What Lies Between the Waves

**~Chapter 1~A New Start~**

(Chapter with "**" around them are revised and edited)

  I was dying, that I knew for sure, the shock of falling mixed with the sheer cold of the water froze my body instantly and forced almost all the breath from my lungs.
          
      Looking around slowly I decided to watch the long dark tendrils of my hair, I had grown it out since leaving mom's place after that terrible day. Now my eyes started to sting, not only because of the salt water now, but the tears that mixed seamlessly with the vast ocean around me.

You may have wondered how I ended up floating to my watery grave, but I guess I'll just start at the beginning.

***

                The day was starting out like every other, I woke up took a shower, got dressed in my low rider jeans and a skin tight white tee. I like wearing tight clothes, mainly because it showed off my muscles to the world. Yea I was full of myself, but I had a right to, being a chub most of your life can do that to you.

                My hair was growing out nicely, nearly to my shoulders now. I was working now, and my mother's rule about how if she pays for my hair to get cut she decides the way it's cut was now void! She hated long hair so naturally that's the way I wanted it. I'm just that stereo typical kid who lives to get on their parents nerves, hehe.

As I was admiring myself in the mirror I heard my sister call me downstairs for breakfast, and it was about time too I was starved!

                I ran downstairs and sat down just as my mom brought over a large stack of her special chocolate chip waffles. This is when I suspected something was going on, she never made these unless she wanted something. I put my fork down and stared at her. She just raised her large brown eyes that used to be so much like mine, but years of her struggles being a single mom for so long dulled the once bright golden brown eyes to a soft dark chocolate, and such a warm smile that I was certain that she was up to something.

"Uh, are we going to eat or what?" my big sister Sharon asked eyeing the pancakes and bacon in front of us.

"Of course you can honey, eat as much as you like." My mother said not taking her eyes off of me.

"Thank god!" Sharon sighed and forked up about five pancakes onto her plate and stuffed her face full.

                She either didn't notice or didn't care, but whichever way you look at it she was an idiot, but she was my idiot and I loved her dearly.

"What are you up too?" I asked mom leaning my head onto my hands.

She cocked her head in mock confusion, "I don't know what you're talking about Derik can't I just make breakfast for my two beautiful children?" she emphasized this by pinching both our cheeks, which got a nasty growl from me and a bite on the finger from Sharon.

"Ouch!" she took her fingers back rubbing her now freshly bitten finger, "fine so you all know Richard right?"

"Oh you mean your shitty boyfriend from hell who hates your children?" I asked, "Yeah I remember why?"

She was red in the face with that comment but continued, "Well he and his son are going to be moving in with us!" she ended with a happy tone.

Sharon stopped eating and stared at me, I saw hurt in those eyes, and pity, you'd think I would be offended by that look, but I never did, she only tried to protect me. From what you ask? Well sorry to say ladies but this tall glass of water is batting for the other team, and i was always so happy to have my mother and sister on my side and supporting me when i came out.

though i was insanely open i knew not everyone was, so I had told my mother about this when I first found out because I trusted her and told her never to tell any of her boyfriends, and what did she do? She fell in 'love' with Richard and told him my secret, now in front of her he was really cool but when she goes out to pick up stuff to make food or gets called into work he was very homophobic. I mean hey I still like football, and getting dirty, going to the gym to work out, I'm not a girly kind of gay, shout out to all the feminine gays just not my cup of tea, i enjoy manly things and i expect my man to have things in common with. right, like that would happen, i mean and I haven't even kissed a guy yet. But yet even though in the beginning I tried to get along with him, it wasn't him who abused me, it was his twenty year old son Aaron. He was why my sister pitied me.

We both just sat there looking at her, she began to squirm around a bit feeling uncomfortable.

"Why would you even consider that!" my sister exclaimed, she was standing now her chair thrown backwards  and her food left forgotten on the table, "you know what he does to Derik! I've told you all about the times he's hit, punched, whipped, and god knows what else when you or I aren't home!"

"I've told you before that he does no such things, Derik just wants the attention." She yelled, clearly distraught at the accusation my sister had made.

With that outburst I got in her face, "hey! I am a grown ass man and I can take care of myself, I have a job and money, I bought my own car, and what have you given me?" I didn't want to continue, my mother has given me so much on my life i knew that, but I needed her to understand and maybe finally listen to the words i needed to say, "A boy that we hardly know beating me senseless every time he's over and a mother who can't even believe her own biological son who has been with her since the beginning!"

I was out of the room before her tears started, I had had enough of all the bullshit, I think it's high time that I move out of mom's before that little prick gets here. i could handle the beatings and other stuff on the rare occasion he was around, but everyday? every night? no thank you.

I run up the stairs to my room and go to my closet, I rummage through it until I find my duffle bag and begin to fill it with all my clothes that I've bought, my PS4, all of my converse,toiletries and lastly the little red rabbit i had that had all of my money saved inside of its little zipper, you know the necessities.

"What do you think you're doing?" I hear my mother's voice cry out from my door.

I turn to look at her bag in hand, "I'm moving out." I said and shoulder my way past her down to the front door where my sister was waiting with my keys.

"Never be shy to call if you need help okay?" she said handing me my keys, I hugged her goodbye and walked out the door for the last time. Crazy how that happens sometimes huh? One minute you have everything and the next its gone, sometimes from years of neglect, or in my case one man and his son who believe that dealing with their problems included beating others into submission to feel superior.

Whatever, this was going to be a new chapter in my life, and I was going to make it as interesting as possible. i put my stuff in the back of my Honda Passport and got in the front seat, tears threatened to fall from my eyes when i saw my sister holding my mom at the door, she was a wreck on the floor in a second and i had the urge to jump out and apologize and never leave again, but if i did that i knew they would be moved in by the end of the week. No this had to happen sadly way sooner than i or any of us had expected.
      i threw the gear in reverse out of the driveway and took a deep breath before stepping on the pedal and driving away to a new beginning.

i really hope you all liked it, i tried putting a little more detail into this one and the picture on the side is of Derik Rainier played by Michael Hoffman, he is a sexy beast no? so i will try to update every other day its not for sure since i still have the angel within so fingers crossed please! have a good read my Night Children