June 30th, 2017

- Present Day -

"Damn, the kid must be makin' some serious money," Scott replies blankly as they pull up to the security gate of Zach's new neighborhood.

"Hello there. How can I help you on this fine day?" the security guard questions politely as Scott pulls out the pass into the neighborhood that Zach had given him.

He shows it to the guard and says, "We're here to visit Zach Mitchell. 2405 Tradewind Avenue. I'll be leaving, but my younger son will be staying with him for the rest of the summer."

The security guard nods, thoroughly examining the pass before opening the gate to let them through. "You two have a nice day!"

Gray's eyes restlessly dart back and forth between the seemingly endless rows of humongous houses and mansions. "He lives in a gated community! This is awesome!"

Scott chuckles softly as they turn on to the road marked Tradewind Avenue. "Okay, sport. Be on the lookout for the house number 2405."

Gray anxiously gazes at each and every house before his eyes land on the biggest one on the street at the end of the cul-de-sac. "No way…" he breathes lightly as Scott whistles a tune of awe.

"2405 Tradewind Avenue. This is it, champ," he replies softly, slowly pulling his car into the long, rounded driveway. "You got all your stuff?"

"Yes!" Gray exclaims anxiously, bouncing up and down in pure excitement as Zach opens the front door and quickly walks down the driveway to meet them.

Gray hasn't seen Zach since last fall because he got a place of his own and moved out to go to The University of Madison, Wisconsin. He's extremely avid to be staying with him. "Zach!" he shouts as he rushes to his older brother's side, pouncing on him.

Zach catches him with ease and lifts him up but grunts in doing so. "Hey, lil' bro! Although, I guess you're not that little anymore, are you?" He pats Gray's back gently and lets him slide down. "Hey, Dad."

"Zach. Wow! You've got quite the place, don'tcha?" Scott grins faintly as Zach turns around, runs his eyes over his house, and looks back at him, a large smile visible on his face.

"Yeah. I got it pretty good with my job," he replies flatly, glancing down at Gray when he begins to tug on his shirt. "Just a sec, bro."

"Yeah, I guess so," Scott chuckles lightly to himself as he gazes down at his silver Panerai watch. "Well, before I have to go… What field did you decide to go into? For classes, I mean."

"Actually, I went into consumer-electronics engineering," Zach starts as Gray throws his arms around his waist, searching for the attention from his older brother that he's been looking forward to. He wraps his arm around Gray's shoulders, gingerly squeezing him. "And then, the place down the street from my neighborhood here offered me a job that I was able to do while still taking my classes, and I took it. They pay well, and all the people seem to be pretty nice."

Scott nods his head and genuinely smiles at Zach. "I'm happy for you, son. You're doing well. Just keep it up."

Zach grins back, Gray still latched onto his torso, and quickly steals his backpack, slinging it over his own shoulder. "Thanks, Dad."

Scott shakes Zach's hand and lightly hugs him from the side before plopping down in the front seat of his blue Nissan Quest. "Bye, Gray! Have fun and be careful! I don't need to hear your mother chew me out because you skinned your knee on some concrete!"—Zach and Gray both crack a smile—"Bye, Zach!"

Zach raises his hand up in a single motion as Scott backs off the driveway and disappears out of sight. He glances down at Gray and slowly peels him away. "C'mon, I'll give you a tour of my house, and then we can go get some ice cream! Yeah?"

"Yes!" Gray shouts enthusiastically, pumping his fists in the air as Zach leads them towards his house.

Only once he gets closer is he able to make out the tiny details and the build of it. The red brick matches perfectly with the huge wood columns, and the different assortments of stone in the design cause the black shutters to pop out from the lighter tones. Two stained front doors open to the covered patio, which is closed in by various types of landscaping: burning bushes, hedges, dogwood trees, stone, and all sorts of contrasting flowers.

Zach places his hand on the smooth knob and begins to turn it, slowly pushing the door open. "Well, welcome to your home for the summer!" He chuckles softly as a small gasp escapes Gray's lips.

"Zach, this is- this is awesome!" he shouts excitedly, bouncing up and down as he clings onto Zach's arm. "What else is there to see?"

"Oh, Gray, there's plenty more. This house has five bedrooms, four bathrooms—plus a half bath down here—and some other special features that I'm saving till the end," a smug grin tugs at the corners of Zach's lips while he leads Gray to the living room.

There's a sort of Craftsman style to the house that makes it seem more comfortable and cozy, but it's also got a few specks of modern traits to it here and there. In front of the brothers, is one huge glass window covered by drapes with pale blue and dark green horizontal stripes on them. The cream-colored white on the curtains flawlessly matches the soft material on the pieces of furniture, and a ceiling fan slowly blows around above. In the center of the room, two couches with ashy beryl throw pillows to go with the curtains sit facing each other, four different chairs together on each end. A dark round wood table is placed methodically between each chair, and a greater sized glass coffee table—oval shaped—tops it all off, sitting on a fluffy, dull teal rug.

Zach slowly places his index finger under Gray's jaw, pushing it shut. "Dude, this is only the living room."