"I don't know. We need people to help us, that's for sure." Ryan stated.
"Well, Stephano has a sword. Piggeh is the strongest person I know, and Mr. Chair would be good for defense." I replied.
"We also have my group. Scott and Russ are both good with guns, and Red has good martial arts skills. I hear Ken has good aim too, but what do I know? I also know this other person, though I've never met her in real life. She's so smart. Minx." He says, writing "Minx" on our peice of paper.
"There's also Toby and Spoon." I say.
"Yeah, Spoon is an amazing fighter." He put his hand on his cheek and narrowed his eyes. "I should know."
"So we have Stephano, Piggeh, Mr. Chair, Scott, Red, Russ, Ken, Minx, Toby, Spoon, and us." I recalled.
"Yeah, so far. Umm... What about Ian and Anthony?"
"I know Anthony is in wrestling, but I don't know about Ian."
He nodded and wrote Anthony's name on the list. "We need to see what Ian can do before we decide, so..." He wrote Ian's name down and put a question mark by it.
I sat back and sighed. "It's a pretty small team against over 30 guys..." I pointed out.
"I know. We need more." He growled. I felt slight fear course through me. I wasn't ready to kill people. What am I thinking... I can't murder people... But... They want to hurt Ryan. That makes it okay, right...? I out my head in my hands.
"Ryan, I don't know if I can do this..."
"Do what?"
"Kill. I don't think I could kill someone in cold blood."
"Look, it isn't that hard."
"Really..."
"Really. Just trust me, okay?" I looked into his eyes, and they had this hidden emotion I couldn't place. It just made me more scared, also, but I felt safe. It was really strange.
I nodded. "Yeah. I'll try... I'll do my best."
After gathering our list we called all of the people on it to come over an hour apart frrom each other. We would talk to them and try to get them to help us.
...They all agreed.
When Ian and Anthony left, I cried. It felt good and horrible at the same time.
They all are willing to risk their lives for Ryan, the bully of the school. It didn't make sense, but I liked that, even after Ryan and his gang hurt them so much, they were all willing to come together to help him beat his demons. I made some good frineds that day.
"So... Ryan..." I said after I calmed down. "What now?"
"I guess we wait for his attack."
"We can't just wait! Are you nuts?!" I shouted
"In case you haven't noticed, yeah, I am nuts."
"S... Sorry."
"It's fine. I can deal with it. I kinda like it, actually. Kind of a rush, being insane. I don't like it, though, because I can't tell when I've hurt someone until it's too late. That's why it was so easy for me to hurt those kids everyday. I didn't know, I couldn't tell I was hurting them. But you.. You keep insanity away from me. You might actually be able to call me Cry, because... Yeah..." he trailed off and looked at his hands.
"...Did you name your insane side Cry?"
"After I found it, yes, I did. After that, I lost my mind everytime someone called me Cry. That's why I blew up at you. That was who I call VirusCry. My veins turn all blue and I loose control of myself. There's also MadCry, and he is always engaged when I need to kill someone. When I'm MadCry, I don't feel pain, and my senses are more powerful. So... Yeah, that's the jist of it."
I nodded. "I think I understand. And so... Because of me, you can control them, and I can call you Cry now?"
"Well, I haven't tried to kill you yet, so... I guess the good old Cry is back, but only around you."
My heart soared. I brought Cry back! I did it! I hugged Cry tightly. "I have completely changed a person when no one else could. And you have no clue how good that feels." I whispered.
He hugged me back and we sat there in each others arms for a long time. I liked it. He was warm, like he always is, and I felt so safe.
I heard the door get unlocked, and mom entered. Cry and I pulled away.
"Hey mom." I greeted.
"Hey." She panted. "Umm, I have to go on a business tomorrow, boys, and I'll be gone for two weeks. If I give you guys 400 dollars, can you stay here by yourselves?"
Cry and I exchanged astonished glances. Mom's eyes widened when she realized Ryan didn't have his mask on. "What happened? Why do you have that scar?" She asked, full of concern. I shook my head slightly while Cry bit his lip and looked down. She saw me shaking my head and nodded, saying no more about it. "Well, anyway, about my previous offer..."
Ryan perked up and nodded, a smile on his face and eyes sparkling. I nodded too. "Yeah, that'd be nice." I told her.
"Okay." She hurried to the kitchen and put four one-hundered dollar bills on the table. "I leave in the morning, and I need to go to bed now, so this is the last you'll see of my for two weeks." She came back in the living room and held her arms out for a hug.
I got up and hugged her. "Love you, mom. Have a good trip."
After we pulled away, mom said, "Ryan? You want a hug?"
"Nah, I'm okay, Ms. Kjellburg." He said, nodding.
"Aww, come on. I don't bite."
Ryan sighed. He was going to have to hug her whether he liked it or not. I smirked. "Yeah, Ryan. She doesn't bite too hard."
"Oh hush." Ryan said. He sighed and got up and hugged my mom.
After they parted she asked, "Now was that so bad, dear?"
He smiled. "Nah, it was a nice hug."
"Well, I'll see you boys in two weeks. There's a note on the counter just in case you forget how to do something." She teased.
I felt my face grow hot. "Mom! I won't forg-"
"I know men better than you think I do. They would be so lost without us women. You know it's true, too." She pointed accusingly at me, and then Ryan. Suddenly, she looked very tired. "Well, I need to go to bed. You guys do too. It's midnight."
"Mom, it's not going to be a school night..." I pointed out.
"Why don't you just drop out?"
"Maybe I'll just skip this year. I don't want to just skip school."
"Okay, if you say so. I don't really care anymore. Do what you want."
After mom went to bed, Ryan and I stayed up for a long time, planning what to do about Jeff and his gang. We came up with so many stratagies, but they all seemed to have some deadly flaw, and we'd have to cast it out. He was starting to get frustrated, so I decided to call it a night.
Before we went to bed, Ryan asked me something I have been asking myself in the back of my mind for the past week or so. "Are you ever going to be able to love me the way I love you?"
"I don't know..." I answered. "I just don't know..."
"It's okay if you can't..." He said, but I could hear the pain in his voice.
I hoped with all my heart that I would be able to love him back one day, and soon.
