Post by Echo on Aug 23, 2011 0:14:03 GMT -5
At school on Monday I go in late, a pass from the doctor in my hand. After getting home on Sunday I hadn’t spoken to Alex at all. I go in to my first class and take my seat next to Seth.
“Are you ok?” he glances at me and I shrug.
“I told my dad,” when he shoots me a confused look I add, “About me and Alex.”
He takes a deep breath, “How did it go?”
I shake my head numbly and sigh. Bliss looks at me and smiles a little sadly. Like something is wrong? Am I missing something?
“He doesn’t care anymore. He’s been seeing someone and he’s trying to get better. But it’s hard for him.”
I can’t remember the last time I felt sorry for him. All I’d felt these past few years was fear. I’d been living my life in fear of not waking up the next morning. But things were starting to get better.
“Nero Andrews, you’re needed in the office.”
I look up at the teacher and hesitate before standing. She signs a pass for me to go and I glance once more at Seth and Bliss then exit the classroom. I walk slowly down the hall, and stop in front of the door to the main office. I peer in to see if I have a visitor and step back in shock. My dad is standing there with some brunette woman, and in front of him is Alex. From what I can see they are all three talking and I hold my breath when I open the door. Alex turns immediately to me and smiles.
“Nero, come in.” he steps towards me and I glance nervously at my dad.
“W-What’s going on?”
The lady I assume is my dad’s girlfriend looks at me and then at my dad.
“Are you sure?”
He nods and faces me.
“Nero, this is Millie.” He pauses, “We’ve been talking and… we’re getting married.”
I stare at the pair in shock then clear my throat. Alex pulls my hand so that I’m standing next to him and gives my dad a pointed look.
“Tell him the rest.”
He shuffles his feet, “We’re moving into an apartment, and I’m going to start working as an accountant.”
I nod and smile sadly, “So we’re moving again. How far?”
“You’re not coming with us.” My head snaps up at this and I stifle a gasp. “I can’t risk hurting you again. I talked to Alex, and after next week, if you want to, you’ll be living with him.”
Alex’s hand squeezes mine and I blink, trying to process everything.
“I…really?”
Alex nods and looks over at my dad.
“Only if you’re comfortable with it.” He says.
“Yeah.” I smile at him, “B-But, you won’t mind?”
He glances at my dad and Millie and shakes his head. I smile and turn to them, “Thank you, dad.”
“You’re moving in with Alex?”
Bliss and I are sitting on the floor in her room, our history textbooks in front of us, a bowl of chips next to them. It’s about an hour past school getting put and Bliss had invited me over. I take a chip and smile joyfully.
“Yeah, my dad has a girlfriend and they’re getting married. He said they’re moving a town over so he can still visit, he asked Alex if I could stay with him.” I put the chip in my mouth and look down at my half-done work.
“It looks like your dad really is trying to get better.”
I think about it, about how unreal it is. Just last week he’d beaten me for wanting to go to the GSA meeting… Now he was engaged, moving, and allowing me to move in with my boyfriend so he wouldn’t be able to hurt me.
“Millie is a great person, too. She’s been doing a lot of cleaning and the house looks good. She’s an awesome cook, and she really loves my dad.” I say.
Bliss nods and smiles. We go back to doing our work and after about half an hour of silence, my cell phone beeps. I open it to see a text from my dad.
Are you almost done with your work? –Dad
I text back saying I am and then ask why. He takes a few minutes to respond, but when he does I roll my eyes.
You need to come home soon and start packing.
I reply with an “ok” and look up at Bliss.
“I have to go home.”
She sighs, “So soon?”
I laugh and she grins, “Do you want Christy to drive you?”
I shake my head, “I’ll walk. It’s not too far, and it’s a lot warmer outside today than it was yesterday.”
“Nero…” she gives me a pointed look, “After this weekend…” she trails off.
I close my textbook and put it in my bag, “Fine, I’ll call Alex.”
I should have just said yes to her offer for Christy to drive me. Now I’m thinking about what happened at the park, and the long, stitched up slice on my back burns. It was only yesterday, but it seems like forever ago, though the marks are still there.
“Alright, thank you, Nero.”
I nod and pull my cellphone out and call Alex. He picks up on the first ring.
“Hey, cutie,” I blush and am glad he can’t see my face. “What do you need?”
“Hi, can you pick me up?”
He laughs, “Are you at Bliss’ house?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m headed over.” I open my mouth to reply, but he continues, “Nero?”
I bite my lip, “Yes?”
“I love you.” I can practically hear the smile on his lips.
“I love you too.” I feel my face redden.
He laughs once more before hanging up. I turn to pick up my bag and see Bliss smiling.
“You guys are so cute!” she exclaims.
I roll my eyes and give her a hug before leaving the house. I walk down to the corner and a few minutes later Alex pulls up in his red car. I get in and look at him, unable to stop myself from smiling.
“Where to, sweetheart?”
He pulls me closer and kisses me gently. The car is a little cold, he must not have turned on the heat, and his warm body is almost irresistible. I try to move closer to him, but being in a car makes it hard.
“Patience,” he pulls away and winks at me, “We’ll have all the time in the world in a week.”
I smile at that and sit back in my seat.
“Back to my dad’s.” I tell him, wishing we could just go somewhere else.
He nods, though, and begins driving.
“Alex?”
“Yeah?” he turns around a corner and stares forward.
“What’s your favorite color?”
He laughs and glances at me, a smile on his face and in his eyes.
“Why do you want to know?”
I look down and study my fingers, “I… don’t know. Everything is just going so fast. I’ve only known you for four days, and we’re supposed to be dating, but I hardly know anything about you and,” I take a deep breath, but stop.
“Don’t worry, as soon as you move in I’ll tell you everything.”
He takes one hand off of the steering wheel and grabs mine. I smile.
“My favorite color is green by the way. It used to be blue, but now it’s green.”
I nod and grip his hand tighter. He turns one more corner and then stops in front of my house. He kisses me softly before I get out. I pause in the middle of the yard and turn back.
“Why did you change your favorite color?”
I don’t know why I ask, but something tells me I should. He signals for me to come closer and I do, bending over to look in the car window. He leans forward and whispers into my ear.
“Because green is the color of your eyes.”
I blush deeply as he laughs and shuts the window. He waves at me as he pulls away from the house and I stand there watching his car, speechless.
“Nero!”
My dad’s voice brings me out of the trance and I walk up the yard and enter the house behind him.
“Hey, Nero.” Millie comes out of the kitchen and smiles, “How was school?”
I give a small wave, “After you guys left it was ok. There was no GSA today so I went to Bliss’ house and we did our homework.
She nods and goes back into the kitchen. I follow her to see what she’s cooking, but see that she’s cleaning the oven.
“Need any help?” I ask.
She shakes her head, “You go pack, I’m almost done.”
I sigh and make my way to my room. Either my dad or Millie must have come in here because there are a few boxes stacked against the wall. I look at them for a few minutes before deciding to pack my CDs and books first. I pack them neatly inside the box, and dig around in my desk drawer for a marker. I label the box and frown. Why am I even packing this early? It’s not like I’m going very far, and I don’t have much to take anyways.
“Hey Nero.”
I turn around to see my dad standing in the doorway.
“Hi.” I mutter.
He looks at the box and then at me.
“Why do I have to pack now?” I ask, “I’ve got all week.”
He shrugs, “Millie and I are starting to pack, too. Most of her apartment is already packed up. We found a house.” He pauses, “Do you want to go to Alex’s?”
I glance up and see he’s serious, but I’m not sure if I want to. Or at least, I do, but I’m positive he doesn’t really want me to go. And he most likely just got back.
“He’s probably busy with Honey and Sage…” I say, avoiding his eyes.
“Go help him out then.”
I take a deep breath, “Are you sure?”
He nods and I smile.
“Go have fun.”
“Nero!”
Honey tackles me and I wince as my back bumps into the railing on the stairs.
“Honey, please be careful.” Alex scolds the small girl.
She looks up at me, an apologetic look in her eyes. I smile and lean down to hug her. She runs up the stairs after that with Sage and I hear a door shut roughly.
“I take it your back is no better?”
I nod as his arms wrap around me gently. It’s been over a week since my dad came to school to tell me I was moving in with Alex, an event that would be happening tomorrow. The cut on his cheek has faded into an almost invisible scar, but the other marks on his torso are still an angry blue.
“Can I see?” he tugs on the bottom of my shirt and I turn in his arms. “Come on.”
He takes my hand and leads me upstairs, closing the door to his room quietly behind him. He pulls the shirt over my head and stands behind me. I feel his fingers running over my back and shiver.
“How’s it look?” I struggle to turn my head to see him and stop when his index finger brushes the cut. I wince and shrink away from him.
“Sorry.” He drops his hands to his sides, “It’s a little better, but it was really deep to start with.”
I relax my body and step over to him again. He touches my cheek and pulls me over to his bed.
“Alex?” I look at him as he sits on the bed and pulls me into his lap. “What if those guys show up again?”
His grip on me tightens and I wrap my arms around him in response.
“I won’t let anyone touch you.” He kisses me softly.
“But shouldn’t we tell someone? Isn’t what they did a hate crime?”
He shakes his head, a dark look in his eyes, “Nero, we live in a place where homosexuality is looked down on. The police won’t do anything. They don’t care.”
I frown, but nod. I understand. In this state, being gay is a sin. Being out is the same thing as asking for people to hate you.
“I won’t let anyone touch you.” He repeats, “I’m not going to let any of this get to you. No matter what, I’ll always love you.”
I smile down at him and press my lips to his, “I love you Alex.”
“Are you ok?” he glances at me and I shrug.
“I told my dad,” when he shoots me a confused look I add, “About me and Alex.”
He takes a deep breath, “How did it go?”
I shake my head numbly and sigh. Bliss looks at me and smiles a little sadly. Like something is wrong? Am I missing something?
“He doesn’t care anymore. He’s been seeing someone and he’s trying to get better. But it’s hard for him.”
I can’t remember the last time I felt sorry for him. All I’d felt these past few years was fear. I’d been living my life in fear of not waking up the next morning. But things were starting to get better.
“Nero Andrews, you’re needed in the office.”
I look up at the teacher and hesitate before standing. She signs a pass for me to go and I glance once more at Seth and Bliss then exit the classroom. I walk slowly down the hall, and stop in front of the door to the main office. I peer in to see if I have a visitor and step back in shock. My dad is standing there with some brunette woman, and in front of him is Alex. From what I can see they are all three talking and I hold my breath when I open the door. Alex turns immediately to me and smiles.
“Nero, come in.” he steps towards me and I glance nervously at my dad.
“W-What’s going on?”
The lady I assume is my dad’s girlfriend looks at me and then at my dad.
“Are you sure?”
He nods and faces me.
“Nero, this is Millie.” He pauses, “We’ve been talking and… we’re getting married.”
I stare at the pair in shock then clear my throat. Alex pulls my hand so that I’m standing next to him and gives my dad a pointed look.
“Tell him the rest.”
He shuffles his feet, “We’re moving into an apartment, and I’m going to start working as an accountant.”
I nod and smile sadly, “So we’re moving again. How far?”
“You’re not coming with us.” My head snaps up at this and I stifle a gasp. “I can’t risk hurting you again. I talked to Alex, and after next week, if you want to, you’ll be living with him.”
Alex’s hand squeezes mine and I blink, trying to process everything.
“I…really?”
Alex nods and looks over at my dad.
“Only if you’re comfortable with it.” He says.
“Yeah.” I smile at him, “B-But, you won’t mind?”
He glances at my dad and Millie and shakes his head. I smile and turn to them, “Thank you, dad.”
“You’re moving in with Alex?”
Bliss and I are sitting on the floor in her room, our history textbooks in front of us, a bowl of chips next to them. It’s about an hour past school getting put and Bliss had invited me over. I take a chip and smile joyfully.
“Yeah, my dad has a girlfriend and they’re getting married. He said they’re moving a town over so he can still visit, he asked Alex if I could stay with him.” I put the chip in my mouth and look down at my half-done work.
“It looks like your dad really is trying to get better.”
I think about it, about how unreal it is. Just last week he’d beaten me for wanting to go to the GSA meeting… Now he was engaged, moving, and allowing me to move in with my boyfriend so he wouldn’t be able to hurt me.
“Millie is a great person, too. She’s been doing a lot of cleaning and the house looks good. She’s an awesome cook, and she really loves my dad.” I say.
Bliss nods and smiles. We go back to doing our work and after about half an hour of silence, my cell phone beeps. I open it to see a text from my dad.
Are you almost done with your work? –Dad
I text back saying I am and then ask why. He takes a few minutes to respond, but when he does I roll my eyes.
You need to come home soon and start packing.
I reply with an “ok” and look up at Bliss.
“I have to go home.”
She sighs, “So soon?”
I laugh and she grins, “Do you want Christy to drive you?”
I shake my head, “I’ll walk. It’s not too far, and it’s a lot warmer outside today than it was yesterday.”
“Nero…” she gives me a pointed look, “After this weekend…” she trails off.
I close my textbook and put it in my bag, “Fine, I’ll call Alex.”
I should have just said yes to her offer for Christy to drive me. Now I’m thinking about what happened at the park, and the long, stitched up slice on my back burns. It was only yesterday, but it seems like forever ago, though the marks are still there.
“Alright, thank you, Nero.”
I nod and pull my cellphone out and call Alex. He picks up on the first ring.
“Hey, cutie,” I blush and am glad he can’t see my face. “What do you need?”
“Hi, can you pick me up?”
He laughs, “Are you at Bliss’ house?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m headed over.” I open my mouth to reply, but he continues, “Nero?”
I bite my lip, “Yes?”
“I love you.” I can practically hear the smile on his lips.
“I love you too.” I feel my face redden.
He laughs once more before hanging up. I turn to pick up my bag and see Bliss smiling.
“You guys are so cute!” she exclaims.
I roll my eyes and give her a hug before leaving the house. I walk down to the corner and a few minutes later Alex pulls up in his red car. I get in and look at him, unable to stop myself from smiling.
“Where to, sweetheart?”
He pulls me closer and kisses me gently. The car is a little cold, he must not have turned on the heat, and his warm body is almost irresistible. I try to move closer to him, but being in a car makes it hard.
“Patience,” he pulls away and winks at me, “We’ll have all the time in the world in a week.”
I smile at that and sit back in my seat.
“Back to my dad’s.” I tell him, wishing we could just go somewhere else.
He nods, though, and begins driving.
“Alex?”
“Yeah?” he turns around a corner and stares forward.
“What’s your favorite color?”
He laughs and glances at me, a smile on his face and in his eyes.
“Why do you want to know?”
I look down and study my fingers, “I… don’t know. Everything is just going so fast. I’ve only known you for four days, and we’re supposed to be dating, but I hardly know anything about you and,” I take a deep breath, but stop.
“Don’t worry, as soon as you move in I’ll tell you everything.”
He takes one hand off of the steering wheel and grabs mine. I smile.
“My favorite color is green by the way. It used to be blue, but now it’s green.”
I nod and grip his hand tighter. He turns one more corner and then stops in front of my house. He kisses me softly before I get out. I pause in the middle of the yard and turn back.
“Why did you change your favorite color?”
I don’t know why I ask, but something tells me I should. He signals for me to come closer and I do, bending over to look in the car window. He leans forward and whispers into my ear.
“Because green is the color of your eyes.”
I blush deeply as he laughs and shuts the window. He waves at me as he pulls away from the house and I stand there watching his car, speechless.
“Nero!”
My dad’s voice brings me out of the trance and I walk up the yard and enter the house behind him.
“Hey, Nero.” Millie comes out of the kitchen and smiles, “How was school?”
I give a small wave, “After you guys left it was ok. There was no GSA today so I went to Bliss’ house and we did our homework.
She nods and goes back into the kitchen. I follow her to see what she’s cooking, but see that she’s cleaning the oven.
“Need any help?” I ask.
She shakes her head, “You go pack, I’m almost done.”
I sigh and make my way to my room. Either my dad or Millie must have come in here because there are a few boxes stacked against the wall. I look at them for a few minutes before deciding to pack my CDs and books first. I pack them neatly inside the box, and dig around in my desk drawer for a marker. I label the box and frown. Why am I even packing this early? It’s not like I’m going very far, and I don’t have much to take anyways.
“Hey Nero.”
I turn around to see my dad standing in the doorway.
“Hi.” I mutter.
He looks at the box and then at me.
“Why do I have to pack now?” I ask, “I’ve got all week.”
He shrugs, “Millie and I are starting to pack, too. Most of her apartment is already packed up. We found a house.” He pauses, “Do you want to go to Alex’s?”
I glance up and see he’s serious, but I’m not sure if I want to. Or at least, I do, but I’m positive he doesn’t really want me to go. And he most likely just got back.
“He’s probably busy with Honey and Sage…” I say, avoiding his eyes.
“Go help him out then.”
I take a deep breath, “Are you sure?”
He nods and I smile.
“Go have fun.”
“Nero!”
Honey tackles me and I wince as my back bumps into the railing on the stairs.
“Honey, please be careful.” Alex scolds the small girl.
She looks up at me, an apologetic look in her eyes. I smile and lean down to hug her. She runs up the stairs after that with Sage and I hear a door shut roughly.
“I take it your back is no better?”
I nod as his arms wrap around me gently. It’s been over a week since my dad came to school to tell me I was moving in with Alex, an event that would be happening tomorrow. The cut on his cheek has faded into an almost invisible scar, but the other marks on his torso are still an angry blue.
“Can I see?” he tugs on the bottom of my shirt and I turn in his arms. “Come on.”
He takes my hand and leads me upstairs, closing the door to his room quietly behind him. He pulls the shirt over my head and stands behind me. I feel his fingers running over my back and shiver.
“How’s it look?” I struggle to turn my head to see him and stop when his index finger brushes the cut. I wince and shrink away from him.
“Sorry.” He drops his hands to his sides, “It’s a little better, but it was really deep to start with.”
I relax my body and step over to him again. He touches my cheek and pulls me over to his bed.
“Alex?” I look at him as he sits on the bed and pulls me into his lap. “What if those guys show up again?”
His grip on me tightens and I wrap my arms around him in response.
“I won’t let anyone touch you.” He kisses me softly.
“But shouldn’t we tell someone? Isn’t what they did a hate crime?”
He shakes his head, a dark look in his eyes, “Nero, we live in a place where homosexuality is looked down on. The police won’t do anything. They don’t care.”
I frown, but nod. I understand. In this state, being gay is a sin. Being out is the same thing as asking for people to hate you.
“I won’t let anyone touch you.” He repeats, “I’m not going to let any of this get to you. No matter what, I’ll always love you.”
I smile down at him and press my lips to his, “I love you Alex.”