Chapter 1 I sat on the front porch staring aimlessly into space, not even noticing that my best friend had sat down next to me. He had apparently been talking for about 5 minutes when he realized that I wasn't paying attention to him, so he waved a hand in front of my face to get my attention. "Tommy? Tommy!" he said a couple times, until I turned towards him. "Huh? Oh hi Jase." I said. He was frowning at me, and I could tell he wasn't too happy with me. "What is wrong with you? The last couple of times I've been over here, you've been staring at the ceiling. I highly doubt the ceiling is that interesting. Now, what is bugging you?" he asked. I sighed and finally decided to tell him the truth. "I'm sorry Jason. I'm just in deep thought at the moment." I said. Jason nodded. "Apparently. Anything you want to talk about?" he said. I nodded. "Jason, what would you do if after 17 years your parents told you that you had a brother you never knew about? How would you react?" I asked him, knowing that he would answer truthfully. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned his head towards me and took a deep breath. "Honestly speaking, I would be upset. I would be happy to know that I had a brother, but I would be upset that my parents waited 17 years to tell me. Why are you asking?" he asked. I sighed. "My parents just told me the other day that I have an older brother. I have mixed feelings. Part of me wants to be happy knowing that I have a brother, because it's what I always wanted, but part of me wants to hate them for lying to me for 17 years." I explained to him. He nodded. "I can understand where you are coming from. I think I would feel the same way. When did you find this out, exactly how long ago?" he asked. "About a week ago." I answered. He nodded. "Then I can see where you are coming from." he said. I nodded. I knew he would understand me, maybe that was one of the reasons why we became best friends, because he was always so understanding. "What do you think I should do?" I asked him. He sighed. "I can't tell you that, Tommy. You have to figure that out for yourself. But I do want to know one thing. Is he a birth brother, or is he your parent's son?" he asked. "He's a birth brother, he wasn't adopted like I was." I said. Jason nodded. "Then I can't tell you what to do. If it were the other way around, I probably could help you out. I'm sorry bro." he said. I nodded. "It's ok."