The four ran through several back yards before sneaking back into the cul-de-sac. Kevin peered over a parked car, and then signaled for others to follow. They managed to successfully enter the house without detection. Once inside, Kevin told Nat to help Jasper to his room and bring him a glass of water. Begrudgingly, Nat gave a simple head nod and approached the still shocked boy. He gently placed a reassuring hand on the small of his back, guiding him toward one of the rooms. Jasper immediately started screaming and paced the living room floor like a mad man.

"Oh my...god! What have we done?! What have we done?!," Jasper repeated over and over. He dug his fingers into his perfectly coiffed hair and tore at it.

"Shut it! Shut! It!," Kevin hissed angrily. The harsh tone caught the frighten teen's attention. With clasped hands brought to his face, he was in front of Kevin in less than a second. He peered over his hands, displaying dilated, tear filled eyes.

"Okay. Okay. Since you're the capital of this sinking ship, tell me: what are you going to do? Huh? Any ideas?". Kevin stared back, unfazed by the over dramatic rant.

"We're screwed! We're so screwed! Game over! You little shits are so on your own!," A now unblinking, terrified Jasper whispered.

"Jasper..."

"Don't...just don't." The frighten male bolted through the living room,to the kitchen and out the back door. An irritated Nat stared after him as an annoyed Kevin instructed him to wait here for him.

He shifted Edd into a more comfortable carrying position and headed up the stairs, taking two steps at a time. He managed to open the door to his bedroom and quietly crept inside. He could hear the muffle yelling of his stepmother through the paper thin walls but chose to ignore it.

He laid the now sleeping teen on the bed gently. Edd softly snorted before turning his head to the left. Kevin smiled to himself. He even looked like an angel when asleep. His smile slowly faded and a more serious expression replaced it. He begun to remove all of Edd's clothing and shoes, leaving him in a pair of silk boxers. His fingers lingered at the hemline. They slowly took a hold of the edge and guided over the slender male's hips and thighs.

Once removed, his clothing was tossed into the nearby hamper while Kevin searched for a shirt to cover him. Snatching up a plain, black t shirt, he gently pulled it over Edd's head, leaving the bottom half exposed. For a moment he stepped back and admired the picturesque view. He found himself gently caressing the sleeping male's thigh. His fingers began to trace upward to his hips and over the soft patch of black hair. Taking a hold of it he pulled it gently, making the sleepy teen moan in his sleep. Kevin licked his lips as a new fantasy crept into his thoughts. He shook his head and let go of the hair. The tall male bit the knuckle of his index finger. He didn't have time for this. Grabbing a nearby comforter, he covered him, before he quietly made his way back down stairs. He was greeted by a stone face Nat who took it upon himself to fish out some supplies from the kitchen.

"It's really quiet. Where is everyone? ,"Nat wondered out loud, looking up to the ceiling.

"My dad is upstairs and it's not quiet, trust me ,"Kevin replied, staring at the impressive dinner spread from earlier. Everything remained untouched.

"Anyway, we don't have time to waste. I have rope, gloves, apron, bags, a cleaver and bleach," Nat stated, swinging a large, black trash bag over his shoulder ,"Let's go!"

"What about Jasper?"

"Fuck Jasper."

'Subete no namida no ryūshutsu wa, watashi ga anata ni dore dake shippaishita ka no mōhitotsu no omoidedesu. Sorezore no namida ni wa, sore jishin no utsukushī itami no yūutsu-sa ga arimasu. Itami wa, watashitachi ga dono yō ni ikite iru ka o omoiokosa seru monodesu. Shikashi, sorede watashi o korosanaide kudasai. Watashi wa shinitakunai!'

(Every tear shed is just another reminder of how much I've failed you. Each tear has its own beautiful melancholy of pain. Pain is what reminds us of how alive we are. But don't kill me with it. I don't want to die!)

Dusk's voice reverberated in the empty, quiet space. The shook teen held his head in between his legs and began to rock back and forth.

'How could you leave me?' The question danced and echoed. Jasper's mind replayed memories of his former lover as the voice became louder and angrier.

'When you left...when you left...everything became a blur...without you there. I wondered to myself...how did I end up here?'

The teen shook his head and crouched farther to the ground. The first cigarette was burning dangerously close to his fingers.

'why...?'

"Stop it...,"He wailed to himself.

'All these emotions are too much to handle...forget? How can I? You made me love you. I can't be as cold heart as you and turn away. So easy to forget, huh. But even if I tried...to make the memories disappear...it's the emptiness...it overflows.'

"Stop it.." he smashed the nearly burnt cigarette between his two fingers and lit another. The shaking of his hands almost made it impossible to light.

Steeling himself, Jasper took several deep breaths to stop shaking and then took a long drag off the finally lit new cigarette. He let his legs go from underneath him and flopped to the ground. New tears began to moisten his eyes. The sky now looked blurry.

"Fuck..."

The voice still crept. The memories lingered.

'We forgot our dreams and for the life of me...couldn't remember what all this was for. Then I did. It was for you.'

He exhaled a long stream of white smoke from his dry, parched lips. "...all for me...," he half chuckled and cried to himself.

'Hand in hand we ruined us together...Our love is like a rose. It has many thorns. But I still held it by the stem...I won't let you change my heart. It's impossible to guard my mind and soul when you have bewitched me.'

The tears overflowed as he struggled to keep himself together.

'I wish you could love yourself like I love you...unconditionally.'

"Why do you love me?!," he wailed, putting his face into his hands.

'...we didn't even realize we had become everything we swore we'd never be...'

Jasper collapsed sideways and curled up into a ball. The cigarette dangled from his relaxed fingers. After a few shakes from his sobs, it dropped to the ground and rolled to the edge of the concrete patio. It was stepped on by a worn red wing work boot and discarded with a swift kick.

"Oh, my...what a sight you are," a raspy voice purred.

The flustered boy shot up from the ground and stared wildly at the person before him.

"I'M DONE! I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE! ME OR HER, PERCY! SHE HAS TO GO!"

"Loricakes-," Percy began to plead.

"Don't you dare!," She seethed angrily through her teeth," You have no right to call me that!"

"Listen-"

"No, you listen," the svelte brunette raged," I want her out of this house. I want her gone now! As my husband-HAHAHAHAHA-yeah, that's right….you are my husband! I couldn't tell from back there!"

She circled the bed and stood in front of a seated, tired Percy.

"You should have knocked her on her ass for attacking me. But you just stood there. Like you always do. I could have lost the ba-"

"I stopped he-"

Lorrienne swung back her hand and laid as much of her body weight as she could into the slap. The loud sound echoed through the room. Realizing what she had done, a frighten Lorrienne stepped back and covered her agapped mouth with her hand. The room stood eerily quiet for a moment as a wide eyed Percy sat motionless. She dropped to her knees in front of the silent man and tried to reach to his turned face. They stopped just before reaching his beard,"…..she will be gone by morning….."

Kevin peered out the front door and surveyed the cul-de-sac. The small neighborhood had settled into it's usual night time slumber as the street lights hummed and permitted a soft, yellowish glow. He signaled Nat to follow as he crept out. The two stealthily made their way down the sidewalk toward Nat's car. He then tossed the bag to Kevin and proceeded to cover the license plates. Once done, the two sped off toward the forest's edge.

Nat instructed Kevin to drive the car a little deeper into the woods as to not be spotted by other passing cars. He slowly came to a stop about twenty feet in before shutting off the engine. Cool headed, Kevin sat in the driver's seat for a moment until the gravity of the situation hit him.

"What are we doing?," he asked in a whisper, more to himself.

"We're fixing a mistake," an unphased Nat replied as he grabbed a flashlight and the bag from his friend's lap," No time to think, kiddo. We have a mess to clean up. Can't have you pull a "Jasper" on me and fall apart."

The perplexed teen stared at his best friend of five years. He managed to gather the strength to step out the vehicle and turn on his own flashlight that hitched a ride in his back pocket. The two walked in silence for a moment. In an effort to ease the tension, Kevin spoke.

"So, what's the plan, Jones?"

"It's quick and simple. Bleach the body and the knife."

"Uh huh…"

"I'll cut off both hands and smack his face in with the shovel. This should knock out his teeth. Gather those up and put them into a separate bag. Trust me, this will keep anyone from IDing him."

"Uh huh…"

"Toss the bag into Lake Wunnafich. Everyone knows it's a cesspool because of Big City's power plant. No one will dig through that. It's perfect!"

"….uh huh…"

"Bury the body. Pour more bleach on it and then cover the ground with leaves and branches and whatever."

"….."

"We have to make sure it's like five feet deep or something. Because of dogs and bugs and stuff."

Kevin stopped at the small clearing and stood silent.

"Perfect plan, right?"

"Well….,"the teen hardly replied, as he knelt down and surveyed the area.

"Of course it is! Come up with something better than, dickless!"

"….I would….if there was a body…."

"What you talking about, Willis," The teal haired boy gave his friend a questioning look as caught up to him. He turned his attention to the area only to find it empty and visibly undisturbed.