Rebirth - 1. Chapter 1: Class Of 1969

1969

It was one of those mornings, one of those cloudy mornings that Shane always hated, but today of all days, he didn't even bother to look at it, rather a smile shined on his face as he looked at Lily who sat beside him on the bus. "I need a favor."

Lily looked up from the book she was reading and laughed. "What is it, sunshine?"

"Well, I can't exactly give this to Adam myself...but you can." He handed her a square folded note. "Just act normal, trust me." He looked up ahead. "Nothing short of perfect is ahead of us now."

Shane, if one had to describe him in a short amount of words, one could say he was a close, but not a perfect, resemblance of a 90's Leonardo Dicaprio, with that blonde hair, neatly cut, but long enough for bangs to hang just above vivid crystal blue eyes, a smooth white complexion, like a doll with a boyish, small frame. Of course one couldn't make that first comment, the 90's were a far cry away from where they were.

Lily took the note and opened it and grinned at what he had done, inspecting it. "Really genius, lets just hope if his friends are around...he holds it the right way."

"If he doesn't...I'll have a dead boyfriend." Shane frowned. "Then my world, my life, me...will be just as cloudy as that sky...no more sunshine."

Lily looked over at him, and even on a cloudy day, she wore sunglasses, those of which she pulled low to get a clear look at him. "Then I'll have to call you gloomy."

"Yep." He nodded. "Fold the note back." He quickly nodded.

"Okay." She laughed and started folding it back, following the creases to fold it back the exact way he had it.

"I hate the bus...my parents won't buy me a car." Shane said as the bus pulled up to the school and people started getting off. He had sat in the front seat with Lily and as usual, didn't bother to move. "My dad got away with grand theft auto in high school, not like he couldn't do it again."

"I bet he didn't keep the car though, did he?" Lily waited while everyone filed out of the bus.

"No, he parked it in the middle of some train tracks and hid in the ditch with a couple of friends and hoped a train would hit it, they towed it instead." Shane laughed and got up after the last person stepped off.

"See? If he kept it, they would have seen him and caught him." Lily stepped off the bus after Shane.

"Maybe." Shane spun around. "You need to go around, catch Adam in the parking lot."

"Might be too late since we waited." She said.

"Well, try, if not...go in that entrance, you know where his locker is too." Shane waved her on. "I have to go." Shane smiled and ran off inside.

Lily took a big breath, nervous. She was always afraid for Shane when ever he messed with them, knowing Adam wouldn't hurt him, but they ran a risk every time something like this was pulled, she knew Adam probably felt the same way and it was probably why Shane was the aggressor in the relationship. She shook her head, and against her better judgment, walked off to do as her friend asked.

"Hi, hi, hi, hi!" Lily ran up the steps, catching Adam with his three other friends as the four stopped and looked at her.

Johnny grinned. "Look who it is. Have you come to grace us with your presence? Finally see the light?"

Lily ran up to Adam and Johnny, and glared at Johnny. "Funny, I'll never see the light around you, just the darkness of a closed well." She looked at Adam. "I do have a note for you.." She handed him what looked like a single piece of paper, folded into a square.

Adam's eyebrows lifted and he took it. "Thanks. Is this from you?"

"Maybe, or it could be from one of my girl friends." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "Just check it out..." She then stuck her middle finger up at Johnny. "And you can eat it."

Johnny brought his hand to his chest. "Oh! I'm heart broken! I'm going to fall to my knees!"

Lily laughed as she jogged side ways up the steps, gracefully. "Do that...and you might tumbleweed down the steps for us like a Texas ghost town!" She then spun around and picked up her speed, running into the school building.

"What does it say?" Max asked.

Adam started unfolding the paper, slightly turning his back to the guys. "It's private." He said, picking at it with his index finger and that was when he noticed another page taped to the back of it. His eyes widened and he quickly clamped the back page to the first page to try to keep it together, like a single page.

"Oh come on!" Jared laughed. "Read it before we have to start chanting on the steps."

He read Lily's forged note. "All it says...is, I like you, take that for what it's worth, Lily." He turned around and let the guys see the cover note.

Johnny's eyes narrowed as he wondered why Lily would waste the time to write something like that, track them down, just to give it to Adam. He stared at the note, then as a gust of wind blew, he saw one of the bottom corners of Shane's note fall loose from it's hold by the tape and watched it fall, though the other two didn't seem to notice.

"I'm going to go...need to process this." Adam then jogged off.

"Wait." Johnny reached an arm out to stop Jared and Max from pursuing him. "That...was a cover note, there was another page taped behind it. I saw a corner fall loose."

Jared looked up and made a face, confused.

"You guys know who Lily hangs with." Johnny said.

"Yeah, the cheerleading squad, some of those free spirit, all peace hippies, that go up into the hills after school, uh...she can be a loner sometimes, oh and she loves the bookies, otherwise known as the geeks, but shes particularly picky, shes not into the science or the science fiction, she actually doesn't like education at all. Um...who else?" Max looked at Jared.

Johnny rolled his eyes up. "Shane, you idiot. He is the only one that she sticks to, the rest are just people she drifts through depending on the mood she is in."

Jared's eyebrows lifted. "You don't think? Why would you think?"

"Well, they were made partners for that assignment, there is no reason for them to communicate secretly like that, we all know they were assigned together and that it was out of their control. So...why hide their communication?" Johnny asked.

Max sighed.

"Lets go." Johnny waved them on and the trio ran for the doors.

Adam stood at his locker after taking the cover note and balling it up and tossing it into his locker for now as he began to read the real note that was meant for him.

Adam! It's Shane! A cover note, brilliant, huh?! Listen, I have great news, the most awesome news to tell you. Meet me in the guys bathroom, the one closest to your locker. Oh! And be sure to leave this note inside your locker, we don't want to chance anyone finding it, you can take it home and destroy it. Unless you want to be all sentimental and hide it or something! Anyway, I'll be waiting until after first period, if you have to skip it to get away from your friends, do it. This news is worthy of it. It's everything we have been hoping for. I love you, Shane!

Johnny came up behind Adam, being taller than him, and since the hall was crowded and loud, he had been able to hover over him, quick enough to scan the note to grasp the information of the meet up location. "Adam!"

Adam quickly slammed the note shut, folding it in half and he shoved it in his locker and slammed his locker shut as he spun around, his eyes as big as a deer caught in head lights. "What?" He asked.

Johnny smiled. "Nothing, we just thought you had enough time to process, that's all. You seem pretty clingy of that note. I don't blame you, Lily is gorgeous, I would take her as my girlfriend in a heart beat. You're a really lucky guy."

Adam let out a breath, thinking he hid the note in time. "Yeah, well, I don't want to assume to much. Lets just...wait and see, you know? Maybe I'll sit with her at lunch. Of course...that means sitting with Shane, I don't know how that will work out..."

"Yeah, kinda sucks if you have to be nice to a fag for a girl..." Johnny crossed his arms. "But...I think it's worth it, hold her attention enough, he might feel left out and just go away. No one likes being a third wheel." He grinned.

Adam nodded as the bell rang. "Well, better get to class." He turned around and started off down the hall that had already become far less crowded, unaware that the three were on his trail in the distance.

Adam stops at the nearest guys bathroom and pushes the door open and walks into the blocked off entrance, there was a wall straight from the door and a wall to his left to which he had to walk forward and then take a left to fully enter the bathroom and way on the other side, across the room, there was Shane, leaning against the last sink that lined the right wall of the room, straight across from the stalls. He stepped into the middle of the room.

"Shane." Adam said, unknowing that Johnny, Jared, and Max were hiding in the entrance, looking around the wall straight across from the door, spying on them.

Shane smiled and ran across the room to meet Adam.

"Are you sure it's empty?" Adam asked. "That was risky."

"I'm positive...and screw the risk, soon it won't matter anymore." He smiled at Adam. "You know that night club? The Blue Moon Lounge?"

"Yeah, it's a jazz club, one we're too young to get into, unless we have a parent." Adam said.

Shane grinned so bright, and shook his head. "Not on Wednesday's. It becomes open music night where all talent from anywhere and everywhere, of all ages..." He paused. "Well, I doubt little kids...but teenagers are made an exception, everyone gets to go and perform anything they want, that's the night talent agents frequent the club for new talent. Well, remember when I wrote that letter and sent in one of my sample recordings?"

Adam nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, a talent agent is coming tonight to see me, personally. If he likes me, which I am sure he will, why else bother to come? I'll get a career, we'll make a load of money and we can leave this hell of a life behind, do whatever we want." Shane smiled.

Adam smiled. "That all sounds...wonderful. I just...don't get me wrong, I want this all to work, Shane...I'm just scared."

Shane nodded and stepped closer, taking Adam's hands into his own. "I know you are...but this is going to work, he will like me...and he'll want to fly me out to Hollywood or somewhere and I'll tell him that you have to come because...you've always been my sidekick in my projects. You're already eighteen, a senior, your parents can't stop you, mine are all for me getting a career, so my age isn't an issue, I'll get consent for anything."

Adam smiled and leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Shane and he pulled him forward and kissed him softly.

"Fucking sick." Johnny watched on.

"You were right." Jared said, staring on in disgust.

"I can't believe it, he changed Adam." Max mumbled.

"Don't justify it, Adam chose to do this." Johnny whispered. "He'll pay...just be patient...and until I say otherwise, act normal and play dumb, understand?"

Max and Jared nodded.

Shane smiled as the kiss was broken. "I'm going to have Lily trick you out of lunch so that we can meet in secret...and shes going to go off with her hippie in the hills friends." He laughed quietly. "I want you to come and see me perform tonight. It's very important for me, I wrote a song...and it's about us...and all the struggles that we have gone through."

Adam nodded. "I'll be there. Blue Moon Lounge, right?"

"That's the place." Shane nodded.

Johnny nodded and then tapped Max and Jared on the shoulders and nodded towards the door and the trio quietly walked out and then headed off down the hall and separated for their classes.

Adam smiled. "I hope this all goes the way you see it."

"It will, trust me." Shane leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Being assigned partners with you...it's the best thing that's ever happened to me...and this is just going to make it even better." He smiled and walked around Adam and left the restroom.

"Hey!" Shane sat across the table from Lily in the library. "So, I don't want to keep you in suspense."

Lily looked up and grinned, clasping her hands beneath her chin. "You have news? That wasn't just a meeting?"

"No, actually, a talent agent is coming to see me sing at The Blue Moon Lounge. Wednesday nights, Jazz turns off and it becomes a sing for all, even teenagers are allowed and that's when the talent agents come in. Well, I sent a letter and a demo to one of them and...they wrote me back, told me they wanted to come see me perform, personally, and named the time and place...and that's tonight." Shane nodded.

Lily smiled brightly. "That's awesome! I'm happy for you, I hope you get it!" She sighed. "If you came to invite me though, it sucks, I'd love to go, more than anything, it would sure beat what I have to do. We haven't visited my Aunt and Uncle in forever. My mom actually hates her sister...so it's like, why bother going and playing nice...and she tells me it's to make Grandma happy, who is also showing up by the way, for the dinner tonight."

Shane sat back. "Awe....how very Brady Bunch of you."

Lily made a face. "Huh?"

"A show that's about to start next month, they advertise it...and I totally get the feel for them before I even watch an episode." Shane grinned.

"Well, by the sounds of it, I imagine some very happy family that's so happy that it borders on creepy."

"Maybe the parents, they always at least make the kids normal." His eyes widened and he tilted his head to the side. "Is this creepy?" He then turned his eyes towards each other.

"It was at first." Lily quietly laughed.

"Shh." The librarian looked at them.

Lily looked over at her. "Shhh...yourself." She shook her head.

"Are you still up for stealing Adam from his friends?" Shane asked.

"Yeah, I'll bring him to the janitors closet, I'll even lend you one of my candles that I keep with me. Then I'm going out to the hills...so no one will know any different." Lily looked at him. "Which reminds me...I'm dying for a smoke." She grabbed her books. "I'll see you later, probably when I get back from the dinner, if we don't see each other before then for some reason."

Shane nodded. "Enjoy yourself." A small smile appeared.

"I will." She stuck her tongue out at him and walked off.

Shane stood outside of the locker room, he hated Gym, he knew that the room he was about the walk into was one of the breeding grounds for his torment, it also hurt him that Adam never helped, but he understood why, and he never held it against him, knowing Adam would befall into the same category and receive the same torment and he wouldn't wish that on anyone he cared about, he just wished that he could wish it away from himself.

A deep breath was taken and Shane closed his eyes momentarily before walking in, his eyes lowered to the floor, not looking at anyone, after doing this for a while, he didn't need to see in order to navigate his way to his locker, and seeing feet made it easy for him to avoid bumping into anyone. Reaching his locker, he finally looked up and his stare was straight, locker only, as he worked on turning the dial combination.

Johnny, Max, and Jared walked around, their lockers, along with Adam's being on the same row as Shane's. He spotted Adam at his locker, on the row opposite and a few lockers down from Shane's. "Poor Adam...he won't do a thing, watch." He mumbled.

"Well, if it isn't Shane again..." Johnny grinned. "Or...wait, no...it's Stain, right? You're the stain on the bottom of my shoe, like I walked in shit, or the stain on my shirt...like I fell in mud, or maybe just the stain in my life for being the nasty freak that you are."

Adam had finished putting his regular clothes in his locker and stopped and looked over, watching what Johnny was saying to Shane, trying to appear indifferent, but looks could be deceiving, especially when he hurt terribly inside for not being able to help, but he couldn't, if he did, he would be chastised exiled.

Shane took a deep breath and closed his eyes, wondering if, maybe, for once, he should stand up for himself? After tonight, it was all going to be over anyway. Why let them rain on the best day of his life? He turned around and looked at Johnny. "You want to rhyme? Let's try lame...for that is what that was, or maybe we should go for shame, for that is what you should feel. You want to claim..." The smallest of grins appeared. "There goes another rhyme. You want to think that you are so perfect. Let me ask you..."

Johnny grinned, opening his arms, taking a step back, letting Shane have the floor, he wanted to drag this out, in front of Adam.

"Why do you hate me so bad? I mean, we know the answer up front, but what are the reasons behind it? If it is religious, you should feel shame, religion doesn't teach hate. If...that is the reason..."

Johnny shook his head and laughed. "I'm not going to tell you the reason. I just do, it just is...and I just want you to sit there and wonder why because that is what will linger when every encounter ends...You will always ask yourself why."

Shane looked down, appearing defeated with his attempt to stand up for himself.

"You look down, you know...I got some weed, always makes me feel better." Max grinned. "You want some?"

Jared looked at Max. "Fool, he'll tell someone."

Max looked at Jared. "Really?" He looked at Shane. "Are you going to tell?" His eyes squinted.

"I really don't care what you have or what you do with it." Shane leaned back against the lockers and crossed his arms.

"See?" Max grinned.

Johnny laughed. "And what do you have? And what do you do with it?"

Shane looked up at Johnny. "What kind of question is that?"

"A simple one, think of an answer." Johnny put a foot on the bench and leaned forward, crossing his arms on his knee.

Adam looked down towards the floor. "Hey, guys...coach is going to be mad if we're late." He said, trying to diffuse the situation.

Johnny grinned. "Just one more thing...Adam, come here."

Adam took a deep breath and walked over to Johnny, feeling nothing short of dread.

"Punch him out, lets go out with a bang." Johnny said.

Shane looked up and his eyes shifted to Adam, wishing he could some how tell him to do it, that it would be okay, he just didn't want Adam to be hurt.

Adam tensed up and he slowly looked over at Shane as their gaze met. "Seriously? Do you know how much trouble I would be in for punching out my English partner? Seriously?" He came up with a quick excuse on the fly.

Shane's gaze shifted over to Johnny, but before he could say anything, the coach's voice rang out. "Hey! I got a short head count! Anyone still in here, you're late, get out here!"

Johnny looked between Adam and Shane and then shifted away from the bench and walked off, Jared and Max followed him. Adam's gaze lingered on Shane and then he turned to follow the others, Shane lingered behind, as usual, but normally he wasn't late or at least this late.

Max sits on the floor next to Jared in one of the stalls, passing off a joint, laughing. "I wonder what Johnny actually has planned. You know...the guy is acting so calm, cool and collected..." He took a hit once the blunt was passed back to him and coughed. "..but you know he's always been a ticking time bomb."

"Time bomb, or just a regular bomb? I think this is the first time that a timer has been put on his bomb." Jared grinned, taking a sip of a small bottle of vodka that he stole from his parents cabinet and brought to school. "I think...it's going to be like a hurricane crashing into an earthquake."

Max passed the blunt off and grabbed the bottle of vodka. "Don't forget the tornados." He took a sip of the vodka and made a face. "This shit needs to be cold..." He stuck his tongue out and rolled it around.

"Can't handle it?" Jared laughed, grabbing the vodka.

"No, it just needs to be cold or something." He took the blunt and finished it off, tossing it into the toilet and then he flushed it. "All alcohol needs to be cold."

"Sometimes you don't get the luxury." Jared looked at Max. "What do you think would of happened if the coach didn't fuck up Johnny's plan?"

Max laughed hysterically. "That was brilliant, I just wonder what was going through their minds. My fag fuck buddy's about to fucking punch me out!"

Jared grinned, his face starting to hurt. "Oh no...I have to bruise his face, oh well, I can just put a pillow over it, not like I need his face anyway."

"That's bad!" Max gasped. "Dude...that'd make such an awesome movie. I mean...being gay is sick and all, but imagine a guy gets beat black and blue for it...and it's a total turn off, so the second guy puts a pillow over his face so he doesn't have to see it...while they..." He shook his head. "...you know, do the sick and nasty, the guy dies, smothers to death...and the second guy has to spend the whole movie dragging the body around, trying to get away with it." He started laughing uncontrollably.

"It's funny...but it doesn't make sense." Jared chuckled. "Why would he have to drag the body around?"

"Because he has one of those police radios, he hears someone called in the body where he left it, so he goes and snatches the body so by the time the cops get there...they find nothing." Max's eyebrows lifted. "Get it? And he has to do this through out the movie."

"So, how does it end?" Jared grinned.

"Well, he thinks it would just be genius to go and throw it on a slab in the morgue. What would the cops think of that? Ha! But someone comes in, calls the cops on him and he goes to prison...where the very same thing happens to him, he gets beat, fucked and smothered with a pillow. Karma..." He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "We better go meet Johnny for lunch period."

Jared stood up and grabbed Max by the arm, yanking him up and the two teens laughed as they walked out of the stall and headed out of the restroom just as the bell rang for lunch.

Lily walked through the lunch room and headed over to where the four guys were sitting and leaned over close to Adam. "Sorry, but I'm stealing him today." She smiled and looked at Adam and looped her arm under his and tugged.

Johnny looked up at Lily. "You know...when are you going to start thinking of you?"

Lily tilted her head. "I am...now." She smiled and lead Adam away, tugging him out of the cafeteria.

Adam looked back at them, noticing the way Johnny finger waved him off and once out in the empty hall, he looked at her. "So, where are you taking me?"

"Well, it's not the nicest place...but you won't be bothered, hopefully." Lily said.

"Thank you...for being such a good friend to him..." He looked down. "I wish I could be better, especially after what happened in Gym, it makes me sick of myself."

"Woah..." Lily stopped at the corner and crossed her arms. "What happened in Gym?"

Adam looked down. "They were just...uh...saying awful things to him, things that I don't ever want to repeat, then they tried to make me punch him in the face, which I would never do, I made up an excuse...and then the teacher came in and interrupted the whole thing and it was over."

Lily slowly nodded. "I see." She frowned, appearing angered by this. "Well, this is as far as I go now as your tour guide, it's the janitors closet, it's all set, just get there." She walked off, heading back into the direction they came.

Adam sighed and headed around the corner, finding the janitors closet, he opened the door and looked down, seeing Shane sitting in there on a soft cotton blanket that was made of a mixture of red, gray, and black, and there were two tall red candles and two sandwiches wrapped in saran wrap with two bottles of coke. He stepped inside and closed the door. "A little cramped for all of this."

"It was all Lily's idea." Shane pulled one of the candles away, repositioning it. "Try not to catch on fire." He said, though any happiness he felt that day was completely gone.

Adam sat down with his legs crossed and looked at Shane. "I'm so sorry for what happened. I can tell you're still upset."

"And I don't know why, I should be full of happiness...because soon I will be out of this hell." Shane looked up at Adam. "It's not your fault, even if you had punched me, I would not have blamed you, I wouldn't wish what I get on anyone."

"I would never do that." Adam reached out and took Shane's hand. "I love you too much."

Shane managed to force a smile. "Maybe I'll feel better by tonight. I better, I have to be in a winning mood."

"Well, if you don't win this life, you'll win the next one." Adam said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well...lets say you're playing a game, tag for example. Once you're tagged, you're out. What if you weren't? What if you were just timed out and then you could come back after a certain time and circumstances were different, strategy was more in your favor?"

Shane's eyebrows lifted. "That sounds ridiculous."

Adam nodded. "Okay, bad example." He looked around, picking up his coke and took a sip. "Here's the real deal, what if by the end of this life, you look back on it...and you just think it all sucked, and you died, then some time in the future, you were born again, to live another life, maybe even a better life, in a better time, in a better world?"

Shane took a bite of his sandwich and thought about it. "Well, I kind of liked the idea of heavenly paradise, but that kind of preaches away everyone saying we're going to hell for being...us."

"It's called reincarnation." Adam smiled. "It's your soul, always your soul, you live over and over again, being different people, doing life again, and each time, life gets either better or worse, depending on your past life, because it's the journey of perfecting the soul, as much as you can." Adam reached over and took Shane's hand. "The cool part is, they say you always stay with those you've always been around, but it always switches up, in the next life, my parents could become your parents, kind of twisted like that."

Shane tilted his head to the side, interlacing his fingers with Adam's. "So...do you think we'll always be in love?"

"Whole heartedly." He smiled and leaned closer and softly kissed Shane. "So...don't ever worry about the bad...because you always get to do it over."

Shane smiled when Adam broke the kiss. "I'll try not to, I'm just trying to be positive about our future, we have a lot to look forward to."

Adam nodded. "And I'm really hoping that all works out. I can't wait for tonight."

Shane let Adam's hand go and smiled.

Night had fallen and the lounge was full, it was a small lounge with tables and couches scattered about for seating and comfort. Shane stepped up onto the stage and he looked around, from there, he could see everything, the doors, the whole lounge, and everyone in it.

And one thing he noticed was that Adam wasn't there, but the Talent Agent, Mr. Simms was in a balcony above the door, it was small and only bared three rows of three seats, reserved for special guests, it didn't stick out above the door but rather sunk into the wall, now he knew what the roof over the lounge's door actually was for, it held this balcony while also housing the lounge's name on the exterior.

"Maybe he's just running late." Shane said, nervous as ever as all the people stared at him, he swore, as bad as his nerves were, if he let go, he would shake like he was having a seizure, or close to it.

Adam parked his car towards the middle of the parking lot, since all the spaces were taken up at the front, of course, but at least he didn't have to park all the way at the back. He hoped he hadn't been to late, his family having made him stay and finish dinner, he needed to be here, to support Shane, knowing he would be nervous. He climbed out of the car and shut the door, putting the keys into his pocket as he walked out of the row of cars, hearing the loud speakers from outside.

"I now want to introduce Shane Lyndon!" The woman announced and all the people inside started clapping. "Just in time." Adam said, only to stumble back when Johnny stepped out from where he ducked beside one of the cars, Max came out at the side, and Jared came out from the other side.

"What are you guys doing here?" Adam asked, looking down at the bat in Johnny's hand.

Shane smiled and waved to the people and turned around and handed the music pieces to the guitarist that he had requested, music that the music teacher helped him to write. He was a singer but he couldn't write a melody for an instrument to save his life, but with a hum and a little bit of an acapella sample, his music teacher knew just how to fix it.

"We're here...to crash little Shanie boy's dreams...and to make you pay for betraying us." Johnny said, all three of them fueled by anger and alcohol, Jared a little high off of some weed that Max had given him.

And while Max was drunk as hell, he was more than a little high, a bit of weed and and a shot of heroine and just a small amount of LSD and he was pretty out there, but grounded enough to stick with the guys.

The music started and began blasting from the speakers, he grabbed onto the microphone, still nervous as could be, he hoped that he didn't go mute, his future with Adam depended on this night, he had to make it come true, it had to be good enough.

"I've waited for so long to see my dream ahead of me." Shane began to sing after a deep breath, he then went on, pushing out the next line. "I've taken many beatings, tonight I am where I want to be."

Adam began to hear Shane sing, that didn't last long when Johnny swung the bat and hit him across the face with it. Adam yelled in pain as he fell off to the side, going with the force of the made weapon and he hit the ground, and before he could even recover from the blow, Max grinned and lifted his foot and stomped right on his face, another cry of pain, as blood spewed from his mouth.

"I see star lights in my eyes, in my reflection, a dream you can't break." Shane closed his eyes, feeling his nervousness slipping away.

Jared finished his beer and then bent down and smashed the bottle over Adams head as he tried to get up. Adam cried and rolled over, hearing the faint echo of Shane's voice in the background. His eyes shut tight as Johnny and Max began to kick him from the front and the back, Max's foot landing a blow into his chin.

"So go on and throw a punch, I can take a few hits, I stand firm, I won't stumble or shake." Shane grabs the microphone off the stand and walks around the stage, people clapping as he opened his eyes and sang louder. "It's my dream, it's coming true, I have my love, that's been true, and it's something you can't take. Rob me of my childhood, that you can, that you did, the future is mine."

Max and Jared grabbed Adam up by the arms and Johnny punched Adam in the stomach and he gasped as all the air was knocked out of him and then he punched him in the face, Jared and Max let him go and Adam fell to the ground, trying to get up and crawl away, that just caused Jared to kick him in the stomach again and Adam rolled over onto his back.

"Lets get real serious." Max grinned and then pulled out a pocket knife, wanting to impress his friends. He opened it and then leaned down and slashed Adam across the cheek with it.

Jared stared cautiously at Max, wondering what was going to happen.

Adam cried out and then spit blood right at Max, this sent Max into a rage filled black out. "You son of a bitch!" He then suddenly began stabbing Adam in the chest and abdomen, just stabbing him again and again in rage, even slicing his own hands.

"I'll have it with my love from now until we fly above." Shane waved a hand in the air.

"Fuck this!" Jared took off running for Johnny's car that was parked down the block while Johnny took a step back, his eyes wide with shock, yet he was froze there in shock.

"I still dream, I'll always dream, I still love, I'll always love, and I know very well, it's in my heart, I can tell, my love is as happy as me." Shane put the microphone back on the stand.

Max finally stopped stabbing Adam, who was still alive, but a number had been done by him. Max looked at his hands after the black out and he stared at his pocket knife. "Oh shit...what did I do?!"

"Come on, you dumb ass!" Johnny started running and Max was soon to follow.

Johnny saw the car and spun around. "Throw the knife in the storm drain...and get the hell away from us! You...don't tell them anything about us!" Johnny jumped into the passenger seat of the car. "Drive!" He yelled and Jared slammed on the accelerator and the car drove off.

"You're leaving me?!" Max looked around and closed the pocket knife and leaned down, tossing it into the storm drain just below the side walk and then he took off running down a dark alley.

"So throw a punch, I can take a few hits, you won't break me, you won't shake me, you won't take another thing from me." The music finished and Shane smiled when he heard the applause.

"Give it up for Shane Lyndon!" The female announcer said as she came on stage.

"Thank you!" Shane smiled and ran off the stage as Mr. Simms approached. "That was amazing!"

Shane noticed that Adam still wasn't there. "Thank you...and I hope you still like me and call me and everything...but something is really wrong." He then took off running out of the lounge.

Shane's eyes widened when he saw Adam laying in the middle of the parking lot. He took off in a run and fell down beside him, seeing all the blood. "Oh my god..." He looked over. "Adam?" He grabbed him, pulling his upper frame into his lap, not caring that he was getting blood all over him. "Adam?" He shook him.

Adam opened his eyes and coughed up blood. "Shane?" He mumbled.

"It's me..." He looked down. "They did it..." His eyes watered up. "They must of found out." He looked at all the blood. "I shouldn't of asked you..."

"You sounded beautiful." Adam smiled. "I could hear you..."

Shane cried and shook his head. "What? Y...you listened to me?"

"It...it was easier to try...to tune it all out...I..I couldn't understand you, but your voice..." He spit up more blood and closed his eyes, shaking his head. "It was like a melody."

Shane shut his eyes tightly as tears spilled down his face and then he looked up. "Someone help!" He screamed, however the next performer had started and the music was too loud. "Someone! We need help!"

"Shane..." Adam reached up, grasping at his arm.

Shane looked down at Adam. "I...I have to get help."

Adam shook his head. "No...just remember what I said, if you don't win..." He managed a small smile. "There's always next time. Always see you later..." He cried softly. "Never..." His arm dropped and he fell motionless.

"Adam!" Shane cried, sobbing loudly, he gave Adam a firm shake. "Wake up! Adam!" He laid Adam on the ground and then stood up and brought his hands close to his face and stumbled back, his loud cries turning into soft whimpers as sirens were heard, someone must have heard him or seen them, but now it was too late for the ambulance as it came and the cops as they pulled up. He knew who did it, he knew they did it. How could he ever prove it?