One Step At A Time [boyxboy]

Final Chapter

“What makes you think I’m going to let you go?” David’s mom asked, leaning against the frame of David’s bedroom and sighing sadly.

“I can’t stay here,” he said quietly as he shoved another shirt into his red duffel bag. David could still feel his scalp burning, not to mention his stomach. He wouldn’t have been surprised if he had a few bruised ribs, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t live with. What he couldn’t live with, however, was the pain he felt when Pierre of all people attacked him. That was when he knew he had really messed up. He could handle Dean beating him down, but not Pierre. Pierre had always been his guardian of sorts. He made sure no one messed with him. He always went out of his way to make sure he was okay, and he even – quite literally – saved his life. But now, what did he have? Pierre hadn’t talked to him in weeks, and the first time he did, it was only to bring him down. “There is nothing left here for me,” he continued, his voice choking as he spoke.

“Running away from your problems isn’t going to solve anything,” she said, walking into the room and sitting down on the edge of his bed.

“What am I supposed to do? Just stay here and get beat-up by the All-American-Dream-Boy and my ex-best friend for the rest of my high school existence? I don’t think so! I have another year and a half of this. No thank you,” he spat, attempting to shove a pair of pants and two shirts into his bag at the same time, and struggling greatly with it.

“Well you’re not going to get much accomplished here from California. There isn’t even a chance of fixing this when you’re not here,” she tried to reason.

“DON’T YOU GET IT?” he yelled, throwing down his clothes. “There is no fixing this! There is NOTHING I can do to make this better!”

“Not if you’re not willing to try!”

David shook his head and put his hands over his face, rubbing his eyes with irritation. “You don’t understand…” he muttered, pulling his hands from his face.

Joanne sighed and placed a hand on David’s arm. “Maybe if you would talk to me, I might.” David didn’t say anything, he simply looked at her and looked away, shaking his head. “Why not? What could really be so bad that you can’t even tell your mother?” she asked, reaching up and slapping his face gently in her direction.

David sighed and diverted his eyes. “It’s nothing, okay?”

“No, this isn’t nothing! If you thinking about running away, it has to be something!”

“Mom,” David started shortly, his voice filled with lack of patience. “I don’t have time for this, okay? I have to pack, so if you could get out of my room and stop pestering me, that would be greeeeaat.”

Joanne’s jaw dropped and she cocked an eyebrow. “Excuse me?” she asked, putting a hand on her hip.

“What? You heard me,” he said bluntly.

“EXCUSE ME!” She said again, standing and grabbing him by the arm. “You don’t talk to me like that!”

David laughed and shrugged his shoulders. “What, you aren’t used to this, yet?” He asked, not bothering to look at her.

“No, I’m not!” She argued. “What happened to you? It seemed like you met Pierre and he made you a better person!” David simply shrugged again. “He made you actually act like a human being, rather than some stuck up, pampered, immature brat who doesn’t care about anyone but himself!”

David looked further away, a grim look taking over his features. “Whatever,” he grumbled.

“No!” Joanne grabbed David’s face and made him look at her. “NOT Whatever! Whether you want to admit it or not, he helped you.”