After Theo comes out as gay to his best friend, his life becomes a living hell. Ruthlessly bullied, Theo falls deep into his depression, and is ready to give up on life. But then an unlikely ally steps in...
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-Theo-
I was pretty sure that I was going to be expelled from school. They had given me a warning only a day before, so I assumed it was all over now.
Deon took me home once I recovered enough to stand, and the ride was a pretty silent one. He was still angry, and he didn't reply to me when I tried to thank him for saving my ass. I didn't try to keep the conversation going – it was obvious he wasn't going to talk to me anymore. I could only wish he'd be in a better mood tomorrow.
"Thank you," I said silently once more after getting out of the car.
He just nodded without saying a word, but it was better than nothing. I closed the door, and he drove off, leaving me to face my dad alone. I preferred it that way – I didn't want Deon to be there when my dad came home from work.
I took a deep breath and walked to the front door. With a heavy feeling in my chest, I stepped in. Thankfully, there was no one home yet. The silence in the empty house didn't give me much comfort, though. I wondered if the school had already contacted my dad.
I went to find something to eat, but the fridge was empty. The whole house was a mess, and the obnoxious stink of alcohol and cigarettes was getting overwhelming, so I decided to start cleaning. Maybe if the house was clean, my dad wouldn't be so angry with me. I shivered when I thought about him. He would probably hit me this time.
My head was still hurting, and my cheek was swollen, but I ignored it. I was hungry and tired, and I was feeling feverish, so I was sure I'd get sick again. My body begged me to go get some rest, but instead I grabbed a vacuum cleaner from the closet under the stairs.
Two hours later, I was sweating, shaking and feeling dizzy, but the first floor looked much nicer. I had collected all the empty beer cans in one huge plastic bag, and all the trash into another one. All the windows and doors were open, but it didn't quite erase the bad smell.
There was still a lot to do. The once white walls had stains all over them, making them look almost yellow. Our dark-blue carpets had turned gray from all the dust and sand the old vacuum cleaner hadn't been able to remove. When I had opened the windows, I moved the thick, blue curtains away, and more dust fell on me.
I had plenty of time before my dad would be home, but my body just refused working. I nearly fainted when I was taking the trash out. I returned back inside and climbed up to my room, somehow managing to fall down on my bed when my knees suddenly gave up. I curled into a tiny, trembling ball and pulled the duvet over my shivering body, feeling really sick, and I passed out soon after.
*****
I always slept lightly because I was afraid of getting hurt if I wasn't alert all the time. So when the front door was slammed shut, I woke up. The fear washed over me instantly, and for a moment, I just shivered under my covers, staring at the wall in front of me.
