Gypsy man

Confrontations

Lulian left just before my mother came back from her long shift.

We spoke a little. I don't know why I don't want to tell her about Lulian.

Maybe she will stop loving me. Maybe she'll hate me.

Declan invites me to a party. I go even though I don't want to. We take Danny's car to the other side of the city.

Abi's in front with him. Bren is in the middle, Deck and I on either side of him and tash is sitting on Deck's lap. Her legs over me and Bren. Tiff does the same except she's sitting on my lap.

We arrive a little late. When we enter the house.

Everyone is on their phones, looking disgusted. My phone vibrates. I pull it out. My friends do the same.

An unknown number sent me a video and a text that reads 'Had fun, Alex?' I open the video and watch it. 

It's a video of me.

In my living room.

With Lulian.

He says something. I press my forehead against his chest. He makes me look at him.

We talk. I start touching him. I look like a slut. I had no idea how bad I looked.

He says something and we kiss. A wild kiss. We look so hungry. I tug off his shirt.

He says something as he touches my butt. I look like a whore as I lead him out of the room.

Everyone can clearly see that it's me in the video. I feel a hundred eyes on me. I dare to look up.

Everyone looks at me like I'm some kind of animal. A monster that shouldn't be here.

I turn around. Too slow. Tiffany attacks me. "How could you!?" She knees me between my legs.

"Tiff-" I grunt. She doesn't let me say anything. "Did you sleep with him."  She asks.

"Tiffany..."

"Did you have fucking sex with him, Alexander!?"

My silence answers her.

"You dirty fag." She begins to cry. The other girls flock to her except Natasha and Abigail. My 'friends' stare at me with wide eyes. I have to get out of here.

Behind me I hear people calling me names.

To my surprise Deck and Tash pulls me out the door.
Abi, Danny and Bren follow. Danny gets his car keys out.

They get me into the car and Danny speeds away.

We drive in silence to the mountain. Our place.

An abandoned cabin. High up. After an hour or so we reach the cabin.

We sit on the big couches outside. "So, Zander, what's his name." Declan winks at me with his arm around Tash's shoulders.

"Deck." Abigail and Natasha say in unison.

"Sorry" he looks at the ground. "Lulian." I answer. "It's Romanian."

"Oh how Romantic." Abi jokes. She and Tash giggle.

"How old is Lulian?" Tash asks. I don't answer instead I look at the ground.

"Zander?" Abigail sits down next to me. "It's clear he's older than us."

"28." I tell the ground.

"28?" Bren gasps. "Man that's like... how many years gap?" He's bad at math.

"Eleven." I answer.

"Hawkins that's a lot of years." Declan comments.

My head snaps up. "So you don't care that he's a fucking guy but you don't approve of his age?!" Why am I attacking them.

Tash sits on my other side. "Zander, he could be a pedofile." She places her hand on my shoulder.

"He's not." How do I know?

"Hawkins, you are seventeen." Declan interrupts. "He is twenty eight."

"I can't change my age." A voice comes from the darkness. Lulian's voice.

My friends are all shocked. Me too. I didn't expect Lulian to be here.

"And I am not a pedofile." He steps out of the black veil.

My friends remain silent. I'm at a loss for words. How did he find me?
Suddenly I'm angry with him.

Correction, I fucking pissed.

"What the fuck are you doing here." The anger seeps out of each word. "Are you stalking me or something!?"

"Alex-" I stand up.

"Leave me alone! I don't need you!" Why am I pushing him away after I was defending him?

"Alexander! I have to talk to you about something! Yes I know about the video. I know who did it."

Declan and Brendan step in front of me. "Who did it?" Declan asks.

Lulian is silent now.

"Yeah who did it." Daniel steps forward.

The guys are forming a barrier between me and Lulian. The girls acting as the last line of defense.

Lulian looks angry now. "Please, I need to talk to Alex alone." He insists.

"Well we're not-" "Can you guys wait in the car?" I ask them.

My friends reluctantly leave.

"What do you want to tell me that's so important."

He takes a deep breath. "We're in trouble."

"I know."

"I mean, I fucked up. And I should have stayed away from you. But I didn't and now you're a part of this. And I'm so sorry about that. I n-"

"Start at the beginning and think about what you are trying to say." I interrupt him.

"Okay,so, about six months ago I met this girl. She was really hot and I was drunk. All I did was spend the night with her."

"You mean have sex with her." It looks like my words hurt. Judging by his expression.

"I left before she woke up. Her name was Sabrina." He steps toward me. I step back. "I was with another girl the next night and Sabrina found out. She acted like I cheated on her."

Tiff.

"Turns out her father is a really rich man and he's hunting me down. One of his minions found me and took the video. And now they're after you too."

I hit him. I actually punch him in the face. Blood drips from his nose. It falls to the ground. A small red flower sprouts from the ground were the blood fell.

That's not normal. Lulian knows what I'm thinking because he tries to explain.

"So, uhh yea that um." I punch him again. His jaw this time.

He spits out a small amount of blood. Three more flowers sprout.

"Leave me alone." I say with a cold voice.

"I have to protect you!" He yells. "I can't lose you, Alex." He looks so desperate.

"Give me time, Lulian." "To do what?" He asks in a small voice. "To consider forgiving you."

He falls to his knees. "Consider?" Tears run down his face.

He never looked like someone who would cry even  if he lost someone close to him. Yet now he's on his knees and crying.

"Alex, please." Now that he's realized that he's on the verge of losing me he's begging me not to go.

My mind says leave, my heart can't let go of him.

"Leave me the fuck alone. I don't need someone like you in my life." I leave him there.