Chapter Ten

"I've seen people I love get hurt," I said. "When I was six my dad's and I were playing in the park, when a gang approached, they said disgusting things to my dads, and then pushed me to the ground, my daddy punched the man who did it, and then all hell broke loose, they beat my dad's very badly, and no one came to help, I couldn't do anything, but watch, luckily they were okay, but we never went out much after that,"

"Why did they beat your dads up," said Virgil.
"For being gay," I said. "It's a much bigger problem than people realise,"
"Have you seen your mother die," said Scott.
"No," I said softly. "Because I've never had a mother, but I saw both my dad's die,"
"How did they die," said Alan.
"My daddy was one of the unlucky people who get lung cancer, even though they've never smoked. He survived for six months, it was heartbreaking to watch him become so sick, knowing there was nothing we could do, I held his hand as he lay in his bed at home," I said, I felt a tear fall but didn't care. "He told me he loved me and then he just closed his eyes and never woke up,"

"What about your other dad," said John softly.
"It was three weeks after my daddy died," I said. "He slept in the guest room, and drank excessively I came home from school and the house was quiet, I didn't find him downstairs, and so I went up to the study where I found him writing at his desk, I spoke to him, but he wasn't there, he was talking to something that wasn't there and it was then I saw the gun in his hand... he raised it to his head and I tried to stop him... but he pulled the trigger..." I looked up and saw faces filled with sympathy but as I recalled what happened next I felt a wave of nausea, "I'm sorry I...," I got up and ran from the room, I reached my room and reached my bathroom and threw up.

I felt someone holding my hair back, and I sat on the floor when I was done, and started crying. Whoever was in the room pulled me into a hug, I didn't care I just sobbed into their shirt. Sometime later I glanced up and saw that it was Scott who was hugging me. "I'm sorry," I said, "I've ruined your shirt,"
"I've got plenty more where that came from," he said. "You okay," he got up and got me a glass of water.
"That's the first time I've cried," I said. "It was bound to come out sooner or later,"
"How did you find out about us," he said.

"My dad was writing his suicide note and it told me to look in a box under their bed," I said. "It had my birth certificate and my adoption papers, I'd always assumed I was from a surrogate mother, but I found out that she just didn't want me, I asked to meet her and she gave me my proper birth certificate and then left, telling me to never contact her again,"
"What a nice woman," he said sarcastically.
"Well on the birth certificate was her name and your father's name," I said. "And I guess I was curious,"
"I understand," he said. "I guess I owe you an apology,"
"No you don't," I said. "I understand completely, you were worried I was a gold digger who would hurt you family and you wanted to protect them, my best friend Noah is exactly the same,"
"I still want to say sorry," he said. "And also welcome to the family,"