Forest Fic: Stay In Place (Sing A Chorus)

15

"What's wrong, Tyler?" Tyler's mom asks.

"Huh?" Tyler says, looking up.

"You've just been sitting there all day," she says, sitting down next to him on the sofa. "Is there something wrong?"

"Well," Tyler says. He tries to stop himself, but the words suddenly come pouring out. "Josh and I had sex, okay? And ever since then he's been extra moody and I don't know what to do. And yesterday we had a fight because I agreed with him when he said that everything is blue-black and he got mad because I don't know what it's like. And he's right, I don't know what it's like for everything to be blue-black. But he kept on yelling and yelling and Mom, he's hurt so bad at home and I want to help him but I can't and that hurts."

"You- you had sex with Josh?"

Tyler looks up to see his mother's face completely white.

"Yes," he says slowly. "That's what I said, right?"

"Tyler," his mom says urgently, squeezing his hand so hard it's to the point of painful, "did it hurt?"

Tyler feels his face contort into a vaguely shocked and disgusted expression. "What?"

"When you had sex with Josh, did it hurt?" his mom says. "Did he hurt you?"

Tyler frowns. "Well, a little. But I didn't really notice then." He considers this thoughtfully. "It hurt to sit down the next day," he says truthfully.

His mom looks absolutely horrified. "Oh, Tyler," she whispers, wrapping him into a hug. "I'm so sorry."

"What?" Tyler says, confused. Why is she sorry? Wasn't the sex a good thing? It felt good.

"It's okay," Tyler's mom says, rocking him gently. "It's okay. You're safe here."

Tyler sits there, utterly bewildered. Was he not supposed to have enjoyed it?

His mom runs a hand through his hair. "You're all right. No one's going to hurt you. Not anymore."