Steve, Ryan, and Danny were playing pool down in the game room of the Phi Beta Capa house just on the edge of campus. The rest of the game room and the adjoining common room were empty. Their fraternity brothers knew it was a hard day for all of them, and were respecting their space. “Eight ball, corner pocket,” Steve called, indicating the pocket with his que to make sure his intentions were clear. He had won every game so far, and he didn’t intend to lose now. He aimed carefully, and bent low over the the table, taking his time.

“Hey guys, what’s up?” Danny’s “little brother,” Kevin, entered the room and threw a furtive glance in Danny’s direction before making his way to the kitchenette in the corner, and helping himself to a beer.

“It’s a little early for that, don’t you think, Kev?” Danny demanded.

“Come on, Dan,” Kevin protested, “cut me a break today, won’t you? One won’t hurt anything.” Danny remained silent and avoided Ryan’s eyes as the ball rolled smoothly into the pocket.

“Oh yeah! Whose the man?” Steve raised his arms victoriously and Danny and Ryan scowled at him. In their current mood, his cockiness was just a little hard to swallow. “Come on, girls! Rack ‘em up again! You’re not gonna let me win ‘em all today are you?”

“You’re not gonna let me win ‘em all today are you?” Ryan mimiced him silently and began to strutt and wave his arms as Steve turned to re-chalk his que. “Whose the man?” Ryan puffed out his chest and continued his comical and frighteningly accurate impression as he began to gather the balls. There weren’t many people who would have had the guts to mock the president of the fraternity so boldly, but Ryan knew he could get away with it.

Danny tried to smile, knowing that the show was for his benefit, but not even Ryan could make him laugh today. Finally Ryan stopped, flashing his “big brother” an impish grin as he turned and caught him in the act. Steve shook his head and couldn’t help smiling too as he returned his attention to his que. The kid was such a goober sometimes, but he sure was fond of Danny. ‘Tonight’s going to be hard on both of them,’ he reflected as the smile fell away from his face. ‘Who are you kidding, Jankowski,’ he sighed, “it’s gonna be hard on all of us.’

“What’s going on, Kev’bo?” He looked up as the youngest member in the room made his way back to the pool table and lounged against the back of the sofa, watching his three older counterparts. The brief moment of lightness had passed, and without a word Ryan finished re-racking the balls and Danny got ready to break.

“Not a whole lot,” Kevin answered Steve as the next game wordlessly began. “It’s been a pretty boring day so far. Where is everybody?”

“Never you mind about that!” Danny groused as he re-chalked his que after breaking. “Did you get that report done for Merrick?” Ryan was preparing to shoot and he exchanged glances with Steve, but they both remained silent.

“What? No ‘happy birthday’ or anything?” Kevin retorted, pricked by his big brother’s tone.

“Happy birthday, Man,” Ryan responded soothingly as he took aim, and snuck another glance at Danny. Danny once again avoided his eyes.

“Happy birthday,” he said to Kevin. “So, did you finish it?”

“No!” Kevin returned defensively. Why was Dan being like this, on today of all days? He was never such a hard ass. Not like this.

“Well, you better get on it.”

“I’ll do it tomorrow.”

“I think you should do it now.”

“Well, I didn’t ask what you thought, did I?” Kevin snapped.

“Kevin, you are going to fail American History!”

“Dan, I’ve got time!”

“Yeah, loads of time! The end of the semester is three weeks away, Man!”

“I will do the fucking report, Danny! Just get off my back will you?”

“Fine Man, it’s your funeral.”

“God! Fuck you! I don’t need this shit! It’s my birthday for Christ’s sake! The hell with you!” Kevin crunched his empty beer can into a ball and fired it at the trash. Then he turned, and with one last glare at Danny, made his way sulkily to the door.

Dan closed his eyes as the common room door slammed, and when he opened them both Ryan and Steve were staring at him, the game forgotten. “What?” Dan demanded.

“Don’t you think you were a little hard on him?” Steve asked. Danny shrugged and picked up the chalk again, twisting it vigorously against the end of his que.

“You can’t help him out of this by being hard on him now,” Ryan spoke softly. For a moment Dan remained quiet, continuing to rub the chalk on his stick. “You know that, don’t you?” Ryan repeated, and another minute went by. Dan looked down at his stick concentrating intently on some unseen object as Steve and Ryan waited. Finally he looked at his big brother.

“I should have been stronger with him before,” he replied, his voice cracking.

“It wouldn’t have helped,” Steve responded in the same undertone Ryan had used. “You would only have succeeded in getting his back up like you did just now.” Danny bit his lip and looked away.

“I guess I better go talk to him,” he said at last, setting the stick down and leaning it against the table. He started for the door, but Ryan took hold of his arm, pulling him back.

“You can’t tell him, Dan.” Danny hesitated and Ryan turned to face him, looking squarely into his little brother’s eyes. Dan tried to yank his arm away, but Ryan held him fast. “You know the consequences! Promise me you’re not going to tip him off!” Dan averted his eyes and remained silent. After a minute, when he still had not spoken, Ryan tightened his grip, making Danny grimace. “Pomise me!”

“I’m not going to tell him,” Dan replied wretchedly after a minute. Still Ryan didn’t let go and Dan looked up again to meet his eyes, “I promise,” he said. Finally, Ryan released him, and Dan headed forlornly for the door. Steve and Ryan watched him go, and as Dan closed the common room door behind him, Ryan sank heavily onto the couch and put his head in his hands. Steve observed his little brother quietly for a moment and then without a word he replaced the ques in the rack on the wall and sat down next to him. Neither one of them had any interest in continuing the game.

Danny knew just where to find Kevin, but he wasn’t in a hurry. The kid was no joke when he was mad. It was best to let him cool down a little before attempting a rational conversation. Slowly, but surely he made his way to the practice field of the South Bend Bull Dogs, and as he went he pondered quietly the success of the team so far this year. Much of it was due to Kevin he thought proudly. Dan was the quarterback, and Kevin, though just a freshman, had made the team as a running back and had proved himself in every game. He was a gutsy kid. Dan smiled as he thought of some of the plays Kevin had made. Some of them, Danny would never have even thought about trying with a kid as green as Kevin if the kid hadn’t pestered him so much. “Give the ball to me, Danny! I can do it! I know I can!” Finally, he had taken a chance and it had paid off big.

‘Another thorn in Gregg Mcarthy’s side,’ Danny thought, biting his lip to keep from smirking. He knew he shouldn’t be so smug,but he couldn’t help it. He had never really experienced the frustration Gregg had of being repeatedly shown up by younger, cockier, and more talented players. Gregg was the kind of guy who was fairly capable in any position he played, and his versatility had kept him on the team, but he was not a star at any position. He was a senior now, and chances to prove himself had become limited. The day Danny took a chance on Kevin Kramer was the day Gregg Mcarthy had lost his starting position for the fourth year in a row.

Danny’s pleasant reminiscences began to fade as he got closer to the field. They were replaced by thoughts of the impending night, and his stomach turned. ‘Damn the kid’s cockiness!’ he thought, but he understood it. Hadn’t he been the same way? He had reached the door of the weight room by now and he could hear the punching bag inside. Someone was really knocking the shit out of it. His hand was on the door knob before he changed his mind and retraced his steps to the field. He sat down to wait on the perimeter and stretched his legs out before him as he chewed a blade of grass and continued to contemplate the good times the team had enjoyed this season and the fondness he had developed for Kevin.

He smiled again to himself. The kid really was cocky. Dan, Ryan and Steve were just about the only ones Kevin ever listened to, and it wasn’t often that he listened to them. Dan had spent a lot of extra time with his little brother, encouraging him in his studies and on the field. He’d tried hard to keep him out of trouble, but Kevin seemed destined for it. He was failing most of his classes, or just barely passing them. He spent twice as much time partying as he did studying, and recently he was spending more and more time at Phi Beta Delta, the sorority counterpart to their fraternity, where many of the cheerleaders lived. The most disturbing thing though was his attitude. Recently he had been mouthing off all the time to everyone, even his three mentors. ‘He really has gotten just a little too big for his britches,’ Dan sighed. ‘Well, he can’t help it!’ The defensive big brother in him flared. ‘It’s not like you, Ryan or Steve handled your new found stardom any better than Kevin when you were his age.’ ‘Too true,’ the inner battle continued, ‘and thank god we all had the house there, waiting to straighten us out . . .’

“What are you doing here?” Danny’s stream of consciousness was interrupted by Kevin’s hostile challenge, and Dan looked up at him, thoughtfully.

“Waiting for you,” he replied quietly.

“Why?” Kevin remained guarded, shifting his workout bag on his shoulder and glaring down at his big brother.

“Just to talk.”

“Well, excuse me if I’ve had enough of your kind of talk today,” Kevin snapped, and he turned away.

“Kevin, wait,” Danny called, but Kevin didn’t stop. “Wait,” Dan pleaded, getting to his feet and hurrying to catch up with him. “Please listen to me.”

“Why should I, after you yelled at me that way? And in front of Steve and Ryan too!” Danny caught hold of Kevin’s arm, but Kevin yanked it away and continued storming down the field, forcing Dan to trot along side him.

“I’m sorry, Kev,” Dan replied softly, realizing now that he had really overstepped the line, “I shouldn’t have done that.” Kevin slowed his pace, but didn’t stop, and didn’t look at Danny. Instead he just glared at the ground, swiping angrily at his eyes as they filled with hot tears. Dan put a hand on his arm again, and this time Kevin did not pull away. Finally he stopped and looked up at Danny as tears spilled onto his cheeks. “I’m sorry, kid,” Dan said again.

“Well, I don’t want another lecture!” Kevin retorted.

“I’m not here to lecture,” Danny responded gently. “I’m here to make peace. It is your birthday afterall, right?” Kevin, however, was not ready to let Dan off that easily.

“That’s right! It’s my birthday, jerkweed! Why did you have to do that to me? Today of all days? Why are you being such an asshole?” Dan didn’t respond. There was no good way to explain to Kevin why he had acted as he had. “Come on, Man,” Kevin pressed him, “I want to know! What exactly is your problem?” Still Dan didn’t answer him. “Are you jealous?” Kevin asked, finally.

Danny was taken off guard and before he could stop himself he responded with a contemptuous snort, “Of what?”

Kevin in his turn was surprised by Dan’s open disdain and he hesitated. “I don’t know,” he returned finally, looking at his feet and shifting his weight. “I’ve been getting a lot of the attention recently, getting a lot of the cute girls . . . maybe you’re wishing for the days when you had the spotlight.” Kevin’s tone was even more uncertain as he looked into his big brother’s eyes and saw the good humored, if somewhat condescending, twinkle of understanding. Kevin’s sense of shame was complete when Dan responded with a hearty laugh and clapped him on the back. Afterall, Dan’s limelight days were far from over and Kevin knew it.

“Oh kid,” Dan chuckled as they started to walk again. “No, Kev, I’m not jealous. I’m just worried about you.”

“Worried? Why? What’s to worry about? I’m on top of the world right now.”

“I know, Man! But you’re throwing it all away.”

“No, I’m not!” Kevin returned irritably. “I’m passing everything, but American History, and as long as I do ok on that report, I’ll pass that too.” Dan shot him a look. “What?! I’ll do it! Just not today. I promise, tomorrow, I’ll get right on it! Besides,” he added as Dan remained silent and clearly unconvinced, “who cares about grades when you’re the star of the football team. They’re not going to fail me!” Dan shook his head and walked faster, leaving Kevin to try and keep up now.

“There’s more to life than football, Man!” Dan chided.

“Ok, Danny, I know. I’ll do the report! Starting tomorrow, I’ll lock myself in my room and not come out until it’s done. I promise.” Dan turned his head and was about to respond, but Kevin cut him off. “No more lectures today! Please!” Dan still looked like he wanted to say something. “You promised,” Kevin reminded. Dan sighed and looked away. The kid was right, he had promised. ‘Besides,’ he thought, ‘it won’t do any good now anyway.’

“All right, Man,” he said finally as he looked back at Kevin, “no more lectures. Just get that report done!”

“I will,” Kevin responded gratefully.

“What are you up to, now?” Dan asked.

“Well,” Kevin looked sheepish and turned red as he looked once more at the ground. “First I’m going back to the house to change and then I’m headed over to Phi Beta Delta. The girls are throwing me a little party.” Dan’s brow darkened, but Kevin continued without noticing. “You should come,” he said, “I could definitely set you up.”

“Kev,” Danny interjected in an exasperated tone, “if I wanted one of those skanky-ass cheerleaders, I could get one. The stuff simply doesn’t interest me anymore!” Kevin stared at him in wide-eyed disbelief, and Danny couldn’t help grinning as he put his arm over his little brother’s shoulders. “Come on, let’s get you back to the house, so you can get ready to celebrate your birthday properly.” Kevin smiled too now and they started to make their way back. They walked in silence for awhile and then Danny spoke again quietly. “You’re still coming to the house later aren’t you?” There was silence and Danny looked over at his little brother. “Kev?”

“I don’t know, Danny. It just seems awfully boring . . .”

Danny stopped, his heart missing a beat, and looked seriously at Kevin. Kevin stopped too, as he saw the expression on Danny’s face. “Kev, you have to come. Attendance is mandatory!”

“Oh come on, Danny!” Kevin flashed his cockiest grin, “Why is this particular meeting such a big deal, anyway? Is it like a surprise party or something?” Danny hesitated and looked away uncomfortably, and Kevin grinned. “It is a surprise party, isn’t it?” he demanded triumphantly. “I knew it!”

‘Oh, it’s a surprise all right,’ Danny thought bitterly. ‘Damn you, Steve! Why’d it have to be his birthday?’ “Just make sure you’re there!” Danny replied edgily as he met his brother’s eyes once more.

“I don’t know,” Kevin started teasingly, “it still seems pretty boring. Did you guys bake me a cake? Because the girls baked me a cake . . .,”

Danny grabbed Kevin’s arm hard, cutting him off. “Don’t play this, Kev!” he commanded. Kevin squirmed, trying to pull away, but Danny just held tighter. “Promise me you’ll come!”

“Oww, Danny! Oww! Ok!” Kevin flinched at the serious intensity of Danny’s countenance.

“Promise me, Kev!”

“Ok, Man, Oww! You’re hurting me!” He tried once more, unsuccessfully, to pull his arm away. “Ok! If it means that much to you, I’ll come!” A lance of guilt once more pierced Dan’s gut as he let Kevin go and walked ahead, leaving his little brother to rub his arm in wonder. Kevin remained silent as he caught up with Dan. Danny was acting very strangely. He was rarely so intense about anything, but Kevin knew better than to question him when he was.

The common room was full now, and as he entered the house behind Danny, Kevin was mildly disturbed by the impression that the chatter had slowed if not completely stopped upon their arrival. Ryan looked up from where he was now sitting at the common room table, working on a last minute report of his own. He quickly averted his eyes when Kevin looked his way, however, and returned to his typing. Steve was nowhere in sight. Kevin did not like the feel of the atmosphere in the house right now, though he couldn’t explain why. It seemed a mixture of gloom and anticipatory liveliness and it struck him as an odd combination. He became more disconcerted as he looked around and noticed that it was all of Steve, Ryan, and Danny’s closest friends who seemed quiet and anxious. They all refused to look at him. ‘I’m sure I’m imagining things,’ Kevin tried to shake the feeling off as his own best friend, James, came up to greet him. Nothing was unfamiliar about James’ greeting and the two headed up the stairs to Kevin’s room, leaving what Kevin felt was the general funk of the common room behind. ‘Maybe they’re just stressed about exams,’ he pondered to himself. The older guys were so much more serious than he and his friends were. ‘I hope I never get to be like that,’ he thought.

Danny watched them go, grateful that James had been there to distract Kevin, whose sharp eyes and ears would undoubtedly pick up things. When they were safely upstairs, Danny made his way over to Ryan and sat down next to him. “Everything ok, now?” Ryan asked. Danny slumped and put his head in his hands. Ryan looked at him, sympathetically.

“For the moment,” Danny replied.

“Dan, none of this is your fault. We all knew this was the way it would play out. Stop beating yourself up.”

Danny remained silent for a moment, and then looked at his brother miserably. “He thinks we’re throwing him a surprise party,” he said quietly.

“What?!” Ryan stopped typing, and stared at Danny with concern. “Where’d he get that idea?”

“Well, he was hedging again about whether to come tonight or not, and I simply reiterated that attendance was mandatory, and it was important for him to be here. You know Kevin, though. He’s convinced himself, now. Nothing’s going to change his mind.”

There was another long moment of silence, then Ryan finally spoke. “Well,” he started, smirking at his brother, “it’s not as bad as what you thought last year.”

“It’s pretty fucking close!” Danny snapped, unamused.

Ryan sighed, “He’ll get over it, Dan.”

“Right! Maybe by next year!” Danny replied sourly. “This is so fucking hard!”

“I know it is,” Ryan returned supportively, placing a hand on his arm.

“He’s going to hate me!”

“No he won’t. He’ll understand, in time. You don’t hate me, do you?”

“No,” Danny grumbled, “not anymore.”

“Exactly,” Ryan returned with another faint smile, giving Dan’s arm a squeeze before he continued typing.

“Where’s Steve?” Dan asked.

“He’s upstairs,” Ryan sighed again. “He’s not dealing with it so well, either.” There were no freshmen in the common room now. Most of them had bailed, some of them going upstairs with Kevin and James. They had all sensed the same moodiness Kevin had, and attributing it to exams like he did, they removed themselves from the distasteful atmosphere. They knew nothing. Freshmen could not be trusted to keep secrets, especially those close to Kevin, so they were in the dark, as unsuspecting as Kevin was himself. Tonight was meant to be a wake up call for all of them. Kevin was just the example.

Ryan’s best friend, Sean, now made his way from where he had been talking quietly with some of the other juniors, over to the table where Ryan and Danny were sitting. He placed a hand on Danny’s shoulder as he sat down next to him. “How you holding up?” he asked. Danny shrugged.

“It’s going to be ok, Dan,” Sean encouraged. Danny still didn’t respond, and Sean looked at Ryan, inquiringly.

“Kevin thinks that tonight is a surprise party,” Ryan explained softly with a worried glance at his little brother.

“Oh Shit!” Sean exclaimed. “How’d he arrive at that conclusion?”

Ryan shrugged, “just all the importance placed on his attendance, I guess,” he looked at Dan again. “Kevin kept threatening to blow the whole thing off, and I guess Danny, Steve and I might have gone a little overboard in our efforts to make sure he didn’t.”

“Fuck,” Sean muttered as he tightened his grip on Dan’s shoulder. An awkward silence passed, then finally Sean spoke again. “It’ll be all right, Danny,” he reassured quietly. “You know, last year, Ryan thought you would never forgive him, but look at you guys now. You’ve grown so much! You understand that it was necessary, and in time, Kevin will come to the same conclusion.” Sean couldn’t help the little smirk that flew to his face. “Afterall, what Kevin thinks is no worse than what you had in your head. If you could forgive Ryan, surely Kevin can forgive you too.” Ryan smiled a little again as he perused the screen in front of him.

“Yeah, ok, hardy, har, har,” Danny bristled, “what about the meantime, though?” Ryan stopped typing again and he and Sean locked eyes.

“I’m not going to lie and tell you it’s easy, Man!” Ryan said at last. Danny’s friend, Jesse, entered the room at that moment and Sean silently waved him over. “You’re definitely going to need your friends. That three weeks last year when you refused to talk to me, even went out of your way to avoid me, were some of the worst three weeks of my life. I never felt so low. Without Andrew, Sean, Steve, and Matt, I don’t think I would have made it through.” Dan put his hands over his face and a moment later, he put his head down on his arms. Ryan put a consoling hand on his back.

Sean and Jesse remained quiet for a minute, but finally Jesse reached across to touch Dan’s arm. “You’ll make it through, Man. We’ll all make sure of it. Patrick and I got you through last year when you were on the other side. We’ll get you through this year too. Don’t worry,” he squeezed his friend’s arm again, but Danny did not look up and nobody knew what to say.

“Danny? Are you all right?” Kevin’s slightly rattled voice carried across the common room. His friends James and Alex stood behind him, and they exchanged glances. There was no doubt about it this time. The whispered conversations had all but stopped when they entered the room, and something was clearly really bugging Danny. Exams couldn’t be this big a deal, could they? Jesse got up and made his way over to them.

“Aaa . . .don’t worry about him, Kev’bo. He’s all right. Just running a little short on sleep, and you know how Danny is when he hasn’t slept. Don’t you have a party to get to? I hear the girls are going all out.”

“Yeah sure, I guess so,” Kevin replied uncertainly, his eyes still on Danny who had not moved. Ryan poked his little brother, and finally Danny raised his head.

“Fuck,” he muttered, looking away for a moment. Ryan squeezed his arm encouragingly once more, and finally Dan got up and approached Kevin and his friends. Jesse moved in close to him as he came up beside the little group, and Danny tried to gather his courage.

“You taking off, Bro? You look very sharp.”

“Thanks,” Kevin replied, still sounding unsure. “Are you sure you’re ok, Dan? Do you want me to stay?”

“No, Man,” Danny’s voice waivered, and he looked away. Jesse put a hand on his friend’s shoulder as James and Alex looked at him strangely. “It’s like Jesse said,” Dan finally continued, “I’m just stressed and a little short on sleep. I’ll be ok. You better get going! Your birthday doesn’t last forever, you know.”

“Ok,” Kevin grinned, seeming mostly convinced, and he turned with his friends to go.

“Kev,” Danny called him back and all three boys turned to face him, “10:00, don’t forget.”

“Right,” Kevin smiled again, and winked knowingly at his brother, “and don’t worry,” he added in a conspirational whisper that only Danny, Jesse and his two friends could hear, “I’ll be sure to act surprised.”

“Just don’t be late!” Danny retorted.

“Ok! I won’t,” Kevin responded.

Jesse looked at Danny inquiringly as the door closed. “What was that about?” he asked.

Danny put his hand to his eyes, “Kevin thinks we’re throwing him a party tonight,” he replied.

“A party?” The surprised reply came not from Jesse, but from the unseen figure lurking behind him. “He thinks tonight’s meeting is a party?” Gregg Mcarthy snickered. “Oh, that’s rich!”

“Shut it, Gregg!” Jesse snapped. Sean and Ryan both looked up from the table, and got to their feet as Danny clenched his fists and glared at their rival.

“Oh, no!” Gregg responded to Jesse. “This is good! This is way too good to sit on!” Ryan was glaring at him now, too, and his smirk widened. “Hey everybody,” he called out loud to the now busy common room.

“Shut the fuck up, Mcarthy!” Ryan’s challenge rang out as the buzz of activity began to die.

“Guess what?” Gregg continued with a malicious sneer.

“Not another word,” Danny glowered, “or I’ll . . . . “

“ . . .or you’ll what?” Gregg baited. Danny looked at Ryan, and Gregg too shifted his gaze to include Danny’s older brother. “Come on, then! Let’s see what you’ve got!” He leered at them nastily. The room was deathly silent now as Gregg continued tauntingly, “Some of us think a summons is long overdue for you two, so high and mighty because you’re the president’s younger brothers. You’re both so damned spoiled!”

“That’s enough, Gregg!” Sean reacted, but Danny and Ryan did not. They didn’t give a flying fig what this loser had to say about them. It was only Kevin that they cared about right now. Gregg sensed it and returned to his former target.

“Poor Kevie,” he jeered.

“You are such an asshole!” Jesse hissed, placing his hand on Danny’s arm as Danny took a threatening step in Gregg’s direction. Gregg ignored him and continued as Sean now placed a restraining hand on Ryan as well.

“Y’all ready for this?” Gregg gloated as he looked around the now silent common room. Sean and Jesse each tightened their hold as Danny and Ryan both fixed Gregg with an intimidating scowl. “Our little Kev’bo thinks tonight is a party to celebrate his birthday! Isn’t that sweet?!” The two brothers lunged at Gregg. Sean was ready and as the taller of the two had a fair amount of success containing Ryan, especially as their friend Andrew moved in to help. He had witnessed the scene from the landing, and anticipating mischief, had come downstairs. He was standing in the common room door when the trouble broke out and he moved quickly, pushing Ryan back as he struggled to break the hold Sean had on him.

Jesse, however, was neither as tall or as strong as his friend, and Danny practically ran him over in his rage. “Pat!” Jesse called, spying his second closest friend in a corner across the room. Patrick was already on the move, but he was too far away.

“No, Danny! He’s so not worth it!” Patrick screamed. “Get out of the way!” He barked in frustration at anyone sitting or standing in his path as he leapt over chairs and sent garbage cans flying in a mad effort to reach his friend. Jesse made one last desperate grab for Danny’s shirt, but it was too late.

“I’ll fucking kill you!” Gregg’s derisive laughter was cut short as Danny grabbed him by the throat and forced him against the wall, “You sick son of a bitch! You are so dead!” he cried. Gregg was choking now and clawing at Danny’s wrists. A second later, Sean’s strong hands were prying Dan’s fingers from Gregg’s throat. Patrick came up beside them and Danny fought as his friends dragged him back. “Let me go! Let me go! I’ll get you Mcarthy! I’m going to fucking kill you! You hear me?” Danny pitched himself violently against Sean, and Sean braced himself, successfully keeping him back with Patrick’s help.

Andrew, meanwhile was still restraining Ryan who had calmed considerably as his concern for his brother pushed aside his own hot-headed anger. “Let me go, Andy!” he demanded, pulling away from his friend.

“Are you calm?” Andrew asked him.

“Yes,” Ryan replied irritably, trying once again to push past him.

“You don’t look calm,” Andrew returned.

“Well, I am!” Ryan snapped. “Come on, Man! I’m not going to do anything!”

“All right,” Andy replied quietly, “but remember you promised.” Ryan nodded, and Andrew released him.

“Calm down,” Ryan instructed his brother now as he came up beside Sean and Patrick. Danny was still fighting them. Danny’s friend looked exhausted, like he wouldn’t be able to take much more, and Ryan motioned Patrick to change places with him. Gratefully, Patrick stepped aside, and Ryan took his place. “Calm down!” he commanded again, pushing Danny back as his younger brother rushed at them once more. Ryan looked at Sean and a moment later Sean stepped aside too. Ryan closed his arms around Danny and pushed him back once more. Danny continued to struggle briefly, but Ryan was used to him and knew how to handle him, keeping him well in check as his little brother glared menacingly at Gregg over his shoulder.

Gregg, during this time had still been struggling to regain his breath. He had his hand to his own throat now, and was still wheezing and gulping for air as he tried to recover from Danny’s unexpected onslaught. It had really been a surprise. Despite the taunts, Danny was two years younger than he was, and Steve’s second youngest brother. For him to attack a senior would be unheard of. Gregg didn’t think either he or Ryan would have the guts, and he looked smugly now at Danny as the air finally came back into his lungs. “Congratulations, Lockheart!” he sneered. “You just guaranteed yourself a summons!”

Danny’s struggles subsided some and he turned ashen as he looked at Ryan. Ryan too turned deathly pale, and his little brother clutched at him. “Oh God, Ry! He’ll kill me!” Danny whispered. “What am I going to do?”

“I don’t know, Kid,” Ryan swallowed as he looked into his little brother’s frightened eyes.

“I didn’t mean it, Ryan!” Danny hid his face on his big brother’s shoulder. “I didn’t mean to do it!”

“I know,” Ryan soothed. “I know you didn’t. Let me talk to him,” he tightened his arms as Danny clung to him. “It’ll be all right,” he murmured. “I’ll talk to him.”

“You two are such pussies!” Gregg snorted scornfully. “‘Oh God, Ry, what am I going to do?’” he mocked in a high pitched imitation of Danny. Then he deepened his voice, “I don’t know, Kid. Let me talk to him.” He laughed again.

“Fuck you, Mcarthy!” Jesse took a step in his direction, but Sean yanked him back. “Don’t you start!” he snapped.

“You just love playing the hero, don’t you, Sanderson?” Gregg continued to needle Ryan. “So fucking spoiled! Look at me, look at me! I’m the president’s brother! I can do what I want!”

“Shut the fuck up!” Sean’s temper flared as some of Gregg’s friends laughed. “He is not like that!”

“Well, it doesn’t matter!” Gregg jeered smugly. “He’s not going to be able to do jack shit this time and he knows it! Look at him!” Gregg sniggered again. “It’s about time too! At least one of Steve’s cocky-ass brothers will finally get what’s coming to him!”

“All right, Gregg! You made your point! Just drop it!” Sean warned. Gregg was not about to let this go though. This was the most fun he’d had in a long time.

“I can just see it now!” he continued smirkingly.

“Shut it Mcarthy!” Andrew threatened, and Sean looked at him nervously. Andrew was the biggest and strongest of the group. If he decided to go after Gregg, nobody would be able to stop him.

“‘Come on, Bro! Let’s get it over with!’” The stillness of the room deepened as Gregg imitated the fraternity president. He sounded just exactly like Steve, and Ryan and Danny’s friends looked at them in dread. Ryan had so far suffered the insults quietly, but now as his little brother clung tighter, he balled his fists in an effort to control his anger. “‘No, Steve! Please! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!’” Gregg imitated Danny again now and laughed. “It’ll be just like last year!” he leered. “All the drama. Ryan crying and pleading on his brother’s behalf. Such a touching scene! How I wish I could be there, I’d bring pocorn . . .,”

“You fucking bastard!” Gregg broke off midsentence as Ryan flew at him.

“Ryan!” Andrew shouted, but Ryan had already sent Gregg sprawling with a solid blow to his jaw. Sean, Patrick and Jesse rushed to restrain Danny, and it took the efforts of all three to keep him from following his brother.

“Fuck!” Gregg brought his hand to his mouth as he felt it beginning to swell. “God, that hurt!” he glared up at Ryan.

“Shit, Ry! What did you do?” Sean looked back at him, horrified, still trying to keep Danny under control. Ryan looked away as he cradled his hand and cursed under his breath.

“Damn it, Ryan! You’ve really done it, now!” Andrew admonished.

“I don’t care!” Ryan scowled, still nursing his hand. “It was worth it!” His stomach turned violently despite his words, however, and his cavalier attitude didn’t fool either Andrew or Sean. He continued to evade their eyes, and the eyes of his other friends. Instead, he looked back at Danny and the two brothers locked eyes. This was a moment they knew they would have to pay for.

“What in the blue blazes is going on out here?” Steve’s bedroom door opened and he stepped out, peering down into the common room from the railing above.

“What’s going on is, your smart ass younger brothers just attacked me!” Gregg returned hotly.

Steve felt the blood drain from his face, and he shifted his gaze to Danny and Ryan. Reluctantly they looked up to meet his eyes. “Is that true?” Steve demanded.

Both his brothers swallowed, unable to answer right away, and Sean took pity on them. “They were provoked, Steve!”

“That’s the understatement of the year!” Jesse growled as he too found his voice.

“Yes, they were provoked!”

“It’s not fair!”

“Mcarthy should learn to mind his own fucking business!” Similar cries of protest and a few in support of Gregg’s point of view were raised throughout the room, but Steve ignored them all, staring stonily down at his brothers.

“Is it true?” he asked again.

“Yes,” Ryan finally managed in a tiny voice, and both he and Danny hung their heads to avoid Steve’s scolding eyes.

“All right, then, we will have to talk about this later! In the meantime, if you cannot control your tempers, it will be best for you to stay away from other people. Both of you, get upstairs, now!”

“Steve . . .,” Ryan protested.

“Now!” Steve barked and tears stung Ryan’s eyes as both he and Danny beat a hasty retreat for the stairs. The house shook as one after the other they slammed their bedroom doors, and Steve closed his eyes. It was going to be a long night. Without another word, he turned quietly back into his room, shutting the door softly, and leaving the rest of the stunned fraternity members to sort things out for themselves.

The remainder of the afternoon passed in heavy silence, broken only by the whispered conversations of the sophomores, juniors and seniors. The freshmen came and went, never staying for long, repelled by the eerie atmosphere, and determined to avoid it until the mandatory meeting later that night.

Ryan, Danny, and Steve all remained in their rooms. Ryan and Danny would talk to no one, not even Jesse and Sean, and as 9:00 rolled around their friends felt compelled to seek Steve’s assistance. They stood in front of the president’s door now, and Sean knocked softly. Jesse glanced at him, uncomfortably. Aside from Steve’s younger brothers and his friends, fraternity members normally visited the president in his room for one reason and one reason only. Sean too seemed nervous as Steve opened the door and regarded them silently. “They’re not coming out,” Sean informed him quietly. “We thought you should know.” Steve sighed and stepped aside to let his brothers’ friends in.

He motioned to the bed, inviting them to sit down, but they eyed it nervously and shook their heads, choosing to stand by the door instead. Steve raised his eyebrows at them and couldn’t help smirking a little at their silliness. A moment later, however, he fixed them with his most serious expression and inquired, “What happened out there, today?”

Sean glanced at Jesse. Jesse shifted his weight and looked at the floor, and neither of them spoke. “I need to know, guys,” Steve encouraged gently after a minute.

Sean shrugged, “Gregg was goading them,” he finally responded.

“Yeah well, that, I got!” Steve returned sarcastically. “But that’s nothing new. What was it about this time?”

“Kevin,” Jesse interjected.

“What else would push them over the edge like that?” Sean demanded. Steve nodded as the pieces of the puzzle began to come together.

“Go on,” he encouraged Sean and Jesse calmly, “how did it concern Kevin?” Sean glanced at Jesse as he continued, and Jesse shifted uncomfortably again. This room brought back bad memories, and he just wanted out as quickly as possible.

“Well, Kevin has apparently gotten it into his head somehow that tonight’s meeting is a surprise party for his birthday.” Steve paled as Sean continued, “Danny had just come to the realization that Kevin had this idea, and we were all trying to cheer him up. He was informing Jesse of the situation when Gregg picked up on the conversation, and after baiting Ryan and Danny for a considerable period of time, he finally alerted the whole common room to Kevin’s predicament. That’s when they lost it,” Sean finished quietly.

“I see,” Steve replied, turning away and doing his best to mask his emotion. “So, what you’re telling me is that Kevin thinks we are throwing him a surprise party tonight, and that now, due to careless conversation and Gregg Mcarthy’s mean streak, the whole house knows that’s what he thinks. Did I get it right?”

Sean and Jesse looked down, guiltily. The rebuke concerning their “careless conversation” had not been lost on either of them. “That about sums it up I guess,” Jesse replied softly.

‘Christ almighty, this is going to be just as bad as last year,’ Steve thought. “All right guys,” he sighed after a minute, “thanks for telling me. It’s good to have the whole picture.” He still wasn’t looking at his brothers’ friends and Jesse and Sean traded glances.

“You won’t be too hard on them, will you?” Sean whispered and Steve finally turned to look at him. “I mean about this afternoon?” he clarified, unable to read Steve’s expression. Steve looked down now and put a hand to his eyes. A long minute went by, but finally he looked once more at Ryan’s friend.

“I’m going to do my best to be fair, Sean,” he answered gently. Then as he looked at Jesse’s taut face he assured, “I am not going to do anything about it tonight. Tonight is going to be hard enough without that.” They were still eyeing him disconsolantly, and resignedly Steve added, “I will try to wait until the after affects of this whole thing blow over, but I can’t promise more than that.” Sean bit his lip and looked away and Jesse looked quickly at the floor again. Steve waited a moment for them to gather their emotions, and then spoke again softly, but firmly, “Go on now,” he urged, “and let me talk to them.” Jesse and Sean didn’t look at him and Steve waited patiently. “This is not your fault, guys,” he said. “Nothing you said just now has influenced in the least my thoughts about this afternoon. Nor is there anything you could have said to change my mind.”

Again Jesse and Sean were silent, and finally Steve urged them more firmly. “Go on. Don’t you each have things you need to do?” They nodded glumly, and Steve opened the door. Silently Danny and Ryan’s best friends turned to leave, and Steve watched them go. His brothers had both been wise in their choice of friends he reflected. It would be hard to find friends more loyal than those two were.

Coaxing his brothers out of their rooms turned out to be no easy matter, and it was not with gentle persuasion, but with commanding authority that the task was ultimately accomplished. He went to the younger of the two first, anticipating a tougher battle in that quarter. His expectations were not disappointed. “Dan, it is your duty! Just as it was Ryan’s last year! It’s going to happen, Man, whether you like it or not. Kevin will take it best with you beside him to support and encourage him. Do not deprive him of that.” Finally, Danny opened the door. He’d clearly been crying. His eyes were puffy and his face tear streaked. Steve looked at him quietly for a moment and then stepped into the bedroom, shutting the door behind him as Danny went completely to pieces again. “You’re going to have to try and pull it together, Danny! It’s almost time. Sean is rallying the troops. Jesse is instructing the freshmen. You need to be there for Kevin, Man. As hard as it is, that’s your role.”

“He’s not going to see it as support!” Dan choked. “He’s going to blame me!”

“Maybe at first,” Steve acknowledged gently, “but he will eventually come to see that this is bigger than you and him, that it’s a tradition, and a good one at that.” Steve waited, but when Danny did not seem to calm down, he added, “You know he has it coming, Dan, and regardless of how he takes it, it is your duty to be there with him. Let him lash out at you. It’s a hard lesson to learn, and that’s what big brothers are for. It will make you closer in the end,” he promised quietly. “Trust me.”

“Did you fix things with Ryan?” Danny sobbed.

“That’s where I’m headed next, “ Steve replied softly. “You guys really put me in a bad spot this afternoon.”

“I know,” Danny returned brokenly, “I’m sorry. Everything just happened so quickly.”

“Well,” Steve returned in the same soothing tone, “what’s done is done. We will have to deal with it, but not tonight. Tonight, we all need to be there for Kevin, ok?” Danny nodded, but he was too broken up to respond and Steve left him in peace to collect himself as he moved on to Ryan.

That had been nearly forty-five minutes ago now, and Dan had rallied tolerably. At least he was no longer crying. He had washed his face, rubbing his eyes hard to try and erase the puffiness and only succeeding in making them redder. Finally he gave up and made his way downstairs. Now, he sat sullenly between Ryan and Jesse on the couch, not talking to either of them and avoiding everybody’s eyes as people threw curious glances his way. In his lap, lay the heavy fraternity paddle of which he was now the keeper. He ran his fingers over the engraved names, nervously. His own, at the moment, was last, to be followed shortly by Kevin’s, and he tried to forget how painful every smack had been, the shock he had felt, the betrayal, and how he was about to pass those feelings on to his little brother. This was harder than he had ever imagined it could be.

The newly aware freshmen sat in shocked silence on the other side of the room with the sophmores, their big brothers, hovering nearby. The juniors and seniors were scattered about the room. Some of them talked amongst themselves in low voices and the atmosphere was once again clearly divided between those who couldn’t wait to see the cocky freshman get his just desserts, and those who acknowledged the necessity of the act, but were fond of Kevin and dreading the night ahead.

Steve, meanwhile, was upstairs, having one more cigarette on the balcony off his private room. He too was having a difficult time. This was going to be hard, harder than he had imagined also. He crushed out the cigarrette with his foot. He’d put on a brave enough face for Danny and Ryan’s benefit, but could he maintain it? He wondered. That little squirt had really gotten under his skin, and tonight he would have traded his private room to anybody just to avoid doing what it was his duty to do. He leaned on the rail and looked out into the night sky. He didn’t think he could go back in until it was really time.

Ten o’clock came and went, and then ten fifteen. Now it was twenty after ten and Ryan looked at Danny, nervously. “You’re sure he’s coming?”

Danny shrugged miserably, “He said he would.”

“Danny, you know what will happen if he doesn’t show in the next half hour.”

“I know,” Dan replied, feeling queasy. “He said he’d be here, though. He’ll come.”

“I hope so,” Ryan returned. “I don’t want to go through what we went through last year.”

“At least I wouldn’t blame you this time,” Dan replied in a small voice, clutching the paddle tighter. Ryan regarded him silently for a moment, and then placed an arm over his shoulders. He knew exactly what Danny was going through. Another ten minutes went by before they finally heard voices coming down the hall. Three of them were identifiable as James’, Alex’s and Kevin’s, and Ryan and Dan both breathed a sigh of relief. They sounded drunk, but not as drunk as Danny had been afraid they’d be. The next moment, however, horror struck Danny’s heart as he heard a female giggle and then a voice that was clearly not male. The three freshmen were bringing girls into a restricted meeting when they, along with everyone else, had been explicitly warned not to.

Ryan looked quickly at Danny, his eyes reflecting all the panic Dan was feeling. “He didn’t!” Ryan whispered harshly, and Danny nodded, swallowing hard to force back tears.

“It seems that he did.”

Ryan and Dan were both paralyzed by the feeling of dread that had overtaken them, but Jesse was not rendered quite as immobile. “Here! Give that thing to me,” he indicated the paddle and Danny handed it to him. Jesse lifted the blanket hanging over the back of the couch and stowed it just as the door opened and the seven freshmen stumbled in. Four girls had accompanied the young fraternity members back to their house.

The room, which had been quiet before, now fell completely silent as everyone stared at the newcomers. “Well, this is a rousing party,” quipped James.

“They’re probably just waiting for the guest of honor to arrive,” one of the girls tittered. Kevin and Alex were staring in shock at the faces around them, some of them horrified and others trying to contain their amusement. At last Kevin’s eyes found first Ryan’s and then Dan’s and he felt stung by the silent rebuke he saw there. He felt all of a sudden that he had broken some major taboo. He knew girls weren’t supposed to be here tonight, but it was his birthday, his party, wasn’t it? He was no longer sure as he passed his eyes over the room once more.

“Kevin!” Danny was on his feet now, and his sharp admonishment finally brought Kevin’s eyes back to those of his big brother. His stomach lurched as he saw the anger and the . . .was that fear in Danny’s expression? “You know you’re not supposed to have girls in here tonight! You’ve been told several times!”

“I know, Dan! But it’s my birthday . . .I just thought . . .,”

“Get rid of them!” Danny snapped, cutting him off. Ryan stood up now, next to Danny, eyeing Kevin sharply, and silently reinforcing Dan’s command.

“Now, now, let’s not be so hasty,” Gregg Mcarthy spoke up, his voice oozing with mirth. “If the birthday boy wants to have girls at his party, I think we should consider making an exception.”

“Absolutely!” the sentiment was echoed with relish by some of Gregg’s friends and his maddening smirk became even larger.

“No!” Ryan and Dan responded as one.

“Kevin,” Gregg turned to him, “you see how they treat you? Still like a little kid. I know they’re your big brothers, but they don’t seem to want you to have any fun on your birthday do they? I think they’re being very mean!”

“Shut your fat hole, Mcarthy!” Jesse snapped.

“Tsk, tsk, Triviani. Is there a need for such hostility on this very special day?” The malicious glint in Gregg’s eyes deepened as Jesse glared at him, and Kevin looked again, confused, at Ryan and Dan. Why were they being like this? They had never been sticklers for the rules before, and why was their arch nemesis, a loser and notorious straight arrow, now defending him? Everything was upside down. On top of it all he was definitely buzzed which made it even harder to make sense of the situation. He pressed his hand to his head.

“Girls,” Ryan ignored Gregg and tried addressing the four females. If they could just get them out before Steve came down. “I’m sorry, but you will have to go.”

“Not until Kevin tells us to,” one of them responded with a giggle, clinging to Kevin and pressing up against him. She was a pretty, little brunette with curves and Ryan cursed under his breath. Danny, however, had had enough. He stroed over and took Kevin hard by the arm, dragging him to the back of the room where the pool table stood.

“Hey!” Alex and James reacted, coming out of their drunken stupor and trying to follow their friend. Ryan and Jesse blocked their way, and Patrick stepped up to take hold of Alex, hauling him back. Alex was his little brother.

“Leave it!” Patrick instructed.

“Let me go, Pat!” Alex struggled briefly with him, but was unable to break free.

“You do not want to ally yourself with Kevin right now, Man! Let it go!”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Alex replied indignantly. “I am allied with him! He’s my bestfriend.”

“All the same,” Patrick tightened his grip as Alex’s struggles were renewed, “the best thing you can do for him right now is leave him alone and let Danny handle it!”

“I don’t understand!” Alex protested.

“I know you don’t,” Pat replied in a gentler tone as his little brother yielded unwillingly, “but you have to trust me.” With that he pulled Alex further back against the wall, keeping a tight hold on him as Alex looked sorrowfully at his friend.

A similar conversation was taking place between Jesse and James. Jesse was James’ big brother, and James was not any happier than Alex was to see his friend dragged off by an arm in front of a roomful of people. Gregg and his friends on the other hand were clearly enjoying themselves as they stared across the room at Danny and Kevin who were now in heated conversation.

“You have no idea the situation you’re putting yourself in!” Danny seethed. “You have to tell them to go!”

“You are not the boss of me!”

“Right now, Little Man, I most certainly am!” Kevin looked like he’d been slapped and tears sprung to his eyes. Danny saw them and his heart wrenched. He loosened his grip and softened his tone. “Kev’bo, you do not want them here, right now. Not tonight. Trust me on this, please.” Kevin looked away and swiped at his tears as they started to streak his face.

At that moment, they heard a door shut on the landing upstairs, and an instant later Steve peered over the railing into the open common room. He narrowed his eyes when he saw the girls and Ryan and Danny looked up at him, pleadingly. He returned the stares of the two younger members he had come to regard as fondly as if they really were his own brothers, and he swore under his breath. “Shit! What was that little punk thinking?”He finally broke eye contact with Danny and Ryan, and took in the rest of the room, Gregg’s smirking face, Jesse and Pat as they tried to keep James and Alex calm and under control, the terrified freshmen, the divided seniors and juniors. It was his job to bring them all back together again, to lay down the law as justly as possible. Now, as he looked at Kevin, still restrained by Danny, he hated his job more than ever. “What’s going on, here?” he inquired for the second time today as he finished surveying the scene.

Gregg was the first to answer almost gleefully, “Well as you can see, Steve,” he began, “our young friend, here, decided to bring us some female companionship. As it was his birthday, he didn’t feel the rules applied to him, and I was just saying that I thought he was perfectly right, and as he was so hell bent on having them here, they should be allowed to stay.”

“Steve,” Danny whispered urgently, “please!” Steve paused and looked at Ryan.

“It wouldn’t be fair, Steve! You know it wouldn’t!” Still Steve remained quiet, looking over the room once more. His lip curled as his eyes rested on Gregg’s simpering face. ‘Why can’t he ever break a rule? Just once?’ he thought.

“I understand your concern, Ryan, but a rule has been broken.” Steve became nauseous as both Danny and Ryan turned a pasty white. “I have half a mind to entertain Gregg’s suggestion.” ‘No I don’t,’ he thought to himself as Ryan and Danny turned pastier still. “Kevin,” he continued, “I know you have no real understanding yet of the situation you are in. I also know for a fact, however, that you were advised against bringing girls tonight, several times. I, myself, cautioned you more than once and I also heard Ryan and Danny expressly forbid you. You have, therefore, unquestionably disobeyed, and your disobedience shall have to be dealt with.” Steve paused for dramatic affect and looked around. His eyes settled on Gregg’s elated expression..

“Steve please . . .!” the voices of his younger brothers reached his ears, but he kept his eyes on Gregg’s face, feeling smug as his next statement took the wind out of his nemesis’ sails.

“We shall deal with the matter internally, however. I see no reason to put the girls in a position to witness the goings on of a private fraternity meeting. Kevin had no way of knowing how serious the transgression was, and therefore it would be unjust to put either him or the girls in that situation.”

“But Steve . . .,” Gregg protested.

“That is my final word,” Steve cut him off. “Kevin, say goodnight to the girls and show them to the door please!”

Gregg glowered unhappily. There were others who were cleary disappointed too, but to them it was just a missed opportunity to add to the drama. Of them all, it was only Gregg and his band of squares who seemed to take Steve’s decision as a personal offense, and now they fell to whispering amongst themselves as they continued to scowl in Kevin, Danny, and Ryan’s direction.

Kevin, meanwhile, just stood there dumbfounded, as did the girls, James and Alex. This was not at all what they had been expecting. Even when Danny let go of him, Kevin still didn’t move. He was fighting through the alcohol fog that was slowing his comprehension of the situation. Danny and Ryan watched him sympathetically, but after a moment when he still hadn’t budged, Danny gave him a little shove in the girls’ direction. “Go!” He whispered harshly. Kevin looked at Ryan.

“Hurry up!” Ryan snapped. He and Danny just wanted the girls out. Only then would they breathe easier. Only then, could their empathy for Kevin begin to push out the sharpness created by their anxiety. Things were bad enough now, if Kevin only knew. The last thing the poor little chap needed were four female witnesses to tonight’s events. Besides the obvious humiliating factors, girls had notoriously big mouths. It would be all over campus before dawn.

Alex and James had been manhandled into opposite corners by Patrick and Jesse, and now they stood helplessly watching their friend as with tears glistening in his eyes, he finally made his way over to their guests. Steve had, during this time, been making his way down the stairs, and now he stood at the bottom in the doorway of the common room, watching with everyone else as Kevin said his good-byes. Ryan and Danny sought his eyes, but he did not look at them. ‘I cannot appear to be too sympathetic,’ he cautioned himself. His heart ached, all the same, as he watched the youngest of their quartet.

“Sorry,” Kevin managed in a low voice to the little brunette who appeared to be the ringleader of the girls, “I don’t really understand what’s happening here, but I guess you girls are going to have to go.”

“That’s all right, Sweetie,” she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “We’ll see you tomorrow. Besides,” she continued in a louder voice for the benefit of all, “it feels more like a tomb in here than a party! If you guys ever have the notion to see what a real party is like, come to one of ours sometime.”

“We do go to yours, Beth! All the time!” Danny could contain himself no longer. He knew the girl well, and she was nothing but trouble.

“Well then,” Beth batted her eyes in his direction and smiled, “it’s ashame you haven’t learned anything.” “Get out!” Danny snapped fiercly, and Ryan put a hand on his arm.

“Sooo serious tonight,” Beth drawled with another flirtatious bat of her eyelids and the other girls giggled. “What’s wrong with you all? Why are you so serious?”

“That is none of your business,” Steve interjected before Danny could respond. “This is a closed fraternity gathering as Kevin, James, and Alex well knew before they brought you here tonight. They broke the rules. Don’t add to their guilt by prolonging your departure. We are respectful of your sorority and would never presume to interrupt a meeting that we were informed was closed.” Beth looked taken aback and finally a little rattled. Steve had a good reputation as the leader of the fraternity. He was known for being fair and respectful. Nobody questioned his authority.

“I’m sorry, Steve,” she replied, “we didn’t know.”

“I know you didn’t,” Steve responded, “but now you do, so please leave.”

“Come on, girls,” Beth squeezed Kevin’s hand, and then turned towards the door, the other three girls trailing after her. Ryan and Danny each breathed a sigh of relief as the door closed behind them.

Kevin was mad now, though, and they didn’t have much of a respite as he turned on them. “What in the hell was that? Are you trying to ruin my birthday completely? If so you’re doing an excellent job! This is what I left the party for? You’re all about as lively as a bunch of pall bearers carrying a casket in a funeral parade.You must be on crack if you think I’m going to stick around here. This is fucking bullshit!”

“All right, Kevin that is enough!” Steve rebuked. “You will not address your brothers in that tone! They were trying to protect you!”

“What?!” The outburst came not from Kevin, but from James who was standing in the back corner where he had been dragged by Jesse.

“Protect me from what?” Kevin sulked as he continued to glare at Ryan and Danny.

“You have a lot to learn tonight, Little Brother!” Steve went on, ignoring James’ outburst and Kevin’s question.“Before the night is over, you will learn to talk to your brothers respectfully!You will learn to shut your mouth when they are trying to advise you!”

James snorted, “Why should he listen to them?”

“All they’ve done is lie!” Alex agreed, but he closed his mouth quickly as Pat glared at him.

“You will in fact learn,” Steve continued, “ to respect this fraternity as a whole, and abide by the traditions and requirements it upholds! Right now, Kev, you and I are going to have a little talk about the importance of following directions! Come here!”

“What?! What the hell is this shit? Are you serious?” James’ drunken state made him somewhat irrational, and a ripple of apprehension surfaced among the older students as he openly challenged Steve.

“James . . .,” Jesse whispered urgently trying to calm him.

“No, Jess!” he turned on his big brother. “You told him this was a party for fuck’s sake! What the hell is going on?”

“Shut up!” Jesse spat. “You are going to make it worse!”

“Worse? How could it be worse?”

“Keep pushing and you’re going to find out!”

“Is that a threat?”

Jesse softened his manner a little and responded in a gentler tone, “No, Man. It’s not a threat. It’s an unavoidable fact. Just calm down. . .”

“Calm down! You’re telling him to calm down?” Alex made a threatening move towards Jesse, but Patrick intercepted him. “Do you think we’re just going to roll over while our best friend gets scolded like a dog in front of everybody? On his birthday, no less? Oh no! The hell with this! Come on, Kev, we’re out of here.” Alex started for the door, but Patrick yanked him back, and, taking him by the shirt collar, forced him against the wall.

“You are going nowhere!” he directed. “This is not about you, and it is not up to you to interfere!” Alex gaped at his older brother, silenced by his forcefulness.

Kevin too, was looking at his oldest brother in dismay. Steve had never addressed him so sharply in front of others before. As rattled as he was, however, he responded to Steve’s command. He had never yet disobeyed a direct order from Steve, and now he made his way on shakey legs to stand before the president of the fraternity.

Steve rarely ever got angry with his brothers, but when he did, the scolding that followed was unbearable. The couple of times Steve had called Kevin to his room for a lecture, his little brother had cried for hours afterwards. Only Danny and Ryan had been aware of those occasions and Kevin had leaned heavily on them. They had been subjected many times to similar reprimands. As the younger brothers of the president, it was the special privilege they were all entitled to. Now, it was not the fear of Steve’s anger that affected Kevin as he looked into his oldest brother’s eyes, it was the dread of his disappointment. “We need to have a long talk tonight, Kev,” Steve spoke softly, and Kevin hung his head.

“Where is it?” Steve turned to Danny with the same paternal air. Danny hesitated. Tears welled in his eyes as he regarded his chastened little brother, and he swallowed hard as memories of last year rushed back on him. Steve’s demeanor, however, was one of no-nonsense and Danny dared not disobey. Resignedly, he approached the couch, and keeping his eyes on Kevin, he raised the blanket and produced the paddle, picking it up and clutching it tightly. Kevin was looking at him now, and at the sight of the paddle terror filled his eyes. Steve took hold of Kevin’s arm, anticipating his brother’s desire to run. “Bring it here!”he commanded Danny firmly. Danny, however, was paralyzed by the look on his little brother’s face, and he remained where he was as Kevin’s friends reacted.

“No! No! Oh My god, No!” Alex pushed to get past Patrick, but Patrick kept him pinned against the wall and Alex turned resentful eyes on Danny. “How could you do this?” he screamed. “You’re his brother!”

“You’re a no good traitor!” James raged, nearly knocking Jesse over. Jesse, however, had the ultimate strength advantage this time and he hauled James back, gripping him by both his arms. “Let me go, Jess! Let me go! I’ll kill you!” he shouted at Danny and Ryan. “I’ll kill you both!”

“That’s enough!” Jesse admonished him. “Let it go!”

“No! It’s not fair, Jess!” James continued to struggle. “It’s not fair! They told him this was a party!”

“They never told him that, James!”

“Yes, they did!” his little brother protested stubbornly.

“No! Kevin came to that conclusion all on his own!”

“Well they sure as hell didn’t deny it!”

“They were not in a position to!” Jesse snapped, beginning to lose his patience.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” James demanded. “They totally set him up! God,” he choked, “they let him walk right into this!”

“They didn’t have a choice!” Jesse snarled. “You have no idea what you’re talking about, James! If you knew the first thing about what Danny and Ryan went through today, you would shut your mouth right now!”

“I don’t give a flying rat’s ass what they went through today! They still had no right to do this to Kevin!” James once again rushed at Danny and Ryan, and Jesse once again pushed him back.

“Drop it, James! I mean it!” James, however, was done listening and he lowered his head, driving Jesse nearly into the far wall before Jesse managed to get him in a headlock. James spun around in an effort to free himself, but Jesse was in control now, and tears of frustration began to streak his little brother’s face. “Do it!” Jesse cried, facing Steve, and keeping James locked soundly in his vice like grip.

Steve nodded and prompted his younger brother once more, “Let’s go, Dan!” Danny swallowed hard as he fought to control his emotions, but finally he obeyed. He approached Steve almost as apprehensively as Kevin had and held out the dreaded implement. Steve took it determindely, meeting Danny’s eyes as he did so in an effort to reassure him. Danny hung his head, and Ryan came quietly up beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Gripping the paddle resolutely, Steve returned his attention to Kevin. “Kev,” he addressed him sternly, “your lack of discipline is astonishing! Your shoddy effort, your arrogance, your obnoxious behavior and your unwillingness to accept advice or guidance even from those who have been where you are and know better has been a continual problem!” Ryan put his arm around Danny and Danny leaned closer. Both Kevin’s brothers knew how hard it was to face a scolding from Steve even in the privacy of their own rooms, and now they sought solace from one another, feeling helpless as Steve tongue lashed their younger brother. Steve took in Danny and Ryan’s pale faces and shrinking demeanor with a sinking heart, but after a moment he continued. “You are truly incorrigible, Kevin! I really do not think I’ve ever seen anything like your cockiness or stubborness!” he chastised.

“I have,” an unknown voice goaded from somewhere amongst the scattered seniors, and a few of the older students snickered. “You hang in there, Kev! You’re in good company, Man.” Steve dropped his chin to his chest, and bit his lip in an effort not to smile as the familiar voice reached his ears. ‘How he had missed that voice,’ he thought wistfully and the next moment hot tears filled his eyes. He brushed at them, taking a deep breath as his throat tightened, and when he finally looked up at his little brother once more, there was no sign they had ever been there.

“What time were you supposed to be home tonight, Kev?” he demanded.

“Steve please, I’m sorry!” Kevin tried to pull away, but Steve held him fast and Kevin looked instinctively at Danny as panic overtook him.

“I did not ask if you were sorry, Kevin. I asked what time you were supposed to be here.” Kevin was still desperately looking at Danny. Ryan nudged his brother, and Danny looked up, trying to meet Kevin’s eyes, but the expression of shocked betrayal on his little brother’s face was too much for him. He looked down again as tears began to streak his face, and Ryan squeezed his shoulder. Kevin looked back at his oldest brother and swallowed hard, as he used all his concentration in an effort not to cry.

“I’m waiting,” Steve looked sternly into his eyes.

“Steve, please,” he pleaded, struggling a little once more as reality penetrated his initial feeling of shock, “please don’t do this!”

Steve regarded him silently for a moment, and then he let him go and said quietly. “Tell me, Kev, do you think you deserve to be punished?” Kevin was taken off guard as he stood rubbing his arm, and he swallowed again, still trying not to cry. He felt confused and didn’t know what to say, so he remained silent.“Listen to me very carefully, Kevin,” Steve continued after a minute, “if you truly feel that this punishment is undeserved, if you agree with your friends that you are being treated unfairly, you do have a choice, and the choice is this. You may choose right now to go upstairs to your bedroom, pack all the belongings you have, and be ready to leave the house first thing in the morning. If you make that choice you will no longer be a member of Phi Beta Cappa and you will no longer be on the football team. The choice is yours to make.”

“Do it, Kev!” James prodded from his powerless position. “I’ll go with you! Who needs this shit, anyway?”

“Me too, Kevin!” Alex added, disregarding Patrick’s scathing glare of disapproval.

The rest of the room waited breathlessly as Kevin struggled with his emotions. The decision was not as easy for him as it was for his friends. Neither James or Alex were starters on the team yet, nor were they on scholarship as Kevin was. Danny put a hand over his face and Ryan squeezed his shoulder even tighter, lending what solace he could as his own stomach tossed and turned. Finally Kevin looked back at Steve and in a voice so tiny, not even Steve heard him, he said, “Ten o’clock.”

“What?” Steve prompted gently.

“Ten o’clock,” Kevin choked. “I was supposed to be here at ten o’clock.” His voice was still not very loud, but Ryan, Steve and Danny all heard him. Danny began to cry harder, and Ryan and Steve regarded their little brother with pride. The kid did have guts, as Danny was always telling them.

“That’s right,” Steve reproached him, sounding more relieved than anything. “You were supposed to be home at ten. You were almost 40 minutes late, Kevin! Come here,” he gently took hold of Kevin’s arm once again, and drew him forward.

“No! Fuck you! You let him go!” With one desperate pull James ripped himself from Jesse’s grasp, taking everybody off guard as he lunged at Steve. Danny and Ryan had just enough time to step in front of their oldest brother, taking the brunt of the assault, and falling backwards. James fell on top of them, and blindly he let his fist fly as Ryan and Danny both tried to cover their face. A moment later, James was dragged to his feet by Jesse and Sean.

“Take him out!” Steve ordered as he dropped to his knees by his younger brothers.

Sean and Jesse hauled the fighting freshman towards the backdoor, and Patrick followed with Alex. He had his little brother well in hand for the time being, but after the scene James had just made, he wasn’t taking any chances. A shocked silence settled over the room as the screen door at the back of the room slammed shut, and one of the juniors got up to close the heavy wooden door after them.

“Let me go! Let me go!” James was still battling Jesse and Sean, and as the door closed behind them, they finally released him.

“Kevin is about to get spanked in front of the whole fraternity, Man!” Jesse admonished. “You want to be up there with him? Is that what you’re trying to accomplish?”

“Maybe I don’t necessarily want to be,” yelled James, “but I should be! I’m just as guilty as he is!” Alex started to cry as he twisted away from Patrick resentfully. Pat let him go.

“Have you guys got this, then?” Sean asked. “I want to make sure Dan and Ryan are ok.”

“Oh yeah, we’ve got it all right!” Jesse seethed, and Sean turned to go back in as Jesse grabbed James roughly by his arm again. “Come here!” he yanked his little brother down the hill towards the woods behind the house. Alex started to follow, but Patrick pulled him back.

“Oww Jess! What are you doing? Oww! You’re hurting me!”

Jesse stopped at the edge of the woods, and took his army knife from his pocket.“Take your pants down!” he commanded.

“What?” James gasped. “Why?”

“Well,” Jesse replied as he reached up to the nearest tree and cut himself a thick switch, “I could stand here and tell you that you’re not as guilty as Kevin is because you at least are passing your classes, because you at least until tonight have been listening to me and respecting my advice, and because you are not letting football go so far to your head that you forget about everything else in life! All of this is true,” he continued as he stripped the switch of its twigs, leaves and bark until it was green and supple, “but it won’t stop you from feeling like you belong up there with him. So, I am going to give you the barest glimpse of what Kevin is about to go through, and then if you still want to play the hero, I won’t stop you! Didn’t I tell you to take your pants down?”

“Jess . . .,”

“Come on, Big Man, you’ve earned this tonight! Let’s go!” Jesse’s voice was so commanding that James didn’t dare disobey, and with trembling hands he unsnapped his jeans, unzipped them, and pulled them to his knees. “And your underwear!” Jesse pressed. James chewed his lip, fighting back tears as he once again complied.

“What is he doing?” Alex protested watching the scene below in wide eyed disbelief. Patrick was sitting on the hill now, and he took Alex’s arm and pulled him down beside him.

“Stay out of it, or I’ll do the same to you!” he cautioned.

“Bend over!” Jesse ordered his little brother.

“Jesse, please!” James stammered.

“Come on, James! I thought you wanted to share Kevin’s punishment!”

“I don’t want to! I just know I deserve to!”

“Well, if you’re so sure you deserve it, we’d better do something to ease your conscience! Bend over!” Finally James acquiesced, presenting his naked bottom for punishment as silent tears began to streak his face.

“OWW!” he yelped as the switch cut him for the first time. “OWW! OWW! OWW!” he shrieked as Jesse really lit into him. His big brother was holding nothing back. “Damn Jess! I’m sorry!”James screamed.

“Watch your mouth!”

“OWW! OWW! Ok! I’m sorry! Please! Please,” he was gripping his ankles tightly now and sobbing. “OWW! OWW!” Past experience had taught him not to reach. He had been whipped often enough to know better. “OWW! Jesse! OWW! OK! I’m sorry! OWW! Please! I’m sorry!”

“All right, James!”Jesse finally relented. “Stand up!” James did so gratefully, his hands going immediately to his bottom as he tried to rub out the burn. “You still want to go up there now? Keep in mind, that’s nothing compared to what Kevin’s going to get.” James shook his head, too broken up to speak. “Good! Then pull up your pants and behave!” James nodded and with a final rub to his burning posterior, he bent stiffly to pull up his underwear and jeans. He and Jesse then silently walked up the hill towards Patrick and Alex. James avoided his friend’s eyes, sitting on the hill beside Patrick, drawing his knees to his chest and hiding his face for a good cry.

“You need this?” Jesse offered the switch to Patrick and Pat hesitated, looking at Alex. His little brother was already crying and didn’t seem likely to cause anymore trouble so Patrick started to shake his head.

“Why not?” Alex sobbed, surprising both Jesse and Pat. “I deserve it as much as Kevin and James do, I guess! I’m just as guilty as they are!” Pat and Jesse exchanged glances. There was no sense they knew in trying to reason with Alex. They knew exactly how he was feeling, and without a word, Pat removed the blade of grass he had been chewing on from his mouth, and took the switch from Jesse.

He got to his feet, and then put his hand under Alex’s elbow, “Let’s go, Bud,” he encouraged gently, pulling him to his feet. Jesse sat down next to James, but remained quiet as Patrick drew his little brother to the side of the house and ordered his pants down. He raised Alex’s t-shirt and bent him over his knee, and the next moment, Alex’s screams and heart rending wails filled the air as his big brother began to switch his bare bottom. Patrick had a real little brother at home who he had spanked on one or two occasions in lieu of, “telling mom and dad,” so the activity was not a completely foreign one to him. Consequently, when he finally brought Alex back, he sat at least as uncomfortably as his friend, and he was crying just as bitterly. Pat sat down quietly next to Jesse, placing the switch on the ground, and stretching out his legs. They remained silent, letting their brothers cry, and keeping their thoughts to themselves.

“Why’d it have to be his birthday?” Alex finally sobbed.

Jesse shrugged, “It was convenient. They always need some occasion to disguise their true agenda.”

“Why? Why do they have to lie?”

Pat gave Alex a funny look. “Well, if it was you, and you knew, would you come?”

“Besides,” Jesse added quietly, “technically they didn’t lie.”

“Bullshit!” James sobbed.

“Technically,” Jesse went on patiently, “Kevin concluded on his own that tonight’s meeting was a party. Danny and Ryan could not dissuade him because they were already afraid he wouldn’t come, and if they told him anything that led him to the truth, they would have been in serious trouble as well.”

“Well that’s still the same as lying!” James returned in exasperation. “Even to let him think tonight was an ordinary, everyday meeting was a kind of lie. To let him think it was a party was just mean!”

“Well, what did you want them to say, James?” Patrick demanded. “Have fun at your party Kev, oh and by the way don’t forget the mandatory meeting at ten o’clock where we’re going to bend you over in front of the whole fraternity and whack your ass with a paddle?”

“Well something closer to the truth than what he got would have been nice,” Alex defended James’ point hotly.

“Well you’ve been told what the situation was,” Jesse returned. “You obviously have your feelings on the matter and we have ours, so let’s just drop it.” Alex and James were both crying hard again now, and Pat and Jesse were silent for a while.

“They didn’t mean for him to think it was a party,” Patrick finally spoke up quietly after a few minutes, when Alex and James had still shown no signs of calming. “You can’t imagine what Danny and Ryan went through when they learned that was what Kevin thought.”

“Well what was he supposed to think after all that emphasis they placed on his attendance?” James protested.

“That it was a mandatory meeting,” Jesse scoffed.

“Well you said they always use an important occasion to ‘disguise their true agenda,’” James challenged. “What does ‘disguise’ mean, if not lying?”

“Way to go, Jess,” Pat smirked, stretching out further on his side, and placing another blade of grass in his mouth as he prepared to watch his friend worm his way out of this one.

“Well, when I said ‘disguise,’ I really more meant ‘distract,’” Jesse started. “They need an occasion either real or . . .or . . .,” Jesse struggled for the right word and Pat laughed. “Shut up!” Jesse poked him. “They just need an occasion, ok? To keep the ‘chosen one’ for lack of a better phrase distracted, so his ears and eyes don’t pick up things they don’t want him to see. It is not supposed to get so far out of control. This is the second year in a row that the strategy backfired,” Pat was smirking again in an effort to control himself, but he could not help the little chuckle that escaped and Jesse gave him a shove, “Shut up, you idiot!” he hissed.

“I don’t see what’s so funny!” Alex snapped, and that brought Pat to his senses. He rolled over and looked at his little brother who was staring at him with red, swollen eyes, and he sighed.

“Nothing bud,” he said. “Nothing’s funny. We all feel terrible for Kevin.”

“And nobody,” Jesse added, “is more empathetic than Danny.” Patrick looked quickly back at his friend, and bit his lip to keep from laughing once more. This time Jesse too was fighting the urge, and he dared not look at Pat.

“You asshole,” Pat chided with a smirk.

“Ok, fine!” James rejoined. “Why Kevin? Why is he the ‘chosen one’?” Jesse and Pat became serious once more and exchanged glances. For a moment, neither one of them spoke.

“We all knew it would be Kevin,” Jesse sighed, finally. “Right from the beginning of the semester, we knew.”

Alex and James looked shocked. “But how?” Alex asked.

Jesse shrugged, “That’s just the way it is.”

“Theoretically,” Pat mused, “I guess things could play out differently, but to my knowledge, they never have.”

“And I doubt they ever will,” Jesse added quietly.

“What are you talking about?” Alex demanded.

“You’ll know in time,” Patrick reassured.

“But we’ve screwed up almost as much as he has,” Alex began to cry again as he thought of his friend. “So have a lot of other people.”

“That’s true,” Pat replied. “That’s what this night is all about, a wake up call for all you newbies. If you guys don’t straighten up fast, I would definitely expect a summons. Steve doesn’t play around. You may already get one, James, for jumping Ryan and Danny like that. That’s a big no, no, attacking the president’s brothers! Steve may let it go because of extenuating circumstances, but he may not. I’m sure Danny and Ryan will do their best to get you off, but like I said Steve doesn’t kid around, and he has a soft spot where those two are concerned. He’s probably pretty pissed right now.”

“Yeah, if I were you, I wouldn’t go anywhere near Steve tonight, while he’s got that paddle out,” Jesse cautioned his little brother. There was a long silence, but at last Alex looked at Patrick.

“What’s a summons?” he asked timidly.

Patrick looked earnestly at his little brother. “It’s just what it sounds like, Bro,” he replied softly. “If you break a rule, Steve will summon you to his room for punishment. If the infraction is minor, you might get off with just a lecture and a stern warning to not do it again. Most of the time, though, a summons means the paddle.” Alex and James were both quiet for a minute as they tried to absorb this new, and horrifying piece of information, but finally Alex screwed up his courage and looked at his brother again.

“Have you ever been summoned?” he asked shyly.

Pat hesitated and looked at Jesse. “Yes,” he sighed finally. Alex and James then looked at Jesse, and Jesse nodded.

“Does it hurt?” James inquired softly.

“Like a son of a bitch!” Jesse replied.

“More than the switch?”

“What?” Jesse scoffed. “You mean that little tickle we gave you guys earlier? That’s nothing compared to that fucking paddle!”

“How many licks did you get?” James asked. Jesse and Pat were silent for a moment.

“I got five,” Pat answered finally, lying all the way back in the grass and putting his hands under his head, “for coming in fifteen minutes late to a mandatory meeting.” James and Alex paled. They’d been nearly forty minutes late tonight. There was a long pause and Alex and James looked at Jesse. He leaned back, resting on his elbows, and chewing his blade of grass.

“I got ten once,” he shrugged finally, “last year, for cursing at Matt who was the president then. I spent the day in my room crying, and I couldn’t sit for a week.”

“How many is Kevin going to get?” Alex asked. There was a long pause.

“I don’t know,” Jesse finally replied softly.

“More than ten?” James asked tremulously.

“Yeah, Bud, more than ten.” Jesse and Pat exchanged glances again, and then Jesse added, “Last year Danny must have gotten at least twenty-five or thirty. I imagine Kevin will get about the same. They’re very alike. It was a good match.”

“Danny got spanked last year?” James cried in astonishment.

“The same way? In front of everyone?” Alex demanded. Jesse and Pat smiled mysteriously, but didn’t respond.

“Oh no! That’s not fair!” James protested. “You can’t clamb up now, just as we might really be getting some answers.”

“I’m sure you’ll know it all in time,” Patrick soothed.

“Yeah,” Jesse smirked. “Kevin will undoubtedly tell you everything even though he’s not supposed to.”

“And when he does,” Pat continued seriously, “you will be just as obligated to keep it to yourselves as Jess and I are if you do not want to make trouble for your friend, and all his brothers.” Alex and James stared at him in amazement, and Jesse and Pat smiled again.

“Spilling secrets are we?” The voice, assuming a tone of mock severity, came from behind them, and startled them all.

“No!” Jesse replied irritably as he looked up into his big brother’s grinning face.

“Oh thank God!” Sean continued his teasing tone. “Otherwise Andy and I would know it all by now!” Andrew had come out with Sean and he smiled too, now.

“Truly, that was a near miss!”

“Oh shut up!” Pat too responded testily, pricked by his brother’s sarcasm. “As if anybody, but you guys would be coming out here tonight.”

“You never know,” Andy cautioned more seriously as he and Sean joined the little group lounging on the grass. “You guys want to be a little more careful, where and how loud you’re talking about this stuff.”

“We didn’t even tell them anything!” Jesse protested defensively.

“All the same,” Sean advised, “Andy’s right. Just be careful.” Pat and Jesse both scowled as they were reprimanded, and Sean went on in a gentler tone. “We really didn’t come out here to pick at you,” he said.

“No that was just a bonus,” Andy teased.

“We actually came out to find out how these guys were doing,” Sean indicated Alex and James, and the two youngest fraternity members shifted uneasily.

“Yeah, that was quite a performance in there,” Andrew inserted.

“They certainly did give the two of you a run for your money,” Sean joked, smiling fondly at Pat and Jesse. “I’ll warrent you didn’t give us quite as much trouble last year.” His eyes fell on the switch and he traded amused glances with Andrew before turning to address his little brother. “Keeping the tradition up, I see,” he said. “Good, good.”

“They were just asking us how much the paddle hurt,” Jesse said to change the subject. Andrew and Sean became instantly more serious and regarded each other silently for a moment.

“Well, James old pal,” Sean said finally, “I’m very much afraid you’re going to get a chance to find out for yourself.”

“That’s what we told him,” Jesse replied quietly.

“Don’t worry, Man,” Sean soothed as the color drained from James’ face, “it won’t be that bad. Jess will go with you. It’ll be just you, him, and Steve. I don’t expect you’ll get more than ten.” This news seemed to have the opposite affect that Sean intended as James hugged his knees and hid his face and Sean looked at his little brother inquiringly.

“I told him about the time I got ten last year,” Jesse explained dismally.

“Oh, I see,” Sean replied, looking at Andrew for help. Andrew didn’t know what to say either though, and an awkward silence descended.

“How are Danny and Ryan?” Patrick asked finally, and James began to cry harder.

“They’re going to make it,” Andrew replied, softly and Sean moved in next to James, putting his arm around him.

“Hey, Bud,” he murmured, “it’s all right. They don’t blame you. Steve’s a little perturbed, but he’ll get over it.” James just cried harder, turning his face into Sean’s shoulder, and really letting go. Sean tightened his arm and let him cry.

“What about Kevin?” Alex finally asked in a tiny voice. Andy and Sean exchanged glances.

“He’s hanging in there,” Andy whispered, “but he’s taking one hell of a spanking! There’s no doubt about that.” Alex started to cry again too now and Patrick sat up and folded him in his arms. Andy met Sean’s eyes once more, and Sean bit his lip, tightening his arm still more around James. Patrick and Jesse looked uneasily at their older brothers. They all knew there was nothing they could say to comfort Kevin’s friends. They remembered well, the feeling of helplessness and shock, the feeling of guilt, the feeling that it really should have been them instead. It was a flat out suckey position to be in.

Sean squeezed James’ shoulder and dropped his chin to the top of his head as memories and feelings from the past two years swept over him. He sighed. As bad as last year and the year before had been, this year was bound to be worse. He truthfully had never seen Steve look so mad, and Kevin had taken at least half of the licks in the first ten minutes, as Danny had taken in total last year.

Sean looked up to find Jesse and Patrick eyeing him apprehensively. ‘Come on, Sean, get it together!’ he chided himself. He knew he was not doing a very good job of hiding his emotions, and his fear was confirmed as Jesse swallowed hard. “Steve’s really pissed, isn’t he?” he mouthed. Sean felt his throat tighten and he nodded.

“When we came out,” Andrew inserted softly, “they still had not even begun to read The Code.” James and Alex were both crying too hard to even hear Andy’s whispered assertion let alone inquire about its significance, but Jesse and Pat both paled, and Patrick held his little brother tighter.