The Color of Darkness COMPLETE NOVEL

Catharsis

After years of spending time with Nova and Rick, I thought I had seen it all.

Boy, was I wrong.

During the next three weeks until spring break, any moment we weren't spending inside studying for our second round of midterm exams, we were down at the creek enjoying the increasing temperatures and longer days.

Rick announced that his parents would be going to Denver to visit his brother Michael at his college for the entirety of spring break and that we could use his house for a week-long bender of day-drinking and watching Alfred Hitchcock movies (which was Nova's idea).

We anticipated it all week, stocking up on food and alcohol from yet another one of Nova's unknown sources.

Imagine my surprise when, at about three in the afternoon of the first day of spring break, I found Rick on my doorstep with a duffle bag and a backpack. He was wearing a baseball cap low over his eyes and looking none-too happy.

"Uh, hey Puck. Can I come in?"

"Um, sure?" I held the door open so he could go by and shut it behind him "Aren't we supposed to be doing this at your place?"

"Uh, yeah, about that..." Rick scratched his head and seemed to be searching for the right words. "My brother cancelled on my parents and, well, they're not going anywhere for the break. So I figured we'd do the movie thing here... is that cool?"

"I guess?" I scratched my head at the sudden change in plans. I wasn't really set up for something like this.

Besides, something about Rick's story didn't really seem to add up in my head, but, Rick's parents could be a little manic sometimes so I didn't push it.

We trucked his stuff down to my room in the basement where we dug a considerable amount of crackers, spray cheese, and Code Red out of his bags. Nova was over within ten minutes of Rick's appearance, toting a backpack with some clothes in it and a cardboard box stuffed with an impressive assortment of alcohol, which we promptly hid in my closet under some towels and laundry. Nova dimmed the lights and popped North by Northwest into my player and we each cracked a PBR (the only beer we could afford in quantities greater than six) and kicked back, blissfully beginning to forget the tough week past and the likely-brutal remainder of the spring semester.

"Hey Puck, when does your dad get home?" Nova took a long sip of her beer and belched impressively. I laughed and Rick smiled, looking distracted. He was sitting between us, one leg folded over the other, still wearing his hat.

"I don't know, probably around six," I said. "I hope someone brought gum, because it's going to smell like an open bar or something down here."

"Hey Rick, you keep a bunch of gum in your truck, right?"

When he didn't answer, Nova reached over and playfully swiped his hat off his head. And then let out something halfway between a shriek and a gasp.

Rick had a massive shiner around his left eye. I have no idea how we didn't notice it earlier. The skin was an ugly shade of purple and green with angry red splotches breaking out like insect bites. His eye was bloodshot under its swollen lids, looking light something out of the goriest of zombie movies.

Nova dropped his hat and clasped her hands to her mouth. I felt for a moment as if I were going to be sick.

"Ohmigod Rick, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?"

Nova was on him like a mother bear in an instant. She gently tipped his head back into the light and inspected him more closely, sucking in a sharp breath as she did so. I immediately got up, spilling beer all over myself, and went to soak a washcloth in cold water. Rick just sat there silently, gritting his teeth and undoubtedly preparing himself for the barrage of questions he was about to face. Nova laid him back on my bed and gently dabbed at his eye when I returned with the towel. Finally, after five minutes of arguing, Rick finally gave up trying to resist our ceaseless inquiries.