TJ Ch. 04

"Josh, what's wrong?" I walked over to him. His face was red and streaked with tears. I pulled him into a hug and turned to Robert. "What's going on?"

"Mel called while y'all were out. She told me wanted to see Josh. I refused. I told her she hurt him enough the first time she left and I wouldn't let her do that again. She told me to expect a call from her lawyer. She's going for full custody."

Josh sobbed into my chest. "Why would she do this, Teej?"

"I don't know bub. But hey, don't worry. We made it through the summer she left together, right? We've made it through this summer. We'll make it through this too."

Robert wrapped his arms around both of us. "Yeah, we will."

We broke the hug and Josh and I sat on the couch to watch TV before bed. He turned to me and asked, "Teej, do you think a judge would make me see her? I don't want to. I don't even want to talk to her."

"Honestly, I have no clue. I would hope the judge would take everything into account. Plus, you heard how she feels about gay people. You might have to come out to the judge and let them know you wouldn't be comfortable seeing her because of that. Hopefully, the fact you don't want to see her will affect the judge's decision."

He sighed. "It's not that I don't want to see her or talk to her ever. I just don't want to be forced to. I want to do it when I'm ready. I don't think it's fair."

I gave him small hug. "I know. Neither do I." I was desperate to change the subject. "Anyway, I had fun today. You know you have two really good friends in Jarrod and Mike."

"Yeah, I know. Plus, I have the best brother in the world. Are you nervous about tomorrow?"

"You're right you do have the best brother in the world." That earned me a hit on the arm. "I'm not really nervous. I mean I have Robert's and your support and add Sean, Jenny, Alex, Jarrod, and Mike to that list, and I feel pretty good. I'm more nervous for Sean. I know why he wants to tell his teammates about us, I just don't want him to get shit because of it. I know it will happen from some. I wish he didn't have to go through it."

Robert walked into the room. "Hey guys, it's time for bed. We have an early day tomorrow. I have to be at the school by seven. Teej, do you mind driving Josh?"

"Yeah, that's fine. If he doesn't mind getting there at 7:15. Sean wants me to meet him so he can talk to Amber and then introduce me to her."

Josh said, "That's fine. I wanted to get there early anyway. I'd like to see where my locker is."

"Okay, guys. Goodnight."

Josh stood up and walked to his room. While Robert double checked that everything was locked up I asked, "Robert, can we talk for a second?"

"Sure, Teej. What's up?"

"I know I've been a pain in the ass to deal with lately. I guess I just wanted to say thanks for putting up with me."

There was more I wanted to say but was having a problem forming the words. Robert must've picked up on that. "Teej, you know you can talk to me about anything, right? What's really on your mind?"

"I guess I am a little nervous about tomorrow and I'm also worried about Josh. What does Mel really want? Josh is strong. I don't want to see him break, and that's what's going to happen if Mel hurts him again. Do you think it would be a good idea for him to go see my therapist? He's really helped me a lot."

"I think that might be a good idea. I won't force him to go; he has to agree. About tomorrow, you'll be fine. Don't forget you have a free period too. You can either spend it in the library, journalism room, drama room, or in the office. If you have any problems, come to my office. I'm here for you if you need me, alright?"

"Yeah, okay. Thanks, Robert." He got up to head to his room. Before he disappeared down the hallway, I stopped him. "Hey, Robert. Remember Thursday when you said you were worried about being a good parent? You have nothing to worry about. You're doing a good job on your own." I got up and walked over to him and hugged him briefly.

"Thank you, Teej. You know I love you, right?"

"I love you, too. Goodnight. I'll see you in the morning."

I checked my phone when I got to my room and saw it was ten after ten. I started wondering if Sean was going to call or not. As I entered the bathroom to get ready for bed, it started vibrating. "Hey babe. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to call."

"Hey, sorry it's so late. I called Amber on the way home and she agreed to meet me before school. Then when I got home my dad wanted to talk to me. We just finished talking about ten minutes ago."

"Everything okay?" I asked, even though his voice sounded happy.

"Everything's great. He wanted to know about you and to make sure I was happy. I let him know that I am. Are you still going to meet me at 7:15?"

"If you're sure you want me to, yeah."

"Amber's meeting me about seven. It will give me time to let her know I've met someone and that you're coming. I didn't think it would be fair to either of you to just drop everything on her at once. This will give her the choice to meet you now or when she's ready."

"Good idea. Will you be able to show me around before class?"

"Sure thing, babe. Is everything okay on your end?"

I took a deep breath and sighed, then told him what Robert told me when I came inside. My boyfriend then surprised me. "Do you mind if I talk to Josh for a sec?"

"Yeah, let me get him for you."

I went and knocked on Josh's door. When he answered, his eyes were red and he was sniffling. "You doing alright? Sean wanted to talk to you for a minute." I handed him the phone and stood there and watched my boyfriend work magic cheering up my brother.

About two minutes later, Josh handed me my phone and gave me a big hug. "Goodnight, Teej. You have an amazing boyfriend. I'm really happy y'all are together."

I told Josh goodnight and went back to talk to Sean. "What did you say to him?"

"I just said he wouldn't go through this alone, I would be there to help y'all through because that's what friends do."

I couldn't stop myself from saying what came out of my mouth. "Babe, you're amazing. I love you so much."

There was silence for about twenty seconds and finally, Sean said, "I love you too. I wish I could hold you tonight."

"Me too, babe. Go get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."

"Will you tell me one last time before I hang up?"

"I love you, Sean."

"I love you too, TJ. Goodnight."

I didn't sleep well that night. I missed Sean holding me tight. It had only been two nights and I was already used to him sleeping next to me. The alarm went off at 6:30 the next morning. I got up, did my morning routine and was in the kitchen by 6:50. Robert had already left and Josh was sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal, so I joined him.

We left the house at about five after seven. Ten minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot of the high school feeling anxious as hell. I noticed Sean and a pretty auburn-haired girl sitting on the tailgate of his truck. I pulled in next to him and before I even had the car in park, he had jumped down and was waiting by my door with a huge smile on his face. I looked over at Josh and said, "Wish me luck. I'm going to meet the ex now."

He laughed. "Don't worry about it. Amber is one of sweetest girls in school. If she's still waiting with him, she wants to meet you. I'll see you inside." He then leaned over and gave me a hug.

As soon as I had my backpack out of the car, Sean wrapped his arms around me. I didn't care if anyone saw us as I placed a small kiss on his lips. "I missed you last night. I'm a little nervous."

"Relax, Amber is anxious to meet you. As soon as she saw me this morning she told me she hadn't seen me smiling like that since before my mom died. I told her I had met someone and wanted her to meet him. The only reaction was her eyebrows going up and she said she couldn't wait."

"So, it's cool? I'm not going to end up with scratches all over my face?"

The laugh from behind us startled me. I turned around and saw the girl from the tailgate standing there. "Only if you hurt him. I'm Amber Thompson, you must be TJ."

"Hey, I'm TJ Kennedy. Umm, it's nice to meet you."

"I'm happy Sean finally found someone to make him happy. Sean is still one of my best friends; nothing's going to change that."

I extended my hand but she slapped it away. I was pleasantly surprised when she wrapped her arms around me and whispered in my ear, "Please keep that smile on his face. I haven't seen him this happy in years. Thank you."

Sean cleared his throat and then said, "Y'all want to go inside and we can show TJ around?"

"I'm supposed to meet Jenny this morning. What time does she normally get here?" I asked looking at Amber.

She smiled. "Are you the person that called her a bitch yesterday?"

"Yep, that was me. How do you know about it?"

"She called me yesterday on her way home from the mall and told me about a person she met at the mall. She said, 'This person actually called me a bitch and got away with it! you're going to love them. I promise.' I thought she was joking at first."

"We didn't get off on the right foot yesterday. But by the time we left the mall, we were finishing each other's sentences."

Sean spoke up. "There's her car pulling in now."

Jenny pulled in on the other side of me and she and Alex got out. She walked over to Amber and asked, "So, what do you honestly think? Sean did pretty good, huh?"

Amber looked me up and down. "Eh, he's alright I guess. As long as he makes Sean happy and doesn't hurt him, we'll be fine." She finished with a wink in my direction.

Sean said he wasn't afraid to walk through the front doors of the school holding my hand, and that's exactly what we did. We went and picked up my schedule from Robert's office. I looked it over and saw I had Honors English first period. As we left the office, Sean and Jenny both grabbed for my schedule at the same time. Sean was the winner, though. "Hey, we have English together. Then we won't see each other till lunch. We have Honors Physics together last period. How did you manage to get a free period?"

"Robert did that for me. I mean Mr. Kennedy. What am I supposed to call him here?"

Robert's voice spoke from behind us. "Mr. Kennedy if someone else is around. In my office, I guess Robert will work. Are y'all ready for this year? Alex, are you going to stay out of trouble and listen to your girlfriend and best friend?"

Alex smiled. "I always listen to Jenny. That's why I don't tell her half of the things I plan on doing until I've done them." That earned him a punch in the stomach from Jenny and got a laugh from everyone.

Jenny took my schedule and looked at it. "You're on yearbook staff with me. Great! I guess I'll see you third period." She grabbed Alex's hand and they walked down the hallway.

Amber told us she would see us later and started off down another hall. I looked at Sean and asked, "Can you help me find my locker and then we'll head to class."

After showing me where my locker was, we went to English class. We found two desks near the front next to each other. We were quietly talking to each other when a blonde-haired girl came over to us. "Hey, Sean. There's an empty seat next to me over there." She glanced at me and rolled her eyes before continuing. "Or maybe this guy will switch with me."

Sean said in a strained voice, "Hi, Rachel. I think I'm good here. This is TJ, and I want to sit next to him."

Rachel glared at me. "Oh, okay. Whatever. I'll save a seat for you at lunch, Sean." She stressed his name, making it obvious I wasn't invited.

"That's alright. TJ and I are going to sit with Alex, Jenny, Amber, and TJ's brother and his friends."

I could tell she was starting to get frustrated. She was standing there with her arms crossed and huffed, "Well, do you want to go out this Friday?"

Finally, I had enough and spoke up. "Rachel, is it? Take a hint. He's not interested."

"And how would you know? Who are you anyways?"

I glanced at Sean and he nodded. I took a deep breath. "I'm TJ, his boyfriend."

She looked from me to Sean, then back to me. "Sean, did you hear what this fag just said?"

"If I were you, I would leave now. I heard him. Do not ever call him that again. If you have a problem with it, oh well. I don't care. I told you last year I wasn't interested in being anything other than friends, if you could even call it friends.

"I can't believe you spoke to me that way. Wait till I tell my dad. You're going to regret this." She turned and headed back to her seat.

"Who's her dad, Sean?"

He lowered his head and mumbled, "The coach. I'm going to have to talk to him next period before she gets a chance to."

"I'm so sorry, Sean. I wouldn't have said anything if I had known. I thought you wanted me to when you nodded at me."

"I did. You have nothing to be sorry for."

Before he could continue, the bell rang and class began. Fifty minutes later, class was over. Sean watched which direction Rachel went. "Hey, I have to go talk to the coach. I don't know what she was up to this morning. She started trying to get me to go out with her less than a week after Amber and I broke up. She thinks she can get away with anything just because her dad is the football coach."

I sighed and nodded. "I understand. I'll see you at lunch. I'm sorry again."

"Stop that, please. You have nothing to be sorry for. I told her no in the nicest way possible three times. Bye, babe. I love you." He gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek right in the middle of the hall.

"I love you too. Good luck with your coach."

I pulled out my schedule, next-Drama. I made my way through the hallways and entered the auditorium. There were about fifteen people standing by the stage. I made my way towards them. I was shocked when I saw Josh among them.

He smiled at me. "Surprise! Dad told me you were going to be in this class with me. I asked him to not tell you."

"Hey bub, this is a surprise. I didn't think we would have any classes together since you're a junior."

"Anyone who has taken Intro to Theatre can audition for this class. Dad talked to Ms. Simmons, who spoke with the Drama Director at your old school and let you in. We'll be working together all year."

A woman walked over to us. She appeared to be maybe thirty years old. She looked at Josh. "So, is this the famous TJ I've heard so much about?"

"Hey Ms. Simmons. Yeah, this is my brother TJ."

She smiled at me. "I'm sorry about your parents. Robert, Mr. Kennedy, told me about their accident. I figured you had enough drama this summer, so I just went with a referral from your old director."

When the bell rang, I told Josh I would see him at lunch and started towards the journalism room for yearbook staff. As I was walking upstairs, I noticed Sean standing at the top. I ran up the remaining steps. "How did your talk with your coach go?"

He took a deep breath and smiled. "It went really well. I explained to him everything that happened during English. He said he didn't care about me being gay, but it was up to me to tell the team. He said once I did, he would let them know that nothing was going to change. I was still captain and quarterback. If they couldn't follow me, they needed to rethink playing. He also said he told Rachel at the beginning of summer to leave me alone. He was pissed when he heard what she called you and said he was going to talk to her about it."

Hearing that lifted a huge weight off me. "He was really understanding?"

"Yeah. He said that he didn't care who I dated, as long as I threw the ball well and led the team. Rachel has started telling people. By lunch, most of the school will know. I'm going to have a team meeting before practice this afternoon. I hate to run, but I have to get to my next class. I'll see you at lunch."

Before Sean walked away, Jenny came over to us. "If I see that bitch, Rachel, I'm going to kick her fucking ass. She's on the warpath, but you know Alex and I have y'alls back."

Sean pulled her into a hug. "Y'all are the best friends in the world. Thanks. I'll see y'all at lunch. Love you, babe."

"Love you, too. Bye."

He gave me a kiss on the cheek and went downstairs. When I turned to Jenny, she was smirking. "Love? Y'all aren't wasting any time, are you?"

"Do not give me shit about this. I do love him and he loves me. We're happy. Deal with it."

She snaked her arm through mine and dragged me towards our classroom. "I wasn't going to give you shit. I promise. I'm happy for y'all. Now, if you hurt him, I'll kill you and I do know where to hide a body."

"Why do I not find that surprising? Come on, let's go before we're late."

For the next hour, Jenny and I signed up for the spreads we were going to do and talked. A lot. I swear, sometimes it's like having a conversation with myself. I love it.

After yearbook was my free period. I went to Robert's office. I was sure he had probably heard something about what happened before English class. I knocked on his open office door and said, "Hey, can we talk for a bit?"

"Come in and close the door." I did and sat in the chair opposite his desk. "Tell me what happened this morning."

Once I finished telling him, he sighed. "Coach Wilson already came and spoke to me. He's going to talk to Rachel tonight and let her know to change her attitude."

Talking about those events sparked an idea. "Is there a Gay-Straight Alliance here?"

Robert shook his head. "No, unfortunately not. Nobody's asked to form one before. Why?"

"There needs to be one. It would create a safe environment for anyone who wants to join. The purpose of the GSA is to educate and hopefully eventually prevent situations like this morning from happening."

For the next forty-five minutes, Robert and I researched and decided to start a GSA. He agreed to be the faculty advisor and I was going to be the president since I was starting the organization. I needed to find people who would act as my executive officers and who would be interested in joining. I decided to pitch the idea to everyone during lunch.

I was standing by the entrance to the cafeteria waiting for everyone. Jarrod and Josh were the first to find me, followed shortly by Alex and Jenny. Amber, along with Mike, found us next. I felt a pair of arms hug me from behind and someone kissed my cheek.

"You better quit that. I think my boyfriend is the jealous type."

"If I ever see anyone else do this to you, you better start digging a hole. We would have to bury the body somewhere."

"Don't worry babe. You're the only one I want holding me. Come on, I'm starving."

We walked into the cafeteria. I knew Rachel had already started running her mouth about Sean and me. I wasn't too surprised about the people who were suddenly staring at us whispering to the people sitting around them.

Once we had our food and were sitting, I brought up the GSA idea, and everyone was eager to help. Apart from the stares and whispers we got when we walked in, we made it through lunch without any problems, until we went to leave.

Sean had gathered our trash and walked to the garbage with Alex, Jarrod, and Mike; while Jenny, Amber, Josh, and I headed to the cafeteria entrance. We were minding our business just talking and laughing.

Then I heard someone behind us say, "Watch out y'all, there's the fag I was telling you about."

Before I could respond, Jenny spun around. "You better shut your mouth, Rachel, if you know what's good for you."

"What's the matter fag-boy? Can't fight your own battles?" Rachel sneered at me.

"What is your problem, Rachel? So Sean's not interested in you. Get over it."

Ignoring my comment, she turned to Amber. "How can you hang out with him knowing he's with Sean?"

Amber shook her head. "Because Sean is happier than I've ever seen him. And he cares for TJ a lot. We're friends."