The Brave and Beautiful

Kiss and Tell

I got the note 236 sent me out of my pocket. It had been there all day. It just had two simple words on it:

Come out.

*

The awkward dinner scene commenced once again, like it had been for the past few weeks. We'd all have our food on our plates, and no one would touch it for the first few minutes. Cameron would be the first to take a bite and my parents would follow suit. Then my parents would yell at me for playing with my food, so I ate some. My parents have a rule that dinner starts at precisely 6:00, and ends at 6:45. Even if we finish our meal, we can't leave the table until after 6:45. So, it was usually when we would have great conversations, but lately, nothing at the house had been great.

"So..." Cameron said, trying to start something, anything. I stared down at my empty plate, and sighed. I should really eat my food slower. "Today at school I made a new friend"

"Really?" my dad asked, terrible at hiding the fact that he didn't care.

"Yeah! His names Michael"

"That's nice" My mom said. My stomach longed for something... my brain longed for something. But I wasn't hungry.

"May I be excused. For the... bathroom" I lied. 

"Sure" My mom said. I walked past the bathroom, to the basement. Then to the cellar filled with alcohol. I immediately got goosebumps. My parents kept the place nice and cool. I past some wines, and vodka, until I got the the beer. I suddenly noticed that the amount missing was substantial. But, if I take just one more, they shouldn't notice a thing... 

I grabbed one, and greedily snapped the cap of. I took swigs of it, until I was satisfied. I looked at the empty bottle, and almost slapped myself. This had to stop. It had been going on for to long. I went out the basement back door, to our endless backyard. I walked far out, and found the rock I put the rest of my bottles under. A few still lay there. I kept them there until I knew it was safe to dispose of them.

I ran back into the house, and sat back down. 6:39. So close. Cameron eyed me suspiciously, but didn't  do it for to long. 

"How was your day at school, Adam?" My mother asked. She'd always been asking me questions lately. She wanted to make sure a was a normal kid, I guess, after the missing situation. But she also wanted to stay updated on the whole gay thing, constantly wanting to know if I was locking-lips with someone. She knew what was happening with me though. She knew I wasn't some kind-mannered, perfect Elmsville rich kid anymore. She was my mother, therefore she could see the change in me.

"Pretty boring..." I sighed.

"Learn anything new?"

"I learned that school is boring..."

"I thought you loved school!" My mother sighed. Oh I did mom, I did, but then the realization that some murder-blackmailer might be one of my classmates came to light, and then I started going to school scared.

"I did, I still do I guess" I lied.

"Hows soccer coming? It sucks that basketball is over, but at least you have another sport you like." My dad smiled.

"It's good. I'm not totally sucking, like I did in the final basketball game..." I sighed. Images of that day flashed through my mind, and I felt like crying all over again.

"While, we're proud of you no matter what!" My dad said.

"Are you?!" I blurted out. Silence. Cameron shot me a glance as if to say "Stop! Don't stir anything up!"

"Of course we are. Some of your decisions aren't right, but that happens to every kid!" My mom says, sadness painting her eyes. My dad doesn't speak.