The Lesbian Gene (Lesbian, Gay, GirlxGirl)

Chapter 14: Complications

"Like I said, bathroom break." Neil pointed to a wall that was bending out of eyes reach. "Why, Leighton? Scared?"

No. Of course not.

Oddly enough, the scared part of me had been over and done with since we left my parents house and skittered into the night. I was numb, sure, right after then. But scared?

I looked onto Neil's eyes. Now, I was just tired and just wanted to get this out of the freaking way. Maybe he did really want to take a bathroom break— I was delusional enough to think that. But what I wasn't stupid enough was to dismiss the malice in his eyes, all ready to break me. And maybe I was done with that too. Maybe, like the fear, I just wanted to get over it. Get over his bullying once and for all.

Did that make me an idiot?

"Just us?" I confirmed.

"Just us," he said.

"Alright then." I took, a deep unwavering breath. If that's what he wanted, then that's what he was going to get.

I was beginning to regret my decision the more Neil and I walked deeper into the sewers. One, because I was getting more and more tired, especially with minimal sleep. And two. . . I limped after Neil, whose face was set forward for the last few minutes. Two, I knew that we were getting far from the others. So far, in fact, that even if I screamed, no one would hear me at all.

A few more of this, and a little more of seeing identical walls in each turn, Neil finally stopped. "There," he said under his breath. "All done." He then twisted to me, a small smile on his lips. "Now you probably know why we're here."

"No," I said, stating the obvious. "As a matter of fact, I do not."

"Oh?" Neil's eyes glistened under the beam of my own flashlight nevertheless. "Are you sure about that?" he said.

Well yes and no. He was here to confront me, wasn't he? To tell me I sucked? And then what? I thought of the possibilities. He couldn't just leave me here. How would he explain that to the others?

Neil, as if reading my thoughts, laughed out loud, it made my ears ring. "Leighton, Leighton, give me more credit than that, will you? I don't want to tell a lie to Audra. Not completely."

"Then what?" I said. "Can we just get this over with?"

"Sure." He shrugged his shoulders, ran a hand through his hair. "If you want to." He smirked. "Let me get right down to it then. What I want you to do is simple. Beg me to leave you."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Leighton. Beg."

My eyes narrowed at him. Was he out of his mind?

Neil took a step forward, pressed his palms together. "I will not repeat myself again, Leighton. I want you to tell me to leave you, right here, right now, so I can go on my way and relay it to the others."

"The hell am I going to do that?" I said. "Fuck you, Neil!"

Something in his eyes changed. "Fuck me?"

"Yes."

"Fuck me? Why Leighton, you're not worthy of such things. You're disgusting."

"And you're not?"

He shrugged again, unencumbered. Of course, he would do this. But I did not have to conform.

I was just beginning to go back to the direction we came from, when he managed to reached my side and pulled at my arm. Hard.

"The hell?!" I said.

"I meant it, Leighton. I don't want you with us again."

"Like hell I care!"

He pushed me back.

I pushed forward.

He pushed me back again. I was getting tired of this.

Forward. Back. Forward. Back. We went on and on again, until he snarled and pulled at my arm, accidentally dragging my bracelet in the process.

I squeaked as tiny pieces of beads scattered on the ground, breaking my heart along with it.

"You know what hate about you?" Neil whispered, obviously not giving a damn. "You really want to know?" His words echoed around us. "It's that you're weak, Leighton. You couldn't even defend yourself if you tried." My eyes were blurry as I looked at him. He'd made a big mistake. "You're a whiny, little bitch," he continued. "No, you're worse than that." Neil pushed me on the chest, his voice rising in a crescendo. "It's the fact that you don't belong with us. You're stupid. So ignorant. And one of these days, you're going to get me and Audra killed— I won't let you!"

Thwack!

What had I done?!

Wiping my tears, I knew that I had gone too far. But I didn't mean to. I was too shocked.

"N-Neil. . ." I stammered, tried to reach out for him. But already, I could see the blood dripping on his face. It happened so fast, no one could foresee it.

Neil wiped the blood from his forehead, gave a little gasp. "You. . ." he said. "You hit me with your crutch. . ."

"Neil—"

"You tried to kill me. . ."

"No, I didn't—"

"Shut up!" He pushed me back roughly until I lost my balance. "Shut up! SHUT UP!"

I didn't even feel myself hitting the ground. But he was taller than me, so greatly and suddenly, all I could do was gawk up at him.

"This is the last time that you'll try to do this, Leighton! To me or to Audra!" Neil took my crutch from the floor. And just when I was about to say no, tossed it to the sewer water without remorse. "Good luck getting that! Good luck getting out of here on your own!" He looked down on me, smiled. "You know I was going to be nice to you and leave you intact? But now?" He turned around, sealing the deal. "Now I'll let the fate decide for you. Pray we don't meet again, for your sake, Leighton."

I was too shocked to say anything as he began to walk away. I was too numb to call out, to ask him, even, to come back and help me.

Neil and I were beyond repair. I hurt him. But he hurt me too, and now laying on the floor, I didn't know what to do.

It took me a while to convince myself to crawl into the murky water, to begin the task of searching for the crutch that would help me stand back up in the first place. But as the blackish liquid dampened my arms, then my torso, and finally my knees, I regretted every bit of decision I'd made until this point. Especially this.

"C-cold!" I chattered, unintentionally speaking through the emptiness. The water was cold and smelly. And so dirty that I couldn't see the bottom. But I knew that I had to go deeper into it to find the crutch that Neil had thrown. If I wanted to go back to where Audra and Hanz were, I needed to swallow my disgust, work through this.

Never mind an infection. I needed to risk it.

I almost threw up when I completely submerged myself.

In and out. In and out. I tried not to cry. Or to sniffle, even, as I began the blind search for the crutch with my hand. I knew that I would get past this somehow.

And somehow, I did.

"Gotcha!" I said as something familiar hit my fingers.

It was all that I could do to keep myself from puking. And then as I pulled the crutch to me, I tried to crawl out— every inch of me was damp with sewer water now.

But there was one more thing to do. Instead of getting up, I knelt on the floor, then started collecting the beads that had fallen. That Neil had tried to take away from me.

I would get back at him for this. I would tell him that he made a mistake.

But for now?

I tried collecting what I could, tried to steel myself from crying. I had enough of that in a lifetime. I had enough of sniveling around. For now, I needed to get through this, and find my way back to Audra.