T's Story, Part 1

T tells his story of when he was alive-- and reveals his death. Read previous chapters before reading this one.

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You are T-- before the accident.

The "Murder".

You were a simple person. You had short, brown hair, and wore glasses. You weren't very tall or tough, but you had your best friend to protect you. His name was Jack. He was much taller, tougher, and more confident that you were then...

He had light, creamy black skin and short, grease-colored hair. He had a much lankier build than yours, and his default face was a smile. Not to mention, he was incredibly thin. You tow had been friends, and one thing between you has helped keep you together.

He was the only one who understood your... "condition".

You never saw yourself as any gender.

Everyone said you were delusional, or an attention-seeker, and you never said anything back to them. You were too afraid of how they would treat me. To you, attention was something you hated, yet craved. The wrong kind would make you anxious and worried. You didn't want to be an outcast. Saying you were genderless? Please, they would say. That's not a thing. You're either a boy or a girl, and that's that.

But Jack, Jack never made you feel unloved. He supported your decisions, and cheered you on every step of the way. He was like your brother. The two of you had known one another for years on end, and your friendship never faltered. You felt comfortable around him, secure.

You would get into all sorts of misadventures.... You both had a collection of "Incidents" you kept track of. "The Spoon Incident" was your favorite... but I digress.

One fateful night, when you were sleeping, Jack climbed up to your window, rapping on the glass. You woke with a start, jerking up, drawing the covers quickly up to your chin. You saw his silhouette, and immediately relaxed. But your anxiety fired up again when you wondered what he was here for at this hour.

You pushed open the window, and saw he was holding onto the rain gutter. You drew in a sharp breath. "Jack, that's so dangerous."

He laughed in the throaty way that only he could. "Danger is my middle name."

"No it's not. It's Williams." You said dryly. Late at night, you weren't in the mood for humor. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, you squinted at him skeptically. "Why are you here so late...?"

"We're gonna go out tonight!" He grinned mischievously. "It'll be great. Get dressed and come out front." Before you could object, he slid down the gutter like a fireman down a pole, and vanished from your sight.

You reluctantly followed his instruction, and found him on the front porch. He threw you an article of clothing. It was a red-and-white jersey jacket. "Get that on ya," He said, pulling one of his own on.

"Why...?" I asked, eyeing him again.

"Because it looks rad, duh!" He said, rolling his eyes. "We'll look like a small gang." He grinned again.

You sighed and pulled it on. It was at least two sizes too big, so you rolled up the sleeves. You questioned his reasoning sometimes, but never interjected. This was just one of the things he did.

You started walking away from my home, and your suspicious grew.

"Jack, where are we going?"

He turned to you, replying, "Don't worry about it. We're going to have some fun!"

You asked him impatiently to elaborate.

"Well, you've seemed tense lately. So, I've decided to bring you out for a good time! The place may seem sketchy at first, but I know we'll have fun."

You were distressed, to say the least. Oi. Many times, you had tried to sneak home because you were tired, but he caught you and said you'd love where he was bringing you.

Eventually, you made it there. It was a tall building with neon lights around it. Craning your neck, you saw the name of the club in bright pink lights above you: 'LOANDIJER'. The atmosphere had an unreliable feeling to it. You knew bars weren't safe places... but Jack was going. You knew you'd be protected with him. Jack had never betrayed you in your life, so you knew he'd have your back.

You stopped staring at the sign and caught up to Jack, who had his hand on the door. You heard muffled music pounding inside, and felt it in your bones. The vibrations just reminded you of where you were, and made you more nervous.

"I come here all the time. It's a cool place to hang out." He looked at you over his shoulder. "Y'know," He said. "If you want to go home, you can."

You refused. You were stubborn, even though so many thoughts of how you could be hurt were rushing in your head. But you wouldn't turn back now. You had made it this far. A strange sense of pride was tugging you towards Jack, towards possible danger.

He smiled at you, pushing open the double doors, and your senses were immediately assaulted.

There were people everywhere. It was a pit of flashing neon, writhing, sweaty bodies, and alcohol. The sounds were furiously bounding into your ears, voices, pounding music, glass shattering, chaos everywhere. People were looking at me. Adrenaline spiked, and you shuddered. Clasping your hands to your shoulders, a nervous habit, you stayed as close to Jack as possible.

You remember every detail of the moment you stepped in. The hard floor underneath your feet, how the air tasted stale, yet full of life, and how Jack took your hand and squeezed it. It was incredibly claustrophobic.

All this information, crashing into you like a wave of unexplained, unexpected experiences. Your knees were weak. Your heart was beating. You noticed a huge figure beside you.

The most memorable thing was her.

The bouncer standing beside the door was one of the most... intimidating people you've ever seen. She stood at at least 6 feet tall. She had an incredibly strong build, muscles in proud view. Her sleeveless dress shirt and black vest strained against the muscle, helping shape her bulky, broad, yet curvy figure. A bow tie was tight against her neck, and black dress pants adorned her long legs. Her hair was thick and auburn colored, flowing down her back. It looked as if her nose had been broken in several places. Her teeth were slightly pointed, and she had full, beautiful lips.

Her eyes wandered to you. My heart raced faster.

She had a way of looking down her nose at you, arms crossed over her massive chest. She raised her eyebrows slightly, looking you up and down. The anxiety in my scooted over, making room for a sudden, incomprehensible burst of... infatuation?

You felt your face heat up.

Wonderful. Good to know that even as you were scared out of my mind, you were still an absolute idiot. As in, you actively deserved ridicule right now.

Jack tugged you back into reality, leading you to a place where you could recover. You tore your eyes away from her, following as your face burned.

Weaving in and out through the crowds, Jack said he'd keep you at the bar for a little while. You distantly murmured my okay. You couldn't think straight. Your knees and ankles were still weak, so Jack made a point of walking a bit slower.

You became more aware of my surroundings. You were sat down on a squeaky barstool, and the music was booming behind you. You were in separate room from the club part of the building, and there were far less people here. You breathed in relief, relaxing a little bit.

Jack sat next to you, a sympathetic look on his face. "You alright?"

"Yeah, yeah... a little dizzy though. I you really think this is a good idea?" You asked.

"If you're uncomfortable, I can bring you back home." He offered. He frowned. "I don't want to bring you here if you aren't ready. It's just, I usually have such a great time here, I thought you'd like it too..." He looked down to his hands.

You put a hand on his shoulder, chair creaking in protest when you moved. "Don't worry about it, okay? I'm alright. I'll bet we'll have fun." You said, trying to cheer him up.

He looked back up at me, smiling faintly. "Thanks."

You returned the grin, sitting back forward. After a moment, you realized the chair spun a little. You pushed myself around with my foot, spinning in circles, making Jack giggle a little. So that was fun. Even though people eyed you weirdly, in which you abruptly stopped.

The bartender eventually sauntered over. He was attractive, with chiseled features, pale skin like Jack's, and had curly red hair and freckles. The bartender wore the same thing the bouncer at the door wore, except with square rimmed glasses resting on his face. He was drying a cup with a towel. There was a sense of authority to him, like he was completely unshakeable. Like if he told you to do something, it had better be done before he even asked it.

"Hello, what can I get for you tonight?" He said cooly.

"J-Just a water, thanks." Jack stuttered nervously. He was blushing furiously, and his eyes were darting around. It didn't take your mind too long to connect the dots.

The usual confident and calm Jack had been reduced to a blushing and stumbling mess.

Oh no. He didn't-- A smile crept up onto your face.

Oh my god, he had a crush on the bartender.

This was too much. How cute. You saved this little tidbit of information for later-- poking fun at Jack was wonderful. You rarely ever saw any part of him that didn't seem cool or confident. Once the bartender left, you'd have a little fun at his expense.

He tried to take the man's attention off of him by saying, "What about you?"

The smile disappeared from your face as the bartender turned to you. "Uhhh..." You mumbled. "Do you have... orange juice?" I said stupidly.

You weren't one to drink, of course. Your lack of experience in clubs and shyness displayed that well. You had never really grown out of your juice phase-- hell, you never even drank sodas.

Two dudebros who were sitting near you snickered under their breath. Rude.

"Is apple alright?" He said, serious. Wow. They actually did have juice here... you nodded.

The bartender bent down, under the counter where he pulled up two small glasses, a pitcher... and a jug of fruit juice. He poured water from the pitcher into one, and juice into the other, and slid them toward you. As he walked by the two of you, he put a crazy straw in your drink and smiled at you. You tired to return the smile, but paranoia probably warped your face into an embarrassed staring grimace. D****t.

 He went to the other side of the bar, where he took some other people's orders. You took a sip of your drink-- yep. Apple juice.

"Wow," Jack breathed gently. "He's so cool."

You sniggered. "Does someone have a little crush?... You're so gay."

Jack choked on his drink, sputtering. He slammed the cup on the countertop.  "I-I am n-- shut up-- don't-- okay yes fine I am super gay." He huffed after his desperate attempt to save his pride. "You're one to talk about having a little crush! I saw you eyeing that cute bouncer at the front." He picked up his cup again and sipped his drink triumphantly.

You wagged your finger, smiling into your glass. "Ah-ah-ah, no, don't try to save your dignity. I got you red-handed, and red-faced as well." You pushed up your oversized sleeves again, satisfied.

"Yes, that may be true, but you aren't denying it~" He said, nudging you with his elbow. "You dog! Falling for one of the burlier ones. How cute of you."

You grumbled. "Shut uuuuuuuuup."

He elbowed you again. "C'mon, FORTIFY!" He shouted in tour ear, laughing. Instead of "man up", he would say 'fortify'. Usually it made you lose it, leaning into you and whispering 'fortify' in your ear. You would commonly both fall to the floor laughing until your ribs hurt.

You blushed and sipped your drink through the crazy straw. A different song started blaring in the background, and Jack perked up. "Hey, hey! This is my favorite song. I'm gonna go out and dance, if that's alright with you." He stood up, then turned to you. "Do you think you'll be okay by yourself?" Aww, he was concerned about you. Good ol' Jack.

"Jack, relax. I'll be fine. You go have fun!" You grinned and nodded to the dance floor.

Jack smiled in return. "Thanks, Al. Enjoy your drink, because it's on me." He ran off around the corner, into the crowd, and vanished from my sight. Nice. Free refills.

You swiveled back to the bar, finishing off your drink. When he came over, you asked the bartender for a refill, and happily obliged. As he was filling your glass, he decided to make some conversation.

"So," he said, keeping his eyes on the drink. "Where's your friend?"

"Huh? Oh, he, uh, went out to dance." You said, a little shyly. You weren't quite accustomed to talking with others. You scratched behind your ear and avoided eye contact.

"Hm. Will you do alright? A lady like y--"

"I'm not a girl." You remarked sharply. Realizing you cut him off, you bit your lip. Ugh, no! That was a stupid thing to say. Now you'd have to explain the entire thing... He didn't seem to mind my interruption, but his eyebrows raised.

"Oh. I'm sorry, sir. Excuse me." He apologized sincerely.

"No no, I'm not a... it's okay, ah... it's a little difficult to explain..." He handed you the drink, and you sipped it slowly, trying to choose your words carefully. Explaining this wasn't easy to anybody, and you hated talking about it. Why couldn't people just accept what you told them?

"Oh, you're genderless. I see. Very sorry about the misunderstanding." And, just like that, he asked no more. He didn't pry, he didn't give you any strange looks. He just... stopped. He just accepted it.

This was new.

"Y... you don't think I'm... strange?" you asked.

He laughed, guffawed even. "Kid, I work in a bar at a very shady nightclub. You're nothing close to 'strange' around here." I laughed a little.

"Thanks," I said. "Good to know."

"Anytime." He replied. "Ah, by the way-- call me Marc. I can tell you're new here, you don't look very comfortable." He laughed a little.

"Uhm... it's not really... uncomfortable... just unfamiliar. Is all." You cleared your throat. "Well, thank you very much, Marc!" Your grin returned.

He smiled in return, and walked off, still drying the glass with his little towel.

That was nice of him... Jack made a good choice of crushing on that one. You giggled to yourself. They'd get along quite well. You wondered where Jack was now-- the song that was being pumped behind you had changed, so you guessed that he was either in the bathroom or still dancing.

You shrugged and resumed drinking your juice.

After a while, you decided to spin around on the stool. Yes, you were being childish, but it was fun. 

You were stopped.

Someone grabbed your wrist, and the sudden lack of motion made you spill your drink on the countertop.

The person jerked your arm to make you face them. In moments, you were face to face with two delinquents. They both looked like any sort of thug you'd think of; sinister grins, tank tops, tattoos, and a bandanna tied around their forearms.

"Hey, babe," The one that was holding you said. "You wanna come back on over to my place? We'll have a great time..." He licked his lips grotesquely.

Nope. Nuh-uh. No way.

These guys smelled of booze and desperation, things that were unfamiliar to you. You had been told so many times not to go off with strangers, and you heard stories about those who did. They always scared you-- but right now, the fear you felt then was nothing like the terror you felt now.

Your entire body shook with anticipation. Signals in your head were just screaming danger, no, run away or something bad will definitely happen. As a very sheltered and very scared person in general, this was an absolute nope.

You had never been encountered with a situation like this-- or even seen as a "female". You weren't exactly 'attractive" or good-looking. You assumed that these two were just desperate, and just wanted an easy score. Disgusting.

You hoped that they would leave me alone. A voice in your head just laughed at this.

Haha, no way, you're going to die.

"N-no, thank you..." You mumbled, trying to tug your hand away, but to no avail. This jerk had an iron grip.

"What was that, babe?" The other one said through his teeth. He pulled you closer to him.You were so fearful for what might happen-- your heart was pounding, and you felt sweat run down your cheek. Your hand was shaking, your voice was cracking, and you felt like you were going to cry. Please don't, You thought. Please.

Your vision blurred with tears as the stranger tugged on your arm harder, and he gripped the hem of your shirt with his other hand. You tried to object, but all that came out was a helpless squeak. Jack, You pleaded. Marc... anybody.

Save me...

...

Someone kicked him in the jaw.

All you could see, just for a moment, was a wave of auburn hair in front of you. Whoever had kicked him had thrown themselves into the air just to land a more damaging hit.

His grip on you released as his fingers went slack, and went flying to hit the opposing wall. The attacker landed perfectly, gracefully, right in front of you.

It was the bouncer from the entrance.

The thug stood up shakily, his accomplice rushing to his side in fear. Staggering to his feet, he spit a red substance-- blood. Sneering, he sauntered over to the bouncer, cracking his knuckles.

She tilted her head to the side, sneering, and you heard something crack.

The thug tried to take her by surprise by jumping out at her, but she already saw it coming. She threw her foot out again, landing square in the chest this time. He let out a heavy OOMPH as he fell backwards again, landing flat on his back. She placed a foot on the spot she kicked him, driving her heel into his wound, pinning him down.

After a moment of silence, she opened her mouth to speak, but the second delinquent threw a punch at her from the side.

The bouncer grabbed his fist and returned the attack with a punch of her own, landing it in the nose. He flew across the room, hands clasped over his freshly bloodied wound. You gasped and jumped back-- the only problem was, you were still sitting down, and just resulted in your spine knocking against the countertop, and your hand and cuff of your sleeve soaking in the apple juice.

The bouncer turned to the thug under her foot.

"Well," She said. "What miserable piece of scum do we have here tonight?"

Her voice was slow and deliberate, and also sharp with malice. It was slightly difficult to hear with the loud music in the other room, but you could hear her just enough. It sent a chill down your spine.

The thug coughed more blood, and whimpered in pain, but still held his own. "Harley, baby, it's all just a bit of fun-- OOF!"

Harley put more weight on his chest. "You know very well and good, you disgusting worm," She growled. "That you are not so harass anyone here." She jerked her head in your direction.

He smirked. "What, you jealous, sweetheart?"

She slowly, calmly, deliberately applied more pressure to his ribcage, making him groan and wince in misery. The entire time, her face was unflinching, unmoving, completely calm as she drove him slowly into the ground. He sputtered and hacked, wincing and yelping. It was about the time something snapped that he called uncle. You cringed.

"Now," Harley said gently. "You're going to leave. You're going to slither back underneath whatever rock you crawled out from, and God help you if I see you again, here, tonight. Understand?" She curled her fingers, cracking her knuckles.

The delinquent coughed, nodding desperately, begging for air. "Good." Harley hissed, lifting her foot. "Now get out of here, you waste of life."

The thug scrambled to his feet, taking deep breaths, and ran out of the club, clutching a hand to his chest and screaming profanities. The second one hurried after meekly.

You looked around. No one seemed to be concerned with this-- you wondered if this was a normal occurrence.

Harley let out a soft sigh and stretched her arms out, groaning a little. She brought them down and cracked her knuckles. Her eyes wandered in my direction, and I froze.

I stupidly realized I still had my hand in a puddle of apple juice, and I tried to dry it off on my pant leg.

She sauntered over to me, arms swinging lightly. She had a gentle look in her eyes. Crouching down to my level, she maintained fierce eye contact the entire time, which stressed me so much and made me sweat while I talked. My heartbeat still hadn't slowed, and my mouth was dry. Not to mention the hand wet with juice, and my red face.

"Hey," She said gently. "Are you alright?" When she was being kind, her voice sounded like she was spooning honey into your brain-- it was so smooth, and so... nice.

You were going to say something witty, but the words just came out as a strangled throat sound. You swallowed and nodded vigorously.

"Are you sure...? Alright. Hey, don't worry about those idiots. Just some seedy perverts trying to get a cutie like you into bed." She said seriously. "Keep your eye out, okay?"

You nodded again, wishing you could think of something to say. "Uhm.. th-thank you."

"Don't mention it, kid." She grinned, then recognition spread across her face. "Are you with anybody?.. Hey, Marc! Ma-arc!" Before you could answer, she was calling for the bartender. She cupped a hand beside her mouth, yelling some more. Your ears nearly blew out, Jesus. "MARC!"

He poked his head out of the doorway he exited from earlier. Still looking as cool as usual, despite the shouting. "Yeah?"

"Marc, where the hell are you? This poor kid nearly got shoved in a white van, and you're back in the wine cabinet just doing whatever you feel like!" She hefted herself down onto a barstool, and accidentally rested her arm in spilled apple juice.

She lifted up her arm, disgusted for a moment, then turned back to Marc. Now that was embarrassing. "And you didn't even clean up this spill! Honestly, it's a wonder you aren't fired yet."

Marc grumbled his response while sopping up the drink and wiping off Harley's arm. "Well, it isn't my job to crescent kick creeps that hang around here-- and I was not slacking off. Get off my back, man."

Harley sputtered. "Well the least you could have done is been aware your surroundings. You work in a bar, for goodness sake! And you served a kid--" She gestured to you. "--a beer?! What is wrong with you?"

You cleared your throat. "A-actually, it's apple juice..." Your voice started trailing off. They were both looking at you. You didn't like attention. Blushing harder, you looked down to your lap, hoping they'd look away.

Marc nodded. "Yep. Fruit juice, you paranoid weenie." He reached under the bar and pulled up the jug, label saying "FRESH, ORGANIC APPLE JUICE" and adorned with a cartoon picture of a smiling apple. "And I also put in a crazy straw. So ha. I win at being a great person." He stuck his tongue out childishly.

Harley stuck her tongue out as well and blew a short raspberry. "Ah, well... So long as I'm here, I might as well get something. The usual, Brewski!" She joked.

Marc nodded, and pulled one of the biggest beer mugs you've ever seen and filled it to the brim with beer. He slid it down to Harley, who hastily grabbed it and downed a third of it. After she chugged some, she swallowed and let out a breath.

"Aaaah, that's the real stuff! None of that watered down garbage..." She gulped down a bit more, foamy froth dripping off her chin and slipping down her neck.

She was so attractive, oh my god.

She turned to you, swirling the drink in her glass. "So," She said curiously. "What're you doing here by yourself? That's pretty dangerous."

"I-I'm not by myself, actually. My fr-friend is here with me-- ah! There he is." Jack was making his way back through the crowd. He was noticeably sweaty, and his jersey was tried around his waist. His hair was tousled as well. Jogging toward you, he smiled.

"Hey! Good to see you're doing alright, and--" He looked over to Harley. He looked back to you, giving you a smug look. Eyelids lowered, wide grin on his face, and giving me THE EYEBROWS, OH MY GOD, he was not about to do this.

"So, you, got her attention? haha, nice work there, Romeo! You--" You elbowed him in the stomach before he could make any more snide remarks.

Harley raised an eyebrow. "You wanted to get my attention?" She asked.

"U-u-uhm, well, I-I-I guess m-mostly bec-cause, w-well, you seem really..." You were stuttering like there was no tomorrow. This was so humiliating.

She grinned a little. "Hah, you find me intimidating. I'm flattered." She chuckled.

"R-right! y-yeah! And I was w-wondering, if you c-could, uhm..."

They were all looking at you. Your face was hot. You felt as if you voice was twenty miles away. You heard yourself ask her;

"C-can you teach m-me how to defend m-m-myself?"

After blinking once or twice, she pondered the idea, looking straight forward, chin resting on her hand. "Hmm," She muttered.

Marc and Jack's eyes nervously darted from me, to Harley, and back again.

Anxiety rushed through your veins after you realized what you just said. YOU? Fighting? That was ridiculous.You were much too small to fend off Jack, let alone a full-grown adult. How would you be taught? How would Harley find the time? She must be very busy. You don't even know one another that well! You're sure she'd rather be doing many other things-- you're not even a very good learner. What if you couldn't do it? What if she got frustrated? What if you messed up? What if you did something stupid? You didn't want to make a bad impression in front of her, she was so much cooler than you, and better looking than you, and tougher than you, and--

"Okay."

Marc and Jack looked at each other. You looked up at her, eyes wide, surprised.

"Harley, are you sure? it wouldn't be safe, and--"

"Marc, don't be ridiculous. I'm sure this lil' bugger here could shape up to be a great fighter, or the very least protect herself again sleazebags like the two--"

Jack jumped. "W-wait-- You were attacked?! What the hell! Are you alright?!" He grabbed your shoulders, observing you for any signs of wounds.

You pushed him off. "Don't worry, Jack, I'm alright." You said calmly. "Chill. Harley got rid of them."

"Geez, don't scare me like that..." He huffed, backing off. "I shouldn't have left you alone... god, that was stupid.." He muttered, running a hand through his hair. "Maybe it is good you learn how to defend yourself."

I nodded. "I'd like that... i-if it's not too much to ask, Ms. Harley."

She chuckled. "Heh-heh... Ms? Nah, just call me Harley. I"ll bet you're not too younger than me. And don't worry about it! I'd love to take on an apprentice." She grinned a toothy smile. "I'll bet you could learn a lot." She downed the rest of her drink.

Your face lit up. "Really? W-wow... I can't wait. Wh-when do I start?"

"Tomorrow. I think you should get home and rest up tonight." She said, patting you on the back. She let out a little grunt as she stood up, placing her mug on the countertop. "Nice to meet ya, kid." She grinned one last time, then walked off.

The three of you watched her go, and as she turned the corner, you let out a sigh, unaware you were holding your breath.

"Wow," Your said quietly.

Jack put a hand on my shoulder. "That... was an experience."

"She's so cool," You breathed.

Marc nodded. "Very intimidating. Very respectable. That's why she's hired."

You turned to him. "Do you think I'll be able to learn from her...? She's so much stronger than me. Harley's amazing..." and i'm just a nobody, my inner voice chanted. nothing but a fraud. can't even be the right gender.

No, Shut up. You replied. I can do this, I'm worth it.

Your controlled voice was a lot more puny than the one that ridiculed you.

"You'll do great, doll." Marc said, smiling. "I'm sure of it." You smiled back at him. He returned to drying a cup with his little towel, eyes lowered. You looked back to Jack, sitting down on a barstool.

"So," Jack said, a mischievous smirk pulling on his lip. 

You grumbled. "Let's just go."

The entire way back home, he kept pestering you about Harley, asking when you'd fortify and smooch her.

---

Author's Note

Wow, I worked pretty hard on this one! I hope you all like it-- despite it being so long, it's still very first--concept. Please leave a review, I really want to know what I can improve on. Thank you for reading! Part 2 will be out soon enough.