Chpt. 14 - Talk It Out

[Author's Note: I'm so sorry for all of these time skips, but I was supposed to finish this story in 8 chapters, but this is chapter 14, so I'm sort of trying to rush through it now- But, anyways, 300 reads!? Holy crap, I'm hella amazed and that makes me want to write even more, so now I'm not even perturbed by all of these parts. I'm trying to keep the story line centered around Connor and Evan, so bear with me.]

A week had gone by... It was now late into October, leaves were changing color and falling to the ground in a beautiful swarm of orangey red. Evan loved the crisp autumn wind against his skin and the many colors the leaves would turn to. Red, orange, yellow, brown...

Connor wasn't a big fan of the outdoors, but Evan enjoyed the scenery so Connor would make sure to be there and attempt to enjoy it with him, and of course... They couldn't forget to bring their newfound friend, the insanely cool Jared Kleinman. The three of them laid on their backs, allowing the grass to tickle their skin as the wind gently blew leaves all around them, like tiny, colorful tornadoes of wonder and beauty. Connor took in a big breath of fresh air, his hand was lightly caressing Evan's forearm.

Connor tried not to show it, but he was taken in by his all-consuming thoughts. If one took the time to notice, they could see that Connor wasn't doing a decent job of taking care of himself anymore, his hair had knots and a few tangles and the dark circles beneath his eyes that had disappeared for so long were now making their way back. His eyes were slightly glazed over, emotionless. He couldn't really understand why he was suddenly regressing back to his former self when the love of his life and friend were so close. It was true that the bullying by his peers had grown considerably worse. Some students were now beginning to get physical and even threatened to pay a visit to his family.

He didn't tell Evan but he had a large bruise on the left side of his ribs from getting ambushed at the park by a group of homophobic ruffians. He didn't realize things could get this bad, but he was willing to tough it out for Evan's sake. He only had a few more months before he no longer had to deal with the pain of it all. As long as he had Evan, his woe didn't matter.

Just three days ago, however, Connor had gotten violent with another student because they had threatened to hurt Evan... That's something he would never allow. Something he couldn't allow. The student in question had gained a broken nose and a black eye, ended up exchanging schools the next day to avoid Connor's wrath. He would allow others to push him around and pull him down and beat the hell out of him, but not Evan. Never Evan. Connor grasped Evan by his forearm, dragging him closer to his body, taking in the warmth from his skin pressed against him.

Evan smelled of honey and maple, the scent was invigorating. Jared sat up. "Get a room, you two. I really am a third wheel, aren't I?" Jared chortled, wiping a strand of grass off of his shoulder. "I've gotta head home. Don't make out too much while I'm gone." Jared stood up and made his leave. Connor and Evan watched him go and then they began to huddle closer. So close, they appeared to be one entity. Evan, suddenly growing bold, began to slide his hand up Connor's shirt... But, Connor had instantly jerked away as if in pain. "I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to do that... Well, that's a bit of a fib- but I didn't mean to hurt you!" Evan recoiled, giving Connor some space...worried he might've injured him.

"No, Evan. It's okay. You didn't hurt me. I was already hurt anyway." Connor placed a hand on the left side of his ribs, gently rubbing the bruise which was beneath the fabric of his shirt. "Already hurt? What do you- What is that supposed to mean?" Evan reached for Connor's shirt, gripping the hem of it, but Connor yanked himself back. He didn't want to have to explain the events that had led up to the injury in question. But, he also didn't want to leave Evan in the dark any longer. He pulled his shirt up to reveal a large, purple reddish bruise on his chest. It was fresh and obviously tender. Evan flinched as if the bruise had been inflicted upon himself... And then, that's when the anger began to set in. Evan was furious. Angry, mad, irritated, irate, no word could describe how indignant he felt.

"Uh- Who... Who did that to you?"

Connor fell silent. He didn't know who did it, all he knew was that they were a group of very angry individuals, sought on ruining Connor's happiness it appeared. They were all wearing dark clothing and he could barely make out their faces. "I don't know. It was too dark to see." Evan crawled over to Connor and began to run his hands over the bruise, making sure to be especially careful. He remembered a time when he was younger, when his mom was around more often than now. He had been running across a big field full of daisies, forget-me-nots, chrysanthemums, and every other flower you could possibly think of. He ended up tripping over the root of a tree and skinning his elbow over the damp grass. His mom had kissed it in an attempt to make the scrap feel better. Evan thought he'd do the same for Connor, so he pressed his lips against Connor's chest as gently as he possibly could. Connor didn't flinch in pain or even move.

"My mom used to- Well, she used to kiss my cuts and bruises when I was a kid... Said kisses could make any boo-boo feel better. Heh..." He put his fingers up and used air quotes after saying the word 'boo-boo'. He missed the memories he had with his mom.

The guy she had met was stealing all of their time together. "Thanks, Ev." Connor dropped his shirt back down and let it fall around his waist. He wrapped his arms around Evan, knowing that he was beginning to feel highly dejected.

"It's okay, Ev. I'm here."