Words: 1680
TW: use of F-slur tr*nny and toxic Christianity
This won't be updated very often (then again I never update my stories on a normal schedule) and this chapter is short, but I wanted to get it out there.

•<================================>•

Patton was grounded in his room, but grounded was an understatement. His parents had locked him in his room with no phone until he, “got rid of his dirty thoughts, or he’d go to hell.” It felt like prison. His window was locked with the curtains drawn. He dimly stared into space wondering what had happened to land him here. He supposed it went back three months when he’d officially met Remus Sword, the local problem kid on the street. Remus was known for stealing garden signs, specifically ones supporting trump, from people and spray painting obscenities on peoples houses. Whenever Patton’s parents talked about him he was saying things like, “That child is already set straight on the path of damnation,” or, “He oughta be locked away from people.”

Patton had tried talking to Remus before three months ago, but it had never worked out. Remus would hiss at him and call him “goody two shoes”, or most recently “a homophobic boot licking cristian”. The thing is Patton was the furthest thing from homophobic- his parents might’ve but he wasn’t. In fact Patton believed he might be the exact opposite, as he’d begun catching feelings for his childhood friend Logan Berry. But then- Logan began dating Remus in a twist of events Patton didn't expect.

•<================================>•

Three months ago was a Monday. Patton had gotten up immediately after his alarm, because he had his life together at 16. He pulled on polo and his khakis. Then he grabbed the necklace off his side table. It was a gift from his best friend Logan. It was a heart with glasses, and Logan had a matching one that was a brain with glasses. Patton cherished the necklace as the only piece of jewelry he was allowed to wear. His parents were strict on what he could and couldn't wear. It had taken forever to let them, even if their only argument was, "We are not raising a tr*nny in this household!" He'd gotten them to say yes after a lot of begging. Patton pulled on the necklace and hid it under his shirt.

Patton made his way down the stairs humming a tune from a song he didn't know the name of. His little sister sat in her high chair at the dining table ignoring her honey nut cheerios scribbling in pink marker on a piece of paper. His dad was reading the news on his phone mumbling about, "damn liberal snowflakes." His mom was placing bowls of cereal for everyone, "Good morning Patton- Megan put that away and eat your breakfast." She took the paper from Meg and placed it on the table away from Megan. Meg frowned before grabbing her toddler sized spoon with her chubby toddler fingers. Patton took his seat next to each other, and his mom took her seat as well.

She took one bite of her cereal before beginning her daily morning rant, "That boy Remus stole our signs again, I swear he's gonna drive us bankrupt if we have to keep buying more. All that ANTIFA terrorist propaganda has corrupted his mind, its truly terrible what they're doing to our youth."

Patton decided to say something, "I've tried talking to him, but he never listens-"

"If that boy went to church and repented from being a f*g he'd listen to you. But his mind is so corrupt that there ain't anyway that boy is not going to burn in hell," Patton cringed when his dad said the f-slur.

His mom changed the subject, "So I got an email invite to your friend Logan's birthday this Sunday. Do you want to go?"

Patton smiled, any excuse to see Logan was a good one, "Of course I do mom! Can we go to the store later today to get him a present?"

"Oh, yes sweetheart heart we'll go after school," said his mom. They got through the rest of  breakfast without much trouble, and no more chit chat. Patton stood up wanting to get to the bus stop on time. Patton ran out the door grabbing his cardigan, and backpack. It was too hot to actually wear the cardigan so he wrapped it around his shoulders. Patton waved goodbye to his family and made his way to the bus stop. It was a cloudy day while still maintaining the hot summer weather from a month ago. Patton smiled, if this kept up all October he wouldn’t have to wear a jacket on Halloween.

The bus stop was only a few houses away and it didn’t take Patton very long to reach it. But the length of his walk wasn’t what caused his face to pale that morning. A few feet in front of him was Remus and Logan standing at the bus stop. This wasn’t unusual, they all rode on the same bus, but what was unusual was that they seemed to be holding hands. Remus had headphones on and was scrolling through a social media app Patton didn’t recognize, though it might’ve been TikTok. Patton ran over to Logan and pulled on the sleeve of his sweater. Patton didn’t have time to question why he was wearing the sweater.

“Logan, why are you holding hands with- him…!” Patton side eyed Remus. Logan looked at Patton then back at Remus.

“Oh dear- I may have withheld the news of our current relationship from you…” Logan hesitated at first, he knew Patton’s situation and didn’t know how he’d react. Patton didn’t know how to take this. His mind flashed between, “But I like you-” and “Why would Logan do that! He knows it's a sin!”

Patton could only say, “B-but.”

Remus interrupted pulling off his head phones, they were black with hand painted toxic symbols in a neon green, “Is this bible thumper bothering you Logie Bear?” Remus flashed his teeth, he’d filed the canines to be extra sharp in the third grade and bragged about being a vampire. Then he went around biting kids, Patton was one of them and he shivered at the memory.

“My name is Logan, and there’s no need to be hostile Remus, Patton is still my friend.”

“His loss, I bet he’s into getting his ass beat,” Remus laughed at his own joke.
“I’m right here you- meanie!” Patton wasn’t very good at insults.

Remus laughed harder, “Is THAT all you could come up with! There’s so much of me to make fun of and you go for mEanIE.” Remus gestures at himself. Logan elbowed him.

“Behave Remus.” Remus rolled his eyes and pulled on his headphones. Patton directed his attention back to Logan.

“Why?”

“Why what...?”

“If you’re gonna date a boy, that’s kinda fine but still complicated, but out of all the boys you pick REMUS!”

Logan looked at Patton, “I understand where you’re coming from, but when you get past all his juvenile humor he is really smart and nice.”

Patton was in shock, “Isn’t Remus already dating someone?”

“Janus? Yes he is,” Logan said nonchalante. Janus Sawyer, a boy from a few neighborhoods away with a giant birthmark that made it impossible for him to blend in, so he’d gone with standing out. He was basically goth with the exception of Yellow. He’d already gotten a tattoo and several body piercings. Patton’s parents would define him as a damned soul, but Patton, in all honesty, would describe him as kinda hot.

“And you’re okay with it!”

“Yes, we’re all dating.” Patton wanted to ask more questions but the bus pulled up. Logan got on first followed by Remus and then a very confused Patton. ‘Is Logan not monogamous?” he thought, the idea seemed propitious. He’d be told that polyamory was an excuse to cheat on your partner, so why was Logan doing it? Patton thought he could get passed Logan being gay, but his mind was so conflicted. Logan was a good person, so why was he doing bad things?

Patton’s mind raced as he got on the bus. He looked out on the sea of other teens, most lived near here and had all had interacted at some point. The kids from his church sat up front, the ‘cool’ kids sat in the back, and the alt kids sat in the middle. Logan and Remus had sat next to each other, so sitting with Logan was out of the question. The only open seat had no one else in it so Patton sat there. It had been forever since Patton had to sit alone. He hugged his baby blue backpack and looked out the window.

•<================================>•

Patton got off the bus with a smile on his face. Even if he was questioning a lot of things about his beliefs right now he couldn’t let that stop him from being the preppy kid that sat with lonely kids at lunch and helped people pick up their books when someone tripped them. Patton walked into school before hearing someone yell for him, “Patton!” Patton turned and saw Logan.

“Would you like to walk with us?” Logan pointed back to Remus, Janus, and a few other kids Patton didn’t recognize, what he did know about the other kids was they were the LGBTQIA+ of the school.

“Sorry- not thanks, I don’t want to ruin your time with your new friends.”

Logan looked confused, “You wouldn’t be ruining anything, why would you think that?”

Patton looked at the group, “I don’t think we’d mix well-”

“Is this because there gay?”

“Wha- no!”

“It is, isn’t it!” Logan had caught on a lot faster than Patton wanted, “Is that a problem?”

“Definitely not it's just- it goes against christianity-'' Patton was fumbling to justify himself, he didn’ even believe himself.

“I don’t want excuses, if you’re going to be homophobic I don’t think you can hang out with us anymore.”

“But-” Logan turned and left. Patton was so confused, he didn’t know what was right and wrong anymore. Logan’s stance on the matter seemed drastic from his perspective, but Patton understood. He didn’t want to be mean.