Escape || an LGBT+ story (DISCONTINUED)

Chapter 69

Mike is tapping the steering wheel, humming lightly, while driving the three of us to Jamie's party. I am in the back seat, Josh is leaning against me. He is a bit tired since he's just had a rehab session. Mike picked us up right after that. 

From Ian's flatmates, it was just Josh and Mike who were invited. Of course, Nick and Jake aren't. Jamie hates Jake and I doubt Jake would even dare to come when their first encounter ended in Jake getting knocked out within ten seconds. Those two will never become friends. And Nick... well, that was also when Jake went K.O. Those two are so close though, inviting only one of them would feel like a crime.

Jamie gets along well with Mike though. They have also met just a few times, but he is a pacifist and woke and also the one Ian is closest to in the flat, so naturally Jamie likes him as well. He likes to play hard to get around Ian a lot, but when Ian says he likes something, Jamie will go to great lengths to ensure that he gets it. I don't know what his deal with blue is lately, but I'm pretty sure Ian said something. I actually considered buying him a blueberry costume because it seems as if he's trying to become one, and I'd love to help him. However, I already overspent on the present Josh and I bought for him.

When we arrive, Mike opens the trunk to take out Joshua's wheelchair. Joshua is officially not allowed to leave the hospital for this long, but they saw no harm in making an exception. It's not like we're going to do anything really exhausting, and I'll bring him back.

'Jay!' As soon as Jamie sees me, he runs towards me and hugs me. 'Thank god you're here, I really need someone to talk to. This Ian-dude, I don't know what to do with him.'

'What did he do?' I ask while patting his back. He's holding on a bit too tight, but I guess he needs it.

'This b*tch, he- Joshua, why are you tugging at my shirt?'

I look down and indeed, Joshua is tugging at Jamie's shirt, trying to pull him away from me. Jamie lets go. 'What, are you jealous?'

'No,' Joshua says. 'I'm afraid you'll break his ribs, because if you do, he can't wear his binder and he'll be sad.'

'Aww, how considerate,' Jamie says sarcastically, leaning over the wheelchair and holding Joshua in a way that seems too tight for an embrace but too weak for a chokehold. 'Good to see you, anyway.'

'Yeah, happy birthday,' Joshua says, pulling Jamie's arms away from his body. I already said happy birthday to Jamie today, at 12.00 AM.

'Thanks, bro. Anyways, Ian. He-'

'Joshua! Why are you in a wheelchair?'

'Oh f*clk, I forgot,' Jamie mumbles, straightening his back. Zoey is running towards them, a friend in her wake.

'Why is she here?' Joshua asks.

'She really wanted to go and meet Pizza Gang, so I invited her. I completely forgot she doesn't know about you yet.'

'What the f*ck happened?' Zoey  arrives, panting, with her hands on her knees. 'Did you get into an accident?'

'Yeah,' Joshua says. 'But I'm rehabilitating.'

'The f*ck? When? How? Why? Why didn't you tell mom and dad?'

'Um...' Josh seems a bit overwhelmed, so I take his wheelchair and signal for them to move aside so I can push him towards the building. 'It's okay, he's fine. They don't need to know, he's 19, right?'

'I mean, he went out that day to walk you home and never returned... oh, wait.'

'Yeah, exactly,' I say. 'Anyway, no need to worry. He will probably be able to walk normally again in a couple weeks.'

'Hey, by the way... is it just me or did you two get a lot closer?' Zoey squints her eyes.

Joshua nods. 'We're dating now.'

'Jesus f*cking finally,' Zoey says. 'Y'all b*tches have been staring at each other for like three years, it was about d*mn time.'

Jamie and I exchange glances, he simply shrugs. 'I guess you weren't the only obvious one, Jay.'

'Jay?'

'Oh, it's a nickname,' Jamie quickly corrects himself, but I shake my head. 'It's okay, Jamie.' I halt to look at Zoey. ' Actually, I am trans. Jay is my preferred name.'

'Oh, okay,' Zoey says. 'So you're a boy?'

I nod, glad she's taking it well. 

'But wait, if you're a boy and Joshua is a boy...' Zoey thinks out loud. 'Josh, are you gay?'

'I'm unlabeled,' Josh replies. 'But definitely gay for Jay.'

I chuckle, but at the same time I realize I didn't even know Joshua's sexuality. We never talked about it. I liked him and he liked me, liked me as a boy. The rest didn't really matter to me, I guess. Unlabeled. That's pretty dope.

'Wow, three queer siblings in one family, that's quite a lot.'

'Wait, are you too...'

'I don't know what I am, but it's definitely not normal,' Zoey says.

'Why did I not know this before?' Jamie asks.

'Because you didn't ask, duh.' Zoey rolls her eyes. 'Anyway, now that you guys know, can you maybe... try using they/them-pronouns for me?'

'Sure!' I reply. 'It's nice to see you are so well-educated already. I only figured out my identity when I was fifteen, because I didn't know it was possible to identify with a different gender than the one I was assigned to at birth. For me, it also started with experimenting, but it immediately clicked with me so I didn't need much time. I hope you are able to figure out your identity as well.'

'Aww thanks Jay, you're such a sweet guy,' Zoey replies giddily.

'Yeah, I'll support you as well,' Joshua says.

'Me too,' Jamie says. I suddenly notice his face looks a bit weird and turn to look at it. 'By the way, what happened to your face? It looks like someone shot a paint bomb at it and you tried to wash it off but failed.'

Jamie laughs scornfully, pointing at Zoey. 'They did that.'

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Word count: 993

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This is the first chapter of Escape I wrote this year and it shows. Time to diversify-