Only Gay For You. (Book one of the Midnight In Rome series)

Part 2

Nico 

 My mum finally divorced my bastard father, after years of abuse. I'd been begging her since I was 13 and started noticing the arguments and black eyes, but she always insisted that he didn't mean it and it was only because he loved her so much.That all changed on my 16th birthday, I heard them arguing and then my mum screamed. I ran through to their room to find him dragging her across the floor by her hair, her nose bloodied and her right eye rapidly swelling. I lost my shit and lunged across the room at him, punching him so hard he lets go of her hair as he slams into the wall."Oh so now your little bastard faggot thinks he's a big man does he?" He sneers, picking himself up from the floor.He moves towards me, murder in his eyes, but a combination of the drink and the solid blow I'd just given him makes his movements slow and easy to predict. I quickly sidestep the punch aimed at me, ducking low and following back up with a devastating uppercut, that knocks all sense out of him.I quickly move to my mother's side, checking her over and pulling her to her feet. I guide her out of the house and next door to Bill and Wendy's, who helps her inside as I call the police.It doesn't take them long to turn up and they take both my dad and me into custody when I tell them I'm the one who knocked him out. I'm not in custody for long though, as mum confirms my story and my actions are regarded as self-defence. 

They hold Kenneth for the next few days, as we give statements on his abuse, our neighbours and mum's friends and coworkers giving statements on all the times they'd seen her with black eyes and busted lips. Mum even submitted to medical exams when she'd told them how often he'd beat her in places not so obvious to anyone else and when the report came back showing multiple healed fractures, which the doctors dated over several years, he was remanded to prison until a trial could be arranged.Six months later, he's handed a guilty verdict and sentenced to 10 years with no possibility of parole or early release. As part of his sentence, he is ordered to sign the divorce papers my mother had filled and the relief in her eyes filled my heart with joy.Now Kenneth was rich, mum only went to work to get away from him, so when the divorce came through she got half of everything and better still, all the properties they owned were in her name, as it had created a tax dodge for him. Mum decided to sell everything and use the funds to move us to America, where her family had moved to years before.We both changed our surname before leaving, back to Briar my grandmother's maiden name, and I was glad to not be a Masterton anymore, I refused to acknowledge Kenneth as my father, going so far as to dye my usually brown hair black and grow it long because he always said it was gay to have long or dyed hair makeup and piercings away from his judging gaze I found not only did I enjoy the way I now looked but the added look and tattoos also brought a wave of interest from people who found me attractive.  It was a big upheaval to our lives, of course, me especially, as I was in my final years of school. Because we transferred halfway through the school year, mum didn't sign me up for school straight away, saying we'd both take the time to settle into our new lives. I threw myself into my music, I even found guys to form a band with, Midnight in Rome. We performed a mix of new wave and classic metal, like the 80s hair metal bands.The following year I started school again, the American system was so different to the UK, and though I was never the greatest student, I always got passing grades in the UK. Not so in America, my first year there I fell so far behind, that they told me I had no choice but to retake that year. I thought mum would be mad, but she just smiled and said "It's ok sweetheart, we've both been through a lot, so you got held back a year, so what? I know you'll bounce back stronger this year."Honestly, I wish she'd been right, but I'm still struggling to focus and with my 19th birthday fast approaching, I'm worried I'll still be at school well into my 20's.

in spite of people interested in me sexually though I had trouble making friends and trusting people for obvious reasons so the want to date or hold down a relationship was something I was not ready for now, nor may I ever be.  only one-night stands for me and I think this was why my mum introduced me to Aspen this morning.

with the exception of a few girls when I first transferred I did prefer older women though, college girls and early to mid-20s women that followed my band, girls my age seemed too bitchy and backstabby for my liking, Aspen, however, was an odd one, I overheard a conversation a few months back where my mum was talking to mary Aspens mum and she had expressed concern that Aspen may be gay since he didn't seem interested in girls at all, I decided to do my own research into that, I am an ally for the LGBTQ so I don't mind either way but since I had suspicions my mom wanted me to be best friends with the smart son of her business partner I thought it was a good thing to keep an eye open for, sure enough ever day before school he has been watching me get dressed after a shower, at first I thought about closing the curtains but I noticed while I do not have any attraction to him I quite enjoy knowing he was watching me and so I continue to put on a show every morning, from what I could tell his mother may be correct wether he knows it yet or not. 

of course, despite the good start today had to seriously drag, lessons were boring and I daydreamed through most of it, finally, it was band meeting time and it went really well as always, we played a few songs and discussed what we would need for the next show and decided the setlist, before I know it I am stood outside smoking and waiting for Aspen to arrive.

"I didn't know you smoke," he says walking toward me. 

"yeah, is it a problem? I ask now worried but he reassured me with a shake of his head. 

"Just don't do it in the car, mom doesn't like the smell," he says before climbing in the car, I rush to finish before spraying myself with a can of spray and sliding into the passenger seat.