“Ice skating?”
“Nah. Too cold.”
“Roller skating?”
“Eh. Too sweaty.”
“Grab some lunch?”
“What? Tiegan we literally just ate like, four PB&J’s each.”
“Oh…yeah.”
He smacked himself on the forehead.
“….Bungee jumping?”
“Yeah, no. I’d rather not die today.”
I sighed.
“Why does life have to be so boring?”
“I dunno dude. Let’s just go back inside and play video games.”
“But we’ve been doing that all summer. Aren’t you tired of Mortal Kombat in the slightest?”
He turned to me with a serious face.
“I will NEVER get tired of Mortal Kombat.”
I put my hands up in defense.
“Okay, Okay Geez.”
I sighed, yet again.
“I’m so bored I could literally just…”
I looked at the hose lying on the ground next to me and did a double take.
I smiled deviously.
“I could just..”
“What?”
Tiegan looked over at me curiously. I looked over at him, still smiling, and then I looked at the hose.
“Alex.”
“Yes?”
I say, still fixating on the hose.
“Don’t. You. Dare.”
“What are you talking about?”
I laugh, and look over at Tiegan, who looks at me, back at the hose, and then at me again.
After a long pause, Tiegan shouts
“The hose is mine!”
Tiegan and I exploded off of the porch steps, and ran full speed towards the hose.
I quickly reached out and grabbed it, feeling an overwhelming sense of success flowing through my body, when suddenly, the hose was ripped from my hands.
My heart dropped. I felt the weight of betrayal fall upon my shoulders.
This is it. This is how I die. I didn’t think it would be like this. I didn’t think it would be so…soon.
I slowly turn around, only to be faced with my doom, in the hands of an idiot.
“Any last words?”
He says.
I sigh.
“Tell my wife…I love her.”
I puff out my chest, spread my feet, and ball my fist.
I was going to take this like a man…
Just kidding. My hands were covering my face, my right leg was up in the air, and I was screaming before the water even hit. Anticipation is the worst.
After about 30 seconds of standing in a fetal position, I scream
“Just do it!”
Ice cold water suddenly hit my back with such intensity, that my body became a sideways U.
I laughed loudly as Tiegan put his thumb over the opening of the hose, creating a flurry of water, almost like rain.
“Stop! Stop It’s cold!”
Our laughter combined and echoed across the neighborhood.
“Never!”
He yelled.
“Look at them Ryan. The twinks are playing! It’s so cute!”
Suddenly, more laughter joined ours, and the fun was over.
Tiegan stopped spraying me, and the air quickly changed from light and fun, to just…malevolent.
“What’s up fags?”
Chris shouted.
Tiegan and I looked at eachother with a knowing frown.
Circling in the street were the most devious clan of jerks ever to walk the earth.
Chris, Jason, Colby, Shane, Michael, Andrew, Justin, and Ryan, the worst of them all, were laughing loudly.
“Come on boys! Put on a show for us! Kiss!”
Jason laughed, followed by even more, loud, obnoxious laughter.
“For the last f'ing time, we’re not even gay! It’s not even offensive dude! It’s just stupid! If you wanna hurt our feelings, at least use shit that’s true!”
Tiegan yelled.
That’s where we differ. Tiegan isn’t afraid to challenge them, which is a good thing, but also a bad thing.
That’s how stuff always escalates, and I sometimes wish he’d just shut up, but later on when everything’s over, I commend him for being so brave. I just make snide, sarcastic comments that don’t really help the situation, but they kind of make me feel better in the moment.
“Alright!” Ryan yelled.
Oh boy.
“We all think it’s really cool how you willingly flunked last year just so you could be with your good ol’ pal there!”
Ryan pointed at me.
I shifted my weight uncomfortably.
“Oh wait!”
He paused.

“You didn’t flunk because you wanted too right? You flunked because you’re retarded! I get it now!”
Here in California, they have this stupid law in place, where in order to pass a grade, you have to pass this big test at the end of the year that goes over everything the teacher went over during the year.
Tiegan has never really been good at academics. He’s a genius, he can literally do anything, but he just has a hard time translating that over to boring school work. He’s more of a hands on type of person, he learns better by using his hands to break down and see how things work, but there’s a new curriculum in place. We all have laptops, and we do all of our work online. The teachers literally give you an assignment, and sit at their desks while the computers do their work. Tiegan doesn’t learn that way, therefore he suffers in the classroom. And I’m pretty sure our frequent skipping also didn’t help his case.
He really did try hard to pass last year though. I even helped him study his ass off, but sadly, he still failed that end of the year test, and he was held back. Now he’s in the same grade I’m in, 11th. It’s a very sore spot for him. Even I don’t bring it up as a joke, and I joke around about his mom who’s an escort.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is, this won’t end well.

I looked over to Tiegan, and I saw his eyes tear up.

“You’re a f'ing asshole Ryan!” I yelled, and they all laughed, yet again.
“Aww. Did I make him cry? I didn’t mean too!”
Ryan teased.

I bit the inside of my mouth until it drew blood, and then I closed my eyes.
Taking deep breaths, I walk over to Tiegan.
“You okay T?”
I put my hand on his back, and he gently takes it off.
“I f'ing hate them.” He said, and he began walking over to them.
“Tiegan! No!” I tried to grab him but he was gone.
“F.” I whispered quietly and quickly walked after him.
I watched as Colby pat Ryans chest and pointed at us, laughing.
I mumbled a quick prayer to myself and continued on.
Tiegan and I faced Ryan and the rest of the crew.
“What are you gonna do, twink? Hit me?’
Ryan taunted.
Tiegan balled up his fists, and breathed in deep.
Ryan turned around and laughed,
And everything next happened in slow motion.
As Ryan turned back around to face us again, Tiegan’s fist collided with his jaw.
My jaw dropped in fear, and I screamed.
“JESUS!”
The rest of the boys were silent, as Ryan slowly touched his finger to his lip, drew it back, and saw blood.
Tiegan gulped in fear.
“Ryan?” Shane asked quietly.
Ryan’s eyes went black.
Slowly he walked towards Tiegan.
“Ryan, back off man!”
I yelled.
Nothing.
Tiegan took one step back, and suddenly was tackled by Ryan.
“F!” I yelled.
Ryan immediately begin hitting Tiegan, and I froze with fear.
“Stop! You’re going to hurt him!”
I cried.
“Alright dude! Chill man! Chill!”
“We’re gonna get in trouble man!”
“Ryan stop man!”
Despite protests from his groupies, Ryan continued to deliver repeated huge blows to Tiegan’s face and body, until he was pulled off by Jason.
Jason got elbowed in the face by Ryan.
“F man! I think you broke my nose!” He yelled.
“Bruh get the f up off me! F off of me!”
Ryan was about to go back into hitting Tiegan some more, but I jumped in front of him, and got punched right in the eye.
I flew backwards and landed right next to Tiegan.
I felt myself being pulled up from my collar. I looked over and saw he was using his other hand to do the same to Tiegan.
“You f'ing faggots! How dare you hit me? How f'ing dare you!?”
“Ryan man. That’s enough.”
Colby, his best friend interjected.
“Give me one f'ing reason I shouldn’t kill these two fags huh? Give me one good reason!”
He replied, eyes still fixated to Tiegan and I.
“They aren’t worth it dude. We’re gonna get in trouble if you beat ‘em up too bad. You know that. Let’s just leave the twinks here.”
Ryan looked at Colby angrily, and with a deep sigh, he dropped us.
I breathed a sigh of relief, but he wasn’t done.
“Give me your f'ing wallets. Both of you. NOW!”
I looked at Tiegan’s bruised face, and then at Ryan’s.
I sighed and reluctantly handed him my wallet, and Tiegan did the same.
“Thank me.”
My eyebrows furrowed.
“What?”
“I said f'ing thank me! For not ripping your Gdamn heads off!”
Ryan fumed.
I looked down. Tiegan looked at me, then down as well.
“…Thank you.”
We said in unison.
“You’re welcome, freaks.”
He spit on us.
They all walked away, laughing and commending Ryan.
“Let’s go to the boardwalk for drinks boys.”
Ryan held up the wallets.
“On me.”
The group laughed, and continued on their merry way.
I looked over to Tiegan, expecting to see a small ball of bloody sorrow, but instead, he had a smile on his face.
Oh my God. He’s officially gone insane.
“Tiegan? You alright?”
I asked, wary.
“Alright?”
He started laughing.
Okay. I’m really worried now.
“Dude, we finally kind of stood up to them. It felt so good to punch him, man. Very, Very good. I made him bleed Alex! Me! I made Ryan Lure bleed! And then you! You got punched straight in the f'ing face to save me! Dude! Duuuuude! We’re so cool!”
He laughed.
I looked over at him in admiration.
How did someone who just got bullied, beaten, and robbed, be this optimistic?
Tiegan Thomas, you’re one f'ing amazing guy.

“We’re so awesome, aren’t we Alex?”
“Yeah buddy. We so are.”