These Friends Of Mine, chapter 23
"Jade, I really want to apologize..." Matt sighed, reaching for her hand.
"Ahem." Adrienne coughed. He let his hand drop to his side.
Jade frowned. "Adie." she whispered.
"What?"
She shook her head and the three of them kept on walking. It seemed like he really had wanted to talk to Jade alone because they headed back after a few moments of silence. They walked in on the boys talking with each other in the living room, over-hearing the last bit of a conversation.
"No, Mike, you just don't get it!" Billie yelled.
Tre cut in. "And by the time you do it'll be too late." he said.
"What will be too late?" Jade asked, entering the room. They fell silent.
Matthew and Adrienne walked in behind her, both of them looking as curious as she was. Billie's face and Tre's face were drained of all color. Mike, however, looked particulary lively.
"Hey, you're back..." he said. "Matthew, can I talk with you for a minute?"
"Sure thing Mike." he replied.
Billie shook his head violently. 'What the fuck is wrong with him? ' he asked himself. 'You don't just pull a guy like that aside! Who knows what he might try and do! ' He made a movement to grab Mike's collar, but he shook him away and walked up the steps with Matt.
Jade and Adrienne looked at each other. What was that about? They sat down in the living room and waited for Billie and Tre to talk. They could've waited all night. The boys were as silent as stone.
Tre grew uncomfortable and turned on the TV. Then Jade started to talk so he turned it up louder. She stopped trying and leaned back against the couch, very annoyed. Something was up.
***
Tre and Billie brought up some pretty good points so Mike decided to pull the guy aside and talk with him. He walked with him about half way up the steps and then took a seat. Matt followed his lead.
They were both quiet for awhile, Mike wasn't sure how to start it off. Somehow 'hey, I think you're messin around with my girl' just didn't sound like the right thing to say. But he couldn't think of anything else. He let out a sigh when Matt spoke first.
"I know what you're thinking." he said.
"Do you?" he asked. "Then what am I thinkin?"
"You're thinkin I'm tryin to pick up your girl. Take no offense, Jade is pretty and smart and all, but I got my own gal." he told him.
"I see. And you expect me to believe that you have no hidden motives what so ever?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.
He nodded. "Well... Yeah." he said.
"Not gonna happen bud."
"What? Are you kidding me?"
"Listen here kid, you have to earn my trust. Understand me? I don't just trust any random fuck that strolls in my house-"
"Oh shut up."
Mike's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. He had pulled a knife on him. A fuckin knife! Matt looked calm and even a little bored. He shot him a questioning glance as he stood up. Then he pulled Mike up by his collar.
"Well Mikie, you caught me. I do have a thing for Jade. A big thing." he hissed.
"Billie! Tre!" Mike shouted. There was no answer.
"Oh be queit you little bitch, your stupid friends have the TV turned up too loud." he spat. He felt the cold blade press against his neck and the warm blood trickle down. "I don't like squealers, so I'm going to have to kill you. But, if I don't manage it, I want you to know that I will kill you if you open your mouth about this."
He put more pressure on the blade and Mike's blood came more rapidly. He could tell he was planning to kill him. His only reflex was to punch the bastard in the stomach, so that's what he did. The knife slid down his throat loosley, possibly even cutting his chest. At that moment he couldn't tell.
Again he acted on reflex and kicked him while he was still hunched over. Then he pushed him down the stairs and he rolled like a mother fucker. There was a loud thud when he rolled off the last step Mike sighed in reliefe.
He knew as soon as Matt hit the floor Billie and Tre would be running over to help him. Sure enough, in a matter of seconds they showed up. He fell to his knees and heard Jade scream. Before his vision was blurred he saw Billie rushing over to him. Then it was dark.
***
Jade was sitting on the couch watching TV when she heard this huge crash. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw Matthew hunched up in a ball. She rememberd the look on Billie and Tre's faces and wonderd if the same look was on her own. It was a mixture of confusion, fear, and determination.
At the same time they all got up and raced over to the foot of the stairs. Adrienne knelt down to see what was wrong with Matt and Jade sneeked a glance upstairs. She screamed. Mike had blood dripping down his neck and he looked as white as a ghost, then he blacked out just as Billie reached him.
"What the hell happend!?" Tre yelled.
"I don't know... Adie, is Matt knocked out?" Billie asked.
"I think so." she replied.
"What are we going to-" Jade managed.
A cold hand grasped her ankle so tight that it felt like it was going to pop off. Then she was pulled to the ground by Matt. A few seconds later and he was over her, strangeling her and holding a knife to her wrist. Blood oozed from the clean gash he carved into it.
Then he was gone. She looked up to see Billie breathing heavily, one of her knives in his hand. It was dark to the tip. He sighed nervously and dropped to his knees beside her. She looked at Matt. He was dramaticly still, laying in a puddle of his own blood a few feet away from her.
"Jada, can you hear me? Are you alright?" Billie asked franticly.
"Uh huh." she sighed. "I think I'm okay."
"Okay good. We're going to take you and Mike to the hospital." he said, trying to conceal his trembling voice.
"What about... What about Matt?" she heard herself ask.
Billie gulped. "... I killed him." he breathed.
"Ahem." Adrienne coughed. He let his hand drop to his side.
Jade frowned. "Adie." she whispered.
"What?"
She shook her head and the three of them kept on walking. It seemed like he really had wanted to talk to Jade alone because they headed back after a few moments of silence. They walked in on the boys talking with each other in the living room, over-hearing the last bit of a conversation.
"No, Mike, you just don't get it!" Billie yelled.
Tre cut in. "And by the time you do it'll be too late." he said.
"What will be too late?" Jade asked, entering the room. They fell silent.
Matthew and Adrienne walked in behind her, both of them looking as curious as she was. Billie's face and Tre's face were drained of all color. Mike, however, looked particulary lively.
"Hey, you're back..." he said. "Matthew, can I talk with you for a minute?"
"Sure thing Mike." he replied.
Billie shook his head violently. 'What the fuck is wrong with him? ' he asked himself. 'You don't just pull a guy like that aside! Who knows what he might try and do! ' He made a movement to grab Mike's collar, but he shook him away and walked up the steps with Matt.
Jade and Adrienne looked at each other. What was that about? They sat down in the living room and waited for Billie and Tre to talk. They could've waited all night. The boys were as silent as stone.
Tre grew uncomfortable and turned on the TV. Then Jade started to talk so he turned it up louder. She stopped trying and leaned back against the couch, very annoyed. Something was up.
***
Tre and Billie brought up some pretty good points so Mike decided to pull the guy aside and talk with him. He walked with him about half way up the steps and then took a seat. Matt followed his lead.
They were both quiet for awhile, Mike wasn't sure how to start it off. Somehow 'hey, I think you're messin around with my girl' just didn't sound like the right thing to say. But he couldn't think of anything else. He let out a sigh when Matt spoke first.
"I know what you're thinking." he said.
"Do you?" he asked. "Then what am I thinkin?"
"You're thinkin I'm tryin to pick up your girl. Take no offense, Jade is pretty and smart and all, but I got my own gal." he told him.
"I see. And you expect me to believe that you have no hidden motives what so ever?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.
He nodded. "Well... Yeah." he said.
"Not gonna happen bud."
"What? Are you kidding me?"
"Listen here kid, you have to earn my trust. Understand me? I don't just trust any random fuck that strolls in my house-"
"Oh shut up."
Mike's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. He had pulled a knife on him. A fuckin knife! Matt looked calm and even a little bored. He shot him a questioning glance as he stood up. Then he pulled Mike up by his collar.
"Well Mikie, you caught me. I do have a thing for Jade. A big thing." he hissed.
"Billie! Tre!" Mike shouted. There was no answer.
"Oh be queit you little bitch, your stupid friends have the TV turned up too loud." he spat. He felt the cold blade press against his neck and the warm blood trickle down. "I don't like squealers, so I'm going to have to kill you. But, if I don't manage it, I want you to know that I will kill you if you open your mouth about this."
He put more pressure on the blade and Mike's blood came more rapidly. He could tell he was planning to kill him. His only reflex was to punch the bastard in the stomach, so that's what he did. The knife slid down his throat loosley, possibly even cutting his chest. At that moment he couldn't tell.
Again he acted on reflex and kicked him while he was still hunched over. Then he pushed him down the stairs and he rolled like a mother fucker. There was a loud thud when he rolled off the last step Mike sighed in reliefe.
He knew as soon as Matt hit the floor Billie and Tre would be running over to help him. Sure enough, in a matter of seconds they showed up. He fell to his knees and heard Jade scream. Before his vision was blurred he saw Billie rushing over to him. Then it was dark.
***
Jade was sitting on the couch watching TV when she heard this huge crash. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw Matthew hunched up in a ball. She rememberd the look on Billie and Tre's faces and wonderd if the same look was on her own. It was a mixture of confusion, fear, and determination.
At the same time they all got up and raced over to the foot of the stairs. Adrienne knelt down to see what was wrong with Matt and Jade sneeked a glance upstairs. She screamed. Mike had blood dripping down his neck and he looked as white as a ghost, then he blacked out just as Billie reached him.
"What the hell happend!?" Tre yelled.
"I don't know... Adie, is Matt knocked out?" Billie asked.
"I think so." she replied.
"What are we going to-" Jade managed.
A cold hand grasped her ankle so tight that it felt like it was going to pop off. Then she was pulled to the ground by Matt. A few seconds later and he was over her, strangeling her and holding a knife to her wrist. Blood oozed from the clean gash he carved into it.
Then he was gone. She looked up to see Billie breathing heavily, one of her knives in his hand. It was dark to the tip. He sighed nervously and dropped to his knees beside her. She looked at Matt. He was dramaticly still, laying in a puddle of his own blood a few feet away from her.
"Jada, can you hear me? Are you alright?" Billie asked franticly.
"Uh huh." she sighed. "I think I'm okay."
"Okay good. We're going to take you and Mike to the hospital." he said, trying to conceal his trembling voice.
"What about... What about Matt?" she heard herself ask.
Billie gulped. "... I killed him." he breathed.
