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 5

Scene A 

Carmen sat tapping her pencil loudly on her notebook as she and Nate sat in the Library working on homework

Nate raised his eyebrows. "You know I let you talk me into coming in here and doing work instead of making out, and now when I try to do work, you want to distract me."

Carmen looked over at him and sighed. "I'm sorry. I just got a lot on my mind right now."

"Yeah, you've been really ... distant … for the past few days," he said with a concerned look on his face. "What's wrong, babe?"

Carmen shook her head.

"Come on; I know that something's wrong," he said, closing his math book and looking up at his girlfriend. "You've been weird since ... since the drama at the Ice Cream Parlor Friday."

"Nate..." Carmen began, but Nate shook his head and looked at her with a straight face.

"He's your EX-boyfriend, Carmie, and your best friend is dating him," he said, trying NOT to let the fact that he was bothered show on his face. "It's natural for you to be jealous."

"Jealous?" Carmen asked with a scoff. "I'm not jealous of Josh and Coy's relationship. I just ... I just..."

"You just what?" Nate asked her. "Carmen, if you're jealous, you're jealous. Don't trip."

Carmen sighed and placed her head in her hands. "So if ... and that's a BIG if ... if I were jealous ... how do you feel? Mad? Jealous? Threatened?"

"Do I have anything to be jealous of?"

Nate looked at Carmen, anxiously awaiting a reply. Carmen looked him in the eye. True, she wasn't over Josh, but with the drug use and his surprise relationship ... she would have to get over it.

"Of course not," she lied, with a smile on her face. 

Scene B 

Matt walked inside the gym, dreading the day. It was his first day back after the suspension and the past four days had been some of the worst of his life. He got his heart ripped out when he found out that the boy he loved, and would die for, was taken from him by his best friend.

Nick walked to his locker and rested against it. "How you feeling, man?"

Anthony shrugged as he shut the locker door. "I see how Anthony feels now, when Coy and I started dating. How could Josh do that?"

"It's obvious that Coy and Josh aren't exactly themselves right now," Nick said to him. "So maybe we can't fault them for that. What are you gonna do?"

Anthony sighed in frustration. "I gave up my life—of being straight—for Coy because I felt like he was the one, and then I fucked things up again when I cheated on him, but when I got my second chance, I was willing to do whatever it took ... even come out to the whole entire school ... and you know what I've just realized? That I am done with Coy."

"Really?" Nick asked, not sure if this was the best decision.

"Really," Matt said, determined as he saw Josh and me walking inside the school. His face contorted in anger.

"Matt ... don't do anything stupid," Nick said, with a worried look on his face. "We just got back."

Matt walked over toward us, leaving a worried Nick.

"What's going on? " Ky asked walking up to Nick,

"We might need to referee Smackdown ... Matt versus Josh, part two," Nick said as he walked after Matt.

"Hey, Matt," I said with a cheery face. "What's up?"

Matt stared Josh down with an angry look on his face.

"Matt," Ky said nervously. "We do need you for the team..."

"Yeah, because some of us around here aren't wanted," Anthony said as he made his way over.

Josh looked at Matt, Nick, Ky, and Anthony. It hurt him to see his four best friends standing there with their arms folded.

"Come on ... baby," I added the last part and shot a dark look at Matt and Anthony as I walked off.

"I can't believe this," Matt said annoyed. "I lost my boyfriend ... to a straight guy?"

"You keep saying he's straight," Ky said, confused. "He's fucking your boyfriend."

"I know that, but there is just something that doesn't look right or feel right about those two," Matt said watching us walk off.

"Yeah, my gay-dar screams Straight Boy," Nick said to his friends.

"It's not just that," Matt said, turning to face them. "There is something not right about Coy."

"That's just you wanting to believe YOUR Coy is still in there," Anthony said, hitting on the back of Matt's head. "Wake Up! Your Coy is dead."

Nick patted Matt on the back. "Like you said ... forget about Coy. Move on."

Matt sighed. It was true, he said he was going to move on. But was he ready?

"Let's get to our lectures," he said breaking away from the group of guys.

Nick looked at Ky with a serious look. "There are a lot of similarities between twins that go just beyond looks," he said to his boyfriend. "Please promise me that you won't have an episode like Coy/Marco. The religious zealots were enough."

"I promise," Ky said, as the three of them headed toward their various lecture halls. 

Scene C 

Ky closed the door to his Math class as he made his way to the bathroom.

"Hey Ky," Daniel said as he passed by him.

Ky waved back at him and headed into the bathroom and frowned as soon as he walked in.

"Hello, Ky," Darek said with a smile.

"Gee, I really wish people would flush after they take shits," Ky said to Darek.

"Ha, that's funny," Darek said with a fake laugh.

"Shouldn't you be ruining somebody else's life?" Ky asked him. "You already ruined mine enough. I'm sure there are some other people that you can annoy and destroy their lives."

"Come on, Ky, we used to be ... something … almost like friends," Darek said, flushing the urinal and moving to wash his hands.

"Please don't remind me," Ky said as he relieved himself. "Darek, last year was a mistake, and it almost cost me Nick. I was weak then. This year, I'm strong and I realize that as long as I've got Nick in my life, I'm always going to be strong. So I don't have time to deal with you and your bullshit this year. So stay away from me."

Ky flushed and washed his hands and headed toward the door.

"You aren't safe you know," Darek said suddenly. Ky froze at the door. "Just because I am not with the Christian Soldiers anymore, doesn't mean that you're safe. You or Nick, or for that matter, Coy. Especially you and Coy."

Ky turned around. "What do you mean especially Coy and Me?"

Darek shook his head and walked toward Ky. "Let's say that I had my reasons for what I did last year, but ... there are people who are just far more dangerous and sadistic than I could ever be. Don't forget ... Reverend Taylor and Tony are still out there."

Ky sighed as Darek walked out and left him standing there, thinking.

'Does this shit ever end?' He wondered to himself. 

Scene D 

Carmen and Giselle ran along the track for Gym class. "God, I swear, my make-up is running because of all this damn sweat," Giselle said rubbing her eyebrow.

"Who puts on all that lipstick and eyeliner and crap to run two miles for gym?" Carmen asked her friend as they neared their fourth lap.

"Girls who want to look sexy no matter what," Giselle said with a breathless laugh.

"Right now you just look ... horrible," Carmen countered.

"Keep up, ladies," Darek said as he and Nate ran past them.

Carmen scoffed. "I still don't get what you see in him."

"He's hot," Giselle said with a huge smile.

"True, but when you add in the fact that he was a part of an illegal faction that attacked and murdered gays, it kinda makes him seem like he's ... ugly," Carmen offered.

"Even us hot people make mistakes, too," Giselle said.

Carmen stopped and looked at her with a stern look.

"Look, Carmen, I'm not as smart as you, and I have a reputation that attracts a certain type of guy," Giselle said sadly. "But I am tired of getting guys who just want to fuck, because there is so much more to me than fucking. Darek isn't just looking for that."

Carmen noticed the look on Giselle's face and realized that—be that as it may, and how much she hated Darek—Giselle was happy. That's all she wanted, was for her to be happy.

"Just be careful, okay," Carmen said hugging her tightly.

"I will," Giselle said, noticing Josh and me. "Uh-oh, former boyfriend now fucking former best friend is headed this way ... with said best friend he's fucking."

Josh kissed me with a deep kiss, our tongues battling each other and walked past Carmen without even acknowledging her.

"Carmen, my best friend," I said walking over to her and Giselle. "Giselle, my best friend's best friend and my fashionista, how are you two doing?"

Carmen looked at me with a heated look. Giselle noticed her friend growing mad, and looked at me.

"Coy, maybe this isn't a good time," she said not wanting the conflict to go on.

"No, it's a perfectly good time," Carmen said stepping into my face. "How could you, Coy? How could you date Josh?"

Darek and Nate made their way over to us.

"How could you NOT tell me he could fuck so damn good?" I asked her. "Best friends don't have secrets."

"Best friends don't date best friends' exes," Carmen said to me.

"I second that," Giselle said, and I looked at her with an annoyed look.

"Don't be jealous because Josh told me he never loved anybody the way he loves me, and that you were part of the reason he turned to drugs," I said to her and she made a move to slap me, but I caught her hand. "I will hit a woman."

I dropped her hand and made my way over to my class leaving Darek, Nate, Carmen, and Giselle standing there.

"Wow, Coy is sure different, huh?" Darek asked, playing dumb.

"I need to go talk to him," Carmen said, making a move to go, but Nate stepped in front of her.

"No, I will," he said.

"No, Nate..."

"No, Carmen. I sat there and believed you when you said you were over Josh, and now I witness you arguing with your friend over him?" Nate asked her.

"But..."

"But nothing, Carmen," Nate said adamantly. "Yeah, Coy did something fucked-up, but you don't OWN Josh after the fact that you broke up with him ... so get the fuck over it."

Nate walked off and Darek followed after him.

"Wow," Giselle said to Carmen, shocked.

"I know ... so hot!" she said, forgetting about Josh.

Darek and Nate sat on the bleachers, with Nate fuming.

"I find love affairs funny," Darek said with a laugh.

"What?"

"Does Carmen know that you're IN LOVE with her, but attracted to Coy?"

"Wha... How did you..."

"I am not just a pretty face," Darek said, flashing him a smile. "Well ... mostly, a pretty face, but I do have my moments of smartness.

Nate looked up to see Carmen walking toward him.

"Hey, baby," she said nervously. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Nate said as he hugged and kissed her. He noticed across the field that I was with my swim team and walking around in my speedo and shirtless.

"Don't pop a boner," Darek said with a laugh, earning dark looks from both Nate and Carmen. 

Scene E  

"Hey, Coy," Daniel said, running up to me as I posted flyers around the school.

I looked down from the stepladder that I was on and rolled my eyes. "What is it, David?"

Daniel sighed. "You know my name, Coy," he said, taking a paper out of my hand. '"What is this?"

"Well, most modern people call that paper or 'papel' in Spanish," I said sarcastically. "The decorations and words make that paper into something called an announcement or flyer."

"I meant, what is this you're announcing?" he asked. "The Brotherhood?"

"Yeah; I know it's sexist, but lesbos really creep me out," I said to him. "Especially Professor 'MS.' Monroe from World History. She has a moustache, and I've seen dick imprints in the shorts she wears."

"Please tell me this isn't your new group that you were talking about at the Rainbow Soldiers meeting," he said.

I shrugged. "Okay, I won't tell you," I said to him. "Now excuse me, but I have more flyers to post."

"Coy ... what exactly is the brotherhood about?" he asked, concerned.

"About stepping up and fighting for what we want, since pussy-ass faggots want to just sit around and protest it out," I said, grabbing the step ladder. "I told you what I wanted, and I'm sorry but I have no need to talk to you."

"Coy..."

"Daniel ... please!" I said turning around to face him. "I'm in a pretty good mood and I don't want to make you one of my targets."

"Targets?" he asked, confused. "What do you mean … 'Targets'?"

"I guess you're gonna have to wait and see," I said, walking off. 

Scene F 

Matt stood in line trying to get his food for lunch. He was really confused. Everybody was going around and telling him that he was dumb for coming out for a guy who had turned into an ass. But he loved that ass ... that ass that's still the same guy he fell in love with.

"Think too hard, you might bust a vein," a girl said, as he paid for lunch.

"Huh?" he asked, as they begin walking toward the tables.

"You were doing some heavy duty thinking back there," she said to him. "I wanted to see how far gone you were, so I snuck three of those chocolate chip cookies on your plate. By the way, those are mine."

Matt looked down at the three cookies on his tray and back at the pretty girl.

"Actually, since I paid for them, they are mine," he joked. "But you might be lucky enough and I will share them with you at my table?"

The girl raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think you're lucky enough for me to sit with you?"

She grabbed a cookie and bit it before smiling and walking off.

"She's hot," Anthony said in his ear as Matt sat down at the usual table.

"Good to know I still got it," Matt said with a smile. He looked up and met eyes with her. She smiled at him.

"Well, technically you don't 'GOT' it," Darek said earning a look of disgust from Matt and Anthony.

"I might not be able to stop you from sitting with us," Anthony said to him. "But please … don't depress us by talking to us."

Darek ignored Anthony and looked back at Matt. "You don't 'GOT' it because you didn't seal the deal."

Nate looked at Darek, trying to see where he was going with this.

"Who says I want to seal the deal?" Matt asked him.

"So you want to pine after Coy all year long, while he's with Josh?" Darek asked.

Matt looked up and noticed Josh and me sitting at a table by ourselves.

"I didn't even get her name," Matt said to them. "I should have asked for it then, but I wasn't thinking..."

"Emily Ashby," Carmen said, stealing some fries off Darek's plate, who flashed her a look. "Oh! Shut up, punk."

"Yeah; she's a cheerleader here who transferred from Philly, and she'll be on the volleyball team," Giselle said to her ex-boyfriend. "She's really nice."

"And really cute," Nick offered.

"But she's not Coy," Anthony said, noticing the look on Matt's face. "Dude, I said we could squash our beef and be friends, but I am not friends with lame dudes. Forget Coy and move on. To Emily Ashby. Because if you don't ... I will."

Matt sighed and nodded his head in agreement.

"Thanks, Darek," Nate said, realizing what Darek had been doing the whole time.

Darek smiled at his best friend and stole a fry off Carmen's plate.

"Oh shut up, Punk," he said to her.  

Scene G 

Josh noticed Carmen walking toward Cheerleading and decided to talk to her.

"Hey," he said, walking up to her. She looked at him and flashed a smile.

"Hey, you," she said, looking at him.

Neither knew what to say to each other.

"Um..."

"So you're gay, now?" Carmen asked Josh but felt bad not meaning it to sound bad. "I didn't mean it like that. It's cool, if you are."

"It is?" Josh asked her, surprised.

She nodded at him. "Josh, I want you to be happy," she said to him. "You're a good person and you deserve happiness in your life, and if he makes you happy, I'm okay with it."

"I don't think I'm gay," Josh said to her. "It's just Coy..."

"I get it," Carmen said to him, not wanting details. She noticed Nate walking toward practice. She smiled to herself when she realized what she had to do. "Josh ... what we had ... it was special to me ... always will be. But before you were my boyfriend ... you were my best friend. I want my best friend back. Coy included. I know that I reacted badly to everything with you and Coy, but … I want you both back. Because I'm finally happy, and I think I'm falling in love."

Friday, when Josh saw Nate and Carmen, he was jealous, but since then ... He realized he to was falling in love, too, with somebody he didn't mean to.

"Me, too," Josh said, surprised about it. "I love Coy."

Carmen was shocked but she smiled at him. "Then you be the best you can be for him," she said to him.

"Josh," I said walking up to the two of them. "The meeting?"

Carmen walked over to me and hugged me.

"What is this?" I asked confused as to what was going on.

Josh walked over and hugged me, too.

"The trio is back," Carmen said, as we stood and hugged each other.

I could feel the real Coy wanting to break free.

"One minute," I thought to myself as I let him take control for the time being. Sentimental moments like these weren't my forte, so I let Coy break through.

Josh saw the change in my eye color.

"Carmen, I am so sorry," I said to her. "For everything."

"Don't be," Carmen said to me. "Friends make mistakes. Friends forgive. I love you guys."

She hugged us both again, and kissed us on the cheek.

"I got to get to practice," she said to us before turning and walking into the gym.

Josh looked at me unsure of what to say.

"Go to the meeting ... I'll be there in a sec," I said to him.

I watched as Josh walked off to the Brotherhood meeting, and was heading toward the bathroom when I saw Matt talking to some girl. They were awfully close, and she grabbed his cell and put what I assumed was her number in his contacts.

I realized something … that Matt was moving on. Maybe Marco had the right idea after all. I would be nineteen in four days, and how had my life been? I was always the nerd ... Then I became the rape victim ... The TORTURED rape victim. Because I was always too nice. Maybe ... just maybe … Marco wasn't such a bad thing after all.

Matt looked up and noticed me watching him. He looked at me and I looked at him. I think we both could realize it was truly over. I walked over toward him and kissed him softly on the lips.

"Coy..." Matt said wanting to break free but he wanted that as well.

"One last time," I said to him as I kissed him deep and passionate. My face grew wet … from his tears or mine, I couldn't tell, but it didn't matter. I needed to do this. I needed closure if I were going to go through with this.

We broke away and looked each other in the eye. It was that silent understanding that was us; we were each other's firsts for a lot of things. Aside from Tony, he was my first time. He was my first love. I was his first TRUE love and we were each other's first TRUE heartbreak.

He sighed and headed off to practice. That was what he needed. He needed closure before he could move on with anybody else. Freedom Hospital didn't only change me ... it changed us, and for now, this was the end of our own personal chapter. As far as the story? I didn't know. But for now, a new chapter in our lives was starting. His was with that girl, and mine...

I walked into the bathroom and looked under the stalls to see if I were alone. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to drift away to the part where Marco was.

He stood there in front of me with the same body ... same face ... same mannerism ... same everything.

"You sure about this?" he asked me. There was no malice in his voice.

"I do have my doubts," I said to him. "You can be incredibly ruthless."

"True," he said to me. "But you have control, now, and I'm willing to walk away and disappear."

"I don't want you to," I said to him. "Truth be told, I'm tired of being weak. I am tired of being the victim. I want to be..."

"Me?" he asked, and I nodded.

Marco smiled at me. He had me right where he wanted me. Get me at a weak state and he could have complete control over me.

"Promise me, you won't hurt any of them," I said to him.

"I don't make promises because I always break them," he said, shoving me into a wall, and I hit my head.

I could feel my head bleeding and I was slowly slipping away to darkness.

"Why?" I asked him.

"Because, it's simple," Marco said to me. "To do what I have planned, I can't have a conscience. I can't have you."

He walked out of the room and the door shut. This time I felt that was the last that I would ever break free.

I trusted him. He was like the devil.

"I'm dying," I said as I slipped out of consciousness. 

Scene H 

"Marco?" Josh asked me as I walked inside the meeting room where the club meeting was held.

"The one and only," I said to him just before I kissed him on the lips.

I looked around at about fifty or sixty guys and one gal, sitting around, looking at me, expectantly.

"Sorry, hon; no dykes," I said to her.

She sighed and walked out of the room.

"What about Coy?" Josh asked me. "Why did you let him have control?"

"He had to say good-bye," I said darkly as I made my way to the front.

Josh took a seat beside a guy as everyone turned to see what I had to say.

"Are you tired of be the Joke of every jock out there?" I asked them. "Are you tired of being denied the same rights that your heterosexual counterparts are and will be awarded? The same respect? My name is ... Marco James. No Coy. HE represented a weak state of being. Today, I introduce you all to … Marco. Who am I? I am the person who is going to bring hell to these bitches. Starting right here at Atlantic City College. Now you can either walk or stay. Anybody not interested?"

I looked around and saw eager faces wanting to get work started and change the way things worked and the hierarchy of the school.

"Good," I said with a big smile. "Let's get to work. First step, Introductions." 

Scene I 

Ky and Nick lay in bed happily together as they had just finished hours and hours of love making.

"I love you, baby; do you know that?" Nick asked him.

Ky played with his boyfriend's hair. "I know, babe," Ky said, kissing him on the cheek. "Do you know I love you, too?"

"I know, babe," Nick repeated back to him.

"I've been thinking," Ky said, sitting up in the bed.

"Did it hurt?" Nick joked.

"I'm serious, Nick," Ky said, looking him dead in the eye. "I want to meet your dad."

"What? Ky ... No..."

"Look, you met my parents before and after Freedom, and they love you," Ky said. "Why can't I meet your dad?"

"My dad is not like your parents," Nick said to him. "He is a bad man."

Ky looked at him with a serious look. "I love you, and I wanna be with you forever and ever," he said, voice breaking. "But I can't do that if you're going to hide in the closet."

Nick looked down. "I'm sorry, Ky."

"Me, too," Ky said angrily as he grabbed his jeans and threw them on.

Nick watched his shirtless boyfriend grab his shirt and storm out of the room.

"Wait; he said forever and ever," Nick said to himself. "Wait! Ky!"

Nick rushed out after Ky and out the house as Ky had made his way to his car.

"Ky, don't go," Nick said to him. "I love you. I want to do this."

Ky looked back, his face soaked with tears. "You sure?"

"I'm sure," Nick said with a nod before walking over and kissing him. He didn't care who saw. Anthony convinced his dad they should have some bonding time, and bonding time with their father meant strip clubs and escorts, so they wouldn't be back till early morning, probably.

"I can meet your dad?" Ky asked.

"You can meet my dad," Nick said, kissing him again.

"What the hell is going on?" a voice said, as a car pulled into the driveway.

"Oh, my God," Ky said, as he realized who it was.

"Ky, meet my dad," Nick said fearin his voice as his knees began to buckle.

To be continued...