Edith Hunter answered the door and gave Nick a hug in greeting. Soon he was situated in the guest room. At dinner Nick updated Bill and Edith Hunter about his current activities.
After Nick finished, Jason added, “And now Nick is constantly fighting off adoring young ladies who want to bask in his glory and talent!”
Nick blushed at Jason’s remark. “Well not exactly! But it is fun to go on dates and have someone besides the guys in the band to spend time with.”
“Look out, Nick,” Jason warned. “Soon one of those young ladies will set her sights on you and your whole life will change!”
“Yeah, like you and Laura,” Nick answered. “I don’t think I am ready for that kind of commitment yet.”
“Sometimes I’m not sure that I am, either!” Jason replied with a laugh.
After Edith Hunter served small chocolate sundaes for dessert, Jason and Nick went up to their rooms. They both had an hour or so of homework to complete. Then Nick came into Jason’s room to play some games.
They played for a half hour and then took a break. “This is great!” Nick said. “It’s been a long time since I just had time to play some video games. When I’m not dealing with school activities or schoolwork, I am involved with music and practicing the piano.”
“It’s really important that you do make time for fun things, Nick, and for things that allow your mind and body to relax and refresh. You have a promising future ahead of you. I know one day I’ll be telling my children and grandchildren that I knew Nicolo Feraducci before he became a star,” Jason predicted.
“As will I about you,” Nick responded. “With all of your leadership skills, incredible personal bravery, and the resources of your foundation, I think that you will make an even bigger impact on our generation.”
“Who knows what will happen for us in the future,” Jason said. “I do know that your mindset about things really affects your day to day life and happiness.”
“What do you mean?” Nick asked.
“What I mean is that your focus should be on living an unpretentious, normal life, interacting with family and real friends as much as possible. Someone of your talents is bound to run into posers and others who will try to exploit their relationship with you. Avoid those types of people like the plague! Never forget your roots and the people who got you where you are today.”
“You know that is one of the things that I like about you the best, Jason — how you take life so casually, even when it comes to life and death matters. I don’t know how you are able to do that, especially given all of the harrowing experiences that you have been through in your life.”
“I use that basic connection to justify everything I do, Nick. That’s why it was so important for us to meet and become friends. Our bond of friendship was what got me through what it took to rescue you. I knew I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try. And somehow doing the right thing has always paid off for me. I guess I truly believe that good can conquer evil.”
“Amen to that, Jason. My friends and I are all better off because you not only believe that but also practice what you preach! I know it will be hard for me to get to that ‘normal’ space that you are the poster boy for. After my father was killed, when I was just five years old, everything that I was brought up with changed. Mom took me away from the Feraducci family and their influences as much as she could. We moved to San Matthias where I was raised in a virtual cocoon of piano lessons and an exclusive school for boys. My whole existence revolved around practicing the piano and giving recitals.
“Then the attacks started. I had no idea why I was being targeted. I was so lucky to have made friends with you and Daniel around that time. Your friendship was very important to me, and it ended up saving my life. There was very little ‘normal life’ for me during those months. Despite all of your efforts and those of the police, I still ended up being kidnapped and nearly tortured to death. God, that was a scary time. I thought I was dead meat, especially when I saw you had been captured, and I was strapped down to that metal table. Somehow you had the inner calm and strength to not only escape, but also get the upper hand and bring Angelo and Salvatore down. The way you acted about it, it was just another normal work day in the life of Jason Hunter.”
“Trust me, I was scared shitless strung up in that hellhole of a cave,” Jason asserted. “Luckily something inside me kept telling me to stay calm and wait for the right moment to act. When the time was right and I was able to attack Angelo with the pepper spray, I discovered that even I, kickback Jason, was capable of the most savage violence.”
“Well if anybody deserved violence done to them, it was those two predators!”
“Yeah, but I am glad I didn’t kill anyone in the process,” Jason replied. “Something like that stays with you for the rest of your life!”
“After that experience, I knew that my life needed to change,” Nick continued. “Moving into this neighborhood and being able to have a network of friends was a good start. Joining Daniel’s band was another very strong positive. Then you encouraged me to write the Requiem for the Lost Children to bring final closure to that whole incident. After that music was composed and performed, a lot of weight was finally lifted off of me. Just like the spirits of those murdered kids, I was at last free!”
“When I heard that music, Nick, I realized that somehow there had to be another hand involved in your rescue. As I was hearing you perform it, I truly began to understand the spiritual power of music to define peoples’ lives.”
“There definitely is some truth to that statement. I did feel some outside guidance as I was writing the music. You remember that I was in quite a single-minded state at the time.”
“Oh yeah, I do. Your mother was so concerned about you that she asked Daniel and me to check on you. Remember that day we came over?”
Nick shook his head and chuckled. “Mom was just being the overprotective mom that day! I tried to explain it to her when I first started work, but it was too emotional for me to really describe in much detail. I had to keep my focus on the music. Everything else about my life didn’t matter at that time.”
“I was so proud of you when you explained to Daniel and me what you were doing,” Jason said with a big smile. “It showed me that you had a lot of heart when you literally pushed aside almost everything else in your life to compose that music. And the result! You really did speak for those poor murdered kids! All during the performance I held onto Laura’s hand, stunned by the emotional impact that your music had on me and the rest of the audience. I’ll never forget that concert!”
“The power of music!” Nick affirmed. “I tried to explain that to Grandfather after everything went down. I told him that this was the direction I was pursuing, and that the old ways of doing family business would end with me. Surprisingly, he actually agreed with me that maybe that would be a good thing.”
“Somehow I can’t imagine your grandfather giving up his ways of taking care of business,” Jason said in reply.
“He probably won’t during his lifetime,” Nick concluded. “But I think he is proud of my musical accomplishments and that I was able to survive the attacks on me and the Feraducci family. Some of the blame for Sal and Angelo’s actions rests on Grandfather’s shoulders for the way he treated their mothers.”
“Soon you will get to see the impact of your music in a large concert venue. You must be excited about that!” Jason exclaimed.
“Yeah, definitely,” Nick answered. “At the same time I am nervous that the fate of the band may rest in the reactions and opinions of middle school girls!”
“Just smile your big smile and knock ‘em dead,” Jason said with a laugh. “They probably will care more about the way you look than the way you play!”
“You could be right, Jason, but I sure hope there is more substance to our future audience then just sex appeal and bubble gum lyrics!”
“In the long run, I would think that there have to be real substance for the band to
survive. But in the meantime just enjoy yourself. This is a far cry from the recitals at Mr. Ponticelli’s studio!”
Chapter 5
Laura and Jason
(Friday and Saturday)
Friday after school, Jason caught up with Laura as she was heading toward the parking lot at school. “Hey, Babe,” he called out with a big smile on his face, “What’s going on?”
Laura stopped walking and turned to face Jason. “Hello, stranger, long time no see!” She went up to Jason and gave him a quick kiss.
“Do you need someone to help you carry your books?” Jason replied. “I’ll be glad to help you.”
“No, I don’t have much homework this weekend. I was hoping to have some fun.”
Jason grabbed hold of her hand. “I could help you with that, Babe. I can think of a lot of fun things we could do together.”
“Really?” Laura replied. “You mean a handsome, good-looking stranger could provide me with a good time?”
“Stranger!” Jason exclaimed. “I know there was a lot going on this week, but most of that was your activities.” He put his arms around her and gave her a hug. “Well, let me re-introduce myself. My name is Jason Hunter, and I am your steady boyfriend.”
Laura looked into Jason’s eyes and then gave him another kiss. “Oh yeah, I remember now. Come sweep me off of my feet with some good times!”
“It doesn’t have to be anything fancy,” Jason said. “Just being with you is a good time for me!”
Laura smiled again and said, “You always know the right things to say to me, Jason. There is nothing I would rather do than spend the weekend with you. What did you have in mind?”
“I was thinking of some pool time, and maybe taking in a movie. It’s been a while since we actually went out on a date together. We could also get together with some of our close friends. What do you think?”
“Those are all good ideas. Let’s start with some pool time. Meet me at my house in a half hour. I can’t wait to see you in a bathing suit again.”
Jason and Laura walked to the school parking lot hand in hand. “We’ll have a great time this weekend; just wait and see!” Jason told her. “It will make up for this week, trust me.”
“I don’t know, Jason Hunter! Can I trust your slick, big-city ways?”
“Absolutely, Babe.” Jason turned and gave Laura another quick kiss. “Don’t we always have a good time together?”
“Yeah, I guess we do,” Laura told Jason. “That’s why I love being your girl.”
Jason walked Laura to her car, and then watched her drive off. He then went to his Explorer and drove home to drop off his school backpack and pickup his bathing suit before driving over to Laura’s house.
The weekend turned out to be an enjoyable one for Jason and Laura. Swimming in the Friesen’s pool was good exercise and fun, and had the effect of washing away the stress of school that week. After he went home for dinner, Jason returned to take Laura out to see a movie.
Saturday morning, they got together to work on getting the boxes of shoes ready for a giveaway for needy kids sponsored by Jason’s Whatever Foundation that would be happening later that week. After sorting through the inventory of shoes that Jason kept in the garage at his house, they got a take-out lunch of sandwiches, cookies, and drinks, and drove to a lookout point in the Los Gatos foothills, one of their favorite places to go when they wanted to be alone. Jason had cleared out the back of his Explorer, so after they ate their food, they got in the back for some necking and intimacy.
Right now their romantic relationship was quite comfortable and cozy for both Laura and Jason. This hadn’t always been the case in the past. Over the past year, relations between the two had zigzagged between the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. The highest of highs was at the beginning of last summer after Jason’s daring rescue of Nick. Volunteering himself to go into the den of the two predators who had kidnapped Nick and were planning to torture and kill him for revenge was a very terrifying experience for Jason. Jason knew that in order to heal from the trauma of that experience he needed some real lovemaking as an antidote to the horrors he saw while in Angelo’s underground cave.
With the cooperation of Nick’s mother, Caterina, Jason and Laura, along with Daniel and Diana, were able to spend five days at a beautiful beach house right on the ocean. For the first time in their relationship, Jason really leveled with Laura about what he had experienced during his work on that case and others where he had been in real danger. They opened up their hearts to each other and reached a state of true intimacy that was both touching and beautiful. Although Jason told Laura that they probably would never be able to repeat that kind of experience in the near future, their relationship had forever changed. Jason then suggested that they tell everyone that they were now going steady.
Their relationship had real fire and emotion to it, but as would be inevitable when two very headstrong people are romantically involved, they had differing views of how that relationship would develop. Laura wanted Jason to become a part of her extensive social agenda and stop doing detective work that would place him in harm’s way. Jason wanted to continue doing what he had been doing, directly helping other teens with their problems, especially when it involved an abusive situation.
Things came to a crisis point when Jason and Daniel were tracking down and rescuing Jonathan Kowalski, who had gone missing. Completing the rescue, getting Jonathan medical care, and reporting it to Captain Garcia and the Silicon Valley Police caused Jason to miss a dinner party that was very important to Laura. At the party she had planned to introduce Jason to relatives and family friends who had heard about him but hadn’t met him yet. When Jason finally arrived at her front door, after the party was over, she angrily broke up with him.
Although Laura quickly realized that she had over-reacted to the situation and begged Jason to take her back, the incident did cause a rift in their relationship that would not easily heal. That rift remained until Laura’s mother, Dorothy, had a heart to heart talk with her and gave her some savvy advice about relationships. Dorothy explained to Laura that if she could not accept Jason the way he was, then their relationship was not meant to be. Instead of focusing on the negative, Laura should focus on the positives aspects of their relationship, all of the things that attracted her to him in the first place. “More than anything, Jason needs to know that you love and support him for who he is,” Dorothy advised her daughter.
Laura ended up taking her mother’s advice. When she told Jason that she was now his biggest supporter when he went to help others, Jason was thrilled. It was like a huge weight was taken off of his shoulders, now that the girl he loved could accept the fact that his helping others was a good thing, even if it involved taking risks. The end result was that Jason felt closer to Laura than ever, now that he could confide in her about all aspects of his life.
Now as they lay down side by side in the back of Jason’s Explorer, each of them felt a warm glow of contentment. “I’m always happy when I can be with you, Babe,” Jason said in a soft voice. “I feel so good when we are together.” Jason turned on his side and began stroking Laura’s hair.
“I love being with you too, Jason. When you hold me in your arms, I feel contented and safe. When you stroke my hair, I feel little chills up my spine. Now hold me tight,” Laura said passionately. She nuzzled his nose and gave him another kiss. The couple lay together in blissful contentment for another fifteen minutes until it was time to return back home.
Chapter 6
Jason Goes to Stanford
(Tuesday Afternoon)
It was a little before the start of sixth period at Merriam High School. Jason was at the school attendance office, signing out for the day. This afternoon he had been invited to speak at a seminar at Stanford University about the work of his Whatever Foundation, and he needed to allow an hour to get there by three o’clock, when the class met.
The invitation came as a result of a party that Jason had attended
at Laura’s house. This was the “make up” party, the one Jason missed because he was involved with Jonathan Kowalski’s rescue that day and that resulted in their temporary breakup. The party was part of Dorothy Friesen’s plan to help Laura heal that rift and to be less stressed over Jason’s activities, especially the ones involving detective work. The party was a success and Jason made quite an impression with the Friesen family and friends attending it.
One of the attendees was Laura’s cousin Robert Friesen. Robert was several years older, and attending Stanford University. He was taking pre-law courses with the goal of becoming an attorney. One of the courses that he was taking this year was a seminar in non-profit organizations, which studied how they were set up legally and financially to accomplish their missions. After hearing Jason’s stories about why he started the Whatever Foundation, what the foundation goals were, and some of his adventures helping other teenagers at the party, Robert thought that Jason would make an interesting guest speaker for this seminar.
When Robert told the instructor, Harold Richland, about Jason and his Whatever Foundation, Professor Richland agreed to invite Jason. The professor thought that having his students meet with someone in their age group (actually younger) who was already running a non-profit organization would be inspiring, and also make them realize that even at their age they could be involved in work helpful to society.
Jason arrived at the Stanford campus about fifteen minutes prior to the start of the seminar. He called Robert on his cell phone, and within a few minutes Robert was there and walked with him to the classroom which was located near the quad. Jason was a little apprehensive about the seminar, but Robert had told him that he would be dealing with other students, and that everything in this seminar format was designed to be relaxed and casual. Jason had decided to dress up a little for the seminar, and was wearing a blue polo shirt and khaki pants along with a newer pair of red high top chucks. This was actually quite similar to what he wore at Laura’s party; he figured if it worked there, it should at Stanford also.
Jason's Network Page 3
