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.