The Cure

Chapter Three

‘’I don’t want to go for this party’’

J.J shakes his head in disbelief. He is frustrated with me but I would rather stay naked in bed with Bren. Parties stopped being important to me the moment I met him. Somehow my priorities shifted and changed and he became the most important person in my life.

‘’You have no choice’’ he is being persistent and somehow, I know I will let him convince me because I also have a soft spot for my best friend ‘’Besides I also talked to Bren about it and he is down for a night out of town. Come on, don’t be a b***h boy right now’’

I roll my eyes ‘’Fine. But you have to tell my mom. Cause that’s the only way she’d allow this on a school night’’

He stands up and fist bumps the air excitedly. He walks out of the room and I know he is about to do some damage. He doesn’t understand that telling my mother would be catastrophic. She will not let him drag me out of town to some party, it won't happen.

After a couple of minutes, he walks back to the room with a successful smile on his face. I already know that it is not going my way, somehow, he found a way to convince my mother to let me go for this.

“She said yes’’ I ask even though I already the know the answer. He jumps on my bed and messes the sheets up ‘’Hell to the f*****g yes. Now get ready. This is a once in a life time opportunity’’

I shake my head because there is no changing his mind. I can't get out of this. ‘’Fine, but we’re picking Bren up first. Not going without him’’

He rolls his eyes and I sigh out loud.

Guess I am going for this party.

Jared’s pov.

‘’I need to talk to you’’ I walk up to him in the library. We are in a corner, hidden by book shelves. He frowns when he notices me and I hate the fact that this is the reaction I am getting from him.

I remember the video and I know how he feels about me. You can't just change emotions in one day. That’s not how it works, unless it’s a situation like mine. Then maybe.

‘’I don’t have anything to say to you’’ he walks away from me in search of something—probably a book. I walk over to him and I know I am in his personal space but I don't move away ‘’Please just a minute. I need your help’’

He stops what he doing and looks at me with a raised brow ‘’What is wrong?’’

I take a deep breath because I have to do this. I know the message said I shouldn’t trust anyone but I can't do this alone and he is the only one I can trust right now. Even though I don’t know him, I want to get to know him again and I want to experience what I saw in those videos again.

‘’Are you okay’’ now he is worried. I can feel it; this guy doesn’t hate me. He might be acting like he does but I can sense it.

“Something happened last night. To me. I don’t know because I can’t remember’’ There we go. I am telling him and it doesn’t feel so bad. He creases his brows in confusion and I get that he doesn’t understand what I am trying to explain to me.

‘’I can’t remember you or anybody’’

He frowns ‘’At all?’’

I nod.

The frown on his face slowly fades and a smile creeps up; now he is amused. I don’t know why because there is nothing funny about the situation.

‘’I am serious Bren. I need you to tell me what happened last night. I woke up today, naked in bed with some strange girl’’

‘’Who’’

‘’I don’t know’’

He laughs and now I know he is angry ‘’Wow, a girl. Even if you wanted to get me back, you’d have at least had s*x with someone on our own gender. Look, don’t pull me back into your drama. I can't deal with it.’’

He walks away from me but I won't let him right now. I follow him as he walsk out of the library and people watch us. No one is saying anything, everyone just keeps staring. It's almost like people are scared of me.

‘’Please wait. Let me explain’’ I grab him by his hands and at the headaches choose that moment to start. I fall to my knees and this time he stops and grabs me gently ‘’Jared’’ he calls my name.

My eyes are closed; I can't see him. A flash of memory comes to me again and tears fall from my eyes as I remember,

MEMORY

‘’No son of mine is gay’’

He is angry—beyond furious. He stands up from the leather couch and paces back and forth the living room. I don’t know what to say; this was a courageous moment for me. I thought it’d be easy. That he would accept me proudly.

I guess I was wrong.

‘’It shouldn’t matter father’’ I sound proud but I have always been proud of my sexuality. The only reason I have hid it for so long is because I wanted to be sure and now I am.

‘’It matters. I won't have people laugh at me for having a sissy as a son’’ his expression is solemn. How can someone spur out hurtful words with a straight face.

‘’I am not a sissy’’ I try to control my breathing because I am getting angry and no one ever likes me when I am angry.

‘’Just go up to your room and we can forget about this conversation. It never happened. Alright?’’

He walks over to the direction of the stairs and I know he is done talking to me but I am not done talking to him. I follow him and he shakes his head “Don’t say anything you will regret. Let me walk away and we can forget this’’

‘’I don’t want to forget this conversation. It is not a big deal father. We are in the 21st century. It's not like it’s a crime or anything. It is just who I am’’

He smiles ‘’And who will that be’’

‘’ I am me, I am Jared Luz. I am still your son. I just love a different s*x than you. It is not a big deal.

‘’It is to me’’

‘’Why?”

He runs his hands through his hair ‘’ No son of mine is gay. Finish. You are not gay. Now get out of my sight’’

I watch him walk away from me and that is the end of the discussion. No understanding my part of it. He doesn’t even care about me.

I walk into the kitchen and my mother is in there “What did he say?” she has a hopeful expression on her face.

‘’He said he is not going to accept me’’ I sit down on the counter stool and she walks up to me ‘’Why won't he just accept me’’

She sighs and her arms are around me ‘’He will come around. Just give him some time’’

I nod.

I open my eyes and I am in bed in the school’s hospital. I don’t remember being unconscious. There is a nurse in front of me and she smiles when I wake up ‘’Oh you’re up’’

‘’What happened?’’ I manage.

‘’Well you fainted. You were very dehydrated. So, we are just pumping some fluids into your body’’ I look at my wrist and surely, I am connected to an IV.

I sit up and she stops me ‘’Relax, you need to rest. We did a blood test and you have residue of Acemorine in your system’’

‘What?’’

‘’Don’ you worry about anything. Your mother is on her way. We'll explain everything to her.’’ she walks away from me without explaining anything. A couple of minutes later, the door opens and Bren walks in with a worried expression.

I smile as he moves closer ‘’Hi’’ he sits down on the chair by the bed. The concern in his eyes is unbelievable. He cannot even hide it, there is no point.

‘’Are you going to help me?’’

He sighs, the brown of his eyes fickle, his gaze shifting back and forth. ‘’I don’t know what to do. First, we have to understand what happened in the first place. I left you last night because you told me to.’’

‘’Did we have a fight?’’

He nods ‘’The worst we ever had. You said some not so great things, well I said my own fair share’’

I sit up ‘’ okay, so I know I went for a party last night, with you and J.J. We got drunk probably, and then we had a fight. I woke up this morning in bed with some girl and she also couldn’t remember what happened last night. She didn’t remember going to the hotel with me’’

Deep crinkles appear on his forehead ‘’The hotel? Is it your hotel?’’

I shrug ‘’ The Maison?’’

He nods ‘’Yes, how did you get there it's like an hour drive from the party. You didn’t drive last night’’

‘’Well I ended up there. I don’t know.’’

‘’We need to find that girl. The one you woke up next to. At least we’d figure out how you left the party’’

I manage a smile ‘’We?’’

He frowns ‘’ I can’t leave you right now. Once you get your memories back. Then we can say our goodbyes’’

‘’What if I don’t want to say goodbye?’’

His expression becomes stoic ‘’Trust me, you’d want to say goodbye when you remember’’

His words sting and I am scared. Maybe remembering isn't such a good idea. I don’t want to say goodbye to him.

He is the only one I trust.