(Pete)

"I just texted my dad. He said it was cool to study at your place." I told Patrick. I always asked dad. Mom was more likely to ask follow up questions.

"That's great." Mr. Stump pulled up into a parking lot. So this was his house? It was big. Not as big as ours but too big for one person to live in. "There's something I should probably tell you." He turned off the car and turned to face me.

"What?"

"I'm gay."

I could have laughed in his face. Get in line buddy. I mean, girls were great but boys were fun too. "Okay." I shrugged.

"And my boyfriend of three years is in that house. I just wanted to tell you. In case you weren't comfortable with that."

I laughed then. "Its cool."

"Pete, do you smoke?" He was staring in my face intently. "Like marijuana?"

"Why? You trying to share?" I asked. I can't believe my teacher was asking me to smoke with him. But I wasn't going to turn down the opportunity.

"What?! No. Are you high right now."

"Barely." I laughed again.

"Get out the car."

"What?"

"Get. Out. Of. The. Car." He got out and slammed his door. And then he rushed over to my side, opening the door and pulling me out by my ear. Ouch. He almost did it as well as my mother. "Do you know how stupid smoking anything is?" He asked as he pulled me into the house. He slammed that door with his free hand.

"Yeah. Yeah. I know." I tried to pull away from his hand but it just made things worse. "Ouch!"

"Sit down." He pushed me into one of the kitchen chairs. He stood directly in front of me. "I do not want you smoking anymore. If I so much as think you've inhaled something the deal is off. Understand?"

"You can't just add things to the-"

"I can do whatever the hell I want. Its my offer!"

"That sucks ass."

"Do you have any idea how many brain cells you are killing?"

"Hey honey!" I heard a male voice call before he appeared in the kitchen. He was a small man with short red hair and a lot of tattoos. Twice as many as I had. He had on a black T-shirt and black gym shorts. "Oh, we have company?"

"Hey, Andy." All the anger left Patrick's face as he turned to quickly kiss the man. "This is my star student, Pete."

"Ah, the infamous Pete. I've heard great things." He shook my hand. "I'm andy Hurley."
****
(Brendon)

"So none of that is your blood?" My mother asked for the twelfth time since I explained why I missed school to her.

"No mom."

"And you saved a boy's life?" She asked again.

"Well, I called for help. And if I hadn't come in, he would have died."

"Oh, Brenny!" She pulled me into a tight hug. "You saved him! I'm so proud of you."

"Well technically the doctors saved him-"

"You mean God." She pulled back to give me a long look.

"Yes. Sorry mother. I meant God." But I hadn't. I'd meant the doctors. But of course I wouldn't upset mother by telling her that.

"I'm proud of you, son." My father patted me on the back and I beamed up at him.

"Go get cleaned up." My mother suddenly said. "We're going to take you out to a nice dinner."

"Your dinners are nice." I told her. My words had the desired effect. She smiled.

"You're too sweet to me, Brendon. Isn't he sweet, Peter?"

"The nicest boy." My dad smiled. "But we want to take you out son. You did God's work and we're proud. So go get cleaned up."

I nodded and rushed up the stairs to tell Pete to get dressed. But when I opened his door, he wasn't in there. "Pete?" I walked into his bathroom and it was also empty. He was probably hiding from me. I opened his closet. Empty. "I'm not playing this game with you, Pete." I told him, walking out the room.

He was such a child. I closed his room door and headed to my room. I stripped out of my clothes and put them in the hamper. I hope mother could get those blood stains out of my white shirt. She was a master at laundry. I turned my shower on hot and stepped in.

I was randomly plagued by thoughts of Ryan. What would make a young boy weak enough to try and take his own life? The memory of me finding him filled my head, bringing tears to my eyes. Whatbif he would have died in my arms. I would have been so messed up. I would have freaked out. I would have panicked.

Breathe Brendon.

I took a deep breath and signed sadly. I promised to see him tomorrow. I'll ask him then. And then I'll exit from his life. He wasn't a good, Christian friend for me.