It was a Friday night after Ethan’s violin lesson. Ethan is a very involved artist who spends a good deal of his time deftly playing his violin. As he was approaching the dark and scary stair well to go down to the “Black Tar’s” hangout, he got chills that traveled up his spine. Ethan had done over 100 deals of heroin before but he felt as if someone was watching him this time. He was very furtive, seeing that his father Ralph was a cop. He had been doing this for a while because of the quandary he had about getting enough money to go to a decent college. Ethan had a yen to go to college and gravely wanted to become a musician.
As Ethan crept down the squeaky stairwell to approach the door it opened right before he had a chance to knock. This startled Ethan as his eyes grew wide and Brad said, “We have been expecting you, were running low on our goods.”
So Ethan quickly removed the tubes from out of his mouth, dried off his saliva and exchanged Brad, the bursar, for the money. Then Justin came running quickly to the door yelling, “Yeah man totally, I’ve been suffering down here waiting for our stuff, but we need to talk to you.”
“Alright Justin what’s up?” said Ethan.
“Well, we think we have someone who is catching on to us, like someone who will bust us if he really finds out what we do.”
“Oh no, this will definitely need to be kept quiet. My dad will not be very happy if he finds out about this,” exclaimed Ethan.
“Well we have to be serious about this. I noticed a suspicious looking car pulling away the past three times after you leave from ours deals man, it’s not good” insisted Justin. “ I think you may have to take care of him, I mean it’s the only way to get rid of him.”
“I can’t believe this is happening, I don’t know if I can do this” said Ethan terrifyingly.
Justin grabbed Ethan by the collar of his shirt and whispered in his ear, “You might want to think about that answer and tell me again if you will do what it takes to get rid of the man who is watching us.”
“Ok ok,” Ethan concurred, “I will I promise just don’t hurt me I need this money to go to college.”
“Wow,” Justin said to the gang, “look at this superfluous achiever gaining money to go to college.”
“What a fag,” they all laughed.
Ethan grabbed his stuff and ran out of their hangout. What a blasphemous he thought, he had had enough of them for the night. He couldn’t stop thinking about who might be watching them as he got home. “Anything wrong?” said Ethan’s mother, “You look puzzled.”
“No nothings wrong just a long class tonight, that’s all.”
“Oh alright son, if you need anything I’ll be in my room.”
“Ok thanks mom,” managed Ethan.
That night Ethan received the dreaded phone call he wasn’t thrilled to answer. It was Brad and Justin who told him that he had to act fast because the man came and questioned them. They said he was a suspicious looking guy who wasn’t dressed like a cop or anything. They told him that they were going to plan the attack. There was a tall abandoned edifice across the street where Ethan would be positioned with a rifle, they would fake a deal at the normal time but Ethan wouldn’t be doing it. Another member from the gang would and once he left Ethan would shoot, as the man who lurked in the dark car speeds away.
This was not something that Ethan was looking forward to, but if it meant he had to do it for college then he would. Ethan couldn’t believe what he got himself into.
The next night rolled around Ethan started to get very nervous. This was going to be a very bad quagmire. He started second guessing himself but realized college meant everything to him. He left the house with his mom thinking he was going to class, but really he was going to take his position.
Once he arrived he got ready and tried not to think, only about college and how much he needed to go. The whole world seemed distant to him. Then the dark car arrived and the “deal” went on, but this time the man got out of his car. Ethan didn’t think and just stooped low, aimed and without looking fired. Quickly he rose and looked right as the man fell into the light of the street light. Pallor began to fill Ethan’s face, he couldn’t believe his eyes. Ethan felt major rage, regret, and anger. That very second Ethan realized that he couldn’t live with this; he couldn’t live with the fact that he had murdered his own father. With the second pull of the trigger Ethan’s future was gone, it was that simple.
The next morning Ethan and his father Ralph had made the front headline of the paper. Ethan had always wanted to become famous, but not for homicide and then suicide. This unheralded event changed the lives of the people who loved them, forever.
