Ryan could hear Peter and James arguing in the living room from the entire way down the hall of the mansion. Chiam was standing near him, wincing at the words and squeezing Ryan's hand. Looking up, the red-haired Chiam could see the troubled teen putting his free hand to the frame of his aviator sunglasses, a nervous twitch for Ryan.

For well over a year, Ryan had been living with his uncle, Peter. He and his uncle had fought against Ryan's father, James, for months to make it possible. After many threats from the lawyer (Peter), the father had given in and allowed it, but that had all changed. Ryan had made a big mistake.

Now, James wanted his son back. And this time, the law was on his side, despite how horribly he treated Ryan.

"Fuck." Chiam whispered, his eyes developing a sheen from the tears he was holding back.

***

"That's it! That's him!" The lanky, blond twelfth grader pointed at a younger, very tall freshman chatting with some friends. Though it wasn't neccesary, Mathias had gained quite a reputation since moving here, and Jake and Kirin could recognize him instantly.

Jake gave a curt nod, and motioned to Kirin. "Let's get 'im. Teach our friend a lesson about fucking with us."

***

Throwing back his head, the punky 15 year old laughed loudly, startling some girls nearby before they realized that it was Mathias and blushed with pleasure. "Yeah, right, Andy. You're a fucking retard." His eyes glittered playfully as he pulled the boy beside him, Chiam, closer. He didn't notice that Ryan lowered his head, had no idea that behind those dark glasses, Ryan was thinking dark thoughts of how Chiam and Mathias both had betrayed him, had thrown him aside.

This was a pretty normal lunch hour for the strange group of friends, though. They always went to the burger place nearby, eating outside at the picnic tables. There was Andy, who would spend the lunch hour spitting out jokes in a rapid fire, crooked grin on his clear face and blond hair spiked unnaturally. Clover would sit on the edge of the bench, long, light red hair flowing down his back as he read a book. Chiam, with his darker red hair, would spend their free time cuddling in with Mathias, whose hair stood up in a mohawk as he would poke fun at Andy's every attempt at humor. And on the other side of Chiam, Ryan sat, eating hardly anything, and watching the boy he loved and his best friend make kissy faces, despite the fact that Chiam had been with Ryan first, and they hadn't even broken up. Chiam and Mathias, however, just didn't see the problem. "It's just dating", they'd say.

What started out normal quickly took a turn for the worst today.

As Mathias took his arm from around Chiam's shoulders to light up a cigarette, he suddenly felt strong hands grab his shoulders, and before he could react, was pulled from his seat and held firm in the arms of one of the three "bullies" of the school.

***

Kirin always acted fast, and was ruthless once he held his prey. The older teen bodily dragged Mathias away from the table to the parking lot, where there was more room. Where Jake and Wyntyr were waiting. He tightened his grip as Jake spoke.

"You know our friend, Wyntyr, right?" The blond smirked and leaned in closer to the struggling punk. "Seems you insulted him. He didn't like that. And what he doesn't like, we don't like." As Jake pulled back his fist, Kirin wrapped his arms around Mathias' shoulder even harder, trying to prevent any movement at all.

The wind was knocked out of Mathias suddenly, completely. He gasped several times, not even gaining his breath back before the same fist cracked into his jaw. Mathias let out a strangled cry, trying to twist out from Kirin's hold. Normally so confident, the punk was now panicking, knowing he couldn't hope to overpower even one of Wyntyr's friends.

Overpowering Wyntyr had been easy. But he hadn't counted on revenge.

With another hard hit to the cheekbone, even the panic was cut short. Mathias coughed violently, breath still cut off, blood spurting from a wound in his lip and his cheek throbbing painfully. But it didn't stop. After a cracking punch to the shoulder and a knee to the gut which cut off the little air he had left, Mathias was in too much pain to think anymore.

***

Chiam cried out as Mathias was ripped out of the seat next to him. Standing, the redhead was about to pursue before he felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking behind, he saw Ryan. "What...?" Confusion was showing in his eyes.

"If you go in there", Ryan began, "They'll get you worse. Mathias can handle this."

Ryan wasn't expecting Chiam to, after a stunned pause, just turn around and watch at the violence anxiously. But Chiam couldn't say a word. To think, Ryan would just leave his best friend like this! The red-head seethed, feeling hurt, anger, and a twisting worry in his gut all at once. He stepped forward, ahead of people blocking his vision, trying to think of a way to help the weakened teen. Before he could put a plan into action, though, Ryan walked calmly past everyone to the center of the scene.

***

"Let him go."

Mathias looked up, seeing nothing but blurs. He squinted, forcing his eyes to focus, and saw pinstriped dress pants. Urging his head up higher with a sense of dread, he confirmed his worries as he recognized the face of his best friend. "Ryan, don't!" His warning was too quiet, too garbled... Mathias couldn't speak past the blood, he didn't have enough air. But he couldn't let Ryan do this! It would turn these guys around on him!

Then he felt Kirin's grip slacken. A tentative question from Jake, "You're not serious, are you?"

And after that, with a deafening bang, Mathias' world grew dark. He fell limply from Kirin's arms to the ground.

***

"Ryan!" Chiam's blood went cold, and he felt a tense hand grip his arm tightly. Glancing over, he saw the terror-stricken face of Clover, and behind him, Andy was covering his mouth, muttering quiet curses. His head twisted back to Ryan's hidden face, to the glint of silver in his hand, to his lips, beneath the darkness, drawn thin with steel determination.

The three had watched with gaping mouths as Ryan walked up to the bullies, watched as he reached down and pulled up a pant leg to reveal the leather holster for a gun. The brunette had grabbed it by the handle, pulled it out, and pointed the deadly weapon directly at the teen aiming another punch at his friend.

"Where did he get a gun? Jesus Christ! Ryan!" Clover, still clinging to the other red-head's arm with a startling intensity, spoke in a strange, high pitch, his eyes darting feverishly from their two friends to the bullies. "He's not going to shoot, is he?"

"Shut up!" The entire crowd that had gathered went silent, straining to hear the quiet words.

"Let him go."

***

Kirin smirked, hearing the quiet protest, and looked up. Suddenly, though, he didn't feel like laughing anymore.

He was looking directly at the shaft of a cold, steel, Auto Mag III. "Jake". His lips moved, but they didn't make a sound.

This is it, he thought. This is how I'm going to die, this is my punishment for all my sins.

The Christian stopped breathing then, stopped moving.

***

It took Ryan a minute to realize what was happening. One moment, Mathias was sitting there, the next, he wasn't. With a start, the brunette turned to see him being dragged into the parking lot. He jumped from his seat, knowing as well as everyone else, where this situation was headed. Mathias would be lucky if he wasn't hospitalized after this.

As he would have expected, Chiam was getting up and and starting to run after them. Ryan shook his head. If Chiam went, he could just see what would happen. The red-head wasn't as strong as Mathias, he'd go down with no fight at all. So he had to grab Chiam, he had to tell him, no.

Hidden behind the dark sunglasses, Ryan didn't need to feel the panic everyone else felt. He watched the grisly scene unfold before them, watched Jake wind back to punch Mathias square in the stomach as Wyntyr stood nearby, laughing.

His lips thinned grimly as he watched Mathias' mouth split almost explosively moments later, blood welling out like a river. He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned when he actually heard the snap of a bone breaking as Jake pummeled the punk's shoulder.

At that point, Ryan started to get nervous. He found himself striding forward, and his hands shook. His breath came in ragged, short bursts. His feet carried him close, too close. For a moment, Ryan froze. He stared at the terrifying scene, thinking it didn't compare at all to the fear drumming in his head, to the anxiety crawling up his arms. What could he do? How could he overpower even the weakest of these three bullies?

His hand reached down, he bent over, barely realizing what he was doing.

Once he felt the cool metal in his hands, Ryan experienced complete clarity. His hands grew steady, his breathing became normal, and he even allowed himself a small smile, before lifting the gun out of it's holster and pointing it, with both hands, at his friend's assailant.

Softly, quietly, he spoke an order. He didn't need volume, he didn't need strength, he didn't need anything. With the reassuring handle in his capable hands, he was confident.

"Let him go."

All three of the bullies looked as deers caught in headlights. The one holding Mathias was opening and closing his mouth soundlessly, and the blonde had stumbled back and tripped, falling. The leader, Jake, was the first one to speak.

"You're not serious... are you?"

Ryan allowed himself a quirk of his lips into a crooked grin before raising the gun without moving anything except his hands, and shooting into the afternoon sky. His arms jerked, a little painfully because of the awkward angle, and the blast sounded out loudly. Ryan saw that the noise had been too much for Mathias' undoubtedly already pounding ears, and his friend lost consciousness just as Kirin's arms went limp with fear.

Afraid. All three of them looked at him with such terror, and with such respect! Ryan spared a glance at the crowd he could see without turning his head, and saw his other school mates with much the same expression. He took in a breath, savoring it, savoring the taste of victory, as the bullies tripped over themselves, running. Wyntyr scooted back on his rear end in panic before managing to work his way to his feet and twist around to sprint, seeming to sprain an ankle in the process.

Ryan reached down, still smiling slightly, and replaced the gun in it's holster. When he looked up again, he suddenly couldn't breathe.

All the eyes were on him.

Everyone was looking at him, everyone was whispering about him, everyone KNEW him. Ryan clenched his jaw as his neck muscles tightened, and the familiar anxiety crept through his body, hands shaking once more. The brunette breathed rapidly, ducking his head down and walking quickly back to Chiam and his friends, only to pass them by and keep walking, a hand gripping the frames of his dark glasses.

***

Suddenly, the living room door crashed open. Ryan's father stormed down the hall toward Chiam and Ryan, and Chiam couldn't hold it back anymore.

The tears streamed unchecked down his cheeks, as he gripped Ryan's hand even harder. They couldn't take Ryan away! Mathias had been kicked out of this home just a few months before, and now they were going to take away Ryan, too! They couldn't! Chiam needed them...

He was screaming at James as the man grasped Ryan's other arm and pulled him violently away. The red head couldn't even hear his own words, didn't even care what they were, he just couldn't let them take Ryan away. Chiam held fast to the sweaty hand in his own, desperate, begging.

"Chiam."

The voice, so soft, had penetrated. Chiam went silent, looking at Ryan, still holding on. "Yes?"

The brunette looked pained, even behind the sunglasses that he never removed. "Let go." The words came out choked, as if Ryan was crying.

Where was his voice?! Why couldn't Chiam speak anymore? Why, he mouthed it out, why should he let go?

Ryan saw the question and he just shook his head, wincing as his father jerked Ryan closer to him again.

Chiam felt himself go numb, as he realized he would have to listen to Ryan. It would be much worse for the brunette later if he didn't, and despite knowing that, Chiam still held a few long moments more.

But that was all he could do. He couldn't hug Ryan, couldn't kiss him, nothing else at all.

So he let go.