Array
(
[text] =>

As Mrs. Henderson is sitting in her office she hears a knock at her door "come in," her assistant walks in "what is it, Beverly?"

"Mackenzie Denver is here to see you?"

She looks at her assistant confused, "did I have a meeting with him?"

"No, he says that he wants to recant his statement."

"What?" Getting up she walks out of her office to find Mackie standing there holding his helmet. "What are you thinking?"

"I-"

She stops him from talking and points him to enter her office, "Beverly hold my calls."

"Sure."

Following him in she shuts her office door "Mackenzie, your hearing is tomorrow"

"I know but I'm not hiding anything for Harley anymore."

"Which leads me to believe that you've been hiding for him this entire time,"

Mackie nods, "he had the gun I saw it."

Sighing "oh my god" walking to her desk "sit down." They sit across each other and Mrs. Henderson stares at him, "tell me everything that happened that night, and don't lie."

"Okay" he nods, "Harley asked me to drive him because he needed to make a drop but I didn't know with who nor did I go in with him, I waited outside in the car. I even made a call to Ben leaving a message while he was in there-"

"You called Ben? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Didn't think it was important,"

"Does Ben know what you do?"

"I don't lie or keep anything from him"

"Mackenzie, I agreed to help you because my son vouched for you, but I can't sit idly by and just let you put him in harm's way."

"I don't Mrs. Henderson I always protect Ben, I'd never let anything happen to him."

"Your life is nothing he's been exposed to, Mackenzie"

"I know, and when Ben and I got together I stopped everything I was doing with my brother-"

"But what about the shooting?"

"Ben and I weren't together then, he broke up with me."

"See that's another thing I never understood, if you guys were so good together and everything was fine. Why'd you break up?"

Knowing he should stay as honest as possible Mackie answers, "Ben saw me get into a fight and got scared."

"That happens to you a lot, doesn't it?" Mackie avoids the question and Ben's mom reaches in the drawer next to her pulling out a folder. "I read your record" she drops it in front of him, "beating your classmate half to death at East Shore High, and getting sent to juvenile detention for a year for it." She summarized his file for him "Mackenzie, you are a second-year junior, with a record, and a criminal brother who's in hiding. Do you get why I'm skeptical about you being with Ben?"

"I'm not perfect Mrs. Henderson, but who is?"

"Certainly not Ben apparently" she sighs. "We're so off path right now, can you please continue with the night of the shooting? You called Ben and left a message..."

"Yeah, I waited but Harley never came back, his drops never usually take long so this one felt suspicious. I got out of the car thinking maybe I should go in to see what was taking so long, after a few more minutes I heard the gunshot and I ran inside. I didn't get too far because someone attacked me, it was dark so I didn't get a good look at the guy. I was just bleeding on the floor and the next thing I knew, Harley had the gun pointed at the guy hitting me threatening to shoot him if he touched me again. I got up and we got out of there."

"What did Harley do with the gun?"

"I don't know" Mackie shrugs, "I dropped him off at his apartment and I went home. Then he called me the next day and said it all went south and that he needed to lay low for a while. I knew he shot someone but I didn't think it'd go this far."

"Why because he's gotten away with this before?"

"When I got out of juvie I stayed out of Harley's life, and maybe I was being naive or whatever for pretending I didn't know the dangerous things he does, but I just wanted to stay out."

"Then why drive him?"

"He's my brother he needed me to have his back and I needed the money. But that's done because Harley only cares about Harley, so I'm looking out for me now."

"Ok, now that you've said that let me tell you what happens if you decide to change your statement. We'd have to get a deposition which would officially make you a witness instead of a suspect,"

"Okay, then that's what I want,"

"It might not be Mackenzie" she shakes her head, "you saw the gun if you write that in your new statement, when they find your brother you will have no choice but to testify against him."

"Wait no that's-"

"That's the law, he's the suspect and you're going down by association. Testifying against your brother would mean no jail time for sure, probably just put back on probation at most, but you'd be putting him away."

"For five years?"

"If that's what the court decides."

"What happened?" The nurse asks as she wraps Ben's swollen hand

"White boy rage" he replies and she looks at him questioning his reply, "I punched a wall" he explains further.

When she finishes wrapping his hand with bandages, "there if it starts to hurt rub this on there, and if that doesn't help I'd say you should go to a doctor and have it looked at."

"Thanks, nurse Ellie" he gets off the table.

"Mm-hmm thank me by controlling that white boy rage. Get to class"

As he's walking and texting Ben's screen changes getting a call from his mom, "hey" he answers.

"Hi sweetie can you do me a favor and get a hold of Mackenzie, it's important and he won't answer my calls."

"Is everything ok?"

"Can't really talk about it with you, Ben, just find him for me and tell him his deadline is 6 pm tonight."

"Ok I'll try," he hangs up.

Calling Mackie's phone Ben gets no answer, trying a couple more times he gives up and texts him 'hey where are you?'

Knowing Mackie too well when he isn't answering his phone, Ben knows besides work there's only one other place he could be.

Getting out of the cab Ben sees him sitting at the cliff overlooking the city, walking close he presents the gift he stopped to get for Mackie before showing up. "Skittles for your thoughts?"

Mackie scoffs taking the bag and Ben sits next to him, Ben stares at him and sees how broken the boy he loves is. "How'd you know I was here?" Mackie asks

"I had you chipped" Ben answers making him smile a little, "I know you." Mackie avoids eye contact staring out at everything else, Ben wants to know what he's thinking "are you ok?" He asks knowing the answer is no

Mackie shakes his head, "I think I made a mistake... I went to see your mom and told her the truth. I told her I wanted to change my statement, but if I do that I'll have to testify against Harley. I don't know if I can do that."

"Because he's your brother,"

"I want to see him go down, Ben, I want to not give a shit and just watch him get fucked."

"But you're loyal,"

Turning to look at Ben "I don't want to be loyal, but I don't know how not to be, he's family."

"So what, Mackie? Your blind loyalty to your brother will be your downfall." Ben knows Mackie enough to know he'll change his mind and keep the statement as is to protect Harley, so he has to do something. "I'm going to help you," Ben grabs Mackie by the chin turning his head to look at him. "Harley is not good, Mackie. In the time I've known you Harley has done things I've never heard of and you just keep letting them go, you shouldn't. He took you into enemy territory then gave you a gun, he outed you to your dad, and he's lied to your parents about you countlessly. He tried to force you to rape Maeve, and if none of that is enough, he conspired with Jeremy to break us up, just to take you to that party weeks later to see me and make it hurt all over again. Now after putting you in a situation you'd never be caught in other wise, he left you here to deal with it alone." Ben stops and makes sure Mackie heard everything he said, "those are just the things that happened after I met you, I don't even know what he did to you before I knew you besides you going to juvie because of him. Stop protecting him, Mackie, he is not worth it, he's not worth your loyalty and who you are."

Mackie thinks about everything Ben just said, it hurts him to know that this is who Harley is, and he's forgiven him so many times just to get burned again. "What do you think I should do?"

"I think you should protect yourself for once, change your statement, testify, and let Harley go." They look at each other and Ben moves closer reaching out and taking Mackie's hand, "but I completely get why you're hesitant, he is your brother."

"When we were kids it was always obvious Harley was dad's favorite, Harley played football our dad's favorite sport, while I worried about fixing shit. When Harley didn't become who he wanted I thought maybe this was my chance to get dad to notice me, you know?" Ben nods and he continues "but he never let up on him, I was never given a chance. Now if I tell them what I'm about to do, I'm pretty sure he'll never forgive me."

"I get it trust me, but Mackie you have to stop being afraid of losing people who only do wrong by you. You are probably the most independent person I've ever met, and yet people have these holds on you and you shouldn't let them. You don't need anyone babe not even me."

"Do you need me?" Mackie asks looking in Ben's eyes

"Like I need air" Ben answers honestly then smiles, "and it'll kill me if you get sent away for five years."

"Would you wait for me though?"

"Yes," Ben answers without a second thought.

"Five years is a long time, things can change."

"True and I might hate you for deciding to go to jail for something you didn't do, but I know you're worth so much more than me waiting five measly years." Mackie doesn't say anything else as he's contemplating, so Ben asks "if you do decide to go away for him, can you promise me one thing?"

"Anything,"

"Don't forgive him this time, don't let Harley in again, because if he hurts you one more time I might be going to jail next for what I'll do to him."

Mackie looks at Ben and the serious look on his face, leaning close Ben meets him halfway and they slowly trail their lips towards each other. Holding Ben's face as he kisses him, Mackie doesn't hold back, "I promise I won't" he whispers after with their foreheads still touching.

[text_hash] => b6692274
)