Take Me to Church (boyxboyxboy)✅

Chapter 34

Liam

My stomach sank. I had a feeling I knew why my dad was here. Although I never told him where Nick lived, this information was easily found out, especially since Nick's stepfather was a teacher at my school.

Jeremy and I both looked at each other while Nick got up from his bed to put some clothes on.

"Way to ruin a moment," Nick said. "Why the hell is your dad here? You told your parents where you were, right? Hey, do you think someone snitched on us already?"

"Do you really think the school would send Liam's dad to your house because we vandalized the school?" Jeremy said.

"They could have us arrested," Nick said. "Vandalism is illegal, right?"

"Then they would have called the police," Jeremy said.

While Nick and Jeremy talked back and forth, I nervously left his room to find my dad standing in the doorway of the kitchen, right down the short hallway from Nick's room.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" I asked. "You got my text, right? I told you I was having dinner at Nick's."

"I know," my dad said. "Something's been weighing on me and you know what that is."

"Yeah, but..." I started. "You never said you were going to just show up like this. Nick's going to totally freak out. You shouldn't have come. Why did you come? I had a plan."

"And what plan is that?" he asked. I wasn't ready to tell him about the paint job the three of us did to the lockers. I decided not to say anything at the moment. "Whatever, Liam. I can't let this go."

"Excuse me, Judge Walsh," Nick's mother interjected. "Did Nick do something wrong? If he has, I'd like to know. I know he has a tendency for mischief."

Mischief, I laughed to myself although now wasn't the time for laughing.

"Maybe you should sit down," my dad said. I couldn't remember the last time I was this pissed off at my dad. There was no way Nick would ever tell him or anyone else now. I had no idea how he was going to react when confronted.

My dad sat on the far end of the couch, Mr. McGuiness on the other end. I wasn't sure where to sit so I stood at the entrance of the living room while Nick's mother sat on the straight back chair, tense and worried. She had every reason to be so tense and worried.

"Do you want to tell them what you told me?" my dad said to me.

Hatred and betrayal soared through me. I couldn't even find my voice I was so angry. Looking away, I folded my arms across my chest, keeping my mouth shut.

"I'm going to tell them then," my dad said. "I have to tell them."

"Please, Judge Walsh," his mother said anxiously. "Tell us what?"

"James," my dad said. "Please call me James."

"James," Nick's mother said. "What did Nick do?"

"He didn't do anything but confide in the boys, Liam and Jeremy," my dad started. "Nick told them he was sexually abused by several priests, beginning at the age of twelve by Father Lamy when he was an altar boy."

"Excuse me?" Nick's mother said.

"And it continues. He's named names, given details...to the boys, not me. It's still happening in the church and school," my dad said.

"You fucking piece of shit!" Nick exclaimed. Bolting down the hall, he attacked me, wrestling me to the hardwood floor. He slammed my head hard against the floor, so hard I swore he would have killed me if no one else was there. For someone smaller than me, he could really be strong when he wanted to. Stunned, I didn't have time to react and didn't fight him off as he punched me in my face. "You fucking traitor! You cock sucker!"