Bad Influence There are posters of Brian’s favorite music bands all over the walls, above his computer desk and on his wardrobe doors. Brian’s room is pretty well cleaned and tidy considering it’s a 17 year olds bedroom. Unlike his friend’s bedroom, he kept his in order. His computer is turned on, on his desk beside a pile of books for his summer reading. His stereo’s playing some heavy Marilyn Manson music on low volume beside his bed. With one hand Brian holds a book and he flips the pages with the other, taking small puffs from the cigarette between his lips. He’s sitting on his bed, his back leaning against the wall. Keeping the ashtray close by his pillow. The cigarette smoke is covering the spaghetti smell his mom is cooking in the kitchen downstairs. There’s an MSN ringing coming from his computer. Brian gets up from his bed, placing his book opened on his pillow. He walks over to his computer, leaning over the keyboard. He moves the mouse around to take the screensaver off and clicks on the little orange-flashing conversation tab on the toolbar. ~*Emmett*~ says: hey bri kinney027 says: hey kinney027 says: sup ~*Emmett*~ says: there's this back to school party; wanna go? kinney027 says: sure ~*Emmett*~ says: sweet kinney027 says: what time? ~*Emmett*~ says: 9:00 kinney027 says: kk bye ~*Emmett*~ says: Byye Brian closes the conversation with the left click of his mouse and turns off his computer. It’s 8:27 pm on his blue neon bedside clock. He would take his dad’s car since he was away for the night. Standing in front of his full size mirror, he quickly adjust and untangles his neck-length dark brown hair with his fingers, combing his hair more to the front so to fall in his eyes. He jumps a little up and down to get himself comfortable in his jeans. He’d be in the 12th grade in almost two days. Only one fucking year left, he would often thought to himself. He wouldn’t miss high school. He hated his friends and the girls wrapping their skinny arms around him. Their long blonde hair and too-candy-sweet perfume. It made him sick but he decided to pretend like it didn’t for one more year. Even the guys pissed him off because all they cared about was their money, their jock friends and slutty girlfriends. The only one Brian didn’t hate was Emmett. Emmett knew all about Brian’s dislikes. Emmett’s down-to-earth and doesn’t care about what the others think of him, unlike many other guys in his school. He acted like a free blackbird in a crowed city and Brian liked that very much. Brian didn’t like much, but when he did like something, he would like it plenty and for a very long time. After switching off the lights in his bedroom, he got downstairs, kissed his mother goodbye in the kitchen and fleet out the front down with his dad’s car keys. _____________________________________________________________________ The heart-thumping music beats in Justin’s eardrums. He has a beer in hand and his other in his pocket, while leaning on the entrance’s hallway wall. His long-time friend is leaning on his side facing Justin and the entrance door. The music’s too loud to make a conversation so they stand silent, watching people walk in and out of the house. The house is big; there’s a large stairway going up in a spiral in front of them and many well decorated rooms. Plus so many people. A black haired girl pushes her way through the crowd and quickly runs to Justin. Justin immediately recognized Daphne’s black hair and her sweet smile. “Oh my God you came back! I’ve missed you soooo fucking much.” She screams over the music. “What!” Justin screams back. “I said: I missed you-” She yells in his ear. “Me too!” Justin hugs her tight. “This is Jaime.” He says, pointing to the guy leaning beside him. “He goes to the school I used to go to.” “I can’t hear you! Tell me later.” Daphne says. Justin nods and eyes the quiet guy standing beside Daphne. “That’s Nick.” Daphne indicates Nick with her index. “Hi.” Both Justin and Jaime wave. Daphne looks at him for a little too long and smiles. He laughs nervously, “What?” “You changed so much.” She takes a strand of his longer and darkened blond hair as to show how much his hair changed since the last time they saw each other. Justin smirks and turns to his friend Jaime. “I thought you said this was going to be some fucking crazy party.” Justin screams in his friend’s ear. “It’s not started yet.” He yells back against Justin’s ear. Finally a calmer song plays on the stereo’s speakers. Forever Young from The Youth Group. They lean comfortably against the wall, taking sips from their drinks. Some people suddenly sound more excited when two tall dark guys come in from outside. Some people stand up from their seats or head from where ever they were to greet them at the door. Brian and gets inside the huge house, feeling the music vibrate the floor beneath their feet. Emmett follows and closes the entrance door behind them. A girl comes to Brian and kiss’ him on the lips just for the heck of it. Another one walks up to him and kiss’ him too. He fakes a smile, smelling their too-sugary perfume on their skins. Some other girl comes up to Brian and says “Hey Brian.” And she kisses him on the mouth. She turns around as to show off her thong. Brian looks away, rolling his eyes and glances at Emmett smirking. On his side, Emmett hugs his friends. Noticing the crowd around the two guys who just came in the house, Justin turns to Daphne, never taking his eyes off of them. “Who’s that?” Justin asks, pointing them with his beer-holding hand. “That’s Emmett Honeycutt and Brian Kinney.” To Justin it seems like Daphne had just pronounce the name B-r-i-a-n-K-i-n-n-e-y very slowly. “You might remember him. He’s really nice.” Justin has the time-stopping scared-deer-in-the-headlight look with his eyes opened wide. Brian walks away from the door with Emmett and some other so-called friends across the hallway in a straight line. His eyes stop for a moment on a familiar face. That thought stops for a second and he stares back at the familiar face with long blond hair, leaning against the wall, him looking deeply, straight at him. Time stops, the loud music seems distant and time continues in slow motion as he crosses in front of him. They get face-to-face, their bodies coming inches close without them noticing. They both see each other’s stunned faces. Time comes back to its normal rhythm and music comes back to their ears loudly. Brian looks behind for a moment that lasted longer then he’d intended to. With long-lasting intakes of breath, Justin quickly walks through the crowd and into an empty bathroom. He locks the door. Dive his hand inside his back pocket and takes out a smoke. He lights it rapidly. Hearing the cracking of burning paper as he takes the smoke into his throat like a straw. He hears loud knocking on the door followed by Daphne calling him on the other side of the door. “Justin, why did you leave; are you okay? You were there for a second, I turn around and you disappeared. Justin?” Daphne panics. He hears her talking to someone else but he can’t make out the words. “Justin?” He hears Jaime yell. Justin hesitates, throwing the half smoked cigarette in the toilet, wasting it. He comes out of the bathroom with a closed fake-smirk across his lips, pressing the thinking-switch inside his head to OFF. The lights in the entire house get turned off, putting the whole house in a total blackout. Soon after, blue, red, pink, green, purple neon lights all over the house turn on. They look up at the bright lights of different shapes surrounding them. On the walls and ceiling. “Here it comes.” Justin hears Daphne say as rock-techno dance music comes though the speakers. Some lights flash and twirl around. Daphne drags Justin by the hand downstairs. They join Jaime and Nick in the crowd of dancing people. In the center of the living room there’s a large bowl of glowing pink punch. They stand around it, taking a transparent cup off the table and dive it in the large bowl at the same time. “Now.” Nick says and they swallow their drinks down their throat at once. Brian throws his ecstasy-filled drink down his throat. Surrounded by people dancing, he playfully grabs Emmett by the front of his jeans and drags their hips together. Stepping from left to right with the music’s beat as he gets closer. Emmett places his hands on Brian’s elbow and lets him lead as he moves with the rhythm too, throwing their heads backward. Never forgetting the familiar face he had seen, that had terrified the hell out of him. But now he wanted to party like a crazy person in a cage. Björk’s Spank Rock Remix of Earth Intruders plays on the stereo. The girls’ waists moved like belly dancers. Someone started stripping off her shirt and some other people did the same. Down to their bras, panties and boxers. Couples and threesomes are making-out like fucking animals on the couches and against the dark corners of almost each room. Some people look dazed and tripped out from the strong effects of drugs in their body; they smile at nothing and react late. The place is full of sex, drinks and drugs. In the corner of his eye, Brian can see some guy vomiting all over the chest of the person he’s dancing with. There are two girls fighting in the kitchen, pushing each other and one pulls the other’s curly brown hair. It makes Brian laugh. Two hours must have been passing and still everyone dances till it’s in the early morning hours. Justin had lost count after his fifth shot. He had watched Jaime puke in the bathroom for half an hour. They’d been ditched by Daphne after she went in an upstairs bedroom with some cute guy. Justin sat on his back, wasted on the couch, leaning his head against an equally-wasted Nick. He felt like shit and loved it. Brian looks heavenward as the hot pink and orange spotlight beams above him. His eyelids lightly shut, feeling drips of sweat against his skin. Emmett’s standing behind him with his hands on Brian’s shoulders. Knowingly, Brian let’s Emmett slowly slide his shirt off. He can feel a fresh breeze from outside coming from the opened window. Hitting his bare skin. He shakes his wet dripping hair, combing his long hair back to his neck. Flashes of that night with Justin flash in the back of his mind. Haunting and dreadfully reminding him. He let’s his own ripped world of ecstasy take him and wishes that for the moment he wouldn’t remember a thing, but maybe willing to cope with it in the morning. ___________________________________________________________________ (I'd like to thank my beta Helen, because she's so great!)