Thank You, Gravity
Hallmark Card Girlfriend
I pull away from Nick with a quirky grin, leaning backwards away from the counter a little so I'm not pressing against him. I place my hand on his, resting on the marble. I don't notice the kitchen door opening, or realize that the pizza is way over it's time.
Dad walks into the room, clearing his voice as the smoke detector goes off. He opens the two windows that are in the kitchen, letting the smoke go out, then turns back to Nick and I.
"Uh, hey dad." Nick says with caution, pulling away.
"Nick, can you go pick Frankie up? He went to his friends house after school, you know Alex right?"
"Yeah, I guess so... wait Alex? Peyton's son. They aren't friends." Nick says.
"Nicholas."
Nick just slowly nods and walks out of the kitchen knowing Dad wants him to leave.
I watch him leave and turn the oven off. I quickly remove the extremely burnt pizza and place it to the side, Dad watching all my moves.
"Joe, I... I am sorry."
"Sorry?" I repeat. For a moment I'm in shock. This can not be the father that I have been fighting with for the past few years. First because I didn't go to college, then he discovers that I'm gay, but being in love with Nick really made everything worse.
"Yes. I know I shouldn't judge you. Others must understand that you can't control what you feel." The truth is only him, Brandi Frankie and Kevin know about this.
"Yeah, you would think that." I scoff. "Kevin is completely disgusted and you are just acting that you are okay with this." I sigh. "But that's good enough. Frankie is the only one who is actually okay with it, and he barely understands anything."
Dad doesn't want to understand, he wants to go on saying that this is going to pass, it was like a stage of life, not knowing what we really want yet.
"Sorry, but I am trying to be nice. You are my son and I love you but you need to understand that no matter how much I love you, I still don't agree, but I can't do anything about it. Maybe one day you will see the light and understand this isn't right."
Lucky for me, when he starts to sound like a Hallmark card, Frankie ran into the room all hyper and excited.
"Joe, I have a girlfriend! Here name is Ally and she is hot, and she is 11 and she lives around the corner. I walked her home today, her mom said she liked me."
"Aw, Frankie has a girlfriend. I would love to meet her. I need to approve before you make a mistake like other brothers we have." I say and Nick (who has come back) laughs softly.
"Why? Nicky is dating you I thought. Was that a mistake?" Frankie is a funny kid. Nick is obviously not a girlfriend, he isn't girlish. He says I'm more of a girl, but I still never understand why.
"No, you do have another brother."
"Kevin isn't my brother." Frankie says, and walks out of the room, rambling on about Ally to Nick.
I turn back to Dad, walk up to him and hug him.
"Thanks for trying to understand for once." I say and he hugs me back.
Dad walks into the room, clearing his voice as the smoke detector goes off. He opens the two windows that are in the kitchen, letting the smoke go out, then turns back to Nick and I.
"Uh, hey dad." Nick says with caution, pulling away.
"Nick, can you go pick Frankie up? He went to his friends house after school, you know Alex right?"
"Yeah, I guess so... wait Alex? Peyton's son. They aren't friends." Nick says.
"Nicholas."
Nick just slowly nods and walks out of the kitchen knowing Dad wants him to leave.
I watch him leave and turn the oven off. I quickly remove the extremely burnt pizza and place it to the side, Dad watching all my moves.
"Joe, I... I am sorry."
"Sorry?" I repeat. For a moment I'm in shock. This can not be the father that I have been fighting with for the past few years. First because I didn't go to college, then he discovers that I'm gay, but being in love with Nick really made everything worse.
"Yes. I know I shouldn't judge you. Others must understand that you can't control what you feel." The truth is only him, Brandi Frankie and Kevin know about this.
"Yeah, you would think that." I scoff. "Kevin is completely disgusted and you are just acting that you are okay with this." I sigh. "But that's good enough. Frankie is the only one who is actually okay with it, and he barely understands anything."
Dad doesn't want to understand, he wants to go on saying that this is going to pass, it was like a stage of life, not knowing what we really want yet.
"Sorry, but I am trying to be nice. You are my son and I love you but you need to understand that no matter how much I love you, I still don't agree, but I can't do anything about it. Maybe one day you will see the light and understand this isn't right."
Lucky for me, when he starts to sound like a Hallmark card, Frankie ran into the room all hyper and excited.
"Joe, I have a girlfriend! Here name is Ally and she is hot, and she is 11 and she lives around the corner. I walked her home today, her mom said she liked me."
"Aw, Frankie has a girlfriend. I would love to meet her. I need to approve before you make a mistake like other brothers we have." I say and Nick (who has come back) laughs softly.
"Why? Nicky is dating you I thought. Was that a mistake?" Frankie is a funny kid. Nick is obviously not a girlfriend, he isn't girlish. He says I'm more of a girl, but I still never understand why.
"No, you do have another brother."
"Kevin isn't my brother." Frankie says, and walks out of the room, rambling on about Ally to Nick.
I turn back to Dad, walk up to him and hug him.
"Thanks for trying to understand for once." I say and he hugs me back.