Date: Thu, 11 Jun 2015 10:49:10 -0500 From: Kit Darling Subject: A Rose Among Thorns Part 15 *DISCLAIMER* This story contains depictions of male on male, graphic sexual interactions. The characters are high school aged and sometimes have unsafe sex. ALWAYS USE A CONDOM! This is a complete work of fiction and any similarities to persons or events is purely coincidental. Enjoy the story and any feedback is welcome. Remember that Nifty needs your generous donations to continue on, Dears. So make sure to toss a few dollars their way so they can keep tossing great stories your way. Love ya! CHAPTER 15 Mom, Dad, Tommy and I sat around the Christmas tree on Christmas day. We were opening presents and listening to Nat King Cole sing about the holiday. Mom had gotten me a bunch of really cute things to wear this summer. Tommy had gotten a ton of new toys. I'd gotten Dad a new set of golf balls. Honestly, what does someone get for a dad? I mean dads are made of lawn clippings at the best of times, so what do they even like? I got Mom a pretty necklace from a jewelry store on Royal Street. Christmas had long been my favorite holiday. The bright colors, the cheery feelings that came with it. Family and friends together, just being thankful of the time that we could spend together. So you can imagine my disdain when the lovely moment was ruined only a few hours into the day. I heard a knock at the front door and went to answer it. Logan was supposed to swing by, but not until much later. I opened the door to find Blake standing on my front porch. He was shivering slightly and had his hands jammed so far into his pockets one might fear he could never get them out. I pushed him backward and stepped out onto the porch, shutting the door behind me. "What are you doing here, Blake?" I hissed quietly. "I made an ass of myself on Tuesday. I came to apologize for my behavior," he looked at his feet. "You were way out of line," I said to him crossing my arms. "C'mon, Cori, I'm sorry. Please forgive me," Blake stepped closer, "Can we go for a walk and talk?" "I can't think of anything worse," I said. His smile faded and he looked at his feet. "Well, I came to apologize and I did, so I guess there's nothin else I can do," he turned around and started to leave. "Let me put on some pants," I said before going inside and up to my room. I nervously searched for some clothes to wear outside. What did he wasn't to talk about? It was true that lately I was making a thousand poor choices a minute. Taking Logan back may have been one of them but there was familiarity in him. Besides that, I couldn't very well have Blake, with him dating Shayla and all. To top it all off, I don't really think I deserved Blake at this point anyway. I had treated him so poorly over the past few months it still came as a huge shock that he even spoke to me. At this point I probably deserved to be alone with no one to love. I really was being the biggest fool and for what? A couple of boys? I noticed I had been overthinking the whole time I was searching for clothes. I decided to go with a simple pair of jeans and an oversized sweater. I pulled on my coat and hurried down the stairs. "I'm going out for a few minutes, be back in a jiff!" I called to my parents. I didn't give them a chance to respond before slamming the door behind me. Soon, Blake and I were walking through the park that was down the street from my house. "So what did you want to talk about?" I asked, shivering a little. "Us..." Blake said so quietly I could barely hear him. "What about us?" I turned and looked at him. "I meant what I said the other night," he stuck his hands deeper into his pockets, "Logan doesn't deserve you." "Why do you say that?" "Because, you deserve a guy who doesn't play with your heart strings. Someone who doesn't tell you he doesn't care about you one minute and the next he tells you he loves you. You need a man, not a scared little boy." "Oh and you think you aren't a scared little boy?" I put a hand on my hip. "That's not fair, I tried to fight for you. You completely shot me down," Blake defended himself. "You are just as much a scared little boy as Logan is. You are lying to yourself with Shayla. You know you want me as much as I want you." "You still want me?" "Wanted, I said wanted you," I said too quickly. "No, you said want. As in you still actively want me," he put on a stupid grin. I rolled my eyes and huffed and started walking back to my house. "Blake, it's like you said," I called back at him, "Fate doesn't want us together." "Or you are too stupid to accept what's right in front of you," he growled. I turned and saw an angry expression. I'd never seen him look like this. "Excuse me?" I asked, putting a hand on my hip. "You know what? I'm glad you and Logan found each other. You guys really deserve each other. He's a fucking idiot. He doesn't care about anyone but his-own-god-damn-self. As smart as you are, I'd have thought you could see that but obviously you're as much of an imbecile as he is. I'm done fighting you, Cori. Maybe it is Fate that keeps us apart. Maybe it's your constant foolish choices, but whatever it is..." he stopped because tears had begun forming in his eyes. I watched as his jaw relaxed and his brow furrowed, "I'm done. You can end up with that dipshit or you can end up completely alone for all I care. Goodbye." He turned and stormed off. I stood there watching him leave, knowing that every one of his words might be true. Maybe Logan didn't care about anyone but himself. Maybe I was an imbecile. I turned on my heel, wishing I could cry but my eyes were betraying me. I didn't stop until I was at home. Logan was getting out of his truck. "What were you doin'?" he asked walking up to me with a box and flowers in his hands. I cleared my throat and tried to forget all of the things Blake had said. "I was just taking a quick walk," I smiled before standing taller and kissing him. "I got you this," he held out the box, "Oh and I got your mom some pink roses. Those are her favorite, right?" "Yes," I beamed at his generosity and the bouquet he had in his hand, "your present is inside." He followed me inside. Mom stood up and welcomed him with a hug. Dad shook his hand and Tommy just stood there. His eyes were narrowed, burning holes into Logan's. His arms were crossed and he was tapping his foot. "Hey there, Buddy," Logan said leaning down a little. "Mmhmm," was all Tommy said before turning his back on us and walking back into the living room. Logan glanced at me. "He's still upset with you for breaking up with me the first time," I said as Mom and Dad went to the kitchen. "Well I guess I'd better go apologize to him and make things right." Logan walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. "Thomas?" "I want you in front of me so I can see you straight on," he hissed before Logan could get another word out. I smiled at my brother's protectiveness. Logan stepped around in front of him. "Get down to my level, Mr. Cool Guy." Logan kneeled and awaited the next demand. "Now you listen here, Bub. You may have my mommy and daddy fooled. You may even have Kitty Cat fooled, but I see right through you. So the way I see it, you've got one of two options," Tommy shrugged as he folded the shirt Mom got him, "You can let me slap you across the face for making my brother cry himself to sleep for two weeks... Or you can take ya got damn self out ma house." Since when did my brother have an inner sassy black woman? I tried hard not to laugh. "Are those my only two options?" Logan asked. He peeked up at me and I looked away. "Yup." "Well, I'm not about to walk out on Igan again so I guess you're gonna have to slap me," Logan straightened his body as Tommy stood up. "Nothing could make me happier," his tone darkened and for a second, I was a little frightened. He raised his hand high and with a sickening crack his palm made contact with Logan's cheek. "Youch!" I said feeling pain in my own cheek for him. Logan took a deep breath and stood up. "We cool now, Little Man?" he asked holding out his hand for Tommy to shake. "We're cool," Tommy smiled big and shook Logan's hand. Then, as if nothing had happened, he skipped off to his bedroom. "Your kid brother packs a hell of a punch," Logan rubbed his cheek and grinned at me, "it's cute how much he loves you." I got on tip toes and kissed the splotchy red mark on his face, "He sure does." "I hope this makes up for two weeks of crying yourself to sleep," Logan said. I could tell from his voice that he felt bad for putting me through that kind of agony. "Not even close," I winked and grabbed his hand. We walked into the dining room where Mom and Dad were putting dinner out on the table. "What happened to your face?" Mom asked Logan with a shocked look. "I tripped?" "Into Tommy's hand?" Mom put a hand on her hip. I laughed. "It's no biggie, I'm starved!" Logan smiled big and sat down in his spot. "No, wait! I have to give you your present!" I scurried off to my room. I spent hours drawing and coloring a picture of the maiden, the mother and the crone. I framed it and wrapped it up just this morning. I brought it to him and he opened it. "Oh wow... This... Wow. I never had any idea you were this good at art," Logan confessed. "You should see all the drawings of you he has in his sketch book," Mom said with a grin. My eyes widened and my face turned red as a tomato. "Mom!" I growled. Logan chuckled and took the picture out to his truck. "Mom, you are the devil!" "That's for tearing open my vagina when you were born," she gave me a look. My jaw dropped to the floor, "Gross Mom." Tommy came in and sat down and Logan returned, taking his seat next to me. Dad and Mom took their seats. "Let's pray," Mom said, "Logan, will you do the honors?" "Ugh, Mom you know he-" "It's okay, I'd love to," Logan smiled, putting his hand on mine. I glared at Mom. She acted as if she had no clue why I was angry at her for making a request like that. "Dear, Lord, thank you for this meal. Thank you for bringing us all together on this beautiful day. In your heavenly name, Amen," Logan said before opening his eyes. I squeezed his hand and he squeezed back. "So, Logan, what are you thinking for college?" Dad asked as he sliced the ham up and started passing it out. "I'm not sure yet. I've been thinking about Baton Rouge Community College. I don't really know what I want to do with my life right now. So I'm not exactly sure where I want to end up at," he took a scoop of mashed potatoes and then passed the bowl to me. "Where did your parents go to college?" Mom asked. "Well I never met my father, he ran out on us when I was really young. As for Maman, she had a baby to raise so she didn't get to go to college," he shrugged before eating a bite of food. "What a shame. What does she do now?" Mom said giving him the most judgy look I've ever seen on her face. "She works for Grand-mère in New Orleans." I looked at Dad and he nodded, "I hear you speak French. Also I believe you just said a couple French words?" "Yeah, I'm fluent. My mother only used to speak in French for a long while there so I learned it in order to have conversations with her." "That's nice! Have you been helping Cori to get an A in class?" Dad asked before filling his mouth with a bite of ham. "Ha, well for a while there he was helping me." "Because he tricked me into thinking he was bad at French," I poked him in the ribs. "Only so I could have an excuse to spend time with him," Logan pecked me on the cheek and I giggled. "Well you two seem to have a great relationship. Good for you," Mom stated as she ate a dinner roll. Later, after Logan had gone home, my family and I sat in the living room watching "It's a Wonderful Life". "Logan seems like a great kid," Dad said to me quietly. "Hey! I'm watching a movie," Tommy said loudly. He glared at Dad and I so we went to the kitchen to get some cookies. I sat down in my regular seat at the breakfast nook with the tray of frosted Christmas cookies. Dad filled two glasses with milk and sat across from me. "Daddy, can I ask you something, man to man?" "Sure, Beautiful, what's up?" "How did you know Mom was the one?" I asked picking up a tree shaped cookie. I dipped it into the milk. "I guess I knew she was the one when she took me to a football game, even though she hates the sport, and pretended to love it," Dad sipped his milk and picked up a second cookie for himself. "What if there were two people in your life? Like two people that you think you love? How would you know which one is THE one?" "Well," he put his hand on his chin, "I guess you'd know by how they make you feel." "What?" "Have you kissed both these people?" My face grew hot and suddenly I was embarrassed that I'd asked for his advice, "Yes." "Which kiss do you like better? Which kiss makes you weak in the knees? Which takes your breath away? Which one makes you wanna kiss them again and again?" he took the last bite of his cookie and waited for my response. "I...don't know," I shrugged. "Well, Logan's nice, but I'm team Blake all the way," with that, Dad stood up and walked out of the kitchen. I was so shocked that I just sat there. I thought I had been so sneaky with Blake! How did Dad know? I thought about everything he'd said. Which kiss made me all of those things? More than that though, who was I in love with? Is it possible to be in love with more than one boy at a time? At this point, however, would Blake even take me if I asked for him? He acted so rashly in the park...I felt like he probably hated me by now. I finished my cookie and gulped down my milk before going up to my bedroom. As soon as I laid down on my bed, my cell phone rang. It was Sam. "Hey, Sugar, what'd ya get for Christmas?" I heard her lay down on her noisy bed. "A ton of clothes and some movies and art supplies. What about you, Sammy?" "Oh, ya know, I got a bunch of things. Just kidding I got like three books, which I will never read, and the box set of the "Scream" movies. Lame-o!" "Sam, there are children in Africa who didn't get anything," I sassed. "Ugh, sorry Martin Luther King, I'll try to be a little more sensitive," She replied. I could almost hear her roll her eyes. "You are as sensitive as Hitler." "I bet Hitler cried a lot." "Bye Felecia," I quoted. "Anyways you wanna come over tomorrow? Nolan and I are exchanging presents, so I figured you could show and join in on the fun. Plus I still need to give you the bomb ass gift I got you. What'd Logan get for you?" She asked. "He got me a deck of tarot cards. The Alphonse Mucha ones I had my eye on the day I met his mother." "How sweet!" "What's that sound?" I asked referring to the cracking paper sound. "I'm looking through some really old seventeen magazines my mom collected. They are FILLED with super cute seventies outfits. Did you know it used to only cost a dollar?" Sam flipped through a few more pages. "And now it costs like five bucks," I rolled my eyes. The economy! "So you coming tomorrow or what?" "Yeah sure I'll be there," I bit my lip wondering if I should tell her about Blake's visit today. "What's wrong?" "Huh?" I looked around to see if she was peeking in my window. "Hunny I basically heard you bite your lip, which you only really do when you are nervous or worried. So what's the sitch?" she waited patiently for my response. "Blake came by today and told me he's still into me. I told him we weren't good for each other and he snapped. He just lost his mind and said so many things. I...I just don't know what to do anymore." "God! Can't that boy just make up his mind? First he's into you then it's too late, and now that you and Logan are a thing again, suddenly he wants you again," Sam sighed loudly. "Tell me about it. I thought that it was over for us." "No of course it isn't. Ugh, Shayla is scratching at my door like a neglected puppy I'll see you tomorrow," before I could say goodbye, she hung up. That's just how Sam is. I laid down and closed my eyes. I was exhausted and ready to sleep for a hundred years. *Author's Note* Hello my beautiful readers! I hope this chapter was satisfactory. Of course I must thank Robbie, as usual for his flawless editing. Though I did add a few bit here and there, after the editing so it may have a couple typos. I know Cori is being a little less than likeable lately, but I'm hoping by the end of the story he will have redeemed himself in the eyes of certain sassy e-mailers. You know who you are. *wink* Thanks for all the words of encouragement. I look forward to hearing some opinions. Love ya! -Kit =^.^=