The next morning, Ethan's mom made blueberry pancakes for breakfast with bacon. Ethan and Val woke up and went into the kitchen. "Smells good, mom," Ethan smiled. "Thank you honey. How was the movie? Was there a lot of action?" Ethan's mom asked.
Val choked on her freshly poured coffee before saying, "It was so good. That one scene with the girl and the guy was the best."
"Really? Which one?" Ethan asked, grinning as he looked at Val.
Val shot him a death glare, "Totally the one where they fucked."
"When did they add that in Killer Klowns?" Ethan's mom asked. She could smell the bullshit, but it was fun to keep this up.
"The 2010 remake," Val said quickly without thinking.
Ethan ended up bursting out laughing, "Oh my fucking god."
"Wait. Fuck. It's fucking 2004," Val said as the realization hit her. She slowly sipped her coffee, wide eyed.
"You two better have at least gone into the bathroom," Ethan's mom said.
"I will shoot myself right now," Ethan said, looking at his mom.
"Eat up. I'm sure you two are hungry for something other than each other," Ethan's mom said before going into the living room. "Oh my god. Mom!" Ethan turned red. "Actually, Ms. Riggs, I'm not really hungry in the mornings. Plus I had a big dinner last night," Val said.
Ethan looked at her in confusion, "You didn't eat dinner last night. When was the last time you ate?" Val didn't say anything and she just poured herself some more coffee. Ethan took the coffee from her hands and placed it on the counter. "How long has it been, love?"
"Two weeks," Val mumbled.
Ethan hugged her tightly, "Please eat. Please try to eat."
Val just shook her head, "I'm not hungry. I'll try to eat later, okay?" She smiled weakly.
Ethan looked at her, "Please Val. You need to eat. You don't need to starve yourself. You're beautiful how you are."
Val pecked his lips with a soft kiss, "I'll eat later. For right now, I just want coffee."
Later that day, Val and Ethan were watching TV with Ethan's mom. Val and Ethan were cuddling on the couch while his mom was in the recliner. Val was half asleep in Ethan's arms. Since she's a deep sleeper, Ethan's mom asked Ethan, "Does she struggle with eating?" once she was asleep. "I mean I've never really seen her really eat. I know her home life is really fucked up, so that could be why? I don't know, but I'm worried. I don't wanna lose her because of this. She hasn't eaten in two weeks, mom. What should I do?"
"Talk to her. Tell her why you're worried. She'll understand," Ethan's mom responded. She could tell they both loved each other, even if they did just get together, but she was worried about how it would affect themselves, mentally wise.
Once Val woke up a couple of hours later, she realized she was supposed to be home three hours prior. Ethan saw the worry in her eyes as he came out of his bedroom in pajama pants and a t-shirt. "Babe? What's wrong? Are you okay?" He bombarded her with questions as he rushed to her. "I was supposed to be home three hours ago. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I'm terrified to move. I don't know what to do." Val was panicking. She began hyperventilating and having a panic attack. "Hey. Calm down, look into my eyes. I'll walk you home, okay?" Ethan said, standing her up. "Breathe. It's gonna be okay."
Val nodded and breathed slowly.
They began to walk to Val's house, and her fear only grew. She was petrified. Once they got there, Val opened the door slowly. She walked inside and Ethan followed her. She went into the living room where her mom was smoking a cigarette and dad was drinking a beer. "Out fucking more guys?" Her mom asked, not knowing Ethan was there, so when she looked up, her facial expression quickly changed. "Kidding honey. Where have you been? We've been worried sick."
"Sorry Mrs. Reyes, she fell asleep at my house watching Golden Girls and we lost track of time," Ethan said, looking at Val's mom. Val's dad stood up and went to Ethan and Val, "And who are you?"
"I'm Ethan," Ethan responded. He began to get uncomfortable, but it wasn't noticeable. "Ethan? Isn't that a boy's name?" Val's dad asked.
Val spoke up, "Well Ethan needs to get back home," she turned to him, "Thank you for walking me home. I'll see you tomorrow." Ethan nodded and hugged her before walking out.
Val looked at her dad as he asked, "What the fuck is that?"
"That is not that. He is a human named Ethan," Val responded.
"That. That is not a boy. Why are you saying he?"
"Because he is a boy and he's my boyfriend!" Val accidentally blurted out.
"Oh so he's a tranny?"
"What the fuck did you call him?" Val asked. It was as if her fear disappeared; she only felt anger right now. "Don't you ever call him that again. He is more of a man than you'll ever be. He's not an abusive asshole like you." Val's dad hauled off and slapped her across the face. "Don't you ever talk about your father like that! Without me, you wouldn't be alive!"
"Maybe that's what I fucking want! Maybe, just maybe, I never wanted to be alive because of you and mom doing this shit to me!"
"Oh like giving you a home? Giving you food? Giving you clothes?!"
"A home that I'm terrified to come home to, oh yes so fucking great. Let's not forget the food! The food that mom's been body shaming me over for six fucking years, causing me to starve myself and develop an eating disorder! And since when did you give me clothes? You think the only gift you can give me is money and that will make up for you two being shitty parents, but it doesn't. I buy my clothes. I have since I was fucking six years old! You told me before that you wish mom aborted me, well I do too because then I wouldn't have to deal with your pathetic asses! Talk shit about my boyfriend again, and I'll make you have your own vagina," Val screamed half of what she said. She didn't know where she got the courage, but it's as if something clicked as soon as he started saying shit about Ethan. She's never felt that way before. She didn't give her dad time to respond before going to her bedroom, slamming and locking the door. "Go cheat on each other some more!" she yelled once the door was locked.
Once Ethan got home, he talked to his mom. "Her dad made me so uncomfortable."
"What'd he say?" His mom asked.
"He was like, 'Ethan? Isn't that a boy's name?' and shit. I left. I shouldn't have left her, but I couldn't handle that right now," Ethan said as he began to silently cry in his mother's arms.
