JinXeD🔱 {Book 2}

Part 24: Wake up call 2

|{TJ & Harlem}|
|{Mid-Season Finale 2}|

If days went any slower, TJ had never seen one. He was excited to go to Harlem's game later tonight, he'd never been to a game at school before, not really. Well, he'd been to several of Qani and Rio's games, but he'd only gone because his dad had forced him to, but he would usually just draw the entire time without looking up once. But today was different, he was actually going to pay attention to everything. He and Harlem had texted back and forth all through last night, up till this morning. But Harlem hadn't replied TJ's last two messages, but TJ guessed it was because he was preparing for his big game.

He sighted Sia and Nay at their favorite table in the cafeteria during lunch break and started towards them. When he got close to the jock table he heard Chip Mackintosh, one of the biggest basketball playing jackass this school had ever seen, aka the principals nuisance of a son muttered 'fag' a little too loudly, the rest of his teammates began to laugh obnoxiously. TJ was going to just ignore them and go, this had been a reoccurring event since that blow up with Harlem, so he was used to ignoring them, mostly because he didn't think they deserved his attention. So yeah, he was going to ignore them and go....right until he glanced over and saw that Harlem was one of the people laughing the hardest.
He felt crushed.

——

Harlem felt sick to his stomach for doing what he did during lunch, he only hoped that TJ would understand why he did it, and that it'll all be worth it in the end. He was playing the best game of his life, every training he'd ever had, every practice and discipline he'd had to induce into his routine had led to this moment. But still he kept looking over at the bleachers in search of TJ, but TJ was nowhere to be found. He didn't come.

——

Harlem stood outside the James residence later that night, trying to decide if it was in his best interest to go knock on the door giving what he knew about TJ's father.

Deciding TJ was worth the risk he matched gingerly up to the front door and knocked. About a minute later the door opened and a light skinned man covered in freckles stood there with a smile on his face. "Can I help you?" The man asked.

"No, i mean yes sir. I'm here to see TJ." Harlem responded.

Sebby blinked, his smile faltered a little bit, but he quickly plastered it back on. He knew all of TJ's friends, all two of them. This boy however didn't strike him as just a friend of his son's, from the way this boy kept moving from feet to feet, and from the look on his face, it was clear TJ was something more than platonic to him. Sebby's stomach did an uncomfortable thing, he knew he should've giving TJ the talk a long time ago. But nothing in that boy gave Sebby the slightest clue that he was into men, nothing at all.

"Apa?" TJ called from behind Sebby, startling him back to reality. "I've got this," TJ told him. "Thank you."

Sebby smiled at his son and said bye to the stranger on his porch, then went back inside to resume arguing with his husband about 'NOT' having more kids.

"What do you want Harlem?"

Harlem took one step closer with his hands clasped in front of himself. "I'm sorry about earlier. And i want to explain what happened."

"So explain."

"Chip and them were hassling me this morning about spending all that time with you, and being a fag and shit, and with all the scouts coming to watch me play I couldn't risk jeopardizing my only chance to get out of this messed up place. They was gon shut me out during the game and make me look bad if i didn't deny everything and play along, but I'm so sorry baby, it's all over now."