𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙊𝙀𝙎 𝙂𝙀𝙏 𝙍𝙀𝙈𝙀𝙈𝘽𝙀𝙍𝙀𝘿, 𝘽𝙐𝙏 𝙇𝙀𝙂𝙀𝙉𝘿𝙎 𝙉𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙍 𝘿𝙄𝙀.
What do you get when you throw five musically inclined teenagers in detention and leave them alone for ten minutes?
You get a brand new band, new friendships, and a...
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NO JUDGEMENT — NIALL HORAN When you're with me, no judgement You can get that from anyone else You don't have to prove nothing You can just be yourself
THE DRIVE TO the Mercer residence was long, only due to the traffic of Los Angeles. There was a movie being filmed near Alex's neighbourhood and tourists crowded his street, hoping to get a glimpse of whatever A list celebrity was working.
Once they made it to the suburban home, Bobby parked his car in the driveway and opened the trunk. Everyone got out and followed Alex into his house. He led them to his garage and the group started disassembling his drum kit.
Alex looked around the room for a moment before walking over to a metal cabinet. He pulled the top drawer open and sighed when he saw that it was empty. "I'll be back," he said, turning to his friends, "I'm just gonna grab some extra sticks."
The four other teenagers waved him off as Olivia questioned Bobby about Allie Nichols. Alex shook his head at the guitarist as he returned to the main area of his house.
As he walked through the hallways of his home, he expected to take no more than three minutes to return. The last thing he expected was to see his mom hunched over on the couch. He ducked his head into the living room, nodding at Kat who sat in the recliner across the room. "Hey, Mom, I'm just—" His eyebrows furrowed when he saw the saddened look on his mother's face. "Why are you crying?"
The older woman waved him off, sniffling as she did. "Oh, it's nothing," she dismissed. "Don't worry about it."
Alex stepped further into the room, missing the way Kat shook her head at him. He sat next to his mother and gave her a soft, but encouraging, look.
Mrs. Mercer sighed and rubbed her hands over her face. "I just got a call from your aunt," she explained. "Your cousin, Eloise, she's— she's—"
"She's what?" Alex questioned urgently, jumping to the worst conclusion. "Is she okay?"
Across the room, Kat rolled her eyes. "She's perfectly fine."
"No, she's not, Katherine!" Mrs. Mercer exclaimed, shooting her daughter a look.
Alex's eyes flickered between them in confusion. "What happened?"
"She's— Oh, I can't say it!"
Kat eyed her mother before her gaze fell on her older brother. The news of their cousin wasn't a shock and both she and him had spoken about their suspicions. She just felt bad that Alex would have to endure their mom's ignorance for the remainder of this conversation. "Ellie came out as gay and Aunt Carol totally freaked out."
Alex's eyes widened. "Oh."
The two Mercer children shared a look, the secret of Alex's sexuality hanging between them.
