Right your Wrongs

"I told you this was a bad idea, Nathan!" Peter said as raindrops traversing through his hair made their way down to the soil.

"You think I like this?" Nathan raised his arms in question with a shovel hanging from his right fist. "Let me know if you have better ideas."

The skies of Chicago lit up for a second, and then, the silence was taken over by a thundercrack that left both the teenagers of Mount Grove High School, Chicago, shuddering.

"We screwed up man," Peter cried. "Why did you have to get me into this?"

Nathan, who was already back to digging, threw a sharp look at Peter, dropped his shovel and, charged towards him.

"Look man, I know I screwed up. I know we screwed up. But stop saying it, for fucks sake," Nathan reached for the back of his pants. "I'm not involving you in any of this, and if this comes up, I'm sure you'll say you're not a witness. You're safe," He brought out a Santoku knife sharp enough to penetrate through a chicken in a second if it needed to, with bloodstains from its tip to half of its body, "Peter, I can trust you with this secret, right? With whatever happened tonight?"

Peter gulped down the accumulated spit in his throat along with his basic morals that said: DON'T HELP MURDERERS.

"Yes. Yes, you can."

"Thank you." Nathan slid the knife back into his back pocket and draped his T-shirt over it.

The winds started running wildly, slanting every tree in the woods of Chicago's outskirt towards the left.

Heavier rain followed the winds that were strong enough to make the boys lose balance. Then, another thundercrack.

Drawing out the last accumulation of soil, Nathan gave Peter a look of satisfaction instead of guilt and regret. 

Pride, if you will.

"All don-"

Something sprinted through the depths of the woods. Loud enough to stand out among the sounds of rain and gusts. 

"Was that a Coyote?" said Nathan as they both looked out in the distance, trying to make sense of it all.

"I don't know. But I hope you're wrong." Peter said.

"Gotta hurry," said Nathan, turned around, and made his way towards Niall Waterson, the jock once beloved among ladies and the bully feared among boys, now the first victim of Nathan Holloway. Also his last, Peter hoped. 

He sat down on one knee beside him and looked at his face for a long minute. Niall's lifeless blue eyes, still complimenting his blood-splattered face, stared back. 

Suddenly, he spits on the Waterson boy's face. 

"See you never, friend."

                          ***

Nathan pulled up at Peter's, with him in the passenger seat, still shocked and scarred by how this night played out, sometime around 4 AM.

Nathan looked at Peter and nodded towards his house, informing him that it's time he went back home, rested his head on his soft pillow, and pretended as nothing happened.

Peter unlocked the door and pushed it out, and with his one leg outside the vehicle, stopped. 

He then opened the glove box of the car containing nothing but the knife used to stab Niall, now all cleaned up, resting there like it wasn't just inside a human a few hours back.

He pointed towards the knife and said, "You better throw this away."

He nodded understandingly.

Peter got out and shut the door close.

As he turned around to head for the back door to sneak back into his room, Nate called for him.

"Pete!"

Peter looked back at him with his tired and scared eyes.

"I'm sorry I got you into this, I really am," he said. "I just want you to pretend as nothing happened and keep your mouth shut. This will be history before you know it," Nathan considered, "I'll understand if you don't want to do anything with me. As long as you don't tell anybody, we're good."

"I think it's good for both of us if we cut ties." Peter said and went his way.

                             ***

The moonlight seeped through the window and lighted the floor of Peter's room, and occasional flashes of lightning gleamed on his face.

Lying on his bed, wide awake, Peter was way past forcing himself to sleep. He thoughtlessly stared at the ceiling but, the dust-coated fan wasn't what he saw.

 It was undoubtedly the worst night of Peter and hopefully also Nathan's life playing out before his eyes. Over and over again.

Nathan and Peter clinked their beer glasses, talking, as Ashley, the host of the party and famously known as Niall Waterson's ex-girlfriend, walked past the two boys waving, "Hi boys."

She walked a couple of steps further, looked back, and winked at Nathan, and continued walking.

"Looks like someone's about to have a great night," said Nathan and laughed. 

Little did he know what was in store for him that night.

"Dude, she's Nial's ex," Peter said. He took a sip of the Budweiser, "If I were you, I'd stay away from her. Also, isn't she like a...bitch?"

"I couldn't give two shits about that, or her," Nate nodded to the right where Niall was flirting with some other girl, both with their hands all over each other, "I just want to get back at that motherfucker."

"It was Years ago, Nate. Let it go."

The song stopped, and the crowd jeered. 

"Here's a slow song for all you horny teenagers." the Dj announced.

The song started, and all the couples in the room got together, some instantly started making out instead of dancing, and the singles in the room sided.

Nathan now looked to the left and found Ashley slowly dancing alone, running her hands through her body, then hair, smiling and looking right at him. An unspoken invitation for Nathan Holloway to join her.

"He made out with my girlfriend. It's only fair I make out, or fuck his girl," he flashed his charming smile, which probably was the reason why Ashley Dixon was so interested in him, "give that son of a bitch a taste of his own medicine."

"She's Niall's ex who he cheated on, and you're Niall's ex-best friend who's girl he made out with, sure she's not doing this to get back at him? She's not better than Niall either." Peter said.

"I don't have time for your pessimism, Pete. I'm going. I'll see you," he flashed his smile again, "Probably in school now."

Nathan pushed past the crowd of teenagers to get to Ashley, immediately grabbing her by the waist, to which she did not show any opposition.

Soon, they joined the rest of the crowd that danced in the middle of the room. Slowly moving side to side, while they made out.

Peter turned his head to his left to see if Nathan and Ashley's plan to piss off Niall worked, and surprisingly, it worked quicker than he expected. He probably didn't expect it to work at all.

Niall kept looking at the two dancing cum making out and ignored whatever the drunk girl he was with was whispering in his ears.

It didn't take a genius to tell he was mad. He clenched his fist and looked as if the party he was at didn't exist for him. Only Nathan and Ashely did. With their tongues inside each other's mouths.

The slow romantic song stopped, and the speakers again started blaring songs about money, sex, and drugs.

"I have my car parked outside," Nathan sensually whispered in his partner's ears, "wanna take the party there?" 

"I don't mind that at all," Ashley said. 

Pretty boy Nate now led Ashley, holding her hand, through the sea of people towards the main door.

Ashley threw Niall a look as they walked out and caught him staring dead in the eye.

Niall looked back at the drunk girl, talking about god knows what with her slurry words. Her breath smelled of cheap liquor, strong enough to hit Waterson's nose in a house that smelled like weed, alcohol, and body fluids thanks to the many people having sex in certain not so secluded parts of the house.

A few minutes later, the Waterson boy had had it. He pushed away the drunk girl without a care where she landed and furiously walked right past Peter. Peter followed him, knowing very well that all hell was about to break loose.

The heavy main door, probably mahogany, flew open on his push like it was made out of plastic.

Peter ran behind him and grabbed him by his arm. Shoving down Peter wasn't a great task for Niall.

He picked up a big stone lying in the front yard and walked past the entrance of the property.

He made his way to Nathan's car parked right in the middle of two Chevys and saw the two making out. Nathan had begun undressing her, and Ashley seemed awkward. Trying to play it cool but still resisting.

Niall pelted the stone right on the windshield, shattering the left half of it. This was the second time his Rugby skills helped him in real life, the first, getting him in a reputed University after school.

Nate and Ashley were startled by this attack and looked right through the windshield to see a 6'3 giant, in a tight-fitting t-shirt he somehow managed to slide into, charging towards them. And behind him was Peter, the scrape on his forehead visible even from a distance.

"What the fuck?" Ashley said.

Nathan looked back at her startled.

"I was with you to make him jealous. I didn't know he'd do something like this." Ashley hurriedly said as she slid her dress back on her shoulder, "I dodged a bullet." she continued.

Ashley opened up the door and ran towards her house.

"Where do you think you're going?" Niall shouted.

"You're crazy! Stay away from me." Ashley shouted back.

Niall ran behind her.

Peter went up to Nathan and helped him out of the backseat of the car. Nathan's hand was still shaking. Not because he was frightened though, he was angry. More angry than he had ever been. Angrier than the day he found his friend who he trusted made out with his girlfriend.

"You okay?" Peter asked.

Nathan pushed past Peter and headed for the front door on the passenger side.

He opened the glovebox and drew out a large knife that'd change Nathan's life forever.

Right then, Peter saw Niall charging back at the two of them. Nathan saw him too.

"Holy fuck, why do you have a knife this big in your car?" asked Peter.

"Chicago isn't the friendliest city, Pete."

"He's coming towards us."

"Good. We'll settle this once and for all."

"Wait what?" Peter confusedly asked, "Why do you need a knife?"

Nathan looked back, "It's only to scare that little bitch."

Nathan slid the knife into his back pocket, and right then, a firm grip on his shoulder turned him around.

"Payback's a bitch right?" Nate demonically laughed.

Niall threw a flying punch which caused Nate's nose to bleed, leaving him with his back on the car's frame. 

Nathan threw a punch back, which Niall dodged, only to get punched in the liver by Peter.

This bought Nathan time to get stable on his feet and then punched Niall on the face twice. Both the boy's faces were bleeding now. 

Niall went down but he grabbed Nathan's arms as he did. They brawled on the street like a couple of hooligans. 

Nathan was on top of Niall as he continuously punched him on the face, painting his face red.

Suddenly, Niall grabs his opponent by the throat and brings him to the ground. Him being on top now. 

Peter attempted to attack Niall again but this time, he saw it coming. He pushed Peter down on his back again like he did the first time. Now repeatedly punching Nathan in the face.

"I'll fucking kill you," Nathan said, his bright teeth was now covered with blood. 

"Try m-"

Niall stopped talking. His jaw dropped. So did Nathan's. 

Nathan's because he potentially killed a person, Niall's because he for sure knew he wouldn't survive.

Peter got up to his feet to find a knife inside the right side of Niall's chest.

"Nathan!" Peter shouted. "What did you do?"

No answer.

"What did you do?"

Peter immediately got up. Sitting straight now. The bedsheet clenched in his fist and his forehead sweaty.

He knew what Nathan did. He didn't have to ask him the third time. He knew what happened later as well. Peter Amberg helped Nathan bury a man he killed. His own classmate. 

He might not have been the nicest person, but he was still human. 

Peter knew what he did, what Nathan did, and he didn't like it. 

He knew he had to right his wrongs.

                        ***

Walking down the hallway, Peter could feel the looks of everyone who was at the party, creeping up his spine, making him paranoid.

He saw Nathan in front of his locker, putting things inside it, taking some of it out and back into his bag, and then putting more things inside the locker.

"Nathan," Peter whispered as he stood beside him, startling his friend. He jumped and dropped the two books he was holding.

"How did you not see me standing beside you?" Peter had more important things to ask but curiosity took over. 

Nathan slowly bent down and picked up his books and as he stood back up, Peter saw the bags under his eyes. More like pillows. 

Peter knew what this meant. Nathan was scared, which made the information he wanted to give him, harder to share.

"Nathan, you disposed off the knife, did you?"

"I did." a hoarse voice answered back.

"Nathan, I know you won't agree with this but, I wanted to tell the police what happened," he could see the anger in his eyes now dominating his fatigue. The same anger he saw the other night. "I'm sorry."

Peter turned around to walk away, but a firm grip on his biceps dragged him back and turned him around. 

"You seriously think I'd be okay with your shitty little decision?"

"I know you won't, but I can't live with this."

"And you think I can!?" Nathan quietly shouted, now desperation fighting to take over the anger in his eyes. "Please Peter, let it go. People will forget about Niall soon."

"No, they won't. Do you really think his parents will let it go? You seriously think Ashley won't figure it out? And she won't tell others?"

"I'll kill her too if I have to, to cover this up." A sick answer. But considering what Nathan had seen, done, and experienced in the last twelve hours, Peter wasn't surprised.

"Okay, I won't tell anyone about it, but you don't even consider what you said." Did he say it for the welfare of his friend, or due to the fear of him, Peter wasn't sure either.

As the bell rang after two o'clock, indicating it was time for students to go back home, something Peter longed for whenever he was at school, Peter did not immediately leave the school premises. Instead, he hid in the bathroom stall for another hour searching for the police station he'd go to, and what he'd say to them and to Nathan if he was arrested (he for sure knew he'd get arrested).

After an hour of hiding or 'planning' in Peter's words, he finally left the school through the back entrance of the building, taking a left past the steel fence covering the ground, instead of a right he would've taken if he didn't help his friend bury a body.

Two blocks away from the school, when he made it to the residential area of Southern Chicago, something came in his way tripping him down and bruising his knee.

That something was a leg. Nathan's leg.

"I'm not stupid, Peter," he sat on top of his torso just the way he was on top of Niall Waterson and punched him in the face, leaving Peter's nose and his own fist bleeding. 

"You," another punch, "fucking," one more, "backstabber" another punch.

Peter had had enough. He was done being the loyal friend. 

He lands a punch on his ribs, giving him some time and space to push Nate off of him.

Nathan, sitting on his knees now, pressed down on the sideway and used the pressure to charge towards his friend, dropping him on the ground again.

Out of all the falls Peter took since last night, this one turned out to be lethal. Soon there was a pool of blood coming out from the back of his head. 

A blurry image took shape before him, sun shining brightly into his eyes, and though he now had a blurry vision, he saw two things he was tragically familiar with- Nathan and a Santoku knife.

Nate sat down beside him and raised his hand pointing the tip of the knife towards him, and just as he was about to do what Peter saw coming all along, 

"CPD, drop your weapon and hands in the air!" shouted a man in a stale blue suit.

                              ***

Four months later, Peter couraged up to meet Nathan, unsure of what to expect.

Both the boys sat on either side of the glass with outdated phones stuck to their ears.

"I'm sorry how it all went down, Nate," Peter said placing his other hand on the glass.

Nathan trying to match his hand against Pete's hand with a glass in between them said, "No, I'm sorry. What you saw that night, and the next day wasn't me. I was a monster. Hate made me a monster and, I needed this," he covered the room with other inmates on call with his head. "Thank you, Peter."

The only thing now evident in his eyes was regret.