"We were just wondering how long you were planning on staying here," Lainie admits, an uncomfortable look on her face, when the family is just finishing their breakfast. "It's not that we want you to leave, but I can imagine that your parents must be missing you."
"Mom…"
"It's fine. I was thinking about going home anyway," Justin lies. "I really appreciate that you allowed me to stay here, Mr. and Mrs. Jensen," he says, flashing a grateful smile, before getting up from the table, and going up to the bedroom, his heart almost beating out of his chest. Because he had gotten so comfortable, staying at the Jensens, that he pushed down the thought of having to go home one day. But knowing that he will have to go home, that it will most likely end with a fight and he will end up on the street, it makes him feel sick to his stomach.
"You can't send him away," Clay says, as soon as Justin has left the kitchen. "He can't go home."
"Why not? Is his mother still away for work?"
"I lied," Clay quickly admits. "She's not away for work. She's a drug addict, and her boyfriend is a drug dealer. They had a fight, so Justin was staying with this guy from school, but…"
"I'm sorry, but…," Matt begins, but then he shakes his head. "You lied to us?"
"He had nowhere to go, dad. What was I meant to do?"
"Tell us the truth," Lainie says. "You could have told us this when you asked us if he could stay here."
"But then you would have wanted to talk to his mom, or you would have reported it, or…"
"We still would have offered to let him stay here, Clay. But does his mother even know he is here?"
"Yes. But she doesn't care, okay? She's an addict. You can't send him back there," Clay tries again, still remembering what Justin had told him about his mother's boyfriend trying to choke him. "It's not safe, okay?"
"Did someone hurt him?"
"No, but… you can't send him back to live with an addict," Clay says. "He needs somewhere where it's stable, and…"
"We will have to talk to his mother, Clay. He is underage, and if they want him to come home…," Lainie sighs. "It's not up to us."
"But you will let him stay here if she's okay with it?"
His parents share a look, but then Lainie nods, and she flashes a small, hesitant smile.
"Justin can stay, but only if his mother agrees."
"Do you think she is in?" Lainie asks, when she and Matt are about to get out of the car. "Is she usually in at this time?"
"She should be. I sent her a text to let her know we were coming," Justin says, still staring down at his hands. He knows the Jensens aren't judging him, but he can't help but feel embarrassed, because so far Bryce and his family had been the only one to know about his situation, and to have Clay and his family knowing, to have them trying to help him, it makes him feel young and vulnerable. It makes him feel like he should be capable of taking care of himself by now, and the fact that he can't, it makes him feel like there is something wrong with him.
"Do you want to come in with us?" Matt asks, but Justin just shrugs. "We'll talk to your mom, okay? You stay here with Clay."
"Thank you," Justin mumbles, and the Jensens both flash a smile before getting out of the car.
"What do you think she is going to say?" Clay asks, and he grabs his boyfriend's hand as soon as his parents close the door behind them. "What if she wants you to come home?"
"She doesn't."
"But what if she does?"
"She doesn't give a fuck, Clay. I doubt she even noticed I was gone," Justin says, and they watch as Clay's parents go into the house. "She only cares about herself."
"I'm sure that's not true."
"You have no idea what you're talking about," Justin says, his eyes focused on the front door, half-expecting the Jensens to be kicked out before they have even gotten a chance to sit down.
"No matter what happens in there, you know I love you, right?" Clay asks, the color on Justin's face slowly draining, and it isn't until he turns to face him, that it dawns on him what he has just said. "I mean…"
"You love me?"
"Yeah." Clay nods, flashing a small, nervous smile. "Is that okay?"
"No one has ever said that to me before," Justin admits, his hand getting clammy in Clay's hand. "I don't… I'm sorry, but I can't…"
"I don't expect you to feel the same way," Clay quickly says. "I just want you to know."
Justin gives a small nod, before looking back at the house, Clay tightening his grip on his hand as the front door opens, and Matt steps out, two large bags in his hands.
"Oh, shit…"
"I told you, didn't I?" Justin sighs. "She doesn't give a fuck about me."
"I'm so sorry."
Lainie comes out, looking more than just a little upset, and after shouting something into the house, she comes storming towards the car, her husband quickly following.
"What happened?" Clay asks, after his parents have gotten in. "What did she say?"
"It doesn't matter," Lainie says, turning around to face the teenagers. "You are welcome to stay with us for as long as you want, Justin. Our home is your home now."
"Thank you, Mrs. Jensen," Justin says, trying to hide how much he is hurting, but he struggles to keep his tears in, and the pitying looks are only making things worse.
"We'll go back later to pick up the rest of your things," Matt says as he starts the car, but Justin shrugs, an embarrassed look on his face.
"I'm pretty sure she packed all my stuff as soon as I told her we were coming."
"But that's only…," Clay begins, but then he realizes what Justin is saying, and he quickly keeps quiet.
"We will go shopping this week, and we'll buy you whatever you need. You do not have to go back there anymore," Lainie quickly says. "I am so sorry, Justin."
"Wait, your mom kicked you out?" Zach asks, after Justin has told him what had happened over the weekend. "What did she say?"
"I don't know, but Clay's parents came out with all my stuff, so yeah… I guess I'm now living with them."
"Shit… they know about you and Clay, right?"
"Yeah, they do," Justin laughs, still remembering the condoms and lubricant. "They are pretty cool about it. Especially his dad. His mom isn't too happy about us sharing a room, but…," he begins, but when Alex comes running up to them, looking more than just a little flushed, he keeps quiet.
"What happened?" Zach asks, but Alex is too out of breath to answer. "Are you okay?"
"Shit, Alex," Justin laughs. "Are you in trouble?"
"It's Bryce," Alex manages to get out.
"What did he do?"
"He got arrested."
"Drugs?" Justin asks, having seen him pass around so much at parties that he's surprised he didn't get caught sooner. "It was bound to happen sometime."
"No." Alex shakes his head, before leading them to somewhere quiet. "Don't tell anyone, but…"
"What the fuck did he do?" Zach asks, the look on Alex's face making him think that this is far more serious than drugs.
"I overheard my dad telling my mom that he got arrested for raping a girl."
"What?!"
"And they think there might be more than one girl."
"Wait… this girl…," Zach begins, a wave of nausea washing over him. "You don't think…"
"Hannah?" Justin asks. "She wouldn't go near him."
"He didn't exactly take no for an answer when she told him to fuck off, did he?" Alex asks, having had the same thought as Zach. "I tried calling her, but her phone went straight to voicemail."
"We should try and find her. If he hurt her…," Zach begins, but he can't even begin to fathom the thought that Bryce might have actually done such a thing to Hannah.
They go to Hannah's locker, but she isn't there, and although none of them says it, they all share the same worry. But when they go over to Jessica's locker, and they find Hannah and Clay there too, happily chatting away, clueless as to what it going on, they all breathe a sigh of relief.
"Thank god you're okay," Zach says, before pulling Hannah into the tightest hug. "I thought…"
"What's going on?" Hannah laughs. "Have I missed something?"
"Bryce was arrested," Alex explains. "They think he raped someone."
"Holy shit," Jessica spits out, and it takes her a moment, but then she puts two and two together. "You thought he raped Hannah?"
"What?" Hannah asks, freeing herself from Zach's grip. "He didn't! I swear, he never touched me!"
"He sent you those texts though," Clay says, and they all go silent, fully aware of what could have happened. "Shit, I can't believe he did that. I know he's an asshole, but I didn't think he was a rapist."
"Keep it quiet though, yeah?" Alex quickly says. "I only found out because of my dad."
"Who do you think the girl is?" Jessica asks, a worried look on her face. "Do you think we know her?"
Before anyone can answer, they hear a loud bang and it makes them all jump. When they turn, they see Monty punching a locker, looking more than just a little upset, as his friends, Bryce's usual group, quickly walk off.
"Do you think he knows?"
"That Bryce got arrested?"
"What Bryce did."
"Should we go over to him?" Alex suggests, but when he looks up, his friends are all staring at him. "What? His best friend just got arrested."
"So? It's not our problem." Jessica shrugs. "Monty is just as bad. I wouldn't be surprised if he did know. Who says he wasn't there when it happened? Those two probably don't even take a shit without the other watching."
"Jess is right. He is not your problem," Zach sighs, but Alex can't help but feel sorry, because he can tell that Monty is upset, and no matter what the guy has done to him, he hates to see him like this, because he knows how it feels.
"I'll talk to him," Justin says, looking anything but pleased about it. "You guys stay away from him, okay?"
"Please, don't," Clay tries, but Justin has already turned around. "Justin!"
"He'll be fine," Hannah says, as she wraps an arm around Clay's waist. "They're not going to fight. Again."
"Yeah, right. If my parents find out he has gotten into a fight again…"
"They'll kick him out?"
"I don't know," Clay admits. "But I need him to stay out of trouble."
"Hey man, are you okay?" Justin asks, but when Monty turns around, ready for a fight, he backs up. "Whoah, I'm only asking if you're okay. I'm not looking for a fight. You heard about Bryce?"
"Fuck off."
"Want to talk about it?"
"No. Just leave me alone," Monty spits out, but when Justin leads him out of the hallway, he follows him anyway. "It's bullshit, right? What they're saying about him. He wouldn't do that, would he?"
"He would," Justin sighs, "and you know it. Bryce is an asshole, who won't take no for answer. He is used to getting his way, so…"
"He wouldn't do that!"
"Yeah, he would, Monty."
"Do you know who she is?" Monty asks, looking small and vulnerable, and Justin can't help but feel sorry for him, because he knows that Monty is nothing when he isn't hiding behind Bryce. "This girl he raped?"
"I don't know. I doubt we'll ever find out. His parents will probably pay her off, and he'll just get away with it."
Monty gives a small nod, but then he looks over his shoulder to make sure they are still alone, before whispering.
"I didn't know, okay? He showed me pictures of all these girls, but I didn't know he was hurting them."
"I know," Justin sighs. "But you know that he did this, right? That he is not a good guy. Bryce is…"
"He is my friend."
"Why? What do you get out of this?" Justin asks. "I get it, Monty. I stayed by his side for years, but when I walked away, I didn't lose shit."
"I just…"
"He is never going to accept you for who you are. Just because he lets you suck his dick, doesn't mean he cares about you," Justin says, and although he knows that the words are harsh, he knows that Monty needs to hear the truth. "You are nothing to him. He doesn't care about anyone but himself. So get out while you can, okay?"
"You're jealous."
"Of what?" Justin scoffs. "Look at me, Monty. I get to live my own life, and I don't have to hide anymore. I have a boyfriend who loves me, who…"
"You're a fag!" Monty spits out, a desperate attempt to shut Justin up, but Justin sees right through it.
"Yeah, I am, and so are you, Monty. But at least I don't have to hide anymore."