The Waters - A Beta Squad Story (bxb)

34. You Are A Disgrace

(TW - homophobia)

Later that night, they decided to order food; no one wanted to cook for Kenny's father. They plated up the food, and Aj hesitated, holding Umar's food. "Aje, I'll take the food up to him for you." Niko appeared next to Aj, offering his hand out.

Aj took a deep breath and shook his head slowly. "No, I'll take it. It's fine. I don't want to give him another reason to think I'm disrespectful." He forced a smile, but his heart wasn't in it. As he walked up the stairs, he could feel Niko's concerned gaze on him. When he reached Umar's door, he took a deep breath and knocked.

"Come in," came Umar's gruff voice. Aj pushed open the door and stepped inside, setting the plate of food down on the nightstand. Umar was already lying in bed, his eyes closed. "Here's your food, sir."

Umar opened one eye and looked at Aj. "Thank you." His tone was curt, but not as cruel as it had been earlier. Aj didn't dare stay any longer, not wanting to risk angering his friend's father. He turned to leave, but before he could reach the door, Umar spoke again. "You know, Ayaanle... you remind me of my son when he was younger."

The comment caught Aj off guard. He turned back to face Umar, unsure how to respond. "He used to say he was a homosexual. Well, until I trained him out of it." Umar snorted. Aj swallowed hard. He knew that Umar had a hand in changing his son from the person he was into someone he wasn't, but he never knew just how far it had gone.

Umar studied Aj's expression for a moment before letting out a small chuckle. "You are one, aren't you? And don't lie to me, boy; I don't like liars."

Aj felt his stomach drop. He knew what Umar was referring to, and he couldn't deny it. He took a deep breath, bracing himself for the inevitable confrontation. "I guess."

Umar let out a low chuckle. "I thought as much. It's a shame your parents didn't rid it out of you like I did with my son. It isn't right. And I think it is disgusting that you are living under the same roof as my son. I bet you're trying to undo all the work I did for him. Spreading your... your disease."

Aj felt a combination of anger and hurt wash over him. "I'm not trying to do anything to him. I don't understand why you think that."

"Oh please. Alright then, if not my son, then who? Which one of your other roommates have you converted to your side? Who's bed are you in at night?" Umar growled, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "You're disgusting, you know that? Just like your kind. You're all the same. You should be ashamed of yourself for living like this. You're going to hell, boy."

Aj's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't expected Umar to react this way. He felt a stinging sensation in his eyes as he struggled to hold back his tears. "Excuse me?" he managed to choke out.

Umar gave a dismissive wave of his hand. "You think you can just... pretend it's normal. But it isn't. It's a sickness, and if it were still up to me, I wouldn't have my son around it."

Aj felt his temper flare. "With all due respect, sir, your son is an adult. And he is happy. You can't control who he loves or who he chooses to be with."

Umar's expression turned menacing. "You're very lucky that I don't throw you out by your ear. You're disgusting. A disgrace to your family. I bet your mother regrets having to raise you just to see what you turned out to be." He paused, his eyes narrowing. "And you need to stay away from my son. I won't have him corrupted by someone like you. I don't want him being round a fag-"

Aj felt his cheeks flush with anger and hurt. "You're actually crazy. Don't talk about my mother like that," he spat. "And you don't want anything good for Kenny!"

Umar's expression turned into a sneer. Before Aj could react or run, Umar had stood up quickly, stumbling towards him, and slapped him across the face. The force of the blow sent Aj stumbling backward, his cheek burning from the slap. "How dare you speak to me that way?" Umar roared. "You are nothing but a disrespectful little maggot!"