Long Way Down
by Mystykat and Chibimoot

Phase 2

“Hey, Mac!” Tarik called to his friend who waited on the corner out in front of the college.
“Hey, Ari!” she mimicked back and latched onto his arm once he had made his way over to her. “Sweetie, I was thinking…”
Ari groaned. ‘What now?”
“No! It’s really good! Don’t sound like that!” She smiled and they began walking in the direction of the main entrance. “’Kay, so I was thinking we could play a prank on the dorms…”
“I thought you said –“
“No, just hear me out! I think that –“
“It’s a dum idea, Mac. No.”
“Fine then.” She crossed her arms and pouted as they wandered down the hall. “I’m going to go find Avril for our first class.”
“Have fun! See you later!” Ari called happily after her.
“Shut up!”

Stafford walked through the UBC hallway with Alexei, his best friend. The two casually pushed their way through the crowd, not caring who they knocked aside. The pair came across an emptier part of the hall, where Tarik sat on a bench, reading. The two glanced at each other, a smirk on Stafford’s face. Alexei sighed as they strolled to him and sat down on either side of him.
“Hey… uh… you,” Stafford greeted, causing Tarik to flinch.
“This is the kid Mackie and Avril said you molested?” Alexei asked over Tarik’s head. Stafford nodded. “Interesting…” Tarik shifted uncomfortably between the older males. “Let’s go.” Alexei stood up.
“Right.” Stafford stood up as well. “By the way, Tarik…” He leaned down close to Tarik, their faces almost touching. “I don’t approve of you in my house or hanging around my cousin, you friggin’ gay fucker. I see you around her or her sister again, and I’ll whip your ass so hard, you won’t be able to feel it.” He stood straight and smiled. “Have a nice day, Tarik.” He patted the younger main’s shoulder and walked away down the hall, Alexei following.
Tarik stared after them, stunned.
“Hey, kiddo!” Avril greeted Tarik when school was out.
“Oh, hey guys!” he replied hesitantly, looking between the twins.
“Well, don’t just stand there. Let’s go to our house,” Mac said enthusiastically, dragging him along.
“Stafford’s house,” Tarik corrected quietly, earning himself a few weird looks.
Once they got to the mansion, they made themselves sandwiches and went up to Avril’s room. Tarik was quite while they ate and the girls chatted. After a while, Mackenzie glanced over at Tarik.
“Sweetie, what’s wrong?” She received a shruge as a reply. “Classes suck?”
“It’s your cousin!” he bit out relunctantly. The twins shared a look.
“Care to elaborate?” Avril pressed.
Once Tarik finished telling them what happened in the hall before classes, Mackenzie jumped to her feet.
“Mac will take care of it.” Avril grinned.
“No, don’t worry about itQ! I don’t want him to know I talked to you guys about it.” Or that I’m with you, he added in his head.
Mac simply ignored him. “I’m gonna kill that bastard,” she muttered angrily as she stormed out the door.
Stafford was in his room when Mac stormed in, nearly tripping over Alexei who was meditating on the floor.
“What do you want, honey?” Stafford asked boredly. He was at his computer, checking his email. He didn’t glance up at his cousin, who was raging towards him. She reached him and spun his chair around.
“You are such an ass!” she practically screamed. “You had no right telling Tarik he can’t be friends with Avril or me! Just who do you think –“
“Can you please remove the nuisance from my room, Alexei?” Stafford interrupted, annoyed. Alexei came over and lifted her up, kicking and screaming at Stafford. He carried her to the door, deposited her outside, slammed the dor shut and locked it.
Mackenzie let out another enraged yell, slammed her fist on the door and fumed, glaring at the closed door before her. She spun around to see Avril and Tarik in the former’s doorway. She shook her head. Avril sighed.
“I’ll see you guys,” Tarik said quietly before heading down the hall quickly. Mac walked to her sister and the two girls stood quietly until they heard the front door shut. Without a word, both girls went into their respective bedrooms.
“Don’t you think it was a bit harsh?” Alexei questioned his best friend.
“You’re the one who actually chucked her out,” Stafford scoffed.
“I mean, what you said to Tarik or whatever his name is.”
Stafford shrugged. “Not really. He needs to learn his place anyways and that isn’t in my house. Now, c’mon, help me dye my hair.”

The next day, Tarik walked to the UBC slowly, not caring if he was late. He ignored the twins where they usually stood, calling to him. For the rest of the day, he made it his goal to ignore the girls and wished for once, that he worked that night. It was just luck that today was a full day and one of his classes coincided with one of Avril’s.
She sat beside him and pulled out her books. They were both quiet for most of the class until finally she sighed. “You’re ignoring us,” she stated.
“Sorry,” Tarik mumbled.
“So why? Did we do something?” Avril asked.
“No, I’m sorry,” he replied hesitantly
“Good, so you coming over to our house tonight?” she asked happily. Tarik slowly shook his head.
She started at him for a moment. “It’s cause of Stafford, isn’t it?” Tarik didn’t answered and they fell silent for the rest of class.

“Hey sweet cuz of mine!” Avril exclaimed as she vounced happily toward Stafford. She pulled him off to her locket. Stafford groaned.
“What do you want?”
“You should apologize to Tarik. He’s Mac’s best friend and he’s been miserable all day and she’s been worse cause he’s been avoiding us.” She gave him a glare. “And it’s your fault. So go take care of it.”
“No.”
“Please, Staff? He was supposed to come over today and he won’t. He’s scared that you’ll really whip his ass.”
“I would.”
“You’re insufferable.”
“You love me.”
Avril let out a groan of annoyance before storming off. Stafford smirked, watching her leave. Alexei came up beside him.
“What was the freak show about?” he asked, quizzically, leaning against the lockers.
“Nothing much,” came the reply. Alexei shrugged before the two walked off together in silence. They weaved their way through the other students until they past the English room. Tarik sat alone, reading. Stafford jerked his head toward the room.
“Want me to freak him out?” Alexei asked, a slightly evil smirk crossing his face. Stafford nodded. “Watch the door.”
Alexei stepped into the room and the door closed behind him silently. Stafford’s shadow appeared over the glass in the door. Tarik didn’t seem to notice him as he crossed the classroom to the younger man. Alexei sat himself on the chair at the desk in front of Tarik’s. It took the teen a few moments to notice him.
“Um … hello,” he said, closing his book nervously.
“Yeah, whatever. Anyways, I want to show you something.” He pulled his bag off his shoulder and dropped it on the floor before digging through it and producing a rather thick, old book. He flipped it open to about the middle and pushed it in front of Tarik.
“What is this?” Tarik asked confused, staring at the gruesome image before him.
“Attil the Hun’s torture method,” Alexei answered. “He would have his men grab his victim by each of his limbs and rip him apart.” Tarik stared up at him. “It’s true. Cool, right?”
“Uh, sure it is…”
“Yeah.” Alexei grabbed the book back and dropped it into his backpack before pulling out another. He flipped through it while humming the funeral tune. “You know, my family’s Wiccan. Even so, I like studying darker forms of wtichcraft. You know, hexing, jinxing… Stuff like that. In this book, there’re ancient curses that the witches of the sixteenth century used to make people’s inner organs and whatnot rot quickly, slowly killing them.” He paused. “Usually they have to trick the victim into reading a chant for it to work.”
Tarik stared at him, horrified. Why was this guy telling him this?
“By the way, Tarik,” Alexei said, holding the book before him, “will you read this?” Tarik continued to stared at him before jumping out of his seat and running to the door. Stafford had moved out of the way so Tarik could knock the door open and run down the hall, trying to distance himself from Alexei.
Alexei came to the doorway and stood beside Stafford.
“Good job,” Stafford stated.
“Thanks.”

“So do you think Stafford will actually apologize?” Mac asked her twin, who shrugged.
“I doubt it, he’s such a dick to Ari. I don’t understand why.”
“Maybe it’s like, when you’re little and you like someone. So you’re a complete jerk to them so they don’t find out,” Mac suggested.
“Stafford? Teasing somone cause he likes them?” They shared a look.
“Yeah, I didn’t really think so either.”
“Maybe Tarik did something to him?” Avril pondered.
“You mean, stare at him, wide-eyed with a ‘please take me, I’ll submit to you’ look while being felt up?”
Avril shrugged. “I don’t know. Don’t get all snappy. Anyways, do you think Alexei’s hot?”
“Duh.”
“He’s such a creep though.”
“True, true.”
Tarik suddenly came bolting towards them while they stood in the parking lot by Stafford’s GMC Sierra, waiting for him to drive them home.
“Ari, what’s wrong?” Mac asked, concerned.
“Alexei just tried to kill me!” he wailed. Mac gasped while Avril shrugged.
“He was just using his hex book,” Avril said. “So what? He does that to lots of people.”
“Did anyone ever die from it?”
“Well, there was those four guys on the football team who died a week after he hexed them in high school.” Tarik stared at him. “But it was in a car crash. Supposedly.”
“Did their organs rot?”
“Dude, just drop it. I’m sure he was just joking around.” Mackenzie hugged him.
“You’re right. Man, I’m such a baby.”
“You got that right!” Avril exclaimed.
Mackenzie and Tarik both glared at her. “He has reasons. He gets bullied a lot.” Mackenzie blinked. “Actually, that’s kind of true. I guess its cause you’re gay.”
“I’m not gay!”
“Hey, get away from my truck!” The girls and Tarik turned toward the voice to see Stafford and Alexei walking toward them. Tarik turned to leave when Mac grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
“Staffy!” Avril caled and ran to jump on him. “Do you wanna drive us home? Please!”
“Sure, but he,” he pointed at the short boy, “can walk. That brat is not getting my in truck or my house.”
Again Ari made to leave and was pulled back this time by Alexei. “Oh, come on Staff, he can sit by me.” The black haired youth smirked.
“Well, if you say so,” Stafford replied with a shrug. “You two sit in the back.”
“Shot gun!” Avril yelled and ran to the other side of the truck to get in. Mac opened the back door and got in the far side. Alexei stared Tarik down before he got into the truck, causing Ari to have to climb in and over him. Staff got in and they drove off.
Avril swtiched on the cd currently in the disc player. Music flooded truck and Avril yelled to Stafford over it.
“Couins, take us out for lunch!”
“Where to?”
“Somewhere fancy! But you’ll have to pay for Ari!” Avril grinned. “I’m starved! Please, Staffy!”
Stafford glared at Tarik, who was busy eyeing Alexei, who was grinning wickedly. “Only for you.” He growled and turned sharply, watching in the rearview mirror as Tarik flailed onto Alexei, who promptly pushed him off and threatened him with a curse.
“We’re going to Swiss Chalet!” Avril decided and yelled it loud enough for everyone to hear.
“That’s in the other direction,” Staff mutter before making a sharp U-turn.
“The drive was relatively loud, with the music blaring and the twins talking loudly over it. Stafford drove into the parking lot. The second the truck stopped all four doors flew open and the vehicle’s occupants got out immediately before walking as a group to the restaurant.