TONI POV: kindergarten
"JJ hold my hand." He runs and takes my hand. I decided that he probably needs some time alone with me so we go to Pops. We walk into Pops and sit down. He stands up on the booth. "Sit down." He sits down and we order. "Can I ask something?" He ask me. "You just did." He looks at me like I'm crazy. "No, why did you get hurt." Right he doesn't actually know what happened to me, he just knows I almost died. What do I tell him. "Because people are mean and don't like how other people think or like, so they turn to violence." Cough the ghoulies in a nutshell. I wasn't going to tell him what I was doing, or why I was. When he's older I will tell him everything. Hopefully. "But I'm ok now. Nothing bad is going to happen to me or mommy or Mary or even Rose." I tell him. "What about me?" He ask softly. "I will protect you through everything." He starts to stand up again but I stop him. "What do for work?" I think this is the moment I realize that my kids don't know my job. "I fix cars, you know how I always come home kinda sweaty?" I ask. He nods. "That's why." I tell him. "What does mommy do?" Neither of us talk about our jobs at home, mainly because we don't bring our jobs home. Well Cheryl kinda works from home but it doesn't leave her office. "She reopened her families business. And actually sells maple syrup." He looks at me confused. "Why actually?" She ask. "It's a long story."
"Cheryl." I walk into our room as she puts on her serpent jacket for the first time in 5 years. She turns around and smiles at me. I walk over to her. "It still fits." I take her hand. "Cheryl, do you think that we shouldn't have told the twins what happened to me. Because it's clearly messing with JJ's psyche." She takes a deep breath. We've talked about this a few times and he sometimes can't leave my side. "Should we bring him to see someone?" She ask. "I want my son back." I tell her. It's true but I don't think it possible to have him be himself ever again, not truly at least.
"Bud you need to." I hold him. "No!" He yells. I pick him up and bring him back into the room. "Jason calm down. Mommy and I will be right out side. Do you want to know why you can't let this go?" I try to calm him. "Yeah." I nod. "Than please talk to her and tell her how your feeling. Ok? I'm sorry but we have to do this it's for your own good." He nods wiping his tears. "I love you." I kiss the top of his head. "I love you." I walk out and close the door. Cheryl stands up. "He'll be ok." I walk over and hug her desperately trying to reassure her. It's been a few days and we got him to see a therapist. "What if he's not? What if this doesn't help?" I cup her face. "Give it time." She pulls me into a kiss.
He walks out. "Hey bud how was it?" Cheryl ask. He ignores Cheryl and goes to me. "Hey." I pick him up as Cheryl talks to his therapist. "Was it that bad?" I ask. He shakes his head. "No it was fine." Cheryl walks back. "Well?" I ask. "I'll talk to you when we get home." We all walk out.
CHERYL POV: sophomore year
"Jason where have you been?" I ask as he comes home late. "I went to this abandoned group home for troubled youth with Sweet Pea." I step back. "What was the name of this place?"
I ask. "I don't know something like the Sister of quiet mercy. And I found this." He grabs his backpack and pulls put a folder. "It has your name on it I just was wondering what you were doing there." I take the folder. "My mom sent me there for gay conversion therapy. Thats kinda why your mom and I are actually together." I laugh. "What?" He ask. "She saved me, like broke me out saved me." I hand him the papers. "Why were you really there?" I ask him. "Because I needed to get out and worry about something else. Also sweet pea asked." He hands me the paper again. "I don't want these." He says walking up stairs and going into Marry's room. I walk back to my office. "Look where are kid was." I plop the folder on my desk. Toni picks it up. "How did he find these?" She ask. "The place closed shortly after you saved me." She looks through the papers and laughs. "The reason your bisexual is because Nana Rose would switch you and Jason. That means Jason should have been bi to." She laughs. "Nana might as well been blind." We both get serous. "Do you think if one of us was there Rose would still be here?" She ask. I shift in my seat. "I don't know." There is a knock on the door. "Come in." Mary opens the door. "Hey, can we talk?" She ask as she walks in. She looks like she's about to throw up. "Yeah. What's up?" She sits down next to Toni. "I need to tell you something and I don't know why I'm nervous about it, I might as well say it." She struggles. Both Toni and I know what she's going to say. "I'm gay." She looks up. "Ok and?" Toni ask. "I also have a girlfriend." She says. "Ohh who?" Toni nudged. "Jenna Fogarty." She blushes. "Your dating my best friends daughter. Yeah we both figured you've been hanging out with her a lot." I look at Toni. "Sorry." Toni gets awkward. "We don't care, just if your happy and comfortable than we don't care." I reassure her. she nods. "Ok." She gets up awkwardly. "I'm gonna go to bed." She walks out and closes the door. Once we hear her door close Toni breaks the silence. "Called it."
