Michael yawned and stretched his arms out. He kept his eyes tightly shut, hoping that the last 24 hours had been a dream. A bad dream. He wanted to look next to him and see Ben. He wanted to walk down to the liberty diner, kiss his mother, and walk down the street and open his comic book store. He wanted to close for lunch and wait in the long line to vote for mayor. He knew he had to open his eyes and face the facts.
At first everything was blurry. He rubbed his eyes. There was no Ben next to him. Only a once occupied twin bed. "Hunter?" he said groggily. All he could see was a white piece of paper laying on the unmade bed. He walked over and picked up the note. He read it aloud. "Mike, I've caused you enough trouble and now it's time for me to take care of myself. Go back home. Burn this letter. Tell them you don't know anything. Thanks. Hunter." He looked at the note in shock. In a rush he got dressed and stuffed his dirty t-shit in the bag he brought. The motel check-out seemed to take forever. He looked down, but then remembered he had left his watch at home. "What time is it?"
"It's eight, sir." He thanked the man and walked to a near by pay phone. He dialed Brian's number.
"What?" said an angry Brian and he picked his cellphone. He could hear Justin's voice in the backround. 'Who the fuck calls at this time of morning?' Michael rolled his eyes.
"It's me."
"Mikey?"
"Yea."
"How's my baby treating you."
"I can't thank you enough for the car. Has Ben called?"
"Yea. Um, hold on, I wrote it down." He got up and heard Brian talking to Justin. "It's Mikey. Oh here it is." He put the phone back up to his ear. "He said at ten call him at work. He left his number." As Michael wrote down the digits on his hand, he could only think what the hell he would do until ten.
"Thank's Brian. Love you."
"You to." They hung up and Michael walked back to his car, determined to find Hunter.
~~~
Ben stared at the phone. It was 10:05, where the hell was Michael and Hunter? He needed to talk to him before the police tapped that phone too. The phone rang. Before the first ring had even rung, he had his phone up to his ear. "Hello?"
"Ben?"
"Oh god Mike I thought you would never call."
"It's only five after."
"I know. Where's Hunter?"
"Uh-" Ben cut him off.
"Look, I told them that you were at a comic book convention and that when Hunter saw his mom he ran."
"Ben, he did run."
"What? He's gone?" Michael read him the letter, and then again. "Okay, Mike, you've got to come home. I can't handle this by myself."
"What about Hunter?"
"We have to talk about what to do next, but you have to come back. Where are you anyway."
"I was staying at some crummy motel in New York. It will take me a while to get home. Hunter didn't have a car so he couldn't have gotten far. I've been looking for him all morning."
"Okay. Just come home. Look, I have a class. I'll talk to you when you get back."
"Ben?"
"Yea?"
"I love you."
"You too."
~~~
Brian popped an asprin, then another one. He stared around his now totally empty apartment. The only thing he had left was his bed. He layed down again and closed his eyes. He opened them and turned over to see Justin staring at him. "How are you going to afford your loft now."
"I'll be fine."
"Don't lie. I know you wont be fine because you don't have a job. Not to mention you spent all your savings on promoting our new mayor."
"If it wasn't for me, he'd be nothing."
"If it wasn't for him, you'd have money."
"Yea well, money isn't everything."
"Since when?"
"Yea well, you don't have money or school anymore. And whose fault is that."
"Stockwell's. Besides, uou don't have a school to pay for."
"Don't even bring that up. I'm fine."
"You're gonna beg for your job back, arent you. You're in debt up to your...well you're in debt." Brian gave him a sarcastic look.
"I don' beg." He got up. "I'm gonna take a shower. You're welcome to join me." He smirked at Justin.
At first everything was blurry. He rubbed his eyes. There was no Ben next to him. Only a once occupied twin bed. "Hunter?" he said groggily. All he could see was a white piece of paper laying on the unmade bed. He walked over and picked up the note. He read it aloud. "Mike, I've caused you enough trouble and now it's time for me to take care of myself. Go back home. Burn this letter. Tell them you don't know anything. Thanks. Hunter." He looked at the note in shock. In a rush he got dressed and stuffed his dirty t-shit in the bag he brought. The motel check-out seemed to take forever. He looked down, but then remembered he had left his watch at home. "What time is it?"
"It's eight, sir." He thanked the man and walked to a near by pay phone. He dialed Brian's number.
"What?" said an angry Brian and he picked his cellphone. He could hear Justin's voice in the backround. 'Who the fuck calls at this time of morning?' Michael rolled his eyes.
"It's me."
"Mikey?"
"Yea."
"How's my baby treating you."
"I can't thank you enough for the car. Has Ben called?"
"Yea. Um, hold on, I wrote it down." He got up and heard Brian talking to Justin. "It's Mikey. Oh here it is." He put the phone back up to his ear. "He said at ten call him at work. He left his number." As Michael wrote down the digits on his hand, he could only think what the hell he would do until ten.
"Thank's Brian. Love you."
"You to." They hung up and Michael walked back to his car, determined to find Hunter.
~~~
Ben stared at the phone. It was 10:05, where the hell was Michael and Hunter? He needed to talk to him before the police tapped that phone too. The phone rang. Before the first ring had even rung, he had his phone up to his ear. "Hello?"
"Ben?"
"Oh god Mike I thought you would never call."
"It's only five after."
"I know. Where's Hunter?"
"Uh-" Ben cut him off.
"Look, I told them that you were at a comic book convention and that when Hunter saw his mom he ran."
"Ben, he did run."
"What? He's gone?" Michael read him the letter, and then again. "Okay, Mike, you've got to come home. I can't handle this by myself."
"What about Hunter?"
"We have to talk about what to do next, but you have to come back. Where are you anyway."
"I was staying at some crummy motel in New York. It will take me a while to get home. Hunter didn't have a car so he couldn't have gotten far. I've been looking for him all morning."
"Okay. Just come home. Look, I have a class. I'll talk to you when you get back."
"Ben?"
"Yea?"
"I love you."
"You too."
~~~
Brian popped an asprin, then another one. He stared around his now totally empty apartment. The only thing he had left was his bed. He layed down again and closed his eyes. He opened them and turned over to see Justin staring at him. "How are you going to afford your loft now."
"I'll be fine."
"Don't lie. I know you wont be fine because you don't have a job. Not to mention you spent all your savings on promoting our new mayor."
"If it wasn't for me, he'd be nothing."
"If it wasn't for him, you'd have money."
"Yea well, money isn't everything."
"Since when?"
"Yea well, you don't have money or school anymore. And whose fault is that."
"Stockwell's. Besides, uou don't have a school to pay for."
"Don't even bring that up. I'm fine."
"You're gonna beg for your job back, arent you. You're in debt up to your...well you're in debt." Brian gave him a sarcastic look.
"I don' beg." He got up. "I'm gonna take a shower. You're welcome to join me." He smirked at Justin.
