Hold Your Breath

When the girls walked inside the bar, the saw that the crowd was unlike what they saw the other night. It was filled with older people, mostly men. They saw Stephen sitting in a booth at the corner and they started making their way towards him. “What did I tell you? No one we know will see us here,” Stephen chuckled.
“How did you guys get your crowd to watch you here? The scene’s really different the other night,” Cole asked Stephen. “Well, this is the only venue we can afford to play at the moment and the kids here don’t mind, so it’s all cool,” Stephen answered.
“Okay, now, back to business. What is up with that Kennedy kid?” Cole started.
“Look, it’s not really my business to talk about his personal life so promise me; you won’t tell anyone that you know the truth.” Stephen lost the cockiness in his attitude and took on a more serious note. “He really is, or should I say, was, Jonathan. He changed his name a few months after they got here. He’s known around here as Kennedy Brock. I’m the only one whom he told the real reason behind it to. The story everyone knew was that their mom walked out on them but really, she cheated with one of her neighbors. Your dad, Cole.” With this, Stephen sent a sorry look to Cole who looked shocked. “I’m so sorry, Cole,” Stephen continued. “That’s why he broke off all communication with you guys. He’s so ashamed of his family, he can’t even face you.”
"Look, girls, I know this is a lot to take in, especially for you, Cole but all I’m asking you is to never mention this to anyone. Please.” The boy was looking at Louise and Cole with pleading eyes. He seemed scared.
“We get it, you don’t want Jon-uh-Kennedy to find out that we know but, he used to be such a big part of our lives. Actually, he still is. We can’t just let this pass us by. We’re going to college here in Arizona. It’s not like he can avoid us when we’re in the same state,” Louise said. “We’ll try our best but I don’t think we can keep ourselves in the dark from Kennedy.”
“You don’t understand. I, uh, I have to go.” Stephen left the two looking and feeling confused once again.
“That went well,” Cole said. “We know what happened but we can’t do anything about it. That’s nice.”
“Look, Nicolette, I do not care what will happen. We are going to talk to that Kennedy and he will not be able to do anything about it.”
“Wow, Lou. I didn’t know you had it in you.” Cole was surprised and the sudden feistiness she saw in her friend. They both laughed then Louise said, “Well, I know we miss him and I he really did miss us, he’ll find the courage to talk to us, won’t he?”
*****
“This is stupid, where the hell will we find him? We barely know where anything is in this damn place. What more a person that’s, well, sort of avoiding us?” Cole asked Louise as they were wandering through the streets aimlessly.
“He’ll show up soon enough. I’m positive,” Louise assured her friend.
Soon enough, a familiar brown-haired guy was walking down the street towards them. Cole nudged Louise and they started their way towards Kennedy. As he saw the two girls walking his way, he immediately turned around, pretending he didn’t see them.
“Oh no, you don’t!” Cole exclaimed as she and Louise ran toward him and each girl grabbed an elbow. “We have a bone to pick with you, mister.” Kennedy seemed to have no choice so, he obliged.
They walked in to the nearby bar and grabbed a booth at the far end. “Hi, John,” said Cole. Using the nickname he had back in Chicago.
“Don’t call me that,” he muttered silently.
“We know what happened. You don’t need to hide anything from us anymore. I totally understand what happened with our parents but isn’t it over now? I guess I was hurt when I found out but, I guess I just have to move on.” Cole was talking quietly to Kennedy but his face was starting to show anger.
“Who the FUCK told you that,” Kennedy’s voice was quiet but it was dripping with anger. His temper was something he never learned to control. “That fucking bastard. I’m gonna get that son of a bitch.”
“Look, Kennedy,” Louise called him by the name he wanted, “it’s not Stephen’s fault. Don’t get mad at him. Please. We pleaded him to spill.”
“No, no, no. He fucking promised.” Kennedy was still angry and Cole was reaching for his hand to try and calm him down. He just moved his hand away and started to stand up. “I can’t deal with anyone of you right now. I’m leaving.” The girls had no choice but to let the boy leave.
As they were walking back to their apartment, they passed by an empty parking lot and Louise noticed that someone was getting beat up there. “Oh my god, Cole, I think that’s Stephen and Kennedy. Holy shit, it is them.”
The two girls hurried to where the boys were and saw that it was barely a fight. Kennedy was beating up Stephen and the poor bassist wasn’t even defending himself. Cole saw that Stephen’s phone fell so she picked it up and immediately dialed the number of his girlfriend. “Hello, Jess? Can you come by the grocery? Stephen’s getting beat up here by Kennedy.” Cole’s voice was already shaking. Jess just answered, “Wha-oh my god, I’m on my way.”
Louise was slowly making her way to the two to try and break them up. Louise was almost touching Kennedy’s shoulder when she heard a boy behind her say, “No, don’t. Leave it to me.”
The boy took hold of Kennedy’s collar and pulled him off of Stephen. “Ken, what the fuck are you getting at?” Kennedy just answered with a death glare and stalked off. Cole ran after him.
Louise started to bend town to check on Stephen but before she even reached the boy, she heard a girl scream. “Oh my god, Stephen!” Jess ran towards her boyfriend and immediately tended to his wounds.
“Hey, thanks for holding Kennedy back there.” Louise smiled to the now boy.
“Sure, it’s no problem. Stephen’s my brother, by the way. Kennedy’s practically one, too. I’m John. John Gomez.” As soon as he said that he was Stephen’s brother, Louise saw the resemblance between the two.
*****
“Kennedy Brock, stop right there!” Cole was running towards Kennedy and he stopped dead at the sound of her voice.
“What do you want?” Kennedy turned his head to face Cole and his expression was still of anger. “I’m not sorry I beat that douchebag up, okay.” He started walking again but this time, Cole grabbed his arm. As Kennedy started to turn his head once again, he was met by the force of Cole’s lips on his. He didn’t kiss back and once he realized that Cole wasn’t stopping, he started pushed Cole back.
“No, don’t do this, Nicolette.”
Cole was breathing heavily and said, “Well, I had to do something to get your attention. Don’t act like you didn’t like it though. I know you liked me when we were kids.”
“Well-uhm-I… Yeah, I did. What does that have to do with now?” Kennedy looked at Cole with a questioning expression and she answered, “Everything, Kennedy. Everything.”
Cole walked back towards to where Louise was and left Kennedy in the dark.