Beautiful Scars (A Jack Barakat Fanfic)

10). I'll Give You My Cows

"Oh shit I forgot, what time is it?" Jack fretted, finally getting up off the floor.

"10.34" I mumble, as I check my phone staring down at the text messages I had gotten when I fell asleep.

"Oh so we have ages before we have to get their." Jack replies letting out a huge sigh.

"Yeah." I reply, still staring at my phone screen reading the text over and over.

"Are you okay?" Jack questions, he's standing beside me now looking over my shoulder at the message. "Shit" He continues as he reads the message over.

"Do you think he's okay?" I ask him, glancing between Jack and the phone screen's icon of Ben grinning holding a baseball bat.

"I don't think so..." I continue, a lump forming in my throat. I knew something was wrong when Ben texted me, I just didn't expect this.

"Look Nora he can stay here until it's sorted out." Jack says trailing off, we've both gone into this awkward tension after reading the text. I just can't understand why my parents would do that, they were huge believers in god but still...

"That can't be the reason, they wouldn't kick him out for that..." I repeat, going through all the reasons why they would do that. Ben was always the golden child yet here they were throwing him on the curb for what? Liking boys? It's not a crime, and it's not his sexuality effects them.

"I'll tell Mom okay? Tell Ben to come over, and my Mom can have a word with your parents." Jack reassures me, squeezing my shoulders before giving me a hug.

I sit on Jack's bed after he leaves reading the message over and over. It can't be right, that can't be the only reason. My parents weren't like that, they were good people. Ben wasn't telling me something, I don't want to believe that Mom and Dad would just do that. Maybe I should tell them I'm gay too, then they can kick out all their children.

"Nora" I hear, Jack's Mom say before sitting down next to me. I don't know when she came into the room. Brushing the blonde hair out of her eyes, she looks at me before wrapping a arm around my shoulders. "It's not like Issac and Kara too be that stupid. " She tells me.

"I just can't believe they did that." I whisper, feeling a lump forming in my throat as I try to breathe.

"I know, it will be okay. Ben can stay here, I don't mind." She reassures me with a smile. "Jack be a good boy and look after her." She says, getting up and pointing for Jack to sit where I was sitting.

"Hey Jack?" I ask, looking up at Jack who was standing in the doorway.

"Yeah" He says softly

"Can you take Ben to band practice with you? I want to talk to my parents."

***

Taking a deep breath, I stood in front of the door to my house. I had walked here, trying to clear my mind and work out what to say. Opening the door, I march in, wanting to find my parents to ask why. Hearing voices in the kitchen, I take deep breaths trying to calm the anger rising in the depths of my stomach. "Mom, Dad." I call out, stepping around the corner to see my Mom yelling and my dad just sitting with his head in his hands.

"Why?" I ask them, as soon as they both look up at me.I don't want to cry but I feel tears threatening to spill. You just never expect the people you look up to as a kid to break all trust you have in them, again.

""Nora, honey. It's against the bible." My Mom tries to excuse herself, her blonde hair tied in a bun laced with strains of grey the same blonde hair that Ben has.

"He's your fucking son and your choosing a book over him." I find myself yelling at her.

"Stop getting into things you don't understand." She cuts me off.

Bawling up my fists, I can't help but scream back at her. "Yeah maybe I don't understand. You remember telling me that God loves everyone? Well why can't he fucking love Ben?"

"Nora, it's not just because he's gay." My dad speaks up, finally not raising his voice. It scares me how quiet he's being.

"Do you think I fucking care what the other thing is? How can you even think about throwing your own fucking son on the streets." I spit at him. Didn't they learn from last time when they kicked their child out that nothing good happens.

My Mom goes to speak again but I cut her off. "You know what? I'm leaving, I can't believe you would do this." I tell them before, walking out and when I'm out of the house I let the tears slip free.

I desperately needed to find Pete, their must be some kind of release I could have right now. If Pete didn't have the pills, then I would have to try something else.

*Jack's POV*

Sitting in Rian's basement, I watch Alex practice singing from the couch. Ben's sitting beside me twiddling his thumbs, he's got the same nervous twitch Nora gets. I know I should be practicing guitar, especially since I had finally got the rift in one of the songs right. Still I can't bring myself to get lost in the music. For once my fingers are craving something other than the strings of a guitar the soft touch of Nora. That sounded creepy, I just wanted to wrap her in my arms and amongst that do other things. I just was still unsure what we were, I mean she asked me to marry her on accident but are we dating? I would have asked if Ben hadn't gotten in the way, and speaking of Ben I swear he's checking out Alex's ass.

"What did you do?" I ask him out of the blue. I knew Nora's parents, even her Mom being religious would hardly kick him out for being gay.

"What do you mean?" He says, biting his nails another glamorous trait he shared with Nora.

"I know your parents, they wouldn't just kick you out because your gay." I tell him before grinning at the notes Zack was shredding on the bass.

Sighing, Ben stares straight at me before speaking. "Promise not to tell Nora?"

Looking at him I nod, I hated keeping secrets from Nora but I think I could keep this one.

"I slept with one of the teachers at Townson High." He admits, and here I was expecting him to admit murder or something.

"Why don't you want Nora to know?" I question, Nora wasn't the type to even care about stuff like that.

"We aren't that close but still Nora has a thing about stuff like that especially after Ruby." He confesses, making me wonder why the two weren't close but I already knew the answer. Nora never got close to anyone, she would push people away like they were nothing.

"Wait so your parents kicked you out for that?" I say, looking at him still confused.

"Nah that was just the tip of the iceberg." He tells me before smiling and continuing "Dude, this songs amazing but it needs a guitar."

Taking his hint, I roll my eyes before getting off the couch. "I see when I'm not needed."

"How are you and Nora not dating." He mumbles under his breath. It wasn't something for my ears but I still hear it and wonder the same thing but that could wait for now.

Picking up my guitar, I grin at the rest of them. I could feel myself doing this in front of crowds of people but at the same time I was afraid we would never make it.