Hopelessly Devoted

Chapter 35- Confrontation

The week passed by normally. Of course, it was only normal if you ignored Sean and I constantly looking over our shoulders, waiting for whoever wrote that stupid note to pop out at us.

It was honestly really stressful. Every minute we spent worrying if our secret was about to be revealed. I was obviously worried that my father would find out, and Sean was scared to see what he will do when he does. We spent every possible minute together. It wasn't necessarily because we wanted to. We enjoyed each other's company, sure, but it was more about me feeling safe. When I was around Sean, nothing could get to me. I felt a bit bad about being such a burden, but I honestly could not have made it through the week without him.

When Friday came around, I was dreading the end of the day. I absolutely did NOT want to confront whoever it was who threatened us. It seemed as though God knew this, and purposefully decided to make the day fly by at a pace I'd never seen before. It seem as though, right as I sat down for math class, the day was already over.

I'm sitting in choir when the final bell rings. Other students pour out of the room, eager to get started on their winter vacations. I, however, am not so eager. I remain frozen in my chair.

Dear God, please don't make me do this...

"Luke? Is there something you need?" Mrs. Aslin asks kindly from her desk.

"Er... no. I just am going to miss being in your class." Not technically a lie. I love being in her class, and I certainly love it more than being in the field right now.

She just shakes her head in amusement. "You're a Senior, Luke. You don't have to suck up to me anymore. Now, go! Enjoy your break and have a Merry Christmas!"

I grab my bag and mumble the most insincere "Merry Christmas" I have ever heard.

I trudge my way to my locker, waiting for Sean to show up. We'd agreed to rendezvous here before making our way to the field. It'd probably look suspicious for me to go to the field by myself, as I don't have an athletic bone in my body, so we decided my big jock boyfriend could escort me.

We walk to the field side by side, but not touching. I desperately wanted to hold his hand, but we couldn't risk it. Assuming that we somehow got out of this mess unscathed, getting caught showing affection would make it all pointless anyway.

Being on the large field is sort of weird. I'd gone to maybe two games in my high school career, and I'd never even thought of going onto the lush green. I don't head straight for the cavern under the bleachers, instead of following Sean to cut across the field, not wanting to leave his side. 

He turns to me and gives me a soft smile. He can't whisper words of encouragement, because the person may hear. He can't give me a soft kiss on the forehead, because someone may see. It's times like these where I think being in the closet isn't the best idea.

Nonetheless, I turn away to meet our blackmailer under the metal stairs.

It's dark under the stairs. Cigarette butts and empty chip bags litter the ground, and the faint smell of what I think is marijuana hangs in the air. I take a deep breath and venture further inside.

Standing right in the middle of my path is none other than Ape-man.

Geoff Francis.

Of course. I'm such a moron...

"Hey, f*ggot." He sneers as I draw closer.

I stand up straighter and roll my eyes, feigning confidence. "What do you want, Geoff?"

"Same thing that I wanted in that closet."

A shiver runs down my spine. I never did get around to telling Sean about Geoff and my scuffle in the closet. I was going to, but that was when our relationship kicked off. I didn't want to ruin whatever we had by bringing up Geoff, and I'd honestly forgotten about it ever since. Unbeknownst to Sean, I'm pretty sure his words mean that Sean and I will be having a frank discussion about that later.