Halo IV
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 6

Scene A 

Giselle Santos was sick of feeling nausea all the time. She wiped her mouth and got up from the toilet seat. She was in the Starbucks bathroom … sick yet again. She was really getting worried. Her period still had not come and she was constantly throwing up.

She had a suspicion what it could be, but didn't want to admit to it. She had taken the test but she was afraid to look at it.

Where was Carmen when she needed her? She needed her best friend to help her through this. What if she was pregnant? What would she tell Darek? They had always been careful but apparently they weren't careful enough. Now she could potentially be pregnant.

She sighed and looked down at the test in her hand. Her eyes glistened as she stared at it.

It was positive.

"GODDAMN!" she said, kicking the stall door. She began to sob to herself. She was Giselle Martinez.

She was expected to be the ideal girl of perfection. She was supposed to go to a good college, marry a good man, and have kids … later in life. Not at seventeen years old.

She sat there for over thirty minutes. Sobbing quietly as people came in and out of the bathroom. She sighed to herself as she got up and grabbed her purse off the hook and headed out the bathroom to head to her car.

"Giselle?" Matt asked her as he stood in line.

"Oh, God," Giselle muttered as she tried to leave. She didn't realize the test had fallen from her purse.

Matt paid the cashier and hurried after her. He grabbed the pregnancy test and read the positive result before running after her. 

Giselle was struggling to find her keys but flustered, she couldn't find them. She saw them in the car. She must've locked them inside when she was rushing to find a bathroom.

"Giselle," Matt called softly as he walked towards her.

Giselle whimpered as she saw he had the pregnancy test in his hand.

"Matt … Please don't tell anybody," she pleaded to him. "I don't want anybody to know right now." 

"I won't say a word," Matt said giving her a hug. "It's going to be okay."

"Okay? I am pregnant," Giselle said to him, angry, not at him, but at herself. "How is it going to be okay?"

"Because you are Giselle, and you can do anything," Matt said to her. "And you can and will do this … if you decide to."

"I don't know what I am going to tell Darek, though," she said with a sniffle. 

"You will tell him whatever you need to tell him when you are ready to tell him," Matt encouraged. "You don't need to tell him anything when you are in this weepy emotional state, because you need to be able to talk clearly."

"You really are what I need right now," Giselle said with a small smile; "a friend to make me feel better." 

Matt nodded. He knew that Carmen's split from the group, hurt Giselle. "I am here for you because you are one of my best friends."

Giselle smiled softly at him and pointed to the pregnancy test. "You do know you are still holding a stick I peed on right?"

Matt tossed the stick out of his hand and grimaced at it. "Ew!"

"Gee, thanks," Giselle said reaching down to pick it up.

Matt thought about something. "Coy said he was with you. Did he tell you where he was headed after you guys split up?"

"I haven't seen Coy since the student council assembly earlier at school," Giselle said and gasped and clutched her chest. "Ooh! I have a feeling I was supposed to lie about something. My bad."

Matt growled in frustration. "He's with Nate."

Giselle knew how jealous her ex-boyfriend could be with her, so she could only imagine how jealous Matt was now.

"Now, you don't know that for sure," Giselle said trying to calm him down before he got too worked up.

"Giselle, when do you know Coy to lie?" Matt asked her. "If he wasn't with Nate, then why would he lie and say he was with you?"

"Yeah, he probably is with Nate," Giselle said, realizing the evidence spoke for itself. "I'm sure there is a good reason, though, Matt."

"Yeah, and I intend to find out what the reason is," he said angrily as he turned to leave. "You got my number if you need me. Don't warn Coy either."

Giselle watched as Matt stormed off towards his car.

"At least I am not the only one with drama," she said before turning to get in her own car. 

Scene B

Josh sat around, moping as he watched other people as they all sat there drinking and having a great time. He was still in a bad mood over the Carmen situation.

"Josh," Ky called out to him.

Josh noticed Ky and Nick talking to some girl and pointing at him. He groaned to himself. 

'Please, Ky no set-ups,' he thought to himself as he pulled himself off the couch an headed towards the group.

"Dude, why aren't you mingling around with everybody?" Ky asked him excitedly. It was obvious he had been drinking.

"Sorry, I guess I am just … I don't know," Josh said half-heartedly.

"Well, I want to introduce you to a beautiful girl," he said to Josh. "This is Meredith."

"Melanie," she corrected. "And I know Joshua Jackson."

"You do?" Ky asked in a drunken stupor.

"We have Composition together," Josh said with a sigh.

"I tried to tell him not to set you up with anybody but he wouldn't listen," Nick said wrapping his arm around his boyfriend.

"Set-up?" Carmen asked as she walked over hand in hand with Frandy.

Josh could feel his anger rising. He had known they were probably here already, but he had gone over an hour without seeing them.

"Ky … Nick, you aren't trying to set Melanie and Josh up with one another are you?" she asked with fake shock. "Golly gee. Melanie, you like Josh?"

Melanie blushed slightly. "I mean, he is an attractive guy … but we are just…"

"Friends," Josh interjected.

"Exactly," Melanie said with a nervous chuckle.

Melanie had often been intimidated by Carmen and Giselle as they were two of the most popular girls in our senior class.

"Well, FYI, if you do develop an interest in good ol' Josh here, you should know some details about him," Carmen said with a smile.

"Carmen, don't," Nick said to her.

"I'm sure you know all about Josh and his dependency on drugs," Carmen said to her. "Started out with marijuana, then heroin, coke and some other drugs. He claimed to get help for it … then relapsed. Then began to fuck my best friend … former best friend. You know Coy James, right? He is the idiot who looks like this idiot right here. Yeah, they fucked and dated for awhile, then he raped poor Coy. Then he went off to get help, but I doubt it will last very long."

Melanie looked shocked and taken aback. She had known Josh had issues, but not to this degree.

"Carmen!" Ky shouted.

Josh took off running, running past Nate and I as we walked into the party.

"What's that about?" I asked as I walked towards Ky, Nick, and Carmen.

"Carmen, here is a bitch," Ky said with a sigh.

"The baddest," Carmen said with a smile as she left us standing there.

"Maybe I should go," Melanie said as she excused herself from the group.

"Let's find Josh," Nick said to Ky.

"Call me if you guys need me," I said to them. "I am going to find my boyfriend."

"I doubt you will have to look far,' Nate said pointing behind me.

I turned to see an angry looking Matt walking towards me.

"Hey, babe, what's wrong?" I asked him as I tried to kiss him.

"What's wrong? What's right, Coy?" he asked me with an angry look on his face.

"Maybe I should just go," Nate said throwing his hands up.

"No! Stay!" Matt demanded. "I want to know why my boyfriend lied about being with Giselle when he wasn't. He was with you, wasn't he?"

"Well, I am not one to lie," Nate said to me. "Yeah, he was with me."

"Nate … Matt, he doesn't mean it like that," I said trying to defuse a situation that was quickly escalating out of control.

"It doesn't matter how he meant it, Coy," Matt yelled out over the top of the music playing. "You lied to me, Coy. About him."

Matt and I began to argue and Nate locked eyes with Jacob. Nate flashed him a thumbs up and Jacob nodded.

Suddenly, the music playing stopped and I could hear audible moaning and grunting.

"What the hell?" I asked as it stopped Matt and me from arguing.

We made our way into another room where on a big screen television I saw myself and Nate having sex.

"Oh, my God," Nate and I said at the same time.

The color drained from Matt's face. He turned and decked Nate straight in the face.

"MATT!" I yelled out. "Stop!"

"Wow, Coy, who knew you were a head expert," I heard somebody yell.

People were looking at me with disgusted, disappointed, and surprised looks on their faces.

"God, Coy, you are so tight," Nate said on the television screen.

I was so embarrassed by this revelation.

"Matt, stop it," I said as I tried to pull him off Nate.

I don't know if it was his anger towards Nate or what, but Matt shoved me back hard. 

"Oh, God," Carmen called out as she saw me fall back onto a glass table.

No matter what had been going on, Carmen's best-friend instincts kicked into gear and she rushed over to me.

"He is bleeding," Carmen said as she supported my head.

"If they charge you with assault, I am so a witness," Frandy said to Matt as Matt stood watching me as I lay cradled in Carmen's arm. "I so want Nate to be our full captain."

"Is he okay?" Nate asked Carmen.

"He impaled himself on some glass," Carmen said looking at Matt.

I stood up slowly and looked Matt into the eye.

I saw something in Matt's eyes that I never seen.

Normally, Matt had happiness in his eyes.

Or if he was sad, Sadness.

If he was angry, anger.

But now … nothing.

His eyes bore nothing but emptiness.

"Matt, you know that tape is old," I said to him.

"I don't believe you," he said to me.

I looked at him confused. "If this is about the lie…"

"You are wearing the same shirt," he said with a gruff tone in his voice.

I looked down at my shirt and then at the video and realized that he would never believe that video was old.

"Matt…"

"I don't care … about you … anymore," Matt said softly. "I am done caring. I am done with your drama. I am done with your issues. I am done with you. I don't care."

He left me standing there in the middle of all these people. Heartbroken.

Everybody around me began to start partying again. Jacob walked over to me.

"Looks like Mr. Perfect is imperfect," Jacob said with a sly smile as he walked past me.

"Let's get you cleaned up," Carmen said to me as she led me to the bathroom.

She helped pull my shirt up and I winced as I felt her rub some alcohol on it.

"Carmen … why are you helping me? I thought you were done with me … done with all of us?" I asked her.

"I am, Coy," she said softly. "I will always love all of you, but, Coy, there is so much drama surrounding you, and I agree with him. You have so many issues … so much drama, it doesn't leave anytime for us to worry about ourselves. Matt has held on for so long … longer than a lot of other guys would. He dealt with Anthony's friendship with you. He dealt with you hiding the Tony drama from him. He dealt with you wanting him to come out. He dealt with you in the hospital. He dealt with Marco. He dealt with Nate. But he is human, and he has a breaking point He reached it. I reached it. You are too much to deal with. You are the cause of so many problems around here, Coy."

I sighed as she left me in the bathroom.

Was I really the cause behind so many of my friend's problems? 

I grabbed my phone and sent Matt a text.

Do you love me? Are we broken up?

I looked at myself in the mirror. I felt like a murderer. I felt like I was killing the people around me slowly.

My cell phone vibrated and I expected a text message from Matt.

I looked down to see a picture mail of him and some girl.

No, I don't love you … You are drama ... and we are done.

I dropped my cell and fell back on the floor and began to sob. I just couldn't believe this.

I didn't want to believe this.

But it was over. He was already moving on.

Doing what Matt knew what to do best … hurt me. 

Scene C

"My name is Jacob Kimble. Most of you know me from all the positions I have held around the school over the past four years…"

Jacob was giving his speech in front of the entire student body in the gymnasium.

I stood backstage with Nate, awaiting my turn.

"You ready?" Nate asked me.

I had been quiet most of the morning, but I turned and looked at him with a sad look on my face.

"How did that tape surface? I asked you to burn all of them," I said to him. 

"I … I wanted to keep one to remind me of you," he said to me. "A lot of people use my computer, and I guess they might have found it. Coy, I am sorry."

I shook my head. "I don't believe you, Nate. But it doesn't matter."

Nate looked at me. "What does that mean?"

"It means you trying to screw with Matt awoke me from my dream and brought me back to reality," I said to him. "He never loved me. It doesn't matter. I don't matter. He doesn't matter."

Nate had to fight the urge to smile. "Coy…"

"I don't want to talk about it," I said to him. "But thank you."

I gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. He smiled at me and headed towards his seat while I readied myself for my speech.

"Do you want somebody who has tried to hide so much scandal and so many lies and deceit, he has told? Or do you want me … a president who embodies honesty … who embodies all positive attributes? Vote Coy, you're voting for the devil. You will be voting for mediocrity. Imperfection. Vote Me, I'll take you to Heaven. You will be voting for perfection. Thank you."

The student body applauded Jacob as he finished his speech and took a seat on stage.

"Well, that was a very, very challenging speech," Dr. Moore, the principal said. "Our next Presidential Nominee is Coy James."

The student body applauded me as I got on stage. I grew nervous as I locked eyes with everybody.

I saw Giselle. Darek. Ky and Nick. Anthony. Nate. Carmen. Josh. Daniel. Damien.

I locked eyes with Matt, and that's when I grew even more nervous. 

"Anytime, you're ready Coy," Jacob whispered with a sneer.

I cleared my throat and I grimaced as it echoed throughout the gym. "Hello, my name is Coy James. And I'm running for Student Body President…"

That was how we had to start our speech off; however, looking down at my paper, I realized this isn't what I wanted to say.

Obviously, it had been a long pause because I heard people whispering from the audience.

"Come on, Coy," Ky whispered. "Forget about the negative. Focus on the prize."

Ky knew things were out of sync.

Matt sat with Carmen and Frandy, and he knew that could only spell trouble as he knew how Matt's anger issues were.

"My name is Coy James and I am running for student body president," I repeated, mentally letting go of all the fear I had.

It is what it is.

My boyfriend broke up with me.

My best friend deserted me.

So much has happened to me and I had to channel the bullshit into shit that actually matter. That's the way I saw it.

"My opponent, Jacob, said voting for me, you will be voting for the devil," I continued. "Well, I don't know about you all but I don't see a long red tail, pitchfork, and devil's ears anywhere on me."

Everybody in the auditorium laughed at that one, which made me feel even more confident. I thought I even saw Matt smile … even if it was momentarily.

"By voting for me you will be voting for imperfection and mediocrity; and by voting for Jacob, you will be voting for perfection," I said with an amused look at Jacob. "Well, I am happily imperfect and by no means am I not a mediocre person. My track record speaks for itself. I am not going to sit up and here and tell you all the good things I want you to hear and know about me, because with all the good, there is just as much bad. Last night, many of you saw me in a way that I am so embarrassed about. But I am human just like the rest of you here. Sometimes when things become too much for you to control, you began to break off, and something else inside you overtakes you. That person you saw on that video is not the person I want you to see me as. I don't want you to see me as your possible student president. I want you to see me as Coy James. I'm a scholar like some of you. I recently started developing an interest in athletics. I am an Anime fan. I am always down for a good time. I make mistakes. I fall, but most of all I get back up. Like so many of you in this audience, you struggle to survive … you struggle to be understood … you struggle for acceptance … even from those closest to you…"

Matt and I locked eyes with one another, and I could see the Matt that I always knew. The one who realized he made a mistake. The one who always, in the end, came back to me.

"If you vote for me as president, I want to be not only that voice for you when you are unable to speak for yourself, but that constant fighter for you until you can speak for yourself," I said to them all. "College is our life for now and our life is hard. We go through so much in these four years … Freshman anxiety, forgotten sophomores, Almost-there Juniors, and oh-my-god-it's-almost-over-will-I-make-it Seniors. Sometimes we are unable to tell people what it is that we need. We have to find that voice. Let me be that voice for you. My name is Coy James and I am running for student body president."

The auditorium roared in applause. Anthony and Nick whistled while Ky flashed me a thumbs up. I glanced at Jacob, with a sour look on his face.

"Best of luck to you," I said to him as he walked up to the podium as we waved at everybody.

"Luck? Ha, I don't need luck," he said to me, venom seeping from his words, but forcing a smile on his face. "Cute speech, but it won't save you."

I smiled even harder. It wasn't about winning this election and beating him. I wanted to be heard. I wanted Matt and all my friends and my brother to hear what I had to say. I have struggled through so much in all my years of living … but I refused to be held down for too long. I always survived.

"Now if you all could please pull out your remotes and press A) for Jacob Kimble as president," Dr. Moore instructed the student body. "Press B) for Coy James as president. Again, A) for Jacob Kimble and B) for Coy James."

I awaited nervously with Jacob as we turned to look at the results. Jacob had a steady lead over me … which I half-expected.

Only 20% had voted so far out of the 3,000 plus kids in the gymnasium. But I heard Jacob gasp in surprise. As more people voted, his bar decreased while mine increased and it leveled out.

80% of the students had voted thus far and we were practically equal. I had tried to tell myself I didn't want to win to avoid disappointment but because of how close it was, I was wanting to win now. 

Jacob's bar rose higher ... then my bar rose higher than his ... his bar once again rose higher than mine, and my heart began to sink.

"Wow," Ky said in shock as the final vote came in from all the students.

Dr. Moore walked up to the podium.

"Our Student President is … a tie," he said proudly to the both of us.

I laughed at the circumstances and turned to face Jacob.

"Oh, my God," I said surprised. "See, Jacob we both won."

"The way I see it, I lost," Jacob said angrily. "I refuse to share my presidency with this … faggot."

"Jacob," Dr. Moore scolded.

"I have worked too hard and gave up so much … a social life to get to this point only to have to share it," Jacob continued bitterly.

"It's okay," I said to Dr. Moore. "He can have it. He has been working longer for it than I have. I just took an interest in it this week. Let him have it … completely."

"Yes, let me have it," Jacob said with a smile. "Smartest thing you have said all day."

"Let Coy have it," Ky yelled out.

He and Nick began chanting it. Soon after a few more joined in. Then more. Eventually, most of the auditorium was chanting it.

"YOU KNOW WHAT! SCREW ALL OF YOU!" Jacob yelled into the microphone. "LET HIM HAVE IT! I DON'T GIVE A FUCK!"

"Jacob, my office … now," Dr. Moore scolded him, and he flashed me a dark look that I returned with an amused smile. "Well, it looks like our student body president … is Coy James."

The auditorium erupted into a standing ovation, and I could feel the tears streaming down my face. I might have lost my boyfriend. I might have lost my best friend. But for those two, I potentially gained friends of a whole student body.

"I thought you said if you helped me that I would win," Jacob said as he saw Nate.

Nate laughed hard. "I just needed you to help me destroy Matt and Coy's relationship. You honestly thought you stood a chance against Coy? Better yet, you thought you could trust me? Coy, isn't the devil. I am."

Jacob growled in anger as he stormed off towards the office.

"You won!" Ky yelled as he hugged me tightly.

"Thanks for your help and support," I said to him with a smile.

"Congrats, Coy," people yelled out as they passed us.

Anthony, Nick, Daniel, Damien, Giselle, Josh, and Ky all started talking about Jacob's face cracking when he saw it was a tie.

"Congratulations, Mr. President," Nate said as I stepped away from them.

"I wonder … did those crazy pictures of me and that video have anything to do with it?" I asked him with a smile.

"Who knows?" Nate said giving him a hug. "I'm proud of you; I do know that."

"In the end … it was you," I said to him.

"What do you mean?" he asked me.

I saw Matt standing not far from us. Nate hadn't noticed him. I left Nate and walked towards him.

"Congratulations, Coy," he said to me.

"Thanks," I said stiffly.

"Coy, I wanted to say that I am…"

"Sorry," I finished for him. "Matt, did you sleep with her?"

Matt didn't say anything. He always felt it was impossible to lie to me.

"Coy…"

"That's what I thought," I said to him shaking my head. "You said you were done … now so am I."

"Coy, I was just upset," he explained. "I knew that video was old. It just hurts because he was taking you away from me."

"So because you were upset, it means that you fuck somebody else when we have a problem?" I asked him.

"We always have problems, Coy," He said to me. "Rarely do we have solutions."

"We have a solution to all our problems now," I said to him. "We are over." 

"So you are choosing him over me?" he asked me.

"It's not about Nate," I said to him. "Nate, is a known jackass and a known jerk, but he never tried to hide it. I met you sophomore year in 2007 … the beginning of the year. You were a jackass then. You told me you loved me — when you really didn't — just to get me to fuck you. You cheated on me when I wouldn't. But I forgave you. You know, the thing about love is … that I loved you unconditionally, Matt. But you didn't love me unconditionally. You loved me with strings attached. The thing about love is … you build your loved one up when they are down. Not help kick them when they are down." 

"Coy … Please … You didn't make it easy…"

I turned and walked away from him.

"To answer the question … in the end … it was you," I said walking past Nate.

Nate turned to look at Matt. Matt looked at Nate.

Nothing was going to be the same again.

Nate followed after me and I grabbed his hand. I wasn't sure about Nate, but one thing I knew is … I was curious.

END OF PART IV

Join me in the next book in the Series, Halo 5: Innocence. 

Halo 5 will be the final book in the series promising you a fun ride full of drama, love, experimentation, heartbreak and resolution.