It Will All Work Out (Intersex gxg)

Chapter 9

My new routine wasn't as fun as the previous two weeks had been. I worked out with pushups, crunches and planks three times a day, and would spend the rest of the day working around the house. I'd let things slide for a while, because it was hard to be motivated to do it, but it was my new mission to get my mom to realize that she needed the help. If the house was looking better, maybe it would help her feel better.

Each morning I made her breakfast in bed, kicking out any man that may have still been in there, and each time I mentioned the rehab that she could get, though she was rarely lucid enough to reply. I also took the liberty of watering down the alcohol bottles I found, so hopefully it wouldn't make her quite as drunk. I helped her eat and shower when she was awake, but that wasn't daily as sometimes she was just too out of it. I may be starting to work out, and she was pretty light, but I didn't want to risk dropping her on the bathroom tile if I carried her. I couldn't do much more than that, and I knew it was a long term project, but it was the best I could do for now. I was more worried about when school started, because I'd be out of the house before she was awake and the breakfasts would stop, but I could only do so much on my own. I just had to hope it helped enough to get her to where we could have a conversation about getting her into rehab.

I'd also only go to the treehouse if Shay mentioned that she'd be outside, or I heard her mowing. I'd mowed my lawn too, so it was looking much more presentable, not that anyone noticed. Shay wasn't around nearly as much, which sucked for my aching, teen crush filled heart. As she'd explained in an email, she went out and got a job at an auto mechanic shop, because she'd been told in no uncertain terms that her parents wouldn't be paying for her college. They were graciously allowing her to stay there if she got into a school, but nothing more. Yes, that was sarcasm. The shop was within easy biking distance, so that was good, and she also explained that while her parents had already told Lynn she'd get a car for her own sweet 16 party in a few years, Shay never got one. Working at the mechanic shop would hopefully get her enough skills to help get an old beater up and running.

I officially hated her parents.

Shay was an amazing person, and yet they were treating her like shit. In the meantime, Lynn and Nicky spent pretty much every second that the sun was in the sky relaxing in the backyard and swimming in the pool or sunning themselves. Shay was vacuuming, mopping, working at her new job, mowing the lawn and doing laundry for everyone every day. It killed me to see that, but I really couldn't do anything about it except keep telling Shay just how wonderful she was in the daily emails I sent to try to keep her spirits up.

With two weeks until Labor Day, I got really lucky. The people across the street from us put an old weight bench and some free weights out by the street as they were planning a little yard sale. They started setting up other tables and then putting out books, clothes and assorted nick knacks, but the weights were the only thing I wanted.

"Excuse me!" I called out to the woman who was setting up the sale. Did I know my neighbor's name? Nope. I never associated with any of them unless they had a kid my age, and this woman didn't. Not that I knew of anyway. "How much for the weight bench?"

She looked over at my skinny frame, and chuckled. "If you haul them away, $5. My son went to college years ago, and never came back for them. Now he lives in Minnesota, so I don't need them, they're just taking up space, and they're too heavy to leave lying around."

My eyes almost bugged out, as I ran over and passed her the money. "Thanks so much!"

"Yeah, it looks like you need them more than anyone else I'd sell them to. Go get some muscles on you." She shook her head kindly, and I knew she meant it in a friendly way. But she was absolutely right. Shay mentioned she'd protect me from bullies, but she was also two years older than me, and would be graduating before I started my junior year. I'd need to protect myself for those last two years without her help. In much better spirits, I hauled the bench and all the weights over to my garage, though it took me six trips to do so. Half of the garage was empty, as my dad's car had never been replaced, and so there was plenty of room for me to set it up.