Nox
My normally easy going Dad growled at me. His hands on his hips, his face ever growing redder and the vein in his neck pulsing told me, and everyone else that I was in trouble. And for what? Some stupid photoshopped picture of me and a cock. I stood there in silence as the rooms cleared. I caught Mandy leaving and knew Drew would be sitting at the top of the steps waiting for me. Or waiting for my Dad to yell ‘drew go home’.
The door finally closed with a soft snick and my mother walked over to us, she stood to the side like she was going to negotiate. My father held up his phone and showed me the picture again. “You aren’t even going to deny it?”
“That picture is a fake. I’ve never sucked anyone’s cock before.”
My mother visibly relaxed but my father’s face grew darker, “And you weren’t going to deny it?”
I let out a long sigh, “Everyone knows Jace is trying to make it so he’s more popular than me and he’ll go to any lengths to do it, which includes faking a picture. He’s sorta mad that I wouldn’t suck his cock, too.”
It was almost comical watching my dad’s face change into the angry twisted thing it was now. “Is it a lie? Then, these rumors that I keep hearing from the other fathers and their sons, that you like boys.”
And there it was, the true reason he was pissed off. Kids talked. Their parents talked worse in a small town like this. I shook my head, “Dad, everyone but you knows I’m gay. I have been my whole life and you refuse to see it.”
My mother stepped between us, “Nox, now isn’t the time.”
I shrugged, “It’s the perfect time Mom. Dad, should know the truth. Mia and I have been pretending for you, and for her, but now that she’s in high school she wants to date someone who actually likes her.”
“You like her!” He exclaimed defiantly.
“She’s like my kid sister, Dad. She wanted to be popular. So I agreed to be her older boyfriend.” My father started pacing, his hands flexed between rubbing the palm of his hand to a fist and back again. He was straining not to punch something.
“I’m sorry I’m not your perfect son. I’m sorry that I will never be.” I walked away from him, I knew he’d be angry. But there was nothing more to talk about.
I expected him to storm after me but instead he yelled, “Nox!” I stopped and turned to look at him but his back was to me. He didn’t even want to look at me, “For the unforseeable future you are grounded,” he said in small voice, “You will be home after school, no extra ciriculars, nothing. Come home immediately.”
I sighed and nodded, “Sure thing.” I tried not to sound broken, but it was hard not to when your dad just grounded you for being gay. At least I wasn’t a druggie or a failure. I sighed as I stomped up the stairs. Drew stood up and waited.
My Dad yelled, “Drew go home!”
Drew patted my shoulder as he headed down the stairs, “I’ll call you, if you still have your phone.” He shouted, “Yes, sir.” as he reached the bottom step and fled out the door before my father turned his ire on him.
I could hear my parents whispering as I turned towards my own room. Looked like I was going to be spending a great deal of time in my room – alone.
My bed had been used. It wasn’t uncommon. And I really didn’t mind as long as they didn’t make a mess. And I knew it had been Drew and Mandy with their third. Always with a third, like they couldn’t get enough sex with each other. I didn’t want to think about their why. Drew had at least asked before he took his games to my bed.
And other than the messed up comforter and the displaced pillow I wouldn’t have known they were in here. I grabbed the displaced pillow and flopped on to the bed after kicking the door shut. There on the bed sat a phone. It wasn’t Drew’s, his case was covered in hearts and stickers his girlfriend put on it. This one was all black with a faint drawing in pencil on it, but I couldn’t make out what it was. It wasn’t Mandy’s her’s was bejeweled just like her clothes.
The phone rang and I jumped and dropped it to the floor. Fuck! I scrambled to pick it up and look at the caller ID. It was Max, and I was pretty sure that was Alex’s friend. I anwered cautiously, “Alex’s phone.”
“You make a habit of answering other people’s phones?” An unfamiliar voice said on the other side.
“I knew Max was your friend, and you were likely calling to see where your phone was.” I said, hopeful.
“I’m surprised you know either of our names?”
“It’s a small school. It’s hard not to know your name. I mean, not every kid in school fails on purpose.”
“What?” Alex sounded surprised that I knew.
“One of the strange benefits of being a teacher’s pet and all of them like you, when you run out of work to do they let you grade papers. I’ve seen some of your failed tests, you fail because you don’t put the right answer on the test scoring sheet, but if you look at the test papers, all the answers are right. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”
“Why wouldn’t you tell the teachers?”
I frowned, “I did the first time it happened. They still failed you.”
“So you tried to help me?”
“That’s my thing isn’t it?” I said. “You’d be disappointed if I hadn’t tried.”
“I don’t even know you.”
I smiled. “Yeah, well that’s your fault not mine. I have your phone, how do you want to get it back.” I said changing the subject. I didn’t want to hear all about how it was my fault I didn’t know him. Or even that it was his. I didn’t want to talk about it at all. I sat down on my bed and pulled my pillow to my face with his phone still at my ear waiting for his answer. It didn’t smell like Drew or Mandy, but it wasn’t just me on the pillow. Had Alex used my pillow? I wasn’t sure how I felt about liking the thought or the fact that he smelled good.
The Mind of Nox 