Last Of Spirit Bear

Keith

TW - abuse kinda

"I'm sorry, dad! I really tried- I just.."

"Nonsense! Christ, all you do is fail and disappoint! Makes me wonder if your brother will end up like you." Keith's dad screamed from across the table, sliding the report card back to his son.

Keith resisted the urge to cry right then and there. He wouldn't cry, or show weakness, not in front of his father. Or mother, who just shook her head in disappointment across from him.

"A B-? Really? Thats almost a C!" His father banged his fist on the table with wild eyes directed straight toward Keith.

Keith just swallowed back the tears and hung his head low, fidgeting with the corners of the paper. "I'm sorry.. Ill try harder next time, I promise." He said in his most calm, monotone voice. He wouldn't want to upset his parents further, he knew what would happen.

His mother raised her voice and stood up with both hands firmly placed on the table.
"Dont you speak to us that way, young man! You think school is all about playing around with your little.. Gay friends and sleeping around with that dumb Indian girl? That's right, Ive seen you two getting all touchy. Or maybe that's your gal pal, and your a homo too?"

Keith's grip on the paper tightened. When it came to his friends, it was hard to keep his mouth shut. "I'm sorry, ma'am, I promise I don't mean any disrespect.. I just want to explain my situation." He said quietly. He always used his fancy vocabulary and apologizes to suck up to adults in his life, just as his parents taught him too. If not, it was a quick slap to the face and a long lecture. So he obeyed, like a defenseless puppy all on it's own, desperate for guidance.

"And, I'm not gay- neither are my friends! You shouldn't view them that way, it's just a big misconception. And I'm not doing anything with Yehl. Shes just a close friend, thats all." He added on to his statement with the calmest voice he could conjure up.

That couldn't be further from the truth. Almost everyone knew about Cole and Peter, no matter how hard they'd hidden it. Rumors spread like wildfire.

But Yehl.. He wasn't quite sure about her. They'd kissed, they held hands all the time, they flirted with eachother. But she never ever expressed the desire for a true, devoted relationship. What if he was just another one of her boy toys? What if he didn't mean anything to her, the way she meant everything to him? He quickly pushed away the thought and focused on the task at hand- pleasing his parents enough to make them believe he was sorry, and finally let him go.

His father stood up next to his mother in a similar manor. "I find that very hard to believe, Keith. Maybe these little friends of yours are the reasons your grades have been dropping, or why your lacking in sports, or why your attitude has grown!" He screamed, quickly stepping closer to Keith at each word.

Keith braced himself for the slap, squeezing his eyes shut with his body tense and gripping onto the paper like his life depended on it. By now, small piles of paper shreddings had piled up on the floor,
another mess for his poor sister to clean up.

His father came nearer and raised his hand, fully intending to hurt.

A few seconds passed, and Keith felt nothing. What was the hold up?

He slowly opened his eyes and caught his father breathing heavily, retreating slowly with a deathly glare. "Your a disappointment, you've always been one. A little shit who doesn't understand his place in this world. Your nothing more than a disgusting piece of filth, you hear me? I can't believe your my own."

Keith nodded slowly and took a few steps back. His head was still pointed down toward the floor, the only way he could avoid looking into his fathers eyes.