*LEXI'S POV*
I'd thought that Gracie was finally becoming herself but then she sent me a text 'I'm not like you' and my heart broke for the third time that night. I couldn't believe I let her kiss me and make me feel like that after watching her with someone else.
Caleb dropped me home and my mother and Jackson were watching tv. They gave me the silent treatment for the rest of the evening and I was glad that neither of them were talking to me.
When I woke up on the Saturday, the night was a complete blur. I couldn't remember anything that happened. In fact I only knew that something actually did happen because of the head ache I gained when I woke up that morning.
I didn't used to party that hard, when I was in London it used to just be Steph and I, we had fake ID's but rarely used them. We mostly just ate food and got really pissed, just the two of us.
But then later in the day I saw a video on Facebook that I'd been tagged in many times. It was of me in front of the karaoke machine holding a microphone. I was staring at someone in the audience, my guess was that Gracie was looking back at me. I'd rambled on about loving someone and how they made me feel. Just watching the video for the second time, I realised how true my drunken words were.
*GRACIE'S POV*
When Caleb and Blake entered and the door opened, I could hear mum and dad still arguing in the kitchen. I'd been hiding in the basement for the past two hours, partially because I didn't want to listen to my parents arguing but mostly because it was my favourite room in the house. I always went in there to read or to watch a movie, it made me relax and it felt like I'd left all my problems at the door.
Caleb and Blake flung themselves down onto the couch next to me. I didn't look up at them but I knew that they were both looking at me, wondering what they should say.
"He won't be mad for much longer," Caleb commented, but I think he only said that because we were all just sat in silence waiting for someone else to speak. Caleb didn't exactly know why they were fighting or why I was so affected by it unless Blake had told him but by his face he didn't know. He just thought I'd gotten upset because they were arguing so he tried to comfort me.
I shrugged, "He sounds pretty mad Caleb,"
The basement was soundproof so there was no way we could've heard what they were saying but every few minutes I thought I could but it was just in my head.
I looked over at my two brothers, even though they weren't really saying anything I felt so much happier with them in the room.
I hadn't noticed it before but Caleb had a slight black eye and his jaw was wonky. The swelling made it look pretty fresh which made me wonder when exactly he'd been smacked.
"What happened?" I motioned to his face but he didn't smirk like I'd expected him to. His face wrinkled up like he was about to cry but he didn't. Caleb told me that it was just football practice but I didn't believe him and I knew Blake didn't either.
I nodded at Blake, it was time.
"Hey I'm just going to shower," Blake used as an excuse.
Caleb just nodded then he said he was going to stay with me for a bit. When Blake left, I put on a movie to make it less awkward for what I was about to say.
I was watching him watch the movie. Something was up with him because he couldn't concentrate on the tv, his eyes kept on glancing to one corner of the room and then the other.
I didn't want to wait any longer.
"Caleb there's something I haven't told you,"
"Mhm?"
"I'm gay, I like girls." Were the words I chose to say.
"I know," He said.
"Wait you know?" I was shocked, had it been obvious?
"I'm your brother, of course I do,"
"Why didn't you talk to me about it?" If he knew, why didn't he say anything? I'd built up so much courage in order to tell him and he already knew.
"I just figured, you'd want to tell me rather than me telling you," He let out a chuckle which made me smile.
"I love you Gracie, just because you like girls doesn't change that, I mean I like girls too," Caleb's humour was one of the things that I loved most about him. It made his personality so much more enjoyable.
"Do Mum and Dad know?" I was prepared for the questions.
"What do you think they are arguing about?" I said in a duh tone.
"I'm so sorry," Caleb shook his head and I could tell he was gritting his teeth.
He wanted to ask me which parent didn't agree with my sexuality, I could read him so well as he shuffled awkwardly.
"It's dad,"
When I said that, he looked really mad. Something about Caleb that hadn't already been mentioned was that he had anger issues. That's why I didn't understand why he kept on annoying Lexi. He knew how it felt.
*LEXI'S POV*
Caleb was around my house very early in the morning. Well, it wasn't actually that early but I was planning on sleeping in even though it was a school day.
"Mate I've got to talk to you," He said as soon as I walked out my front door.
"There's something...I don't know how to say this," He looked lifeless.
"Have you slept?" He shook his head so I told him that I hadn't really either.
"Jones I think something happened at the party,"
"What do you mean?"
"I was with Audrey," He stated.
"Bitchy Basketball Audrey?" That was the nickname for her amongst the team. Everyone had their nicknames for each other but hers was true.
"Yeah," He nodded twice, "Trinity, Quinn and Finley came round on Saturday, well they did this to me," Caleb showed me a picture on his phone.
He looked like shit, his left eye swollen so bad that he couldn't even open it. A bruise underneath the eye that was very colourful.
"They were yelling at me, that I-I..." He was struggling to tell me, "I raped Audrey," Did I hear that correctly? He raped her?
"Mate-" He cut me off.
"I can't remember anything except that I was talking to her," He explained.
"So you might not of?"
"They sounded pretty adamant," His voice was quiet and that's what scared me. He usually took everything as a joke, but he was nearly crying. I'd never seen Caleb cry before that's how I knew he didn't do it. He wouldn't.
"But you wouldn't," If he did actually rape her then I didn't know who he was anymore.
"Can you remember anything at all?" I needed him to think really hard.
He shook his head, "Nothing,"
***
*GRACIE'S POV*
"How could she do that to us?" I heard my dad shout, did he not care that we had neighbours?
"She's not doing it to punish us, hell she doesn't even chose to be gay but she is so fucking pull yourself together and be there for her,"
"Don't say that word in this house," He trembled as if the G word was the same as you-know-who.
"Dammit Chris, she's our daughter. She deserves the support from her father, what has she done to deserve all of this?"
"She betrayed us," He hissed, "I don't know who she is anymore," Hearing those words hurt a lot, I thought I knew who I was but I wasn't as sure after that.
"I don't know who you are anymore, you're certainly not the man I married," My mother shouted. It was the first time I'd ever heard her properly shout.
They'd been arguing since yesterday when I told Dad. Well I didn't exactly tell him, he overheard me. I'd already told my mum and it was just after I'd came out to Blake.
I was looking at my reflection in the mirror, watching it move as I did. Then I just felt this huge wave of confidence blow over me. I looked at my eyes in my reflection, and said, "I'm gay, I'm a lesbian," I'd forgotten to close the bathroom door.
I was in my room, Blake beside me on the bed, they'd been arguing constantly and it had really started to get to me.
"Blake, dad hates me," I had to face the facts, he hated me because I'm gay.
"No he doesn't, he loves you." Was the excuse Blake used.
"He doesn't like who I am, he wants to change me," I mentioned.
"Well don't let him," He said.
I'd only just felt ok with who I was and then he was just going to push me right back into the darkness. I couldn't do it again, I wasn't as strong as everyone thought.
"Ok," I whispered to him.
"Have you talked to Lexi?"
"What? Why would I talk to Lexi?"
"Because she's your best friend," Blake commented.
"Oh yeah," I felt dumb for assuming he knew about us.
"Why don't you call her? Go out for a bit?" He suggested. At first I ignored it and decided it was better to just hide away at home but then Blake said he'd buy me pizza afterwards so I got my phone to call her.
My hand was shaking as the phone was ringing, every single ring made my heart ache for her more.
:)