Read Online Heartsville 03 - Another Shot (J.H. Knight) by Heartsville - Free Book Online
Authors: Heartsville
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seemed to be a photo inside. Yes. A black-and-white photo of… Aaron kissing his boyfriend his sophomore year. Confusion, mingled with an odd sense of fear—not to mention distrust and embarrassment—all rose to the surface at the same time, and all Aaron could do was stand there. His feet felt like cement, holding him in place as his skin nettled with heat, a sharp counterpoint to the cold air sliding its icy fingers into his lungs. “Where did you get this?” he asked, barely managing the words.
“I took it. I mean, the photo. Back in high school. That was me who snapped the shot.”
What was the etiquette for this situation? Aaron stared at the photo, unable to look at Brad. So many times he’d thought about what he might say if he ever met his bully, the guy who outed him and ruined several months of his life. The guy responsible for his crooked nose, who made Aaron nervous when he walked down a dark street, even now, even in Heartsville. All Aaron could do was gape at the damn photo that was already burned into his memory. And then, suddenly, a short burst of near-hysterical laughter. “I… I mean, I really didn’t see this coming. Not just, like, not from you , but in general. Never in a million years.” He didn’t mean for his voice to sound so bitter, but he couldn’t help the tone.
“I bet,” Brad said, running his hand through his dark hair again. “I just… I wanted to tell you how sorry I am. I… I didn’t even put it together, never knew your name when we were kids, and you look so different now…. Then when I saw your old yearbooks, it just clicked and—”
Aaron was nodding, probably so much that he looked like a bobblehead. He really just wanted this conversation to end, wanted Brad to stop talking because whatever his goal was, Brad’s explanations weren’t helping much. “Right, yeah,” he said, cutting Brad off before he could say anything else. “Whatever. I mean, it was a long time ago, right? It’s done.”
“I know, but—”
“No, seriously, Brad. We were kids, right? Everyone does something shitty when they’re a kid.” His words might have sounded forgiving, but they weren’t, not really. As he passed the photo back to Brad, he said, “I mean, I never exposed someone to prejudice and humiliation— violence —but whatever, right? It’s over.”
“I know it was a long time ago, but…. Just lemme explain, okay?”
With a shrug, Aaron said, “Nothing to explain.” He turned for the back door, went to reach for it, and paused. “You know we had to move? After two beatings, my dad was afraid I’d end up in the hospital—or worse—so he uprooted us and moved us here.” Aaron let out another sharp laugh as he pulled the door open. “Maybe I should thank you? I do love it here.”
Brad stepped closer and reached out for him, stopped Aaron from walking away, the touch tentative. “Aaron, I really like you. I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah? I liked you too.” He couldn’t look into Brad’s brown eyes, couldn’t find it in himself to listen to anything else he had to say. “I need to get back to work. I’ll see ya around.”
He left Brad standing in the dirty alley, looking defeated, maybe even heartbroken.
How was it that Aaron felt like the bad guy in this scenario?
Chapter Ten
It took Aaron most of the evening, but by the time he was sitting on the couch with Mephistopheles on his lap he could almost laugh about the entire situation. Leave it to him to get hung up on some asshole he went to high school with.
Only, Brad hadn’t seemed like an asshole, right?
It had been a long, weird day, and Aaron was ready to recharge. He reached for his remote and clicked on the TV just as his phone buzzed with a text notice.
Brad.
Would you meet me somewhere so I can explain?
Aaron didn’t respond—didn’t know how to respond—and instead stared at it for a long moment. He added Kill Mandy to his to-do list. This was all her fault,
“I took it. I mean, the photo. Back in high school. That was me who snapped the shot.”
What was the etiquette for this situation? Aaron stared at the photo, unable to look at Brad. So many times he’d thought about what he might say if he ever met his bully, the guy who outed him and ruined several months of his life. The guy responsible for his crooked nose, who made Aaron nervous when he walked down a dark street, even now, even in Heartsville. All Aaron could do was gape at the damn photo that was already burned into his memory. And then, suddenly, a short burst of near-hysterical laughter. “I… I mean, I really didn’t see this coming. Not just, like, not from you , but in general. Never in a million years.” He didn’t mean for his voice to sound so bitter, but he couldn’t help the tone.
“I bet,” Brad said, running his hand through his dark hair again. “I just… I wanted to tell you how sorry I am. I… I didn’t even put it together, never knew your name when we were kids, and you look so different now…. Then when I saw your old yearbooks, it just clicked and—”
Aaron was nodding, probably so much that he looked like a bobblehead. He really just wanted this conversation to end, wanted Brad to stop talking because whatever his goal was, Brad’s explanations weren’t helping much. “Right, yeah,” he said, cutting Brad off before he could say anything else. “Whatever. I mean, it was a long time ago, right? It’s done.”
“I know, but—”
“No, seriously, Brad. We were kids, right? Everyone does something shitty when they’re a kid.” His words might have sounded forgiving, but they weren’t, not really. As he passed the photo back to Brad, he said, “I mean, I never exposed someone to prejudice and humiliation— violence —but whatever, right? It’s over.”
“I know it was a long time ago, but…. Just lemme explain, okay?”
With a shrug, Aaron said, “Nothing to explain.” He turned for the back door, went to reach for it, and paused. “You know we had to move? After two beatings, my dad was afraid I’d end up in the hospital—or worse—so he uprooted us and moved us here.” Aaron let out another sharp laugh as he pulled the door open. “Maybe I should thank you? I do love it here.”
Brad stepped closer and reached out for him, stopped Aaron from walking away, the touch tentative. “Aaron, I really like you. I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah? I liked you too.” He couldn’t look into Brad’s brown eyes, couldn’t find it in himself to listen to anything else he had to say. “I need to get back to work. I’ll see ya around.”
He left Brad standing in the dirty alley, looking defeated, maybe even heartbroken.
How was it that Aaron felt like the bad guy in this scenario?
Chapter Ten
It took Aaron most of the evening, but by the time he was sitting on the couch with Mephistopheles on his lap he could almost laugh about the entire situation. Leave it to him to get hung up on some asshole he went to high school with.
Only, Brad hadn’t seemed like an asshole, right?
It had been a long, weird day, and Aaron was ready to recharge. He reached for his remote and clicked on the TV just as his phone buzzed with a text notice.
Brad.
Would you meet me somewhere so I can explain?
Aaron didn’t respond—didn’t know how to respond—and instead stared at it for a long moment. He added Kill Mandy to his to-do list. This was all her fault,
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