Halo III
Marco

By: Micah Diablo
(© 2010-2011 by the author)

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

Chapter 2
Marco Vs. Coy

Scene A

"Coy..." a voice called out to me.

"Somebody help me," I yelled out to the voice. It was dark, and I was afraid of the dark. Bad things happened inside the dark. Bad people came from the darkness.

A door opened, light from outside shone inside the room I was in, and a boy stood there in front of me.

"You …You look just like me," I said, confused, as he stood there in front of me.

"Of course I do, Coy," he said with a chuckle as he walked toward me. I looked into his eyes. The same brown eyes, the same dark skin tone I had, the way he smiled ... was exactly like me.

"Ky?" I asked, confused.

"Please, let's not compare me to that ass," the boy said to me with a look of disgust.

"Who are you?" I asked him.

"Don't you know me, Coy?" He asked me. "You created me."

"Marco?" I asked, as it slowly dawned on me. "How is this possible?"

"You created me to live out your fantasies," Marco explained to me. "To be the strong person you always wanted to be, but never could be."

I looked at him, unsure of what was happening here. How could the person—from a story I'd written—be there in front of me?

"Where am I?" I asked him.

"Trapped inside your own mind," he said, squatting in front of me. "The mind is a powerful thing ... and it traps memories ... painful memories … away, when it doesn't want to deal. You were dying mentally when Tony raped you over and over and over again. You needed to feel strong, and the more he did it, the more something inside of you, snapped, and you began to die inside. In that weak point, you needed strength, and you created me. I must say, Tony likes it rough ... but then again so do I."

I noticed the door was slowly opening wider. The white light shone brighter from outside. The white contrasted with the darkness inside the room. "I have to get out of here," I said, getting up.

"Fine; but I dare you to walk out of this room," Marco said with a sneer. "I'm not going to stop you.

I walked toward the door. I was standing right there. One more step and I could be free.

"You can't do it, can you?" Marco asked, walking toward me. He placed his hand on the small of my back.

I looked around and noticed something. This was the same place in Freedom Hospital where Tony had raped me all those times. This was where this part of me died. The part that couldn't leave.

"You need me, Coy," he said in my ear. "Because without me, you would've not only mentally died in here ... you would've died completely."

"No," I said, not wanting to accept any of what I was hearing. "This can't be true."

"Nobody is stopping you from breaking free, Coy," he said with a laugh. "You're free to heal and break free of the hold he has on you."

I stood there unable to move. I couldn't take the step. I was afraid to confront my fears. I closed my eyes as the tears streamed down my face."

"You need me, Coy," he repeated to me. "That's why I'm in control."

"No," I said softly. I was thinking of Matt ... Ky ... all our friends ... even my parents. I'm sure they would want me to fight.

I was about to take the step out of the room when a glass window blocked me. Marco stood there in front of me.

"Let me out," I said pounding on the glass. "I can face Tony. I'm strong enough to handle him."

"Tony?" Marco asked with a laugh. "I'm going to kill Tony. But you have to handle me. Let's face it ... you can't beat me. Because you can't confront yourself. You're not strong enough."

The white light disappeared, and I realized that I was trapped here. Trapped inside my own mind. 

Scene B 

"First day of Junior year," Nick said as he ran down the stairs. "That means after this year, only one more year of hell till we graduate from Atlantic City College."

Josh laughed at his friend's excitement. "Well, sadly, I'm still technically a sophomore," he said with a sense of bitterness. "I can't be as excited as you and the rest of the gang."

Anthony walked out of the kitchen and tossed Josh an apple. "Mr. Richmond said that once you finish first semester, you'll be a Junior at the end, and then begin your Junior year second semester," he said, grabbing his backpack off the couch. "Then you can do summer school and catch up with us. By all means, I'm gonna make sure you're graduating with us, dude."

Josh sighed. "Gee, thanks, 'Mom'," he said sarcastically. "Well, I guess we should get going. I call shot gun."

Anthony grabbed his keys and followed Josh out of the house. Nick, the last to leave, locked the door and headed toward Anthony's car. Anthony locked the doors.

"Hey Ant, the door is locked," Nick said, tapping on the window.

Anthony rolled the window down slightly. "What's your point?"

"Can you unlock'em so I can get in?" Nick asked with a nervous laugh.

"Yeah, but … see … I only ride people in my car that I actually respect and trust," Anthony said with a smug look. "I neither respect nor trust you. So that marks you off."

"Ant, come on, man," Nick said, frustrated. "My car's in the shop and the bus has already come. It's about to rain."

"Not my problem," Anthony said as he rolled the window up and went to buckle his seatbelt up. He put the car in gear, but Nick jumped in front of the car.

"Unlock the goddamn door, Anthony," Nick yelled at his brother.

Josh looked uncomfortably at the tense situation unfolding before him. "Anthony maybe you should..."

"Maybe you should shut up," Anthony snapped. "Nick, I have no problem with being an only child. I suggest you move from the front of the car before I run you down and back the hell over you."

Nick stared Anthony down intensely, not wanting to back down.

"Some people just don't want to listen," Anthony said as he lightly hit the gas. He lightly tapped Nick with the car as he hit the roof of the car.

"Oh, my God," Josh said as Nick rolled off the hood of the car. "You hit your own brother."

"He should've moved," Anthony said with a blank look on his face. Nick got up and had a look of surprise on his face.

"Fuck you, man," Nick said as he limped toward the road. It had begun raining hard by now.

Anthony cleared his throat and pulled out of the driveway. "So you excited about seeing all your friends when you get to school?" He asked Josh, as if nothing had happened.

Josh looked at Anthony astonished by his emotionless face. 

Scene C 

Carmen stood in the Gym with Brianna and the rest of the cheerleaders, discussing the upcoming game and brainstorming possible cheers.

"So, Carmen," Brianna asked her. "How are you and Josh doing?"

Carmen laughed. "Um ... Carmen is fine ... Josh is fine. There is no Carmen AND Josh, though," she said with a blush.

"Maybe not now, but you want it to be," she joked. "Trust me, he's been back here in AC for the past two weeks. I've seen you two together non-stop. Details, girl; DETAILS!"

Carmen shrugged. "I mean, do I miss Josh ... Yeah, I do," she said with a nostalgic look on her face. "But I mean, so much has happened, and I'm not sure if I can forget it or let it go that easily, to go back out with him."

"You don't have to go back out with him," One of the cheerleaders said, elbowing Carmen slightly. "Save a horse and ride the boy like a cowboy."

The girls laughed hard at that one and Carmen blushed hard.

"Okay, enough about Carmen and Josh ignoring the love and passion," Brianna said, noticing Giselle walking toward them. "Oh, look here. If it isn't the wannabe Jennifer Lopez."

Giselle sighed and forced a smile. "I was just coming to say hello, guys," she said with a faux cheerful voice. "Hey, Carmen."

Carmen smiled a small smile but looked away when Brianna flashed her a dirty look.

"You know, I'm never one to be a big bitch or anything," Brianna said to Giselle. "But honestly, I think you should know better than to talk to us. We don't like you. We hate you. Including Carmen."

Giselle's smile faltered slowly. "I just don't see why we can't let bygones be bygones and move on," she said softly. "People change."

"People also have emotions and guilt," Carmen spoke up, shocking both Brianna and Giselle. "You lack both of those traits because you aren't a person. Not a good one; anyway, I don't believe you've changed. So stay the hell away from me."

Carmen stared Giselle down with a furious look on her face. Carmen was hurt. She had always been popular but she trusted very few girls. Even Brianna and the rest of the cheerleaders were merely just associates. But Carmen valued her friendship with Giselle because she thought Giselle was different from most of the petty, bitchy girls in her life. At least that's what she'd initially believed.

"I guess I'll see you at cheer practice, guys," she said softly.

Brianna scoffed. "You actually think you are welcomed on my squad?"

"Well, funny, I thought it was Coach Meadows' squad, Bri Bri," Giselle said with her trademark smile. "That's one thing you can't control. You can't kick me off the squad."

Giselle walked off, leaving Brianna fuming with anger. She turned and faced Carmen and the squad.

"We might not be able to kick her off," she said with a dark look on her face. "But we'll make her want to leave. I say we destroy the bitch. You in, girls?"

The squad cheered their agreements and looked at Carmen who was unsure of what was going on in their minds.

"You down, Miss Gianni?" Brianna asked. She eyed Carmen fiercely. Carmen never was one to follow along with what everybody else was doing just because it was the popular thing. She was popular because she was her own person and wasn't fake.

Carmen nodded and smiled. "Let's bring the bitch down," she said with a smile, and the rest of the girls all cheered. 

Scene D  

I walked into my first period Lab, hoping that it wasn't remotely boring. Looking around, I saw people who I didn't know, but they obviously knew me.

"Hey, Coy," A guy said, walking toward me.

"Actually, it's..."

"Oh, yeah, Marco," the boy said, using finger-quotes over Marco. "I forgot you went crazy in some hospital, and now have like mental issues with two personalities."

I smiled tightly at him. "Look, do you have a point in talking to me? Or are you just trying to release the hot air inside your massively big head?"

The guy laughed, sharing a laugh with his friends. I looked him in the face. He was familiar to me, but I wasn't sure of who he was.

"Say … are you still gay, dude?" he asked, causing his friends to laugh wildly at that one.

"Drop your pants and I'll suck you off right here," I said smartly. His smile faded and was quickly replaced with anger. He grabbed me by the collar of my shirt.

"Don't fucking say shit like that to me, ya fucking faggot," he said angrily. I was about to punch the dude in the face, but froze.

I had a flashback to when I was in the hospital. I remembered this dark haired boy. He would come into my room and mock me after Tony raped me.

"Darek," a voice said from behind me. "Let him go. NOW!"

That's who he was. I shoved Darek off of me and turned to see Matt walk into the Lab.

"Aw, look; his boyfriend's here," Darek mocked. "Here to protect him from big bad old Darek? Tell me, where were you when he was getting his brains forcibly fucked out at Freedom?"

Matt made a move to attack him, but I blocked him.

"I don't need you to fight my fights for me," I said with a stern look. "I am not weak."

I wasn't sure how I was going to handle Darek, and I didn't want to be in the Lab near Matt, so I decided to walk out.

Matt turned back and looked at Darek. "I didn't get to do what I wanted to do to you last year," he said getting into Darek's face. "But you touch or hurt him again, and I swear, this time I WILL kill you."

"You can try," Darek said with a laugh. "But more than likely, you won't succeed."

Matt growled in frustration and headed toward the door in hot pursuit of me, but was stopped by the professor.

"Skipping class already on the first day, Matthew?" Professor Pompeo asked him. "Take a seat, please, sir."

Matt sighed in frustration and headed to a desk. He noticed Darek looked back at him with a smug look on his face.

'He's a problem that needs to be solved fast,' Matt thought to himself. He pulled his cell out and began to send a text. 

Scene E  

Josh was pretty happy. First lecture period had gone by quickly and problem-free.

He knocked on Coach Taylor's office door. The Coach looked up and beckoned him inside.

"Josh," Coach Taylor said with a confused look. "What brings you by?"

"Um ... I was hoping to talk to you if you've got a few minutes, sir," Josh said nervously.

"Um ... sure, yeah, take a seat," he said. "How are things?"

"Um ... good," Josh said. "I've been back for almost two weeks, now, so I'm ready to get back in here and get into the groove of things."

"I bet," Coach Taylor said. "Anything that I can do to help you?"

"I was actually hoping to maybe talk to you about football and lacrosse," Josh replied. "I know that last year was ... well, complicated, but I want you to know that I'm better and that I would love to be on the team again and..."

"Josh, let me stop you there," Coach Taylor said, holding his hand up. "Josh you are ... were ... one of the best players Atlantic City College has seen in a long, long time. Probably ever. But do you realize that what made you one of the best was not just your athleticism. It was your character and your heart. Your heart, last year, was black, and your character turned bitter. You cost your school ... your team … many games. They relied on you and looked up to you as a leader even though you weren't the captain. You let them ... and me … down."

"I know that, Coach, but I'm not going to let you guys down again," Josh said passionately. "I'm here. I'm back. Full force."

"Josh ... I don't know..."

"Please, Coach," Josh said trying to hold back the tears. "Please don't make me use the 'daddy abused me and turned me to drugs and shot me' card. All I need is a chance."

Coach Taylor looked hard at Josh and sighed.

"I want you on the team, but it's not up to me, Josh," he said to him. "Come to practice today. We'll put it to a vote."

Josh got up and shook his hand. "Oh, it's pretty much a given then," he said excitedly, as he walked out of the office. He spun around and quickly popped back in. "Thanks, Coach."

Coach Taylor nodded and watched Josh walk down the hallway. In his heart, he knew that Josh was in for disappointment. He just hoped he'd learned his lesson and would positively allow things to effect him this time. 

Scene F  

Ky and Nick sat at a lunch table in the Cafeteria sharing a tray of fries.

"It feels so good to be out of that damn hospital," Ky said happily.

Nick smiled at his boyfriend. "It feels so good to be here with you," he said equally as happy. "Can you believe it? We're here ... actually, together. Out. With no restrictions. No hiding. Just ... together."

"That's the way I like it," Ky said as he leaned across the table and kissed Nick on the lips.

Nick blushed slightly as he saw they were being watched.

"I love making you blush," Ky said and laughed as Nick threw a fry at him.

"Hey, has anybody seen Coy?" Matt asked, plopping beside Nick in a seat.

"You mean Marco, don't you," Ky asked with a sigh. "Haven't seen my asshole brother since this morning when he hit me in my still-sore stomach, for drinking his orange juice."

"At least your brother didn't try to run you down with a car this morning," Nick said smugly.

"Twins," they said in unison. Matt looked at Ky and Nick and missed the cuteness of  his own relationship.

"Did you know Darek is back?" He asked them and they looked at him with a shocked look on their face.

"What the fuck? What is he doing here?" Ky asked annoyed.

Matt shrugged. "I guess to try and cause more trouble."

"Please don't join anymore cults, babe," Nick said jokingly, trying to make Ky smile a little, but to no effect.

"Relax, man," Matt said grabbing Ky's hand. "If he hurts you or Coy ... I swear, he will experience pain like he's never felt before."

Ky smiled softly. "Thanks."

Carmen, Josh, and Anthony walked over and took their seats at the table.

"Do we seriously have to eat here?" Anthony asked as he glared at Nick, who glared back. "Here are three people I can't stand sitting with in front of me."

"Anthony, quit complaining," Carmen said taking a fry off Ky and Nick's tray. "If I have to stomach seeing Giselle's face daily, you have to handle them."

"Yeah, quit being a bitch, man," Josh joked, but Anthony rolled his eyes.

"Hey, losers," I said walking to the table, being followed closely behind by Nate and Giselle.

"Coy," Anthony and Matt said in unison.

"I thought your name was Marco?" Nate asked, confused.

"It's Coy," Anthony and Matt said in unison again, aggravated. "Who's he?"

"He's my new buddy, Nate Soto," I said, introducing them to Nate. "You all know Giselle."

"Unfortunately," Carmen muttered.

"What happened to stomaching Giselle?" Anthony joked. She pinched him in the neck.

"I gotta go," Carmen said getting up. "If she's here, I don't wannabe."

"Right behind you," Anthony said getting up and following her.

"I don't know who is more dramatic … gays or girls," Josh said, getting up to follow after them.

"Good, more room for us," I said as the three of us sat down at the table.

"Gee, this isn't awkward," Nick said sarcastically. "Ex-girlfriend, new boyfriend, making me feel kind of awkward. Brothers, turned enemy, turned brothers, turned to whatever this is right here. Boyfriend develops a new personality and is avoiding boyfriend and hanging with new guy. Everybody caught up?"

I ignored him. "What's new, with you two love birds?"

"Just enjoying every second we can spend together," Ky said, grabbing Nick's hand.

I rolled my eyes in disgust as Daniel walked toward us. "Ky ... Coy..."

"You know what," I said, annoyed. "I've been telling you people to stop calling me that. But … whatever ... Coy ... Marco. I am tired of trying to teach you guys."

"Ignore him," Ky said shaking his head. "What's up, Daniel?"

"Well, you know the next half-hour is dedicated toward to clubs, and the Rainbow Soldiers are meeting, and I wanted you guys to be there," he said to us.

"Do I really have to?" I asked.

"Please … for me," Daniel pleaded. "Coy, you were one of our biggest members ... before..."

"Before what?" Nate asked, curiously.

"Nothing," I said getting up. "You'll be okay here with Giselle and the boys."

"Actually, I am about to go check out the meeting for cheerleading," Giselle said, getting up. "Nick's right. Both my ex-boyfriends are sitting here ... with THEIR boyfriends. It's kinda awkward."

"Yeah, I want to get to know your boyfriend and your brother's boyfriend," Nate said looking at Nick and Matt.

"I don't know if..." I began, but stopped. I wasn't sure what I wanted to call Matt.

Nick and Ky shared a small kiss, and we both followed Daniel toward the meeting.

Nate stared at both Nick and Matt curiously. "So, Nick … you're a twin dating a twin. That's kinda cool."

"I guess," Nick said shortly.

Things got quiet again. Matt looked directly into Nate's eyes.

"What's the deal with you and my boyfriend?" Matt asked him.

"We're just friends, dude," Nate said with a laugh. "Threatened?"

"Actually, seeing how he has been through a lot of shit in the past few months, I kind of am," Matt said honestly. "But if you're just friends..."

"For now anyway," Nate said with a laugh. "Come on, I'm sure the two of you agree. Coy is a hot-ass dude. Those lips drive me wild. But relax, I just want to be friends. You can have him for all that mushy love shit. I just want to fuck him."

"Dude, I am not really in the mood for some dude trying to move into my territory," Matt said getting annoyed.

"Dude ... he's a person, not an object and for the past few days, he really doesn't say much shit about you," Nate said, getting up. "Nothing good anyway. But hey ... I'm not gonna take your boyfriend from you. He'll come to me willingly. They always do in the end."

Matt watched as Nate walked off and toward a group of guys.

"I really don't like that dude," Nick said to Matt, who was fuming with anger.

Matt got up and kicked over a nearby chair. "We gotta football meeting." 

Scene G 

"I got something that I need to say to you two," Josh said, as he stood with Anthony and Carmen outside the school gym. "What the hell is wrong with you two?"

"That's not saying anything," Carmen joked. "It's more of a question."

"Carmen Gianni, I'm fucking serious," Josh said in a serious tone. "Look; I've known you for years, and we're more than friends. The girl I've known wouldn't be acting like a complete bitch to somebody."

Carmen looked at him, shocked. "But she..."

"But nothing, Carmen," Josh said. "Look; Giselle was a huge-ass bitch last year. She did some fucked up stuff, but she makes mistakes. So do I. You forgave me … uhhh … forgive me …COY has forgiven me."

"Well, if you haven't realized it or not, Coy isn't exactly stable right now," she said to him.

"All I'm saying is that Giselle seems like she has changed and deserves a second chance," he said to her. "She isn't being the bitch now. It's you."

Carmen looked and saw Giselle sitting by herself on a bench. After Ky and I were trapped in the … 'hospital' … and Josh left, she had been an advocate in pretty much destroying Giselle's personal life. Now she felt bad and realized that she wasn't being a good person by treating her like shit. She watched Giselle walk into the gym.

"Fine, I'll go talk to her," Carmen said following Giselle into the gym.

"And you..." Josh said looking at Anthony. "What the fuck man? You hit your brother with a car?"

"Oh, come on, let's not exaggerate," Anthony said. "He got back up."

"Dude! I'm shocked and ashamed of you," Josh said to him, shaking his head. "I don't have any family right now. You and Nick are the closest things I have. My fucking best friend has a personality disorder, and Carmen and I are trying to act like there is no black cloud looming over us. But when I see shit like this morning, I don't want to call you my family any more. My dad hurts people and I don't want people like that in my family. He's your brother. Yes, I will admit, he did a fucked-up, grimey thing, but you lost Coy way before Nick helped Matt. Coy and Ky are brothers and almost lost each other, and they're both surviving. Now Ky is stuck with a brother who really could care less if he were dead or alive. Would you want that for you and Nick?"

Anthony shook his head. "Look, it's not that easy, man," he said to Josh. "Until you came along, Nick was the only person who hadn't stabbed me in the back. People here are fake as hell and fear me because I was an ass, and they used us to get themselves far along, and when they didn't need us, they dropped us. Ratted us out. I trusted him, and he betrayed me. I can't forgive that. Not right now."

Josh looked at him sadly. "I hope you can let go of that hatred in your heart," he said. "I would hate for it to fester into something like my father has, and you end up killing Nick because YOU wouldn't let it go."

Josh walked off and left Anthony with his thoughts. 

Scene H 

Carmen sat in the center of the gym watching some girls practice cheers for the upcoming football game. Giselle sat off to the side from the rest of the girls, just watching. She looked nervous. She expected the Coach to be there; that way she knew that no one would try anything if an adult were here.

Carmen noticed that a few girls were missing. Brianna, being the captain, wasn't there, and she had a feeling they were up to something.

"Hey," she said walking over and sitting beside her former best friend.

"What happened to me staying away from you?" Giselle asked Carmen, who laughed slightly at that.

"Look, I really hate the person you turned into this past year," Carmen said to her. "You hurt people. Me especially. I needed you for support when Tony and Ryan kidnapped Coy. You left me when I needed you the most. You weren't there when I broke up with Josh. You weren't there when Coy and Ky were in that awful place. When Josh was shot and I didn't know if he was dead or alive for the longest."

Giselle opened her mouth to speak, but Carmen stopped her. "Let me finish," she said to her. "You weren't a good friend to me and I felt alone even when I had my friends. You were my homegirl. My best girl friend. But I realized I wasn't being a good friend to you for these past few months. Your first love had been cheating on you for the longest and your new boyfriend is gay. I became the same bitter person you were being and I don't like it. I don't like hurting people I care about, because a lot of people I cared about got hurt. So I want to start over ... just letting the past stay in the past and be friends again. I want my Giselle back. The one I talked about boys with, talked about those loser cheerleaders I hang with ... God, you left me with Brianna and her clones."

"I'm sorry," Giselle said hugging Carmen tightly. They sat like that for a moment and stood up.

"God, I miss these hugs," Carmen said as she saw Brianna walk up behind Giselle with a bucket of what she knew was red Gatorade they were going to use to stain Giselle's all white outfit. "Oh, my God!"

She pushed Giselle out of the way as Brianna threw the Gatorade and got it all over her (Carmen's) brand new outfit.

Giselle looked shocked while Brianna and the girls fumed with anger.

"Carmen, what the hell?" Brianna asked angrily.

"Oh, come on Brianna this whole bitch act really isn't becoming of you," Carmen said, as she stood proudly. "It kinda makes you look fat."

Brianna growled. "I thought we were friends."

"That girl right there," Carmen said pointing at Giselle. "That's my friend. I don't even like you guys. If you think THEY are your friends, Brianna, then you're as dumb as I think you are. They only like you because you're popular. Without popularity, you wouldn't have the Bri-clones. You would be just as alone as we've made Giselle feel for the past five months."

"You are gonna regret this," Brianna threatened. "You both are."

"No, YOU will regret it if you try some shady shit like this again," Carmen said to her. "I'm not somebody you want to make an enemy. So let's do what we have been doing for the past year and a half and be frenemies."

Carmen walked off with Giselle following behind her.

"Thanks for that, Carmen," Giselle said gratefully.

"What are friends for?" Carmen asked, glad that she finally was able to forgive Giselle and fix their friendship. 

Scene I 

Matt sat outside with the rest of his football team with Nick beside him, still annoyed.

"Okay, can you really drop the rabid wolf look?" Nick asked him. "You look like you're ready to rip somebody's head off."

"I see two people's heads that I want to rip off headed this way right now," Matt growled, pointing toward Nate and Darek walking toward the bleachers, followed by Coach Taylor and Josh. "What are they doing here?"

"What is Josh doing here?" Nick asked curiously.

"Guess we'll find out," Matt said as Coach Taylor waited for the rowdy boys to get quiet.

"All right, I'm glad to see all my boys here on the first day of the new school year," Coach Taylor began. "Do I need to do attendance or can anybody tell me if anybody is missing?"

"Ky is at another club meeting, but I can pass on whatever info I need to," Nick said and Coach Taylor smiled at him.

"Thanks, Pagan," he said. "Now, before we talk about my plans for the game coming up Friday night, I want to discuss a few things I need to address. First ... given that a few of our members from last season are not here, I have two people here, who I have reviewed their tapes from their previous schools and decided to bring them on as wildcards."

"Please, God, tell me they're mascots," Matt said as he knew what was coming.

"Boys, welcome your two newest team mates," Coach Taylor said. "Nate Soto and Darek Bouzakis."

The team all cheered and welcomed the two boys while Nick and Matt both looked shocked.

"Please tell me I'm dreaming and not playing with the guy who tried to have my boyfriend killed," Nick said to Matt.

"Please tell I'm dreaming and not playing with the guy who tried to have MY boyfriend killed," Matt said to Nick. "And the guy who is trying to steal my boyfriend FROM me."

Darek and Nate both flashed smug looks at Matt and Nick as they walked onto the bleachers to take a seat.

"Now I have Josh here, and as you know, he was one of our best players from last year for both Football and Lacrosse," Coach Taylor continued. "But certain circumstances prevented him from completing the seasons with us."

"Yeah, he turned into a druggie," a guy yelled out from the stands.

"That's enough," Coach Taylor yelled. "Miller, see me after. Now, he's asked if he could come back to the team, and I decided to leave it to you guys—excluding Nate and Darek—to vote. All for him returning to the team, please raise your hands."

Anthony, Nick, and Matt were the only three to raise their hands. Josh couldn't believe it. He just knew he had more friends than the three of them.

"Come on, guys," Josh said looking around at them.

"All against, please raise your hands," Coach Taylor said with a grave look on his face.

The remaining members raised their hands and Josh's heart was crushed. He looked at Matt and Nick for support but they looked helplessly at him.

"Please don't do this," Josh said sadly. "Football is all I know. Please don't do this, Coach."

"I am not doing anything, Josh," Coach Taylor said sadly.

A guy stood up. "Look, Josh. You're cool as hell but whatever shit you were going through you should've let us know what was going on," he said. "We needed you, and you let us down. We lost games because we depended on you to be there, and you weren't. You were too dazed out to remember games, and you eventually got kicked off. We learned how to play without you, and now, we don't need you."

"Try again in Lacrosse, junkie," another dude yelled out.

"Fuck all of you," Josh growled before he stormed off angrily.

"Well, looks like somebody's hitting the coke hard tonight," Nick said sadly. Matt nodded his head in agreement. 

Scene J 

"Okay, so we called this meeting because we wanted to talk about the future of this chapter of Rainbow Soldiers," Daniel said as he opened the meeting. "We had a devastating attack last year on a member and one of our newest members, and we lost a lot of our other members out of fear of the same things happening to them. But I'm glad that we have some of the same faces as well as new ones. I'd like to open the floor for ideas and proposals for future rallies and volunteer projects."

"Gag me, please," I said loudly. Everybody looked at me, shocked.

"Coy, don't," Ky warned.

"Did ... Did you have something to say, Coy?" Daniel asked me.

"As a matter of a fact, I do have a LOT to say," I said standing up and walking to the podium and pushing Daniel out of the way. "I hope you don't mind me hi-jacking your meeting. Look, my name is … Coy ... Coy James. I'm sure you all knew that, though. What I have to say is … that this organization is weak and everything it stands for is pathetic. Freedom by peace? Equal rights by doing rallies, protests, and sit-ins. Martin Luther King and civil rights leaders did it and … I mean no offense, but … I don't plan on 'TRUMPING' for a decade trying to get equal rights and respect here. If you want respect, you don't give it. You take it."

"What are you saying?" Daniel asked me, confused.

"I'm saying if the Christian Soldiers want to fight and play dirty, then we shit all over them and play the same game they play, only WE play it better," I said with an evil grin.

"Violence plus Violence equals more Violence, Coy," Ky said to me. "I learned firsthand what violence can do to you."

"And I learned first hand what being weak can do to you," I countered. "Have any of you had a cock, or dick if you prefer that term, shoved forcefully inside of you? To be humiliated. To be raped over and over again and have so much pain. Does anybody know the feeling to know that sick pervert is still out there? No? No, you don't, do you. People like the Christian Soldiers are smart, because to get what you want, you have to fight. We're in a war. Rainbow Soldiers versus Christian Soldiers. I say we fight."

"I say we fight, too," Ky said, standing up. "With Peace and Love in our hearts. I almost lost my life with so much hate consuming me."

"That's because you didn't know how to channel your hate in the right way," I said to him.

"I'm sorry, Coy, but we don't believe in violence," Daniel said to me. "Maybe you should go."

I scoffed and laughed at this turn of events. "Looks like my own brother couldn't be a brother and stand up for me ... WITH me … like a brother should."

"Coy, it's not like that," Ky said sadly. "But this isn't right."

"You don't believe in violence?" I asked looking around at the group of people. "Fine. Don't believe in Violence. But watch. They will kill you ... eventually."

"You sound just like Darek and Reverend Taylor," Ky said to me as I walked past him to the door, and I froze in my steps.

"Looks like they had the right idea of getting what they want," I said without turning around.

"Coy, this isn't you," Ky said, placing his hand on my shoulder. "This isn't the brother I know."

"That's because the brother you know is dead," I said shrugging him off. "Coy's not here anymore. It's Marco Bitches."

I walked out of the room and toward the parking lot. I saw Josh sitting on the hood of his car, seemingly lost in thought.

"Hey, Jackson," I said, walking over to him.

"Coy ... Marco ... I'm sorry; which do you want to be called," he asked, confused.

"Doesn't matter," I said with a sigh. "What's with the sad, pathetic look on your face."

"You ever feel like you're alone, or nobody wants you around, and nobody will protect you?" he asked. "Feel like you're in a cold, dark place with no sense of light?"

"Everyday," I answered. "Everyday. But you know what I realized?"

"What's that?"

"I crave the light, but honestly, the dark can have it's strengths as well," I said. "Why don't you hang with me, and I can show you how good it feels to embrace hate and darkness."

I walked closer to him and stood in between his legs biting my lip slightly.

"Um … Coy ... What are you doing?" His voice seemed nervous.

"Helping you," I said kissing him softly on the lips. "I know how alone you feel. I feel so empty, and all I have is hate ... I want to help you."

"Coy ... I'm not gay," Josh said, unsure of what to do.

"Shh!" I said kissing him softly. "You know how good those drugs of yours felt when you took them?"

"Yeah," he said, still unsure of what to do.

"Then trust me, your best friend," I said with a seductive grin. "I will give you a new, healthier addiction. A new kind of drug."

Josh looked at me with a sad look in his eyes. He knew this was wrong, but everything else he'd tried also felt wrong, so maybe the wrong thing was the right thing.

"Bring it on," he said, kissing me.

Josh knew in his heart he wasn’t gay but it had been so long since someone had taken an interest in him like Carmen had, and he trusted me. He needed the attention….

I smiled at him. I was tired of being the victim and being used. This time I was going to be the person using somebody and I was going to use Josh. I wanted to feel how it felt to hurt people and use people.

'Fuck the nice boy act,' I said to myself. 

 To be continued...

Author's Note:

Marco, Episode 2 is completed. I got kind of excited so I felt as if I should write a little more for you guys to enjoy.

Well, there was a lot of good and bad to this chapter. Giselle and Carmen rekindled their friendship while Matt discovered Darek's return and Nate's intentions, although now with Coy/Marco manipulating Josh, that might be null and void ... although, it could be a hot threesome ;)

I say the happiest two people right now are Nick and Ky while Anthony and Nick are still at odds with each other.

FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS WANTED GUYS ... GOOD, BAD, AND THE UGLY!!!!