Not Qualified For Friends

Chapter 5: The kiss. The kidnapping. The friend.

As I dragged his weighty body down the stairs into the gloom of my basement, my muscles strained under the sheer effort of carrying him. I could feel the rope, taunting me with its coarse texture as I secured his hands to the ceiling, leaving him suspended like a puppet from the dark, insidious beams above. His eyes flickered open, glistening with fear and confusion as they frantically darted across the room, eventually settling on me. The sound of his screaming echoed in the confines of the basement, but I knew it would go unanswered; everyone was sound asleep, and the noise could never penetrate the thick walls.

I battled with my inner demons, grappling with the realization of what I had done. My hands trembled as I tried to justify my actions - Rio, Rio, Rio, I repeated to myself, that's all that mattered. But that thought alone was not enough to calm my nerves. The weight of my decision hit me like a freight train, and the magnitude of what I had done consumed my every thought. I was now a kidnapper, and fear flooded my every fiber.

I paced back and forth in my bedroom, raking my fingers through my hair - a physical representation of the chaos inside my mind. My heart raced with the thought of getting caught, and the consequences it would bring. I couldn't lose Rio - he was all that mattered to me - but could I really live with what I had done? I eventually slipped under my bed, seeking solace in Rio's memory. My heart begged for a sign that she was watching over me, but the silence that stretched through the darkness only deepened my terror.

Eventually, the reality of the situation settled in, and I realized I needed to face what I had done. Time had passed, and I mustered the courage to venture into the basement, my heart beating out of my chest. I peered up at Marcus, his silent face a mockery of my guilt, and I knew it was too late to turn back. What I had done had been done, and I could only hope that it wouldn't cost me everything.

"Marcus!" I bellowed, bolting down the stairs to the dingy basement as fast as my legs could carry me. My heart raced in my chest as I realized that he might have already escaped. With trepidation, I pushed open the creaky, old door and gazed upon the sight before me. Marcus, hanging limply from the ceiling, looked entirely unrecognizable now. If you'd told me this frail, emaciated husk was once a popular jock, I wouldn't have believed it. He was a shell of his former self, a mere crackhead.

"Get me out of here!" he rasped, his voice barely recognizable.

"I'll let you out," I said, trying to keep the disgust out of my voice. "But first, tell me: what could someone like you possibly offer someone like Rio?"

Marcus chuckled, and licked his cracked lips, a look of pure malice in his eyes. "Rio? He's a sex addict, you fool. He's not worth shit," he sneered, his voice dripping with disdain.

My hands balled into fists. This wasn't a game. Rio was a good boy who'd gotten caught up with the wrong crowd. I remembered Marcus from the bar. "So, this is how you want to play this?" I said, reaching for the axe I'd bought earlier. I dragged it along the ground as I walked towards him. "You're not worthy of my time."

Marcus screamed and begged for mercy, but I heard none of it. I felt nothing as I swung the axe down on his penis with all my might, the metallic blade slicing through the air. A crimson fountain erupted as the axe hit its mark, and the screams turned into gurgles. The sight of so much blood was sickeningly vivid, even more than in any movie I'd ever seen. I dropped the axe and left the basement, washing up to remove the blood.

But then I heard a sudden knock on the door. Was it them already? My hands trembled as I dried them and went to answer it. And there he was - Rio. Perfect Rio, and I faltered for a moment, before regaining my composure.

"Max, I took your advice. He burst through the door, practically collapsing on the couch beside me. Panic surged through my veins. This was bad. Marcus screaming would carry straight through to Rio's room. But Rio was here now. He'd actually shown up. "My teacher tried to fuck me again," he blurted out. "But I told him I didn't want him to...so I blackmailed him with the dirty texts he sends me." His eyes met mine, and something shifted between us. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before. His gaze was soft and sweet and meaningful, all at once.