Ratbags and Scallywags [bxb]

Chapter 27

My eyes wouldn't open. Feeling a yawn develop, I threw my hand out over my bedside table and felt around for my phone. I sighed and rubbed my eyes. They felt heavy and sore for all of two seconds before I was plunged out of lethargy with a text from Aubrey.

Im at school already

The time read eight AM. School hadn't started yet so I still had time to get there in time for the bell. I jumped out of bed and headed straight for the shower. When I went to the kitchen for breakfast, Mum was sitting at the table eating a bakery-bought scone. She looked tired and listless.

"Morning, Mum," I said and walked over, planting a kiss on her forehead.

She looked up at me with surprise, but immediately perked up. "Good morning, Charlie. You're up early considering the time the movie ended."

"Aubrey's at school," I answered as I pottered around in the kitchen, pouring myself a glass of juice and a bowl of cereal.

Mum looked a little tense for a moment. I sat down beside her and took a spoon of cereal before I looked at her questioningly. She seemed to ponder something, then stumble for words while I kept chewing and waiting for her to say something. It made me curious.

"About Aubrey..." Mum began. "Don't you think he's been causing you trouble since the two of you got close?"

I spat out my cereal, frantic to wipe at it as it dribbled back into my bowl.

"Oh, Charlie," she muttered, getting up and fetching me paper towels. "So gross."

I swallowed what was left in my mouth and stared at her, dumbfounded. Did she really think it was Aubrey who started to create all this drama? From a parent's perspective, it might've made sense that she thought this all started from when we started talking. Correlation equals causation, and all of that.

"Mum, it's completely the other way 'round," I said, pushing my bowl away. "I drew a lot of attention to him after outing him. Now he's kind of stuck in the spotlight because of me. Even though I'm the bully's target, Aubrey still gets caught up in it because of me. And he still somehow goes to school early."

Mum seemed to be pondering this, but nodded reluctantly. "I see. And the two of you... are you going out? Does he know you're gay?"

I shook my head. "He knows I'm gay but we're not going out."

A grumble in my belly made me pull my bowl back towards me. I shoveled another spoonful into my mouth and looked at her, grinning while I chewed.

"I'm working on it."

Mum giggled. "My boy's so handsome, he'll see that."

I chuckled and enjoyed the rest of breakfast enjoying chatting with Mum. Normally she'd be at work already, but I guess Aubrey's Mum let her have a late morning so she could stay home with me. Maybe I should stay home and hang with her, after all. But then I pictured Aubrey at school, waiting for me. I wanted to see for myself that he was okay.

Yesterday, I felt helpless when I couldn't help interpreting Aubrey's signing or understand anything he said in general. One sign language class per week just wasn't enough. Would it be unreasonable for me to ask Mum to allow me more than one class? I wanted to be as fluent as Aubrey and his friends. I wanted to be useful to him. I wanted to be the most useful... his most important one.

"...Mum," I started, but didn't really know how to ask. They weren't cheap, and she was already being so generous by letting me take one class for a guy I like. "Can I do extra sign language classes?"

She looked at me with surprise. "You want to do more?"

"Yeah, I'm not learning enough," I said. "I don't know enough. There's so much more for me to know, y'know? It almost feels redundant sitting in on just one class a week."