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- 12/10/2010
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
Are You Christian - 16. Chapter 16
Jonathon shut the door behind us and Stacey was lying on the couch eating from a pack of crackers. It was weird seeing her so relaxed at home. She had been pretty absent around here since we moved, finding Adam’s presence more appealing than our house. She took one look at me though and rolled off the couch, dropping the pack of crackers on the floor.
“What in the world happened to you?” Stacey asked through a full mouth. I squinted at her, wondering if she’d believe the lie Jonathon didn’t believe. He was still pushing me towards the stairs, but she had stopped us by putting her hand on my elbow.
“I need to stop the bleeding Stacey, move,” Jonathon ordered in a frantic voice pulling rougher than before.
“It’s a bloody lip, not life threatening,” Stacey countered her eyes narrowing in his direction. “Did you hit him? If you did so help me…”
“No,” Jonathon barked and I put my hand up between them. I had never expected this reaction from her, but it annoyed me. I wanted nothing more than to just be alone to fix the mess Matt made of my face. I wanted to see the damage for myself as well and both of them were in my way.
“I fell Stacey,” I hissed trying not to swallow any of the blood that still flowed into my mouth when I talked. The blood had slowed a lot now that I was calmer, it would be stopping soon, but the front of my shirt and now the floor was starting to become saturated. The rug in the center of the living room would be difficult to clean, but cleaning up the blood wouldn’t help, the evidence was definitely going to be my face when Mom and Dad got home.
“What ever, you can see two distinct knuckles over your eye where someone punched you,” Stacey grimaced prodding my eye with her finger. I jerked my head away ignoring the look Jonathon gave me, he had halfway believed that I had fallen.
“Did Gavin hit you?” Jonathon asked when Stacey finally let him lead me up the stairs to the bathroom. She was following up the stairs, but he slammed the door behind him, locking her out, the bathroom would be too small with the three of us in here anyway.
“You’re making a huge assed fuss over nothing,” I groaned when he pushed me aside to get a washcloth.
“Yeah?” Jonathon stated harshly, “just how am I supposed to act when someone beats up my…”
“Your what?” I asked when he trailed off, I looked at him through my one good eye and he had blushed significantly, still running the washcloth under the water even though it was soaked.
“I don’t like to say it, its too weird,” Jonathon whispered snapping out of his trance to turn off the water and ring the excess water from the cloth. He turned to me and placed it on my lip, dabbing off the dry blood. Then he washed my chin and gently lifted it to clean my neck.
“Boyfriend?” I asked wanting to smile, but my lips felt too swollen to do it.
“Yeah,” he stammered, but he smiled slightly then started looking at my eye. “Can you open it at all?”
“No,” I responded not trying, it still hurt too much.
“You’ve probably never had a black eye, have you?” Jonathon asked and I laughed.
“I’m going on sixteen, I think I’ve had my share of black eyes,” I countered, he smirked realizing the dumb question himself. “Just because I’m not an ass slapping football player…”
“Watch it,” he prodded interrupting me. “You know you’re a lousy patient.”
“I can take care of myself and besides, its embarrassing to be taken care of like this anyway,” I argued shrugging his hands off my shoulders. “The way you’re carrying on like I’m on my death bed doesn’t help either.”
“Well sorry, its just I’m now allowed to touch you so I want to do a good job,” he snapped, the playful nature leaving him. I looked away feeling the guilt rising over me again.
“Way to kick me in the balls when I’m down,” I grunted and I heard him sigh. He was going to let it drop for now, but it would be something the two of us would need to talk out soon. I know I didn’t want to let him down, it wasn’t easy being close to him and I hated it.
It was quiet and I had closed my other eye hoping it would somehow ease the throbbing. I felt his breath hit my nose though and then his lips brushed against my forehead just above the bruise Stacey prodded in the living room. His lips felt cool to the touch, which made me realize my forehead had swollen. I let out a sigh when he wrapped his arms around me and rested my head awkwardly against his shoulder.
“Going to tell me who did this to you?” Jonathon whispered rubbing the small of my back with his fingers. It caused goose bumps to rush over me and I fought the urge to shudder.
“No,” I answered causing him to back away. He held onto my shoulders challenging me with his eyes. I wanted to tell him, but I knew if I did it would cause more trouble. He would want to confront Matt and he would have to explain things he wasn’t ready to explain. Then Matt wouldn’t feel like keeping the secret anymore if Jonathon came out to him.
“Its because I know the person, don’t I?” Jonathon asked and I shook my head rolling my eyes, which sent a sharp pain through my head.
“It is a small town Jonathon,” I offered stepping under his arms. “I need some Advil or something.”
“Oh, right and some ice,” Jonathon hissed jumping ahead of me to open the bathroom door. “Sorry, I can’t even take care of a gold fish for too long.”
“The fish you won me is still living,” I stammered remembering the day at the fair. It had been a really nice day with him when we were just friends. Everything was a lot easier back then, but I pushed that feeling away. I would be trying to escape something I didn’t really want to end, although it would be easier for me.
“You seem so calm, I would be mad if someone hit me,” Jonathon said as we walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. He grabbed an ice pack from the freezer while I popped the cap holding the Advil. I washed them down with a glass of water then he handed me the pack, which I put gently to my eye. It was then we both heard the front door open.
“Hey Mom, Dad,” Stacy greeted from the living room couch. She had gone back to finish her pack of crackers and television show. “How was work?”
“Let’s sneak out the back,” I whispered moving towards the back door, but Dad had beat us to the kitchen entrance and saw I was holding the pack above my eye.
“What happened to you Christian?” Dad asked and I turned letting him see the bloody shirt and swollen lip. He put his briefcase roughly down on the table, turning on the kitchen light to get a better look at me. Hearing the question Mom pushed her way past him, rushing me to get a look herself.
“My lord!” She screeched still carrying Grace in her arms. She shoved her gently into Dad’s arms then pulled the icepack from my hand, I was shielding it from my eye. Her eyes narrowed, taking in the damage and for once she didn’t look like she was analyzing me or the situation, but she looked ready to go out and hunt down the person that hurt me instead.
“So, the person who caught you in the creek,” she stated her lips tense with every word. “Now you know how difficult things will be for the two of you.”
“Now Mom,” I groaned, “stop worrying, its just a black eye.”
“And a bloody lip Christian, this time, what about next?” She corrected sounding as if she would explode any moment. “Who did this to you?”
“I fell anyway,” I whispered knowing it wouldn’t work on her at all. It surprised me when she stood straight and crossed her arms, trying to keep herself calm, but not doing a good job.
“I don’t believe he fell,” Jonathon offered and everyone looked at him, falling silent. He shrugged his shoulders, not phased by the attention he received.
“Finally someone as blonde as me,” Stacey said from the living room. She was leaning over the back of the couch, peering through the space into the kitchen.
“Stacey are you feeling any better?” Dad asked as Mom glanced in her direction then turned back to me. She was sliding her hand over the dried blood on my shirt with her fingers not applying any pressure. I realized she didn’t like seeing me banged up at all, and she was having a difficult time keeping her feelings checked. I had never really seen my mother lose it, but she was close to the breaking point.
“It’s just a black eye,” I repeated offering her a weak smile. My lips stung, and I felt the dried blood cracking.
“You have to tell us who did this to you, if you know them,” Dad said falling into sounding like a lawyer. “He can’t get away with something like this, there are laws that protect against this sort of thing…”
“Dad,” I grimaced, “I will take care of this, ok?”
“Not good enough,” Mom argued and I sighed backing towards the back door.
“I don’t know who, ok?” I lied trying to convince them. I looked at Jonathon waiting for him to push it, but he didn’t. Mom was shaking her head, ready to protest when I opened the back door and held it open for Jonathon to walk through. He hesitated, not wanting to leave the kitchen where I was out numbered. I needed to get out of there before I caved in, I wasn’t used to this much pressure from Mom and Dad. I had never been in this much trouble and I didn’t want to repeat this any time soon. “Coming Jonathon?”
“Yeah,” he muttered his voice cracking. He had to step around my Mom to get to the back door.
The fresh air out side seemed to soothe the tension I felt as the dry mid-summer breeze washed over me. It wasn’t what I was really used to living in Maryland, the quiet and the dry air, it all used to bother me, but now I liked the change. The day wasn’t good at all, but the sun never faltered once and now, being out here sitting on the back porch was good. I had escaped Mom for now, I was pretty sure the lies I told hadn’t worked on her.
“All this stuff is going to make your mom tell my dad,” Jonathon whispered, he had been sitting beside me, our legs touching.
“No it won’t, right now she’s on a man hunt,” I countered and I heard him chuckle a few times before letting out a sigh.
“I know how she feels,” he said elbowing me on the side.
“You two will get over it,” I shrugged earning a glare from him. I didn’t look at him as he studied me though. I scanned the back yard, the paved basketball court still wondering why Dad and Mom picked this house. It didn’t fit our style at all, the people who had lived here before seemed active and young. We were still trying to find our place here and I had just realized I still hadn’t found mine.
“I shouldn’t have been mad at you earlier then I would’ve went with you,” Jonathon stammered scooting closer to me on the back steps. “I did wonder why you weren’t on the bus though.”
“I was told to come alone,” I whispered letting that part of my story out, it was starting to be too difficult to keep to myself. I heard the hidden anger in his voice, only masked by the worry he had too. He had a lot riding on his shoulders, probably more than me. I at least knew who had done this and knew what my only option was to keep him safe. Matt told me that I would have to end things with Jonathon and things would still be normal.
“So you do know the person,” he hissed slamming his fist down on his knee. It made me jump.
“No it was a note Jonathon,” I countered feeling the pounding in my head begin to ease a little, the pills kicking in. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore, I’ll fix it don’t be doing anything, ok?”
“Right, you’ll fix it,” he growled, “if it wasn’t for Gavin you’d probably be worse than just a bloody lip and a black eye.”
“No I wouldn’t have,” I said leaning into him hoping it would calm him. He squeezed me closer to him, but his breathing was still deep and uneven. He was trying to stay calm or hide some of his anger, but it wasn’t working. He had always been the type to have his emotions on his sleeve. Anyone who walked past him would know how he felt. It was something I liked about him; it made him easy to read. I didn’t want him to be angry though, it kept him from thinking clearly.
“Did Gavin see who hit you?” He interrogated, and I looked at him for the first time after entering the back yard. His eyes were darker to me and he was frowning, but he also looked hopeful that Gavin would know. It was still early in the evening, he would have plenty of time to run by his house and get the entire story.
“No, met him on the road,” I lied trying to keep my voice strong. I was never good at lying, but I thought it was just Mom’s analyzing. It was all me though, my palms were sweating and my voice threatened to crack or whisper. “Can we please just drop it, ok, until tomorrow or something?”
“Fine,” Jonathon sighed, “you win, only because I like you more.”
“Really?” I countered smiling.
“Well yeah,” he laughed patting me on the shoulder. We heard the back door open then and I jumped. I thought Mom would be ready for another round of questioning, but it was Stacey.
“Mom wants to know if you’re staying for dinner Jonathon,” Stacey said as she looked down at us, smiling. “You know Christian if you didn’t look like you just lost a boxing match this would make the cutest picture.”
“Shut up Stacey,” I groaned then heard her camera phone snap a picture.
“No, I better go home for dinner, Dad will start complaining if I’m not at the table on time,” Jonathon responded letting his arm slide off my shoulders. He stood and helped me to my feet and he led me back into the kitchen where the smell of spaghetti invaded me. I frowned realizing Mom was torturing me, she knew the hot sauce and garlic bread would burn my lip. I had never been her target like Dad and Stacey, it wasn’t something I wanted to repeat often.
“I’ll see you at school?” Jonathon asked turning to face me with a small smile on his face. He wasn’t going to show too much affection in front of my parents.
“Probably,” I answered returning the small smile, even if it felt weird with my swollen lip. He squeezed my shoulder, walking back out the back door and I watched him until he disappeared around the corner, heading home. I would’ve stopped him if he had turned and went towards Gavin’s house. I would need to get all of my lies nailed down before school started tomorrow.
“You’re most definitely not going to school tomorrow,” Mom said, “me and you will be going to the doctor.”
“What?” I asked as she sat the spaghetti on the table.
“To get this documented,” Dad stated frowning and nodding towards Mom. She had planned another form of punishment. It was all her attempt to get me to crack and just explain what happened.
“I don’t want to make a big deal of this,” I groaned sliding into a chair at the kitchen table.
“Its only because you don’t want to admit that you’re in danger, Chris,” Mom stated, as she placed the plates on the table with loud clanking sounds. “Men don’t like to admit things like this, because of the predisposition that men are supposed to be strong.”
“Mom its not that at all, I just don’t want to cause trouble,” I argued as Stacey entered the kitchen carrying Grace. She put her in the high chair and started chopping up cooled spaghetti for her to eat.
“Mom I agree with Christian, if you blow this up it will only make the whole thing worse,” Stacey said and I looked at her. She had never really been all that helpful with Mom in the past. We never really defended one another unless it involved the both of us. I thought it was funny when Stacey was getting analyzed and she would always find pleasure in it happening to me.
“Or it will stop completely,” Mom huffed sitting down at the head of the table beside Grace’s high chair. She had already made a mess of her small plate, playing in the spaghetti. None of it had reached her mouth yet.
“It will stop completely when I handle it,” I said and she sighed as she started filling her plate with salad.
“And how are you going to do that?” Mom asked but then held her finger up, “going to meet him on the football field after dark and fight it out?”
“Does that sound like me?” I asked not taking the basket of bread when Stacey offered it to me. She was on my blind side and I didn’t see it. “And the person told me what I had to do to make it better anyway.”
“And what’s that?” Dad asked beating Mom to the question. He was angry, but I thought for an entirely different reason. He would want to bring the punk kid to justice, as he would’ve said.
“I would have to break up with Jonathon,” I answered and I heard Stacey drop her fork, but I didn’t turn to look at her. Mom and Dad shared similar expressions as the room fell silent. Coming out of my mouth made me realize how difficult it was going to be, though. “But I’m not going to do that, we’ll just have to be more careful.”
“Damn right,” Mom scoffed rolling her eyes. “You two were reckless doing what you did at the creek.”
“I know,” I agreed finally picking up my fork to put some spaghetti on my plate to eat.
“And it won’t solve anything, but I’m betting it is the secret you want to protect and not your face,” Mom added and I just nodded my head in agreement. It was worth protecting. “Alright, fine if that is what you want, but the next time you come home with a bloody shirt and a messed up face we are telling his father.”
“Fine,” I whispered looking down at my plate of spaghetti still dreading trying to eat it. It was then she placed a sandwich in front of me. I smiled at her then pushed my other plate aside.
“You should be incarcerated for your torture tactics,” Dad muttered between bites of food.
“I can’t, I’m a mother,” Mom retorted then turned sighing at Grace who had spaghetti all over her and the high chair.
After dinner I finished my homework and took a long shower. My back had bruised and was sore from the fall. Mom let it go after the argument at dinner. I still didn’t know what I was going to do about it though. Matt wouldn’t keep the secret for long.
I also wasn’t about to hurt Jonathon more than I already had. I fought against blaming his carefree, easy going personality too. He was a lot braver than me and he had lived here his whole life. He also knew what would happen if his father ever found out again. He would be sent away to another camp. Even if he didn’t enjoy being at a place like that and listening, he would still know what to expect. I didn’t want to be the reason that happened though and being close to Jonathon would lead to that.
“What are you going to do?” Stacey asked from the doorway. She had her hair wrapped in a towel, wearing her pajamas.
“I don’t really know,” I answered waving her into my room. After closing the door, she walked over and sat at the foot of my bed.
“It would be a lot easier if you broke up with him,” Stacey stated, but she knew it wasn’t the option I would take. “Even if I would kick your ass if you did.”
“Yeah, I’d let you,” I commented and she smiled.
“So who really hit you?” She asked raising an eyebrow. “My money is on Lacey, that girl has it bad for you.”
“No she wouldn’t want to break a nail,” I countered causing her to laugh. “Matt did it.”
“Jonathon’s cousin right?” Stacey asked and I was surprised she knew.
“How much do you know, I mean you’ve been gone since we got here,” I responded and she rolled her eyes.
“Adam told me all about their family,” Stacey said, “when I was complaining about going to their church.”
“Oh,” I shrugged, “he told me to back off and not sit with them and shit.”
“Yeah like your little boyfriend will let that happen,” Stacey sighed, “boys are stupid.”
“Shut up,” I huffed, “we really messed things up.”
“Well at least I know who to threaten tomorrow,” Stacey whispered laying down and resting her head on her arm, looking at me. I was about to protest, but didn’t. Maybe threatening Matt wouldn’t hurt anything and I was tired of feeling alone with this problem. I didn’t see Stacey hitting anyone, but she was always full of surprises.
“How’s the tummy feeling?” I asked when she rubbed her hand over her stomach. She frowned, but looked nervous at the same time.
“I’m late Christian,” she whispered her eyes widening after she spoke.
“Late for what?” I asked looking at my alarm clock on my nightstand. “Surely you don’t have a date with Adam on a school night.”
“No dumb ass, I’m late,” she said nodding her head for emphasis.
“And, dumb ass, I asked what you were late for,” I growled crossing my arms.
“I’m pregnant,” she stammered closing her eyes when my mouth fell open.
“Didn’t you have the same sex talk with Mom that I had with Dad?” I asked hoping she was joking, but realized she wouldn’t about something like this. It wasn’t like her at all.
“Well we didn’t have them all the time, you can’t buy them at just any store here,” Stacey said, “and shut up I don’t want anyone to know until I know for sure.”
“I still don’t know what you’re late for,” I commented and she laughed.
“Chris, my period, you know the monthly thing that we…” she started, but I finally understood her.
“Oh,” I grimaced fidgeting where I sat, “that.”
“It’s why I’m sick in the mornings, my boobs hurt, I’m pretty sure I’m pregnant,” she rambled and I noticed her hands were shaking.
“It will be ok Stacey,” I said leaning over, she sat up and we hugged for the first time in a long time. We both let out a sigh, so far Landfalls has turned our lives upside down with no signs of slowing.
“It’s nice telling someone,” she said, “but if you even speak a word of this to anybody else I’ll gut you in your sleep.”
“I promise,” I offered as she let go of me and stood.
“Goodnight Christian,” she said and I smiled and nodded as she opened the door and closed it behind her. I just slid down in my bed and turned off my lamp, hoping to fall asleep quickly, but with this latest news I knew it wasn’t likely, but I closed my eye and tried anyway.
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Stories posted in this category are works of fiction. Names, places, characters, events, and incidents are created by the authors' imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblances to actual persons (living or dead), organizations, companies, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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