Page 55 of Cueball & Double-Z (Alpha’s Rejects #5)

One Year Later

It was the end of an era.

The words of Geoffrey Chaucer, ‘ All good things must come to an end ,’ suddenly came to mind as I stood on the cracked sidewalk, filled with weeds, dandelions, and garbage blowing by as I held Gio and Cole’s hands.

Surrounding us were the Rejects, my crew, my extended family, as we watched in grief and sadness while the bulldozer tore down our building at Old Town Mall.

The place we’d hung out in for years, skating, finding friendships, and discovering love.

A place we all gathered when the weather was bad, so we wouldn’t have to go even one Sunday without seeing each other.

The inside of the old store had been beautiful in a way one finds chaos beautiful. It was covered in graffiti, dirt, and hand-built half pipes for skating. During the winter, it was cold, but it was dry.

There was no talking among us, but there was a lot of hugging and sniffing. We weren’t the only ones looking on, seeing our love and our past being crumbled to dust. Other skaters throughout the community, who’d helped shape the building, watched on in sadness.

The building had been condemned along with several other buildings at the mall. A few would remain intact as the developers created something new.

Gentrification. It was beneficial to businesses and generated revenue for the city.

Not so great for the locals living in the area.

While areas needed revamping and safety, with that came a hefty price tag: the increased cost of living.

Because Baltimore had struggled economically for a long time, the cost of living hadn’t been out of control like other major urban cities.

But with improvements came even more struggles for those who couldn’t afford them.

In a couple of years, when they completed the redevelopment of the old shopping area, there would be high-end shopping, restaurants, and bars.

Then would come repaved roads and street cleaning.

Eventually, condos would rise to meet the demand of more affluent people moving here.

And like all cities, those experiencing poverty would be pushed back and pushed back until they were no longer seen.

That was where I came in. I found a job working for a rehousing non-profit organization for people or families living unhoused because of domestic violence.

I worked as a counselor. It took some extensive therapy and a lot of love from Gio and Cole to get me back into something I’d avoided for years.

I hadn’t been there long, but it felt good to do something worthwhile.

It didn’t pay as much as my old job, but we made do just fine between the three of us.

I pulled my eyes away from the destruction of our past and community to the Rejects.

After that day, which felt like yesterday but was actually two years ago, when I told them my story, we’d grown closer to the point where they became my extended family.

I’d watched over every single one of them, mindful of their mental health, ensuring they remained happy and steady. And they had.

Stix and Stone stood there, with Stix holding his sister, Nova’s hand. She was ten now and becoming a proficient skater, like her brother. The two men got married last year, which, honestly, surprised me. Neither had seemed the marrying type, but they ended up tying the knot.

Stix’s mother stood next to him, who had also recently married Nacho’s father, of all people. Grace quickly connected with him after Nacho reunited with his father. I guess that officially made Nacho and Stix brothers.

Nacho and Pippin held each other, snuggled in as they always were, watching on and crying together.

They’d gotten married a while back. The two were destined for it.

They would never have children. Pippin was afraid to take care of them, despite his extensive and continued therapy.

Nacho eventually quit working at Alpha’s, becoming a nurse at the local hospital.

Pippin was still a bartender at Alpha’s.

Most importantly, they were both thriving.

Aiden and Ajax stood stiffly, holding hands, jaws clenching, but they didn’t shed a tear.

It didn’t matter. They would miss the place as much as we all would.

The two would never get married or ever have children.

Both were sex workers, making a killing as camboys.

Ajax had his struggling moments with bipolar disorder over the years, but he was resolute in his therapy.

And Aiden was there every step of the way.

He was the one who’d grown the most of everyone.

He was a solid foundation in Ajax’s life.

He never did go to therapy, but as long as he was happy and thriving, that was all that mattered.

The twins, Jazz and Blondie, had their own partners.

Jazz finally introduced us to her girlfriend, Noel, a couple of years ago.

She was highly introverted and shy, so we didn’t see much of her.

Jazz choosing someone so opposite to her was interesting.

I suppose it allowed her to remain central in the relationship, which was very Jazz.

Blondie was still with Storm, Aiden’s old high school friend—another odd couple. The twins still worked at Alpha’s.

Then there was the man himself. The owner of Alpha’s and the father figure to the Rejects.

Alpha. He and Harley held onto each other as they looked on and said their goodbyes to the building.

Alpha’s Rejects bar was thriving after a financial hiccup a few years ago.

His big heart led him to take care of everyone at his own financial expense.

Then, he lost his leg in a tragic car accident.

After practicing for over two years, he had become proficient at skating again.

Now, he lived as if he’d had a prosthetic his entire life.

It hadn’t been an easy road for him, but he had his mother hen, Harley, never leaving his side .

The only one not there was Tony, Alpha’s foster brother. He’d never been a skater or a part of this place. I wondered if Alpha had even told him about it, because I was certain Tony would’ve been there had he known, as the building had been important to Alpha.

Meanwhile, Gio and Cole were also thriving. Cole was still attending college, and Gio still worked as a restaurant manager. We’d never get married. We couldn’t since it wasn’t legal, but each of us wore a ring of commitment. We were happy as things were. I loved them with every fiber of my being.

My brother Hugo and I were also finally getting along. He and his wife recently had a baby. It was a surprise since they’d never planned to have any, since Lydia was older. But I loved being an uncle to my little niece, Daniella.

“I hate this. It’s fucking depressing,” Gio suddenly said. His jaw was clenched, and his fingers dug into my hand. Cole nodded in agreement.

“You’re right,” Alpha said, overhearing him. “This fucking sucks, and there’s nothing we can do about it. Let’s get the hell out of here and go have some drinks at Alpha’s. Drinks are on me.”

With that, we all walked away without a backward glance and headed forward to our future.

The End