Chapter 10

Alfred's POV

I looked beyond the group I was talking to as avidly as possible, to look into the beautiful green eyes I had been waiting on.

"Arthur!" I smiled and walked over to the boy, placing my hand on his cheek. I had to resist running straight into his arms. I knew that would just cause problems. I kept my eyes locked on his forever, only seeing a single tear fall down his face. Knowing we were being watched, I dragged him off to cafeteria. It would be empty this time of day, but still have chaperones that hopefully won't mind the two of us talking.

"Arthur," I caressed his hair, "I love you so much."

"I love you too. I was so scared. I knew you had to be up to something." He smiled up at me, holding onto my T-shirt.

"I told you, I'm never leaving your side. You aren't getting rid of me." I smiled.

"Like I'd want to." He sat up, "How did you manage to get in here, love? Knowing you, It had to be something involving mass destruction." He seemed to be dreaming about it, wondering what sort of plan I had managed this time.

"Oh, I just called in a favor I suppose." I couldn't tell him now…

"You're the worst liar ever." He grabbed my face and kissed my softly.

"Angel, let's not discuss this." I tried to smile

"Fine, later." He started to deepen the kiss, throwing his legs around my waist. I could feel the chaperones wandering eyes and knew we needed to find someplace a bit quieter….

"Alfred, care to speak?" We sat in a semi circle, a therapist was asking all of us questions. It was a group therapy, something about becoming aware and comfortable with your problems.

"No" I smiled my million watt smile, "No thank you"

"I know you, you're the Jones kid aren't you? The self admitted one." A kid a few chairs down spoke up, wiping his gold colored hair out of his face as he talked. He seemed friendly, just a bit down.

"Felix!" The woman yelled as nicely as she could muster.

"Sorry…" he smiled, shrugging his shoulders.

I spoke up, "It's fine, yeah I am. It was time I got help."

"For what, darling?" The woman intervened, suddenly happy that I was talking. It had taken her three days of therapy now.
I took a deep breath and slowly started into the story."I've been scared my entire life to be who I want to be. My father, a fantastic man I might add, has always put the pressure on my twin brother and myself. He wanted us to be everything our mother wanted us to be after she died. Mattie had it rough in the beginning because he wasn't everything my father wanted. He struggled with my father looking down on him for years until finally he gave up. Now, I look up to Mattie because he has the courage to be what I could never be, myself. When he came out of the closet to my father a few weeks ago there were almost no repercussions because my father doesn't care anymore. As far as he is concerned I am the only son that fully exists. Most of my friends pitied Mattie through all of school because of this. They thought I had it good when really I would've done anything to disappear. As we grew and life went by I realized I was never going to be anything my Father wanted. I want to go into writing music versus football; I want to love whom I choose and not some random, dim-witted cheerleader that's always standing at my doorstep. I have someone that I've loved for years and I could never come to terms with it just because he's a boy and I knew what would happen if I came out as gay to my father." The entire room was quiet and I could feel Arthur's stare from across the circle.

"and this is why you were hurting yourself?" she pried a bit more.

I smiled, trying to shrug it off as nothing, "My mom made my father leave his 'military tactics' in raising children behind him. So I started knocking some sense into myself because he wouldn't. If I couldn't willingly conform maybe a little pain would teach me. I tried cutting once, but Mattie was easily able to see it. So, I started doing more things with bruises. I'm a football player so bruises are easy to blame on a rough tackle or just a regular practice." After I was finished, a few more kids went and then the lesson was over. I saw Arthur get up, his face expressionless. I ran after him, hoping he wasn't angry.

"Arthur, are you okay?" I grabbed his wrist and pulled him near me. I saw tears in his eyes.

"Why didn't you ever tell me this?" He sputtered

"Maybe I'm too dense." I laughed about the joke all of my friends make that actually hurts a bit…but I would never tell them that. He pulled me down so that we were looking exactly face-to-face.

"You are the most amazing, loving, funny person I have ever met. You are the only ray of sunshine I have on this fucking Earth. To think that you feel that way, it makes me want to just, just…" He kissed me, crying a little in between. He held onto me, refusing to even let go in the slightest, "How did you manage to get in here?"

"Well…"

*** IN THE HOSPITAL ***

"Sir, may I speak with you for a moment?" I walked up to the therapy dude, in the most respectful way.

"Of course." He smiled.

"To gain self-admittance to the hospital Arthur is going to, what would I need to do?" His face dropped in shock.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Jones is it? You actually need to have a reputable problem to be admitted. You seem very healthy to me." He looked like he was about to turn around and leave when I said,

"Of course I appear that way. I always do." I didn't hesitate to raise my shirtsleeve and show my arm, covered in black and blue splotches.

"Where did those come from?" He asked in surprise.

"They're self inflicted. I've suffered with it all my life." I said this plainly, as emotionless as possible.

"If you're lying…" He eyed me, maybe it was common for partners to chase after their lovers through a mental institution…

Kinky.

"There are voices that I could tell you about in extreme detail, sir, I guarantee I would not lie about this." I said

"Aren't you Robert's kid? I thought you hated hospitals after what happened…" At this, I flinched. He was right. I hate all hospitals. I hated being in this one right now. When my mom died, she died by a doctor's hand. He messed up the medication dosage and caused her to go into cardiac arrest. I was in the room with her while it happened. On top of that she rip the needles from her arms and blood started pooling the room. I shuddered, feeling a tear come to my eye.

"When you love someone, you're willing to go through your own pain in order to stay with them." I stood up straight.

"Very well then. I can actually work your admittance as well now that you've told me."

"Thank you." We parted, and I went back to Arthur in order to remain composed.

"You did all of this for me?" His grip tightened on me.

"Of course I did. Now it's you and me against the world. We can do this together, if you want." I smiled down and started drawing circles in his hair.

"It's all I've ever wanted."