Campfire Road

Brain Matters

{5years}

Jake dozes face down on a large towel by the pool.

Walker sips a cold can of beer as he floats in the inflated chair.

Eric floats on his back in the water.

Zev shakes his head as he comes in and stands by the door in uniform, "Hey guys, you forgot your suits again."

Jake doesn't lift his face and it distorts his response, "Go. Away."

Zev laughs as Walker defends, "You said, keep the grumbles out of the pool.
"They don't come in if we're naked."

Zev is very amused, "Where's Aleister?"

Walker shrugs and tattles, "Took off when we started taking our clothes off.
"Jake threatened to hump her if she ever came back."

Zev happy fusses, "You're not gonna scare her off, Jake.
"You've only months left.

"How was calisthenics today?"

Eric kicks water as Jake lifts his head and shouts again, more clearly.

Walker throws his beer, "Leave us to suffer in peace."

Zev laughs for a moment, "You can clean that up or move back in with Jake."
He goes out laughing.

Jake rolls his aching body into the pool.
He ducks down, then drapes his arms on the side, "I still don't recall agreeing to become a body builder."

Eric splashes him, "You suck. You've bulked up like the hulk.
"I work twice as hard as you and I'm still a pencil neck geek."

Walker laughs obnoxiously for a moment, "It's not that bad, Son.

"Really, you are twice as strong as Jake.
"It's his mother in him that gives him the mass.
"It's your mother in you that keeps you smaller than me.

"Remember of all of us, Zev is actually the fittest and the strongest.
"It just doesn't show."

Eric whines, "Shows enough on you and Aleister.

"If I could just get some quardination, maybe I'd suck less."

Jake smiles at his small, awkward dad, "Ya are stronger than I was at seventeen."

Eric complains, "But even before training you were kinda buff.
"Genetics is a brutal taskmaster."

Walker huffs, "No, genetics is just an evil bitch.
"Your girlfriend is the brutal taskmaster."

Eric rolls his eyes, "I wish. She hates me."

Jake chuckles, "I still suspect she drives you hardest cause she cares the most what happens to you."

Eric shakes his tired face, "You heard her today.
"My physical prowess is handicapped."

Walker smirks, "My fave is when she says to use your big brain to tell your feet were the ground is."

Jake nods, "That's a good one.
"My fave is when she knocks him into the mud and tells him to think his way out."

Jake's phone alerts on the table and he turns at once to lift himself out of the pool.

Walker teases, "Better run, Jake, it could be Heramite."

Eric informs him, "That wasn't her ringtone.
"I've not heard that one... It's annoying."

Jake takes up his phone, "It's just the general one... Unsaved number."

'Hey, Jake it's Belle.
I finish finals and got my ShadowD.
Mama wants to know if you want to have a birthday party in Paradise City or on the ranch?
She'll need weeks to months to schedule such.'