Page 4 of Manny

“And you’re in, right?” Jarrod shoves me and I jerk back.

“No, I’m gonna sit this one out, fellas.” I start to back away. “No hard feelings. You guys are great and all…”

“Wait, where you goin?” It’s then I realize that Lance and Damien are blocking my exit.

“Listen, I don’t want any trouble.” I hold my hands in front of me. “I just don’t want to do this.” For a moment I contemplate telling them my sad story at home, I doubt it’s something they’d care about.

“You think we befriended a fag just to get shot down the second you don’t wanna do something?” Toby sneers.

Man, I hate that word. “I didn’t realize friendships came with those stipulations.”

The two in front of me stare at me for a second. I think they’ve lost way too many brain cells.

“He’s being a smart ass,” Lance calls.

“Last chance.” Toby cracks his knuckles. “You wouldn’t want us to ruin that pretty face of yours, right?”

I mean, Icould,but then I become their little bitch. This isn’t what I signed up for, and I don’t know where my moral compasscame from, but ending up like my mom orhimmakes me want to throw up.

“Why did you even let me hang out with you in the first place?” I ask. A desperate part of me needs to know. It feeds my pain more than I care to admit.

Toby laughs, slapping me across the face. I don’t even see it coming, but I feel the sting. “We thought you were gonna be useful. Clearly, you’re just another homo loser who can’t even afford a decent pair of shoes.”

The sting of his slap has me reeling. I mean, it’s better than a punch— but the whack in the back of my ribs causes me to cry out. Too little too late to react, other than falling. I’m on the ground in a second. Fists fly at me, along with kicks and shouts. I curl into a ball, trying to protect myself. These guys are already high, they could beat me to death. Then it hits me…What if nobody ever finds me?

What if I just shrivel up and die here behind the bike shed like the loser I am? Would anyone even care?

Yes. Gran would care.

More shouting, swearing, but then the punches and kicks stop. I already feel cracked ribs and I can’t move. My nose flows with blood.Maybe I am dead. But if I’m dead, then why do I feel the pain?

“Jesus,” a familiar voice says. I curl into myself more and he adds, “It’s me, Shep. Don’t move, Manny. I got you.”

“Leave me alone,” I try to say, but I’m not even sure that the words come out.

Another voice behind him yells that there’s an ambulance coming.No. I don’t want this attention. Leave me alone!

“Nobody is gonna hurt you ever again, you hear me?” Shep grunts.

“You said that before.”

“I failed. I’m sorry.”

I don’t even answer. There’s nothing left inside of me worth fighting for. “I’ll fuck them up.Allof them,” he whispers.

“Why do you even care?” I stammer.

“Because we’re friends.”

I choke a laugh, but it sounds more like a sob. “We’re not friends.”

“We are now.”

I don’t remember being picked up off the grass. I don’t remember the hospital ride, apparently I lost consciousness.

I lie in bed for two days at the hospital. My mom visits once, but only out of obligation so the police aren’t called. Thank Godhedoesn’t show up. He’d only tell me to toughen up and take it like a man. But Shep visits; every day. I still don’t know why he came, or why he lived up to his promise; tracking down Toby and Jarrod and the other two, putting them all in the hospital, too.

We’re friends.

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