He Likes Boys//It (2017)

t h i r t e e n

Chapter Thirteen:

As their plate of spaghetti arrived both Hom and Beverly dug in. Each of them took a few bites and immediately decided that it was some of the best spaghetti they'd ever tasted.

Then Beverly suddenly remembered something.

She remembered her father and what he would do to her if he ever saw her like this. Going on a date with a guy. He'd think she was a slut, and then he'd take what was supposed to be only hers once again. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized just how dangerous it was for her to even be here with Hom. Word spread so quickly around small towns she would be surprised if he didn't hear about it by noon.

She wanted to run away, she wanted to escape her father, but she he would only find her again and take her back to that miserable place. And besides, where would she go? No one would help her, apart from maybe her friends and she knew that she still couldn't tell anyone about what her father did to her, so the chance of their parents letting a girl stay with their sons is impossible.

People wouldn't understand if she told them. They would think she was lying. They would tell her she was lying and only wanted attention. They would think that her father was a good man, and they would refuse to see the truth of what he was. Nobody would listen.

Then she looked across the table from her, up at Hom.

He stared into her eyes. There was something sad about them. Something distant. He didn't want to make the date a bad time. He tapped his foot underneath the table, feeling quite nervous. "Are you okay?" He asked Beverly.

Beverly wanted so bad to tell him. To finally be able to get this weight off her shoulders. She knew she would never be able to get out of the situation on her own. She needed help. And maybe with Hom was the right place to start.

"Th-there's something I need to tell you, but not here. Somewhere more private. Let's just enjoy the date." She smiled at him, although she curse herself for stuttering.

"Now that we have a plate of spaghetti, we could do a lady and the tramp style kiss?" Beverly suggested.

"Sure." Hom relied, grabbing one end of a piece of spaghetti near the top while Beverly grabbed the other end.

It was the messiest kiss Hom had ever attempted before in his life, and also probably only his third kiss.

The spaghetti sauce ended up getting all over his and Beverly's cheeks and the strand of spaghetti broke halfway through.

They both laughed.

"I thought it would be possible." Hom frowned down at the plate of pasta.

"I highly doubt it is." Beverly laughed.

"Maybe the dogs just make it seem cuter?" Hom suggested.

"Maybe."

Beverly looked down at the spaghetti. She still felt the shear terror of what her father might do weighing down on her shoulders. She still felt the horror of what he had done pressing down on her. She felt nauseous from it. Her stomach twisted and turned, starting to betray her and make her feel like throwing up the spaghetti. She shut her eyes tight, wanting to think of anything else. Wanting to think of anything but that moment.

She couldn't.

She felt tears begin to slip from her eyes down her cheeks.

She had to tell Hom about this. She had to tell someone or she would burst or go crazy trying to keep this secret inside her. But she feared her and Hom were going too fast. And she didn't want Hom to be too afraid of her father to date her.

All Beverly wanted was a happy life. A good life. A life worth leading. She didn't want ten million unsolvable problems and no one to help her through them.

"Beverly, are you okay?" A look of concern spread across his features.

"I just-" she hiccuped. "Can we go now?" She asked, trying to he polite and sound less whiney, but nothing didn't sound whiney when you were trying not to cry.

"Sure." Hom replied. He was curious as to why she was crying. He wanted to help her in any way he could, but as of now, he wasn't quite sure how to do that.

Hom waved the waiter over to their table. "Could you get us the bill please?" He asked, trying to sound more adult and more mature than he really was. The waiter glanced for a few moments at Beverly and then ran off to go get them their bill.

"Is there anything else I can do to help?" He asked Beverly softly. He wanted to help so bad. He wanted to dry the tears from her eyes. To stop them falling down her cheeks. He wanted to make her happy.

Beverly shook her head.

"I-it's just....there's something I need to get off my shoulders." She explained. "Something I need to tell you about." She hiccuped again, he sobs getting the best of her.

As the waiter came back, Beverly pulled out her wallet and handed him the money.

"Should we go now?" Hom asked Beverly.

She nodded.

She tried to prepare herself as best she could for what was coming. For what she was about to tell him. For the secrets she had previously left unsaid, hidden behind the locked doors and windows of her home. She hoped Hom didn't think of her as a liar. Because every word she said was going to be the truth. The full, hard truth.

A truth that even she hadn't learned to accept yet.

A truth that still lingered in the back of her mind despite the fact that she tried to ignore it.

But there was no denying what her father had done to her now. There was no denying the truth.

Her father had raped her.

And she needed to be free from this trauma.