Husbands But Not

33: Vermilion

Noah

We sat there, 8th row, as we realised in horror the scene unfolding before us.

Gavin Ross, Sawyer Scott, Ruby Red, and Ronan Haynes to my left.

Casper Dean, André Herrera, Raiken Red to my right.

And there was I, Noah Grayson, sitting amidst people we loved, we hated, and we were indifferent towards, mouths agape as we watched Major Jonah Alder symbolically hand down his badge to the new Major, Caleb Sinclair, who happened to be none other than
Kent's dad.

The sky was leaning towards a darker blue,
The stage was lit with a yellowish hue,
The police officers stood in queue,
To congratulate the boss they once knew,
People attending were more than a few,
But one person was missing from the view,
Kent Sinclair, where the hell were you?

I could've sworn I scanned every face in the crowd. I looked like a shipwreck amidst an unstable sea, sinking into a blurry depth as I looked for one specific fish among an ocean of them.

After most of the ruckus died down and people scattered around, I approached one of the food tables. Food was the last thing on my mind, but I wandered around in hopes of finding him.

I wasn't surprised when I saw André eating his way through some chicken wraps. That guy could eat a whole fridge and still look like he hasn't eaten for a couple of days.

"You look lost, Grayson." André said between bites.

"I am lost, Herrera." He had no idea how true was that. "Have you by any chance seen Kent Sinclair?"

"Nope." He dipped the chicken wrap in what looked like chocolate syrup. I was horrified.

I walked away and met Raiken by the light post. "He's not here." he said apologetically.

"Couldn't find him either." Ruby joined.

"I'm sorry, Noah. I really am." Spyder chimed in.

"Did you try calling him?" Appeared Gavin from behind.

"It won't go through." I've been trying to call him since before the event started.

Two unyielding search parties later, my dads told me that it's time to leave. It was getting darker and it was a school night.

The low hum of the engine surrounded us as dad drove. "Did you enjoy yourself, smurf?" dad asked.

I definitely looked upset or troubled to earn a smurf tonight. Dad Evan was driving (which he shouldn't be allowed to), so dad Zac had his attention on me.

"I had the worst night of my fucking life." I said impassively. Dad slammed down the brakes in shock at my language. I had always been an innocent little angel. But no more.

Dad's hand was on Evan's shoulder immediately and I couldn't not notice how the first thing dad reached out for in any serious situation was his husband, which made me think of my school project husband again, which upset me all over again.

Dad parked the car right outside the garage. It doesn't fit two cars and grandma's was already parked inside. I got out and dragged my legs up the front porch to find a stray dog sniffing what looked like my school jacket, obviously getting ready to pee on it. I shooed it away with the help of Mistletoe hissing at it from behind the closed window. She didn't like dogs at all.