I Bet I Can Make You Speak (Boyxboy)

Chapter Forty-Nine

(Luca's Pov)

They say everything happens for a reason, but sometimes you never know the reason why until later on. I used to be normal. When I was little I was actually very outgoing. My uncle wasn't always abusive. It started when his wife lost a baby. Uncle Darwin started drinking and smoking and then he started becoming violent. That's when I started to change. I didn't go up to kids at the park and ask them if they wanted to play. I didn't give people compliments if I liked their shirt. Instead, I sat underneath the trees and would draw. If I saw something I liked, I would keep it to myself and compliment them in my head. I didn't want to draw attention to myself. I was taught that I'm not important.

But I'm starting to realize that's a lie. If I wasn't important, why did Riley turn cold when I left? If I wasn't important, why did Storm feel horrible when I wanted to movie out? If I wasn't important, why are so many people helping me get better? The fact is, I am important. I should feel good about myself.

"No you shouldn't. There's nothing good about you," the voice said. Yes, I still hear voices. Storm said the medicine will kick in, in a few weeks.

I know the voices are wrong, but I still listen to them. Like now, I'm laying in my bed since I'm too sick to go to school thinking about all the stuff that has happened to me. If everything does happen for a reason, what was the reason for making me an emotional mess? If it wasn't for all of that stuff, though, I might have never met Riley. I might have moved to Frankview.

But was it worth it? Was all that torture worth me meeting Riley? I want to say no, but I can't. I can't imagine my life without Riley. Me being abused was worth meeting Riley. I'm starting to come to terms with the fact that Uncle Darwin is in jail and he can't hurt me anymore. But there's one thing that still makes me feel horrible.

I walked downstairs to find Storm on the couch watching TV. "S-Storm?"

Storm turned at me and said, "Hey, Luca. How are you feeling?"

"B-Better," I said. "C-Can I t-talk to you."

"Of course, what's up?" he asked. I sat down next to him and bit my lip nervously.

"Wh-Why did o-o-our p-parents leave? W-Was it b-b-bec-cause of me?" Storm seemed a little taken back.

"No, of course not, Luca. They're just terrible people. Even before you were born, Aunt Kat took care of me more than them. They just left. It wasn't anyone's fault but their own," he said.

"O-Okay," I mumbled.

"Why did you bring them up?" Storm asked.

"I-I'm t-t-trying to accept m-my past."

"That's great! I'm glad you're trying to move on," he said.

"Th-Thanks," I said and started watching TV with Storm.

(Riley's Pov)

"Hey, Riley, what's up?" Chester asked, as I sat down at our lunch table.

"Nothing much, just got a freak load of homework," I said.

"Why?" Kyla asked.

"Some kids wouldn't stop messing around, so Mr. Jewels gave everyone extra homework."

"Damn, that's not fair," Joshua said.

"I know! Oh, and Luca isn't here," I said.

"Still sick?" Chester asked.

"Yeah, he texted me and said he thinks it's a stomach virus."

"Oh, those suck. I couldn't eat for a week when I had one," Joshua said.

"I know. By the way, what do you guys think I should get Luca for Christmas?" I asked.

"Luca told you he was getting a cat. Ask Storm to hold off on it and you can be the one to adopt one for him," Kyla said.

"Good idea!" I said and took a bite of my pizza.

"I'm so happy you two are back together. I still feel horrible for treating Luca the way I did," Kyla said.

"Don't be. Luca said he wants us to just forget about it," I said.

"Okay," Kyla said.

"So, what are you doing after school?" Becky asked.

"Going to talk to Storm about the cat and to check on Luca," I said.

"Nice, are you going to the winter dance?" Joshua asked.

"No, I know Michael is going to some party with Jackson and Storm is going, too, so I'm going to ask Luca if he wants to come over. We can just watch movies and hang out," I said.

"That's so cute. It can be a little date," Kyla said. I laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, I know," I said. The bell rang and we all got up to throw away our trash. I walked to my next class which is music. Once I got in there, I sat down in a chair and Mr. Robb came in.

"Hey, Riley, you're here early," he said.

"Yeah, I didn't have to walk my boyfriend to class. He's not here today," I said.

"Who's your boyfriend?" he asked.

"Luca Miles," I said.

"Ah, Luca Miles is a talented young man. He used to ask to stay after school when everyone is gone so that he could play the instruments. I would leave him alone since I know how shy he is, but I've heard him a couple times. He would be singing and playing piano or guitar and I would be out in the hallway. I would always wait a few seconds before coming in so he wouldn't be embarrassed."

"I've heard him sing before, he's amazing," I said.

"I've talked to him about being a music teacher when he's older, but he turned it down. I figured out a long time ago why he doesn't plan his future," he said and I bit my lip.

"I think I know what you're talking about," I said.

Mr. Robb sighed sadly and said, "He's gotten better. I've seen a lot of improvement from him since he started hanging out with you. I hope to see more."

"I do, too," I said and some students started coming into the room.

"We'll talk later," Mr. Robb said and smiled at me before walking to his desk. After all the warning bell rang, Mr. Robb walked to the middle of the room. "Now, I have an assignment that involves partners. But, it doesn't have to be a person in this class. It can be anyone in the school as long as their in eighth grade. You will find a song that you think relates to you and/or your partner. You will make a video of you singing it. You can use your own instruments, or just use a instrumental version of the song from YouTube. I know this is kind of a tough assignment, so I'm giving you a month to do it. You will work on other things in class and this will be something you work on at home. I need the name of your partner by Friday. This will give you three days to find one."

The whole class started talking to each other about who's partners with who. I smiled to myself as I thought of Luca and his musical talents. I know it's going to take a lot of convincing, but hopefully I can get him to be my partner. I got out my notebook and started writing down a list of songs we could choose.

*Weird chapter, I know. But you'll see where I'm going with it. What songs do you think Riley should choose? And songs for Luca in case he does do it? Leave them in the comments! I hope you all liked this chapter. Please don't forget to comment and vote! Thanks for reading! I love you all!*