Bit of a long one, but so much is happening. Enjoy!
As I'm going along, big thanks to Mererid for her help in beta reading.
Chapter 26
Saturday morning. The four of them had agreed that Ray would text Scott when they arrived in front of his house. That way, when they showed up at the door, Scott's father wouldn't start wondering who these people were, knocking at his door, and he wouldn't have the choice of letting them in or turning them away.
Aaron parked his car in front of the house and the three of them came out at the same time carrying flattened boxes. Brian and Mark arrived shortly after and parked right behind Aaron. They came out of their car and leaned against the front fender, looking up at the door. The whole thing looked like a police operation, all very well co-ordinated.
Scott had received the text. As they were coming up the steps outside, he came down the stairs to meet them so they wouldn't be knocking at the door. His heart was pounding in his chest, he was so nervous. His parents were in the kitchen.
When the trio came in, Scott gave Jackson his bag of important stuff first. Jackson took it out to Mark who came up to take it back to his car.
As expected, Scott's parents heard some talking at the front door so they came out to see who was there. When they arrived, Scott introduced them as his friends, and said they were here to help him pack up a few things. That's when he told his parents that he was moving out.
"What? Why would you do that?" his father asked, honest surprise in his voice. This was unexpected.
Scott took a deep breath, looked at his parents and said, "I'm moving out because I can't continue to live here with you, feeling threatened and inadequate. As you suspected, I'm gay, and I know how you despise me, how you hate gays, well, in a sense, how you hate me." Not an ideal way of coming out to his parents, but it had to be said.
"We don't hate you," his father objected loudly. "We love you, we want what's best for you, we both do, your mum and me."
"Then, why have you been hounding me the past few years, talking about marriage and all? I'm still a teenager, for pete's sake!" Then looking at his father, he raised his bandaged hand and said, sadness in his voice, "Why did you get angry and hurt me? No self-respecting and loving father hits his child, breaks his hand, spews hatred at him the way you did. Why?"
Gordon Campbell was taken aback by what his son had said, he didn't know yet how to respond. He was so bothered by the fact that he suspected his son was gay that he couldn't see clearly at the time of their scuffle. He had obviously lost control, but he certainly was not going to admit that. His tone softened, he had to try and salvage the situation. His son was about to leave the family home and he didn't want to see him leave like that. If he stayed, maybe he could manage to save him, maybe he could convince him to change.
"Well, I probably got carried away a little, a brief moment of weakness. I wasn't seeing clearly. I didn't mean to come on so strongly."
"You what?" Scott was baffled. "What you did was intentional, you know it, the way you hit me first then came at me when I was on the floor. That's not getting carried away a little, that's wanting to hurt me. How you lied at the hospital when they asked why my fingers were mangled? A bad fall down the stairs? They've heard that kind of bullshit before, dad, and I know you couldn't miss the look they gave us. They didn't believe you for one moment. Somehow, they let it go."
Campbell straightened up at was he was hearing, but shame came over him. He knew he was not going to win that match. He bent his head a bit. Clearly, Scott was furious and disgusted at him. Scott's mother was standing by her husband's side, crying in silence. She just couldn't believe this was happening. She felt useless. Her family was cracking, her marriage was likely on shaky grounds.
"I got carried away. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. This, you thinking you're homo… you know," he said, unable to get the word out of his mouth.
"Sorry? Really?"
Campbell was grasping for straws. Having these young men there as witnesses of this family breakdown was not making it easy for him. He never had that conversation with his son in private, having it in front of strangers certainly didn't please him one bit.
"Look, you're so young, you don't know for sure if you're one of them, you should take your time, you could change if you wanted," he added, hoping to be convincing. He felt cornered here. He was almost pleading.
"Change? Why change? I don't need to change, I am who I am and you know that. God made me in his image." If his dad could quote the Scriptures, why couldn't he?
"Don't you dare say that," his father said angrily.
Scott smile a bit. He knew he had hit a nerve. "Why should I accept to spend my life pretending to be someone else just to fit my parents' warped idea of what they think God wants?" His tone was assertive. He was getting angry. "You don't know what God wants any more than the guy next door."
"If you walk out of this house, you'll regret it. What about school, what about your future?" His father wasn't giving up. He was determined to keep him, to save his soul. Besides, the neighbours would be talking if they found his son had left like that. He figured they were already wondering about those two cars and the people carrying boxes.
"I prefer to be an outcast in your eyes and be happy with a man I love and who loves me than be here with you and constantly fear for myself," he said turning to Ray who was happily surprised by this revelation. This was the first time he ever said those words and moreover, they were said in front of his parents. This was a surprise for everyone.
His mother, albeit sad to see him leave and worried about him, had a small smile. She was not as convinced as her husband that Scott was damned for eternity. Personally, she had no problem with her son being gay, but she never dared voice her opinion. She knew very well how her husband would react.
"I'll figure out something about school, I'm not giving up. But at least, if I can stop being afraid, maybe I'll work better, get better results."
Gordon Campbell was furious. This ungrateful son of his was turning his back on years of care and love he and his wife provided. "This kid can't offer you anything, he can't offer you any security. Look at him! He's not much older than you are!"
"My happiness with this kid, as you call Ray, is worth far more than the elusive sense of security you think you're providing."
"So this Ray is your boyfriend then, is he?" The words were dripping with disgust.
Ray felt it and he bristled. It took a lot for him to feel like that, but this man was doing it to him. "And who are these two? You four enjoy orgies together? That's probably what you do." The devil must have been whispering in his ear now; Scott never thought his father would stoop so low.
"Good grief, dad, you should hear yourself. What a stupid comment! Actually, Aaron and Jackson saved Ray's life and that makes them pretty decent human beings in my book, contrary to what I feel for you right now. They saw him in danger when he was attacked by someone and they ran to help him. Aaron got hurt in the process but he didn't flinch. They got Ray out of harm's way and made sure he was looked after." He paused for a moment, calming himself, his breathing heavy, still staring at his father, never leaving his eyes. "Get help, dad, you need it."
Campbell became furious. "You ungrateful child," he yelled as he lunged for his son. Quickly, Aaron move in, putting his arms against Campbell's chest, holding him back.
"You don't wanna do this," Aaron hissed, "not here, not now, not with us here." His face was hard, his eyes dark with determination, his nose scrunched up, the muscle in his jawbone was twitching. In a second, Aaron could wipe him out clean with a fist that would connect with his face so fast he wouldn't know what happened. Campbell heeded the warning and backed off.
Scott collected himself. There was a lot of tension but it wouldn't go any further. Yet, there was one last thing Scott wanted to tell his father.
"Actually, dad, I am grateful for what you taught me. You taught me that religion without reason, without common sense, is just another drug. Right now, you are just another sad, pathetic drug addict."
Aaron, Jackson and Ray just couldn't control their reaction. They all thought this was one amazing comment and they all seem to wear a small smile at the same time. It just happened like that.
Campbell was fuming. "Take your things and get out!" He was stern, angry, insulted. The only reason Campbell hadn't flipped at Scott's words was because of Aaron's presence.
Those words fell on Scott like a ton of bricks, but he had expected them. Campbell took his now sobbing wife by the arm and led her back to the kitchen. She stopped briefly and turned to her son, her eyes pleading for him to reconsider his decision. Scott was not going to do that.
Jackson and Aaron pushed Scott up the stairs and told him to move it. He needed to pack his things quickly.
Ray was by the doorway and he motioned to Mark and Brian to come up. Aaron was bringing boxes down as soon as they were packed. They could take them to the car as they were handed to them. The clothes could be taken over their arms. They wanted to get this done quickly. No one wanted a real confrontation with Gordon Campbell.
Things were all packed and Scott had all he wanted and needed. For a second, he looked at a picture of the five of them, his parents, himself and his two sisters who were older than him. They both were single and living in London. He wasn't very close to them but close enough to have shared some of his worries. They texted regularly, but he hadn't told them of his plans. The picture was taken a few years ago at Christmas. It was actually a very nice shot of the five of them. By this time, Ray had walked up the stairs to his room, it was the first time he saw it. He noticed what Scott was looking at. "Take it, bring it with you, you're better off with it than wishing you had taken it."
Scott grabbed the picture and shoved it in his back pack. He took one last look at his room, his world for many years, and then walked out. No matter how attractive the room was, the reason he wanted to leave was not the room, but his abusive father. It suddenly came back to him when he heard a heated exchange down the stairs by the door. He came down quickly with Ray following closely.
Campbell was loud, he was in a mood to take them all. While he and his wife were in the kitchen, they discussed what was happening on their doorstep; she tried to reason with him, to make him see Scott's point, but he wouldn't hear it. She argued he was eighteen, old enough to make decisions, but he didn't think that, he knew this was a bad choice. He believe he could still put him on the right path, steer him away from the perverse world he was getting himself into. He was now arguing with Aaron and Jackson, his courage fuelled by anger. These young men were invading his home and he didn't like it one bit. "You think you can do this? Well I've got a surprise for you. The police will deal with you and quickly. You have no right to come in here and push us around."
"Dad, stop it!" Scott was really angry, he voice was loud. Gordon Campbell actually had never heard his son be so angry. "If you think you can call the police, I suggest you think again," he hissed through gritted teeth. "The injuries you inflicted on me have been documented by a social worker and the pictures are just waiting to be shown to a solicitor. What you've done is wrong, and you know it. Thank God for the good people around me. I was able to get this taken care of. But because of you, my world is upside down, my school year is in jeopardy and I'll have to deal with rehab once the cast is off. You know what? You're a sad person and until you realise that, I don't want to hear from you." Turning to his mum, who had been standing around, witnessing everything, looking confused and sad, but feeling kind of relieved, he said, "Mum, I'm sorry, but I have to do this. I know you understand." His words were slow, as if he realised himself how important they were. Somehow, she understood, but she couldn't say so in front of her husband. She came forward and took him in her arms to hug him. She whispered in his ear that she knew he was making the right choice.
After they parted, Scott looked at her briefly, then he looked at his dad with a blank face. Ray was by his side, his arm around his shoulder, trying to lead him gently out of the house. Jackson and Aaron were standing by the door, still inside the house. They did everything so as not to give Gordon Campbell anything to use against them.
"I'll be in a safe place, you can always reach me by phone if you need to." Gordon Campbell remained motionless, but his wife nodded her head, a single tear running down her cheek.
Scott turned around and walked out of the house. In his mind, he was finally walking away from a house of threats and fears. This was an incredible relief for him. As the distance grew between him and the house, he felt more and more relaxed, more and more liberated from the weight that had been pushing down on his shoulders, on his mind. He was starting to smile, his heart felt light.
He put his left arm, the one with the hand in a cast, around Ray's waist and walked down the steps to his car. What a message that was sending to the neighbours! Ray took the driver seat, Scott sat in the passenger and they drove away, followed by Aaron and Jackson. For a moment, Mark and Brian moved their car to block the driveway, making sure Gordon Campbell wouldn't get in his car to follow them and find out where they were going. Again, like a police operation! After five minutes or so, they drove away, leaving Gordon and his wife on their doorstep, stunned, lost, confused.
/
Back at Ray's place, the boxes had been unloaded, Scott's personal stuff was brought up into the studio. Suddenly, Scott realised he had moved in with his boyfriend. It was all done so quickly that everything felt very natural, comfortable, he almost didn't see it happening. He was still a bit uneasy about the whole morning, but he'd deal with that later. Right now, he felt so much better to be away from his parents' home, away from his father. It's a sad statement when you can say it is a good thing to be away from your father.
Standing in front of Scott, Ray ran his fingers through Scott's black curls and finished his movement by cupping his boyfriend's face, "How are you feeling?" he asked.
"I'm a little scared, but more relieved than scared. I don't know how I can thank you for what you've done."
"Don't worry, I was a bit scared myself," he said with a small smile, "but with Jackson and Aaron there, it was fine. I'm just happy it went as easily as it did. At least, he doesn't know where you are. If push comes to shove, you can always alert the police. I know you don't want to do that, but at the end of it, it's your safety against his crazy ideas. If I have to choose, I'll call the police on him."
Scott laughed. He had never seen Ray so passionate and riled up. "Thank you, I knew I was right thinking you were a decent guy. Oh, and what did you think of the way I introduced you as my boyfriend? Pretty spectacular, wasn't it?
"I'll say! I've never seen your father before, but the look on his face was something else." He stopped for a moment then looked up into Scott's eyes, "Scott, I'm really sorry I didn't know before that things were not good at home, we could have moved in together before it got ugly."
"Well, I didn't know it would get that ugly, and how would you have known? We've been together a few months only. Still, there seems to be something strong between us." He put his arms around Ray's shoulders and looked into his eyes, "I didn't know how to tell you. I didn't want to scare you off. I was hoping I'd find a way to get away from dad as soon as possible, but with school and all, it was hard, I wasn't sure who to turn to. But I'm glad you and your gang got me out of there!"
"Hey, my gang is a gang of good guys. Speaking of which, let's go and see them. I'll get some drinks for everyone." They exchanged a warm kiss before parting.
When they got to the living room, Aaron, Jackson, Mark and Brian were standing up, chatting.
"Scott, you alright?" Brian asked as he saw them walk into the living room. "We've met only once but I guess we've bonded really fast!"
"Yeah, we have," Scott replied with a chuckle. "Listen, I don't know how to thank you for what you've done today, all of you. I was scared, but I'm not anymore and it's down to you. It's amazing to realise I've got friends like you around me, people I can trust. How can I ever repay you?"
"Friends don't do things for payment," Jackson said, looking at him with a warm smile. They do things like that because it's important." In typical Jackson fashion, these nice words came out with a simple shrug of his shoulders. "Now, they won't take money for payment, but they'll take a can if they can get it!"
"Jackson," Aaron exclaimed. You're a terrible guest."
"Oh, excuse me, and you weren't hoping for a can? Please, Livesy, I know you better than that." Jackson gave him a nudge.
"Listen you two, everyone," Ray said, "my parents are still away, so why don't we move out to the conservatory in the back? We'll have more room and we'll be able to sit all together. It's not summer anymore, but we can take advantage of the sun a bit."
They sat on chairs around a potted garden, admiring what was left of the flowers. A long Summer that stretched into Autumn had provided for beautiful warm days, even in late October. They shared cans that Brian and Mark had brought, thinking that they might be needed. Good planning, they called it.
A couple of hours later, unbeknownst to them, Ray's parents returned from their visit to Scotland, earlier than expected. They were supposed to come back on Sunday, but had to change their plans. Hearing voices in the back of the house, they came to see who was there.
"Well, look at the crowd here," Ray's mother said with a smile as she walked into the conservatory. "And a whole group of good-looking men, how lucky can I be?" she asked in a teasing way.
"Mother!" Ray exclaimed. "You'll never change. Well, since you and dad are here, might as well do the introductions. Mum, dad, this is Mark and Brian, they are close friends of Jackson and Aaron. I'm sure you remember them," he said as he motioned to the two other young men, and you remember Scott, of course."
"Nice to meet you all," Ray's father said. "Scott, what in the world happened to you?"
They all looked at each other, not sure how to break the news to them. After a quick private chat, Ray and Scott decided to share the essential parts of Scott's story with Ray's parents and tell them about the morning they just had. Needless to say, the Branswells were shocked and outraged. As parents, they were saddened by this.
"Look, Scott, you should know that you have a place here for as long as you need it," Ray's father said. "I haven't talked to Ray about it, but I'm pretty sure he'll agree." He smiled to his son, telling him that everything should be alright. Ray couldn't be happier.
"Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Branswell, it really means a lot. I never thought I'd end up in a situation like this, but again, I have to say I am a very fortunate lad to be able to count so many good people around me, willing to help me. It's… it's all a bit overwhelming," Scott tried to say before the emotions overcame him. Quickly, Ray was by his side. He took his boyfriend to a seat and they talked for a bit. He ran a comforting hand up and down his back. This was all quite a lot to take for Scott and the past week had been very hard. The stress was beginning to show now. But things should start improving in a few days after a couple of good nights' sleep and in the quietness and safety of his new surroundings.
TBC