Let Them Speak

I stared at the ceiling and then moved my eyes to the curled body pressed to my side. I stroked Addison’s face and smiled when he sighed in his sleep and his eye lids fluttered. I heaved a sigh and gently crawled out of bed and slipped on a pair of sweats, then snuck downstairs and rummaged through the cupboards.

“Do you want to tell me why there’s a naked boy in your bed, Darryn?” I jumped at least 3 feet into the air when my father talked and I turned around guilty. I swallowed the retort I had and instead leaned against the counter and took in my old-man.

Greying hair, beer-belly, pale skin, clad in sweats and a wife beater. I scowled at him. He was scowling right back at me.

“Well-”

“And don’t you dare try and lie to me Darryn Phillips, so help me,” he growled and took a threatening step forward. I thought about what I should tell him.

“His name is Addison, dad. And he’s my boyfriend,” I nearly choked on the word, his face got beet red and he looked as if he wanted to hit me. I flinched when he crossed his arms.

“And what happened to that nice Lacey girl?” He asked softly, he was a volcano getting ready to erupt. I glared at him, he had never even met Lacey, maybe once for a brief moment.

“She was a cover-up, to keep you in the dark and off my tail,” I said, it came out harsher then I wanted. I watched his jaw and fists tighten; restrain.

“You can’t do that Darryn, you can’t treat women like that,” he hissed and I suddenly had the impulse to cry. I took my bottom lip between my teeth to keep it from trembling.

“Fuck you, I don’t need you telling me what I can or can’t do. I can’t do theater, I can’t be gay, I can’t be anything in this house except for what you want me to be,” I exclaimed, then remembered Addison was upstairs and I didn’t really want to wake him up yet.

My father took two quick steps forward and slammed his fist into my face. I reeled backwards and clutched my jaw. I squeezed my eyes shut against the pain, then snapped up and tackled him to the floor. I shoved my elbow into his windpipe and his eyes widened.

I stopped what I was doing and crawled back from the shuttering man, he was trying to get air back into his lung and somehow repair his windpipe so he could breath again.

“Get out of my house, get out and don’t show your face again,” he snapped in a raspy voice and then threw a chair in my direction.

I ran up the stairs and blinked away tears.

“Addison, hey, we need to go,” I whispered to the groggy boy, he nodded and got up to dress. I averted my eyes and began to pack some clothes. Addison stood, shaking out his hair and watched me as I worked.

“What’s going on?” He asked and I stopped a moment to kiss him softly.

“My dad saw you in my bed. I told him the truth, we had a fight and he told me to leave,” I told him, and wondered if my jaw was bruising or not. Probably.

I sighed once I had enough clothing, then grabbed my cell phone and snuck Addison and I out the window.

I walked Addison to his house, where he kissed me again and went inside. I didn’t follow, I didn’t want to impose. So I took out my cell phone and called the one person I knew would help me out.

“Do you know what fucking time it is?” Lacey asked and I checked my watch. 4 in the morning.

“Sorry Lacey, but I need a huge favor,” I said as I walked to her house. I heard her roll over and mumble something.

“Yeah be over here in about 15 minutes. You need to stay for a bit?” She asked.

“Yeah, my dad kicked me out, I’ll tell you the full story when I get there,” I told her and she was silent for a moment.

“Okay. Bye.”

I hung up first.