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</span>​</div><br/><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">Something flashed beneath the surface of Jaxon's hardened expression but it vanished before Gabriel could investigate the sudden shift. It was too late, the emotion disappeared before he could identify it, like reaching desperately for an escaped balloon; the string dangling so tantalizingly close but the wind pushing it away so that it was lost forever. The next best thing  to cause a serious deviation away from a pleasant conversation to unprovoked violence was to to have Slater Conway threatening to shoot both Jaxon and his dog, Kiv.</span></span><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf"></span><br/><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">After Slater's angry fist connected with his face, Gabriel lost his balance and fell on the ground. Staggering to his feet, it was if Gabriel possessed powers of prognostication and could foresee the brutality that Slater intended to commit. Bleeding heavily, Gabriel was panicked by the loud report of the shotgun, and was trying like hell to get Jaxon on the same page with him. They needed to leave before someone got killed, because Gabriel was positive that his jealous ex-boyfriend was capable of doing it. </span></span><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf"></span><br/><i><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">Except the world didn't revolve around Slater Conway, like he believed it did.</span></span></i><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf"></span><br/><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">Gabriel crushed hard for Slater as a freshman at Horizon High School. The 16 year-old junior was smart, athletic, popular and he had the All-American good looks to go along with the full package. He didn't even know that Gabriel existed, until he started failing Spanish class and Gabriel volunteered to help him out with his studies. The two would meet to study at Slater's upper middle class home, and a relationship blossomed from that. One weekend when his parents were out of town they drunkenly wrestled in the den.</span></span><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf"></span><br/><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">Gabriel couldn't hide his attraction any longer. They kissed, and then had sex even though Slater insisted he wasn't gay. Regardless, Gabriel's fate was sealed and so was the secret that Slater Conway was some kind of fag pussy. After all, he wasn't the one taking it up the ass, Gabriel was. Someone needed to send the news flash to Gabriel who was head over heels in love with Slater, who would ignore him in school and ravage him on the weekends.</span></span><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf"></span><br/><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">After a year, every conversation Gabriel engaged in with Slater turned into a subtle competition that Slater didn't plan on losing. Even the smallest infraction provoked his dark anger. Slater selfishly took all the love Gabriel gave him as if it was his right to have it, and in return showed only the most superficial gesture in return. As their toxic relationship  grew like a cancer, it infested everything precious to Gabriel. He belittled Gabriel in front of their friends, making himself the center of every conversation, always manipulating things to make himself  the victim.</span></span><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf"></span><br/><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">Slater showed Gabriel no empathy, as he dominated, hurt, and waged war with Gabriel's friends and family until Gabriel was left isolated. All he ever wanted was love, understanding, and peace. After every childish meltdown, Slater made Gabriel work twice as hard for his affection all over again, until he begged for it. He took Gabriel's self esteem and burned it to ashes, even requiring his "permission" to be friends with people, but get antagonistic and jealous if Gabriel came across as flirty when he was just trying to be himself.</span></span><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf"></span><br/><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">Slater's fist hit Gabriel and he fell down to the sidewalk with the force of it. The first time Slater struck him was four years ago, had been right after the homecoming game. He was at the Niner Diner with Slater's group of friends, when Slater decided to order something off the menu for both of them without even asking what he wanted to eat. When Gabriel questioned Slater about it, the rudeness was turned against him with Slater's words of blame and how he deserved what he was getting. The hard slap stunned Gabriel even though his hand was empty.</span></span><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf"></span><br/><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">Just as it was then,  it was now. Slater's punch felt like being hit with a hunk of meat in the face, and once again he had to endure his additional wounding of negative words. The poisonous verbage spilling from Slater's mouth, a guy that professed to love him in the private moments they shared. Days later, he was given tokens to forget the collateral damage left behind in his boyfriend's wake. Bruises, cuts, broken bones and excuses for Slater's bad behavior threw the scale out of balance as Slater's regrets and apologies for the damage he had done piled up.</span></span><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf"></span><br/><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">Once Slater fired the shotgun, the situation spiraled out of his control. Gabriel obeyed Jaxon as he climbed into the passenger seat, rolled up the window and locked the door. Gabriel's heart was hammering out of his chest as he tried to stem the flow of blood, and call on his cell phone at the same time. Another shotgun blast, completely missing Kiv got the attention of homeowners on Vista Grande Circle, who poked their heads outside their doors and saw a man with a rifle, and rushed back inside to call the cops.</span></span><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf"></span><br/><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">The noise did something else to Jaxon, causing him to turn his dog on Slater. Before Slater could get a shot off at the German Shepherd, Kiv barreled into him and sank 20 teeth in his upper jaw and 22 in his lower deeply into Slater's forearm, savagely attacking him. With Kiv's mouth exacting 238 pounds of pressure per square inch upon Slater's arm, when Slater tried to swing the rifle to hit Kiv, the weapon dropped to the sidewalk with a clatter, and Slater started to scream. </span></span><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf"></span><br/><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf"><b>"Get OFF you MUTT! Get him the fuck off! What are you crazy dude! I am so going to sue your ass off. OW OWWWWW OH GOD. HELP! Someone call the police!!!"</b> he screamed at Jaxon and whoever was brave enough to come outside and witness an abuser getting his just desserts.</span></span><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf"></span><br/><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">Slater was trying to use his good arm to beat the dog off of his arm, now bleeding heavily from the crushing force of Kiv's bite. Gabriel was crying, speaking shakily in Spanish as he reached his Uncle inside the main house. He was sleeping before having to go to work, and Gabriel's terrified voice issued into the cell phone. <i>"Tío Armando, éste es Gabriel. Estoy fuera de la casa."</i></span></span><br/><i><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">
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<div class="bbCodeBlock-content">Translation: Uncle Armando, this is Gabriel. I'm outside the house.</div>
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</div>"Gabriel? Sabes que tengo que dormir para trabajar. ¿Qué pasa? ¿Que pasó? ¿Perdió su llave de nuevo?"<br/>
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<div class="bbCodeBlock-content">Translation: Gabriel? You know I have to sleep for work. What's wrong? What happened? Did you lose your key again?</div>
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</div></span></span></i><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf"><span style="font-size: 18px"><i>"¡No hay tío, no me olvidé de la llave! ¡Por favor escuchame! Un amigo me estaba dejando en la casa y Slater estaba esperando. Me golpeó y amenazó con disparar a mi amigo ya su perro. E</i></span><i><span style="font-size: 18px">stoy sangrando.Slater se ha vuelto loco, nos dispara con la escopeta! ¡Llame a la policía! ¡Por favor! ¡AHORA!"</span></i></span><br/><i><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">
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<div class="bbCodeBlock-content">Translation: <i>No uncle, I didn't forget the key! Please listen to me! A friend was dropping me off at the house and Slater was waiting. He hit me, and threatened to shoot my friend and his dog. I'm bleeding. Slater has gone crazy, he's shooting at us with the shotgun! Please call the police! Please! NOW!</i></div>
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</div></span></span></i><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">Fortunately for Gabriel, his Uncle Armando wasn't the only one that called 911. At least six other concerned neighbors had done their civic duty, and in the distance sirens were wailing. Kiv subdued Slater, perhaps to get him prepared for the epic beat down that was about to commence. Jaxon ran over, kicking the Marlin Rimfire out of the reach of Slater, and then gave the command to Kiv to let go of his arm, which from where Gabriel could see looked like shredded meat.</span></span><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf"></span><br/><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">"What the fuck is your major malfunction du-" Slater's angry tirade cut off abruptly as Jaxon laid into him, fist flying. <br/>
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Gabriel sat in the passenger seat in an emotional disconnect from what was going on around him. It was as if everything he loved about Slater had died in that moment that he hit him this last and final time. A part of him silently prayed that Jaxon would beat him to death before the Horizon City Police Department showed up. Gabriel certainly didn't rush out of the truck in order to save Slater's ass. He got out in order to get Jaxon the hell out of the fight before he looked at though he was the aggressor.<br/>
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"Jaxon, the cops are coming. Please stop hitting him. I want to press charges this time. For assaulting me and threatening you and Kiv. This time I'm going to do it." Gabriel said with renewed confidence, despite having swollen lips and a bloody nose.</span></span><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf"></span><br/><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">Gabriel spun around when he heard the familiar sounding voice of his Uncle Armando calling his name from the driveway. His Uncle had overheard what he said, but their conversation would probably sound like a bunch of rapidly spoken, rather emotional gibberish  to everyone else as his Uncle approached him and put his arms around him, hugging. The two men separated, and Armando looked closely at his nephew, studying and then touching Gabriel's wounded face.</span></span><br/><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf"><br/>
<i>"<span style="font-size: 18px">¡Dios mío, Gabriel! ¿Estás bien? Su llamada telefónica me asustó!¿Este es el bastardo que te hizo esto Gabriel? ¿Y todas esas veces antes cuando dijiste que era un accidente? Sí, es hora de que usted presente cargos contra él. Necesita aprender una lección en la cárcel."</span></i></span><br/><span style="font-size: 18px"><span class="fixed-color" style="color:#bfbfbf">
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<div class="bbCodeBlock-content">Translation:My God! Are you OK? You worried me on the telephone! Is this the bastard that did this to you Gabriel? And all those times before when you said it was an accident? Yes, its time for you to press charges against him. He needs to learn a lesson in jail</div>
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</div>"Sí lo es, tío Armando. ¿Me ayudará a presentar cargos cuando venga la policía?" Gabriel asked, as his Uncle looked at Jaxon and the man on the ground that just got his ass kicked.<br/>
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<div class="bbCodeBlock-content">Translation:Yes, Uncle Armando. Will you help me press charges when the police come?</div>
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</div><i>"Si por supuesto lo haré. La familia primero, Gabriel</i>. Is this the friend you spoke of?" he gestured to Jaxon.<br/>
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<div class="bbCodeBlock-content">Translation: Of course I will. Family first, Gabriel.</div>
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</div>"Yes Uncle Armando. This is Jaxon Pierce, and that's his dog, Kiv. Jaxon? This is my Uncle Armando. He lives here. I rent his casita in back." Gabriel explained, the squad cars pulling up while they stood there. Jaxon was going to have to get Kiv under control and calm down a little, but not before his Uncle extended his hand to Jaxon.<br/>
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"For what you've done for my nephew, you and your dog have my thanks and my welcome. Anytime, <i>mi amigo."</i><br/>
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"It's about time you guys showed up, these two-"<br/>
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It was perfect timing when the two uniformed officers approached, and several neighbors came out and explained what they saw happen before Slater could finish his sentence. He was on the losing end this time, as one of the cops hauled him up and placed Slater under arrest.<br/>
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"Hey I know my rights! Second amendment says I can fire a gun if I damn well want to. That little bastard over there and his retarded bodyguard knows he's not gonna do shit!" Slater spat on the ground, and the officer wrote him an additional citation for littering.<br/>
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The charges against Slater Conway were only<i> just beginning.</i></span><br/>
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