Mayhem's Beginning (Everybody Changes)

Chapter 7: My Fathers and I

BANG! BANG! BANG! The trigger on my gun was pulled multiple times. My wrists were shaking and from where I was standing I could see the outermost part of the blue paper penetrated by bullets. I didn't even get close to the bull's eye and this is probably my dozenth clip. I sighed in disbelief, pressing the button on the side of the glock and allowing the clip to fall into my hand. “You want me to reload that for you, Andrew?” Bradley asked.

“No, it's fine.” I looked over my shoulder at him, a grin crossing my face. “Continue what you're doing.” I added. For the day my fathers and I decided to come to The Bullet Case, our favorite shooting range. It was the typical indoor range, being the heart of Manhattan, a good place for us.

I looked over at Bradley and Adam. They both had smiles that went on and on for days, them standing side by side shooting at the pieces of paper with zombies on it. Bradley was the taller one, his muscles were a decent size, his skin was the same color as mine, and his hair cut into a short buzz. Adam was a bit shorter, having a slender build, his flesh the color of caramel, and his locks cut at a medium length. They were competing to see who had the best shot. Every few moments they would look over their guns and give each other a sly smirk.

Many people thought gays were some sort of oddball who spent their time watching “Titanic” or doing something out of the ordinary like ballet. That stereo type is false, for they are human too aren't they? There is nothing wrong with that multi-million dollar movie, and there is nothing wrong with that fine dance, but homosexuals are not too different from straight orientated individuals.

My fathers could be just as manly as someone who was married to a woman. They enjoyed many things straight men enjoy such as watching sports, shooting guns, and working on cars. It is also false that a homosexual's music library was always filled with Gwen Stefani and Lady Gaga. They enjoyed a vast variety of music including metal, rock n' roll, and jazz. Their jobs are not very abnormal either. Bradley was a Fire Chief at Manhattan Fire and Adam was an important New York architect.

It is true that they weren't as respected as a straight male. More then once we have had our property damaged and multiple times Bradley and Adam have been both violently and verbally attacked.

One instance that was really graphic was the year before. They were both active in the gay community, and Bradley gave a speech at one of the “Support Gays” parades. It was beautiful, and for anyone with a heart it taught a valuable lesson. My favorite lines from the speech being:

“And one can not judge another individual until one has seen life through their eyes.

 'The Declaration of Independence' grants 'Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.'

 Yet when it comes down to it, these people are trying to strip our life away, give us less liberties, and drain our happiness.

Last time I checked love has no boundaries. Love isn't something assigned by gender.”

Not everyone takes words of wisdom positively though, for when we were walking home that night we were stopped by a group of men who didn't look so friendly. “Look at this scum. We trust a faggot to protect our city from fires?” One of the men said as the group inched closer to us. It was only Bradley and I for Adam had to work overtime and couldn't make it. “Kid...” the man looked my way. “...you have fifteen seconds to get out of here.” Bradley's eyes lit up as he looked my way.

“Go on Andrew, get out of here. Get help.” Bradley whispered so it was only audible to my ears. I was terrified, my knees were barely able to support my weight due to all the trembling, and my breaths came in short gasps. I would not leave my father's side. I stood in front of Bradley, a sign of “If-You-Want-Him-You-Have-To-Get-Through-Me.”