AS THE STORY GOES

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Justin, who had skipped his college graduation, hadn't expected to feel anything when he graduated from the academy. For him, becoming a state trooper came from a place of wanting safety and security for his family—which had only been Jon up until a few months earlier. Now, on that beautiful Saturday morning in late-May, standing beside the other uniformed cadets that he had spent the last six months with, he looked out into the audience at his family—his new, real family not just including Jon, but now a mother and a father, and a wife and brother, and sister-in-law, and an auntie and cousin. A whole, brand new, beautiful, loving, supportive family took up the whole back row. And when the Captain said his name, there was obnoxious cheering that other families could contain, but for Justin, they loved him too much to hold back and it forced him to try to wipe his eyes discreetly, though he knew no one ever missed anything the 6'4" guy did.

If his actual graduation wasn't enough, he was welcomed home with a catered party in the back of his parent's house. Jimmy had a DJ in his garage and Marisol let Jon and Amaya invite their friends over to add to the energy of the night. Justin, too overwhelmed to think deeply, just relaxed into the moment. He put a few requests in to the DJ, and showed off his mean two-step for the night.

It was nearing midnight when the backyard finally began to clear. Justin, having floated through the day, felt almost high as he walked up the slightly-steep incline to the main gate at the end of the front driveway. He saw Jon, Amaya, and Devon standing with a fourth kid who was waiting for a car that was pulling up. It took Justin a second glance to realize that they were standing with their cousin, Benny, and Justin immediately turned, sensing that Juan was the one picking him up. Justin tried to act casual as he walked around the back of the house and came through the double doors on the deck connecting to the kitchen. He walked absently through a conversation between Sati and Marisol and to the front window to confirm that it was, in fact, Juan picking up Benny.

As soon as Jon walked in the front door, Justin grabbed his arm and pulled him into the den off from the living room.

Jon, looking bewildered, exclaimed, "What the hell, Justin?!"

"Why was he here?!" Justin whisper-yelled.

"What? Who?" Jon looked honestly confused.

"Juan!"

"Juan wasn't even here! He just picked up Benny, Jus! What's your problem?!"

"I don't want them to know where we live, Jon! You already know this! You've always known this!"

Jon, finally putting everything into place, stood up straight. "First off, I had no idea that was, like, a rule. Second, Benny knows I live here, not you."

"Oh, you never told Benny we live across the street from each other?" Justin asked in uncharacteristically mean sarcasm.

Jon, fuming, looked away at that score for Justin. "Yo, you're so damn paranoid when it comes to our family. I'm not you, Jus. I don't have to cut people off in order to move forward. That's my cousin and that's my brother, whether you like it or not."

Justin, feeling the strong urge to punch something, took a deep, calming breath. "When it comes to them, you don't mention shit about my life, Jon. They don't need to know about my wife, my child, my career—nothing. Don't mention my name at all to them, Jonathan."

Jon glared at Justin. "You're not my father. Don't say my name like that."

Justin walked up on him, resisting the urge to grab Jon by the shoulders and shake him—just a little. "Because what would happen, Jonathan?"