Lie Like You Mean It

Okay, so that present had cost me every penny I’d earned working at that restaurant (and nearly being raped by a dumb fucker). But Zero wouldn’t stop looking at the damned thing! And then after staring at it and smiling, he’d look at me and flash a smirk towards me.

“Are we having birthday cake?” Michael asked excitedly from the table. I rolled my eyes at him from where I sat next to Zero. Every once in a while when his father and his fiancée weren’t looking, he’d play with my hand, swiftly lacing and unlacing his fingers with mine or land a kiss on my cheek.

“You do realize it’s been in the oven since you sat down, right?” Mina asked before laughing.

“I see you two are still the same as ever.” Zero’s father said to the idiot couple as Michael stuck his tongue out at his girlfriend. Then he turned gravely to Zero. “What about you?”

“I stopped smoking.” Zero said, and I could hear him suppressing the growing growl in his voice.

“And your grades?”

“They’re fine, as they’ve always been.” He stated quickly.

“Any new friends, girlfriends?” He questioned again. I froze. No, April wouldn’t tell him; she said she wouldn’t.

“Yeah, I have a girlfriend.” Zero told him, grinning. I nearly laughed at what he was playing at. He was messing with his dad and, honestly, it was funny because everyone in the house knew about us but him.

“What’s her name?” He asked curiously.

“Nicole.” He said, trying to contain the laughter I knew he wanted to let out. Well, hey, I thought it was pretty funny, really.

“Not Nikki?”

“No, she prefers to be called Nicole.” Zero clarified, using my quirks to create the ‘girl-version’ of me. Michael was red in the face from not being able to laugh at the whole thing.

“Can I meet her sometime?” He raised his eyebrow at Zero.

“What? I thought you already did?” Zero smirked up at his father. Now his father looked confused as he raised his eyebrow even higher.

“No… I don’t believe so…”

Zero grinned at his puzzled father, taking pride in the joke he played. “You can meet her later. Like, tomorrow.”

That’s when I started to crack up and had to hide my face in the crook of my elbow on the tabletop. “Quiet Nickybear!” Mina said. She just didn’t want me to get her laughing too because once I’d lost it and starting laughing, Michael did.

Zero and Mina were the only ones who seemed to have enough control to keep up the calm and cool façade before bursting out with laughter.

“What’s so funny?” My mom asked as she entered the room to take out the cake after she’d heard the timer go off. She tested it with a toothpick and then pulled it off the rack and put it on the counter to cool.

“Nothing Mom.” I told her, trying to clear the giggles that were still trying to escape my throat.

Zero’s dad was giving him a weird look. “You’re laughing.” His father stated.

“I thought that was normal for teenagers?” My mom said. But I suppose she had forgotten about how Zero used to be before he fell in love with me. He was cold, angry, and conceited and I’m pretty sure he never would’ve laughed either.

“Do you have Nicole to thank for that smile?” He asked, smiling. My mom shot me a look like, ‘what have you been telling his father?’ but she didn’t really mean it seriously. She knew we wanted to keep it a secret because she understood that not all parents are that accepting of their kids loving someone of the same sex. I was sure my parents would back us up when we decide to tell his father. Which I was guessing would be tomorrow since Zero said he’d introduce ‘Nicole’ to him tomorrow.

*~*~*~*

“Oh my God! This cake is orgasmic!” Michael squealed as he devoured the chocolate slice in front of him. My mom gave him a weird look like she couldn’t believe he just said that. But my dad just laughed, being just as much of a kid as Michael was.

Apparently, Zero wanted to tell his father about me sooner than tomorrow because then he brought up his ‘girl’friend again. “You know how I said you met Nicole already?”

“Is she an old friend from middle school?” He questioned.

“’She’s’ sitting right next to me.” Zero stated impulsively. I nearly choked on my cake. Okay, so I actually did choke on the piece of cake in my mouth.

Everything fell deathly quiet. Everyone stopped eating and chatting and stared between Zero and his father.

“What are you-”

Before he could finish, Zero cut in. “Before you say anything stupid, you have to know: I love him, Dad.”

“No. No, no, no, no, no… my son can’t be… gay.” He spouted out, standing up and facing my father who was standing against the counter just behind him. “You! What did your son do to corrupt mine?!”

“Don’t be such a fucking homophobe, Dad!” Zero growled, catching his attention. But his father wasn’t scared of Zero at all; after all he was taller and he looked much stronger too. But it wasn’t going to make Zero back down. “Isn’t it good that I found someone I loved?!” He shouted.

“Not if it’s a boy!” His father yelled back. “Here’s your present, by the way: we’re on the first flight out of here to Australia.”

“Now Noah… calm-” My father was cut off my Zero’s.

“I won’t calm down! My son is a-”

Then Zero got up in his face. “One. More. Word. Dad.” He snarled angrily.

“-a faggot!” He finished against Zero’s warnings. “Pack your fucking bags.”

“No. I’m not leaving Nicolas.” Zero told him flat out. Unlike every other homophobe we’ve faced, his father was an entirely different story. He would always be there unlike a fleeting passerby or even a teacher.

Then his father stormed up the stairs and to, I guessed, our bedroom. The rest of us just looked from one to another, not sure of what to make of the situation.

“M-Mom…?” I whimpered out shakily. “Y-you’re n-not really g-going to let him t-take Zero are y-you.”

She gave me such a sad smile that made my heart cringe. “If he wants… if he wants to take his son back… we can’t stop him, Nicolas.”

“Wh-what?” Tears pricked at my eyes just before falling. I couldn’t imagine Zero not being here; not waking up to his good morning kisses or seeing his intense hazel eyes or listening to him say he loved me.

Zero wrapped me in his arms which told me that we couldn’t fight back and win. I buried my head into his chest before finally letting the tears just fall and catch in his shirt, wetting it as I shook. He was quivering too and he hid his face in the crook of my neck, telling me that he was crying too. Even he couldn’t fight this.

This can’t be it for us… I thought as I clutched his shirt tighter in my hands.