The Humvee rumbled down quiet neighborhood streets, sunlight fading over Barnstable as Gabriel drove. Mark sat in the back seat, his trumpet case across his lap, his knuckles white around the handle. He hadn\u2019t asked much on the ride \u2014 just sat there, staring out the window with that haunted look. He\u2019d seen something he wasn\u2019t ready for, and I knew the questions were coming. But not yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We pulled into the driveway of the parsonage, a neat, two-story house tucked right beside Faith Lutheran Church. A white cross steeple rose above the roofline, glowing faintly against the orange sky. The house radiated the kind of warmth I\u2019d never known growing up \u2014 tidy yard, toys scattered on the grass, lights glowing in the windows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark exhaled, almost like he\u2019d been holding his breath since school. \u201cThis is home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The front door opened before we even reached it. A tall man with salt-and-pepper hair and a calm, steady gaze stepped onto the porch \u2014 Reverend Philip Harcourt. His presence was gentle but carried weight, like someone used to leading with both compassion and authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMark!\u201d he called, smiling. \u201cAnd you\u2019ve brought friends.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Behind him, a woman with kind eyes and a soft smile appeared \u2014 Betty, Mark\u2019s mom. And then the flood came \u2014 siblings tumbling over each other to peek out the door. Miranda, Andrew, Linda, Chris \u2014 a pack of energy and chatter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mark\u2019s ears flushed red. \u201cUh, Dad, Mom\u2026 this is Thane and Gabriel. They\u2019re\u2026 friends from school.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cFriends,\u201d I echoed, a little awkward, but Philip\u2019s handshake was firm and Betty\u2019s hug was immediate, like we\u2019d been there a dozen times before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Inside, the dinner table was already set. The smell of roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and fresh bread hit us the second we stepped in. Gabriel\u2019s stomach growled audibly, and Betty laughed. \u201cSit, sit! There\u2019s plenty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We slid into chairs, and for a moment, I just sat back, watching. Watching the family bow their heads as Philip said grace. Watching kids laugh and tease each other over passing dishes. Watching Mark in his natural place \u2014 softer here, at ease, smiling in a way I hadn\u2019t seen at school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabriel leaned toward me, murmuring, \u201cThis is\u2026 different.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I nodded. Different. Safe. Whole. Something I\u2019d never had. Something Gabriel never had. But Mark did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Halfway through the meal, the conversation turned, as it always does with new faces. Miranda piped up first, \u201cSo where are you guys from?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOklahoma,\u201d I said with a grin. \u201cIt\u2019s\u2026 a bit different than Cape Cod.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That started a ripple of questions \u2014 why we\u2019d moved here, what classes we liked, whether Gabriel really played both bass and<\/em> guitar. The siblings fired questions like rapid fire, and Gabriel was eating it up, answering with his easy grin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then Philip turned to us, his gaze gentle but searching. \u201cMark says you\u2019ve been looking out for him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I froze for a second, caught between pride and the memory of claws at a bully\u2019s throat. \u201cYeah,\u201d I said finally. \u201cHe\u2019s\u2026 worth protecting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mark\u2019s eyes flicked toward me then, thoughtful, like he heard something in my tone he didn\u2019t quite understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabriel broke the tension with a grin. \u201cBesides, he\u2019s already impressing half the school with those computers. We figured we\u2019d better get on his good side before he owns the whole place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That got a round of laughter, and Mark ducked his head, embarrassed but smiling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As dessert came out \u2014 apple pie that smelled like heaven \u2014 I couldn\u2019t shake the feeling. This house, this family, this table\u2026 it was a different world. And for the first time in a long while, I felt the ache of wanting it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Humvee rumbled down quiet neighborhood streets, sunlight fading over Barnstable as Gabriel drove. Mark sat in the back seat, his trumpet case across his lap, his knuckles white around the handle. He hadn\u2019t asked much on the ride \u2014 just sat there, staring out the window with that haunted look. He\u2019d seen something he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-107","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-high-school-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":108,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107\/revisions\/108"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/threewerewolves.com\/firstsemester\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}