Adam shifted, getting comfortable in the chair as he waited for Rocky to answer. He had just helped Tanya finish cleaning up from dinner. Now he had claimed her office so he could video call Rocky without interruption. He wanted to talk about what had happened in the dojo earlier.
"Hey, Adam," Rocky said as he finally answered the call. "Can you see me?"
Adam frowned.
"Well, it's a little dark, but yes," he said. "Is that—is that a coat by your head?"
Rocky looked up.
"Oh, yeah," he said. "I'm hiding in the storage closet."
Adam snorted.
"Why on earth are you in there?" he asked, laughing.
"Hiding from my kids…" Rocky sighed.
"Aisha has a home office, just like Tanya," Adam pointed out. "That's where I am."
"I tried," Rocky said. "But Damien unlocked the door."
Adam raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"He unlocked the door?" he said. "Are you serious?"
"Completely," Rocky groaned. "The kid can't manage to figure out how to do something as simple as flushing the toilet without help. But open a locked door? That he's apparently mastered."
Adam just laughed as Rocky grumbled.
"And I can't even call Tommy for suggestions right now," Rocky sighed. "Not after today… he's probably not going to speak to us for a week at least."
Adam sighed, the laughter quickly dying as the subject changed.
"Speaking of," he said. "Do we actually know anything about what's going on between Tommy and Jason?"
"They appear to be avoiding each other," Rocky said. "Tommy turned us down for the BBQ the minute he heard Jason was coming—though I will admit Aisha and Tanya didn't help the situation."
"And Tommy hasn't tried to see Jason at all since he got back," Adam said. "Jason hasn't really asked about Tommy, either. I hadn't really thought about it—but they both avoid talking about each other. So—why?"
"Not a clue," Rocky sighed.
"And how long?" Adam added.
Rocky frowned, thinking.
"Come to think of it—it has to have been a while," he said. "Years, actually. Because the only time I can ever remember Jason coming up in conversation was during ranger business—when we needed his help."
Adam nodded. He had come to the same conclusion.
"Do you think they are actually mad at each other?" Rocky asked after a moment. "It certainly looked like it today…"
Adam hesitated.
"Well, maybe not," he said. "They didn't seem mad when they came to the mat. Surprised, but not mad. So then why did they get mad?"
"Well, Jason ranted a little bit about that when I dragged him off to the locker room," Rocky said. "He was really only mad because he didn't feel like he was ready to jump into a fight like that and then he thought Tommy was pulling punches. Which, he kind of did that first hit—but only because he took Jason by surprise. Jason just didn't see it that way… Does that help?"
"Yes, a little…" Adam mused, leaning back in the chair. "The mercy pull…then Jason was after Tommy like he was Goldar. But why would he be so mad over one pulled punch? That doesn't seem right. Jason knows better than that. Tommy would never hit someone who wasn't ready for it in a fair fight."
They both fell silent for a moment.
"I don't know what we're going to do," Adam sighed a minute later. "Cam was right—we can't really do anything else until we know what's going on. Otherwise, we will probably make it worse."
"Well, why was Tommy mad?" Rocky asked. "Did he say anything after I left? From Blake's comment it sounded like he exploded on you a bit. But was it because he was actually mad about something or was it the meds screwing with his system still? He's only been taking it about two weeks. It could be a contributing factor."
"Maybe—" Adam paused in surprise. "Well, speaking of…"
"Speaking of what?" Rocky frowned.
"I have an incoming video call from Tommy," Adam said.
"Oh," Rocky said, just as surprised as Adam.
"Should I take it alone or loop him into our call?" Adam asked hesitantly.
"Why don't you loop him in," Rocky suggested. "I'll bow out if he wants to talk to you alone."
Adam nodded and clicked the answer button, connecting it to their call.
"Hey, Tommy," he said when it connected. "Sorry, I was talking to Rocky."
"Oh," Tommy said. "Hey, Rocky."
"Hey, Tommy," Rocky said. "I can leave—"
"No, it's fine," Tommy said, shaking his head. "I didn't mean to interrupt."
He sighed, rubbing a hand across his face. Even through the computer screen, Tommy looked tired.
"No worries," Adam reassured him. "We were just talking."
Tommy nodded, shifting in place.
"So, why the call?" Adam asked. "Honestly, I didn't think I'd hear from you again today…I'm sorry about earlier today. Is everything alright?"
"Actually, I wanted to apologize for earlier, too," Tommy said quietly. "I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."
Adam shook his head.
"It's fine," he said. "I wasn't upset about it. We both understand the side effects can mess with emotions."
Tommy sighed.
"No, I can't blame it all on the medication…" Tommy said, rubbing a hand over his face again. "Even if I'd like to… but no."
Adam and Rocky both frowned.
"You care to explain?" Rocky asked when Tommy didn't elaborate.
"It's not important," Tommy said, shaking his head. "Seeing Jason there just surprised me was all. I let my emotions get away from me. I'm sorry—"
Footsteps in the background interrupted and Tommy turned his head.
"Mom, I'm in the middle of something," he sighed. "Couldn't you at least knock?"
Adam and Rocky exchanged amused glances as they listened to the conversation. They couldn't see Mrs. Oliver, but they could hear her.
"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetheart. Were you talking to Anton about business?"
"No," Tommy muttered.
Suddenly Mrs. Oliver's face appeared in the camera as she leaned in to look at the computer.
"Oh! Hi Rocky and Adam," she exclaimed with a smile.
Then she paused, frowning.
"Mom, what are you doing?" Tommy complained.
"Rocky, are you hiding in a closet?" Mrs. Oliver asked, ignoring her son.
"Yeah…" Rocky said sheepishly. "My three-year-old figured out how to unlock the office door. I had to improvise."
"Oh, no further explanation needed, dear," Mrs. Oliver chuckled.
"Bungee cords, Rocky," Tommy said from behind his mother. "Mom, we were talking. Did you need something?"
"I was just dropping off your laundry," she said, disappearing from camera again. "But you're right, I'm sorry. I should respect your privacy more—you are an adult, after all."
Tommy was now looking in her direction suspiciously.
"You two need to come visit more," Mrs. Oliver called from offscreen. "Now all of you be good and have fun. Tommy, I folded everything. Your socks and underwear are on the bottom. Bye!"
There was a pause and then a door shut. Tommy groaned, leaning back.
"Well, if that didn't make this so much more awkward," he muttered.
Adam and Rocky exchanged a look and then burst out laughing.
"Well, it certainly broke the tension," Rocky snickered.
"Not helping," Tommy grumbled.
"Sorry," Rocky chuckled.
"Tommy, it's fine," Adam said, trying to go back to their original conversation. "I understand that things happen and I accept your apology. We all have bad days and the fact that you recognize you've had one and admit it?"
Adam shrugged.
"It's all good," Adam said with a smile.
"Thanks, Adam—"
"Wait a minute," Rocky interrupted. "I have a question."
Tommy and Adam both turned their attention to him.
"And?" Adam said.
"And I'm not ready to let Tommy off the hook that easy," Rocky added.
Tommy flinched a little but didn't say anything else.
"Rocky…" Adam sighed.
"Nope," Rocky said. "We're all adults and Tommy just said he can't keep relying on the meds as an excuse. That means we need to talk about the cause, so it doesn't continue to cause problems."
Adam and Tommy both stared at Rocky in surprise.
"What?" he said. "And no—I have not been reading Tanya's textbooks. I'm an adult—I know how things work."
"Says the man hiding in a closet," Adam muttered.
Rocky glared at him.
"That's Damien's fault," he retorted. "And I will not be distracted. The three of us are good friends and we are going to be fine—but we deserve an explanation. Something isn't right and we've noticed, Tommy."
Tommy groaned, dropping his head in hands.
"I really don't want to talk about it," he muttered into his hands.
"Come on, Tommy," Rocky prodded. "What if a world-ending catastrophe happens and everyone is depending on us to save them? We can't work together with our two leaders wanting to kill each other."
Tommy dropped his hands, rolling his eyes at Rocky.
"It's two teams," he countered. "And you weren't on ours—just mine. His gold period doesn't really count since he was there for support."
"So, I still have friends on that team."
"Really?" Tommy asked, raising an eyebrow. "Who? Who else from the first team do you regularly talk to outside of ran—business?"
Rocky paused, frowning.
"I—I'm texting Zach," he muttered.
Tommy snorted as Adam shook his head.
"So, you're going to bother him to try and prove a point?" Tommy asked.
"Well, I already sent the text, so I guess so," Rocky said sheepishly. "But—"
There was the sound of loud footsteps again. Tommy sighed.
"Dad!" JJ wailed. "Grandma brought my laundry in while I was on the phone!"
"Yeah…" Tommy said, shaking his head. "Isn't that annoying?"
"She brought in my laundry," JJ repeated.
"And?" Tommy sighed. "She brought mine in, too."
"No, dad, you don't understand!" JJ exclaimed. "My underwear was on top and my friends and I were using video chat! They saw!"
"Well, at least they know you wear underwear," Tommy said with a slight smirk.
JJ groaned.
"Do you have any idea how embarrassing it is?" JJ demanded.
"Maybe a little," Tommy said, gesturing to his computer.
"Hi, JJ," Adam said.
There was a pause and then JJ popped his head in front of the computer.
"Oh, hi…" he said, looking at Rocky and Adam.
He turned to look at Tommy.
"You were talking to your friends…" he said sheepishly.
"Yep," Tommy confirmed.
"And grandma brought you laundry, too…"
"Yep."
"Was your underwear on top, too?"
"No, but she announced that it was in the basket," Tommy sighed. "Now, did you actually need something or…?"
"Why can't I have a lock?" JJ grumbled.
"I gave you my old bedroom—at least you have an actual door," Tommy pointed out. "Unless you want to trade?"
"Right—bye!"
Tommy shook his head, turning back to the computer.
"Tommy, where are you?" Rocky asked. "If JJ is in your old room?"
"In the office on the couch," Tommy sighed. "It pulls out into a queen bed—which means the only door stopping my mother is just a curtain because they're remodeling part of the downstairs..."
Rocky and Adam both chuckled.
"You're a good dad, Tommy," Adam said.
"Alright," Rocky said. "No more distractions. Explanations."
Tommy groaned again. He was hoping Rocky had forgotten.
"Come on, Tommy," Rocky said. "What on earth happened to cause such open hostility between the two of you? Why are you so mad at each other? You used to be inseparable."
"I'm not mad at him," Tommy sighed.
Rocky and Adam both looked at him doubtfully.
"Ok, yes, I was mad during the match," Tommy admitted. "But that was mostly from having the situation dumped on me. I'm not actually mad at Jason."
He paused, hesitating.
"Jason is mad at me…" he finally muttered. "He has been for a long time."
"What do you mean?" Adam asked, frowning. "Did he say he was? He didn't say anything to us about being mad at you."
"He didn't exactly say it in words," Tommy mumbled, not looking at them now.
"Then how do you know he's mad at you?" Rocky pressed.
Tommy took a deep breath.
"He had me arrested," he finally said.
There was silence for a brief moment. Then an explosion.
"He what?" Adam exclaimed.
"You've been arrested?" Rocky sputtered.
Tommy let them go for a moment before interrupting.
"It was by campus police, but yes," he sighed. "They couldn't come up with a good enough reason to transfer me to the custody of the city police. It never went further than campus as far as I know."
He paused, frowning. Adam and Rocky were still processing the information.
"I guess I probably couldn't have gotten a job as a teacher if it had," he mused. "Not with an assault on my record. Or the stalking…"
"Hold on," Adam said. "I need more information than that—you were stalking Jason?"
Tommy raised an eyebrow.
"No," he said shortly. "Christine—apparently. Jason was supposed to be the victim of the assault…"
"What did you do?" Rocky asked.
"Why is it always me?" Tommy snapped.
"Ok…" Rocky said slowly. "What did Jason do?"
"That's not—" Tommy started to snap before he groaned in frustration. "I'm sorry. I wasn't prepared to talk about this. Ever."
He sighed as Adam and Rocky waited.
"The emotions are still a little raw—even after nearly twenty years. Especially now with the medication…" he admitted.
"Tommy, we can't help you if you won't talk about it," Adam said quietly. "And with Jason back in town, it's probably better you get it out. With us or with your therapist."
"Though we do kind of need to know if we need to keep Jason away from you," Rocky added.
"But you don't have to tell us anything you don't want to," Adam said firmly, looking at Rocky. "We just want to help."
Tommy was silent for a minute. Then he sighed again.
"I can only tell my side of what happened," he said quietly. "I've never gotten Jason's side—we didn't exactly sit down and have a chat about having each other arrested."
"Wait—each other?" Rocky exclaimed.
"We got into a fight in the hall of Jason's dorm when we were in college—someone called campus police," Tommy explained. "They broke us up and we both got detained and put in separate rooms to cool down. Jason got released to go back to his dorm a couple hours later and I—"
"Got sent home?" Rocky interrupted.
"Nope. Spent the rest of the day being interrogated."
"Interrogated?" Adam frowned.
"Yeah… goes with the accusations of stalking, harassment, verbal abuse, assault—all of that," Tommy muttered.
Adam shook his head.
"Hold on," he said. "Why were you two even fighting in the hall? How did it get to that point?"
Tommy frowned.
"To be honest, I'm not really sure…" Tommy admitted, rubbing the back of his head.
"So, you just decided Jason needed to be slapped?" Rocky asked.
"No," Tommy said irritably.
"Well, something had to have started it," Rocky pointed out.
Tommy sighed.
"Ok, yeah…" Tommy said. "Well, I guess we'd been having small arguments for a while. I'm not entirely sure when it started—but as best I can remember it was sometime around when he started dating Christine. She didn't like it when I took any of Jason's time—even just a text or a call once in a while. And then Jason started getting annoyed because she was annoyed… so, I pulled back."
He sighed. Rocky and Adam had fallen silent again, letting Tommy talk.
"But I still went to visit once in a while and we hung out when we were both home on breaks," he continued. "So, it was fine for a while, I guess. But things started getting weirder between us and we fought more often. And then Kat and I broke up… I wasn't in the greatest place after. I mean, I realize now it was for the best at the time, but—"
"We get that," Rocky said. "So, emotional and upset equals you do stupid things. We've all been there."
Tommy rolled his eyes.
"The point is, I wanted to get away for a couple of days and not think about it, so I called Jason."
"Why didn't you call one of us?" Adam asked.
"I didn't want to put you in the middle," Tommy said with shrug. "You two were a lot closer to Kat than Jason was, and I thought of him as more my friend than hers. I really didn't want to affect your friendship with her on accident."
"That was a good thought process," Adam admitted. "Though we probably would have been fine. I do appreciate the thought behind it though."
"Well, a friendship ended anyways," Tommy mumbled. "Just not the one I was expecting given the initial circumstances."
"Anyways, so you go to see Jason," Rocky said.
Tommy nodded.
"Well, the first day was fine," Tommy said. "It was a little awkward when I got there with Christine hanging around the whole time. I wasn't aware before I arrived that Friday that she had pretty much moved into his on-campus apartment…"
April 1998
"Sorry, Tommy," Jason sighed. "I didn't know until this morning. But Christine promised my couch to her brother who just got kicked out of his apartment by his roommate. He didn't have anywhere else to go so—"
"It's fine, Jase," Tommy said, shaking his head. "Things happen. I'll just sleep on the floor—I've slept in worse places."
Jason smiled hesitantly and nodded.
"Thanks," he said, relieved. "I didn't want to tell you not to come but—well, he's her brother. He is supposed to be moving in a with a friend in a couple of days, but they had visitors so they didn't have any extra room right now. But he doesn't spend a lot of time here. He's usually out with friends so you shouldn't have to worry about tripping over him."
Tommy just shrugged, looking around.
"It's not a big deal," he said. "So, want to go to a movie tonight or just hang out here?"
Saturday May 12th, 2018
"We ended up going to a movie," Tommy said. "But somehow Christine ended up tagging along even though no one actually invited her. She was just suddenly ready to go with us and Jason couldn't tell her no…"
He sighed.
"Anyways. Saturday we actually went for an early morning run and I thought things were ok, but then Jason had to work. He had a job at one of the cafeterias on campus at the time, so he was gone most of the afternoon. I figured on using that time to do my homework so we could hang out after he got back without worrying about it. I wasn't, however, counting on Christine interrupting…"
April 1998
Tommy stared at his computer screen. His project was driving him nuts, but he was finally almost done. The door opened and Tommy looked up briefly—he hadn't expected Jason for at least another hour. But it wasn't Jason. Christine stopped just inside, looking surprised to see him sitting in the living room. Tommy went back to his project.
"Oh, right," Christine said. "I forgot you were here."
"All weekend," Tommy said absently, not taking his eyes off his computer screen.
"Where's Jason?" she asked.
Tommy raised an eyebrow, looking up from his homework.
"At work?" he said slowly. "You were here when he left. You left with him."
"Oh—well, I just thought maybe he'd be home already," she said with a shrug.
Walking over, she leaned on the back of the couch behind him.
"What are you working on?" she asked.
"Geology," Tommy said, going back to working on his project.
"Interesting," she said, shifting closer. "Is this going to be your major?"
Then she was rubbing his shoulders. Tommy tensed and shrugged her off.
"What are you doing?" he asked, turning to look at her with a frown.
"Just trying to have a conversation," she said, blinking at him. "Is something wrong with that?"
"No, it's fine," Tommy said slowly. "But could you please keep your hands to yourself?"
Christine pulled back suddenly, looking extremely offended.
"Are you disgusted by me, then?" she asked.
"What?" Tommy said. "No. I'm just not really up for anyone touching me right now. I just broke up with my girlfriend. That's the whole reason I'm here to visit Jason this weekend instead of waiting til break. I needed some space. Plus, I don't really know you that well, not to mention you're dating my best friend…"
"Oh, that's sad," Christine said, sympathetically. "Well, why don't we eat something while we wait for Jason to come home, and we can talk about it. I'm good at listening. You can just run down the street and bring something back."
Tommy shook his head.
"I'd really rather not," he said.
"You aren't hungry?" she asked. "It is dinner time."
"I was trying to finish my project first," Tommy sighed. "But if you're hungry I can make something with whatever Jason has in the kitchen. I can't afford to eat out right now since I drove here."
Christine sighed.
"Jason never has anything I like," she said.
"Well, I brought some stuff with me, too," Tommy shrugged. "I can share if that would help. Between that and Jason's stuff there should be something I can make."
"I'd really prefer to just pick up from the café," Christine pouted.
"Then why don't you walk down there?" Tommy sighed. "It's only a block away."
"By myself?" Christine exclaimed. "It's almost dark out—girls have been stalked around here."
Tommy frowned, glancing at the time. She had to have walked here already since he knew she didn't have a car. And it wasn't actually that late. Or that dark. But he didn't say anything, he just shrugged.
"I'm sure there is somewhere that delivers," he suggested.
Christine sighed dramatically, walking around the couch to drop in a chair.
"Jason usually picks food up for me," she pouted again. "Delivery costs more."
Tommy groaned quietly. He was so close to done and this wasn't helping. His concentration was gone.
"I'll tell you what…" he said after a moment. "If you place an order, I'll go pick it up for you. I'm not opposed to stretching my legs real quick. Alright?"
"Perfect! Thank you!" Christine beamed.
Tommy nodded as he closed his computer to go put his shoes on. Christine had already gone to place her order.
Saturday May 12th, 2018
"Was she seriously flirting with you?" Rocky sputtered, interrupting Tommy. "I'm sorry—but really? She was dating Jason!"
"I'm aware, Rocky," Tommy sighed. "But that's part of why I finally agreed to just go pick up her food. She was making me uncomfortable…"
Rocky and Adam both shook their heads.
"Like you'd ever do anything while she was with Jason," Adam said. "Even if you had been interested. Never would have happened. You would never break any of our trust like that."
Tommy smiled faintly at their confidence in him.
"Well, it doesn't get any better," Tommy said.
April 1998
Tommy stalked back into Jason's apartment. Christine, sitting in the armchair, looked up expectantly. But Tommy just went straight to the kitchen to make himself something to eat. Christine followed.
"Where's dinner?" she asked innocently. "Was it not ready? You should have just waited."
"Oh, it was ready," Tommy said, putting together a sandwich. "Problem was, it wasn't paid for."
He looked at her as he continued, finishing his sandwich.
"I told you I didn't have the money," he said. "I didn't even take my wallet. Did you want a sandwich?"
Christine scowled at him, crossing her arms.
"You just want me to starve," she spat.
"I'm offering you food—" Tommy tried to protest, a little thrown off by her sudden change in mood.
"Oh, yes—a little sandwich," Christine said, rolling her eyes. "Why? Is it because you think I'm fat?"
Tommy stared at her in surprise for a moment.
"What?" he finally sputtered. "How on earth did you come to that conclusion?"
Christine just wailed and ran out of the kitchen to throw herself on the couch. Tommy slowly followed, still very confused by the turn in conversation. There was a brief pause in her dramatic sobs, and she looked up at Tommy before starting again. Shaking his head, Tommy decided he wasn't going to play this game. Grabbing his backpack, Tommy quickly shoveled his homework and computer inside and threw it over his shoulder before heading for the door, his sandwich still in hand. He made sure to grab the extra key Jason had given him just in case.
"Wait—where are you going?" Christine demanded, all signs of tears suddenly gone.
"To the library," Tommy said. "If you're hungry there's stuff to make a sandwich. I need to get this project done tonight. I'll be back later."
He left her sitting on the couch staring after him in shock.
Saturday May 12th, 2018
"Ok, I've only met her the one time," Rocky said when Tommy paused to grab his water bottle. "I can't decide if I'm surprised or not…"
Adam shook his head, still trying not to interrupt Tommy too much. Tommy took a drink and then sighed.
"I'm not trying to influence you against her—or Jason," Tommy said, shaking his head. "You wanted to know what happened. So…"
He trailed off, shrugging.
"Did you ever tell Jason about this?' Adam asked.
Tommy shook his head.
"I never got a chance," he admitted. "When I got back from the library, Jason and Christine had apparently gone to bed for the night. I knew he was back, but I didn't see either one for the rest of the night. Just Will stumbling in drunk somewhere around 1a. So, I didn't talk to Jason again til Sunday morning…"
April 1998
Tommy knocked on the bedroom door and stretched as he waited for an answer. Will was passed out and snoring on the couch behind him. It took a couple of minutes, but Jason finally opened the door. He stood there yawning for a moment as he looked at Tommy.
"Hey, wanna go for a run?" Tommy asked. "I'll wait for you."
"Oh, sur—" Jason started to say.
"Jason, come back to bed…" Christine whined from inside the room. "It's too early to be up."
Jason hesitated, glancing back at her and then at Tommy.
"Jason…"
He rubbed the back of his head as Tommy raised an eyebrow.
"I'll meet you for breakfast, ok?" Jason finally said. "I don't think I want to take a run today."
"Alright…" Tommy said as Jason swung the door shut. "That's fine…"
When he finally came back from his run a while later, Tommy wasn't any less annoyed than when he had started his run. He had driven from his school to spend a weekend with Jason and he had barely seen him. Back at Jason's apartment, Tommy snagged the open bathroom so he could take a quick shower and change. Pulling his hair back out of his face as he came out of the bathroom a little while later, he was nearly run over by Christine pushing her way inside.
"Ok," Tommy said. "I was done anyways."
Shaking his head, Tommy continued toward the kitchen. Jason was sitting at the table eating breakfast.
"You were gone longer than I thought you'd be," Jason commented as Tommy got himself breakfast.
Tommy shrugged.
"I just felt like a longer run this morning," he said.
Jason frowned as Tommy dropped into a chair.
"Are you mad at me or something?" Jason asked.
Tommy sighed.
"I'm just a little annoyed, Jase," he said. "We haven't hung out at all this weekend—I've barely seen you. That was the whole reason I even came."
"We went to the movies on Friday," Jason said.
"Yeah… right…" Tommy muttered.
A little bit of guilt flashed across Jason's face.
"Hey, we can hang out more this afternoon," he said. "I just have a little bit of homework to get done this morning and then we can do whatever."
Tommy took a deep breath.
"Alright," he agreed. "What did you have in mind?"
"Well, there's a concert on the green on campus today," Jason said. "We could go to that. And then there's some kind of fashion show."
"Fashion show?" Tommy frowned. "Seriously?"
Jason rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.
"Uh… yeah," he said. "Christine wants to go, and I said I'd take her…"
Tommy paused to take a breath before he answered.
"Jase, I was kind of hoping we could spend time hanging out and talking—the two of us," he said, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. "Like we used to."
"You never used to have problems bringing girls along," Jason frowned. "You brought Kim to things all the time in high school."
"Yes, Jason," Tommy said shortly. "She already knew everything about us if we got sidetracked in conversation. Not to mention things tended to get a little out of control very quickly if we didn't try to stick to small groups. Trying to find each other was problematic most of the time. And she was your friend, first. I wasn't just bringing her because we were dating."
Both of them fell silent for a moment before Tommy finally sighed.
"The concert and fashion show are fine," he said.
"And then we can talk tonight before you leave," Jason said. "You don't have to leave early, right?"
"Right…" Tommy sighed.
After lunch, Jason, Christine, and Tommy headed to campus to catch the start of the concert. A little while after it started, Christine stood on tiptoe to whisper in Jason's ear. He then leaned over to Tommy.
"Hey, we're gonna go get something to drink," he said. "Do you want anything?"
"Nah, I'm good," Tommy said. "I'll wait here for you. You have your phone just in case, right?"
"Yeah, it's in my pocket," Jason confirmed. "We'll be back in a few minutes."
Twenty minutes later, Tommy hadn't seen Jason or Christine come back. Annoyed, Tommy sent Jason a text asking where he was. He waited a few minutes with no answer. After repeating the same thing a few times, Tommy headed in the direction the couple had disappeared in earlier. He couldn't find them near where they were serving drinks and food. Tommy continued to wander around for a little while longer—still texting Jason—until it had been nearly an hour since he had seen him. Giving up, Tommy headed back to Jason's apartment to wait since he didn't know where the fashion show was supposed to be to try and find them there.
Hours later, Jason and Christine finally came back laughing and talking. Tommy had finished his homework while he was waiting for them to come back.
"There you are," Jason said, shutting the door. "Where did you disappear to? You missed the fashion show. It wasn't too bad, actually."
"I disappeared?" Tommy said shortly. "Jason, you went to get a drink and never came back. I looked for you for an hour before I gave up since you weren't answering your phone."
"Oh… sorry…" Jason said, rubbing the back of his head. "We got sidetracked by some friends. I guess I forgot to text…"
Tommy scowled.
"Yeah, you did," Tommy said. "Anyways, I think I'm just gonna go since you didn't even seem to notice I was gone."
"What's your problem?" Jason frowned.
"My problem?" Tommy exclaimed. "I'm sorry if I don't see the point in spending a whole weekend just doing homework alone in someone else's apartment. I could have done that in mine—with fewer unproductive interruptions."
"What is that supposed to mean?" Jason asked. "I thought you wanted to hang out tonight before you left."
Behind Jason, Christine settled on the couch with a smirk as she watched them.
"That's kind of hard to do when you're never here," Tommy pointed out.
"Some of us actually have to work," Jason snapped. "Not all of us have uncles paying for our tuition and expenses."
"You aren't paying for your tuition," Tommy retorted. "Your grandfather is—you told me that when you got in here. You're just paying for your apartment and living expenses. But work isn't the problem."
"Then what is?" Jason scowled, crossing his arms.
"The problem is that when you are here, we don't get any time to just hang out together," Tommy snapped. "And when you aren't here, Christine is here trying to send me on errands that I'm somehow expected to pay for? I work, too, Jason. I don't just have money to throw around."
"She's just used to being taken care of," Jason countered. "Do you really have a problem with my girlfriend?"
Tommy sighed.
"It's her attitude, Jason," he said. "Not her. I just—I don't understand. I've watched her boss you around all weekend and it seems like the only things I ever hear about you doing anymore are the things she wants to do. Do you really think that's a healthy relationship? Bending over backward for her and paying for everything? Only doing the things she likes? When was the last time you did something you wanted to do?"
"I'm sorry I want to make sure my girlfriend is cared for and safe," Jason snapped back. "You're just mad cause you can't hold on to a girl—they all dump you."
Tommy froze for a moment, staring at Jason in shock.
"Fine, I'm out of here," he hissed. "And you're one to talk, Jason."
Grabbing his duffle bag, Tommy started shoving the rest of his things into that and his backpack.
"It's not like you're an expert in relationships," Tommy continued, glaring at Jason as he packed quickly. "You couldn't work up the courage to ask out the girls you liked in high school, so now you're throwing yourself at the feet of the first girl to pay you any serious attention."
"You need to leave," Jason snarled.
"Don't worry, I'm going," Tommy snapped.
"Good!"
Spinning, Jason stormed to his bedroom and slammed his door shut. Christine, still sitting on the couch, smirked as she watched Tommy finish packing his things and grab his food out of the kitchen.
"You know," she said smugly, crossing her legs as Tommy came back to the living room to grab his bags. "You should have just bought me dinner. Then this wouldn't have had to happen."
Tommy stopped, glaring at her as he slung his duffle bag and backpack over his shoulder.
"I have Jason completely wrapped around my finger," she said proudly. "If you had just bought me dinner like I asked, this whole fiasco could have been avoided."
"You're a manipulative psycho," Tommy snapped. "Jason is going to see through you eventually and me and the rest of his friends will be waiting when he does."
Tommy stalked toward the door as Christine suddenly shot to her feet. She ran sobbing into Jason's room as Tommy left and let the door slam behind him. Tommy was heading toward the stairs when he heard footsteps behind him and then his bag was yanked off his shoulder.
"What are you doing?" Tommy exclaimed, spinning to see Jason dropping his bag on the floor.
"Why did you do it?" Jason demanded, his hands on Tommy's shoulders.
"Do what?" Tommy frowned. "What are you talking about, Jason? Get your hands off me."
Jason responded by shoving Tommy into the wall.
"Maybe I won't," he said. "What are you going to do about it?"
"Knock it off," Tommy snapped. "You know what I'll do about it."
Jason scoffed.
"Oh—like when we first me?" he said. "Cause that worked so well then. I beat you then and I'll beat you now. Stay away from Christine."
He punctuated his demand by slamming a hand against Tommy's shoulder. Tommy reacted on instinct and then the two men were full on fighting in the hall of the apartment building. Only a couple minutes later campus police came running in to break them up.
Saturday May 12th, 2018
"After they broke us up, we were both hauled off to the campus station to cool off in holding rooms," Tommy muttered.
"Did he seriously say those things?" Rocky exclaimed.
"Yeah…"
Rocky and Adam both shook their heads.
"Man, there are some things you just don't poke at," Rocky said. "Ex-girlfriends, parents, and evil spells are all on that list."
"I don't think evil spells are usually part of the bro code," Adam said, raising an eyebrow.
Rocky snorted.
"In our group?" he said, raising an eyebrow. "Oh yes they are."
"I guess that's fair," Adam admitted.
Tommy rolled his eyes.
"I thought you guys wanted me to tell you this," Tommy said. "I'm not repeating myself if you miss something. I didn't want to say it the first time."
"We'll be quiet," Rocky said quickly.
Tommy paused, eying both of them.
"This should go without saying," he said slowly. "But this falls in the category of you don't tell anyone—including your wives."
Adam and Rocky both quickly agreed to keep this information to themselves.
"Tommy—does Kat know?" Adam asked curiously.
Tommy hesitated for a moment.
"She knows some of it…" he admitted after a moment. "But not the details. All she knows is that Jason and I don't talk because of a fight and that I don't like to interfere in personal relationships. Period."
All three of them were silent for a moment as Rocky and Adam processed everything Tommy had shared with them.
"So…" Adam said after a moment. "You were both arrested, Jason got let loose, and you were interrogated. But why? Where did the stalking and harassment come from? What did Jason think you did?"
Tommy shrugged.
"Honestly, I'm not sure on most of that," he admitted. "But I'm sure Christine is responsible. She ran to him crying and probably just told him whatever she needed to make him mad at me and not her. And then while we were locked up, she probably lied some more. She was determined to get in between me and Jason by that point. She said as much."
He sighed.
"But most of what I know after getting taken into custody comes from the copy of the statement she gave," he continued. "According to that, I was there almost every weekend or break trying to get her attention and this time I was determined to win her away from Jason. If I remember correctly…"
Tommy paused, closing his eyes for a moment.
"So, when I showed up that weekend, I was trying to get her to go out with me," he said slowly. "She turned me down on Saturday when we were alone, and I proceeded to verbally assault her before finally storming off to the library. Then the next day I hid in the apartment to ambush them and the reason Jason and I got into a physical altercation was him acting in her defense after I tried to—or did?—physically assault her in some fashion. Sorry… some of the details are a little fuzzy. And they also kept changing as they tried to convince me to admit I'd done all of it."
"What happened?" Adam asked. "Why did they end up letting you go?"
"Because they didn't have a choice," Tommy shrugged. "They had no evidence except Christine's statement—and that was essentially her word against mine. They couldn't find any impartial witnesses to back up anything she said. So, they had to let me go—though they did ban me from campus."
He sighed.
"At first I thought that once Jason got his copy of the complaint that he would see what she was doing and call but…well, that never happened," Tommy said quietly. "Even the blatant lies on the report weren't enough for him to see what was going on."
Adam and Rocky exchanged grim looks. Tommy was rubbing a hand over his face, looking even more tired than he had when he originally called.
"The whole situation is a lot worse than anything I came up with," Rocky admitted.
"Part of why I didn't want to talk about it," Tommy muttered. "And again, why I refuse to give relationship advice to anyone. It's not worth the risk."
"And now I see why you don't want her at the resort," Adam said, recalling that conversation. "It makes more sense knowing this."
Tommy nodded. They all heard footsteps again and Tommy looked away from the camera.
"Dad, I'm ready for bed," JJ said in the background.
"Alright, I'll be right there," Tommy said. "Head on up."
He turned back to Adam and Rocky.
"I've gotta go guys," he said. "Sorry again about earlier…"
"It's fine," Rocky said, shaking his head. "Apology fully accepted—and I'm sorry for forcing this out. I really was just trying to help…"
Tommy smiled faintly.
"I know…" he sighed. "And with Jason back… well, it was bound to come out eventually."
They nodded and the three of them said goodnight.
Rocky was closing his laptop when his phone dinged. Checking the message, he was surprised to see an answer from Zach.
Zach: Dude—are you drunk?
Rocky: No. I was just talking with Tommy and Adam and
He accidentally hit send as he tried to maneuver out of the closet without knocking anything over.
That part isn't important. It was just part of the conversation. Sorry if I bothered you. Stuck in a closet right now but I can explain more in a minute
Zach: …You can call me if you need to talk, man. I'm here for you. No judgement.
Rocky groaned, turning off the light and shutting the door as he continued to text with one hand.
Rocky: a literal closet zach. I was hiding from my three year old so I could talk to tommy and adam in private.
Zach: Ok… I think that still requires some more explanation.
Sunday May 13th, 2018
Angel Grove, CA
Jason was sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper when Christine walked in. He had already eaten breakfast and taken Marc to the dojo for open gym that morning. Now he was just relaxing for a little while before he caught up on some chores.
"Good morning," he said with a smile. "Did you eat yet? I can get you something."
"I ate while you were out earlier," she said. "How are you feeling?"
Jason paused for a moment, trying to figure out what she meant.
"Oh, yeah," he said. "I'm a little sore, but that's norm—"
"Oh, my poor baby," Christine said.
She walked over to him, checking on the bruise she'd found the night before and fussing over him.
"You need to stay away from that awful place," she said. "They're just trying to hurt you."
"Christine—" Jason started to protest, but she didn't pause to listen.
"Now, I am going out to run some errands for myself," she said. "Don't forget to finish the dishes and switch the laundry. The yard probably needs to be mowed today, too. The grass is getting a little long. Oh. And you'll need to go get the groceries since you didn't go yesterday. You wouldn't want us to starve, after all."
"I—"
"And if you're too sore, well," she shrugged. "You'll just have to take it as a reminder that you shouldn't be falling for your friends' nonsense. You fell for their tricks, and this is the result."
Christine didn't wait for a response. Instead, she spun and hurried out of the room. Jason heard the front door shut a moment later. Sighing, he set down the newspaper as he looked up at the clock on the way. He had to start working or he be working on chores all afternoon.
Standing, Jason grimaced slightly as sore muscles protested. He regretted not stretching more the night before. Though he had to admit to himself that if he had just said no, it wouldn't be a problem at all.
"Maybe Christine is right…" he muttered.
Shaking his head, Jason picked up his cup. Setting his now empty mug in the sink, Jason went to check on the laundry first. As he worked on the chores, he continued to stew on what Christine had said and everything that happened the previous day. After mowing the lawn, Jason finished the dishes before he started to prep food. Marc was going to be eating lunch with a couple of the kids from the dojo, so he didn't need to worry about having anything made for him or picking him up until later that afternoon.
Jason was starting to pull stuff out to meal prep when he realized he was missing several important things.
"Right," he muttered to himself. "Didn't go grocery shopping yesterday. So, I don't have everything."
Still muttering to himself, Jason grabbed his wallet and put on his shoes to head to the store.
"This is all Adam and Rocky's fault," he said, shaking his head as he backed out of the driveway. "Now I have to make an extra trip out because they dragged me into that fight yesterday."
As he drove, Jason found himself heading to Adam's house rather than the store. He wanted to talk to him, but he knew Adam wasn't at the dojo on Sunday mornings. But when he pulled into Adam's driveway, no one was home. Jason frowned and sent Adam a quick text. Taking a guess, Jason decided to swing by Rocky's house on his way to the store and see if Adam was there. He knew they spent a lot of time at each other's houses with their families.
When he parked, Jason checked his phone but Adam hadn't responded yet. He didn't see his car there, but Rocky would at least be able to tell him where Adam was. Walking up to the front door, he knocked and waited. It took a moment, but then the door opened.
"Jason?" Rocky said, surprised. "What are you doing here? And why didn't you just come in—the door was unlocked. You didn't need to wait for me."
Jason frowned.
"I wasn't aware you just let people randomly walk into your house…" he said slowly. "Is Adam here? He wasn't at home and hasn't answered my text."
"Nah, he's at his parents' house this morning," Rocky said. "He and Tanya spend every Sunday morning with his family. They'll be home sometime after lunch and then he'll spend a few hours at the dojo."
Damien poked his head around Rocky's legs. Rocky put a hand on his head to stop him from going outside.
"We don't do that because my family is loud," Rocky said, shaking his head. "So, we only have group get-togethers on holidays or birthdays. We do visit Aisha's parents more often, though. Nope!"
Damien, giggling, had made a break for it past Rocky's legs.
"I don't think so," Rocky said, catching Damien.
Turning, he put him back inside and then stepped out onto the porch, shutting the door behind him. He kept one hand on the doorknob so Damien couldn't turn it.
"Anyways," Rocky said, turning back to Jason. "What did you need Adam for? Is it something I can help with?"
Jason shook his head, scowling.
"No," he said shortly. "I'm just—not happy with him right now and I want to talk to him. I forgot he spends Sunday mornings at his parents'."
"Umm… ok?" Rocky said, raising an eyebrow. "You were fine yesterday—"
"Don't worry, I'm mad at you about it, too," Jason snapped.
"Alright," Rocky said. "Any chance I can get more information than that? Why are you mad at us?"
Jason started to answer and then stopped, staring off to one side of Rocky. Rocky frowned at him.
"Umm…" Jason pointed toward the window.
Rocky turned to see Damien in the window. He had his face pressed against the window and was licking it. Rocky groaned.
"Damien! Don't lick the window!" he exclaimed. "I just cleaned that."
Damien laughed and ran away from the window as Rocky muttered to himself.
"What is wrong with your child?" Jason asked, turning back to Rocky.
"He's three," Rocky shrugged. "You can't tell me yours didn't do weird things at that age."
"Well—wait, no," Jason frowned. "Don't distract me. I'm mad at you."
Rocky sighed.
"Ok," he said. "About what?"
"You made me fight with Tommy yesterday," Jason snapped. "I could have been seriously injured—or killed!"
"When?" Rocky asked, confused.
"Yesterday—you were there!"
"No, when could you have been injured or killed?" Rocky clarified. "Cause Adam and I were there the whole time. And if it's about the Ninjas, they are well controlled—especially with Tommy in the room—"
"No, stop," Jason snapped, shaking his head. "You two made me fight when I wasn't ready!"
"Wasn't ready?" Rocky repeated.
"Rocky, I haven't fought in years, and you made me go out there when I wasn't ready," Jason exclaimed. "Tommy could have broken my neck! Then where would we have been?"
"Well, I would have been putting you in a C-collar—"
"That's not what I meant!"
"Jason, where is this coming from?" Rocky asked, a little concerned now. "I know you were a little annoyed we surprised you, but you weren't this kind of mad yesterday. Maybe even having a little bit of fun by the end of it."
"Well, I wasn't," Jason scowled, crossing his arms. "And now I have bruises."
Rocky raised an eyebrow.
"Ok," he said with shrug. "Well, let me see."
"What?" Jason said.
"If they are bothering you that much, let me see," Rocky said. "You can sit on the bench."
Jason shook his head.
"I don't have time for this," he muttered in exasperation. "You two shanghaied me yesterday and now I have to go to the grocery store since I didn't yesterday because I still need to do all of the meal prep for the week."
Rocky eyed him for a minute.
"And you're still mad at me?" he clarified.
"Yes," Jason huffed.
"Ok, let me grab my keys," Rocky said.
Jason started to snap back and then stopped when he realized what Rocky had said.
"Wait—what?" he said.
Rocky was opening the door. He caught Damien, giggling as he tried make another break for it.
"Let me grab my keys," Rocky repeated. "I'll be right back—without Damien. We don't need to take the kid with us."
He shut the door and left Jason standing in confusion on the porch. When Rocky came back out a few minutes later holding his keys and a piece of paper, Jason was still waiting.
"Alright," Rocky said. "Get in the car."
Jason frowned.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"The store," Rocky said, walking toward his car. "Come on."
"I'm not done being mad at you yet," Jason protested.
"That's fine," Rocky said. "You can yell at me in the car. Come on."
Hesitantly, Jason climbed into the car with Rocky. Once Jason was in and buckled, Rocky took off toward the store.
"Alright, continue," Rocky said.
Jason didn't say anything for a moment, trying to remember what he had been yelling at Rocky about. The stops and starts in the argument had thrown him off a little.
"You and Adam need to be more careful," Jason finally snapped. "You can't just expect everyone to be like you. We don't all have lives that revolve around martial arts."
"That's a valid point," Rocky said, nodding.
"And you're both teachers," Jason continued. "You should know better than to pit someone who is out of practice against someone as seasoned as Tommy. I could have gotten hurt!"
Rocky nodded.
"Yeah, you're right," he agreed. "We probably should have warned you—so I understand your frustration."
Jason paused, blinking at Rocky in surprise. He wasn't prepared to fight with someone who wasn't going to fight back. He continued to snap at Rocky the rest of the way to the store, but by the time they got there he was already running out of steam. Rocky parked the car and they walked inside with Jason still grumbling.
"Feel better yet?" Rocky asked as he grabbed a cart.
"No," Jason muttered defiantly.
"Ok," Rocky said. "Grab a cart and come be angry in this aisle over here—I need cereal."
"What?" Jason frowned, though he grabbed a cart and followed Rocky.
"Cereal, Jason," Rocky said. "I need some—I have three kids that never stop eating. What's on your list?"
He grabbed the list Jason was holding and studied it.
"Hey!" Jason exclaimed.
"What?" Rocky snorted. "This way we only go around the store once. It's more productive this way. Adam and I do this every time the girls send us to do the shopping."
"What are you doing?" Jason asked as Rocky dropped a box of cereal in Jason's cart.
"Getting the groceries," Rocky said. "That's what you needed, right?"
Jason nodded slowly, not really having an argument. They went up and down a couple of aisles with Rocky grabbing stuff and telling Jason to grab things, too, off both their lists. Walking around a corner toward the dairy section, they almost ran into Tommy. Jason took a step back, hesitating when he saw Tommy. After yesterday, he really wasn't sure Tommy wanted to see him.
"Oh, hey, Tommy," Rocky said. "What are you doing here?"
"Getting milk," Tommy grumbled. "Why? Not because mom needs it right now even though she's out. But because she made cookies and JJ can't have cookies without milk."
"Oh, where's JJ?" Rocky asked, looking around.
"Still at the house," Tommy said, shaking his head. "Because it doesn't make sense to send my hyperactive ten-year-old on a quick walk to the store to get his own milk and burn off some energy. Instead, I get sent while he sits in the kitchen with his grandmother."
He sighed.
"I'll talk to you later, Rocky," Tommy said, turning to go. "I need to get this back. Cause the sooner JJ eats the cookies the better. Maybe I can burn off some of his energy before being stuck in a car with him for two hours on the way home."
He took off toward the registers and Rocky turned to Jason.
"Are you hiding?" he said.
"No, I just didn't want to interrupt your conversation," Jason protested.
He paused, looking in the direction Tommy had gone.
"Rocky, doesn't he live with his mother?" Jason frowned.
"What?" Rocky said. "Oh—no. He doesn't."
"So, he just stays with her sometimes instead of his own house or apartment?" Jason said slowly.
"Nah," Rocky laughed as he grabbed milk for himself before continuing to the next aisle. "Tommy doesn't even live in town. Hasn't for a long time. He has a house in the middle of nowhere up in Reefside."
"Really?" Jason said in surprise. "What is he doing in Reefside?"
"A ton of stuff," Rocky chuckled. "He teaches at the high school, owns a dojo, and even works on cars for people once in a while."
"He owns a dojo?"
Rocky nodded.
"Yup," he confirmed. "He has for a while now."
Jason nodded and the frowned.
"Wait—this isn't what we were talking about before we ran into Tommy."
"Nope, you were mad at me," Rocky said, glancing back at him. "You good now?"
"No!" Jason sputtered.
"Continue, then," Rocky said.
Jason scowled.
"You and Adam can't keep doing this," he said. "You can't just go behind my back and then manipulate me into doing what you want me to. You should have just asked me and been upfront about it."
"Alright," Rocky said. "That's fair."
"What?" Jason blinked, not expecting that response.
"I said that's fair," Rocky said. "If that's what you want, then we'll do that from now on."
He stopped, glancing at their lists.
"I think we've got everything," he said. "Let's head up to check out."
As they walked up, Rocky sighed and looked at Jason.
"Alright, seriously now," he said. "I'm sorry if you felt like Adam or I manipulated you in any way. It wasn't intended to be that way."
Jason nodded hesitantly at Rocky's apology.
"But you need to stop worrying about where you should or shouldn't be or what you should or shouldn't be doing," Rocky said, shaking his head. "Or who you are supposedly allowed to see. I've never tried to tell you that and no one else should be allowed to do that either. You're an adult, Jason. You can hang out with whoever you want—you can even hang out with my kids if you want."
"Your kids?" Jason said, raising an eyebrow.
"Sure, why not?" Rocky grinned. "I'm always happy to have a babysitter."
"I have a job, Rocky," Jason said drily. "I don't need to be hired as a babysitter."
"Hire?" Rocky snorted. "I wouldn't be paying you, man. Maybe feed you dinner after, but that's it. Adam and Tanya watch them for free all the time just like we watch theirs."
Reaching the checkout, Rocky started unloading things onto the belt while Jason handed things over.
"Plus, if I get really desperate, I can just drive them up to Tommy's, drop them on his porch, and run," Rocky said with a grin.
"See! Manipulating!" Jason exclaimed. "You can't just force someone to watch your kids."
"Relax, Jason," Rocky said, shaking his head. "We have an agreement of sorts for emergencies. Tommy once just left JJ at my house when he was seven. He'd been there for an hour before I realized he was there."
"Tommy abandoned his kid at your house?" Jason asked in shock.
"Oh, no," Rocky quickly explained. "He knew I was home. But I was working on a project in the other room and didn't hear them come in. He just let himself in and got JJ settled in the living room before he took off. JJ knew to come and get me if there was a problem. And then Tommy came to pick him up later after he handled whatever the—emergency—was."
"Oh…" Jason said.
He fell silent for a minute, not really paying attention to what Rocky was doing anymore as he mulled over a few of the things Rocky had said.
"Sorry for the argument," Rocky said to the cashier, handing over his card. "Thanks for your patience with us."
"Not a problem," the cashier assured them. "I actually just had another guy a few minutes ago who was apparently mad at milk. He tipped me $20."
Rocky and Jason looked at each other and then laughed. They knew exactly who it had been. Then Jason realized Rocky was paying for both of their groceries.
"Wait, Rocky—" Jason started to protest.
"Nope, too late," Rocky said. "Just take it as an apology for yesterday. Now come on. Help me put the bags in the cart."
Jason sputtered, but still helped Rocky load the cart back up to head out to the car. As they loaded the groceries into the car, Jason paused.
"Why would Tommy tip the cashier like that?" he asked. "Did he really do it just because he was grumpy about the milk?"
"Well, yeah," Rocky shrugged. "You know him. Tommy really is the same guy he was in high school. He doesn't like to hurt anyone and, if he thinks he did, he's going to make it right. Tommy hasn't changed that much over the years."
Rocky shut the trunk.
"I mean, when that thing happened a couple months back, he wouldn't even spar with anyone outside of Adam," he said. "Not after he went a few rounds with me and I ended up hitting the mat harder than usual—he didn't want to hurt anyone while he was getting himself centered again."
Jason frowned.
"What happened?" he asked as they climbed into the car.
"Uh… probably not the best time for that conversation," Rocky said hesitantly. "But long story short, there was a PR incident and Tommy and some of the rest of us were involved and it wasn't pleasant for anyone involved."
Jason nodded. He was silent for most of the ride back to Rocky's, having run out of reasons to keep trying to be mad. And mulling over Rocky's offhand mention of the rangers and implying he and some of the others were still very much involved.
"So, are we good now?" Rocky asked, looking over at Jason after he parked.
"Yeah…" Jason sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "Honestly, I'm not even sure why I decided I was mad at you in the first place…"
Rocky just shrugged and climbed out. They moved Jason's groceries to his car and then Jason helped Rocky carry his inside.
"Want to stay for dinner?" Rocky asked, setting the bags he was carrying on the table.
Jason shook his head, setting the rest down.
"I can't," he said. "I need to go feed my family."
"Alright," Rocky smiled. "But it's an open invitation."
"What's an open invitation?" Aisha asked, walking in with Damien in her arms.
"Oh, I was just telling Jason he has an open invite to stop by for dinner anytime," Rocky explained, starting to put the groceries away.
"Of course, you do," Aisha said. "And your family. When it's just you, show up anytime. If you are going to bring the rest of your family with you, just shoot me a text so I can make sure to have enough for everyone. Right, Rocky?"
Rocky sighed.
"It was one time!" he exclaimed. "There was a big accident, and we were all tired and hungry… I didn't think about it when I invited the whole crew back and I'm sorry…"
Aisha just smirked, setting Damien down to run to Rocky who picked him up.
"I'm getting in trouble with everyone today," Rocky grumbled to his three-year-old. "Just like you do all the time."
Damien giggled.
"Well, he does take after you," Aisha snickered.
Jason laughed. Saying his goodbyes, he headed back home to do actual work on meal prepping and dinner before he had to pick up Marc.