The summer's humidity did nothing to rival the heavy fog of tension invading the interior of Grassi's General Store. The morning had begun with a peaceful sunrise over Hazlehurst Mississippi. Though it was still early afternoon, the warmth of the sun was quickly fading. The icy hatred radiating from the two boys was leaving a frigid coolness in the atmosphere.

"Screw you Kinney!" the blond spat in between heavy gasps of air. Justin could taste the crimson iron assaulting his tongue as it poured in from his busted lip.

"You wish." Brian retorted smugly, wiping blood from his own mouth. 'You wish? Why had he said that? What did it even mean?' Briefly, Brian's own wonder hijacked his dominating demeanor. He swallowed whatever unwarranted weirdness he suddenly felt and firmly straightened his posture again.

'Damn. This Taylor kid was such an arrogant ass.' His very presence ignited a fiery disdain in Brian's veins.

He was no longer sure why it was he'd hated him so much, he just knew that he goddamn did. Actually, he'd hated even more that that was a lie.

Justin pushed through Ben's restricting grip. He wanted to connect his fist to that pretty face. Brian Kinney was always making dick comments to he and his friends. Strutting around town like he was God's gift to Hazlehurst. 'If this was the gift, he'd hoped they kept the receipt to exchange it.'

"We were here first. So you can leave now, or we'll cream ya." Michael said with what Justin could only interpret as an inflated sense of superiority. Everyone knew Novotny always hid behind Brian.

"No way! This is your uncle's store not yours." Justin declared as he very deliberately pushed into Brian's shoulder on his way to the counter. He came for a goddamn ice cream soda, and he had every intention on getting it. He had barely reached the stool when he heard that velvet voice again.

"Stay out of my way this summer Taylor." Brian said his name like it tasted bitter.

Justin just smiled. Brightly.

Something within Brian clawed at his stomach, furiously trying to escape. It was an emotion he couldn't place, name, or even acknowledge. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling. He just didn't know what to do with it. He transformed it into anger.

Before his mind could catch up with his hands, Justin was crashing through a nearby display. Glass shattered in every direction, glittering the floor like paved crystal.

"What in tarnation?" Vic exclaimed as he entered the store from the back storage room. "Damn it fellas, that's enough. Enough!" He shouted, sitting the box he'd been carrying down on the counter then took in the scene.

He was grateful Deb had had an appointment with the Doc today. As he examined the remains of what once had been her favorite sundae bowls, he sighed heavily. These boys should've been even more grateful for the redhead's absence.

The store had been in the Grassi family for generations. They provided Hazlehurst with everything from french fries to pharmaceuticals. All of that, was no doubt about to change just as soon as the new, something they called a supermarket, opened up just down the way. 'What kind of a name was Piggly Wiggly anyway?' Vic almost smiled but caught himself when he noticed the four boys staring at him, eyes full of worry.

He was a little irritated, but not completely angry. Vic was mostly concerned about losing customers with childish fights breaking out in the middle of the place. They couldn't afford any loss of business this summer.

Michael had been friends with Brian Kinney since they were too small to talk. It was times like these that he'd wished they'd have stayed mute.

He knew Brian was a nice kid, misunderstood but kindhearted. It pained him to see him fight with the Taylor boy. They used to all be inseparable. Though he wasn't sure when that changed, he had his own suspicions as to why Brian harbored so much anger…especially toward the adorable blond boy.

He let his eyes grace the four teens, then moved to help Justin up. He shot a nod to Ben and Michael, "You two, out." he ordered.

"You two," he looked first at Taylor, then at Kinney "sit your behinds down."

Neither boy protested and they each took a stool.

"I don't pretend to know what's goin' on with you boys lately, but I certainly don't take kindly to ya'll wreckin' my store." he lectured firmly.

Hazel and blue found a sudden fascination in their shoes.

"Now, I've known you youngins since you were born. I know you used to be friendly and get along. I'll be darned if you're not going to do it again if it kills ya." Vic continued to explain that they would be reporting to him every morning for a week at seven a.m. to work off the damages to his inventory.

It wasn't a suggestion.

Both boys mumbled a version of an apology and went to join their friends outside.

"I really don't like you anymore." Justin mumbled under his breath as they neared the door.

"Who does?" Brian shrugged nonchalantly. Confident on the outside. Inside, Justin's words were stinging every inch of him.

Scowls and pushing elbows accompanied them across the threshold.

"This is just swell. Thanks a lot Kinney." Justin grumbled.

Brian, to the surprise of everyone (himself especially) didn't have a flippant comeback.

Quietly, he mounted his bike and rode off. Pedaling with strenuous vigor. The playing cards in his tire spokes flapped in time with his pounding anger. It was almost alive, he could feel it thumping through his veins.

'Where was he headed?' He hadn't a clue in hell. All he knew was that he needed to get as far away from Justin Taylor as fast as possible. Away from that attitude, that smile.

He shook his head and increased his speed, ignoring Michael's shouts behind him to 'slow down'. He pushed forth and tried like hell to ignore the part of himself that was growing excited at the prospect of spending the next week with one fucking infuriating blond.

Even with his muscular legs he wasn't going fast enough. With that thought he'd decided on a destination. He turned right on Conway Street, the direction of Sam's Salvage yard.

He had just recently gotten his license, so the sooner he got his motorcycle running, the farther he could go. 'Would he stop at the edge of town or leave this place entirely?' He didn't know, but for now the latter sounded like a dream.

A touch stunned, Justin stared off at the brunet until long after his form was no longer visible.

Mr. Vic had been right. Two years ago he and Brian had actually been close friends; possibly the best of. Sometimes (though not often) Justin allowed himself to ponder their past.

He had never been able to pinpoint the exact moment that everything had turned to shit.

He did not know that Brian could.

They'd finished the eighth grade, then that summer they sort of broke off into two groups of friends.

He had loveable bookworm Ben and Emmett, the older but super friendly senior. Brian Kinney had the ever present Michael and his little 'Hazlehurst Berry Princess' Lindsay.

'The two had been going steady for about…just as long as he and Justin hadn't been friends.' Justin had never made that connection before, not that it mattered. He and Kinney would never again be the best of buds.

Seemingly overnight Brian had grown to hate him, and Justin had never learned why. Afraid to hear the answer, he too had never been brave enough to ask.

Kinney began presenting himself as some sort of God, too good for the likes of Justin. The blond's best defense mechanism to prevent further hurt was to just stop giving a shit about Brian-goddamn-Kinney. Up until now, he had thought he'd done a fairly successful job not caring.

Now however, a myriad of emotions feverishly churned inside him. He didn't know how he felt about having to spend the next week in the presence of 'His Holiness'.