Loving you isn't a crime

Chapter Four

     TRIGGER WARNING: suicidal thoughts and self harm and MORE homophobia I am so sorry. .

   Zac slowly and slowly started losing himself.
     "Baby, are you okay?", Ari asked him on a particularly dark day.
     "Dad's right. I'm a f^cking mess...I don't deserve to live.", He looks down at ths scars on his wrist. The perfect straight rows. 'Heh, at least something of me is straight.', He thought to himself.
      "What are you talking about-...", She looked into his eyes, confused and worried.
       "I'm sorry, Ari, this was never my idea.", He pointed at Ari and himself.
        She didn't react, so he continued.
        "I'm gay...and my dad doesn't want me to be so he forced me to leave my boyfriend for you.", He sighed.
      "I'm really sorry. I didn't want to hurt you-..", He shook his head.
        She exhaled slowly and gave him a sharp stare.
        "You mean-..I have been making out with a gay boy this entire time?"
         Zac rubbed his eyes,annoyed.
        "I don't even want to get into this anymore. Just-..just go, Ari.",
        Ari scoffed and turned on her heels out the door.
        Zac fell back onto his bed. 'Everyone is homophobic...there is something wrong with me...I dont deserve to live...I deserve hate and harm...why am I like this.....I want to die..I hate myself....I'm so ugly and disgusting...why can't I just be straight-'   All these thoughts swarmed and pestered his head for months. He ordered a secret pride flag, in hopes to learn to accept himself, but that was to no avail.
       After a year and a half of this, he was done. He needed to get out of this homophobic household. He needed to find hope and happiness or else he was going to end up dead. 
He needed to find Aiden...

    "Well, I'm heading to bed. You should, too. Maybe it will help with all that!", His dad did a motion around Zac's face and laughed. Zac held in the tears but couldn't keep a barrier up against them all.
      "Will you stop being so sensitive?! Its called a joke, Zac.", His dad disappeared into his room and the lights turned off.
      This was the moment. He grabbed his pride flag from his secret drawer and tied it around his shoulder and tiptoed out the door. He heard a creaking noise, which terrified him.
     "Meow.", The cat softly mewed. Zac finally breathed and closes the door behind him. He..he was out. He was out of the house! He bolted down the street in the darkness, sobbing with his flag flying behind him. He had no idea where he was going but he knew he was getting away.
      After a few hours or so of running, Zac realized he was lost. He looked around and saw that he was in Chesterfield, Arizona. A good probably hundred miles from his Dad. He sat on a bus stop bench and laughed.
    He was free..

The next morning, he awoke on the bench. It was early, he noticed by the sun's position in the sky. He sat up on the bench and yawned.
     "JESUS-!", He yelled at a young woman sitting beside him, staring directly in his eyes.
      "Sorry! Did I scare you, oh my god, I'm so sorry!",  She said.
      "It's okay..but who are you and why were you watching me sleep-..?", Zac slowly scooted away.
      "Oh my lord.", She laughed, "I just got here this morning, ten or so minutes ago. I am waiting for the bus. Why are you sleeping here? You look young-.."
        "Yeah, I'm a runaway...", He stretched.
        "Hey, I got time if you want to talk-..", The woman rubbed his back.  He didn't back away. It wasnt weird or creepy. It was comforting.
     Maybe it was the back rub or her gentle eyes that made him tell her everything....well, almost.
     "Pretty much, my Dad made me date this random person because he disapproved of the person I was with. My dad is really rude and says hurtful things so I just..left.", He explained and it felt nice that she was listening so closely.
      "I'm so sorry-...that's horrible. But you can't stay on the streets...", She frowned.
     "I'm gay. My Dad was against that and made me date a girl.", He blurted out and then his eyes bugged out. He winced, expecting the woman to be disgusted and angry.
    "Aw, hun, I'm so sorry. My parents were really homophobic, too. They didn't even attend my wedding with my wife because of it.", She hugged him.
     Zac didn't hug her back. He just sat there in shock.
      "You aren't-..you aren't disgusted and mad?", He stood up.
        He saw her heart break.
"Oh, baby, I'm so sorry. You must have been through so much to think that everyone is going to react badly with that. Zac, there's nothing wrong with being LGBTQ...there's nothing wrong with you.", She held his hands.
       He lied down and put his head on her lap.
       "Thank you-...", He said, softly. She began smoothing out his hair, just like his parents used to. He noticed a pan pride colored bracelet on her wrist and smiled.....