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⧫Jackson Young
Kings Mansion Apartment Complex, Cluoshire
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Do you know what's fun about a hangover?
Absolutely ... fucking nothing.....
"Argh..."
My head felt like it was splitting apart and whatever was vibrating and making loud ringing noises wasn't helping! It took a few sleep sluggish moments to realize that it was my phone before I rather blindly reached for it. I wasn't nearly awake enough to even pay attention to who was calling, nor did I care. I just needed it to stop!!
"...He...loo?"
My voice was rough with sleep and I almost fell back to sleep just waiting for a response.
'Ugh, I'm so fucking tired...'
"Jackie?"
A soft but firm female voice called out to me. At first, it didn't quite process however after a few seconds I recognized the voice and my eyes shot open.
"Amy??"
Her responding laugh was light and happy. A soft smile pulled to my lips at hearing it. You see what I told my grams about Amy and I wasn't complete bull. We didn't actually get along romantically however we did become friends. When I first met Amy, I will admit I was a bit of a prick to her.
Grams had tried to heavy-hand me into having a date with her and I just wanted to be left alone. Funnily enough, I wasn't the only one who was persuaded into the meeting.
Amy didn't like me at all either and she certainly didn't hide it. However, after talking to her, I slowly began to understand her situation.
You see Amy is a lesbian and her family didn't quite know what to do about it. Originally the date was a trial of sorts from her parents. They didn't quite believe she was uninterested in boys, just have found "the right one". After I explained my slightly similar situation, we devised a plan that would benefit us both. And for the next month, we pretended to date.
It was actually pretty fun, Amy made it easy and we could both "appreciate" the finer side of humanity. I would even dare to say we were closer friends than me and the boys. It just was less stressful, I guess? Our "relationship" soon ended when she finally found the "one". We "broke up" and went out separate ways for a while just to make sure it stuck. This was the first time I had gotten calls from her since then but to be honest I'm just happy to hear from her.
"Amy, how are you?" I said with a smile even though she couldn't see it.
"'How am I'? Oh, ho boy, you really don't know what going on do you?" She said in a rather teasing voice.
I frown a bit, this was one part of Amy's personality that could get on my nerves. She loves to tease me at any given time, she knows too much about me and loves to rub it in when she cans.
"What the hell does that mean?" I said with a grunt.
I could practically see her cat-like smile from over here. I knew she was doing it, no doubt at all.
"Oh man, this is gonna be great. Look, I'll be calling again later, tiger. But if I were you, I would check out your socials."
She then just hangs up like that. I frown deeper looking down at my phone however my eyes soon grow wide at looking. There were over 50 notifications, 15 missed phone calls and a mess of other things.
'What the hell...'
Just as I was about to get up off my bed, I hear a soft knock on my door.
"Sweetheart? You up yet?"
"Mom??"
What was my mother doing- A sharp pain shot up my spine as a reminder of my hangover. I slowly get up and walk over to my door. Opening it up, I come face to face with my mother. She looks at me for a few seconds before giving me a small smile.
"Good morning!"
"Morning ma.." I responded, still a bit confused about why she's here but still thankful none the less.
She then suddenly pats me on the cheek and gives me a long look of understanding? Which really set a small alarm off in the back of my head.
"Come on down, your dad has cooked you breakfast." She said before walking back towards the stairs.
"Wait, Dad's here too?" I asked after her.
"Of course he's here, so is your grandmother so get ready and come down."
Huh.. that was strange. I sort of stood there awkwardly for a few seconds just watching as she was headed down the stairs when suddenly, midway through she stops.
"I hope you know how proud I am of you. No matter what you are always my most precious gift."
My face couldn't be redder at this moment, ugh how embarrassing!
"Jesus ma.."
She just smiles and disappeared downstairs. For a few seconds, I just stood there. Now not to doubt my mother's sincerity but she usually doesn't just say stuff like that. It was something that I always wondered about when my parent's relationship. My dad was more soft-hearted and ridiculously domestic with her. My mother was usually pretty stern and businesslike, just like my grams. The two didn't match at all but they somehow made it work.
I just let out a sigh before shaking my head.
'Whatever it is. It's probably nothing' I thought and then wrote it off my mind.
I quickly got ready and headed down the stairs. As I reached close to the bottom the mouth-watering scent of my father's cooking greeted me. My mother was seated in the kitchen while my father was standing still by the stove cooking. My grandmother, on the other hand, was seated in the living room on her phone. Judging by her face, the conversation she was having wasn't a pleasant one.
"Morning Grams!" I say to her.
She just shoots me a look, no response.
'Uh oh'
There are three modes of angry for my grams. Stage 1 symptoms are usually mild disappointment with a mild side eye. This stage is generally a normal setting and can be ignored or barter out of very easily. Stage 2 is yelling and punishment with vicious side eyes. This stage I try to avoid as much as possible and/or keep to a limited appearance but just sometimes, it's unavoidable. Lastly and the most terrifying, Side eyes and silences. I immediately knew something was wrong and it was most likely my fault.
"Grams-?"
"Jackson, come sit down, the food's ready." My father's voice called over to me.
I wander over to the kitchen, still curious about what was going on with my Grandmother. She still was unresponsive to me and was heavily engaged in her hushed conversation. It was early today so there was no way I could have done something already to upset her, ... unless...
"Uhh, did something happen yesterday?" I asked casually, taking a seat.
My parents looked at each other before at me. Both of them had an eerily understanding look on their faces that was honestly confusing me. What was going on here?
"Don't mind your grandmother, she is just... surprised is all."
"Surprised? About what?" I asked even more curious, taking big bites of my food.
My dad's cooking is always no matter what the best! And for a few seconds I was eating rather happily that was until my mother opens her mouth and says this.
"Well because you finally came out!"
Everything seemed to slow down at that moment as I slowly processed what she said. My mother was just smiling like this was something she had been waiting for and was oh so proud. My dad knew almost immediately I had no idea what she was talking about and his face slowly fell. His eyes then started to dart nervously between me and her, he knew something was wrong as the color slowly drained from my face. I could vividly feel the intense sensation of my grandmother's eyes burning a brand in the back of my head.
"I'm sorry?" My voice squeaked out at the end.
'What.the.fuck.' Was what repeated over and over in my head like a broken record.
"Um, mom. I'm not gay." I said with as much emphasis as possible.
To watch the smile on my mother's face now draw up a bit further was the single most terrifying thing of my life. She tilted her head ever so slightly.
"What?"
That single word from her mother would haunt me for all eternity.
'Oh fuck...'
I was now sweating bullets, it was one thing to have my grandmother angry but my mother on the other hand. This was a nightmare and I still have no idea what actually happened.
"..I'm not gay... or bi..." I said in a small voice.
She doesn't respond and just watches me like a bug under a magnifying glass. She then suddenly gets up and walked towards the kitchen. And if I wasn't freaking out before, now I was.
'She's going to murder me. She'sgonnamurderme! SHE'SGONNA-.'
I almost jump out of my chair at her slamming down her phone in front of me. I was so distracted by my frantic thoughts that I didn't even notice her return. That wide, menacing smile was still sitting on her face.
"Explain." Her tone was icy and harsh.
I looked down at her phone and slowly realized how deep in shit I was. The video was short maybe 1 minute and a couple of seconds, shitty quality, and at a weird angle. But it showed enough.
Me, Jackson Young, lover and admirer of the finer sex was clearly kissing a guy.
It was then that my memory of yesterday came rushing back in shaky but vivid quality. I let out a loud groan as my head hit the kitchen table. I was effectively and majestically fucked.
"..fucking..christ.."
I could hear my mother's sigh deeply before sitting back down. And a snort came from behind me, my grandmother no doubt.
"I told you, the boy was drunk off his ass. We both knew that." She said in a sneer and a rather smug tone.
"Thank you, mother." My mom said giving her a look before turning her attention back at me. "What were you thinking, Jackson?"
'How quickly do I want to die clearly' A bitter thought slip through my mind.
"Ma..-"
"Do you have any, ANY idea of what been going on since last night? Reporters have been hounding me and your father all morning. Your grandmother has been doing her best to buffer from press calls and interviews!"
"I swear ma I didn't mean to-"
"And the scene you caused before this made it even worst!!"
I flinch back and just sit quietly. There was no weaseling out of this one.
"And here I was thinking my son finally decided to be mature for once..." The rest was left in a grumbled under her breath as she turned back to glare at me. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself!"
I knew she was angry but something had been bothering me for a while now. And even though I knew, I knew it was that absolute wrong thing to say.
"...Wait, mom. Why would you think I was gay?" I asked like the idiot that I am.
Almost immediately, a heavy smack was sent to the back of my head. I turn to see my grandmother looking down at me with all the disappointment of 2 generations in her eyes.
"Okay okay, dumb question.."
"Jackson, for once just keep quiet and stop trying to weasel yourself out of trouble." My grandmother says while she answers yet another phone call.
I just sigh and run a hand over my head to the back of my neck. A nervous tick that I got from my father as my mother lovingly would point out.
"So what are our options?"
"Our options? No, no Jackson you mean what are your options." My grandmother stated with the poise and tone of a commander in an army.
I smartly (for once) stayed absolutely quiet. I knew when and when not to push her and this wasn't one of those times.
"Today you will be going to do an interview of my choice. You will announce that this little incident is all just a misunderstanding and then you will also announce that soon you will be opening up a new restaurant here in Cluoshire. That announcement alone will be enough to get people's attention." My grandmother said, spinning the tale just the businesswoman she is.
Never, ever will I doubt my grandmother's ability to create a narrative and make it work in her favor, no matter how strange or unusual it is.
"Also... you will be meeting your date earlier."
'Whoop there it is...'
And there's the kicker. I just smile even though on the inside, I'm screaming. Not that I doubt my grandmother's taste it's just most of the girls she's tried to set me up with, Amy aside for obvious reasons, have been pretty bland and extremely stuck up... Okay, maybe I do doubt her tastes just a little bit. Some are similar to grams, vicious, and business-like while others fall to the ditsier valley girl trend. None of them really want to be in a relationship, at least not with me really. And believe it or not, I'm the sentimental type and it's something I will never admit to even under the fear of death.
I've been burned before and learned the hard way that influence is nothing more than a curse in relationships. And I don't plan to do that again.
"Do you understand me, Jackson?"
"Huh?" I look up at her.
She frowns and glares just a bit harder at me. I really need to start paying attention more if I want to keep all my skin.
"I mean yeah, yeah, of course, grams I got you!" I said throwing some finger guns her way with a smile.
She just closes her eyes slowly before walking away.
'Excellent work, great job Jackie-boy. You really are selling this' I hissed mockingly in my head.
"Everything will be fine son, we are all here to lean on." My dad said with a smile, patting me on the shoulder for comfort.
"He's right, sweetheart. Everything will be just fine!"
While I highly and extremely doubt both of them, it's the thought that counts.
"Thanks, mom and da-"
Just before I could finish my sentence, the front door to my studio apartment burst open. At my door were both Jacob and Hayden, two people I honestly didn't want to see for reasons about to be explained. The two of them were wide eyes and mouths open trying to find the words. I could see their eyes scan the room. Going from my mom to my dad and then landing on me. For a few seconds, nothing happened and I was hoping, praying that they would be able to read the room and act appropriately. But then they opened their mouths.
"DUDE, you've gone viral!!!"
In Jacob's hand was his phone and playing was the unfortunate event in crystal clear HD quality.
Slowly, my mother and father turned to me. Their faces were equally apologetic however it was in regards to the shit storm that I was in or for those two idiots I wasn't sure. I was too busy slamming my head against the kitchen table in hopes that I would get either a concussion or get a convenient case of amnesia.