Short little filler chapter. XD
Raptor
Chapter 8: D-Word
"Claire! Please!" She sounded desperate, more desperate than normal. There were tears in her eyes and her hand shook as she sunk down in a chair at the kitchen table. "You promised you'd take them for a couple weeks."
"Yes. I did." Claire said calmly over the line. "Next month." She stressed. "I told you, the park is closing after next week. We're unveiling a new attraction when we reopen and there's so much to do. I'll be in meetings solid for the next week and…"
"Claire!" She interrupted. "Please!"
"Karen..."
She practically choked back a sob. She blinked back tears and tilted her head back. "Things are getting bad, Claire." She said, her voice a tad softer. "Really bad. I just… I don't want them around with the lawyers." She breathed out and leaned back on the table. "Can't they just… sit around the pool or something? Can't you take a day off and show Gray around? You know how he is…" She let out a sigh that morphed into a bitter, sharp laugh. "Actually, you don't."
"Karen..."
"You don't know your nephews." Karen snapped. "Gray's been waiting for this trip forever! He's studied everything about every dinosaur at your park."
Claire sighed. "Karen, I don't..."
"No!" Karen interrupted again. "You can't say no! You owe me! You weren't here when dad died. I took care of him. You owe me! Just please! Take them!" She begged desperately.
Claire let out a sigh over the line. "Yes, of course." She said after a moment, relenting. "I'll find something for them to do."
Karen suddenly burst out crying. Wracking sobs that shook her whole frame as she leaned heavily on the table top. "Zach can just be so mean to Gray sometimes." She said between sobs. "And Gray can get so wrapped up in facts. And they just… I just…" She was sobbing nearly hysterically into the phone.
The spying kid pushed off from the wall. He'd caught his mother's voice and stepped out into the hall. Although, with her carrying on like that, how could anyone not hear her? Zach put his headphones on as he silently slipped back into his room. He turned up the volume, way louder than needed, and tried to drive out the sound of his mother's tears from his head. Parents didn't want them. Aunt didn't want them. This was going to be a great fucking summer.
He wasn't stupid. He knew what was going on. Oh, he pretended like he didn't. Both parents acted like nothing was wrong. They lied when he or his little brother asked them anything. And when his little brother asked him, he lied. But he knew. If he was honest with himself, he'd known for years. It wasn't even really a big deal. All his friends parents were divorced. Hell, some were even dating or remarried. So why all the fucking secrecy? Just get divorced already and stop pretending like everything's fine! Because really, Zach was tired of this shit. He was just tired of everything.
He didn't notice the music cutting out and his phone ringing until the third time. He sat up and pulled it out of his pocket. He glared at the display as a pretty blonde girl's picture popped up. He just saw her like 20 minutes ago. She'd just dropped him off. Yeah, he failed his driving test. So his girlfriend had to pick him up and drive him around. He wasn't sure what was more fucked up. That his girlfriend drove him around or that he had a girlfriend?
Yeah. The girlfriend thing. Because really, he only had one as a precaution, as a cover. In case anyone caught him staring at his math teacher's ass. Because he did that a lot. Like a lot! He'd stare and he'd imagine those hands on him and those lips and being bent over the man's desk. It would be hot. Even if he was old. Because he was old. At least 30, Zach thought. He was pretty sure said teacher had an idea, too. He'd caught Zach licking his bottom lip once was gawking. Zach would have been mortified if the man hadn't blushed the tiniest bit and turned away. And since then, he hadn't made eye contact with Zach. And Zach may have purposely failed the class so he could retake it next year.
Though if he were honest, the actual idea terrified him. Not that anyone so perfect and so old would ever really look at him. But that didn't mean he had to stop the daydreams. And he was looking forward to making the man squirm next year. Yeah, failing the class was a great idea. Except getting kicked off the track team. Not that he really minded all that much. It was a lot of work. He only joined so his dad would get off his ass about the football team. It didn't, of course. His dad never came to any of his track meets, not even when Zach made the finals and actually won a trophy. Because running wasn't a sport, he'd been told many times. But Zach had liked the track team. Plus running was doing great things to his ass. Okay. So maybe he minded. Maybe he regretted getting kicked off because his grade point average tanked below the required minimum. He was considering summer school next month. If he took it, his coach said he could be back on the team in time for conditioning.
He blinked his eyes, chasing thoughts of his teacher's ass and track shit from his mind. Sound straight, he though, putting the phone to his ear. Boobs and vagina. Yeah, he was so gay! "Hey." He said. And that was the last word he said for an hour. She liked to talk. Holy shit, did she like to talk! He made a few noises here and there, so she thought he was listening. But he really wasn't.
Finally, thankfully really, there was a knock at the door. A second later, his door was thrown open and his little brother bounced in. The kid didn't even wait for an answer. Gray saw the phone and he stopped, a pout forming on his face.
"Hey." Zach interrupted loudly, cutting off whatever she'd been saying. "I gotta go, Carly. Gray needs me for something."
"Oh. Alright." She sounded disappointed.
And Zach rolled his eyes as he said, "I'll call you later." He hung up the phone quickly and let it drop to the bed. "What?" He asked dryly as he looked up at Gray.
Gray's whole face lit up. "Mom just told me! We're going early! And we get to stay longer! They're closing the island for some business meetings or something. It'll be practically empty. And mom says Aunt Claire says we can do whatever we want! The whole place to ourselves!"
Zach nodded slowly. The kid sounded so excited and Zach was surprised Gray wasn't vibrating out of his skin. But Zach couldn't fake it. He didn't even want to try. "Yeah. Awesome." He said monotonously.
Gray kept on talking. "This is the coolest thing to happen since I saved Iron Man!"
Zach rolled his eyes and shook his head. He'd heard the outlandish tale, a few times, from his brother. Three summers ago, Gray went to spend a week at their grandmother's house. And as he told it, Iron Man showed up, half dead. And Gray helped him repair himself. And he made the superhero a tuna fish sandwich. Gray had tried to tell the story to their parents. But neither believed him and dad just laughed. When they called grandma, she said Gray had spent most of the week out in grandpa's old garage, cleaning up. She felt bad, said maybe he inhaled some old paint fumes. Gray insisted it wasn't some silly hallucination. He was insistent. But Zach just tuned the kid out when he talked about it. Just a stupid dream or something.
Gray frowned a bit, catching Zach's lack of enthusiasm. "You're not excited?" He asked.
Zach picked his phone back up as it buzzed with a text. Call me when you're done with your brother. He rolled his eyes and shook his head at the phone. "Did mom say why we're leaving a month early?"
Gray shook his head. "No."
Of course not. Of course she wouldn't tell him the truth. Gray was too excited to go, he wouldn't have even thought to question it. Zach let out a sigh.
Gray blinked and tilted his head. "Zach..."
He put the phone back down and looked up at Gray. "When are we leaving?" He asked, interrupting Gray.
Gray pouted for a moment longer. Then the excitement took him again and it was like his entire body was smiling. "Two days."
Zach tilted his head. Well... that actually worked for him. Less pretending to be interested in girl talk. He had to pack. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly. Yeah, he had lots of packing to do. That was going to take many hours. Many, many, many hours. "How long are we staying?" He asked.
Gray's eyes widened. "I forgot to ask!" He turned and dashed out of the room.
Zach put his headphones back on and leaned down on his bed. Maybe the trip wouldn't be all bad. It might be fun. Even though dinosaurs were kind of lame.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
He spent the next few days locked in his room with his headphones on and pretending to pack so he could avoid everyone. Especially Gray. The kid was obliviously bouncing off the walls with excitement. His mom was right. He was mean. He let out a sigh. He didn't mean to be. He really didn't. He just... he just was mean. Gray just... annoyed the shit out of him. Gray never shut up, never stopped, never left Zach alone. And never took a hint! There were times when Zach just wanted to be alone! When he just wanted quiet, for a minute! But no, Gray was always there. Gray, who got just as much shit from their dad as Zach, had latched onto his older brother at a young age. Gray's shit was different, of course. He was even farther from being an athlete than Zach. He was on the complete opposite side. Gray was dubbed a genius at school. His IQ was off the charts for someone his age. It alienated him from the other kids, and from his father. And over the last year or so, from his brother, as well. Zach closed his eyes and willed his head to stop. He wanted to enjoy his not-packing time for a little while longer. He didn't want to have to think.
And at that precise moment, his phone rang. And it was his girlfriend. He liked her enough, he really did. They'd been friends for a few years before she confessed at a friend's party that she had a crush on him. So he asked her out. He didn't feel bad about it. Sometimes he thought he should. But he wasn't exactly leading her on. He never promised her anything or told her he loved her or anything dumb like that. They'd kissed a few times and he'd touched her boob once. But that was only because she'd grabbed his hand and put it there. And he had to fight the urge to not flinch away. So he didn't feel bad. They were only seventeen anyways. She'd go off to college after graduation next year and forget he ever existed. They weren't that good of friends before anyways. And then he could pretend to be upset and depressed that she left him. And he could say he wasn't ready to date again yet.
So he was safe for at least two more years. By then, hopefully he'd be somewhere else and away from his family and they'd never find out he was gay. Because he didn't want to tell them. He'd just disappear and never have to see them again. Any of them. No more pretending. And no more annoying little brother who wouldn't shut the fuck up.
"Call me every day." She said, grabbing his hand and smiling brightly. "And text me pics so I don't forget what you look like."
Zach fought back the urge to roll his eyes. Because that was literally the stupidest thing he'd ever heard her say. They were standing outside his house and she was practically hanging all over him. They'd said goodbye over the phone and he'd hoped that would be the end of it. But then, early that morning, Carly had shown up on the doorstep and Karen had invited her in for breakfast. So Zach was forced to spend the morning with his girlfriend. "I'll only be gone a couple weeks." He said, trying his hardest to put some kind of emotion into his voice. But he just didn't care.
There was a honk from the car and his dad peeked out. "Let's get moving. You're not going off to war." The man yelled loudly.
Zach glanced at his dad and glared. He breathed out loudly and shook his head.
"I love you." Carly said, reaching up to kiss him lightly on the cheek.
Zach nodded and stepped back. "See you later." He waved at her and headed towards the car without looking back. He slipped in the back seat silently and pulled the door shut. Gray was sitting in the seat beside him, bouncing again. Zach rolled his eyes as he fastened his seatbelt.
"I know it hurts, sweetheart." Karen said, getting in.
Zach didn't say anything. She had no clue what she was talking about. Because she didn't really know him. No one did. And it was no one's fault but his own. He was as much of a liar as his parents. He was just better at it. Because no one really knew him. And he was okay with that.
Scott, their dad, turned to smirk at him over the seat. "Are you gonna be okay?" He asked in a mocking tone.
Zach fault really hard against his urge to roll his eyes. Because Scott was still looking at him in the rearview mirror. And he'd get an earful if the man saw him roll his eyes. Zach pulled his lips tight and looked out the window. He put his headphones on and turned up the volume.
