Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter forty-five of "On a Strange Tide." I am glad it took just five days to get out. Since I did a chapter with the girls, I thought I'd do one with the boys. I felt it was only fair. It is looking likely things will begin heating up in regards to Jenna's stalking and harassment of Tommy and Kim. I wanted to feature a scene in the previous chapter where Jenna stalks Kim without Tommy at her side because I felt it would show how much she wants to be her and that she'd do anything to get what her rival has. Stay tuned for chapter forty-six.

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Chapter 45: Back at the Youth Center

The Youth Center was quiet more than an hour later. Jason, Rocky, and Billy sat in the first, second, and third stools at the Juice Bar. They sipped blueberry smoothies. Zack and Adam played arcade basketball. The former was in the lead by a point. Both of them had very determined looks on their faces. They narrowed their eyes at the game.

Tommy grabbed two cups from a table close to it and took them to the kitchen. He put them in the sink. He returned to the bar with a damp rag. He wiped off the counter from one end to the next before using a paper towel to dry it off. He tossed it in the trashcan. He set the napkin holder in the middle. He was satisfied with his work. Jason, Rocky, and Billy nodded in approval.

Tommy, Jason, Rocky, and Billy looked toward two teen girls sitting at a table near the arcade area. The first girl whispered inaudible words to the second one. They broke into a fit of giggles while hitting their hands on their knees. They shook their heads in disbelief. They turned to each other and started talking about high school graduation. Zack and Adam moved their bodies from side to side.

"You're going down, Adam!" Zack shouted.

"That's what you think, Zack!" Adam replied, gritting teeth. "Oh, yeah!"

Adam made a shot at full court with four seconds left. Zack jumped to block it, missing by mere inches. The basketball went through the hoop as the buzzer rang out. Adam clapped while laughing victoriously.

"Adam strikes again!" Adam cheered and jumped for joy.

"You played a great game," Zack said and gave him a high-five as they turned to each other.

"So did you," Adam replied, winking at her. "Next time, we'll do Sonic the Hedgehog 3 and Knuckles at your house."

"You're on. You should watch out because I'm an expert at that game," Zack said and wiggled his eyebrows.

"That doesn't scare me!" Adam said confidently. "No siree!"

Zack punched Adam in the shoulder lightly. Adam took his friend's hand and formed a fist. He placed it under his chin and pushed the elbow. Zack appeared to punch himself. He pretended to groan. He tweaked Adam's nose. He felt him swat his hand away. He got a knock on top of his head by her. They shared a laugh.

"It's fun to fool around, ain't it?" Adam asked.

"Hey, you're not supposed to say ain't! It's not a word!" Zack scolded in a playful voice.

"You said it," Adam pointed out teasingly.

"Only because you made me," Zack commented and made a honking noise.

Adam laughed with much sarcasm. "Yeah, right. Anyway, what do you say we go over to the other guys at the Juice Bar?"

Zack smiled. "I say let's do it. Last one there is a rotten egg!"

Zack and Adam took off running toward the Juice Bar. Adam grabbed Zack as he reached a table close to it. He put him aside and went toward it. Zack chased after him. They reached it at the same time. Tommy, Jason, Billy, and Rocky stopped talking about graduation and looked at them.

"I guess we are both rotten eggs," Adam said honestly.

"Yep," Zack agreed as he and his friend sat in the fourth and fifth stools. He clapped twice. "Hey, guys."

"Hey yourself, Zack," Billy answered, shaking his head in disbelief. "We're sorry we didn't get to witness your little race due to our talk about graduation."

"It's cool," Zack said, laying his hands on the table. "What things are you talking about in regards to graduation?"

"We were talking about people fooling around on the stage as they go to receive their diplomas," Rocky muttered with a huff. "They think they look so cool doing that."

Jason raised his eyebrows. "I remember when Agnes complained to us about not getting her diploma when she did a stupid dance in front of her fellow seniors last year. I told her she shouldn't have done that if she wanted to receive it. All of you agreed with me."

Tommy spoke gibberish. "She flipped us off for not taking her side. What a spoiled brat."

"She has a big sense of entitlement. It's not as bad as Veronica's, though," Billy pointed out.

"It may not be, but that doesn't mean it won't get bigger," Zack commented. "People who think everything should be handed to them on a silver platter have no concept of reality."

Adam gritted his teeth. "Veronica had everything handed to her on a silver platter from the day she was born. She has never appreciated anything her parents did for her."

Rocky snickered. "What she needs is a foot up her ass."

"How about she gets eleven feet shoved up her ass?" Jason suggested. "We can throw in eleven spankings as well."

"Count us in," the others announced eagerly.

Jason couldn't help but laugh. He, Billy, and Rocky sipped more of their smoothies. They smacked their lips twice. They rubbed their hands together before patting the counter.

"All I can say is talking about our upcoming graduation is better than talking about you-know-who," Tommy muttered, hints of fear showing in his voice.

"Who can blame you for not wanting to say she-who-must-not-be-named?" Jason said understandingly.

"None of us want to," Billy pointed out. "It's good that the girls took Kim to do some baby shopping. Wal-Mart has a vast selection of baby stuff."

"If we know those ladies, they will buy a lot of it," Rocky commented, propping his head up with his elbow. "They'll probably get a few other things." He imagined the young women carrying bags of stuff to Tommy's van with Caleb in tow. "I don't want to know what they are."

"We can be grateful we usually don't have to carry bags for our women," Jason said with relief while motioning toward himself, Rocky, Adam, and Tommy.

"Hallelujah," Adam cheered and pumped his fists. He put them on the counter. "Those bags can get rather heavy. How can women carry them when men have a hard time doing that?"

"Well, they don't put all the clothes in one bag. Doing so can cause pulled muscles in the arms and shoulders," Tommy mumbled, letting out a loud wince. "Carrying several heavy bags can do the same. If you are not careful, that is."

"The bright side is all six of us are strong. We can carry heavy stuff without a whole lot of trouble," Jason said, sitting up tall and proud.

"Something tells me that the girls will get mostly newborn baby stuff during this shopping trip. I can see Kim putting a baby outfit against her baby bump," Tommy said warmly. "I can't believe she is already showing."

"It isn't uncommon for women to show earlier in their second pregnancies and so forth," Billy said. "It is quite uncommon for a teen mother to have her second child so close to her first."

"That was common in the old days because teens were encouraged to marry and have children as soon as soon possible," Rocky pointed out. "Many children died very young, especially those that had food allergies. It cracks me up when I hear people say food allergies didn't exist in the old days. They did. All the children who had them died before age five because no medicine for them existed back then. Now, food allergy medicine is available."

"Many children don't have parents to love them at all," Tommy muttered seriously. "Many parents abuse and neglect their children."

"Parents who would want to harm their own children shouldn't be allowed to have custody of them," Rocky growled angrily. He looked about ready to vomit.

"Someone should take those parents and beat them to see how they like it," Jason suggested in determination. "I say it'd teach them a lesson about treating their children with love and kindness."

"Or not. In fact, some people think we should start whipping children with belts over the littlest things like in the old days. They say parents should be allowed to get away with it. They claim the lack of whippings are the reason why children are out of control these days," Adam said through clenched teeth.

"Our parents never whipped us for anything, but they did discipline us. We've turned out just fine. All of us are set to graduate high school. I am assistant manager of this place," Tommy responded and gestured toward every part of the place. "We have friends who were whipped. Many were very messed up as a result." He mumbled inaudible words. "People who say that parents should be allowed to get away with whipping their children with belts need to have their heads checked. I'm fine with a light spanking on the butt as a last resort. However, belt whipping is abuse, pure and simple."

"You got that right, bro," Jason said, pointing a finger at him.

Tommy winked at his best friend. Zack started tapping two fingers from each hand on the counter. He moved them apart. He brought them back together. He got faster until he slapped it hard with his hand. Adam couldn't help but smile at him.

"We should get you a drum set, Zack. You have incredible rhythm," Adam suggested.

"I do, don't I?" Zack said, putting his hands behind his head.

Jason turned toward him. "Sure. Just don't use my head for a drum!"

Zack looked at him. "Why not? I believe it'd made a great drum!"

Jason blew a raspberry at Zack. He received one from him in return and laughed softly. They alternated between each other for twenty seconds. Tommy ran his hand over his face.

"Back to graduation, there is no doubt Kim will have a visible baby bump. She doesn't care. She is determined to walk up on stage to get her diploma," Tommy said with pride.

Jason emitted a long exhale. "It is so funny to hear people say you and Kim will never amount to anything, Tommy. You two have kept your grades up. You're assistant manager of the Youth Center. She is halfway through her first book. I say you two will have a wonderful future together with your children."

"With the possibility of having twins hanging over you two, you will have double the joy," Zack said, his face beaming with happiness.

"It'd be quite the challenge to raise three children under the age of two while we are still teens, but I am confident we could handle it," Tommy said with a look of determination.

Rocky smiled. "That's good. Kim's parents could hire a nanny to help her and her mother care for a toddler and newborn twins. Then again, some parents have managed to raise multiples without any help, except from family."

"We are working on turning the guest room into a nursery. Kim and I feel Caleb should continue to have his own room," Tommy explained. "A toddler unable to sleep because of a crying newborn would be very cranky." He tensed badly.

"No one wants to deal with a cranky child, especially in a store," Billy said truthfully. "We've seen children running around like wild animals in stores. Their parents don't even stop them. It's not just young parents. Older parents are letting their children get away with a lot."

"Our parents never allowed us to get away with bad behavior," Zack said, scoffing irritatingly. "It astounds me that some parents think disciplining your children is mean. It's not when it is done correctly. That means showing the child their misbehavior should have consequences. For example, the child may not be allowed to attend a sleepover or go to a movie."

Billy sipped more of his smoothie. "That takes us back to our conservation about children being whipped over every little thing. Constant punishing over every mistake made affects children badly. They become afraid of messing up and do everything in their power to be perfect. The thing is perfection is unattainable."

"That doesn't stop people from trying to obtain perfection," Tommy pointed out.

"That's right," Jason agreed.

Zack stretched his arms above his head and touched the top of it with both hands. He laid them on the counter. He patted it in a rhythmic fashion. He began singing nonsense. Adam shook his head in disbelief while looking at him.

"Did you have to start singing nonsense, Zack?" Adam wondered.

"Yes, I did, Adam," Zack answered and sang more nonsense. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, I don't," Adam commented. "Of course, someone needs to knock some sense into you." He smirked at him.

"Why don't you do that?" Zack challenged, becoming still.

"All right," Adam said in an evil-sounding voice. He eyed the paper towel roll and turned to Tommy. He motioned toward it, and his friend pushed it over to him. He picked it up and hit Zack on the head with it twice. "Did that knock some sense into you?"

"Yes, it did. This would too!" Zack shouted, snatching the roll out of the young man's hand. He hit her on the head with it three times. He laughed at him pushing his hand aside.

"If you do that again, I'll knock you into the next century!" Adam threatened with much playfulness.

Zack set the roll down and growled softly. "Bring it on!"

"Nah. I like you here right now," Adam snickered.

"Aw! What a party pooper!" Zack whined.

Adam smirked and turned his nose upward. "Don't start whining, Zack. It won't get you anywhere."

Zack mouthed Adam's words in a mocking manner. He got a slap to the back of his head from him. He did the same to his shoulder in retaliation. They made faces at each other before laughing heartily. They and their friends looked at Tommy, who sighed in content.

"I want to thank you guys for sticking by me after all that's happened. It means the world to me," Tommy whispered gratefully.

"You're welcome, Tommy," Billy answered.

"We promised to stick by your side, no matter what. We intend to keep that promise," Jason declared and took a small sip of his smoothie.

"If anyone messes with you, they mess with us," Rocky growled bluntly.

"For sure," Adam said, patting the table twice.

"Yep," Zack said, giving a sharp nod.

"It's not just you guys they are messing with. They are messing with me too," a male voice called.

The young men turned to see Ernie coming toward them. He went behind the Juice Bar and joined Tommy's side. They looked at him.

"You took a while in the bathroom, Ernie," Jason said.

"Were you doing your hair?" Zack quipped and let out a snicker.

"No, I wasn't, but the line was long," Ernie answered with a shrug. "That's why using the bathroom took longer than usual."

Rocky frowned. "That sucks. You should toss everyone else out of the bathroom. You wouldn't have to wait so long." He emitted a mischievous chuckle.

"That'd be nice, but I wouldn't throw people out," Ernie said crossed his arms. "Heck, I'd even allow people to go ahead of me if they had an urgency to go."

Jason expressed warmth. "I like that idea better."

"So do we," Tommy, Rocky, Billy, Zack, and Adam chimed and gestured toward themselves.

"Great," Ernie responded in happiness. "Anyway, I meant what I said. Anyone who messes with you kids messes with me too. They have no right to give you grief simply because you did something they didn't like."

"We're grateful for that, Ernie," Billy commented, giving him a wink.

"Hmm," Ernie said and gazed at Adam and Zack. "Could I get you two anything?"

"Put me down for a blackberry smoothie, Ernie," Adam announced and made a slurping sound.

"Count me in on that," Zack added.

Ernie nodded at them. "You got it. I hope the blackberries don't come to life and eat me."

"You're such a comedian, Ernie," Tommy said, patting his boss's shoulder. "A damn good one."

"Yep," Ernie said, standing tall and proud. "I'll go make those smoothies."

The group watched Ernie head to the kitchen. The members turned to each other and furrowed their brows.

"We're so lucky to have Ernie as our friend," Jason admitted.

"We sure are. He's always willing to lend a helping hand, especially to someone who needs a job quickly like Tommy did when he learned he was to be a father," Billy added.

"Thank God," Tommy murmured in relief. He and his friends resumed talking about graduation.