Richie ran through the hallway, out of breath, and hunched over with hands on his knees. Still breathing heavy, he looks at his best friend at his locker and calls out to him.

"Virgil!" Virgil turns to face him and closes his locker. "What is it, Richie?" Richie finally catches his breath and stands up. "I...talked to Francis the other day... he says he's sorry." Virgil scowls and furrows his brows. "How can you believe him?! Do you remember what I told you? Why did you even talk to that bastard?" Richie sighs and looks away sheepishly. He started stuttering, and was embarrassed that he did exactly what Virgil told him not to.

"Well, he met me in the hallway and he wanted to talk, so I... I let him, and I listened to what he had to say and... Well it turns out his buddies had him up to it, and they told him to stake out the area where we hang out after school.. and he-- he just told me he's really sorry about it and it's okay if you don't want to talk to him anymore. But he told me to tell you that."

Virgil shakes his head, he couldn't believe any of that! Francis had to be making that up so he wouldn't get the blame for it. "I can't trust him after what he did. I'm so...messed up now, I-I don't know what to do." Richie puts a hand on Virgil's shoulder. Virgil ignores it and slides down the locker to sit in the fetal position. Richie smiles to try to cheer him up.

"But you have me, Virgil. You can talk to people." "But he...he...he... How can I forgive somebody for doing that to me? Richie, It was horrible! Francis and his stupid friends...they... they pinned me to the wall... and they took turns and... I-I couldn't move... I just... I need..." Richie's expression did a 180. He really felt sad for him now.

"Virgil... okay." Richie hugs Virgil, and Virgil whimpers. "I'm so sorry that happened, but he's sorry..." Virgil angrily shoves Richie away from him and stares at him, his eyes burning with tears. "How can you... how can you believe him? After what he did to me? Richie, we're best friends! Why would you take his side?!"

Richie squats down beside him with a somber expression. Richie thinks about what Francis told him and realises Virgil never told him about what happened until now. The only reason he got into this was because of what Francis said. "Well to tell the truth, if I didn't tell you any of it, then it would hurt me then too, and I don't wanna go through this mess..."

Virgil looks up at Richie with tears streaming down his face. He looks expectantly at Richie, wanting Richie to help him. All he could think about was not wanting it to happen again. "Richie you have to protect me! Y-you have to help me... like come with me after school or something. I don't want to know... I don't know."

Richie sits next to Virgil in the same position, and wraps his arms around his knees. "...What if they hurt me too, V...Virgil? I...could be just as weak as you are." Virgil makes an angry sound and leans his head back on the locker. He looks at the ceiling, disgusted at the way Richie isn't making the situation easier. "Fine then, go. I'll just keep getting raped, I guess... I-I'll get used to it... Maybe I'll start to learn to like it."

Richie startled at what Virgil said and made a strangled sound. Might as well have taken a sack of bricks and... "Don't tell me you like guys Virgil, because of this. It's not your fault-" Virgil interrupts him, his mind going a million miles a minute. Everything he said just kept coming out- it was impossible to control.

"--They just take advantage of the situation. They probably stalk me after school, waiting for the perfect moment and... Maybe they want me to turn gay. Maybe Francis wants me as...a boyfriend or something."

"I-I don't think that's the case. I think he's just sick in the head but he's not trying to make you gay, too. He might be a faggot, but... I know you're not, Virgil. Okay-? Just trust me, you're not." Richie's words barely registered in Virgil's mind. His thoughts nearly blocked it out all together. Some of his thoughts formed themselves into intelligible words that flowed out his mouth, while the less recognizable ones simply drowned in his brain.

"What if I start to like guys...what if I... what if I start to like you, Richie? What if I want to be your fuckmate too? In the same way... that he fucked me?" Richie started to give up on getting through to Virgil, there wasn't much he could do. "Virgil, I-I think you're going to need some counciling. I-I can't really help you anymore, you're just starting to worry me..." Virgil looks at him and Richie suddenly feels a dagger rip through him. Virgil looked so confused and Richie wanted to think it was all his fault... No- it was Francis's fault for telling him anything.

Virgil didn't say anything for a while because he was too busy trying not to totally start sobbing in the hallway. Richie solemnly gazed down at him, extremely guilty for what he'd done. Virgil finally got control of his throat enough to speak, it hurt but at least he could talk. "So then protect me, protect me please."

"I-I'm not...I'm not as...muscular as Francis. I can't...stop him if he does anything." "Maybe you can talk him out of it, or something 'cuz... I just...froze. I couldn't even speak -I was so mortified- thought I was gonna die. And not to mention these dreams." Richie snapped out of his guilt-trip and thought about why Virgil was having those kinds of dreams even though he had a feeling he already knew why.

"Dreams...?" He tried to act like he didn't know what Virgil was alluding to. "Yeah, I've been having dreams...about it...about me starting to like it... and me getting off on it. I woke up this morning and my sheets were-" Richie's eyes cracked wide open and he interruped without thinking. "--Don't...don't say it. Please don't..say it."

Virgil looked at Richie out of the corner of his eye, wondering why he jumped and cut in so fast. "...Why? It's the truth." "The truth hurts Virgil and I don't... really want to know right now... I'...m...I'm not ready... to know the whole truth, okay. Maybe I can...talk to Francis-- or something, and may'be he'll stop it-- I'm not going to get into this, okay?"

The truth was Richie didn't want to know the extent of what Francis and his buddies did to his friend. He wouldn't be able to stomach it.

"Okay Richie, thank you."