NIALL's POV
"Hello students!" Our principal's voice rang our through the intercom. "Now I know that this is your last class of the school year and you are all dying to leave. So I just want to say a prayer and then you will all be dismissed." I roll my my eyes and internally groan as I see all the goody goody Christians in my class closing their eyes, folding their hands, and bowing their heads.
Now don't get me wrong, I don't hate Christians or Christianity, it's just that in Mullingar, Ireland, Christianity is basically the only way of life and I'm getting kind of sick of it.
My parents are very active Christians and members of our church, and so they expect me to be their perfect little Christian holy child, but I'm not.
You know how when you hear a song for the first time on the radio and you're like, "Oh this song is so cool! I love it!" and then it keeps getting played over and over again until the point where you'd rather rip your ears off than listen to it? Well that's like how Christianity is in my life.
I came to the conclusion about two years ago, when I was 16, I started becoming more Ateist. Now, I could never tell my parents because they would have a heart attack or something, but I feel like I'm going to snap soon. And being Atheist isn't even my biggest secret that I'm hiding..
I'm gay.
And if my parents or anyone ever found that out then I would be punished till the day I die. I would'nt have any friends, my family would all disown me, and the town would pretty much shun me. So it's better to stay in the closet and just suffer through it.
"...and may everything we do honor you. Amen." Our principal finally finished praying and now all the students were rushing out of the classroom. I make my way out of the classroom and down the hall towards my locker. It's relatively cleaned out so I only have some things to take home with me over the summer. Once I have everything packed up, I head outside and look for my car. As soon as I spot it, I run over and climb in, anxious to start my summer vacation.
"Hi mom!" I say cheerily.
"Hi sweetie! How was your last day of school?"
"Fine, I just really want to get home now." I say and my leg starts shaking impatiently as we pull in behind a long line of cars waiting to leave the parking lot. My mother notices this and lets out a long sigh.
"Niall, sweetie, stopp being so impatient! You know what the Bible says about patience." she scolds and my leg stops shaking, and the car becomes silent except for the faint Christian music playing on the radio.
"Mom," I say once we've pulled out of the school's parking lot. "I've been thinking, I want to get braces."
"What?" she asks, completely almost astonished that I would even consider something like that.
"It's just that I'm tired of my crooked teeth. I want to actually have a nice smile for once."
"Niall Horan, you are NOT getting braces. If God wanted you to have straight teeth, he would've given you straight teeth!"
"I know, I know." I sigh and roll my eyes.
Why are my parents so annoying?
"Don't just blow this off, young man! You can't go around thinking that you have the power to change things that are in God's control!"
"Well maybe I don't believe in God and 'His control'!" I snap at her. By this time we are pulling up into our driveway. She immediately slams on the brakes and turns to looks at me.
"What did you just say?"
"I said that I don't believe in God, mom. I don't and I won't. I am sick of this town and everybody always talking about God this and God that. There's more to life than just Him!" I yell and throw my hands up in the air.
"Don't ever say that again!" she yells at me.
"Whatever!" I roll my eyes and get out of the car.
"NIALL JAMES HORAN THIS DISCUSSION IS NOT OVER!" I hear her yell after me as I walk into the house. I chuckle at her absurdity, but the smile on my face drops as I see my father scowling at me from the couch.
"Don't stare, you'll burn holes into me." I say and begin to walk upstairs.
"That is not how you speak to your father young man! The Bible says that you are to honor your father and mother!"
"Oh ya?! Well you know what I say? PISS OFF!" I yell at him and run into my room, slamming the door behind me. I make my way over to my bed and fall down onto it. I just stare up at the ceiling thinking over what I had just done.
I had just snapped!
I had just let my parents know one of my biggest secrets and I know I will have hell to pay for it.
I don't know how they'll handle having an atheist son who they thought for the longest time was a Christian. They'll probably ship me off to some Christian therapy camp or something stupid like that.
The muffled voices of my parents talking drift up the stairs and are soon followed by footsteps making their way towards my room. I sit up in bed as my door slowly opens, revealing my distraught looking parents.
"Son, we need to have a talk about your behavior." my dad says as he sits down beside me.
"We're worried for you!" my mother adds in. My dad reaches into his pocket and pulls out three plane tickets.
"Plane tickets?" I ask, confused.
"You know the trip to Wolverhampton your mother and I were planning on taking this summer while you stayed at your friend's house? Well we decided that you're coming with us. Maybe a change in scenery will do you some good. We already found this nice church there with a youth program for kids your age so hopefully you'll be able to make friends."
My continues to ramble on about all these wonderful, enlightening, Christian activities for me to do while we're there, but all I can think about is how maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to find someone who will understand me, and accept me for who I am.
"So what do you think?" my mom asks.
"Well I don't really have a choice, do I?" I ask and they both shake their heads.
"Well then, I better get packing." I say and they smile. My parents walk to my door and are making their way out of my room when my father turns to look at me.
"Niall, I know you didn't mean what you said earlier and that it was just the devil getting to you. I've already forgiven you and so hos God. Now please promise me that on this trip you'll be on your best behavior? I don't want the people in the church thinking you're some reckless, rebellious, trouble making child who's being forced to go."
"I promise." I easily lie and send him a fake smile. What part of 'I don't believe in God!' don't they understand?!
"And remember son, God's always watching, don't disappoint him, make the right decisions in life." my dad says then walks downstairs.
What the hell was that for?
Could they know I'm gay? Impossible! Nobody knows and I'm pretty good at hiding who I really am. At least, I hope I'm as good as I think, because if I'm not, I'm seriously screwed!
"Oh and Niall?" My father says, poking his head into my room.
"What?"
"We leave tomorrow morning."
A/N first chapter! yay. Tell me what you think! Did you like it? Hate it?
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