Surviving Elite High (13 page)

“Honey, I'm home,” Nick bellowed as he walked into my room and dropped his bags on the floor.

“Hey, love,” I replied as I walked up to him and kissed him.

“Mmm…delicious,” Nick moaned as he hugged me. “I could imagine my entire life with you.”

“So can I. You have no idea how happy you make me,” I answered him. That made me realize something so I changed the topic. “Nick? What are we? Boyfriend and boy…friend?”

Nick laughed as he walked to my bed. He plopped himself down on top of it and turned to me.

“Well, I'm your boyfriend and you're my Jaan.”

“John?” I asked as I walked up to him and lay down beside him.

He pulled me in so I could rest my head on his shoulder.

“My Jaan, J-A-A-N. That means my love or life in Hindi.”

“You know Hindi?”

“That's the only word I know,” he answered with a smile.

“I like it,” I told him as I caressed his chest and arms. “You're my boyfriend.”

“Only yours and you're only mine. No one else's. We do have to keep this a secret for a while though. I know that you told Kitty and Madison. That’s cool with me since I know that they'll never hurt you. The one person that concerns me is Jacob.”

“Jacob will never say anything. I know that he won't because we know about him too.”

“And that gives me a little peace of mind. We've got to tell your mom that we're already dating though. She's more understanding than my parents. I'll tell them when the time is right.”

“Already? What do you mean by that?”

“Remember when we cuddled for an entire night and your mom made me breakfast the following morning?”

I nodded as I carefully listened to his words.

“Well, I told your mom that I was confused. I told her that I might be bisexual. She encouraged me to do a lot of soul searching and to find the real Nick. She advised me to think things through before making an important decision that could change my life forever.”

“That sounds like my mom.”

“She is amazing, Jaan,” Nick proclaimed as he hugged me tight. “Have you showered yet?

I shook my head. He smiled as he stood up and scooped me into his arms, carrying me to the bathroom. Once inside, he stripped me naked using his hands and mouth, undressing himself at the same time. I was the luckiest person on earth. After that, we quickly jumped into the shower. The water was freezing cold, but we kept each other warm. I slowly soaped his body, touching every inch of him. God, he was like a work of art. Nick stared into my eyes. I could tell by the look on his face that he wanted me as much as I wanted him. Suddenly, Nick kissed me passionately and began caressing my body in return. I quickly jumped into his arms. I wanted to feel him inside of me again. He carried me to the bed and made me stand on the floor.

“Nick, what’s wrong?”

“It's time for lesson two,” he proposed.

He lay down on the bed and spread his legs open.

“I'm going to teach you how to please me good,” Nick said as he stretched out his hand to me.

I grabbed his hand. He instantly pulled me on top of the bed. I knew what he wanted to teach me so I knelt between his legs. Everyone in school knew Nick's favorite sexual act. He instructed me step by step, teaching me just how to please him until his excitement burst. Nothing pleased me more than pleasing him. We proceeded to spend the entire weekend together, making love.

* * *

When my mom arrived home, we told her about our relationship. She supported us, but she gave us one rule: we could not have sex under her roof or before the legal age limit. Nick and I glanced at each other. She should have told us that earlier.

In school, things went back to normal. Nick was still a hot commodity among the girls, but I knew he would never cheat on me. Many wanted to date him, but he politely declined by saying that he was involved in a forbidden love affair. That made the girls drool over for him even more. Jessica started dating Chris since Madison dumped him for a sexier senior. Kitty and Ryan were still going strong and I was happy for my girl. Jacob and I were still friends since Nick had warmed up to him a little. They would occasionally salute each other. That was a huge step for both of them.

Since the Elite Hawks won the division title, they would go on to the regional title in the first week of February. It was postponed until that month because there was a huge scandal that involved a team using steroids. Everyone had to take a drug test, even Nick. The investigation took so long they had to delay the date. I was so proud of him, though. He promised to win the title for me. The school had never been to regionals before and Nick was losing his mind. There was not a state title in New Jersey, but I knew Nick would have won that too. He was also doing remarkably well in school. He had gone from being a C+ student to an A student. Yes, you heard right! Nick Wild Hawk was getting As in school. His parents were extremely proud of him. It was during our Christmas break that Nick told me he decided to tell his parents the truth. It was on a cold winter day with little snow. We were sitting on the trunk of his car and enjoying the sunset on the horizon when he told me.

“Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and I want to tell my parents that I'm bisexual.”

“Really? Will you tell them about us?”

“Not yet, Jaan. I want to warm them up first before I tell them that.”

“It sounds like a pretty good plan.”

“Yup, I'll tell them that and see how they react. In time, I'll tell them about us.”

“What if they don't accept me?”

“That would be their loss because I'm willing to walk out on them for us.”

“I don't want to cause any problems between you and your parents, baby.”

“I know, love,” Nick sighed as he pulled me into him.

I rested my head on his shoulder as I admired the scenery.

“But, they have to learn that if they don't accept you then I don't accept them as my parents.”

“But first, you've to tell them about yourself.”

“Exactly,” Nick answered as he kissed my temple.

“What if they don't accept you for who you are?”

Nick sighed.

“Then I'll go with plan B. I'll probably need a place to stay.”

“You can stay with us. You practically live there anyway. All your things are in my room.”

“Yes, but I don't want to abuse your mom’s trust and generosity. Remember what she said?”

“No sex,” I answered him with a smile.

“Yup.”

“Nick, we have sex all the time.”

“Shut up, you're making me horny again,” he whispered into my ear.

I kissed him. He glanced at his car, smiling devilishly. We quickly jumped in the backseat. We undressed each other and spent the entire night having sex inside his car. The next day he dropped me home before heading to his parents' house. He told me to wait for his call. We were going to spend Christmas Eve away from each other, but he needed to talk to his parents. I spent the entire day worrying about him. I paced nonstop until I caught Madison’s attention.

“Will you relax? You're making me dizzy.”

“I can't, even if I try.”

“Drink some wine,” Kitty suggested. “That might help.”

“I want to be sober, not high,” I stated as I sat on my bed.

The girls would usually drop by every Christmas Eve for a short visit.

“What time did Nick say he was going to call?” Kitty asked me.

“Ten.”

“Ten? John, it's 6:15 PM!”

“Yeah, you're worrying too much,” Madison added.

“Guys, can't you see that our future is at stake? If Nick's parents don't support him, what are we going to do? There'll be no more Johnick. They'll force him to do whatever they want. I love Nick! I don't want to lose him. My life will be empty without him. We just want to be happy. Is that too much to ask?”

Kitty sighed as she sat down beside me. Madison hugged my arm.

“Put your faith in God,” Kitty told me.

“Yeah, I know that things will work out for you guys. You know why?”

I shook my head.

“Because you two sincerely love each other. I've never seen two people more in love than you and Nick. Everything's going to be fine.”

“Yes,” Kitty continued. “And if you ever need our help, you know where we are.”

Madison nodded. I wrapped my arms around my two best friends. I loved them like you have no idea. Where would I be without them? Nowhere.

“Thank you, guys. I couldn't ask for better friends. There are no words to describe how much I love you and what you mean to me.”

They hugged me back. At that moment, my mom called us for dinner. We made our way to the table and had one of the best dinners of my life. It would have been better if Nick was around, but I knew next year we would be together.

The girls left my house around nine. I was freaking out by then. My mom was watching television and waiting for Nick's call as well. I paced nonstop across my room until my feet hurt. I lay down on my bed and closed my eyes. I asked God for help and guidance since I needed Him more than ever. A few prayers later, I glanced at my clock. It was 10:30 PM! I knew something was terribly wrong. Nick would have called by now. My heart rate rose as I dialed his number. His phone was off. My heart sank to the bottom of my stomach. Suddenly, a knock on the door got my attention. I dashed towards it. As I grabbed the knob, my heart came to a halt. I slowly pulled the door open. Nick stood in front of me holding a large suitcase and a yellow letter. I stared into his crystal blue eyes. Tears filled my eyes as I threw myself on top of him. He hugged me back while he silently cried. My mom walked up to him and took the suitcase from his hand.

“You're home now, sweetie.”

Nick nodded. He let me go so he could step inside. As he wiped his tears, Nick handed me the yellow paper. I slowly unfolded it. My heart skipped as I read the first line. The letter was a petition for emancipation. I glanced at the bottom of the page and found Mr. and Mrs. Hawking's signatures. I hugged Nick again. That was his plan B. He emancipated himself from his parents because they did not accept him. I could not believe or comprehend the idea of how someone could do that to their one and only son. Nick hugged me tighter and whispered into my ear.

“Everything's going to be fine. I'm home now.”

Chapter Nine

Nick broke my heart as he cried, but there was nothing I could do. He slept on the sofa since my mom did not want us to sleep in the same room. I sneaked out of my room around twelve and cuddled in his arms. I had never seen him so sad. His parents rejected him for being himself. Parents should love their children no matter what. They should always be there when times get rough. I thought of my own father and what he did to me. Do they think that just because they gave us birth, they have the right to throw us away like unwanted kittens? I never even met my father! At least Nick had the opportunity to meet his. Honestly, I thanked God for the fact that I never met him. If my dad had thrown me out like Nick’s parents threw him out, I would have hated him.

“I'm so sorry, Nick.”

Nick had stopped crying.

“It's okay, Jaan. I've got you and that's all that matters. Things are going to be tough from now on though. I'll have to get a part-time job so I can help your mom with the expenses of the house. It won't be fair for her to support me as well.”

“Then, we'll both get jobs.”

“Hell no! I want you to focus on your studies only.”

“But, baby—”

“But nothing. I'll show my parents that I don't need them. One day I'll even provide for you and your mom,” Nick promised after he kissed my forehead. I rested my head on his chest while I listened to him. “I know that things will get hard around here because I don't have access to my parent's cash. I've got some money saved so that'll help us for a few weeks or months if we stretch it. I'll start to look for a job as soon as possible. You're the only one that I need right now. I love you, Jaan.”

“I love you too, Nick,” I answered as I kissed his neck.

We didn’t sleep together that night. Nick respected my mom's rule whenever she was around. I sneaked back into my room and slept for a few more hours. My mom woke me up around nine the following morning.

“Get up sleepy head!”

“Good morning, Mom. Where's Nick?”

“Watching television and waiting for you to get up so we can have a family breakfast. Can you believe that he doesn't want to eat without you? He's such a darling.”

“That's why I love him,” I explained as I hugged her. “Thank you.”

“For what, baby?”

“For allowing Nick to stay with us.”

“Sweetie,” she answered as she stared into my eyes. “I couldn't abandon Nick at a time like this. He's such a great kid.”

“His parents did.”

“His parents are just confused and probably devastated. They have a different vision of their son. Soon, they'll come to realize what they did and seek his forgiveness.”

“You really think so, Mom?” I asked as she walked towards the door.

“Yes, trust me. I'm always right. Now, get ready so we can have breakfast because we're waiting on you. It's Christmas,” she reminded me with a smile as she walked through the door.

I nodded. I got dressed and headed to the kitchen where I found them waiting for me. Nick walked up to me and kissed me good morning.

“Nope! Not while I'm around!” my mom told to us.

We laughed and sat down for breakfast. While we ate, Nick told my mom that he wanted to get a job.

“No! You need to focus on your education only!”

I just sat back and watched the heated debate between them.

“But, Ms. Ames, I can't put this burden on you.”

“You're not a burden, Nick. Call me Caroline. No, Mom is even better.”

“Okay, Mom. I've got to support myself in some way or my parents will think I'm a failure.”

“You're not a failure! Don't say that! You're a bright, funny, smart, and loving boy. You need to graduate and then worry about a job. Your job right now is to study.”

“They called me a failure last night!” Nick recounted as he began to tear up.

“Nick,” my mom said as she stood and walked up to him. She squeezed him tightly while she consoled him. “That's their anger speaking. You're not a failure, baby. I know this is hard for you, but you've got to graduate from Elite High. Only then will you have a bright future. That school can get you far, honey.”