An Accidental New Life - Part 11

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11

"I really can’t understand how this could happen! Didn’t dad go to court for you?" Chanel said.

"Well he did, but as they were about to finish the procedures, the company called him. They had an emergency that required him to be on site immediatly. He had to run and the judge allowed him. He simply said to him to sign the papers and mail them at the courthouse." I answered.

"So your aunt being your legal guardian is just a technicality?" Mackie asked.

"I think so… but imagine what would happen if my aunt discovered any of this before dad came back. I mean … she would only need one day to ruin my life. She could come here make a ruckus and then everybody would know about me… or worse she could take me away and before the authorities realised that this is just a technicality, I would be… "

I didn’t want to finish my sentence…

"Brooke, we should tell on her."

"I can’t."

"Brooke, not only you can. You totally have to!"

"I can’t, I might hate her, but she still is part of family and she is paying for Leon studies I can't do this to him."

"Brooke, our family has enough money to keep him in college all his life… you know that money is not a problem! Brooke this is a very serious situation, stop with all these excuses! You know very well that there is no good reason to not denounce your aunt! "

"I…I…"

I ran towards my room… she was right… absolutely right… yet, I couldn’t do it. It just felt so wrong to do something like this, she was terrible yes, but she still took care of me for 4 years… that meant something right?

I sat on my bed, took my phone and called Leon.

He picked up immediately.

"Hi."

"Brooke? What’s up?"

"Leon, I want to know something..."

"What, cousin?"

"If your mother ever ended up in jail because of me would you hate me?"

Leon was quiet for a very long time.

"Honestly, I would be upset at you for a very long time, even though I can understand why you would it."

"You are making this hard for me, you know that Leon," I said sobbing a little.

"Sorry Brooke, but it is the truth… I know that she has been terrible to you… I was there… and I was in the wrong for not doing anything the many times she was terrible to you ,but … She is my mom you know … She might be homophobic, transphobic and abusive … but she has mostly been good to me and I don't want her to be locked up. Espcially at her age."

I actually started crying.

"Why Leon? Why would you be on the side of somebody that could have killed me multiple times. Why did you lie when you said that you would protect me Leon ? Why after telling me weeks ago that you were on my side do you have to make my journey to freedom so difficult?"

Leon lack of help and support really upset me. I hoped that with his approval what I was about to do would be easier, but he actually only made it worse. It wasn't the first time that Leon had upset me this much, it happened twice before.

The first time happened a few days after moving in my aunt’s house, It was when were all having supper. My aunt asked me to get a few plates because we were having visit and sadly for me I slipped on the wet floor and sadly the plates didn’t survive the fall now. Now, I knew that the dishware was expensive so I apologized profusely. But, my aunt didn’t care about the fact that it was an accident, she didn’t care about the fact that I had cut myself and , crap, I was sure that even if it hadn’t been me who had broken the plates I would have been the one to get punished. Why? Well, because of an incident that happened a few days earlier. When I first came into her house she thought that my hair was a little long, but I refused to cut it and apparently, saying no to her triggered something in her because since that day she started seeing me as an enemy and no as her nephew. I barely remember what she said that day… I think it was something along the lines of "Nobody disobeys me in my house."

Anyway, going back to the plates apparently Leon had been the cause of the water on the floor. He could have said something to share the blame, but he didn’t and because of that my aunt made me pick the pieces of every single plate with my bare hands. At one point, she stepped on my hand to make sure that I would cut myself at least once in the whole ordeal. Because according to her you don’t learn anything if you don’t get a few scars. The incident itself wasn’t that bad, but what came afterwards was pure hell. It had been since then that she made me work like crazy around the house making me really work like a slave, apparently she made me do work in order to pay my debt… She explained the punishment saying that each week of work she would deduct a few bucks out of my debt... It's only way later that I understood that she had no intention of making me ever stop working. I spent more than 150 weeks at her house and apparently it wasn’t enough to pay her back. My gifts at Christmas and at my birthday were debt reduction and my portions of food were heavely rationed. Leon didn’t do much while I was pretty much an indentured servant to his mother.

The second time happened a while later. It happened one day after going shopping at the mall. Apparently my aunt had seen me eye a dress for too long, event very similar to the whole earring incident with my stepfather. Anyway, my aunt really didn’t like what she saw. So she bought the dress and forced me to wear it at school the next day. It was hell, teachers and students alike laughed at me and from that day on, I started getting bullied constantly. Even though I wouldn’t admit to it then, I liked that dress very much and I was very pleased with it. I think my aunt may have noticed because I was beaten for weeks after that. Leon didn’t do anything to prevent that event either and now that I know that he suspected that I was trans back then, I can't help but being disappointed inhim especially now that he won’t give me his approval to free myself now and forever from his mother.

Leon was the most decent of my cousins and I liked him for that, but he was coward.

Apparently, I said that last word aloud because I could sense Leon getting upset.

"I couldn’t help you Brooke, you know why… I depended on her then and I still do now. Without her I would still be living in that terrible town, Brooke. Her paying for my university is the only think that has allowed me to have hope for the future. I love you like a sibling Brooke but you know that I had no choice but to do whatever she wanted, she held my future in her hands and as much as I love you I wouldn’t want to end in the street for you. It wouldn’t do any good for me or you. Brooke sometimes being brave is worse that being a coward …"

There wasn’t any confidence in the last words he said. You could tell he didn’t really believe in what he was spouting. I showed my disappointment with silence.

"Brooke, why are you doing something as unnecessary as wanting to put an old woman in prison?"

"She technically is still my legal guardian… "

"Your father’s fault?"

"Yes."

"How does somebody like him manage one of the richest companies in the world?"

"He doesn’t, his employees do or at least they usually do . I don’t know why he had to disappear from court that day…"

"Why not simply survive until December and forget about her afterwards."

"Everybody else judges it too risky."

"Do you?"

"A little…"

"Brooke, don’t search my approval for this, Ok? I won’t hate you if you do it but I also can’t condone it."

"I really hate you right now Leon,"

I ended the call and curled up in my bed.

~*~

It was after school and I was sitting on a bench near the forest that surrounded the school. I had avoided everyone today, except Temperance. I couldn’t do that to her after everything that had happened the day before.

"What’s happening Brooke? You look so upset."

"I am…"

"May I know why? "

"I would prefer it, if you didn’t know why… I don’t want to be angry to all my friends and family at once."

She held me close.

"It’s that bad?"

"Yes."

I couldn’t believe how my aunt was still influencing negatively even if she wasn’t physically here and deep inside I was upset that I wouldn’t immediately do everything possible to get rid of her. Was it fear? Loyalty? I couldn’t tell and that upset me. Either way… I was sure that my sisters would do something about her…

Temperance wasn’t saying anything and I was seriously tired so I almost fell asleep. I say almost because suddenly we saw a flash and heard the sound of a camera shutter. We looked around to see if there was anybody near there, but we didn’t see anyone.

"What do you think that was?" Temperance asked me.

"A photographer?"

"Thank you captain obvious … but seriously Brooke why would anyone take a picture of us?"

"Because we are cute…"

"Brooke, you are making too many jokes for somebody that was almost crying due to troubles with her friends."

"Well, being with you calmed me down, I need to keep my spirits up and that last thing wasn’t a joke, especially when talking about you."

Temperance blushed.

"Brooke, seriously, though I really don’t like this."

"Temperance, don’t worry… This school is really accepting of lesbian and bi students, nobody would say anything if whoever took the picture showed it around the school."

"I know. And that is why I am worried…"

"Are you afraid that we might have a stalker?"

She nodded.

"And I thought that I was the one who had unrealistic thoughts. Temperance this kind of thing doesn’t really happen in real life."

"Brooke, do you remember how we met or how you came to this school?"

"Ok, you got a point, I will tell my s…"

I couldn't finish my sentence.

"Brooke whatever is ruining your relationship with your family is not worth it… Please solve your problem before I become your only friend."

She was right. My aunt wasn’t worth it… I had to talk about her the next time I went to see Temperance’s mom.

Five days to get ready mentally would be enough right?

~*~

"I am going to do it and I’m sorry that it took me so long to take this decision."

Chanel hugged me.

"It’s ok Brooke. I understand that this is an incredibly hard thing to do."

I thought about the photographer and mentally shrugged. There was no way it could be anything serious Or so I thought until the next day I found in my locker a picture of Temperance and I with the following written on the back of it : "I know many things about you Brooke Falconer, who you really are, how you managed to enter this school and many other details. I didn’t care that much before, but now that you are taking advantage of a sweet and pure girl such as Temperance I will have to ruin you."

I closed my locker and started heading towards class, looking around for suspicious individuals. Whoever had been listening to snippets of my life was probably expecting fear from me. I wasn’t afraid of whomever that was sending the messages. Since Monday I was sure that I wouldn’t get expelled anymore and I was also sure that no matter what I wouldn’t end up alone. Her screaming that I had ever been a boy would never have the impact of my aunt doing the same. There was only one way that that person could ever harm me right now and if they didn’t know how Temperance and I ended up together it would surprise me if they knew about my aunt seeing as I talked about these two things at the same time with my sisters. Anyway, my aunt problem will be solved next week, so I didn’t have to worry that much about that crazy person.

I can only imagine Temperance’s face when I tell her that we really have a stalker.

~*~
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Comments

I don't think it's a

I don't think it's a coincidence that her cousin showed up out of the blue and he quickly backs off from supporting her. Her aunt knows the truth and is going to act, the photographer is the first step...

I'm told STFU more times in a day than most people get told in a lifetime

NOT ONLY a photographer

Renee_Heart2's picture

But most likely a Private investigator. Brook can't WAIT till next week to take care of her auint she needs to do it NOW. This photograph only proves it more that she is about to do some real harm to Brooke or at least try. She does NOT know that all of Brooke's sisters are there. Her cousin is s REAL coward or maybe he kind of feels like his mom... I don't know but it's looking bad for her.

Love Samantha Renee Heart

if it's a PI, then he's got

Brooke Erickson's picture

if it's a PI, then he's got an accomplice inside the school.

Brooke brooke at shadowgard dot com
http://brooke.shadowgard.com/
Girls will be boys, and boys will be girls
It's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world
"Lola", the Kinks

a stalker?

uh oh ....

DogSig.png

Leon is a coward

Sorry and i understand. But it makes him a coward. Sure she had power over him. But she was abusive to an innocent child. He should have spoke up, it was his duty. Even if it hurt him, so be it. You dont your future depending on a suffeeing child. And these thing have a way of rewarding you. To stay silent, rhat also has its ways of rewarding you. As leon is going to find out