I woke up to my father shouting from down the stairs. Typical. I ignored it and started getting ready for school.
I skipped breakfast again, despite having barely eaten over the past few days. I was too stressed for it. But it was really starting to show. I had the darkest circles under my eyes that I've seen in my entire life, I looked so frail that a gust of wind could probably take me down.
"I'm off to school.." I alerted him as I made it down the stairs
"Are you seeing that little faggot today?" He slurred, adjusting the logs in the fireplace with the fire poker, in an already agitated and clearly inebriated state. Christ, it wasn't even eight a.m.
"We have the same classes.." I replied nervously, trying not to slip up my answer, while still avoiding a lie. Getting caught in a lie is very heavily punished, worse than the truth.
"That all?"
"Uh, w-we usually walk with each other, but that's it! That's all, we have the same route to school, we just walk near each other, nothing else.." I admitted, preparing myself for his screaming.
"..I thought I told you not to talk to that boy ever again...!" His voice raised, still clutching the hot fire poker, with white knuckles
"I'm sorry.. I won't do it again, I promise! I-I thought just the walk was okay, it's the same way home, I'm sorry! I-I just wanted to tell you the truth, I always tell the truth.."
"You son of a bitch, you're never fucking sorry!" He growled as he suddenly slammed the scorching fire poker against my arm and side, making me cry out in pain.
He didn't stop. Even through my yelps of agony, he persisted, searing my skin
I cowered on the floor as he purged his wrath, until he was satisfied enough with what he'd done to let me go. I always cower. Though, it's not like I had any choice in the matter this time - all I could do was recoil into the floor and pray he would soon be finished
Dizzy from pain, I laid there for nearly three minutes after he had left, simply trying to breathe my way through the intense nausea brought forth by the pain.
I was no stranger to my father's punishments. But truthfully, few had ever hurt this way. There was nothing I could do but lie there and tremble until the intensity began to fade away, enough to allow me to my feet.
As I staggered out the front door, I expected to see Kevin waiting for me as usual, but he was nowhere to be found. In all honesty, I'm glad he wasn't here. I'm glad he couldn't hear me screaming like that. I closed my eyes to hold back the tears that formed, until I heard Kevin shout my name
"McKinley! Wait up!" He smiled widely, rushing over to me
I looked up at him trying to hold back my tears, and plastered on a fake smile.
"Hey.."
" what's wrong..?" He saw right through my attempts to mask my distress
"It's nothing... Just having a long morning. I'm okay." I assured him, pulling my sleeve down to hide my burns.
"Are you cold?" He inquired, noticing my long sleeves
"Yeah, a little bit." I fibbed, just going along with what he was saying.
"Well, here.. we can't have that.." he started taking off his brown leather jacket
"No, I-I couldn't.."
"Don't be ridiculous. Put it on"
He handed me his jacket to wear. It was a bit too big on me, it looked like the reverse of 'Fat man in a little coat' from Tommy Boy. Short man in a big jacket. But it was warm. And comfortable. And it smelled like him.
"There you go, that's more like it." He smiled "..looks good on you"
"Thanks..."
"Of course." He grinned, placing his arm around my side, unwittingly applying pressure to one of my burns. I winced in pain, quietly, choking on my breath as I tried to react as little as possible. Still, he was taken back by my pained recoil.
"You alright...?" He asked, stepping back, confused and concerned.
I nodded, my blistered skin still stinging.
"Yeah, I'm good.. I uh.. got a little side cramp. That's all."
"Okay.." He chuckled, clearly a bit confused
"H-How's your morning been?" I changed the subject.
"Good. I got to see you."
"Well I can guarantee that seeing you has definitely made mine better..."
"....are you sure you're really alright? You seem..."
"No, I'm alright. I'm great." I put a more convincing smile on.
He goes out of his way on a daily basis just to make sure I'm happy. Don't get me wrong, his whole 'bad boy' thing is hot, but it's not the real him. He'd give an arm and a leg just to know that the people he cares about are okay. He's far more intelligent and insightful than people give him credit for. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body. Though he likes to pretend he does. He changed a lot, that day we kissed. He let that guard down. He let himself open up, show his care. Not act like such a self-assured jackass. Even if he made a very attractive self-assured jackass.
When we made it to the school we walked to the first class together, trying to draw as little attention to ourselves as possible so my father didn't hear about it and find out.
It was definitely shitty to not be able to hold hands, hug, or even touch each other when we were around other people, but it was certainly better than my dad hearing about it and hurting one, if not both, of us. Kevin is so damn patient. I would've left me if I were him, but he still stays by my side. And I'm so grateful for that. My life was shitty before I met him, but ever since he came into my life, I've had that one beam of happiness to keep me up and going even in the darkest of times. The short time I've known him is the happiest I've ever been.
I saw him again after all of my classes were finished. He greeted me with his routine "Hello, Sunshine".
I replied with a swift "Hello, Hotshot" to mock him. I'd grown to be very comfortable with him, very quickly. I've never really had any other friends that I felt comfortable with, friends I could joke with and be myself with. But it felt so remarkably easy to be myself, with him. He makes me feel like I've known him all my life.
Once we were out of the school I attempted to give his jacket back to him.
"You can keep it if you'd like" He offered
"Really? are you sure? It is your jacket, after all..."
"I have more, Connor, and you look cute as hell in that one" He replied, nodding me with his elbow. I made sure nobody was around and popped a quick kiss up on his cheek, before continuing on our way home.
When we arrived outside my house I quickly peeked through the windows to see if my dad was home. He had left to do god knows what.
"Hey, uh, My dad isn't home yet, w-would you wanna... uh.. do you wanna come in?"
"When is he gonna be back?"
"I'm not sure, but if he comes back early you can get out pretty easily through the window. If you want to. You don't have to if you don't want to, I just felt like I should at least ask."
"..Fuck it, let's go" He chuckled
I nodded and pulled my keys out of my backpack, opening the door and letting him in. I closed and locked the door behind us, showing him around rather quickly, and bringing him up to my room. I sat down on the bed as he looked around the room. He frowned as he noticed a crack in the wall that was almost big enough to become a full blown hole.
"Was that...?"
"Yeah.. That was him."
With a sigh, Kevin slowly started to rub my back, sitting down next to me. I quickly gave him a kiss on the shoulder before laying down with him, resting my head on his chest, and eventually falling asleep like that.
I woke up suddenly to the front door slamming. Shit, my dad was home. I quickly shook Kevin awake.
"Kev! He's back.. you can go through that window, onto the roof below it, a-and get to the ground from there, just be as quiet as possible" I whispered, panicked
He nodded, standing up and taking the time to kiss me rather roughly, holding me in by the nape of my neck, before whispering one last "See ya' tomorrow, Sunshine" and making his way quickly out the window. I soon heard my dad's heavy footsteps going up the stairs, and threw Kev's jacket under my bed then pulled a textbook from my desk, pretending to have been doing school work the whole time. My dad barged into my room without even knocking, just to make sure I wasn't doing anything that I would get in trouble for. Which was just about anything other than sitting silently and reading.
"It smells like cigarettes in here.."
I shrugged "dunno why.. maybe it's the neighbors." I fibbed
My dad grunted and walked back down the stairs. I immediately closed door again and took the jacket out from under the bed. That was the closest call yet. I admit that it was terrifying to know that he was seconds away from finding out and beating me half to death, but it was honestly worth it just to be alone with Kevin for that short amount of time.