The Impossible is Possible (Ryden)

Chapter 20

The next morning, Brendon goes downstairs, unable to keep the smile from off his face.

Ryan loves him. Him. If he'd have known, when he first laid eyes on the troubled, quiet boy in the corner of the canteen, that they'd fall so suddenly in love, well. He would have laughed at himself. But now? It seems so real and, he doesn't want to get too soppy, but kind of really amazing.

He enters the kitchen, actually whistling to himself, to find his father eating cereal at the table, alone. He pours himself some, splashes in the milk, and then pulls up a chair next to Mr. Urie, feeling more at home than he has in six months.

"Morning, kid," Mr. Urie smiles, but there seems to be something forced about his cheeriness.

"Morning," Brendon replies, his own smile fading slightly. "Are you alright?"

"Oh, I'm fine," he says, airily, but then nods at the ceiling. "Your mom's, uh, boyfriend came round last night. He's with her now. To say the least, he wasn't happy to see me here."

"What did he do?" Brendon asks, sharply. He's not about to have Rodney doing anything to his dad. If he so much as tries to push him away again, then Brendon will probably be asking Ryan if he can borrow his knife for a little while.

"Nothing too bad. He just kind of glared at me and then went upstairs with her, asking who I was."

"I hate him," Brendon huffs, angrily, and it's a relief to be able to tell an adult about it, without fear of them defending the man. "He hates me, too. I don't understand what mom sees in him; he's really rude and ignorant, and he hurts me, but mom just kind of --"

"He what?" Mr. Urie just about shouts, looking furious. "He hurts you?"

Brendon nods, gesturing to his cheek. "Yeah. He kind of did that with his belt, and he's hit me around the back of the head a couple of times. With the belt, though, he was going to hurt me with it, but then Ryan told him to leave me alone, and so Rodney tried to hurt him, but I got in the way."

Mr. Urie's expression is the darkest that Brendon has ever seen it, and he begins to wonder if telling the truth was the best idea, after all. "It's your mom's business if she lets somebody ruin her life, however much I hate to see them together," he says, quietly. "But no asshole is going to start hurting my son."

Brendon's heart leaps, slightly. Maybe his dad will stop it all, and get rid of the man. Maybe. Then, he realises what his dad has said, and blinks. "You hate seeing them together? Why?"

Mr. Urie sighs, heavily, and looks glumly down at the table. "I've never stopped loving your mother," he explains, in a low voice. "She left me, because I've never been able to provide for the two of you. You know how hard I find it to hold down a job; I always want to do something new."

"You're still in love with her?" Brendon chokes, hope suddenly filling him. "Tell her!"

"It's not as easy as that, kid," he replies, sadly. "She's obviously moved on."

"Since when have you given up so easily?" Brendon asks coldly, hoping to provoke some kind of reaction. However, he glances at his watch before he can press the issue further, and winces. "Damn. I've got to get to school."

"I'll give you a lift," Mr. Urie smiles, getting to his feet. "God knows I owe you one, after sixth months of not seeing you."

"Thanks," Brendon beams, and rushes upstairs to run a brush through his hair, quickly, and grab his school bag. He passes his mom's door, and his half-tempted to go in and tell Rodney that he's not going to be able to get away with hitting him anymore, but he somehow resists.