Paper cuts & Paper rings | JayWon

37. I'm falling again

"I'm quitting rugby," Jay tosses his backpack onto the sofa and kicks off his shoes, face evidently red and stained with tears but his father refrains from bombarding him with questions, instead giving him the plate of food and switching the channel to the show he watches every day after school.

Jay thought he could keep fighting forever, but he knew that was impossible, but he thought that he could fight the impossible too but of course he was only human and today was his final straw. After practice he found his locker raided and his clothes, personal belongings and kit scattered around the whole room, the boy throwing the discarded items at each other like they were dirty.

Like they were infested with some unknown disease. Jay thought he could hold on for a second but as he was gathering his stuff off the floor he noticed something, a discarded piece of paper. It was the letter he was going to send to Jungwon and with that was the only polaroid picture he thought he would be able salvage that someone hadn't stolen off him for evidence.

The had ruined everything and Jay just couldn't hold on anymore. Not like this.

So, when he came home that day all he felt like doing was sitting on the sofa and sinking into the furniture until he dissolved and become nothing though that too was impossible Jay still shut his eyes and pretended as if he didn't exist.

However, it's clear his dad had a different idea in mind.

"Hello, this is my son's coach am I correct?" His father rests against the wall as Jay cries silently into a large grey pillow, squeezing it so tight it would have burst if not for him being so weak in this state, "Yes, I would like to complain about a very serious issue and I am not going to wait for one of your appointments I need to speak with you right now."

The sharpness in his tone is something Jay isn't used to, but he doesn't react; everything normal has already dissipated anyways. Why didn't he just choose to play football like Riki and Jake he thought to himself but maybe it was a good thing he didn't get them involved in his mess – they didn't deserve that.

"My son has been treated horribly for the past few weeks though he had never attacked or defamed any of them," His father shakes his head in both annoyance and anger, "I don't understand why you won't take this matter up – this is my little boy we're talking about here and I don't want to see him come home with massive bruises and scars on his face, crying out his eyes at these boy's pathetic hate crime."

"No evidence?" His father's voice bubble with anger, knuckles popping out white as he refrains from actually yelling into the phone, "My son's eye is swelling up from the force of these 'innocent boys' punches, his kit has been ripped apart, Coach, if you—"

His brows furrow tightly and through the thick of the silence, Jay can hear his fathers voice hitch in his throat. "My son hasn't done anything wrong – I can't just accept this no matter what you think of his preferences." Those words hit his heart and for a second Jay pulls his face out of the pillow.

Its obvious no one cares, but when he realises that the people that actually matter to him accept him for he is suddenly his heart doesn't hurt as much.

"These biases and stigmas are going to make my son end up in ER – do you not—can you not grasp the severity of the situation here?" His father's voice strains further until its practically about to crack but he pauses when the coach continues to argue with him on the other end of the line.

"I'm going to sort this out right now, you hear me I'm not going to wait any longer – you hear me!"

After a few more back and forth his father simply decides to end the call. "I just—" he breathes in deeply, trying to remain calm in front of his son though it's becoming increasingly difficult.