Chapter 17
My heavy eyelids fluttered open to see Pete sleeping soundlessly with his arms around me tight. I could still see the streaks his tears made on his face and I kissed his cheek before I buried myself into his arms once again. Pete’s warmth lulled me back to sleep. It seemed to be only ten minutes later when I was woken up by a car door being slammed shut. Angry bickering voices floated into the sky and into my room, my ears recognizing the voices as my parents. My heart doubled in speed, my ribcage barely containing the erratic muscle.
My parents will kill me if they see Pete and I like this and I started to panic in Pete’s arms. Shit! I notice that I’m still wrapped in Pete’s arms when the front door opens and closes. Pete was still sleeping soundly, his arms now seeming like tight binds instead of the comfort blanket it felt just a moment ago. I started to wriggle out of his hold but Pete tightened subconsciously. “Patty cakes.” He mumbled as he pulled me even closer, if it was possible, and buried his face deep into the crook of my neck. I could hear my parents muffled voices gradually growing louder through my wooden door; they were coming up the stairs.
“Pete!” I silently pleaded, more to myself than to than to the sleeping body next to me. I pushed against Pete’s hold, moving slightly towards the edge of the bed, out of his embrace. My left foot had found my bedroom floor and before I could steady myself, Pete clamped around me. The extra weight threw me off balance causing me to fall on the floor with Pete landing on top of me, startling awake.
“What the fuck?” Pete said as he noticed where he was and not making any movement to get off of me. His weight was pushing down on my chest, blocking my air passage. Pete took his time getting off me, now he was just hovering above me with both arms surrounding me. “Pete.” I pleaded urgently, pushing at Pete’s chest half heartedly when my door opened. “Patrick, we brought--- What the hell is this?!” My father’s voice boomed once he saw the older boy straddled over his son’s hips. My heart jumped up in my chest and I jumped up with it, knocking Pete onto the hardwood floor. I scrambled to get on my feet and I gained my balance.
“It was nothing. We fell from the bed to the floor.” I explained to my father, hoping that it will get through his thick skull but he seemed even more infuriated after he heard this piece of information. “Why were you two in bed together?” He boomed, his blue eyes wide with rage. I saw Pete get up to his feet from the corner of my eye. He was sinking back into the room, trying to escape my father’s glare, the heat from it boiling him alive. “I knew you would turn him like this.” My father told him, stomping into my room, his pale face now red like a fire truck engine. Pete backed up onto my closet, his fear clearly on his face. My father grabbed a handful of Pete’s shirt, his hands balling up into fists. “You turned him into a fag!” He screamed at Pete who was trying to claw away from the older man’s grasp.
“You need to pay attention to your kid more!” Pete retaliated. He tried using all of his strength to get my father off of him but he failed miserably. “Maybe if you stopped arguing with your wife, you would know what goes on in your son’s life!” Pete’s voice echoed around my room, his anger fueling my fathers.
“Why you disrespectful little accident!” My father gritted trough his teeth, his fist tightening at his side. “You don’t come into my house and spread lies to make my son turn against his own family!” My dad’s voice rattled against my ears as I watched both Pete and my father argue about me as if I weren’t there.
“He doesn’t have a family!” Pete yelled back, his tan face reddening with anger. “I’ll teach you what he doesn’t have!” My father drew back his fist aiming for Pete’s jaw. My chest was collapsing in on itself as I watched Pete shut his eyes waiting for the painful impact. The next few things just happened all so fast that I don’t even remember how I was suddenly next to the arguing pair.
I was right beside my father when I took my fist and punched my father square in the jaw. “Holy shit!” Pete exclaimed as he watched my father fall to the ground, howling in pain. My knuckles felt like they were on fire but I was more concerned about my knees. They were visibly trembling and about to give out at any moment. “It’s alright, I got you.” I heard Pete say, wrapping an arm around my waist to steady me. I looked at my father, a crumpled heap on the floor, bleeding from the corner of his mouth and opening and closing his jaw to check if it was broken. He then looked up at me, his blue eyes wide with rage.
“GET OUT!” he roared. “GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! I DON’T WANT YOU OR YOUR FAGGOT BOYFRIEND IN MY HOUSE!”
Pete led me out of my room, leaving my father on the floor yelling in pain. We flew down the stairs not caring if we missed a step and I saw my mother right beside the front door, glaring at the boy behind me and pursing her lips in disappointment. “I knew you would be trouble.” She told Pete, her eyes burning a hole into his head. I quickly took the pair of keys that were hanging on the coat hook and ran out the door. “Patrick! Patrick, wait up!”
I looked over my shoulder to see Pete running after me; the house behind him just a blur caused by the tears in my eyes. My legs stopped working when Pete reached me and I sat down on the lawn in front of me before my knees gave out. I buried my head into my hands, not caring if my glasses dig into my nose. Pete sat down beside me and I could just feel him deciding on what he should do to comfort me. I placed my head on his shoulder and poured both my heart and eyes out.
“I’m homeless. I have nowhere to go, nowhere to sleep.” I told him. “I hated them but they gave me a place to stay but what am I going to do now?” Hot tears flowed down my cheeks silently; I didn’t have any energy in me to make noise. He pressed his lips to the top of my head and it was just silent for the next few minutes. “I got it,” Pete exclaimed in the silence, startling me. “Move in with me.”
I stared at him. “What?” He was now sporting a huge grin. “Think about it Patrick,” He said now kneeling on the wet grass in front of me. “We’ll tell my mother that your asshole parents kicked you out and you have no place to go. My parents will totally let you live with us. They love you!” Pete was bouncing up and down from just thinking about his idea.
“I don’t know Pete.” I confessed. Pete’s soft lips were suddenly on mine, kissing me softly; lovingly. “Please.” He whispered when we pulled apart. “If not for me, do it for yourself.” I looked into his brown eyes and felt myself give in. After you see those brown orbs, it’s hard to say no.
“Fine Pete, I’ll move in with you.” He jumped up in victory and pulled me off of the wet lawn. “Come on,” He said excitedly, pulling me down the street in the direction of his house. “We have to get you settled in.”