-Author's message-
It's only two pages? WHAT? ughh...
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Chapter Fourteen
[Tom]
“Why is he here?” She growled.
“Mason,” I said, slowly putting him on the ground. “Please go up to your room.”
“No.” He said.
“Mason—”
“Tom, let him stay.” Joey said. “He deserves to know what this is about.”
“Fine.” I said. I didn’t take my eyes off of my rage filled mother. I was afraid too.
“Hi, you must be Mary.” Dylan said. “My name is Dylan Finnegan, I’m Joey’s father.” He extended his hand.
My mom eyed his hand, but didn’t move to shake it. “Keep your homo son away from my son and my family.”
“I thought he wasn’t your son anymore, mom.” Zoey said.
“He was before this thing” She gestured to Joey. “Corrupted him.”
“Corrupted my ass.” Joey muttered.
“Joey!” Dylan said.
“Did I say that out loud?” Joey asked, blushing.
I watched my mother. Had she always been so pale and frail looking?
Dylan let out a sigh. “Um, I’m going to apologize in advance for this. Zoey, can you come here for a moment?”
“Uh, sure?” She said, walking over to us.
“Great, now kiss Joey.”
“What?”
Joey looked at him. “Dad, what the h—”
“Just go with it. Do it, both of you.” Dylan said.
Zoey looked at me with an apologetic face, then leaned in and kissed Joey. A fit of jealously and anger washed through me, as I watched them.
“Enough.” I finally said letting out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Zoey looked at me sadly after breaking the kiss.
“Mary, do you have a problem with what just happened?” Dylan asked.
“Not really.” She said.
“So you don’t mind if your daughter does that, right.” Dylan said. “Tomas?”
“Yeah?” I said, squeezing my eyes shut. I had a feeling of what would be coming next.
“Kiss Joey.”
Why did I have to be right all the time?
“Okay.” I said, giving a glance to my mother as I took a step towards Joey. She looked angry, but that was expected.
I cupped the back of his head with my right hand and kissed him deeply. Yeah, my mom would kill me, but this was my boyfriend. And he just got kissed by my sister. I had to show them that he was mine.
I broke the kiss with a moan, not on purpose, of course. I blushed deeply as Zoey stifled a laugh. Hoe.
Dylan awkwardly cleared his throat. “Did you have a problem with that?”
“Yes.”
“Why?” Dylan asked. “Zoey’s your child, right? So is Tom.”
“But Tom is a boy.” My mother growled.
“Do you want Zoey to be happy in life?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want that for Tom?”
“Yes.”
“Well, being with my son makes Tom happy.” Dylan said. “And the way you’re acting is making him unhappy.”
“He could be happy with a girl.”
“No, mom.” I said, looking her in the eyes. “I can’t be happy with a girl. Only a boy and make me happy.”
She shook her head. “Things were better before you left your friends, Tomas.”
“I didn’t leave them.” I said, tears starting to escape. “They left me.”
“Tomas, I’ve missed you. I thought if I brought—”
“Brought who?” I demanded.
A blonde haired boy wearing a letterman jacket came into the room. He smiled at me sadly.
“I thought if I brought him, you’d realize who you used to be. And, maybe, you’d change back.”
“K-Kenny?” I asked.
“Hey, Tom.” He said.
“You two used to be best friends. He knows you better than anyone.” My mom said.
“Mother, you can’t change me, this is who I am.” I said, squeezing my eyes shut.
“Tomas—”
“Mother, I mean it! And get him out. I don’t want him here.”
“Why not?”
“He left me, mom! He’s the one who turned his back!”
Kenny spoke up. “I’m sorry, Tom. I—”
“No!” I yelled. “I don’t want to hear it!”
“Tom, don’t be that way, man—”
“Zoey, cover Mason’s eyes.” I said through clenched teeth.
“What?” She asked.
“Just do it.”
“Okay?”
I waited until Mason’s eyes were covered then looked at him. “Do you want to know what happened after you all left me? What I did to myself?” I asked.
“Tom—” Joey said.
“No, I need to show them.” I said, looking at him.
“Show us what?” My dad said.
I turned to him and then to Kenny. Slowly, I pulled my shirt off. Gasps arose from all the people in the room, with the exception of Joey, who shut his eyes.
“Tom, what are those?” My dad asked.
“Well, the scars on my arms are from mom,” I said, smiling even though I was feeling sick. “And the rest are from me. Whenever I feel lonely, whenever I’m sad.”
Zoey began to cry and my mom looked down as my dad glared at her. Dylan looked around awkwardly, and Joey had his hand over his mouth. Kenny just stared at my chest.
“Dude, why?” He asked.
“Why am I lonely? Why am I sad?” I asked.
“No, why would you do that to yourself?”
“I’m full of so much pain.” I said. “But I’m getting better. The freshest scars are from my dear mother throwing a glass pitcher at me. Joey took my knife and refused to give it back, even though I begged.”
I laughed, for no reason. I just started feeling numb. I pulled my shirt back on and looked at everyone. “You can uncover Mason’s eyes now.” Zoey immediately did and put her head in her hands.
I walked over to Joey. “You see, Kenny’s in my past, as is the way I used to be. And my scars are in my past too. I’m looking at the future, and all I see is Joey and I. So I’m sorry if you hate me for what I am, but it’ll hurt you more than me.”
“Tom,” Kenny said. “I shouldn’t done that. It’s just that, Jessica, she said she’d tell if I didn’t help—”
“Tell what?” Joey asked.
“Tom, don’t you remember?”
My mind flashed back to a memory. “I’d rather forget.”
“Tom, well, he told me.” Kenny smiled, and blushed a little. “He told me that he felt weird, wrong, and all that, but he felt like he had a crush on a guy. Jessica overheard. She didn’t want a gay or bi friend. So, we trashed him. I should’ve stuck up for him.”
“What’s done is done.” I muttered.
“Yet my past haunts me every day.”
“Why?”
“Because, Tom.” He said, shaking his head with a smile. “I wanted, needed you to know.”
“Know what?”
“I’m Bi. No one knows. And you left before I could say anything. I couldn’t say that I,” He looked at me. “I had a crush on you. Jessica heard me whisper it. I’m sorry.”
“I feel so bad for you, Kenny.”
“’Cause I can’t tell anyone?”
“No, because you think that telling me that will make everything okay. You were my best friend. Were. I don’t care about the past anymore. I’ve forgotten the world that was, and decided to make my own. I don’t want you in my life.”
“Tom—”
“Don’t you understand?” I demanded. “I’m through caring about you or Jessica or Phil. It’s brought me nothing but pain. I’m only trusting people who won’t turn their backs on me. And that’s not you.”
“Tom, give him a chance.” My mom begged.
“Mom, give me a chance.” I said. “Let me be who I really am. I know you liked me better before you knew, but I like me better now.”
She huffed out angrily. “Tomas—”
“Mom, coming here today, I felt like it was my final chance. But I’ve come to realize that it’s not mine, it’s yours.” I said. “I don’t have to deal with what you’re putting me through. Joey’s the one on the news—”
“He is?” My dad asked, shocked. Joey nodded.
“We both get picked on at school. It’s horrible. I want to come home, mom, I really do. But I’m not going to stand for this. Not any longer. It’s your choice now.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and tears rolled down her cheeks. “Okay. Okay.”
“Well?”
“Please come home.”
“Oh, mom.” I said, smiling as I hugged her.
I finally get to go home…