Note: Hey all. Sorry to give you all a scare…but I've been planning this for ages. (slurps ice cream) and thanks for the reviews. I was gonna take my time with this one but with your reviews I figured I better get writing. Te he or an angry mob would form outside of my house. When I was writing this I had the song "I Found A Reason" by Cat Power playing on repeat. So if you want some mood music... it's a beautiful song from "V for Vendetta". Thanks for all the support!
"Mark! Mark!"
Mark winced looking up from his film negatives, "What Cindy!" He called out. His sister came into his room with a telephone and a scowl.
"Some guy is on the phone for you. You better make it fast. I'm waiting for Derek to call back." She held out the phone for him to take the other hand on her hip.
"Who is it? Roger, Collins…maybe Angel?" He asked refusing to take the phone and looking back at the negatives.
Cindy rolled her eyes, "I don't know, I can't tell the difference between your dorky friends." She dropped the phone on his desk and walked out.
Mark gave her the finger as she left and picked up the phone, "Hello?"
"Hi…Mark?" The voice on the other end said quietly. It took Mark a few minutes to recognize his voice.
"What the hell?" Mark stood up from his chair and began to pace. His face turned beat red with anger. Why the hell would he call him?
"Mark, please don't hang up." The voice pleaded desperately.
"No, Robbie, I don't talk to bigots who beat up their exes-"
"Would you listen?" Robbie yelled into the phone. When Mark got quiet, Robbie took that as his cue, "Angel and Collins are in trouble."
Mark stopped pacing his eyes growing wide, "Why? What are you gonna do?"
"No it's not me. I told them I couldn't…I couldn't, Mark."
"What's happening?" Mark sat on his bed his hand covering his forehead.
"The rest of the team. They're gonna pay Collins back for his prom prank. Just…find them before they do." Without another word, Robbie hung up.
All of the saliva disappeared from Mark's mouth. The phone dropped from his hand slamming onto the ground. Two of his closes friends were in trouble…could they be lost? Hurt? Even…no. Could it be all be one big joke? Was Robbie pulling his leg so he could laugh at him later. But Mark knew he couldn't take the chance, and the desperate sound in Robbie's voice made him worry. He picked up the phone from the floor and dialed Angel's house.
"Hello?" Sybil asked sounding a bit less cheery than normal.
"Sybil? It's Mark. Is Angel home yet?" Mark asked immediately his heart pounding in his chest.
"No she's not. Maybe she's spending the night at Collins'…but she told me she'd be home around now. Maybe she got distracted." Sybil offered her own voice wavering. Mark glanced at the clock, it was now ten o'clock.
"Yeah maybe…Um…I'll keep in touch Sybil." Mark heard the woman start to ask him questions but he hung up on her. If this really was all a joke, he didn't want to worry her. Not that she wasn't already worried. And if it was real…he didn't know what to say to her.
He punched in the numbers for Collins' house, the answering machine picked up. The filmmaker swore under his breath. Then he called one more person as he tied his scarf around his neck, "Hey Roger…I think something horrible happened."
Roger pulled up in front of the Cohen's house a few minutes later. As Mark ran to the car he noticed a strange smell in the air. Getting in the car, he realized what it was, burning rubber. Roger didn't even look to see if Mark put on his seatbelt, he drove off speeding into the darkness. Mark sat quietly glancing at his best friend. The rocker's face was hard and emotionless. His eyes seemed distant trying to split the night.
"Where do we start looking?" Roger asked breaking the silence between them.
Mark squirmed in his seat, "I don't know. Robbie didn't say where to look. And I don't even know where they went…" He paused for a moment realizing that the radio was off. Roger always had the radio on, some horrible guitar centered music. It was always on…except tonight. Mark gulped, "Do you think we should call the girls? They might be able to help…"
Roger didn't answer him.
They drove for what seemed like an eternity. Mark would keep his eyes on the right while Roger would look on the left. They were looking for any sign. Maybe even someone walking the streets who could have seen Angel and Collins. But this was Scarsdale. The whole town practically shut down at sunset. Except the sole 7-11 in the town.
Passing the store Mark grabbed Roger's shoulder, "Roger…it's them." The rocker stopped the car right away and pulled into the parking lot. There they were, at least two of them. Sid and Tommy Boil. Even though they were far away from them, Mark could smell alcohol in the air. There was no doubt in his mind where the smell was coming from.
Sid and Tommy were laughing like hyenas lost in their own drunken world. Until Roger left his car. He rushed up to Sid and grabbed his shirt throwing him against the wall of the store.
"What the hell Davis?" Sid called out.
Mark slowly got out of the car as well eyeing Tommy Boil. Sid's counterpart seemed too drunk to even notice his friend was being threatened. Instead of sticking up for him, Tommy drank Sid's beer.
Roger slammed Sid against the wall again, "Where are they?"
"I don't know what your talkin about." Sid slurred.
"Oh I'm pretty sure you know what I mean." Roger hissed at the kid letting him go a moment to punch him in the stomach.
"Roger!" Mark called out, not wanting his friend to sink to their level. Tommy giggled behind all of them.
Roger didn't take any notice of his friend's warning, "You really are an idiot." He said picking up Sid again, "Sure school fights no big deal. But you did it out of school. You know what that means, it's real, Sid. What you did is a hate crime. Five years in jail."
Sid's drunken self seemed to fade slightly, "What? You're making this shit up."
"Do you really wanna take the chance? If you tell me where they are at least you'll have some pathetic backing to say in court. Tell me where they are!" Roger screamed in Sid's face. Mark took a step back.
"They were…they were at the playground." Sid said quietly, "Now get your funkin hands off of me." Roger did so although his eyes made it clear that Sid would get what was coming to him.
Tommy laughed all the while, "You better run if you wanna say goodbye." He said through giggles. Mark paled, Roger took no notice of the drunk kicker and pushed Mark towards the car.
"We have to get to them c'mon." Roger insisted.
They pulled up to the playground. Mark got out of the car and stopped breathing for a moment. He raised his hand and pointed, "Roger." He whispered. His friend followed his finger to a lone figure on the swings. There was no one there to push her, only the breeze. She rested her head on the chain of the swing. One of her hands held tightly to a ruined painting the other held her stomach.
The boys ran towards her side. Roger dropped to his knees in front of her, "Angel? Angel are you ok?" Mark looked her over. Her clothes were ripped, her lips here split in many places. Along her face and exposed chest were small cuts and the beginning of bruises. Angel's eyes were glued to the painting her hand caressing what was left of a stick figure.
"I'm waiting for him here." Angel said quietly, "As soon as they went off…I came here. I know he'll find me."
Mark turned and scanned the rest of the playground. There was not a living soul in sight.
"He'll come back." Angel whispered. Her eyes were puffy from crying but there was no moisture left to shed in her eyes. She had cried all night.
Roger gulped and put his hand on Angel's shoulder, "Angel, I need to know if anything hurts."
She shook her head slowly. Mark frowned and mumbled, "She must be in shock."
Roger nodded and pointed to a phone booth, "Call 911." As Mark ran off, Roger turned to his friend and said gently, "Angel, do you know where Collins is? Tom?"
Angel let out a sob looking away, "He told me to run. I should have stayed like I wanted to… he told me to run." She repeated her whole worn body beginning to shake. Roger gathered Angel intro his arms.
"No Angel, you did nothing wrong." Roger assured her.
Mark watched the two embrace as he hung up the phone. Two ambulances were on their way. He stepped away from the booth and began a search for Collins. Images started to appear in his head, ones that were saved for his nightmares. But he pushed them away, worrying wasn't going to help. Not now.
He scanned the whole area of the playground and began to walk through it. There was no trace of Collins at all. The whole area was open spaces no where to hide…besides one place. When Mark's eye fell on the dumpster he just knew. He ran at top speed towards it only slowing when he saw his friend's body on the ground and his blood. Mark dropped to him and pushed his hand onto the blood flowing from Collins' stomach. Collins didn't even wince, he was unconscious, but he was breathing faintly.
"Oh God…" Mark cried out as he felt the warm blood push against his hand, "Oh God."
The sirens of the ambulance made him cry in relief. For a short moment he left Collins' side to direct the EMTs towards him. Angel would be fine…and Collins…
Roger looked up as Mark called to the EMTs who were flying out of the ambulances towards him. He couldn't keep his eyes of Mark's hands, covered in blood.
"Collins?" Angel whimpered seeing Mark as well, but not comprehending the blood on his hands was her lover's.
"What happened here?" A female EMT asked squatting down next to Roger. She pulled out her kit prepared to examine Angel.
"She…he…was attacked." Roger said trying to focus on Angel.
"Could I see your arm, sweetie?" The EMT asked pointing towards the arm that Angel was pressing to her stomach. Angel ignored her watching the other EMT's run behind the dumpster which was blocking her view.
"No." She whispered continuing to shake.
The woman gave Roger a look, "You gotta help me, kid."
Roger nodded and turned Angel's face gently, "Angel. You have to take care of yourself right now ok? Collins would want you to."
Angel didn't answer but reached her arm out with a wince. The EMT examined it, "Yup it's broken. Angel, honey, we're going to bring you to the hospital for some more tests." Her partner brought over a stretcher and moved to help Angel up from the swings.
She winced away from him, "I can't leave him again." Angel whispered to Roger their eyes meeting. Roger's heart sank at the shape of them. It seemed like Angel's twinkling eyes had been replaced with worn eyes waiting for a release.
"He's coming to the hospital too. You'll be with him." Roger assured her, "And he's not alone, Mark's with him."
Angel's eyelids flutter, "Ok. Can I…Can I bring this with me?" He asked referring to the ruined painting that she still held onto. Roger looked to the EMT's and they nodded.
"Yeah. You can bring it." Roger said quietly, "Come on Angel, let's get you checked out." The EMT's carefully loaded her into the ambulance. Roger climbed in putting his hand on her shoulder.
"How's your kid?" The female EMT asked the other ambulance over the radio system.
"…You better let us go first Liza. This kid needs surgery now…and a few miracles."
Mark sat in the ambulance his back to the wall as a man rushed to do everything he could for Collins. The speed of the car on top of all the day's events made Mark's stomach churn. Finding an empty bag he gagged into it.
"Shit, kid, you gotta stop bleeding." The EMT muttered under his breath pressing gauze onto Collins' stomach, "Mia, step on it would you?…Hey kid….kid!"
Mark jerked realizing the man was talking to him, "Your friend have any diseases? Allergies? Something we should know about?" The EMT asked him.
"I don't know…blueberries…he's a vegetarian." Mark's mind was wandering trying to remember the Prom. When they were all happy. Maureen and Joanne. And Angel and Collins were…healthy. Not fighting for their next breath. His eyes closed at the thought, at how it must have been for them. The boys approaching and reigning down their prejudice.
"Medicines?" The EMT asked snapping Mark back into reality.
"Oh um…yeah the pink stuff…" Mark said struggling to for the name.
"Penicillin?" The EMT asked a sense of irritation in his voice.
Mark nodded, "Yeah that stuff. He's real bad with it. He told us stories when he was a baby…." Mark's words faded. He could lose Collins, he could actually die.
"Anything else?"
"No…" Mark shook his head, "I don't think so." They pulled up to the emergency room doctors took Collins' stretcher calling out orders right away. They ran down the hallways, Mark at their heels until a male nurse pushed him away.
"Wait in the waiting room. We'll come find you." He explained as his friend was taken to surgery.
"Collins…where is he?" Angel asked trying to sit up on her stretcher. She caught a glimpse of him being wheeled away and she lurched up.
"No! Roger I have to be with him!" Angel screamed as Mark jogged over to them.
An African- America nurse placed her hand on Angel's forehead, "He's in good hands, hun. My friend Carlos is going to patch him up for you. Don't you worry. You just get better so we can let you see him sooner, ok?"
Angel watched the woman for a moment and nodded hesitantly. She looked at the remains of the painting. Mark looked down at it realizing for the first time that the two stick figures that were once holding hands were now split apart. With a small whimper Angel pulled the ruined painting closer to her body, not even noticing the pain in her broken arm.
"You can wait out here boys." The nurse said as she pushed Angel into a private room.
"What now?" Roger whispered to Mark feeling like he needed to sleep for the next three years.
Mark looked down at his hands still covered in blood, "We call everyone."
Post: Everyone arrives at the hospital and they struggle to find a way to tell Angel how Collins is doing.