[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/220602/67df0e312a80f6a94cbd951738205c7d.png[/img] [hr][hr] Stopped at a red light for what felt like the millionth time today, Clay gripped onto the steering wheel as tightly as he possibly could. It didn’t really matter if he was late for work, Sly would cover for him; the frustration had absolutely nothing to do with that. No, the man they call McDungus was pissed off because the lunatic that had been tormenting his beloved home all summer was back and this time they were deep diving into the lives of some of his dearest friends. On top of that he had gone through an argument with Cat, their first ever. He wasn’t a big fan of that, not by a long shot. Pulling off to the side of the road, Clayton parked up outside of the station. Part of him didn’t even want to walk in. Part of him just wanted to go back to his apartment, bury his head in a pillow and listen to Boys II Men. David would mock him for that course of action, no doubt. Duke always said if it wasn’t classic rock then it wasn’t real music. Hell, Clay remembered the first time that Davey came to school having found Coach’s stash of vinyl records in the attic and he was a changed man. Lamb loved it. She always wanted to be around David. Sometimes, Clayton thought that she preferred Davey to him. Then again, a lot of people did. There was just something about Davey. [hr][hr] [color=BFA65C]”Criminal Justice, Clay huh?”[/color] David threw the mini basketball into the air and caught it between words. His curly hair was flopped back against the edge of the couch and his eyes gazed up at the ceiling of his family basement; the safe haven of the Elite. [color=BFA65C]”Can’t believe my bestest friend in all the world is gonna become a cop and arrest me”[/color] [color=BCDD81]”Well don’t do any stupid shit and I won’t will I?”[/color] Clayton was devouring his third sandwich from the Godmother. [color=BCDD81]”Besides, I only just got my acceptance letter to Lowell. I got a few years before I’m lifting people off the streets, Duke”[/color] It was the summer after graduation and everyone was moving on with their lives, to college, to work, to whatever the future held for them. Clay was off to Lowell; Russ had already enlisted in the army and shipped off to basic training. Rhett had begun working with his family all the time now, he was pretty much a non factor in their lives now and Francis had already left for New York. Allison had been gone for so long now that their group had all but fractured. Down in the O'Hara basement we’re the remnants of the Elite; Clay and David and their respective twins. [color=5584AC]”You’re disgusting”[/color] Lamb grimaced watching her older brother drop meat all over himself as he slovenly destroyed his meal in such a way that one would think he had never eaten before. [color=5584AC]”How are we even related? You are a goddamn animal”[/color] Lamb loved her brother, she really did but she also deftly struggled to actually like him. Even when they were children, the big of heart and only slightly dumb of ass Clayton and her just couldn’t find that thing that connected them beyond blood. They were twins for goodness sake yet the pair of them just didn’t fit together. Not like David and Jamie, one only had to look at them and you could not only see but you could feel that they were twins, two halves of the same person, split to give the world an equal load of happiness and joy. When the Costigan’s were split into their respective halves. something was missing in the process, something that made them, them. [color=BCDD81]”The fuck did I do?”[/color] Jamie brushed her long hair out of her face as she watched the assorted friends before her. Her brother was on the couch that he had claimed ten years ago when he and Clayton found it by the side of the road in Eastbrook. Lamby sat on a nearby chair, her face distorted as she watched her twin who himself was sat by the table stuffing his face. She knew it was all going to come to an end, it had to. High school was over and the world around them was about to change forever. Most of their friends had already begun to make their moves towards their futures, Jamie herself was leaving within the next week for Brown. The nerves were real though, she couldn’t help but be worried that wouldn’t know what to do with someone with issues like hers. [color=FFCDD2]”Are you going to see that friend of yours before you leave, Clay? The one from the comic store?”[/color] [color=BFA65C]“Oh yeah, Ava or something? We had Beau’s lit with her. Total fox. There’s no way you’re not hitting that sixteen. You legit fuck anything with two legs”[/color] David sat up from the couch and tossed the ball he had at Clay, missing him purposely but giving his best friend a startle. [color=FFCDD2]“Davey”[/color] Jamie lamented. [color=BFA65C]“What? It’s the truth!”[/color] Lamb began to giggle as they poked fun at her elder sibling. [color=5584AC]“They’re not wrong brother, you’re a bit of a whore”[/color] She couldn’t even count the amount of times she had heard Clayton sneaking some girl into his bedroom through his window and then sneaking them out again. She couldn’t count how many times she had heard that stupid line he always said about breakfast. God, he was a fucking idiot. [color=BCDD81]“Whoa whoa whoa”[/color] Clay threw down his sandwich. [color=BCDD81]”First off, her name is Avery. Two, no I am not fucking her, we’re friends. I can have friends outside of you guys, you know? Three, just shut up”[/color] He didn’t particularly enjoy David ridiculing his friendships but he knew there was never meant to be any offence. Davey wasn’t malicious, sometimes he just lacked tact. [color=BFA65C]“Great comeback, Costigan”[/color] [color=BCDD81]“Stop! Carry on and your ass is grass you hear me, Duke. I’m not the one with the secret girlfriend”[/color] David laughed it off. He had an infectious laugh. Jamie and Lamb soon followed, with Clay finally joining them. He was going to miss this, the teasing and the laughing. They were all leaving him. They were all going to be something and get out of this damn town. He wasn’t but that was ok because he had her. She was there and as long she was there, so too would David be. [color=BFA65C]”And on that note”[/color] The Duke got up to his feet and bowed to his gathered court [color=BFA65C]”I gotta make like a tree and get out of here”[/color] [color=5584AC]“Fuck me, you two are as bad as each other”[/color] Laura turned to look at Jamie with a soft smile on her face. [color=5584AC]“Are we sure they’re not the twins? Cos Jamie baby we can’t be related to them”[/color] [color=FFCDD2]“Sadly, we’re stuck with them Lamby but there are worse options”[/color] [hr][hr] How could he have missed all the signs? He knew. They knew. They all knew. They joked about it. They didn’t think it was anything serious but it was, deathly so. Fuck. How could David be so careless? Clay knew that his best friend wasn’t a bad person. He wasn't an evil person and he definitely didn’t think he was a child predator. He made a mistake and he had paid for it. His family, his friends, they all paid for it. Then why the fuck were they going through it again?! The tears began to well up in his dark eyes as his hold on the steering wheel grew tighter with every passing thought. He sniffled to try and stem the tears but it didn’t work. He was ok. He was always ok. Clay was always as cool as a cucumber. Nothing ever bothered him. He could just shrug it off and go find a warm body to lie down with. Everyone knew that Clay was fine. He was absolutely fine. Was he fuck. With an almighty roar, Clayton screamed out his frustrations. He began to pound down onto the steering wheel with balled up fists. He stamped down on the door of the car, like a child having a tantrum. He flung his head down, butting the wheel as he sobbed. Why?[/center]