“Some sorry sucker broke into my house! He busted my stair rail too ‘n I just installed that,” Mr. Monihan rants.
“Jettson is missing! His room was all mangled and I couldn’t find him anywhere in the house. I don’t know why but his window was wide open. I bet he was kidnapped,” his mother wails.
“I got hot after my fan broke, and I wasn’t kidnapped,” Jett explains as he pushes his way through the crowd.
His mother runs over to hug him but he keeps his hands behind his back. His father comes from behind her and yanks her away from him. She opens her mouth to protest until he sees the furious look on her husband’s face.
“I should have known it was you doing some dumb shit and I thought I heard Stevon’s fruity ass voice. Is that how you messed up my house? Doing some of that gay shit?” Mr. Monihan accuses in front of all the neighbors.
Before Stevon or Jett have a chance to explain Mr. Monihan smacks his son across the face. His mother screams as he falls to the ground, but he immediately stands back up. It didn't hurt nearly as much as it usually does. His father swings at him again, but he panics and tries to block the incoming hit. Instead of just knocking his arm away like he wanted, he sends his father flying into a lawn about 2 houses down. He gasps as he jumps back causing his arm and lower back to go into a neighbor’s truck. He whips around to see his fist mark indented in the door of the pickup next to an even larger Jett shaped dent.
“He’s a monster!” A lady from down the street yells.
“All gays are,” A man of the church shouts.
“He’s a danger to us all! Let’s get rid of him before he injures anyone else,” A mother shouts as she cradles her small child in her arms.
“Take the baby home and bring me my shotgun, honey. The men will take care of him,” Her burly husband says as he cracks his knuckles.
His mother watches in terror from the side of her barely conscious husband. Stevon tugs on Jett’s shirt sleeve as he backs away ever so slightly. They make eye contact for a split second before taking off running. They sprint up the hill before rolling down the other side. They keep running until they get to the bus station. They run to the side facing away from the hill. They climb on the window sill. Jett gives Stevon a boost before pulling himself up. Normally they struggle with this and Stevon has to pull him up, but with his new strength they get up there much faster. The best part of their falling apart bus station is the giant hole in the roof they use to sneak in there after it’s locked up for the night. Once they drop down inside they sink down on the floor against the wall.
“Did they follow us? Jett whispers breathlessly.
“No, I think they were waiting on the neanderthal’s shotgun,” he replies in between wheezes.
Jett closes his eyes as he pressed his head against the cold wall.
“This is all my fault,” Jett admits as he begins to tear up.
Stevon reaches over and squeezes his best friend’s hand. They stay like this in the dark bus station, the only light being the moonlight from the hole, waiting anxiously to be attacked. It didn’t take much because they heard the anger filled voices coming towards the station. They hear a woman gush about how smart it was of their husband to follow their footsteps in the dirt. They hold their breaths when they hear someone mention that they go around to the side of the building. Someone suggests climbing up but they acknowledge the fact that the roof could crumble. They hear a man pitch the idea of rapid firing inside the station from all sides which receives a pretty positive reaction. Silently both boys slide down until they are flat on the ground, looking up through the hole in the roof. Their grips on each other's hands tighten but neither of them can find any words to say.
“Stop!” Comes a woman’s voice from outside.
Jett bolts upright as he sees a silhouette of a person with their arms outstretched on the other side of the main door. It’s Mrs. Monihan. Jett's heart beats faster and harder than it should.
“Dude my mom didn’t ask for this and now she's out there risking her life for me,” Jett cries softly.
He stands up and starts to make his way towards the door.
“I think I see him moving. Should I shoot?” A man stationed at the window near the vending machine asks.
Stevon jumps on his friend’s back.
“What the hell are you doing?,” Stevon questions, not caring if anyone hears.
“I can’t let people get hurt for me. I didn’t choose to be gay any more than my mother chose to have a gay son. It’s been a burden to both of my parents. If this is what I deserve then so be it,” He explains boldly.
Stevon wishes that he could see his friend. He sees Jett's mother’s shadow disappear before hearing her groan as she hits the ground. Someone had roughly pushed her out of the way.
“DON’T SHOOT AT THE STATION. I’M COMING OUT!” He shouts to the people outside.
Everyone pauses before taking a few steps back.
“Would you open the door for me? I’d hate to cause any more damage,” He mutters to his best friend.
Stevon huffs as he drags his feet. He feels along the wall for the lock above the doorknob but stops at the whole station begins to vibrate. The ground rumbles at the sound of winds going at high speeds fill the air. They hear people outside yelling curses since they don’t exactly see helicopters often. A rope ladder drops through the hole in the roof. Cecilia Hadding of all people slides down it.
“Hello, boys. Your saviors are here! Let's go quickly!” She commands before scrambling back up the rope.
The boys run towards the rope. Stevon starts to follow her up but Jett stops dead in his tracks.
“I’ll break the rope,” He shouts up to his friend over the helicopter noises.
Stevon voices his friend's concerns to Cecilia who tells her girlfriend to get the hook. Elli throws on her harness before rappelling down and landing in front of Jett. She wraps an arm around his waist before tugging on the rope. They quickly get pulled up by the machine in the helicopter that the rope is attached to. He crawls in the helicopter behind Elli, accidentally making it tip momentarily as he grabs the grab handle to pull himself up.
“He’s getting away! Shoot at them!” A man shouts from below them.
Cecilia quickly slides the door shut. As they all strap themselves in the helicopter they can hear the bullets hitting the underside of the aircraft.
“Can someone please explain what in the world is going on here!” Stevon demands once he’s settled.
A woman gets up from the passenger seat and walks back to where they are sitting. She keeps herself steady as she grips the rail of grab handle for support. The boys’ eyes widen in shock as their mouths involuntarily fall open.
“Don’t worry boys. I’ll explain everything once we get to my office,” Señora Alaska comments as she reaches over to close their mouths. “What, did you think I didn’t have a life outside of school?” She jokes before returning to the front of the plane.
The boys look out the window as their neighborhood and angry neighbors grow smaller and smaller. They turn their heads to see Cecilia and Elli looking at them with excited, hopeful looks before looking out the window themselves. Stevon grabs Jett's hand and squeezes it. They exchange nervous glances, both thinking the same thing. They lean their heads against the seat for the rest of the ride while hoping for the best.
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