MARS

I slammed into the lockers, the lock stabbing into my shoulder. A bruise was going to form there on top of all the other bruises that resided on my back. I'm surprised I can still feel anything back there considering how many times I've been slammed into these lockers since he came back.

"You go and see your girlfriend? How was she doing?"

"Stop it."

"Or what?"

"You can say all you want about me, but you know nothing about what Max has had to go through."

"Aw, how sweet! The little love birds are so connected!" Dawaen Cyrio said, batting his eyes like an idiot.

Ever since Max got back and the whole town has been against him, I've done nothing but try to protect him from the biased and horrible opinions of everyone in school, students and teachers alike. I think aside from Zylith, I was the only one who even gave a shred of feeling towards him. Not even Kole, our friend from before, tried to care. He turned his back on Max as soon as he heard what had happened to him. Max was suffering from some alien bullshit and no one even cared and I've been getting bullied ever since by this ugly specimen of male testosterone...

"We are not in love, Max is not my girlfriend/boyfriend, and I don't like him like that way you moronic piece of shit!"

"Ah, a true act of denial." I spit in his face and he growled angrily, wiping it off. "You're about as pussy as they come. You can't fight worth shit! You try to act so cool with your stupid little Gothic scene with your little boyfriend but you're nothing but-"

I threw a punch, decking Dawaen right in the face. He staggered backwards from the lockers and then a rage came over him as he descended on me.

"You will regret that..."

*********************************

2 DAYS LATER

"Mars?"

"What?"

"Are... you wearing makeup on your face?"

"No."

"Then why is your eye discolored?"

"It's just the shadows in the room."

There's nothing for him to worry about. He's safe here...

"No it isn't."

"Just leave it, Max. It's none of your concern."

"The fact that you're getting defensive means that it is. What the hell is going on?"

"Are you seriously getting mad at me right now?" I asked, turning to glare at him.

I'm the one getting beaten up all the time because I happen to have a little empathy for my best friend and he wants to get mad at me for being slow about noticing the black eye I've been trying to hide?

"Being up there and having those aliens do what they did taught me a lot about detail and although it takes me a bit-"

I couldn't hold back at harsh laugh. I couldn't take it anymore...

"Detail? You?" I put his homework down and got up, heading to the door. "I'm going to go."

"Where are you going?" he asked innocently, looking confused.

"Away from here."

"Why? What did I say?"

I stopped at the door with my hand on the knob. What did he say? Was he so naïve? I've been taking hits for him since he came back home, defending him and making sure he was okay, taking punches for him and now... I gripped the knob harder.

"Those aliens taught you a lot about detail, huh? You're just soooo magnificent now that you're an expert in extreme detail? Fuck you and fuck your detail!" I growled rounding on him as he blinked in confusion. "I've had this black eye for days and you're just now picking up on the fact that I've been covering it with makeup?"

"Well, it's been a few days since I've actually seen you..."

"A person who notices 'extreme detail' would have noticed the discoloration immediately!" I screamed. "And how dare you even have the balls to say that when you can't even tell if your parents are aliens or not and you didn't even remember I was your best-fucking-friend when you came back! You thought Kole -the guy who hasn't come to see you since you got back home- was your bestest of buddies! And you have the audacity to sit there and try to lecture me about trying to hide this bruise?"

It was a low blow after all the shit those aliens have really put him through but I was tired. I was sore, I was hurt, and I was... I was disappointed. The Kole thing I could kind of forgive because I mean, the guy was abducted by aliens, but this... trying to tell me he was Mr. Attention-To-Detail when he could barely keep his parents' true identities straight... I took the bottom of my shirt and rubbed my eye really hard to get the makeup to come off.

"This right here is proof of who is on your side and who isn't. Not seeing it wouldn't have been an issue because that was the point of the makeup, but a true friend would have noticed something was wrong. Fuck you. Goodbye."

I slammed the door behind me and immediately felt guilty but still pissed off at the same time. I mean, I can't believe he had the audacity to try and say that he had this new ability to see striking detail... He may have some type of special sensitivity or something but it doesn't change the fact that I've been wearing this black eye for a few days. My eye puffing up like a cream filled donut should have been a clue that something was going on. I mean, even if I didn't put the makeup on, it's clear my eye looks weird...

Then again, Max has gone through so much more than any kid (or guy) should have to go through... I might be getting bullied but he's harboring an alien life form in his body that he didn't ask for. I suddenly hear sobs behind the door and realize that Max is crying. Hearing him sobbing like that just made me feel even more guilty. I ran my fingers through my hair, wondering what to do. Should I go back in? I want to but... my pride won't let me. I can't stay mad at him but right now he thinks I am. I'll make it up to him later...

************************

I left the Taylor home and walked back to my own house at a slightly slow pace. There was an ache in the pit of my stomach that was telling me I was being a douchemonger and should go back and apologize to Max. He has no friends and the whole town was against him and even against his parents. Their family was going through a lot right now but I mean... I know if it were me that he'd be doing the same thing. He'd try to make sure I was okay and do whatever it took... I just... I still felt guilty about telling him to leave and walk to the store. If I hadn't suggested it, nothing would have happened. He would have been grounded for talking to his dad that way but he would have been here... he'd be normal... he'd...

I felt tears running down my face and I quickly brushed them away. Putting myself in his shoes was too emotional even for me; I had to give kudos to Max for being able to handle all the waves of emotions I'm sure he has to deal with on his own. The point is that I've done everything I can to keep those guys from messing with him and this is the thanks I get? Forgotten again? I'm not trying to throw myself a pity party but I mean... does anyone actually give a rat's ass about me? Does anyone care about the efforts I'm trying to put forth to keep those scheming assholes from whatever plot they are planning? I don't know what they are doing, but I feel it in my bones that they are trying to get to Max for some reason or another...

**********************

I finally got home and took off my shoes by the door, stacking them with my other pile. I should probably take those upstairs... I looked over and jumped, finding my mom sitting there on the couch with a mug in her hand, looking at me.

"Mom..."

"You were supposed to call me when you were on your way back home."

"Sorry, I got a bit distracted."

"By what?"

"Making my best friend cry like a little bitch because I'm the bad guy when I'm not the bad guy..."

Mom looked at me with a calm but questioning look. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair.

"What are you drinking?"

"Irish coffee... you want some?"

"Can I?"

"You kind of look like you need it and I don't say that often."

"If that's okay with you then yeah, I'd love some."

She got up and went to the kitchen as I followed her.

"Tell me what's going on." She said as she grabbed the materials.

"You don't like to hear about me and Max nowadays."

"Well, to be honest, I don't see how you can stand seeing him like that."

"He's my best friend and I know if it were me, he'd fucking be here." I said harshly for no reason. Mom turned to me and I put my face in my hands. "I'm a horrible person..."

"What happened?"

"I don't know! One minute we're joking around and I'm checking his math homework and the next minute I was yelling at him about my eye because he tried to tell me he had learned how to pay great attention to detail. I threw some harsh stuff back at him and then before I left, I heard him sobbing in the bedroom. I hurt him... I don't know how to fix it and I don't know what to do. He's not the Max I remember but I'm trying to understand that... but if I put myself in his shoes I just..."

I heard the coffeepot start to gurgle to make the coffee and Mom leaned over the bar.

"I know you think you're not doing a good job but out of everyone in this town, you're making the effort to try and help him. I mean, there's not much you can do physically but being there for him as a friend is good enough."

"Yeah, well, I keep fucking that up too."

"It's understandably hard to put yourself in the predicament of someone like him but the fact that you're even trying to do so shows how much you care."

"Well everyone at school thinks I'm gay or we are secret lovers because I care."

"Is that why you have a black eye?"

"Don't tell me you didn't notice it either..." I groaned.

"I saw it, but I figured you'd tell me what it was for when you felt the time was right... I'm not exactly fond of you going over to see Max -since it was aliens that did this- but I don't want you to get hurt because of him. Max most likely isn't going to be back at school, you are."

"But that's the weird part about it, Mom. Dawaen and a few others act like they are going to do something to Max if they find him or see him even if he's outside of the school. No one wants to try and help him but I won't let someone like Dawaen Cyrio get a hold of him."

The coffee finished and Mom poured some in a mug, mixing it the traditional Irish way and scooting it over to me. I sipped some of it, feeling the hot alcohol go down my throat.

"Mars... Marsden, I don't think it would be very advantageous of you to go over there anymore."

"Huh? Why?"

"I just... I feel like that baby is giving off energies and it could affect you."

I rolled my eyes. "Not the pregnancy spore theory again..."

"This has nothing to do with that. I'm talking about the child. I think it's making you feel sorry for Max in an unusual way so that you feel that you must protect him even though there really isn't a threat."

"There is a threat."

"Or are you just thinking it?"

I got up with my mug. "Mom, I love you and I love that you are just as much of an extraterrestrial buff as I am, but when will you draw the line? I'm not protecting Max because some sentient embryo is 'giving off vibes' and making me protect it. I'm doing it because Max is my friend and no one else in this sucky town will do it."

"So you'd rather get beaten up over it?"

"I don't care what they call me but they are making Max seem like he wanted this to happen to him, that he invited it. Max is having a really hard time and I can't seem to help him. I just... You haven't seen these kids, Mom... the looks in their eyes, the malice on their faces. They don't just want to get to Max, they want to destroy him. Destroy the abomination. If I have to be called something I'm not, bullied, punched and beaten for it, then I'll damn well do so."

"Then if that's the case, why are you angry?"

"Because I feel like my efforts aren't even being seen. I mean, I get that Max is going through a tough time, but when he said that... it was like he didn't even care about what I've also been going through."

"Have you let him know what you've been doing? He can't understand if you don't tell him."

"Yeah, I'm not going to do that. It's bad enough that Max has the hormones of a pregnant teenage girl, I don't need to add the mushy stuff to it."

Mom shrugged. "Boys are weird; it would make more sense to just tell him."

"This is the reason people think we have a thing for each other."

"There's no harm in talking to each other, Mars. Everyone believes that if two guys who are friends have a close relationship that they must be in some sort of relationship that is not just friends when that's not true at all. Just as girls can be close and not be a couple, so can boys. Being honest and talking is normal, maybe if you weren't hung up on what everyone else thought, you could get your feelings across."

I looked at my coffee and sighed. Maybe she was right...

*******************

I avoided everyone as much as possible all day at school and when it was over, I texted Max to see if it was okay for me to come over since I wanted to talk with him. He never texted me back so I dialed the number. It went to voicemail. Usually he didn't answer back quickly because he was sick or something but I really needed to talk to him. I decided to call Mr. B since he was usually home with Max.

"Hello?"

"Hey, it's Mars... um... is everything okay?"

"No... um... can I call you back?"

"Wait! Mr. Taylor! What's going on? Is everything okay? Did I do something?"

"No, of course not, Mars. It wasn't you."

"You sound like you did when Max got taken. What's going on?"

Did he get taken again? Did I make him get taken again?!

"No... it's... he... the aliens came at him again and now he's... he's not responding."

"Not... responding?"

"It was too much this time... He's comatose."