The Neighbor (boyxboy) [On Hold indefinitely]

Chapter Sixteen

A month passed after the night Joey and I talked about our feelings. Every single lesson we had after was awkward. I eventually had to stop going. It was too awkward for me, and I hated awkward surroundings and situations. Seeing him every day in first period was bad enough.

During the month that passed, things at home weren't going to well either. My parents started arguing again over the smallest things: leaving the toothpaste cap, leaving the light in the kitchen on when no one was in there, the temperature inside the house, it drove me crazy. 

I had no one to go to but Jasmine, but she wasn't much help. "Isaiah, dammit, it's like you go five steps forward only to get pushed back ten!" she scolded me on the way home on the last day before winter break.

"Jas, I can't risk it." was all I could tell her.

"Isaiah, yes you can! If you have real feelings for Joey, then you wouldn't care about the risks that would come with it! Can't you see what you're doing to yourself? You're only making things worse!" Jasmine was pretty much fed up with my decisions, clearly..

"Jasmine it's not that simple."

"Yes it is Isaiah, you're making it more difficult than it needs to be." Silence came between us. Then she looked at me like she had an epiphany. "You're not scared of getting caught."

I looked at confused. "What?"

"You're not scared of getting caught Isaiah. You're scared of admitting to your fears that you're gay." Jasmine said in a confident tone.

I couldn't deny anything she was saying. "You're right."

"I know I am Isaiah. I know you better than you think." she said. "You need to really talk to him Isaiah. You know your feelings for him are real, you didn't even get to express them properly." The bus came to our stop and we boarded off of our bus into the still foggy afternoon. "This winter break Isaiah, express your feelings to him for real. Stop pushing yourself away when you're trying to get closer!" Jasmine hugged me and walked away. Before she turned the corner, she turned back around and looked at me. "And text me this break, yeah? My mom and her boyfriend are taking me out of town to visit his family." Jasmine rolled her eyes. "Don't go missing if something bad happens alright? You know I'm here for you Isaiah." She hugged me again and turned the corner before I could say anything.

I sighed and walked down my street. I loved Christmastime. Every house on my street was decorated in Christmas lights with reindeer on their lawns and other things. I walked up the path to my house and took in the crisp fog mist before I walked in my house. God knows what kind of argument I could be walking into today.

"Isaiah!" I heard my mom say in from the kitchen. The aroma of food filled the air as I walked into the kitchen. 

"Yeah Mom?"

"We're having a Christmas party tomorrow. I'm inviting all of the ladies from the book club and their families. I have an invitation for Loretta and Lester. Can you take one over there for me?" my mom asked as she basted a turkey.

I was reluctant. "Can't you wait until after you're done cooking?"

"Isaiah, at this rate, I will be cooking all night, and your father...can you just take the invitation over, please? I'm not asking that much of you to do. The invitation is on the counter. And don't put it in their mailbox, the mail already came. Give it to them in person." my mom said exasperated.

I sighed. "Fine." I took the invitation off of the counter and walked back outside into the brisk air. I walked over to Joey's house and hesitantly knocked on the door.

Joey opened it. "Oh, hey Isaiah." he tried to smile wearily, but I knew it wasn't genuine.

I handed him the invitation. "Um, my mom is having a Christmas party for the book club tomorrow night and she wanted me to give your family an invite."