Chapter 1

My birthday is on February 14th; I know a Cupid baby. My mother died the day I was born, and I never knew my father. I was told he had been a soldier and died in combat, so my only living relative was my grandfather. He was a geneticist and very smart. We spent a lot of time together since he was the one who was raising me.

I was sixteen the day my grandfather died, and at his funeral, I met Richard and Melissa. Melissa came over to me and told me, “You’re going to live with us now.” When we left the graveyard, we drove straight to my grandfather’s house. I got a surprise when we arrived and I got out of the car because Melissa had a daughter who looked to be the same age as me. She came running out of the house, and I had to do a double take because she looked just like Melissa. “Hi, I’m Toni Jean, but everyone calls me TJ.”

I was taken by how much she looked like Melissa, which caused me to stand in awkward silence for a moment, until I finally spoke up and said, “I’m James, nice to meet you.” I swear that TJ was identical to Melissa, just younger. They both had the most piercing blue eyes. You know the ones, that when they looked at you, they looked into your soul. Melissa had sandy blonde hair and was about five feet eight inches tall. Her measurements were 38D/26/34, as I would find out later, and she was very fit.

Richard, on the other hand, was just average. I was already taller than him at five feet eleven inches tall, and he was just average in all his appearances. How he managed to land Melissa was an enigma to me. His average build, along with his average hair, caused nothing to stand out as remarkable. He was also a ‘Dick’ and a narcissist. Before we could even finish our introductions, he was bitching at Melissa and TJ to get dinner ready.

I asked Richard, “Why are we at my grandfather’s house?” All he said was, “It’s mine now.” Nodding, I kept my mouth shut for the moment because he had just made his first mistake with me. This was my house, left to me by my grandfather. Having lived here my entire life, I knew all the nooks and crannies of the house and would use them to my advantage.

The next day, Melissa told me, “My sister and niece are coming over to meet you.” I was happy to meet them, and when they arrived, I got another shock because they all looked identical. Melissa’s sister was named Molly, and her niece was named Tabitha. Molly’s husband was Justin, who was friends with Richard. They were both abysmal asshats.

My goal was to avoid Richard, go to school, and take some online college courses. My thoughts were about my grandfather and the things he had taught me. Melissa and TJ were fiercely protective of me, and I of them. I was growing, both in size and strength. When I turned seventeen, the dreams began of my grandfather once a week. He told me that his death was not an accident, but rather that it was a murder. So, I began to run, swim, and lift weights.

While watching TV late one night, a competition was being held on one of the channels. It was called, ‘Survival of the Fittest.’ I wanted to get more ripped, so I decided to follow their exercises to the letter. The first three weeks of training sucked, and I hurt all over. After three months of training, my body craved more exercise. Definition in my muscles was beyond belief, and my life revolved around my studies and my training. My dislike for Richard grew as well, so I called him ‘Dick,’ and he hated it. He couldn’t do anything about it because I was bigger and stronger than him. At seventeen, I was six-foot-two and weighed two hundred thirty-five pounds, which was all muscle.

The dreams became more real, and I could talk with my grandfather. He told me how to get into the basement and to keep Dick out of it at all costs. So, the first time I went into the basement was eye-opening, to say the least. When I sat down behind his desk, a holographic image of my grandfather appeared. I sat there slack-jawed while tears rolled down my cheeks. There was something about this hologram; it was waiting for me to compose myself. Once I did, the hologram began to speak. It was like my grandfather was right there, but I could not believe it. “Gpop, is that you?” I asked.

“Yes,” he replied, and then he began to tell me his theory of what had happened to my father and himself. Justin had been in the military with my father, James Sr., and how he suspected Justin of killing him. He said, “Your mother was already pregnant with you when your father died, and that was when Richard had tried to get her to marry him. But my mother told him, “There’s a better chance of me farting, running around the world, catching the fart in a glass jar, and painting it pink than me marrying you.” I didn’t get much more time down there before I heard Dick get home. My thoughts went to how I was going to deal with Dick and Justin, and every night, in my dreams, I talked to Gpop.

One day, I asked Melissa how she met Dick. She told me, I was working at your grandfather’s business, and so was my sister.” She went on to say, “One day, I and Molly were approached by Dick and Justin, and they told us we had to go with them. A couple of days after they were told this, they also told us that TJ was my daughter and Tabitha was Molly’s daughter. Two days later, Richard and I were picking you up at the funeral.”

Hearing this, I now had to talk to holographic Gpop, but Richard didn’t leave the house for almost two months, and every day he tried to get into the basement. Richard, Justin, and Jerome, a big, gay, Black man, would sit and get drunk trying to figure out a way into the basement.

Meanwhile, I kept up with my training, college courses, and studying. I completed my studies and placed out of a bunch of college courses. It was now August, and school was out. Richard went back to work, and I got back to talking to Gpop. I told Gpop what I had overheard the three of them talking about, and he looked pained for a minute. When I asked, “What’s wrong?” he said, “Jerome was one of mine and your mother’s oldest friends,” and that’s the day I learned how my mother died.

Gpop told me, “When your mother turned down Richard, he punched her in the face, knocking her to the ground, where she stuck her head on the curb.” Gpop continued, “She fought to stay alive long enough to have you, and when she heard you cry for the first time, she died.”

I asked him, “What was my mother’s name?” He looked at me funny and asked, “Why?” I told him, “Because you have never said her name to me.” By this time, I was crying, and so was he. I noticed his tears, and when he looked at me, he said, “Your mother’s name was Amee Nichole, but everyone called her ‘Aims.’” He then told me, “I need to rest for a bit; I will get back to you later on.”

I went back to my room to find Melissa and TJ there waiting for me. No one said a word; we just hugged one another. It was like they could feel my pain and sorrow.

Summer was ok. We didn’t go anywhere, but Dick was still obsessed with getting into the basement. I hadn’t heard from Gpop since that night, but I did, however, learn to ride a motorcycle. My friend Trevor taught me. Trevor, Trevor’s dad, and his older brother, Matt, are into motocross, so I would go with them to sling some dirt. Danny, Trevor’s dad, told me, “I will help you get a motorcycle license on your next birthday, which at the time was only five months away. I rode, took my college courses, and worked out. I asked if I could get a motorcycle, and Richard told me, “If you want to kill yourself, then go right ahead.”

I placed my order for a Kawasaki H2R; since I have the money, why not spend some of it on what I want? I began working on a heads-up display and Bluetooth for my helmet. Melissa and TJ told me, “We want rides when you get your license.”

When I told Danny what I was getting, he just looked at me and didn’t say anything, just shook his head at me. Trevor told me, “The girls are going to drop their panties for you.” He also said, “There’s going to be a lot of pissed-off riders out there too, since not too many can afford a bike like yours. I, myself, have never seen one up close.” I went home to work on my helmet, and it didn’t take all that long to get the heads-up display and Bluetooth working in it, so while I was doing nothing else, I made the Melissa and TJ theirs as well. October was a slow month; we went everywhere together as we grew closer to one another. My bike would be in just after Christmas, and it couldn’t get here soon enough; anticipation sucks, you know that?

I hadn’t dreamt of Gpop in a while, so I just did my thing. I continued to go to the tracks with Trev and his dad; I completed all my basic college courses. Testing out of high school was a possibility, but I didn’t do that. I didn’t want to leave TJ and Tabi, though, so I tested out of my college courses and stayed with TJ and Tabi in our senior year. With a little bit of free time, I decided to take some martial arts classes, since you never know when you might need it.

Between my workouts and martial arts class, I was getting into very good shape. November was another especially slow month, and my first year without Gpop was just lonely. I had Melissa and TJ, as well as Molly and Tabi, but nothing compares to your real family. Thanksgiving was very quiet, and that night I dreamt of Gpop again. He told me, “I’m sorry for taking so long to get back to you, but I had to clear my head.” I was trying to figure out why a dream had to clear its head when it hit me: the dream and the hologram were one and the same, but how? Gpop told me, “I’ll get back with you after your next birthday.” All I could think of was, ‘Great, more waiting!

Melissa did her best to be a mom to TJ and me, but I hurt her feelings one time after an argument and told her, “You’re not my mother!” The look of sadness in her eyes damn near killed me. I vowed, then and there, I would never, ever, say or do anything to hurt her. Dick, on the other hand, was still being a “DICK”!

During the Christmas break, something happened that can’t be explained. One day I was walking through the house and walked under some mistletoe, which got me a kiss from Melissa. We broke the kiss and stared at each other. I don’t know what she felt, but I thought my heart had stopped for a second. The look in her eyes said that she had felt it too. Then I got a kiss from TJ, and it happened again. We all went our separate ways and didn’t speak of what happened to anybody.

The rest of December went on without any other heart stoppages. On New Year’s we didn’t tempt fate, so we just hugged. School was back in session, so I just did my thing, and TJ and Tabi did theirs. My bike came in the last week of January, so now I just had to wait for my birthday to get my license so I could ride the thing. Dick bitched about it being in the garage next to his car, since he thought it would fall over and damage his car. Melissa and the girls loved it, since they thought it was sexy. I had it painted in the darkest black paint on the market, and my leathers and helmet were also black. The girls also had all their leathers in different colors. Melissa’s was solid white along her helmet, TJ’s a mix of black and red, Molly’s was dark green and white, and Tabi’s was all pink, of course.

“Just a little over two weeks, and I’m on the road with this awesome bike,” I thought to myself. It was time for my yearly doctor’s visit again, so Melissa took me to my appointment, where I found out I was now six feet five inches tall, and I weighed two hundred sixty pounds. Dr. Tillman told me, “If you don’t stop growing, you’re going to be a giant.” He had been the family doctor for decades, and when I told Melissa what the doctor had said, she laughed a little at it. The girls asked what I wanted for my birthday, so I told them, “For all of you to learn to ride and for you all to get your own bikes,” and they both got this mischievous look in their eyes.

My birthday came and went; I went to the DMV, took my written test, and passed. I went home, got dressed in my leathers, and rode back to the DMV. I had already told them that’s what I was doing, so when I got back, an older man, in his sixties maybe, told me to pull around to the back, and he would start my test. The test consisted of going in and out of traffic cones, starting and stopping, and just going over all the handling of the bike. He gave me a ninety-nine, and when I looked at him, all he said was, “I don’t give perfect scores.” I went around to the front, went inside, and got my paper license; now I’m legal to ride.

My grandfather came to me that night and said, “Now that you’re eighteen, go to the basement and lock the door behind you.” I did as I was told; I made sure that it was locked. Gpop had me go to the safe and open it. I pulled out a box with five rings inside, so I went to the desk and sat down. Gpop told me, “Put the big ring on your left ring finger,” so I did. There was a slight tingle in my finger, and when I asked what it was, Gpop told me, “Look at your finger,” and when I did, I saw that the ring was gone. I asked, “Ummm, what just happened to the ring?”