[Twice Featured Noteworthy Novel & Staff Pick on Tapas.io] ✔
[Previously featured on Tapas.io's LGBTQ+ Community collection] ✔
One night. That was all it took for Senn Reyes' life to change drastically--and permanently.
Senn Reyes is a seventeen-y...
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Saturday
It was a pretty chilly night for May, thus Senn decided to wear a hoodie to Liam's birthday dinner with their family at Valiano's; the town's best pizzeria. They had a lot of options for kids, and they had an entertainment room for children too.
While their parents were still at the table, finishing their glasses of wine, Senn was seated at the edge of the ball pit, watching Liam throw balls around, giggling and screaming in laughter and joy. Ever so often, Liam threw a ball in his direction, and he sometimes wanted to climb onto the slide, requiring Senn to trudge through the ball pit to help him up, and back down the slide.
Liam was still playing with a girl who was a few years older, when Senn felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Sweetie, we're ready to go. It's getting late, Liam needs to go to bed, and we need to prepare for tomorrow's party."
"Yeah, I'm cool with that. It's not like I'm having the time of my life here." He turned around and smirked, finding his mother smiling down at him warmly. "I do think it'll be a fight to get Liam out."
"I'm sure you can handle it. He listens best to his big brother." His mother winked, pecked his cheek and went through his hair with a hand. "We'll see you outside when you're ready."
"Give me five minutes to fight Liam and get his shoes back on." Senn pushed himself up. "And then I'll be your lovely taxi chauffeur and drive you home safely."
His mother nodded and left, leaving it up to Senn to get his brother into his shoes and coat. The coat was hardly a fight, but the shoes weren't a big success.
"Liam, you need to wear your shoes. You can get rid of them at home again."
"No shoes." Liam shook his head, trying to walk back to the ball pit. Senn grabbed his arm, steering him back towards him. "No, Senn, no. I wanna play."
"Yeah, uh, that's not going to happen. Put them on."
"No."
"Fine, want me to carry you like a baby? Or did you turn three today; a big boy who wears his shoes when he needs to?"
