Closeted (BoyxBoy) [2014 Edition]

31: The Breaking Point - Liam

I returned to Gabe's room to check on him. Sound asleep. My eyes darted over him, analyzing the wounds he got from his fight with Kyle. The bleeding on his head had stopped- that was good- but I can tell his right knuckles were starting to swell from all the punching. He had bruises forming in multiple places; his face, his torso, his arms were all victims of blows from Kyle. Those two really didn't pull any punches.

I sat on the king sized bed, next to him, and pulled out my phone. I was tagged in a post on Facebook. I opened it and saw that one of the jocks that I had become friends with had shared a video and tagged me in it.

Someone had recorded the fight and posted it all over social media within the past few hours.

And in that time, it collected over half of a million views and over three hundred thousand shares, just on Facebook alone. Who knows how many people shared it on Twitter and Instagram and Snapchat.

I groaned as I watched the video from the cameraman's viewpoint. He caught the entire spectacle. From the moment Kyle walked over to harass us to the point where school security separated them. I could see everything from the horrified expressions of some of the witnesses, the cheering of others, and the rage and hatred steaming from the brawlers.

It made my anxiety shoot through the roof, and I immediately turned off the video. I sat there, stewing in anger for a brief moment before I felt a warm and fragile hand graze my arm. I looked over to see Gabe, eyes barely open, looking at me longingly. I lain next to him and smiled weakly, just to let him know that I was still here for him.

"So," he whispered, his voice raspy from the effects of sleep, "how famous am I now?"

I frowned to the light-heartedness he had about the video, so my response wasn't as nice, "Gabe, it's not funny. This video... it could ruin you."

"Ruin what? I've pretty fucking much lost everything already. I'm not the King of Livingston anymore. I've lost my best friends. What else is there to lose?"

"Are you seriously asking me of all people that?"

He didn't realize what he was saying until my last question. He sat up and covered his swollen lip with a hand, "Shit, I'm sorry babe. I didn't mean it like that. You know I don't want to lose you..."

"It's whatever," I sighed and thought to myself. We needed to find someway to get that video off the internet, "Your mom. Would she able to do something about the video? She knows the law."

"I mean, she might. But even if she could, it'll take weeks- months even, to get the video taken down from every profile that shared it. Whatever the consequences that'll come from it will have already happened by then."

"And Kyle could press charges if he wanted to," I stated, thinking about the worst case scenario from all this. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, unable to come up with any plans, "this is bullshit."

"Looks like Kyle wins again. Like he always do," I stood from the bed and thought about everything. It sounded like time was running out. Graduation was less than two months away and nothing is winding down, "Where are you going?"

I didn't get a chance to look at Gabe, before I pulled out my phone and sent a quick text to Holly, "I'm going to go and find Kyle."

"What," I heard Gabe shoot up out of bed, but his wounds made him groan in pain and only be able to sit on the edge of the bed, facing me, "Why do you need to find Kyle?"

"Because he's not going to leave us alone unless someone makes it loud and clear to him that he's not a threat to us. He can't oppress just to get what he wants. I want him to know that I'm going to fight him, forever."

Gabe looked at me like I was losing my mind, and maybe I was. But, Kyle has been nothing but trouble since he first arrived to Livingston and he can't get away with it anymore. I don't know if he's done this before or not, but I'm not going to tolerate it. Not only has he driven wedges in relationships, but he has terrorized and used people for the last fucking time.

My eyes found Gabe's and I could see the wetness of tears start to swell in his. I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his bruised frame. His hug back was weak, but it was strong in gratitude. He knew deep down that he wasn't a match for Kyle. Sure, physically. But he could mindfuck anybody he wanted. Except for me.

And I knew it was the reason why I had to be the one to confront him.

...

Holly's gray Ford Focus pulled to a stop in front of Kyle's parent's house. I was instantly mesmerized by the size. Of course, it wasn't as big as Gabriel's, but it was impressive nonetheless.

And waited in the front driveway was his car. He was home. Alone.

"Liam, are you sure you want to do this alone? I mean, it's Kyle Collins," Holly voiced her concerns. It's funny how just saying his fucking name expressed how much of a threat he was and how much his games affected everyone.

I nodded hesitantly, but knew that backing out now would only prove that he won, "It's not that I want to, I need to do this. No one can be happy while he's walking around doing what he's doing."

"Jeez," Bridgette called from the backseat, "it sounds like you're about to kill him."

"Liam isn't going to kill anyone," Holly chuckled to herself nervously, before eyeballing me cautiously. I laughed to myself when I caught her sweating lightly, "You're... not going to kill Kyle... are you?"

"Of course not! What kind of monster do you take me for," I winked at her, but I soon realized that the wink made her believe me less. Bridgette seemed to have gotten the joke because she laughed harmoniously. Holly, not so much, "No, Holly. I'm not killing anyone. I wouldn't know how to kill anyone."

"Kyle might," Bridgette whispered, making my thinking process start grinding.

I never thought about the chance Kyle would directly... kill someone. Just imagining him standing over someone's bloody and cold body made my body shiver and a dangerous vibe started radiating from the house sitting in front of us. A breathe I didn't know I was holding escaped my lips and a jolt from a familiar hand scared me back to reality.

"Hey," Holly whispered, seeing the concern on her face, "Bridgette and I will wait right here until you're done."

"And we're not leaving until you're back in this car."

I smiled, happy to know that I had the backup if I needed it, "Thank you, Holly. Thank you, Bridgette."

And with that, I had newfound courage. Still, I felt like no matter what I did, Kyle would have one more trick up his sleeves and he was gonna unleash it when we least expected it. I sighed, and stepped out of the car slowly. Looking up at the house, I saw him. Peering through a window on the second floor. He was smiling, an evil grin.

He knew I was coming and he's prepared for me.