Pretty Boy (Lashton)

Chapter 1: Moving In

There's a couple moving in across the street, they have 3 boys. Apparently they're 15, 18, and 20. The whole family had rather average faces, blonde hair, blue eyes, tall and lanky bodies.

One day when I went outside to get the mail, I spoke to the woman and learned her name was Liz, her husbands name was Andrew, the youngest brothers was Luke, and the middle and eldest sons were Jack and Ben. She rarely spoke about the youngest of the three brothers, usually only talking highly of her two oldest sons who were currently enrolled in the local university. I'd only ever seen 4 out of the 5 family members, and that was Liz, Andrew, Ben, and Jack.

It wasn't until a month after they moved in had I seen the pretty boy dressed in skirts, tights, and an oversized sweater. The boy was breathtaking. It was a sunday morning, I was leaving for work soon and they were apparently leaving for church.

"Hey Ashton! Off too work this early in the morning on a sunday?" Ben questioned. I've had a few conversations with him, but he never really interested me. He was average, while his youngest brother was interesting and different.

I couldn't keep my eyes off of the small boy with a bored expression on his face as he waited for his mother to unlock the car. "Yes, sadly I do have work, but I get off around 5. Would you guys like to come over for dinner, say around 7?" I asked, really only wanting to get to know the skirt clad boy.

"Yes of course!" Liz exclaimed excitedly, wanting to get to know her new neighbor, even though he was a young single man who lived alone. "We'll defiantly be there,"

---

Work dragged on forever. All I could think about was the 15 year old that lived across from me. I was completely and utterly fascinated by the boy.

On the way home, I grabbed dinner, chicken, corn, and green beans. By the time I got home, it was around 6 and I decided to tidy up before they came.

Soon it was 7pm and I heard the doorbell ring. I quickly run over to the door and open it.

"Hello! Thank you for coming," I greet them, eyes on Luke.

They all greet me with hello except the youngest boy. He kept his head down, only looking over when his brother nudged him on the shoulder as if to tell him to say hello. He just rolled his eyes and turned away.

We walk inside and sit and the dinner table, which I set before they had gotten there. I sit across from Liz who sat next to Andrew, Luke sat next to me, and Ben an Jack sat at the end of each side of the table. 

"So Ashton, where do you work exactly?" Andrew asks, stabbing a bean with his fork.

"Oh, I'm a therapist. What do you guys do?" Andrew and Liz share a look, then look at Luke.

"I'm a lawyer, Liz is a nurse. How old are your patients usually?" Andrew asks. 

"Well usually they're teenagers or ages 10 through 18. Why do you ask?" I reply. Are they looking for a therapist for one of their kids? They all seem normal to me. Well except Luke because he wears skirts and stuff but there is not anything wrong with that.

"We've been looking for Luke here a therapist and we think you would be perfect for the job because you're so close, and he could just come over any time. He needs some friends anyways, right Luke?"

The boys head shoots up at the mention of his name, and shakes his head, "I do not need a therapist. I'm perfectly normal, you're just judgmental assholes." Luke says, surprising both of his parents as well as myself. Eyes widened, Andrew slaps a hand across Luke's face, making the boy whimper in pain, tears welling up in his eyes.

The blue eyed boy runs off, and out the door, abandoning his plate full of food that he hadn't even touched. I see him through the window running back to his house. I look down at my plate in embarrasment, because I just met my neighbor's and it's already going to be awkward.

"Sorry about that, He can be quite disrespectful. And this is why we need you. He's out of control. He came out to us, saying he was gay. And for christ's sake, the boy wears skirts and dresses! He's a boy!" Andrew exclaims.

"I see. I guess I could talk too him. How about he come over every other day? Or is that to much?" I say, not really liking the way he's talking about his son.

"Yes that would be fantastic!" Liz says in excitement. "How does tomorrow after you get off work sound?"

"Good, send him over around 5:30."

"Thank you so much Ashton... Truly this means so much too us. We just want him to be normal like his brothers and to be able to make it into a good college,"

I nod, glaring a little as everyone finishes up their food, and I walk them to the door. Everyone thanks me for the wonderfully made dinner that i totally just bought and didn't actually make, and then they're off.

I wonder if that slap to the small boys face is something that happens frequently. Does his father hit him? Or was it just a one time thing? Either way, no one should ever slap their child, it teaches children to be abusive. You tell your child not to slap another child but you slap them? And you expect them not to do it, after watching someone they look up to do it. I just don't think it's right.

All I could think about was how excited I was to finally be able to speak to the young boy who barely utters a word. I didn't really understand what the family had against him being gay, as I'm gay myself, or why they were against him wearing skirts. 

What's so wrong with being yourself?