all those broken promises | shyland

Chapter Two

A/N: Slight trigger warning in this chapter. Also, this is not a depiction of Shane's parents in real life. I'm so happy he has a good relationship with them both, but this is how I was able to best portray the story. 

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"You're the reason our son is gay!"

Those were the words Shane woke up to the following morning, the sunlight reflecting off the curtains in his room and nearly blinding him in the process. He sighed, pushing the blanket off of his legs and hopping out of bed to take a shower before he went to school. He didn't know why it bothered him so much, hearing his father talk about him like he was some kind of disgrace; he should have been used to it by now.

He dropped a message to Garrett, letting him know he'd be ready at seven-thirty, and took what might have been the quickest shower of his life, the thoughts in his head consuming him too much for him to care about his hygiene. When he stepped onto the tile of the bathroom floor, already pulling a clean shirt over his head to avoid staring at his naked body longer than he had to, he hardly recognized the boy staring at him through the mirror.

His eyes were bloodshot from the lack of sleep he'd gotten, the night filled with too much tossing and turning for him to manage to close his eyes without a nightmare overcoming him. Not even Garrett knew about his home life, as Shane was sure he would laugh and kick him out of the group if he found out how messed up his best friend was, but he wished he had someone who could understand what he was going through.

When he was dressed in a pair of black jeans, looking more like his usual self, he ran a comb over his head of hair and grabbed his phone charger before walking down the stairs. His parents were sitting at the kitchen table in silence, staring each other down as if their lives depended on it, and it wasn't until he was scanning the refrigerator for something to eat that they looked up at him.

"How did you sleep, sweetie?"

He wondered if his mother could tell he was lying through his teeth, giving her a gentle smile as he grabbed the carton of milk and pretended to be fascinated with it, "Good."

"Have you decided to reconsider being gay?"

"Kyle!" His mother hissed.

Shane blinked, "I'm not gay, Dad."

"Well, whatever it is you call it – bisexual. Haven't your mother and I raised you better, Shane? Look at your brothers, both in college, both doing what they love, and you're stuck here, living off a reputation you created for yourself by declaring some fake sexuality."

He slammed the fridge, throwing the carton of milk on the counter as he looked at his father, silently wishing he wasn't so afraid of him. He'd never had his father's approval, never wanted it, but it hurt when he brought up how proud he was of Jerid and Jacob in front of Shane, like he expected him to get a medical degree at seventeen-years-old and cure cancer.

"I don't know how I ever got stuck with a son as worthless as you," His father spit out, his insults like venom coursing through Shane's veins as he pushed back his chair. "I'm heading to work, Teresa."

Nobody spoke until the front door slammed, and Shane turned to his mother, trying not to let tears fall down his face. You're used to it, he reminded himself over and over again, like a broken record that was stuck on repeat. His mother reached out for him, but he took a step back, knowing if he let her hug him, he'd probably break down.

"Honey, he doesn't mean that."

Shane shook his head, deciding he wasn't hungry after all, and he was grateful when he phone dinged from his back pocket, letting him know Garrett was outside. He ran a hand through his hair and turned to exit the kitchen, giving his mother a disgusted look in the process, "If you believe that, you're as much of an asshole as he is."