Freak

Chapter 20

"JOHN WATSON. YOU ARE A DISGRACE. I am ashamed to call you my son sometimes. What the hell were you doing out there boy?"

The game had been terrible. Baskerville Boarding School's team had lost miserably to a nearby grammar school.  John had given it his all, but in the end they were beaten. Badly.

"Sorry Dad..." He looked the down at his feet as the giant man prattled on, his eyes nearly bulging from his tight skull.

"WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR MIND? Honestly, the first match I come to see you play in this school and you fucked it up??"

"Sorry Dad."

"I knew if I sent you here you'd be focusing on your bloody science and your homework. Why can't you just behave like a man? You little fair-"

" I was trying my hardest..."

John said, instantly regretting it as a large hand came swinging across, hitting his cheek. John's ears rung.

" Shut up when I am talking, or I swear there will be nothing LEFT OF YOU! " His father screamed. He was a bald man, a drunk. His face so red with drink it looked like a bad rash or some obscure skin condition that caused the cheeks to become spotted and crimson. He was very tall, and wide, and extremely strong, with large hands that had the power to knock John out with a single blow. John flinched as the threats flew from his mouth along with spit.

His yellow, nicotine stained teeth pointed in as many directions as it was possible for teeth to point whilst sharing the same mouth. They flung spittle in just as many directions when he yelled through thin, chapped and stubbly lips.

The man sighed.

" Now, would you care to tell me why there was such a big fuck up our there?

"I-the team didn't play well. They didn't show up for practices an-"

" It's not good enough John, not good enough. I expect better. You have talent."

John bit his cheek, he was tired of the mountains of shit he threw at John every time he saw him.

"How's Mum?" He asked quietly, trying to change the subject.

" You're Mother? She left us a month back."

John couldn't believe what he was hearing,

"Wh-What?"

John's father lit a ciggerette, "She's a selfish cow." He said through clamped teeth as he lit his ciggarette,

"Don't talk about Mum like that."

The man stilled, then took a drag from his ciggarette, blowing the smoke into John's face.

"I will call her what I like,  and you," he poked John in the chest with a dirty, stubby finger, "you will shut up and deal with it o-"

"Oi Dave!"

A shout that sounded near as equally drunk and crude as John's father echoed through the now empty stand of which they stood under.

A skinny man with a greasy grey comb over, amd stained hands swayed over to them. it was Billy's father, John remembered seeing him go into the heads office when Sherlock beat up Billy.

"Micky!" John's father shouted back. John hunched his shoulders and looked at his feet, glad his father's attention was no longer directed on him.

Micky Higgs smirked dirtily,

"This your son then?" he nodded at John. Billy ran over from the front of the stands where he'd been hopelessly attempting to chat up some girls.

"John." Billy nodded to John, John nodded slightly back and returned his eyes to his feet.

" Dave we eh..we've gotta talk." Micky said to John's father, his smirk growing wider. Billy was nearly grinning too.

"Oh yes?"

" Yeah, I've 'eard a lot about your son. Seems he's snagged himself a partner."

Dave smiled, "Oh iye?"

John paniced as his father turned to him, he wanted to run and keep on going but he was rooted to the groun by a heavy hand on his shoulder.

"Did you get yourself a girlfriend so-"

"Here he is now." Billy said, quietly, but loud enough to be heard, loud enough for the happiness of his revenge to be heard, painted across his every word.

Sherlock was walking across the pitch towards John, wearing a large coat, his hands planted in his pockets.

John's dad looked to Billy, rage masked in a smile,  "Sorry, I think I 'eard you wrong. Did you say he?"

John shook his head lightly at Billy, who smiled even wider.

Dave looked to John slowly, his jaw clenched, he grabbed John's shoulder with a vice like grip. Just as he was about to say something Sherlock reached them and greeted John with a pat on the shoulder.

"Hello John." Sherlock said, nodding at Dave. 

" I assume you're John's father, Dave is it?"

Sherlock held out a hand and Dave looked at him through narrowed eyes, one hand clenched into a tight fist.

"And you are?" he questioned in a gruff voice.

"I'm-"

" John's boyfriend. " Billy beamed.