Hidden Play: The Return 《COMPLETE》

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

A painful week passes in silence and isolation. After the little shit-tastrophe stunt at school, my parents play their 'we made you' card and come to the definitive conclusion that I'll be spending my final week of school before winter break at home. To remove the stress of social media, they also take away my laptop and cellphone. It's not a punishment, they reassure me. It's protection.

By Friday night, I'm stir crazy. For the first time in my entire high school career, I have successfully completed all my homework and projects due by break's end. Insane, I know. I trudge to Gigi's room and lean against her doorframe. She shimmies in front of the mirror while curling her long hair, bopping to a beat that is nowhere in the song that's blaring from her speakers.

"What's up, little brother?" she asks without looking over.

"Gigi, I'm going nuts."

She sucks her bottom lip into her mouth, refusing to respond. I glower. Of course, she chooses this as the first time she takes a vow of silence. I move into her room and fling myself onto her bed.

"C'moooon, Gig," I mutter into her frilly, black pillow. "I've gone through a week of hell and silence. No contact with anyone. I'm being punished and I haven't done a damn thing wrong!"

Gigi's gaze flickers over to me, and I can see her resolve beginning to crack. Just gotta' tug on her heart strings. It's the way she ticks. So, I press further.

"Gigi, I'm lonely, I'm alone, and I feel shut off from the world. Please – "

"Ok!" she huffs. "Ok, ok, OK!"

She carefully sets her curler back onto the dresser and spins around, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What do you want to know?" she asks.

I smirk and throw her my signature wink. "Spill the tea, sis."

Gigi walks me through a week's worth of social media gossip and drama. The school was in an uproar at the suspension of their leaders. To my surprise, she tells me it wasn't the majority. After word of the locker incident made its way through the entire school, I gained quite a few supporters, apparently. She explains that it's died down quite a bit since Monday, but once I'm on social media again, I need to be prepared for it to ramp back up again.

She also tells me about two major break ups of the week – Zion and Callie, and her and Mike.

"Gigi...," I start to say, but she cuts me off.

"He may not have an issue with your sexuality, but in my eyes, he chose those assholes over you the minute he refused to stick up for you."

"He would have been ostracized from the team," I remind her gently.

She shoves a slender in my face and wags it back and forth. "It shouldn't matter. He was supposed to be your friend. And you're worth it. He's spineless and weak, and I don't have time for that shit."

Gigi takes a deep breath, but I see the pain is still fresh. She pushes it aside and veers the conversation in another direction.

"I have to confess something else," she says. "Mom promised me not to tell you, but I think you deserve to know. And let's face it, you'll find out soon enough anyway."

I raise my eyebrows, and a genuine smile spreads across her lips. "You've had quite a few visitors this week."

"Here? At the house?"

She nods. "Yup. Dad silenced the doorbell, but every night you've had at least a handful of people stopping over to see you. See if you're OK. Show their support. Their respect. Mom always sent them away."