Chapter 1
A/N: I got the idea for this story around December 8, 2017, when I set up the Word document to start writing it. Took me until late May 2018 to get started, and until July 2018 to finish modifying it. This is the second fanfic I have ever seen on here to depict Brad Huff- and I showed up as an anonymous reader in 2010-2011 and as a writer in 2012- and the first one ever to feature Brad Huff in his own home and at school as he experiences it. Everyone is the hero of their own story and Brad Huff, much as Andre Kriegman and Calvin Gabriel hate him, is no exception.
Monday, April 2, 2001
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Brad Huff groaned as his alarm clock went off. He swiped at it, and only succeeded in knocking it to the floor, where it continued to go off.
Fuck. I don't wanna get up. Get the fuck outta here with that shit, man. My cheerleader girlfriend was riding me until 10 minutes before curfew last night. I never dressed and drove so fast in my fucking life. No, seriously, fuck off. Dude, you're killing my vibe. Okay-
Brad grunted something unintelligible and tried to get the alarm clock to shut up, but he just knocked it under the bed.
God-fucking-damn-it.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
Christ. Why did I even set it at this hour? Fuck, I gotta get up!
Brad rolled out of bed and scrambled for the alarm clock. He soon located it, pulled it to him, and switched it off.
The house was dark, and dead silent once again. Brad held completely still, listening carefully for the sound of Captain Jingles waking up and preparing to go "Wheeek! Wheeek! Wheeek!" loud enough to wake the frigging dead.
Nothing.
Oh, thank God for small favors.
Brad stood up and headed over to the door of his spacious walk-in closet. The door opened on well-oiled brass hinges, and Brad switched on the closet's interior light. He took a minute to strike a couple poses and admire himself. He was captain of the Iroquois High School wrestling team, played football and hockey, and had first started going to the gym when he was twelve. There was a lot to admire.
Girls thought so, too. Brad had been one of the first guys in his class to get laid, and had never been without a steady girlfriend and/or prospects for a one-night stand. Girls just couldn't get enough of the Huff. Brad grinned, looking at himself. He'd worked damn hard to look like this.
Of course, his parents had helped just a little. Coming from a family of handsome, talented people had just given Brad the starting advantage he'd always deserved.
With some reluctance, Brad looked away from the mirror and wandered toward the door to his room. He grabbed the pull-up bar, did ten reps, then let himself back down and headed out into the darkened upstairs hallway of the house. As he neared the bathroom at the top of the stairs, feet moving silently on the hardwood floor, Brad could hear his brother, Danny, snoring.
The kid brother forgot to set his alarm, Brad thought. It figures.
Brad headed into the bathroom and got his handsome body all ready for the day. His appearance was perfectly groomed whenever he headed out, and his golden-blond hair alone took ten minutes to comb and style properly. Looking this good involved a lot of upkeep.
When Brad left the bathroom, Danny was still sleeping. Brad felt a moment of irritation, but he shook his head and went back to his room. The Huff boys had a plan for this morning, and Danny had known he was supposed to get up at the same time as Brad. He had said yes, he was up for it, and there he was sleeping, the lazy bum.
It took a minute or two to dress in the turquoise Nike polo and khaki shorts Brad had selected for the day. He wore only designer clothes, and once he was fully dressed, was wearing nothing but Nike. Like a Huff would be seen out in public wearing anything less than the best!
It just so happened Dad owned a good chunk of Nike's stock, and with his connections, he was able to get their products sent right to the house at a substantial discount. Brad smiled as he thought about that.
It's so good to be me.
XX
When Brad got into Danny's room, the 9th grader was still sleeping, dozing comfortably under the covers. When Brad yanked the covers back, he whimpered and grabbed for them, but Brad held them away and slapped Danny across the face once, then twice.
"Ow! What the fuck?" Danny protested. He started to curse more, but Brad clapped a hand over his mouth.
"You should have set your alarm," Brad told him quietly.
"Mmm-mmmf! Mmemego ormmgonakilyou!"
"Not gonna happen, kid."
"MMM! Mmfyoumumfuker!"
Danny swatted at Brad and tried his best to pull his older brother's hand off his mouth, but the powerful, well-developed muscles in Brad's shoulders and arms meant it was useless. Danny's physique was impressive; he was as fit as any kid in the 9th grade. He'd worked hard for that six-pack, for those shoulders.
But as strong as Danny had grown up to be, Brad was stronger.
"Dude, you forgot to set your alarm. Calm down, asshole. I mean it! I'm not gonna let you go if you don't."
The younger blond teen gradually stopped struggling, and instead sat there on his bed, glaring resentfully at his brother.
Then he started licking the palm of Brad's right hand.
"Goddamn it!" Brad exclaimed, jerking his hand back. Danny laughed like it was the funniest thing in the world.
"Wheeeeeeeeeek! Wheeek! Wheeek! Wheeeeeeeeeeeek!"
"Now, look! You woke Captain Jingles up!" Danny said. He hopped off the bed, grabbed a treat out of the bag he kept under the cage, opened the cage and scooped up the fat white-and-khaki guinea pig he'd given that ridiculous name to.
"Danny-"
"Shh. Hey, Captain Jingles, who wants a treat? Who's a good piggy? Who's a good piggy? Yes, you are, that's you."
It was pretty funny, watching Danny, the super-cool freshman and small-time wrestler and football player, stand there in his underwear, talking to his guinea pig. That thing kept shitting in the cage, but Danny obsessively cleaned it and the room, kept using the best air fresheners money could buy. Girls loved that guinea pig, or at least, the ones Danny dated did. The kid brother had lost his virginity after inviting the girl he was seeing back in September to come over and pet and feed Captain Jingles.
How that shit had ever worked, Brad didn't know. But Danny had been coming to him day and night for advice and support basically since he'd been born, so adolescence was just another version of it. Brad couldn't remember ever telling him to use the fucking guinea pig to help him get laid.
"Hey, who's a good piggy? Who's the best piggy?" Danny said, cradling the guinea pig in his arms. "Yes, you are, I know."
While Danny was standing there, Brad snuck up behind him, grabbed the band of his underwear, and yanked it down to his ankles in one swift motion. Danny somehow managed to quickly set the pig down, then turned around, now completely naked, and tried to punch Brad, but instead tripped and hit the floor like a brick, sending a resounding boom through the frame of the house.
"Christ, keep it down, will you?" Brad hissed.
"I hate it when you do that!" Danny said. "Stop doing that to me!"
"Get dressed," Brad said. "Mom's gonna be getting Dad up and bringing him downstairs in an hour and you take forever to get ready."
"It's my hair, this handsome face," Danny replied, drawing himself up with impressive dignity for someone who was sitting naked on the floor with his underwear around his ankles. "It needs maintenance."
"Your face is sure gonna need maintenance if you don't hurry up."
Danny pulled his underwear up and stood, pushing at his brother as he headed for the bathroom. "You can't rush art, Bradley."
Brad laughed. The kid was arrogant, completely full of himself. He was handsome, athletically and socially talented, and just plain smart. He was also very, very aware of all that.
Just like his big brother.
I'm so proud of him.
XX
For somebody who took forever to get up this morning, Danny had sure done well to redeem himself. He prepped and dressed quickly, wearing Nike khaki shorts and a white polo, and was downstairs with Brad soon after, getting the dining room ready.
It took about ten minutes to get the cake and decorations set up, and then, as the final touch, get the 40 small candles placed. Mom had gotten the cake made yesterday at a shop one of her friends owned. Mom's baking was superb, but her friend handled such things professionally, and busy as the household was, Mom had decided to defer to her this year.
Danny was just getting the last of the candles it when Brad heard Dad and Mom talking at the head of the stairs.
"Leslie, I know what day it is. I just don't see why we need to start it this early. The boys aren't going to be up for another hour at least."
"What better way is there to celebrate your birthday than to be awake for as much of it as possible, Richard?"
Richard Huff laughed. "All the same, I could still be in bed."
They were starting down the stairs now.
"Danny!" Brad hissed. "Places!"
Danny jerked his head up from adjusting one of the candles and almost dropped his lighter. He fumbled, barely managed to catch it, shoved it in his pocket and joined his brother behind the heavy, solid oak table that had been in the family for generations. Draped as it was in a fine white table cloth, with fine silverware and the candlelight playing over the whole scene, it looked quite elegant.
As Richard and Leslie Huff came down the last few steps and into view from the dining room, Brad and Danny, in perfect unison, took a breath and began to sing.
Far above Cayuga's waters,
With its waves of blue,
Stands our noble Alma Mater,
Glorious to view.
Lift the chorus, speed it onward,
Loud her praises tell;
Hail to thee, our Alma Mater!
Hail, all hail, Cornell!
Dad's initial look of surprise gave way to one of delight and pride. Brad and Danny had both spent years in the church choir Mom headed, and were fine baritone singers. Their voices warmed to the familiar song quickly, and they continued into the second verse with only a moment's pause.
They matched each other perfectly, note for note, and didn't miss a word as their voices filled the room.
Far above the busy humming
Of the bustling town,
Reared against the arch of heaven,
Looks she proudly down.
Lift the chorus, speed it onward,
Loud her praises tell;
Hail to thee, our Alma Mater!
Hail, all hail, Cornell!
Mom and Dad clapped their hands as the boys finished the last few notes of the refrain.
"That was beautifully done, boys," Mom said proudly.
"Thank you, boys," Dad added. "Thank you."
"Happy Birthday, Dad," Brad said. "I love you."
"I love you more than he does, Dad," Danny cut in, elbowing his brother with a grin.
"Leslie, did the boys bring you in on this plan, by any chance?" Dad asked, glancing at his wife with a sly expression.
"Well, Richard, they asked me if I wanted to surprise you for your birthday, and I instantly said yes."
"Then you confess to aiding and abetting this conspiracy against me."
"I regret nothing."
"Ah-ha! Guilty as charged, and unrepentant as well!"
"Dad, make a wish already!" Brad laughed. "Come on, these candles are gonna melt!"
"And now I've got the jury heckling me!" Richard Huff cried with mock outrage. "Where is the judge, the bailiff? This is clear contempt of the court!"
"Fair Harvard…" Danny began to sing, but Brad smacked him on the back of the head.
"Wrong school!"
"Ow!"
"Okay, okay," Richard Huff said. He approached the table, took in a big breath, then blew out most of the candles. He had to try again to get the rest of them, and Mom turned flipped a light switch so the room wouldn't go dark. A priceless English chandelier, hanging high above their heads, instantly lit the room.
"Hey, so what was your wish, Dad?" Danny asked.
"Only to keep what I have. With a fine home, a loving wife and such handsome, talented sons, I don't dare ask for more. What else could a man desire than this? That you did all this for me merely proves my point. All the treasures in the world can't compare to the ones standing in this dining room, right here with me."
"Aw, Dad," Danny said, blushing and looking away.
"I love all of you. Thank you so much."
"You're welcome," Brad and Leslie said at the same time. Danny was busy clearing his throat and kept insisting he'd gotten something in his eye.
"Jinx, Mom," Brad said, grinning. "Hey, so, can we have some eggs, bacon and toast to go with the cake?"
"I think we can come up with something," Leslie Huff answered with a smile.
XX
After working in the kitchen with Mom for about five minutes, Brad brought the first serving of bacon in on a plate and returned to help prepare more. Bacon, eggs- fried and scrambled- toast, and sausage all were soon served up in generous quantities. Brad made a great show of making sure Dad didn't have to get up or ask for a single thing. Being a Huff, he deserved to have anything he could want presented before he could even ask.
Once Brad joined everyone at the table and the prayer was said, Dad soon launched into one of his windy talks on civic virtue and how it tied into some of the cases his firm was currently working on. Dad loved to talk about those kinds of things.
He was a real big-time figure in the legal profession, in Connecticut in general and in New Stratford specifically. His status as a founding partner in Williams & Huff, a major rising lawfirm in this part of Connecticut, meant that his opinion was often sought after and more people wanted Richard Huff on their team than he could possibly say yes to.
Just the name "Richard Huff" turning up on the opposing side had been enough to make some legal teams settle out of court or accept terms Richard proposed as a settlement. He had won numerous awards for his excellence and masterful insights into legal affairs, and was well-respected throughout Connecticut.
It was so wonderful having a big-shot like Richard Huff for a father. Brad personally felt sorry for all the kids at school who were the sons of nobodies, like that pissed-off freak Andre Kriegman and his faggot best friend, Calvin Gabriel. Those two especially were the sons of absolutely nobody, and were nobodies themselves. Like father, like son. Brad thought of them and wanted to laugh.
XX
Once the table was cleaned up and the dishes put away, Danny took Captain Jingles outside for a while, letting him roam freely about the richly green, neatly-cut grass of the backyard. Brad got Dad talking about his days at Cornell, which he and Danny both aimed to attend themselves in keeping with Huff tradition. Dad, of course, was happy to talk about Cornell and kept Brad spellbound for a solid hour.
After Captain Jingles had pooped, pissed, wandered around and been stroked to his little piggy heart's content, Danny brought him back to his cage upstairs, got his backpack and headed outside, going to the passenger door of the imposing black Land Rover Range Rover that Brad owned. The thing's big chrome wheels gleamed in the sunlight, as did the still-new paint.
Mom's diesel E240 wagon and Dad's V12-powered SL-600 were both around back behind the house, in the climate-controlled, two-car garage. Brad had coveted that magnificent red SL-600 for years, but Dad was holding onto it for now, no matter how many hints his eldest son dropped. Still, Brad eyed it enviously and knew he'd sneak it out for a joyride just as soon as he found out where Dad kept the keys. He had to have it, had to take it out and pretend it was his, at least. Land Rovers were cool, but a Mercedes-Benz, especially a V12? Now, that was the big leagues.
"Oh, and Brad," Mom said, following him to the door as Brad shouldered his own bag.
"Yes, Mom?"
"Try to ask Danny about what he'd like to drive. Don't forget, he's gonna be turning sixteen next year."
"Mom, I ask him, he's gonna flip out."
"Don't be overt about it, Brad."
"What?"
"Don't be obvious, honey."
"Oh. Yeah, I can do that. So, like, get him talking about cars and trucks and stuff? See what he likes?"
"That'll do fine. Your father and I just want some ideas. We want to make sure to get him something he'll really like, but it needs to be a surprise."
"Well, first off, I think it ought to be something new. We're not gonna make Danny drive an '85 Honda or something, right?"
"Oh, no!" Mom said, laughing at the very idea. "He's a Huff, sweetie, not just anybody. We'll take care of it. You just make sure to find out what he likes without letting him know what's going on."
"What if he wants a Murciélago?"
"When he's up for graduating college, we'll talk about it, but for right now nothing above Mercedes or Land Rover prices, understand?"
"Yes, Mom," Brad said, pleased and proud at being brought in on the conspiracy. "Don't worry."
"I never do, Brad," she said. "Now go on and get to school before you're late."
"Yes, ma'am."
XX
Danny eyed Brad curiously as the older blond teen headed out to the massive sport utility vehicle parked at the curb. "What was that about?"
"Oh, nothin'. Just stuff."
"I saw you and Mom laughing."
"I told her about how Charlie Jenkins said at PE yesterday: 'That's another Jew in the oven!' when he scored at basketball."
Danny laughed. "Wait, he actually said that?"
"Yeah, he did."
Danny laughed again. "Wow. That's funny, dude. I mean, Hitler wasn't all bad, or something, was he?"
"Nah, they probably just play it up 'cause the Nazis bullied all the history geeks in school or some fucking shit like that."
Brad shrugged dismissively. He honestly couldn't have cared less what the truth was, but that theory sounded right to him. Even if Hitler had done some bad stuff, it was about 1,000 years ago and none of Brad's concern.
Moving around in front of the Land Rover's giant chrome-laden grille, Brad pressed the button for the remote and unlocked the truck. Then he stepped onto the driver's side running board, pulled open the driver's door, and dropped himself into $70,000 worth of luxury.
The whole interior was decked out in cut-pile carpeting, tan leather, velour fabric, and all the gadgets. CD and cassette player, with Bose speakers built in. All the wood was real, of course, and each seat was custom-embossed with the Huff family motto, Sanctimonia Vincet Semper. All in all, this was a truck Brad could get used to. He had rolled and trashed the last one- a 1999- and came out with no more than bruises, a few scrapes, and a 2000 Range Rover as a replacement.
Dad had grounded Brad for a month over that one, especially with the issue of the liquor bottles the police 'found' in the wreck and the alcohol they 'found' in Brad's system.
But no mention of that went in any official reports. Richard Huff had seen to that. A few mistakes, here and there, were not going to be allowed to jeopardize Brad's promising future. That was how Dad always said it.
Brad loved his parents. They treated him right, sure enough, even if they were annoying sometimes. Dad was super strict with what few rules he had, and if you made an enemy out of him, he had a brutal sarcastic streak.
Danny was only minimally aware that his older brother did any drinking. He mostly knew Brad kept speeding, something else that got swept under the rug every time. But one day soon, Brad was gonna take Danny to a party and get the kid drunk and convince some cheerleader slut to ride him for an hour or two. It'd take some charm to convince a hot enough 11th or 12th grade girl to fuck a freshman, but Brad had plenty of charm. He knew he could make all that happen for Danny before the end of senior year. No question.
Oh, the things you could think up when you were a Huff. "Think it, and you can do it," they'd said as far back as elementary school. As a Huff, you really could. All those other losers had to make do with less, but not a Huff. No, sir.
"Hey," Danny said, as he climbed up and dropped himself into the front passenger seat. "So you got any cigarettes? Josh and Nick were asking and I kinda promised I'd have 'em a pack so we could smoke a little today… so…"
"Yeah, I'll toss you a pack, just not now, okay?"
"Sure, sure."
Brad inserted his keys into the ignition and turned them forward. The Range Rover's V8 started up instantly, sending a throaty roar through the twin exhaust pipes.
"Damn, that sounds cool!" Danny exclaimed. He and Brad, in a routine they had practiced and rehearsed, put on their designer sunglasses at the same time.
"Time to go to school, Danny," Brad said.
"Shit."
"Be positive, Danny."
"Fucking shit."
Brad grinned. "There you go."
A/N: 9-14-2018.
I initially wrote this with Brad Huff driving a 2000 Cadillac Escalade instead, but I was watching the movie again and Andre and Calvin repeatedly mention the fact that Brad Huff owns a Land Rover Range Rover. Just goes to show how important it is to consult the original source and make sure you're getting those details right.