27

Richie didn't get a minute of sleep that night his burning eyes staying wide open tears still flowing down his cheeks as he laid on his side one hand tightly gripping the side of his pillow his tears wetting the fabric in seconds, the morning seems to come faster the bright morning sun peaking into his room the room that right now felt so empty and cold with Richie still laying in his bed the tears he had shed no dried up on his cheeks leaving him with red puffy eyes. "Richie! I'm home" His mother call's out stepping into the house seeing nothing had been touched "Is he even home?" Wentworth asks stepping into the house after his wife looking around confused, the two stop at the door when they hear the sound of footsteps coming from upstairs their confused looks turning into worry when they see their teenage son stood on the stairs his face stained in tears.. "Honey what's wrong?" Maggie sighs wrapping her arms around the boy her heart hurting to see her son in such a state, Wentworth stays at the door his arms crossed he wasn't the comforting type but seeing his son cry which was something the kid rarely ever did he worried him.

"I.. I'm gay.." Richie's cracking voice speaks up rough from the sobs he had let out the night before, his parent's freeze Maggie's arms unhooking themself from around his body taking a step back standing next to her husband again the two staring at him in shock. "What did you say..?" Maggie says even thought she had heard the words perfectly clear, "I'm gay, I have been for years it's why I haven't had a girlfriend.. Not because the girls at my school aren't my type" Richie says raising his eyes from the floor to look at his parent's "Well technically they aren't your type" Wentworth says with a small unsure chuckle Maggie shooting him a glare but Richie on the other hand roll's his eyes with a small smile, his father had never been a serious guy..

"I'm sorry.. For lying, I just didn't know how to tell you guy's" Richie sighs his arm's crossing over his chest, the two parent's exchange a look of two different emotions. Wentworth just seemed confused he never really understood this whole gay and straight thing but Maggie on the other hand seemed panicked, she didn't mean the word's that were about to spill out of her mouth but it was like her brain suddenly just went on speaker "Fuck.. Fuck if you were just a girl!" her hands fly up to her mouth the second the words slip from her watching her son's face drop.

"What..?"

"Maggie.." Wentworth sighs shaking his head making Richie look at him to "The fuck do you mean If I was just a girl!?" Richie snaps at his mother her eyes closing a stray tear falling down her face, "Richie how about we just take a breath?" Wentworth sighs taking a step forward.

"You never wanted me! All those time's you said you wished you understood me.. You wished I was a girl, that I was never born!?" Richie shouts stepping away from his father, Maggie open's her eyes again now looking worried "What Richie no!"

"You wish I was different.." He turn's around going to walk up the stairs again before looking over his should "I'm sorry I'm not the kid you wanted me to be.. I'm sorry I'm like this.."

"Richard.." Maggie sighs watching her son walk up the stairs leaving the two stood there, Wentworth turns around to face her "What the fuck was that?"

"I- I didn't mean to.. It just slipped out" Maggie sighs holding her face in her hands tears rolling down her cheeks, "Our son is gay.. He felt comfortable enough to tell us and you pull this on him?"

"I said I didn't mean to! And what you're just okay with it!? What will the guy's at work say when they find out your only son is a gay!"

"I couldn't care less about what those cow's have to say! That boy is my son no matter what Maggie I don't care if he like's boys and you shouldn't either that's our kid"

"I- I don't.. I don't care" She sighs, it was true it wasn't the fact that Richie was gay that made her freak. She had seen so many kids come into the hospital nearly beaten to death for being gay or just for thing's they couldn't control, and with Richie's loud mouth Maggie was afraid her son would be one of those kid's wheeled into the hospital one day.. She was afraid of losing her boy, even if she didn't understand him sometimes that was still the baby she had carried for nine month and taken care of.. Richie was back sat on his bed tears streaming down his face again as he just sat there frozen in shock, he couldn't even understand what the hell had happened when the phone suddenly rings on his bedside table so he lean's over and put's it to his ear "Hello?"

"It's me Bev" Her voice come's from the other line sounding calm and sympathetic, "Hey Bev.."

"How are you?"

"I- I just came out to my parent's.." He admits the other line going quiet for a few seconds before she speaks up again, "How did that go?"

"Well I found out my mom wishes I was a girl.."

"Oh.. Richie I'm so sorry, you could come over and eat a shit tone of junk food with me if you want? We can watch movies to just to get your mind off of this.." Beverly offers, knowing how much it must suck to be inside that house right now, before Richie could say anything there was a knock on his door "Honey it's me.. Can we talk?" Maggie's voice come's from the other side making Richie sigh "Thanks Bev, but I have to go"

"Call me later okay?"

"Will do" He says before hanging up watching the door open his mother's sad face peaking into the room making sure he wasn't doing anything she would be intruding on but all she see's is her son sat on his bad hand's dropped into his lap, "Richie.. I am so sorry" She says closing the door behind her seeing her son's brown eye looking up at her it was weird for her to be taller then him for once since the seventeen year old was normal a foot taller then her the same height as his middle aged father. "I love you sweetheart, more then anything in the world I promise you I don't want to change a single thing about you" She adds sitting down on the bed next to her son holding onto his skinny hand trying to see something change in his eyes "You don't care?"

"About?"

"Me being gay.. You don't care?"

"Of course not hun, I'm just worried about you.. I know how that mouth of yours can get you into trouble, just don't want to see you hurt because of this" She sighs looking down at her tanner hand a top of his, Richie let's out a small chuckle "Yeah I guess thats a good thing to worry about"

"Trust me, I could care less about who you love Richie. You're still my weird son no matter what" Maggie smiles making Richie finally make eye contact with her a smile growing on his face before he leans his head down resting it on the shorter women's shoulder "Why did you wish I was a girl..?" He brings up her words making herself cringe at the fact she would have ever told her son that "I don't wish you were a girl, I just used to think that maybe it would be easier to understand what was going on with you if you were a girl.. But now that I think about it, I highly doubt it you are one of kind"

"That's a good thing right?" Richie chuckles Maggie letting out a similar one using her free hand to wipe a tear off his cheek "Yeah it's a good thing, you get it from your dad"

"Really?"

"Oh yeah, he was just like you in high school.. Everyone knew he was coming just by the same tune he would whistle all the time" She chuckles thinking back to her younger days meeting the man she had ended up marrying for the first time, "Are.. Are you guy's okay?" Richie ask bringing up the question he had wanted to ask many times. "What do you mean?"

"I've seen him sleep on the couch multiple times.. Even people in town about your marriage"

"If you're asking if me and your father are getting a divorce it's a no, we've just had a few rough patch's but everyone does" Maggie shrugs, she always hated this town and the nosy two faced people that lived in it. "I have to head back to work in an hour, you'll be okay right?"

"Yeah.. Yeah I'll be okay"

"Good, I love you Richie" She smiles raising back to her feet placing a kiss in the center of his forehead pushing his messy hair back to do so making Richie smile, "Love you too mom" He says watching her walk out of the room closing the door behind her. He listen's to the footsteps walk down the hall until the become quiet meaning she had gone downstairs again, now that he was alone again he couldn't help but feel a bit better knowing that his parent's still loved him even if he did like boys.. He lean's back on his bed trying to take a nap the sleepless in his body making him feel sick, his head hit's the pillow and in a quick few seconds he was out like a light.. Until the sound of someone knocking against his window woke him up..