The blue-eyed man sat stiffly on a kitchen chair. He stared listlessly at the wall. His eyes glazed over unnaturally. The slender fingers of his right hand held a still-warm mug of aromatic tea.
"What are you sitting there for?" a sleepy voice asked. The man slowly turned to the source of the sound. In the doorway stood a young woman with black hair, a marvelous example of artistic disarray. She wore only a long black "Social Distortion" T-shirt.
"She slept in my clothes again," he thought without a trace of irritation. Surprisingly, he was completely indifferent to it today.
The woman sighed deeply and stretched, stretching her arms upward. The action caused her thigh-length T-shirt to rise even further. The man took a small sip of tea, showing no particular interest. The fair sex didn't excite him. And she knew it perfectly well.
The girl ran a hand through her hair and walked lightly to the refrigerator. Todd heard the soft slaps as her bare feet touched the tiles.
He cleared his throat and clutched his throat. It had been hurting since morning. He hoped the hot drink would help a little, but so far he hadn't noticed much improvement.
"Todd, you look awful," she declared, taking out a bottle of mineral water. She unscrewed it gracefully and poured some of the cool, clear liquid down her throat.
"Really?" If he looked as awful as he felt, they'd be calling him Quasimodo from now on.
"Yeah..." she nodded. "You're pale as a corpse." She set the bottle on the shelf behind her. She folded her arms across her chest and looked at him with genuine concern.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
Todd felt a pleasant shiver run down his spine. Knowing that someone cared about you was very comforting.
"It's a little unsettling. I think I've caught the flu," he shared.
"The flu..." she muttered thoughtfully to herself. With a spring in her step, she approached her friend. She looked deep into his glassy eyes and placed a hand on his sweaty forehead.
"You have a fever!" she shouted, and Todd could swear there was genuine indignation in her voice. "Do you know how dangerous it is? You probably have no idea... Guys..." She rolled her eyes heavenward and turned on her heel. After a few slaps and a fading whisper, Todd guessed she was heading for the bathroom.
The clank of a cabinet opening.
"Hmm... Todd? Where did all those cold pills go?" The bathroom echo distorted her words slightly, but it couldn't change the obvious surprise it carried.
"Well... You don't remember? You swallowed them all when you were nursing a hangover..." he said casually. The echo brought a nervous cough to his ears.
"Well, you won't get any medicine for now." The next moment she was standing in front of him, holding a strange object in her hand. Before Todd could protest, she forcefully shoved it into his mouth. The man squinted, trying to focus on the intruder. He blinked rapidly.
"What's that?" he asked.
"A thermometer, silly." She allowed herself a sarcastic smile. "Now shut your mouth or it'll fall out." She laughed, but her eyes flashed menacingly. Todd realized it was in his best interest not to destroy this device. Rebel was terrifying when she was angry...
He propped his head up with his hand, absentmindedly twirling the thermometer with his tongue. A silence fell between them, the kind that rings in the ears. Todd felt he had to break the silence or he'd go crazy.
"Is Jimmy still asleep?" he asked, and involuntarily strained to hear.
"Yeah..." she agreed, smiling wryly. "He came home this morning, stripped off his clothes in the hallway, and collapsed dead on the bed. I don't know where he was, and honestly, I'm kind of glad he did. Whatever he was doing, it certainly wasn't legal." She sighed melancholy. "
We can be sure of that," he said with amusement.
"Yeah, but you're not the one who has to flash your eyes at the chief!" She pouted angrily.
"That's a shame, because she's a really nice ass." He burst out laughing, holding the pointer in his fingers so it wouldn't fall out during his outburst of mirth.
Rebel gave him a death glare.
"Come on, I was kidding..." he waved it off. The subject was a touchy one for Rebel. As kids, the four of them had played together, and Morgan Stevenson—the future police chief—had a crush on her. But she chose his older brother, Jimmy, breaking his younger brother's heart in the process. That's why visits to the station didn't bring her much pleasure.
"Show me the thermometer," she said coldly. Todd looked contrite and obeyed her command without a murmur. "
Thank you," she said formally, accepting the glass tube.
"She's offended..." Todd thought. "Women..."
His reverie was interrupted by a strangled cry. "
Oh my God, you're at 40 degrees!"
His eyes widened.
"Impossible..." he muttered. Rebel shoved the thermometer almost under his nose. He stared in disbelief at the silver line of mercury. But technology doesn't lie...
He exhaled with a loud hiss, and his throat burned like fire.
"You need to see a doctor right now," she ordered.
"What happened?" a third person chimed in. Todd and Rebel turned in surprise. A young, naked man was leaning against the doorframe. He was swaying sleepily and rubbing his eyes with his fists, but the cheerful smile he was known for was already playing on his lips. A big kid, an unabashed rake, and the owner of the biggest heart in the world—Jimmy Saint himself.
A quiet sigh escaped from both of their throats. He looked so sweet...
They exchanged a pained look. Todd couldn't help it and lowered his head. It wasn't his fault they both loved the same man...
Meanwhile, Jimmy, oblivious to his friends' dilemma, began to slowly come back to life. A mischievous spark was sparkling in his pale green eyes. He yawned heartbreakingly, showing the assembled group his sevens. He scratched his head, not making the most intelligent face. In fact, his whole appearance—his slight frame, his tar-colored hair, and his perpetual smile—made people mistake him for a harmless idiot. Wrong. He might be an idiot, but he was, strictly speaking, an exceptionally clever and devilishly effective one. When the situation called for it, he could be a truly dangerous bastard. But in everyday life, he was just a carefree kid, always eager to have fun.
"Hmm..." he frowned. "You look a bit strange, Todd..."
"I told him that too..." Rebel put her hands on her hips. Her expression was like a thunderstorm.
"Take a sip, you'll feel better in no time," Jimmy laughed and headed to the cabinet. He pulled out two bottles of cheap wine. He set them down in front of Todd and sat down across from him.
"Um... Jimmy... I don't think this is a good idea..." Rebel began hesitantly.
"We're not going to get drunk like pigs!" Come on, have a drink with us." He waved his hand invitingly.
"Mm... Whatever. Fine." She couldn't refuse Jimmy. She took out a portion for herself and sat down with her friends. "But you're going to the doctor right after this." She pointed a menacing finger at Todd's chest.
"Of course." He raised the bottle with a smile. "Well, to my health!" he offered a toast. His eyes sparkled with both fever and unimaginable affection for this dark-haired lunatic, who was currently pouring the 15 percent alcohol into himself as if he were drinking regular juice.
"So how was it?" Rebel asked as Todd stepped into the apartment. He looked very tired.
"That quack prescribed me a bunch of terribly suspicious medications. But I only bought the cheapest ones, so you don't have to get upset." He smiled and shook the plastic bag, in which pills, stuffed into various colorful boxes, rattled quietly. The girl was hurt by what he said. She had no intention of getting upset. After all, his health was more important than a few heartless coins. "Oh, and he told me to get the results. I'll go pick them up tomorrow," he added.
"Did it hurt?
" "No... The alcohol numbed me a bit." He winked at her knowingly. "It's just that the nurse looked at me a little strangely when she saw my punctured hands." He burst into laughter, a grim contrast to his words.
The girl looked at him indulgently.
"You know? I think just the visit to the doctor helped you," she stated with unusual tenderness. "
Or maybe returning to my beloved home cured me?" he said softly, kissing her forehead. They embraced. Even through his clothes, she could feel the unnatural warmth radiating from his tortured body.
"Well, take those pills, or you'll wear us out," she laughed, though her heart sank.
"As you wish, madam..." He bowed slightly (and somewhat stiffly, she noticed) and reached for a glass from the cupboard.
And Rebel had to ask herself once again who this man really was to her.
"Guys, I'm leaving!" she shouted, pulling her jacket from the hallway closet. It was exceptionally cold today. She hadn't expected temperatures this low for early September. And as if that weren't enough, it was raining.
"Where are you going?" She heard a questioning note in the green-eyed anarchist's voice coming from inside the room.
"Do you have to know everything?" she stuck out her tongue playfully, though he couldn't see it. "Just let it be known that if I don't leave, you'll starve!"
"Just take an umbrella!" Todd advised calmly.
"You'll need it more. I'm perfectly healthy, and you're covered in snot. I don't know if I'll make it back before you leave. Exactly!" she snapped her fingers. "You don't have to pick up those results in person. I might as well do it myself. I'll be right there, so it's no problem." "Thank you for your concern..." he said, though in reality she was heading to a completely different part of town. "
Thank you for your concern..." he stepped out into the hallway. Even in the dim light, you could see how pale he was. "...but a walk will do me good. I feel much better now, so you don't have to worry about me. After all, I'll be fine if I move my fat ass a little!" he laughed.
"Fat? Man, you look like a shadow of your former self," she thought. Todd was simply losing weight before her eyes.
"As you wish." She shrugged, not showing how worried she was about him.
"Do me the favor and take it." He smiled, slipping the umbrella into her hands. She smiled back and nodded.
"Well, I'm going. Bye!"
"Bye!" the men replied in unison.
Closing the door behind her, she felt a vague sadness.
"Brrr... what weather!" she chattered, shaking raindrops from her umbrella. She opened the door (they never locked it) and slipped inside. Her wet clothes clung uncomfortably to her skin. This was reason enough for Rebel to pace furiously.
"Hello!" she shouted irritably into the apartment. Only deafening silence answered her.
Her blood boiled. Not only had she had to leave the house during the heaviest downpour to keep these two freeloaders from starving, but she had also been blatantly ignored! Human ingratitude... Someone finally had to teach these two drunk and/or drugged gentlemen the basics of decorum...
She burst into the room that served as both their living room and bedroom.
"Could you at least answer..." she trailed off abruptly. She was unprepared for such a sight.
Todd sat cross-legged on the neatly made bed. His face, devoid of even a drop of blood, was buried in his hands. Beside him, on the very edge, Jimmy watched. His black combat boots rested immovably on the floor, but his knees were visibly trembling. The anarchist's face, too, had turned deathly pale. He inhaled deeply from the cigarette in his hand, which twitched with his muscles. Puffs of acrid smoke danced gloomily above his head.
Rebel felt her heart stop beating.
"What happened?" she whispered, her throat constricted, preventing any sound louder than the breath of wind.
The silence in the room became palpable. Jimmy stared at the floor. He couldn't find the right words. To place the burden of answering on Todd.
Theodor Armstrong slowly removed his hands from his face. A red rim formed around his eyes, bloodshot and swollen from crying, like a line separating the circles of hell. He shifted his ghastly gaze to Rebel. She shuddered. She felt like she was staring into the glassy, lifeless eyes of a dead man. Despair and resignation emanated from his entire form.
He took a deep breath, and his sunken chest moved restlessly. The pain of what he was about to announce was palpable. "
I have HIV." Those two simple words, spoken with apparent calm, were the most terrifying of all the words uttered within the walls of this building.
Rebel's knees buckled.
"Oh God!" It was all she could muster.
The end of Part One.
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