Church boy

Part 1

"Clay!" I groaned at the use of my name. Why can't they just call me Dream like I ask? Clay is a horrible name. I honestly would've preferred to be called Leather or some other stupid material, anything but Clay.

Dream is what I go by, a nickname from my best friend, Sapnap. It was originally Dreamyboy but I'm not going to introduce myself to people as 'Dreamyboy' or 'Boy', so Dream it is.

"Clay." I look up into the front view mirror. "What?" I asked. Why can't he just stop talking for once? "Get out of this car, now. I'm not going to tell you again." My dad warned. I looked out of the car window. We're still parked in the middle of the street, surrounded by children and passing cars. "Park the car first, dumbass." I scoffed. "I'm not getting hit by a car today, thanks." I folded my arms and waited as my dad started the car. "We can only hope." He spoke under his breath.

My dad hates me. Some people will be like 'oh but hate is such a strong word' and I know that. Hate probably isn't even a strong enough word, though. It's more like he despises me. Ever since I came out as gay my dad has pretty much wanted me dead. My mom is the same. We live in a very, very religious town, where even having sex before marriage is frowned upon. So, I, the 17 year old gay kid in town, am pretty much digging my own grave, so that's fun.

At first, I had just told my parents, who instantly believed I was possessed, but then my younger brother, Caleb, found out and let's just say 8 year olds aren't that good at keeping secrets. So I went from being one of the most liked kids to the most disliked.

I'd get kids pulled away from me, heads turned and whispers about me pretty much everywhere I went. People would step away from me even though we were already several feet apart and I hated it.

It got to the point where I just stopped caring. No one could even look me in the eyes anymore so who would stop me? I started smoking and drinking. I started sneaking out and doing stupid shit that ended up in me getting arrested 4 times and then bailed out by my parents. I just started doing everything I could to give my parents a bad reputation, and it worked.

"Out." I jumped, surprised by the voice. My dad glared at me through the small mirror when I shook my head. "If you aren't in that church in the next 5 minutes you can kiss this town goodbye, Clay, because you will be packing your clothes and joining the nearest correctional school." His eyes narrowed and I sighed before throwing open my car door.

I didn't believe him the first time I was threatened with a correctional school, but after I came home to find my room empty with nothing but a suitcase by my bed, I knew he wasn't lying. I had to hide out at Sapnap's house for a few weeks after that.

I stepped out of the car and threw the door shut. It shook the car and my dad froze in his spot before turning to glare at me with a look that could kill. I smiled and waved before turning on my heel.

I go to church 2 times a week, once for the actual Church shit on Sunday, and then again on Monday for Church school. It's summer break so unfortunately I can't skip either of these days as I no longer have the excuse of exams and homework. I blame school for my suffering.

The man greeting people at the door frowned when he saw me. He looked away, not bothering to even lecture me on my outfit today. It was a black and pink plaid skirt pulled up to around my mid thigh with a baggy black t-shirt with a little yellow shield in the corner. It was bold. They'd probably burn me in the centre of the church if it weren't for the laws.

"I don't know why his parents have kept him." I ignored the voice, turning away. An old lady, probably around her late 70s looked me up and down before turning away, a disgusted 'ugh' leaving her mouth as she did so. Her husband followed suit, looking me up and down, turning away and shaking his head.