Pride Must Be a Place by Kevin Craig

Author:Kevin Craig [Craig, Kevin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LGBTQ Young Adult Fiction
Publisher: MuseItUp Publishing
Published: 2018-02-05T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 18

Okay, I’m just going to say it. I have not been myself for days now. This thing with Alex and Will’s dad is killing me. I don’t even know why it’s affected me so deeply. It’s tearing me up. I haven’t slept well, I haven’t felt like eating. I feel so helpless. And I know Alex. He’s going to destroy Will. I keep waiting for it to happen, but I don’t feel any relief when another day goes by that it doesn’t happen. It just stresses me out more.

It’s been almost a week and I’m delirious with worry. Nettie told me I needed a movie, and that she’s not taking no for an answer. She said it’ll take my mind off things, but you can’t take your mind off a ticking time-bomb. It just doesn’t work that way. It keeps on ticking.

We’re at the theatre and she’s in line to get the tickets. I’m not even sure what movie it is. A comedy. That much, I know. I picked up some popcorn, which I don’t feel like eating, and I’m sitting in the mini food-court place outside the mini arcade place in the entrance to the theatre. And I’m in a daze.

As Nettie approaches the table, she smiles. But it’s halfhearted. She’s tired of trying. Quite frankly, I’m tired of her trying too. It would be easier if she would just let me wallow. Hell, it might even be better if she was here wallowing with me.

“Okay,” she says as she sits down and scoops up a handful of ‘buttered’ popcorn. “The movie starts at two-thirty. We have an hour and a half. Whatcha wanna talk about?”

“What?” I ask incredulously. “You couldn’t find anything that started sooner? Nettie. Jesus. I don’t even want to be here.”

“Which is why you need to be here. I didn’t think the movie about adultery or the movie about jilted exes would be wise, and the only other one was an action movie. So it’s this comedy or none.”

“Ack,” I mumble as I eat a few kernels of popcorn, which I hate, by the way. She knows how much I despise action movies, so I’m grateful for having dodged that bullet, at least.

“Yeah, ack,” she says. She’s waiting so patiently for me to come out of it. But I just don’t know how to process this. I can’t stop Alex. Nobody can stop Alex, ever.

“Hey.” I don’t look up to see who says it. I’m in a pout and eating disgusting wet yellow popcorn. And I want to die.

“Oh, hey there,” Nettie says. Then there’s only silence.

I close my eyes. An hour and a freaking half. I could easily melt down into this chair and disappear. Now I’m angry at Alex and Nettie. Her particular brand of medicine for what ails me appears to be more torture. I hate her.

“Hey,” I hear again. I open my eyes and I feel the shadow of someone looming over me.

“Oh. Me?” I say when I look up and see this guy standing there.

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