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Hey Zack, it's Charlie. How are you?

_ Hey Charlie. I'm good. You?_

_ Doing good. Just kind of relaxing right now. What're you up to?_

_ Not much of anything._

_ I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Can't wait!_

_ What? You're still coming over? What about your dad? Thought he didn't want you around me?_

_ My stepmom will bring me._

_ Oh! Awesome. Cool._

_ Are we still good for tomorrow?_

_ Yeah, no prob. Looking forward to it._

_ Me too._

A jackal sat alone in his room while the text conversation took place. He set down his phone with a smile on his muzzle. It seemed things weren't so bad after all.

..............................

Laughter filled the garage as the heavy punching bag swayed slightly. The wolf and jackal were gathered around the bag wearing boxing gloves, though they didn't appear as occupied by it as they should've been.

"It hardly moved!" Charlie laughed. "That was so pathetic!"

"Nah, just give it more 'umph!'" Zack chortled, his grin just as wide as Charlie's. He delivered two powerful punches to the bag, causing it to swing considerably farther than before. "Here, try again."

Charlie punched the bag again; it barely moved. The wolf burst into laughter again, Zack guffawing alongside him. Their official workout routine was over; they had some extra time and Zack saw fit to let Charlie mess around with the punching bag, so here they were.

"Come on, pup, put some muscle behind it!" Zack teased. He grabbed the wolf in a headlock. "You wanna be buff like me, right?"

"Agh, hey, get off! That's not fair!" Charlie protested, struggling weakly against the jackal's abs.

"Are you two almost done?"

They stopped their roughhousing to look toward the door, where Seth was peering through the opening. He appeared a little disconcerted at their play-fighting, but said nothing of it.

"We're just finishing up; we won't be long," Zack replied. Releasing Charlie from his hold, he said, "I've gotta take Seth to his friend's house after we shower. You can come along if you want."

"Sure." Charlie drank some water and headed into the house. "I'll be back in a bit."

"Take your time." Zack beckoned his brother over as he began rearranging the equipment. "Come in, Seth."

Seth entered the garage, narrowly brushing past Charlie as he did. He stood perfectly still while he watched his brother work.

"So who is this friend of yours?" Zack inquired.

Seth blinked. "His name's Raymond. We're friends from school... Why are you asking me this?"

Zack shrugged. "Just making sure you know what you're doing."

Rolling his eyes, Seth said, "I've been to his house like a hundred times. He's not going to jump me or anything."

"I'm only being cautious." Zack put his boxing gloves away and turned. "You'd call me if something happened, right?"

Seth huffed in exasperation. "Sure."

It seemed that was the most he was getting out of him. "Right, just so you're sure. I'll still take you; just after I get out of the shower."

.............................

A short while later, the three of them were in the car on their way to drop off Seth. As he drove, Zack couldn't help but notice the distinct lack of conversation in the small space. Charlie sat in the passenger seat staring absentmindedly out the window and Seth was flipping through his phone. He cleared his throat, a sound that would only catch his brother's attention. Seth looked up and Zack stared at him through the mirror, gesturing with his eyes toward Charlie. When Seth frowned, he raised his eyebrows and gestured again, this time more emphatically.

Grimacing, the younger jackal spoke broke the silence. "So, um, what's your name again? Charlie, is it?"

Charlie blinked in surprise, his attention shifting away from the scenery outside. "Yeah, Charlie's fine."

"Okay." Seth appeared to be struggling to find something to say. "So do you do art as well, like Zack?"

Charlie nodded before realizing Seth couldn't hear that. "Yeah, I like to draw mostly."

"Cool." Seth glanced in the mirror to see his brother still staring at him expectantly. Withholding an exasperated sigh, he dug for more questions. "So where did you two meet?"

Zack rolled his eyes. This question again...

"At the school art club," the wolf answered.

"Oh." Not the answer he had expected apparently. Seth tried again. "So is that just a gay thing, or...?"

"Seth!" Zack snapped, making them both jump. "If I ever hear you say something like that again -"

"What?!" Seth said incredulously. "I'm just curious! I was told gay people do things like art and stuff and you -"

"Seth, I swear to God," Zack growled.

"I'm trying!" Seth said angrily. "Why are you making me do this? You know I'm not good at talking to people!"

"You can try harder," said Zack. His paws squeezed the steering wheel as he turned into a new neighborhood. "And nothing excuses being as rude as you just were. Say you're sorry."

Seth opened his mouth to complain, but Zack interrupted. "Apologize! Now!"

Seth huffed ad muttered a barely audible "sorry," falling silent immediately after.

Zack glanced over at Charlie, who hadn't said a word during the argument. The wolf had shrunken down into his seat, eyes staring straight forward remaining completely silent. Zack sighed and returned his full attention to the road. They could talk about this later.

Minutes later, they arrived at their destination, a small house with a modest front yard and a white gate leading to the back. They pulled up into the driveway and waited for Seth to get out.

Zack stopped him before he could get too far. "Seth." The younger jackal paused and looked back to see his brother glaring at him. "You and I are going to have a serious talk later."

Seth scoffed. "Yeah, whatever." He turned and went up to the front door without another word. He didn't even knock before entering the house and disappearing from sight.

Zack looked over at Charlie, who still seemed to be trying to make himself as small as possible. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." Charlie straightened and continued staring out the window as they began to leave. "Is he always like that?"

"No. Well, yes," Zack replied. "He just made an assumption, that's all. He didn't mean anything by it, I promise."

"I hope so," the wolf said glumly.

Zack's heart sank as he realized the effect Seth's words had on the wolf. How could he cheer him up? ...Oh wait!

"Hey, my brother Tristan - you remember him, right?" Zack said after a pause. "He's having a play next Saturday at seven. I was wondering if you maybe wanted to come? I think he'd like it if you were there; he likes you a lot."

Charlie seemed to perk up at that. "Of course! I'd love to come."

Zack smiled. "Cool. It's a date."

"Like a real date?"

Zack raised an eyebrow in surprise. The wolf seemed to have spoken without thinking, based on the downward angle of his ears and the massive blush tinting his cheeks. He could feel a similar heat warming his face as well, but he couldn't help but humor the idea. This would be a perfect opportunity to spend even more time with the wolf; plus, they'd be able to get dinner beforehand.

The jackal's grin returned with a new warmth. "If you want."

Charlie looked shocked at first, but then averted his gaze to the road ahead, a goofy smile plastered across his muzzle. While neither canine spoke another word during the rest of the trip, they both knew the other was grinning like a fool.

......................................

The Bailey family sat at the dinner table that evening enjoying a nice lasagna that Karen had put together. Since this was one of Zack's favorite meals, the dish was like the cherry on top of what had been an already awesome day. Seth had come home just before dinner, but hadn't said a word to Zack after their argument earlier; Zack was okay with that. Just as long as he didn't do anything to spoil the day for him.

"This is lovely as always, Karen," Geoff complimented, taking a hefty bite of the pasta.

"Why thank you," Karen replied. After taking a sip of her drink, she directed her next words to the three children sitting at the round table. "So how was your day? Seth?"

Seth briefly looked up from his food, gulping what he had in his mouth to mumble a reply. "It was good."

"Just good? You went to Raymond's place today, right?" Geoff pressed. He had never been an advocate for vague answers such as this one, and never let them get away with it.

"Yeah."

"What did you do there?"

"Just played games and stuff." Seth heaped another mouthful of pasta into his mouth. "The usual."

"You know, you should really start spending some time outside. Playing video games all the time is bad for you," Karen pointed out. She gestured over to Zack, who had been observing silently while eating his food. "Zack's doing it right. He goes out every day and he's in great shape."

"I'm not out of shape," Seth mumbled, avoiding eye contact while still eating. "I have gym class every day."

"And what will you do when you're living on your own, and you don't have gym class anymore?" Geoff countered. "You need to learn to take care of yourself instead of relying on others to do it for you. You're nearly in high school; college is a lot closer than you think."

"Well, if Zack's so great, maybe I'll just become a health nut like him then!" Seth snapped.

Zack huffed. "Better than being a lazy gamer like you!"

"I'm not lazy!"

"Are too!"

"That's enough!" Geoff interrupted in a raised voice, effectively silencing the two teens. "What's the deal between you two? You've both been tense ever since Seth came home."

Neither Seth nor Zack seemed to want to answer.

Geoff growled. "One of you had better answer me or both of you are grounded!"

His plans with Charlie in mind, Zack hastily spoke up. "Seth said some things he shouldn't have today."

"Such as?" Geoff pressed.

Zack glared at Seth, who retorted angrily. "All I said was that gay people did art! That's it!"

Geoff sighed and rubbed the bridge of his muzzle with two fingers. "Oh boy..."

"What? Am I wrong?"

"Yes, you are. That's a fallacious stereotype that you shouldn't buy into," Karen chastised him. "It doesn't matter whether it's correct or not; saying something like that is very rude and you should know better. But," Karen glared at Zack now. "You shouldn't let your brother get to you so easily. We've talked about this."

"This isn't about me," said Zack. "He said it to Charlie."

Karen's eyes widened in disbelief. She looked at Seth. "You what?!"

"I was just curious!" Seth protested. "He said he did art and I thought he was gay, so -"

"What does gay mean?"

All heads turned toward the youngest jackal at the table, his smaller and higher pitched voice dissolving the tension immediately. It was the first time Tristan had spoken throughout the entire meal, and with it came an air of innocence that was new to the conversation.

The parents exchanged a glance before Geoff explained cautiously. "Tristan...when a boy and a girl like each other very much -"

"Geoff!" Karen cut in. "It's way too early for that conversation!"

"Just bear with me, dear." Geoff turned back to Tristan, who was listening intently. "When a boy and a girl like each other very much, they might decide to date and eventually get married. But sometimes, a boy might like another boy. Or a girl might like another girl."

Tristan was silent for moment before he replied uncertainly. "Okay...but why is that bad?"

"It's not," said Geoff. "But some people don't like it because it offends them for one reason or another. They don't agree with it, so they don't allow it in their families."

Tristan seemed to be trying very hard to understand, an intense frown on his muzzle. "But...if they love each other...I don't get it."

"You don't have to," Geoff reassured. "When you're old enough, you can decide for yourself what you think about it. But that still doesn't mean it's okay to be mean to people about it. That's never okay."

"Which brings us back to the original point," Karen interjected. Looking at Seth, she said, "What you said to Charlie was over the line. You need to apologize the next time you see him. Is he coming back next weekend?"

Zack nodded. "Yes. He'll be at the play as well."

"Good," Karen replied. "You can do it then. I expect to hear from Zack that you talked to him."

"He won't listen to me," Zack mumbled.

"He will," said Karen, glaring at Seth. "Or he's grounded for the foreseeable future."

Seth slumped and grumbled, "Yes ma'am."

"Wait, where are you going next weekend?" Tristan piped up in confusion. "My play is on Saturday."

Geoff and Karen exchanged worried glances while Zack began to feel a sense of dread. He felt like he knew what was coming next...

"I'm afraid your mother and I won't be able to be at your play, kiddo," said Geoff nervously. "We weren't able to cancel our trip, so we have to go."

"W-what?" Tristan whimpered, his ears going down. His eyes were rapidly filling with tears. "B-but you promised you would come! You promised!"

"We'll be back the Saturday after," Karen said hastily. "Don't worry, it'll only be for a week -"

"But I don't want you to leave!" Tristan shouted, now openly sobbing. Tears streaked his cheeks as he gazed at his parents in despair. "I want you to stay! I wanted you to see me onstage because you're always saying you want us to do clubs and stuff! And now I can't be in a picture with my parents when they do pictures after the play! And every time you leave,they start fighting!" He cried, pointing a finger at Zack and Seth. They exchanged a glance as their youngest sibling continued. "They keep yelling at each other so I have to go to my room and wait for them to stop! Then you're not there to tuck me in -"

"I tucked you in," Zack protested. "I did it every night!"

"It's not the same!" Tristan began to hiccup and had to get himself under control before speaking again. "They don't do it like you do! They don't tuck me in like you do and they don't make breakfast on Sunday mornings like you do and we can't even sit at the table without them fighting! Why can't you just stay?!"

Tearful and still hiccupping violently, the young jackal jumped out of his chair and scrambled up the stairs to his room sobbing. Geoff got up and followed him. "Tristan! Tristan, come back, kiddo!"

The remaining three sat at the table in shocked silence. Zack's eyes were watery from the incident and glancing over at Seth, he could see that his brother was in a similar state.

Karen got up and addressed the two boys. "Clear the table and do the dishes. If I hear one word of argument from either of you, you're both grounded." With that, she followed her husband's trail out of the dining room and up the stairs. Zack and Seth got up and, ears pinned backward, obeyed without a word.

Hours later, Zack decided it was time to stop moping around and just go to bed. Often getting a nice rest was a good way to decompress and revisit issues with a clear mind. After finishing a glass of water from the kitchen, he made his way upstairs and down the hall. As he passed his parents' door, he could make out a hushed conversation from within the room. The door was barely cracked open; Zack stood out of sight and listened in.

"...can't keep doing this, Karen," Geoff's voice sounded out. "We need to do something about it."

"But what? We've asked, and they said it was nonnegotiable," said Karen. Her husband must have tried to interrupt because she said quickly, "But I do agree; something needs to be done if the kids are suffering. I just don't know what else to do."

Geoff sighed. "This is going to sound really...harsh, but...dinner tonight got me thinking that...maybe we shouldn't have had so many kids."

Karen's gasp matched Zack's heart as it skipped a beat. "Geoff! How can you say something like that?!"

"It's really harsh, I know," said Geoff hurriedly. "But I can't help how I feel. You saw how Tristan reacted tonight and Seth acts like he doesn't care, but you can tell it's affecting him. And all the stress it puts on Zack really doesn't help his anger issues. If we were there for them more often, it wouldn't be nearly as bad."

Zack listened in silence as he pondered what had just been said. Did his father really regret having his own children?

Geoff sighed. "What happened Karen? We met after college, got married, and had kids. We had well-paying jobs and a happy family. And now...we have well-paying jobs and a dysfunctional mess. We're not happy, the kids aren't happy...no one's happy. I just don't know what to do..."

"Well, for starters," Karen said, shifting on the bed. The eavesdropping jackal could almost envision her with her arms around his father in an act of comfort. "We need to try to find a compromise at work. And I mean really, _really_try. These trips are the reason the kids are so unhappy...if we can cut down on all the traveling, that alone should resolve a large portion of the problem. We can make this better, Geoff. We just need to try harder."

"I hope so, dear," Geoff sniffed. "I hope so."

I've had enough. Zack quietly retreated from his hiding spot and continued to his room, shutting the door behind him. This was too much. A heavy cloud of depression had descended upon him, his heart weighted down by a sense of dread. His parents' conversation remained echoing inside his mind.

"Maybe we shouldn't have had so many kids..."

He stripped down to his boxers and got in bed. Only sleep could pull him out now.