FIVE YEARS AGO Brad smiled as he rode his bicycle with the wind on his face. He looked to the side at his brother who had a frown on his face. “Stop worrying, Brian. Dad won’t be home until late.” Brian shrugged and kept thinking that they were going to get in trouble. He wasn’t worry about his father; he was terrified of his mother and what she was going to say. He didn’t like his mother pretty much all of the time. “Are we almost there?” Shawn asked, out of breath. “I think so,” Hayden told him, smiling. “Keep going.” Brad looked back and smiled. He liked when he was with his friends. He had the best time of his life. They weren’t supposed to be so far away from home but he wanted to jump from the big rock at the Hastings Lake. “We are here,” he jumped off of his bike and let it fall to the ground. The rest of the boys did the same. Brad flashed them a smirk as he walked into the Delaney Woods. Hayden followed him close and then Shawn and Brian. “I think we should go back,” Brian told the guys. He didn’t know why he bothered. He knew that they weren't going to listen to him. “It’s going to get dark soon.” Hayden stopped and looked at Brian. “Are you scared?” He smirked and arched a brow, waiting for the brunet to answer. He looked at his own brother who looked a bit frightened. “No,” Brian rolled his eyes and kept walking past the blond. “Wait for me, Brad.” Brad looked back and smiled at his brother. “Come on. We're almost there,” he turned around and kept on walking with Brian close to him. He heard his brother muttering something but he didn’t know what. “It’s going to rain,” Hayden pointed out. “So what?” Brad asked. “Come on you pussies. Stop complaining and walk,” they walked for a few more minutes and then Brad stopped and smiled. “Look,” he pointed at the big rock and then looked at them. “The last one there jumps first.” The four of them took off running while they pushed each other to get there first. They were laughing having a good time. Brad got there first and then his brother. Then Hayden and last was Shawn. “You have to jump first,” Hayden told Shawn as he laughed. “You are so slow.” Shawn looked at Brian who only shrugged. He nodded and took of his shirts and his jeans. He was in his briefs when it started to rain. “Jump!” Brad shouted and when Shawn didn’t he walked over to him and stood in front of him. “Go head, nothing is going to happen to you. I promise,” he whispered. He smiled when Shawn nodded and jumped. “Next!” Brian and Hayden moved to the edge and saw as Shawn hit the water. He surfaced seconds later. “It’s fucking freezing!” Shawn shouted and then moved to get out of there. “You are next,” Brad told Hayden. “Why me?” Hayden crossed his arms and shook his head. “I got here first. I decide who jumps,” Brad smirked and pointed with his head to the edge. “Or are you too much of a chicken?” Hayden huffed as he took of his shirt. He looked at Brian and frowned. “Why can’t he go next?” “I’m jumping with Brian,” Brad said smirking. He looked at Brian, knowing that his little brother was scared of heights. He then stared back at Hayden and smiled when Hayden jumped without hesitation. “Are you ready?” “You know I hate heights,” Brian took a step forward and looked down where Hayden and Shawn were pushing each other around. He shook his head and moved back. “Come on, Bri. Trust me. I would never let something bad happen to you. I’m your big brother,” Brad gave him a reassuring smile. Brian rolled his eyes. “For what? A minute? Wow, now I feel so safe.” Brad smirked and took off his clothes. “We’ll jump together.” Brian nodded and took of his clothes too. They counted to three and jumped. When Brian surfaced Shawn was running naked after Hayden. “Give me them back!” Shawn shouted and they disappeared from Brian and Brad’s view. “Not so bad,” Brad swam to get out and do it all over again. Brian followed him but he was just going to get his clothes. There was no way he was doing that again. Not for anything in the world. He hated heights, plain and simple. “Are we going to go or what?” Hayden asked. “It’s getting dark.” “What? You are scared?” Brad asked, laughing. Hayden rolled his eyes and shook his head. “We'll stay until it’s really dark,” Brad said. Shaw groaned. “We are going to get sick.” “It stopped raining,” Hayden pointed out. “Stop being such a baby.” “But we are all wet,” Shawn glared at his brother. After they were all dressed, they sat down in a circle. Brian wasn’t saying much. He knew they were just going to get in trouble. Brad kept looking at Hayden wondering when he would start running away scared. “This sucks,” Shawn said, lying on his back. Hayden looked at him and ignored him. He watched as first his brother fell asleep then Brian. He looked at Brad who was wide awake. “I’m not scared you know.” “Okay,” Brad told him, shrugging. He looked at his brother briefly and then stared at Shawn’s sleeping form. “You don’t have to keep repeating it.” Hayden got up and looked towards the lake. “Can you come with me?” “What the hell for?” Brad asked never taking his eyes from the younger blond. “I want to tell you something,” Hayden hoped that Brad went with him. Brad looked at his brother and then got up. He followed Hayden, wondering what his friend was going to tell him. He never had any clue that he wasn’t ever coming back. *** Brian opened his eyes and moved on his back. He took a deep breath and checked his surroundings. It was really dark and they should head back home. He sat up and looked at Shawn who was sleeping in a fetal position. He looked around and noticed that Brad and Hayden weren’t there. He got up and brushed the leaves from his body as he went to look for his brother. For some reason, he didn’t call out for them. He just kept walking to the lake as something told him that his brother was there. “You don’t understand!” Hayden screamed. Brian stopped and hid behind a tree. He saw Hayden screaming at his brother. He could tell that Brad was calm. His brother was always calm. They were by the dock just standing there. “What the fuck do you want me to do Hayden?” Brad asked. He was losing his patience. “I’m sorry. You are just my friend. And not only that, I’m straight! I like girls Hayden!” He lied. Hayden frowned and looked at the ground. His body started shaking and Brad hugged him. Brian sighed and turned around to go back to where Shawn was sleeping. He wasn’t going to intervene. He lay down next to Shawn hoping that the blond wouldn’t wake up. He had all intention of waiting for his brother and Hayden but he fell asleep again. *** Brad let go of Hayden and smiled at him. “You can always hit on Brian,” he knew that his brother was gay and available. Hayden shook his head and kept on staring at the ground. It had taken all his courage to go up to Brad and kiss him and confess to him that he loved him and he had been turned down. He didn’t like the feeling. He looked up at Brad with angry eyes. “Come on, Hayden,” Brad sighed knowing that Hayden wasn’t budging. “Let’s just go back,” there wasn’t a thing he could do. He liked someone else and that was that. Brad walked ahead of Hayden. He wasn’t going to spend his time arguing with the blond. He fell to his knees as pain coursed through him. He frowned not knowing what had happened. His hand reached the back of his head and came back bloody. He tried to look back but then felt another hit and everything went black. Hayden stared at Brad’s body as he laid half on the ground and half on the wooden floor. Then he let go of the rock in his hand. He whimpered and got on his knees. “Brad. Please. I’m so sorry,” Hayden brushed his tears away with the back of his hand. “Brad, please,” he turned the brunet around and shook him. “Please, just wake up. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.” Brad’s blood was pouring out of him quickly. His pulse was fading and he was barely breathing. He could have made it if they had acted quickly but there wasn’t anyone around. “I’m sorry,” Hayden told him, getting up. He was freaking out. What he was going to say to Brian and Shawn and everyone else? He needed to do something quick. He licked his lips and thought about screaming; saying someone had attacked them but he didn’t think that would work. He thought of the lake and nodded to himself. It had started raining again, washing away what Hayden was doing. He dragged Brad’s body as best as he could until he was on the dock. He caressed Brad’s face and then kissed the boy’s lips. It took time but he finally managed to drop Brad’s body into the water. “I didn’t mean to, Brad. I’m sorry,” he ran back to where Brad had been and looked for the rock. When he found it he picked it up and then threw it on the lake too. Brad’s body had hit the water with a splash. His lungs filled with water; he never had a chance since he was unconscious. Hayden got up from where he was kneeling and went back to where Shawn and Brian were. *** “What the fuck!” Shawn sat up and cursed again. “Brian! Fuck! Get the fuck up!” Brian stirred and felt the cold drops on his face. He quickly got up and looked around. “Where the fuck are they?” “They left us!” Shawn yelled as he ran to where they had left their bikes. Brian was close behind him not feeling too well. He had a bad feeling in his gut. When they reached the bicycles, Shawn’s and Brad’s were still there. “They are still back there.” “Jesus!” Shawn hissed when the rain got harder. “Now what? Let’s go.” “What about them?” Brian looked back at the dark woods. “Fuck! We are going to get sick. I just know it.” Shawn said getting on his bicycle. “Hurry up. Do you want me to go with you?” Brian shook his head. He wasn’t leaving without his brother. He ran back to get his brother. Their mother was going to be so pissed that they had stayed out so late. He started calling for Brad but there was no answers. There wasn’t much that he could see since it was raining cats and dogs. He stopped when Hayden came into sight. “Where is Brad?” “How should I know?” Hayden asked. “I was taking a piss when it started raining.” Brian sighed and kept walking deeper into the woods. He kept looking at the shadows thinking it was his brother until he realized it was just a tree and kept on moving. He stopped when he reached the lake. “Brad!” he ran inside the lake and turned Brad around. “Fuck!” “What’s going on?” Hayden asked. “Help me!” Brian shouted. Hayden got in the lake and helped Brian get Brad out. “I think…I think he is dead, Brian.” Brian shook his head and everything went dark. *** “Brian,” Joan said as she shook him awake. “Joan,” Jack whispered. “Leave him alone.” Brian opened his eyes and looked at his mother. “Mom?” “Are you okay?” Jack asked. Brian nodded. Joan sniffed slightly, not wanting to believe everything that had happened. She glared at Brian before moving away from him. Brian sat up and rubbed his face. “What happened?” “You passed out,” Jack told him. Brian then realized that he was sitting on a stretcher. His surroundings came into view then. He could see a lot of people running around. There were cops and reporters all over the place. It was dark outside and his brother wasn’t next to him. “Where is Brad?” Joan looked away and her shoulders started shaking. Jack put a hand on her shoulder. “Where is he?” Brian asked again. “He had an accident Brian,” Jack looked at his son and he knew that Brian didn't understand him. He looked away not understanding himself. His boy was so full of life and no it was all gone. Brian frowned and shook his head. He saw Shawn looking at him and Brian got out of the stretcher before walking over to Shawn. “Hey.” “Are you okay?” Shawn asked with a frown. Brian nodded. “Where is my brother?” Shawn looked at Brian in shock. “What?” “I can’t find Brad,” Brian told him. Shawn just stayed still. He couldn’t move. He felt his eyes stinging. He wanted to be in a nightmare, because at least he got to wake up at some point. “Can I talk to you?” One of the officers said. “My name is Charlie.” “You stay away from him,” Jack told the officer. “He has gone through enough.” The officer didn’t move away. “I need to know what happened,” Officer Charlie told him. Brian frowned and walked away. Shawn followed him while Jack argued with the officer. He walked around looking at everyone. He just wanted to find his brother. “Brian. Stop,” Shawn grabbed him by the arm. “Brad…he is dead.” Brian shook his head. “No.” “Hey, kid,” Officer Henderson said looking at Shawn. “What?” Shawn asked as he swallowed. “What happened?” Henderson asked. “We don’t know. We were sleeping and then it started raining,” Shawn said. “So I ran with Brian to get our bicycles thinking that Hayden and Brad had left us because they weren’t there.” The officer nodded as he listened to Shawn. “Then…” Shawn frowned. “Brian went back to get them. He was taking too long so I went after him. Hayden was next to him and Brian wasn’t moving. When I walked closer…Brad…he wasn’t moving either but…he was wet and covered…” he started crying then. “He wasn’t…wasn’t right.” The officer saw that it was hard for Shawn to say what had happened. Brian stared at Shawn like he was lying. “Were any of you with him before it started raining?” The officer asked. “No. We all fell asleep and when we woke up, he wasn’t there. I went to pee and when I came back Brian was walking my way,” Hayden told the officer as he walked over to them. “Are you okay, Brian?” He looked at Shawn that was crying. “Can you stop it, Shawn? It wasn’t you who lost someone here.” Shawn took a deep breath and glared at his brother. Brian looked at Hayden frowning. Then it hit him it wasn’t true. Hayden had been talking to his brother. “Let’s go home, Brian,” Jack said grabbing the brunet by the back of the neck. “You leave these kids alone,” he said looking at the officer. Brian gave Hayden one last look and the blond tried to give him a warm smile. There was no doubt in his mind that Hayden had done something to his brother. He vowed in that moment that he was going to make Hayden suffer. He would plan it out and then make him pay. Days later it had been ruled that Brad had a freak accident but Brian knew better. *** PRESENT DAY Brian gasped as he woke up. He looked around his bed and frowned. He got up from the bed and walked over to the window. He missed Justin. The blond knew exactly what to say or do to calm him down. He just needed to wait and soon enough Justin would be back in his arms. He needed to relax. He walked over to his dresser and grabbed his cell phone from the top. “What’s going on?” Michael asked startled. “Nothing,” Brian assured him. “Why are you calling so late?” Michael sat up in the bed and looked at the body lying next to him. He knew there had to be something wrong with the brunet to be calling so late. “Why are you whispering?” Brian pointed out. “No. I’m not,” Michael pulled the covers away to get away from the bed. “Are you with someone?” Brian asked, smirking. Michael sighed. “Yes.” “Who?” Brian asked, intrigued. “Ben,” Michael told him. “Larsky?” Brian frowned and didn’t want to believe it. “Bruckner,” Michael almost yelled. “Jesus, Brian.” Brian was impressed. He smiled and approved right away. “He is hot, Mikey.” “Yeah,” Michael told him. “What’s going on, Brian?” Brian sighed and went back to sit down on his bed. “I miss Justin.” Michael didn’t know what was going on. He knew that Brian and Justin weren’t talking to each other. He had talked to the blond and Justin had told him that everything was okay and that soon he would be back with Brian. He just didn’t get them. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.” “You don’t have to, Mikey,” Brian protested. “I know,” Michael told him. Brian sighed and hung up. He laid back and waited for Michael. He tried to forget about Hayden and Brad and everything else. He just thought about Justin and knew he was going to be okay. *** Hayden woke up and groaned. He got out of his bed and stared pacing. He needed to do something about Brian soon. Ever since he found out that Brian knew about what happened in the woods he was worried. Brian had been planning to do something to him for so long and he was scared. He was sure that Brian knew what he had done to his brother. He had to get rid of the brunet soon. Then everything would be buried in the past. He smiled as he got back in the bed. He knew that Justin would help him. He knew that the blond had to hate Brian after their breakup. In the morning, he would talk to Justin. Tonight he would try to sleep and forget all about Brad who still haunted his dreams.
I added a few things just now. So if there are any mistakes I am very sorry. Also you might be wondering why Hayden knows so much about Brian and Justin...all I have to say is...next chapter.