need to give him a discount. We can do at least that much because of all of what he has done for us. When he tries to say `no', we don't accept that for answer."

"I have no objection to that. From what I gather from our talks he wants us to charge the programs that are part of the school and not part of his company the same price. When it comes to his company I do believe he will accept a discount. He is a very smart and shrewd businessman. There is no way is not going to refuse to save the money."

With that said, Alex felt comfortable and walked back to help the others box up the newsletter for the ROTC program. As soon as they finished taping the last box up, Ron walked on to the production floor.

"I just got off the phone with Major Moore and he asked me if Jacob could pick up the newsletters sometime before Friday. I told the instructor that I have no problem with that. The only problem I have is I don't know when Jacob is going be back here at the office. Alex, can you take the newsletters to Jacob?"

"I have no problem taking them to Jacob. We will have to take half of them today and the other half tomorrow because Tom is the one that drives. He has a car and we can only fit so much into his trunk."

Tom had no objection on putting boxes in his trunk to take to Jacob. Before leaving, Tom pulled up the car to the loading dock and they loaded up what they could in his trunk. Once the trunk couldn't fit anymore, they put the rest of the boxes to the side to take home tomorrow.

When Alex walked into the house, he felt something weird in the air. He can't put his finger on it, but he knows there is something definitely not right this house. The house is too quiet and that is very out of the ordinary for Jacob's house. There is always something going on or someone making noise.

He looked around as he walked over to the kitchen in hopes that he might be able to run into Jacob, but he didn't. Alex joined the others at the table as Franseca warmed up the food. All of them ate as quickly as they could because they have homework to do before they have to take their showers and get to bed.

The minute Alex walked into his room; he lay down on the bed. He realized that he didn't stop and spend time with his brothers. He got right back up and headed back over to Jacob's house. Alex walked over to the basement door, but noticed there is no light coming in from underneath the door. He opened it to find the lights off.

Alex closed the door and looked once more in the den, living room and the TV room. He found the lights off in every room. Alex gave up looking, and decided to head back to his house. When he walked in, he walked over to his mom in the living room. Franseca looked up right as Alex reached the couch and she turned the TV down.

"Mom, where is Lorenzo and Ismail? I went over to the game room, and didn't find them there like they are every night." Alex sat down on the couch next to his mom.

"They are in their rooms. After dinner, they came over to the house instead of playing in the game room. That surprised me so I came over to see why they are not playing in the game room as they always do. I really thought they might have broken something and didn't want to get the blame or in trouble.

When I talked with them, I was completely on the wrong track. They wanted Jacob to play with them so Lorenzo and Ismail went to see if he would play with them. They walked into the hall right when Jacob, Al and Dewayne walked into the den. Ismail followed Lorenzo to the den and they stood at the door while Jacob talked with his grandfather and Dewayne."

Alex looked at his mother as she talked. He knew what ever she is about to say is not good news. She could barely get the words out as she continued to explain. That caused shivers to go up and down Alex's spine. Something is going on and it is not good whatever it is.

"They over heard the conversation in the den and didn't understand what was being said. They think that Jacob is going to die because his machine is not working. At first I didn't understand what they were saying, but I put it together. Once I did that, I tried to explain to them that Jacob is going to be fine, but again they didn't understand.

They actually started to cry thinking that Jacob is going to be taken away from them. No matter what I said after that, they would not stop crying. They actually cried themselves to sleep. That is when I left them and went back over to the house and talked with Virginia about the whole thing."

"What did Jacob's grandmother tell you? Did Lorenzo and Ismail misunderstand what they were hearing? They are very smart for their ages and I know it takes a lot to get them confused about things."

"They did misunderstand the conversation. The machine Jacob is using to get his kidneys working isn't working as well as it should. His kidneys went the other direction and now they are not working at all. That means Jacob needs a transplant. He is going to talk with his brother and sister about getting tested. If they don't match, he will end up depending on the transplant list. What I understand about that is many don't get what they need in time."

Franseca was trying to be strong for Alex, but Alex saw right through it. He moved in closer to her in order to hold her. Although she wanted to cry, Franseca held it in. She hugged Alex back and let him go.

"I am glad that Al arrived at the school just in time. Without this family, I don't know where we would be. They have been very good to us from day one. Never have they looked down at us. We can't take any of this for granted. That's why what is going on with Jacob is hurting me the way it is."

"Mom, don't you worry about him. He is a good guy and nothing happens to good people like him. I am very thankful for Jacob and his family too especially after days like today. I know there shouldn't be a difference, but days like today remind me about everything they do for us. I will always be thankful for them for the rest of my life."

Alex hugged his mother one more time before leaving her to watch her soaps. He walked over to check on his brothers and found them still asleep. He rejoined Matt in their room, but didn't say anything to Matt. He felt that it is not his place to talk about Jacob. He doesn't like others talking about him, so he won't talk about others.

They got their homework done by ten, took their showers and got under the covers by eleven. Matt went to sleep the minute his head hit the pillow, but Alex stayed awake thinking for a little longer. He can't help but think what Jacob must be going through right now. If he was in Jacob's shoes, he probably wouldn't be able to sleep.

As Alex started to doze off to sleep and the last thing he did is decide to get tested. He knows the chances of being a match are even slimmer than Jacob's own brother and sister, but he is going to do it anyways. He felt he owes Jacob at least that much for everything that Jacob has done for him and his family.

From the moment Alex woke up. He couldn't stop thinking about the decision he made as he went to sleep the night before. He is going to go through with it, but he has a problem. He doesn't know where to go and get tested at the same time he doesn't want to ask Jacob or any of his friends because they may try to talk him out of it.

Alex decided the best thing for him to do is find out where Dr. Whitmore's office is. That way he can talk with Whitmore in private and let him know the plans. One thing Alex is sure of is the close relationship that Jacob has with Dr. Whitmore. If Whitmore sees a chance of getting Jacob the kidney without waiting he would jump at it.

By third period, Alex could not stay put. He loves history class but today, he just wants to get through his day as fast as he can. Like many times in the past, whenever Alex wants the day go by fast, the day just drags on.

To top it all off, his teacher volunteered his class to participate in a mock trial with the government class. Alex's teacher started to hand out dittos explaining what the trial is going to be and what parts they're going to play. Before anyone could ask a question the teacher started to explain what they are reading.

"Okay, some of you have already taken your required government class and some you haven't. Those who have taken the class have done this, and those that haven't will when you take the class. It's lots of fun, and I know you guys will enjoy this.

We will be taking on the part of defense team and the defendant also will come from this class. Some of you will be picked for the jury and the rest will help out where needed. No matter what part you play, you all will be graded on this. So if you don't take this seriously your grades will suffer for it."

One of these students immediately volunteered to be defense counsel. Everyone started to boo him when he did it. He is known as the student that likes to kiss the teacher's behind. Every class has one and in this class it's this guy.

"Thank you Donald but we're going to run this is little different than volunteering. What I have done is put every one of your names in this jar. I will start out by calling out the six students from this class that will be on the jury and then move on to the defendant and the defense counsel that will represent him in this mock trial."

Everyone just sat there in their desks as their teacher started to pull one named after the other from the jar. Alex and Matt felt lucky that they actually didn't get picked to be on the jury. They hope that their luck will continue and they don't get picked for any part of this mock trial.

The entire class started to laugh when Donald's name got called to play the defendant. No matter how much the teacher asked the class to settle down, it took several minutes for them to stop laughing. Once they did settle down, their teacher picked up the jar to continue calling out the final names.

"Okay, now that you guys have settled down, I will call out the defense team that will be defending Donald. Co-counsel is going to be Matt." Everyone looked at Matt with a surprised look on their faces. "And now the other co-counsel is going to be Alex."

Both Alex and Matt looked at each other with the same thought was going to their mind; `set up'. There is no way that both of their names could have been called for defense counsel. The only explanation that came to mind for Alex is that his teacher somehow placed their names in the jar, where she could get to them.

Then Alex noticed the teacher putting all the names back in the jar and shaking it up. He realized then that she didn't need to put their names somewhere she could get to them. She is the only one that saw all the names that were being pulled out and who knows if she was saying the name on the paper or not or just the student that she actually wants to be each of the positions in the mock trial.

Alex and Matt just sat there trying to figure out what they need to do next. Donald walked over and sat in the desk next to them. At first he just sat there in silence and didn't say a word. All of a sudden he scooted his desk as close as he could to Alex is and Matt desk. He started to whisper as if what they are discussing is top-secret.

"Look you guys; right now I have a four point 0 right now. You may think this is a joke, but I don't. I will keep my four point 0 if that means I have to report you guys to our teacher for not taking this assignment seriously."

Alex leaned forward to look Donald in the eyes. "You little shit, don't you threaten me. Who in the hell do you think you are? If I was the same person I was a year ago, I would kick your ass from one side of this room to the other. Don't ever talk to me the way you just did, because the next time you do, I might not be able to stop myself from sending you back to the day your were born."

Donald got up and ran up to the teacher almost tripping on the way up several times. Whatever he is telling their teacher is causing her to keep looking over at Alex. When Donald finished, their teacher got up from her desk and walked over to Alex. Not saying a word, she gestured to Alex to follow her to the hallway.

Alex got up and walked out into the hallway. He leaned against the locker as his teacher made sure the class continued working on the project. Once she felt comfortable enough that she could walk away from the door, she joined Alex at the lockers.

"I know Donald is hard to get along with. He thinks that he is the smartest person in my class. In fact he thinks that he is the smartest person in this school. I believe you are actually smarter than he is and let me tell you why I think that.

You saw through me the minute I called your name. I know you figured out that I actually assigned each person for the parts you guys are playing. I have my reasons why I did that, and I will keep those reasons to myself. Now you figured it out, but Donald didn't and the reason he didn't is because he is full of himself.

Just deal with him during this trial. I know with you and Matt as defense council, we will have a very good chance winning this mock trial for the first time. Every semester we do this and every semester my class looses. I am tired of loosing to my fellow teacher."

"I promise to do what I can to help you win. I'm sorry but that kid, he just gets under my skin. I have been able to keep my anger down dealing with a lot worse, but somehow he gets my blood boiling. No matter what, I will keep a cool head and deal with Donald."

They both walked back into the classroom. Alex rejoined Matt and Donald at their desks, and their teacher walked back to hers. No one said a word to each other at first until Matt finally broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Let's just start working on this mock trial that way we all get A's. I am pretty sure the government class has a leg up on us. They have probably been working on this for days already. Before we even start we are playing catch up."

"Yeah I agree, let's look at what the charges are and how we plan to go about putting on a defense. They got half of the jury, but they have the judge. That means if we don't study up on the law, they will get us at every turn."

Alex pulled out the folder to see what they are going to work on. Donald still not saying a word, he also pulled out his folder and started to read the charges that he is charged with. Matt looked up at Alex after reading the charges and actually started to laugh.

"Well, we have experience in this Alex. Maybe this time we will be able to win the case. This case is about a robbery that wound up turning into a high speed chase. In that chase, the defendant actually hit several cars. In doing so, he killed one person. So he is charged with robbery as the lower charge and murder as the higher charge."

"So what do you think I should do, plead guilty and see what the court will give me?" Donald whispered to Matt with a shaky voice.

"To be honest with you, I don't think they will allow you do that. They want the mock trial where they earn their semester grade. We need to look up similar cases and choose the best defense. Once we do that, we see what the DA has and go through all the court proceedings." Alex closed his folder and put it in his boo bag.

Before Donald could say another word, the bell rang. He got up and walked back to his desk. Alex and Matt grabbed their book bags and headed off to lunch. On their way out, Donald caught up with them. He tried to make plans to study together, but Alex and Matt told him that they will get back with him tomorrow during class and walked off.

By the time Alex and Matt reached the cafeteria the line is already heading out into the hall. Matt can see Alex is frustrated about the whole idea of this assignment they got in history class. Matt decided to just let Alex wrestle with it by himself. He learned that when Alex is ready to talk about something, he will do so in his own time.

As they reached the register Alex snapped out of his bad mood and started talking as if nothing had happened they walked over to their table to find Jacob and the others just standing there looking at other students sitting at their usual table. The minute Alex walked up to Jacob; the other students looked up at him. They grabbed their trays and took off.

Before they finished eating, they decided to go out and throw the football around on the football field. This time they made sure to include Jacob in the conversation. To everybody's surprise, Jacob decided to go with them instead of going to the ROTC building like he usually does.

They started to throw the football around when a group of students walked up and asked to play a game. Of course they didn't back down and agreed to play. It didn't take much effort on their side to score on the other team. They not only scored on the offense of line, but they also scored on the defensive line. Even Jacob intercepted the ball and ran in for a touchdown. That surprised everyone seeing Jacob really getting into the game.

Before they could walk off the field Tom's football coach called him over. Alex decided to take this opportunity to speak with David about a ride after school to Jacob's doctor's office. He waved David over, a couple feet from the group.

"I know I shouldn't be asking you this question because the car is Tom's, but you know him better than any of us. Do you think Tom will give me a ride to Dr. Whitmore's office after school today? I'm not feeling too hot, and since Jacob trusts him I can trust him."

"I don't see why not. But don't you think you should go to the emergency room instead of going to the doctor's office? I think Dr. Whitmore does things by appointment and he's not open that late." David looked at Alex was a confused look on his face.

"The emergency room is for people that need immediate attention and that I don't need. I think I'm coming down with a cold, and if the cold gets me down it takes days for me to get rid of it. To make sure he's there, I will call so we won't do the trip for nothing."

"That's cool with me and I know it will be cool with Tom. Maybe we should go during sixth period instead of afterschool just in case it's just a cold and he gives you medicine we can actually go to work. I don't want to miss a day of work when I'm barely starting this job. You, Matt and Ron gave us this job and I don't want to screw it up.

Both of them agreed on going to Dr. Whitmore's office during six period. Alex promised to call Dr. Whitmore's office and make sure he will be there. David promised to speak with Tom to get him to agree to take him to the doctor.

Right when they knocked out the details Tom walked up and started talking to Jacob. Alex and David ran up to rejoin the group by the time they'd caught up to them they found Jacob laughing and trying to explain to Tom that he doesn't mean any disrespect by laughing. He explained why he is laughing to Tom, and that is when Alex figured out what they are talking about.

As they walked into the main building, Alex told Matt that he would meet him at the locker and just a few minutes he needed to do something. Matt of course didn't ask any questions. He just walked down the hall to their locker. Alex walked over to the pay phones and dialed information for the number of Dr. Whitmore's office.

Once he got the number he called immediately and got connected to Dr. Whitmore. He explained the reasons why he is calling and asked Dr. Whitmore not to say a word to anyone, including Jacob. Dr. Whitmore agreed and set up appointment for Alex at two forty-five before hanging up the phone.

When he walked up to Matt, Alex explained to him that he isn't feeling good and he called to set up an appointment with Jacob's doctor for today at two forty-five. Without even skipping a beat Matt immediately made it clear to Alex he is going. By the look on Matt's face Alex decided not to even fight him on it.

As soon as the bell rang excusing them from fifth period, Alex and Matt quickly went to their lockers. As soon as they grabbed their needed books, they met up with Tom and David on the side of the school. As they started to walk home, Alex told them that his appointment is at two forty-five. So they started running, realizing that they really don't have that much time to get the car and get down to Whitmore's office.

Not breaking the speed limit or running red lights, to everyone's surprise, they actually made it just in time. As Alex walked up to the window, Dr. Whitmore waved him to the back. Alex asked the others to sit down and relax as he walked to the door. Matt couldn't stop but think that he should be going to the back with Alex.

The nurse opened the door and let Alex in. Dr. Whitmore escorted him over to the exam room that they will be using. Alex walked over to the bed and sat down as Dr. Whitmore started up a chart for Alex.

"This thing you are doing for Jacob is really nice of you. I need to make clear the chances of you being a match is very slim so don't get your hopes up that you are going to be the one that will be donating the kidney.

I also want to make clear this is not something you can walk into with out weighing everything. You will be opened up and I will be taking an organ out of you. You can live with one kidney, but I want you to understand all the pro's and con's of this. I want to make sure you are making this decision for no other reason except for the good."

Dr. Whitmore went through the list of all the pro's first and then went through the list of all the cons. Alex sat there listening to Dr. Whitmore the whole time not saying a word. Nothing that the doctor said is changing Alex's mind. He already knew basically everything that Dr. Whitmore is saying.

"Now Alex, I need to know something before we go any further. I need to know why you are doing this. You barely know Jacob from what I understand. So what is bringing you here today to help Jacob out?"

"I know what I am about to say is going to get you to ask me not do this for Jacob. Let me make this clear, no matter what you say, I plan to do this donation if I match Jacob with you or without you." Dr. Whitmore nodded his head indicating Alex to continue.

"The first time I met Jacob was not a normal way a person meets another person. My life was all screwed up at the time and that is not me making excuses for what I did to Jacob. I was wrong and I know it. If I could go back to the past and correct that day, I would. At the same time Jacob keeps thanking me because in his eyes he believes that I saved his life. That is a longer story for another time.

I know you know about me and there's no need for me to tell you what I did to Jacob. You already know that story. There is nothing I can say to change the facts of that story. But with that said, Jacob never turned his back on me. In fact if it was not for him, I would not be sitting here today. I would be dead.

He helped me when everyone was telling him not to. He stood behind me when everyone told him to run for his life. He helped my mother and brothers and again when everyone thought Jacob went crazy for doing so. He did all that because he has a big heart that makes him care for everyone and everything around him.

If I match, I want to donate a kidney to him for everything he has done for me. Not because it is a payback for everything he has done for me. I will never be able to pay him back even if I donate every organ in my body. The debt I owe Jacob I will owe the rest of my life. To prove what I am saying is the truth, I don't want Jacob or anyone to know it is me donating the kidney. Again, I know all this depends on me matching."

"Alex you are a lot different person than I thought you were. You are right, the only thing I knew about you is what you did to Jacob. I thought the worst of you and now you prove me wrong. You have a big heart just like Jacob does. I think that is why Jacob never left your side. He saw that heart that no one else was willing or able to see.

You have me sold on why you are doing this. You are doing it for all the right reasons in my mind. It is not payment for all that Jacob has done for you. You truly love him as a brother and that is why you are here wanting to donate a kidney. So let's stop the talking and get the test done."

Alex sat there letting Dr. Whitmore run every test he needed to run. In between the tests, Dr. Whitmore had Alex fill out a health history and a questionnaire of what he has take or drank in the past. Once the paperwork was filled out and all the tests were ran, Whitmore explained to Alex that he will have the answer tomorrow because he has to send all the blood and other tests he ran to the hospital.

The only thing Alex asked of Whitmore is that he be able to call the office, instead of his house at five. Whitmore agreed as they walked out to the lobby. He remembered the cover story as they reached the door. He wanted to help Alex so he played it all out for Alex.

"Everything looks good Alex. Right now you are healthy as an ox. Like I said on the phone, you need to sleep more than you are doing. Your body is feeling run down and that is why you are feeling the way you are feeling. But you don't have a cold." Whitmore nodded Alex's hand and winked at him knowing that no one else can see his face.

Alex walked over to Matt and grabbed his hand. They headed to work not talking about the visit to Whitmore's office. None of them had any idea the real reason why Alex actually saw Whitmore. They believe Alex's cover story and that is why they didn't say a word on the way to work. They talked about the football game they played during lunch and that is it.

After work, they headed straight home. Chase, David and Matt fell asleep as they got on the freeway. Alex sat there in the backseat in silence thinking to himself. He has so many thoughts going through his mind from school work, to work and to what he just did dealing with Jacob. He's not afraid of what he has done. Alex just wondered how he's going to pull it off without anybody finding out. Then he thought that maybe he's jumping the gun because he doesn't know if he's a match yet.

As soon as they got home, they help Jacob load the truck with the newsletters for the ROTC program. After they finished loading and eating, Alex headed straight to his house to do his homework. Before leaving Jacob's though, he checked in the game room and didn't find his brothers playing.

He walked over to his brothers' room and looked through the crack of the door. He found that his brothers are already asleep. Alex quietly walked away from the door and headed to his room thinking to himself that there has to be a way he can help his brothers understand that what is going on with Jacob is not going to kill him.

The next morning, Alex and Matt ran into Donald in the cafeteria. They tried at first to hide from him and had no luck. They then tried to dodge him, but again they had no luck getting away from Donald.

"Hey guys, I am wondering if you guys have been working on our project for history class. I spent a couple hours last night drawing up a game plan. I made you guy's copies so you can look at them and let me know what you think during class today."

Alex took his copy and looked at it before he said anything. Matt tapped him on his waist to make sure he thinks before he talks. Alex got the message and just told Donald that they would look at it and get back with him during class. Donald nodded his head and walked off of allowing Alex and Matt to join the others.

"If that guy keeps getting under my skin I don't see a way of me not kicking his butt. I understand everything about his GPA and how he doesn't want to lose it. At the same time he's getting very annoying. I wonder if he actually has any friends that can put up with the way he is. If there's people out there like that they deserve an award"

"Come on Alex. You know you are a long ways from dealing with your problems with violence. You talk things out now and work through them. Don't let Donald push you back to the way you were that got you in trouble. You're better than that now and you know it."

Alex reached under the table and grabbed Matt's hand. They held each other's hands while they finished eating. Since it is still cold outside for them to be talking, they headed to the library after everyone finished eating.

Instead of sitting with the others Matt and Alex went to the law books and tried to figure out what they're going to do in history class. Neither of them understood anything they are reading so they decided to check the books out and asked their history teacher for help. In their eyes the books are written in a totally different language than English.

"I don't know what our teacher wants from us but to learn the law is out of the question. I really think we are going to flunk this project, Matt. I don't see any way around that because we don't know anything about the law."

"Alex, I think you are worrying way too much about this project. If she sees that we are trying to put up a defense she is not going to flunk us. Now getting a hundred on the project is a totally different story. There I do believe we have to not only put on a good defense, but actually get Donald off!"

"There's where I have a problem Matt. How do we do that? The government teacher is probably teaching his students the actual law and our teacher is going to continue with her lesson plan and allow us the last fifteen minutes of class to work on this project. That is why I am asking how we do that."

Matt just shrugged his shoulders as he picked up several of the books from the table and Alex picked up the remaining books. They walked out of the library to their locker. They started to discuss what each of their attorneys said to them in hopes that they may be able to create a defense off of the defense of their own cases.

By the time they reached their locker they had a skeleton plan on what they're going to do. Both of them had good attorneys and the going to take plays out of their playbook in order to create their defense.

On the way to his first period, Alex crumbled up the paper that Donald gave him earlier and tossed it into the waste basket in the hallway. Matt saw him doing it. So when they walked into their classroom, he crumbled up the paper and to toss in the waste basket. As they passed their teacher's desk, he threw away in the waste basket.

When Alex sat down, he started to write out an outline on how they're going to handle the defense. After he finished he passed it to Matt where he could put his own two cents into it. That went on for the first two periods of the day. When they walked into their third period, they are ready to hand Donald a copy of what they plan to do.

Just like the teacher stated yesterday that she will continue with regular class for the first forty-five minutes. Then the last fifteen minutes, they will be able to spend working on their part of the mock trial. Alex is good with dates and that is why he is very good in history class. He likes learning about regular people doing great things in their lifetime.

The teacher actually stopped teaching twenty minutes prior to the end of class giving those that have been selected to do the mock trial more time. Donald joined Alex and Matt away from the others in the back of the room. He pulled up a desk and started to go over the paper that Matt handed him at the beginning of class.

"I kind of see where you guys are coming from here." Donald looked up from his sheet of paper at Matt and Alex. "At the same time though, our chances of winning this way are very slim. Why don't you attempt to go and see if there's any kind of plea on the table? That way if they say there is, it will tell us where they're weak."

"No it would show them our hand, not the other way around. I still believe what I said to you yesterday about plea bargains. There is no way they're going to give you this, because their grades depend on the mock trial."

"Donald, I completely agree with what Alex is saying. There is no way they are going to give you a plea. So you need to move on from that and try to help us put on a case. We checked out some books from the library, but we can't make heads or tails of them." Matt pulled out the books from his bag and handed them to Donald.

Donald started flipping through them, and it looks like he understands what he is reading. As he flipped through the pages he stopped on certain sections and wrote down some stuff and then continued. He finally closed the book and handed Matt the paper he has been jotting notes down on.

"This will work with the way you guys want to run the defense. By looking at the law, and using it we probably can win this. At the same time, we need to get specialists as witnesses. The only way I know that's going to work is if our teacher allows other students in our class to participate in this mock trial."

"It doesn't hurt to ask her instead of assuming things." Alex got up and walked up to the front to see what his teacher thinks about the idea.

Spending the rest of the remainder of their time talking with their teacher, Alex couldn't get back with Donald about her answer. The bell rang with him still talking and getting permission to use other students. She promised Alex that tomorrow she will take several names from the jar after he hands her the list of witnesses he needs.

Alex chuckled as he walked towards Matt. His teacher made him laugh a little when she stated that she will use the jar to pick other students names out. She should just say the ones she wants and stop the game she is playing.

Matt already gathered Alex's books so by the time Alex reached him they were ready to head to lunch. They headed to the cafeteria because Jacob told everyone during breakfast there be eating at school and not at Taco Bell. This time he didn't use Dewayne as an excuse. He just simply said that he wants to eat at school.

On the way to the cafeteria, Alex did some quick math in his head. He thinks he's figured out why Jacob wants to eat at school. The amount of money he is spending every day taking them out to eat is adding up. That has to be putting a dent into Jacob's wallet.

"Do you think that the reason we are eating at school now is because of the amount of money Jacob is spending?" Alex leaned in asking Matt.

"To tell you the truth Alex, I really think that may be one of the reasons. Think about it spending an average of four dollars per person, and there are eight of us. That comes out to over thirty dollars a day, and then times that five times a week. Heck yeah he can't keep spending like that."

No one asked Jacob why he decided to eat at school instead of Taco Bell. You would figure that everyone would start to wonder why. Jacob loves sitting at the table watching Dewayne for the one hour a day during the school day. Now he's choosing not to do that should make the others wonder.

Just like the day before, and they went out to the football field and started to play a game of catch. This time, no one asked to play a game with them. So they broke up into two even teams of four, but that still limited them on what they could do. They had fun playing against each other, but they didn't really care about scoring.

They called it quits, about five minutes before the bell rang. That way they could to time to straighten themselves out in the bathroom before class. Tom asked David, Chase, Alex and Matt if he could speak with them before fifth period. They looked at each other and back Tom and nodded their heads.

Once everyone finished up, they walked out of the bathroom towards the hallway that leads to their lockers. They stopped and got out of the way of the other students to see what Tom needed to say to them. Tom looked at everyone with a serious look on his face that Alex hasn't seen since he's known him.

"I know you guys are going to probably be mad with me. I tried everything to see if I could switch things around, but Coach said `no'. I know Alex and Matt I need to speak with you in private about me keeping my job and I will do that. At the same time, out of respect to all of you guys I figure I need to let you know what's going on right up front.

The four of us from the football team got selected to play for the Westside football team. We will be competing against the high schools from the Eastside in the Junior Sun Bowl. This is the first year they are going to have this and they hope they can keep it going for years to come.

With that said we have to go to practice three times a week to get ready for this. Practice starts next week, which means Monday, Wednesday and Friday I won't be able to go to work. At the same time I would not be able to take you guys to work. I really don't know what I can do to help you guys as far as a ride."

No one said a word at first. They just stood there in the corner of the hall looking at Tom. The bell rang and still no one said a word. Chase walked off to his locker, and it looks like David is uncomfortable standing there. Alex finally broke the silence before he and Matt walked to their locker.

"You need to do what you need to do, Tom. We can't be mad with you for not giving us a ride. It is your car and we can't say anything about how you use your car. I know when I say this, I am saying it for everyone, we are thankful for you giving us a ride. We will put something together in order to get to work."

Alex started to walk away, but turned back and walked over to Tom. "You will always have a job with the print shop. You don't need to ever worry about that Tom. You have been a great friend to me and Matt and that is the least I can do for you. So you go to practice and win this game. You are great quarterback and you deserve being selected for this team. Consider our private talk done as of now."

Tom shook Alex's hand not believing what he is doing for him. Boy does Jacob know how to choose his friends. Everyone of his friends care for each other! With a circle of friends like that, there will never be a time that this group of friends will find themselves without someone to back them up when they need it.

On the way to class, Alex tried to put together the bus schedule in his head. The way the buses run, it will take them well over an hour to get downtown. The only solution to this in Alex's mind is getting a car for him and Matt.

The problem with that is the money. He doesn't have the money to buy a car or even put a down payment on a car. Alex kept telling himself that there is no way he will ask Jacob for help on this. He already owes so much to Jacob, he can't ask anymore from him.

After school, Alex and the guys went straight to work. Tom gave them more details about how the game is going to be played with so many different high schools involved. Not one player from one school, according to Tom will have the starting position. Everyone will have equal playing time on the field. None of the guys believe that because the coach on each side would want to win that game.

When they drove up to park, they didn't see Al's car anywhere. It is very unusual for Jacob's grandfather to take off early. They headed straight down to the print shop. At first, Alex worked on the floor but kept looking up at the clock on the wall. He knows he needs to be in his office no later than four fifty just in case Whitmore calls earlier than the five o'clock the time that they said to speak with each other.

Exactly at five, Alex headed over to his office. He told Matt that he needed to call and find out the precise times the bus passes by their school. He doesn't want to be caught with his pants down come Monday afternoon. Matt didn't even question Alex when he headed over to his office.

Just as Alex walked in the phone started ringing on his desk. He quickly shut his door and as he walked around his desk, he picked up the phone. The voice on the other end is the person that he's has been waiting to call him.

"Alex, this is Dr. Whitmore, how are you doing this evening?"

"I'm doing fine, and how about you sir?" Alex sat down and looked around for tablet to write on.

"I am doing great thank you for asking, Alex. As we discussed yesterday I was going to be giving you a call here today about your test results. I got the results earlier this afternoon and looked them over before I made this call. Before I continue I want to make sure you know and understand what you are doing."

"We have been over this already and you know my answer. If I am a match, I want to donate one of my kidneys to Jacob. We have been over the pros and cons on this. There is nothing that has been said to make me think twice about what I'm doing. Like I said yesterday, the only request I have on this is that Jacob never finds out where the kidney came from. I don't care what you tell him as long as you don't tell him it came for me."

"Okay, I just needed to make sure before I said anything to you. You are, in fact, a match perfectly down the line for Jacob. You can do a designated donation to Jacob and your kidney will go to him. Everything dealing with this will be on the up and up except Jacob will never know that the kidney came from you."

Ron walked into the office without knocking. Alex tried to quickly take the phone off the speaker, but it was too late. Ron has already heard enough that he is able to put it all together. Alex reacted and put his finger on his lips asking Ron to be quiet as he finishes up the phone call with Dr. Whitmore.

"When I got your test results and started going over them I couldn't believe how healthy everything is. You didn't lie to me when you said that you didn't smoke or drink, because all that would show up on the test results. One may not feel the effects of it, but a person does damage their internal organs whenever they over drink or smoke for a long time."

"I certainly understand that you need to check all that out and not just take the word of the person saying that they never drank or smoked in their lives. The next thing I think we need to figure out is how we are going to get my kidney out without Jacob and his family figuring it out."

"Leave it to me to get all this done. The only thing you got to figure out is what your cover story going to be on the days that you're going to be out. I will do what I can on my side, but you've got to remember you're going to be out of commission for awhile. This surgery is not something that you can just go in and out of and recover over the weekend. It is going to take time for you to get back to the way you are today."

"I understand all that Dr. Whitmore, just tell me when you want this to happen and I will be there. The cover story I will create I might need your help with. For sure I am going to need a doctor's excuse for school. If I need anything else beyond that from you, I will let you know and hope that you can do it for me."

They knocked out the details about Alex's cover story before hanging up. Since Dr. Whitmore got called in to help Alex when he got stabbed, they are going to use that stabbing for the cover story. It will work perfectly as far as why Alex doesn't have his strength or energy for several weeks.

Bottom line they are going to say that Alex got an infection and one of Dr. Whitmore's colleagues has to go in and open him up again in order to get rid of the infection. Alex will pretend to faint a couple hours before Jacob goes the surgery. That should be enough that there are no questions that will be asked.

Both agreed and hung up the phone. Alex looked over to Ron trying to figure out what to say to him. He can't figure out what Ron is thinking but that isn't out of the ordinary. Ron is a very hard person to read. He doesn't give anything away when you try to figure out what exactly is going on in his mind at the time.

"I'm not going to sit here and try to guess what you are doing. Alex, you better understand what you are getting yourself into here. Just like the guy on the phone said this isn't a simple surgery. It is going to take a lot out of you. It's going to take a long time for you to completely recover."

"You know, I find this very weird, everyone seems to be trying to talk me out of this. I know what I am doing and what is going to happen to my body. I did my research and make sure I'm not putting myself at any risk or shortening my life. I just can't see Jacob being as active as he is right now much longer on that machine."

"Okay, it does look like you know what you are doing. Let's change and move on over to Tom. He just talked with me about needing to have Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays off. We just hired him, and now he's trying to go part-time."

"Yeah, I already spoke with him earlier today. I told him that he could go ahead and have those days off just during the time he is getting ready for the football game. After the game is played, he will return back to full-time work.

In the mean time I will cover his shifts on the floor so we don't lose those production hours with him gone. That will mean I have less time in the office and more time on the floor. I have no problem with that at all.

The only thing I would like you to do, and it needs to stay between me and you, is to pay Tom his full eighty hours. I will work the hours for him, where we don't have to hire someone. You will talk with Tom and tell him that you are doing this for him; not me."

Reluctantly Ron agreed with Alex and walked out of the office. A few minutes later, Alex walked out to the floor to rejoin Matt on the machines. The rest of their shift, Alex kept looking over at Matt knowing that he needs to tell Matt the truth along with his mother but that is it. Everyone else will be told the cover story.

The minute they walked through the front door of the house, Alex thought that he walked into the wrong house. At least until he heard Jacob. He followed Jacob's voice to the study and found him on the phone. Alex then turned around and found Dewayne coming down the stairs with suitcases. He almost fell over the suitcases that he had already brought down.

Alex turned his attention back to Jacob, because whoever Jacob is talking to is giving him bad news. The news looks like it is really hitting Jacob hard. He is sitting down in the chair with his hands constantly going through his hair. At the same time, Jacob is talking at a low, monotone voice to whoever is on the other line.

Matt walked up and pulled Alex away from the study. They walked towards the kitchen to find Franseca already putting the food on the table. Alex walked up to his mother, took the dishes and set the table for her. While he helped out his mother, Alex asked her if she had any idea on what is going on with Jacob.

"The only thing I know is that Al has been running in and out of this house all morning long. I overheard him telling Virginia that he needs to get down to Alamogordo and fast. He grabbed a folder from his study and left. I haven't seen him since then.

After that Jacob got home and almost immediately got tied up on the phone. He walked out and started to pack a suitcase. As he packed the phone wouldn't stop ringing. I never got a chance to answer any of the calls because Jacob got picked up the phone the minute it rang every time."

Right when they sat down to eat Jacob walked in out of breath. He sat down and didn't say a word until Dewayne joined him. By then everyone knows that there is something going on and whatever it is, it isn't good.

"What I am about to say will more than likely come as a surprise to all of you. There are things you guys don't know that has been happening behind the scenes dealing with Joey. I have talked to him once since he has left. My grandfather has also had some dealings with him since he left.

I will explain more to you guys as soon as I know more. I don't want to say something and have to correct what I said later. The long and short of it for now is that Joey has been put into one of those brainwashing camps by Beth and his uncle. They located him, and currently he's on his way back to Alamogordo.

As soon as I get a call from my grandfather with the information about they're taking Joey I plan to go with Dewayne to Alamogordo. If any of you guys want to go, with the exception of Alex and Matt, you can come with me and Dewayne on the trip.

The reason I exempted Alex and Matt is because of their monitoring devices. Even if they want to go, they can't. Simply put we haven't gotten permission from their probation officers to take him out of the city limits. I don't want him to get in trouble over a trip where we are only going to go up and back."

Without having to ask twice, everyone volunteered to go. They quickly finished eating and headed up to pack. The mean time Alex and Matt helped Dewayne and Jacob load the truck with the suitcases that are already packed. As the others finished packing their suitcases they handed it to Alex or one of the others to put the truck.

By eleven, Jacob got the call he has been waiting for from his grandfather. Jacob hung up the phone and went and spoke with his grandmother before returning with a suitcase. He tossed the suitcase in the truck. While everybody else used the bathroom and got whatever drinks they wanted before getting into the truck.

Lorenzo and Ismail stayed up so where they could say goodbye to Jacob and the others. As soon as they said their goodbyes, Jacob headed out. Once they couldn't see the back lights of Jacob's truck, Alex, Matt, his little brother's, Virginia and Franseca walked back in and headed to their separate parts of the house.

Alex put his brothers to sleep and took that opportunity to explain to them that they have nothing to worry about with Jacob. After Alex finished talking with his little brothers about Jacob situation, they seem to understand everything. At least when Alex walked out of the room, they seemed a little more at ease about Jacob's health.

Next morning, Lorenzo and Ismail were back to their normal selves. All through breakfast, you could not get them to stop talking. As soon as they finished eating, they headed down to the basement to play. Franseca looked at Alex knowing it is he that got Lorenzo and Ismail back to normal.

Alex asked Franseca if he could speak with her and Matt after they finished doing the dishes. She kept asking what he needs to speak with them about, but he wouldn't give her any more information. She finally stopped asking and figured that she will get the answer as soon as they get back to their house.

Before leaving Jacob's house, they let Lorenzo and Ismail know that they will be at their house. They waved to Alex to let him know they heard him. Alex closed the door to the basement and walked over with his mother to their house. As soon as they walked in, Alex went to get Matt from the room.

"I'm going to say something to both of you and before you interrupt me you need to let me finish what I am saying. Once I get the first sentence out, you will want to interrupt me before I can explain why I am doing what I am doing. So promise me, both of you, that you will let me finish before you say something."

Alex looked at his mom as she nodded her head and then he looked over to Matt as he nodded his head. Both of them had the exact same confused look on their faces. Alex knows that the confused look is going to change really quickly.

"Okay, I have given this a great deal of thought before acting on it. Both of you know that I went to go see Jacob's doctor on Thursday. I told you the reason I went to see him is because I felt I was coming down with a cold. That wasn't the truth. I needed to be for sure before I told you guys anything."

Without skipping a beat, Alex explained in complete detail what the real reason was for his visit to see Jacob's doctor. He told them about the tests that were done on him. Then he told them about the phone call between him and Dr. Whitmore.

The whole time Matt and Franseca didn't say a word, but just like Alex thought. Their facial expressions went from being confused to anger and disbelief. He can tell they both want to jump in and say something but they are keeping their word not to interrupt him as he explains everything to them.

"Let me make this clear to you as I tried to make clear to Dr. Whitmore. I didn't make this decision lightly. I am also not making this decision because I feel that I owe this Jacob. In one sense I owe Jacob a lot, but in another sense I don't owe him a body part. I am doing this because Jacob deserves it. I am doing this because Jacob doesn't deserve what is happening to him. I am doing this because I have come to love Jacob, not like I love Matt or you Mom, but I love Jacob as a brother.

There is nothing that anyone can say that will get me to change my mind. I have already told Dr. Whitmore that I am going to do this and to just set up the date. We came up with a cover story to tell the others. You two are the only ones, beside me and Dr. Whitmore, who knows the actual truth."

Alex went into complete detail about the cover story. He looked at his mother and Matt and it looks like they figured out they can't say anything that will change Alex's mind. The looks on their faces changed from anger and disbelief to just their normal looks.

Franseca spoke first to Alex after he finished. "I love you son and what you are doing is unbelievable. No one I know would ever do what you are doing. I only wish you would tell Jacob and his family that the donation his is getting is coming from you. At the same time I know why you don't want to tell them. You are a better man than you father could have ever been.

I promise to never breathe a word of this to anyone. Just when you pretend to faint, make sure you don't hurt yourself for real. We don't want to actually rush you down to emergency surgery." Franseca started to tear up, so needed to stop talking to gather herself. "I love you Alex and I hope you know that."

Franseca got up and hugged her son. Before sitting back down, she kissed him on the forehead. The entire time, Matt bit his tongue. He agrees with Franseca, but he doesn't know how to express it in words. In his mind, there are really no words that can do justice to what Alex is doing. He is going to try, but what ever comes out of his mouth isn't really going to say what he really feels.

"I really don't know what to say, but `wow'! You know I will be at your bedside the whole time. They will never get me out of your room. Just like mom, I won't breathe a word of this to anyone. This is awesome and I am totally in awe of what you are doing. I love you so much Alex! There is nothing that anyone can say bad about you. If they do, they don't know the true Alex!"

Matt got up and hugged his boyfriend. He didn't want to let go because he is terrified over what lays before them. He knows Alex is strong, but no matter what, Matt knows he will always worry about him. He finally broke the hug and kissed Alex on the lips.

After everything was put on the table, Alex felt better telling his mother and Matt. He headed back over to Jacob's house to spend time with Lorenzo and Ismail. Since Tom, David and Chase are not in town, he and Matt decided not to go into the office. They did call Ron and let him know about their decision. Ron understood and agreed to open and close up for the day. The only thing they had planned to do is clean the machines.

As Alex walked over to Jacob's, he can't stop thinking how well his mother and Matt took the news. He thought that he would have a fight on his hands. They surprised him and accepted his decision. He thought to himself that he chose the right fork in the road. He knows the road that lies in front of him is bumpy, but he knows with every fiber in his body he made the right decision.

TO BE CONTINUED...

WRITER'S CORNER:

{I tried to pick up the speed in this chapter. But ever since I pulled Alex and Matt out of the center, there is just so much going on in their lives now. I knew that was going to happen when I did. At the same time, I am glad I did it. I am now able to slow the story down to the speed of Jacob and I won't be skipping postings anymore.

Where should I begin in this chapter? Let's see, it hovered around several plots that I went into complete detail. Some of the plots will finish up in "Jacob Finding His Way", like the reason Jacob isn't going to Taco Bell any more. Also the trip, the phone calls and what actually happened dealing with Joey will be covered in the Jacob story.

I like the plots I did open like the mock trial plot. That plot brought in a new character that everyone doesn't like because he is an ass kisser. Donald will be around for a couple of chapters, but he won't be around the whole time.

I know you guys will like it when that plot unfolds and they get into the trial. No matter how Alex is acting about it, I know he will get into it once it begins. It just reminds him of the bad times of his life, that's all.

The plot with Tom opened up in Jacob 54 and will finish up in Jacob. I have something up my sleeves dealing with this plot. I really think once you read it, you will get mad with me as a writer. But I like to put drama in my stories if you have not figured that out yet.

But that plot does open a small plot here in "Beneath the Mask". How are Alex and Matt going to get to work on the days that Tom practices. Alex said it; he doesn't have money to even put down on a car. He is not going to go to Jacob for help on this. If any of you ever rode a city bus, you know how slow they are. So Alex is going to have to figure out a way out of this. He needs to buy a car somehow. That will be answered in the next chapter, because I wanted to do it in this chapter. I just needed to end the chapter.

Lorenzo and Ismail are taking Jacob being sick very hard. We got out of this chapter Jacob is not telling everyone yet that the machine is not working. Alex found out because of his brothers over hearing the conversation. Alex did a good job on whatever he told his brothers Friday night. They woke up on Saturday acting like their old selves.

We didn't hear anything from Carlos or the gang in this chapter. Neither of the two is gone, just not in this chapter. I have big plans still with the gang plot. Carlos will always be around, but he might not be mentioned in each chapter. He is there in the back ground, just not talked about.

That goes the same with Steve and Robert. I brought them back into the last chapter, but in this chapter they were not around. I need to work on a way to get all the characters in each chapter and not make the chapters to long.

I might move away from the print shop and more into the other characters. We all know they work at the print shop every day. I am going to finish the story from Ron and his past in the next couple chapters. I left off when he started basic training. That plot is a very good one and just fell to the side since I pulled the boys out of the center.

Finally, love scenes I love I didn't write one into this chapter. There is going to be love scenes, but not in every chapter. I can write loves scenes in each chapter, but you guys will get bored. There is so many ways and places I can have my characters make love. So if you are reading this story for pure sex, you are going to be disappointed.

Since this story received a makeover and some characters were dropped and new ones came in. It is going to be very exciting in the chapters to come, trust me on that. Right now, so many of the old plots in this story I keeping, has your head spinning on what is going on. As the chapters finish, you can't wait for the next posting of the new chapter. I really thank you guys for coming back week after week, and reading my postings. I hope I will never let you guys down. As far as drama in the storylines are concerned.

I don't want to say too much more and spoil the future chapters to come, so I won't. I warn you though! Don't skip a chapter, or you will be lost. There is a so much to answer in the chapters to come. Keep reading the future chapters, and enjoy! Please email me and let me know how I am doing at jacobmillertex@aol.com, Thanks!}

EDITOR'S CORNER:

Alex's history teacher should realize that he's perceptive well beyond his age. The game' of casting the mock trial rather than actually pulling the names by chance was a ploy Alex saw through instantly, even before he and Matt were chosen' to be co-counsels. The ploy was totally too transparent. It is going to be most interesting to see how Matt and Alex perform in this new and alien arena. They are both smart and insightful and I expect that they are going to come up with a legal strategy that will leave the prosecution reeling and grasping to get past. I'm also curious to see how Alex, in particular, is going to handle Donald without resorting to his old ways. Perhaps the mock trial will give Alex a wider vision of his real potential.

I don't know how successful Alex would be in the long haul if it weren't for Matt being at his side tempering him here and there. Alex is no fool but the combination of his pride and temper can be an explosive and self destructive combination. Matt mitigates Alex's passions when they are in danger of running amok. Donald needs to be thankful for that!

Alex is bound and determined to give Jacob a kidney. He's sure got more brass in his BVDs than I would have! His motives are centered and moral. In spite of his perception of never being able to repay Jacob's kindness and support of him and his family, Alex's donation of a kidney is giving Jacob life in the most absolute way.

It seems that the print shop is running well and as Dolly Levi said in "Hello Dolly", `it's doing a good thing with money, spreading it like manure where it will do the best good encouraging young things to grow.' All the boys involved will get a leg up from their working in the business. It's also good that the boys will be getting their work and income from Alex and Matt's business rather than Jacob's. It will ensure self sufficiency for the guys that would be hard to achieve had the print shop not come to be.

Secrets never keep. I leave you with the question of who will be the one that blabs and let's Jacob know who the identity of the donor of the kidney.

Until next time,

"Daddy" Rick