Cole.

18. You Again!

A/N: BAM! New chapter! Say whaaaaaaat!?

“Why are you even here?” Her voice was cold, I could tell from her voice she was pretending to shoot needles at Cole right now, which made me get a slight smile on my face. “You aren’t welcome around my baby. I was rooting for you, but now I see that you’re just like that other boy. Get out, before I get violent.”

The smirk crossing Cole’s face made me assume he has amusement from that last comment, “I take it you must be Mrs. Sanders?”

She scoffed, “I am his mother, but my name is not Mrs. Sanders, thank you.” Turning to me, her face turned from angry to confused, “You didn’t tell him, did you?”

I realized this was going to be an even more awkward conversation than that of pictures, “I didn’t trust him enough I guess. It’s a touchy subject.”

“Didn’t tell me what, Derek?” The smirk was gone and now he also looked confused, “Are you keeping secrets from me?”

“I … we …” I shoved my face into my hands, “My mother’s last name is not the same as mine, and her last name is Kandle.”

He scoffed, getting the cocky smile back on his face, “Well, that’s not unusual. Why would you even need to tell me about that?”

Flashback to August 2007

“What last name are you applying for after this process is complete?” The lawyer looked at me, his eyes dodging back and forth from me to my parents. “Remember that this is final, so hopefully it is something you like. If you choose to change it again, you’ll have to pay a hefty fee for it.”

“Why even give him a god damn choice? What the hell are we doing here Derek, you can’t just leave us like this?” His voice was angry and frustrated, but he knew exactly why we were here.

“Fuck you. You know exactly why I’m getting this done; you aren’t even my father anyways. Are you that old that you forgot what happened a few months back? I don’t want to be known as your son anymore, I want to be my own father because I could treat myself better than you ever did.” Turning back to the lawyer, I cleared my throat, “I would appreciate it if he wasn’t in the room when I tell you what I have chosen, I don’t want any more contact with him after this, and I don’t want him to know my last name either.”

“You can apply for a restraining order after the fact, Derek. But he needs to be here to sign these papers and everything, I’m sorry but there is no way to do this without his signature.”

“And what exactly makes you think I’ll sign these papers? I have a right to say no, and that’s what I’m doing. He is my son and he will remain my son for as long as I may live.”

“Sir, the judge has already ruled that you are unfit to be a parent and has allowed this to be processed. If you do not sign these papers, you will be thrown in jail and Derek will not be your son anyways. You don’t want to lose your freedom, do you?”

He shut up right then and there, not saying another word to anyone. I knew he was angry, but what did he expect. I no longer wanted to be associated with him. I looked at my mother, who was almost in tears, I felt horrible doing this.

“I’m sorry Ma. I really am, if I had a choice I would continue to be your son on paper as well, but that’s not how this works. I looked at it through all angles, the only way this can happen is if I emancipate from both of you.”

She held out her hand, holding mine, “I understand Derek. I will still be your mother, even if it’s not so stated on paper. I promise this won’t change anything. You’ll still be my baby boy, even if the courts rule it as not.”

The lawyer sighed, “Alright Derek let us continue. What name have you chosen?”

I glared in my father’s direction, “Sanders, I want to be known as Derek Sanders.”

“What kind of name is that? Some faggy name for sure.”

Before I could react, my mother’s hand smacked the back of his head and the lawyer spoke up, “Sir, those comments are not welcome here. If you do have a problem with this, you can sign the papers and get the hell out of my office. Is that what you want?”

Grumbling, my soon-to-be-ex-father just shut his mouth, staring off into the distance. The lawyer looked back at me and smiled, “Alright. Let’s get this done then, shall we?”

Back to present

“Wow … you emancipated from your parents?” Cole seemed in shock, but I guess that was because he didn’t know everything.

“His father was a terrible man back then; he was really deep into religion and was just terrible at keeping himself in check with his son. After he found out he was gay, all hell broke loose and eventually, Derek moved out of the house.” Tears in her eyes, my mother turned to me, “But he’s changed Derek. He’s done a complete 180, he even renounced his religion. I think you guys would get along great now, don’t you know?”

“Excuse me? You expect me to talk to that man again, I will never speak to him again. He ruined my teenage years, I had to move out to get away from him and I had to grow up faster than I wanted to. I will never be the same because of him, he can go fuck himself. Why would you even bring that up?” I looked away, coldness filling my eyes, “Cole and I need to talk anyways, could you please go for now? Find Kendall, she’s in the cafeteria.”

She smiled slightly, “Okay baby. Call my cellphone when you’re ready to get up. The doctor said we could take you home tonight, I think you’ll enjoy your bed more than this stiff hospital bed.”

I grumbled something as she walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her. I didn’t actually want to talk to Cole either, but I was angry with my mother for bringing up my ex-father that I didn’t really want to talk to her more.

“You and your dad are not one mind, are you?” He sat at the end of the bed, watching my every move, “I guess I can tell why you’re so guarded off. Not only did your father betray you, but you’ve had a boyfriend who hurt you just as much. I understand why you’d think those pictures were real now.”

I threw a look at him, “Those pictures looked pretty real to me.”

Sighing, he moved closer to me, “Derek, seriously. I haven’t been with Kason in months and you’re the only one I’ve been seeing lately. You have to trust me; I’m not out there to hurt you like they did. I know sometimes my ego gets in the way and I saw things I don’t necessary mean, but trust me, those pictures are totally fake.”

Taking a deep breathe I looked into his eyes, I had gotten pretty good at telling if people were lying or not. “Okay, I believe you. But don’t think you’re off the hook for making me get into a car accident. I’m going to have to buy a new car.”

He raised his eyebrow and smiled, “Good thing I’m so awesome, right? I already bought you a new car; it’s waiting at your house. And trust me, it’s something way better then you had.”

“Wait, you bought me a car!? Why!?” I scowled, I hated having money spent on me, especially if it was by someone who wasn’t even considered my boyfriend yet, “Take it back. I don’t need it.”

He smiled as he kissed me, “Already paid for. I win.”

I was about to react when a knock on the door interrupted us, who could it be now?

“Hey Son… I mean Derek. May I come in?”