The Carnivore [boyxboy]

Chapter 10

Despite what Kristen had said about being satisfied with seeing his house, she still brought up meeting family with Deacon. It last all of two more days before Rory heard the final fight from downstairs.

“How can we even be serious together if I can’t meet your family?” Kristen screamed at him.

“Maybe then we just shouldn’t be,” Deacon snapped back at her. “I’m so done with you trying to force your way into this. You think it’s a good idea, but if you would just listen to me, it’s not.”

“Wait, are you breaking up with me?” Kristen asked, her voice suddenly quiet. That meant Rory had to crawl a bit further down the stairs in order to hear.

“I don’t know,” Deacon admitted angrily. “But you’re not getting it, Kristen. I can’t think of anything else. Let’s just… take a break for a couple of weeks or something. Calm down, rethink things.”

“A break,” Kristen echoed flatly.

“Yes,” Deacon sighed. “Sorry. But maybe you just need someone who’s more open than I am anyways. I don’t think I can ever put myself one-hundred percent into a relationship.”

“Get out,” Kristen muttered.

Not another word was spoken and Rory could hear the slam of the front door. Before Rory could make his retreat Kristen was on the stairs and glaring him down. “We’re taking the bus from now on,” she said, not yelling at him for listening in.

Rory clamped his mouth shut as she stormed by him and into her room. He slumped against the side of the stairs as the worst part of this set in. He would have to take the bus. Maybe if he got Kristen to sit with him, he wouldn’t have to sit with other people. He could by some sanitizing wipes for the seat too—he knew the busses were shared with the elementary school kids, and he couldn’t imagine all of the germs they had.

He shuddered and went up to his room as well. He curled up on the bed and tried to get his mind off of it. He started re-reading some of his magazines then, pointedly avoiding the one with the nude model in it. He didn’t want to remember what Deacon had said about it.

The rest of the evening was filled with drama—once their mother got home was when Kristen really broke down crying. Rory watched in confusion as they then camped out on the couch, watching movies and eating ice cream. Kristen would break the moment and bring up Deacon every once and a while. “Taking a break basically is breaking up. No one gets back together after that,” she whined.

So that was the big deal about it, Rory realized. Even he had had a small hope that they would get back together so he could get a ride home from school. Deacon’s car wasn’t always the cleanest but it was at least better than the bus.

Their mother eventually had to run to the store with the promise of more chocolate and ice cream. “Mom,” Rory whispered desperately, trying to avoid the wrath of Kristen. “Can you get me a bottle of sanitizer?”

“Sure, sweetie,” she agreed quickly before heading out the door.