“I don’t have to do what you tell me.” The Latino boy stood firm, trying, by sheer will, to be taller than his current nemesis. His body height wasn’t doing it at the moment. Authority had never been his friend, and this woman was no different.

“José, you do. That’s why you’re here…now, sign off the computer. Your time is up.” Miss Romero tried to keep her body language from expressing her frustration. If possible, a confrontation wasn’t necessary. The boy was more in control than he realized.

“I’m not finished.” He turned back to the machine and plopped down into the chair and began clicking away at anything…anything to look busy.

“Yes, José. You are. Now or you lose your privileges until next week.”

“No one’s waiting to use them.” Click. Link. Surf. Click.

“José. Rules are rules here at the center. You knew when your time was up and should have budgeted accordingly.”

“I can’t tell time.” Click. Read. Click.

What José didn’t realize…or remember from his first days at the center, was that Miss Romero had access to the main power switch and she would use it whenever the urge struck. Which would have been when he decided to go from difficult to downright impudent. His screen went black and as his eyes flashed to Miss Romero’s, she returned his glare with a smile. “Well I can. Time’s up. Outside with you.”

Unfortunately, what Miss Romero didn’t realize was that while José might be physically smaller than she was, and only eleven years old, his history of a vicious temper, a mighty punch and a lack of respect for any adult is what got him sent to the center for after school hours in the first place. He stood quickly, knocking the chair onto the cement floor with a loud crash and charged toward her.

Her arms went up immediately in defense, but when no one hit them, she slowly peeled her eyes open, only to see him squirming and fighting against a roadblock.

A roadblock by the name of Ben.

“You got a problem, José?”

“Yeah, her. Who does she think she is?”

“Your worst nightmare if you don’t calm down, dude.” Ben continued pushing back while José flailed and pushed forward, failing against Ben’s taller stature and sheer determination of keeping him from hurting anyone, particularly Miss Romero. Finally, José fell back against another computer chair with a thud, flinching once more to try to get up only to be pressed down further into the chair. “Don’t even think about it.”

Ben looked back to Miss Romero and sighed at the irony of it all. At one point he was the butthead in the chair huffing and puffing, making an ass of himself. Barry had usually been the one to intervene in those days, but now…here he was, defending Miss Romero, his life saver. Solana, his friend.

“You okay?”

“Yep. Thanks.” Looking to the insolent boy, Miss Romero shook her head. “This will be written up. Shame…it didn’t need to come to that.”

José squirmed against Ben’s strong hand on his chest one more time, flames of anger shooting from his eyes. “Fine. Write me up. They can’t do anything to me!”

Miss Romero disappeared behind her office door and Ben pushed José further into the chair, using more force than he knew the center would probably permit. “You touch her and ‘they’ will be the least of your worries.”

“Why, pussy…you gonna do something about it?”

As Ben stared him down, he could feel José’s body relax a bit, apparently seeing that this battle was not going to be won. Ben backed up when the anger in the boys’ eyes slipped into at least a trickle of repentance. “Right now, we’re gonna go out and I’m gonna beat your ass at ball.” It worked for him, why not José…get his anger out on the court.

But, José was not going to easily give up. His arms crossed in front of him and a whispered expletive slithered from his mouth. “La puta.”

Ben’s hands landed back onto the boy’s chest and his eyes shot blue daggers of hatred into the deep brown of this foul mouthed kid. “Do you think I’m stupid and deaf!? You’ll say not another word about Miss Romero, you go it?”

“What? You’re her hero and you know Spanish? What are you, Superman?” Seeing Ben’s anger rising, José took one more stab at tormenting him. “What’s it mean anyway, genius?”

“It means that you’re more stupid than you look. Now let’s go play ball…”

José leaned back and relaxed again, figuring he could weasel his way out of this…even if it meant admitting a weakness. “I suck at ball.”

“Good, then I’ll really get to beat your ass.” Picking him up by the shirt collar, Ben bore one more glare into the youth’s eyes to make sure he understood who was in charge now. As soon as José had lunged at Miss Romero, he gave up any rights to leading any decisions for awhile. Calling her a ‘cunt’, however…his life was going to be a living hell around Ben from now on. “Out. Now.” He pushed him back and had to smirk when the putz obediently headed toward the door and grabbed a basketball.

It was going to be an interesting year, that was for sure.

“Can you believe that idiot?” Ben grunted as he picked up a large box marked ‘kitchen’ and awkwardly made his way to the front door with it. They should have taken Nick’s offer of hiring a mover. This shit was for the birds.

Nick followed with his own box, not saying much at first. He was having too much trouble stifling his amusement at Ben’s exasperation with the new difficult child at the center. Truth was, he was just like Ben had been when Nick first met him. After sliding their boxes into the truck, they sat on the open doorway, wiping their brows of sweat, hoping it’d be at least a few moments before one of the girls showed up with another box. “He’ll learn. You did.”

“I wasn’t that obnoxious.”

“Oh. Okay. Right, dude. You were just a diamond in the rough, huh?”

“Let’s not go that far…I’m still pretty rough.”

“Mmm…a real gangster. He’s just testing to see how far he can get there. Keep on him and he’ll see it’s not fun.”

Solana came out with a box and a smile, so she was quickly forgiven for making them get up and lug it onto the truck. “Drinks, boys?”

“Yes…where’s that cooler you brought?”

“Kitchen. You walked right by it.” Ben and Nick looked at each other and shrugged, plopping back down onto the truck bed, too tired to go back inside. “Would you like me to get you some…you both look like hell.”

“Thanks…yes, please.” She shook her head at them and put one hand on one of each of their thighs, leaning in for a kiss on each of their cheeks. “We’re only half way done, boys.”

“Mmm…don’t remind me.” Nick pulled her in for a more passionate kiss and Ben made vomiting noises.

“Good God, would you two fucking get a room!?”

“We’re not fucking, so we don’t need a room.” He popped Lani on the butt as she walked away and shook his head at Ben and his sudden old man glare. “José. Finish your story.”

“No more story. I whooped his ass at ball…he really does suck.”

“So make that your goal. Teach him and he can be a devil on the court instead of in life.”

“Since when am I supposed to help some stupid kid?”

Nick turned his gaze from straight in front of him into Ben’s forged innocence and blinked, continuing to stare at the odd teen. Words were not needed to point out the irony of his comment.

“Do you hear yourself?” Nick shook his head and chuckled. Irony was only the beginning of it. “Since Lani thinks you’re capable. Sounds like you’re just what José needs.”

“Maybe I don’t want to be.”

Solana returned with the water, tossing a bottle to each of the boys. “Your five minute rest period is about over…I think she’s ready for the mattresses.” She disappeared before Nick or Ben could whine, so they went back to their conversation. Might as well wait until someone’s pissed off before moving.

“I hate mattresses…they weigh a ton and…god, how’d I get into this?”

Nick ignored Ben’s moaning too, wanting to drive a point home. “You think I wanted to be what you needed?”

“No, you made that very clear.”

“And look what happened…we both grew up. So, it’s your turn now.”

“I’m 14. I don’t wanna grow up.”

“So you want to be like a 14 year old for the rest of your life? Let’s see…strict curfews, no sex, no smoking, no drinking, no late night movies with the guys, homework 9 months out of the year, acne, livin’ with Mom, no money, no…”

“Alright, alright! No, I don’t…but do I need José to grow up?”

“Maybe. I needed you.”

“But I’m wonderful. José’s a dick.”

“Ben! Nick! Get in here now, you lazy bums…mattresses!” Solana’s voice wailed throughout the echoing halls of the almost empty house and ran chills right up their spines.

“You’re so lucky she called…you? Wonderful?” Nick smacked Ben upside the head, like he always did, and Ben ducked, smacking Nick’s hand out of the way, just like he always did. They hopped off the truck bed smacking and fwapping each other all the way into the house until they stumbled into a room full of irate females.

And Jack, who was useless because he was too busy laughing at the fact that both Nick and his brother were in trouble.

Patty didn’t flinch as she pointed to the huge mattress. “Boys. We’re here to work, not play. Stop screwing around and pick up that end.”

As they did, Nick peeked around his side of the mattress to Ben and stuck out his tongue. Ben returned the favor and Solana kicked Nick in the butt.

“Hey! Watch the booty!”

“I was, Papí…it’s cute, but not moving fast enough.”

After one mattress fell apart before it got out of its room, another smelled so bad that even Nick couldn’t be polite enough to hide his disgust, and another lost its covering from a slight bump to a door frame, they decided to leave all the mattresses out for the trash and Nick would buy new ones. Patty wasn’t so sure, but he insisted.

“Housewarming gift. You should sleep on something better than beat up springs with fabric on them.” When he saw her take a breath to argue one more time, he put his finger to her lips and shook his head. “I’m stubborn. Do you want to come shopping with us or do you trust me and Miss Romero?”

Defeated and embarrassed, Patty slumped down on the final box to go into the truck. “I trust you. I don’t want to know how much you’re spending on us. You’ve already given us so much, Nick.”

“You got this house totally on your own…” He reached out a hand to her and pulled her up. “Come on, Mom. Let’s get you unloaded at the new place and Lani and I will go buy some mattresses.”

The shopping didn’t take long. Nick sucked at shopping, so it was a matter of “four twin sets, one toddler set and a queen…the best you’ve got,” and an address for delivery. Unfortunately, they’d not be delivered until the next day.

“So now what do they do, genius?”

“Slumber party. My house.”

Lani got into Nick’s truck and looked at him like he’d lost his mind. “Everyone? Do you know what you’re doing?”

“Yep. Not sleeping tonight. What the hell.” He started the engine and leaned over to kiss his sweetie. She needed to learn to relax. “You’re coming too, lady. I’m not handling that hoard on my own.”

“Oh I am, huh? What about Patty?”

“I have room for…hell, however many, especially if Ben and Jack hit the floor. She can come too.”

Solana was quiet for a moment, perking up as an idea hit her. “I know…I’ll offer her my house. Give her a night of no kids…or maybe just Amy.”

“Deal…and make sure you get that rugrat that hangs around you all the time. She’ll be in heaven.”

“God, just what Rosalie needs…more spoiling. Between you, Ben, Jack and Kitty…”

“Well, yeah. Poor kid sees no love in her life.”

Solana sat back, obviously previewing the night through her mind. Nick’s heart was bigger than his head sometimes. “We’re going to be dead by morning.”

“Eh, it’s worth it. We need movies, food and uh…what else?”

“Sanity. I’ll see if I can find it by the pound at the grocery.”