Theo lived in a rundown house with overgrown bushes all around it. It was so bad that the grass was tall enough that there was no clear path leading to the porch.
The paint was coming off, indicating it hadn't been taken care of for years. The first thing you saw when you walked in was the dirty white walls and the mould on the ceiling.
The couches were old and torn, and the windows were broken. The Kline family used cardboard to cover the area so they wouldn't feel cold at night. Even the floor was dirty, and there was a pile of dishes in the kitchen with flies surrounding it.
"Where have you been, you little cunt?!" Theo's father yelled as he threw a cup at him. The man was so high out of his mind that he couldn't focus.
"At school," Theo answered, trying to get away from his abusive father.
The man approached his son with the intent of beating the crap out of him. He had run out of his fix of heroin, and he wanted Theo to give him some money to buy more. That was the reason he was so angry.
He needed more heroin to satisfy his cravings.
"Bullshit! I told you not to go to school, and you disobey me. You need to work and give me money!" The man yelled as he reached Theo and grabbed him by the shirt. "Give me money."
Theo knew what would happen if he didn't hand over the money he had, but he wouldn't. He needed the little he had to buy a new shirt and flowers to meet Rachael. He declared his father was not getting a cent of that money.
"I don't have any. I gave you all I had yesterday."
Theo was thrown across the room. He landed near the table in the living room, which toppled over and hit him.
"I know you have money. You'd better give it to me before I teach you a lesson you'll never forget. Let's see how you will make it to school tomorrow."
It was fortunate that his sister lived with his aunt. Otherwise, she would have been beaten along with him. He had to beg his aunt to take young Olivia because he was scared the men his parents brought home would do something to her.
"I don't have money!" Theo yelled.
"How dare you fucking yell at me?"
When Theo saw his father approaching again, he realized he would die, and he ran out of there as fast as he could. He had the money in his pockets. He had learned the hard way that leaving money in the house was a bad idea.
One day, when he was at school, his father took all the money and beat him for hiding it in the first place.
He rushed to Chris's house to take refuge because he knew his father wouldn't come for him there. It was better kept than Theo's house, but it was still in a crappy neighborhood.
"I'm sorry, Theo. You'll get out of this dump soon."
Chris may have gotten bullied at school, but at least his parents were nice to him. Theo was beaten by his father and mother almost every single day, and there was nothing he could do about it.
The two went to the store and bought a new blue shirt, khakis, and flowers. They left Chris's house at half past 8 to get to the park in time. When they arrived, they noticed Rachael sitting on a park bench.
The park was mostly deserted, but there were lights. It wasn't that bright considering there were trees and thick bushes around, but the lights were enough for Theo to gawk at Rachael's beautiful pink dress.
She wore flats, and her hair was in a ponytail. She even had makeup on her face. It made Theo feel insecure and underdressed. But he was willing to put it all aside if he got to talk to the girl he was in love with.
"Be careful. I still don't trust Rachael."
Theo didn't understand what Chris thought Rachael was going to do to him, so he ignored his friend and approached her. When she saw him, she looked around nervously.
"I got this for you," he said to her.
She took the flower, but she didn't say anything. Theo knew he was out of her league. A single rose was all he could afford. He didn't have any money left.
"I was happy when you told me you wanted to meet here," Theo said, but most of his words came out like he was stuttering.
He blushed in embarrassment because he couldn't find the composure to talk to his crush.
To his surprise, Rachael started laughing. She threw his flower to the ground and stomped on it, saying, "To think I would ever fall for a loser like you is an insult."
Theo was immediately confused and crushed at the same time. He wondered why she would ask him to the park if she didn't like him. He didn't have to wonder for long.
Half the football team, including James, surrounded him. That was when he realized what was happening. Rachael set him up to be beaten. His ego was crushed even more when James kissed Rachael in front of him.
"My girl is loyal to me. This is punishment for fantasizing about having her by your side. A loser like you shouldn't think Rachael is attainable."
All six boys surrounding him immediately started hitting him everywhere. He heard his ribs and a couple of other bones break. This was all while Rachael and James laughed hysterically.
"Stop! You're going to kill him!" Chris yelled.
He rushed to the scene and was immediately thrown to the ground and also beaten to a pulp. Theo had blood coming out of his nose and mouth, and he couldn't see properly. He should have listened to Chris.
"Leave him alone! Hit me!" Theo yelled.
"How about we beat the two of you? If we are lucky, you will never show your faces at school again."
He wouldn't have been in that situation in the first place, and he wouldn't have gotten his best friend punished for his mistake.
He heard the sound of a zipper opening.
"Quick film this," James said.
Theo felt hot piss all over his. James was pissing on him like a dog and laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world.
"Let us see how you will look at any girl in school after I post this."
Theo was humiliated, in pain, and he reeked of piss. Nothing he had endured before compared to that moment.
"Stop, he's not moving!" One of the boys shouted.
There was silence as Theo struggled to open his eyes, and the other boys went to check on Chris. Theo watched James try to wake Chris up. It was useless. He lay on the ground motionless with his eyes wide open.
"Oh my god. There's no pulse." Rachael screamed.
Theo tried to get up, but the pain was too much. But he heard everything and started crying. Chris couldn't be dead. He couldn't be. He was just in bad shape and unconscious.
"Shut up, Rachael!" James yelled. "Let's just get out of here."
The football team and Rachael ran and left the two boys lying there. Theo went to his friend and checked the pulse. Sure enough, he couldn't feel anything. He begged Chris to wake up, but nothing happened.
"Help me! Help us! Oh God! Fuck! Somebody help us!" Theo yelled, but no one came. No one was in the park at that hour.
Eventually, the pain was too much for Theo to take, and he immediately fell unconscious.
When he woke up, he was lying on the cold floor. Everything hurt, and he felt like he had just been run over by a train. When he adjusted his eyesight, he realized he was in a cell. The last thing he remembered was his friend's unmoving body.
When a police officer came by, Theo barely got himself near the iron bars of the cell.
"What am I doing here?" He asked.
"You killed your friend, Chris. You are going to be charged with murder."