Flowers || [T.K.]

Chapter 34

Brandon's POV

A few weeks passed since the camping trip and since the school year was coming to an end, the teachers started to care less and less, which is why most of the seniors were able to eat outside for lunch.

While I was laying against Abby, I squinted through the sunshine and looked at the people who used to laugh and poke at me scattered through the front lawn of the school. "I think it's amazing how much my life has changed since you became a part of it," I said to Abby.

She smiled down at me, "I guess you gave my life quite a shift too."

I grinned up at her then looked back at the people. "I feel like just yesterday I was being thrown in a trashcan -- now there's only a week left 'till graduation."

Abby didn't respond to that, she just kind of stared off into the distance. Then she took in a shaker deep breath. "Brandon, I have to tell you something."

"Hm?" I replied a bit wearily.

"Bradly is leaving immediately after graduation--"

"--Oh? Good for him, he can finally get away from your parents--"

"--And I'm coming with him. Brandon, I have to go with him, it's better if we're close to each other."

My heart sunk. "How far away will you be?"

"From here? About a two day drive."

I quickly sat up and faced her. "You can't be serious."

"I'm sorry, Brandon, but it's necessary."

"So you're just going to leave me here? After everything--you're just going to leave me?" As my voice broke on my last word, I could feel my hands trembling again. If Abby left, I knew all the trembling would come back again, everything bad would come back again.

Abby simply rolled her eyes at me, "don't be a drama queen, we'll make this work. I'll visit you as often as I can."

A couple of years began to slip from my eyes. "Sorry," I sniffled and wiped my face, "I thought you were going to leave me and then I would be alone again and all the scary things would come back--"

She cut me off with a kiss and I felt relaxed again. "You seriously think I'd just stop watering my little flower and just let him die?" She giggled at me after pulling back.

"I just--I don't want my angel to go away."

She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me into her so my face was buried in her shoulder. "Ach, my lil' flower, so sickeningly cute."

I grinned into her shoulder and wrapped my own arms around her waist. "I love you," I said.

She responded by squeezing me tighter.

Abby's POV

As soon as Brandon rolled off of me, I could see Bradly exploding out of the school's door and towards me.

"Abby!" He screamed. "Abby!"

I quickly stood up and like the lost puppy he is, Brandon stood up as well.

"Bradly, what's going on?" I managed as he came to a halt in front of us, panting and blubbering incoherent words.

"They--they put drugs in my locker, Abby, someone put weed in my fucking locker," Bradly spat out.

"What the hell? Are you serious?"

"News is spreading, Abby, I bet they put some in Andrew's too-- God, Abby, we're so fucked. They got the drug dogs and everything."

"Are they there now?"

"They are."

"Shit, Bradly..."

Soon Principal Fredrick was walking towards us with Andrew and Bradly had burst out into tears. "Abby, it's so unfair!"

Then Fredrick was behind us. "Bradly Rose, I need you to come with me to my office."

"The weed is mine!" Brandon suddenly blurted.

"What?" Mr.Fredrick said.

"I put it in their locker -- I just couldn't stand it, these-these--" he hesitated, "faggots. I just wanted them to pay."

Andrew, Bradly and I were shocked, but I think Andrew was most shocked.

"Well then, Mr.Flowers, you can join us," Fredrick stated.

Brandon's POV

Oh how quickly my afternoon changed. Mr. Fredrick made me apologize to Andrew and Bradly out with an apology of his own. He then proceeded to call my parents.

"Mr. And Mrs. Flowers, you have to realize that considering the reason why Brandon did this, it's a hate crime," Mr.Fredrick said to them after they settled in his office and he explained the situation.

"This isn't like him, Mr.Fredrick, we didn't raise him to be like this," My mom protested.

"We don't even know where the boy would get the weed!" My dad added.

"But he admitted to doing it. Unless the victims,  or their guardians decide to press charges, he won't be any legal trouble. The drugs were not technically in his possession and there is technically no evidence that they were except for his confession. However, this is very serious and the consequences should no doubt be as serious."

"We understand that, sir," my mom said.

"But with graduation so close and while Brandon has been a good kid since he entered this school, I don't want to jeopardize his chance of success. So, he will have to serve a detention every afternoon until the end of the year."

"Fair enough," my mom said.

"Brandon?"

I looked up at Mr.Fredrick. "Sure."

"You're very lucky, Brandon, I could do much worse."

****

"Explain yourself, young man," my dad barked at me as soon as we got into the car, "and tell us the truth!"

I sighed. "Abby's brother, Bradly, is, well, gay and is with one of his football team mates. News got around and some jerk put weed in their lockers, obviously trying to get them in serious trouble as punishment for who they are. That's not fair. I couldn't let that happen to them, I couldn't let the jerk get their satisfaction."

"So you did it for that girl? Brandon, you said you would get in trouble with her," my mom groaned.

"This wasn't for her!" I snapped. "This was for them. For the sake of being who you are without worrying if some dimwit is gonna put drugs in your locker."