Husbands But Not

19: Life Points

Noah

Everyone was looking weirdly at me. I didn't know what their problem was, but there wasn't anything wrong with me. My dads exchanged looks, so did my grandparents.

It was a normal morning, I didn't see what's wrong.

I sat down on the breakfast table and assorted two pieces of bread into my plate. Didn't touch the eggs, then added a spoon of jam.

My dad finally spoke, "Are you going somewhere?"

"Do you have an extra gym class today?" Other dad added.

I shrugged. "No, why do I ask?"

"I understand team spirit, but why are you dressed in your team jacket for breakfast?" Grandpa contributed to what I can classify as one of the weirdest family moments. And we've had a lot of those.

They thought I was wearing my jacket for breakfast.

Joke's on them.

I slept in it.

"I'm being a supportive." I said as I dug into my plate.

"Supportive what?" Dad said, clearly unsatisfied by overly expressive answer.

"A supportive." I repeated. The conversation didn't go on any further.

I didn't know what I was being supportive of. I just wanted Kent to be happy.

I thought about calling him or texting him to come by and study since we had a long weekend. Panic took over me when I remembered. The sound of his phone clattering against the ground rang in my mind.

I. Was. So. Frickin. Dumb.

I coughed my lungs out as I choked on my food upon that memory. My dad filled my glass with water and was instantly by my side.

"Be careful smurf." Dad called me smurf whenever he was concerned.

Everyone settled down and continued eating. Grandpa finished first and was on his way to the hospital. Grandma tagged along.

Dad grabbed a few empty plates and took them to the sink.

I riled up my courage to speak. "I need a new phone." I said, not as courageous as I wanted to be.

"You have the newest iPho-"

"Not for me." That was it. There was no going back.

"Oh?" Dads looked like they had an idea of what was going on, though they didn't say anything.

"Evan," Dad was using his obvious I-have-a-plan tone. They were too transparent, and they didn't bother hiding it. I loved them way too much. "Say we go to the park?"

Evan was still eating everything edible on the table. Second thought, some things were not edible. Dad's glare was piercing. "Yeah, sure. Let me just finish my breakfast."

"If we wait for you to finish your breakfast, you'll be eating till lunch." Dad left the dishes unwashed. "Get ready. You too." He addressed me. I rarely ever argue with dad.

I took off the jacket -momentarily- to get dressed. After I was done, I put it back on.

It didn't take us long to get there. My dads didn't have work since it was a national holiday, but the hospital never closes so my grandparents were there. I hated their titles. They never felt like grandparents, and dads never felt like parents. It was like being surrounded by really good caring best friends of different ages, and I think that's what a family should be like.

The park had a lot of people because of the boat race. Toy boats, not real boats. The crowd was mostly around the lake, waiting to see who reaches the pear flag first. I knew dads didn't get me here to watch a boat race or sit on a picnic table at 10 in the morning.

They wanted to get me to talk, and for some reason they deemed the living room unworthy of a conversation. I didn't mind any of this, to be honest. I wasn't a difficult child.

"I'm straight." I told my parents of a sudden. We were all sitting on a bench outlooking most of the lake.

"Gasp." Evan said. He literally said 'gasp'.

"This can't be. It's just a phase, I'm sure." Zac said.

"You can't know for sure baby boy." I swear I was so done with my dads.

"Fine. I'm not talking."

They laughed out loud, but thankfully not too loud to draw attention. Attention was the last thing I needed.

"We're kidding with you," Dad said. "Now tell us, what's going on?"

I sighed. The boat race was going strong. "There's this boy at school who I really like. And he's just. He just doesn't have a good life, or a good family, or anything good. He broke his phone because of me and I know for sure he can't afford another. I don't even know if he's eating or not. He's losing weight and colour and probably life points."

"Noah, baby, I don't think you lose life points." Dad Evan said.

"Nothing good happens to him. This jacket I'm wearing was probably the best thing that happened in his life for years."

My parents didn't talk for what seemed like forever. For a short while, we sat there looking at the colourful boats gliding against the glimmering surface of the lake. It wasn't too cold but the weather wasn't warm either.

"Is there anything wrong with what I said?".

"On the contrary," Dad Zac said. "We're so proud of you and happy that you care about others. We'll figure it out."

Elliott, the sheriff's son, and his sister won the boat race. They had a really fast boat.

We got up and started walking when I saw him. He was sitting under a tree and watching the race. His eyes were trailed on it but I could feel like he wasn't really aware that it ended.

"Oh my God." I gasped. My bones felt like they were shaking inside me. My dads noticed my surprise and followed my eyes. I ran towards him but he didn't see me.

From a short distance I could see him. He was all there, under a tree, rooted to the floor. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs in pent up agony and emotions. Because Kent gave me a sensory trigger. Seeing Kent was like watching an unkempt garden fervently over a period of months as all the bright colours drain from it, with all the flowers welting one by one as every last leaf lost its green soul.

Kent's heart was the last living thing in that garden, and I wasn't going to let it die.

I wasted no time and dived into his body and took him in my arms.

That was when he winced in pain.

A/N: Well, it's been quite some time. Sorry for the late updates though.

How are you enjoying the story? There's a lot more to come and I will not stop writing it until it's done.
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