Lost Boy

Chapter Two

When Matt and Colin wanted to escape the judgment they would get from people every time they were seen out, they would hide out in the forest on the outskirts of the town.

"Is that a bruise on your eye?" Matt reached out to Colin's  face, inspecting his eye and it was there, the dark purple forming around his eye. He lightly touched it, feeling the fresh bruise beneath his fingers. Colin flinched at his touch.

"Was it your dad?" Colin nodded.

Matt felt sick to the stomach with everything that had been happening to them since they came out. All this bad treatment and hatred because they were attracted to males instead of females. And what made matters worse was the fact that a lot of this was coming from their parents.

He almost felt like they shouldn't have come out. Maybe they should have waited until they were finished with school because it'd brought them nothing but pain, mentally and physically, but if they didn't come out, they weren't being themselves. They were being who other people wanted them to be.

"I can't do this anymore Matt."

"I know but we can get through this together. You and me." Matt rested his forehead against Colin's.

Colin didn't say anything for a while, his eyes closed. "Let's get out of here Matt. Let's leave this town."

Colin opened his eyes, pleading to Matt. Matt wanted nothing more than to leave this town, to get away from everyone but he couldn't, not just yet. "You know I want to Colin but we have no money. Where would we go?"

"Anywhere than here is better."

"I'm not sure if sleeping on the side of the road is better."

Colin didn't reply back and they sat there in the silence. Matt was scared of this town and its people but he was also scared of what was out there. Would the people out there accept them for who they are?

"We should go. We've been gone long enough." Colin got up, leaving Matt on the ground alone. He extended his hands down to help Matt up.

"Ok," Matt whispered, not wanting to go and to just stay here in the quite forest, where no one could hurt or judge them for being themselves.

***

It had been two days since Matt last saw Colin. The last time being in the forest. Matt kept redialling his number but Colin wouldn't pick up. He couldn't help but worry that something terrible happened.

Matt went over to Colin's house. He hesitantly walked up the porch and knocked on the door. He didn't want to face Colin's parents and see the pure hatred in their eyes as they looked at him. The door opened and there stood Colin's mother and as expected, her eyes filled with hatred as she saw who was at her door step.

"What do you want?" she spat at him.

Matt just wanted to run away from her but he needed to know that Colin was okay. "Is Colin here? I haven't seen him in a while. Is he okay?"

She snickered as if what he said was amusing. "How would I know, I haven't seen that filth in days."

She shut the door in his face. Matt was stunned at what she had just said. She hadn't seen him in days. The last time he saw him was in the forest. Matt began panicking, every bad scenario began playing through his head.

Matt ran to the places they spent a lot of their time at, hoping to see him there. He ran to the forest but there was nothing there. He ran to the tall tree at the park but nothing was there.

Matt's eyes began to well with tears. He couldn't understand anything. Colin always told him everything. He went to the cemetery, the only place he found he could think.

When Matt reached the cemetery, he found something on his mother's tombstone that he didn't expect to find. A letter and it had his name on it.

He sat down, hands shaking. He began reading the letter. He could recognise that writing anywhere.

Matt,

I'm sorry. I can't deal with all of this. The way people treat us. The way people look at us. I understand why you can't leave but this all has become too much for me, too much for my sanity. I'm scared that if I don't leave, I might do something I'll deeply regret.

I've taken the little money I have and whatever belongings I have and left this God forsaken town. I'm hoping that whatever I find outside of this town will be better. I know I'm selfish and I'm sorry for being so.

Colin