Irlanda Campoy

Friend or Foe?

"Antonio!" called Andrés from the swings. Here, Antonio and Andrés were only little kids. Antonio hurried over to where Andrés was and almost panicked at the sight of his friend on the ground. He hurried over and helped Andrés up.
"Are you okay?" asked Antonio worriedly. Andrés only nodded, with his arm around Antonio's for support. Antonio smiled brightly, as he usually does, and he noticed Andrés smiling back at him.

Now, they are older. Antonio is 15, and Andrés is 14, almost 15. Antonio is tall, skinny, and dark-skinned. His eyes are a mix of a bright green and a sort of yellow-ish orange. His hair is medium length (for a boy's haircut) and is a dark brown color. His chin isn't pointy at all, if anything, it's round, along with his nose. Also round. His cheeks are usually a light tint of pink. Andrés, though, is a tad shorter than Antonio. He is rather fair-skinned, much lighter than Antonio. His eyes are a light brown, and his hair is short. His natural hair color is a dark, dark black. He is slightly chubbier than Antonio, so his chin is very round. His nose, on the other hand, is rather pointed. His cheeks always seem dirty, no matter how much he washes his face.

Many things changed in Antonio, since having only one friend to count on all the time. He's always next to Andrés, and barely ever leaving his side. They live in Barcelona, Spain, both as companions. They live way on the further side of the city, where it's more quiet, in barns and far land. They don't exactly go to school, although they're still known all over the city, obviously, because they're always causing mischief.

"Hurry up! They're going to catch us!" yelled Antonio, almost out of breath.
"I'm coming! You don't expect me to run this much after lunch, do you?" Andrés tried running a bit faster, but tripped. "Antonio! Help!" Antonio stopped and ran the other way to help Andrés.
"Get up!" cried Antonio as he held out a hand to him. "We have to go." After Andrés took hold of Antonio, he was pulled up and they started running again. They both climbed up onto the roofs where the guards couldn't catch them, and ran home from there.

"We're home, mama!" yelled Antonio as he entered the house. "Andrés, don't tell her."
"But we have to." Andrés was a little insecure this time. Usually, they would only steal food. Like bread or cheese, or beans. But this time, Antonio got his hands on a pearl necklace from one of the richer people's house. "Antonio, I swear. If you don't tell her, I will."
Antonio grunted and lay down on the couch "But she'll really kill me this time." Andrés put his hands on his hips and scrunched up his face. "besides, Andrés, we won't be able to hang out anymore if she knows."

"If who knows what?" Antonio's mom came in from the kitchen door. Her name is Maria. "What are you two talking about? And what shouldn't I know?"
"ahh, m..mama. You just shouldn't know how much I love you. You know, because I love you so so much that I can't tell you how much." Antonio watched his mother as she crossed her arms and looked down on him. As always, Antonio would laugh, which always meant he was keeping a secret.
"Antonio, tell me right now." She commanded. Antonio looked back at Andrés and sighed. He took out the pearl necklace from his pocket and held it up to her. She sighed loudly and slapped her hand to her face. "Antonio. Again?" all Antonio could do right now was nod. "You need to stop this."
"But, ma-" Antonio was cut off by his mother's yells.
"No 'buts'! I told you to not take any more stuff." She walked off to the upstairs rooms.
"Jeez. See what happens when we tell her?" Antonio felt a bit of guilt building up inside of him.
"At least she didn't kill you." He could hear Andrés laughing. "And besides, it wasn't that hard."
"That's easy for you to say. You're not her child." Antonio grunted. Andrés could laugh a bit harder. However, it only caused Antonio to give him a hit in the gut. They only spent the rest of the afternoon tending to the crops and eating.

It's only been a week or two since they've last stolen anything. Andrés just doesn't seem well.

"Andrés! Andrés open up!" Antonio kept on knocking on the door, furiously. "Andrés, I swear! If you don't open, I'm just going to kick the stupid door down!" He could hear heavy footsteps, followed by a low "..I'm coming.." Yes. That's definitely Andrés there.
"What?" asked Andrés with a groan. His hair was messy and seemed as though he hadn't slept in days (which wouldn't be a surprise right now). "Just tell me what you want."
"Andrés, I know you have un monton de flojera, but listen. The policemen have absolutely gone crazy! I can't walk into town without any one calling them, yelling out 'Murderer!', and I was wondering if you knew what was going on" Andrés's face looked un-surprised, as though he'd had something to do with it. But with how clueless Antonio is, of course he didn't notice.
"No se…I don't know, man. The guards are always crazy." Antonio shook his head furiously as if dis-agreeing. "Antonio, hermano, I bet it's nothing. In fact, It'll clear up in a weak."
"haha, you're right." Antonio laughed. "It's probably some joke they made up to get back at me, anyways." After this 'talk', Antonio walked back to his house and fell asleep without a care in the world. Of course he'd believe everything his best friend said. Of course.

It's already been a week, as when Andrés said this whole 'joke' thing would've cleared up. But it didn't, unfortunately. Antonio was still being chased by the guards wherever he went. He could only stay home now. Even his mother began to worry. As usual, Antonio was as clueless as ever, but his mother, on the other hand, noticed quickly that somebody had probably been trying to frame him. His sweet son would never 'murder' anybody. EVER. Even Antonio knew he wouldn't comit a crime as such.

"Antonio. We need to talk." His mother was speaking softly, as she does when she wants to tell him a hard truth.
"Que, mama?" He replied simply, sitting on the couch next to his mother.
"You know that murder everyone thinks you did?" Antonio nodded in comprehension. "Well, I think it was Andrés." Antoni thought it over for a few minutes. Both of them just sitting there waiting for Antonio's answer. He finally spoke.
"Mama, I think you're right." He face palmed himself, hitting himself straight in the forhead. "How could I not notice sooner? He has been acting so strange and I didn't figure it out."
"Mijo, it's alright. You just need to talk to him and ask him to go to the gaurds and tell them it was him. I'm sure he'll understand."
"Gracias, mama. I'll go tomorrow."

The next afternoon, Antonio proceeded to walk to Andrés's house and knocking. It seemed as though no one was home. To make sure, Antonio walked around to the back and found a note taped to the back door. 'Antonio, it was me. Lo siento, mi amigo, but I commited that crime. I didn't mean to, but the lady was bothering me. No, she was 'pestering'me. Now, amigo, if you want to live, turn around and go back home. Otherwise, duck and fight!' Suddenly out of no where, Andrés jumped out with a knife in his hand. His face was covered in what looked like blood. How did he turn into this? A killer? Antonio's first and only friend, now turning against him, as well.

"Andrés, you don't have to do this! Please stop!" This seemed to have stopped him from killing Antonio. He was just standing there looking at Antonio with a crazed expression. This isn't Andrés anymore. It's someone else. This isn't my best friend. Antonio growled and took hold of a stick. "Don't make me use this!" As it seemed, Andrés didn't stop. He was about ready to rip of all of Antonio's skin. Antonio had to act fast, or he was dead! He forcefully jabbed the stick into Andrés's shoulder.
"AAHHH!" Andrés's yells faded slightly. Antonio felt so guilty, even though he needed to do it. "Why'd you turn against me, amigo? I thought you'd stay with me and do everything with me. Why not die with me?"
"Andrés, you gave me no choice!" Antonio backed up to the open space in the garden with Andrés forcing himself to follow, with the stick still jammed in his bones. At least now he couldn't raise his arm with the knife. Antonio ran further backwards until he hit the fence. "Please. Just stop this now and I could help you. Just listen! I'm talking, Andrés! Listen to me!" It appeared as though Antonio was either being ignored or his 'friend' couldn't hear.
"ha hahaha ha!" Andrés's laugh was full of weird, creepiness. He crept closer and closer to Antonio and finally reached him. "I will meet you in the next world… ha ha haha!" Antonio, in the blink of an eye, re-visioned his entire life until now. How he had suffered from the bullying of the others. How his life had been before he met Andrés, and later, after he had known him single second, in the blink of an eye. The last thing he saw was the lost, sadness in Andrés's eyes.
"AH..HAH…!" Antonio had the knife struck straight at his heart. It had quickly killed him in seconds.

It has only been a week after Antonio had been brutally murdered by his 'best friend', though there is nothing else to describe what he is at this point. Just a murderer.
It is the day of the funeral and most of the neighbors are there, paying their respects to the young boy, Antonio. Even Andrés was there. He didn't hesitate while speaking of the 'sadness' he felt for Antonio's death. It's as if it didn't matter to him that it was he who had killed Antonio and not some maniac (although there isn't much of a difference). Andrés kept starring at Antonio's mom. Just starring at her, with solemn eyes.

Now it is later in the day. Time for everybody to sleep. That is, everyone except Andrés. He was in Antonio's house, creeping through the hallways, headed towards Antonio's mother's room. He slowly opened the bedroom door, and walked towards the bed. With a quick move, he aimed for the head, the brain, the source of life, and proceeded with cutting down to the stomache. There were faint screams, though she had died a faster death than her son, Antonio.

Andrés hurridly ran outside. He ran as fast as he could, with the knife in his pocket. There was only one more person to kill. Just one more. The one person that would be able to end the madness going on both inside and out of him. Just that one person, and he'd be done.

He headed past the Chapel and to the cemetary. He ran quickly towards the stoned grave that read the name of Antonio. He lay down over the grave and took the knife out. With his fingers, he located a certain spot. A certain vain in his neck. He could feel it throb like crazy. He was scared, although he probably didn't look it on the outside.

Andrés slowly cut around that spot on his neck, making himself suffer. To, as the church people say, 'cleanse himself'. He cut his palm as well and spread the staining blood all over his face. All his cuts oozed out red liquid, as if it were being sucked out by the air.

Andrés took a deep breath and spoke softly "Everything ends here." He aimed for that vain again and struck quickly at it. Like Antonio, his life passed by quickly, except it went by as fast as a slowly falling tear-drop. He had been crying before striking, and he'd just now relized. It's too late for anything now. It all ends here. With the bad guy being good all over, and paying for his sins. For him to go to heaven, otherwise just die completely and go to hell. To be dead or alive and feel dead, or be dead and feel alive, it's all the same…