Rebound, But Newfound [boyxboy]

Rebound, But Newfound {25}

                I rang the doorbell and waited until Sally answered. She looked at me and frowned deeply, letting me into the house.

                “Oh Zeke. He’s breaking my heart. He’s so crushed,” she said sadly.

                “Is he angry?” I asked nervously.

                Sally shook her head. “No. He’s just…defeated. Not even my husband can cheer him up. Brady always finds a way to make Tommy feel better.”

                She glanced at me and sighed sadly. “I hope you can make him feel better. I hate to see my Tommy so upset. Especially since his brothers both made it, but he got cut.”

                “I’ll try to make him feel better. No promises though,” I said, letting out a sad sigh of my own. Cheering Tommy up was going to be nearly impossible, and Sally and I both knew that.

                “Just…maybe take him out of the house, Zeke. Brady’s getting really frustrated with him,” Sally said nervously.

                I nodded and made my way upstairs. I let myself into Tommy’s room and frowned deeply. Tommy was sitting on his floor, his head resting against the wall and his hands around his knees. His eyes were closed.

                “Tommy?” I asked, stepping closer to him.

                “I’m not in the mood Zeke. I’ll talk to you later,” he mumbled without opening his eyes.

                “Tommy, are you mad at me?” I asked quietly.

                Tommy slowly shook his head. “I’m not mad at you Zeke. I have no reason to be. I’m happy for you. Really, I am. You and Trace will be the team captains again. You’ll get a scholarship no doubt,” he said. And I could tell by his voice that he really was happy for me. But he was still upset that he hadn’t made it.

                “Tommy, coach let the seniors on because a lot of them need that chance at a scholarship. Times are hard,” I said, praying he would understand.

                Tommy finally opened his eyes and met my gaze. “Zeke, you’re an only child. Your parents make a high income, even uncombined. Me? My brothers? My parents own a goddamn library. My mom cuts hair on the side and my dad fixes computers on the side. They have to put three kids through college. Two at the same time. That’s a lot of money. Money we don’t exactly have.”

                He shifted, sitting up a little. “Davey? His dad is rich as fuck. Trace? Dad’s rich as fuck. Greg? Only child whose parents make a high enough income to put him through college with no trouble. Only about 5 kids on the that team would really need a scholarship to get through college, and my brothers are two of them.”

                “Tommy, I know,” I said quickly. He was working himself into anger.

                But the anger drained from his face and he slumped back down. “But what does it matter? I didn’t make the team anyways,” he mumbled, depression creeping into his words.

                “Tommy are you still in here sulking? It is a beautiful day out. Why don’t you and Zeke go outside and swim or hang out?” Brady said, entering Tommy’s room.

                Tommy shook his head, closing his eyes again. “No. I don’t feel like going outside,” he mumbled, the sadness in his voice breaking my heart. Tommy wasn’t the kind of person who was always depressed like this. He was just…Tommy. He was calm. Relaxed. Untroubled.