By Now

Pictures and Parents

Nine Months Ago

"Slow the fuck down!!" Lou screeched from the passenger side, knuckles white from holding onto the door of car and center console.

"Babe. It's ok. I grew up on these roads." I laugh.

"But there's snow! And ice! Oh god I'm gonna die. I'm gonna die and we haven't even had sex yet."

"That's what you think about?"

"Don't tell me you wouldn't either. Now slow the fuck down otherwise we won't ever have sex." I laugh, knowing it was an empty threat, but still slowed down anyways. "Where are we going anyways?"

"My parent's house."

"What? Why? I thought... ya know?" Lou stuttered.

"Since they're homophobic? You can say it you know. I'm not gonna make you get out and walk." I chuckle. "And besides, it's Sunday. They're at church. Hopefully. We're going to see my sister. She was invited to the wedding too."

"Does she like dogs?"

"Nope. Although she does have like seven. She absolutely hates them though." Lou gasps.

"What!? Well then I don't want to meet her."

I chuckle and grab his hand, entwining our fingers, "Babe, I'm joking."

Lou slaps my arm lightly, "Idiot. How much farther anyways?"

"About a mile." I finally take in the surroundings of a place I hadn't been to in years. The cornfields were still covered in snow like I remembered them being every winter. As soon as the plane had landed, Zayn began bitching about the snow. To which I just rolled my eyes and told him to, "Shut up."

There were patches of trees here and there indicating farms or just houses. I focused on one patch in particular. The huge evergreen was still there, but the smaller one the still bigger than the others wasn't. Mom had bitched about it killing her tomatoes every summer. I guess dad took it down sometime in the past few years.

"So did you always live in the country?" I glance at Lou to find him not looking at me, but instead at the snowfilled cornfields.

"Yea. Born and raised. Same as my sister."

"What's your sister like?" I shrug, tapping my finger against the steering wheel.

"Like all sisters are I guess. Bitchy once a month." I wink as Lou fake gags. "She didn't really have a problem with me being gay. I mean at first it was kind of tense between us. But I think she got use to it after a few weeks. If she didn't she was pretty good at faking it. I haven't talked to her for years. Until a month ago."

"What have you talked about?"

"Pretty much just the wedding. She's going to be a brides maid. She did ask to meet you though." I glance at Lou, who sits a little straighter.

"Me? You mentioned me? Bu- Why?" He wrinkles his nose in distaste. "I mean, we aren't even dating." Lou coughs, saying, "Hint! Hint!", in between.

"We aren't? Well shucks! Looks like I can go get me some ladies at this here weddin'. Yessirree. That'll be fine wit' me." I say with a redneck twang and snapping my fingers every now and then.

"Shuddup." Lou giggles.

****

"Wait! This is Harry?" Lou laughs pointing at one of my baby pictures of me in the bathtub.

"Just so you know, my dick has grown!" I shout waving my hands in the air before trying to grab the photo album only to be smacked by Gemma.

"Yea? Like what three inches?" Gemma jokes while pointing at another picture but this time of when I was nine and playing baseball. "He absolutely sucked at baseball! The only reason they let him on the team was because dad was the coach!"

"I'll have you kno-"

"Save it! You absolutely sucked. Thank god for the batting cage behind him! There was this one game that Harry was batting and he went to hit the ball, which he missed by the way, and when he swung the bat, it flew over his head and back towards the crowd! He say out for the rest of the game!" Gemma laughs along with Lou.

"I'm just gonna sit here and pretend I don't exist!" I cross my arms across my chest and leaned back against the couch.

Gemma had taken an immediate liking to Louis as soon as I introduced them, which was about three and a half hours ago. Two of which were spent going over all of the pictures we had of me. Which were a lot.

I looked around the room, not much had changed. The walls were still the light blue color they had been since we had painted them when I was in seventh grade. The T.V. was still in the corner by the door going out to the patio. The wooden cross was still hanging over the couch. The only thing different were the pictures.

None of them were of me. They had taken all of them down. As if I didn't exist anymore.

"Hi! I'm Gemma's mom! You must be one of her friends!" I froze looking up. She had her back to me. She must not of seen me. Shit. I hadn't even heard the door open and close.

Lou and Gem were both a ghostly white. And I wouldn't have been surprised if I was the same.

"I-" I cleared my throat and tried again. "Actually, he's my friend."