Disowned
by Victor Thomas
Chapter 10
Kenny
I parked my car in the driveway in front of my house. I had hardly stepped out of the car when Chris' red Toyota came around the corner and slowed down. He stopped, stepped out of his car and approached me with a questioning look on his face. I looked down, trying to avoid the inevitable.
"Can you please explain what's going on?" he asked.
"It's a long story," I grumbled.
Actually, it was a very short one. I had lied, screwed up, and left my boyfriend in the hands of Joshua. And what was worse, I hadn't even gotten a chance to explain to Javier why I had left with Chris so suddenly. I didn't want to think what him and Joshua might be doing right now. Whatever it was, it was all my fault.
"Not that I don't want to play video games with you, but we both know you were there waiting for Javier, not me," he said.
"You're right," I said with a voice barely louder than a whisper. "He asked me on a date this morning."
His face softened. He placed his hand on my shoulder.
"Is everything okay? Don't tell me you have broken up."
"No. Nothing like that."
"Tell me what it is, then."
I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly until my lungs were empty. I needed to sit down and the big rock in the shadow of the old maple tree served the purpose. Chris followed me and kneeled down on the grass in front of me. His eyes were studying my face.
"I don't want mom to know that I…"
I began, but the words stuck in my throat.
He nodded.
"Still, I don't understand why…"
"I lied to Joshua," I interrupted and continued whispering. "I told him that Javier and I aren't dating."
The expression on his face was surprise and confused at the same time.
"But everybody knows," he said.
I blushed. I was stupid to assume that such things could stay secret in Chouteau High. Besides, I had seen it in the looks of the other students when they thought I wouldn't see, or in the whispers in the hallway when they thought I couldn't hear.
"Do you really think everybody knows?" I asked.
I read the answer on his face.
"I even saw two freshmen talking about you yesterday," he said.
"Should I tell mom?"
"Man, if I know her at all, she will go ballistic."
Even though I had wished for a different answer, deep inside I knew that he was right. My mother was too religious, too old fashioned, and too… everything. After her marriage with my father had failed, god himself had forbidden her from ever marrying again. If something was sure, it was that her lord wouldn't support mine and Javier's relationship.
What god has joined together, let no man put asunder. I thought of Reverend Fraser's words when he learned that two of his favorite sheep were divorcing. It had taken her three years to repent of her sins every Sunday. All I could remember was my mother going to his office and I had to wait in the sanctuary with Ms. Fraser. What an awful lady; she even smelled horrible.
"You should talk to Javier," Chris said. "Even a blind squirrel can see that Joshua is interested in him."
"Please. Don't tell me you knew he was gay?"
"Man, in which kind of closet are you living in?" he said, and then apologized for his crappy choice of words.
I stood up and took my phone from my pocket. I noticed two messages from Javier, read them quickly, and kicked the sturdy trunk of the maple tree. It had grown there for decades and hardly budged. If the tree didn't mind, mom did. As soon as my sneaker touched the trunk, the kitchen window was knocked.
Ignoring her, I showed him the messages I got from Javier. The first one asked where the fuck I had disappeared to. The second one, sent ten minutes later, was just a question mark.
"You should call him," he said, stating the obvious.
I grunted.
"Why would he want to be with me? Joshua is much better looking than me, isn't he?"
"Jesus, I'm not going to comment on that one."
He was right, however. I should call him and explain why I had left so suddenly. I bit my lip and stared at the phone. The fluttery feeling in my stomach kept growing, but I couldn't press the button to make the call. What if he didn't want to talk to me? What if I had ruined everything?
"I can't call him."
I crouched down and sat on the grass.
"Don't be such a drama queen," he said. "I'll go now so you can talk to your boyfriend. Okay?"
I watched him walking to his car. Soon, the car disappeared around the corner, and it was just me and my phone in the front yard. I took a long inhale, stood up, and leaned against the tree. Then I pressed the screen and raised the phone to my ear with no idea what I would say.
The phone kept ringing. Seconds passed, and I waited, wishing I would hear my boyfriends voice, but he didn't answer.
Maybe he didn't hear the ring. I'm sure he'll call me back soon, I thought, staring at the black screen. My heart was beating faster as I expected his name to appear on the screen. It didn't, and after waiting five minutes, I pushed the phone back into my pocket.
I let out a heavy sigh and shook my head slowly. Since there was nothing to do right now, I walked to the door and tried to sneak in, hoping mom wouldn't notice me. Luck wasn't on my side today.
"Who did you call?" she shouted from the kitchen.
"Nobody," I grunted.
"Was it Hannah? I heard you talking to her yesterday."
For a moment, I considered lying to her and saying it had been my ex-girlfriend, but I then realized it would only start an interrogation about us starting to date again. Instead, I just walked to the fridge to get something to drink and found some orange juice.
"Don't drink from the carton." She handed me a glass. "Dinner's ready in half an hour."
"I'm not hungry," I said, putting the juice carton back in the fridge.
"Are you okay? Has something happened?"
"I'm just not hungry. Okay?"
I clenched my teeth so I wouldn't say something I would regret. I tuned on my heels and stalked into my bedroom, slamming the door behind me. My backpack, full of books, thudded against the baseboard when I tossed it into the corner. I had hardly flopped down on my bed when the door was pushed open.
"Kenneth Sherman," she shouted, emphasizing each word. "As long as you live in my house, that behavior won't be tolerated."
"Sorry, mom."
I laid my head back down.
"I expect you to be in the kitchen when dinner is ready."
She was determined to have the last word, which didn't surprise me. Perhaps that was the reason dad got tired of her and found a new girlfriend. I glanced at the doorway, but she had already left for the kitchen to prepare something I would be forced to eat. Hopefully it didn't mean that I also would be forced to discuss Hannah or some other girl I should date.
Talking about dating, I took my phone and typed a message to Javier. 'Hey hot stuff! Sorry that I ruined our date. Please let me explain. Talk to you at school, okay? Love you.'
A groan escaped from my throat when half an hour later, mom called me for dinner. The entire time I had stared at my phone, but he never replied.
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