Chapter Eight

 

 

 

Blaine slipped into the tent, trying to not let Seth see how tired he really was. Even though he hadn’t been the focus of any of the night’s emotional events, the whole thing had left him exhausted. But he was thankful he’d been able to be there for Adam. He hadn’t really had anyone there for him when his parents had thrown him away. Seth had been, but Seth wasn’t great for emotional support. Seth was more prone to practical questions, like, did they keep your stuff? One of the reasons Seth bounced around from girl to girl was he hadn’t figured out how to really connect with someone on an emotional level.

“Dude, you will not believe the shit that was said after you left.” Seth stretched out on his sleeping bag and kept his voice low.

“So tell me.” Blaine crawled in his flannel-lined bag and slid closer so they could talk without being overheard.

“Aunt Claire is a real bitch. She doesn’t want Mom to ever let Adam near her again. Can you believe that?”

After what he’d endured with his own family, Blaine had no trouble whatsoever believing it. “Surprising, but believable.”

Seth huffed. “Well, neither does Uncle Steven. He’s too worried about what his new wife and her family will think. You know, he always did give the crappiest Christmas presents.”

“So which one of them told your folks Adam would stay with you guys?” Blaine lay back and stared at the dark nylon tent above them.

“Aunt Claire. She and Mom had a real knock-down, drag-out fight. I’ve never heard Mom call a family member a bitch before, but she did. I stayed in the tent and just listened, but I think they may have come close to blows. Dad and Uncle Steven were shouting at them to break it up.”

A sad smile broke Blaine’s face. He didn’t really feel like smiling, but he couldn’t help it. “After your aunt being such a bitch about this, I would’ve liked to see that.”

“Right. That really would’ve been a Dr. Phil moment.”

“You need to stop thinking this is a way to get on TV and start trying to think of ways we can help Adam through this.” Blaine rolled over and looked toward Seth. Since they’d turned off the flashlights, he couldn’t make out much of his friend’s face. There was just the silhouette caused by the dying fire in the center of camp.

“It helps me get through. Plus, wouldn’t a trip to Dr. Phil’s help me pay for college?”

Blaine shook his head at the stupidness of the comment. “I doubt Dr. Phil pays people to be on his show.”

“Really?” Seth’s tone conveyed the confused look that must’ve been on his shadowed face. “Why would any of those people go on that show if they weren’t paid?”

“Seth, please stop being an idiot for a few minutes and let me know what else happened after I left.”

A heavy sigh came from Seth’s direction. “Okay. So after they pulled Mom and Aunt Claire apart, Aunt Claire and Uncle Steven were shouting about who was going to take care of Adam. Mom finally stepped in and said she would. They got quiet then. I tried to hear everything possible, but it was hard. I think they were working out the details. Didn’t you say something a while back that your folks had to sign guardianship papers or something so that your grandmother had proper legal rights in raising you?”

Blaine nodded and stared back at the darkness above them, broken only by a seam of yellow stitching. “They didn’t even want to see me then. Gran said she tried to get them to agree to let me in the lawyer’s office, but they refused. Said if she wanted everything worked out properly, she had to do it on their terms or she could just figure it out on her own. She might’ve been a crazy hippy in her younger days, but Gran wanted to play it all legal with me. She wanted to make sure we wouldn’t have any problems, so she played it their way.”

“You know, my folks might want to sit down with your gran and make sure everything’s set up right, for Adam’s sake.”

“That’s one of the first sensible things you’ve said all night. So anything else that you overheard?”

“Uncle Steven had another fit when he was missing three beers. Dad told him to shut up and get out if he wasn’t going to stay around for Adam.”

“Yay for your dad.” Blaine would never tell Seth, but sometimes he felt that he stayed around Seth as much for his parents as for Seth. Even before his own folks had kicked him out, Seth’s had seemed like a second set for him. They never made him feel like an outsider, always going out of their way to make him feel like part of the family.

“Yeah, Dad’s kinda cool, isn’t he?”

“Both your folks are. So that was it?”

“Other than Mom and Uncle Jerry also having a shouting match about Jerry and Sarah leaving in the morning. Jerry said Adam had ruined everything for everyone and they’d be gone before the sun cleared the ocean. She called him a prick and said that if my grandmother were still alive, he and Claire would’ve both gotten the belt. I can’t believe my grandmother would’ve hit any of them.”

Blaine had met Seth’s grandparents on several occasions over the course of the years, mostly at Christmas. They weren’t as laid-back as his gran was, but they’d both been nice. He couldn’t imagine either one of them ever spanking their kids. “Sometimes you never know.”

For a few minutes they fell silent. Blaine studied the yellow stitching above him.

“It’s going to be weird on a few levels, isn’t it?” Seth said sleepily.

“What?”

“Adam living with my family. I’ve been an only child until now. Sure, he’s been my cousin, and still is, but now he’s going to be more like a brother. I always figured my brother would be like me. I hoped we could go be each other’s wingman in bars and stuff like that. Do we know if Adam is going to like guys or girls?”

“Not for sure, but I think guys,” Blaine muttered, not sure how much to share.

“See, not the brother I was hoping for. I guess between the two of you maybe you could be my wingman from time to time and help me get girls.”

A weak chuckle escaped Blaine. “Seth, you’ve got the looks. You get girls just fine. Your problem is keeping them. I’m not sure either Adam or I can help you with that.”

“Okay. So if we’re playing basketball in the driveway, is this going to mean he never has to be skins? He still has tits. That would be awkward.”

“I’ll give you that one. But I bet as soon as he can find a way to afford to transition, he will.”

There was a rustle from the other side of the tent. “Not sure I want to talk about that right now. Shit, if she really becomes a he does that mean Dad’s going to have to teach him to shave? He was awkward enough with me when he showed me last year.”

Sleep was getting heavy in Blaine’s eyes. He yawned. “If not your dad, then it will probably be one of us. Hell, my dad didn’t do such a bang up job with me. Just that whole, ‘make a steady motion with your hand.’”

Seth laughed softly. “Dude, your dad has a long beard, what does he know about shaving?”

“Exactly. I mean there are pictures of him without the beard, but they were ages ago. Before I was born.” Blaine tried to fight it, but he yawned again. “So that’s all the good info you’ve got for me?”

This time a yawn came from Seth along with the sounds of him getting into his sleeping bag. “That’s it.”

“Then I guess we’ll see what tomorrow brings. Will you please try and not be yourself with Adam for a while? At least until he works through tonight.”

“And just who am I supposed to be?” Seth yawned again.

“Someone smart and caring.” Blaine rolled over.

“I guess I can try.”

“Good, or I’ll take you out into the ocean and drown your ass.”

“You and what army?”

“Maybe the ponies would help.” Blaine scrunched his pillow and tried to get comfortable.

“Fine. I’ll be good.”

“Great. Good night, Seth.”

Seth beat his pillow a couple of times. “Night.”

Blaine lay awake tossing and turning, trying to figure out some what he could help Adam so the blow from the abrupt changes in his life wouldn’t be so hard. He also didn’t want to hear what his mother would say about the situation when she appeared in his nightmare.