A/N: I would like to issue a formal apology to ALL of my readers. I had forgotten what it was like to get your praise from your reviews... And thus I had not been working on this story. Today I woke up and decided that it had been too long since I last updated. What was really interesting is that when I signed on to AIM I was greeted by a new reader that had liked my story a lot. With my new resolve to finish the story and his kind words I give you chapter six of Degrassi: The New Year.
Oh and sorry about the formatting of chapter five, it got all screwed up cause I was using a different computer, sorry!
Warnings: WARNING! This chapter contains Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 plot spoilers!
Lio
The drive to the party would have been quiet, had Marco and Dylan not been in the backseat together. The occasional giggle and kissing sound could be heard. That was until Ashley, who was riding up front with me, hit the CD player. Instantly the speakers starting booming out "real Emotion", by Koda Kumi. Ashley turned to me with a quirked brow.
"Techno? I didn't really figure you for the techno type," she said over the booming synth. "more of a rocker or metal type."
"Oh trust me, I listen to SlipKnot, Korn, Linkin Park, NickelBack, and a hell of lot more." I smiled back at her. "What can I say? I'm a music whore."
She laughed and inquired about who this was singing.
"Her name is Koda Kumi, she is a J-Pop singer. This song is from FFX-2," I explained. "she did a lot of songs for FFX-2 as a matter of fact. She was even the model for one or two of that characters."
"J-Pop...? FFX-2...?" Ashley asked while looking at me like I had grown a third head. (A/N: yes I just went there)
"Man, you live a sheltered life for someone who is punk/Goth," I laughed. "J-Pop is short for Japanese Pop, which I am a huge fan of. FFX-2 is short for "Final Fantasy X-2", it was a sequel to ten."
"A sequel to ten? Why not just make it Final Fantasy XI?"
"Well you see the Final Fantasy games have an odd set up, each game is a completely different story from the last. None of the characters are brought over from the previous game. The only real similarities are in the enemies and the creatures you can summon to aid you in battle. So it was a little surprising that they did a sequel to ten, but they more or less had to." I continued to explain, searching the area for the party we were going to.
"Had to?" she said, quite puzzled.
"Well yeah, they had to, the first one was so sad. I cried at the end." interjected Dylan from the back seat. "The main hero turns out not to be real, and when they defeat the final boss, he starts to disappear. Right as Yuna, the main female character, goes to hug him and tell him how much she loves him she falls right through him, and then he disappears completely."
"Well look who's come up for air," I smiled looking at Dylan in the rearview mirror. His lips were a tinge red and swollen from some major making out. He mouthed the words 'Bite me' at me. "Pick an appendage, hon. But, yeah, Dyl is right, the end of ten was so incredibly sad that the gamers practically demanded more. Though the second isn't all that good, the hero from the first game is never restored, unless you beat the game perfectly. So it kinda bites."
Ashley just sort of nodded and went back to fiddling with the CD player, while Dylan was interrogated by Marco about his gaming habits. I guess Marco was a little on the insecure side and was wondering if he might get replaced by a game. Dylan did a little reassuring that that would never happen.
I pulled up in front of a house that had plenty of people coming and going. Dylan said that this was the place. We all piled out and walked up the stairs, I followed last, when I got up to the door the guy 'guarding' stopped me.
"Hey, don't I know you from somewhere?" the drunk frat guy asked. "Wait a second... You're what his names little brother... Charlie! You're Charlie's little bro!"
I sighed heavily and rolled my eyes.
"Did you have to remind me that I related to that ignorant piece of slime that is an excuse for a human?" I snapped.
"Whoa dude, calm down, I was only asking, cause like ya know, I haven't seen him in a while." he said drunken slur. "What's going on with him?"
"I don't know, I don't care, he bashed some kid on his way to a hockey game, and I haven't heard from him since, now piss off."
I pushed past the guy and into the party, the group had watched my little conversation with the guy. I guess they were shocked at my sudden attitude, but my brother was a very sore subject for me. Dylan barely understood how sore of a spot that was.
As I turned and waited for the group to follow the memories of two years ago came flooding back to me. The crashed at me with almost a physical force that would have made me stagger, had I not lived these memories thousands of times before. I didn't let my facial expression change, I refused to let anyone pick up on how much of a sore spot Charlie really was.
Two Years Ago
Charlie grabbed me roughly by the arm, and put me in a headlock. I struggled with all of my might, but my older brother was just too strong for me. The malevolence he had was all to clear in his laugh, only making me struggle harder. He formed a fist with his other hand, and laughed as he brought it down on my skull.
"Birthday noogie," Charlie grinned. "take that you little pip squeak! Ahahaha!"
"Aaargh!" I replied, trying to slip my head through the bend of his arm. "Stop it! Come on Char, lemmie go-o-o-o!"
After sufficiently messing up my hair, Charlie let me go. He laughed as I tried to fix my hair and clothes. Having no luck, I just scowled at him.
"Man if you keep fussing with your clothes like that I might start to think you are a fuckin' faerie! And don't glare at me, I still have your present!" Charlie grinned. He pulled a small DVD sized box out of his school back and waved it at me.
After making me jump for the box, I finally managed to snag the present from his grip. I tore off the wrapping paper to find the newest Legacy Of Kain video game: Defiance. I could only grin at my older brother, as he was the only guy who could buy you a present for your birthday, but find a way to enjoy in himself. That was just Charlie, the big brother I knew and loved.
Charlie and I had always played the Legacy of Kain games together. Only he would play the Raziel ones and I would play the Kain ones. So that is why Defiance was the perfect birthday gift, it allowed us to play together without switching disks.
An hour later found us sitting on the floor in front of the TV, surrounded by junk food bags and two glasses of soda, slashing at creatures of darkness, Vampire Hunters, and spectral plain monsters. But something that Charlie had said had been nagging me for the last hour, putting me off the top of my gaming skills.
"What the hell," Charlie said with a small sneer. "Come on little bro, you are playing like a damn pansy. Would you hurry up and impale the guards on those spikes so I can play already?"
"Ummm," I said pausing the game. "Char?"
"What?"
"Can I tell you something... Something that you won't tell dad?"
"What," he suddenly smiled with a twinge of taunting in his eye. "you get that chick, Alexa pregnant or something?"
"Um, no, we broke up.."
"Oh sorry... Why?"
"Char... I think.. I mean, I am..."
"Spit it out! I hate when you stall shit!" he said growing impatient.
"I'm gay.."
Charlie and I had sparred hundreds, if not thousands of times in our various martial arts classes. But never in all our years of sparring did I ever see him move so fast as just then. His fist crashed into my jaw, sending me flying sideways. I knocked over my soda glass, and it shattered beneath my weight as my shoulder came to slam down on top of it.
The searing pain in my shoulder, as a large shard of glass imbedded itself in my shoulder, was only my primary concern for a moment as Charlie's foot slammed into my ribs. I heard two cracks, but that became the least of my problems as I saw Charlie's foot coming at my face.
I managed to avoid being kicked in the face, by thrusting my self upwards, but just barely. The sudden move by me upwards startled Charlie a little, and gave just enough time to get to my feet and make a break for the front door. But Charlie was faster than me, he caught me at the front door, and punched me square in the back of the head.
Crashing to the floor, I knocked a lamp to the floor with my arm. My vision began to fade in and out as Charlie took off his belt and wrapped it around his fist. The last thing I could see before the sweet bliss of oblivion took me into darkness was the front door opening. My dad came in, smiling at first, then moved to stop Charlie. Then there was nothing.
I woke up to white sheets, and a white ceiling. A steady "beep beep beep" filled the room with its song, letting the world know I was still alive. I tried sitting up, but found my shoulder and my stomach hurt too much to move. I couldn't remember why my shoulder or my stomach hurt so much. Or why I need to be in a hospital. Then like a tidal wave of sadness, the memories of my coming out to Charlie came back to me.
A tear slid down my cheek, not from the pain of my injuries, but from the pain of how much hate Charlie had shown me. I bit my lip as a small sob escaped my lips. It wasn't until then that I realized that I wasn't alone in the room. My dad had been sleeping in a chair against the wall. I guessed it was my sob that had woke him. With my good hand I wiped away all of my tears and smiled at my dad.
"Lio," his voice full of concern. "what's wrong? Are you okay?"
"Yeah," I managed, my voice coming out a little parched and frog like. "I'm fine dad."
His face showed so many emotions. Fear, concern, love, sadness, but the over all effect just made him look tired. He moved his chair to be next to the bed and managed a smile, though his eyes still showed the torrent of emotions he was feeling.
"Lio," his words very slow and careful. "Charlie... Why was he... Why did he..."
I focused very hard on the cheap hospital blanket in front of me. Trying to see every fiber there was to it. Explaining what happened with Charlie also meant telling my dad I was gay. An idea I was much terrified of. I didn't want my dad to love me any less, and I really didn't want another incident like Charlie.
"Liolis, look at me," he said with a very careful tone. I looked at him to find his face just as neutral. "Charlie said... He told me that you..."
"Dad," I started, but it seemed like my throat had closed off and wouldn't reopen.
"Are you gay?" my dad blurted out.
I turned away from him then. Letting my embarrassment become all to clear. Silent sobs rocked my body as the fact that my dad knew I was a 'fag' set in. Tearing ran down my cheeks, soaking into the pillow below me.
"Lio.." he began, but stopped. As my sobs continued, he did something I had never expected: he wrapped his arms around me, being careful of my arms and ribs, and he hugged me and whispered to me. "I love you, Lio, no matter what."