Midnight Thieves

Chapter 2

    "The Red Devil Burger sounds amazing, " I say as I sip my soda, looking over the menu. 

   Blaze looks deep in thought, not even looking at the menu. I kick him under the table, knowing that waving my hand in his face won't do anything. When Blaze gets lost in thought, he can't see or hear you. I learned this really early in our friendship. 

  He finally lifts his head, his bright green eyes meeting my brown ones. I know he has a storm brewing in his head, he just doesn't want to bring me into his own hell is what he tells me. I think there is just a dancing monkey up there. 

  "You okay?" I ask while raising an eyebrow. 

  "We have to go. Come on. " He says while abruptly getting up. 

  "What? Why?" I ask as he pulls me up from my side of the table. 

   I look behind me as he pulls me towards the door and instantly understand why he wants to leave so bad. There are a couple of bikers with a black leather vest on their back,  with the patch that haunts Blaze. Blaze is a clown, always wanting to make other people feel better, but he has his dark past that nobody knows about. He doesn't want people to feel like he did, that's why he is always trying to be funny but I see through it. It hurts me to know that he is hurting and wants to hide it so he doesn't show me his personal hell. He believes that if he opens up to anybody then they will see how broken he is and leave, like his father. 

   I instantly feel enraged, the anger coursing through me.I walk faster than Blaze and practically drag him out of the bar. When we reach far enough away from the bar that we don't have a constant stream of people pushing us around I pull him into a hug. He instantly squeezes me painfully tight and buries his face into my neck. I keep my arms wrapped around him, trying to hold my own tears back as I feel his fall hot against the skin of my neck. It pains me to see him like this,  my strong goofy friend that doesn't take anyone's shit, breaking down on a sidewalk. 

   We stand on the sidewalk, me holding him until the tears and trembles of his body stop. He pulls away and wipes his eyes, mad at himself for breaking down. 

   "Let's go to my house, get a pizza and we can play a game if you promise you won't cheat like you always do. " I say as I rub his shoulder. He laughs and playfully glares at me before leading me back to the car. 

   We have been friends for years. The secret between us is when something brings up something from the past, we cause a distraction other than letting the pain and memories through, because remembering isn't going to get either of us anywhere.