I'd Stop the World
"What the fuck was that? Are you fucking crazy?" Randy slammed the door of his apartment while his friend laughed and dropped to the long, leather couch in the center of the living room.
Shedding his sunglasses and his hat, Adam ran his fingers through his silky curls and reached for the television remote. "Relax, Orton. She's got too much on her mind now to worry about us."
Throwing his own "disguise" onto the entry table, Randy walked to the television and cut the power. "How long have you known that Amy has powers? And why didn't you tell me that the other day when I was hitting on her?" Shaking his head in disgust, Randy planted his hands on his hips. "And what the hell was all that shit about her boyfriend? How do you know all that?"
But Adam wasn't easily shaken. A tantrum from a spoiled rich kid wasn't going to deter him from the mission at hand. Brushing it off, he just shrugged and turned the television on again. "Doesn't matter," he said, standing and heading to the kitchen.
Randy followed, determined to get some answers. He had seen the pain in Amy's eyes when Adam had mentioned her boyfriend. Something was up, and he didn't like being kept in the dark. "Hey," he shouted, drawing Adam's attention as he turned with a beer bottle dangling between his fingers. "You want any more cash for your blessed contraption, I think I need to know."
Always the drama queen, Adan thought, leaning against the kitchen counter and tilting the bottle to his lips. It wasn't worth getting all worked up over. Sheesh. "Her boyfriend, Matt, was my roommate in college. At least he was for the first year. He was a freshman, I was a senior. We were friends," he said.
"And what?" Randy probed further. "They broke up? He cheated? What's the rest of the story?"
Without so much as a shift in his expression, Adam took another drink. "Got shot. Died," he said flatly.
"Oh god," Randy whispered, lowering himself to the bar stool at his side.
"Yeah," Adam nodded. "Rumor has it Amy was there. Witnessed the whole thing." He moved back into the living room and dropped onto the couch, surfing the channels while Randy processed the information.
"And you just thought you'd throw that back in her face?" Shaking his head, Randy focused his eyes on the man he thought he knew. Truth be told, he'd never really asked a lot of questions about Adam, or his character. It didn't really matter when they were hitting on girls and watching football games together. "What the hell is wrong with you, man?"
With a huff, Adam turned on the couch and sat his beer on the table. "What's wrong with me? Dude, what the hell is wrong with you? Why do you even care about this whole sordid affair?" he asked angrily.
"I don't," Randy said quickly. Maybe a little bit too quickly. "it just seems a bit heartless. That's all."
Adam stood, his eyes wild and focused only on the man sitting before him. "We are this close, Orton," he hissed, holding his thumb and forefinger just inches apart. "This close to having everything. To controlling everything."
But Randy wasn't sure the ends justified the means. Was having everything really worth hurting innocent people along the way? Was it worth hurting Amy? "I told you, man," he started. "I found a way to get back at Hunter." Maybe if he could reason with Adam, show him that they could get what they wanted without this crazy plan. . .
"Tell me something, Orton," Adam interrupted his thoughts, a vicious tone in his voice. "Do you really think that sleeping with someone Hunter kinda likes professionaly is going to make up for everything he cost you?" Scoffing sarcastically, Adam paced the room. Orton couldn't back out - they were too close. They had almost everything they needed. And as much as he thought he could, he knew he couldn't pull it all off on his own. "He took your reputation. Your position with the company. Your dignity.
"You lost your family's respect. You lost Stacy," he reminded, rattling off the list of wrongs that Hunter had committed against the young man he'd once considered a protegee. "He used everything in his his power to fuck you up the ass, Orton. Everything you wanted, he took it away." Sitting on the stool beside his friend, he softly tapped the counter with his finger. "Can you honestly tell me that one night with a magazine editor that he kinda admires for her work, is gonna make up for all of that?"
Each offense, each memory, washed over Randy as he listened to Edge's words. He was right. He'd lost everything because of that man. And if there was a way to return the favor, he had no choice but to go with it. "Tell me somethin', man," he finalled spoke, his blue eyes resting on his friend's determined face. "You really think we can pull this off?"
With wide eyes, Adam laughed and nodded. "Oh yeah. I'm damn sure of it."