Chapter 34 Cal
The first half hour of our two families coming together was as awkward as I’d figured it’d be.
Our daddies had shaken hands in introduction while our mommas said nice things about what each other was wearing. Alissa had also added how much she thought of me and was glad Jack and I were together. Then the table had fallen into silence.
Jack held my hand where it lay propped on my knee, and Ty kept Cara quietly giggling with God only knew what.
Having dinner together during our winter break had been Daddy’s idea.
After storming into school the day after we’d had our family meltdown, demanding to know what the faculty was doing to protect its students during school hours, to protect me, he’d wanted to meet the family of the guy I’d been spending most of my days with.
Daddy and Momma, both, had apologized over and over about how they’d acted, but I stayed firm in what I said. The hurt feelings and the stung self-esteem was too raw, and I wasn’t willing to open myself up to further pain if they failed to follow through.
But they’d kept their promises so far.
It wasn’t until the week between Christmas and New Year’s that everyone’s schedule aligned. Momma had suggested cooking at our house, but Daddy wanted to meet them at a restaurant—neutral ground, he’d said.
“So, Mr. Rutledge, I hear we work at the same hospital,” Daddy said, breaking the silence.
I glanced at Jack and grinned. No matter how this dinner turned out, I’d still have him, and he’d have me.
Jack’s daddy nodded as he took a sip of his water. “That’s right. We’ve never had an occasion to cross paths before.”
Daddy chuckled, which was a little rusty, but he was trying. “Unless you’ve had a need for a trauma surgeon, I don’t suppose we have.”
“Thank goodness I haven’t.”
Alissa smiled, then grinned even wider when she glanced at Jack and me.
The chatter stayed in the realm of small talk until the food arrived, but that was fine. They didn’t need to be besties. When we left, Daddy gave Jack and his family a genuine smile. On the ride home, he said “what a nice young man” Jack was.
Though our families didn’t meet again over the winter break, Jack and I were constantly with each other.
Either his house or mine. I got to know his parents well, and Jack unclenched long enough to feel comfortable around Daddy.
Momma wasn’t around as much, so he didn’t see her again, but when our next family night came around, I invited Jack to share it with us.
Momma and Daddy weren’t perfect, only human. Sometimes their differences got the better of them, but thankfully, they kept to their word and quickly stopped themselves before any disagreement could escalate. At least, in front of Cara.
“Thoughts?” Jack asked me as we lay on the floor in my room, shoulder to shoulder, and tossed a football in the air, taking turns catching it.
We’d been discussing whether we were ready to come out at school or not.
Those closest to us knew, but I’d adopted his mindset.
Now that our parents knew, Jack still wanted to keep our relationship on the down-low.
Not a secret—we would be friendly at school—but I’d found comfort in not showing off.
Seeing him day after day and forcing my hands to remain off him, sitting in class with him, catching him in the halls, but maintaining distance would be the ultimate foreplay, forced edging.
I groaned. “I’m more than okay with it.”
“Good.” Jack batted the ball away instead of catching it, then rolled on top of me.
I chuckled and grabbed his waist, positioning him perfectly so his dick rubbed mine. “As long as you know I’m yours, that’s all I care about.”
“I do.”
“And when I finally get you alone after you’ve teased me all day, you let me go feral.”
He smiled against my lips, giving it so freely to me now. “You better.” Too quickly, his happiness faded. “Promise me we won’t turn into your parents.”
I furrowed my brows, confused at the concern in his eyes.
“Just, talk to me, okay?” Jack rubbed his nose on mine. “Always talk to me, no matter what it’s about.”
“Promise. And you promise to always make time for me, Princess. Even when you’re busy or tired, just let me know I’m still your priority.”
Jack smiled, one of the big ones. “I promise, Princess.”
School resumed in January as it did every year, but one student wouldn’t be returning.
Rumors and gossip flew like sparks from a wildfire, but I never said a word. I’d already known about it but kept the juicy bit to myself, knowing it would probably come out anyway.
Sasha had been removed from school the day after she’d stabbed me with her pen. Only a suspension until the school board had had time to discuss it.
I’d been shocked, to be honest. I never would’ve imagined they’d hold a female student to the same disciplinary actions as they would the guys, but they had. Sasha was expelled. A few days later, the police had shown up at our door.
At first, I’d been furious, thinking my parents had gone behind my back and pressed charges anyway. But that wasn’t it at all. Sasha’s momma had. Apparently, and fucking sad as all get out, Sasha had been abusing her too.
From what they’d said, when the school explained to Sasha’s parents about her expulsion, Mrs. Dobson had broken down and spilled her guts.
She’d said Sasha had been a spoiled child, hers and Mr. Dobson’s own fault, but with puberty, it had become violent.
She’d been silently taking the slaps and pinches from Sasha ever since.
When Mrs. Dobson found out Sasha had been hurting someone else, she couldn’t stay silent any longer.
The police, out of due diligence, had come calling. I didn’t want to press charges, but I went along with it because, like Mrs. Dobson, I couldn’t stand the thought of Sasha hurting anyone else either.
It never sat right with me, though. I wholeheartedly agreed I never deserved what Sasha had done to me, but I wasn’t completely innocent either.
She’d come along in a moment of weakness, and to distract myself from my parents’ divorce, I’d let her into my life.
Had I been in a better place, stronger, maybe I’d never have allowed it to get as far as it had.
Maybe I’d have said something, gotten her help, and gotten help for myself too.
Sasha now faced domestic violence charges. Being over eighteen, she was in some seriously deep shit.
With the new semester of school came soccer season.
I went to every game, and sometimes even Momma and Daddy came with Cara to cheer Jack on.
The team had its best turnout ever, thanks to new friendships our fighting at the beginning of the year and the reconciliations that came later had cultivated.
Weeks passed in a buzz of excitement as we moved closer to spring and prom season.
Jack and I volunteered to help set up. The storage room in the basement was kind of our place where there was nothing to talk about but plenty said in other ways.
We hooked up in secret as much as we helped decorate, and all the while, Trent watched us with a huge smile, thinking he’d been pivotal in the two of us becoming friends.
Okay, maybe he had. In our mutual frustration over being punished, Jack and I had found common ground. Our start, like an origin story.
A group of us went stag to prom and grumbled about not feeling comfortable taking who we wanted. And after prom came another huge event in our senior year: college acceptance letters.
Both Jack and Ty were accepted into Harvard. Unfortunately, I wasn’t accepted into MIT. What Daddy had said about me being a troublemaker might have hurt my chances, but who knew for sure. I’d applied to multiple colleges, though, and was accepted at another tech institute in Boston.
Not getting accepted to my first choice college had hurt, I wouldn’t deny it, and that probably had something to do with my next step of the self-recovery I’d claimed.
I didn’t know who was more shocked when I voluntarily walked into his office one day after school, me or Trent Wright.
“Hey, uh, Trent.”
He smiled as wide as ever and gestured to the chairs in front of his desk. “What’s up, Cal?”
As if the animosity and disrespect had never happened earlier in the year, Trent let me sit there and talk while he listened. I hadn’t taken advantage of that before, but when I opened up, he was actually there for me. An ear, a shoulder.
I stopped by his office often after that. In the beginning, we’d talked about football, a safe topic. He had good insights on how to put the football player away after identifying with it for years. We talked about classes and college and, eventually what brought me to his door.
Trent didn’t have the answers to life, but it felt good, relieving to just talk, to be heard.
When I got around to Sasha, I’d expected him to joke about it.
To chide me for being a weak ass or a dumb ass.
He didn’t. He actually hated what happened.
He took on the guilt with me, told me my circumstances had him seeking further study on abuse and bullying, more guidance for himself.
He hoped one day he’d have the right answer, and my story might help him get there.
I supposed that made me feel pretty good.
Things happened for a reason. As long as we learned from our mistakes, then those things had a purpose.
More time passed, and Jack and I got closer every second, and so did our families. Jack’s daddy finally gave me the okay to call him Tanner, and Ty watched my back as faithfully as he did Jack’s. Jack helped Cara with homework when he came over after school and helped me cook when it was my turn.
We were inseparable.
Except at school.
All the way to the end, we maintained a respectable distance in public and kept our conversations to mostly heated glances and stolen moments of silence, heavy breathing, and quick blow jobs when we dared.