✓ The Games We Play ⇔ Mileven {2nd - "Wake Up, Mike" Trilogy}

Sixty Two

Awwwh Troy my misunderstood smol bean(;
(I didn't proof read because of how long this took me rip)

Troy.

I left "my" room, walking slowly down the hallway. When I rounded the corner, I saw Will at the table, his mom organizing papers on the counter, and Jonathan making food. They all turned to look at me, and it was one of the first times that I ever felt calm when being looked at by their family. Joyce has shown me love I've never felt before, Jonathan is nice and makes sure I'm ok and comfortable. Will is still iffy, yes, but it's not like he's mean. I feel accepted in this house, no matter how small the extent.

Joyce gave me a loving smile and wished me good morning as I went to sit at the table. Jonathan quickly finished the food and brought it over to us, along with some for him and his mom. We sat and ate, and I quickly noticed how Jonathan was rushing to finish. Everyone noticed, not just me, and it wasn't long before he stood up and hurried to put everything away. He called out and said he was meeting up with Nancy, then quickly left.

All three of us looked around at each other, and it felt kind of awkward. Joyce turned to me a bit, obviously about to say something.

"I know this has all been really tough on you, Troy, and I'm sorry," she started, and I nodded, causing her to continue. "But today you have to talk and explain everything in the courtroom. I know that'll be really hard to do, and I think it will help to tell me first," she explained, and my heartbeat sped up a bit at the entire idea of it. I hate talking about my life at home, it was awful.

I looked at Will, getting even more nervous. He'll know everything and then he'll think I'm even more weird than I am. He has every reason to hate me, but I can't deal with being judged on top of that.

"Uh, I guess the main thing that happened was my dad calling me names. He'd call me queer, and a fag, and ask who my current boyfriend was. Steve would play along, and I know that's technically just what siblings do, but it wasn't funny or teasing. My mom would listen to me physically, but she wouldn't take anything I say into consideration. She refused to help defend me against my dad, and she refused to get outside help," I sounded kind of frantic, but when I looked back up at them, they were both looking at me with sympathetic eyes.

"Is that all that's happened?" Joyce asked in a calming, comforting voice. I shook my head, and my heart started beating even faster. As I spoke, my words were slow and hesitant.

"He would occasionally hit me if I was really bad, or he'd hurt my mom," is all I said. I don't feel like there's much else to say. Of course, out of fear of being judged, I looked up at Will immediately. He looked at me with a really sad face. I felt awkward until Joyce placed her hand on my arm, making me look over at her.

"Troy, I know this won't help, but we know what you're going through. Will, Jonathan, and I all know how that feels and what it's like to go through that. We're here for you, ok? No matter what happens, we are always here. We'll help you whenever you need it, and we'll listen," she assured me, and I smiled a bit. "And I promise you, Troy, I will do everything I can to make sure you never see that man again."

I nodded, my smile growing. I feel at home here, more at home than I've ever felt. Joyce makes me feel loved and appreciated, which I've never felt before. It's new, but it's amazing and I love it.

That's when there was loud knocks on the door, startling us all. Joyce hurried into the living room and swung the door open, causing loud banter to flow into the house. It's the rest of the boys, and they all seem to be arguing. I looked down at the table as Will stood up, not wanting to make eye contact. I hear his footsteps leaving, but then they stop abruptly. I look up to see him looking at me with a small smile, making my eyes widen.

"Good luck today, and I'll see you tonight," he almost cheered, and I nodded quickly. He left, and I just stared at the spot where he was last standing. I smiled wide, feeling a strange amount of relief wash over me.

-

Sorry this took so long, I was on Skype with friends while writing this. I'm sure you can imagine how that went!
More info on Troy, yay. Also, sorry about the random bombardment of child abuse in this story. And sorry if it seems like I'm making the same things happen over and over again, but there's reasons for that! Love you all<3