Jocks of the South Pt. 14

Chapter 14: Get Free

"You don't have to do this," Nick told Francis, holding onto his boyfriend's hand tightly with both of his sweaty palms. "If you're not ready, then there's no need to put yourself through it. No one is forcing you to."

Francis took Nick's hands in his own, looking at him silently. "I want to do this. I'm ready. And I don't want to hide this forever."

They stood on the porch of Francis' house, listening to the wind chimes ring their soft notes in the humid breeze. The sound of rushing water nearby broke the otherwise sluggish, summer atmosphere of the early-June morning.

Nick sighed, looking towards the screen door of the McCarthys' house. He could hear the shuffling of cardboard boxes and old newspaper. Francis had already taken the big step of telling his parents he was moving out, and that he was going to take the rest of the year to study for his SATs in order to apply to a college. They'd happily accepted that news, even telling him that he would still inherit the farm when they were gone, as he'd taken good care of his parents over the years. There was still some confusion as to why exactly he needed to move out, but Francis decided it was time to tell them exactly why he was leaving home.

"Are you sure you're comfortable with me here? That I won't make things weird?" Nick asked him again.

Francis shook his head. "You don't need to be afraid of them. I want you with me."

Nick smiled at him. "Okay."

They went into the house, squeezing past some boxes until they reached the living room. Francis' father put the last of the boxes overtop the others while Francis' mother sat on the worn sofa with a cup of coffee.

"Uh, Dad? Do you mind coming over here for a sec?"

"Yeah, just a minute. Hey there, Nick."

"Hi, Mr. McCarthy."

Mrs. McCarthy gave him a polite nod. "How are you today?"

"I'm good. How are you?"

She gestured at the pile of boxes that had cluttered her house. "I'll be better once this mess is gone," she joked. "Are you here to help Francis out?"

"Yeah. Something like that."

"Mom, there's something I want to tell you. You and Dad."

"Well, if it's about window you broke playing baseball-I just want you to be more careful next time."

"No, it's not-how did you know about that?"

She shook her head. "The repair bill came in the mail."

"Oh."

Nick blushed-he was the one who threw the ball that Francis had batted straight into their upstairs windows.

Francis' dad finally came around and settled himself on the sofa next to his wife. Nick and Francis sat opposite to them. Nick could feel the anxiety coursing through Francis' body. Nick bumped his knee into his, trying to comfort him. Francis gave him a smile.

"So, what's this about? The window?" his dad asked.

"No, apparently not," she answered.

"What then?"

Francis took a deep breath. "Well... you two know I'm going to apply to college. And that I'm moving out."

"Well, I hope that's why all these boxes are out here."

He continued. "But there's another reason why I'm moving out. For the past month or so... me and Nick have been fixing up Grandpa's old house. It's still got a long way to go, but... we got the roof and the walls repaired. It's liveable."

"You've been working on that old place?"

"Yes."

"Wow, son... I'm surprised you took the time. I'm proud of you for doing that. But, we still don't understand why exactly you're moving out."

"We get you want privacy," his mother added. "You're a young man and you're entitled to that. But you can still live with us, Francis."

"Well, it's more than just that. I... want to move in with someone I love. So we can have privacy together."

Their eyes widened at that.

"You... have a girlfriend?" his mother asked.

"Francis, we understand the sex before marriage thing, but... don't you think you're rushing it a bit? You only just broke up with Mike's girl..."

"No, that's-I lied to you about that. I never dated Lisa Reynolds."

They both looked shocked.

"What?"

"But Mike said-"

"That was a cover, Dad. Lisa's... well she's Lisa. She had her reasons to lie and say I was with her. And I had my reasons too. I lied about dating her because I didn't want you to figure out who I was really dating..."

"Francis... you don't have to be ashamed of who you are dating. Any girl that makes you happy is enough for us."

"That's just it, Mom. I don't have a girlfriend. I'm not in love with a woman-it's not a girl who makes me happy. It's Nick. I'm... dating Nick. I love him. Nick is my boyfriend."

There was dead silence. Nick felt the blood pumping through is body, and he could hear it surging through his ears. Besides the utter silence, he could make out the squeaking of the mug as Mrs. McCarthy tightened her grip around it.

Francis took Nick's hand, grabbing it gently, before Nick squeezed it back, telling him it would be alright.

His mother spoke first. "Are you saying you're..."

"I think gaziantep escortlar I'm bi. Bisexual. I still not completely sure. But that doesn't matter to me, because I love Nick. And both of us are moving in together in the old house."

Mr. McCarthy sighed. He looked down at his feet, while his wife stared at her coffee.

"We were afraid this would happen," his father said, his voice low.

His mother stood up before anyone else moved. She looked to her husband, then to Francis, then to Nick. "I thought... well, we came home early one night-a few weeks ago-and heard noises... and your car was outside Nick... we didn't know what to do so we left and came back later. I was hoping we were wrong but..."

"You knew?!" Francis asked.

His father still kept his gaze on the floor, quiet.

His mother answered. "We suspected... we just didn't want to believe it. We need time, Francis. Time to process this."

Francis's father gently nodded. "The bible says homosexuality is a sin, but-"

"Many other things in the bible are also sins," his mother added. "Yet we do them everyday, without a second thought. It says we ought to not mix meat and dairy... yet this entire country lives off of cheeseburgers. And it says eating pork is prohibited. We all do that too."

"It says we can't wear clothes made out of more than one fabric. And that we can't cut our hair our beards. And that women can't speak in church. Nonsense, all of it," Mr. McCarthy said.

His mother agreed. "Yes, a lot of it is outdated. And I guess... there are those who say the homosexuals are unnatural but... if you go outside in this heat you'll see half the horses and cows climbing up on the other males. Happens all the time."

Nick's heart was still pounding, and he could feel Francis shaking. This was not something he'd expected to happen. Francis' body was in overdrive, pumped with testosterone should a fight break out, should he have to defend himself or Nick, or should they have to run. But this was different. This was better than they ever could have imagined.

"But have you tried... not being bisexual?" she asked.

"I don't get to choose who I love, or who I'm attracted to. This is something I was born with, not something I decided to do one day. It's not a 'lifestyle' like veganism or being gluten-free. It's who I am on the inside. And yes, I tried to pretend that I wasn't attracted to men but, you already saw how unhappy I was as a kid. I tried suppressing it but I can't do that anymore. It's too exhausting, too tiring."

"I can't hide this huge part of myself for the rest of my life," he continued. "I've already done that for long enough. And whether you're ready to accept that or not is up to you. My responsibility as your son was to tell you the truth, and I've done that. This doesn't change who I am, or who I'm going to be. I'm still the same person I always was, just happier. And more free. And isn't this what this country is built on? Freedom?"

There was another long silence. Nick squeezed tighter on his hand, and Francis squeezed back. They sat there, wondering what would happened next.

"You're still my son," his mother muttered, her voice weak. "And I still love you. We both do. But this isn't something we grew up with. We were raised thinking one way for our entire lives and now to be told another... to just accept this all of a sudden... it's still hard for us. We need some time to think about this and understand it all."

Francis stood up, followed by Nick. "O-okay. I get that."

His father still didn't meet their gaze, but it was better than being yelled at.

"You can take your things," she said. "We'll help you with the boxes."

"Alright. Thank you."

His mother nodded, giving Nick a short glance before returning her gaze to the floor. Her hands shook slightly as she set her cup down and passed Francis a roll of tape. They packed a few more things before setting them in Francis' truck. Once they had his car full, Francis gave a final wave to his parents before the both got in. Nick gave his parents and awkward smile, though he was relieved to receive a smile back. Despite everything, he realized that Francis' parents still liked him.

"We'll pick up the last few boxes from your place then head over. Sound good?"

Nick nodded, staring through the window.

"You alright?"

"Are you?" Nick asked, turning back to him.

He hesitated. "Yes. I think so. It went better than I thought it would."

"Me too."

Francis was quiet again, concentrating on driving.

"I'm proud of you," Nick said, putting a hand on his thigh.

Francis smiled, turning back towards him. "Thank you for being there for me."

"Of course! How could I let you do that on your own?"

"You could have been torn to shreds by my parents just as much as I could've been."

Nick shook his head. "I'd never have let you do that on your own. I just wondered whether you were uncomfortable with me being there... seeing as I'm the one you're leaving them for."

"I could never be uncomfortable with you around, Nick. That's impossible."

Nick grinned. "I love you."

Francis' smile grew bigger at that. He pecked Nick's cheek while still keeping his attention on the road. He put his hand over Nick's, holding it tight. "I love you more."

Once they got to Nick's house, Francis parked his truck then headed with Nick inside. They were greeted by Nick's mother.

"Almost packed?" she asked.

Nick nodded. "There's a few more things upstairs."

"Hi Mrs. Evans."

"Hello Francis," she said, greeting him with a warm smile. "Do you need help with the boxes?"

"No, ma'am. We can handle it on our own. Don't sweat it."

She nodded, but turned towards her son. "Nick... keep the door... open, please?"

He rolled his eyes. "Mom..."

She bit her lip, realizing her son wasn't exactly a child anymore. "R-right. Sorry. Uh, use protection, okay?"

"MOM!" Nick felt his skin turned red, and Francis couldn't help but laugh.

"We're just here to pick up the boxes, Mrs. Evans," he said to her, watching Nick run up the stairs to avoid his mother.

"Right. Sorry. I just worry, is all."

Francis nodded, looking awkwardly at his feet before facing her again. "I won't let anything bad happen to Nick. I love him. I'll protect him. You can believe me."

Her voice was soft. "I believe you. It's just my job to remind my children-including you."

He grinned at that. "Thank you."

Mrs. Evans got back to her own work before letting Francis join Nick upstairs.

"Sorry about her," Nick said to him, as Francis entered the room.

"Don't be. She just loves you."

"She's so embarrassing sometimes..."

"She loves you, Nick. That's all that matters. Be thankful you have a mother like that. Not everyone does."

He silently agreed with Francis, stuffing a few extra bedsheets and socks into the cardboard boxes.

"Do you think she's alright with us dating?" Francis suddenly asked.

Nick looked at him with concern. "Of course! Why do you ask?"

"I just... I mean I'm a few years older than you. And... well... I'm not college freshman like you. And I don't even have a job to help out with bills."

Nick put his things down and walked over to Francis. He took his hands and lead him to his bed, sitting him down between a few boxes and piles of clothes. "The college thing doesn't matter, Francis. We have a whole summer to prepare for SATs and by September we'll have you applying to colleges. You study and I'll worry about the money."

"You shouldn't be worrying about money though, you should be at college and-"

Nick shook his head. "Texas A