It turned out that Viggo, Dane and Red all lived fairly close to the school, too. Dane and Red were roommates, and Viggo had his own place about a ten-minute walk away. I'd expected to learn that the three of them shared a place together and was surprised to find out that they didn't. The way Viggo talked about their friendship, I imagined the three of them sleeping in one big bed.

All of us lived within a just a few miles of each other, but I didn't really expect to see them outside of school. I still felt like I was intruding on something, and I didn't want to wear out my welcome in their little trio. I was definitely an outsider, a cramper of style.

I finished my evening shift at Sheddy's and stepped out to the whisper of cool night air on my skin. It was Friday, and my shift had been busy. So much had happened today and I was exhausted, but at the same time I felt a lot lighter than usual, like just a bit of weight had been taken off my shoulders. Maybe I can do this, Dad, I thought to myself, and I smiled. I had to try and remember that things were manageable, and that I was capable. I might not have been the smartest guy in class anymore, not by a long shot, but I was still capable.  

I stuffed my hands into my pockets and strolled down the street back to my apartment. I decided to take the long way that ran along the outskirts of campus. As much pain and stress as this place brought me, there was something comforting about being in its presence. And the campus was beautiful, especially in the evening. The old brick buildings were gently illuminated by yellow street lamps and shaded by gigantic oak and chestnut trees. Small pathways cut away from the sidewalk into manicured gardens lined by verdant bushes that popped with colorful flowers which made the department buildings feel homey and inviting. In the distance, I could see the grand Victorian architecture of the library. Keystone Academy had so much history, and it could be felt in every corner and every brick of the place.

I turned to cross the street leading away from school and paused when I heard a voice calling my name. I looked around and saw Dane walking down the street towards me, two paper bags stuffed full of groceries hugged under each arm. He was dressed in that same designer bohemian style I'd seen him in yesterday. Even though I'd seen his everyday style before, it felt a little jarring to see him out of uniform. That was how it usually was, seeing classmates out of their uniforms. It was like they became different people.

"I thought it was you!" he said, struggling to keep the bags from falling. I hurried over to him and took one of them from him. "Thanks. I can take it.”

"I'll help you carry them home," I offered. "You live pretty close, right?"

"Yeah, just a couple blocks that way." He pointed. "Where are you off to? No need to waste your time on account of me."

"Just headed home from work," I said. "No big hurry."

"Okay, then. Let's go."

Instead of crossing the street in the direction of my apartment, we went the other way, moving along the north end of campus.

"I'm surprised Red isn't here to help you with these. You guys live together right? I thought you two were inseparable?"

He smiled. "Red's at football practice," he said.

Dane's aura was about the complete opposite of Viggo's. Both were friendly, but Viggo had this sharp intensity to his personality, where Dane was more open and jovial. As for Red, I wasn't exactly sure. He seemed to be a pretty quiet person, only speaking when necessary.

We turned away from the busy main street that ran by the school and went into the neighborhood, and I was immediately jolted with another reminder of the difference in situations. The townhouses that lined the block made my aging apartment complex look like a slum project.

"This is ours," said Dane, and he unlatched an ivy-covered gate with his free hand and pushed it open with his foot. A brick path twisted through a cleanly manicured lawn up to a large red door. The place was still very much a college bachelor's, with all the types things one might expect from a place inhabited by two senior alphas—a stocked bar, a big screen TV with the latest video game systems, a table stacked and cluttered with textbooks, empty beer bottles and unwashed cups. But there was no IKEA interior design in this place. I wouldn't have been surprised if just a single drinking glass cost more than my monthly rent. It was that kind of place.

I followed Dane to the kitchen, which seemed to be as large as my own studio, and helped him load the groceries into the walk-in-closet of a fridge. Stuck on the door with a magnet was a photo of the three guys, with Viggo in the middle, their arms slung around one another. They were in school uniforms, but these were green instead of the Keystone's navy blue and white.

"Is this from your high school?" I asked.

Dane laughed. "Oh, shit. I forgot that was there." He pulled a package of steaks out from the fridge and slapped them on the counter. "Yeah, that's high school. You hungry, Brendan? You've gotta be, you've been at work all evening, right?"

"Oh, I'm okay," I lied. I was starving.

Dane gave me a look. "No, you're not. You can't hide shit from me, you'd better learn this now. I'm making steak. It's what Red likes to eat after practice. There's plenty for you. Snacks? You want a drink?" Before I could respond he'd left the kitchen, returning a moment later with a bottle of whiskey, and was pouring some into two glasses that he cradled in one hand. "Here," he said, handing me one glass. "It's good stuff. I got it last summer. We motorcycled across the country."

"The three of you did?"

"Yup. It was Viggo's idea. He's big into motorcycles. Cheers."

I clinked my glass against Dane's, wondering what else was going to be suddenly thrust upon me. It did feel nice to be taken care of, though.

"Do you guys do this for every needy freshman you meet?" I took a sip of the whiskey. It was smooth and delicious and would've been a hit with the big spenders at Sheddy's Bar. Dane rolled up his sleeves, tore open the packages of steaks and began to season them.

"Do what?" he asked.

"I dunno. You guys just kind of came and swept me off my feet. We don't even know each other. I'm just not really used to the generosity."

“I liked your vibe. I could immediately tell you would fit with us. That's not common at this school. People here can be vicious.”

"I get it," I said. "I'm a competitive person, but this place is something else."

Dane pulled out a few heads of broccoli and washed them in the sink. I offered to help, but he refused and told me to relax. "Okay," I said. I sat down at the kitchen counter and swirled my glass of whiskey, watching as Dane cut up the broccoli.

"You're uncomfortable," he observed. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"I just feel a little overwhelmed, because I feel really lucky to have met you guys, and you're so welcoming. I guess I just don't know what to make of it."

"It's hard being the odd one out," he said. "I totally get it. We all do." He tossed the seasoned steaks onto a pan. "Join me outside? I'm gonna toss these suckers on the grill."

I followed him out to the backyard patio, which had one of those fancy gas fire-pits filled with pieces of reflective glass. Out past the patio was an area with a bunch of weights and other fitness gear sitting around in it. Dane lit up the grill and closed the lid.

"Anyway," he said, leaning against a wooden post that supported the patio's vine-laden canopy, "It'll be nice to have an omega around. It'll mix things up a bit."

"Oh, so that's why you want me here?" I asked, jokingly.

"Three alphas spending all their time around each other? We might go a little crazy after a while."

We both laughed. Dane was nice, and it seemed like I would probably feel the most at ease around him. Also, I thought his man-bun was pretty cute. His hippy look was quickly growing on me.

"What about Viggo's boyfriend? Er, ex-boyfriend. He really never hung out with you guys?"

Dane snorted. "Andrew? Fuck, no. Viggo never even wanted him to come around, anyway. And Red and I wouldn't have wanted it either, even if he had. That guy was a douche."

"Viggo's a douche," I said, and Dane laughed.

"He is, but he's a lovable douche. Andrew is just a douche, douche."

"So why did Viggo date him?"

Dane shrugged. "Viggo dates a lot of people. Andrew asked him out, he agreed. The thing about Viggo is that he's never asked anyone out himself. He's never cared about anyone enough to bother."

"That seems a bit shitty," I said.

"It is what it is. Some work out better than others, but in the end, if he doesn't care then it won’t work anyway."

I wondered what it'd be like to be in that situation, to have a bunch of people wanting to date you. It sounded pretty empty to be with someone just because the opportunity was there, not to mention shitty for the other person. A part of me wanted to know what that felt like, to be so desired. Any semblances of romance I’d had were fumbling short instances, like losing my virginity in the most awkward way, just because I didn’t think I’d have another chance.

Oh, well. At the very least, I could say that I had friends now, and that was a really wonderful thing.

Dane opened the stove. Little ripples of heat shimmered up, and the steaks crackled deliciously as he placed them onto the grill. The mouthwatering aroma of cooking meat filled my nose.

"Alright. Time to finish the accoutrements," Dane said, and I followed him back inside, feeling rather like a little lost duckling. He tossed some butter into a pan and started to cook the broccoli. "Won't be anything fancy. I usually just make some high protein shit for Red.”

"I'm not complaining," I said. "This is luxury to me." I stopped there, feeling a bit self-conscious. I didn't want to admit that my diet since coming to Keystone had consisted of instant noodles, rice and whatever meat I could find on sale at the local discount supermarket. I'd even gone into the agriculture department's orchard and nabbed some oranges that had fallen off the trees.

Dane just smiled, and I was thankful that he didn't question me about the subject. "Red should be back soon. I'm gonna give Viggo a call and see if he wants to join us."

Just as he got his cell phone, the front door opened and Red entered. His hair was damp, and he was dressed in a pair of gym shorts and a Keystone football hoodie. He had a big gym bag slung around his shoulder. Covering his left cheek was a large bandage. He looked gruff and roughed up, like he'd just gotten done winning a big football thingy. Match. Game? I didn't know what they were called. Anyway, he looked good.

Red glanced over and paused when he spotted me through the kitchen door. I smiled and gave him a wave, and he nodded slightly before hurrying away.

"Viggo's coming over," Dane said. "Hardly had to do any convincing when he heard that you were here."

I laughed awkwardly, unsure of how to take that.

"Is Red back?" he asked.

"Yeah, he just went upstairs, I think. Does he... Is he okay with me being here?"

Dane waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, yeah. Definitely, don't worry."

"He just didn't seem too happy to see me sitting here."

"He doesn't say much, but he doesn't mean to come off as unfriendly. Trust me. He might be look big and intimidating, but that's totally not who he is at all."

A timer buzzed, and Dane held up a hand. He had a set of silver rings on his fingers; one was a skull and two were inlayed with turquoise stones. "Be right back. The meat's ready."

I sat quietly at the counter and stared into my glass of whiskey. I drank down the remainder and glanced around the spacious designer kitchen. I knew Mom would probably commit murder for this kitchen. I could only imagine what kind of houses Dane, Viggo and Red's parents lived in. Probably the same kind of house that Grandpa had grown up in. It was a weird thing to know that a slight change of fate would've meant me growing up in the lap of luxury, too. I didn't really like the idea. There were too many asshole rich people in the world, and I probably would've just ended up being one of them.  

I heard the loud thumps of heavy footsteps descending the stairs, and Red came into the kitchen. He had such a wide-shouldered build that it almost seemed like he wouldn't fit through the door. He made brief eye contact with me and nodded again.

"Hello," he said, and sat down at the dining table on the other side of the room. I expected him to ask what I was doing here, but instead he cracked open a business management textbook and started to read through it. I sat at the kitchen counter and stared over at him, awkwardly. He'd changed into a pair of sweatpants and a crisp, white t-shirt. The scent of body spray tickled the air. With his eyes trained on his book, I took a moment to be a creeper and look at Red's face. He had a sharply defined jawline and dark, aggressive eyebrows. Behind the glasses were a pair of gentle grey eyes. He looked up at me, and I felt my heart skip. Caught.

"Uh..." I stammered. "Are you okay? Your face?"

"Yeah. It's just a little cut from football practice, that's all. I'm okay, thank you." He smiled just ever so slightly, and then looked back down at his book. His glasses slipped down his nose just a bit, and he pushed them back up with his thumb. I felt my heart tingle with warmth as I thought I glimpsed something there. It came to me quickly because I could relate. Beneath that tough, musclebound exterior was a shy, geeky kid.

The patio door slid open and Dane came back in holding a tray of glistening steaks. I felt my stomach grumble. "Chow time," he said, setting them on the counter.

Red shut his textbook, got up and got out a set of plates and utensils. He handed me a plate and gestured towards the food. "You first."

"No, no, it's your guy's food."

"And you're the guest of honor," said Dane. "Hurry up, before it gets cold."

I picked up a steak and a heap of broccoli and took a seat at the table. Red silently brought me a glass of water, and then sat back at his spot. Dane plonked himself down into a seat with a groan.

"I. Am. Starving," he said. "Let's eat!"

"What about Viggo?" I asked, but the two of them were already wolfing down their food.

"Yeah, he'll be here," Dane said as he bit into a piece of steak. "Oh, shit. I've done it again."

Red made a noise of satisfied approval. "Yeah, this is great. Thanks, Dane."

"You got it, buddy. C'mon Brendan, dig in."

I gingerly cut off a piece of meat, feeling slightly reserved about looking too eager to stuff my hungry face. I popped it into my mouth. Chewed.

Oh, my god. I couldn't stop my eyes from fluttering back as the rich flavor of the tender meat burst across my tongue. It was juicy, fatty, flavorful heaven. It'd been so long since I'd eaten a home cooked meal like this, and...

Oh, no.

I quickly wiped my eyes with the back of my hand as I chewed, blotting out the few tears that dribbled pathetically down my cheek.

"Hey," Red said, and I cringed. Caught again. "Are you crying?"

"Whoa," Dane said. "What's the matter, Brendan? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," I said, quickly brushing away another splash of embarrassing tears. "Ignore me."

"Yo, what is it?" Dane asked. He reached out and touched my arm. The warmth of his hand sent a shiver through my body, and I felt the tears coming again, but this time I was able to fight them back. Then, I heard the front door open. Viggo walked casually into the kitchen and scooped up a plate from the counter.

"Smells good, Dane," he said. "Hey, Brendan." He paused. “Hey. Did one of you guys make him cry?"

"I don't think so," Dane said, his hand still resting on my arm.

"It's stupid," I said.

"Nothing is stupid when you're among friends," said Viggo, sitting down next to me at the table. He cut a piece of his steak and ate it. "Oof. Good stuff."

"I just haven't had a meal like this in a long time, and honestly, recently I've been feeling really overwhelmed with life here and how hard it is, and I didn't have anyone I could talk to, and then all of a sudden you three show up and just take me in like it's no big deal, and I just can't believe that I'm sitting here eating this amazing steak with you guys, and that wouldn’t have happened if I hadn't decided to check out your club yesterday, and... Oh, man. Sorry, I'm not usually like this."

Dane squeezed my arm. "Hey, it's okay. I told you, we all get it."

I nodded. "Thanks, guys. I hope I can repay you all for what you've done."

"Don't even think about it that way," Viggo said. "That's not what we're about."

"Not at all," agreed Dane, and Red nodded silently as he chewed his steak.

"How'd you end up over here, anyway?" Viggo asked.

"I ran into Dane when he was coming back from the grocery store."

"Brendan saved my ass from dropping a bag of groceries onto the street."

Red set his fork and knife down onto his plate and pushed out of his chair. I watched with wide eyes as he went and slapped another steak onto his plate. I was barely done with half of mine.

"Did you work today?" Viggo asked.

"Yup," I said.

"You must be tired."

"Yup."

He turned to Dane. "And you made him carry groceries back here? Fuck, man."

Dane held up his hands in surrender.

"It's okay,” I said. “I wanted to come. I'm tired, but I'd honestly rather be here than sitting alone at home."

"Come by any time, then," Dane said.

Viggo leaned in. "Mm. Did Brendan ask you guys if you were single, yet?"

I nearly choked on my mouthful of steak and had to quickly take a gulp of water to wash it down. My face was red hot and I wanted to disappear into the floor. "I wasn't asking that!"

Viggo laughed. I wanted to kick him.

"No..." said Dane. He smiled. "You were wondering?"

Somehow my face managed to go even hotter. "It was just because of today, with Andrew," I stammered. "I asked Viggo if you two were in relationships."

"We're not," Dane said. "Well, if you don't count with each other." He grinned across the table at Red, who blew him a kiss and then held up a middle finger.

"So you aren't seeing Elise?" Viggo asked. "Despite how much time we spend together, I never know if it's on or if it's off."

Dane smiled thinly at Viggo, and I could see that despite his good nature, Viggo had managed to touch a chord. "No, we're not together," he said.

"Got it," Viggo said, turning back to his steak.

I looked between the three of them. Red had opened his text book and was thumbing absently through it. Dane scratched his head and finished the last piece of his food.

I couldn't just ignore it. "Who's Elise?" I asked, and for a moment I was sure that I'd made a horrible mistake and that Dane was going to fling me out of the house. I quickly chomped down another bite of steak out of nervousness.

"Elise is my ex-girlfriend," Dane said. "Sorry, I should say that she's our ex-girlfriend."

This time, I really did choke.