Chapter Twenty-Three
Maverick
Looking at the small ledge surrounded by darkness and smoke, I prepared for my death. My theatrical one, anyway. Channeling my inner Luke Evans, I deeply inhaled before releasing the breath and looked at Mr. Lee.
“Okay, guys, we’ll do the Gaston and Beast fight leading into Gaston’s death before moving into the final scene,” Mr. Lee said, getting out his script. It was crinkled from all the times he’d rolled it up.
Peter walked onto the stage—well, more like sauntered—and gave me the up-down. His auburn hair was covered by the Beast headpiece, but some strands stuck out near his brow.
“Such a great scene, don’t you think?” he asked in a snarky tone. “I get to beat you all over again.”
Not sure why the guy hated me so much, but he was always finding reasons to put me down and brag about him getting the role.
Like, dude, I’m over it. Get over yourself.
Refusing to lower to his level, I ignored the comment and waited for the cue to start the scene. I threw myself into the character and put everything else from my mind. Words were exchanged, and we did the choreographed foot work.
Soon, I forgot about the cattiness and just enjoyed myself.
Acting was fun, and there wasn’t a day when I regretted my decision to be in drama again for senior year. Baseball would be in the spring, which I was also looking forward to. I loved my life, and it was sort of perfect that it all hit me in that moment—as I stumbled back and fell off the deadly, three foot ledge.
With my death came a new appreciation for life. And not even Peter could bring me down. I was untouchable.
Nearly untouchable. After I hit the padding hidden behind the ledge, I felt hands slip under my shoulders, and I looked up to see Avery smiling down at me.
“That was one hell of a fall, big guy.”
“Yeah, but I knew you’d be waiting for me,” I said, knowing how cheesy it was. Like dialogue in a mushy romance novel. It worked, though, because he smiled.
“Do you want some wine with that cheese?” he asked.
“I think the saying is the other way around,” I pointed out. “But nice try.”
I sat up, which brought me closer to his face. The silliness from seconds before vanished and my breath hitched in my throat.
He’d put on more eyeliner that day, not just outlining his lids but making it expand out a bit at the ends like wings. His black hair had been trimmed a bit, but was still long enough to brush across the top of his shoulders.
“What?” he asked self-consciously and lowered his gaze.
“You’re just beautiful,” I answered, tilting his face back up. He flinched at my touch, and I dropped my hand from him. “Sorry. I should know not to do that by now.”
“No, I…” He shook his head as an almost pained expression flickered across his face. I watched him, seeing him go from confused to all of a sudden being taken over by a new determination, and he met my eyes again. “I want you to keep trying. Please.”
His eyes said something else: Don’t give up on me.
An ache twisted in my chest. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Hey, lovebirds!” Sarah plopped down on the padding beside me, draping her arm over my shoulders. She was in her Belle costume. Wig and all. “Did Noah invite y’all to his party next weekend? I really wanna go, but I don’t want to go by myself.”
Avery and I had talked about it that day at lunch, and he’d agreed to go with me. Social things made him nervous, and when he’d given me an answer, I’d seen the anxiety behind his smile. I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to him, though.
Fighting wasn’t my thing, but I’d kick anyone’s ass that tried to mess with him.
“We’re going,” Avery answered before I could. “Not sure what I’m gonna wear. Is it going to be a costume party?”
Sarah and I exchanged a look before laughing. It was Noah. The dude made dressing up a requirement.
Seeing Avery’s confusion, I said, “That’s a yes. I asked Noah last year if I had to dress up, and he said I’d be shunned if I didn’t.”
Avery smiled. “What did you go as?”
“The Joker,” I answered, and before thinking, I added, “Because Chris went as the male version of Harley Quinn.”
Crap. Nothing more awkward than accidentally talking about your ex-boyfriend in front of your new one.
Sarah grimaced. “We should get up. The break is almost over, and I need to get ready for the next scene.” As we stood, she gave me a stern look before leaning over and whispering, “What the heck was that, Mavy? Don’t talk about Chris in front of him.”
“It slipped,” I whispered back. “It’s not like I meant to make an ass of myself.”
“You know I can still hear you guys, right?” Avery asked, staring at us. “You two are the worst whisperers in the world.”
After saying a rushed goodbye, Sarah went back out on the stage.
Avery and I were in the wings, away from everyone, and I looked at him, hoping like hell he wasn’t mad at me. Or upset. That would be worse. His pale eyes met mine, and I tried to say something, but nothing came out.
“Look, Mav,” he said, moving closer and gripping my shirt at the waist. The contact—or more so, him initiating it—took me by surprise. “You have a past. Just like I do. Chris is part of yours, and that’s okay. Don’t get weird on me, okay, big guy?”
And just like that, things were back to normal.
I stepped forward and pulled him into my arms before nuzzling the side of his head. In the past week, we’d held hands a lot, but we’d slowly started getting closer. More of me holding him like this. He still tensed at first, but I could tell he was trying to fight it.
His hold on my shirt tightened as he laid his head on my shoulder.
“Can you promise me something?” he said, and his voice was muffled by my shirt. When he peered up at me through his dark lashes, I nodded. “Our costumes have to be better than yours and Chris’ were.”
Unable to stop it, I laughed. Hard. By the solemnity of his face, I had thought it was going to be something way more serious.
“I promise,” I said before kissing the side of his head. Holding him in my arms made everything else fall away. He fit against me perfectly, and I rested my cheek on his hair. “Do you wanna meet my parents tomorrow? My mom keeps asking me about it.”
“Uh, sure,” he answered, becoming still. “What time?”
“Well, it’ll be Saturday, so I can pick you up around noon?” I suggested, loving the idea of spending the day with him. “And you can come over for lunch. Not as scary as a dinner.”
“Okay.” He smiled, making the wings at the edges of his eyes crinkle. “Do you think your dad will call an exorcist?”
Yeah, I’d told him all about my dad and his judgment of people who were different. Not an intentional judgement, but one nonetheless. Dad’s parents were very conservative, so he’d grown up that way, with those beliefs. Not exactly an excuse, but it explained his behavior and why we butted heads so much. I hardly had contact with my grandparents because of it. When I came out, they shut me out of their life.
“Eh, maybe.” I pulled Avery closer. “But I’ll protect you. Or you could put a hex on him. Whatever.”
He playfully punched my chest. “I’ll put a hex on you. Don’t tempt me.”
Little did he know that I was already under his spell. And I didn’t want to wake up from it.
***
The next day, I made sure my room was spotless before going downstairs. Mom was sorting lunch meats in the kitchen, as well as placing different types of bread on the counter. Very indecisive. She appeared almost as nervous as me.
“Oh, honey, you look nice,” she said, studying my clothes. I’d worn my nicer pair of jeans and one of the shirts she’d bought me, ones I usually didn’t wear and that hung in my closet untouched. “Purple is your color.”
“You say that about blue too, Mom.” I neared the island in the kitchen and looked at everything. “Do you need any help before I leave?”
“Nope. I’m set,” she answered, patting my shoulder. “All I need is for you to bring that boy home so I can finally meet him. He must be something special if he’s had you smiling so much these past weeks.”
Nothing got past her. I guess it was a super power all moms had. I hadn’t known my attitude at home had changed that much.
“After you and Chris… well you know.” She placed various cheeses on the plastic platter, not looking at me as she continued in a rush of words. “I wasn’t sure how you’d be afterward. The first broken heart is always the hardest. They still hurt after the first, but the first one is the one you’ll always remember.” Her stare then moved to me. “Then, you came home one day with the biggest smile I’d seen you have in weeks. And anything that makes my baby boy smile like that is something special. So, don’t worry yourself sick. I know I’ll adore Avery. Because you do. That’s what matters.”
“He is special,” I said, feeling a twinge in my chest. Words couldn’t describe my feelings for him. It was all so new for me. Chris had been my first boyfriend, but he’d never made me feel even half of what Avery did. I snapped out of my thoughts and hugged her. “I love you, Mom. Thanks for everything. I gotta go.”
Before she could say anything else that’d make me even more emotional, I left the kitchen and patted my pocket to make sure I had my keys. She called for me to drive carefully, and I answered with my usual, “I will.”
The cold weather had backed off a little that day, and as I walked to my car, the sun warmed my back. Honestly, the weather was perfect, just like I hoped the day would be. I rolled down the windows as I drove, loving the smell of fall and the crispness of the air. Knowing how much Avery loved Black Veil Brides, I had bought their newest CD called Vale and had it playing.
I bobbed my head to the music, probably looking like a moron, but not caring.
Trees passed in a blur, and I realized I was going too fast, so I slowed down. Something about driving on the backroad toward Avery’s neighborhood brought out the speed demon in me. Perhaps it was the lack of people and cars that did it. Just like the night I’d flown over the railroad tracks and popped a tire.
That night seemed like so long ago. But it’d been the night I’d known—really known—that I wanted him in my life.
And now I’m picking him up so he can meet my parents.
We’d come far since the night he’d joked about devil worshipping at the train tracks. Even back then, I’d seen his funny personality; it’d just been buried a little under his initial mistrust of me. There were still things I didn’t know about him, but like he’d said the day before, we all had a past.
He just needed more time before letting me know about his.
Pulling up to his house, I parked before getting out and walking up to the front door. Before I knocked, it opened, and his mom stood there.
“Hey, Maverick,” she greeted, opening the door wider. Unlike last time, her smile was sincere. I took that as a good sign. “Avery’s in his room. He’ll be out in a few.”
I nodded and put my hands in my pockets as I entered the house.
Monica looked way too young to be a mom to a seventeen year old. I wasn’t dumb enough to ask her how old she was, but she must’ve been just a kid herself when she had Avery. And she was hot. Like scorching hot.
I might’ve been gay, but I wasn’t blind.
“You can have a seat if you want,” Monica said, motioning to the couch. Not wanting to be rude, I went and sat down. She sat beside me and pulled her legs up beneath her. She was so tiny that she barely took up half the cushion. “Why do you like my son?”
Taken aback by her question, it took me a second to gather my thoughts.
“Why wouldn’t I?” I studied her, answering her in a different way. “He’s kindhearted, funny, and an amazing guy. The bigger question is why does he like me?”
Her face softened and she looked down, reminding me so much of Avery. He really took after her.
“Avery has been through a lot,” she said in a regretful tone. “I’m not sure how much he’s told you, but his daddy wasn’t a nice man. His whole life, people have hurt him—his own family and then the cruel kids at school. So many schools he’s attended, and each and every one, I’ve had to see him come from with a bloody nose, a black eye, or in tears. Sometimes all three at once.”
Her eyes watered and she quickly looked behind us at the hallway. I guess to see if we were still alone. Looking back at me, she reached and grabbed my hand. “Just take care of my baby, okay? He doesn’t show emotion as easily as others, but I’ve seen such a change in him since you’ve come into his life.”
So he had been abused. My heart dropped into my stomach, and the corners of my eyes stung. No wonder he was so introverted, always hunching his shoulders in large groups of people and flinching if I unexpectedly touched him.
“I will,” I said, and I fully intended to keep my word. “I’ll never hurt him.”
I was still trying to process all that she told me when Avery walked into the living room.
Seeing us, he narrowed his eyes. “Hey… what’s up? Did someone die? I haven’t seen faces that grim since my pet squirrel got ran over.”
“You had a pet squirrel?” I asked, standing up and facing him.
“Yes.” He arched a brow. “And his name was Mr. Nuts.”
I stifled my laugh with a cough.
“Oh, bug,” Monica said, getting off the couch and going up to him. She ran her fingers through his hair before resting her hands on his shoulders. “We were just talking. No one died.”
They talked a bit—too quiet for me to hear—and then Avery approached me. I felt awkward greeting him in front of his mom, not knowing what he’d be comfortable with, so I gave him a one-armed hug.
After we told Monica bye, we went outside. We didn’t say anything at first, and I suspected he was in his head with anxiety. Also, his mom was watching us from the living room window, so that might’ve been weird for him too. It sure was for me.
The hairs on my nape prickled.
I opened the passenger’s door for him before walking to my side and sliding into the car. After starting the ignition, I put on my seatbelt because I knew Monica was still watching, and I wanted to make a good impression.
Avery smirked, having caught me checking the window where his mom was still standing. “Suck up.”
“Dude, your mom kinda scares me,” I said, and nodded to his belt. “You buckle up too.”
Once he was buckled, I slowly backed out onto the road and drove off at, like, grandpa speed. Avery laughed, and although I tried to fight it, I did too. When we were out of sight of his mom, I sped up a little.
“Is this Vale?” Avery asked after I turned up the volume. Before I could answer, he said, “Hell yeah. That’s Andy’s voice. Damn. I haven’t heard any of their new stuff yet.”
“I bought this for you,” I admitted, getting suddenly shy for some reason. “So you can take it when I drop you off later.”
“I appreciate that,” he said, smiling at me before gazing out the window. “But I don’t have anything to listen to it on. We can just keep it in here.”
Whether he liked it or not, I was going to stop by the store before taking him home later and buy him a CD player. They were only like twenty bucks, and to me, that was nothing.
As we entered my neighborhood, I watched him out of the corner of my eye. He looked at the houses as we passed them and slouched down a little in his seat. I tried to put myself in his shoes, but I couldn’t even imagine the thoughts in his head.
Social status didn’t mean anything to me, and I didn’t think of him differently for not having as much. If anything, it made me want to just spoil the heck out of him. Not out of pity, but because I cared about him.
“You okay?” I asked after I pulled into my driveway and cut the engine.
Avery inhaled before slowly releasing the breath. “Yeah. I’m fine. Just feel like I’m going to puke a little. That’s all.”
“My mom’s gonna love you,” I said, hoping it helped him relax.
“I just really like you, Mav.” His voice cracked, and he faced away from me. He took my hand, squeezing it. “If your parents don’t like me, that’s huge.” When he finally looked at me again, his eyes reflected the nerves in his voice. “I don’t want to lose you.”
Monica’s words came back to me; about how Avery didn’t show emotion easily. And in that moment, he was so vulnerable.
I brought his hand up and kissed his knuckle. “You won’t.”
We got out of the car and walked toward the porch. Avery scanned the yard before moving his gaze upward, and by the expression on his face, I suspected he was wowed by the size of my house. It was way too big for only three people. I was about to say something—anything—to get the focus off it, when he surprised me.
“This is amazing,” he said, smiling. “I want to design homes like this someday.”
“Dad had it built for my mom as a wedding gift,” I explained, grabbing his hand. It was a little clammy, and I gave it a reassuring squeeze. The poor guy was going to keel over with anxiety if he didn’t breathe. “You ready?”
He nodded.
And then we went inside.