Chapter 2
“Jon,” Alicia yelled from the kitchen, “do you want to go out with us tonight?”
Jon looked towards the kitchen and furrowed his brow. Alicia had been nicer than usual for the past few hours, and he didn’t trust that. His sister was not one to include him in anything just to be nice. “Maybe… What are y’all getting into and who exactly is ‘us’?”
“Oh, some bar is having a Mardi Gras Open Mic thing. Cindy figures it would be something different—and maybe you could meet a nice girl. A bunch of our friends are coming with us. Besides, it’ll do you some good to get out of the house. You’ve not gotten off that couch in a week.”
Jon rolled his eyes—that was the catch. He had come out to their parents the week before. They had not taken it well; he had known they wouldn’t. That’s why he never dated or uttered a word about it until after graduation. He had kept the secret a little longer, not wanting to turn the holidays into chaos after his December graduation, but he knew as he moved into this next chapter of his life, he couldn’t keep the secret forever. He wanted to stop pretending to be someone else every day, and he had known it could come at the price of losing his home and his relationship with his parents.
Jon had been shocked when Alicia had suggested he move in with her while he applied for jobs in Houston. He had just finished school and was planning to move once he found work. Since Alicia lived close to a park and ride where he could catch a commuter bus, he had agreed and started getting ready for what he knew would be a rough start to the new year.
He knew she wasn’t supportive of him coming out. When he had told her he was attracted to men when they were in high school, she had told him he didn’t know what he was talking about, and he was simply confused. He felt bad for blindsiding her with coming out to their parents and knew it put her in an awkward spot, but this was his best chance. He came out to his parents once all his things were loaded in her car. They had said many hurtful things. They made him hand over the keys to the car they had let him drive through school and insisted stay registered to them. He had been prepared for their reaction, but not how quiet Alicia had been since. Neither made it any easier.
“Jon? Did you fall asleep in there?”
“No, I was just…Wait - Mardi Gras and Open Mic night? Was this like a coincidental ‘every Friday is open mic night’ and it happens to be the Friday before Mardi Gras or what?”
“How the hell should I know? I’ve never even heard of this place, but Cindy said it has a decent atmosphere.”
“Does Cindy know what she’s talking about? Does she have better judgment than your friends from high school? You remember what happened when you went to a party because Joy said it would be a blast…”
“Fuck you! And yes, I trust her judgment. I wouldn’t have suggested it if I didn’t. Besides, she said they were having five dollar pitchers all night. Between that and what I’m sure will be an entertaining night of local wannabes making fools of themselves, it should be fun. Drinks are on me. Consider it a late graduation present.”
Jon laughed, “Ok. I guess I’ll go. Sounds like it’ll be an experience. I just hope it won’t be a total train wreck.”
“Have you unpacked anything yet? You need to find something to wear other than the sweats you’ve been lounging in the last few days.”
“Shit,” he sighs as he stood up to head to his bedroom. “Does this place have a dress code or anything?”
“I seriously doubt it. It’s called the ‘Ivory Dragon’ and apparently it’s an Irish pub. That’s all I know, kid.”
He hated when she called him ‘kid’ and she knew it. She was trying to push his buttons, but he wasn’t going to take the bait. “Ok, I’ll find something. Do you think we’ll have time to stop at a store? I have an idea.”
“Maybe. The doors open at 7, so it depends on how long it takes you to find something to wear. You should probably shower too. I think I can smell you in here.”
He flipped her off through the wall. He couldn’t shake the feeling she was up to something, and muttered under his breath. “Stupid bitch.”