The Rush
This story is a re-write of a story I had written that held the same title. While the premise of the story will be similar, the actual story itself with be vastly different. I am dedicating this to my best friend, and writing partner Pier! Enjoy!
Chapter One
November in the small community of Shakopee, Minnesota was the most beautiful time of the year. The air was warm, with the faintest trace of bitter cold. Parks were filled with families, and friends, who wanted to enjoy the picturesque setting before the timely arrival of the brutal winters. The freshly fallen leaves, brown and orange, were raked into neat little piles where children jumped freely without a car in the world. The last remnants of autumn could be smelled in the air, along with the scent of freshly baked Pumpkin pies that came from Joe's Bakery in the town square. It was around the Thanksgiving holiday that the community really pulled together to remind each other of all the things they had to be thankful for.
This holiday spirit was truly alive on Wayfair Lane, the last cul-de-sac in the city. Six large homes stood proudly on either side of the paved road, and the largest sat at the end of the lane like the crowing jewel of beautiful suburbia. Though the homes were all styled differently, there seemed to be a sort of mystical cohesion about them. It was as though they were all made to be in that exact place and time. At the end of the road was the manor that belonged to Rose Standford, and directly to the left was a large home belonging to Alfredo and Sylvia Garcia.
The Garcia home wasn't as large as the Standford Manor, but it was every bit as grand. The home, styled in the most stunning Mediterranean was elegant, but also as inviting and warm as the people who lived there. Alfredo Garcia had designed the house, himself, to be the beautiful home that he had always dreamed of as a boy. It was tall, sprawling, and displayed a trace amount of opulence. And in every room was a crucifix, showing all who visited that pious, devout people lived there.
Alfredo, a Police officer by trade, married the love of his life, Sylvia, twenty years ago and after she established her own business as a technology specialist, she gave birth to their most prized son Carlos Roberto Garcia. He was kind, sweet and innocent, a friend to all he met and never with a single mean thought in his head. Carlos was not very tall, standing only 5'6, but everyone who met him agreed that he had the most stunning brown eyes and the cutest smile.
Carlos Garcia was 15 years old, and a sophomore at Greeley Academy with his best friends Logan Mitchell and Kendall Knight, both of whom lived on Wayfair Lane in homes not to far from his own. Kendall and Carlos had been friends since birth, and when Logan moved to the lane at age 9 they were quick to invite him into their little fold without any jealousy or tension. The boys were quite inseparable and unique to the group in their own way. But like the most picturesque, and beautiful settings, the little suburbia had it's big secrets. Little did they know, that all their dirty laundry was about to be hung to dry in the fresh autumn air.
"Carlos, my dear." Sylvia called from the bottom of the marble staircase, "Can you come downstairs please?"
"Coming, Mami!" Carlos called back, and Sylvia laughed as she heard her bouncy son jump off his bed and run down the hallway and down the staircase.
"Calm down, my son." Sylvia chuckled, kissing her son on the cheek, "If you aren't careful you'll get hurt!"
"I'm alright, Mami!" Carlos grinned, innocently, "What did you need?"
"Mrs. Standford called me and told me that her grandson will be moving into her home today." Sylvia replied, "He is moving from Chicago, but he is fifteen like you and your friends. I thought you might go say hi to him."
"Aw, do I have to?" Carlos whined, "What if he is weird, or doesn't like me."
"Don't whine." Sylvia scolded gently, "Go say hello to him, and make him feel welcome. Maybe you could invite him over here to hang with the fellas."
"Mom, nobody talks like that." Carlos deadpanned, before breaking into a huge smile, "Alright, I'll go get to know him."
"That's my boy." Sylvia patted his head, "Don't be too long because I am making supper for you and the boys. Your father and I will be out very late tonight, but remember it's a school night!"
"Sure." Carlos smiled, as he turned for the door.
Once on his porch, Carlos noted an odd chill in the air and wondered if he should have put on a hoodie or a jacket. With a careless shrug, Carlos began the jaunt down his driveway so that he could make his way to the Standford Manor. Once on the road, Carlos looked over at Logan Mitchell's house, and wondered if Logan might want to join him in greeting this new boy. Of course, Logan didn't appear to be home so Carlos continued walking toward the Standford Manor, whistling to himself as he walked. His usual air of supreme bliss carried him as he walked, and minutes later he was standing on the porch of the manor.
"I'm coming." a high-pitched female trilled from inside the house after Carlos rang the doorbell.
"Hi!" Carlos bounced when the door opened, revealing a tall, older woman with bright hazel eyes and bleached blonde hair. Carlos recognized her to be Rose Standford.
"Carlos, darling." Rose smiled politely, "Won't you come inside?"
"Thank you, Mrs. Standford." Carlos smiled back, accepting her offer.
He stepped into the grand foyer of home, and gasped. It had been his first time in the house, and he was taken away by the elegance of it all. Directly in front of him was a grand, stately staircase that winded up to the second floor. The walls were paneled, dark, and the hallways lead on forever. The floors were an elegant Italian marble. Carlos had seen opulence before, but this home was on such a grand scale that it put them all to shame.
"Carlos?" Rose chirped, "Are you alright?"
"Of course." Carlos giggled, "Your home is so beautiful."
"Thank you." Rose laughed, "My husband had fine taste, but I find it to be a rather large home for just one woman."
"Is that why your grandson has come to live with you?" Carlos inquired innocently.
"I'm afraid not." Rose replied, causing a dark look to cast over her cheerful expression, and Carlos knew to not ask anymore questions.
"I didn't mean to pry." Carlos hastened to apologize, "My mother told me..."
"It's quite alright, dear." Rose smiled once again, "Yes, my grandson James has come to live with me and I thought that maybe you could show him around. He will be going to Greeley Academy with you, and I thought it might be nice for him to have friends."
"Sounds great!" Carlos bounced, "Is he here?"
"He is around here somewhere." Rose replied, "You're welcome to look through-out the house for him, though I would check out by the pool. Be warned, he can be sort of cantankerous."
"I'll keep that in mind." Carlos chucked, bypassing Rose and heading for the set of doors that lead out to a large patio.
Once again, Carlos' breath was taken away. The estate was absolutely stunning. The tall columned veranda, made of white marble, lead to a flat area with an enormous blue pool. Beyond that was another set of stairs that lead to the most beautiful flower garden that Carlos had ever seen. He had hoped that Rose would let him come back and observe it sometime later but, in the meantime, he needed to find James.
Suddenly, an acrid smell and a loud cough broke Carlos of his thoughts and his attention was directed to behind what appeared to be the pool house. With his curiosity taking over, Carlos followed the paved path to the building to investigate this most odd situation. As he drew closer and closer, the smell grew stronger and Carlos recognized it to be the smell of cigarettes. He didn't smoke, but sometimes Kendall did and it always made him feel queasy.
"You know that smoking is really bad for you." Carlos pointed out upon reaching the source of the smell.
"Thank you Catherine Obvious." a tall boy turned to him and sneered.
He had the same hazel eyes as Rose, but his hair was dark and shaggy. Carlos surmised that this boy was James since he looked to be around the same age as Carlos, and had a horrible attitude. Carlos couldn't help but notice that James' muscles were very well defined.
"Don't you mean Captain Obvious?" Carlos corrected.
"What?" James snapped.
"The expression is Captain Obvious." Carlos laughed, "You said Catherine. Who would Catherine be?"
"Whatever." James rolled his eyes, "Who are you, and what do you want? Did the warden send you?"
"You mean Rose?" Carlos asked innocently, "Yeah, she wanted me to meet you. I'm Carlos and I live in this neighborhood."
"Fascinating." James rolled his eyes, "I'm James Diamond, and I don't want to live here!"
"Why not?" Carlos was incredulous, "This house is amazing!"
"My mother's townhouse in Chicago was ten times better." James replied, "This is nothing compared to that."
"I think you're going to like it here." Carlos shrugged, "Anyways, do you want to come over?"
"You're inviting me to come over?" James raised an eyebrow, "You don't know me, and I don't know you. Why would I accept an invitation to 'come over'?"
"My parents are leaving, and my friends are coming over." Carlos smiled widely, "It might be fun to make some friends if you're going to be here for awhile."
"Why not!" James threw his hands in the air, "Anything is better than being here."
"Let's go tell Rose then." Carlos grinned and began making his way toward the house again.
James followed, but seemed rather hesitant. Carlos decided not to take it personally, and five minutes later they were walking back to the Garcia house. The walk back was silent, and Carlos tried to read James to determine what kind of guy he was. Despite being distant, Carlos decided James wasn't too bad. He had to admit, after seeing James' coldness, he was kind of worried that James would be rude to his Mami.
"I guess I'll find out." Carlos thought to himself as he opened the front door of his house.
"Carlos, is that you?" Sylvia called from the living room, "Dinner is ready, and I will be leaving soon."
"James is with me." Carlos called back, "He is Rose' grandson."
"Hold on." Sylvia responded, "I want to meet him."
Seconds later she was walking out of the living room, and into the hallway, with a large smile on her face and her hand extended to James who, to Carlos surprise, took it and smiled graciously.
"Mrs. Garcia." he smiled, "It's such a pleasure to meet you. Your home is absolutely stunning."
"Thank you." Mrs. Garcia blushed, "It's not much compared to the Manor, though."
"It's much better!" James insisted, "It's more like a home, and less like a museum."
"You're so charming!" Sylvia laughed, "Why don't you boys go to the dining room. I'm going to get going and let you boys have a fun night!"
"Thank you, Mami." Carlos kissed his mothers cheek, "I love you!"
"I love you too, baby!" Sylvia kissed him back, "Behave yourselves!"
Without another word, she was gone. James turned to Carlos, and gave a dazzling smile which Carlos found unnerving. Silently, he lead James to the dining room and they took seats around a long, hand-carved table that looked like it cost quite a bit of money. James leaned back in his chair, and observed Carlos for a minute.
"So you and your Mom seem tight." he pointed out, "It must be nice."
"Aren't you and your mom close?" Carlos inquired, hoping he wasn't prying too much.
"I guess you could say she doesn't really see eye to eye with me." James smirked, "That's why she has sent me off to suburban jail."
"It's really not so bad here." Carlos smiled, "Everyone is really friendly, and there is a lot to do in town."
"In Chicago," James began arrogantly, "I lived in a townhouse that was ten stories tall. I went to one of the best high schools in America, and I had a chauffeur and a limousine. I also had access to my Mom's bank accounts, but that has certainly stopped. This place has none of the great shopping, or refined culture that I love about Chicago."
"I guess when you put it that way..." Carlos trailed off, hanging his head.
"I didn't mean it like that." James replied quickly, upon realizing he had offended Carlos, "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, it's just that this is a huge adjustment for me."
"It's okay." Carlos grinned, "I understand."
Before James could reply, the door opened and the footsteps of two people could be heard. James looked nervous, but Carlos knew that it was just Kendall and Logan. Sure enough, the dining room door opened, and Logan stepped in with his usual crooked grin. Carlos rose to greet him, and James noticed that the two boys seemed unusually close. Then Kendall stepped inside, and James froze.
Kendall Knight was 5'11, thin, paper white flawless,skin, and emerald green eyes. His blonde hair was long and flowed to his chin. James saw him, and his heart stopped for a minute. Kendall looked at him, and smiled, his ruby red lips parting and displaying beautiful white teeth. James felt himself become dazzled as the smile grew. This boy was so beautiful that he was almost alien.
"Who is that?" Logan asked, breaking the silence.
"That is Mrs. Standford's grandson." Carlos replied, "James Diamond, this is Logan Mitchell and Kendall Knight."
"Hi, James." Kendall smiled, his green eyes sparkling, "It's great to meet you."
"You too." James replied absently.
"Whatever your mom made smells awesome!" Logan grinned, "I am so starving! I just spent all afternoon at the library working on the musical."
"Musical?" James was alert at the word, "What musical? Where? Can I audition?"
"Calm down." Carlos laughed, "Logan has been put in charge of the musicals at our high school, and he has won a ton of awards because they are so amazing. He writes them himself!"
"Yeah, they're getting to be a pretty big deal." Logan spoke up, "I'm kind of proud of them."
"Well, I'd love to audition if I can." James announced, "I was in professional theater back in Chicago."
"You're from Chicago?" Kendall repeated, "That's so cool. I love the Blackhawks!"
"You like hockey? James asked, "I was on the little league for awhile, but I haven't played in forever."
"I'm the varsity captain at school." Kendall smiled.
"The Wild have already asked about him." Carlos added, "He is really good."
"I'll have to take you to the rink sometime." Kendall grinned at James.
"I'd like that." James blushed.
The meal which Sylvia had prepared, Empanadas and Patacones, was mostly eaten in silence after which the boys rose from their seats and Carlos suggested that they continue hanging out in his room, leaving the dishes for the cleaning lady who would be stopping by later than evening. James felt rather awkward, but followed Kendall, Logan, and Carlos as they walked up the staircase that lead to the second floor of the house.
"Wait, do you have a bathroom I can use?" James announced suddenly.
"Sure, it's down the hall." Carlos replied as the three boys walked into his bedroom.
James watched as they closed the door, and then ran for the fore-mentioned bathroom. Once safely inside, he peeled off his shirt which he just noticed was nearly soaking with sweat. His thin, shaking hand locked the door and he turned on the cold water to splash on his face. His nerves were racing as he lifted the lid, and seat, of the toilet.
"The dinner was delicious." James whispered, pinching skin on his stomach, "I'm afraid you just have to go."
With his fingers firmly crammed in his throat, James emptied the contents of the dinner into the toilet. His stomach lurched, his eyes watered, and his cheeked were flushed as the food poured from his mouth into the toilet water. His hair was a mess, but he continued the same motion until his stomach was completely empty, and he was dry-heaving. He stood up, and washed his hands first. Then, he wiped off his face and eyes. Finally, James looked around for some mouth wash to get rid of the putrid smell of vomit. It was odd to use other people's toiletries, but he felt he had no other choice. It took only minutes, but James returned to his usual handsome self and was on his way to Carlos' bedroom.
Just outside the door, he could hear the boys laughing and discussing how much they liked him. James smiled, and opened the door. Inside, he saw his first new friends greeting him warmly as he sat in the circle they had created. Carlos observed him, and the circle, and a thought occurred to him. Adding James to their group was like completing the circle and that thought made Carlos smile.
-Chapter End-
Did you notice the Victorious reference that I put in? I don't know why I did that. Anyways, review please!