The Heart of Revenge by Richie Drenz

everyone.
    At seventeen, Dr. Reid told Mom that Vance’s
heart was growing faster and getting worse than before because he
wasn’t getting the medications he needed, and if he didn't get the
medications every year it would only get worse and worse till
death. The rapid growth had stolen two years from how soon he would
die. He told Mom that Vance would now die at thirty. It was that
year Mom made the difficult decision to send me to live with
Michael Douglas and Qwan. She needed the money.
    However, it wasn’t until Vance was eighteen
that I successfully got some help for him with his medication. I
got the money to help him from Qwan, two thousand U.S. that Qwan’s
father, Micheal Douglas was questioning. He wasn’t happy about it,
to say the least.
    The medication had helped to retard the
growth of his heart and slowed down its unusual growth drastically.
By the grace of God, Vance’s heart didn’t grow much that year, but
Dr. Reid told him he had developed a severe left ventricular
dysfunction and one of his heart’s valves needed to be replaced. He
added Vasotec to his prescription which, by itself, cost about
another two thousand U.S. making his medication bill for the year
just below four thousand U.S. dollars. Dr. Reid said that he’d die
at twenty-six. Vance now had only eight years to live. From that
moment Vance tried not to get attached to anyone. He had no
girlfriends and the nickname calling got a lot worse.
    Now it was rumoured, better yet taken as a
given, that he was gay. And he had to be gay. In the ghetto at
eighteen, no girlfriends and played no physical sport. He must be
gay. Everyone now more prevalently called him Battyboy-Vance. Once
coming from school he was clamoured in his back with a river stone.
He didn’t see who threw it but he heard a voice that sounded like a
grown man shouted,
    “Battyboy-Vance! You must dead! Leave the
place battyboy!”
    Another stone was pelted into his thigh with
a bigger rupture of pain than the one before . He ducked, cover his
head and began running. He felt another river-stone shot into his
side. He managed to ducked the one that was blasting directly to
his head. Ever since that, Vance got scared of going on the road.
He hated the road. Hating to go to school. Hating the unfair world.
Hating life. The world hated him. He wanted to die.
    Vance turned nineteen without having a
girlfriend. He spent even more time in Ms. Merl’s garden than ever
before. He spoke less and he spent more time organising and doing
projects for the HYC. It wasn’t easy but I got the four thousand
dollars from Qwan for his medication. Qwan had to let it be a
secret from his father because he didn’t approve of the idea.
Micheal Douglas would say it was not his responsibility. That I
wasn’t his wife, he should not be stupid and give me that large
amount of money, but I convinced Qwan to do it anyway but under the
quiet. Dr. Reid told Mom Vance would die at twenty-four, only five
years to live. After that news, Mom’s blood pressure went through
the clouds.
    .
    Things finally began to look up, at twenty,
Vance was taking his medication and it was his best year since he
was twelve. His heartbeat didn't fluctuate beyond normal, no mild
heart attacks, no dizziness, no complaints about chest pains. A
couple of times well, he got out of the house, laced up his black
and red football boots and played some Salad-A-Kick with Patrick.
He and Beanie were friends again and his life was getting to what
we wanted it to be - normal. Vance was fit and kicking and Mom’s
high blood pressure went down. He was skilful with the football and
earned his respect on the football field. The other boys always
wanted to pick him first on their side. Even before Patrick, who
was the top footballer amongst them. Though Patrick was skill with
the ball he was even more selfish with it. Patrick began to carry
feelings against Vance for that. No one wanted to pick Beanie on
their team. No one. Beanie was too