Uneasy Day

Alan sat down with his friends and noticed two things right off. One, they had lost a member of their group. Jason was glaring at his roommate, Ralph, who was several tables over, sitting with Lee Sugimoto and other upperclassmen, trying hard not to lock eyes with the redhead. Two, they had gained a member. Xavion Lewis sat next to his younger brother. He looked up when Alan sat down and gave the blond a curt nod.

"What's up?" Alan asked, turning from Jason to Xavion.

Jason growled a bit, then stopped trying to bore holes into his roommate's head and looked over at Alan. "Ralph's chickening out," he said with disgust. "He's decided that where there's smoke there's fire, and he doesn't want to be associated with you and the Brain."

Alan had his fork halfway to his mouth when Jason made his statement, and he dropped it with a noisy clang and a spatter of spaghetti sauce. "After the session we had last night? Even knowing that Sugi's spreading a false rumor? You're kidding, right?"

"No," Jason replied sourly. "I wish I were." The redhead's shoulders slumped. "But... he was new to our group; he came around just because we were roommates. He doesn't really know you or the Brain very well."

"More fool him, then," A.J. commented. "If he believes those rumors..."

"I know," Jason said with a sigh. "But still, it's a bummer when a friend defects on you. Especially when you have to live with him."

"Don't I know it," Alan said, twirling the spaghetti around his fork again then spearing a piece of meatball. "Sugi...," he shook his head, "I don't want to talk about him and his snarky attitude." The blond turned his head toward Xavion. "What brings you here?"

The question caught Xavion in the middle of a gulp of milk, and he held up a finger to tell Alan to wait. Once he had drained the carton, one of three on his tray, he wiped his mouth and said, "I guess I'm the defector here. I had that little talk with Sugi. Man, he is definitely not the same guy he was last year. I don't know what's gotten into him, but I knew that if I kept hanging out with him, sooner or later, someone was going to get hurt, and it wouldn't be me!" He gave Qaeshon a nudge. "We Lewises always stick together." Flicking his eyes between Alan and Fermat, he added, "Besides, like I said last night, I believe you and Kay. Sugi's way out of line."

"Thanks, Zave," Alan said gratefully. "It's good to know that other people don't believe the rumors." He frowned a bit, wondering if this was a good time to ask his question. Looking around the table, he figured, I might as well ask in front of everyone. Sugi's lost any claim to privacy he might have had by being such an ass to me.

"Zave?"

"Hm, yeah, Pinky?"

"Does Sugi take some sort of... medication?" He paused, grasping for a disease that he knew required injections. "Y'know, for diabetes or something?"

Zave sat back slowly, giving Alan an intense frown. "What do you mean?"

Alan took a deep breath, and recounted what happened when he returned to his room after practice. "...Then he locked the thing in his drawer instead of disposing of it, like maybe he had to use it again. That's why I thought diabetes... or something."

The senior shook his head, the ends of his corn row braids quivering as he did. "Damn. Not Sugi. But... it explains a lot." He glanced up at Alan, then met the gazes of the other boys, who were all waiting for his answer. He took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, and addressed Alan. "No, Pinky. As far as I know, Sugi doesn't have any medical condition where he would need injections. Not unless he was diagnosed with something over the summer. But even if that had happened, I'd have to know about it, being track captain and all. And no one has said a word." He shook his head again. "Wish I could get hold of that syringe. If what I'm thinking is true, Sugi's in big trouble."

There was silence between the boys, a quiet that Alan broke. "I didn't want to think the worst of him, Zave, despite what he's doing. That's why I asked."

"I understand, Pinky. I just wish I had a way of proving it without making Sugi take a drug test. I don't like ratting on my friends," Xavion said with a frown. "But I don't see I have a choice. I have responsibilities as team captain, and those have to come first. I can't play favorites."

"M-Makes me wish P-Parker were here," Fermat said with a tiny smile.

"Parker? Who's that?" Qaeshon asked, puzzled.

"Chauffeur and butler to a family friend, Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward," Alan explained off-handedly. "He used to be a safe cracker."

" Lady Penelope? Is that the beautiful blonde that Fermat has a picture of?" A.J. asked.

The two friends exchanged glances, and Fermat nodded. "If Fermat got the same pictures in the mail that I did, then yeah, that's her," Alan said.

"Why would she hire an ex-burglar?" A.J. wanted to know.

"H-He went st-st-st... he reformed," Fermat said. "He was t-trained as a butler before he w-went bad. Lady P is v-very big on ch-charity cases."

"So, if this Parker dude were here, he could get into Sugi's drawer, is that what you're saying, Brain?" Qaeshon asked.

"Oh, y-yeah," Fermat replied confidently. "No sw-sw-sw... piece of cake."

Alan briefly entertained the thought of emailing Parker and asking him for instructions on how to pick open the fingerprint lock, but quashed the idea, knowing it would probably get him in more trouble than he could imagine. He came out of his reverie to find that Xavion held the floor.

"I'm going to have to pass this on to the coach," he was saying. "The league we play in supports drug testing, but only if there is just cause." The older boy turned to Alan. "Would you be okay with telling the coach what you saw?"

Alan nodded at first, then blew out a short, frustrated huff when a thought occurred to him. "If you think Coach would believe me," he said. "I mean, Sugi could just tell him I was jealous or that I was trying to get at him because I thought he started the rumor..." He shook his head. "This is such a mess!"

"Hey, Pinky," Xavion said, his tone both serious and encouraging. "Not everyone is gullible. Not everyone is going to believe this stupid rumor. And when there's an accusation of doping, it doesn't matter what motive Sugi gives you. He has to be tested; it's in the rules. And if he's using, it'll turn up." He locked eyes with the younger boy. "So, are you with me?"

"Yeah, Zave. I'm with you," Alan said with a nod. "Let me know when and where."

"I will."

There were a few moments of quiet as the boys went back to eating. Then Jason asked, "So, Pinky, any news on the Belvedere front?"

Alan gave him a strange look. "You do not want to know what flashed through my mind when you said that, Jase."

Jason thought for a moment, then grimaced, while the other boys, finally catching up with Jason's faux pas, groaned. "Oogh. I see what you mean," the redhead admitted. "Okay. Let me rephrase that: have you heard from Ms. Belvedere?"

"Well," Alan began, "When I went to drop off my form, Ms. Belvedere was there, reading the forms from Dom and Trey..." He went on to tell them about his interview with her, and what Sugi said about having to see her the following day.

"Sounds promising," Jason responded. "Do you think there's anything she can do about the rumor?"

Alan shrugged. "Short of making a general announcement to the entire school, I doubt it. But getting out of Sugi's range would be a good thing. Maybe the rumor will die down once we switch rooms."

"I h-hope so," Fermat said fervently.

The boys' conversation turned to more mundane matters like homework and upcoming events. Fermat told his friends about the quiz team practice, and the little group speculated some about the mysterious attacks of the previous week.

"I hope things stay quiet," Jason said as he swept up his last bit of marinara sauce with his garlic bread. He popped it in his mouth, chewed on it a bit, then tucked the bread into his cheek to say, "Wouldn't want t' be their next victim."

Qaeshon and Xavion shook their heads in unison. "Chew and swallow before you talk, man," the senior said. "Don't want to have to do the Heimlich here in the dining hall."

Jason rolled his eyes dramatically as the other boys chuckled at the banter. Their meals finished, they got up from their seats and went to dispose of their trash and dishes. Pierce wasn't on duty, for which both Fermat and Alan were grateful.

"Hey, where's A.J. going?" Jason asked as the younger boy split off from the main group.

"Don't kn-know," Fermat replied, puzzled. "Let's f-find out."

Fermat went after his roommate, and Jason followed when he saw the youngest of their group making a beeline for Ralph Santiago. The two older boys came on the scene just in time to see Ralph look up and acknowledge A.J.'s presence.

"Hey, Ralph?"

The junior glanced at his table mates, looking for support. Lee just sat back and folded his arms, while one or two of the others whispered together, grinning and nudging. Seeing no response from his new group, he turned back to A.J. and asked, "Yeah, kid? What do you want?"

A.J. smiled at Jason's roommate. "Just wanted to say that you really shouldn't believe everything you hear, you know. People might think you're gullible." He gave the stunned junior a little wave, and added, "See you later, Ralph." Then he hurried off to where Xavion, Qaeshon, and Alan were standing by the doors.

Fermat and Jason glanced at each other, and broke into huge grins. They followed in A.J.'s wake, with Jason pausing only long enough to point emphatically at Ralph and crow, "Owned!"

"What happened?" Qaeshon wanted to know as the trio caught up. "What did you say to Ralph?"

"I just gave him a little piece of advice," A.J. said in a modest tone.

"And totally owned him!" Jason exclaimed with a grin. He thumped A.J. on the back. "A.J., you rock!"

Alan and Fermat exchanged grins, as Jason explained what A.J. had done. These are the best kinds of friends, Alan realized. And to think, I might not have them if I hadn't come back to Wharton.

"Y-You wanted to s-see me, Mr. T-Tracy?" Brains asked as he walked into Jeff's office.

"Yes, Brains," Jeff said, indicating that his engineer sit down. The tall, thin man did, and Jeff leaned over to hand him a data pad. "I just got Alan's track schedule. I've marked the possible weekends where we could get away to see both Fermat and Alan compete."

Brains looked over the data pad, then glanced up at Jeff. "The f-first date is j-just next week..."

Jeff grinned. "My thought exactly. I'll make the arrangements. Now, how are the modifications to the Firefly going?"

"I've st-still got a ways to g-g-g... there's st-still more to do," Brains admitted. "I think we'll h-have to utilize the same m-material we use in Thunderbird Th-Three's viewports. It should have a h-high enough h-heat-resistance i-index."

"Pull Virgil in on this," Jeff told him. "He can do any computer legwork you need."

"R-Right."

"Now, as for the boys at school, should we tell them that we're coming and when, or should we surprise them?"

Brains thought that over for a moment. "I'm n-not sure. Letting them know w-would give them s-something to look forward t-to, but I like the i-idea of s-s-s... showing up u-unannounced, too."

"Then give it some more thought and get back to me on it. I'll go with whatever you decide."

Brains looked surprised at this. "O-Okay, M-Mr. Tracy, I w-will. Is that all?"

"Yes, Brains. I'll let you get back to work." Jeff sat back, smiling as he watched his engineer leave the room. Then he turned to his computer and began to set up the flight plan for their upcoming jaunt to Massachusetts.

The rest of the evening was quiet. Alan went back to his room to do his homework, and when Lee returned, the senior glanced around, grabbed a warmer jacket, and took himself and his study materials somewhere else. Alan sighed with relief when Lee left. He had seen the emails with the training vids Coach Evans had sent him, and didn't know if he'd have time to watch them if he had to go elsewhere to study. As it was, he only had time to watch one before Lee returned, minutes before curfew. Alan put his laundry bag out for collection, and grimaced when he looked into the nearly empty fridge for a bedtime snack.

I'll place the grocery order in the morning, if I can find the time, he decided as he reset his alarm clock for an earlier hour. I can already see that this new training and practice schedule is going to be rough.

Over in Maplewood, A.J. and Fermat were still discussing the main topic of dinner conversation.

"What do you think was in that syringe?" A.J. asked as he put away homework from one subject and pulled out the materials for another.

Fermat shook his head. "I d-don't have a cl-cl-cl... any idea. But I c-can hazard a g-guess." He looked over at his roommate. "D-Drugs or st-steroids of some s-s-s... kind."

"Yeah, but why?" the younger boy asked. "I mean, wouldn't drugs affect performance?"

"D-Depends on what they are," Fermat replied, returning his gaze to his computer screen. "St-Steroids can i-improve performance to a c-certain extent."

"Hmm. Still doesn't make sense to me," A.J. remarked.

"Me either."

Alan slept poorly that night, his combined worries running around and around in his head, drawing a tighter and tighter circle that he could not see a way out of. For a long time, he lay on his bed, hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling and listening to Lee's steady breathing beneath him.

What can Zave do? What will Coach say? What would happen if it's proven that Sugi's doping? Would he be expelled? Alan groaned internally. How did this all get so complicated?

He shifted onto his side and closed his eyes, trying to get comfortable. I hate these kinds of complications. All I've wanted to do is become a Thunderbird... but... I think I see now that there's more to life. And not all of it's fun, either. Like now.

The next thing he knew, his alarm went off, and he reached over sleepily to smack the "snooze" button. Then it occurred to him that he had somewhere to be, and he rolled out of bed with a groan. Literally rolled out, landing in a crouch on the floor. Lee was already gone.

Thankful for small favors, he dressed for the cold morning air and headed out for a light breakfast.

The dining hall was sparsely populated. Alan sat down at a table by himself, but he wasn't alone long. Erik joined him, sitting down across the table.

"Hey, Alan," Erik said cordially.

"Hi, Erik," Alan replied. He took a gulp of milk, and contemplated his teammate. He didn't know if he should bring up the rumor or not; if Erik hadn't heard it, Alan didn't want to be the one to spread it around.

"These early mornings runs are going to be a bear, aren't they?" Erik said casually. "I hate getting up before the sun."

"Me, too." Alan nodded. "It's going to be pretty nippy, too, if the weather continues the way it's been."

"Yeah," Erik said in agreement.

They ate in silence for a few moments, then Erik cleared his throat. "I, uh, I heard something about you yesterday, and I wanted to know if it were true."

Alan gave his teammate a sharp look. "What was it, exactly? What did you hear?"

Erik looked away for a moment, directing his eyes to the walls for a while before bringing his gaze back to Alan briefly. He shrugged a little as he met Alan's eyes briefly. "That you were... um... gay." The last word was all but whispered.

Alan sat back, his shoulders slumping. He groaned, "I thought so." Shaking his head, he sighed. "The rumor's not true. I'm most definitely, emphatically not gay."

"Oh." Erik said, startled. Alan could have sworn he'd heard a disappointed tone in his teammate's voice. "Okay."

The pair went back to eating, and were nearly finished when Xavion came up to them. He nodded at Erik, who acknowledged the nod with a, "Hey," then sat down next to Alan.

"I told Coach what you told me last night," he said. "He wants to hear it from you, now."

Erik glanced from one teen to the other, his expression one of curiosity. Alan nodded slowly. "I'm coming." He rose from the table, finishing off his milk as he stood.

"I'll take care of your tray," Erik offered. His voice sounded hopeful, as if he wanted to know what was going on.

"Thanks," Alan replied gratefully.

"S'okay." Erik nodded, and Alan left with Xavion, his stomach tying up in knots as the older boy led him out of the dining hall and to the gym, where the coaches had their offices.

Xavion knocked on the door and Coach Evans's voice sounded out. "Come in."

The senior nodded at Alan, who opened the door slowly and stepped inside. Xavion followed and closed the door behind them.

"Sit down, Alan," Coach Evans said, gesturing to a chair. Alan was a little surprised; up until now the coach had only used his last name, not his first.

The older man saw his expression and smiled slightly. "I find I need something to keep you separate from your brother, Gordon. Somehow, when I think 'Tracy', I don't think of blond and track team; I think of dark hair and swim team." His face took on a serious look, and he pulled out a small recording device, and a data pad. "I'm going to record our conversation, and I'll be making notes as well. This is a very serious matter, so I want you to remember every detail that you can. Now, tell me what happened that made you go to Xavion here and ask him what you did."

Alan sat and thought for a minute, then proceeded to tell the coach what he had seen.

"You didn't see him actually use the syringe?"

Alan shook his head. "No, sir."

"Have you seen any vials or small bottles in the trash?"

At this, Alan frowned. "No, sir. I haven't. I didn't think to look."

Coach Evans nodded and made a note on his data pad. "Have you and Lee Sugimoto been on good terms?"

Alan slumped back into the chair. "No, Coach. We haven't. We've been having some... differences, so much so that I'm trying to get my room changed."

"Mm hmm," the man commented, making another note. He looked up at Alan again. "What was your first reaction in this situation?"

"I... I didn't know what to think," Alan said hesitantly. "But I didn't want to think the worst. I asked Su... I asked Lee if he needed medication, like insulin or something. Told him I'd like to know in case he needed help."

"And what was his response?"

"That it wasn't any of my business."

The coach made another note. He glanced up to lock eyes with Alan. "What else did you say?"

Alan shrugged. "Nothing. We went on to other matters."

Coach Evans now glanced over at Xavion, who had stood next to the desk, arms folded. He turned back to Alan. "Xavion tells me that he thinks Lee has changed over the summer. Do you agree or disagree with this?"

Alan breathed out sharply through his nose. "I couldn't say. I didn't know Lee last year. He seemed friendly enough when we started rooming together, but now... now it's all gone sour." He looked at Xavion, then back at the coach. "The problem we're having... I think he's being really vindictive, but I don't know if that's normal for him."

The coach frowned. "Hmm. Vindictive is not a word I've heard used to describe Lee Sugimoto." He glanced at his watch. "Xavion, you'd better get out there and round up your team for that run. Alan, I'd like to talk more with you later about this. After practice this evening."

"Yes, sir." Alan rose from his chair. "Can I go now?"

The man nodded. "Go. Remember, after practice."

Alan nodded, and followed the team captain out. He blew out a sigh of relief.

"That was rough," he commented to his companion. "Do you think he believed me?"

Xavion shook his head. "I dunno, Pinky. It's a serious accusation and he's gonna want every detail of why you and Lee are on the outs."

Alan groaned. "And I promised not to tell about Trey..."

"Hmm. I'd say you're between a rock and a hard place there, Pinky," Xavion said sympathetically.

"Doing the right thing isn't ever easy, is it?" Alan asked.

"If it was, everyone would do it," Xavion said with a shrug. He looked up ahead to where the rest of the track team waited, stretching, getting ready for their run. Sugi was not among them, having already taken the soccer team out.

"Okay, guys. Let's go," Xavion said. Alan fell into step with the others as they jogged off for their first morning run.

The chilly air and the pace Xavion set helped Alan to clear his head. He focused on keeping up with the pack, aware of his muscles and how they moved, feeling every breath he took and actually realizing when he switched from one type of breathing to another. By the time they were finished, he was warm and sweaty, ready for a hot shower before classes. He noticed for the first time that most of the other team members had brought their clothes and books with them, leaving them in the locker rooms so they didn't have to go back to their dorms. Alan mentally made a note to do the same the next day.

He hurried back to Chetwood, taking the steps out front two at a time. He knocked, and getting no response, walked in to find the room empty. Glancing at his clock, he swore and stripped on the way to the shower, which he made as short as he could and still feel like he was clean. He dressed quickly, a skill he had learned over the summer while working with his family on emergency calls, and was out the door again within fifteen minutes. He sprinted through the Student Union building, heading for his classroom, and ending up being the last person to walk through the door, barely on time. Fermat glanced over at him with a questioning look on his face, and Alan gave him a quick, reassuring smile.

The day went downhill from there. The knowledge that Lee was going to see Mrs. Belvedere, coupled with the talk he knew he would have with Coach Evans after practice, made him feel as if something major was going to be dropped on him; something he couldn't control. It left him distracted in his academic classes, and more than once a teacher had to say something to bring his attention back to the subject at hand. He told Fermat not to expect him at lunch; a proclamation that left the younger boy stunned.

"Alan, you n-n-never miss a m-meal," Fermat said, uncomprehendingly. He paused, then amended his statement. "Well, n-not unless you're s-s-s... ill."

"Yeah, well, the way my stomach is tied up in knots right now, I doubt I'd eat much anyway," Alan replied. "Besides, I know what the main topic of conversation will be and I just don't want to talk about it, okay? I'll grab a snack and try to get a little homework done." He smiled slightly. "Don't worry. I'll be there for dinner, promise."

"O-Okay, Alan," Fermat said, frowning. "I'll s-see you in S-Spanish."

"Right."

Alan spent his lunch hour in his room, munching on some trail mix and emailing his grocery order to the store. He got confirmation that his request had been received and he could expect his order that evening after seven. The trail mix took the edge off what little appetite he had, but he had the feeling of impending doom. While his roommate was gone, he took the opportunity to look in the trashcans for signs of the small bottles or vials that Coach Evans had mentioned. There were none.

The high point of the day was Strength Training. Mr. Beccara asked for volunteers to be his "guinea pigs" as he began to demonstrate the various pieces of equipment and how to do the associated exercises on each. Alan volunteered, and after just a few demonstration, the teacher turned to him and asked, good humoredly, "Have you done this before or are you just a natural?"

"I've done it before. My brothers taught me how over the summer," Alan explained with a sheepish grin.

Mr. Beccara chuckled. "So I see. Let's demonstrate some more, then I'd like to talk to you about being a spotter."

"Yes, sir," Alan replied, and the class went on from there. As the other students began to use the weights and the Nautilus equipment, Mr. Beccara had Alan helping his fellow classmates one-on-one, correcting them on their lifts, and making sure they weren't overloading the weight bars.

"You're going to be a big help to me, Alan," Mr. Beccara said at the end of class.

"Thanks, Mr. Beccara, but I really need to work on my own strength training, too," Alan explained. "I'll need it for track. In fact, I haven't been able to do any since I got here and I feel like I'm losing what tone I have."

"Don't worry about that, Alan," the teacher assured him. "I'll give you a permanent pass to use the equipment during the evening hours. There are usually other, older students and even teachers here who can spot you, or you can bring someone along to do that if you like. Perhaps you and one of the other boys here can spot each other."

Alan smiled. "That's sounds great, Mr. Beccara! Thanks!"

"I'll have the pass ready for you tomorrow."

For the first time all day, Alan's heart felt lighter, but a glimpse of Lee Sugimoto striding across the academic quad toward the administration building tied his stomach up in knots all over again. The knots didn't ease during Spanish, where Fermat kept a watchful eye on him, nor during Adolescent Literature, his final class for the day.

He sighed as he left the classroom building. Fermat was waiting for him outside, and Alan took his friend's bookbag so they could walk back to Maplewood together.

"A-Any news from Ms. B-Belvedere?"

"Not yet." Alan shifted his backpack to distribute the weight of his and his friend's books more evenly. "I saw Sugi heading for her office just before Spanish. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall for that conversation."

"You p-probably would have been sw-sw-swatted," Fermat said, attempting to bring some levity into the matter. "B-Besides, fl-flies don't understand E-English."

Alan snorted. "And how would you know?"

"They have t-t-t... minuscule brains," his friend said confidently. "Some of our cl-cl-cl... fellow students have br-brains thousands, maybe m-millions of times that size, and th-they don't understand E-English either."

This made Alan chuckle, and he reached out to punch Fermat gently in the shoulder. The younger boy brought his one good fist up and feinted a jab or two, which Alan answered with both of his. The play boxing might have continued for a while longer if someone hadn't tackled Alan from behind, bringing him heavily to the ground!