AJ reached up with a nervous hand and knocked
on Nick’s door. Howie watched as he danced from foot to foot. He placed a
reassuring hand on his shoulder. AJ looked at him quickly.
“Just go with the game plan.” He told him.
“We’re looking for a good time.”
AJ nodded and waited until Nick slowly opened
the door. AJ and Howie plastered fake smiles on their faces and pushed past
Nick into his room. Nick watched them in disbelief.
“Hey buddy!” AJ yelled walking in. “Want to go
clubbing? Me and Howie are itching to go and Brian and Kevin are being old.”
“Oh, so the fag didn’t send you?” Nick hissed,
his voice lowering and his eyes getting dark. “He made Kevin call me.”
Howie frowned. “Nick,” He whispered. “Don’t
tell me you are thinking that way? What did Brian ever do to you to deserve
that?”
Nick growled and walked away from them.
“He fell in love with me!” Nick shouted at
them. “He became everything I hate and he knew I hated those things!”
AJ’s rage took over and he stood up swiftly.
Quickly advancing on Nick, he was only able to control his fists.
“He never became what you hated!” He
screamed. “He always was that way. He has been since he was sixteen fucking
years old! He dated women to save our reputations and married Leigh because he
was afraid he was falling for you! And I can see why he was afraid of it.
You’re just a cowardice little ass.”
Nick’s eyes were wide as he let the new
information sink in. At first Howie thought AJ’s little outburst had worked.
That it had made its way into Nick’s thick skull. But suddenly the darkness
fell back over Nick’s eyes and he stood against AJ.
“Then he should have never told me!” Nick
yelled back. “He would have spared me the pain of seeing the best friendship I
have ever be destroyed! But I can’t take it back because I refuse to be friends
with a fag! No matter who they are! I won’t take it back AJ, and I refuse to
let anybody tell me that I’m being pigheaded about it! I’m just being me! And
if you or he or anybody else can’t take it, well then too-“
Nick was cut off by the sound of a loud
gunshot. It sounded like it had come from right down the hall. Howie was the
first to reach the door. He looked down the hall and saw a crowd forming down
the end of the hall. He ran towards it, and AJ and Nick were right behind him.
“Those guys just shot him!” He heard a woman’s
voice scream. “They beat him up and then pulled out a gun and shot him!”
The woman was in hysterics. With a sudden burst
of adrenaline which was fed by pure fear, the three of them pushed their way
through the gawking crowd. The sight they were met with was one of pure horror.
Brian laid crumpled on the floor. His body was
battered and bruised. There was blood everywhere. On the floor, on the soda
machines, and all over Brian. Howie felt bile rise up in his throat as he
dropped to his knees.
“Brian.” He rasped. “Oh God, no. Help. Quick,
Help! Someone call an ambulance!”
“It’s on its way.” A man answered from the
crowd.
AJ was blinded by his rage. He couldn’t believe
that his friend lay dying before him. Looking around he spotted to men being
held against their will. He closed the distance between him and them in a few
quick strides.
“Are these the people who did it?” He
asked one of them men holding them.
“Are these the scumbags I’m looking for?”
“Yeah!” One of them spat. “I’m the man who
pulled the trigger! And I’d do it again just to see the fear in that queer’s
eyes!”
AJ’s eyes narrowed. He knew his temper was his
worst trait and he usually tried to keep it under control. But know he didn’t
give a damn if he seemed like the angriest person on earth.
“What’s your names?” He asked quietly.
“I’m Steve.” The other man answered with the same lack of remorse.
“And he’s Matt. And we are the ones that beat up your little faggy friend.”
“Well guess what.” AJ hissed in their ears.
“You are now going to rot in jail will some sex deprived man will turn you into
his ‘little faggy friend’.”
Matt and Steve’s eyes grew wide. Now they
seemed afraid. But he knew there was no remorse. There never would be. Only the
fear that they would become the one thing they tried so hard to destroy.
AJ walked away and returned to Howie’s side. He
glanced around for some sign of Nick, but found none. The boy had left leaving
trace or reason why. AJ shook his head sadly. Maybe someday he would come
around.
Suddenly another form pushed its way through
the crowd. AJ meet the distraught eyes of Kevin. Upon seeing his cousin, his
eyes widened and immediately began to water.
“Wh-what the hell happened?” He asked kneeling
down next to Brian. “What did they do to him?”
“He was shot.” Howie answered calmly. “Help is
coming, but it needs to get here quicker.”
The three boys lapsed into silence, as they
waited for help to arrive. The minutes seemed to tick by, an eternity passing
before the crowd parted for the EMTs. The boys sat back in silence and watched
as they loaded up Brain and headed out. Kevin was chosen to ride in the ambulance
with him. AJ and Howie agreed to meet him there as soon as they could.
Without Nick.