Daddy's Favorite (ManxBoy)

Chapter Three

It was the hardest I'd laughed in a long time. Seriously, my cheeks hurt. Aiden had a sarcastic sense of humor, one that fit my own. But he was also attentive and caring, even through conversation. He seemed so enthralled in everything that I said, even the most boring parts about making pizzas and taking orders at work. And he just let the conversation flow. He wasn't an interrogator.

It was a breath of fresh air.

"So...Ace Winters...what do you want?" He took a swig out of his soda, surely to cover the taste of the cold pizza crust. It had grown stale over time. We'd just about finished eating after talking for a while.

"What do you mean?" It was odd question to ask, especially just out of the blue.

"I mean, what do you want out of life?" He shrugged, as if the answer was as simple as asking me what my favorite color was.

"I...I want to be a successful choreographer, creating art for millions of people worldwide. I want to be on stage, inspiring people, giving people something to smile about. Music and dance are some of the only things that keep me going in life. They've taken me through some tough times. They've basically been my rock."

He furrowed his brows. "You don't have a support system?"

"Uh...I have a friend named Gigi. She's basically my best friend. She works at the shop with me. I'm sure you talked to her on the phone." She really was the only person I really talked to about things going on in my life. She understood me and listened without judgment, even though she wasn't exactly in the same predicament with me. It was pretty great, actually.

"Yes, she was quite helpful. But what about your parents?"

"I...am...gay." The words fell out of my mouth shakily, but once they were out, it was like I was suddenly becoming myself, who I was supposed to be. I had finally said it to someone other than my reflection in the mirror.

And then, I suddenly wished I could take back those three little words.

"You're fucking what?!" My dad flew up from the table. "We're going to a priest or a psychiatrist...Whoever can fix that screwed up head of yours....Is that why you like that dancing shit?...Because you're a fairy?...A faggot?! My son is NOT a faggot. I'll beat the gay out of you if I have to, but you're not gonna walk around here like some little princess." My mother stood behind him, silently, not sticking up for me in the slightest.

And he did beat me for a while, a few months...until I had enough money to move myself out and I couldn't take it anymore. I lashed back at him one day and he kicked me out. I remember him slamming the door in my face, with my mother behind him as always, silent.

I think I resented her the most for that reason, because she wouldn't and didn't stick up for me, even though I was always there for her. I helped her kick her alcoholic tendencies and helped get her clean. I was there every step of the way, through all of the breakdowns. And she was the one who shut her 17-year-old son out.

Good thing I made it without them.

Suddenly, I recognized the shadow darting back and forth across my face was actually Aiden's hand, trying to get my attention. "Hey, I'm sorry. You don't have to answer that."

I smiled. "You said no apologizing. You don't follow your own rules?"

He raised his eyebrows at that and I expected him to have a snarky response, but he didn't. "Huh, I guess you're a right. Smart one, aren't you?"

That made me smile a little. "I try. But my...parents...kicked me out because I was gay. I haven't seen them since I was 17." That was over 3 years ago.