Array
(
[text] =>

Chapter 15

Finally, it was Thanksgiving giving day. Gale and I were lounging in front of the tv while Shannon and Damian argued about who knows what. Danny and Hayley were in the kitchen taking way too long to make a couple sandwiches, probably to avoid the awkward, brewing hostility between the couple.

Gale curled into my side and kissed my neck softly. I sighed contentedly and pulled him into my lap. Ever since two weeks ago, when he told me the truth, we weren't skirting around secrets anymore.

He told me about his parents and his brother, about how they completely ignored him until he worked up the courage to leave. The reason he likes Finding Nemo so much was because when he got sick, his brother was the only person who could stay home with him while his parents worked. His brother didn't understand Gale's ASL, so he just let Gale watch all the Disney movies he owned. At first, he hated it, but now that he didn't have a brother anymore (his words, not mine), he started to appreciate the times when he did.

"I'm just saying, a family dinner isn't going to end the world. It wouldn't kill you to actually act like you want to be there with me."

"I try to make a point not to lie." Damian retorted in a bored tone. Danny, who'd been entering the room with a plate of food, grimaced, wide eyed, and walked backwards into the kitchen again. The spat got louder as Shannon raised her voice in response. Gale just tilted his head up and kissed my cheek, lingering before snuggling into my chest.

Gale was also a lot more intimate. I think before he was just afraid to get close to me and then leave. Understandable. Eventually, Shannon huffed and stomped into the kitchen, her head held high. We stared at Damian, waiting for him to go after her, but he just shrugged. I gently helped Gale out of my lap and we went into the kitchen. Shannon was sitting on the on a stool, her head in her hands  Hayley gave her a quick hug and left with Danny.

"Shannon?" I nudged her with my shoulder. Gale sat on a stool next to her and patted her hand. Gale never really got to know her, so it was a little out of his comfort zone. Shannon looked up and leaned into his shoulder, surprising Gale. Gale smiled and started signing to me so I could translate.

"Are you happy with Damian?" Gale asked and I translated.

"No. Not anymore."

"Then find someone who does make you happy. You don't deserve this." Gale gave her a tiny hug and went back into the living room. We watched him leave before Shannon let out a short laugh.

"He's so weird. I didn't even think he was aware of anything but you." Shannon pushed her curly hair out of her face and for once, she looked so young without her makeup and designer clothes. She looked like nine year old Shannon who made me eat a worm to prove I was her best friend. Nine year old Shannon who convinced me that I could fly if we tied enough balloons to my body. It would've worked if we had filled the balloons with helium instead of our breath. I broke my arm that summer. Shannon went to Disney World that summer. Yeah, she was a bitch even at a young age.

"But he's right. Besides, aren't you cheating on him?" I asked quietly so no one would hear me.

"No, I just thought I was into this guy, but he turned out to be some pervert with no personality." She pulled her hair into a messy bun and I smiled at how laid back she was. It was nice to see her be herself.

"Do you want me to kick his ass?" I offered and Shannon shook her head, laughing.

"No, I don't think that'll be necessary." She leaned into me and rested her head on my shoulder. I rubbed her back in circles, thinking. I didn't know what to tell her besides dump Damian. He was being a insensitive bastard, and yet, she still liked him. Maybe even loved him. Which is weird, because they hardly spend time together.

"Shannon?" I asked and she nodded at me to continue. "Why do you like Damian?"

"When I first started dating him, he was way better than he is now. He was really caring, sweet, and he didn't care about sex. He wasn't afraid to stand up to melike other guys. Then one day he was distant. We stopped spending time together and ever since, we've been like this. Sometimes I wonder if there's someone el-

She was interrupted by a huge crash and a scream. We both jumped up and peeked into the kitchen. Shannon immediately flipped out. Danny and Kyle, Ashton's boyfriend, were literally destroying the living room. Kyle had a bruised jaw and Danny's nose was bleeding badly, and yet they were still beating the shit out of each other. Damian went AWOL and Gale was trying to stay out of the way, his violin clutched to his chest. Hayley wasn't their either, but I could hear her yelling from somewhere.

"What the hell!" Shannon yelled. "Take this shit outside!" Gale looked scared for his life, or his violin, and the fight was right between the kitchen and him. Gale took a step to go around them, but Kyle crashed into him, both of them tumbling into the wall.

"Hey!" I yelled and ran to help Gale. Danny snatched Kyle up by the front of his shirt and shoved him into the wall next to us. I had never seen Danny so angry before. His face was red and he looked ready to kill Kyle and bury the body all on his own. Danny punched him on the stomach and then the eye. He went for the nose, but a hand caught his. We all followed the hand and traced it back to...Ashton. Hayley stood behind him, jittery and nervous. Everyone waited for him to yell at Danny, but instead, he took hold of Danny's other arm and gently pulled him back.

"Ashton?" Kyle whispered, hurt.

"I told you to leave us alone, you dumbass. I broke up with you. Get out." Ashton snapped bluntly, not holding back at all. Kyle opened his mouth, most likely to defend himself, but Ashton held his hand up, stopping him. The hand that wasn't hanging on to Danny's. I was starting to really feel like I was missing something important. Danny glared at Kyle as he left Shannon 's house. When he was gone, Ashton turned to Danny and stopped his bloody nose with a tissue.

"Are you ok?" He asked, and let go of Danny's hand hesitantly when his nose stopped bleeding. Danny nodded but reached out for his hands, grabbing both of Ashton's and pulling him closer. We all just gasped at how affectionate the we're being. Well, everyone but Gale. I'm pretty sure Gale knows a lot of things we don't know, and just hasn't said anything. Kind of like Damian.

"I'm sorry, this is my fault." Ashton continued, reaching out and tracing the bruise on Danny's cheek.

"No it's not. Kyle's just an ass. He'll get over it." Danny replied, closing his eyes slightly when Ashton cupped his cheek. He even leaned into his touch! They whispered something, what we couldn't hear, and then Danny curled his arms around Ashton. And he kissed him.

Danny. Kissed. Ashton.

"Holy shit." Damian's voice filled the silence as he finally decided to grace us with his presence. That didn't stop the two as they held each other tightly, lips still locked. Shannon 's jaw was dropped, Hayley was awwing, and Gale was smiling. Finally, they parted, their breathes labored. Ashton hugged Danny and he kissed Ashton's forehead.

"Well. Who would've guessed." I said and like that the sweet moment was ruined. Shannon turned to Damian, her hands on her hips, furious. Hayley looked pissed as well.

"Where were you?" Shannon asked rudely. Damian shrugged nonchalantly.

"In the bathroom."

"Oh, bullshit. I'm supposed to buy that? Where the the hell were you?!" She demanded and Damian rolled his eyes and ignored her again. She clenched her fists and opened her mouth to say something, but changed her mind. Her eyes teared up and she ran upstairs. Haley ran after her and Damian left outside. Danny and Ashton were still in their own world. I turned to Gale to ask him if he wanted to go, but he wasn't there. I frowned and went to look for him.

I finally found him outside. With Damian. The weirdest part was that they were going back and forth, signing furiously, like they were arguing. They hadn't seen me, and I didn't like to eavesdrop, but I was too curious to leave.

Gale's POV

ASL CONVERSATION

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I signed, glaring at Damian. He's such an idiot, an sometimes I wonder what I saw in him. "You reckless, stupid, hard-headed selfish-

"Look, I'm not going to stand here while you list all my flaws, so get to the point." Damian signed, like he didn't have a care in the world. I'm not surprised. He only cares about one person, and that's himself. Damian has never considered anyone else's feelings when he wants something.

"The point is that your an asshole who doesn't think of others! Why do you think the one person you love won't give you the time of day? All you do is hurt Shannon and make her confused. Your going to hurt everyone if you aren't careful. Again." He winced at the last word but glowered back at me.

"How long are you going to hold that against me? I screwed up, I'm sorry!"

"Your sorry? You think I want to hear that your sorry?! I don't give a damn if your sorry! You ruined my life, all because you were scared and couldn't keep your mouth shut. You ruined my life just so you could fix yours! And for what? Your parents didn't even care if you were gay! They accepted you for the bisexual jerk that you are. I did everything my parents wanted me to do, and for nothing, because as soon as they found out I liked dick, I was nothing to them. I don't f*cking care if your sorry, you jackass!" Damian stared at me, feeling guilty from my outburst, but his eyes darkened and he took a step towards me, defensively.

"Dont dump your stupid crap on me, okay? It isn't my fault your parents hate you. I may have outed you, but nothing would've changed. Your parents would still hate you, your friends would still ignore you, and your brother still wouldn't have given a damn everyday you came home, beaten black and blue. Instead of blaming me for your problems, why don't you take a good look in the mirror. That's the real problem." My eyes swelled up and tears streamed down my faced. Damian gasped at what he said and immediately took on a guilty expression.

"Gale, I'm-

Before I even new what I was doing, I raised my hand and slapped him across the face. He held his red cheek and looked away, regretting the whole conversation, but it was too late. He had hurt me bad. Everything he said was true, I was the problem with my family. The reason why no one was happy. But that's why I left. They were better off without me.

"I hate you." I signed. "And if you don't end it with Shannon, I'll end it for you." Damian's face paled and he started to sign, but I stopped him. "I'm not mad because I was outed, I'm mad because you were the one who outed me. I trusted you, I loved you so much, and you betrayed my trust. You were my first love, the first man I ever had feelings for, and you just crushed me like I was worthless. I want so badly to do the same, but I love Jasper now, he's all I care about, and honestly, your not worth my time." I wiped away my tears and turned away from him.

END ASL CONVERSATION

Jasper was in a ridiculously cheerful mood throughout the entire day, and I couldn't figure out why. I mean, Danny got in a fight, Shannon spent most if the day crying, Damian finally left her, Hayley smacked him after, and yet Jasper was as excited as can be. It was weird. He kept smiling or hugging me close to him, and although I liked it a lot, it was different. There was something about the whole thing that was different. The way he touched me, the way he looked at me, had changed all in one day. He was sweeter, softer, gentler. He was also twice as happier than he usually was.

We were sitting on his bed while I played my violin and he kept staring at me intently. It made me nervous but also sent pleasurable shivers down my spine. After two more minutes of uncomfortable staring, I stopped playing and asked him why he was so freakin happy today. He bit his lip, grinning, but didn't answer at first.

"Promise you won't get mad at me?" He asked and rolled my eyes.

Have you been eating pure sugar with a spoon again, I signed. I'd actually caught him doing that at least three times while his parents weren't around. It kind of explains why he's so hyper and energetically kind. I was a lot more mature than he was.

"No! Not this time." He said and rolled onto his back, staring thoughtfully at the ceiling. I waited and then shrugged.

Fine I won't get mad at you, I signed, hoping that would convince him. It did and he sat up, a lopsided and goofy grin replacing his soft, thoughtful gaze. Every time I looked at him, his happiness and good mood rubbed off on me. That was one otfthe best things about him.

"I heard, well, saw you speaking, uh...signing with Damian." Jasper said and I froze.

How much, I signed carefully.

"Most likely everything." He said, calm. I was starting to panic. I lied to him. I told him I would be honest, but I didn't say anything about Damian. Jasper was going to be disappointed and I was starting to feel ashamed. Tears fell down my face as I completely overreacted and waited for him to get upset. Instead, Jasper gasped and cupped my face. "What's wrong?"

I'm sorry, I signed and buried my face in his chest. We were silent for a minute and this chest started to vibrate. I looked up and he was laughing. Laughing! I glared at him and wiped away my tears with my wrist. He was laughing so hard his eyes were squinted and he rested hid head on mine. When he was done, I pushed his shoulder.

What's so funny, I signed. Jasper just shook his head and pulled me into a hug.

"I love you." I stared at him in awe. He smiled, dimples I hadn't even noticed until now showing. "I love you." He kissed me on the cheek. "I love you." His voice grew softer and he pecked my lips. "I love you." I blushed and bit my lip.

I love you too, I signed.

"I know. And you told Damian that." He fell backwards onto the bed next to me. I rolled my eyes and looked down at his chocolate brown eyes, big like a puppy 's. Only Jasper. Out of the entire conversation, he only cared about the part where I said I was in love with him. After the whole argument, his mind only focused on the last portion. That'd why he was so happy a'll day. It made me blush that he cared that much. I was glad that he wasn't mad at me like I had expected.

"Did you really love Damian?" He asked quietly. I sighed and laid back onto the bed next to him. His arms went around my waist, pulling me closer.

Yes. Back then, I didn't know he was a douche bag. We dated in secret for almost a year, but when his parents got suspicious, he had sex with some girl, outed me to the entire school, and stopped talking to me. Then, a month later, he moved. Funny thing is, his parents didn't even care. He overreacted, ruined my life, all for nothing.

Jasper took my hand and squeezed it, rolling onto his back with me on top of him. He tangled his fingers in my hair and mine clasped his neck. Occasionally, he'd peck me on the lips or kiss me on the cheek.

"That's horrible." Jasper murmured into my neck. "I don't like him anymore."

For some reason, that made me wish I could laugh, just so he'd know how funny he was. He was so childish sometimes, but I loved that about him. I loved him. A lot. And it hurt, because I wasn't sure how long I could stay. He would be going to college anyway, so waiting around for him to come back would be pointless. I should just leave now and save myself the pain.

"Hey, Gale! Want to see something cool? I was practicing for a long time!" Jasper sat up and reached for a pencil on his dresser. Then, carefully, with me on his lap, he balanced the pencil on the tip of his nose.

"See?" He exclaimed, tongue sticking out and eyes going crossed. I rolled my eyes and flicked his nose, but somehow, he managed to keep the pencil balanced. Jasper bobbed his head while the pencil teetered back and forth. Smiling, I kissed his cheek.

Your so weird.

"I know!" He replied cheerfully.

Leaving would be the easier thing to do. But then I glanced at Jasper, who was trying touch his nose with the tip of his tongue, and I realized that I'd regret it. If regret leaving this behind. This crazy boy who always smiles and hardly ever pays attention and gives the best hugs and is really silly and funny. And he was worth it.

-

Dedicated to vee_ano because, well, your amazingly awesome bossom! And your one of my favorite writers. I'm obsessed with Infinite :)

This might be really short but I had to split it into two parts because I didn't like the flow when they were both combined. I kept rewriting, trying to make it sound right, but then I realized it was just cluttered.

There will be a mini story explaining how Danny and Ashton came to be and I'm SUPER EXCITED! I don't know what its like to be Danny or Ashton so this should be new. It all ties into the context of this story so you'll probably start to notice the subtle hints in this story. The first chapter will come soon :)

Picture of Danny looking classy------------------------------>

VOTE/COMMENT/FAN

You do your thing, and I'll do mine ;)

[text_hash] => 92ccd7da
)