Beneath the Mask

Beneath the Mask 33

Written by J.P.G.

{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, 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 any way, shape or form without the author's expressed written consent.}

Story Written by: J.P.G.

Love Scenes Written By: Daddy Rick

Edited By: Daddy Rick

Chapter 33

It's been almost a week now since the gangs were moved into the new facility. True to their word, the state troopers that are running the facility aren't giving any members of the gang a break. They pretty much have locked them up in their rooms and thrown away the key. The only time they are allowed to leave the room is the one hour a day to take a shower and to exercise in the yard.

Ashton isn't used to being locked up totally alone in a room in which he can reach out both of his arms and touch both walls. To make matters worse, he can't watch TV, talk to another person or even talk on the phone like he used to the juvenile center. He is already struggling to figure out how to get out of this.

The guards even check the letters that he writes home. If they see something that isn't right they bounce the letter back. Ashton heard that another one of his friends had three of his letters bounced back to him. Because of that he has lost the privilege to write a letter for a month. That confused Ashton, because writing a letter should not be a privilege but a right that all inmates have.

When he asked one of the state troopers about what he had heard he got a simple reply. The guards kept going back to the same statement about them messing with the wrong person. They can't explain or fix what went wrong since the guards would not tell them what person that was no matter how many times they ask.

By Monday morning everyone in the gang stopped asking who that person was. No matter what they do from this point on they know they are going to spend the rest of their time locked up in this place unless they catch chain to a prison or win their court case. Other than that, there are stuck in this hellhole of a place.

Just like every other day, Ashton spent the day lying on his bed looking up at the ceiling. He started to actually count the cracks on the roof and made his way down the walls that is how bored he is at this point. He can't wait until they deliver the book he ordered from the library. At least then he can read to pass the time.

As the morning moved into afternoon and the afternoon moved to evening, the only excitement in Ashton's day is when they bring him his meals. That is another thing he is missing from the detention center; the food. It seems they have brought the cook from the county jail down here to cook the meals for the inmates. It is a guessing game what they are eating every single meal.

After the trays were picked up from the dinner meal, the guards only come down the hallway to do their hourly count. Other than that, the inmates are on their own. So Ashton decided to try and speak with his neighbor after count. He figured that the guards are probably in the guard station outside the hallway and they wouldn't be able to hear them talking.

Ashton tapped on the wall several times and waited for his neighbor to tap back. When he got a response, Ashton whispered, but his neighbor didn't hear him. So he talked a little louder hoping his neighbor could hear. When his neighbor responded, he yelled through the wall grabbing other inmate's attention. Once the other inmate's joined in, Ashton started to figure out where his leadership is at.

The inmates had no idea that there is a guard stationed at the end of the hallway. Hearing every word they are saying and writing it down, the guards are getting a leg up on the inmates. They knew it was only going to be a matter of time for the inmates to test how far they could go. This was the last hallway to start talking.

They talked for about forty-five minutes before Ashton quieted them down. Once the count was done, they picked up where they left off. By the time the guards turned the lights off, the inmates gave up a lot of information. Some of the things they were able to confirm were who the leaders are, those who they send out to execute an order and what their immediate plans are as far as trying to take control of this facility.

Just as Ashton settled in, he heard a loud commotion outside his room. He got up from his bed and walked over to the small window he has to look out to the yard. He couldn't believe what he is seeing unfolding before his eyes. One thing he is for sure is this is going to cause a lot of unrest.

Like the night he was brought in there were several buses unloading, new inmates, but this time around these inmates are not part of his gang. They are members of rival gangs from the different detention facilities from around the area. Ashton had no idea that this facility was large enough to in house so many inmates.

The next morning, Alex was waken   by Matt going down on him. At first, Alex thought he was having another one of his wet dreams, but as he came back to the land of the living he found his boyfriend pleasuring him like he does most mornings. Whenever Matt wakes him up this way, Alex finds that nothing bad happens during the day.

Before Alex could completely wake up, he started shooting his cum into Matt's mouth. Matt kept sucking even after Alex shot his entire load. Since Alex is very sensitive around the head of his dick after cumming, it drives him up the wall when Matt continues to lick his head. Alex has learned not to ask Matt to stop instead he gently pulls Matt away until his dick drops from Matt's mouth.

Due to time constraints Alex usually couldn't return the favor, but this morning he plans to change that. He flipped Matt to his back and straddled him. The minute Alex pulled down Matt's underwear, his dick came popping out, leaking pre-cum. Alex looked up at Matt as he started going down on him. Matt could have sworn that he saw a smile on Alex's face as he went down on him.

Just like Alex, it didn't take Matt long to reach his climax. He had woken up with his morning wood and normally it doesn't take much to get rid of it. He started shooting his load down Alex's throat, and Alex didn't let a drop of leak out. Alex swallowed every bit of what Matt shot and still wanted more.

Once Alex drained Matt's balls, he let go of Matt's dick as he kissed his way up to Matt's lips. They held the kiss for a few minutes before they heard Franseca yelling at them to get out of bed. When they heard her, reality set back in. They pulled themselves out of bed and headed to the bathroom to clean up.

Fifteen minutes later, Alex and Matt sat down at the table with the others. The other guys looked at Alex and Matt knew that they just had sex because of their glow and big old grins across their faces that give it away as well. Even Lorenzo and Ismail knew that they had fooled around when they woke up this morning.

Lorenzo and Ismail finished breakfast faster than they normally do. They quickly said goodbyes to everyone and headed out the door. Unlike Alex and the others, Lorenzo and his little brother have to walk to school. Since they had a fight the day before, they want to make sure there is no one waiting to gang up at them when they get to school. That is why they left earlier than normal for school.

The way Lorenzo is protecting Ismail you wouldn't think he was twelve. But just like Alex, he has to protect his little brother, who is eleven; just a little over a year younger then Lorenzo. Many look at them and think that they are twins because they are always together and they almost always dress alike.

Some of their friends don't even believe that Alex is their older brother due to the age difference. Even Lorenzo and Ismail don't know why there is such a huge difference in age between them and Alex. All they know for sure is that they have the same parents. Other than that neither of their parents ever told them why they are so many years apart from Alex.

If they would to ask, they would find out the truth from Franseca. The only reason there is such a difference in age is that she got pregnant when their father wasn't locked up. Between Alex and Lorenzo, he spent five years behind bars. He stayed out of jail for almost two years after that stretch and that is why they were able to have two kids so close together. But after that, their father got locked up and never got out again.

They had planned to always have a big family, but only had three kids. Not a day goes by that Franseca ever has regrets the time she had with her children's father. If she never married him, she would never have three great boys; boys that she would not trade for anyone or anything in this world!

When Lorenzo and Ismail reached Morehead Junior High, the kids that they fought the day before were standing at the front entrance, the entrance that Lorenzo and Ismail use to get to their locker. It didn't phase Lorenzo one bit that they were standing there. As he kept walking, he made sure that Ismail was right beside him.

As they reached the stairs, the kids stood up and walked down towards Lorenzo and Ismail. Lorenzo handed Ismail his books and whispered in his ear that if they are coming to fight him, he wants Ismail to run into the building. Ismail refused and made it clear to Lorenzo he will stand at his side no matter what.

So both of the boys stood their ground to see what their school mates are planning to do. What they did when they reached the two brothers, surprised them. The guys extended their hand in friendship to Lorenzo and Ismail. Lorenzo shook their hands first and then Ismail. After they shook hands, they started talking as if they didn't fight the day before.

None of the boys apologized for what they said and Lorenzo didn't ask for apologizes. He got what he wanted out of the fight; respect. Now he and his little brother don't have to worry about the bullies in this school picking on them. If they don't know yet, by the end of the day all the bullies in this school will know not to mess with the two brothers.

When everyone got their second breakfast of the day, they sat down. After a few minutes of small talk, Alex pulled the conversation around to Jacob running for student body president next year. Alex could tell that Jacob was confused at first, but everyone is now behind the idea of him running. Because of how it was handled yesterday, Jacob is now leaning more to not running at the moment.

Alex decided to take it easy and not push the subject too much. He knows if he pushes too hard, he can push Jacob to the point of not running. That is something he doesn't want to do because without Jacob running, Matt won't run. Alex really wants Matt to run because he knows that Matt would really like being part of something like student council.

The subject got dropped when everyone saw that Jacob wasn't into it. Soon after that, Chase and Ethan left the table. Alex thought it was weird that they needed to talk away from the group but let it go. After all Chase is the one that first met the guy. Ethan has not yet really opened up to the group and maybe that is what Chase is going to talk with him about. One thing Alex does know for sure is that Ethan is hiding something.

The last minutes before first period, Alex talked with Matt about him running. He wants Matt to hold on for a just another day or so before he completely dismisses the idea. Alex knows that Jacob can be talked into running if he knows that he has the support of his friends. Matt didn't need to be asked twice, he agreed to wait on Jacob.

During first period, the teacher surprised the class with a pop quiz, which Alex and Matt aced with out a problem. In fact they finished before anyone else. That left them close to half of the period free. Both of them used the time to get ready for third period. After going over his notes, Alex put them away. He decided he can't be more ready than he is. He learned early on not to over prep.

By the end of second period, Alex nerves started to act up again. He figured once that he got started, he will settle down. That all changed when Mr. Galey and Mrs. Linscott stopped Alex at the door. Alex had no idea why they needed to talk with him until he saw Mr. Nunez and Mr. White standing behind his teachers.

They walked to the side of the auditorium with Alex to explain. Before Alex could say a word, Mr. Galey jumped all over him. Mr. Galey wasn't happy at all that Alex brought his attorney's to class. It took Mrs. Linscott to settle Mr. Galey down in order for Alex to get a word in edge wise.

As Alex gathered his thoughts, everyone just stood their looking at him. He broke the silence by first apologizing to Mr. Galey and Mrs. Linscott for not asking them for permission to invite the guys that has helped him prep for the mock trial. Mrs. Linscott accepted Alex's apology, but Mr. Galey didn't, which didn't bother Alex at all.

He went on to explain to the two teachers why he had asked his attorneys to come down. Over and over again Alex kept going back to the mistakes the day before, which made Mr. Galey angry that Alex kept throwing that in his face. After explaining how he picked his attorneys' brains on how to put on a defense, he went on to explain to the teachers the whole reason he invited his attorneys down.

Before letting Mr. Galey say a word, Mrs. Linscott pulled him to the opposite corner. She made it as clear as she could that they could take advantage of having two attorneys in their mock trial. They could actually show the kids how our court system works since they work in it every day. Whenever there is a question about procedure, they can ask their guests to help them out. Reluctantly Mr. Galey agreed with Mrs. Linscott.

Instead of taking roll call when they walked in, Mr. Galey introduced the two attorneys and gave them a few minutes to talk with all the students. Both Mr. White and Nunez gave a brief in sight on what goes on in the court system every day. At no time they told the classes that they are Alex's attorneys or that Alex invited them down. Instead they gave the credit to Mr. Galey, and Galey took it.

After Mr. Nunez and White stepped off the stage, the student judge called the mock trial back into session. He handed over the proceedings to the prosecution team and they came out charging. They put on their first witness for the day and they had their act together. When Alex got up, it was a little hard for him to pick apart the witness, but he did.

First Alex went over what the witnesses already testified to in hopes to trip up the witness. When the witness only made a few mistakes, it made Alex's job a little harder. So he went back to his table and pulled out his notepad. Not looking at the witness, Alex flipped through the pages hoping to get the witness nervous. When he looked over, Alex could see the witness was getting uncomfortable.

He put down his notepad and went to work. By the end of the witness's testimony he had no idea if he was coming or going. Alex actually got him to say that the robber could have been anyone on the jury. That created reasonable doubt because Alex plans to put in his closing that one of the witnesses pointed them out as the robber and so if they vote to convict, they are convicting themselves.

When Alex sat down he knew that he did his job with the first several witnesses of the prosecution, but they were not the star witnesses. The witness that is next is the passenger that was in the car that the robbers stole. As the robbers took the car, they pulled the passenger out of the car, which gave him a good look at all the robbers.

The student prosecution took that witness step by step through the whole ordeal. Alex didn't see one mistake that witness made on the stand. Plus Alex knows that he can't pull the witness apart like he has done the others because he saw how the jury reacted to the testimony. If he would get up and do what he has done to the other witnesses, he would lose all creditability that he's built with the jury.

Alex got up and started off by thanking the witness for coming forward. He explained that many people in his shoes would not be doing what he is doing for fear that they might be hurt or worse, killed. Once he did that, Alex went over the testimony like he did with the witness before this one, but this time he talked in a mellow voice.

As they got into the meat of his testimony, Alex made the witness describe everything that was going on. The witness explained that he got pulled out of the car by one of the robbers and then saw the other two robbers pull the driver out. As he got up from the ground, the witness said that two of the robbers got into the car on the passengers side.

When the witness said that, Alex found the first mistake, but held it to use a little later. The witness continued and made another mistake. He went to describe the robbers and as he described the robbers the second time he made a mistake. The witness realized he made a mistake and tried to correct it but only made it worse. Each time he tried to fix the mistake, but by the time he finished describing the robbers, he had each robber in three or four different places at once.

Still not using the mistakes the witness made, Alex asked the witness where he and his friend were coming from. The student prosecutor objected and the student judge sustained the objection, causing Mr. Nunez to correct the student judge. When Mr. Nunez and White explained why that objection should have been overruled, the student judge changed his ruling and allowed Alex to continue his line of questioning.

Once again Alex asked the witness where he and his friend were coming from and this time he had to answer. The witness told the court they were coming from a bar and grill. Alex followed up on why they were at a bar and grill so early in the day. The witness simply answered the questions that it was a co-worker's birthday celebration.

Not skipping a beat, Alex confirmed with the witness that the car that was hi-jacked was his. After confirming that, Alex asked the witness why he wasn't driving his own car. The witness looked at the prosecution before answering that he had a little too much to drink. That is all that Alex needed to make him a bad witness.

Keeping his voice mellow, Alex went after the witness with kid gloves. He got the witness to trip up several more times before slamming the door on him. Alex got the witness to agree with him that he might have been too impaired to see anything clearly that day. Then Alex went back to his other mistakes and no matter how much the witness tried to correct them, he made them worse.

When Alex finished up with that witness, the prosecution called two other witnesses before they ran out of time. Just like Alex handled the first star witness, he dealt with the other two the same way. By the end of the period, Alex and the defense gained a little more ground than they had yesterday. They got through the first three star witnesses without getting beaten, but tomorrow is going to be the hardest day for the defense.

The two remaining witnesses are the core of the prosecution's case. The first one they are going to call is one of the ones that got shot during the robbery. The first problem Alex sees is that the witness is a woman. That will make it even harder to go after her on the stand. So Alex decided to let Matt take her because he hasn't been painted as the harsh defense attorney. The other reason this witness is going hurt the defense is that she claims that she saw their client's face as he shot her.

The other remaining witness can hurt the defense because he is the officer that placed his client under arrest. The only good thing on that is the officer didn't pull his client out of the car. He arrested him walking down the street because he matched the general description of one of the robbers. This same officer was involved in the high speed chase, but dropped out of the chase when he saw his client walking down the street. This is where Alex knows he can pull this witness apart.

As Alex walked out, Mrs. Linscott stopped him in the hall to quickly thank him for all the hard work he is doing before letting him continue to the cafeteria for lunch. She watched Alex and Matt as they walked away from her. She wondered to herself how a smart kid like Alex could have made so many stupid choices in his life. At least now, Mrs. Linscott thought, Alex has wised up and gotten on the right track.

At lunch Jacob surprised everyone when he told them he decided to run for student council president. Everyone at first pledged their support before they started planning how they can help Jacob win. After talking as a group for about fifteen, twenty minutes, everyone started going their own conversations.

Of course Alex took this opportunity to make sure that Matt wants to run for student council. He made it clear to Matt that he needs to do it for himself, not for him or anyone else. Once Matt confirmed to Alex that he is doing it for himself, they started to talk strategy on how they plan to run.

Each time they tried to figure out a way to run without really using Jacob, they figured that they would lose. It's not because Jacob is very popular but more because they haven't been attending this school as long as Jacob has. Because of that and only that, Alex and Matt knew that they are going to need help from Jacob.

Another issue is neither of them know  how to run a campaign. They are going to need to find a few students that are into this and know the ins and outs. Matt suggested for them to use Jacob's guys since they will more than likely be running on the same platform. Alex agreed, but when they turned to talk with Jacob, he was gone.

Quickly Alex looked around to see where Jacob had gone. As he looked across the cafeteria he saw Jacob and Chase sitting at another table talking to a kid dressed all in black. That isn't what bothered Alex, what did was that the kid had longer hair than most girls at the school do. Also the kid looks like he is wearing eye makeup, which is giving Alex the creeps.

Alex let it be because it looked like Jacob and Chase know  the guy. That confused Alex even more because he can't see Jacob or Chase making friends with a guy like that. Not that everyone in their group is above that guy it's just that guy looks like a rocker or a stoner or something, something that none of them are like.

During fourth period, Alex kept dozing off. Every time he jerked awake he kept telling himself to stay awake, but couldn't. After the third time nodding off, Alex had to get up and splash water on his face. His teacher at first wasn't going to let Alex go to the restroom, but after asking several times she caved.

The very first thing Alex did when he walked into the restroom is splash water on his face. Trying to make sure he didn't get any water on his uniform, he took off his coat and laid it on the trash before returning to the sink.

Wearing the ROTC uniform is one of the reasons he hates Tuesdays. The other reason is that he has deal with students acting superior to him. This is the only day of the week the higher ranking students can actually show everyone that they are higher up in the chain of command. Any other day of the week, only the students in the program know that they are officers or high ranking NCO's.

Alex finished drying the water from his hands before he put his jacket back on and headed back to class. When he walked in and handed the teacher the hall pass, she gave Alex a dirty look. Alex and the others know that some of the teachers are hoping for the day when they screw up. That way they can make sure they are there when they get kicked out of the school. Alex smiled and thanked his teacher as he handed her the pass back, which angered her even more.

The only period left in the day that dragged on for Alex was fifth period. Not only it was inspection day, but they had to stand outside in formation in the cold. People think that they are warm because they are wearing Class A uniforms, but they aren't. The wind blows right through the uniform jacket and pants, causing those that are wearing the uniform to freeze their butts off...and certain "things" to shrink!

As soon as the inspection was over, they double-timed it back to the building. Before they could get warmed up, the bell rang ending fifth period. It took the better half of sixth period for Alex and Matt to defrost. It seemed right when they got warmed up; the bell rang again ending the day. That made Alex happy to a point because he barely warmed up and now he has to go outside and walk home in the cold!

For the first time since they opened the print shop, Alex and Matt worked without Ron being there. The minute they walked in, Ron and Sergio briefed them on what is being printed. During the briefing, Ron told Alex and Matt if by any chance the crew finishes the print job that is being worked on right now, they should be sent home. Alex agreed and Ron and Sergio left for the day.

The night was routine until the last thirty minutes of shift. They did finish the print job, which put Alex and Matt in a hard place. Instead of sending the crew home early, causing them to lose thirty minutes of their shift, they had them clean the shop. Between all the crew, there was enough work for each of them to finish off the shift.

Alex set the alarm on the way out while Matt made sure that the building was locked up. On their way home, Alex dropped off   Ethan and his brothers. When they got home, Franseca had dinner already on the table, for which Alex was thankful. He has homework to do from each of his classes and doesn't see himself getting to sleep before midnight.

After dinner, Alex helped his mother clean up before heading to his room to do his homework. Just as he thought during dinner, Alex didn't close his last book until just before midnight. When he looked up to the clock as he crawled into bed, it glared in ugly green numbers, eleven fifty six, leaving him only a little over five hours of sleep.

As he snuggled up to Matt, he looked at his boyfriend as he laid there sound asleep. Alex still can't believe how he got so lucky getting such a gorgeous boyfriend. On top of Matt being gorgeous, he is smart and understanding. He has to be, Alex thought, to put up with the crap he has put him through so far in their relationship.

Sleep took Alex just a few minutes after he snuggled up to Matt. The next thing Alex knew is that his alarm clock started to go off. When he opened his eyes, he half suspected to see Matt between his legs, but he wasn't there. In fact Alex didn't see Matt anywhere in the room.

He jumped out of the bed and started to scramble to get ready for school. Alex was thinking that he was behind schedule. As he jumped around in the middle of the room trying to put on his shoe, Matt walked in. Matt couldn't help but crack up laughing at what he's seeing.

Alex threw his shoe at Matt when he saw him standing at the door laughing at him. As the shoe came flying towards Matt, he ducked and it hit the wall behind him. Matt put up his hands as if he was surrendering to Alex. At the same time he walked over to Alex and pulled him into a hug.

They stood there in the middle of the room holding onto each other. Alex explained to Matt that he thought that he had over slept. Matt simply replied to Alex's concern that he will never let him oversleep as he leaned in to kiss Alex right on the lips. Alex wrapped his arms around Matt's neck while he opened his mouth to let Matt's tongue in.

Before they got to the point of no return, they broke the kiss. They had to sit in their room for a few minutes to let their dicks go down. Neither of them wants another morning like yesterday morning with the guys teasing them. If they walk to the breakfast table with their dicks fighting to get out, the guys won't let it be,all day long.

On their way to school, after picking up Ethan, everyone took turns asking Jacob how he planned to run for student council. Jacob answered all of the questions pretty much the same way; he doesn't know. Trying to make it as clear as possible that is something he is leaving up to the guys that asked him to run. When Jacob said that, Alex decided to take his shot to ask him for help.

Alex had forgotten that neither he nor Matt has told any of the guys that Matt is also running for a position on the student council. When Alex explained the problems he and Matt are having, the guys congratulated Matt for wanting to run. After everyone had their turn congratulating Matt, Jacob answered Alex's concerns.

He promised to introduce both Matt and Alex to the guys that are setting up his campaign. Once he does the introduction, maybe those guys can help them run their campaign for student council also. Alex took Jacob up on his offer and thanked him. Once again, Alex thought, Jacob is helping him and Matt out of a jam.

In Jacob's mind he isn't helping the guys out of a jam. He is just simply doing the introductions and then it is up to Alex and Matt to get the guys that are working on his campaign to help out. Jacob has no idea how it is done and really doesn't care. He is leaving all that up to the students that asked him to run.

Most of the morning was boring for Alex compared to the ride to school. The lectures in the first two periods were so boring it didn't keep Alex interested in what was being said. Whenever his teachers called on him to either continue reading from where the other students stopped or answer a question, Alex was lost. That didn't sit well with any of his teachers.

When third period finally came, Alex couldn't wait to get started. Normally Alex doesn't look forward to third period, but this week is different. There are no lectures that will bore him to sleep because he will be part of the discussion, if you call mock trial a discussion. Alex is starting to really get into this, he is thinking of maybe getting a law degree and becoming a lawyer.

Just like the day before, Messrs. Nunez and White got invited to sit in on the mock trial. This time though it was Mr. Galey who invited them back. On his way to the defense table  Alex stopped by his attorneys and said good morning. As they traded greetings, Mr. Nunez let Alex know he is doing a great job.

The student judge brought the court into session before asking the student prosecutor to call the next witness. Just like Alex thought, they called the witness that claimed that it was Donald that shot her during the robbery.

Anyone sitting, watching the testimony can see that it is oblivious that the witness was coached. She knew exactly what was going to be asked because her answers sounded rehearsed. Even when she broke down in tears, it came across fake. The students watching the witness testifying cracked up laughing, forgetting this is pretty much a play. None of them are the real people that this happened to, but it was a real case.

When the prosecution sat down, Matt got up to start the cross examination. At first Matt fumbled, but quickly got control. He asked the witness to describe for the court what she saw in the moments before the shooting, during the shooting and    after the shooting. At first Alex didn't know where Matt was going with this, but as she went through the events as Matt asked her to, he saw what Matt was looking for.

She started off at the bar and grill where she went with her boyfriend to a birthday celebration for one of his co-workers. When it was over, they both agreed for her to drive since he had a little too much to drink. Since they were not going to go anywhere else after getting home, she decided to pick up a few things for dinner.

They pulled up to the grocery store when three masked men came running out of the store as she pulled into the parking lot. One of the masked men pulled her boyfriend out, while the other two came over to the driver's side and forcefully pulled her out. As she was being pulled out, she pulled the keys out of the ignition. When they asked her for the keys, she refused. That is when the defendant   shot her, she claimed.

As he kneeled down to get the keys out of her hand, she saw him. He realized that she got a good look at him and that is when he shot her three more times. Not wanting to get shot again, she told the court that she decided to play dead. They fell for it because they took off in the car and didn't look back.

When the witness finished going over the events, she started to cry again. Matt let her collect her self before continuing. When he did, he ripped her testimony apart. Matt started off asking her how she could have seen anyone's face when she said herself that the three men were wearing masks. The witness had no answer to Matt's question.

He let it go and went to his next question when she claimed to have gotten a good look

at his client as he knelt down to get the keys. Once again Matt asked her how she could be certain it was his client that shot her and took keys when the person still had the mask on. The witness stayed quite for a few seconds, causing Matt to repeat his question.

Trying to back step on her testimony by selling a bill of goods to the court was seen for what it was; an outright lie. She tried to say that his client lifted the mask above his forehead when he grabbed the keys. That got everyone watching to boo and the jury to sigh at what she just said. Matt just stepped back in disbelief asking her if she expects them to believe this change in her story.

Once Matt got her to change her testimony once, she was a goner. In order to make her changes more believable, she started changing other parts of her testimony. Finally Matt stopped her before she made more of a fool of herself. She had self destructed on the stand. It only took a little push from Matt to get her to light the fuse.

Matt sat down as the witness got excused from the witness stand. The prosecution called their last witness. This witness didn't sound coached, but his story really didn't make much sense. Even the prosecution realized it didn't and tried to plug up the holes in the testimony. The more they tried, the more it sounded confusing.

It didn't take much for Alex to dismantle the final witness. Just like Matt, Alex had the police officer go through what had happened from the moment he got involved. The officer sat up straight and   started going through the events of that day.

He started off with his testimony getting the call that there was a robbery in progress. At the time he was giving an individual a ticket when the call came over the radio. Since he was the closest officer to the grocery store, he let the person off with a warning.

As he arrived at the scene, he witnessed the robbers come running out of the store and hi-jack a car that was pulling into the parking lot. The one that jumped into the driver's side shot the driver of the car once when they first pulled her out and three more times when she refused to give up the keys.  That is when the high speed chase began.

The moment the car drove onto the city streets, there were already four other police cruisers on its tail. Due to them trying to get away from the police, they ran into cars and hit several individuals that couldn't move out of the way fast enough, two of those individuals died before they got to the hospital.

The officer went on telling the court that they set up road blocks, but the robbers ran straight through them. By the fourth road block, there were eight police cruisers involved in the high speed chase. Because there were so many of them chasing the robbers, they got ordered to fall back. Although they want to get the robbers, they have to make sure no more innocent bystanders get hurt or killed in this chase.

That is when he became the last car in the chase. Since he was no longer the first car, he was able to hear the description of the robbers. Keeping the description of the robbers in mind, he continued the chase. As the car jumped the curb and turned around, that is when he noticed the defendant on the street.

He fell out of the chase and followed the defendant for several blocks before stopping him. The only reason he finally decided to take the defendant into custody was because he was acting strangely and he matched the description of one of the robbers. When he started asking the defendant questions that's when the officer believed he got the right person. The defendant couldn't answer any of the questions that were asked.

The officer sat back in the witness seat once he finished his account of that day. Alex went right to work picking apart his testimony. The first question Alex asked is how they got a description of the robbers when they were wearing masks the entire time. The officer didn't know where the description came from; he just knows they got it.

Not wanting to let that go, Alex went on to his next question. Using the testimony of the last witness, Alex asked how it was possible for the last witness to say that his client is the one that got into the drivers seat, but you say he was walking on the sidewalk. The officer claimed that more than likely the defendant had jumped out of the car. When Alex followed up wanting to know if the officer saw anyone jump out of the car, he said `no'.

Then Alex followed up with a question that the officer just couldn't answer in a way that anyone could believe him. Alex explained that if the last witness said his client was the driver, and yet the officer believes his client jumped out. Alex wanted to know how     his client could jump out of the car and the car keep going without a driver. The officer was stumped and couldn't answer the question.

Alex asked a few more questions before sitting back down. The one that got the attention of everyone on the jury and in the room was the final blow to the prosecution. He asked the officer how many people were placed under arrest when they finally pulled the car over. The student playing the officer answered three, you could hear everyone sigh.

Knowing he did his job, Alex didn't bother to explain to the officer it was impossible to have four in custody when there were only three robbers. The prosecution rested their case once Alex sat down. Alex got up and told the student judge that he will be only calling three witnesses to the stand.

At that point, Mr. Galey walked onto the stage and had the student judge adjourn the case until tomorrow. Just as the student judge slammed the gavel down, the bell rang. Alex got up looking at the students playing the prosecution and felt sorry for them. Their entire case just unraveled before their very eyes and they couldn't do a thing about it.

The rest of the week pretty much went the same way as Wednesday went for Alex. The teachers' lectures bored him to sleep and the mock trial was put on hold until the following Monday. Everyone found out when they walked into the auditorium and then told to go to their regular classrooms.

After all the students found their way back to their regular classrooms, Mrs. Linscott explained to them what was going on. The journalism class needed to work on the school newspaper. They couldn't afford to lose out on the remainder of the week, but they wanted to see how the mock trial ended. As far as the others classes, they had to take tests.

So Mrs. Linscott and Mr. Galey agreed to hold off the remainder of the mock trial until Monday of the following week. Alex, Matt and Donald didn't mind because they now have more time to prepare their witnesses. None of them want their witnesses to be torn apart on the witness stand like Alex did to the prosecution's witnesses.

Although they suspended the mock trial for the rest of the week, Mrs. Linscott had to go by her schedule and do what was on her teachers plan for next week. That means those that are involved in the mock trial didn't get any time to work on it. Instead they had to work on what Mrs. Linscott had assigned.

At the same time the boys worked with Ron the rest of the week. He started working mid-shifts so he could spend time with Sergio and the boys due to him now having less then a week and half left before he retires. Ron is trying to fit a lot in that time that way he doesn't leave the boys hanging not knowing certain things they need to know in order to run the day-to-day operations of the company.

Ron taught four employees how to change out the machines to another print job, Alex and Matt could only look on. They took notes, but couldn't mess with the machines because of their age. They need to be at least eighteen years old in order to run the machines that they own! That includes changing out the print jobs and anything else that deals with them touching the machines.

Every day after work Carlos had to go straight home and help his grandparents move their stuff to the new house. With his parents moving into the house already, it made it hard for them to move his grandparents stuff in too. Most of the furniture, dishes and  nicknacks that his grandparents had gathered through their life got packed and put into storage. That really angered Carlos grandparents, but they knew they had no choice in the matter.

While unloading the truck after work on Thursday, a teenage girl, Carlos's age, walked up to him with her two brothers. At first Carlos didn't see her until her brothers offered a hand to unload the truck. Carlos accepted their help because seeing as it was getting late and he had to be inside the house soon so his anklet didn't go off.

The two young boys had no idea why Carlos was rushing, but they went along with it. When they unloaded the last box out of the truck, Carlos invited the young lady and her brothers in for something to drink. Once they stepped into the house, Carlos introduced himself to the boys first and the young lady last.

The only reason he waited to meet the young girl last is because Carlos thought she looked like a princess. He tried so hard to not make any mistakes, but he ended up tripping over a box when he reached out to shake her hand. As he headed to the floor, Carlos tried to catch himself and ended up grabbing on the girl's breast!

Her brothers started laughing as they helped Carlos up from the floor. When he stood and faced the young girl, she couldn't help but laugh. At first Carlos had no idea why she was laughing until he looked in the mirror hanging in the hall. He has never seen himself so red in his life. He actually looks like a tomato with hair!

Carlos turned and started to apologize when the girl told him there was no need. She extended Carlos her hand as she gave him her name, Kimberly. He shook her hand at the same time asking her, Armando and Richie what they would like to drink. They all said soda. Making sure not to trip on anything else, Carlos went to get the drinks.

When he returned, he found out that they are his neighbors to the right. Kimberly is a junior just like him. Her brother's Richie is a sophomore and Armando is a freshman going to the same high school. Carlos thought it was odd that he hasn't seen her or her brothers since he started attending Newman High. Then he thought that maybe the reason he hasn't seen them is because the school is pretty big.

Kimberly told Carlos about the neighborhood. Basically who he needs to watch out for and who he can trust. She also told Carlos about the people that lived in this house before him. It started to sound like someone had died but as Kimberly continued with her story Carlos learned they just moved back from where they came from.

While Kimberly and her brothers were an open book, telling Carlos basically everything about themselves, Carlos didn't say much about himself to them. He didn't want to tell them that he once was part of a gang. Every time he has told someone that information when they first meet, they normally give him a weird look and never come around again.

Carlos really wants to see Kimberly again so he is keeping his past to himself, at least until he gets to know her a little more. He feels that once she sees the type of person he has become, she won't go running for the hills. If she does, there is nothing he really can do about it. It's not like he can change his past.

It seemed that fate was working against Carlos. First he tripped on a box and grabbed on Kimberly breast on his way down. And now when he got up his nerve to ask Kimberly if she was going out with someone, his mother walked in to tell them it was getting late and they should be getting home. That angered Carlos, but he didn't disobey his mother.

As he walked Kimberly, Richie and Armando to the door, he gave Kimberly his number. Without hesitation she gave Carlos her number as well, causing her brothers to start teasing them.  As he closed the door, Carlos could still hear Richie and Armando teasing Kimberly. That put a smile on his face as he walked to his room to turn in for the night.

Steve and Robert wanted to get together before the week was out, but as Thursday approached they knew it wasn't going to happen. Instead they stole as many moments as they could to be alone throughout the week. They knew it wasn't enough, but at least they were together without anyone else around.

They both started to regret leaving the detention facility. It seemed they had more time to be with each other and have sex while they were locked up! Now that they are out, they can't seem to get together anymore. Between school, homework and their anklets, they just couldn't find the time. To make matters worse for them is neither of them has come out and told their family about the other.

Steve heard about the pool parties that were going on at Jacob's house and wondered why he and Robert were never invited. Before saying anything to Jacob, Steve did talk with Robert about it. Just like everything else, Robert had a simple answer to what Steve thought was going on. Robert didn't care if he or Steve were invited or not. It is not as if not being at the pool parties was causing them to be outsiders of the group.

That didn't satisfy Steve. It got worse when he found out the newest member of the group, Ethan, was invited to the pool parties. Once Steve found that out, he needed to know what was going on. If they are no longer part of the group, they should just say something. He can't go along like Robert thinking that it is no big deal. It is affecting them and where they stand as far as friends in this group. Steve decided to take the bull by the horns and find out why he and Robert aren't being invited.

Instead of going to Alex or Matt about his concerns, Steve decided to talk with Jacob. The main reason for that it is Jacob's house where the parties are happening. In Steve's mind, Jacob is the one that is inviting the people he wants to come to the parties. So he needs to be the one to be asked why he or Robert are not being invited.

Between fifth and sixth period on Thursday, Steve found Jacob walking down the main hall. He ran up to Jacob and asked if he could speak with him. Of course Jacob being who he is didn't say no. In fact Jacob could see that something is bothering Steve and wants to know what it is to see if he can help.

As fast as he could, Steve told Jacob what was bothering him. Not meaning to, Jacob started to laugh. When he noticed Steve not happy being laughed at, Jacob stopped and explained that he isn't laughing at him. He then told Steve that he is letting his mind run away from him. What he is thinking isn't going on.

Jacob went on to explain to Steve that the things he is calling `parties' are nothing more than just get-togethers over the weekend. The only one that was a `pool party' was the first one when he and Alex got out of the hospital. Jacob further explained that the party wasn't for him or Alex. It was welcoming a new member in the family, Tony.

They stopped in the middle of their two classes so they could finish their conversation. Jacob went on telling Steve that any of their friends are more than welcome to come. They are not trying to keep him or Robert from hanging out with them. To prove that to Steve, Jacob told him that they have talked about the get-togethers all the time at the table whenever the group was together.

With all that said, Steve felt like crap. He knows that the only reason he or Robert didn't hear about these get-togethers before now is because they are in their own little world at the table. They are the ones that are not listening to what the others are saying when they are with the group. Now here he was all mad at Jacob and the others when he should be mad at himself.

Before the warning bell rang, Jacob told Steve they plan to get together again over the weekend at his house. They are more than welcome to come, in fact Jacob made it clear to Steve he wants to see him and Robert there. Steve promised to be there as he shook Jacob's hand and headed to class.

Friday after school, Alex and Matt couldn't take the guys to work because they had to go and sign in. So Tom and David drove the others to work instead. With them having a car, it made days like today a lot easier for Alex. Soon though, things are going to be hard for Alex and Matt because Ron won't be there to watch over the shift until they get there. They don't think they could tell Sergio to stand in without losing his respect.

Just like the times before, Alex and Matt waited in the lobby for over thirty minutes. When they did get called in, the actual visit only took a few minutes. Today  however, their probation officer asks them for a UA!

Not ready for the UA, Alex had to go back to the lobby and drink as much water as he could so he can pee! Right now is bladder is empty because he used the bathroom before he left school. To make matters worse for Alex, he has a problem peeing in front of people. His probation officer stands there and watches him as he pees.

After drinking two bottles of water, Alex was ready to go. Lucky for him, his probation officer came right out and handed him his cup. They walked to the bathroom, went in together and Alex did his business. He handed his probation officer the cup and stood there as the test was being ran. Less than a minute later, Alex was allowed to go since he came out negative for no drug use.

Looking at the clock when they got in the SUV, Alex knew they were going to run right into evening traffic. When they finally got on the freeway, Alex talked with Matt about what his platform should be. They threw a couple of ideas out to each other before settling on a theme they both think will win.

Due to the traffic, it took double the time for the boys to get to work. When they walked into Ron's office, they apologized to him. Ron just smiled at the boys and told them not to worry. He figured they would have been later if they would have come in at all. But now that they are here, Ron sat with them to go over the final paperwork they didn't know to do.

Getting into what Ron was showing them, they didn't realize that all of Ron's stuff had already been moved out and replaced with Sergio's stuff. If the boys seen that, it would have really set in with them that Ron is really leaving. That's something the boys are not willing to admit to themselves. They thought that Ron would always be here for them to fall back on whenever they had a problem or question about the business.

Even when they turned out the lights at the end of shift, Alex and Matt didn't see the changes in the office. They walked out with Ron, as they always do and bid him goodnight before heading to their car. But something about their good byes this evening didn't sit right with Alex, he just couldn't put his finger on what was bothering him.

Since it is Friday, the boys didn't do their homework after they ate dinner. Instead they joined the others in the TV room to watch movies till late into the night. The minute they sat down, Alex pulled Matt into him and let the outside world go away for those few hours. He just wanted to be with the guy he loves, the people he calls friends and his family, without anything bothering him.

A little after one, Alex noticed not only had his brothers   fallen to sleep, Matt had as well. He slowly moved Matt, trying not to wake him up, but didn't succeed. So he asked Matt to stay where he is while he puts his little brothers to bed. Half awake and half sleep, Matt agreed as he stretched out his arm.

Alex walked over to his little brothers, gently picked up Lorenzo and carried him to his bed. Before going back for Ismail, Alex took off Lorenzo's shoes, pants and shirt and then put on his pajamas. After putting Lorenzo under the covers, Alex bent down and kissed his little brother on the forehead as he said good night to him.

He headed back to get Ismail when he saw Matt walking towards him with Ismail in his arms. They both put Ismail in his bed, and Alex got him ready with Matt looking on. Just like he did with Lorenzo, after getting Ismail under the covers, he bent down, kissed him on the forehead and wished him goodnight.

Both Alex and Matt walked out of the room, not making a noise and closed the door. Matt took hold Alex's hand as they walked to their room. Not saying a word, Matt locked the door and pulled Alex to the bed. While they were still standing, he started to rub his hands up and down Alex's sides, firmly caressing every curve and muscle. That got Alex hard instantly.
Alex responded by wrapping his arms around Matt and pulling him tightly to himself. His hands came around, reached up and cupped Matt's face from each side. Alex took a moment to study Matt's eyes and face, burning the image into his mind. There was more than Matt's appearance that got into Alex's mind...it was the way Matt's eyes conveyed deep and abiding, unconditional love. "Matt, I don't know how or why I was so favored by having you come into my life. You have been a guiding light for me. I love you more and more each day. You are my reason for living. Matt, please, even with all my faults, love me for all time!"

Matt smiled in a knowing way; he raised his hands to meet Alex's that were still cradling his face. "Alex, you were only a dream in my mind and heart. I didn't know who you were until the day I met you. I knew instantly that you are the one and only for me. You had my heart in your hands from the first moment we met. Yes, Alex, I will love you for all time and I pray you will love me for all time as I will love you."

With that, Matt backed up slightly and started to slowly undress. He pulled his shirt off over his head revealing every detail of his torso to his appreciative onlooker. He kicked off his sneakers and simultaneously began unfastening his Levi's.  With one fluid motion, Matt dropped both his pants and underwear to the floor. He smoothly stepped out of the crumpled mass of garments and stood naked in front of Alex.

Alex took in the whole vision of his lover. He studied the fine lines of Matt's chest with the quarter sized nipples. His gaze lowered from the smooth chest down Matt's tapered torso to his abs. Those abs were just right with a hint of a six pack. His abs were beautiful in their natural appearance. Any work on them would actually detract from their natural perfection. Alex smiled wryly as he noted the small, defined treasure trail that pointed the way down to the manly treasures below Matt's narrow waist. Matt's pubic hair is like a crown stately placed over his erect cock. Matt's sack hung low cradling the jewels contained inside. His thighs are, like his torso, sculptured in perfect proportion. There's not too much and certainly nothing left wanting.

Matt stepped up to Alex and began to undress him. Alex was still a bit mesmerized by Matt's presence and didn't resist Matt's efforts but did nothing to ease his task along.

Matt finally succeeded getting Alex to a fully naked state.  As he undressed Alex, Matt took the time to appraise his man's features as Alex had with him only a moment ago. Matt bent down to assist Alex in stepping out of his jeans and underwear. Matt looked upward, he took in Alex's handsome an alluring manhood. Without hesitation, Matt moved his face into Alex's crotch, nuzzling Alex's balls and cock into his face as he inhaled his unique scent. Pausing only momentarily, Matt stood up and gently urged Alex back onto their bed with his legs still hanging off the edge of the bed. Matt knelt down beside the bed and moved his face, once again, into Alex's crotch. This time Matt went after Alex's package with his tongue and lips, bathing, kissing and sucking every bit and part of Alex's sexual center. Alex was moaning and has already moved away from the temporal word.

Matt licked Alex's sack and gently sucked each of his balls in turn. He then licked that sweet, sensitive spot just behind the balls causing Alex to pull his legs back involuntarily.

Matt licked Alex's taint going lower and lower...further and further back. Alex's legs were now fully pulled up and back, revealing to Matt his most private place. Matt didn't hesitate to give Alex the pleasure he was seeking.

Matt buried his face in Alex's cleft and started tonguing his pulsing rosebud. As Matt's tongue did its magic, Alex relaxed and opened to get more of Matt's tongue in deeper.

"Matt, please let me feel you inside me!" That was all it took to get Matt on his feet. He reached for the KY on the nightstand. Not wasting a motion, he liberally lubed Alex's love opening and worked the lube inside to make his entry as smooth as it can be. He then made sure his cock was liberally lubricated.  Matt, still standing on the floor, lifted Alex's legs and placed an ankle on each shoulder. Alex flexed his legs and pulled his butt to the very edge of the bed as Matt placed the head of his cock at Alex's hole. With the foreplay, Alex was ready and totally receptive as Matt's cock slid in without notable resistance.

There was no need to hesitate and Matt slid into Alex to his full depth.  Once fully inside, Matt leaned over and kissed Alex passionately and deeply. As they were kissing Matt began to long stroke Alex's love chute. Each cycle came with increased speed and intensity. Alex adjusted his position slightly which caused each inward stroke to bring Matt's cockhead into direct contact with his prostate. This caused electric-like surges to course through his body heightening his passion.

As Matt pumped in and out of him, Alex's cock was pinned between their stomachs. It wasn't but a few short minutes until the passion in both lovers peaked and went over the edge. They, at the same moment, began to pump out their hot loads; Matt's load shot deeply into Alex's love channel and Alex's was spewing between them.  As the aura of orgasm subsided Alex was having massive aftershocks, each causing his insides to contract gripping Matt's cock with incredible pressure each time.

After a short while, Alex's body released Matt's now softening cock. The couple rose to their feet and padded quietly across the hall, still quite naked, to shower off the tell tale signs and aromas of recent lovemaking.

When they returned to the bed, they slid between the sheets, still naked. Once snuggled up, they drifted off to a sound and dreamless, restful sleep.

The next morning Alex got woken up with his little brothers jumping up and down on the bed. He reached over for Matt, but didn't find him. Looking up at Lorenzo, he pulled him down on the bed and started tickling him. When Ismail tried to help Lorenzo out, Alex pulled him down and started tickling both of them.

It took a minute for Lorenzo and Ismail to surrender for Alex to stop. Once they did, Alex jumped out of bed. Feeling the cold air hitting his naked body, Alex remembered that he didn't get dressed again after having sex with Matt. He quickly pulled the sheet over his naked body, but it was too late. Lorenzo and Ismail started laughing as they walked out.

Throwing on running pants, a t-shirt and socks, Alex went to the bathroom to clean up. After getting ready, Alex went over to see if breakfast was ready. Never before has he felt this hungry. He figured the reason he is so hungry this morning is because he had a lot of `exercise' last night with Matt.

As he walked over to the kitchen, he saw Jacob, David and Tom outside getting the pool ready. Ignoring his stomach, Alex walked out to see if he could help the guys. They pretty much had everything done except the grill. Since the grill wasn't ready yet, Alex volunteered to clean it up.

Right as he started to take the grill apart, Franseca came out to let them know breakfast was ready. Alex put the racks on the side of the grill and headed in. As he sat down, he kissed Matt good morning. Everyone that saw them kissing, whistled. They ignored those that were whistling and continued their kiss.

The minute that Franseca put the plate in front of Alex, he started to dig in. Before the others could get through half of their breakfast, Alex asked for seconds. Franseca knew she had growing boys, but not boys that inhale their food. So when she gave Alex seconds, she told him to slow down, there is plenty of food for everyone.

Not wanting to upset his mother, Alex agreed. After helping out in the kitchen, Alex headed out to the yard and finished the grill. As he put the grill back together, David came out to let Alex that they decided to order pizza instead of cooking out. Alex threw the dirty sponge at David as he started running after him.

David thought that he was home free when he reached the back door, but he was wrong. Alex caught up to him and picked him up. As Alex carried David to the pool, David kept saying over and over not to shoot the messenger. Alex laughed at that as he threw him in the pool! When David came up, Alex pulled him out and then pushed him back in.

Jacob and the guys joined in as they ran out of the house. Within minutes everyone somehow landed in the pool except Alex and Jacob. The only reasons those two stayed out of the pool is because of their stitches. None of the guys wanted to get the blame that they caused Jacob or Alex to end up in the hospital.

After everyone got out of the pool and got into dry clothing, each of them headed out to pick someone up. Jacob went to pick up Ethan, Alex went to get Carlos and Tom went to get Steve and Robert. The others that were invited to hang out the pool lived close enough to the house that they didn't need a ride.

When Alex got back, he had three extra guests with him. Carlos had invited Kimberly, Richie and Armando. That didn't sit right with Alex because Carlos himself was a guest. He shouldn't be inviting others to a house that isn't his unless he got permission to do so. And when Alex asked if Carlos got permission, he said `no'.

Not to make Carlos look bad in front of the three people invited, Alex didn't talk about it in front of them. In fact he dropped the whole thing. He figured if Jacob doesn't say anything, there is no reason he should. If Jacob mentions anything, Alex decided to take the hit since Carlos is his best friend. Plus he could see that Carlos is trying to get with Kimberly. He deserves someone after what had happened with his last girlfriend.

At first everyone gathered in the TV room. Some of them made their way down to the game room, but the majority of them stayed on the first floor. Those that haven't been in Jacob's house before, just looked around awed at its size. Some asked questions, but mostly just looked around as they made their way to the backyard.

It didn't take long before everyone made their way to the pool. At first no one got in, they just stood around talking in their little groups. Like the week before, it took someone to jump in first so the others would follow. This time it was Andy Jr. that got things going.

Once he jumped in, the others followed. Before Alex knew it, they were asking him to throw in the ball so they could play volleyball. As he ran around to get the ball, David splashed a wave of water into Alex's face. Alex turned and threw the ball at him, but David simply ducked under the water and the ball missed him.

Alex went running after the ball, but before he could get to it, Tom picked it up. As Tom tossed the ball over to Andy Jr., he looked over at Alex with a grin across his face. Alex smiled back as he walked around to join Jacob on the other side.

They sat down on the lawn chairs watching the others play volleyball. Alex really wanted to join in, but couldn't. After about twenty minutes of playing, Matt and Dewayne got out of the pool and joined their boyfriends. As they sat there they kept score and played referee. When someone needed a break, they traded places with those in the pool.

When Dewayne went to jump in, he remembered that Jacob had his stitches taken out on Wednesday. He walked back over to the lawn chairs, picked Jacob up and threw him into the pool. Everyone stopped what they were doing and just looked at Dewayne. They thought that he had lost his mind because of what he just did, but when Jacob came up laughing everyone knew something was up.

Both Jacob and Dewayne explained to the others that his stitches were removed earlier that week as Jacob got out of the pool. They relaxed after hearing that. Jacob got out and started to pull off the wet clothes. Some of the guys went back to swimming, while the others watched Jacob get undressed because they wanted to see the scar.

Just as Jacob pulled off his shirt, Alex was walking up to him. He froze where he was when Jacob stood up straight. He couldn't believe his eyes! The others have talked about what Jacob's chest and back look like, but this is the first time he is seeing all the scars Jacob have. The scars were the result everything that he had done to Jacob!

Alex felt a wave of emotions come over him that he has never felt before. All his defenses disintegrated as tears started to roll down his cheeks. His heart started to beat a mile a minute while at the same time he went numb all over his body. Without warning, Alex's legs gave way beneath him and he fell to his knees in loud sobs, causing everyone to look over to see what was going on.

TO BE CONTINUED...

WRITER'S CORNER:

{Welcome back everyone, I am glad that you all came back to read another chapter of Beneath the Mask. I know more and more I am moving back to cliffhangers, but you guys don't have to wait too long to read the next chapter since I post a chapter a week.

I am also trying to get all the characters in all of my stories a scene in each chapter. With that said, you read a lot in this chapter. More was revealed about some of the characters and   new plot lines opened for other characters. This story is taking on a life of its own where I can't find a stopping point.

At the beginning of the chapter you got a look into Ashton and how the gangs are doing in their new facility. Ashton doesn't look like he is going to make it locked up in that place. He is hitting his head against the wall. He should have thought of all that before doing what he did. How long did he think he was going to get away with ordering the murders of other people?

Also you read about new arrivals at that detention facility. Now that all the gangs are going to be in housed in once place, I wonder if there will be problems. As many of you know, gangs don't get along with each other. Especially the Mexicans, African Americans, Asians and Skin Heads! There will be fireworks in the chapters to come in this plot, wait and see.

A lot of you have been writing me about the ages of Lorenzo and Ismail. I thought that I had written in one of my chapters their ages, but it doesn't look like it because of the emails I am getting. So in the chapters I let you guys get to know a little more about Lorenzo and Ismail. You now know their ages, grades and why there is such a big difference between them and Alex. I hope I cleared up the questions about their ages. But don't think that's all that you are going to hear about these two, a lot more is still to come.

It looks like the mock trial is coming to an end. Alex is wiping the floor with the students that are playing the part of the prosecution. Now we know where Alex is getting all his information to play his part. Sorry Daddy Rick and others, they didn't get it from Law and Order or any other TV show. I am glad the Messrs. Nunez and White are helping Alex and came down to help out the class. I really hope that Alex wins his case as well.

Also by the looks of it everything at work is going good. I wonder what Alex is feeling. You know when they were saying their good-byes to Ron, Alex felt something was off. I really hope nothing bad happens to Ron, but who knows. By now you guys should know me; no character is safe in any of my stories.

Not much happened when Alex and Matt signed in to see their probation officer. They had to take a drug test, but nothing more exciting happened.

Man o man what is up with Steve? It seems that Steve is always thinking the worst of people. He might have gotten like that because of what he has gone through so far in his life. If he doesn't change his way of thinking, he might lose all his friends. Right now they are sticking by him and just blowing off what he is doing.

I hope he and Robert stop thinking that being locked up is better than being on the anklet. They could make their lives easier if they would just tell their families that they are going out. That way they can spend private time with each other in their rooms instead of trying to find a place at school or on the city bus like last time.

Finally let me talk a little about the cliff hanger. You are going to need to tune in to the next chapter to see what is going on. By the looks of it, Alex is seeing what he did to Jacob first hand for the first time. The question to you is simple: What do you guys think Alex is feeling and going through right now? Will he pull himself together or completely fall apart in front of everyone?

I do not want to say too much more and spoil the future chapters to come, so I won't. I warn you though! Do not 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:

Wow, the action in the mock trial was amazing. There is a side of Alex that has taken me quite by surprise.  His innate ability to read people comes into play, but his analytical mind is amazing.  His grasp of the minute details and the anomalies could, in fact, make him a powerful litigator or trial lawyer should he pursue an education and career as an attorney. Of course the intrigue of how the trial outcome will be decided remains to be seen.

I agree with Jacob that Steve and Robert have to come out if they have any chance at finding a normal life for themselves. If they don't get their lives under control, the stresses they are experiencing will undermine their relationship and tear them apart.

It is going to be interesting to see how things play out in the new gang prison. Jacob hasn't called it a prison yet, but from what I read, that's what it is...a maximum security prison. I wonder what the result of the solitary confinement is going to be on the inmates. I'll be very interested to see how this part of the story develops and plays out.

Are there any comments on the love making between Alex and Matt?  Let me know how I did on the love scene.  It was my intent to create a picture of the depth of love between the guys.  Your reactions and comments will be greatly appreciated.

Until next time,
"Daddy" Rick