Properly

Chapter 19: Do It!

Despite my clearance of mind about my father and our confessions over cheap Thanksgiving dinner, I still had several dilemmas on my shoulders.

The most critical of them being Owen and Benjamin's almost obsessed with trying to practically ruin their father's reputation and lives for a petty reason.

The three of us were seated crossed-legged during dance club, Benjamin and I drenched in our sweaty clothes, resting from a choreography practice.

I found myself once again gazing aimlessly around as Benjamin and Owen chatted about new findings or candid pictures they took or just anything that could ruin the reputation of their dads.

"Alright, so I didn't get a picture of this because it was 2 in the morning, but my dad was phoning somebody outside!" Benjamin explained.

I also awoke to my dad speaking on the phone, around the 2 AM period. What I could eavesdrop on, it was the possible job opportunity that Benjamin's father had offered him. At least, what with the calls becoming frequent and almost always around that time frame, I hoped. 

I supposed I've gotten tired from having my ears blabbered off from the constant, repetitive, unhealthy, obsession about their dads. I suppose it was connected with my recently mended connection with my own father, but I just interrupted as Benjamin and Owen chittered with a, "Then do it already."

"Huh?" Thye both questioned in their like-minded unison. 

"Do it. Like, you two have been planning this for weeks now, haven't you? You have plenty of pictures, recordings, old high school stuff, right? Go on and confront them already. "

Owen shook his head, "It's not that easy, we need to find a perfect time to expose them with all this, " Owen lifted up a journal riddled with his pictures and notes. 

"We need to catch them both together, and that's gonna be at the Christmas celebration my dad's going to be hosting-"

I interrupted again, this time being more assertive with my words, "No, do it now! Right after school actually! I thought I was tired from the both of you bickering like the immature twats that you are before, but now it's almost unbearable! I literally don't feel any remorse for not accompanying you, Owen, to the Halloween parade. Honestly, if the two of you aren't going to just SHUT UP about this nonsense while we're at school, I'll confront them myself!"

With that, plus a heavy huff of breath, I returned to my feet and attempted to refill my water canteen. 
Their scrambling attracted the other dance club members, not that they were concerned about them.

"No! No, no, no! You can't do that, you-you're not involved in this!" Owen stuttered out.

"Yeah! Zach, I'm sorry that we annoy you with this, but-"

"Nope! No apologies! It's so frustrating to hear you guys constantly talk about how homophobic your dads are when Benjamin's dad is literally trying to understand you and me!"

"How would you know? My dad made me break up with Richard because 'It's unnatural and you should quit it while you still have your dignity'!"

"I don't care! You and Owen constantly are talking about how mean your dads are! In fact, I think I'm gonna start talking about how good my relationship with my dad is! Let's start with how we understand why we say things we say! Because things weren't the same back 20 or even 30 years ago when they were growing up!"

"Hey!" The club leader hollered. We quieted down. Benjamin peered at the leader, hunched over to attempt hiding behind me.
"If you guys have something personal to discuss, then please leave the room. Benjamin, I seriously expected much better from you."

With our tails wedding themselves in between our legs, we exited the dance studio.

"See...?" Benjamin said, huffing and nose twitching. Owen rubbed his back affectionately.

"Everyone has these high expectations of me. They expect me to be a perfect little dancer to meets all their crazy standards! Richard never wanted me to dress all in tuxedos or wanted me to perform these choreographies with people I hate. He was the only one who- who, " Benjamin sniffled up, ", never expected so much out of me. He just expected me to join him for lunch and to talk with him some. That's all."

Benjamin wiped his eyes and propped himself up against the studio wall.

Owen shook out, "Zach... I'm sorry that it's gotten annoying for you- but after my dad has been telling me all this anti-gay propaganda and is constantly feeling up Benjamin's dad, then I'm gonna call him out on it."

Owen said this in a tone that screamed, "I'm not gonna change my mind, and you definitely can't change it."

I then repeated what I said, "So then do it."

Owen raised an eyebrow, and Benjamin's ears twitched in my direction.

"Do it. You have PAGES of evidence, don't you? Just get it over with so you can focus on the exams! It's the final day of November, AND we have those mid-terms to worry about! Just do it already and get it over with!"

"I already said, we need to find the perfect time-" Owen stopped once we all heard his phone sound.

One quick look and he groaned, sliding a lead-smeared finger over the call.

"Hello...?"

Benjamin and I listened in.

"Yeah, I'm still at school, why-"
"WHAT?!"

This piqued my curiosity further, so I leaned in closer.

"What do you mean we're having dinner with- wait- but... fine! Jeez..."

Owen ended the call, a small huff of frustration blown out his nostrils.

"Benjamin... my dad said we're having dinner over at your place. And..." Owen winced at my almost mocking gaze.

"And... your dad is picking both of us up."

I just nearly laughed at the ironic stroke of karma I figured they both deserved for turning lunch period into an exposure master plan for their fathers.  It was so satisfying to see the complete mood change between them, and the obvious implications from my stance alone; my hands on my hips and leaned over with a mocking smirk.

"Well, it seems like the perfect time will be arriving in a red sports car. Driven by your daddies dearests." I snickered, my lips twitching in anticipating laughter.

Sure enough, a quick rinse from the school showers and a 20 minute silent wait later, the same red sports car eased to an inaudible halt right in front of the mink and leopard cat.

Despite my smug expression at first, I couldn't shake the sensation to look at Benjamin's father peering up at, not Benjamin or Owen, but my slightly less pudgy self. 

Even though Richard boosted my self-confidence and self-esteem with his single comment about my apparent visible weight loss, I still tugged my broken zipper jacket over my stomach. Still, it didn't dissuade me from returning my own glance at him.

The fact that it was the same man who was discussing homosexuality with my dad, who was also arranging a position as a data entry clerk at his company, who also was revealed by my own dad that he was on a dating website. I didn't like the very aura about him. 

"Benjamin, get inside the car, dinner is being prepped as we speak!" An unusually cheery tone from Terrance himself.

With a huff, Benjamin opened the backseat door for himself and Owen, begrudgingly slid onto the seats, and alongside Owen, gave me a facial combination of pleading unpreparedness.

I left them with two words to weigh on their minds for their double-dinner date; "Do it."