24: Forbidden Footage

Hellbent

Chapter 24

Forbidden Footage

The next day, Ashley was jolted awake by a giant feather tickling his feet.

Ashley: “HAHAHA AHA HE EHE AHA HA HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEEE!”

He gasped and shot up with laughter and saw Yvette standing at the foot of the bed with her feather sword, dressed in a flowing ivory dress and braids in her hair, and a tiny horned helmet perched on her head.

Yvette: “WAKEY-WAKEY! EGGS AND BAKEY!”

She shouted with glee, startling him awake. Ashley panted, catching his breath.

Ashley: “Haha, wow…”

He placed his hand on his chest.

Yvette: “I got you a gift!”

She presented him with an olive green tunic with a black cross stitching down the neckline and a big brown belt.

Ashley: “Oh wow! I love it! This is so nice! Thank you, Yvette!”

He beamed earnestly. Yvette jumped giddily.

Yvette: “But wait! That’s not all!”

She beamed, presenting him with a horned helmet and a fake beard. Ashley’s smile dipped and he shifted uncomfortably.

Ashley: “O-oh, uh… I dunno about that...”

He shifted his eyes with a strained smile.

Yvette: “Why not?!”

She pouted.

Ashley: “It’s… too hot to wear that stuff…”

He stammered. Yvette frowned and sighed.

Ashley: “How about I just wear the helmet?”

He offered a compromise, shoving the fake beard away. Yvette brightened again and nodded.

Yvette: “OKAY! I’ll let you get dressed!”

She beamed. Ashley smiled back at her.

Yvette: “I can’t wait for our adventure today!”

She chirped, skipping out of the room and closing the door behind her. Ashley’s smile dipped when she left and he glanced at the fake beard. I could never grow a beard and I never wanted one, he thought, feeling uncomfortable with the idea.

~

Ashley came downstairs, dressed in his green tunic. The cross stitching was undone exposing his neckline and he wore the belt around his waist. Yvette gasped and rushed over to him.

Yvette: “Oh, no, no, silly you’re wearing it wrong!”

She exclaimed, doing up his collar stitching, covering his neckline. Ashley blushed when she placed her hands around his waist and pulled his belt down to sit around his hips.

Yvette: “Oh WOW! You look so sexy!”

She cooed at him adoringly, standing up on her tiptoes and placing the Viking helmet on his head.

Ashley: “Haha… really?”

He laughed awkwardly, looking at himself in the mirror. I don't feel sexy. I feel weird and awkward. The belt around my belly and hips makes me look bigger and boxier…

Maxx entered the room, laughing like a hyena.

Maxx: “Nice pirate costume, A-Rad!”

Yvette glared at Maxx.

Yvette: “WE’RE NOT PIRATES! WE’RE VIKINGS!”

She screamed at him, whacking him over the head with the handle of her feather sword.

Maxx: “Owwww!”

He whined, rubbing his head.

Maxx: “Pfft, A-Rad doesn’t wanna be a lame Viking!”

He pouted, taking the horned helmet off Ashley’s head. Ashley’s eyebrows rose and he smiled a bit. He went to say something when Maxx interjected.

Maxx: “He wants to be a rebel rocker!”

He grinned at Ashley, placing aviator sunglasses on his face. Ashley sighed. Yvette glared at Maxx.

Yvette: “He doesn’t want to be a stupid rockstar!”

She huffed, taking the aviator sunglasses off his face again.

Maxx: “NAH-AH!”

Ashley interjected, waving his hands between them both.

Ashley: “Enough, guys! Can we just go?!”

He huffed, heading towards the door. Maxx and Yvette pouted, glaring at each other.

~

Ashley, Maxx, and Yvette rode together in the limousine into the city. Swanton was an enormous metropolis and it had so much more than Selene Valley that Ashley didn't know where to begin. The skyline was packed with luxurious skyscrapers. New cultures have left their mark not just on international relations, but also upon the city's identity.

The multicultural identity that has truly left its mark. Hundreds of bistros, take-outs, and sandwich bars offer a plethora of culinary choices, and those who feel hungry for something else can enjoy one of the many parks, dances, nightclubs, tours, or one of the many other recreational venues.

The limousine dropped them off at the main strip of shops. Christmas decorations were hung up and the shop windows were booming with trees, snowmen, reindeer, and speckles of gold and fake snow. In the windows of the shops were extravagant Christmas displays of Santas, snowmen, and gorgeously wrapped gifts under the trees. Ashley’s eyes sparkled with whimsical joy.

Yvette: “AHHH! Christmasu!”

She squealed with joy, pressing up against the display in the window. Maxx scoffed.

Maxx: “Pfft, dat stuff is sooo lame!”

He huffed.

Ashley: “Why is everything all snowy for Christmas when the sun is at its hottest and most powerful?”

He asked, tilting his head, and looking at the rooves decorated with fake snow. Yvette quirked her eyebrow at him.

Yvette: “It snowed for Christmas where I come from!”

She stated.

Ashley: “I’ve never seen snow before. It never snowed where I came from…”

He remembered how Sunshire was always so hot because it radiated with the sun’s powerful spirit energy.

Yvette: “Aww, that’s so sad!”

She knit her eyebrows, grabbing his hand.

Yvette: “Maybe Santa can make your Chrismasu dream come true?!”

She smiled at Ashley, leading them to the queue to a mall Santa, sitting on a throne in the middle of the enormous store. Ashley chuckled.

Ashley: “I never had Santa growing up.”

He stated. Yvette and Maxx both gaped at him.

Yvette: “WHAAAAT?! Where did you get your gifts then?!”

She gasped. Ashley nodded in confirmation.

Ashley: “From the sun! We made each other gifts harvested from the Summer solstice off the land!”

He smiled. They both gaped at him.

Maxx: “Pfft, that’s weird, A-rad.”

He laughed.

Ashley: “Isn’t some old dude in a red suit climbing down your chimney to eat your cookies and give you stuff weird?”

He laughed and scratched his head.

Yvette: “No! That’s the magic of Christmas!”

She pouted. The queue moved ahead and it was their turn.

Ashley: “Uhh, what are you supposed to do?”

He laughed awkwardly.

Yvette: “You sit on his lap, make your Christmas wish, and get your photo with him, silly!”

She poked his nose. Ashley giggled.

Maxx: “Watch ‘n learn, A-Rad!”

He grinned, shoving past them and strolling over to the Mall Santa.

Maxx: “Hey! Santa! Gimmie da hottest lady babes in bikinis for Christmas! Oh, and Jacky-babe better fuck me!”

He commanded, pointing at the Mall Santa. The man shot him a disgusted glare.

Santa: “Oh, good heavens! There are children around!”

He scolded him. Angry parents covered their children's ears and left the queue.

Yvette sat down on Santa's knee.

Yvette: “All I want for Christmas is…”

She sighed.

Yvette: “TO CONQUER MY LOVE!”

She grinned, holding up her feather sword. The mall Santa stared blankly at her. Ashley blushed and chuckled.

Ashley: “I just want peace and love…”

He said earnestly.

Ashley: “And I already have that.”

He smiled at Maxx and Yvette and thought of Blake and Andreas back home. They were blinded by bright light as the cameraman snapped their photo with Santa.

~

Back in Selene Valley, Blake sat in the backyard on the patio, keeping his gaze fixed on Ashley’s veggie patch as he inhaled a drag of his cigarette. He thought about when Ashley would grow vegetables in Sunshire and harvest and cook up a huge feast for them for Christmas. He never stopped doing that, even after they left. This was the first time he wouldn't do that.

Andreas stepped out of the house and stood behind him, placing his hands on his shoulders.

Andreas: “It's a nice day today, we should go for a drive.”

He suggested.

Blake: “Why?”

He exhaled his cigarette.

Andreas: “Because I'm not going to let you mope around here. Come on, grab your jacket and the keys, and let's do something.”

He said firmly.

Blake: “I'm not moping.”

He rose, ashing out his cigarette.

Andreas: “Yes, you are.”

He teased and tugged his arm to leave.

~

Blake drove with Andreas seated beside him in the passenger seat. They drove through the neighborhood and passed by the Nuklear Intoxikation house. The house was now boarded up and abandoned. Vandals had spray-painted the walls and smashed the windows.

Blake: “What the fuck happened there?”

He queried. Andreas pondered.

Andreas: “I have a hunch they pissed off the Queen Bee.”

He offered. Blake scoffed and laughed.

Blake: “Not our circus. Not our monkeys.”

Andreas smiled and nodded.

They drove on the main road and got stuck in the Christmas traffic.

Blake: “I fucking HATE Christmas.”

He groused bitterly. Andreas flicked his gaze to him.

Andreas: “Why the hate?”

He pressed him.

Blake: “Because I don’t like singing kumbaya around a burning tree and worshipping the sun.”

He said dryly, blocking the sun from his eyes.

Andreas: “Yeah. I don’t like singing carols around a lit tree, worshipping a soda mascot.”

He quipped. Blake laughed and smiled at him.

Blake: “Ok, so Christmas is stupid, no matter where you are.”

He huffed.

Andreas: “Why does it have to be stupid? Why not celebrate it however you want to? No rule says you have to celebrate it this one way.”

He shrugged.

Blake: “I’d rather not celebrate it at all.”

He huffed. Andreas scoffed and laughed at him.

Andreas: “Then why are you moping about Ashley not being around to spread “sunny Christmas cheer” to you?”

He challenged, shuffling his tarot cards. Blake paused.

Blake: “Because it’s not about Sunshire or Christmas…”

He groused and paused.

Blake: “It’s about Ashley’s presence…”

He admitted. Andreas continued to shuffle his deck and smiled up at him.

Blake: “We stopped celebrating Christmas after our parents disappeared…”

He continued on a somber note. Andreas placed his hand on his lap.

Blake: “We’d just hang out that day like any other day. Ash would harvest fresh vegetables from the garden and cook up a feast and we’d just eat and talk about life…”

He explained. Andreas smiled and quirked an eyebrow.

Andreas: “Oh, you mean like Christmas?”

He deadpanned. Blake paused.

Blake: “Huh… I guess it kinda is. … he’d always make these wreaths for me. I never knew why.”

He pondered. Andreas’s eyes widened when ‘The World’ tarot card flew out onto his lap.

Andreas: “...Because you were his world and he wanted to connect to you.”

He smiled, tapping the wreath around the figure on the card. Blake’s eyebrows rose.

Blake: “Huh…”

Andreas: “And now he is out in the world, making connections.”

He added with a smile.

Blake: “Bad connections…”

He grumbled, thinking of Maxx and Makayla.

Andreas: “Better than no connections at all. He wasn’t growing and wasn’t happy being cut off from the world… like a plant deprived of light, air, soil, and water… the elements of the world!”

He countered.

Andreas: “The same could be said of you. The belief that you were alone in the world kept you from being happy...”

He swung his gaze to Blake. Blake pursed his lips, taking it all in.

Blake: “I don’t feel that way anymore…”

He placed his hand on his lap. Andreas smiled at him and took his hand.

Andreas: “I don’t think you hate Christmas. I think you hate how you were forced to participate in something that made you feel disconnected. That’s not how you connect to the world.”

He explained.

Andreas: “So… let’s celebrate Christmas in our own way… together.”

He locked his gaze on him. Blake turned to him and kissed him.

Blake: “I'd like that.”

He whispered. Andreas kissed him back.

~

Yvette, Maxx, and Ashley stood amongst the crowd, watching the Christmas parade. There were large balloons of cartoon characters, most popular of all was ‘Varg The Viking’ Yvette cheered at the ‘Varg The Viking’ Christmas float. Someone was dressed in the costume, waving at people passing by.

Yvette: “I LOVE YOU, VARG THE VIKING!”

She hollered at him like a fangirl, throwing her sandals at him onto the float. Ashley giggled, finding amusement in her antics.

Maxx: “This is lame.”

He pouted.

Yvette: “Don’t talk bad about Varg!”

She scolded him, whacking him with the base of her sword.

Ashley: “Wanna grab something to eat?”

He suggested, gesturing to the restaurants and cafés.

Yvette: “Let's go THERE!”

She pointed to a fancy Café. It was a small, quaint upscale café with fine red drapes framing the arch windows. The floor was a hardwood floor with a red oriental rug, red Victorian wallpaper, and a gold sculpted ceiling resembling a dragon. In the center was a crystal chandelier. The tables had fine linen cloths and red upholstered seats. The three of them sat down and studied the menu.

Yvette: “I want THAT!”

Ashley picked up the menu and his eyes widened at the prices.

Ashley: “Fifty bucks for a salad?!”

He gasped. Yvette nodded.

Yvette: “Ooh, what a good deal!”

She joked and laughed.

Ashley: “We don’t have to harvest and cook it ourselves here, right?”

He laughed bitterly thinking of ‘Edgy Veggie’ Yvette giggled.

Yvette: “Nope!”

She wagged her head.

Maxx: “Don’t worry, A-rad! Maxxy will get you da biggest hamburger!”

He grinned at him, pointing at the one-hundred-dollar Grand Wagyu royal deluxe burger. It had two Wagyu beef patties with prosciutto, saffron mayonnaise, melted cheddar cheese, red onion, tomato, lettuce, and caramelized onion sauce.

Ashley: “Oh, uh, thanks, Maxx, but I was thinking of getting the Gnocci.”

He said genially, pointing to the fifty-dollar creamy mushroom potato gnocchi. What’s with him thinking I love hamburgers so much? He thought.

The waitress came over to the table to take their orders.

Yvette: “I want the pork salad and a jack with coke!”

She beamed. Ashley quirked an eyebrow at her, taken aback by the unexpected drink order.

Ashley: “Isn’t that whiskey?”

He asked, recalling Blake drinking whiskey. Yvette nodded.

Yvette: “Yes, Jack and Coke is my faaaaavorite drink!”

She chirped. Ashley scratched his head.

Ashley: “Huh… you think you know someone and they surprise you.”

He smiled.

Maxx: “Gimmie chickie nuggiez!”

He commanded the waitress.

Ashley: “And sometimes they don’t surprise you.”

He laughed and shook his head at Maxx, sticking to his same predictable patterns. The waitress sighed.

Waitress: “Chicken tenders.”

She said to herself, jotting it down.

Maxx: “And for my best buddy, da Grand Wagyu royal deluxe burger!”

He grinned and winked at Ashley. Ashley went to interject, but he didn’t. He appreciated Maxx doing something nice for him and that burger was expensive and looked good anyway.

Ashley: “Thanks, Maxx.”

He smiled.

~

The waitress came back with their orders. Ashley's eyes widened at the size of his burger, filling up the entire plate. Yvette laughed and munched on her salad.

Yvette: “WOW! That’s almost the size of a stairway to Valhalla Burger at Voyage Burger!”

She gasped. Ashley picked out his tomato, placing it on the side of his plate.

Ashley: “R-Really?!”

He never had a burger this big before and wondered how he would eat it all. Maxx pouted at his chicken tenders.

Maxx: “Nah-ah! These aren't chickie nuggiez!”

He whined. Yvette winced as she sipped her jack and coke.

Ashley: “They're the same thing, just bigger, dude.”

He explained and cut up the pieces of chicken into smaller bite-sized pieces.

Maxx: “OHHH! You’re a food genius, A-Rad!”

He grinned. Ashley laughed awkwardly. He bit into his burger and his mouth watered to the burst of flavour.

Ashley: “Wow… this is amazing! Thanks, dude.”

He sighed happily, enjoying his burger. Yvette’s face turned pale as she sipped her drink.

Yvette: “I-I need to go to the Viqueen room!”

She gagged, rushing over to the bathroom.

Ashley: “Oh dear.”

He knit his eyebrows and flicked his gaze to her half-finished drink with curiosity. She said she likes that drink, but does she? He thought, munching on his burger.

A group of middle-aged women’s cackling filled the café, grabbing everyone’s attention. They resembled a rainbow with their bright-colored blazers. One of them was a caucasian woman with long platinum hair and botched plastic surgery, dressed in a blue blazer, the other one was an Indian woman with long henna hair dressed in a green blazer, and the one in the middle was someone they recognised.

Ashley: “Hey, isn’t that your mum, dude?”

He nudged Maxx, gesturing to Susan between the women, dressed in her neon pink blazer and skirt with a pillbox hat on her head.

Maxx: “Nooooo! Don’t let her see me!”

Maxx groaned and hid his face away in the menu.

Susan: “Ohoho, can you believe Mayumi wore the same dress to the yacht club that she wore to the Miller’s wedding?”

She chortled. The other women chortled with her. Ashley turned his attention to their conversation when he heard her mention Mayumi. Wait, isn’t that Jiro’s mother? He thought.

Indian Woman: “No… No way! What was she thinking?”

She gasped.

Susan: “She cut me off in traffic, Ayra! She’s from the ghetto!”

She scoffed. A Japanese woman entered the café and rushed over to their table. She was dressed in a red double-breasted blazer and skirt with red-tinged black hair.

Susan: “MAYUMI!”

She squealed, rushing over to her, hugging her, and kissing her cheek.

Mayumi: “SUSAN-CHAN!”

She squealed, kissing her cheek. Ashley gaped at what he saw.

Ashley: “I thought she hated Mayumi?”

He said to himself, taking another bite of his burger. Maxx buried his head under the menu, picking at his chicken nuggets.

Mayumi: “Sorry I’m late, ladies, Ichiro got a big promotion at the hospital!”

She gloated with a smug grin on her face.

Ayra: “Well, my son is a CEO!”

She gloated.

Blond woman: “My daughter is a star plastic surgeon. She did my surgery!”

She flipped her hair.

Susan: “Oh, how nice, Valerie.”

The three of them turned to Susan.

Mayumi: “What about your son, Susan.”

She smirked in a sing-song tone.

Susan: “My Maxwell is a famous rockstar!”

She gloated loftily. Maxx grinned to himself when he heard her say that.

Mayumi, sipped on her wine, stumbling over a laugh. Susan flicked her gaze to Mayumi.

Susan: “As a matter of fact, he is now dating Jiro’s ex-fiance and they are staying with us!”

She smirked at Mayumi, taking a sip of her wine. Mayumi spat on her wine. The other women gasped and cupped their mouths.

Ashley frowned and took a big bite of his burger when she claimed Yvette was dating Maxx.

Maxx: “Nah-ah! I’m not dating her!”

He pouted. Ashley felt at ease again and smiled a bit.

Valerie: “No way!”

She swung her gaze over to Mayumi who uncomfortably sipped on her wine.

Susan: “Yes! Jiro left that poor girl at the altar…”

She clicked her tongue and shook her head. Ashley quirked an eyebrow, listening closely. The women all shook their heads in disapproval.

Susan: “My Maxwell would never ditch his bride to fornicate with prostitutes!”

She huffed. Ashley cupped his mouth. Jiro didn’t just disappear… he ran away from her. He thought, sadly. Mayumi tensed up uncomfortably, finishing her wine.

Mayumi: “Well, I have my Ichiro. He has a good job and a good family!”

She said defensively, glancing down at her diamond watch.

Mayumi: “Ah. Well, I best be off to my salon appointment, ladies. Sayonara.”

She exclaimed, rising from her seat. Susan smirked widely, raising her wine glass.

Susan: “I’ll drink to victory.”

She cackled and took a sip of her wine.

Ashley knit his eyebrows, putting down his burger.

Ashley: “Oh no… poor Yvette.”

He sighed. Yvette came skipping back to the table. Ashley smiled at her.

Ashley: “Are you ok, Yvette?”

He exclaimed, pulling her into a hug.

Yvette: “Oh, yes, I’m ok, Ashley! What’s wrong?”

She smiled at him. Ashley paused. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that Jiro ran away from her, it would crush her and ruin her trip, he thought.

Ashley: “Oh, uhh, I was just worried about you getting sick from your drink, is all.”

He assured her, flicking his gaze to the remains of her Jack and Coke on the table.

Yvette: “Oh, I wasn’t sick from my drink!”

She shifted her eyes. Ashley tilted his head.

Ashley: “Oh, uh, ok… wanna get out of here and go shopping or something?”

He smiled.

Yvette: “Okay!”

She beamed.

Maxx: “Finally! Let’s get outta here! Let’s go to da best shop ever!”

He grinned eagerly.

~

Maxx dragged them through the back alley streets of Swanton.

Maxx: “This is da BEST shop in Swanton!”

He exclaimed, leading them into a discreet shop at the back of the alleyway.

Ashley: “Ohh, it’s a secret video library!”

He beamed and picked up a black videotape, reading the barely legible title.

Ashley: “Rock… star… fuckers?!?”

He blinked mutely, shoving it back.

Ashley: “Oh.”

Yvette: “That’s because it’s a NAUGHTY VIDEO STORE!”

She whacked Maxx over the head with the handle of her feather sword.

Maxx: “OWWWH!”

He wailed.

Maxx: “HEY! Gimmie dat, A-Rad!”

He scrambled over to him, grabbing the tape from his hands.

Maxx: “OWWWH! THEY MADE A PORNO ABOUT ME! I’M DA ROCKSTAR FUCKER!”

He grinned. Ashley tilted his head owlishly at him.

Ashley: “...Really?!”

He gaped at him disbelievingly.

Yvette: “But it says Rock-star-fuckers! It’s about rocks and stars!”

She read out the title.

Ashley: “Oh, I think it’s a play-on-words!”

He laughed.

Yvette: “Play-on-words? What’s that?”

She queried with curiosity.

Ashley: “Oh, it’s when you make words say two different things at once! Like a pun?”

He explained.

Yvette: “Oooh, magical!”

She beamed. Ashley chuckled.

Ashley: “Haha, it totally is! Words are magical… it’s amazing how what you say influences reality… like magic. A joke is like a spell to make someone laugh and a compliment is like a spell to make someone smile!”

He smiled, thinking back to this ‘word magic’ principle in Sunshire. Yvette’s face lit up.

Yvette: “Ohhh! That’s so cool! Does that mean if I say ‘I love you’ it means you will love me?!”

She beamed. Ashley smiled at her and paused to think. Do I love her? He wondered. The vibe feels different from what I felt with Makayla and I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing… I thought I loved Makayla…

Maxx interjected, ramming himself between them.

Maxx: “OWWW! Look what I got!”

He grinned, presenting them with the ‘Rock-star-fuckers’ tape.

Ashley: “Dude, you bought that?!”

He gaped at him. Yvette rolled her eyes at Maxx, whacking him with her sword handle again.

Maxx: “OWW!”

~

Blake and Andreas were decorating a spray-painted black Christmas tree, when they were alerted to a knock at the door. They both exchanged a look.

Blake: “It better not be her again.”

He huffed, stomping over to the door. His expression twisted into a scowl when he saw who stood there.

Blake: “What the fuck are YOU doing here?!”

He growled. Andreas peeked over his shoulder and frowned.

Andreas: “Go away, Craig.”

He sighed exasperatedly and went to close the door. Craig shoved his foot between the door and waved his hands.

Craig: “WAIT! I ain’t here for any trouble! I’m just lookin’ for Kayla! Is she here?!”

He knit his eyebrows, looking around. Andreas and Blake exchanged a look.

Blake: “Why the fuck would she be here, Craig? Ashley is done with her and you assholes!”

He huffed and rolled his eyes.

Andreas: “She was here the other day looking for Ashley, but he’s on a trip.”

He explained. He then had a sinking feeling he couldn’t shake. Blake and Andreas exchange a look.

Blake: “No, she fucking didn’t!”

He groused.

Craig: “WHAT?! TELL ME WHERE SHE IS!”

He rasped, grabbing Blake’s collar in a desperate plea. Blake glared at him, but his anger melted away when he saw the look in his eye and how it struck a chord with him.

Blake: “Is her car gone?”

He asked gently.

Craig: “Yeah… she just drove off and still hasn’t come back.”

He explained. Blake drew a breath.

Blake: “Then she went to Swanton.”

He sighed, lighting up a cigarette. Craig gaped at him.

Craig: “She’s goin’ after HIM?!”

He rasped, punching the door frame. Blake drew a breath.

Blake: “Yeah. I guess stalking runs in the family.”

He rolled his eyes. Andreas shook his head.

Craig: “I can’t believe she’s going back there!”

He growled.

Blake: “Ok, I gotta ask. What’s the deal with her and Swanton anyway?”

He folded his arms across his chest. Andreas and Craig exchanged a look.

~

Ashley, Maxx, and Yvette sat in Maxx’s bedroom together. Maxx jammed the “Rock-star-fuckers” tape into the VHS player with a grin. Yvette pouted.

Yvette: “We don't WANNA watch your gross tape!”

She groaned.

Ashley: “Come on, dude, let's go to a bar or something.”

He insisted, rising to his feet.

Roaring guitars blasted through the speakers, followed by wailing vocals.

“Rebel! I’m the rebeeel! We’ll sneak around in the niiiight! Gonna keep you up all niii-iiight!”

Ashley gasped, remembering when Maxx showed him this song he made when they first met.

Ashley: “Woah! Is that Sex Beest?! It really IS a porno about you!”

He gaped at him.

Maxx: “I TOLD YOU, A-RAD!”

He grinned smugly. Yvette groused.

Yvette: “Eww! I don't wanna watch it even more now than before!”

She whined, covering her face.

It cut to a shot that showed the back of a toned, pale olive-skinned man with teased black hair on top of a dark-skinned woman.

Maxx: “Hey! NAH-AH DATS NOT MAXXY!”

He whined when it showed the Japanese man's face hovering over the shot of the woman's large breasts as he penetrated her. Ashley’s eyes grew large.

Ashley: “H-hey! Isn't that your missing bandmate?!”

He gaped at Maxx, noting the man's almond brown eyes, unmistakable dragon chest tattoo, and red streak through his black hair.

Ashley: “Oh my god, dude! We found Jaxon!”

He exclaimed, shaking Maxx’s shoulders with glee. Yvette caught a glimpse of the movie, looking horrified.

Maxx: “IS DAT MCKAYLA?”

He shrieked at the dark-skinned woman. Ashley froze, gaping at him disbelievingly.

Ashley: “...W-What?!”

He gaped at him. The camera showed the woman’s face as she moaned. She had lime green hair with a purple stripe and violet eyes. Jaxon was hovering over her, licking her pussy. The woman moaned, raking her fingers through his hair.

Woman: “JAXON!”

She cried as she released.

Woman: “Pleasure me more! I crave it! I can’t take it anymore!”

She begged him as she trembled all over, her lips parted, and her thighs trembled.

Jaxon: “O-oh, Celeste! Take it, baby!”

He crooned and pulled out his throbbing member, rubbing it against her walls. Celeste moaned and grabbed the back of his head, moaning into his ear.

Ashley: “That’s not her, dude.”

He laughed and awkwardly scratched his head.

The next segment played with the title screen: “Hottie Hoggie.” It cut to a man with an olive-tan complexion, hogtied, being fed a plate of hamburgers by a woman’s hand as she sat on top of him. He resembled a planet with how his round stomach protruded and how high out of this world he was. He had a long blond shag cut that obscured his face. The woman rubbed his big belly as she fed him.

Maxx: “HAHAHAHAHAH! WOW, A-RAD! IS DAT YOU?!”

He burst out laughing. Ashley frowned.

Ashley: “What the hell?! NO?!”

He huffed.

Woman: “Ohh yes, my sexy piggie! Fuck me!”

She crooned as it cut to them having sex as she fed him hamburgers. It showed the back of the woman with her purple hair. Ashley paused and had a sinking feeling at the pit of his stomach. Maxx laughed like a hyena.

Maxx: “IS DAT MCKAYLA?!”

He shrieked. Ashley tensened up and swallowed hard.

Ashley: “...T-That’s NOT funny, dude!”

He hissed and shifted uncomfortably.

Yvette: “IT IS! LOOK!”

She paused the video on a shot of the woman’s face as she kissed his fat belly. Ashley’s heart sank when he saw the woman's face with her unmistakable freckles and piercing green eyes, confirming what he said was true. Blake always said ‘The clown always lies’ and he wished that were true. Ashley trembled all over, feeling like he was being stabbed in the heart by her all over again. Yvette seethed with red-hot fury and looked like she was going to explode.

Yvette: “THAT BIG-BOOBIED SLUT!”

She screamed at the top of her lungs.

Maxx: “NAH-AH! WHY IS SHE FUCKING FATTIES BUT NOT ME?!”

He whined.

Ashley hugged his knees, thinking back on what Makayla told him, filling in the blanks she left behind.

Makayla: “I lost everything in Swanton…”

Her voice trailed off as she abruptly stopped.

Ashley: “Wait, Swanton?! That’s where Maxx is from!”

He interjected.

Makayla: “Yeah…”

Her voice trailed off.

Ashley: “Makayla? Are you ok? What happened?”

He knit his eyebrows, placing his hand on hers. Makayla smiled down at his hand on hers.

Makayla: “I messed everything up!”

She swallowed hard.

Makayla: “I couldn’t do it…”

She sighed.

Ashley: “Couldn’t do what?”

He knit his eyebrows.

Makayla: “I couldn’t make it on my own…”

She finally said. Her voice dropped defeatedly.

Ashley: “...Haha…HAHAHA… HAHAHAHA!”

He laughed bitterly. They both turned to him.

Ashley: “She… lied to me…”

His voice trailed off as his mind raced with flashbacks.

Makayla: “...What’s this?”

She asked softly. Ashley sighed sadly.

Ashley: “Oh, Maxx’s bandmates have been missing for a few months now, so I’m helping him find them...”

He explained, recalling the years he spent trying to look for his parents to no avail.

Ashley: “Yeah… that’s Danny and Dicky… or is that one Dicky?”

He pointed to the man with vibrant red hair and the other man with teased blond hair.

Ashley: “And that’s Jaxon.”

He pointed at the Japanese man with the dragon tattoo on his chest and a red streak in his hair. Makayla froze.

Makayla: “Oh… I see.”

She swallowed hard.

Ashley tilted his head owlishly at her.

Ashley: “Do you know them, Makayla?”

He pressed her. Makayla paused.

Makayla: “...No.”

She pursed her lips.

Ashley: “Ah, damn. I wondered if you met his bandmates before and maybe you had some leads…”

He clicked his tongue.

Makayla: “...They’re his bandmates, huh?”

She cleared her throat. Ashley gave her a look.

Ashley: “Uhh, you seem shocked?”

He scratched his head.

Makayla: “It’s just… I didn’t even know Maxx had bandmates. I thought he made the whole thing up.”

Ashley: “...She said she shared her soul with me… she told me so much stuff from her life in so many details so openly… but she was vague about Swanton, and now I know why…”

He hugged his knees.

Ashley: “She lied to me. She knew about his band ALL his time!”

He held up Maxx’s missing poster with Jaxon's photo on it.

Maxx: “I TOLD YOU NUKLEAR WERE SNAKES, A-RAD!”

He pouted. Ashley sighed.

Ashley: “How do I know anything else she told me is even true?!? Did she lie about loving me, too?!”

He cupped his mouth.

Ashley: “Did she just like me because I’m fat?!”

He frowned.

Maxx: “Nah-ah! Chicks don’t like fatties, A-Rad!”

Ashley: “Nah-ah, yes they do! She was all over that guy’s belly… and mine…”

He laughed bitterly.

Yvette: “She’s going DOWN!”

She seethed, holding up her feather sword. Ashley smiled a bit.

Ashley: “Aww, thanks for your concern, Yvette.”

He pulled her into a hug. Yvette paused and smiled at him, hugging him back.