“Mum, what are you going to do today?” Ronald asked from his mother on Sunday morning as they were eating breakfast together. Mr. Quinn didn’t join them which, to Ronald at least, wasn’t surprising at all. And good because he would notice immediately that Ronald’s body was still aching from the turning. His mother was too blind to notice such a thing. She didn’t know to look for it so therefore she didn’t see it.
“I haven’t planned anything”, Mrs. Quinn said while reading the newspaper. “Why do you ask, honey?”
“I need new clothes”, Ronald said. “I was wondering if we could go to the mall and buy me clothes and maybe we could go to the movies afterwards together?”
Not every teenager wanted to spend quality time with their parents but Ronald had had a tough couple of weeks and he really needed it. He also had to keep up the illusion that everything was okay and normal with him because his mother would call the white coats on him if he would go and tell her about what had happened to him on Friday night. Telling her wasn’t an option.
“Sure”, his mother said, putting the newspaper down. “Why not. I’m always up for a shopping spree.”
They changed their clothes and then Mrs. Quinn went to her husband’s office to tell him they were leaving and after she came back Ronald handed his mother her car keys and they walked out of the house.
Mrs. Quinn drove to the mall, parked her car and they stepped out. After locking the car’s doors Mrs. Quinn patted Ronald’s shoulder and motioned him to follow her. She led Ronald inside the mall since she was the expert of that place. She started walking around, pointing at the stores and telling what was good and what was bad about them. Ronald followed behind her, listening and nodding in agreement whenever it was appropriate.
To be completely honest, normally Ronald didn’t really enjoy shopping at the mall. He only went there when he wanted to go to the movie theatre. He actually hated shopping and trying on clothes and all that nonsense that came with it. But now he found himself not hating it so much. Maybe it was because he had kind of missed his mother during the last couple of weeks when they had been very distant or maybe it was because her fuzzing around him made Ronald forget what was going on in his life.
They had a lovely day, shopping, talking, laughing and eating good food. Ronald didn’t care what others may think, he loved spending time with his awesome mother.
I wonder if she would be this awesome if she’d know my secret, Ronald thought involuntarily and then he quickly shook his head, as if he could in that way make the thoughts disappear.
“Are you okay, Ron?” his mother asked because Ronald had been quiet for a long time.
“Yeah”, Ronald said quickly. “I’m fine. You were telling me about your work week?”
Mrs. Quinn went back to telling her story as they walked. Ronald listened her, really listened her and realised for the first time how much his mother actually worked.
“Oh no, I need to buy one more thing!” she said suddenly as they passed some awfully pinkish shop. “Do you want to come in or–“
“I’ll wait here”, Ronald said immediately, not really wanting to shop anymore. His mother walked inside the shop and Ronald stood there holding their shopping bags, not really knowing what to do except stare around him.
That’s when he noticed a familiar face.
It was Lucas. Ronald was just about to lift his arm up and yell his best friend’s name when he realised that Lucas wasn’t alone.
He was with some guy who was probably a few years older. He was tall and lanky, he had smooth face and brown, wavy hair which was pushed back in a very cool way and he was wearing very cool, fancy clothes.
That’s odd, Ronald thought. He didn’t know Lucas had other friends. He had always just assumed he was Lucas’s only friend, just like Lucas was his.
And then the cool guy grabbed Lucas’s arm, stopped him and pulled against himself. Ronald had a blink of an eye time to see Lucas smiling widely before the cool guy leaned in and kissed Lucas.
“What the fuck?!” Ronald yelled and then slapped a hand to cover his mouth. He jumped behind a fake plant before Lucas or the cool guy could see him and he stared ahead with wide eyes, hands gripping the shopping bags. What in the name of baby Jesus was that? The cool guy had kissed his best friend. A guy had kissed Lucas!
Was Lucas gay?
No, that was the wrong question. That didn’t matter. The right questions were; why Ronald didn’t know about it? Why Lucas had kept it as a secret? Didn’t he trust Ronald?
He slowly peeked from behind the plant and saw that Lucas and the guy had disappeared, probably inside the movie theatre. Ronald stepped away from the plant and looked around trying to desperately see something that would tell him what the fuck was going on, like a sign, a big poster or something equally as stupid.
“Ron, what are you doing?” his mother asked from behind him. He quickly spun around and looked at his mother.
“Looking for you”, he said, ashamed how smoothly lying came from him. “I’m not feeling well, can we skip the movies and go home? Please?”
“You do look a little pale”, she said and nodded. “Let’s go home, we can watch a movie some other day.”
“Thanks, Mum”, Ronald said and started speed walking the hell out of there.
Back in home Ronald went straight to his bedroom and started pacing back and forth. Lucas had lied to him, kept secrets and no way in hell would Ronald just let that pass.
He was getting angry instead of shocked and while the original plan for Monday had been simple; pull Lucas aside, tell him everything and have your best friend back you up while you struggle with your werewolfing, his new plan was even simpler; avoid Lucas, don’t tell him anything and let him suffer alone.
Was Ronald being stupid and childish? Definitely. Did he care? Hell no. He didn’t want to talk with Lucas like adults. He wanted to ignore Lucas because he was hurt and couldn’t understand why Lucas had lied to him. Ronald thought it was unfair, especially now when he could’ve really used a friend.
His phone started peeping and he saw that it was a text message from Lucas. Ronald didn’t read it, instead he shut down his phone and fell on his bed.
That’s where his mother found him two hours later. She entered the room and asked him why he didn’t come to eat when she had yelled for him to come for five minutes straight.
“Sorry, I didn’t hear you”, Ronald said and yawned. “I think I’ll pass and go straight to sleep. I’m tired.”
“Okay, Ron. Goodnight”, his mother said, kissed his forehead and walked away, actually closing the door after her. Ronald stripped out of his shirt and jeans and crawled under the bed sheets.
They felt nicely cool against his skin and he snuggled his head deep in the pillow and closed his eyes, struggling to fall asleep.
He was so angry he couldn’t sleep. He stayed awake for hours and it wasn’t until two in the morning when Ronald finally fell asleep.
“I haven’t planned anything”, Mrs. Quinn said while reading the newspaper. “Why do you ask, honey?”
“I need new clothes”, Ronald said. “I was wondering if we could go to the mall and buy me clothes and maybe we could go to the movies afterwards together?”
Not every teenager wanted to spend quality time with their parents but Ronald had had a tough couple of weeks and he really needed it. He also had to keep up the illusion that everything was okay and normal with him because his mother would call the white coats on him if he would go and tell her about what had happened to him on Friday night. Telling her wasn’t an option.
“Sure”, his mother said, putting the newspaper down. “Why not. I’m always up for a shopping spree.”
They changed their clothes and then Mrs. Quinn went to her husband’s office to tell him they were leaving and after she came back Ronald handed his mother her car keys and they walked out of the house.
Mrs. Quinn drove to the mall, parked her car and they stepped out. After locking the car’s doors Mrs. Quinn patted Ronald’s shoulder and motioned him to follow her. She led Ronald inside the mall since she was the expert of that place. She started walking around, pointing at the stores and telling what was good and what was bad about them. Ronald followed behind her, listening and nodding in agreement whenever it was appropriate.
To be completely honest, normally Ronald didn’t really enjoy shopping at the mall. He only went there when he wanted to go to the movie theatre. He actually hated shopping and trying on clothes and all that nonsense that came with it. But now he found himself not hating it so much. Maybe it was because he had kind of missed his mother during the last couple of weeks when they had been very distant or maybe it was because her fuzzing around him made Ronald forget what was going on in his life.
They had a lovely day, shopping, talking, laughing and eating good food. Ronald didn’t care what others may think, he loved spending time with his awesome mother.
I wonder if she would be this awesome if she’d know my secret, Ronald thought involuntarily and then he quickly shook his head, as if he could in that way make the thoughts disappear.
“Are you okay, Ron?” his mother asked because Ronald had been quiet for a long time.
“Yeah”, Ronald said quickly. “I’m fine. You were telling me about your work week?”
Mrs. Quinn went back to telling her story as they walked. Ronald listened her, really listened her and realised for the first time how much his mother actually worked.
“Oh no, I need to buy one more thing!” she said suddenly as they passed some awfully pinkish shop. “Do you want to come in or–“
“I’ll wait here”, Ronald said immediately, not really wanting to shop anymore. His mother walked inside the shop and Ronald stood there holding their shopping bags, not really knowing what to do except stare around him.
That’s when he noticed a familiar face.
It was Lucas. Ronald was just about to lift his arm up and yell his best friend’s name when he realised that Lucas wasn’t alone.
He was with some guy who was probably a few years older. He was tall and lanky, he had smooth face and brown, wavy hair which was pushed back in a very cool way and he was wearing very cool, fancy clothes.
That’s odd, Ronald thought. He didn’t know Lucas had other friends. He had always just assumed he was Lucas’s only friend, just like Lucas was his.
And then the cool guy grabbed Lucas’s arm, stopped him and pulled against himself. Ronald had a blink of an eye time to see Lucas smiling widely before the cool guy leaned in and kissed Lucas.
“What the fuck?!” Ronald yelled and then slapped a hand to cover his mouth. He jumped behind a fake plant before Lucas or the cool guy could see him and he stared ahead with wide eyes, hands gripping the shopping bags. What in the name of baby Jesus was that? The cool guy had kissed his best friend. A guy had kissed Lucas!
Was Lucas gay?
No, that was the wrong question. That didn’t matter. The right questions were; why Ronald didn’t know about it? Why Lucas had kept it as a secret? Didn’t he trust Ronald?
He slowly peeked from behind the plant and saw that Lucas and the guy had disappeared, probably inside the movie theatre. Ronald stepped away from the plant and looked around trying to desperately see something that would tell him what the fuck was going on, like a sign, a big poster or something equally as stupid.
“Ron, what are you doing?” his mother asked from behind him. He quickly spun around and looked at his mother.
“Looking for you”, he said, ashamed how smoothly lying came from him. “I’m not feeling well, can we skip the movies and go home? Please?”
“You do look a little pale”, she said and nodded. “Let’s go home, we can watch a movie some other day.”
“Thanks, Mum”, Ronald said and started speed walking the hell out of there.
Back in home Ronald went straight to his bedroom and started pacing back and forth. Lucas had lied to him, kept secrets and no way in hell would Ronald just let that pass.
He was getting angry instead of shocked and while the original plan for Monday had been simple; pull Lucas aside, tell him everything and have your best friend back you up while you struggle with your werewolfing, his new plan was even simpler; avoid Lucas, don’t tell him anything and let him suffer alone.
Was Ronald being stupid and childish? Definitely. Did he care? Hell no. He didn’t want to talk with Lucas like adults. He wanted to ignore Lucas because he was hurt and couldn’t understand why Lucas had lied to him. Ronald thought it was unfair, especially now when he could’ve really used a friend.
His phone started peeping and he saw that it was a text message from Lucas. Ronald didn’t read it, instead he shut down his phone and fell on his bed.
That’s where his mother found him two hours later. She entered the room and asked him why he didn’t come to eat when she had yelled for him to come for five minutes straight.
“Sorry, I didn’t hear you”, Ronald said and yawned. “I think I’ll pass and go straight to sleep. I’m tired.”
“Okay, Ron. Goodnight”, his mother said, kissed his forehead and walked away, actually closing the door after her. Ronald stripped out of his shirt and jeans and crawled under the bed sheets.
They felt nicely cool against his skin and he snuggled his head deep in the pillow and closed his eyes, struggling to fall asleep.
He was so angry he couldn’t sleep. He stayed awake for hours and it wasn’t until two in the morning when Ronald finally fell asleep.