It is Wednesday. The days are speeding by.
The day continues as normal, Joanna can't apologize to her brother yet. She will do it this afternoon. Isaiah is stressed. He's hoping to get Noah to ask Sam out when Lance and Sam break up. It's pretty obvious, they are meant for each other. Jayden feels furious. Isaiah is changing every aspect of his life. He can't tell if it is for the better. Leah is confused, but understanding.
Leah is driving to school and thinking through some things. 'Isaiah never talks much about dating really anybody. It's possible that he isn't into girls. Or into anybody. Am I reading this all wrong?'
She keeps trying to grasp the situation. 'Isaiah has been acting strange. He's been quiet, lately. It's been like this since Sunday. What happened that changed everything? Even if I'm right about those two having feelings for each other, what do I do?' She knows she has to make sacrifices. It's hard to not know what she will be sacrificing.
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Jayden is listening to loud punk rock music to drown out his thoughts. It is not working. His thoughts just keep getting louder and louder. He curses under his breath and wishes that something would go right.
Part of him wants to blame his parents for this, but it isn't their faults. They don't know Isaiah well enough.
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Isaiah arrives at school and sees Sam, she seems upset. "Hey, is something wrong?"
Sam nods, "Lance and I broke up."
"You deserve better than him, anyway. Give me a moment. I'll be right back."
Isaiah looks around for Noah, only to find him leaning against a wall, away from Sam. "I've got to talk to you."
"About what?" Noah seems in a daze.
"I know you like Sam."
The statement makes Noah stand up straighter, his breath gets shorter, and his heart starts to beat faster. He isn't used to hearing that sentence out loud. "H-how?"
Isaiah explains, "I saw the way you look at her. Plus, it's pretty obvious."
"Well, what's the information to you?" Noah demands.
Isaiah rolls his eyes. It's an odd sight to Noah. "I'm not going to tell her. But I recommend that you do."
"But-" Isaiah cuts him off.
"They broke up. This is your chance," Isaiah tells him. He's right, but it is frustrating Noah.
Noah starts going off, "Ella es tan perfecta (She is so perfect). ¡Soy un perdedor en comparación con ella (I am a loser compared to her)! ¡Y soy ateo (And I am an atheist)!"
"You're not a loser! And it's fine. To be completely honest with you, religion doesn't seem to matter to her! You're wasting your time arguing with me. When you could be asking out the girl of your dreams!" Isaiah is so tired of this crap. He's the only one here not good enough for anyone. Always coming short of his potential.
Noah looks at him, a sad smile spreading across his face "¿Soy lo suficientemente bueno para ella (I am good enough for her)?"
"Yes!" Isaiah replies. Noah grins and goes over to Sam. Isaiah watches, they both look so happy. He is slightly jealous that they are both so lucky to find someone that cares about them.
They walk back over together, holding hands. Noah gives Isaiah a nod and they walk away, talking. They look happy, Sam looks happier than she was with Lance, and just by Noah's face, it's clear the hole in his heart has been filled.
Isaiah sits against the wall. The space in his heart grew bigger every day. Maybe because there isn't one hole. There are several. A hole caused by not getting love from his dad. His sister's anger burned another hole. And then there's Jayden. His hatred hurts a lot. Because unlike the others, he couldn't find reasoning for the hate. He isn't good enough to his dad. He understands that. He is leaving for college across the country. His sister has a point. But Jayden just despises him.
He hates himself for not understanding it.
He sees Jayden walking down the hall. Jayden looks at him, then looks away.
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First period is depressing. He feels like he's stuck. He can't talk to anyone, he can't touch anyone. They're millions of miles apart. They are off limits. Especially Jayden, who sits only a few desks behind him. But it's like Jayden is not even there.
Second period isn't even real. He takes notes, he listens, but he feels deaf. He can hear sounds around him, but not the voices of his classmates. Their voices are blocked out by the painful headache that isn't leaving him alone. And then, there is Jayden.
Third period includes Noah and Sam. Their happiness, the way they look at each other. It makes his heart melt. Jealousy seems to tear him apart, though. Meanwhile, he sits next to Jayden, who hates him more than anything.
Fourth period is quiet. No one talks. He drops his pencil, causing a quiet thud, but in a silent room, it's loud. Every one looks back at him, and say things like "Oh! The perfect kid made a mistake" or "I hope you're embarrassed." He could put up with it until the laughing. That just kills him. The teacher doesn't even say anything. At least none of his friends, or... whatever Jayden can be considered, are in here to watch his downfall.
Lunch is lonely. He can't sit with them because he feels too negative. He sits alone at a table. They notice, but say nothing. Maybe they did say something, though, just to each other. It doesn't seem that way though.
Fifth, sixth, and seventh period drag on. Painful, depressing, angry, and empty. It upsets him even more that in fifth and seventh period he has to see him.
Today isn't his day. At the end of school, Noah, Sam, and Leah track him down.
"Hey!" Leah's cheerful voice chimes and she hugs him. "What's wrong with you today?"
Isaiah lies, "I'm just tired."
"You sure?" Noah double checks.
"Yeah, I think I would know my own body," Isaiah jokes.
They all laugh.
Sam nods, "Okay, well here's Noah's and my phone numbers. Give us a call if you start feeling down."
"You can also call me!" Leah chimes in, making sure she's included. She doesn't have to give him her number. They swapped numbers a long time ago.
Isaiah smiles, it feels kinda real "Thanks."
They all nod and go off their separate ways. Jayden still won't say anything to him. Isaiah will hang around them more the next few days, and try to talk about it with Jayden on Sunday.
YOU ARE READING
The Pastor's Son
Romance(The image does not belong to me! To any people who have already read it, I decided to change the picture!) *I wrote this book when I was in middle school so please understand that this book is NOT a great representation queer people. It could be d...
