Chapter 7 'Secrets always "cOmE oUt"'

"CASEY!" Stan huffed, "There is no need to be a dick Cas." He concluded with a solemn look on his face. "Yeah, there is no need to be a dick, but I thought you liked dick now!!" Casey fumed, obviously upset with something more than just his brother's sexuality. "STOP IT." I sneered as I threw my calculus textbook onto the hardwood floor, in term creating a loud bang. "Clearly, we have seen something very private and of great importance to Stannos and Marcae. The last thing we should be doing is harshly judging them. Casey if you aren't going to hear them out, then LEAVE! I truly believed you were better than this...I am disappointed in you. If you don't 'approve' of homosexuality, that does not mean you can treat someone, ESPECIALLY your own brother, like a monster for it. Grow the FUCK up, Cas." And with that said, I immediately scooped my belongings from beside the sofa I had been sitting on and tore out the door. By the time anyone responded I was too far to decipher what they had said, and quite frankly I am thankful for it. After running for 20 minutes straight, I remembered one of my favourite spots from when I was younger and decided it would make a nice hideout. There was a clearing nearby with a small pond that shimmered in the sun. I used to go there whenever I was feeling down, I would climb up into the willow trees and sit as I listened to the bird's chirp and crickets sing. I would often stay until the sunset, and I would climb as high as I could to see through the branches. The pond was my sanctuary; A personal heaven. It was just as I had remembered it. On a warm spring evening, a hint of a breeze rocking you to and fro as if tempting you to lay down and close your eyes. The toads croaking and gentle trickles of water were like no music you had ever heard before. This place did something to me, made me feel unshackled from the torments of the world. Best of all, not even Cas knew about this quaint area an hour out of town. This place was my own.

+•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•+

I woke to the sound of leaves rustling and branches swaying. When I had a chance to process my location, I was drowned in a feeling of relief. One would think that staying out all night and not telling anyone where you were would cause massive amounts of panic, this was not the case for me. I was glad I wasn't home to deal with the mess I left behind. It wasn't a school day, so really I could take all the time I needed before heading back. Yes, my mum is probably worried sick; I am too happy to feel any remorse. If I am a monster for thinking this way...I can accept it, as long as I can continue to indulge in this wonderful miracle of nature. For the next few hours, I ate what food I had laying around in my bags, completed some schoolwork, and finally sketched the beautiful scenery surrounding me. It was time to head home. I had been dreading this, but if I stayed my mother would surely file a missing person report. That in itself would not be the worst thing to happen, but if she found out about my special spot I couldn't enjoy it any longer. I had to face my demons. I walked a good ten minutes to the nearest bus stop and hopped on to the 224 bus headed back to the major intersection by my home. I was about five minutes away and started to regret coming back. The house soon came into view, and my eyes were immediately drawn to a police car, and Casey's dad's car at the end of the driveway. I heaved out a sigh, preparing to face the wrath of my family and 'friends'. "Now is a better time than any," I mumbled as I walked right by the parked cars, and to the doorstep to ring the bell.