Shattering The Surfaces

Chapter Thirteen Unexpected

Dedicated to @diebitch just because she is frickin rad and awesome sauce!

With my head high and a firm set to my mouth I stalked out of Tony’s room without a second look. I was too angry and hurt even though I still had no idea what was going on. All the way down the stairs and out the door to Jon’s car, I walked silently afraid of what would come out of my mouth in anger if I spoke.

I could hear Jon following behind me. I dared a glance over at him, he was watching me warily. Somehow the depth of the emotions in his eyes tamed some of the fire that was burning in my mind and chest.

“Take me home please,” I managed to get out without sounding too hot headed. I didn’t want to ask or question Jon; he would give me the answers when he knew I had calmed down.

“Okay,” his even tone took down my heightened anger another notch. How does he do that?

I concentrated on listening to the rumble of the engine to calm my breathing with its repetitive grumbling. Despite myself, I reached out for Jon’s hand without looking at him. He took my hand and held it tightly as if to say he was sorry. My anger began to subside and my breathing evened out as we drove the short distance to my house.

“Tony has Asperger’s a form of autism,”

Jon spoke once he cut the engine off in front of my house and I made no move to get out of the car yet. My eyes fixed on the willow tree in the yard as I thought about what Jon just said.

“How long,”

“I don’t know for sure most likely all his life but he hid it well until a few years ago…you know how he is…his pride,”

I took a deep shaky breath. I knew what Asperger’s was. All of Tony’s little eccentricities began to make sense. How he had a hard time expressing his feelings, difficulty with making eye contact, being held back in school three times…

“Why was he held back three times?”

“Struggling with school that was before we found, the Asperger’s is mild it’s mostly a nonverbal learning disability…,”

“So like a more severe form of ADHD,” I interrupted him.

“Yeah sort of, we help him talk through his school work otherwise he gets overwhelmed and has fits he is on medication…,”

“Why was I not told?”

I heard Jon sigh before answering and turned to look at him. His eyes rose to mine when he noticed the movement. I could see relief and the heaviness of this burden in the deep sea of his blue.

“Tony has this idea that you will pity him or see him weak if you knew, he was very inconsolable about the idea of telling anyone, only me and both of our parents know,”

Heat built up in my cheeks again, the breathing began to quicken as my anger and hurt rose by hearing all of this and that everyone seemed to know but me, who was one of the closest people to Tony.

I would never think Tony weak or pity him because he had a disability. I wouldn’t treat him any different. To think all this time, all of high school, he, they both, have kept this from me. I knew Jon kept the secret to protect his brother and keep him from getting worse.

“Nice to know he thinks so low of me that I would treat him any different,”

“No Abi, it’s not that,” Jon’s tone turned soothing. I felt a tear slip down my cheek. My parents knew about Tony as well. Everyone kept it from me knowing I would be angry betrayed when I did find out.