Oh Boy! (BL)

27 - Complications (3/3)

!! Trigger Warning: Homophobia !!

I decided to wait in front of the house and watched how Clay's mom rushed through the door. Without saying a single word, she pointed at a shiny black BMW that was standing behind Clay's sedan in the driveway. I slipped on the passenger seat and saw Clay standing in the door frame. The expression on his face was a mix of pain and fear. It made my heart ache.

"Where to?" Clay's mom started the engine and drove backwards onto the street.

It was too early, but I told her to drop me off at Book Den rather than asking her to take me home. She already despised me, so there was no reason to put more negative points on her list. Throughout the entire drive, we didn't say a single word. Quiet music was coming from the radio and whereas I thought that it at least covered the aggressive silence in the car, Clay's mom seemed to have a different opinion on that. After as much as five minutes, she pressed the power button and killed the music.

It was the most painful car ride I ever experienced. And whereas I thanked her for driving me to work when we stopped in front of Matt's business, she didn't react at all, just waited for me to close the door so she could get away from there. Get away from me.

Shivering because I'd left my winter jacket in Clay's sedan, I waited until her car disappeared behind the next corner. Only then did I go around the building to the shop's back door. With my hand on the silver handle, I took a moment to breathe and to prevent the tears from falling. I was painfully aware that what happened today might be the ending for any kind of future I could've had with Clay. I wouldn't let him break with his family. Before that happened, I'd...

No, there had to be a way to fix this.

When my phone buzzed in my jeans pocket, I took it out in a rush, expecting it to be Clay. Instead, I frowned.

Two words: Glimmer Ball!

Talk to him already! We need to discuss our outfits ASAP!

Great. Just what I needed right now.

I started my shift with a fake smile on my face. I tried my best to play the professional bookseller, but the customers had to be completely oblivious if they didn't notice that my mind was absent. Some asked me for a sci-fi novel, and I ended up leading them to the romance section. Others wanted to order a book, and I couldn't remember the password to the computer. I was a complete mess.

And that was before Matt told me to take a break and sort the shelves in the children's section that were usually a complete chaos. At least putting Winnie, the Pooh and Dr. Seuss back to where they belonged was a task that prevented me from talking to customers.

Except, it didn't.

"Kenji."

I blanched when looking up at the tall woman who was staring down at me. Her posture was stiff, her arms crossed over her chest. So, she hadn't returned to Clay.

"M...Mrs. Prescott."

"We need to talk."

I nodded and got up from the ground, preparing myself for the worst.

Clay's mom narrowed her eyes. "What are you to my son?"

I leaned against the tall bookshelf in my back to catch my balance. "We...We're friends."

"Oh, shut up." I blinked because I definitely hadn't expected her to use swear words. "I know what I've seen in his room! I hope you know that you're about to ruin his future." When she shook her head, amber curls were flying angrily around her face. "No, I'll send him to a boarding school before I let that happen. Or to Europe. Or whatever. As far away from you as I can."

"A boarding school?" I felt sick. "Ma'am, the Thunderbirds are his everything. Please, don't take them away from him!"

He couldn't lose them...and they couldn't lose him!

"You think I don't know that?" She narrowed her eyes. "Fine. Then tell me that this was an accident. Tell me my son isn't gay."

"He isn't gay," I whispered. It wasn't exactly a lie because I didn't know the answer myself. Was he gay? Bi? Something else?

"Tell me so I will believe you."

But how was I supposed to make that happen?

My phone buzzed again. I blinked and my heart ached. The answer was right here. "Clay isn't gay, ma'am. He is going to take Holland Demdike to this year's Glimmer Ball. Why would he do that if he liked boys?"

"The cheerleader?" She lifted her brows. "He is?"

I nodded, though, every word that left my mouth from then on felt like acid. "He...Ask him about the feature article on him and Holland. You'll see that I'm not lying."

Though I was.

She frowned. "If that is true, then what was that in his room?"

I closed my eyes because what I was about to say would tear my heart apart. There was only one way to prevent her from punishing Clay, and that was to make her hate me. "It was all my doing, Ma'am."

"What do you mean?"

My eyes burned with unshed tears. "I...I jumped him. Clay...he pushed me away immediately because he didn't want it. That was the moment you came into the room." She didn't seem to believe me. "He fell from the bed because he tried to get away from me. Then...then you came in and..."

Her jaws worked when she finally looked at me, and I wondered how eyes that were so much like Clay's could be so cold. "How dare you do that to him?! He felt so guilty after that stupid incident with Drake and his henchmen. Gosh, I believed him when he said that you hadn't done anything wrong! You're disgusting!" I winced and that was before she slapped me with the back of her hand. "Stay away from my son! Or I swear, I'll ruin your future!"

It was that exact moment when Matt came around the corner. He stopped after taking in the scene in front of him with alarmed eyes. I was leaning against the shelf with a cheek that was pounding from her slap, and Mrs. Prescott was staring at me with furious eyes.

Clay's mother took off without another word.

"What exactly happened here?"

I rubbed a hand over my face. "Nothing. Everything's fine." I lost my balance.

"Hey," Matt took my elbow. "Take a break, kiddo. You're paler than Jon Snow."

Even if I was, who cared?