“Mom, no, please don’t hang up.” Mark’s voice sounded sad and pleading even to his own ears. “Please talk to me. You’re my mother.”
“I don’t care,” his mother snapped. “Just because I birthed you does not mean I want you.” Mark winced and swallowed. It wasn’t like he hadn’t heard this before.
“Mom, please, if you just let me come home—”
“There is no home for you here,” his mother interrupted, cutting off his words. “I will not have a gay son. You’re still young, so you have time to repent. I don’t understand why you refuse. Either you get your disgusting, perverted mind cleansed by the Lord, or we do not speak!” She hung up. Mark put down the phone and buried his face in his hands. It was dark out and he was standing on his front porch. He knew he was late home from work and Andrew would be worried, but he’d decided it was worth it to try giving his mother a call. With a loud sigh and a heavy heart, he turned and walked through the door.
The house was dark and he slung off his backpack, hanging it on the edge of a kitchen chair. The clock on the wall ticked louder than usual, loud clicks of the hands ricocheting off the walls and into Mark’s tired ears. He yawned and headed up the stairs to his room, dragging the back of his hand along the cream-colored walls.
“You’re late.”
The voice was sharp and Mark jumped, his heart thumping suddenly. “Jesus Christ, Andrew,” he breathed. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“Good,” Andrew snapped. “Where the hell were you?”
“Calm down,” Mark grumbled. “I was at the Starbucks using their wifi. I’m in the middle of making lesson plans for my seniors.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down,” Andrew said, raising his voice. “You know I always want to know where you are.”
“Okay, whatever,” Mark said, walking past him. Andrew grabbed his arm and pulled him back. “Ow, Andrew what do you want? It’s late, let me go to bed!”
“You’ll go to bed when I say you can go to bed! Who were you with?”
Mark stared at him like he’d gone insane. “What the fuck? I wasn’t with anybody! I told you, I was doing my lesson plans!”
Andrew slapped him hard across the face. “Don’t you curse at me!” he yelled. “I know you were with somebody else, don’t you dare lie!”
Mark pressed his hand to his cheek and stared at Andrew. He said nothing, but his blood boiled in his veins and he knew better than to speak. Andrew’s eyes were wide and his breathing was short and heavy.
“I was alone,” Mark said, his voice flat. Andrew clenched his fists and glared at him, but didn’t raise his hand again.
“Why were you home so late?”
“Lesson plans! Why does it matter?”
“Because you’re mine!” Andrew yelled, taking a step toward him and forcing him against the wall. Mark’s heart thumped but he refused to let his face betray his fear. He rolled his eyes in a show of bravado.
