Family Friends: A Tyrus High School AU

13

                                                                            ----one week later---

TJ woke up one morning with an E-mail from his Coach. 

This is completely unorthodox, but considering recent events, I will meet up with you and the team to discuss everything.

Coach Johnstone

A surge of happiness rushed through TJ. His coach was going to sort this all out. Everything was going to be as it was before.

He rushed to The Spoon, where the team was meeting and saw his coach and his team all seated at a large table at the back.

"Son," He said referring to TJ "Sit." he continued. "There's no easy way to say this but due to the choices that you have recently made, the team feels uncomfortable with your presence and you're off the team. Now, you may very well be the best Centre out of all the High Schools in the district but how will it look to the press that renowned Coach Johnstone's protegee is-" he continued on.

"Queer. Bisexual. Dating a guy. A f*ggot. Is that what you were going to say, Coach?" TJ questioned, his teeth clenching and his eyes stinging with tears that he refused to let brew.

"I'm better than all of them. Every single one of them I've beaten in a game of one-on-one. I'm the Captain. I put my learning disability on record and work my ass off to maintain the C+ average in maths that I need to stay on this team. On and off the court I've supported each and every one of them and you aren't going to support me? Or report the abuse they've all participated in against my boyfriend and I are you crazy?" He shouted, losing his temper.

"Understandably you're upset but this is Utah, what did you expect? You know, there are organisations that deal with this. They can help you. You dated girls once, I'm sure you can do it again. Now I suggest that if you want a career in sports, you fix your problem." 

"There's nothing wrong with me." He muttered under his breath quietly. He had to keep repeating that to himself until he believed it. He didn't think there was anything wrong with Cyrus so there couldn't be anything wrong with him either.

"Do any of you have anything to say to my face rather than under an Instagram post? Come and say it now." He said standing up to his immense height. He was at least 2 inches taller than even the second tallest person on his team and was broadly built, despite the fact that he was one of the youngest in his year.

One person stood up Coach Johnstone just sat in his seat, he was off the clock and he wasn't required to stop any fights. Due to it being morning, the restaurant was almost empty. 

TJ grabbed him by the shirt and asked him what he had to say.

"You can throw your weight around all you want but Kira cheated on you, with me. And you're so pathetic that you ran along to your little f*g friend and made out with him because you felt like less of a man. So you decided to go all the way down the scale and become one too.

 I already took your girl, I'm the captain of this team now and soon, I'll take your scholarships too." He said, earning TJ's rage, he was about to respond when another teammate said a similar remark.

Then one shouted "Always knew you were a freak! What were you thinking in the showers?"

"I'm a nice guy so I'll give you some advice. Crawl back into whatever ditch you came here from. While you're at it, choke on a dick and die," Dwayne said all of this from his position, in TJ's grip with his feet dangling slightly above the ground.

TJ could feel the anger boiling inside of him. His veins were protruding from his forehead and he looked as though he was "hulking out". The bell rang to signal the fact that another customer had arrived and Cyrus walked in.

Knowing what this was about (due to Amber's messages).

"Let go of him TJ, don't let him ruin you, please" Cyrus pleaded.

"But he insulted you!" TJ shouted, not calming down at all. In all Cyrus' years of knowing him, he had never acted like this. And it scared him.

"If you care about me, at all, let him go," Cyrus said, his tone becoming more firm, rather than pleading. 

Cyrus placed the letterman jacket on the table and dragged TJ out of the establishment. Amber (his older sister that had just completed her sophomore year) came running out too.

"Awww," the team jeered sarcastically as TJ and Cyrus left.

"I was looking everywhere for you because I knew something like this would happen.

 But the TJ I saw in there, isn't my boyfriend or my childhood best friend. I didn't like what I saw.

 We can't respond to their hatred with more hatred, okay? You scared me in there." He said, cupping TJ's face so that he couldn't avoid eye contact.

"TJ, I'm so sorry about what happened in there, I had no idea. But you need to be careful. The NBA doesn't accept people with criminal records, " She said, patting her brother on the shoulder.

"Guys, I'm so sorry," He said plainly, knowing that it was sincere, Cyrus melted and forgave him.

"If you do that again-" Cyrus warned.

"I know," TJ finished.

"I think it's time you told Mum and Dad. I've been meaning to tell them that I'm into girls for a while now so we'll tell them together, okay?" She said raising one eyebrow.

"Okay," He said, wrapping his arms around his two most important people.