Rebirth - 9. Chapter 9: Confessions

Riley walked into his room and shut the door behind Aries. "So...this is my room, I guess we'll be sharing..." He trailed off.

Aries looked around, seeing a bed, Riley's computer desk next to it, some posters of wrestlers, mostly The Undertaker, other than that, his room was a little messy with clothes thrown about, there was a dresser and similar dark themed little decorations and other things on the top of it. he didn't seem to mind it. "It's okay."

"Wait a minute." Riley looked at Aries. "I am so stupid, and either my dad is incredibly stupid or he thinks you are."

Aries turned around. "What?"

"You won't owe him thirty thousand dollars....you won't have to earn that back from him. Bail money is returned if you show up for trial, it's why bail is set so high, to encourage the use of a bail bondsman, to give you a reason to show up, to get your money back, or the people you care about, since they are the ones that usually do it." Riley shook his head. "Your debt is over when you show up."

Aries stared at Riley. "So either...he was trying to trick me...or we're all stupid." A grin broke out and he wanted to laugh.

"Likely...he will try to get as much as he can out of you between now and then." Riley frowned. "This isn't funny, that no rush thing, if he actually knows this, then it's a complete lie."

"So...I only have to do this crappy job until the trial...and then I'm free." Aries said.

"Or...you can call that Ian guy back, get a lawyer...and plea." Riley stared at him. "Because you just made a deal with the devil...If you have a clean record, a good history, if this is like your first offense, I'm sure they will be lenient."

"That's a risk." Aries said, turning around and sitting on the edge of the bed, his hands moving over his face. "I...Riley, you know I don't want to do this, I said I never would, I was desperate to get out of jail. If they sentence me right back to jail, where do you think I'll be? Far worse things can happen there, and who knows for how long. At least this way...I might have some sort of control, we figured out I won't be in debt to him after the trial, that couldn't possibly be too far away." He looked up. "Making a deal really doesn't seem worth the risk to me, the risk of getting beat up, raped, all those horror stories I've heard."

Riley sat down beside Aries. "You might as well be getting raped here...and at least it isn't being filmed and no ones making a fucking profit." He looked down. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to say going to jail and being hurt like that is any better..." He shook his head. "How did you get yourself in this mess?"

Aries shrugged. "I guess I have a little bit of that blind anger myself."

Riley moved off the bed and shifted over and sat in the computer chair and stared at Aries with a look of deep thought. "Do you have a lawyer?"

Aries looked up at Riley. "The state gave me one, I didn't hire one or anything."

"What did you say to the cops?"

"When he read my rights, I looked at him and I said, well, I'm just going to remain silent, I'll tell you one thing, though. I don't have the money to hire a lawyer. So, if you want to throw one of those state ones at me, go ahead, that's all I have to say." Aries shrugged.

Riley slowly nodded. "Well, that's generic and...neutral."

"I honestly don't know what to say. Act guilty or act innocent, the only person I have to back me up is this guy...Worth, he said he would back me up, not sure if he actually plans to." Aries laid back on the bed. "So, I mean...if he plans to fabricate a fake self defense, I'll go along with it, but if I'm not going to have anyone to help me lie...I just see telling the truth as good as anything else."

"How many people were there?" Riley asked.

"Uh...the four of them, and then me." He shifted his eyes to look at Riley.

Riley rubbed his hands together and sat back. "You should probably keep your phone on, in case that cheap lawyer calls."

"I can't. If I turn it on...Ian will GPS me and find where I am...and if I turn the app off or uninstall it, he will get suspicious."

"No he won't, you told him your brothers band mates were all crazy secret about their address. If he calls and asks, tell him they made you turn the app off." Riley shrugged.

"Makes sense." He pulled his phone out and turned it on, listening to the little tune it made, once everything loaded up, he went into his settings and turned his GPS program off so that no one could locate him.

Riley's lips tugged to one side in an awkward expression and he looked towards his computer.

Worth ran down the hall. "Matt!" He called out. "Hey, Matt!" He ran after him.

Matt stopped in the hall and turned around, seeing Worth catching up to him. "What?"

"Hey...I just wanted to...talk to you for a second." Worth said.

"About?" Matt shrugged, holding the straps of his back pack that hung over his shoulders.

"Well, on the trip...you were the only one that kinda...didn't suspect me of anything, you...gave me the benefit of the doubt." He looked down. "You know Aries was arrested and charged...I was just wondering if you would be willing to...go with me on a self defense for him."

Matt's eyebrows lifted. "Uh...that is incredibly odd, as things have been, why are you all of a sudden on his side? Not that you ever trashed him...but I believe in my reasons as to why you never did."

"Well, being that I never did trash him, there was no hostility between us and...he's actually a pretty cool guy." Worth said.

"All I saw...was a psycho." Matt shook his head. "Will you be honest with me? Am I right...that you just always kept quiet because...you wanted to keep a clean record? I'm not stupid and I know very well what Nash was hinting at the entire time...and if that is true...well.." He looked up. "I...respect someone who can take the risk for honesty."

Worth slowly nodded. "The risk? As in risking you hating me?" He took a deep breath. "Okay, Nash...was right the whole time...and I've always stayed quiet because all this time, I liked Aries...and so I never wanted to hurt him. And...that partnering system? I made it up, made the list, gave it to Mr. Braden and let him have the bragging rights, I did it to make sure we were paired together."

Matt stared at Worth, his eyes slightly growing. "Wow....if Nash had been right, I was expecting an admission, I didn't realize all of that." He shook his head. "That's...a big plate of honesty, Worth." He slightly turned, as if wanting to walk away. "I kind of feel like I should walk away...because if Nash found out that I had the least little bit of tolerance, he would be furious. Truth be told, I guess...maybe I do, or maybe it's because it's you, and...we have been friends for so long."

Worth stared at Matt. "Well, I guess that means something, that you hesitate to walk away, means that...maybe not everything is or was superficial. Not that I'm saying it's a great thing that you feel torn, I'm sorry if you do..."

Matt slightly smiled and looked down. "I'm not superficial, if I am your friend, I am...I will say this much, Worth, Nash is not our friend, he's not anyones friend, not unless you fall under his rule, it's entirely superficial with him, I learned that, understood it...and accepted it a long time ago." He looked up. "If I back you up, side with Aries, we're both to be casted out, for sure."

"I know...and it's asking a lot...but I feel like it's all my fault, I should of just pretended to get lost or something, and I say that not just because of Aries, I say that because...if I had, no one would of gotten hurt, no one would be hurt now." He shrugged. "I just want to help him."

He nodded and looked at Worth. "I'll back you up, for whatever reason, Aries didn't come after me, I don't know why, but he didn't. Maybe it's just because I stayed out of it, maybe it's nothing special, maybe I'm still viewed as a jerk like the others...I have to say though, it's a stretch, especially with him having no marks or signs of injury. What is the story?"

Worth slightly smiled. "Thank you." He shrugged and looked off. "The story is...Nash charged him, he dove out of the way, grabbed the stick, whatever it's called, he had it with him to beat a snake, and really, that's the only reason he brought it, he defended himself against Nash, Boyd jumped in, they tried to gang up on him, he defended himself against Boyd." He looked at Matt. "We were just freaked out and didn't get involved."

Matt's eyebrows lifted. "That's a stretch, I just hope we don't get thrown in the slammer for perjury. Some advice? See if you can find Jay, if no one saw where he was around the time, a third witness would help."

"Thanks." He nodded.

"Well, I'm signing my outcast certificate." Matt patted Worth on the shoulder and headed off down the hall.

Byron walked into the warehouse, Riley followed behind his dad and Aries, having insisted on coming because he felt protective over Aries, though he was unsure of what he could really do to stop what was to come.

"So this is our warehouse. Not entirely mine...it's group owned." Byron turned around.

"Don't you mean gang owned? You are a gang banger, right?" Aries grinned sarcastically.

Byron laughed. "Would you like to be? And not in the sense that you're talking about."

"Not really." Aries smile faded into a hateful scowl.

Byron waved a hand. "So this is where we keep some of our sets for our themes, if we make those types of videos. We have the doctors office, the class room, locker room. And then...we have the church, home for the holidays, we all love Christmas." He grinned. "And the barn."

Aries followed Byron and looked around. "So much cliche..." His eyes traveled over each set as the thoughts of working in one of them filled his head and the feeling of dread came over him.

"Well, it's where all of our beginners start, if not just in a hotel or one of our places." Byron turned towards Aries. "Except mine, for obvious reasons, it's not very pristine, so...I would never dream of filming there."

"Oh, wow...you used a big word! Very intelligent!" Riley clapped.

Byron frowned. "Don't make me regret letting you come, brat."

Aries closed his eyes. "And...which one would you be putting me on, exactly?"

Byron grinned. "Oh...I could see you doing all of them." He sighed. "I guess...if I had to pick, which I do! I'd say...the barn..." His eyes lit up. "I could picture...a big strong cowboy...showing you how it's done." He grinned.

Aries crossed his arms and turned his head away, keeping his eyes closed. "I see." He said.

"I hate this..." Riley turned his back towards his dad. "You'd really put an older...way more experienced...monster on him? Really dad?"

"I think you'd bitch no matter what I picked." Byron looked at Riley.

"I found a flaw in your plan." Riley turned around. "He doesn't have to earn you back thirty thousand dollars. You're free from the bail bondsman after the whole mess is settled, either by the trial or before then, if he doesn't get indicted."

"Really?" Byron nodded. "Well, darn you figured me out, my genius son. Did you know I won't get the fee that I had to pay just to use the bail bondsman? They get to keep that money. So he's still in debt to me."

"Yeah, like how much?" Riley asked.

"Three thousand dollars." Byron said. "Given that is far less work than him raising thirty thousand, still...it's a lot of work...and it will go by how many paid subscribers view his videos."

Riley looked at Byron. "How exactly will that work? They pay to see the site, not the individual videos, so how much will each hit calculate for?"

"Easy, a dollar. That way I can just view the hits, check and see which users looked, make sure the same user didn't check it out multiple times, then count the single hits as dollars, easy math." Byron grinned.

Aries looked at Byron. "So...in total, I have to get three thousand hits on any content that I am in, combined, and multiple views by the same users aren't counted, on a single video, then I've paid my debt?"

"Yep, say you made five videos, if you raised three thousand hits, on one video, or on any of the videos combined or separate, all by single hits from separate users, then it counts." Byron nodded. "Of course multiple hits are permitted if a user views video one and then goes on to view video two, but only once per video."

"You're unbelievable." Riley shook his head.

"Shut up." Byron looked away from Riley and looked at Aries. "So, you okay with my idea? The barn? And when do you want to start? You can be your own boss, make your own hours."

Aries ran a hand through his hair. "I..." He looked at Byron. "I guess the idea is fine...I'm going to feel the same about any of them. Not today...tomorrow." He wanted to stall, just a day longer, at least.

"Fine, that's a deal, Riley will drive you back to the house, or you can go where ever..." Byron nodded and walked off.

Riley grabbed Aries hand and pulled him through the warehouse, power walking out of there. Once outside, he turned to look at him. "I'm begging you not to do this."

Aries looked at Riley. "And do what? Let him hire a hit on me? You were in the room with him, I heard you, he pretty much said he had connections and if I broke my promise, I'd be in big trouble."

He stared at Aries and let his hand go.

Aries sighed and heard his phone ring and dug his hand into his pocket and answered it. "Hello?"

"Aries Donovan? Hello, this is Alex Layton, your attorney."

"Oh, wow. Hey lawyer." He looked up at Riley. "So, what's up? This really sucks. If you have a plan to bounce me and get me off scott free, that'd be nice."

"Well, it doesn't look good, both victims have obvious signs of a severe attack, so going at a self defense angle if you have no marks would be a long shot. I think it would be best if we heard a plea and considered it."

Aries laughed briefly. "I figured you would say that. Listen...I don't know if he's doing it or not but...this guy, Wentworth Meyers, he's willing to testify as a witness for self defense, he said he would. Talk to him first and see what he says."

"If you insist, I will speak with him and get back to you, they should schedule a hearing in a couple of days to determine if you will be indicted or not."

"Well, I'm really hanging onto hope that I won't be, just talk to him, I'm in real...desperation." Aries hung up and looked at Riley. "Wow...if that lawyer isn't crappy, first thing he does is spit out plea deal." He shook his head and walked towards Byron's truck.

"Maybe you should at least see what they say." Riley climbed into the drivers seat. "Maybe you can put on some real...sympathy act and...get something good. Then you won't have to stay under my dad's roof anymore."

"Doesn't mean I still wouldn't owe him and he wouldn't hire a hit on me if I cheat him." Aries shook his head. "Just drive, somewhere...anywhere."

"Thank you for meeting with me today. I am Carly Danika, The District Attorney." She closed the door to the small room they were in and took a seat across from Aries and his attorney.

"Well, Mr. Layton insisted that I hear you out." Aries frowned. "I just want to say...that I never meant or wanted...any of it to happen and...I'm a good person. Worth and I...just wanted to be together, it was supposed to be a fun camping trip, for us..." He paused. "And please, keep this discreet."

"Anything that is said in this room stays in this room." Carly said in assurance.`

"Okay, for us...we wanted it to be more. That is why we were hiding, why we didn't pick a designated spot. His friends were jocks, he was jock, if they found out...it would have been horrible for him. And I...had just heard about that story, that cold case about that Adam guy...and so I had all kinds of horrible ideas on my mind, if he got caught. I was terrified of what could happen."

Carly nodded. "Okay, so I am seeing a picture now, you pretended to steal the tent so that you both had an excuse to run because they were following you, because despite the partnering set up, his friends wanted neighboring camp sites, right?"

Aries nodded. "Exactly, they kept tailing us, so I came up with the idea of pretending to steal the tent so that Worth could pretend to chase after me to get it back, once we were sure we lost them, I came up with the idea to go off trail so that they couldn't go searching all the designated spots and find us, we would be hidden." He shrugged. "Then the next day, the teacher said we could all do what we wanted, we didn't think that was going to happen, we wanted to spend the day together. Of course as soon as we were all given that freedom, Nash and his friends had their natural expectations, if Worth had acted any different, they would of been suspicious, Nash was suspicious anyway."

"And what happened after that?" Carly asked, clearly he wanted her to know his side of the story.

"Well, I couldn't tell you, they went off, I hung out with my friend Jay, for a short time, then I went back to the tent. Worth told me he told them he had to go and get his bottle of water, they insisted on coming with him, would not let him get out from under them, no matter what. He regretted not pretending to get lost. So he had no choice, at least, none that he saw at the time, but to lead them to where we set up...and things just...went horribly bad from there."

Carly narrowed her eyes. "And, tell me, why do you get vague at that part? You didn't say one way or the other what happened."

Aries looked off. "I felt scared, they all came, to a place that only Worth and I were supposed to know about, for some reason...I felt as if...I were being violated." Tears started to run down his face. "It's the most awful feeling to remember...and I felt alone. I was in the tent, cornered, they were going to find me, I thought...something bad was going to happen."

Carly looked rather sympathetic and concerned as she listened closely to Aries, watching him with an intense gaze.

"I brought the baton, originally because...it was to bash a snake with...in case I saw one. It had been a gift from someone and I thought to bring it with me. So I took it out, just in case. The tent had a side opening on it and so I climbed out through that way, just before Nash checked the front entrance, so he couldn't find me."

He looked at Carly. "You may...or may not believe me, I'm not trying to sell you bullshit, there is someone else inside of me, someone who I used to be...and they died..long before I was ever born, they are part of me...spiritually. If you don't believe me, take me to Adam's murderers, they won't call me Aries, they will look at me and swear I'm Shane, an angel from heaven. Why do you think they confessed after forty five years?"

Aries sat back. "And if you don't believe that, check out Napa High School year book, class of 1969..." He stared at her with the biggest eyes. "I never meant to hurt them like that..."

Carly had not been prepared for what she was told, and she wasn't sure if Aries was desperate and trying to sell her a crazy story for a psychotic defense or if he really believed in the story that he was telling her. "I see." She looked over at his lawyer. "Mr. Layton, do you have anything to say? Because at this point, I don't exactly know what to do with what I've been told."

Mr. Layton was as surprised as Carly and tried to find some kind of words to respond, he hadn't even discussed any kind of strategy with Aries and now his client was throwing crazy stories around. "I have proof on my ICloud." Aries said, before his lawyer could respond.

Carly looked at Aries. "You do?"

Aries laid his cell phone on the table. "See, there is the cover of the year book." He slid his finger across the screen. "Shane's name..." He flipped again. "There's his picture...look at him..and look at me. And if you go and find the actual book, you will see that these pictures are classic, simple snap shots, not a single thing altered."

Carly looked at the pictures, of course with programs like photo shop, she would take this evidence with a grain of salt until she saw the actual book, if she bothered to go and look at it. She looked up at Aries. "Okay..." She looked at Aries' attorney. "Mr. Layton, I am not sure if I can plea deal with a client who's mental state is clearly in question."

"Mr. Donovan has been mentally stable since I first spoke with him until now. I am not sure why he has told you what he has."

"Because it's the truth." Aries pulled his phone back and exited ICloud. "I know how it sounds, but I can tell you...all sorts of things about Shane that...no one but people who knew him could tell you. Like the school, it's probably only in his records that on the same camping trip, the jocks took him and threw him in the lake. If he told anyone, maybe it's in his file."

"Maybe try to find his best friend Lily, I know he told her. Like the day of Adam's murder. He orchestrated a cover note from Lily and taped his note to the back of it, had Lily take the note to Adam so his friends wouldn't suspect anything. He wanted Adam to meet him in the bathroom so he could tell him that he was singing at the lounge. Some how they found out." He shook his head. "I'm not mentally unstable. Why do you think everyones news snowed out? Destiny didn't want Shane's picture revealed or my life would be ruined. I bet there was no pictures in the news paper because it kept printing blanks."

"I'm sorry...but this is just getting more disturbing." Carly stood up. "I am putting in a motion that he is placed in psychiatric care and evaluated."

Tears ran down Aries' face. "I'm telling the truth! You just have to look at the year book! Ask my friend, Sage! She's seen it!"

Mr. Layton frowned and shook his head as he stood up. "You did this to yourself." He frowned at his client and walked out of the room with Carly.

Alex Layton headed outside and looked at Riley. "Your friend won't be coming out. I don't know why he did it...but he was telling the D.A. what happened and then he started sounding insane, I guess he thought if he made himself look crazy, it might get him off free. Now she is putting him in a psychiatric facility and ordering an evaluation." He shook his head, very unhappy with his client.

Riley made a face and headed down the steps, parting ways with the attorney and slipped into his dads truck. "Look what you do, you drive people insane, dad."

"What? What are you talking about? You said this is just supposed to be a meeting." Byron looked at him.

"The D.A. is dragging Aries to the funny farm and ordering a psychiatric evaluation." Riley grinned. "Guess he's spending the night in a whole different barn, huh?"

Byron's eyes narrowed. "That little bitch, he did this on purpose! I swear, if he don't get out and fulfill his end of the deal."

Riley rolled his eyes. "You're not going to have a hit put on him, you like him way too much."

Byron grabbed the gear stick and angrily yanked it into drive and slammed his foot onto the accelerator and took off.

Aries tapped Ian's name with his index finger and brought his phone to his ear.

"Hello?" Ian answered.

"It's me..." Aries sighed.

"What's going on? Have you heard anything? Made any progress? I really want you to come home, I think Gemini is being a little paranoid, Nash and Boyd haven't even come around, I don't think they even know you live here. Did they even know where you lived before?"

"None of it matters." Aries looked down. "I met with my lawyer and the District Attorney...I told her what happened, the truth...about everything, the whole truth, Ian. Now she is shipping me to a psychiatric hospital and having me evaluated, we were supposed to hear plea deals. I tried to make her understand. I showed her the year book on my ICloud, I told her where to find the real thing, I told her if she took me to Adam's killers, they would see me as Shane..." He whimpered. "I think...I'm getting so much deeper and deeper into destruction, I'll be dead before this is all over."

"What? Oh my God...Aries, you shouldn't of gone off and done that." Ian closed his eyes. "What are you talking about dead? I think you're just really upset."

"No, I'm serious...I lied to you...I've been lying to you about a lot of things." He looked around. "Gemini didn't bail me out, I met a guy on my live stream, the one that paid for those background searches. His dad...he's connected, mafia like, he wanted me to...well, be a model, if you know what I mean. I told my friend, his son, I'd never do it, I was desperate for the bail."

"He said I had to live with him and work to earn back the bail bondsman fee that he paid. I...got into this trouble before I did any work for him. So now he is going to be furious, he basically...not in so many words, told me, if I didn't fulfill my end of the deal that he would put a hit out on me." Aries paused. "Can't exactly fulfill it in the nut house..."

Ian frowned. "You know...I can't believe you would go off and do something like that. What in the hell were you thinking? You keep calling me, I haven't fucking seen you in God only knows when! And I keep responding with sympathy...and I love you and you're not only tearing your own life to shreds, but our relationship, my heart, what am I supposed to do?!"

"Hate me...because the only reason this all happened...was because Nash and Boyd's friend...Wentworth, the guy I was on the phone with, the one I wanted to help, he wanted just one special night...and then he thought he would have to go back into hiding...but instead, everything went to hell. At least he still got his night anyway...all of it, all of this mess, everything...all my fault." He started to cry loudly. "I shouldn't of been reborn, Shane should of stayed dead...or better yet, maybe we should of never met, he never bothered me, I never had feelings, I didn't have dreams or memories, I was just me...until...you..." He shut his eyes tight.

"Wow..." Ian nodded. "Well, Aries...I...sorry for ruining your life. If...well, if you manage to fix it...maybe Shane will die and stay dead...so long as I stay away." Ian hung up the phone, shocked, hurt, yet angry at the same time, he wanted to shatter his phone into a million pieces, the way Aries had just shattered his heart.

Aries cried out and threw his phone at the wall just as an officer walked in.

"Woah! You can't do that!" The officer watched the phone's back pop off as the battery flew out and the phone fell to the floor in those three pieces. "I don't want to have to use the cuffs...I'm here to transport you."

Aries cried, standing up and he walked towards the officer and nodded, taking in quick and deep breaths, trying to show his compliance.

"Lets go." The officer gently placed a hand on his back and guided him out to one of the police vehicles out back so that he could transport him to the nearest facility.

2015

Gemini walked through the door with two duffel bags and tossed them onto the couch. "Alright, well...this was sudden, but I think it will work out for the best." He turned around, watching Aries walk in and his appearance caused a saddened expression to appear on his face.

Aries looked up and around, not having much of a response to anything, he didn't even bother to shut the door, he walked into the middle of the living room and simply stood there.

Gemini headed over to the door and closed it. "We normally use the attic for storage, you will have to temporarily share a room with me, but I will clear it out and make a whole space for you. Peace and quiet will...probably do you good." He walked over and brushed Aries blonde bangs to the side. "I had no idea that you were so hurt..."

Aries looked up at his brother. "I...I'm just lost..."

"I can imagine, being in care for all those months, tossed around on all kinds of medications, then being put in my custody, moved to San Francisco, away from everything and everyone you knew. It will get better, this is probably the way it should of been a long time ago. I should of taken you when I left." Gemini smiled. "Are you hungry or anything?"

"It is...the way it should have been." Aries looked over his brothers shoulder. "I just...want to feel like me again."

"Well, you will. You should put on your first live feed in forever, I am sure everyone misses you! And you always loved it!" Gemini smiled. "This won't be as hard as you think, or I thought, I don't think so."

Aries smiled. "Yeah, that always cheered me up." He stepped forward and hugged Gemini and softly cried. "I just miss how it all used to be."

Gemini held onto him, letting him cry. "It's okay..."

Aries pulled back. "I'm going to take my stuff upstairs."

Gemini let him go and nodded. "Okay, it's at the very end of the hall, last door on the right."

He nodded and grabbed the two duffel bags off the couch and then jogged up the stairs and walked down the hall and headed into Gemini's room and shut the door behind him, moving over to the futon that would be his bed, until the attic was set up for him. He sat down and dug through one of the bags and pulled out his laptop.

"Okay, you're ready for this...it's all you asked for, a fresh start." He opened the laptop and then lifted a hand to wipe his eyes, not wanting to look like a mess. He then pulled up his live feed and went on.

"Oh...wow, people are still here. You guys must check often." A slight smile appeared. "Sorry for being totally missing in action, I...well, lets just say I was sort of...imprisoned...in a way. I was somewhere and I couldn't get out. I really don't want to talk about it...but if I could have been here, I would of been..."

He laughed. "I'm a conspiracy theory? I love that! Maybe I need a new nick name." He grinned. "Well, I have to say, I'm living with the band now, so...maybe, I'm not sure yet, but I might be participating with them more. I really should be an active brother full time, I mean, they shouldn't refer to both of us brothers for nothing. It's like...okay, pretend the other brother is there!" He shook his head.

"I also have some really sad news, actually." Aries looked down. "If any of you know Lone Wolf...this actually happened months ago, around the time I kinda went off the radar, he died with his father in a car accident, so while this is very late, only because I couldn't reach you guys until now, prayers be with him, he ended up being a really good friend." Aries looked up.

Gaze At U: Can Aries call a fan?

Aries stared at the name and read the question before it scrolled up and disappeared due to the other chatters and he slowly took a deep breath. "Uh...Aries' phone is out of commission, have to buy a new one."

Aries' phone then started ringing.

Gaze At U: It is? Really?

Aries' eyes widened and he grabbed his phone from where it was clipped onto his duffel bag and he answered it. "Hello?"

Worth was on the other end. "So, why are you afraid to speak to me? That look on your face...you look like you've seen a ghost."

Aries looked away from the camera and shifted his gaze down and to the side, looking at his knee that was folded as his legs were crossed over each other. "Why do you want to know?"

"That was a special night we had, Gaze At U has been waiting a long time to...see you." Worth said.

"I see." He looked up at the camera and brought his thumb to his mouth, lightly nibbling on the end of his thumb with his teeth. "So..."

"So, you're free now, where are you?"

"Away." Aries said. "Why?"

"Well, I was just wondering if you were still seeing that teacher or if...you were free. I think of that night so often, I'm so sorry for all you had to pay for because of it. Such a sweet night."

Aries reached over and muted his laptops microphone. "Worth, you're starting to scare me."

"I don't mean to scare you, I just don't think you truly understand...what I'm trying to...express to you. Obviously you are free, you haven't said anything about Mr. O'Ryan."

"No, I haven't...and that man...I wish I had never met him. As far as I am concerned, I never want him in my life again, Napa is my past...and I want it to stay there."

Worth was quiet for a moment. "Does that include me? Aries, I was going to save you, I had talked Matt into helping me save you. We were even going to see if Jay could be a fake witness, unfortunately his partner was around him the whole time, so we couldn't put him at the scene. You just had to give us the chance to testify...but then it went all wrong for you."

"Actually...it couldn't of gone better, it got me here." Aries said. "No place could be better."

"And where is there?"

"I...I don't think I should tell you." He shook his head.

"Why are you afraid of me?" Worth asked. "I won't ever forget you...and you know, with that band, I'll find you...and we'll have a moment, I'll look into your eyes...and I'll make you feel just like I did that night."

"You really want to do that? The band will be there, my brother will be there."

"So, you're with your brother." Worth breathed heavily. "Aries, don't deny me...I gave it all up for you."

"I...should go, I'm getting off the phone, I'm turning it off." Aries hung up the phone and turned it off, then he switched his microphone back on. "Guys, I'm sorry, later tonight, I promise." He then slammed his laptop shut. "Gemini!" He screamed.

Gemini ran into the room moments later. "Aries! Are you okay?"

"It's that guy...Wentworth, he was in the chat...and he asked me if I could call, I told him I didn't have a phone, then he called it to make it ring and he said in the chat, 'really?' Then I answered the phone...and he's acting like a stalker, he wants to be with me, says he's going to show up at a concert and find me..."

Gemini's eyes widened. "Like hell he will, you just point him out to me and I'll make sure he never wants to look at you again. I'll make him fucking scared to even think about you."

"What if Ian is secretly watching me? He could be anyone, he could contact me." Aries shook his head. "I'm going to have to hide forever..."

Gemini walked over and sat beside him. "Not true, maybe keep changing your numbers till they get sick of it, maybe you'll get sick of it too, but you've always been so stubborn...you can out last..." He pulled Aries close. "And just ignore them in the chat, if you recognize them, kick them out. Other wise...don't let it bother you. They can't get to you...and at concerts, they have us...and a whole bunch of fans to get through."

Aries laughed. "I guess it would be funny to see them desperately trying to swim through the crowd to try to reach the stage."

"Yep...and I'll grab the guitar and bat them off the edge of it! Home run!" Gemini laughed, throwing his arms up. "For the win!"

He laughed. "I'm tired...I think I just want to lay down now."

"Okay, and don't worry about them, so long as you never spill where you live, and I know you're pretty smart about that." Gemini stood up and walked out of the room.

Aries nodded and laid down, curling up on the futon and he closed his eyes.

"Aries?" He lightly knocked on the door frame. "Can you wake up?"

Aries heard the light knock and his eyes opened as he rolled over onto his back. "Zach?"

"Hey...I just got home." He walked into the room. "Gem wanted us to go out for a while, he wasn't sure how you would be...he'd probably get mad at me for waking you." He half grinned briefly and sat on the edge of the futon.

"He can get mad." Aries laughed softly and sat up. "I was...a little upset at first...then I was okay...and I went on live feed, it made me feel better...then I stalked by this guy from Napa. He came in under his user name, said can I call a fan. I said...my phone is broke. He called it...and it rung, because it was on my duffel bag, so he heard it ring."

Zach's eyebrows lifted. "Fucking weird."

"I answered and he's pretty much like..." Aries deepened his voice. "I'll never forget you, I'll find you at a concert and make you love me!" He laughed softly. "So that was welcoming."

"You're making light of it." Zach tilted his head to the side. "Are you really okay? Gem went through the papers, they all say things like delusions and...schizophrenia and dissociation, multiple personalities..."

Aries stared at Zach, knowing he would never believe him, just like no one else had, and maybe it was better just to pretend and try to believe it was all a mental illness. "Yeah, well...I'm on medication, does me good. Although, that doctor wrote so many things, I don't even think he knows what to pick." He shrugged. "Your dad ditches you before you know anything, your mom's a dope head that gets beat up by your fake alcoholic dad who then starts molesting you and beating up your mom more as soon as your big bro is gone...has to do something to ya."

Zach slowly shook his head. "Fucking pisses me off to know Keith did that, can't even believe it, I mean, it's just shocking, I mean...I just never took him for...one of those people, at least from all that I know or heard."

"Surprise." Aries shrugged. "I just want to forget all of it and just start fresh."

"Can't blame you there." Zach nodded. "Well, we'll do a lot of fun things and you got three guys around you, willing to kick anyones ass." He grinned.

"Isn't that nice? Three personal body guards." Aries grinned. "Joking, no labels, just a bro and two awesome friends..."

"Aries..." Zach looked down and tilted his head to the side. "This is probably the worst time and Gemini would probably kill me for it...but...I just want you to know that..I always kind of liked you." He looked over at him. "Don't worry, not in the crazy, obsessed, stalker, type of way. Just...I like being friends and, maybe I feel slightly more attracted."

"Zach, I wouldn't be scared of you...if you did. I've known you for a long time." Aries reached out and took his hand. "It's just that...I tried love and emotions and..deep, I tried it and...it went bad, it all went bad. So...uh...I'm back to my motto, shallow and superficial."

"I've never been shallow or superficial with you." He looked at Aries, lightly squeezing his hand. "But I get it, and those aren't my intentions, I just wanted you to know, I like you...and that's it, light and airy...but not shallow." A small smile appeared.

"I can live with that." He grinned at Zach. "And for your sake, I won't tell Gemini."