Chapter Text
The heat of the asphalt burned against Cameron’s cheek as his face slammed down onto the ground. His eyes watered but he wouldn’t cry; he knew that wouldn’t make anything easier.
The boys around him yelled any name they could think of that revolved around being gay or weak – two things Cameron had been labeled as at the ripe age of seven.
The words they spit out hurt just as much as the punches. Well, maybe not the punch to his nose. That one really stung. He hoped it wasn’t broken – he had a good nose, he thought.
He wasn’t sure when the hitting and yelling stopped but eventually a pair of hands were grabbing his arms to pull him upwards. The hands were softer and kinder than any he was used to. When his eyes were able to focus, he recognized his history teacher's face.
She was a pretty woman – average height, tanned skin, shining eyes – and she understood Cameron. She was usually the one to break up the fights between him and his classmates. Not that they could even be considered flights because that would insinuate Cameron actually hit someone back for once. He never did. He wasn’t sure he could even do it if he wanted to.
Ms. Fajardo quietly asked if he’d like for her to call his mom while she gently brushed dirt from shoulder. That was the last thing he wanted, both of them knew that. The first time she broke up a fight Cameron was in, she called his mom without asking. From that day on, she never called again. She always offered, though – even if she knew that it wouldn’t help at all.
“No,” Cam didn’t mean to sound as panicked as he did when he spoke, “I can just walk home, it isn’t far. Thank you, though. I’ll see you tomorrow." He spun on his heels and started to make his way down the sidewalk before she could continue to push him for details.
On his way home, he kept an eye out for any of the guys from school. They knew where his apartment was and they usually thought it was funny to hide by the stairs or behind a tree across the street. It was never funny for Cam.
Today, he got lucky. He was able to make it home without any further trouble. He fumbled for his key and stepped inside, gently closing the door behind him. The apartment was quiet which meant his mom was at work and his brother must’ve been asleep.
He went to the kitchen to grab himself an ice pack for his nose but a loud noise interrupted his stride. The wall connecting his apartment to the next rattled violently as yelling started to seep through the drywall.
Cameron didn’t move, instead he tried to make out what was being said. He knew that the Slovacek’s lived beside him – his mom always hated them.
The younger boy, Nicholas, was in Cameron’s shop class – the only non-honors class he still had to take to fill his graduation requirement. He was tall with shaggy dark hair and a horrible attitude. His eyes were mean and his nose was crooked. He had a nice smile, though. Cam remembered noticing that before. He was quiet too, but not in the shy way Cam was.
Another thud against the wall made Cameron flinch, his heart rate beginning to speed up. The wall muffled too much of the voices for him to make out what was being said. He didn’t listen for much longer before he heard a door slam.
His curiosity got the best of him and he went to his apartment door to push his face against the wood, his right eye looking through the peep hole. He saw Nicholas leaning against the railing with a cigarette between his lips. His knuckles were dark and his cheek was an angry shade of red.
If Cameron was brave, he would have opened the door and asked if Nicholas was okay. He wasn’t brave, though. So he stayed in his apartment and watched as his heart rate started to return back to normal.
……….
The next morning, Cameron was eating his cereal in the kitchen as his older brother sat in front of the TV. His mom was busy getting ready for work so he hoped he could sneak out before she noticed the bruise that formed just under his eye.
He thought he got away with it but just as he slung his bag over his shoulder he felt his mother grab his arm, her press on nails digging into his skin.
“What the hell is that from?” Her voice was gruff and mean, not that she was known for her gentle style of parenting.
Cam answered too quickly for it to not come across as a practiced line, “I fell on my way home from school yesterday, no worries,” his voice came out strained. She knew he was lying as soon as he opened his mouth but in order for it to become an issue, she would have to care. She never cared enough to ask about it more than once.
“Sure you did. Get to school before you’re late.”
Mother of the year.
……….
Metal shop was Cameron’s last class of the day – one he had started to dread ever since he first set foot in the room.
Throughout the week, their teacher had taught them different ways to weld metal to prepare them for later projects. Today, they were actually going to practice it themselves. Much to Cameron’s despair, they had to partner up to make sure no one burned their fingers off.
Everyone started to choose who they wanted to work with which left Cameron standing at a bench by himself. That was, until Nicholas Slovacek made his way over to the bench and pulled on the welding gloves. He didn’t say anything as he yanked the welding mask over his head, waiting for Cameron to do the same before he got to work with the torch.
Cam watched as Nicholas fused two pieces of sheet metal with one another. His hands worked back and forth, the torch seeming to do exactly what he wanted. Cameron questioned whether he had done this before or if he was just naturally good at this kinda though.
The light of the torch went out and snapped Cameron out of the trance he felt like he had been put in. He lifted the hood of his welding helmet as Nicholas did the same, the taller man’s hand outstretched with the torching tool.
“Your turn,” Nicholas said.
Cameron nodded and took the torch, clearly shocked by the weight of it. His gloved fingers fumbled to turn it on once his mask was back over his face. He did his best to copy both Nicholas and their teacher but his shaky hands betrayed him. His movements were jagged and dirty, leaving the metal in front of him an absolute mess.
It was clear that Nicholas was starting to get frustrated. Cam didn’t have too much time to think about how he was going to have his first F on his transcript before he felt two strong hands cover his own. He stared down at the torch as Nicholas started to guide his hands in a straighter line.
Once the metal sheets had been completely fused together, Nicholas took the torch and turned it off. He took his helmet off and laid the materials out on the bench in front of them. Cam followed his lead and did the same.
Neither of them spoke as their teacher came around and wrote down how everyone did. They ended up getting a B+, which was much better than Cam ever thought he would get in this class.
……….
After school, Cameron was met with the same group of guys that always seemed to find him when he was on his way home. They made their way towards him, yelling their usual insults in his direction. Before he could try to avoid them, he felt someone grab his shoulder from behind him. His body tensed just as the person spoke up, “C’mon Cope, sorry to keep you waiting. Forgot something in my locker.”
Was that Nicholas? Why was he here?
Before he had much time to question it, he was being pushed forward. The guys from before all seemed to just… disappear. At least to Cameron they did. He knew that was entirely because of Nicholas.
They got about halfway to their apartment building before Cameron decided to break the silence, “Why did you do that?”
Nicholas shrugged, “Felt like it, you’re welcome.” Cam whispered a quiet ‘thank you’ then turned his attention to his shoes as they continued to walk side by side.
Once they got to their apartments, they both paused in front of their doors, eyes rising to meet with each other. Both of them looked like they had something to say but neither wanted to interrupt this moment they seemed to be having. After what felt like hours, Nicholas grabbed his keys from his pocket and unlocked his apartment door. Cam did the same and the two went inside without saying anything more.
When Cameron got inside, he was met with the usual silence. His brother in his room and his mom either at work or on a date. She probably told him this morning when she would be home but he didn’t listen.
He couldn’t keep Nicholas off of his mind as he took his shoes off by the door and made his way to the kitchen to grab a snack from the fridge. He always ate right after school because his mom usually forgot to pick something up for dinner.
Nicholas, on the other hand, didn’t have that same silence when he stepped inside his apartment. Instead, his father had the TV blaring as he sat in front of it with a beer in his hand. Nicholas hoped he wouldn’t be there when he got home, considering the argument they had this morning. It was a stupid one but instead of indulging his father, Nick had just left for school. That was probably the worst move he could’ve made.
Now, he tried to quietly make his way to the room he shared with his older brother. He was almost to the door when the floor boards beneath him made a low groaning sound. His steps halted as his gaze snapped to the living room where his father was.
“That you Nicholas?”
His voice echoed through the house. Nick replied, “Yeah, just got home.” He heard the sound of his dad’s footsteps getting closer.
Nothing else was spoken between them the rest of the night, but one of them went to sleep drunk and angry while the other went to sleep with a busted lip and a black eye.
……….
Cameron fought with his mom a lot, that was obvious.
Their fights would usually start over something Cameron did or didn’t do and they would end with yelling and slammed doors. What never happened, though, was hitting. She never dared to lay a hand on him.
That was until today.
Her newest boyfriend had broken up with her just hours before she got home, clearly she had been drinking as well. Cam had a rough day at school so when she started an argument with him, he argued right back.
He told her she was a horrible mother – that he would rather live with his dad who knows where than have to stay with her any longer. He said he was sick of having to put up with the yelling and the nagging. The last thing he said was how much he hated her.
That was the final straw.
Something snapped in her and she started smacking him. Nothing that was going to bruise but the emotional pain was far worse in Cameron’s mind. Each slap was digging a deeper hole in their already faltering relationship.
He didn’t try to push her away or beg her to stop, he just took each and every slap.
After a couple of minutes, she sank to the ground and cried. Cam took that as his invitation to go back to his room. When he closed the door behind him, he started to cry too.
He was tired of living in this house with her. She didn’t understand him and she didn’t want to either. They hated one another in Cameron’s mind. She didn’t want to be his mom, she just did it because she had to.
He wished he knew where his dad had run off to. Maybe his dad would want him if they met. Maybe he could have an easier life somewhere else. A life where kids didn’t pick on him, one where he had a family he could feel like he was a part of.
He didn’t have that life though, instead he was stuck with this one.
Maybe if he focused on his grades enough, he could go away to college. California seemed beautiful on TV – with the sun always shining, people being who they were without a second thought. That was the life he wanted to have.
He was stuck though. At least for now.