Who Knew?

Chapter 18:

POV- Wyatt

I walk down the stairs slowly with Ruben close behind me. I hold on to his hand tightly, letting it ground me. I take a deep breath before turning around the corner to face the living room. 

Jake is sitting on the couch, staring at the dark TV. He just sits there, his hands limp on his lap, his mind looking as if it's going a mile a minute. I walk slowly over to stand at the end of the coffee table, while Ruben hangs back by the doorway. 

Jake starts when he sees me. Then, he's on his feet in a heartbeat, making me stumble back a step. "What the hell Wyatt?! What were you doing?! Nope, don't answer that. What were you THINKING?! Do you know who he is? Have you heard what they say about him? Thay say he's fucking child malestor for God's sake! That he fucked the teachers in his old school to get a passing grade. That if you don't sleep with him he'll do it anyway? What the fuck are you doing hanging around this douche bag? God knows what he'll do to you? You know, when he came over last week, even that was pushing it. But now? You were fucking on top of him Wyatt! You were kissing him. I don't even want to know what else you've been doing with him. But this is it. He leaves. Now. Mom and dad aren't here so I get to decide what goes, and this does not. He's leaving now, and you get to stay the hell away from him." 

I just kind of stand there, shocked. Then, my face hardens, and my jaw clenches. I take a step forward, clenching my fists. "Don't talk about him like that."

"But-"

"No!" I yell. "I said, don't fucking about him like that. Not everything you hear is true Jake, get that into your head right fucking now. Everything you just said about him, they're just rumors. Things people made up to make him look bad. To make him feel worse about himself than he already does. You have no idea Jacob! No fucking idea what thats like. No fucking idea what is actually happening in real life. No fucking idea how it makes other people feel when you spread rumors about them. By spreading rumors, it makes you look just as bad as those who invented them in the first place. 

"You can't tell me who I can or can't be with. Who I can or can't kiss. Who I can or can't love. That's not up to you. And you can go right to hell if you think you can control me. I don't care if you hate me. I don't care if you're disgusted with me for liking guys. I don't care if you tell mom and dad. What I am not okay with, in any way, is you disrespecting or being a fucking dickhead to Ruben. He doesn't deserve that, and quite frankly, neither do I."

By the time my short rant comes to a close, I'm breathing heavily and Jake is just standing there with his mouth open. Ruben looks at me with pride and love. I exhale, letting out the remaining pent up energy. 

Jake shakes his head and frowns. "Wyatt, I don't care if you like guys or girls or whatever. Dad won't like it, but I don't care. Love is love and all that shit right?" He looks down at the ground and scuffs his shoe against the carpet, his face heavy with shame. 

The rest of the energy leaks out of my body and I slump my shoulders in relief. "You don't care?"

He shakes his head. "I wish you had told me sooner, but no. I've just heard bad things about him. I get there are rumors, It's hard to know what to believe, and there's a lot to hear about him."

"None of it’s true, I promise."

He rolls his eyes. "But how do you know?"

I glance over at Ruben, and we share a smile. "Because I trust him."

Jake stares at Ruben. "What about his face? The fights."

"True, but for different reasons than you may think."

He sighs, still looking at Ruben before glancing over at me. "Before . . . you said something about love. Do you love him?" I stay silent, but nod my head. He nods as well, and looks back over at my boyfriend. "And you? Do you love my brother?"

Ruben nods. "Yes, I do. So much." 

My lips stretch into a smile. Jake breathes deeply, but nods again. "Okay," he whispers. "Dad's gonna be pissed Wyatt."

I sigh, and rub my eyes, collapsing onto the couch. "Yeah, I know." 

"I won't tell them. I promise." I nod and thank him. "Who else knows?"

"Just Kev and Beth."

He exhales hard. "Alright." He looks back to Ruben, and puts on a mean face. I get worried for a second but then, "If you hurt him, I will personally, bash your fucking head in." 

He just stares defiantly into Jake's eyes. "If I hurt him, I will welcome you to bash my head in, and more." 

Jake's mouth twitches up at the corners. "Good answer. I may take a liking to you yet, Walker."

We don't end up having a party, like Jake initially wanted (Thank God). Instead, the three of us just hang out in the living room, talking about normal, everyday things. It was awkward at first, but Jake and Ruben are warming up to each other fast. It's a good feelinging, having two of the most important people in your life get along. It makes me happy. It makes me believe with all my heart, that in the end, everything will be okay. 

A/N

Hey guys! 

Thank you so much for reading. I know I've been a little slow on putting chapters out lately, but I've been super busy. I just had a huge band concert where we practiced as a group of 130 for ten hours over two days. I have a new appreciation for the pros. Shout out to all the brass players who can play for hours at a time (I'm a trumpet player BTW). Super cool experience but very time consuming, and I still can't feel my lips. That's a little sneak peek into the author's life for you guys. I'm a pretty big band nerd. 

Anyway . . . I hope you guys enjoyed reading and please leave a comment on your thoughts and feelings about the book so far.