Brad felt so sorry for his friend curled up in his bed.
All night he had been groaning and rolling around. For once, Brad felt sadenned it wasn't because he had caught Jonn (with two n's) beating the absolute living shit out of his diseased salami.
His poor bro. That was no way to live for such a courageous man.
Brad sat down in the kitchen with a chunky Mayo smoothy, sighing up at the ceiling where Jonn (with two n's) would be laying in pain.
What could he do? He was only thirty-eight after all.
He sighed again, swiping mayo off his lip to wipe onto his pants.
Suddenly, Brad's parents burst through the front door. They were so out of breath that his mother bent over to catch it while his father leant across the door.
Brad leant over to stare past them and at his house across the road.
His father threw down an old suitcase onto the floor at Brad's feet.
"Son...." he wheezed as he stood up to daub his head with an old rag "get your shit. We've sold you off."
"We're suddenly poor" his mum panted on her hands and knees now "they're waiting outside."
Brad stared at the suitcase and to his parents in shock. He even dropped the glass he was holding.
"Since when were we poor?" he frowned, orbs glistening.
Brad's pecs heaved. He had to hold in his tears because he was a Chad.
"Just now" his mother used his father to get back to her feet, pulling out a singular twenty doller note "we needed the money."
"You'll understand" his father said "Maccas is having a family discount tonight."
Brad nodded knowingly.
Thier ground horse-meat burgers were pretty legendary. Plus, they always threw in the best icecream. As suspicious as the name was, Brad couldn't steal that from them.
"I'll go say goodbye to Jonn (with two n's)"
"No time!" his father blurted "they're here now to take you away!"
"But... he's just upstairs...."
"There's no time!" his mother wailed and clung to Brad, sobbing "I hope you can forgive us!"
Brad huffed as he looked at his parents who he thought he knew. They appeared when the plot demanded it, and Brad always had them to rely on when it needed them most.
They didn't have names, but Brad loved them as much as his cold, chiseled heart would allow.
"I'll never forgive you!" he roared as he snatched up his suitcase that was so damn old it looked like it was torn out of a skipbin "never!"
They were having Family Discount Night without him!
"Son!" his mother wailed.
"We had no choice!" his father cried.
Brad stomped down the stairs with his suitcase that was suddenly even too heavy for him. He sobbed as he dragged it to the road where a long limousine was parked.
Five men posed around it. They all had georgous black locks and popped white shirts. Some wore black pants, some wore denim. They all had shimering orbs.
The driver laid across the bonnet like a sex-god.
One was laid on the roof, and two were tangled into each other on the boot. The other two leaned on the doors like mafia bosses.
The first even had snake tattoos down one arm while the other sucked a lollipop menacingly.
"I've got you" the tattooed one said as he took the suitcase with one hand to heave over his shoulder like a bookbag "you don't need family like that."
"Here. Cry into my perfect shoulder" the lollipop one offered, pulling Brad close.
He could smell the forest on this man. He didn't have that smokey smell of campfires, or the tinge of alcohol from getting black-out drunk around those fires.
It made Brad choke out another sob.
"Dont look at them" the man shielded Brad's delicate eyes from his bitch family still standing in the doorway like arseholes.
Brad slid into the heated, leather backseats.
He'd never felt such luxury caressing his toned arse.
"I thought they loved me!" Brad wailed against the window as he stared at his mother wiping her eyes with the twenty doller note "I didn't even get to say goodbye to my best friend!"
Jonn (with two n's) would be looking for Brad like a lost puppy. He wouldn't know where he had gone.
A montage of the last two days filled Brad's head as the limo did a thirty point turn to get out of the street. With each reverse and slow glide forward, Brad remembered his bestest bro.
They slept in the same bed. They laughed and joked. They hated school together. They even escaped a sunset together.
It had been so close.
"You'll be OK now" the tattooed man grunted as he ripped off the fake sleeve and sprayed his arm to moisterise it "we are mafia bosses."
"And coincidentally, in a boy band" another chipped up.
"But..... But..."
"The one who bought you is Niall" the lollipop one pointed "he's the hottest of all of us, even though we look the same. You are his now."
They all nodded and agreed knowingly.
"I'm Jacob" the lollipop one smiled "but you can call me Harry for short. I've been chain-smoking for twenty-five years, but I gave it up today for you without any drawbacks."
Brad frowned as he looked at the youthful face of Harry.
"How old are you?"
"Eighteen" he shrugged promptly.
The other one looked between them and leant forward.
"I'm his brother, Zayne; short for Inzayne."
He let out a little manic cackle.
"I'm Liam" the one beside me said with the bright blue orbs "I'm mysterious."
"And my name is Louis" the driver piped up cheerfully "like King XVI, I'll let you invade me."
He winked, making Brad bubble uncomfortably.
Urgh, more dickheads.
"So, you're mafia?"
"The top one in whatever this town is called" Harry boasted.
Niall stared at Brad and huffed.
"We are going to take you back to our luxurious warehouse where you'll have to live. You'll earn things from me because I like to make sure no-one can do anything without me saying so. Am I clear, Brad?"
Brad gulped, not acknowledging him.
Niall hated his rebeliousness and frowned in frustration.
None of these guys were like Jonn (with two n's). Brad wanted to go home.
"Harry will look after you. I've got mafia things to do when we get back" Niall grumbled "make sure you look after him."
"On it boss" Harry smiled cheekily.
The limo pulled up into a massive warehouse out on the other side of town. It was surrounded by only rocks and mountains in the distance.
Even though Brad could see the town nearby, he knew he wouldn't be able to escape.
This was his fate now.
Brad got out willingly and followed his new owners inside, hoping they had some mayo and white bread for him to drown his sorrows in.
ns 15.158.61.42da2
