Inescapable History, Inescapable Fates

Bad Debt Part 2

Hunter swung back, but Alex ducked it. Two boys from the hall barged in and immediately pinned Alex. Henry held Hunter back because no one else was. He was aware they were all staring at Alex, wondering what this interloper- this brown boy from another continent- was doing causing trouble. After a breath, they all turned to Henry and Hunter, "What's going on here? You got this under control?" One of the boys pinning Alex said.

"Hunter, go home," Henry murmured, and Hunter stormed off.

"Let go of me!" Alex was growling, but Henry knew they wouldn't without Henry's order. Alex was the outsider here, the troublemaker, untrusted, something different that needed to be constrained and controlled.

"Let go of him." Henry said, hating that they listened to him, left him to do whatever he pleased to Alex. He could see that Alex understood the power imbalance, could read the silent conversation. There was a spark in his eye and Henry thought Alex might punch him too, but instead, he laid back, exhausted.

"How can you call yourself a Star Wars fan when you are fighting for the evil empire?" Alex asked. Henry was too fucked out and tired for this.

"Alex, just let it be."

"No, answer me."

"Everything this country does isn't evil."

"Really, name five things." Henry sighed. Were they going to do this? They were going to do this.

"Stopping terrorist attacks."

"You create terrorist networks by destabilizing regions and arming jihadists. Name one terrorist group that wasn't originally funded by M-15 or the CIA."

"Al-Qaeda?"

"Al Qaeda was armed and funded by the US and allies, including Britain, in the 1980s when y'all invaded Afghanistan and overthrew their government to install, who? Oh right, the Taliban."

Henry rubbed his forehead, "We were battling communism-"

"-No you-"

"We were battling communism and I am going to need to see your sources," Henry shouted. "And however the terrorist groups formed, they exist now and we are fighting them-"

"-for no reason. To no end."

"Are you defending Al Qaeda?"

"People wouldn't be joining Al Qaeda if you weren't INVADING their homeland,"

"They execute gay people for existing,"

"So did Britain. And a war didn't fix that. Peace and self-governance did,"

"So you saw Hunter and decided to start a fistfight-"

"-That was his fault-"

"Start a fistfight because you don't like the British Middle East policy? Because I feel like you just wanted to punch the boy I had sex with." Henry didn't even know he was thinking that until he said it. Usually, he thought about everything he said before he said it, but Alex had a way of pulling unexpected words out of him.

Alex's face went hot and blank. "I--" He was fuming, "I..." Or maybe, confused.

"I told you I was gay Alex, that means I have sex with men."

"I'm not being homophobic, I just hate Hunter." Henry wanted to point out Alex had been upset before he even knew who the boy was, but Alex had already shoved by him and left.