Tongue-Tied (Boyxboy)

Chapter Twenty-Six

JESSE'S POV

Panting slightly from running out of Todd's house and then up the stairs in mine, I paused outside my bedroom door before making a quick decision and dropping to my hands and knees. Pushing open my bedroom door as slowly as I possibly could, I crawled into my room and over to the window.

Turning around, I leant my head against the wall just underneath the window sill and stretched my feet out in front of me, getting comfortable so that I could listen in on the argument that was already happening.

"Don't call him that." I heard Todd snap and I frown, morbid curiosity making me want to know what I was called, because really, who else would he need to be defending?

"Why? Are you one too?" Todd's father mocked angrily and I inhaled sharply, clicking instantly to what I was called and I held my breath, waiting for Todd to deny whatever it was, to deny having anything to do with me. I closed my eyes, waiting for his denial and the hurt that was going to come along with it, as the silence stretched on.

"So... so what if I am? Does it really matter?" Todd replied defensively and my breath caught in my throat, before a slow smile crept onto my face.

"He's gotten to you." Todd's father replied coldly and I frowned. I what now?

"What? No, he didn't. What does that even mean? He didn't get to me." Todd said.

"Yes he did. You're a bleeding heart just like your mother. I saw it as soon as you started bringing those filthy animals home. She was the same you know. The only reason she stopped was because I let her keep you. What did he do? Give you some sob story about how he needed your help and then keep you around by lying about how much he loves you?" Todd's father mocked and I stiffened, feeling the overwhelming urge to walk over there and smack him in the face. Or at least throw something through the window and hit him with it.

"What? No! Jesse wouldn't –"

"I bet you fell for it. I bet you were craving attention so much that it was easy. All he had to do was look at you and –"

"No! You don't know anything about Jesse, or about me! Maybe if you were home more often you'd see that nothing about me is different, and that Jesse is great for me and that he makes me better –"

"Shut up!" Todd's father roared and I ducked instinctively, despite sitting on the ground in another house. I wince, imagining how Todd was feeling being in the same room as him. The silence in the other house stretches on for what seems like hours and I slowly work up the nerve to sit up and quickly peek through the window before sitting back down again. Todd's father was standing on one side of the room, glaring furiously at the top of Todd's head while Todd stood on the other side of his bedroom, his arms wrapped around himself while he stared at the ground.

I glanced up as mom crawled into the room, moving over to sit beside me before awkwardly trying to wrap an arm around my shoulder without it being seen through the window. I leaned into her and her other hand came up and rubbed my arm soothingly.

"Is he coming out?" Mom whispered and I nodded my head.

"I think I forced him to by being over there." I whispered back miserably. Mom squeezed me and I dropped my head onto her shoulder. We both perked back up and strained to listen as Todd's father started talking again.

"You're right. I haven't been around enough, but I'm going to be. You're not allowed to see James anymore. I don't even want you talking to him at school." I scowled at the floor.

"It's Jesse." I mumbled defiantly – but quietly – at the floor.

"What? No –" Todd protested before being cut off again.