𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐨𝐲 - 𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘫 𝘢𝘶

21. new rules

8:14 PM

I opened the door to my house and saw Nat and Dad eating at the dinner table. Finally, he's stable enough to give his daughter dinner.

"Hey, champ. Where were you?" Dad asked, all happy, as if nothing with Mom ever happened.

"I was at EJ's," I whispered that last word, just because my dad didn't know I was dating EJ.

"Who's EJ-"

"EJ? Why were you at EJ's?" Nat asked. I also forgot that my sister doesn't know I was dating EJ's.

"I-I was just helping him with homework." I sat on the table and started eating the pasta on the table. Nat was eyeing me, trying to decipher what I've been doing. "What?"

"Can we talk after this?"

9:03 PM

I was mixing some beats down in my room. Last night, I paid $85 for a course on music production. I pressed the record button and grabbed my electric guitar. "One, two, three." I then paused for a moment, forgetting what I was doing. "Wait, is this the song with the drums?"

I stopped the track and replayed my recording. "One, two, three...wait...is this the song with the drums?" I proceeded to delete the track, despite of it being pretty funny.

I pressed the record button and grabbed the electric guitar and began to play an angsty punk type of thing. I don't know, I was just playing around, but I liked the melody.

As I was jamming, I heard someone know on the door. "Ricky! It's Nat! Open the door!" I stopped recording and groaned.

"Damn it!" I yelled. I took a deep breath and opened the door. "Great job for ruining my track, Nat!"

She put her hand on her chest, and had a sarcastic shocked look on her face. I rolled my eyes as she began to mock me. "Oh! Oh my god! Is that Shawn Mendes? Oh my god! I'm your biggest fan! Oh my god!"

"Okay! Okay! I get it! But you didn't have to ruin it!" I said. She giggled a bit. I closed the door and she sat on the bed. "What do you want?"

"Why were you actually at EJ's house?" she asked. "I can call him and ask about it!" Oh no, oh fuck no.

"Because of homework! Nat!" I sternly stated.

"Fine! I'm calling EJ!"

"You don't even have his number." Nat dialed in a number and started to ring. Wait, was it him? The person on the other side answered. "Hey EJ!"

"Hi, Nat. Wassup?" I widened my eyes. I leaped towards her phone, and snatched it. "Hello? Is everything fine?"

"No! My brother's a psychopath!" I finally took the phone from her.

"Hi, EJ!" I whispered into the phone. "Pretend we aren't dating!"

"What?!" Nat screamed. I declined on him and hit a pillow to Nat. "What did you whisper to him?"

"Shut your ass up!"

"Is that why I had to go on the bus today? You literally left me without texting me!" Nat screamed.

"Fine! I'll tell you, but you have to promise to not tell Dad." Rule 43: Bowen's always keep their promises.

"Okay, fine, what have you been doing so busy with EJ that you can't even pick your sister up from school?" she asked.

"I've been sleeping with him," I gulped as she widened her eyes. "And dating him." Her jaw dropped and she put her hand to cover her dangling jaw. "It's been three weeks, Nat, please don't wreck it for me! Oh my gosh!"

"THREE WEEKS?" Nat yelled. "DAD!"

Are you fucking with me?

9:35 PM

"Ricky!" I heard my dad call for me. I skipped down the stairs and walked over to him. Nat was sitting next to him. "Why did I find your sister tied up in the guest room's closet?" he asked.

Shit.

9:13 PM • A few minutes ago

"You fucking tell Dad anything and I'll come for you!" I felt a slap towards my face. "BITCH!"

"I'M TELLING WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!" She yelled.

Fine, you gave me no choice!

I grabbed my headphones from my computer and began slapping her with it. "Ow! Ow! Stop it! Bitch!"

"Don't call me a bitch, you bitch!" I yelled.

"Why do you get to call me a bitch?"

"Because I'm two years older than you!" She kicked me hard in the balls. "OW! FUCK YOU, NAT!" She then began to run towards my door, but then I managed to throw a pillow at her, which kinda knocked her out. I got up and put the duct tape over her mouth.

I carried her body and threw it down the stairs. It felt like I murdered her, I swear to his. I carried her again and then put her in the guest room's closet, and locked the door.

"Bitch,"

9:35 PM

"He kidnapped me! He tried to murder me, he hit me with his headphones!"

"Because you hit me in the balls!" I defended.

"Enough! You guys are not animals! What happened?" Dad asked.

"Ricky has a boyfriend!" Nat blurted.

"Nat! What the fuck!"

"Nat! Let me and your brother talk." Are you kidding me? I'm in trouble? She literally bratted me out. Nat went upstairs to her room. "What boyfriend?" he asked. Well, I guess there's no hiding it now.

"Um, three weeks ago, I-um...I-I started dating a guy named EJ...Caswell." I slowly said.

"Three week? And EJ? What? Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, a bit furious.

"Because you were too busy with Mom and everything!" I replied. Dad sighed. We stayed silent for a minute. It was awkward, but not that bad. I heard Nat in her room talking to a friend, so there wasn't that much tension.

"You know what? I think tomorrow you should invite him over for dinner," he suggested. Dinner?

"What?"

"Yeah, I wanna see the guy my son is dating." My heart sank as he said that. EJ's a fucking frag Boy! How's my dad ever gonna like him? "And we need some new rules now that you're dating EJ. First of all, you must tell me when you're leaving the house."

"I'm almost an adult, Dad-"

"Zip it! Let me speak," I shut my mouth to let him explain his rules. "Second, you're not allowed to have sex if Nat and I are in the house, please! In fact, why are you having sex? Aren't you too young to have sex?"

"I'm sixteen-"

"I just said zip it! Lastly, be careful." he said. Okay, those are three easy rules.

Mike's rules

Rule 1: Tell Dad when he's leaving the house
Rule 2: Don't have sex when Dad and Nat are at home
Rule 3: Be careful

"Okay," I replied.

I can follow the first two rules. That's easy. The third rule is where I'm stuck because...well...

How can I be careful?

He's a fucking bad boy. He does weed and fucks men and woman, and skips class. Like I am dating a practical criminal right now.

But I love it.

And I really wish I didn't.