Madeline watched with worry as father and son sized each other up for the first time since Paul's death. Tommy had been preoccupied with grief at the time and they hadn't spoken much for that entire week. The subsequent weekly phone calls that Tommy felt he had been forced to endure had never been more than pleasantries. She was worried because of the circumstances that had brought them back to the United States though. She was running again and she knew it. All the excuses she had made up in her mind were not enough to change that, but she wanted to protect her son, and Steven had given them the chance at a new start. So she ran, but she couldn't run away from Tommy, who sat beside her for that entire plane trip with his headphones blaring and his resentful glare tearing through her heart every time she tried to speak with him. She knew, despite his seeming to come to terms with the move, that it was going to take a long time for him to forgive her, and she was willing, for the time being, to give him his space.
Tommy had tried to ignore his father upon disembarking, but Steven was happy to see his son for only the second time since Madeline had moved him to England. He gathered Tommy's slight frame up in his arms and hugged him, almost lifting him from the floor.
"It's so good to see you, Tommy," he declared. "It's been too long. You've grown so much!"
"Well, Steven," Tommy said carefully and deliberately, secretly pleased when he noticed that Steven had winced at his proper name being used instead of 'Dad'. "You couldn't have expected me to stay ten years old forever, could you?"
Madeline pulled Tommy away from his father and smiled nervously up at her ex.
"Pardon him, Ste," she said. "It's been a long trip. He misses his friends."
"It's okay, Mad." He leaned in and gave her a short kiss on the cheek. "I understand. It's going to take some time to adjust."
Tommy rolled his eyes from where he stood behind his mother. He wished they wouldn't talk about him as if he weren't there. He pulled out his mobile as a distraction and thumbed it on. He had messages from Nigel and Liam, but nothing from Richard. He knew he shouldn't have been disappointed. He had tried not to expect anything else, but he couldn't help it.
"Ready to go, kiddo?" Steven broke into Tommy's dismal thoughts about the possible states of depression Richard might have gotten himself into that might cause him not to ring.
"Yeah." Tommy snapped his phone shut with a scowl.
His mood did not improve as the newly reunited family made their way outside. It was unfathomably bright. The sky was clear and blue, and the landscape, to Tommy, seemed barren. It was the type of thing he'd only seen in films and was in stark contrast to the city he'd left behind. He sighed to himself as a gust of hot wind hit him. This was not how his world was supposed to look.
He checked his phone for messages again as his father drove around town giving his mother the grand tour. Tommy only pretended to pay attention as Steven pointed out the high school, the casino resorts, and the golf courses. He tried to make the dusty town seem exciting and interesting, but Tommy didn't see it.
"And we're only an hour away from Vegas!" He finally said and turned slightly in Tommy's direction as they waited at a red light. "Maybe when you're old enough..."
"Whatever." Tommy grumbled. He pulled the headphones that had been hanging around his neck over his ears and turned his music up as loudly as it would go. He was in no mood to make small talk with his father, especially about any impending coming of age bonding trips to Las Vegas. He shuddered to think of what such an exercise would involve as he was sure that he and his father's tastes were far divergent when it came to the entertainment possibilities of that city. Had it been another time with any other person it might have been an interesting prospect.
He sighed as he watched his mother lay a hand on his father's shoulder and whispered in his ear. He knew she was advising him not to engage in conversation. Tommy crossed his arms and another scowl formed. He didn't want her to mediate. He wanted his father to be uncomfortable. He wanted them both to feel every inch of his resentment, because he didn't feel like forgiving either of them.
There was a cactus in the front yard of the modest house that was to become Tommy's new home. He regarded the spiny plant curiously and kicked at the pebbles that covered the yard. There was nothing there that could conventionally be called grass. As soon as he was shown his room, he slammed the door in his parent's faces and made a home amid the boxes of his belongings that had been shipped prior to their arrival. He frowned at the amount of unpacking he was going to have to do. It could wait though. He called Nigel, who answered on the first ring, instead.
"You made it!" Nigel said excitedly. "How's America?"
"Uhh?" Tommy laughed at his friend's exuberance. "Well there's a cactus..."
"Cool!"
"Not cool, Nigel," Tommy grumbled. "Cactus and dirt...so not cool."
He could just about see Nigel's pensive face as he thought about how to answer.
"Hey," he said softly. "It's not Alabama."
"Yeah," Tommy huffed. "It's not anything! It's the fucking Mojave Desert. You can not even fucking imagine it, Nigel. I want to come home."
"We want you back. The band...Liam..." his words faltered.
Tommy frowned. He poked at a box with his finger. He didn't want to think about the band or what Liam had to do with anything. Liam, despite acting like he always had better things to do than hanging out with his band mates, had called. It was more than he could say for some people.
"How's Richey?"
"He hasn't called you?"
"Don't sound so surprised," Tommy replied. "He's never going to, is he?"
"Tom..."
"We both know he won't, so don't try to comfort me. Just tell me how he is."
"I don't know. Haven't seen him."
"He needs a friend," Tommy murmured. "Just...take care of him for me, okay, and let me know what's going on."
"Yeah," Nigel said. "You're right. I will."
"Okay," Tommy replied softly, seemingly satisfied with the answer. "Look, I'm going to sleep now, okay? It was a really long flight. Talk to you later?"
"Yep," Nigel confirmed. "Bye, Tom."
"Bye."
Tommy stared at his mobile once they had bid their goodbyes. He scowled again and tossed the device on his bed then followed it with a sigh.
***
His school days were lonely and desolate once they started. He had always had friends at school, even when he had attended public school. To be in a strange town in a foreign country was at once terrifying and exciting. He was made to stand up in front of his classes and introduce himself, and he was painfully aware of how different he was in comparison to the peers that stared back at him, from the cut of his hair, to the clothes he was wearing to the most obvious point of all...his accent. He hid his fright at the situation behind a cocky swagger that won him a few curious admirers and just as many enemies. Friends seemed to be out of the question. Those that did like him only seemed to be intrigued by his nationality. Those that didn't, objected to his carefully crafted attitude of nonchalance or his habit of wearing occasional eyeliner, plucking his eyebrows into a perfectly manicured arch, and wearing tight T-shirts. The gay rumors started almost as soon as he hit the door on his first day. The weeks seemed to tick by ever more slowly as he entertained the small group that had attached themselves to him with grand stories of how awesome England was. His detractors he only regarded with smirking superiority as he passed them in the corridors. He tried not to provoke them too much and did his best to ignore them, but ignoring them never had been a strong point with him. What was worse was having to go home and pretend everything was alright to his parents and then retire to his room where he could cry away the day's insults as he listened to his favorite Eutectic album in solitude.
Richard wasn't there, and he wouldn't even call. Tommy didn't know how he was going to make it through his American experience. He didn't think he could do it alone; he didn't think he was that strong.
Those first few weeks were a miserable pattern of going to school, pretending to be confident, then coming home and falling apart behind closed doors. It made him tired and irritable, and it made his parents worried. He would barely speak to them. He would barely eat. Steven suggested therapy. Madeline suggested time and space. Then they would argue about what trouble time and space had caused in the first place.
Tommy realized he had to do something to break the horrible monotony of his new life. He skipped study period one day and went to lunch early instead. That was where he met Graeme Alexander.
***
He was reading a book alone outside underneath a palm tree, and he was wearing a Eutectic shirt. Tommy was immediately drawn to him and could only hope that the shirt wasn't just some kind of random fashion statement, but maybe it meant he might be on the verge of meeting somebody that he actually had something in common with.
"Is anybody sitting here?" He gestured towards a spot on the ground next to Graeme.
Graeme looked up from his reading material curiously as he swept the long fringe of hair that covered his eyes back behind his ear. He glance towards the spot then towards Tommy again with a slight grin. It was a enough to reveal the dimples in his cheeks and Tommy fought hard to keep the blush from rising to his face.
"Unless the invisible man recently enrolled, I'm pretty sure there isn't," he said.
Tommy smirked back at him, well aware that it was a joke as there was no malice behind the sarcasm. He chuckled and sat down.
"What are you reading?" he asked.
"A Lost Lady, by Willa Cather," Graeme declared. "I don't get it. Honors English isn't what it's cracked up to be."
"Nah," Tommy replied. "Nothing ever is."
"So, what's your name?" Graeme asked.
"I'm Tom Sinclair." Tommy offered his hand with a smile. His arms had a couple bands of gaffer tape around them. It had no particular reason for being there at that moment other than it tended to drive adults crazy for some reason.
"Graeme Alexander." The other boy shook his head to get his hair out of his eyes before shaking Tommy's hand firmly. "You're not from around here." He brushed his hair back once again and apologized for it's unruliness. "It has a mind of it's own," he said.
"It's so mod," Tommy noted with a sly grin.
"Really?" Graeme grinned back. It was the widest smile Tommy had ever witnessed.
"Because that's what I was going for," Graeme continued then confessed, "Actually, I like to call it the 'exasperate your parents and chase away all the girls' haircut, but I like it. So fuck 'em."
"Good idea," Tommy said. "I might try it, except I've exasperated my parents enough. Look at my punishment." He made a sweeping gesture towards his surroundings and sighed. He didn't think he was ever going to get used to the wide opened spaces, the dust and the dirt, or the strange angular flora.
"You're from the UK?" Graeme questioned.
"England, London, yeah," Tommy supplied.
"Sounds like a blast!" Graeme looked wistfully out on the Nevadan landscape. "Why in the good Lord Almighty's name are you in Mesquite, Nevada then?"
Tommy grimaced. "Unmittigating circumstances."
He didn't want to get into it with Graeme, and Graeme, to his credit, didn't press the issue.
"Well, welcome to suckville," Graeme announced. "It doesn't get any better than this...unfortunately.
Tommy giggled slightly. "So you're not impressed by the Resorts? The Golf Courses?"
"It's not Vegas," Graeme replied. "Hell, it's not even Laughlin!"
Tommy chuckled, but said nothing, leaving the conversation to Graeme.
"I haven't seen you around," Graeme said. "Is this your first day in the Enchanted land of Oz?"
"Nah, I usually don't eat this period," Tommy shrugged. "I decided to eat a bit early today."
"Oh, you just decided that, did you?"
"Yea. It's a study period anyway." Tommy grinned. "What? Does that violate your moral standards, because if your standards are that high...I might as well be leaving now, because I'll never be able to live up to them!"
Graeme laughed, "No. I don't care. Aren't you worried about being caught?"
Tommy shrugged, "No, I just needed some time away from all these brain dead fucking arseholes that follow me around all day."
"Yea, I have that problem too." Graeme rolled his eyes.
"So, you like Eutectic?" Tommy nodded towards Graeme's shirt.
"Oh, yea!" Graeme replied enthusiastically. "They're one of my favorite bands."
"Me too," Tommy said.
They continued their lunch and conversation until the bell rang. As it turned out they at least had similar musical tastes, which Tommy was grateful for. Besides that, Graeme seemed like he might actually be fun. They parted with plans to meet the next morning and ride to school together. Graeme had just gotten his license and a new used car from the lot that his father owned.
***
Dinner that night was a quiet affair, as were most dinners in the Sinclair household. They were seated around the dining room table despite the casual affair: a weeknight meal of pizza. Madeline insisted on having "Family Time." One hour per day she sat them down at the table over take out or her attempts at cooking and she asked them about their days. Steven tried his best to get Tommy interested in the garage where he worked, but his father's enthusiasm about engines only made Tommy roll his eyes, despite his best efforts not to. Then Madeline would ask Tommy what he did in school and he would reply that he did nothing.
He wouldn't tell her that he got called names. He wouldn't tell her that he skipped study period, and he wouldn't tell her how he felt. He didn't think he would ever again.
He did have something to say when Madeline asked how school was that night though. He couldn't avoid it.
"Yeah," he said in reply to her query. "I'm not going to need a ride to school tomorrow, Steve." He looked wickedly up at his father, who's mouth was drawn in a thin, hard line. He didn't find Tommy's insistence on using his first name amusing at all. He hadn't said anything about it though.
"Why not?" he said through clenched teeth. Madeline only sat by and fidgeted nervously as her gaze flicked between the two men in her life.
"My friend's going to pick me up," he said with a shrug. He returned to concentrating on his pizza as he let his announcement sink in.
"Who is this friend?" Madeline finally replied. The worry was apparent in her voice.
"His name's Graeme," Tommy said.
"And he has a driver's license?"
"Yeah," Tommy replied pointedly. "He got it as soon as he turned sixteen. His dad owns that one used car dealership."
"Maybe I don't want you riding around with someone who just got their license," she said.
"Why not? What the hell is he going to run into? There's nothing here!"
"Watch your language, son," Steven spoke up, effectively silencing any reply Madeline had.
Tommy briefly thought about letting fly another sarcastic reply. It wouldn't do any good though. He'd eavesdropped on their conversations about him before. He didn't want to go into therapy.
"Sorry..." He replied instead, and turned his defiant gaze towards his half eaten slice of pizza. "I thought you guys wanted me to make friends?"
"We do, but..." Madeline started to speak, but suddenly stopped and looked at Steven. She struggled for a moment with how to put her worry into words without alerting him to their son's sexuality. She had promised she wouldn't tell until Tommy was ready.
"I'm going to meet him before things get out of hand, alright?" she said pointedly.
Tommy only glared at her. He got her meaning well enough and didn't think it was even worth a reply.
"May I be excused?" He replied instead
"You've barely eaten," Steven said.
Madeline lay an arm on his hand and shushed him. Then she nodded permission towards Tommy. He stood up, thanked his father for the pizza and trudged upstairs. He suddenly wasn't feeling well. That was what he told himself as he diverted his path from his room towards the bathroom.
Tommy had tried to ignore his father upon disembarking, but Steven was happy to see his son for only the second time since Madeline had moved him to England. He gathered Tommy's slight frame up in his arms and hugged him, almost lifting him from the floor.
"It's so good to see you, Tommy," he declared. "It's been too long. You've grown so much!"
"Well, Steven," Tommy said carefully and deliberately, secretly pleased when he noticed that Steven had winced at his proper name being used instead of 'Dad'. "You couldn't have expected me to stay ten years old forever, could you?"
Madeline pulled Tommy away from his father and smiled nervously up at her ex.
"Pardon him, Ste," she said. "It's been a long trip. He misses his friends."
"It's okay, Mad." He leaned in and gave her a short kiss on the cheek. "I understand. It's going to take some time to adjust."
Tommy rolled his eyes from where he stood behind his mother. He wished they wouldn't talk about him as if he weren't there. He pulled out his mobile as a distraction and thumbed it on. He had messages from Nigel and Liam, but nothing from Richard. He knew he shouldn't have been disappointed. He had tried not to expect anything else, but he couldn't help it.
"Ready to go, kiddo?" Steven broke into Tommy's dismal thoughts about the possible states of depression Richard might have gotten himself into that might cause him not to ring.
"Yeah." Tommy snapped his phone shut with a scowl.
His mood did not improve as the newly reunited family made their way outside. It was unfathomably bright. The sky was clear and blue, and the landscape, to Tommy, seemed barren. It was the type of thing he'd only seen in films and was in stark contrast to the city he'd left behind. He sighed to himself as a gust of hot wind hit him. This was not how his world was supposed to look.
He checked his phone for messages again as his father drove around town giving his mother the grand tour. Tommy only pretended to pay attention as Steven pointed out the high school, the casino resorts, and the golf courses. He tried to make the dusty town seem exciting and interesting, but Tommy didn't see it.
"And we're only an hour away from Vegas!" He finally said and turned slightly in Tommy's direction as they waited at a red light. "Maybe when you're old enough..."
"Whatever." Tommy grumbled. He pulled the headphones that had been hanging around his neck over his ears and turned his music up as loudly as it would go. He was in no mood to make small talk with his father, especially about any impending coming of age bonding trips to Las Vegas. He shuddered to think of what such an exercise would involve as he was sure that he and his father's tastes were far divergent when it came to the entertainment possibilities of that city. Had it been another time with any other person it might have been an interesting prospect.
He sighed as he watched his mother lay a hand on his father's shoulder and whispered in his ear. He knew she was advising him not to engage in conversation. Tommy crossed his arms and another scowl formed. He didn't want her to mediate. He wanted his father to be uncomfortable. He wanted them both to feel every inch of his resentment, because he didn't feel like forgiving either of them.
There was a cactus in the front yard of the modest house that was to become Tommy's new home. He regarded the spiny plant curiously and kicked at the pebbles that covered the yard. There was nothing there that could conventionally be called grass. As soon as he was shown his room, he slammed the door in his parent's faces and made a home amid the boxes of his belongings that had been shipped prior to their arrival. He frowned at the amount of unpacking he was going to have to do. It could wait though. He called Nigel, who answered on the first ring, instead.
"You made it!" Nigel said excitedly. "How's America?"
"Uhh?" Tommy laughed at his friend's exuberance. "Well there's a cactus..."
"Cool!"
"Not cool, Nigel," Tommy grumbled. "Cactus and dirt...so not cool."
He could just about see Nigel's pensive face as he thought about how to answer.
"Hey," he said softly. "It's not Alabama."
"Yeah," Tommy huffed. "It's not anything! It's the fucking Mojave Desert. You can not even fucking imagine it, Nigel. I want to come home."
"We want you back. The band...Liam..." his words faltered.
Tommy frowned. He poked at a box with his finger. He didn't want to think about the band or what Liam had to do with anything. Liam, despite acting like he always had better things to do than hanging out with his band mates, had called. It was more than he could say for some people.
"How's Richey?"
"He hasn't called you?"
"Don't sound so surprised," Tommy replied. "He's never going to, is he?"
"Tom..."
"We both know he won't, so don't try to comfort me. Just tell me how he is."
"I don't know. Haven't seen him."
"He needs a friend," Tommy murmured. "Just...take care of him for me, okay, and let me know what's going on."
"Yeah," Nigel said. "You're right. I will."
"Okay," Tommy replied softly, seemingly satisfied with the answer. "Look, I'm going to sleep now, okay? It was a really long flight. Talk to you later?"
"Yep," Nigel confirmed. "Bye, Tom."
"Bye."
Tommy stared at his mobile once they had bid their goodbyes. He scowled again and tossed the device on his bed then followed it with a sigh.
***
His school days were lonely and desolate once they started. He had always had friends at school, even when he had attended public school. To be in a strange town in a foreign country was at once terrifying and exciting. He was made to stand up in front of his classes and introduce himself, and he was painfully aware of how different he was in comparison to the peers that stared back at him, from the cut of his hair, to the clothes he was wearing to the most obvious point of all...his accent. He hid his fright at the situation behind a cocky swagger that won him a few curious admirers and just as many enemies. Friends seemed to be out of the question. Those that did like him only seemed to be intrigued by his nationality. Those that didn't, objected to his carefully crafted attitude of nonchalance or his habit of wearing occasional eyeliner, plucking his eyebrows into a perfectly manicured arch, and wearing tight T-shirts. The gay rumors started almost as soon as he hit the door on his first day. The weeks seemed to tick by ever more slowly as he entertained the small group that had attached themselves to him with grand stories of how awesome England was. His detractors he only regarded with smirking superiority as he passed them in the corridors. He tried not to provoke them too much and did his best to ignore them, but ignoring them never had been a strong point with him. What was worse was having to go home and pretend everything was alright to his parents and then retire to his room where he could cry away the day's insults as he listened to his favorite Eutectic album in solitude.
Richard wasn't there, and he wouldn't even call. Tommy didn't know how he was going to make it through his American experience. He didn't think he could do it alone; he didn't think he was that strong.
Those first few weeks were a miserable pattern of going to school, pretending to be confident, then coming home and falling apart behind closed doors. It made him tired and irritable, and it made his parents worried. He would barely speak to them. He would barely eat. Steven suggested therapy. Madeline suggested time and space. Then they would argue about what trouble time and space had caused in the first place.
Tommy realized he had to do something to break the horrible monotony of his new life. He skipped study period one day and went to lunch early instead. That was where he met Graeme Alexander.
***
He was reading a book alone outside underneath a palm tree, and he was wearing a Eutectic shirt. Tommy was immediately drawn to him and could only hope that the shirt wasn't just some kind of random fashion statement, but maybe it meant he might be on the verge of meeting somebody that he actually had something in common with.
"Is anybody sitting here?" He gestured towards a spot on the ground next to Graeme.
Graeme looked up from his reading material curiously as he swept the long fringe of hair that covered his eyes back behind his ear. He glance towards the spot then towards Tommy again with a slight grin. It was a enough to reveal the dimples in his cheeks and Tommy fought hard to keep the blush from rising to his face.
"Unless the invisible man recently enrolled, I'm pretty sure there isn't," he said.
Tommy smirked back at him, well aware that it was a joke as there was no malice behind the sarcasm. He chuckled and sat down.
"What are you reading?" he asked.
"A Lost Lady, by Willa Cather," Graeme declared. "I don't get it. Honors English isn't what it's cracked up to be."
"Nah," Tommy replied. "Nothing ever is."
"So, what's your name?" Graeme asked.
"I'm Tom Sinclair." Tommy offered his hand with a smile. His arms had a couple bands of gaffer tape around them. It had no particular reason for being there at that moment other than it tended to drive adults crazy for some reason.
"Graeme Alexander." The other boy shook his head to get his hair out of his eyes before shaking Tommy's hand firmly. "You're not from around here." He brushed his hair back once again and apologized for it's unruliness. "It has a mind of it's own," he said.
"It's so mod," Tommy noted with a sly grin.
"Really?" Graeme grinned back. It was the widest smile Tommy had ever witnessed.
"Because that's what I was going for," Graeme continued then confessed, "Actually, I like to call it the 'exasperate your parents and chase away all the girls' haircut, but I like it. So fuck 'em."
"Good idea," Tommy said. "I might try it, except I've exasperated my parents enough. Look at my punishment." He made a sweeping gesture towards his surroundings and sighed. He didn't think he was ever going to get used to the wide opened spaces, the dust and the dirt, or the strange angular flora.
"You're from the UK?" Graeme questioned.
"England, London, yeah," Tommy supplied.
"Sounds like a blast!" Graeme looked wistfully out on the Nevadan landscape. "Why in the good Lord Almighty's name are you in Mesquite, Nevada then?"
Tommy grimaced. "Unmittigating circumstances."
He didn't want to get into it with Graeme, and Graeme, to his credit, didn't press the issue.
"Well, welcome to suckville," Graeme announced. "It doesn't get any better than this...unfortunately.
Tommy giggled slightly. "So you're not impressed by the Resorts? The Golf Courses?"
"It's not Vegas," Graeme replied. "Hell, it's not even Laughlin!"
Tommy chuckled, but said nothing, leaving the conversation to Graeme.
"I haven't seen you around," Graeme said. "Is this your first day in the Enchanted land of Oz?"
"Nah, I usually don't eat this period," Tommy shrugged. "I decided to eat a bit early today."
"Oh, you just decided that, did you?"
"Yea. It's a study period anyway." Tommy grinned. "What? Does that violate your moral standards, because if your standards are that high...I might as well be leaving now, because I'll never be able to live up to them!"
Graeme laughed, "No. I don't care. Aren't you worried about being caught?"
Tommy shrugged, "No, I just needed some time away from all these brain dead fucking arseholes that follow me around all day."
"Yea, I have that problem too." Graeme rolled his eyes.
"So, you like Eutectic?" Tommy nodded towards Graeme's shirt.
"Oh, yea!" Graeme replied enthusiastically. "They're one of my favorite bands."
"Me too," Tommy said.
They continued their lunch and conversation until the bell rang. As it turned out they at least had similar musical tastes, which Tommy was grateful for. Besides that, Graeme seemed like he might actually be fun. They parted with plans to meet the next morning and ride to school together. Graeme had just gotten his license and a new used car from the lot that his father owned.
***
Dinner that night was a quiet affair, as were most dinners in the Sinclair household. They were seated around the dining room table despite the casual affair: a weeknight meal of pizza. Madeline insisted on having "Family Time." One hour per day she sat them down at the table over take out or her attempts at cooking and she asked them about their days. Steven tried his best to get Tommy interested in the garage where he worked, but his father's enthusiasm about engines only made Tommy roll his eyes, despite his best efforts not to. Then Madeline would ask Tommy what he did in school and he would reply that he did nothing.
He wouldn't tell her that he got called names. He wouldn't tell her that he skipped study period, and he wouldn't tell her how he felt. He didn't think he would ever again.
He did have something to say when Madeline asked how school was that night though. He couldn't avoid it.
"Yeah," he said in reply to her query. "I'm not going to need a ride to school tomorrow, Steve." He looked wickedly up at his father, who's mouth was drawn in a thin, hard line. He didn't find Tommy's insistence on using his first name amusing at all. He hadn't said anything about it though.
"Why not?" he said through clenched teeth. Madeline only sat by and fidgeted nervously as her gaze flicked between the two men in her life.
"My friend's going to pick me up," he said with a shrug. He returned to concentrating on his pizza as he let his announcement sink in.
"Who is this friend?" Madeline finally replied. The worry was apparent in her voice.
"His name's Graeme," Tommy said.
"And he has a driver's license?"
"Yeah," Tommy replied pointedly. "He got it as soon as he turned sixteen. His dad owns that one used car dealership."
"Maybe I don't want you riding around with someone who just got their license," she said.
"Why not? What the hell is he going to run into? There's nothing here!"
"Watch your language, son," Steven spoke up, effectively silencing any reply Madeline had.
Tommy briefly thought about letting fly another sarcastic reply. It wouldn't do any good though. He'd eavesdropped on their conversations about him before. He didn't want to go into therapy.
"Sorry..." He replied instead, and turned his defiant gaze towards his half eaten slice of pizza. "I thought you guys wanted me to make friends?"
"We do, but..." Madeline started to speak, but suddenly stopped and looked at Steven. She struggled for a moment with how to put her worry into words without alerting him to their son's sexuality. She had promised she wouldn't tell until Tommy was ready.
"I'm going to meet him before things get out of hand, alright?" she said pointedly.
Tommy only glared at her. He got her meaning well enough and didn't think it was even worth a reply.
"May I be excused?" He replied instead
"You've barely eaten," Steven said.
Madeline lay an arm on his hand and shushed him. Then she nodded permission towards Tommy. He stood up, thanked his father for the pizza and trudged upstairs. He suddenly wasn't feeling well. That was what he told himself as he diverted his path from his room towards the bathroom.
