Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2022 11:03:00 +0000 From: Andrew Passey Subject: A Forbidden Romance Part Eight (Young Friends) "It's what it looks like, we're kissing," Max said to my Dad which was both incredibly brave of him and incredibly stupid. I thought for a moment Dad was going to hit him but instead he dragged me by the arm, I tried to fight him off but to my surprise he punched me really hard on the arm ending my efforts. "It's fucking faggot stuff and I will not have my son kissing boys. Ever! Even if I have to beat it out of him. You are both a pair of disgusting perverts. I knew you were trouble from the moment I saw you, your kind always are. You've corrupted my son you filthy nasty n*****" I knew my Dad was a racist arsehole but I had never heard him using the N word. It made me want to throw up, that he had some much anger and racist bile in him. "He hasn't corrupted me, I love him!" I said as he dragged me out of the room and out of the Church Hall leaving Max standing there looking hurt and confused. My arm was dead from where he hit me as he dragged me along the street leaving passers by looking shocked. He opened the front door and threw me inside onto the floor. Dad locked the door as I scrambled to my feet. He turned to look at me, his anger still clearly written across his face, " Go to your room. You're grounded forever. No more football, school, anything!" As he said this Mum came out of the kitchen looking surprised, "What is going on? Why are you back so early? What has Ben been up to?!" She asked. "He's a filthy fucking faggot! Not only was he kissing a boy, it was one of them! My own son kissing a filthy black boy! He's grounded forever and we'll work out about moving school or homeschooling in the morning." My Mum came and put her hand on Dad's arm, "Calm down Bill. We can talk about all of this in the morning. Ben, probably best you go to bed." I started to walk up the stairs and Dad shouted after me, "if you're lucky we won't put youw up for adoption. My son, a cocksucker. A bum boy! I can't quite believe it. I can't believe you are my son. I should have been firmer with you rather than indulging you for all these years." I stopped and turned around. "Don't you dare use those homophobic insults on me Dad. I'm gay. That's all. I'm still your son. Why does it matter who I kiss?" I caught my Mum's eyes and she shook her head at me, telling me to leave it. I wanted to argue more with Dad but what was the point? I went to my room, shut the door and fell onto my bed. I wanted to cry, why was my Dad such an arsehole? I hoped he wasn't serious about the threats he was making but it was hard to know for sure.I could hear my Dad's raised voice downstairs and it was obvious they were arguing about me. I got undressed, put my head under the pillow and tried to sleep. In amongst all the shitty upset I was feeling there was something else. Max. He loved me. A boy loved me! A boy I fancied too! Dad could go fuck himself, I wasn't going to let him split me and Max up before we'd even begun. He was the one I thought of as I drifted off into a less than perfect nights sleep. The next morning I sat miserably at the kitchen table while Dad read me the riot act. Mum stood there with a cup of tea looking impassive. I hoped she'd defend me but that never seemed to be her way. "So, you have let me and your mother down terribly and there will be consequences. However your mother has a good heart and has persuaded me that you should still be allowed some privileges. So, starting from tomorrow you are not to see or talk to that filthy perverted boy." "He's neither filthy or perverted! He's just gay like me. As for not seeing him, well he goes to my school! He plays in my football team!" "You'll just have to ignore him. On the subject of football, I have been persuaded that it's good for you to exercise so you can continue to play for Nunhead Rangers. However no more showers after the match. I don't want you perving on the other boys." "Dad! I'm not a pervert!" "Yes you are. So you will get changed for football at home or in the car and you won't be using the changing rooms. A two week ban as well so no football over the Xmas period, I'll let the manager know you're injured. At the end of the holidays you will go straight to school and back here straight afterwards with no delays. I was going to drive you to and from school but your mother has pointed out that it would impact on my work. However that can change if you arrive home late. I'm still minded to speak to the school about stopping you doing swimming and warning them about you so they can keep an eye on you in the changing rooms." I'd had enough. "Dad! I'm gay. That's all. I always have been. I'm not going to be acting any differently at school or football to normal. I'm not going to jump on a boy without their permission. The school doesn't have to "keep an eye" on me. I'm still the same boy I was before. I've not changed, only your perception of me has." Dad looked as if he was about to say something but Mum stepped in. "I think everyone has made their position clear." "Fine, no showers after P.E though," he said. I was going to protest but then thought what was the point. His mind was made up and I knew I couldn't change it there and then. Also, he didn't go to school with me so once I was there I could do what I liked. The atmosphere in the house was oppressive though. Dad made me watch TV with him so he could keep an eye on me. He kept shooting me looks of daggers and disgust and I felt very uncomfortable. "I'm off to pub," he announced a while after lunch which was fine by me. I was hating being I the same house as him after what he'd said about me, after what he'd done last night. Punching me! Dragging me home! Soon after he went out there as a knock on the door, Mum was busy baking so told me to answer it. To my delight Max was standing there. He'd never been to my house before and I was a bit surprised he knew exactly where I lived. "How's my boyfriend today?" He asked nervously. "Don't worry, Dad is out," I said before he interrupted to say, "I know, I've been waiting in hiding until I saw he wasn't there. I was really worried about you after last night." "I'm grounded forever and banned from talking to you. But he can't control what happens at school! I'm so so sorry about last night, what he called you, it's....it made me want to throw up." "It's fine, well actually it wasn't great. It went from the happiest moment of my life to definitely not the best very quickly." "You're telling me!" I said with a grimace as Mum then came out of the kitchen. "Who are you talking to Ben?, Oh Max! How are you? I hear you moved nearby and have changed schools. What are you doing here?" I'd never put two and two together that Max had gone to school in Greenwich and my Mum taught in a school there. I'd also never mentioned Max at home for obvious reasons so I guess she didn't know I knew him. Max looked at me quickly and I nodded. "I came to see how Ben was after last night. It was all very scary and I was worried about him. I um...well I was a bit surprised at the reaction his Dad had towards us." I couldn't see Mum's reaction but I could almost hear things fall into place for her. "Ah, so...right the two of you...well I am surprised Max. I am sorry about what happened last night. Why don't you come in out of the cold and the two of you can chat. In the front room though I'm afraid, and not for long as it would be best for you not to be here when my husband returns." Max came in gratefully and we sat in the sofa together. Mum left us to it although I guessed we should be careful. "Well this is a headfuck and no mistake. I thought my parents would take it badly if they found out about us but this is another level of crazy!" Max said with a grimace. "Tell me about it. Dad wanted to phone the school and "warn them about me"! He doesn't want me showering after football or PE. He says he's worried that as I'm a "pervert" I'll start jumping on boys and molesting them!" "That's fucked up. I don't mind if you molest me though!" "Ha!" I said with a smile before grimacing again, "he's banned me from talking to you so we'll have to be careful at football. Listen, before we go any further I need to be honest with you. It's going to be a rocky road ahead and I want you to know something about me." "Sounds ominous," Max said, "but you love me, I love you. That's all that matters. I know your Dad will try and break us apart but he doesn't control our hearts." "I know he doesn't but it's not about my Dad. It's um....well there was an older boy called Gary Townsend who is now at Crystal Palace.." I started to say before Max interrupted, "yeah I know him, I saw him around when I watched my brother play. He hung out with you a bit didn't he." "Sort of...well yeah. So he offered to help me get better and gave me one on one training. But things sort of turned, I don't know if it was my fault or not but we um...when he was giving me a massage he..er...sort of persuaded me to let him fuck me. I didn't really want to but he did it anyway. And then he kept persuading me to let him do it again over the next few weeks, well no was never really an answer I could give. That was before I realised he was just using me for sex and told him not to bother me again." "Wow, I wasn't expecting that. But why are you telling me?" "I guess I wanted to be honest about my past, that I'm not as nice a boy as you might think." At that Max looked really angry, "Don't say that! From what little you've told me he groomed you, he manipulated you and he mistreated you! You have nothing to feel sorry or guilty or bad about. Even if you were a willing participant it wouldn't make any difference to me. We weren't boyfriends then! I hadn't even met you! Now...of course if you let someone apart from me do anything sexual to you now that would be a problem but this is all the past!" I felt relieved and we held hands as we talked for a while longer before Mum came in and told Max it was time to go. She made it clear that she didn't have a problem with him and us being together but for now it was best he didn't come around again. Max then said goodbye and kissed me on the cheek leaving me blushing in front of Mum as he said he'd see me back at school. When he was gone I turned to Mum and just said "thanks for letting me talk to him." She sighed, "Max is a lovely boy. It's just a shame the situation is how it is." "Sorry Mum, we're going to make it work whatever Dad says," I said confidently even if I didn't know how that was going to happen. She looked at me sadly, "sometimes it's the hope that kills you Ben," before heading back to the kitchen to finish her baking.