Forged Bonds (BxB)

CHAPTER 44

Since Lucas was at Cherry's funeral, I decided to spend my break with Jeo in the library. He was already there when I arrived, laid down on the couch, and one more time putting his disgusting shoes on it while scrolling through his phone.

"You need to start being more hygienic" I pushed his legs off of the sofa to sit down next to him.

He diverted his gaze from his phone to me and smiled, sitting up and tossing the device aside.

"I need to ask you a favor" I said.

"Anything"

"You should never say that before knowing what it is"

"I trust you"

I tried to control my smile.

"So," I cleared my throat "I was talking to my cousin Kaden yesterday, and he told me his boyfriend, Ethan, agreed to listen to me. I want to go there this Saturday, but Mallory won't let me go back to that town alone. And I don't want her to come with me because I don't want her to know what I did. So I was wondering if you could accompany me"

He answered me quicker than I thought he would.

"Of course I can"

I wasn't scared of Jeovanni experiencing firsthand what the people from my home town thought of me. I wasn't scared he'd reject me or hate me for what I did. I wasn't scared he'd wake up from a trance. Because I knew there was no trance.

"Thanks" I put my hand over his on the couch.

"You're welcome" He gave my hand a squeeze "I brought you the last book like you asked me to" He remembered, slipping his hand off of mine to grab his book from his backpack.

I thanked him again and gave him back the sixth book, taking the seventh from him.

"Isn't it ironic how you once told me you weren't going to read Harry Potter?" He provoked me.

"I did a lot of ironic things since I met you" I recognized.

He laughed, and I smiled at the sound.

"So," He started "Does this mean that Saturday I'll meet the rest of your family?"

I groaned and rolled my free hand over my face.

"I think you're forgetting about the part that you'll come face to face to someone who absolutely hates my guts" I reminded him.

"I don't think absolutely" He countered "Otherwise he wouldn't even agree to listen to you"

"He probably just did that because Kaden told him I tried to kill myself" I argued in a mumble.

"You'll see your therapist today, right?" He asked after a moment of silence.

I snorted out a laugh at this. It wasn't funny, but the fact that he questioned about my therapist right after I mentioned my attempt of suicide wasn't exactly a subtle combination.

"Yes," I confirmed "I'll be fine" I added, sparing him from asking what I already knew he was going to ask "I feel like I can finally tell her everything"

Almost dying made me realize some behaviors of mine were senseless. Some behaviors were worthless. Why would I lie about what my father did? Why would I hide the words I love you from Jeovanni? Why would I hide how I loved him from my family? Why wouldn't I apologize for my mistakes?

I previously had the answers to all of those questions. But now those answers seemed senseless as well.

"All great things must first wear terrifying and monstrous masks in order to inscribe themselves on the hearts of humanity" I said.