Blackmail

Chapter 15

"You like him don't you?" A voice asks behind me. I spin around and see Julie and Anna standing hand in hand, Milly and Cody standing beside them. I look back over at Alex who sits down on a bench reading a book.
His hair sways in the wind covering his face, his hand constantly brushing his hair out of his face. I smile softly and turn back to my friends. Cody smiles at me knowingly. I sigh and run my hands through the back of my freshly shaved hair.
"Yeah, I'm a little whipped," I tell them looking back over at Alex. Anna pushes me towards him and smiles. I walk over to Alex and sit down beside him, resting my hands behind my head.
He closes his book and sets it down on the table, a decorated bookmark poking out of the top. He turns my way and rests his head on his hands, leaning towards me. He tilts his head slightly and smiles at me.
I lose my breath for a moment before regaining my composure. I sit up straighter and play with my shirt a bit. I look anywhere but Alex as I get ready to say what I'm going to say. I sigh and run my hands through my hair.
"I like you," I blurt out. I look up at Alex and see how shocked he is. His face then relaxes and he smiles softly at me. He reaches out and takes my hand. He holds it between us, trailing his fingers lightly over my knuckles.
"I like you too Max," he says quietly. Trees sway slightly behind us, rustling in the wind. Soft music plays on the small stereo the school has for the students to plug their phones into. I grip his hand tighter.
"So what are we?" I ask. He looks out at the trees around the school. Kids run past the gates to get to the elementary school. Students walk into the high school, passing by me and Alex.
"Well, if you want, we can be boyfriends," he says to me. His eyes meet mine and I nod. He smiles and pulls me up laughing. We run into the school and up to our friends. Julie smiles knowingly as Anna leans against her.
My phone chimes softly in my pocket. Alex reaches over and pulls it out of my pocket. He smiles before handing it to me. I open the unknown number and check the text.
Your top and bottom surgeries are scheduled for 4/15/2020.
I laugh excitedly and show everyone else. Alex wraps his arm around my shoulders and ruffles my hair. He walks me to class and waves goodbye from the door.
When lunch finally comes I sit down at the table with my friends and boyfriend. I lean against his shoulder and eat some of the fruit my dad packed that morning. Milly and Anna talk about the art class that they're taking and Cody tutors Julie.
"So I was thinking that we could go out to eat to celebrate Max's surgery date?" Milly suggests. Everyone nods in unison and I smile thankfully before texting my dad where I'll be.
I squirm in my seat excitedly for the last few minutes of class. The bell finally rings after what seems like forever and I grab my stuff to meet my friends outside. We pile into Milly's car and go to a small pastry shop.
A man stands behind the counter and lets us order our food. We sit down at one of the booths in the back and eat our food whilst doing our homework. My dad walks into the bakery and talks to the man at the register.
I nudge Alex and he looks over and sees my dad. The others follow our gaze and smile. My dad writes something down on a piece of paper and gives it to the man. The man smiles and blushes as he takes the paper.
My dad walks out and the guy takes out his phone, typing something in. I get up from the table and walk up to the man. He looks up at me and smiles.
"What did he give you?" I ask him. The man's eyes widen and he shrinks back slightly. I look at him confused and realize that he probably doesn't get a good reaction from liking guys.
"That guy was his dad and that's why he was wondering," Alex says walking up beside me. The man relaxes slightly and pushes the paper towards me.
My dad's number and a winky face is written on the paper in my dad's messy hand writing. I laugh and smile. Of course dad would like a pastry boy.
"Good luck!" I tell the guy. He smiles at me gratefully and goes back to work. I walk back to the table and answer everyone's questions about what happened. I wave to the man when we walk out of the shop.
Milly takes me home and I walk inside. I set my backpack down in the living room and see dad in the kitchen eating a pastry he must have gotten there and texting someone on his phone.
"So a pastry guy?" I ask him. He jumps and looks at me. He puts his phone own on the counter and smiles and rubs the back of his neck anxiously.
"Yeah. I'm pansexual. That's also why your mom divorced me," he says quietly. I walk around the counter and give him a hug. He smiles and pats my head. He offers me a pastry but I shake my head no.
I walk upstairs and hear someone crying. I walk over to Antonio's room and knock on the door. The crying stops and the door opens up slowly. He stands at the door, his hair a mess and his eyes red and puffy.
"Are you okay?" I ask him softly. He shakes his head no and wraps his arms around himself. I lead him into his room and sit beside him on his bed. He leans back and stares at the ceiling. I brush the hair out of his face.
"I like a person," he tells me quietly. I look over at him. He sighs and runs his hands through his hair. He sits up and looks over at his wall.
"They're nonbinary," he says finally. I nod and look at him. He stares up at the ceiling trying not to cry. I pull him to me and hug him. He cries into my shirt.
"It's okay. They'll like you," I tell him. He pulls back and nods warily. He grabs his phone and texts someone. He hands me the phone and I see that he texted them to meet him at the park.
"What do I wear?" He asks me. I grab a pair of jeans and a tee shirt. He puts them on and grabs his house keys. I hug him and fix his hair.
"Thanks Max, " he says. I nod as he walks out the door. I put on a movie and wait for Antonio to get home. The door opens a couple hours later and I look over and see Antonio and another person standing there.
"Max, this is Leo. Leo, this is my brother Max," he introduces. I walk up to them and shake Leo's hand. They smile at me nervously. 
"So this is them?" I ask Antonio. He nods. I pull Leo into a hug. When I let go they walk over to Antonio and grab his hand. He wraps his arm around their shoulders and smiles.
"Well have fun love birds. There's pizza in the fridge, " I tell them before walking upstairs. I sit on my window sill and listen to music while staring out at the neighborhood.