Chapter II

Chapter II - Friday March 21^st 2014

School football games were always the same for Grant. James would take centre stage and pretty much win games on his own. Rita and the cheerleaders would make every student in the stadium swoon with their elaborate routines. While he would sit in the bleachers, watching his closest friends soak up every drop of fame and attention that high school offered. For a while now he had been ‘’that friend’’, the quiet one, the one in the background. No one ever took the time to get know Grant, the girls were too busy fawning over James, and the guys too busy drooling over Rita, so naturally Grant was casted to a high school mediocrity that would be impossible for him to escape, and if he was honest, sometimes he didn’t really mind because in his mind, he had the two best friends that anyone could ever ask for.

The game came to an end and James had single handily dominated the game in a fashion that the kids at Terminal High School were more than used to seeing. He and Rita shared their routine game winning kiss in the middle of the field, the crowd cheered; there wasn’t a person in the bleachers who wasn’t on their feet. Grant felt around his jeans pocket and noticed that James had left him his car keys. He yawned, got up and walked towards the exit and waited in the car for his friends. An hour later they arrived but Grant had fallen asleep in the car, he woke up when James tapped on the window.

‘’What took you guys so long?’’

‘’Sorry, dude. Had to get changed, shower and everything.’’ Grant sighed, clearly exasperated by his friends poor sense of timing. He opened the door for them and they began their journey to get some food, James always worked up an appetite after a football game, and this guy could eat for the entire population of Miami on a good day. The three of them sat in a diner that was close by because Rita decided she wanted a strawberry milkshake with onion rings and a bacon cheeseburger, much to the despair of James who knew he had to do his duty as her boyfriend, and pay for it all. Oddly enough, the only person that James knew that could rival his appetite was his Rita. The friends sat in the diner for what was close to an hour, exchanging laughs, playfully throwing bits of food at each other, and discussing the talking points of the game.

‘’How many touchdowns did you throw today, James?’’ Grant asked as he sipped his soda.

‘’Five, no interceptions. He also threw just under four hundred yards today.’’ Rita answered with a proud smile on her face. James’ uncanny footballing ability was one of the reasons she was so attracted to him. She was very supporting of his football, outside of his father she was probably the person that pushed him the most to train and refine his abilities, and she scrutinized him even more than the coach did.

‘’Same old, then?’’ Grant asked jokingly. The freakish stats James had produced during the game were all too ordinary for him, though only seventeen years old, Grant was sure that James was currently good enough to play for a top team in the National Football League.

‘’Well not exactly, his passing percentage was about six percent lower than his high school average. But you know, we’ll discuss where he went wrong later’’ Rita said with a mixture of critique and affection as she ran her fingers through his curls.

‘’Look, Cassidy we got the win, aight? That’s all that matters, we got the tournament coming up in a few months the team is playing great, and I feel good, this win is a big boost for us all.’’ James replied as he smiled.

‘’I know but you have to keep your numbers up so you can get your scholarship after you graduate.’’ James simply raised his eyebrows and continued eating his food, he didn’t want to continue this discussion, he often felt pressured from Rita and he was beginning to get quite annoyed with her. The three friends stayed in the diner for a little while, enjoying each other’s company and just doing whatever to pass the time, James and Rita were leaving for a bi-annual interscholastic football tournament on Monday, and Grant wanted to make sure he spent as much time with them as possible before they left. Grant didn’t do too well in situations when he was separate from either of them, and this was the first time in as long as he could remember.

‘’See you later, boys.’’ Rita shared another passionate kiss with James, waved goodbye to Grant and walked daintily towards her doorstep, the boys watched her walk into her house as James drove off towards Grant’s house when he noticed something in his best friend, he was quiet, even more quiet than usual.

‘’You’re quiet’’, said the curly haired teenager. ‘’Even more than normal’’ he added.

‘’What?’’

‘’Aight, what’s up?’’

‘’Noth-‘’

‘’And if you’re planning on saying ‘’nothing’’ you can get out of the car right now’’ James snapped before Grant had a chance to finish. He knew Grant well enough to know what he was going to say.

‘’James, leave it, it’s not important’’

‘’Don’t waste my time, man. Tell me what’s up, come on, man’’

‘’Alright… well I just don’t feel right when you and Rita aren’t around. You’re going away, for this… this football thing. I just don’t feel too good about it all, being alone and everything’’ Grant added. James nodded his head continued driving, not saying a word. An awkward Grant sat tentatively in the passenger’s seat. He didn’t say anything, he had no idea what James was thinking at this point. James stayed silent and drove up towards a little diner on Royston Avenue. He parked up, still silent. Grant was beginning to get worried, twelve years of friendship and there was never silence like this between them. Several minutes later they were alone, sitting face to face in a booth made from thick burgundy seats. James had decided that he was finally ready to speak.

‘’So that’s what’s eating you, huh? Me and Cassidy going off on this tourney?’’ James asked.

‘’Huh? Well yeah I guess so’’ Grant replied.

‘’You crazy or something, bro? We’ve been side by side for twelve years, you and Cassidy were close as hell before me and her even became friends. What’s a week apart, man?’’ James said reassuringly. Grant tried to stop himself from smiling; James winked at him as he put several French fries into his mouth. ‘’You’ll be fine, man. Maybe this’ll do some good, you gotta get over this anxiety of yours man. Six foot three, built solid, blonde hair… what’s a dude like you got to be so anxious about anyway?’’ James added jokingly.

‘’Guess I just don’t see things the same way you do, James. I’m not cool, I can’t throw six touchdown passes a game or cheerlead like a pro’’ Grant shrugged.

‘’Why the fuck would you wanna be able to cheerlead, Grant?’’

‘’Shut up, James, you know what I meant.’’

‘’I’m just playing, man. So maybe you can’t throw a bunch of touchdown passes or lead a real good cheer. But you’re the smartest guy I know. You got a pure heart and a decent moral compass. You’re one of the best guys I’ve ever met… the sooner you realise that, the sooner you’ll get over whatever makes you doubt yourself so much‘’ James said trying to be both stern and reassuring. Grant raised his eyebrows. The truth is, he didn’t himself even know the origin of his anxiety, he just always felt that way ‘’Just take me and Cassidy being gone day by day, I’ll try video call you every day, aight? And don’t worry about Warren either, he’s my tight end, remember? He’ll be at the tourney with us’’ He added. Grant smiled and sipped his lemonade; he’d known James since he was five years old, to him, the curly golden brown hair, shiny brown eyes and everything else that was perfect about this boy didn’t exist. He was merely a shell with a soul. A soul that watched over him and offered a companionship that was welcomed with open arms. He couldn’t imagine having to spend a week apart from the guy he saw just as often as he saw his parents.

The pair sat in the diner for quite some time. Despite its questionable quality of food, and weird workers, it was actually quite comfortable. The air conditioning was always set on a warm setting that gave the diner a toasty environment. The seats weren’t half bad either, Grant, James and Rita often spent their weekend nights here if no other avenue of entertainment was available. Grant fished out some homework from his bag and began scribbling away while James sat on the phone to Rita, engaging in flirting that would be inappropriate in front of pretty much anyone, expect for Grant.

‘’Hey, you’’ called a thirty-something waitress from behind the counter. James looked around, seemingly perplexed.

‘’Who, me?’’ he answered.

‘’Yeah you, the one with the curly hair’’ she called back in a husky voice.

‘’Hold on, babe’’ James was still on the phone to Rita.

The waitress scanned James’ face; she then smiled from ear to ear.

‘’It’s one am, Closing time, hot stuff’’ she said as she took off her glasses and bit her lip.

James responded with a look of disgust.

‘’Cassidy, I’ll call you back when I get home, aight? I gotta drive home’’ he said to Rita over the phone. He gave the waitress a grimacing look, the type of facial expression you put on when you’re trying to stop yourself from puking.

‘’Looks like Rita has competition, eh?’’ said Grant in a playful tone as he packed away his maths books. James gave him a steaming glare and ruffled the curls on the top of his head that had fallen flat due to hours of inactivity. For all of the immaculate aesthetic qualities James possessed, he only seemed to ever care about his hair. The two left the diner, Grant put his arm around James.

‘’Hey, er, James? Thanks for the talk… I love you man’’ He said in a warm tone, a genuine tone. James chuckled and put his friend into another one of his friendly headlocks.

‘’I love you too, bro’’ He replied in a calm voice as they left the diner.

Soon after they sat in James car, on their way to his house.

‘’Yeah, it’s pretty late Mom so I’m just gonna crash at Jimmy’s house’’ Grant said over the phone to his mother, she never really minded where Grant went, she knew James well. She knew he would always protect her baby, no matter what.

‘’That’s fine, honey. When you coming back, tomorrow? Sunday?’’ James overheard Ruby’s question, not taking his eyes off the road, he mouthed.

‘’Sunday, Sunday’’

‘’Sunday!’’, Grant exclaimed. ‘’We’ll drive up to pick up some clothes tomorrow afternoon. Goodnight mom, love you’’

‘’Love you too, honey’’

Several minutes later the pair stopped at a twenty four hour gas station to pick up sodas and snacks for the night. As James finished filling his tank with gas, Grant ran inside to quickly buy the snacks they came for. James stood by his car waiting for Grant when a large man approached him. He must have been at least six foot five inches tall, one hundred and fifty, maybe sixty kilograms heavy. He wore dark and baggy slacks with a pair of robust workers boots. He accompanied this with a dark overcoat that reached midway between his waist and knees. He grabbed James by the collar.

‘’Gimme what you got!’’ he said as he began to ruffle through the pockets of his grey sweatpants, with a fist full of James’ jersey in his hand.

‘’What the fuck! Get the fuck off me!’’ James pleaded, but it was futile, this guy had his plan, and his size and strength meant that there was nothing James could do to stop it. James then clenched his left fist while still in his clutches. ‘’Fuck you!’’ He barked as he hit him firmly on his right cheek; causing the attacker to release him for a second. Anyone else would have made a run for it at that moment, but not James. He welcomed any chance of violence no matter the odds, and this time was no different. The man regained composure and as James motioned to punch him again, he slapped him swiftly with the back of his large hand, causing James to fall backwards onto the hard gravel beneath him. He tried to quickly return to his feet, but as he did this, the man raised his right boot and met the side of James’ head with his sole, dropping him again, even harder this time. A striking pain shot through James’ skull as he hit the ground, causing him to wince in pain. This pain was followed by a sensation that shot coldly through James’ heart: fear. The man grunted in frustration and stood over him and resumed with emptying his pockets, he had him firmly pinned down with one hand. This time, James had no escape, but at the moment, Grant had just walked out of the store to see what was going on. He had frozen. It had become sink or swim. He knew that in the blink of an eye he could have this guy dealt with and the boys could drive off safely, but he was frozen, he was scared, anxious, conflicted. But he had a decision to make while he watched his friend, the same friend who undeniably had his back every day for the last twelve years struggle hopelessly, he made his decision, maybe Warren and the demands of high school status were too big of a fish to fry, but protecting Jimmy? It had to be done.

‘’Hey!’’ he screamed, almost subconsciously. Suddenly the attacker’s attention switched, he left a hurt James on the floor and looked up towards Grant, who steadied himself, and took a deep breath.

‘’What do you want?!’’

‘’Just give my friend his stuff back and leave. I don’t wanna have to hurt you.’’ Grant pleaded as he walked slowly towards them.

‘’You? Hurt me? Don’t make me laugh, bitch’’ The attacker shouted, he sounded quite amused by Grant’s words. He charged towards Grant sinisterly, Grant sighed and clicked his knuckles.

‘’So be it’’ he muttered under his breath. The attacker flung a fist backwards, and then launched it towards Grant in the most savage of fashions. Thin air. Grant had moved, faster than James had ever seen him move, faster than his attacker had ever seen anyone move, faster than he himself knew he could move. He propped his hands up near his face, the attacker charged towards him; he threw a fist, and missed. He threw another first, he missed.

‘’Come here you little –‘’

‘’Crack!’’ The speed was once again demonstrated. So quickly, so gracefully, so majestically Grant met the rib cage of the attacker with a solid left handed blow. He curled up into a ball of pain and agony, about ten seconds later he got back to his feet, rubbing his ribs.

‘’I’m gunna fucking cut you into pieces you little shit!’’ the attacker barked as he reached into his inside pocket and withdrew a long knife. He pulled it back and motioned to slice Grant with it, but before he had a chance to follow through, his left knee gave way under him as he groaned in pain. Baffled by what had caused this to happen, Grant then saw James behind the now kneeling attacker. James then wrapped his right fist around the attackers jaw from behind, causing him to fall on the gravel.

‘’Fucking asshole!’’ James said sadistically through his teeth as he began to rapidly kick the attacker while he was on the floor, causing Grant to intervene and restrain him.

‘’That’s enough!’’ he said as he pulled James away.

‘’Piece of shit tried to fucking rob me!’’

‘’Get in the car, I’ll get your stuff back we gotta get outta here’’

‘’Nah fuck that! I’m not done with him. This bastard fucked up my jersey’’

‘’James let it go! You got like a million more at home, let’s get out of here’’ Grant said as he motioned to the window of the store, where the clerk was standing with a phone in his hand. James took a deep breath and walked quickly back towards his car as Grant darted back over to the attack to retrieve James’ stolen goods.

The journey back to James house was an awkward one for Grant. He wasn’t sure how to react to what had just happened. He was happy that he was able to step up and help James when he needed it, but at the same time he wasn’t too happy about public use of his powers. He guessed he could put this scenario under the bracket of ‘emergency’, some could argue it was life or death. About fifteen minutes later they were back at James house, sitting in their respective beds, only a single lamp providing light to the room.

‘’Grant, that was fucking lit, man. I’m just pissed off, this asshole ruined my jersey’’ James exclaimed as he finished the last bit of his apple soda. Grant sighed and rubbed his head firmly.

‘’That can’t happen again. Ever.’’ he said. James opened another bottle of soda, orange this time.

‘’Dude…’’ he said softly

‘’Ever’’ Grant said assertively. James turned off the lights in his room and lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. He had so much to ask Grant, so much to say to him.

‘’Grant?’’ he called out about fifteen minutes later, he wasn’t sure if Grant was still awake.

‘’Yeah?’’ Grant said. I just wanna say thanks, again. I mean, that dude could’ve messed me up for real.’’

‘’You would have done the same for me’’ yawned Grant.

‘’Yeah but –‘’

‘’But nothing.’’ Grant interrupted, ‘’Look I did what I did tonight because I had to step in and have your back. I’m not proud of it, and I don’t plan on doing it again. So stop with the thank yous and everything, because if anything, I owe you. I’m a loser and you’re the coolest guy in school. You do me a favour me every day by putting up with my presence’’ He added. ‘’So stop thanking me’’ he said. ‘’Just get some sleep’’ he finished.

James thought about the words of his friend. In his eyes Grant wasn’t a loser, he was the coolest guy he knew. However a mixture of fatigue and trauma from today’s events prevented him from speaking his mind.

‘’Goodnight, bro’’ he said. Everything on his mind, neatly tucked away.

Monday rolled around, and Grant stood in the school’s car park with James and Rita.

‘’Bye, Grant!’’ she said as she flung her arms around him.

‘’See ya, Rita, have fun’’ he said in a calming tone. She kissed him on the cheek.

‘’We’ll call you every day, okay?’’ she said as she got on the school bus.

‘’Remember what I told you, aight? Just stay calm and shit, you’ll be fine’’ James said as he stuck out his hand, they shook hands and hugged simultaneously. Grant patted him on the shoulder.

‘’Just focus on playing well’’ Grant replied. James walked towards the steps of the bus.

‘’I always do’’ he called back confidently as he stepped onto the bus. Grant scratched his head as the school bus left the premises. He wasn’t sure what to do next… he was alone. Now it was about survival, only problem was, Grant didn’t know the first thing about survival. He knew he was safe from Warren because he had gone on the football trip. However his little group of followers hadn’t. He wasn’t safe from them by any means, and the absence of James was going to make that all the more harder to deal with. He walked dimly to his chemistry class; there was no spring in his step, no enthusiasm… that had left on a big yellow bus with his two best friends.

Chemistry wasn’t the same without James, even though they didn’t sit with together, but his presence in the room was enough for Grant, that was gone and Grant hated it. He had to be clever. He had to figure out a game plan, a way to cope, he just didn’t know where to start. He even began to question why it was so hard for him to just be himself in the absence of James and Rita, he himself had little idea of where this separation anxiety had spawned from. Chemistry seemed to last forever, when the bell rang Grant began his journey to the bench where he spent all of his time in school with James and Rita, as he arrived he was greeted by four unsavoury faces: Chris, Sean, Brandon and Craig, these four individuals were Warren’s loyal followers. The four faces turned their attention to Grant like vultures to a dead animal. Grant stopped, he didn’t know what to do, he knew he could run and they wouldn’t be able to catch him; however he also knew he could have them all out cold on the floor in no less than five seconds. He didn’t know what to do, he was conflicted, scared even. The four of them stood up and walked towards him, Craig, who was Warren’s supposed right hand man spoke first.

‘’Yo!’’ he shouted. Grant said nothing; he stood there, very still. Craig walked up close to Grant; he scanned his face for fear and looked him deep in the eye. He turned to the boys.

‘’He doesn’t look so tough right now does he, boys?’’

‘’Well yeah, he’s missing a piece’’ Brandon said jokingly.

‘’Yeah exactly… exactly. Without James holding your hand… you really are just an absolute nobody, aren’t you?!’’ Craig teased in a menacing tone. Grant stayed still and silent, he didn’t flinch, he didn’t even blink. ‘’You gonna defend yourself, huh? Or do you need James for that too?!’’ Craig screamed as he forcefully shoved Grant, one hand on either side of his chest, Grant didn’t move, not even an inch, Craig flinched in pain as he tried to shove him, he felt as if he had just smashed his hands into a brick wall, he back pedalled and massaged his wrists as the rest of the boys looked at Grant like he was a ghost. Craig was determined not show any intimidation, even though he was probably the most perplexed out of the four boys. Grant stood there, heart beating faster than it ever had, he could feel sweat dripping from his armpits, and it was slowly trickling down towards his waist. His bladder began to feel like a river that was close to bursting its banks, he wasn’t sure how long he could hold up this defiance for, but he had no choice. It was either he stood his ground now, or endure the worst week of his life. Craig motioned to Sean, who then got up in Grant’s face and said.

‘’Let’s see if we can get a few words out of him the old fashioned way’’ as he cracked his knuckles. Grant cleared his throat and looked into Sean’s eyes with intent.

‘’Sean, walk away’’ He said firmly. Sean masked his anxiety with a chuckle, he wanted to assert himself, but after seeing what happened to Craig he wasn’t sure what he was dealing with. He got back in his face.

‘’You’re not tough! You’re just James Delgado’s little bitch. You’re nothing, a nobody’’ Grant stood tough and smiled. ‘’What’s so funny?’’ Sean yelled.

‘’Nothing, nothing at all.’’ Grant said as he cleared his throat. ‘’But I want you to ask yourself something. Ask yourself something while you stand there and try to psyche me out. Ask yourself ‘Is this really what I want?’ Because, Sean, I can promise that you and your boys are biting off a lot more than you can chew.’’ Grant added. There was a confidence in his demeanour that he didn’t even know he had. Sean rubbed his chest then motioned to the rest of the boys. He gave Grant a look of steel as they made their tactical retreat. When they were out of sight, Grant’s knees wobbled and he fell to the ground, hard. His sweat had leaked through his green polo shirt, he was breathing heavier than he ever had in his entire life, and to make matters worse, his bladder had given way and he’d wet himself. It took every ounce of bravery in his anatomy to stand up those guys, and once they left, his bravery followed suit. He laid there near the bench, dazed and in a pool of his own sweat and urine, he regained his composure several moments later, he took the back route through the school to the nurse’s office so minimal people would see him soaked in his own bodily fluids.

The nurse gave him change of clothes and let him miss out on third period. His following two periods were normal; he kept his head down and stayed out of any bother that could potentially unsettle him. The bell went to signal the end of school, he walked up to the gate and made his way to the bus stop, suddenly he heard a car horn.

‘’Grant, Grant over here!’’ Grant turned around to see Nick in his black car. His face lit up, for him it was the best thing that had happened to him all day.

‘’What? Nick?’’ Grant chuckled as he walked over to the car, ‘’I thought you didn’t get off work until five?’’ he added as he got in the car.

‘’Yeah well I got off early, and I know James went off to his football thing, so I figured you’d need a ride’’ Grant slid around in the front seat and got himself comfortable, Nick began to drive back towards the house, as he glanced over at his cousin he noticed an inconsistency.

‘’Dude, you weren’t wearing that in the morning… Whose clothes are those?’’ Grant rubbed the back of his neck; he didn’t know what to do or say. His mouth felt dry and his throat felt like it was filled with sand. He opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn’t. Nick glanced back at his cousin, he questioned him again ‘’Dude?’’ he said curiously. Grant just decided to give Nick the same excuse he gave the school nurse.

‘’I erm, I was in er - chemistry. A couple of the wrong chemicals mixed together and spilled all over me. I’m fine, I just had to change outta my clothes, so the nurse gave me these’’ he said in a firm tone. He had to sound like he was telling the truth so Nick would believe him. Nick looked at him again, he nodded his head.

‘’I guess even the smartest cats get it wrong sometimes, eh?’’ He and Grant then chuckled softly together. They got home fairly quickly, having gone to Terminal High himself, Nick was aware of many shortcuts and ways to avoid the afternoon rush. They arrived back home, they sat down on the couch, cracked open a soda each and watched TV.

‘’So how was work today?’’ Grant asked, desperate to start conversation.

‘’It was alright, man. Kinda slow today so the boss gave me a couple hours off with pay. That’s why I had time to come and pick you up’’ Nick answered. Grant nodded his head and took a long sip of his soda. He let out a thick belch and laughed; his cousin looked at him in disgust, but couldn’t stop himself from eventually laughing as well. They killed time for several hours, passing through several cans of soda and indulging in hours of corny reality TV; their own secret guilty pleasure.

‘’Hey, I’m gonna head upstairs, I got a bit of homework I wanna get through’’ Grant said as he stood up. Nick waved his can subtly in the air as he said.

‘’Yeah, sure. Just come back down when you’re finished.’’ Grant patted his shoulder affectionately then made his was up towards his room. He sat himself down on his chair and pulled out several chemistry equations from his bag. He began to work on them, then suddenly his laptop started to ring, he checked the cause of the ring and saw that it was James trying to video call him. He accepted the call eagerly,

‘’Told you I’d video call you everyday’’ James exclaimed.

‘’Hey, man’’ Grant said in a similar tone, he chuckled ‘’How is it?’’ he added.

‘’It’s great, I mean the football’s great, the facilities are even better.’’ There was something about James’ tone that didn’t seem normal. He wasn’t confident, he was quieter than usual.

‘’James… are you okay?’’ Grant asked cautiously, he’d known James for twelve years, and in those twelve years he seldom spoke in the tone he was speaking in now. James cleared his throat and ran his fingers through his hair the same way he always did, he spoke.

‘’What? I’m cool’’ James said. Grant knew James was lying through his teeth, he wasn’t buying it.

‘’James, come on. What’s up? You only throw two touchdown passes or something?’’ Grant asked joking.

‘’Grant, man… it’s… Erm it’s Cassidy. She, er… she broke up with me’’ He said trying to fight back his tears. Grant studied James’ face through the screen, he scratched his head in bewilderment, they’d been together since they were fourteen, and Grant had grown to be a third wheel in their relationship, the thing is, all three of them had grown to be more than fine with it. James wiped his eyes and began to speak. ‘’Aight, so we’ve gotten on the bus right, we’re talking, making out, the usual, you know what we’re like. So we’re about half an hour into the journey when she suddenly turns to me like ‘James, I don’t expect you to throw less than four touchdown passes in any of these games’. Grant you know how much I love football, how seriously I take it. But Cassidy man, she’s always on my ass. So I’m like ‘step off my shit and lemme just play the game’. Like I’m just getting real pissed off’’ James explained.

‘’Then what?’’

‘’Then it got a bit… well real fucking heated. Started full on screaming at each other on the bus, so embarrassing man I can’t believe we caused a scene like that’’ James continued to explain.

‘’And she just flat out ended it?’’

‘’I eventually just shut up on the bus and we didn’t talk at all. I went to find her after and we just fought again, she said she’s just tryna help me be better and that I was in the wrong for losing it, and I wasn’t backing down so… so she walked away’’ James said as his eyes began to tear up. ‘’She won’t return my calls or texts, and Garrett told me he saw her with some other guy, some guy from Drayton’’ he added as he wiped a tear that was now trickling down his left cheek. Grant sat there staring at the screen speechless, he couldn’t believe that James, after twelve years finally met a predicament he couldn’t handle. He thought about it, he wasn’t sure what to say to his friend, it seemed that for the first time in twelve years, he was about to see James cry. ‘’Dude, I love her so much’’ James said as he began weeping violently. ‘’I can’t even focus, we had practice I could hardly catch or even throw. I need her back’’ Grant found it difficult to watch his best friend sob like this, it was unusual, he’d never seen anything like it. He had no idea what to say, it was always a case of him being the one who crumbled and James being the strong one who picked up the pieces.

‘’Look, I need her back, if I spend the rest of this trip without her, I won’t be able to play properly.’’ Grant had done some research on the tournament; he knew that once a team lost, they had to return home immediately. He knew James was the heart and soul of that team, without him on the top of his game, the team would lose and have to come back, and a selfish fire inside him liked the idea of James underperforming because that would mean he would return sooner, and Grant couldn’t handle any more days without him. The pair spoke for several hours, James took it upon himself to end the call. ‘’Dude, I’m gonna have to call you tomorrow. We got a game against some team from Orlando tomorrow morning, I gotta get some rest for it’’

‘’Yeah, sure, sure.’’ Grant replied. ‘’You gonna be okay, James?’’ he asked in worried tone. James wiped his eyes and replied.

‘’Yeah, yeah I’ll be okay. Just… erm, I’ll call you tomorrow okay. Night, bro’’ he said as he ended the video call.

‘’Night, James’’ Grant mouthed as he closed his laptop lid. He removed his top and stared at his body in the mirror for a very short while, and then suddenly he dropped to his hands and began to go, up and down, up and down. Push up after push up. Four hundred push ups later he jumped back up to his feet, he didn’t feel any different now to when he did before he started. He spent another little while looking in the mirror, scanning his impeccable physique. He got tired of this quickly, he climbed into bed and laid staring at the ceiling, he couldn’t figure which was harder to believe, the fact that he had just seen James cry, or the fact that James and Rita were no longer together.

                        

The next morning greeted Grant with no memory of his dream, only the news James had told him. He got himself ready for school and got on the bus on his own, 2Pac blasting through his earphones. The music of 2Pac was another one of the few things he actually found solace in. Whenever he sat back and listened to him, the world seemed to be a place that couldn’t harm him, no matter how hard it tried.

Chapter I

Chapter I – Tuesday March 18th 2014

Florida. Beautiful weather, eye catching scenery and eccentric residents. It has always had reason to be on the lips of everyone in all four corners in the world. If not because of the Pablo Escobar fuelled cocaine epidemic that swept through Miami during the tail end of the twentieth century, or the Orlando Magic’s storied journey to the NBA championship finals in the mid-1990s, then perhaps even Walt Disney World. All of these iconic figures and events all but dwarf in comparison to a natural phenomenon that was born and raised on Bickle Terrace, a polished suburban area near enough Miami Beach.

‘’Good morning, Nick’’ he croaked as he made his way to the kitchen to get some breakfast, he wasn’t fully awake yet.

‘’Fuck me, look what woke up on the wrong side of the barn’’ Nick replied jokingly in reference to Grant’s messy bed hair and overly creased t shirt. Nick was Grant’s twenty three year old cousin who had moved into the house three years after his parent’s died in a car accident. Nine years on and Nick barely uttered a word about his parents nor the accident. He stuck out an inviting hand; their handshake was loud on impact, just like they always were.

‘’Really?’’ Grant replied, he didn’t always take nicely to Nick poking fun at him even though he knew it was all done without true malice.

‘’I’m just playing, man. Listen, I left a little sum for you down by the fruit bowl, aight? Treat yourself at lunch’’ he said as he grabbed Grant’s solid bicep muscle, ‘’Not like you even need the food.’’ He was always suspicious to the fact that his cousin was so firmly built for a guy who never stepped foot in a gym or even played sport. Grant said nothing, he responded with an affectionate smile.

‘’Alright, thanks. See you later, then’’

‘’Have a good day’’ Nick said as he ruffled Grant’s thick blonde hair as he walked towards the front door.

‘’Yeah, you too’’



Forty minutes later he was dressed and out of the house. He walked up to the top of his street and opened the door of a silver Mercedes. There was an earth dwelling angel sitting in the driver’s seat… curly golden brown hair with sides that were shaved by the most precise of barbers, a jawline that could cut glass like a hot knife through butter, shiny brown eyes, and a body frame fit for a mythical Greek God, all encased in an extremely light shade of skin that was barely brown. This was James Delgado, the best looking guy at Terminal High School… although to Grant, he was just Jimmy, his best friend who never took off his Peyton Manning jersey. They had met roughly twelve years ago back when they were both in kindergarten. From young, Grant never really had many friends… he was always shy, introverted, for reasons even he himself couldn’t identify. When he was five years old he ran into one James Delgado in the sand pit, a new boy that had just moved to his school from Indiana. For whatever reason, the pair of boys instantly clicked and became the best of friends, a bond that would stay with them for the rest of their lives. Twelve years later Grant was motioning to get into the car as he looked down at James, who stuck out a fist and flashed a cheeky side smile, the signature side smile that melted the hearts of every female at school. Grant hit the fist with his own; their friendship had reached a stage that meant that not many words were needed whenever they greeted each other. He threw his rucksack in the back seat where a female of very near equal aesthetic excellence was already sitting. She smiled at him.

‘’Hey, Grant’’

‘’Oh, hey Rita. You know how it is, I’m shotgun on weekdays’’

‘’Yeah I know’’

‘‘Dude, you can talk to Cassidy sitting down. Get in the car’’ James said quickly. Rita looked down at her phone while Grant held his tongue and sat in the front seat. ‘’Seatbelts on kids’’ James added jokingly as he pulled his car out onto the main road.



The ride to school wasn’t a long one from Grant’s house; they arrived at school after about fifteen minutes, a drive that was accompanied by minimal traffic.

‘’So, double chemistry first?’’ Grant asked dimly, pointless really, he knew the answer to that question.

‘’Yeah, bro. You know the drill’’ James answered as he closed his silver car door. Rita kissed James goodbye then waved a generous hand at Grant as she walked towards a group of girls who looked like they had waited some time for her arrival. Grant and James trotted a hundred yards or so before they finally reached their lockers, they both retrieved their chemistry textbooks as they prepared to make their way to class.

Chemistry was as boring for the boys as it always was. Mrs. Palmer was completely against letting Grant and James sit next to each other, even though they were the two brightest students in the class, the two of them together could talk for days, and Mrs Palmer wasn’t interested in disruption. She was a hard faced woman; she had dark brown hair that rested on her shoulders, her glasses sat comfortably on her nose, almost so comfortably that she would often forget that she was wearing them. She had a slim build and she carried a black biro pen behind her left ear, a biro pen that she never seemed to ever use. The pen had become something of folklore at Terminal High school, the mysterious black pen, no one even knew if it had any ink in it. Contrary to the teasing about her pen, Mrs. Palmer was always regarded as one of the best teachers at Terminal High. She expected one hundred percent from her students and gave back nothing less.

‘’Mr. Delgado!’’ she blasted in a shrill tone, James had tried to get the attention of Grant, who was amused following the short attack on James by Mrs. Palmer ‘’A grades don’t come easy young man, just because you did well last year it does not mean you can disrupt my class whenever you please’’ she said in a frustrated tone.

‘’Sorry Miss, it won’t happen again, I promise’’ James said in a controlled tone followed by one of his signature side smiles, Mrs. Palmer couldn’t stop herself from blushing.

‘’It better not, young man’’ she said as she tried to conceal her now red cheeks by craftily turning towards the black board. Even some of the female teachers weren’t immune to what Grant nicknamed ‘’The Delgado Charm’’ and who could blame them?



The bell rang to signal the end of the class, the two boys walked towards the outside benches where they sat every recess. James sat down and began to shuffle a deck of cards.

‘’Blackjack or Rummy’’ he asked. Grant scratched his head in confusion; decisiveness wasn’t one of his strong points. He then spotted Rita approaching the table, phone in her hands, eyes on her phone, as usual.

‘’Hey, Cassidy, Blackjack or Rummy?’’ her boyfriend called to her.

‘’Yeah, sure, whatever’’ she replied. The boys looked at each other, the look on each of their faces showed that they acknowledged the fact they understood she had no interest in their card game situation; she was more interested in whatever was happening on her phone. Something always seemed to be happening on her phone. Several minutes had passed and the boys still hadn’t decided on what game to play. A frustrated Rita suggested they flip a coin, heads; they play Blackjack, and tails; Rummy. A few minutes later the boys were playing Blackjack. Recess never seemed to last long, but then again, any time this trio spent together always seemed to fly by.



James landed himself in detention during lunch for forgetting a piece of English homework, so Grant wondered the school halls as he went to find Rita. Several minutes had passed, and then suddenly a figure with a phone about ten inches from its face bumped into him.

‘’Ugh Rita for crying out-‘’

‘’Oops! Sorry, Grant’’ she said with a look of an emotion that she wouldn’t dare show anyone other than Grant or James: embarrassment.

‘’No problem’’ he said as he rolled his eyes. ‘’Get off your phone for five minutes? Jeez.’’ She put her phone in her pocket and they engaged in idle chat as they made their way towards their bench.

‘’I’m guessing that idiot landed himself back in detention?’’ Rita Cassidy’s voice was soft. She rarely spoke fast, or even too loud for that matter. However, that was when she wasn’t angry. When she was angry, she was a loose cannon whose tongue could sting even the most tenacious of characters. Grant did well to stay on her good side over the years, the same couldn’t be said for her boyfriend though. She had curly long dark hair that reached the lower part of her back, just before her perfectly shaped bottom. She was an average height for a teenage girl, no taller than maybe five foot five inches. Her smooth, toned lower half was instrumental to her prowess as the school’s lead cheerleader. She also had flawless features, big peachy lips complimented by beautiful light green eyes, rosy cheeks and a nose that acted as glue for the rest of her face, any smaller or bigger and she could say goodbye to her status as the hottest girl in school. The only person seen as more attractive than Rita in the entire school was her boyfriend.

‘’Yeah’’ Grant replied as he rolled his eyes.

‘’Typical’’ she said as she motioned to Grant to give her some of his grapes. They enjoyed a little while together, sharing grapes, stories and laughs. Grant then noticed the signature golden brown curls from a little distance away

‘’I’m free!’’ he exclaimed. He got closer and Grant hurled a grape in his direction, James caught it in his mouth and threw his arms up in delight and let out a hearty chuckle, Rita joined in and clapped her hands

‘’That was so cool!’’ She said in an unusually loud voice. James bowed to her like an honourable knight to a gracious queen. He then hit fists with Grant and sat down. It had now become one of their regular lunch breaks together.



Rita had cheerleading practice after school so the boys left the way they usually did, they drove back up towards James’s house and when they entered they were greeted by Elena Delgado, James’ mother.

‘’Hello, baby’’ she welcomed her son with a kiss and a hug. For as long as Grant could remember, he had a little crush on James’ mother, something he never mentioned to his friend. She was a regular looking woman, she had thick brown hair that was often tied up in a bun, and she spent most of her time at home these days because she was in between jobs.

‘’Hey, mom’’

‘‘And how are you today, Grant?’’

Grant looked nervous.

‘’I’m fine, thanks for asking, Aunt Elena.’’ Grant and James’ friendship had reached such heights that they called each other’s mothers as ‘’Aunt.’’ He began to blush, it seemed the ‘’Delgado Charm’’ existed in both mother and son. Her and her son then engaged in a back and forth in Spanish, James then dug out a crumpled piece of paper from the bottom of his bag, and handed it to his mother, much to her delight. Subsequent to this the pair of friends made their journey upstairs each with a bottle of water and a bag of chips in hand. They both sat down when they arrived in James bedroom; they each had a chair they sat on whenever they hung out at James’ house. It had gotten to the point where James wouldn’t even sit in the other seat when Grant wasn’t around.



They began to play video games and stuff their faces with chips, and then James made a suggestion:

‘’You should try out for the football team’’

‘’You should perform open heart surgery’’ replied his shy friend. James responded to this by staring at him blankly. ‘’It was a joke’’

‘’Yeah, a fucking shit one’’

‘’Whatever’’

‘’Nah, for real, man. I could do with a new left tackle or something, anything to get me more time in the pocket’’

‘’Your release average is like less than three seconds, you don’t need any more time’’

‘’Look, man, this is something we could kill, together. You got the strength of like twenty seven body builders on a sugar high, with your protection and me making plays, we could easily win it all’’

‘’Jimmy we’ve spoken about this before, and every time you say the same thing, I reply with the same thing. So stop wasting both of our time’’

‘’Grant, man, obviously I respect your privacy and all, but think of what you could do if you came out about your secret?’’ James paused the video game and sipped some of his water. ‘’You’d easily be the best player on the team. Physically I mean, the schematics of the game are a whole different thing’’

‘’Me coming out about my secret will affect more than just being able to play well on the football field. We’ve spoken about this, if a you know… a higher power finds out about me and what I can do… they’ll stick a million different needles in me and try to figure out a cure for every disease in existence’’ Grant said firmly. ‘’And even if it was just as simple as football, I wouldn’t do it. With you being the captain, and Rita being the head cheerleader, I think one of us needs to steer clear of it all’’ he added.

His faultless faced friend scanned his eyes for any doubts, took a gulp of water, shrugged then resumed the game. Hours of video games, banter and play fighting passed, ‘’Goodnight Aunt Elena’’ Grant called courteously as he and James left the house,

‘’Goodnight, Grant – James make sure you get him home safe, baby’’ she said in a pleasant tone.

‘’Will do, Ma’’ he replied.



The boys arrived at Grant’s house after a short drive.

‘’So… tomorrow?’’ James asked quietly.

‘’Tomorrow’’ Grant answered as he stuck out a fist, James hit the fist with his own and Grant got out the car, he peered through the window until Grant’s front door opened, a man stood in the doorway, a tall man, a commanding man. He must have been at least six foot five inches tall. James honked the horn of his car and motioned a friendly hand gesture as he began to drive off.

‘’Get home safe, son’’ the man responded in a gruff tone. This man was Leonard Friday, Grant’s father. He was an intimidating figure who had a bald head accompanied by a thick black beard. He wore a size twelve shoe and commanded the respect of everyone he ever came across, and being a lawyer, this was a quality that often did him a lot of justice. Despite his robust features and dominating personality, Grant swore that he never once heard or saw him raise neither his voice or hand to anyone. His wife was a small woman. Her average figure was complimented by a soft, forgiving face. She spoke often and had an answer for everything, Leonard and Grant both hated it. The thick blonde hair seen on the head of her only son could also be seen on her own head, only longer of course.

‘’You’re home later than usual’’ her voice was seldom louder than a whisper.

‘’Erm, yeah I was with James. That’s cool, right?’’

‘’Yeah of course’’ she cleared her throat. ‘’ You know we love James, he’s great’’

‘’Right… Well I had something to eat at his house so, I think I’m just gonna crash’’ he took off his bag and rubbed his forehead with his palm ‘’Is Nick home?’’

‘’In his room’’ Leonard said as he cracked open a can of beer. He always seemed to be drinking alcohol, normally it was a glass of whiskey, this time it was a can of beer. In spite of his constant alcohol consumption, he was never, ever drunk.

‘’Oh. Thanks, Dad’’ Grant said as ascended the stairs.



He walked into Nick’s room, he handed him a few wrinkled dollar bills; change from the cash Nick gave him in the morning. Nick looked up from his work desk.

‘’Nah hold that, man’’ Nick said as he greeted Grant with a pound. Nick was a light brown haired six foot something young man, he had a slim build and green eyes that regularly stared into the soul of his cousin. His hair was rarely out of place. The time he spent outside the house was in a suit, and times spent in the house were in a plain white t shirt and sweatpants. Ruby once declared that she was sure Nick had an infinite supply of white t shirts. The only thing that Nick placed above looking smooth was family, and this is what made him such a big part of not only the house of the Friday’s, but also their lives. He grew up in a deprived area named Fosters, nearer Miami Beach. It was because of this that he didn’t speak the same way Grant did, he spoke a form of Ebonics that it took a while for the Friday household to get used to. Grant picked up a glass of juice that Nick had rested on his bedside table; he sipped it and sat down on his bed.

‘’Sum on your mind, man?’’ Nick called from his cushioned chair. Grant put the glass back down on the table and cracked his knuckles. Nick spun his chair around, and looked deeply at Grant, scanned every hair on his head, every pore in his skin, he then got up sat down next to him and questioned him again. ‘’Is sum wrong?’’ he asked.

Grant took a deep breath.

‘’Have you ever kept something, like something really big, in the shadows? Like just not told anyone something, a single soul’’ Nick stared at his younger cousin with intent, he wasn’t sure what Grant was talking about, the mixture of confusion and worry for his cousin made his stomach churn ominously.

‘’Yeah’’ Nick said as he cleared his throat. ‘’Yeah I can relate to that’’ Nick said, clearing his throat one more time.

‘’Really? I, er, I dunno, I’m just a little…’’ Grant started.

‘’Listen, Grant… you know we bros right? You can tell me whatever’s going on’’ Nick said.

‘’Yeah, yeah I know that’’ Grant replied.

‘’So, go ahead’’

‘’Nothing, girl problems, man. Maybe I’m just being dramatic’’ Grant answered.

‘’You sure?’’ Nick asked.

‘’Yeah, I’m sure. Don’t worry about it’’ Grant said, lying through his teeth. Nick stood up slowly and walked back to his work desk.

‘’Aight, fair enough’’ he chuckled softly. Grant flashed a hand gesture as he left the room.

‘’Night, Nick’’

‘’Night, bro’’

It was about eleven o clock; Grant, Rita and James were in a group video call doing the work set by their maths teacher that day.

‘’Right…. so just carry the one?’’ Rita asked.

‘’Yes, Cassidy carry the one’’ James answered in a frustrated tone, Rita was smart, but she wasn’t as smart as James, and nowhere near as smart as Grant.

‘’Oh sorry, genius’’ Rita barked back at him as she rolled her flawless green eyes. She was at such a level of beauty that even something as small as an eye roll would accelerate the flow of testosterone in a male’s body. They stayed in the video call for some time. It wasn’t until about one in the morning that Grant took initiative and decided that they should get some sleep. He lay awake in his bed, he ran his hand along his torso, the truth is, Grant was happy with what he had; he had a perfect physique and the capacity to carry out any physical activity he wanted. What he didn’t want, what he was scared of, was the attention, the spotlight. He left all of that to James.



The next morning started the exact same way as the one before it. Grant got himself ready for school, and the same way he always did, he met James and Rita at the top of his street. They set off on their journey to school; Grant and James were nodding their heads and reciting the words of their favourite rap songs while Rita sat in the back of the car, growing in annoyance.

‘’Turn that shit down, ugh’’ Rita barked, she hated rap music. The boys began to chuckle like two toddlers who were chasing each other in a ball pit, as James began to slowly turn up the volume of the music. She then undid her seatbelt, leaned forward and whispered something into James’ ear, his face lit up like a Christmas tree and then he instantly turned the music down until it was almost silent.

‘’Bro?’’ Grant said bewildered by his friend’s sudden change of heart. James kept his eyes on the road and drove with a focus that Grant hardly even recognised, he shrugged and reached for the knob on the car stereo that controlled the volume of the music, he got three quarters of the way before James battered his hand away and shook his head violently.

‘’No way’’ he said sharply.

‘’Jimmy?’’ Grant barked in a loud voice, this was a 2Pac song, and Grant absolutely admired him. ‘’Jimmy, turn the song back up what’s wrong with you?’’ he added in a calmer tone. ‘’Dude… don’t. Just don’t’’ James replied. Although he was desperate to know what Rita said to his brainwashed friend, he felt uncomfortable getting involved in their relationship. The rest of the ride was filled by awkward silence.



They arrived at school and dispersed in their separate directions, the boys walked towards their lockers, and Rita made a bee line for a group of girls who much like her, were constantly giggling and clicking at their phones.

‘’Hey! Loser!’’ a harsh voice called from behind, Grant knew who it was before he even turned around, it was Warren Gibbs, he was known as an arrogant, foul mouthed bully who was held back a year on account of the fact that he probably didn’t have a brain in-between his ears. He had very broad shoulders; he was also very tall and quite muscular. He had jet black hair that he always seemed to have slicked down with a thick layer of gel that smelt like a musty armpit. ‘’How much you got for me today?!’’ He barked as he slammed Grant’s locker door shut.

‘’Warren, come – come on, man… leave me alone’’ Grant stammered.

‘’But if I leave you alone, how am I gonna eat?’’ Warren snarled in response. He was really close to Grant right now, right up in his personal space. ‘’I’m hungry’’ he added in a sinister tone. Grant opened his mouth to speak, he felt as if there was sand in his throat, his knees, wrists, elbows felt weak, his head dizzy. It looked like Warren was ready to continue the mocking before James stepped in.

‘’Your parents not love you enough to throw you a few bucks before you left for school today, Warren?’’ James barked, he’d seen enough and it was time for him to come to the aid of his friend.

‘’No one was talking to you’’ Warren replied in an awkward tone, a tone that was definitely not as threatening as the one he used when addressing Grant, because now; he was talking to the legendary James Delgado.

‘’Give a fuck, I’m talking to you, now’’ James shot back.

‘’What’s it to you anyway? Your friend here’s big enough to defend himself’’ Warren replied.

‘’My friend here, can put a hurt on you like you can’t even imagine’’ James started. He then dropped his bag, ran his fingers through his curly golden brown hair and flashed a devious smile. He approached Warren to the point where their noses were almost touching, in an almost psychotic tone, he said softly. ‘’But for whatever reason, he prides himself on being a peaceful guy, violence never really appealed to him, that’s why you’ve been tryna have your way with him ever since freshman year… but here’s the score, right. He’s too nice to lay a finger on you, but me? I’m hoping more than anything that right now, you’ll make a move so that I can fuck you up and not even get in trouble for it’’ James finished. Warren looked into James eyes, swallowed hard then cleared his throat. He knew he had lost this one.

‘’He can’t protect you forever.’’ he snarled at Grant as he and his group of followers made their retreat. Grant and James exchanged a look.

‘’I can only do that for so long, man. You can take out Warren and those suckers with one arm and a rolled up newspaper’’ Grant looked deep into James’ brown eyes, took a deep breath and put his head down, eyes towards the floor. James sighed sympathetically then threw his arm around his companion, and the pair then set off to their period.