Story of the Misfits

-Radiant-

Derrick never got to ask Chase to prom that night.

Or go to UCLA.

He was buried the following week.

And it surprised me how the whole town came to the gay football players funeral were the same people hoping he'd die anyway.

I never told Chase about prom. There was no need, he was hurting and that would just add on more hurt.

That night we all went to the Misfits house. No music was being played, none of us laughing, we all just sat and watched the town flow by us.

Kade told me it was okay to hurt. To want to cry. He said it doesn't make things go away but it makes things be accepted.

No one seen him hanging from his closet except me and my mom. No one seen his eyes, the paleness of his skin, the letter he left.

It was made out for me.

I haven't had the strength to read it yet.

"Bill has to die." He downed his beer. We all hanged our legs over the bridge. "He has to."

"And he will." John confirmed.

"Derrick wouldn't want that." Dakota tried to calm everyone. Chase just looked at her with blood shot eyes.

Everyone always assumes that the dead wants to be at peace. That after they've gone they want everyone they leave behind to not cause any more damage.

But that wasn't Derrick.

And Chase knew that.

"He's going to die, Dakota." Kade told her. "Saturday at Jake Austins party we'll be the last time you see Bill." The way his voice darkened, there was no changing his mind.

Cole nodded, agreeing. He somehow felt it was his fault for leaving the game so early.

Cole was right.

It was his fault for leaving Derrick alone but it wasn't his fault that Derrick is dead.

Dakota stood, "Im not going to let you guys hurt him."

"Since when did you care so much about Bill?" He was always an asshole to her before.

"Since she got pregnant by him." John stated, blowing out cigarette smoke. "Tell them Dakota. How you've been lying to all of us about spending your weekend vandalizing houses when you were really fucking Bill."

John was not mad in fact he was just interested to see her reaction.

"How did you know?" Her voice, low.

"Bill came into the clinic a few months ago complaints about sores on his area. He has AIDS and he was told to write out every person he's been sexual with. Why was your name the only one on the list."

Bill worked at an teen clinic in town that not a lot of people go to, I guess it had its perks.

Derrick. Derrick knew. Bill raped Derrick and Derrick knew about Bill.

He wanted to not hurt Chase.

Derrick didn't want to give Chase AIDS.

Everything was coming together.

Dakota stood crying.

"You knew." Getting in her face. "You knew he was going to hurt Derrick the entire time and you said nothing." I pushed her to the ground. "If I were I'd keep my mouth shut and I'd avoid going to Jake's party. Who knows we could hurt two birds with one stone."

She scurried away. Yelling about how she was sorry and she would talk to us when we weren't so mad.

I walked away pulling out the wrinkled peace of paper from my pocket.

"A six letter poem:
"It's time, I need to die"

I placed the paper against our Misfits sign.

I understood. The note was not meant to be left to say goodbye.

It was meant to say we all have wings and Derrick choose to fly.

Chase was silent the entire time.

"After we do this we leave town." John walked on the edge of the bridge. "Or we come here and end it all." He looked over the edge at the passing cars. "I can get us money, lots of it but are you willing to leave without graduating, leaving behind family, this town?"

We all looked at each other.

Because we knew.