Chapter 15

Theo:

Left, right, left, left, right. Block. Right, left, left. Block.

My muscles ached and I was pouring sweat, but I didn't stop.

Right, right, left, left, left, left. Block. Right, left. Block.

If I keep going I won't think. I won't feel. He went on a date.

Left, right, left, left, right.

No, he didn't. I know he wouldn't. I know Liam. Doesn't stop my mind from imagining up a scenario of him and her or even him with anyone else but me.

Right. Block. Left. Block.

What if this is just an experiment for him? he said he's been attracted to guys before but never dated one before me. never even thought to. Was this just him testing the waters?

"You've got good form." Parrish said.

"Thanks."

Left, right, right, right, left, left.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" he asked.

"Shouldn't you be at work?" I returned.

After this morning I wasn't in the mood to deal with teachers and studying. I walked home. Stupid, sure but I needed the air and space to… not think.

"I got a call from Stiles." He said coming fully down the stairs into the basement that he had set up as a home gym.

"You came home cause you got a call?"

"I came home because Liam flew off the handle and they seemed to think it had something to do with you."

I grabbed the bag to stop it from swinging and turned to him.

"Liam did what?"

He leaned against the wall in full uniform and smirked at me.

"It seems Liam blew up at school. Screamed at some girl in the middle of the hall and had to be dragged off to an empty classroom where he proceeded to trash the room."

I stared at him, not fully understanding what he was saying. Liam would never lose control like that. I knew he had been struggling with what was going on at home, but not this much.

"They were able to get him outside before he did any real damage but not before he shifted and then he and Scott got into a fight, though I think that was planned in a way."

"He fought with Scott?" Liam idolized Scott, he would never fight with him.

"Want to tell me what happened?" Parrish asked.

"Not really." I said turning back to the bag.

"Do it anyway."

Sighing, I dropped my hands.

"There's nothing to tell. He went on a date last night." I told him, taking off the gloves. Even as I said it I knew it was wrong, but my anger wasn't letting me really acknowledge it. But apparently Parrish was going to make me.

"A date? With whom?"

"A girl."

"What girl? A different one from the one you told me about?"

"Nope, same girl." I grabbed my bottle of water and chugged the whole thing.

"The one that was stalking him?" he asked incredulously.

"The very same."

"And he told you about this date?"

"No, she did, this morning."

"Are you sure it was a date?"

No, I'm not sure of anything right now.

"That's what she said or implied rather." I sighed, not wanting to talk about it.

"And you took her word for it?" he chuckled.

"Yes. No. I don't know. What was I supposed to do? He was standing right there when she said it."

"What did he say?"

"Not much, he just kind of stammered over his words."

"So, you don't know the whole story, only what she said."

"He didn't deny it."

"Did he not deny it, or did you not listen?"

"What does it matter. He was with her last night, that's all that matters."

"The context matters. Was it really a date or did she just happen to show up where he was, like you have said she's done before."

I didn't answer him. because I didn't know. but the fact that he was with her at all last night, hurt and I was mad. I didn't want to hear about it or talk about it, which I was being forced to do right now.

"I think you need to hear the whole story, from both sides before you jump to conclusions."

"Why?"

"Because after what all he did in school, he went home and blew up at his mother before storming out of the house."

I looked at him and he nodded.

"you got all of that from Stiles?"

"Not all, I got that last bit from a frantic call to the police station from his father who is out searching for him right now, right before I left to come here."

My mouth dropped open.

"So, you might want to think about what you think you know because a guy who went on a willing date with someone else wouldn't do all of that." He said before heading back up the stairs. I was frozen for all of 2 minutes before I followed. He was right I needed to hear the whole story.

'Finally pull your head out of your ass?" he asked, warming up a mug of old cold coffee from this morning.

"Why are you drinking more coffee?"

"Because being an adult is hard and this is my one joy in life right now." He said taking a sip. "I called Scott. He and Stiles are going to pick you up. You should probably take a shower before you start looking."

"Of course you did. How did you even know I would listen to you?"

"I have seen you two together. There's no way you were ready to give up on him. Now go shower. I'm heading back to work soon."

I nodded and headed to the bathroom. I took a quick shower and dressed just as the doorbell rang. Parrish hadn't left yet and answered it while I threw on a shirt and my shoes. Scott was in the living room telling Parrish where they had already checked.

"Hey, you ready?" he greeted when he saw me.

"Yeah, let's go." I said pocketing my keys.

"Good luck guys." Parrish called as we left. I jumped in the back and Stiles drove off.

"Can one of you tell me what actually happened so I know? Because Liam getting this upset doesn't make any sense if he actually went out with her."

Scott and Stiles exchanged a look before Scott launched into what he knew. He told me Liam's account from last night, which now makes sense of why he was so angry with his mother. But then he told me about what Hayden told him about why she did what she did this morning and I groaned.

"Damn, that's just…"

"Messed up, yeah it is. I'm actually surprised Liam didn't wolf out on his mother; he was angry enough too. we could hear him shouting before we even made it to the door." Stiles said.

"That wasn't a wolf thing, that was just him."

"And you know that how?"

"Because I know him. This wasn't him being angry, not totally, it was him being hurt. Even with how she acted he would never want to literally hurt her. He has more control then he thinks he does. Especially when it's with someone he cares about."

"And with Hayden?" Scott questioned.

"Oh, that was him extremely angry. That girl has been tap-dancing on his last nerve for months now, she finally just broke it with this stunt. I'm beginning to think she has some serious mental issues she needs to deal with."

"Maybe her and Greenberg should see the same psychiatrist." Stiles said laughing when Scott growled. "So where should we head now? We checked all the regular places."

"I think I need to talk to his dad first, can we swing by his place?"

Nodding Stiles turned and headed for Liam's house.

The door was answered after the first knock. Liam's dad looked frantic as he opened it, hoping it was him and then deflating when it wasn't.

"Theo."

"Hi sir, I mean Dr. Geyer. Can I come in?"

He nodded moving aside so I could enter. his mother was sitting on the stairs, red-faced and puffy eyed, holding herself. It was my first time seeing her in person. I nodded to her and turned back to his dad.

"Where have you checked?" I asked. Sighing he scrubbed a hand over his head and gave me a list of places he's contacted and been too. I nodded thinking over where else to go. I had a feeling I knew where he was.

"I think I know where he is. But I need you to give me ten minutes with him before following. I think I can get him to come back without being forced." I told him, then told him of the place I was thinking of when he agreed.

"Why there?" he asked. I smiled.

"Liam told me that was one of the first activities you guys did together as father and son and he loved the fact that he got to share it with Mason. He always felt happiest there. If he's hurting right now he needs somewhere that he won't associate with all of this." I explained.

"I didn't think of that."

"You're Theo." His mother whispered. I looked at her and nodded. She said nothing else.

"Ten minutes." I told his dad.

"Ten minutes. Thank you." he said offering a hand.

"Anything for him." I told him shaking. I opened the door to leave then stopped and looked at his mom.

"With all due respect ma'am, you're wrong about Liam."

She raised a brow at me, looking affronted.

"He's not a stick of dynamite waiting to go off. He has more control then you think, and he's worked so hard to overcome what happened last year."

"You know about that?" she asked.

"He told me before we started dating. But I can see past that. I know he regrets what happened, but that's not who he is. That one mistake shouldn't define him forever. And him being bi doesn't change the kind of person he is at all. Is it really so bad that he likes me, wants to be with me?" I asked trying to understand.

"He's too young to know for sure. he's only sixteen."

"So am I, and I have been through losing my mother, being kidnapped, my psychopath of a father drugging me and still searching for my younger brother. Age isn't always an indicator of experience, wisdom, or self-discovery." I shrugged. She looked dumbstruck.

"Hopefully when I find him, I can fix things, and if I'm lucky enough that we can patch things up then I hope that one day you can accept him and us. Either way, like I told Liam, I'm not going anywhere."

Dr. Geyer clapped me on the back and told me to go. I nodded and left, jumping back in the jeep, and telling Stiles where to head.

Liam:
Another message, checking, I see it's my dad again. My phone has been buzzing for hours now with everyone from Mason to my dad. Even my mom called once. The others I let ring through to voicemail. Her's, I cut off immediately.

I'm probably overreacting and being a typical dramatic teenager but that's not what it felt like to me. To me it felt like I revealed something very private and personal to my parents. Something I had been terrified of doing since I first discovered I liked guys too. Something that I pretended didn't really affect me because I had no plans to ever date a guy. Then I found the one guy that I wanted to date, that made me want to stop pretending. And I trusted that I could tell them, she betrayed that trust.

Maybe it is just a misunderstanding and maybe I could just explain it to him, and he would understand, and we would be back to how things were before this morning. But what about the next time? Or the time after that? Or what if I decided that after dealing with my mother and her reaction that I wasn't ready to come out to anyone else? I know he said he wasn't going anywhere but no one wants to be a secret forever and I wouldn't want that for him. I care too much about him to put him through that. Rubbing a hand over my chest, feeling my heart break at just the thought of not being with him.

But if it's better for him, then my feelings don't matter. It doesn't matter that almost every thought I have is of him. it doesn't matter that just touching him made me feel better. That my heart felt like it was being wrapped in a hug whenever he wrapped his arms around me or kissed me. it doesn't matter that most times just thinking of him could make me feel like me again, no matter how angry I got or when the wolf wanted to take over. Because I don't think I can put him through waiting for me to man up and just be out.

Wouldn't it be best to just not be together? For him not for me. would I be able to go to school with him, see him in meetings and not touch him? hell, I have a hard time not doing that now. At least now I know that when we are alone we can do anything we want. Or at least we could before today.

I know Hayden was just one big situation I should have dealt with a long time ago and didn't. because it was easier to just let it go. Let her continue to think what she wanted because it didn't really affect me. she had her little fantasy but for the most part she stayed away. She would call or text and I would just erase the messages. She would try to approach, and I would turn the other way or pretend I didn't see her. But maybe that was wrong.

My mother was another thing all together. I love her but I don't really like her right now. God how did people deal with this? How did they come out to family that was meant to love you unconditionally but instead had the one condition that you can't be anything other than who they want you to be?

The sun was starting to set when I heard a car pull up into the lot. I didn't look just stayed curled up on the bench that I had been sitting on since I left the house. I'm glad they showed up now instead of a few hours ago when I was crying like a baby.

"Took you long enough." I joked staring over the T-ball field. I heard him chuckle before he sat down next to me.

"Yeah, sorry. It took me a minute to remember this place. We had some of our best memories here. But it's been a while since we've been back." Mason said.

"We did. little league games, pizza parties to celebrate, our parents embarrassing us with how loud they were cheering or calling out refs for striking us out, even though we were out." I huffed.

"Right, I thought both our dads were going to fight that one ref. almost got the whole game called. If our moms hadn't calmed them down..." he said shaking his head.

We sat quietly for a while, and I realized I hadn't just spent time together with my best friend in a while. Between being a wolf, dealing with supernatural and not so supernatural crap, Theo, and my issues, we haven't just taken time and chilled together.

"This is where I got my first crush on a guy." I said out of the blue. He nodded and smiled.

"Matthew Landon. He was hot when we were twelve. You should see him now. Not so hot anymore."

"Really? That's disappointing."

"It is. He had potential." Mason sighed.

"Potential for what?" I asked looking at him.

"To be my next boyfriend of course." He grinned. I chuckled.

"When did you even see him?"

"Last week sometime. Went to the store and he was there. He recognized me before I recognized him. he actually asked about you. No, he interrogated me about you, or tried too."

"He did? Why?"

"Dude, he had as big a crush on you as you did him."

"No, he didn't."

"Yes, he did. Did you think he brought candy to everyone or let anyone, but you, use his special bat?"

"Everyone knows I love candy and I was one of the best players he just wanted…" I stopped talking when Mason looked at me. "Fine, so he did. Doesn't matter now."

"Nope, it does not. You've got Theo now." He said and I flinched. Did I still have Theo?

"I think I love him." I said after another length of silence.

"Matthew?" he questioned smirking. I shoved him laughing.

"No. Theo. I think… no I know I do. I love him."

"Yeah, I know."

"You do?"

"how long have I known you again?" he gave me a look.

I nodded.

"What are you going to do about it?" he asked. I shrugged.

"What can I do about it?"

"You could tell him."

"And what good would that do? My mother has pretty much proven that me being anything other than straight is a problem for her. and as much as I don't want to let her win. I won't put Theo through another of her schemes. And what if she decides to take her hostility out on him directly?"

"Shouldn't that be his decision?"

"Maybe, but I can't let her hurt him. She's already hurt me enough. I won't let her do that to him. He has enough to deal with right now. He doesn't need that or need me, right now."

"And what about you? if you love him and don't tell him, keep hiding, what does that do to you?"

"It keeps him safe at least in this case. That's all that matters. I've been hiding my feelings for this long. I can keep doing it if I have too."

"You're not as good at hiding things as you think you are." Mason informed me.

"So, I have been told." I said rolling my eyes. "But I have to try. He's better off without all this drama, without a boyfriend who can't even touch him in public. He deserves someone better than that."

Theo:

My heart felt like breaking hearing those words.

"Shouldn't that be my decision?" I said cutting in, coming up behind them. Liam startled jumping up from his seat and staring at me.

"Thank God, you're here. Maybe you can talk some sense into him." Mason said getting up more carefully. He gave Liam a punch in the arm.

"Text me when you get home." Mason said giving me a wave on the way to his car. I watched him get in and pull out before going to Liam.

"How long have you been here?" he asked.

"Long enough to hear you attempt to be selfless and stupid." I told him sitting down, smiling when he rolled those puppy dog eyes and sat next to me.

How he thinks he can hide anything I don't know. even now I can see him twitching to reach for me and stopping himself. Its why we don't sit next to each other at lunch because he's so expressive.

"What Hayden said, we didn't-."

I held up a hand to stop him.

"I know. Scott told me. it wasn't a date; it was a set up. I should have just asked you what happen instead of listening to her."

"Why did you?"

"I guess I have my own worries about you changing your mind. Especially with how things are with your mom. I thought that maybe you would just give in and date her or another girl to keep the peace." I told him.

"Really, even after you saw how much she was annoying me?"

"I didn't say it was rational."

He huffed a laugh.

"I'm sorry I didn't listen. Most of this probably could have been avoided if I had just stopped and listened."

"I'm sorry I didn't just tell you last night. I wanted too. I wanted to pick up the phone and call you and vent and just let you make me feel better about it. But I don't think I wanted to be calm about it then. I was so sick of dealing with it and it was worse because it was my mom doing it. maybe a bit of my fears played into it also. Fear that it would only take one more thing, one more complaint about it that you would say it wasn't worth it."

"Liam, you're always worth it, to me. no matter what."

"Don't you want to be with someone that you can be out in public with, without them worrying about listening ears or whispers? Someone who's family isn't fighting against it so hard that they would literally trick a girl into going along with a plan to convert them or whatever?"

"I want to be with someone who I can have fun with in public or in private. I want to be with someone who is so worried about protecting me that they send bodyguards to watch over me while they are on a family vacation. Someone who sees me upset and knows exactly how to comfort me and makes me laugh by sending silly pictures of themselves in a sombrero, which they then buy and bring home just because I asked them too." I smiled at his laugh.

"Liam, I want to be with you. Screw the drama that arises in the process. I don't care if we have to sneak into empty rooms or dark corners just to steal a kiss or hold hands or hold each other. As long as I get to, then that will be enough. I told you that I wasn't going anywhere, and I'm not."

There's the blush I love so much, followed by a soft smile.

"And that's exactly what I told your mother when I went by your house."

He jerked in surprise.

"You talked to my mom?"

"Yeah I did. after everything Scott told me, I felt the need to say something."

"What did you say?"

I told him, word for word what was said.

"What did she say?"

"Don't know. your dad told me to find you. I didn't stay to see her reaction."

"Wow."

"I don't know if it will help or not though."

"Doesn't matter. I think she needed to hear it."

We both turned, hearing footsteps approach. My ten minutes were up. Scott, Stiles, and Dr. Geyer were here, standing just far enough away to not impose.

"I have to go home, don't I?" he sighed turning back to me.

"Well, it would make things easier all around."

"yeah I guess it would." He said standing and so did I.

"Besides, it's getting late, and we have school tomorrow, and you have that charity thing."

"Are you coming?"

"Of course, my boyfriend is in it. you might know him, cute little blonde with the most adorable puppy dog eyes. We call him mini wolf." I grinned.

"Shut up. You're not allowed to call me that anymore."

I laughed, grabbing him, and pulling him to me for a quick kiss, which he hummed into.

"I missed kissing you all day." I told him.

"Me too. though my dad watching isn't exactly how I pictured it." he said blushing. Again, I laughed and hugged him tight.

"Let's get going. you and your dad should probably talk."

"yeah we should. I guess I need to apologize."

We separated but linked hands walking towards the waiting group.

"Everything okay?" Stiles asked. We looked at each other and nodded.

"Good." His dad said grabbing Liam up and pulling him into a tight hug. "You ever do anything like this to me again and your grounded for a month." He sighed.

"Sorry dad." came Liam's muffled reply.

"We should go." I said.

"Yes, we need to get home before your mother has a nervous breakdown."

Liam winced but nodded. With a round of goodnights we all parted and left, Liam with his dad and me with Scott and Stiles. Today had been a very exhausting day, by the time I waved to a yawning Stiles I was ready to drop.

Parrish was lounging on the couch when I opened the door, feet kicked up with a beer watching old episodes of 'Once Upon A Time'. I don't understand his obsession with that show.

"You find him?" he asked, not looking away from the TV.

"Yep." I answered, going to the kitchen to grab a juice.

"You guys still together?"

"Yep."

"Did you finally tell him you love him?"

Choking I slammed a hand against my chest dislodging the juice that went down the wrong pipe.

"That's a no then. Well, there's always tomorrow." He shrugged and never once did he look away from the TV.