| CUSTER, KANSAS - FOUR YEARS LATER Zach and Ted both dressed in hunting gear are hiding in the brush at the edge of town are watching a deputy and a woman outside the Sheriff's office. Staring through his binoculars to observe, Zach chews an overly large wad of bubble gum. He constantly blows massive bubbles with the gum then sucks them back into his mouth silently. Ted would like nothing more than to pop one of these bubbles, because he finds Zach�s constant chewing, blowing, and sucking very distracting. He picks up a stick and tries to pop of his bubbles. In a heart beat, Zach snatches Ted�s stick and pins him to the ground by his throat threatening to shove the stick up Ted nose. �Do you have a death wish?� Zach says flashing him grin. �No,� Ted chocks. Zach lets him go as he listens to a plane in the air. �Ah, I bet that is Brian�s little rabbit.� Ted nods as tries to catch his breath. �Let�s move into position.� *** Deputy Ethan Gold, a dark hair, dark eyed man with a quick smile, looks up from under the hood of the Sheriff�s car to look at a small plane passing overhead. Leda is sitting behind the wheel the wheel of the Sheriff�s car bored beyond belief. The only thing that interests her is the view of Ethan�s rear end as he watches the plane. �Try it again.� Leda turns the key in the car�s ignition, but the car doesn�t start. �Okay.� Ethan shouts, �Okay, Rebecca!� She stops cranking the engine. Deputy Troy exits the Sheriff�s office with a cellular phone in his hand and walk over to Ethan. �Hey! Ethan, get your head outta there! Ya got a call here.� Ethan looks up from the car�s engine. �You�re never in a million years gonna guess who�s on the other end of this phone.� �Well, I bet it�s probably somebody wanting to talk to me!� Ethan answers as he takes the phone away from Troy. �This is Ethan... who?� Ethan almost drops the phone. �Where did you say you were?� he says in shock. Looking up at plane again, �Sure, I can get over there. Just give me a couple of minutes. I need to wash up some... Yes, I have. I�ve been over at the hospital several times. No, I guess you could say he�s holding his own. No, he�s never gain consciousness... No, I want to, really. Okay.� Hanging up, Ethan hurries into the building leaving Leda alone behind the Sheriff�s car. �Ethan?� she cries. �Jesus! Who was on the phone for him?� �None other than Justin Taylor. Ethan�s Grandfather worked for the Taylor�s family and Ethan and Justin and Justin�s sister, Lindsay all grew up together. They were a close bunch �til Lindsay died. Justin been gone since then. Broke Ethan�s heart.� �Hell, I have landed in the twilight zone!� she utters in disgust. �Yea, well, you know which road leads back to the interstate. �cauze I sure don�t see anybody begging you to hang around.� �Lindsay Taylor that was Ethan�s friend who blew her own brains out, right?� Troy look at her with a surprise expression. �You have been getting around, haven�t you?� �Hell, you think women gossip! You should hang around men when they�re drowning their sorrows in the bottle or looking for a good time. Let�s see,� she smirks as she gets out of the car, �Lindsay was Ethan�s best friend when they were growing up, but some believe that she was madly in love with Ethan who was madly in love with Justin.� �People talk too much. I hear Ethan was able to get your car running again.� �He�s got my Vega purring like a kitten.� �Yea, I bet he does. So, I guess you are ready to leave then, or do you need some help packing? I would love to give you a hand,� Troy says as he walks away without giving Leda a chance to respond. �Justin,� Ethan utters to himself in the rest room as he becomes lost in a memory. ...FLASHBACK A sixteen year old Ethan slips out of the recreational vehicle parked along the Taylor�s driveway that serves as a home to his grandmother and well as himself. There are several large healthy beds of flowers surrounding the rusting RV. Ethan approaches the Taylor�s barn. A dim light filters through one of the horse stalls. Brian makes sure all the lights are out in the farm house before crossing over to the barn�s front door. He watches Justin, age fifteen, sitting on top of one of the horse�s stalls. Justin has Roy�s head, a buckskin stallion, in his lap. Justin is gently stroking the horses mane and crying to himself. Roy senses someone approaching and jerks it head up. Justin sees Ethan. Ethan asks in a concern tone, �Justin, what�s wrong?� �What do you care! You�re Lindsay friend.� �I always thought I was your friend too!� �Oh, hah! You and Lindsay always. You always team up together and you always take on Lindsay�s side. I hate you. I hate you all.� Justin begins to sobbing again and buries his head in Roy�s mane. Wanting to comfort him, he folds his arms across the top of the stall beside Mary and fidgets. �Okay, I admit it. Sometimes I�m an asshole, but hell, Justin, I care about you. I guess it is just Lindsay is my first best friend I�ve ever had. She always been there for me, ya know. And that means a lot to me. We�re a duo.� �I�m here. Why couldn�t it ever matter to Lindsay that I needed someone! Ever since you and your grandfather moved here it�s been you and Lindsay, Lindsay and you! All I have is old Roy here. My momma raised him and trained him. Trained him to be the best.� �Best damn cutting horse in the state.� Speaking softly barely above a whisper, Justin explains, �Dad sold Roy. They�re coming to pick him up in the morning.� �No! Craig can�t do that! Doesn�t Roy belong to you? Didn�t he give him to you?� �Dad says all the animals on the farm belong to the farm and have to pay for themselves. And the money is to good to pass up. Says he needs it for Lindsay�s college fund. Now that�s a real joke. Lindsay going to college with her grades.� �Lindsay and I are both hoping to go to college. Hopefully K-State.� Justin gasps, �Then why doesn�t Lindsay study hard I do. Why doesn�t Lindsay take on odd jobs like I do and save up money for college. Where does my dad get off selling my horse for Lindsay? I don�t think my dad doesn�t really even gave a shit. He just making a excuse to rid of Roy. He always complaining that Roy is too expensive.� �You�re right. Lindsay doesn�t seem to plan ahead very well. I think if anyone should get the money for college, it should be you. Out of the three of us, you, me, and Linz, you�re the one with the best chance to really make something out of yourself.� A quiet smile fades across Justin�s face. �Thanks. I�m glad a least one person on the planet has noticed my existence.� Crawling up the fence to sit beside Justin, Ethan says, �Oh, I noticed you a long time ago. I�ve just never had the guts to tell you so.� To the surprise of Justin, Ethan awkwardly manges to kiss Justin on the lips. ...PRESENT Troy knocks on the bathroom door. �Ethan, hurry up! Justin is landing.� Ethan flicks water at own refection in the mirror and heads out the door. |