Meet Me By The Cherry Tree

Hello! This is the second part of The Confession. This was requested by lovethelifeulive! - Thank you! xx

Zach climbed the thick tree leading to his bedroom, thankfully the window was still open. He hoisted himself on a tree branch and swang till  his feet reached the window pane. He then steadied himself and jumped silently to the floor. If his father was in the house and found out Zach went out he would be slaughtered. He pushed his bag under his bed and heard footsteps up the stairs. In case the intruder happened to be his father, he slid  onto the bed, reached for the nearest book and slipped his trainers off. He sighed in relief as a little head peeked through the door.

“Hello Darling, dad’s gone out. No more worries.” Zach sprang from the bed and took his mothers face into his hands. She flinched as if he was going to hurt her. His eyes assessed her, checking her for bruises or cuts. However, his father was clever. There are several places to punch someone that didn’t cause bruises.

“What did he do to you?” He demanded harshly.

“Actually he was quite gentle with me this time.” Zach let go of his mothers face and looked at her harshly.

“Why do you always stick up for that bastard?” He asked, she gasped.

“Zach! Don’t talk about your father like that!” He looked at her in disbelief.

“You can’t be serious.” He uttered unbelievably.

“Come on darling, lets not talk about it anymore.” Her sad, thin and cold palms reached for his. “He bought some Pizza for you, isn’t that nice?” Zach’s face was in complete rage when he snatched his hand away from hers.

“No.” He watched as his mother coward away from him. “No mum, it’s not nice.”

***

Lucas sat on his bed and stared at his hands. They were normal hands, four fingers and a thumb. He had lines on his palms and he bit his nails until they were almost nonexistent. Nothing about his hands would ever suggest what had just happened to him.

He had just been told someone was in love with him.

That someone was his best friend.

And what made the matter even more confusing was that someone was also a guy.

Lucas stared at her hands and felt something bubbling inside him. He was just so confused! It felt like his head was going to explode. What had happened? Zach had said ‘I love you Lucas Dirt.’ That couldn’t be mistaken for anything else, the look in his eyes when he said. Oh god, it had looked like he was tortured. How long had he lived with that? It worried Lucas, all he wanted to do was to tell Zach it would be  fine. But what if Zach got the wrong idea from that? What if Lucas thought that meant something more? What if it did mean something more?

Holy shit. Am I gay?

Lucas had never had a girlfriend, he’d been asked but he always turned them down. He was never into relationships and the whole dating thing. Zach on the other hand… Lucas wasn’t sure if there was a girl in Appleton that hadn’t dated Zach. He never kept them long, about 3 weeks, and then he’d leave them heartbroken. He was nicknamed the bad breaker at school. He didn’t seem to mind. Had Lucas ever looked at Zach like that before? Well, a couple of days ago at school Lucas had looked at Zach and he had looked, he didn’t know, better than usual. Lucas just thought it was envy. What if it wasn’t?

Lucas dropped his head in his hands and basically pulled his hair out.

“Heya Luc, how are you doing love?” He suddenly looked up to see his mother smiling in the doorway. When she saw him she looked sad for a moment and walked into the threshold of the room. “You didn’t have a fight with Zach did you? I thought he was coming for dinner? You’ve been awfully quiet.” Oh, that was why there was an extra tablemat at dinner.

“Not exactly mum. It doesn’t matter, I’m fine.”

“Oh, you’re fine.” His mother said her voice full of concern. She went and sat down next to him with her hand on his shoulder. “Why don’t you tell me what happened?”

“Mum, it doesn’t matter alright. It’s okay.”

“It’s not girl trouble is it?” She said with a childish grin. No, in fact mum Zach told me he loved me. Which in my book, is the exact opposite of what you just described.

“No.”

“Oh.” She looked a little disappointed. “Well, I’m going to go to bed early tonight. Your father wants you to spend some time with him. It’s been a while since you too had a chat without our Zach.” Our Zach, oh god.

“Um, I want to stay here.”

“No you’re not sulky. Come on, get out of your pit.” She insisted hustling him out of the room. She then kissed him on the forehead and wished him a good night's sleep.

As Lucas walked down the stairs he could vaguely see the television screen. Which, of course, being his father The Walking Dead.

“Come and sit with me my boy!” He yelled at him enthusiastically. “Why the long face, come on!” He patted the seat next to him. When Lucas sat down on another chair his father narrowed his eyes.

“You’re not hiding a tattoo from me are you?”

“No dad.” He answered automatically.

“Alright pushy.”

Lucas wasn’t actually listening to anything that was going on, after an hour when he had no more excuses to be downstairs he got up and announced;

“I’m going to bed.” His father turned off the television.

“Right that’s it. What is going on with you? No, don’t you dare say I’m fine. I heard that you had a fight with Zach. Come on, tell me about it.” Lucas raised an eyebrow.

“We didn’t have a fight.”

“Okay then, what are you upset about?”

“Nothing.”

“You're not going anywhere till you talk to me.”

“Nothing happened alright, god, just leave me alone. I don’t want to talk about anything, I just want to go to bed.”

“Fine.” He said angrily. “But don’t come crying to me!” Lucas angrily turned away and went into his room. He brought his phone out from his jacket pocket and sent a text.

To: Zach B

Meet me @ cherry tree. 10 Am. Fuck school it’s Friday.

***

“I told Lucas I loved him.” Zach blurted out and his mother's eyes suddenly widened, their previous conversation completely forgotten.

“What did he say?” She asked intrigued.

“He said ‘I’ll see you tomorrow’.” Zach slumped down onto the kitchen counter his head in his hands. You are such a baby.

“Well darling, it was a pretty big thing for him wasn’t it?” She suddenly smiled, “However, I’m so proud of you for telling him. That’s brilliant. Really, it is.” Zach shook his head.

“He’s not gay mum. I can’t lose his friendship, he’s my only friend.” Her mother reached forward and her cold hand smoothed down his face.

“You worry too much darling, how could he not love you? Your perfect. I wish I could meet him.” Zach pressed his lips together.

“Don’t worry mum. I’ll get you out of here one day.” She shook her head and her hey coloured hair spilled light throughout the room.

“No darling. You just be happy. That’s all I have ever cared about. I don’t think I’ll ever see the sun again without glass in the way.” She said it with a smile, but the sentence was sinister and Zachs eyes widened in disbelief. Did she really think that? Suddenly he pulled his buzzing 1920’s nokia out of his trousers.

From: Luc

Meet me @ cherry tree. 10 Am. Fuck school it’s Friday.

***

Lucas couldn’t sleep all night. He just stared at his ceiling and tried to develop a manuscript of what he was going to say tomorrow. Things like : Why did you have to tell me? I could have gone my whole life without knowing! Are you lying to me? Is this your idea of a sick joke? They were all questions that he had no answers to. He wasn’t sure whether or not Zach had the answers either. But all he knew when he banged his way down the stairs at 9:30 that it was not going to end well Zach. He wasn’t gay. He couldn’t be.

***

Zach stumbled down the stairs at quarter to 10, he was going to have to be quick if he wanted to be there for Lucas on time. He checked to see whether his father was there before he walked into the kitchen and tried to make a substantial breakfast. All  he got was bread.

“Sorry, your father hasn’t been shopping yet. “

“Why don’t you go and get the shopping? Alright yeah I forgot! You're not allowed to leave the house.”

“Please, Zach, don’t do this. Please, I  love you. Come here.” She brought him in for a hug he could not refuse. “Good luck with Lucas, I’m sure he loves you too.” Zach nodded somberly and went to the door without checking the window first.

The door opened, and of course his father was staring back at him. Zach hated how much he looked like his father. They had the same jaw structure, hair and hardline features. The only thing Zach liked about himself was his eyes, and they were his mothers.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” He was sober, that was something. He took him by his collar and his face became angry.

“School.” Zach choked.

“Liar, school started an hour and a half ago you little shit.” Zach felt his father shake him violently “So where are you going?” Zach suddenly saw his mother get involved, she took one of his father’s arms.

“Come off it Bill. He’s going to school, he just got up late. He didn’t have a good sleep.” Bill shook him one more time and let him go. Zach fell to the floor. “Come on Bill, let me make you some coffee.” Zach got up from the floor watching his father’s every step. So, he  saw Bill slap his mother.

“Keep out of my way women.” He shouted, he went to sit down at the table but he never got a chance.

Zach rugby tackled him to the floor.

“No Zach!” And, with no idea what he was supposed to do, punched him, three times in the face. He even heard a crack and his nose started to bleed.

“Don’t. Touch. My. Mother.”

Oh my god, what have I done?

His father looked murderous as he took Zach by the hair and twisted him around so he was on top of him. Zach’s face flew from side to side as his father punched him severely. The only thing he could hear were the screams of his mother. 

The punching suddenly stopped and Zach opened his eyes to see his mother pulling at her father.

“Don’t touch him Bill, please! He’s your baby, look at him. He’s your son.” Bill shook his head and got up.

‘He’s no son of mine!” He kicked Zach towards the door and Zach ended up being winded. He felt his whole insides burst. However, it wasn’t as bad as he had expected. When he was seven, he had been thrown out of the window. He was given a broken arm and a leg for his cheek. Even though he had told the sheriff his father had done it, he refused to believe him. That is what hurt the most, not that is father was doing it,  but because nobody cared.

Nobody but Lucas.

Zach snatched his school bag from the floor and ran to the cherry tree.

Please love me Lucas.

He sent a silent prayer upwards.

***

Lucas stood by the pink blooming tree and leaned on its hard wooden surface. This was the place were Lucas and Zach had first met. The primary school playground was just a couple of meters away, hidden only by a few bushes. Lucas had been playing football with the other boys and they hadn’t let Zach play. Then suddenly the ball went over the fence and hit the tree. Lucas and Zach had both climbed over the fence and had a race to the ball that wasn’t intended. When they reached the ball at the same time Zach had been prepared to fight for it, Lucas, just smiled and said:

If you can get the ball back over the fence before a teacher sees, you can play with us.

He did.

And it turned out that Zach was a pretty good football player.   

He was also running towards him at full pelt.

“Zach?” Lucas said aloud, looking at the boy that was hurtling towards him at hyper speed. Zach came into view for only a second before he wrapped his arms around him. Lucas was a little shocked and uncomfortably hugged him back while Zach nuzzled into his neck.

“Oh, Lucas you came. I’m so happy you came.” Lucas was confused. Didn’t he send the invitation?

“Well it was my idea. What is the – Oh my god.” Zach had a developing black eye and a little blood trickling down from his nose. Lucas put his hands on either side of his face to steady him. “Zach why are you bleeding? What happened?”

“Nothing, it doesn’t matter.”

“It doesn’t matter? Look at you! You look like you’ve just been through a war zone.”

“I’m fine, stop fussing.” Lucas stood there and just looked at him, his whole list of questions just flew out the window. He was handsome, in a weird way. However, it made his heart stop a little.

No, no fuck no. You’re not gay remember.

“Zach, I’m… I’m sorry. I’m not gay, well at least I don’t think I am.” Zach just stared at him for a minute and nodded. His coin eyes wilted at the sides like delicate flowers. Why was he sad? All Lucus’s anger from before bubbled up to the surface. “Don’t you dare be sad. You can’t just say I love you and then expect me to say it back!” Zach’s face screwed up showing his dimples as he frowned. Lucas had always thought his dimples were cute.

No I haven’t! Why am I thinking these things?

“I wasn’t expecting you to say it back!” Zach confronted, “I just wanted you to understand me. Because for the last couple of months, ever since I told you I was gay, you have been slipping away from me Lucus. I can’t lose you.”

 No, please stop speaking Zach, please stop speaking.

“I just love you okay, and I know you think that’s weird and wrong. And I know you don’t feel the same way. I just, I just needed to get across to you how much I care.”

Shut up Zach. My god please shut up.

“I think you are the most beautiful person I have ever met. I love the way your face crinkles up when you concentrate. I love the way your smile lights up a room. I love that no matter what situation I find myself in, you always help me. I love the way you are so incredible and so, just so-”

Oh my god. I love that about you too.

Oh no, please. No, I'm not gay.

Oh my god, I am.

Zach… kiss me please.

Zach wasn’t going to kiss him. He wasn’t because he thought Lucas didn’t love him. Well, Lucas had been lying to himself. Looks like Shakespeare was right; Truth Will Out. Zach wouldn’t stop talking, and Lucas couldn’t hear anymore. So he simply pressed his lips against his.

***

Zach was in shock when he felt Lucas’s lips against his own. It was an odd feeling. Girls' lips were dry and they nearly always tasted like something. Whether it be strawberries or grape. Lucas tasted like mint, it was actually a little refreshing in an odd sort of way. Lucas, obviously just realizing what he was doing, pulled away. He went red, his beautiful face turning into a tomato.

“Okay,” he breathed “I think I’m the slightest bit gay… Wait, maybe I’m a whole lot of gay.” Zach reached forward and pulled Lucas closer towards him. Lucas didn’t pull away like Zach expected him to. Instead he brought his hand forward and rubbed something from his top lip. “I’m hoping you don’t always taste like blood.” Zachs eyes widened slightly, he was obviously referring to them doing it again. “Don’t look so shocked.” He said, and then Zach couldn’t help it. He kissed him again, his hands travelling around his shoulders, holding him prisoner. He pulled away after a couple of (what seemed like) very short minutes.   

“You have no Idea how long I’ve waited for that.” He breathed.