Forged Bonds (BxB)

CHAPTER 10

Danielle was mad at me.

So it came out as great news to me when Jeovanni asked me if I wanted to walk to school with him. I didn't know why he'd bother come over to Danielle's house just so he could meet me and we'd go to school together, and under normal circumstances I'd despise that idea, but the situation between Danielle and I was so awkward that I accepted his suggestion quicker than I thought I would.

"Why do you keep looking around?" I snapped at Jeovanni "You make it seem like someone is stalking us, but there's no one here"

We had been walking there'd been five minutes and not once did Jeovanni stop gazing at our surroundings. The trees, the sky, the street, beside us, behind us; he looked at it all. More than once. More than twice. More than I could count.

"I know there isn't"

"Then stop" I said "It's distressing"

We kept quiet for a while after that. Usually, I'd appreciate the silence between us, since it meant we weren't interacting. But, curiously, I thought it excruciating at this moment. I hadn't been talking to anyone there had been a while, so it was actually quite relieving talking to Jeovanni when I could. Although I hated admitting that.

"Why are yours and your brother's names so different?" I decided to ask something that had been on my mind since I saw him typing his name on the colleges' websites.

"Because we're different people"

I glared at him, what only caused Jeovanni to smile at me.

"You know what I mean" I deadpanned "It's weird how your parents named their first child Jeovanni and the next one Mark. It looks like their creativity ran out"

"Are you insulting my brother's name right now?" He tilted his head to the side with an amused expression.

I simply shrugged. I couldn't judge. Mine wasn't that creative either.

"Well, I guess that difference is because my parents didn't choose my name" He told me "I came to them that way"

"What the hell do you mean?" I furrowed my eyebrows "That makes no sense"

"Jack," He called my name with a smile that seemed on the verge of turning into a laugh "I'm adopted"

"What?" Was the first thing that came out of my mouth.

"Yeah, I came to my family when I was six years old and Mark was five" He explained "I think it'd be pretty confusing to me if they changed my name"

"Oh" What was up with my lack of words? "Do you know who your parents are?"

That question made him start laughing at me.

"Yes, I do" He said "I live with my parents"

"Shut up, you know what I mean" I scowled "Your biological parents"

"Nah, I don't know about them" He shrugged "The family I have is enough for me. I don't feel like I need more. And my biological 'parents' didn't think they needed more either"

"Does that bother you?" I questioned.

"No" He scoffed "Someone wanted me. It just wasn't them. And that's alright. It isn't a big of a secret, really. Mark and I don't hide it from anyone. I mean, we don't randomly mention it. But we don't hide it either"

Jeovanni's story caused me discomfort. He was so transparent about his past, about his family. Someone wanted me. It just wasn't them. Something in those sentences made it feel like a thousand daggers had crossed my heart right in the middle. No one ever wanted me. My father didn't want me, but he didn't give me away either. He kept me for himself. And he damned as soon as he did.