A/N: Here is another chapter and I hope you enjoy it.
Wayo POV
We are all in the car and heading out to have some fun this afternoon, when I decide to ask my friends for help. I bashfully ask, "Hey, guys. Can I ask a favor before we go and have fun?"
Shane quickly answers, "Sure. Not a problem, Yo. What do you need?"
I don't know if they are going to like this or not, but I really want my manga. Somehow, the movers managed to accidentally send several boxes of my manga to the house, but I was so bored the other night and I couldn't read anything. I wasn't going to re-read my textbooks. That isn't any fun at all. I may be a nerd but I'm not that big of a nerd.
I hesitantly ask, "Can we go to my house and get several boxes. The movers accidentally sent them to the house instead of dropping them off at my dorm room."
Ming chirps, "Yo, it has been a long time since I've been to your mansion. I would love to go, even if it is just a quick trip."
Forth and Shane are both confused, and Shane is also worried. Shane slowly asks, "Yo, is your dad going to be there?"
I shake my head. "No. He is currently out of the city on business. The only person that may be there is my step-mother but I'm hoping to sneak in and get out before she sees me. Come on, guys. I don't want to do it by myself and it is a waste to pay the movers to go back and retrieve the boxes. From what the staff says, my dad's wife is usually out of the house on Saturday afternoons, especially if my dad isn't home. It will be really fast. Please."
Forth smiles at me and pats my shoulder. "I'll do it. Like you said, it shouldn't be that long, and we shouldn't run into any problems. But, if we do, I'll be right there to help you."
Ming perks up in his seat and chirps, "Count me in. I can't resist going back to the mansion. Yo, do you remember all the fun we used to have there? Playing hide-n-go seek was a blast at your place. Half the time, we couldn't find each other because there were just too many places to hide."
I chuckle, "I remember you scaring the maids when you popped out from under the bottom shelf in the pantry. You really scared our cook that he even dropped his cake on the floor, and it was my favorite, too. I was mad at you for weeks, but mom wasn't. She was just glad that we were having fun."
Shane interrupts and boldly states, "I will be right next to you, Yo. If your dad happens to be there, I will protect you. Plus, I still don't trust him."
Before I can say anything, Ming calmly says, "Uncle won't do anything while we are there. Yo is safe as long as we are standing beside him. Right, Yo."
"Right. My dad wouldn't dare try anything with others standing around. Plus, the only thing that I can see him try to do is to get me to meet his wife and her son. I'm still avoiding that. Oh yeah, he is still bugging me about a family picture and I keep telling him no." I try to run through all the other things that my dad and I have talked about, but I can't seem to remember anything else. For some reason, when it comes to my dad, I can't remember anything after we talk. I think my mind still isn't ready to try and give him another chance so it is just ignoring everything that my dad tells me.
So, with everyone in agreement to help me, I put the mansion's address into the car's GPS and Shane starts following the car's instructions. It doesn't take long for us to get there, and when Shane pulls up to the gate with wide eyes, he mumbles, "I forgot how rich you are, Yo. I agree with N'Ming. This is a mansion and not a house."
Forth mumbles, "I agree."
Shane rolls down his window and as I reach across and wave at the guard, he immediately screams, "N'Yo, you are back!! I'm so happy to see you!"
I can't help but to chuckle. I was good friends with most of the guards when I use to live here. Not just because they took turns taking me to and from school, but they would also play with me and keep me entertained, so I wouldn't focus on the fact that my dad wasn't there. They are all like brothers to me.
I happily wave back to him. "I'm only here to pick up some boxes that the movers delivered here by accident. We won't be long. Oh, please make sure to add their names to list that can enter the house. You remember, Ming. Then we have Forth and Shane."
The guard is writing everything down as I'm talking, and as soon as I'm done, he chimes, "Got it. They are now on the approved list."
The guard opens the gate and as we pull forward, I shout, "Thanks."
Once we get up to the house, I direct Shane to park in my spot in the garage. My dad had always promised me that he would buy me my own car when I got by driver's license but that was before. Now, the spot just sits empty and along with my heart. Oh, I can't let myself get down. I need to stay up beat and I will deal with the pain and hurt later.
As I lead everyone into the house, images flash in my mind of the last time I was home. That semester break was the worst thing that I ever went through. My dad didn't even welcome me when I got there nor, did he eat any meals with me. Usually by the time I woke up in the morning, he was already gone, and I was usually asleep by the time he came back to the house. I wanted feel loved and all I got was loneliness, abandonment, and heartache.
The guys must have sensed my mood change as each one of them lightly pats my back as they all say, "We are here for you, Yo. We aren't leaving you."
I take the guys the back way to my room, so we will be less likely to be seen. My dad never went this way and I'm sure that his wife never goes this way either. I always liked to go this route because my mom and I would look out the windows at the garden and admire the beautiful flowers and sometimes, we would stand and watch the birds and other animals. The staff is usually the only ones using these corridors.
As we enter my bedroom, I see the big stack of boxes that are sitting in the middle of my room. I'm so glad that I marked the boxes and we can easily get the three boxes that I'm wanting. Before I can point to which boxes that I need, Ming goes running and jumps onto my bed. "Yo! Remember when we use to stay up half the night playing video games! Or, when we would try to sneak down to the kitchen in the middle of the night for a snack. Your mom almost always catch us, but she didn't scold us. Instead, she would sit with us and have a snack too. Oh, those were the days."
Forth immediately scolds, "N'Ming, get off of N'Yo's bed. We didn't come here to play. We are here to get some boxes and head out to have some fun elsewhere. Now, come on and help."
Ming instantly pouts, and he slowly drags himself off the bed and heads back over to us. I can't help it. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to. I would actually love to reminisce about it, but we can do that once we leave. I don't want to bump into anyone.
I quickly show the guys what boxes that I want to take with me and they easily move the boxes around to get the three boxes out of the piles. As we leave my room, Ming begins pouting again. "Yo, I want to see the rest of the house. Maybe things have changed since we were last here. Come on, please. Maybe, P'Shane and P'Forth would like a little tour."
I don't have a good feeling about this. I reluctantly say, "Maybe another time. I just want to leave right now."
Ming does his sad puppy dog face and pouts. Oh, he is good at this. Well, he has always been good at this but his has completely mastered it now. I can't even fight it. I slowly reply, "Okay, but we do it quick."
Ming starts jumping around in excitement and the next thing I know, I'm giving my friends a quick tour of the mansion. As we finish up, we decide to go out the front door since it is closest. Ming is joking around and nudges me. "See Yo. Nothing happened."
I still don't have a good feeling about this and I quickly slap Ming's arm. "We aren't out of the house and off the property. Don't say nothing happened."
Before I could say anything else, Forth stops in front of us and looks confused. "Ai'Beam? Baby, why are you here?"
Suddenly, I hear the one voice that I'm hoping to avoid, and I freeze as a cold shiver runs down my body.
"Wayo, my boy! Why didn't you tell me that you were coming home?"
Luckily, Ming's brain is still working, and he immediately stands in front of me blocking my dad's path. Shane immediately steps in front of me too but doesn't say anything. I peek in between Ming and Shane, and I'm instantly looking at my dad's smiling face. I don't know what to say. I'm froze in place and I think my mind has shut down. Ming quickly says, "Uncle, we were just leaving. Maybe another time, we can sit and talk."
Even though Ming is holding a box, my dad quickly walks up to him and tries to hug him lightly. "N'Mingkwan. It has been a long time. How are you?"
Ming holds his temper back and politely replies, "Uncle, I'm doing fine. We have plans so maybe another time, I can stay and talk."
Suddenly, the room gets completely silent and then one lone voice rings out. "Yo? Baby?" Pha's concerned and confused voice is like music to my ears. Pha's voice calms my nerves and my eyes instantly snap up to find him.
As I'm overcome with shock, I whimper, "P'Pha?"
What is Pha doing in my house? I would have never imagined that I would be running into Pha in my own house. But how is this possible?
Forth's demanding voice breaks the remaining silence. "What is going on here? And why are you here, baby?"
Beam's mother suddenly squeals in delight as she rushes to Forth and quickly hugs him. "So, you are my Beamie's boyfriend. N'Pha said that you were runner-up to him last year as the campus moon. I was just telling Beamie to bring his boyfriend home, so I can meet him, and look, here you are. I'm..."
"MOTHER!!! Leave my boyfriend a lone. Can't you see that he is a little shocked and overwhelmed?" Beam stomps towards his mother and tries to quickly pull her away.
Kit's eyes are glued on Ming as he asks, "Ming?"
My dad suddenly looks around and calmly asks, "Are you all friends? Well, I see this is N'Beam's boyfriend and you are friends with my boy, Wayo." My dad glances around the group and demands, "Everyone sit down for a bit in the living room."
Beam's mother continues to giggle in delight as we somehow agree to sit with my dad and his wife in the living room. I'm still trying to process the fact that Beam is my step-brother. As we sit down in the living room, Beam and I look at each other and we both say, "You're my step-brother?" Beam appears to be just as shocked as I am.
My dad has managed to get Beam's mother under control and has pulled her away from Forth. Beam's mother nearly started a giggling fit when Forth sits down next to Beam and puts his arm around Beam. I thought she was going to run over to Beam and Forth and hug them or something.
Pha and Shane sit on either side of me on the couch. Which leaves Kit and Ming to sit together on the love seat. As my dad glances around the room, he slowly lifts one eyebrow as he questions, "Well, I know that Beam and Forth are dating and are boyfriends. We just heard that N'Pha has a very cute and adorable boyfriend, but he didn't give us his name. I'm guessing the cute and adorable boyfriend is my son, Wayo. We also listened to N'Kit talk about someone special and I'm assuming that person is Mingkwan. Right?" Ming looks a little confused, but Kit is nodding his head slowly as he blushes a bright red.
My dad looks at Shane and he calmly says, "You must be N'Shane. Wayo's best friend from the United States that came with him to Thailand."
Shane simply replies, "Yes."
My dad suddenly gets very serious. "I would like to thank you for taking care of Wayo and as I can see, you are continuing to take care of him. I wasn't much of a father to him over the last few years and I'm grateful someone was watching out for him."
Shane's harsh stare doesn't faulter. "Mr. Panitchayasawad, my family and I have accepted Yo as part of our family and I would do whatever it takes to protect my brother."
My dad looks at me and tenderly says, "I'm glad people were looking out for my son when I wasn't able to." He continues to stare at me for a moment before he asks, "Now, what are the boxes for?"
My mouth finally begins to work, and I reply, "The movers delivered several boxes here by mistake and we were just picking them up to take back to my dorm room. I didn't expect to run into anyone while we were here."
My dad suddenly perks up and chimes, "Wayo, I almost forgot to introduce you to your new mother and her son, but I can see that you are friends with Beam already. So, here is my new wife." My dad puts his arm around Beam's mother and gives her a big smile as Beam's mother is smiling from ear to ear.
As I turn to look at her, I give her a cute little smile and she giggles and smiles back to me.
Well, she isn't as bad as I thought she could be. She is definitely a little crazy, and Beam is already my friend, so I can't really hate him. What am I going to do now? I was supposed to dislike my step-brother and step-mother.