Bruised Knuckles

16. hello, officer

"So, I'll drop you off at home?" Axel looked over at me, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel.

I didn't really want to go home, but my stomach and hangover protested otherwise. "Yeah, just drop me off at home. Go past your house and then make a left down Vincent street."

Axel rolled his eyes and looked at me in one fluid movement, and I couldn't help but snicker. "What?" I asked, smiling at his motions.

"I know where that is," He replied as we slowed to a stop, approaching a red light.

I didn't know he knew where I lived, but maybe he just knew where the street was. I didn't want to think too much about it because my head was practically throbbing and pulsing with each breath I inhaled.

"You don't look too good," Axel suddenly exclaimed, "don't puke in my car!"

I jokingly swallowed harder than I ever swallowed before and Axel even put his hand over my mouth, but nothing happened and I started laughing a few seconds later because he was anticipating such worse.

"What the fuck, don't scare me like that!" Axel joked, moving his hand while slapping my arm. "You know what my dad does to people like you who lie?"

I raised my eyebrow and cocked my head to look at him, letting my arm extend to touch the back of his headrest while I stretched. "What does he do?"

Axel started driving again and gave me small glances while he spoke slowly, trying to be threatening, "he handcuffs them and escorts them into a police car, jail bound for life. Never lie again." I could tell the humour in his voice, but at the mention of anything related to law enforcement my stomach churned. "Is your dad a cop?" I tried to question non chalantly, nerves balling up in my stomach.

"Oh yeah, he's been a cop in Riverside for a while but he's starting his new position here Monday, actually," Axel replied while he drove with one hand.

Oh fuck.

I gulped and ran my fingers through my hair, feeling a little more nauseous now as I thought about my brother and my parents. "That's cool," I mustered out. Thankfully, my house was right around the corner and Axel pulled up in front of it before we could discuss this further.

"Want me to come in? Meet your family or anything?" Axel said while trying to peek around me and through my window to see my house.
"Oh, no, it's gonna be ugly as soon as I walk in there. Maybe another time," I covered up my lie. Truth was I didn't want Axel seeing how I really live, especially when he seems to respect his dad as a cop and my parents were probably trashed inside.

"Hey, before you go, I just wanted to tell you I'm pretty sure I'm gay. I kind of knew it all along, but I think I needed you to talk to about it. You're my first friend here and I appreciate it a lot," Axel told me before I was able to crack the door open.

I could have kissed him, right then and there. I have never felt more appreciated in my life, and I certainly never felt more appreciated by someone else who was also gay.

I lost my words while he finished speaking, biting back my lip while I leaned in to hug him. I fought my instincts on the kissing part, and settled for the next best thing.

I silently got out of his car and waved, watching him drive down the street only to go around the block to his house. I felt so weightless I wasn't prepared for the wrath inside.

I clicked open the metal gate surrounding our ridiculously small front yard, stepping on each awkwardly placed stone that lead to the front door. I opened it with high integrity, awaiting my parents inside. My dad was standing in the kitchen next to the doorframe. Of course he was, why did I ever hold onto the small sliver of hope that this would go smoothly?

"Look what the cat dragged in," my dad recited to me as I stood in the doorway. I closed the door behind me and quickly glanced around the room.

"Hey, dad," I muttered as he stared me down, his hand curled around a coffee mug with fingers tapping against the shiny ceramic.

"Where have you been?" He asked, intimidating me with eyebrows furrowed and a lip bitten back with disapproval.

Why did he even care? Nobody cares about anything in this family and I was surprised that they even recognized my absence for the night.

"Your mom has been in shambles all night because you left. I'm pretty upset too," he explained while his face twisted into a more disapproving look.

"Why?" I simply asked, kicking my shoes off at the doorstep in the kitchen. My dad just widened his eyes and set his mug down onto the edge of the counter, "My therapist told me to be more proactive in my children's lives, so I was genuinely concerned about where you were. I'm disappointed you didn't let anyone know where you went."

I couldn't give a shit about what his therapist said, this was just another lightbulb moment for my dad, where he tries to be a parent for about three weeks before backing off and isolating himself in the bedroom with illegal substances. We've all seen it a few times before.

"Okay, but I'm back now and that's what matters," I stated while heading towards the stairs on my right. My dad made a low sound from his throat, causing me to stop and pivot around to face him, "Your mom and I had a talk last night while she was crying, you're going to be put under some circumstances."

I brushed what he said right off my shoulder, climbing the stairs slowly because I was sore and desperately needed a change of clothes and shower.

"She's in the shower now and I'd probably stay away if I were you," my dad warned me once again as I slowly trudged forward towards the second story.

There goes my shower.

I turned the corner towards my room instead and sucked in a deep breath, sitting down onto my mattress. Devian was sitting next to me, his head in his hands.

"Mom and dad are going even more crazy, I think," Devian told me while he scratched his scalp, staring at the ground.

"Yeah, I should have just stayed outside and never came home," I said to what felt like myself.

"You're not going to like what they want you to do," Devian muttered from beneath his hands. He caught my attention and I stared at him, even though all I saw was his shaved head, "What is it?"

Devian sleepily looked up at me and rose his eyebrows, widening his eyes enough to freak me out while he spoke slowly, "Quit the baseball team."

Hell no, hell no, hell no.
That was never happening.