Home
previous chap

1Authors Note: Okay, I am reposting this chapter to get rid of the grammar errors. This is an emotional chapter, and I don’ want anyone being distracted by the my own stupidity x.x

He didn’t call…

The special ring tone, made only for him, never echoed through the room, or at the mall, or in the restaurant. For ten days, ten drawn out days, his voice never ran through my head, and his name became alien to my lips.

I was mad…

No…

I was fuckin’ pissed.

I held my phone tightly in my hand, almost daring him to call so he could be welcomed with a shit load of angst. He could have called. It wasn’t as if his family was up his butt the entire vacation right? If he really wanted to talk to me…if he really wanted to call, he would have found a way. I know him, I know him to well. That’s what hurt the most, the fact he didn’t really want to talk to me.

I wondered if he missed me as much as I missed him. Maybe I am just some stupid love struck teen with some one sided love afraid, and this whole time he wasn’t who he seemed. He wasn’t “gay.” That was my worse fear…for him to become as I was.

Never coming home
Never coming home

I jumped, practically right off my bed, at the sound of the “special” ring tone. I almost didn’t want to answer, just to spite him…but when I saw his name on the ID…

“Hey.”

But the voice on the other line wasn’t his- it wasn’t my Reno’s soft voice.

“Mister Strife.”

I knew that voice…

“I’m sorry to call you so late, and on a school night, but we at Shinra request your presence.”

“Why should I,” I snapped, only growing more angry when the voice on the other line cackled at me.

“Well, we will hurt him.”

I cursed myself for the love that jumbled sickly in my stomach. I knew they would hurt him badly, and if they did, I would I never forgive myself. Worse of all, I knew what they would do, how brutal they would be to their “friend.” An image of Vincent, crawling down the street, covered in crimson blood, flashed angrily in my head…

“Where…”

“South Beach.”

The line went dead, not time for me to even argue the distance. That idiot Rufus wasn’t as much as an idiot as I thought- then again he was a pro. He wanted me out of my safety zone. Cunning. And I love the calling from Reno’s cell phone touch. Touché Rufus.

Now the only thing to answer was…Why?

-

I zoomed down Staten Island, on my motorcycle, in the middle of the cold night, only earning a million hallow stares from the people that occupied the night with me. I stopped at the red light, briefly looked at the surprisingly pitch black sky- the bright moon was hidden be the uninvited clouds, offering no sign of hope. Hope…hope that Reno will be okay, hope that this is just a joke…

Hope that I will be okay.

The light changed to green, and I continued on my adventure. I zoomed down San Lane, past the sports bar, then the library, and down the boulevard where the gaudy semi attached houses that hatefully stood next to the noisy street. I went through the entrance of the beach, the one by the silent Dolphin Fountain, and parked my ride where it wouldn’t be stolen. I paused for a second, and examined my scenery- absolute, untouched, unnatural darkness.

I remember everything from this point. I remember the sound of my feet against the boardwalk, the smell of trash that seemed to flock here like the hungry seagulls in the summer, and the nauseated feeling of inevitable doom.

I found myself in the middle of South Beach, hands safely shoved in my jean pockets, with the hypnotic view of the lights of Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan, surrounding me in a false haven.

“Glad to see you care,” Rufus voice echoed through the quiet beach, carried off by the hint of venom laced in his words, “But Reno was never in any danger. “ The sound of my boyfriend’s name pulled me to turn around and face my second greatest rival..

"It's cold here, so I won't keep you long," he advance towards me, like a predator stalking it's prey, the wind violently whipping his traditional white jacket...as if to stop him, "Cloud Strife, it seems you were the object of someone’s revenge. I don't know what you did, sir, but someone wanted to hurt you very badly."

"Who?" I narrowed my eyes at the villain before me.

"He was anonymous, but he left a large sum of money...and a note."

"...and?" I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to act as if I was better than him (and I was!)- I wanted him to get it through his head, I didn't care who hated me.

Really, I didn't.

"Reno, the boy you seem to be smitten with," that boy who...hasn't called in forever... "We sent him here to help us out with our plan..."

I felt my eyes go wide despite my every attempt to keep some kind of normal composer- it wasn't working. I clutched my hands into a fist, my nails digging into my skin...all to keep myself from screaming.

He's lying though...

"His job was to seduce you..."

No, that's impossible, not my Reno. He was different. He wasn't like them, he wasn't a monster, and I knew that. I knew him to well...or did I. Where was he? Did he know? Was...he...no...

"And out you."

And the world stopped...

I don't know how long I was zoned out, but I went through every single moment I spent with Reno, since the first day I laid my eyes on this angel, looking for some kind of clue...or...an explanation? What was I looking for?

"Why..."

"Because," I felt that slender finger guide my face to his cold green eyes, "you made someone very angry." I searched those eyes for the answer to the mysterious question, only to be met with the eyes of a complete stranger. A stranger whose soul was shattered in a million sharp pieces.

"Cloud," Rufus called for me, but my eyes stayed locked on Reno's, "We have pictures. We will be showing them to everyone...family, friends, teachers. The whole school will know."

"Was it all a lie," I asked Reno, desperately hoping, this was still just some crazy joke. No no, this is a dream, I am sleeping right now. This isn't real...

"I will give you three weeks to tell your parents your secret. When the three weeks are up, the pictures will be released."

I heard the rustle of disturbed sand- Rufus left- and now stood Reno and I, staring darkly into each others eyes. He let the finger that held my head drop down to his side in a defeated manner.

"Cloud," his voice didn’t sound like...HIS...voice, it sounded like the cliché voice of a Shinra lap dog, "I'm sorry."

Sorry...he's...SORRY.

That's when I snapped. In a second my angry fist made contact with his face, making that...what is that...a popping sound that echoed through the pathetic beach. But, no, it sounded more like shattered glass that cut my hand and made it cry crimson, beautiful, blood that stained us. It was the glass that created that wonderfully put together mask he bought when he came to this cursed city. He was like everyone in this place, he was a fake...no he is worse...he actually fooled me.

He stumbled back a little, shocked from the blow at first, but he regained his composer. His eyes wilted to the ground, unable to look me in the face, to see and accept the pain he caused me. Silence took the beach- not even the sounds from the street crept into this cold place.

What was there to say? All it was all beautiful lies chained together to form a perfect person. Was this even the Reno I fell in love it? This cold shell of a boy, with the black and blue forming on his cheek. This disturbed, disgusting person...

The sad thing was...the horrible tragic thing was

Yes, that was the boy I fell in love with.

"I don't want to see you," I hissed, trying to stop my body from giving way, "and I don't want to talk to you...I want you to stay away from me forever."

Not a word escaped his lips, just a slight huff and a shrug of the shoulders was all he would give me in this time of great depression- depression he caused. I refused to let him see how he shattered me- since he didn't care- so I left him on this dirty beach, to live with the sin that matched the cold sea, and went to my motorcycle.

I stared at the contraption with weary eyes, as the memories of the boy flooded my every thought, almost crippling me. I sat on the floor like a buffoon, the whole world spinning beneath me. I saw every moment, every beautiful memory, turn sour before me. Every line, touch, kiss, he ever gave me was all in an attempt- a successful attempt- to drag me into this web of deceit.

I realized where I was…Vincent lived up the block in those apartments. I stumbled, almost drunkly, to his apartment. No one stopped me as I walked through the door and into the elevator, but I did earn suspicious glances from the other habitants.

I banged on his door, “Vince open up!” He was going to be pissed, “I swear I’ll break this shit open!” The banging got louder, with no avail. I was about to kick when the door flew open, and a very tired Vincent greeted me with vampire eyes..

Then I lost it and did something I hadn’t done since I was seven. I cried. I collapsed into a ball on the floor, and cried like a baby whose toy was taken away. The tears streamed freely down my face in painful waterfalls, as if they were being ripped out of my body. A warm hand ran through my matted hair, hushing me softly like a mother would.

“He…he fuckin…”

“Shh, Cloud, com on,” his voice was unnaturally soft, not like the Vincent I knew. I felt him pick me up, his strong arms wrapped tightly around my waist, dragging me into his bed. I looked up at him, through teary eyes, and saw an angel with black wings…I never seen that image of him before, and an overwhelming feeling of guilt washed over me.”

“Vinny,” I choked, “I’m sorry.”

He gently forced my head on the pillow, “Go to sleep, we’ll talk in the morning.”

I don’t think he understood, I was apologizing for betraying him. I chose a lying Shinra dog over my best friend. I could have lost him. I don’t think, at this point it hit me…I didn’t lose some stupid bastard…I lost my wonderful boyfriend.

Vincent laid down next to me, rubbing my back to sooth the flood of tears. I turned to face him, the cool red eyes of my most trusted friend mimic the pain that was evident in my tears- as if he understood every single surge of emotional pain that rushed through my body. But did he know?

“Vinny,” I laid my head on his strong chest, closing the between our bodies- I held on to him, begging him slightly never to leave me, “I’m so sorry Vincent.”

Cold lips brushed against my forehead, “I forgave you, before it even happened.”

-

I pressed my phone to my ear…and heard the sultry voice run through my head, awakening all the beautiful memories of the boy with those lying forest green eyes.

I paused, trying to fight off the tears that never stopped falling since last night. I could hear his frantic breathing…his silent begging.

The phone looked like it was going to shatter, I was clutching it so hard as if I was holding on for my life.

I sat on Vincent’s bed, a nauseous feeling washed over me. I felt physically ill thanks to this- I wanted...to just die.

And I hung up the phone, letting it fall so painfully from my hand. It crashed on the floor, breaking like me. I was shattered glass…rough, dangerous, and broken. Broken…not even Aeris left me broken, destroyed, unfixable. I dropped down, even more, into this lowly pit of darkness that surrounded me.

The brain could only focus on one surge of pain.

I took out that knife I got when I went on that camping trip with my dad, back when I was five. That knife…I only ever used it to…

I rolled up my sleeve- the scars have faded into my skin. I wiped the annoying tears from my eyes…it will all be over soon. I dragged the sharp knife down my arm, opening a sea of beautiful crimson blood. I laid on the cold wood floor, my while body jerking from the emotional pain. The tears of blood mixed with the water that sprung from broken eyes.

I just wanted it all to go away…

I caught the image of myself in the mirror across from me. A shattered boy bathed in blood…

And all I could think about was…

Him.