Disclaimer: I don't own Four Brothers, this is purely for fun.

One Second

Some people believe that it takes more than one night to change a person. The truth is, it really just takes a second. One simple second that could cause a person to regret a decision for the rest of their lives. A second that could keep the deepest secrets. Just one second to change a life…

Angel had just finished getting ready, ready for a party. He waltzed down the stairs in deep blue jeans, a white wife beater covered with a red, burgundy and white striped shirt, aviator sunglasses and a black baseball hat worn backwards. It was Angel Mercer, in all his nineteen-year-old glory. His feet made light thuds as he walked across the front hallway floor, searching for shoes to complete his get up.

It was when he was squatted down in the front closet that his mother finally made her presence known. Angel was oblivious to her standing behind him, her mouth covered with her hand, trying to suppress a smirk. She was proud of who he turned out to be, proud that she had helped raise him into such a fine young gentleman.

She couldn't hold it in anymore and let out a small laugh. Angel turned his head around so fast he lost his balance and landed on the floor below him with a loud whack. Evelyn just laughed harder, even as he glared up at her.

"Ma." He whined, embarrassed that he had just fallen.

"Oh Angel, I'm sorry." She replied, the grin still present on her angelic face.

"Where are my shoes?" The embarrassment quickly forgotten as he glanced at his watch.

"I put them in the laundry room." She answered sweetly.

Angel hauled himself off the floor and made his way into the laundry room as quickly as he could. She would be waiting for him in a matter of minutes and he didn't like to keep people waiting.

Evelyn made her way into the living room, spotting her other three sons laying around, watching some cartoon. She stood in the doorway and watched silently, not wanting to disturb them. She was proud of what they had all become. From juvenile delinquents to young gentlemen. From terrified little boys to courageous men. She would always be proud of her sons.

"MA!"

Evelyn turned quickly to cater to Angel who was growing frustrated, not being able to find his shoes. He marched back through the house to stand in front of her, holding one of his shoes in his left hand.

"Angel, did you even look for the other one?" Evelyn asked.

"Yes and I didn't find it."

"Alright, I'll go take a look." Evelyn sighed.

Angel stepped towards the living room as Evelyn brushed past him. He stood in the doorway and watched the TV long enough to realize that his brothers were watching The Simpsons.

"Isn't there anything else on?" He asked.

Bobby turned his head from his position on the couch and just glared at Angel. Jeremiah stretched out his arms from his spot on the floor and Jack, he just shrugged at Angel, not even bothering to tear his eyes away from the TV.

"We can't all be fucking partiers like you." Bobby retorted.

"You just jealous." Angel barked back.

"Of you. Right. I'm jealous of you." Bobby replied sarcastically.

Jack and Jeremiah just let out quiet laughs, not wanting to get into an argument with Bobby or Angel. It was better if they just minded their own business.

"Well I don't see you with any friends." Angel stated, matter-of-factly.

"Nah man, they're just too cool for you."

"Right-"

"ANGEL!" Evelyn's voice had stopped the argument, dead.

"What Ma?"

"I found your shoe!"

Angel turned around and ran at his mother, grabbing the shoe from her hands and flopping onto the second last step to put them on. He stood up once they were securely on his feet and peaked out the window in the front door. She hadn't shown up yet.

Angel walked into the living room and took a seat on the couch beside Bobby, purposely trying to cause another argument.

"Yo Angel, why do you hang out with her anyways?" Jerry asked, the show had gone to commercials.

"What do you mean?"

"Why do you hang out with a seventeen-year-old girl?" Bobby asked, specifying what they all wanted to know.

Angel glared at Bobby before reaching out and smacking him on the leg. Ignoring the question, Angel stood up and stomped into the front hall. He grabbed a jacket from the closet and whipped the front door open. The door slammed behind him, making the three guys in the living room jerk from the loudness. Evelyn just shook her head.

As soon as he stepped onto the driveway, she pulled in, driving her little red Chevy Cavalier. It was the one thing in her life that was all hers. She didn't have much stuff that was all hers. Her room was shared with her older sister, who was never around. Her clothes were also shared with her older sister. Her textbooks were her sister's before they were hers. Her car though, it was all hers, no sharing with anyone.

Angel stepped around the car to the passenger's door before pulling it open and climbing in. He took a look at his best friend Riley before pulling the door shut. She gave him a smile before pointing at his neglected seatbelt. Angel buckled up as she backed out of the driveway.

"Ready to party?" She asked with a smirk.

"Hell yeah!"

Riley Samuels was Angel's best friend, ever since she moved into the house down the road. They had met seven years before, when she was ten and he was twelve, and were best friends ever since. He watched her grow up from a tiny little girl with short, light brown pigtails into the gorgeous, dark brown haired girl she was presently.

Her dark brown hair was straight with a slight flare at the bottom. There were obvious red and orange streaks throughout it, and they were bright. Her brown eyes were nothing special to her but one look into her eyes and Angel knew exactly what her mood was. It was her curves that attracted the attention of most boys at her high school, the school Angel had graduated from two years earlier. She was in her last year and wasn't exactly planning on going anywhere for post-secondary education.

Tonight though, Riley was wearing her tight blue jeans that flared out at the bottom. She had on her converse high tops, the tongues dangling out from under the pant legs. Her tight white t-shirt with black and red heart down the right side hugged her in all the right places. What made her outfit strictly Riley was the leather jacket. It was a perfect fit for her. The bottom of it just brushed the top of her jeans, which sat just below her belly button. The sleeves were just slightly too long for her, but the silver studs around the cuff still made her look fierce.

No one messed with Riley Samuels. Not just because she was intimidating on her own, no. If anyone messed with Riley, they'd have Angel to deal with and his name was all it took to instill fear on anyone in the community.

The two of them were strictly best friends, nothing more. Angel in fact had a steady girlfriend, Sofi, who just happened to be out of town that weekend. Riley never thought about Angel as anything more than a friend, he was like an older brother to her, only slightly less protective.

Nonetheless, here they sat, in the front of her Cavalier, driving ten minutes down the road to a house party hosted by none other than Gigi Devers, a punk at Riley's school. She was the most well known punk at the school, not necessarily popular, but she had tones of friends, or people who liked to party. Riley was a friend, a close friend, who always had invites to Gigi's parties.

Angel knew a bunch of the guys who were going to be there. They were his age but had failed to graduate on time; either that or they had stayed back an extra year or so to play basketball or football. That was why Angel was going, that and someone had to watch Riley's back.

She pulled onto Gigi's street and parked behind a black pick-up truck a couple houses down from Gigi's. The street was lined, on both sides, with cars and as soon as the two of them got out of the car, they could hear loud rock music from the house.

It was obvious that people were already drunk and passed out, some teens laying on the front lawn, practically out cold. There were empty beer bottles littered all over the front lawn, the front porch too. Angel set his arm around her shoulders protectively as they entered the house, the music instantly going up a billion notches.

They two of them stuck together, wandering through the house, looking around at the groups of people dancing and drinking or the random people half passed out on the floor. Riley locked eyes with the guy she had been crushing on for the last six months. He smiled at her and she melted inside. Angel removed his arm from her shoulders but remained behind her, walking as close as possible, trying to keep her away from the creepers.

They reached the kitchen and bee lined it right for the giant bucket, full of ice and bottles of beer. Angel reached down and grabbed two, handing one to Riley after popping the cap off and tossing it back into the bucket. She drank half of it in one go.

"Slow down there Girly." Angel had warned in a joking tone.

"I can hold my alcohol just as well as you." She replied.

"Yeah yeah, just watch yourself."

"I will." She grinned, finishing her beer with another drink.

Angel watched her as she made her way back towards the front door, he knew she was going to find the guy she liked, he thought his name was Kevin Mackenzie. Angel shrugged her off and started to enjoy the party himself, starting with a second beer.

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