Chapter Five - You're Not So Bad
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Today was the day of the party and I was in the kitchen with my grandma and Bailey helping them finish up a few deserts and side dishes for the burgers and hot dogs my dad and grandpa were currently grilling, Braxton was with them.
There wasn't a lot that had to be done, because people were bringing a dish or drinks. It was the party of the town so a lot of food was needed.
The ranch hands were finishing up last minute things doing their work this morning so they could relax when people started showing up at around three and talk with friends.
"Alright I think that's it. You two can go get changed in your bathing suits if you'd like, everyone is going to be showing up here pretty soon." Grandma signed and spoke.
Bailey smiled and darted up the stairs, ready to get back in the water.
"Thank you for helping me," She gave me a hug, "Be sure to make friends tonight okay, Jaxon's a good boy, almost man, but he's got a girlfriend too. Maybe you'll hit it off with Daniel."
I gave her a look, "That's the gay one, isn't it."
She chuckled and smacked me with the hand towel she was drying off her hands with, "It's nice to have friends like you." She said and the door bell rang.
"Looks like we have our first guest, could you open the door for me, I need to go wash up." She said and disappeared upstairs.
I walked to the front door and opened it. A girl, a little boy and their parents stood at the door, the kids had covered dishes in their hand.
"Hello," I greeted and them and opened the door to let them in, "I'm Blaine, by the way." I introduced myself.
The mother smiled and introduced her family, "I'm Kathy, this is my husband Richard and my daughter Isabelle and my son Junior. We brought some dishes where should we put them?" She asked.
"It's lovely to meet you all, and follow me, I will show you where they go." I said and led them into the back yard and showed the mom the table with the food.
Richard went over to talk to my dad and grandpa and when Bailey came out she got in the pool with Junior, even though she couldn't hear him, they looked like they were having a good time.
I looked at Isabelle, "Jaxon should be here soon, he's told me a lot about you."
She turned and smiled at me, "Thank you, he's always making new friends." She said, obviously talking about me.
Just then Jaxon showed up, in swimming shorts and a tank top.
Isabelle ran up to him and gave him a hug and a kiss. It was sweet but I looked away, it felt like I was invading a private moment.
"I see you've met Blaine." Jaxon said walking over to me, his arm wrapped around Isabelle.
She nodded and smiled but before she could say anything else more people walked out. Adults and kids around Bailey's age and teenagers.
It didn't take long for the teenagers to gather around us, all of them dressed in their bathing suits with clothes over or sun dress.
"Daniel!" Jaxon called over a brunette with sparkling blue eyes and a slightly pale complexion. He was tall and thin, standing a few inches taller than me.
"This is Blaine, he just moved here. Blaine this is Daniel." Jaxon introduced us.
I smiled at him, "It's nice to meet you." I offered.
Blaine pulled me to the side, "Your the gay one he wanted me to meet, right?" He asked and I laughed, so loud that I got some looks from the people around us.
"You sure are blunt." I was smiling now, and so was he, "But yes, I am that gay one he wanted you to meet."
"Sorry, I don't always think before I speak." He blushed.
"It's fine, so your friends with all those people?" I asked motioning to the growing group of teenagers that were moving towards the pool.
"Most of them, not everyone is very friendly in this small town though." He grimaced.
"Well I don't want to keep you from talking with your friends, you can go swim with them if you want."
"I can't swim." He looked embarrassed.
"Well neither can I, you can join me over here if you want." I said and walked to a covered picnic table.
We sat there and talked for a while, it felt good to talk to another person like me other than Josef. It didn't take long to get on the topic of relationships.
"Have you had any boyfriends?" He asked.
I sighed, it was kind of a sore topic but he didn't know, "I had a few flings before I met this boy, Josef. We were together for about a year and a half before we broke up."
"Wow, what happened?" He asked.
"Um," I was looking down at my hands now, "He cheated on me."
"I'm sorry." His voice was low.
I looked up at him, "It's fine, I've just recently gotten the closure I needed to move on."
"Well hopefully you find someone better than him." He offered a smile.
"What about you? Any secret relationships, stolen kissed in the locker room?" I put on a smile.
"Actually yes, I too have had a few flings with boys from the bigger towns, but they never last."
"You'll find someone serious when you go off to bigger and better things." I smiled.
"I hope." He seemed a little sad now.
"Enough of this depressing shit," I said getting up, "Let's go join the group."
So we got up and he stripped his shirt off and got in the pool. I hurried back inside and got changed into my bathing suit before joining him.
"You know you're not so bad." I smiled.
"You're not so bad yourself. Jaxon tries to introduce me to every gay guy he encounters, which isn't a lot, so I though this was going to be worse than it was." He smiled.
"Jaxon's a good friend." I smiled.
"Very good, Isabelle's a lucky girl."
"Very lucky." I mumbled, looking over at them, Isabelle was laying on a float, like some of the others as they all talked and splashed, I noticed there were more people than before, more boys than girls.
Bailey and a few of the other kids her age were swimming around them.
"We should be social." I said and stole a float for each of us.
We swam over and Daniel jumped into conversation with a few girls, I noticed that he avoided the guys, who were messing around with each other, quite roughly.
"Blaine," Daniel got my attention, "Let me introduce you. This is Megan," he pointed to a sun kissed brunette with brown eyes who was built like an athlete, "And Morgan," he motioned to a beautiful pale girl with thick red hair and deep green eyes just above her freckle spotted cheeks and nose, "And Bree." He smiled pointing to the blonde with straight hair and blue eyes. She was built like a model and wore her bikini well, getting looks from most of the guys.
"Girls, this is Blaine."
"Your cute." Bree smiled cheekily.
"Thank you." I smiled at her compliment and Daniel rolled his eyes.
"He's gay, Bree." He said.
"Well he's still cute." She said and repositioned herself on her float, "Don't you think so?" She asked looking at everyone in the small circle.
Morgan looked a little shy and avoided the question, "Yeah, you're pretty good looking, with your boyish face and soft looking hair, your eyes are really unique too, that really pale blue, almost gray."
I could feel myself start to blush, I hadn't ever experienced this many compliments from strangers before. I had only ever really hung out with Grace and Josef in New York, not needing to talk to anyone else except in those classes in school where I would talk to acquaintances if Grace or Josef wasn't there.
"So you came from New York right?" Bree asked.
I nodded, "How do you know?"
"Well this town is small and news travels fast. So what's New York like?"
"It was busy and hard to find friends you could count on." I said.
"People must have been more excepting in New York about your sexuality though right?" Morgan spoke up.
I frowned, "Not everyone is as excepting as you think in New York. I've gotten beat a few times for chosing to love boys but I learned how to fight back and the beatings stopped." I offered a smile now.
Before they could say anything someone grabbed the float I was holding on to and dragged me to the bigger circle of teens, there had to at least have been ten maybe a little more.
I turned to see Jaxon had dragged me. I help on tight to the float as I couldn't feel the bottom of the pool under my feet.
"What are you doing, you know I can't swim." I said, looking a little wide eyed at Jaxon.
"You're fine, you're in a float Blaine." He said and then turned to his friends who were all staring at me. I offered a shy smile as he introduced them all to me. I didn't bother trying to remember their names, I had decided I would hang around Daniel and the girls over these dumb jocks and rude looking girls.
I stayed long enough to talk shortly with a few of them but left when one of the boys made a dumb joke. I got Bailey to push me back to Daniel and the girls.
I finally understood what my grandma had said before everyone started showing up, it was best that I had other friends because Jaxon was popular and hung around people I didn't like so much.
"You don't like them either?" Megan asked.
"Well I don't know them enough, but at first glance, not so much." I said and then I heard a whistle.
Every one looked over and I grabbed Bailey before she could dart back underwater.
"Foods ready, let's say grace and dig in." It was my grandpa who spoke.
So we all bowed out heads as he said a quick prayer, I had almost forgotten how religious the town was. I signed to Bailey when we were finished and looked back over to my new found friends, they looked at Bailey and I questioningly as we got out.
"She's deaf." I explained.
We all got some food and settled at a picnic table, jumping back into conversation like we hadn't just met.
~~~
The lights were now on so the pool and patio was lit up.
Since people had been getting in and out of the pool the concrete around the pool had become a bit slick and before I could stop Bailey to tell her that as she ran, around with the other little boys and girls, she slipped and fell, landing right on her bottom.
I got up from where I sat at the picnic table and went to check on her, her face was contorted in pain as she tried to keep in her tears.
She wrapped her arms around my neck as I bent down beside her. I heard the laughs from the teenagers I now hated as they had watched her fall.
"Assholes." I muttered and walked away, my dad was walking towards us and he signed to Bailey.
Are you alright? He asked.
She leaned away to look at him and rubbed her eyes, nodding.
Let's go sit down, he sighed and took Bailey over to where my grandma was sitting with Brax.
I went back over to where I was and got back into conversation until all the kids our age began moving just beyond the pool past a tree line and being the curious teenagers we were, we followed them which would turn out to be a mistake.
Turns out one of the boys had brought alcohol from their parents liquor cabinet and they decided to get drunk with it.
It wasn't really a problem for me, they were pretty funny stumbling around and making actually joke, until one of the intoxicated boys noticed Daniel and I in the crowd. Seeing as the liquor had fogged all of his thinking skills he bluntly asked, "What are you two fags doing here."
I'm sure if he wasn't drunk he wouldn't have said those rude and hurtful words, but he said them and I was pissed.
Everyone went quiet and I stood up from where I had been sitting down. I hated that word.
I didn't hesitate to throw a punch at him right as I was an arm length away from the dumb ass. I knew I probably shouldn't have resulted the violence that quickly, but something about what he said and the way he said it made me see red.
It reminded me too clearly of a memory I had with Josef when we were beaten in a alley for being caught holding hands. It was our fault for going to the wrong part of town, but we were on our way to go see the stars.
The boy feel to the ground and a few of the girls screamed, no one stopped me yet, they were all too shocked.
The boy stood up fast and took a swing. I dodged it but his other fist collided with my stomach as I tackled him to the ground. Ready to throw punch after punch at him as he did the same.
Maybe it was the word, maybe it was the memories behind the word, maybe it was the pent up anger inside of me or how they laughed when Bailey fell. But I punched him and he punched me and I was almost enjoying it, even when the tables turn and I was the one pinned down.
Until a deep voice silence the girls screaming and the drunk boys chanting.
The boy was pulled off of me by Jaxon and my dad pulled me up. Jaxon looked terrified and I couldn't tell if it was because of me or the boy, but I almost felt bad.
We were breathing heavily and glaring at each other. My dad smacked me and dragged me away from the shocked and amused teenagers. Jaxon followed behind with the beaten boy.
When I looked back at my father my anger disappeared and it turned into sadness. Because now all I could think about was the time Josef and I were beaten for loving each other and when my dad looked at me, I think maybe he was beginning to understand.
We were dragged into the house and my dad questioned us, "What the hell happened?"
The boys father walked in the house too, along with Jaxon's father.
"He called me a faggot." The word was sour as it left my mouth making me grimace.
I closed my eyes and swallowed the lump forming in my throat. Why couldn't bad memories just disappear?
"Why would you do that, Grant?" The boys father asked him.
Jaxon spoke for the boy, "One of the boys brought alcohol and he got some of it. He wasn't thinkin."
"Did you drink any?" Jaxon's dad was questioning him.
"No, sir." Jaxon responded respectfully.
I could taste the blood in my mouth as I licked my lips.
My dad was watching me, trying to figure out if he should punish me or not.
"You two boys don't look so good, how about we get you cleaned up." My grandma walked in and broke the growing tension.
She took both me and Grant into the kitchen, our dad's didn't bother following us, knowing my grandma had something planned.
She had Grant sit on the counter as I sat on a bar stool and she wiped the blood from both of our faces and patched up the bleeding injuries.
"Now I want you to tell me what happened." My grandma said sternly to Grant, who hadn't spoken at all.
"I drank a little," Grant admitted, "And before I could think about what I was saying I called Blaine and Daniel faggots." He sounded sorry now but I was wondering if it was just a cover up.
"I want you to apologize to my grandson." She said as she put a band-aid on his forehead and and ice pack on his eye.
He looked over at me, "I'm really sorry for what I said. But you sure can throw a punch." He said, maybe I had punched some sense into him.
"I'm sorry too." I said even though I wasn't really, I just knew that she's ask me to apologize too, "I shouldn't have kept punching you."
"Good, Blaine, you can go now. Grant, I'm going to need you to tell me who brought the alcohol." She said and I wasted no time leaving.
When I got back in the living room my dad was the only one there.
He looked at me and I felt like crying again. He didn't look so disappointed anymore.
Without saying anything he hugged me and I sighed, "I'm sorry dad. I just, I haven't heard that word since I was nearly beat to death." I whispered.
My dad squeezed me tighter, as if willing me not to talk about it anymore. He remembers that day just as well as I do, I think I scared him pretty bad.
"I know." Was all he said.
"But you can't just beat someone like that, Blaine, he could have really been hurt or hurt you." He said and pulled away, "Just promise me you won't do this again."
I nodded, "I promise."
He let me go back outside, the party was coming to an end anyway.
Jaxon was sitting next to Isabelle when I came out.
He got up when he saw me, leaving Isabelle in the middle of her sentence.
"I'm sorry I didn't stop the fight sooner, or defend you and Daniel." He looked guilty.
I offered a smile and then winced as it made my split lip throb, "It's fine. I shouldn't have punched him, something just snapped in me."
Jaxon looked at me for a long moment before he apologized again and walked back to Isabelle.
I found Daniel and the girls and Daniel jumped up and hugged me before I could say anything else.
"No one has ever stood up for me like that." He said and squeezed me.
"I thought I had scared you." I smiled when we pulled away.
"Just a little, what happened anyway? Did that remind you of something?" He asked.
I nodded, not wanting to explain, "That was bad ass." Bree said making us laugh.
I shook my head, "Well I've got to go, give me a call sometime, we'll add you to the group chat." Megan smiled before disappearing with her parents and little siblings.
A little while later everyone left. The only people left were Isabelle and her family as they helped us pick up.
When we were finished Isabelle kissed Jaxon goodbye and Junior hugged Bailey.
I waved goodbye to Isabelle, not in the mood for socializing, especially not with her.
I took a seat on a bench by the pool. My eye starting to ache from where I had taken a hit.
A few minutes later my grandpa was beside me, handing me an ice pack.
"Your pretty tough, kiddo." He smiled, "I'm proud of you for sticking up for yourself. That boy Daniel is sweet but he couldn't hurt a fly and would probably just take the harsh words."
I leaned into my hand with the ice pack so my eye felt better, "I'm starting to regret not walking away." I chuckled, my lip stinging.
"I bet, you'll probably be a bit soar tomorrow. Your grandma and I are going to church tomorrow morning and we were wondering if you wanted to join us. Your dad said you didn't have to if you didn't want to and we aren't forcing you, we just thought we's ask."
I hadn't been raised going to church every Sunday like my dad had, maybe because of how busy my life was when I was younger. I never had anything against religion and I was raised to believe in God and I do, I just didn't like the way some people used their religion to hurt people that weren't like them.
"Sure I'll go." I looked over at him, "I just might be a little out if it."
My grandpa smiled and patted my back, "You should go get some sleep, kiddo." He left me then and I was alone for a while until I decided to go get some sleep.