Be Somewhere

Lily Tucker, Morgan, and Brad hid in the exterior crevices of the school as Ricky and Danny got tensed for a fight with some random kids. The two rarely spoke to anyone but each other so hearing them screaming profanities in such abundance was a shock. Tucker flinched when he saw the brutality of it all. There were three people fighting against two and Tucker stepped forward to help but was quickly yanked back by Brad.

"They're fine, they can take care of themselves."

"Why aren't you fighting with them?" Tucker replied bitterly.

"There are rules in our system. Until I can last 2 minutes with Ricky or 5 with Danny, I'm not allowed to fight 'cause I'll just get in the way." Tucker watched them fight and tried not to hurl. He remembered back before he had moved to this small town; back when he was the target; back when he was nothing more than what these kids were now.

"I always thought that your guys' friendship was one of convenience... you guys care about each other, don't you?"

'We have to," he smiled "Who else is going to if we don't?"

One of the boys who had challenged Ricky ran from the scene with blatant disregard for the friends he had abandoned. With the numbers even; the others soon followed; their pride left to fester in their blood in the gutters. Lily hadn't seen the kids around the school ever and couldn't help but ask who they were. Ricky looked at her for a few seconds.

"We don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? You don't know who they are?"

"In the context of the question; that is what it means," Ricky sneered.

"You mean to say, that people you don't know randomly walk up to you and try to beat the shit out of you?" Tucker asked; horrified.

"Don't sound so surprised and wipe that look off you face," Ricky glared at him "You're no better than they are; the only difference is that I know your name and I don't know theirs."

"But I at least know you!"

"Oh really? What exactly do you know about me?" He smirked at Tucker's dumbstruck face, "Its time to be honest, honey. You're no better than they are; you do the exact same things for the exact same reasons... because you don't know us. Grow up and at least admit it." Tucker nodded slowly before his face began to show his faint horror.

Brad had walked over to Danny and was wiping away the blood that was leaking from his split lip. Danny was very stiff, but he stood still while Brad applied a quick round of first aid to him. Brad continuously asked where it hurt and if he was alright. Ricky watched very carefully as Danny became more and more indignant. A slight twitch of Danny's arm had Ricky motioning everyone back. Brad ignored him. Ricky rolled his eyes.

"Shut your eyes, this isn't going to be pretty," he muttered to the filmmakers.

The explosion wasn't very large, but it stung. Danny had his father's temper; in fights with enemies it was helpful, but in fights with friends? It wasn't. He shoved Brad who landed with a thud on the asphalt.

"I'm fine! Will you back off you stupid, psycho freak?" Danny shouted at him. Ricky groaned because he knew the reaction that would soon follow. Brad's eyes welled up and he had to bite his lip to keep it from quivering. Danny saw what he had done and leaned down in an instant to help him up. Brad shoved his hands away and got up on his own.

"Brad... I'm sorry... I just... you know..." Brad shot him a venomous glance that had him whimpering in seconds.

"I know, you know, he knows," Brad nodded towards Ricky, "The problem is, I don't fucking care," Danny's eyes widened, "I'm sick of this, if you wanted me to leave you alone then all you had to do was ask." Danny reached out his hands again and they were quickly and coldly rejected. Brad stalked off out of the schoolyard and Danny whimpered again.

"Very nice, Danny," Ricky rolled his eyes, "You know how he is... I'm never going to hear the end of this."

"He started it!" Danny yelled, "I've told him a million and one times not to do that!"

"And he doesn't understand why. You worry about him and if someone so much as touches him you kill them. But then when he tries to make sure you're okay in the only way he can, you scream at him? Quite frankly, I don't get it either."

"I fucked up, huh?"

"Yeah. You fucked up."

"He normally lets me apologize though..."

Lily laughed and Danny glared at her. Ricky smirked, he knew that she had come to the conclusion that he had almost two years earlier. The one Danny was a little too blind to come to without a little help.

"That's because he cares, you moron."

"I know he cares, I care too."

"No, you idiot," she started laughing again, "He cares." Danny looked at her like she was crazy.

"No... no?" He looked at Ricky who was nodding with raised eyebrows. "Oh shit, I fucked up."

"Now I'm not gonna hear the end of it from either of you," Ricky groaned.