A Thin Line Between Love & Hate (Love Conquers All series) ORIGINAL VERSION

Chapter 33: "Hate vs. Hate"

"Where's a drive-by shooting when you need one?" The bitter remark came from Guy Beckman, the running-back of the school's varsity football team. Openly gay and fiercely defensive of his sexuality, it wasn't uncommon to see Guy in heated arguments, and at times fights, with some of the other bigots in the school—the most intense altercations being between him and the haters on the football team, like Dan and Mark and some of their friends. Brandon honestly didn't know how the coach managed to get them to work together on their game days, but somehow, he did.

"No shit." Charles Harrison and Guy Beckman were built large and solid. To look at Guy, one wouldn't think he could move so fast on the field. Though it wasn't hard to imagine Charles mowing down the rival team.

The two seniors stood a few feet in front of Brandon and James, staring hard at the picketers. Guy huffed. "These pieces of shit come into our town and our school and start this bullshit? I tell you, I am already sick of them and their religious fanatic crap." He stepped to the edge of the sidewalk and yelled, "Hey! Your God don't like me—" He grabbed his crotch. "—he can suck it!"

Josh glanced their way, anxiety on his face.

Guy caught him looking and zeroed in. "Hey! Yeah you—you little dickless shit! Why don't you come over here and call me a faggot to my face? See if your God protects you then! I'll stomp a goddamn hole in your fugly face!"

Brandon glanced uneasily at James. Guy was getting worked up to an unstable level. Across the street, Josh sank back into the group a little, fear on his face.

"Think you can hide behind your pussy brothers!" Guy shouted, his voice rasping with the force of his rage. His neck cords strained and face flushed. In his right hand, he clutched a football, squeezing hard enough to cause the veins in his forearms to pop up. "If I ever catch you alone, you little shit—you're dead!"

"Guy." Brandon hopped off the wall, his legs shaking. He typically avoided Guy Beckman because there was no talking to him rationally. And when he was this jacked up on fury and adrenaline, it was almost suicidal to approach him, but Brandon couldn't stand back and ignore his threats toward Josh—because the threats weren't empty ones; Guy was a loose cannon.

Guy whirled around and glared at him. "Nichols?" His eyes narrowed. "What the hell do you want?"

"Come on, man," he said quietly, hoping to avoid altercation, which was historically inevitable. "You can't fight hate with hate, it just breeds more hate."

"Did I ask for your advice?" Guy palmed him in the chest, knocking him back a couple steps. "Everyone knows you got a hard-on for that dickless hater."

His breath quickening, Brandon replied calmly, "Not everyone is what they appear to be. Screaming and yelling at each other isn't going to accomplish anything. It just fuels the hate, from both sides."

"Both sides? So, now you're calling me a hater? Huh?" He knocked Brandon back again. "Not everyone buys into your cuddly, fluffy-bunny, love-em-till-it-heals-em bullshit! Someone should wipe them out and do this world a goddamn favor!"

James was standing next to Brandon, ready to jump in if Guy took it too far. "If all of this pisses you off so bad," James said. "Why don't you go somewhere else? There's enough tension out here without piling on more-"

Guy's fist struck, smashing James' nose and dropping him to the sidewalk, blood gushing.

"James!" Brandon dropped beside him, grabbing him. "Oh my God!" He looked up at Guy, eyes burning with tears. "What is wrong with you?"