☆Blaze☽
Chapter 13:
I had been dropped off by Beatle at the school over an hour ago, and here I was now. Standing in front of the door to my house, too scared to knock. I didn't know how many minutes I had been standing here. I knew what awaited me; yelling. Lots of yelling.
"Owen, I'm worried. Should we call someone?"
"He's probably fine, Beth."
I had heard my parents conversing through the door the whole time I had been standing here. They had even reduced to asking Hayden where I was.
"I'm going to go look for him."
I don't know if it was that my mind didn't register the words, or if I was just frozen in absolute fear, but I remained glued to the spot. The door swung open and my dishevelled mother stared down at me. She looked relieved for a moment, then it changed to fury.
"Elliot Spellman, where were you?!" She screamed as she took hold of my uniform shirt, using it to pull me into the house. She slammed the door behind us and stared at me intensely with her hands on her hips.
"I had a massive partner project and we stayed up all night working on it. I didn't want to come home in the middle of the night so I just slept over at his house."
She looked at me skeptically, her composure not changing.
"And you couldn't call?!"
"I forgot." I replied with a shrug, wincing at the angered expression that overtook her face.
"Well maybe this will help you remember for next time, you're grounded!" She screeched and I felt my body stiffen. I couldn't be grounded.
"Beth, -"
"Owen, don't you dare side with him." She shot my father a disapproving look and he raised his eyebrows at me, as if to say 'I tried'.
"This is so unfair!"
"Don't test me, Elliot. Go to your room." She pointed to the stairs and I bounded up them, stomping into my bedroom and slamming the door behind me.
I huffed as I fell back onto the bed. I couldn't be grounded. I couldn't afford to be grounded.
I was angry, and some people eat when they are angry, or yell. Some even throw things.
But when I was angry, upset, frustrated, I did something completely different. I slept.
I woke up the next morning with my glasses next to me on the pillow. I was surprised they weren't broken, it had happened enough times during my sleep. I wasn't wearing a shirt, despite the fact I had absolutely no recollection of taking it off.
"Elliot, you better be awake. If you miss the bus you are walking." My mother's shrill voice sounded from the other side of the door. I buried my head into my pillow and tried to block out the sound.
"Elliot?" I heard the door creak open and felt her eyes settle n me.
"You know I'm only trying to do what is best for you."
"Please get out."
"Elliot-"
"Please." I heard the door click a second later, and her light footsteps travelling down the hallway towards Hayden's room.
I lifted myself from my bed, and took a look at my appearance.
I should get contacts.
I should lift.
I should cut my hair.
I shook away all the negative thoughts and ran a hand through my short curls.
I needed to stop this constant changing. I barely knew who I was anymore. I used to be able to pride myself on the fact that even though I had no friends, I was always top of my class. Now what did I have? Weed hidden in my underwear drawers? A life full of lies?
I trudged to the bathroom and turned on the shower.
I hopped out after about ten minutes, when Hayden's incessant knocking became too much to bare. I slung a towel around my waist and walked past Hayden and his annoyed glare.
I stepped into my room and opened the closet, looking through my clean uniform clothes and picking out the least wrinkled ones.
I picked up my phone hesitantly, wondering if I should ask Beatle to pick me up. I didn't want to inconvenience him, but if he was driving to school then my house would be on the way.
I typed out the message and held my breath as I sent it, tossing my phone onto my bed.
I slipped on my uniform and ran my fingers through my hair a few times. Why did it always have to be so unruly? I sighed and sneaked a peak in the direction of my phone.
The red light was blinking, and I smiled. He had replied to my text. I jumped over to my phone like a teenage girl and slid it open, checking the message.
Beatle Durrett
Received: 8:04 AM
Ya, no problem. See you in a bit.
I sent back a thank you and busied myself packing up my backpack.
I waited at the front window for half an hour, constantly checking the clock. School had already started now. I was worried he had forgot about me, but I was too scared to text him again.
I accepted the fact that he had gone to school without me and I would just have to walk. I opened the front door and locked it behind me. I began to make my way down the street in the cold air.
I shivered and hugged my arms around myself; I should go back and get a sweater.
A car horn sounded behind me and I turned to see Beatle's signature black car just a few meters behind me. He pulled to a halt next to me and rolled down the window.
"Where are you going?"
I felt my cheeks turn red, but if he commented I would blame it on the cold weather.
"I though you forgot. School already started."
He laughed and gestured for me to get in the passenger's side.
"We'll be fashionably late." I rolled my eyes at him and got inside, settling into the familiar leather seats.
He drove for a while before turning to me and asking a question that made me smile, and butterflies erupted in my stomach.
"Do you want to come over after school? We can watch a movie." He smiled at me, and when I didn't reply right away he continued cutely, "Or whatever you want to do." There was no underlying sexual meaning, which I was more than grateful for.
"That would be nice." I tried to stop my small smile from breaking out into a full on grin.
It was silent until we got to school after that. He parked on a side street because there was no student parking, and we both got out. Before I could make it around the car and towards the school he was already in front of me, pushing me into the car with his hands on my chest. His latched his lips onto mine and we moved in sync. After a minuted he pulled away and placed kissed down my jaw to the top of my uniform shirt. When he couldn't kiss any lower he pulled away and smiled. He began to walk off towards the portables, leaving me standing there like an idiot.
"See you later." He turned with a smirk. I still couldn't find my words, so I just waved dumbly. When he had dissapeared my feet finally began to move towards my first period. I got chewed out for being late, but I didn't hear any of it. All I could think about was kissing Beatle again, and after school.
"I've got half a mind to kick your ass." Beatle stated across our regular lunch table to Mi. He narrowed his eyes at me with a glare that looked like it could kill.
"You told him?" He hissed at me. I focused my gaze on the table but Beatle waved him off, bringing the attention back to the real problem at hand.
"You just put all of us in danger."
"Because Lake-"
"Shut your fucking mouth, Mi!" Beatle yelled, silencing the table. Trick and Whiskey still had no idea what was happening. They inquisitively observed the conversation.
"We need to lay low for a while. Until this all blows over. That means no dealing of any sorts. I don't care what you had arranged. I swear to God Mi, if some crazy supplier sends his goons after us I will literally castrate you." He lowered his voice before continuing, making sure that only Mi and I could hear what he was saying.
"And if you lay a finger on Lake again, you can look for new friends."
"This is such bullshit! You're always protecting him." Mi pushed up from the table so he was standing. He slapped his hand down, the sound echoing through the cafeteria. It caught the attention of multiple people.
"Chill out." Beatle said, rolling his eyes. Mi continued, throwing his arms around as he spoke.
"You act like he's your responsibility, like he's your brother or..." Mi's eyes widened and his eyebrows shot up, like he had just realized the cure for cancer.
"Holy Christ, you have a crush on the fairy. You're a fucking faggot!" Beatle shot to his feet, leaning over the table and threateningly close to Mi.
"Shut the fuck up, you don't know what you're talking about."
"So it's true. What the fuck?!" He yelled, laughing as he spoke. A few people looked over, Trick and Whiskey wore confused expressions.
"It's not true!" I turned my head up so I was looking up at Mi. He simply laughed in my face and grabbed the top button of my shirt in his fist. Twisting it and wrinkling the fabric.
"Fucking lying faggot."
"Miles, let go of him."
"Or what?"
I gripped his wrist as he pulled on my shirt. He was laughing. Like a sick masochist. I didn't understand. He used more force until I had no choice but to stand or be strangled. I could tell Beatle wanted to do something, but he didn't want to draw any more attention than already had been. I peered up at Mi, the messy stubble on his face, the disgusted look on his face.
He dropped my shirt and pushed me hard in the chest. I stumbled and fell to the ground in between the two rows of tables. I caught Hayden's glance as I fell. I was a horrible brother. He was right for not wanting people to know I was related to him. I was an embarrassment.
"Fucking faggot." Mi laughed. I looked down at the dirty floor, my hands skimming over it as I breathed deeply. I tried to slow down my racing heart. I heard Beatle's fist bang loudly against the table.
But when I heard a fist collide with Mi's face, it wasn't Beatle's.
"Don't touch my fucking brother!" Hayden's voice rang out, silencing all the chatter in the lunch room. All eyes were on us now.
I looked up to see Hayden rubbing his fist and Mi standing with a shell-shocked expression. But Mi's expression paled in comparison to mine.
I couldn't believe what had happened.
Half of me felt like I was still asleep.
My homophobic brother, whom hated me, just punched Mi.
"And you were just going to watch?" Hayden lowered his voice only about a tone, turning his attention to Beatle. He opened his mouth and then closed it again.
"Fucking coward."
I pulled myself up from the floor and wiped the dirt from the seat of my pants. I wanted to come to Beatle's defense. I was the real coward, I should have said something earlier. I should have hit Mi.
Yeah, right. You, hit Mi. Funny.
I looked between them. And suddenly, I was more confused than I had ever been in my life.
I thought I knew who to trust, who could be there for me. But as I replayed the scene of my brother punching Mi and then shaming Beatle, I realized I didn't know anything.
I glanced around before hightailing it out of the cafeteria and into the hallway, looking for the nearest bathroom.
I pushed open the door and stared into the mirror, relieved to find that this washroom was empty. I turned on the sink and let my hand flood with water before splashing my face. I felt like I was in some lame face wash commercial. I clutched my chest, willing my heart to slow down. It was beating at such a pace it seemed it would explode inside of me.
The door creaked open and I turned my attention towards the wall. I used one hand to brace myself against it as I continued to keep one hand clenched over my heart.
"Lake?" The voice was soft. It wasn't Beatle's and it wasn't Hayden's. I turned to see Whiskey standing in front of the closed door, looking at me with a concerned expression.
I sucked in a deep breath before speaking.
"Why do you like him?"
His eyes widened and he ran his hand through his red hair. His teeth fell down onto his bottom lip as his eyebrows furrowed.
"What are you talking about?"
"Mi. Why do you like him?"
"I-I-I," He cast a glance to the floor and shook his head, "I don't know."
Whiskey leaned into the wall next to me, letting it support his weight.
"He's homophobic."
"I know."
"He's violent."
"I know."
"He's going to break your heart."
Whiskey let out a sigh from beside me and threw his head back to look at the ceiling.
He whispered, "I know."
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