CHAPTER 6

Devin stands up and still has tears running down his face but I wave Kori over who rubs his back a little, calming him down. He's looking around confused and just as scared as when he sat down at the table.

"Here Devin you can belong, I want you here with us. You're big and strong, just too soft," I tell him calmly to show that I'm not angry or upset," We take care of each other here, you want in then come find me during homeroom, I'll be in the gym."

I walk past him and grab my bag from Natsuko who grabbed it for me as they left the cafeteria. I rub my shoulder a little, he slammed me down hard and Kori is the first person to comment about what happened as we're passing the library.

"Guy that was too much," Kori says, concerned.

"No more than what Jun went through trying to step out from his Mom, or Katy or even me," I tell her," We are here because we had shit we didn't like and all I do is make you take that first step to fix your shit."

"Okay but he's still standing in that field scared," Kori tells me softly.

"A good master doesn't force a student to learn from him, he simply opens his door and lets the rain bring the student inside," Jun says cryptically.

Everyone including Natsuko stops and just stares at Jun for a second before I smile and nod to him. Jun just earned a good portion of respect from me and the girls with that one but Kori seems unconvinced as we head off to fourth period.

The rest of my classes pass without incident and as soon as I get to homeroom I see the sea of white shirts and have my pass filled out in record time. I pass Heather by about ten feet in the hall and she almost looks like she wants to try to talk but the pretty boy walking with her and a kid I haven't seen before keep her straight ahead and I make it to the gym to see there is no practice but my friends are all here and either working on some homework of talking as I make my way up the bleachers. We're all sitting with my head in Kori's lap when I get the feeling I'm being watched and nudged by Natsuko.

"Need something Guy," Natsuko asks politely.

"Yeah, someone is here and I want them found," I tell her.

I watch her bound down the bleachers and make her way around to the doors. After a few moments I see her come back and shake her head. I sit up and start looking at myself and still can't shake the feeling but ignore it when I hear doors open and see my new mountain come walking in quietly. I watch Devin get to the base of the bleachers and look up expectantly.

"Oh God man, get your big ass up here," I call down to him laughing.

He smiles a little and makes his way up to the rest of us and after we go through the introductions and explanations I can tell he's confused by the fact that I have three girlfriends.

"So you have three girlfriends and nobody says anything about it," Devin asks, trying to wrap his brain around it.

"Guy let me get this one, you like sandwiches Devin," Kori asks plainly.

I watch him get embarrassed by the question but he nods in response as she starts in.

"Well you eat sandwiches till you're full right? Well all four of us have Guy, he keeps us happy," Kori says, getting a nod from Devin.

"And full, he keeps us very full," Katy says, causing Devin to blush.

I watch everyone laugh at Devin's red face and after a few moments he starts as well. Final bell rings and we all head out to our vehicles but I stop Devin as he heads for his bus and let him know that he needs to get a jacket with a hood and preferably something that makes him look tough. I see him think about it and he nods before bounding away from the group. Liz starts to head up with Greg and sees me stop and detours over to his car and says her goodbye there before joining up with us.

"Hey Katy, can you give Kori a ride home, I need to head straight there so I can hash things out with Mom and Dad," I ask her politely.

"Sure, want us to hang there for a while till things get settled," Katy asks, getting a concerned look thrown my way from Kori.

I nod my head before starting my bike and almost get my helmet on when Lilly stops me and gives me a kiss on the cheek before running off to catch up with Jun. I look at Kori who smiles big and waves them off. I sit and think about how my parents are going to act when I get home and figure it's just better to get it over with and head towards home.

I can see Mom and Dad are already in the living room and both of them perk up as I pull into the driveway and park my bike. I get my feet in the door and set my bag down in silence as they both sit and watch me waiting for me to make some sort of explanation. I calmly sit down and try to relax when Mom decides she's going to break the ice.

"Guy your father and I've been talking, and I know this isn't what you want to hear but we're thinking you should try to see a therapist with your father," Mom says, shocking the hell out of me.

"I need to see a therapist with him about what," I ask dumbfounded.

"Well we used to be close son," Dad says chiming in," and now ever since you got back from Texas with Loretta you've been distant and don't want to be a part of the family let alone talk with me about anything in your life."

"We care about you Guy and you are a part of this family, but we need you to open up with us and since you haven't been willing to do that maybe a mediator would help," Mom says trying to keep the situation calm," It seemed to help with Loretta down in Texas and if it was so effective there then maybe you need some of that up here."

"You want to know what my problem is, everyone keeps making all these choices for me and I'm finding out about them after you've already decided that it's going to happen," I say getting upset," I don't need a fucking therapist, what I need to be given some fucking say in what the fuck happens in my own damn life."

"Guys watch your language, we're your parents," Dad says standing up.

"Watch what I say? You tell me you care about me but you don't respect me," I say getting in his face," You know what, Loretta was wrong. You don't need me to take it easy on you because guess what Dad, I'm not a little boy anymore. I have women and people who look to me like I'm some god damn leader and when I figured I could use someone who would be able to advise me on how to handle shit I'm not even remotely close to understanding you pull this therapist bullshi…"

My head is ringing, I don't really know what happened but I can hear my Mom has her voice raised and while I'm still standing I'm not really sure where I am. My vision starts to come back and my hearing as well but it's the stinging in my face that literally hits me the hardest. I step back and can finally see the scene in front of me and it dawns on me. Mom is standing there with her hands over her mouth terrified, Dad is tense but wide eyed and ready to go. Dad just slapped me. No pads, no training, no safety net slapped me in my fucking face. I stand there and move my jaw in pain and rub my face gingerly as the two of them stare at me waiting for something to happen. I don't know what to do about this considering I've never been slapped before by him.

"I'm going to my room now," is the only thing I can say as I slowly walk to my bedroom.

I quietly close the door and can hear them talking in the living room but the ringing in my ear is still prominent. I move to my bed and take my coat off, sitting down facing away from the door I look over my jacket. I can see the nicks in the leather from wear and tear, having been wearing it almost everywhere for a year now. I think about maybe trying to get a new jacket and switch the patch over but that just sounds stupid as soon as I think about it. I didn't get rid of Kori when I found Katy, and I didn't get rid of either of them when I finalized things with Mathilda either. So why get rid of the coat now? I get up and hang it on my computer chair and take my seat on the bed and think about my own personal 'shot heard around the Donnelly home'.

I can hear my phone going off in my coat but I leave it alone for now. I am stunned by the events of my afternoon, the day as a whole was going so well then BAM! I'm slapped silly by my Father just because I'm trying to get some damn independence. I think about going back into the living room and fighting him but that would be like Jun trying to fight me for Kori, it'd be over very quickly and there'd be a lot of pain involved. Why hasn't Jun learned how to fight? I start trying to shake random thoughts out of my head when I get a knock at my door. I don't answer and finally I hear it open and listen as my Mom comes into the room and after moving my computer chair in front of me sits down. I can see she's been crying a little and is definitely hurt by the family fighting.

"Guy, is your face okay," Mom finally asks quietly.

"Yeah it's fine Mom," I replied numbly.

"Can we try to talk, just you and me," She asks, leaning forward and taking my hand.

"Sure Mom, what is bothering you," I ask her, feeling really weird about the situation.

"Well about half an hour ago I just watched the man I love slap my son in the face," Mom says, almost forcing the words out of her mouth," Now I feel like I'm going to lose my family and my husband is sitting alone in his garage staring into space. So I'm feeling really messed up right now."

I sit quietly, I'd talk but I don't have anything to say about getting slapped thanks to the fact that it shocked me as much as the both of them. I can see she's trying to read me and figure out what I'm going to do next but I'm not sure about what I'm going to do as she tries to get me into the conversation.

"Can you tell me what Loretta told you about your father," Mom asks me quietly.

"Yeah, she asked me to take it easy on him since he still thinks I'm his little boy and he doesn't like losing," I tell her, feeling my face ache.

"Well that was nice of her to say. Do you really feel like we are holding you back," She asks, keeping her tone calm.

"I honestly don't feel like I'm trusted. Last summer you kept the whole court thing from me for months and I only found out days before I had to leave," I explain to her getting exasperated again," Then I come home and Dad wants me to be happy with the fact that he's going to make all my decisions for me whether I like it or not."

"Well he is your father Guy," Mom calmly states rubbing my hand.

"I haven't forgotten that but is it really so hard for him to look at me and see I'm not a scared little boy anymore and that I don't have major hang-ups with my birth mother," I say trying to explain myself," It feels like he wants me to be quiet and subdued until I'm thirty and that's not me."

"Okay, so you feel repressed or just don't feel like we're telling you everything," Mom asks patiently.

"Yes, and it's like no matter how much I show you that I have control of me and my school and my life nobody can let me have a decent say in what happens," I tell her finally getting it out.

"I want you to think about something for me," Mom says softly," I want you to think about your father and I trying to protect you from things that will upset you and possibly make you run away from everything. Then look at how you were when you came back and how cold you've been with your father. If he hasn't opened up it's probably because he's afraid he's lost you even though he won't tell me he feels that way."