We Were Young

Split

  Michael sat silently with Calum as they waited for the results. So many thoughts swarmed through Michael cluttered mind. He was about to figure out truly if he was a father... while sitting next to the man who's fiance he had kissed last week.
"So... uh, how are things with Luke?" He asked suddenly.
"Actually... better than ever. I don't know he's just been so different this past week... probably because of what's going on with his parents..."
"What's going on with his parents?"
"Oh... well uhm, at our engagement dinner, they basically told him that until he breaks up with me and 'straightens up' that they're not going to be in the picture..."
"Oh wow... that has to be really hard on him. He always looked up to them, was always fighting for their approval."
"Well I guess after he was outed in college and they found out about it, they instantly turned against him. They didn't ever leave him until he stuck up against their hateful comments..."
"What do you mean, he was outed?"
"I don't know. I guess someone heard him fighting with a guy and hearts him say something about Luke being gay. It spread around campus like wildfire. That night he moved out, I went and I found him at the dorms for the only night he loved there before moving in with his brother. All the guys were giving him so much shit and pushing his and beating him up... he was all bruised and bleeding when I pulled him out of there..." Calum looked down at the ground.  "It was the first time since graduation that we actually bonded again... I tried talking him into coming back home with us, but he refused." Michael felt awful. Luke was forced out of the closet because of him, and he never even knew it?
"Who was he fighting with?"
"I don't known they never told me. It's probably good though. I would have kicked their ass for doing that to Luke..." Micheal looked down, guilt eating him up inside. He almost couldn't bear it. Suddenly a young intern ran over to Calum and handed him the sheet of paper. "Is this the results?"
"Yes sir, I was told to bring them right to you."
"Thanks, Jacob." Calum looked up and Michael before unfolding the paper, sighing with relief. "Your wife just lost a huge chunk of her alimony check..." he handed him the result.
'Negative'
"So I'm not a father..."
"Happy Not a Father's Day," Calum laughed. "I'll start setting up our case..."
~~~~

  Calum ran up the front steps of the dorm, seeing Luke's still fully packed car in the lot. He walked into the house and instantly heard loud shouts and laughs. He followed the sound upstairs where he found a group of boy's surrounding someone.
"Come on Homo, are you scared?" Someone asked, throwing Luke to the ground as Calum tried pushing through the crowd.
"You're fucking disgusting, you know that, Hemmo?" Someone else shouted as they kicked him. Calum shouted for them to stop and continued to push through.
"So, you like dick? Here, want a little taste?" Someone else asked, grabbing the blond boy's hair and forcing his head towards his crotch. Luke struggled to get away, pushing against the boy's legs before someone pinned them behind his back as the boy unzipped his pants. Everyone around them laughed and make catcalls as he pulled out his large dick. Luke looked away, still trying his best to fight as tears streamed down his face freely. Calum finally pushed through and pulled the guy away from his best friend before pulling Luke onto his feet. His face was already forming bruises and blood trickled down from his eyebrow, nose, and bottom lip.
"Show's over every one, get the fuck away."
"Awe, is Hemmo's boyfriend coming to the rescue? Good for you, Cally, you finally have someone sick and twisted enough to love you," someone called.
"Come on," Calum said, pulling Luke outside with him. He led the boy over to his car and had him lean against the hood as he examined the damage of his injuries. Luke was shaking and sobbing now. "Hey... you're okay. I'm not going to let them hurt you anymore..." Luke shook his head and looked at the ground.
"Everyone hates me, Calum," he sobbed. "Everyone wants me to suffer. They were going to kill me up there... but only after they... they..." he started crying harder and fell to the ground, hiding his face between his knees. Calum quickly wrapped his best friend in a hug.
"Come on, Luke. You know I would never let them do that to you..."
"They almost did though! They tried to rape me... they humiliated me infront of everyone..."
"Come on. Let's just, let's go home." He shook his head and sobbed harder. I can't go there, I can't ever go there again. I can't face Michael."
"Michael? Why Michael."
"I just can't! I-I want to go home... to my family..."
"Do you want me to drive you to your parent's house?" Luke just nodded and allowed Calum to pull him up again, helping him into the passenger seat of the car before driving him silently to his childhood home. When they arrived they both went inside.
"Luke darling? What's happened? What's the matter?" His mum asked, running to his side and pulling him into a tight hug. "Who did this to you?" Luke just sobbed quietly as his father walked into the room.
"Son, what happened?" He asked quietly.
"They all hate me," he said. "Th-they don't accept me... I-I never wanted them to find out." He just began crying more.
"Find out what, sweetie?"
"Th-that I'm... I-I'm gay..." his voice cracked and his parents both went silent.
"Y-you're what?" His mum asked, pulling away from the hug. He knew instantly that he shouldn't have said a word. He quickly looked at the ground and took a step back.
"I... I'm gay..." he squeaked out, not looking at them.
"N-no. No you're not. Luke, your father and I didn't raise you to be gay."
"Nobody raised me to be this way... i-it just happened, I can't help it."
"Of course you can help it! It's your own damn choice!" His father shouted.
"N-no it isn't.. don't say that," he whimpered, seeming to shrink down to the size of a mouse.
"Well of course it's a choice Luke. You definitely were not born with it. Your father and I could have never made a gay child..."
"It isn't a choice..." he whispered.
"He's your son... you're supposed to love and support him no matter what," Calum said as he lightly grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him out of the house and back to the car. Luke bit his lip as hard as he could, trying to bite back the tears. Calum turned on the car and shut off the radio. "Luke?" He whispered. He finally broke down and started sobbing again.
"E-everything is wrong," he said, blubbering. The kiwi boy leaned over the center console and hugged his friend tightly. "Everyone's leaving me."
"I'm not leaving you.." Calum said quietly. "I'll never leave you..."