A few guys sat inside a dark, back alley, smoking a pipe and playing poker. They seemed young—Maybe high school seniors. 
"Ha! I won!" One of them collected all the cash while the one who lost banged his hand on the table, "Dammit!"
"Wanna play again?"
"I have nothing to bid anymore,"
"What about your girlfriend?"

He got up and grabbed his collar, "Bastard!"
"I'll play," They heard and turned to one corner. It was Malcolm. He had his Gothic makeup on.
"Hey, Andy, you play with this dude. I can't be wasting my time on midgets,"
Another thin guy came towards Malcolm and sat before him. Malcolm looked into his eyes.
"What do you bid?" He flipped the cards.

Malcolm kept a bundle of cash on the table.
"Wow! He's thick!" 
"Dope dude!"
"Sweet!"
They distributed the cards and the game began. 

"Call all others! We'll fight next!"
More and more teens gathered around them. Malcolm lost.
"HA!"
"I knew you won't play fair," Malcolm picked up the cash and threw it into the air. They all ran after it and began fighting among themselves. Malcolm stood at a corner and stared at them with his arms crossed.

"Guys, run!" A fat guy came running towards the crowd, "They are here!" 
Everyone turned towards him and Malcolm smirked.
"THAT GOTHIC GUY! IT'S CONFIRMED—THE REAPERS ARE HERE!"
"SCRAM!"
"But where?"

"We can tell you where," Louise and Jerome stood before them. They looked at them as if they shitted their pants. Louise had a cigarette in his mouth and Jerome had a steel rod in his hand.
"Nice expression pals, look into the camera," A green haired guy held a camera on their faces.
"You—You guys—"
"Malcolm, didn't you introduce us?"
"Bro, how distasteful, I'll do the intro then!" The green haired guy rose his hand, "Yo! We are four high school seniors who are here to kick your ass! Chellui or better known as..."

Louise took out the cigarettes from his mouth and crushed it under his foot,  "Who the fuck cares? Just beat em up,"
He ran towards one of them and punched him so hard, broski broke his fucking jaw and fell in a pool of blood, "Ight," Louise cracked his knuckles, "Whose next?"

Within fifteen minutes, all of them came out of the ally. Louise had some blood on his shirt. It was again a weird shirt that read, "Real boys play with balls,"
"I need to buy some bread," Louise said, "Mom asked me to go grocery shopping,"
"Yo, homie, you're gonna scare the cashier off,"
"Allow me!" MJ said and they both walked towards a convenience store.

"So, why did you tell Kate you've got hots for Brandon? You're the straightest guy I've ever met," MJ said. He had a country undertone in his accent.
"I—"
"Because Brandon told you to do that?"
"...Why ask when you know already?"
"It's just...A healthy gut. But dang, Brandon played well. I'm interested in this teen gay relationship,"

"I don't know. I hate girls and I hate guys," Louise said.
"You're lesbian!"
"...I don't want to hear that logic,"

Kate went to Malcolm's place after school and practiced till it was nearly dinner time. After he went back home, he had dinner and practiced in his room.
"Kate, when are you learning a real guitar?" His mom asked.
"Mom, it's not a guitar, it's a bass,"
Kate realized the disrespect towards bass was unreal. Everyone loved guitar and nobody gave two fucks about the bass. He practiced hard to prove that bass was THE SUPERIOR INSTRUMENT. But he was a slow learner.

He stuck the strings once.
"Tch, fuck! THIS IS SO ANNOYING! WHY CAN'T I DO IT?!"
"You don't have the talent for a bass," Anna smiled.
"Oh shut up!"
'At this rate, I'm...'

"You're not going," Malcolm said. He and Kate sat inside his room beside Loyd. Kate began sneezing.
"BUT WHY?"
"Need I say more? You're shit at it. It was stupid of me to think that you'd learn a bass line in a week."
"But I can still try?"
"Kate, you need to practice more,"

"...What about the performance? It's the last day, you cannot cancel it,"
"I know,"
"Who is going to play?"
"I will do it,"
"What? But you're still injured!"
"So?"

"You can't! You're slapping the bass with your left hand—Your wounds will open,"
"It's okay, I don't mind it,"
"But—"
"Kate, practice,"
"...Okay,"
"Go back home early today,"
"Okay," Kate picked up his bass and began wrapping it back into its cover. He walked out while it was still sunny outside.

On his way back home, he found Brandon, "Wow Kate! You look so cool with that bass hanging on your back!" He squealed, "Imma fangirl real fast!"
"Thanks," Kate was in another world.
"Is something wrong?"
"...Malcolm said I won't be playing tomorrow. I practiced but I guess I'm not good enough," Kate bit his lips, "I should've seen this coming. Why did I think anything would change? I'm still not good at anything,"

"Kate, wanna eat ice cream?"
"Did you even listen to what I said?"
"Yes and that made me hungry. I know a good ice cream parlor around here. I'll show you, come!" Brandon grabbed Kate's hand and went to an ice cream shop.
Brandon got himself a choco-chip lofi while Kate got strawberry crush.

They walked on the footpath, under the trees in the afternoon.
"Why did you go to Malcolm's place?" Kate asked Brandon.
"To ask him if I could come tomorrow," Brandon said.
"Then you should go ask him,"
"Nah, you're not playing so I'm not going,"

"Sorry,"
"Why?"
"Because I...was not good enough," Kate stopped walking and looked at the grey floor tiles.
Brandon turned back and looked at him, "I'm never good enough. I don't understand why I am not able to change myself into a better person,"
"You don't have to," Brandon said. Kate looked at him, "If you change, you won't be the Kate I love anymore. I fell for your flaws, for the person you are and not the person you could be."

"You can never understand what it feels like to never be good enough,"
"Oh, believe me, you don't know," He looked at Kate and smiled, "Just stay this way, pretty please?"
"You want me to stay hopeless forever?"

"I just don't want you to be ashamed of who you are. And you're not hopeless. You have something you love and you're working hard towards it. As long you're working, that's what's really important. Because it means you have not given up on yourself. And..." He held Kate's fingers, 

"I won't give up on you either. Let's trust our seniors. There must be a reason why Malcolm rejected you. Besides, it doesn't matter if you were able to go for the performance or not, you did your best and you learned something new." Brandon sat on his haunches and met Kate's eye level, "Good job," He petted his head, "I'm prouda ya,"
Kate's eyes hid beneath his blonde bangs, "Thanks Brandon,"
"Aye, no problem! So, you wanna go see the concert tomorrow, you and I?"
Kate nodded.

"Great, I'll ask Malcolm about the time and venue. I'll text that to you—Oh, I don't have your number,"
"Give me your phone," 
Brandon passed his phone to Kate. Kate saved his number on Brandon's phone.

"Wow, Kate, you're pretty obedient today. Not that I don't like it," Brandon took his phone and looked at Kate's red knuckles, "Kate?"
"Just text me when you know,"
"Kate,"
"I'll go home. I'm tired,"
"Kate, wait—"Brandon pulled his hand, "What?"

"Are you blushing?" Brandon asked.
"I'm not," Kate pulled his arm back. Brandon pulled his bangs behind his forehead and looked into his eyes. His ears and cheeks were red, "See! I'm not blushing!"
"It's cute how unaware you are,"
"FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU!" Kate shouted and ran away.

"I'M THE TOP!" Brandon smiled.

In the evening, Kate took a bath and sat on his bed with his bass and phone. He practiced the chords while checking the phone again and again.
'Did Brandon forget? Should I text him first to remind him that he was supposed to tell me the time and venue?' Kate kept the bass aside and looked at the phone.

Suddenly he saw that Brandon was online. His heart was beating loudly as he saw him type.
"It's at eight on Miami beach hotel at Cali. It'll be an hour from here. We'll leave at seven thirty :)"
Kate read the message, 

"Okay"
"Also Kate,"
"Yes?"
"I love you,"

...
"Fuck you"
Kate sneezed, "Oh damn no,"

-To be continued 

Loyd
All I Want is you baby