TW - abuse kinda

"I'm sorry, dad! I really tried- I just.."

"Nonsense! Christ, all you do is fail and disappoint! Makes me wonder if your brother will end up like you." Keith's dad screamed from across the table, sliding the report card back to his son.

Keith resisted the urge to cry right then and there. He wouldn't cry, or show weakness, not in front of his father. Or mother, who just shook her head in disappointment across from him.

"A B-? Really? Thats almost a C!" His father banged his fist on the table with wild eyes directed straight toward Keith.

Keith just swallowed back the tears and hung his head low, fidgeting with the corners of the paper. "I'm sorry.. Ill try harder next time, I promise." He said in his most calm, monotone voice. He wouldn't want to upset his parents further, he knew what would happen.

His mother raised her voice and stood up with both hands firmly placed on the table.
"Dont you speak to us that way, young man! You think school is all about playing around with your little.. Gay friends and sleeping around with that dumb Indian girl? That's right, Ive seen you two getting all touchy. Or maybe that's your gal pal, and your a homo too?"

Keith's grip on the paper tightened. When it came to his friends, it was hard to keep his mouth shut. "I'm sorry, ma'am, I promise I don't mean any disrespect.. I just want to explain my situation." He said quietly. He always used his fancy vocabulary and apologizes to suck up to adults in his life, just as his parents taught him too. If not, it was a quick slap to the face and a long lecture. So he obeyed, like a defenseless puppy all on it's own, desperate for guidance.

"And, I'm not gay- neither are my friends! You shouldn't view them that way, it's just a big misconception. And I'm not doing anything with Yehl. Shes just a close friend, thats all." He added on to his statement with the calmest voice he could conjure up.

That couldn't be further from the truth. Almost everyone knew about Cole and Peter, no matter how hard they'd hidden it. Rumors spread like wildfire.

But Yehl.. He wasn't quite sure about her. They'd kissed, they held hands all the time, they flirted with eachother. But she never ever expressed the desire for a true, devoted relationship. What if he was just another one of her boy toys? What if he didn't mean anything to her, the way she meant everything to him? He quickly pushed away the thought and focused on the task at hand- pleasing his parents enough to make them believe he was sorry, and finally let him go.

His father stood up next to his mother in a similar manor. "I find that very hard to believe, Keith. Maybe these little friends of yours are the reasons your grades have been dropping, or why your lacking in sports, or why your attitude has grown!" He screamed, quickly stepping closer to Keith at each word.

Keith braced himself for the slap, squeezing his eyes shut with his body tense and gripping onto the paper like his life depended on it. By now, small piles of paper shreddings had piled up on the floor,
another mess for his poor sister to clean up.

His father came nearer and raised his hand, fully intending to hurt.

A few seconds passed, and Keith felt nothing. What was the hold up?

He slowly opened his eyes and caught his father breathing heavily, retreating slowly with a deathly glare. "Your a disappointment, you've always been one. A little shit who doesn't understand his place in this world. Your nothing more than a disgusting piece of filth, you hear me? I can't believe your my own."

Keith nodded slowly and took a few steps back. His head was still pointed down toward the floor, the only way he could avoid looking into his fathers eyes.

"Go back to your room, filth."

Keith followed his fathers orders and walked to his room, careful not to step to loud or breathe to loud or really anything slightly unordinary. If he did anything his parents might see as being disrespectful, he'd get a real slap for sure.

He closed his door as softly as possible and stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, hearing his parents mumbling from the kitchen.

After a moment of no movement, Keith burst into tears and slumped to the floor. He held his knees up to his chest and sobbed silently into it, all the emotions that had been building up and brewing in his gut released and overwhelmed.

Before, he'd brush his fathers words off and convince himself he was just angry and didn't really mean it.

But now, he'd heard it so much he started to believe it. Almost everyday he was reminded of how worthless or disgusting he was. Thats why he became a bully, to target people his parents would hate. He wanted any sort of redeeming quality to his parents- he wanted to make them proud of him. And maybe it would work for a short while. But then they would go back to their old ways, degrading and screaming at him over every small mistake.

He still remembered when he was in the hospital. Instead of his own father comforting him or trying to figure out what happened, he lectured him on how he put a bad name on the family and how distasteful it was for him to lose in a fight.

"A real man should know not to fight over stupid child's play, or at least how to win it! Not get wrecked like whatever this is! Do you have any idea, young man, how this will effect my reputation? Your mother's reputation? If your going to start a real fight, at least do it right!" He'd screamed when he first saw his sons ruined face.

Keith didn't respond and just looked down.

The same day, when Cole had walked in and checked on Keith, his father acted so sweet and innocent. It made his blood boil. But the second he walked out, he turned to Keith with a death glare.

"You seriously let that kid get the best of you? You truly are good for nothing."

Keith continued to sob away all the guilt, all the shame of being a bad son. He'd never make his parents happy, no matter how hard he tried.

Then, a quiet knock on the door. Keith immediately shot up and wiped away his tears and snot, scared to see who it was. "Y-yes?" He asked in a hushed, croaky voice.

"Can I come in?"

Keith felt his fear gradually melt away as he heard that soft little voice through the door. It was just his little sister, Brianna.

"Come on in."

She opened the door quietly and stepped in, a baby in arms. Her hair was messy and undone- and her eyes looked so tired, like she could pass out at any moment.

Keith looked at her with worry. "Are you tired? Here, let me take him. You must be tired taking care of him all day.."

Brianna passed down the baby and let her body relax for once.

Brianna was only 11, but their parents often made her take care of their younger brother, Charlie. They also made her do all the chores, since they were to lazy to do anything themselves, not even parent. Anytime Keith would step in to help, he got pushed away and scolded.

"It's a women's responsibility to handle household choirs, not a man's! Do you have no sense? Its what the Lord commands of us." His mother had said once when he offered to help Brianna do the dishes.

"But mom, shes only 11 and I don't mind help-"

"Nonsense!" Their mother screamed. "Now you go and do something, anything else, boy, or I'll call your father in here. Worthless rat.." She grumbled under her breath.

Keith rocked Charlie in his arms and shushed him as he babbled and cooed. He liked taking care of him, even if his parents frowned down apon it.

Brianna looked up at Keith with tired, sorrowful eyes. "I'm glad they're not mad at you anymore. I'm just so tired.."

"Someday, we can get out of here, okay? Me, you, Charlie, and the future baby."

Their mother was pregnant yet again, another baby boy. Keith felt horrible for his sister, she'd have to take care of that one too.

She nodded quietly, but didn't seem to be convinced.

"Brianna, get your ass over here and pick up these paper shreddings!" Their father yelled from the living room.

"Sorry about that.." Keith said. Now he felt even worse.

Brianna just sighed and walked toward the door, opening and closing it just as gently as she did when she first walked in.

--

Keith hugged his pillow and pretended it was Yehl. He'd do anything to be with her right now, holding her and feeling safe. Together.

As if on cue, he felt his pocket vibrate. Someone must have texted him.

He opened his phone and noticed Yehl calling him. He reluctantly picked up, but kept his voice low so he wouldn't disturb his parents.

"Yehl? It's like 2 am, what are you calling me for? Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Yehl answered just as quietly. " I'm fine, I just couldn't sleep. And I like talking to you. Is there a problem?"

Keith chuckled and let his head lay back. "No, no. We're having the same proble-"

"Are you okay? Your voice sounds all stuffy, like you just got done crying." Yehl interrupted.

Keith cleared his throat. "Huh? I'm fine, probably just.. Allergies.."

Suddenly, Yehl hung up the phone.

"What the hell?" Keith whispered to himself. Maybe her dad walked in and she had to pretend to be asleep, he tried to convince himself. He wouldn't want to call again if that was the case, and it's not like she could reply to a text. He just hoped she was okay.

A few minutes passed, but he couldn't fall asleep. He kept finding himself checking his phone, to see if she had texted or anything.

Then, his window opened.

He jumped up and grabbed the nearest thing,  which was a pencil, and practically screamed.

Yehl poked her head in and grinned at him, putting a finger up to her mouth to signal him to shush.

He stopped screaming and stared at her in shock. "Y-Yehl- what the hell are you doing here?"

Yehl laughed and pulled her entire body through the window, catching herself with her hands before finally standing before him.

"You sounded sad, and you were denying it. So I just decided to come over to see for myself! I don't want my wonderful boyfriend to be upset without me here to comfort him!"

Keith's eyes widened at her calling him "boyfriend". She never said that before, let alone asked him out. This really was getting confusing.

"This is..Kind of like that scene in Heather's with Veronica and JD." He said without thinking.

Lily smiled and took his hand. "Yeah, except I'm not gonna try to bomb the school or you!"  She joked. She always thought it was cute when Keith would randomly bring up his niche interests."But anyway, your eyes are seriously red..Are you high on crack, or crying? Be honest with me." She said with genuine concern.

Keith gulped and decided to tell the truth. "I was crying.. A little bit ago. But I'm fine now, don't worry-"

"No, your not."

Keith just remained silent and looked down.

"Come here," Yehl said quietly as she wrapped her arms around Keith and just stayed there for a while.

Keiths arms hung beside him for while, until realization hit.

"Yehl, you snuck in through my window! How did you even do that? My parents had to have heard me scream, you have to lea-"

Yehl pressed a finger up to Keiths mouth. "You just noticed? Shh, or else they will hear you. Or do I have to kiss you?" She teased.

Keith held his breath and grabbed Yehls arm, gently lowering it. "That.. That won't be necessary. I guess I'm just freaking out, I mean, you just got in through my window!"

Yehl rolled her eyes with a small chuckle and sat down on his bed. "You want me to come in from your front door next time?"

She looked around at his room for a minute. "I didn't know you were religious," She said, looking directly at the cross that hung beside Keiths bed. Other than that and a few metals and awards on the floor, his room was empty.

Keith sighed and sat next to her. "Im not, my parents are." He paused for a moment before speaking again. "I'm glad you came, but it would've been nice to get at least a text before you barge in like that?"

"I wasn't thinking rationally," Yehl said as she scooched closer to him. "I guess I just really missed you. We haven't talk since.." She counted on her fingers for a moment, before Keith interrupted her. "Yesterday, during lunch?"

"Yes! Forever ago!"

Keith sighed and leaned back against the wall. "But i'm tired, and you should get home soon."

Yehl tilted her head to rest on Keiths shoulder. "Can't I stay a little longer?"

Keith nodded and let his eyes rest. He could feel her body heat leaning against him, the world felt like it had stopped and it was just him and her now. Keith never felt this relaxed with anyone, he was always on edge.

-

Keith grumbled at his alarm waking him up. It was already time for school? He could've sworn he was just here with Yehl-

His eyes shot open and began searching for Yehl, but no one was there. Did he just dream that she snuck in last night?

Keith noticed a neon pink sticky note stuck to his alarm.

"Morning, sleepyhead. You fell asleep while I was over, so I just went ahead and went after a while. xx - Yehl" With a goofy doodle of Yehl making a kissy face on the note. Keith took the sticky note and stuffed it in his pocket, it was something to look back to later.