“Elly.”
LA didn’t want to look at Cass because he knew he would be giving him that damn pout that made him look like a big puppy. He could feel Cass staring at him and peeked up, confirming his suspicion.
Yup.
Full puppy pout on display.
LA grabbed Cass’s paw, toying with one of his claws.
He really didn’t want to talk about his mother or the wedding. It was a nasty can of worms he’d rather stay buried forever and pretend didn’t even exist. He thought for a long moment about what Cass had said about sharing empathy and patience with the world—not that he had any of those things for his mother or the situation, but maybe sharing what was happening would help.
Or at least give him a chance to bitch to an objective party.
“My mother is on me about going to my brother’s wedding,” LA said at last.
“Is this a story that requires alcohol?” Cass asked carefully. “I know sometimes that helps.”
“Oh, so now you’re encouraging me to drink?”
“I don’t want to deny you one of your coping mechanisms for what sounds like will be a very uncomfortable conversation.” Cass tapped the coffee table and a glass with a dark brown liquid appeared. “Spiced rum and Dr Pepper, right?”
“Thanks, Cassie.” LA grabbed for the glass.
Just as he tried to sit up to take a sip, a giant pink swirly straw appeared in the glass.
“Thanks.” LA rolled his eyes but took a long slurp through the straw before returning the drink to the table. “So, the short version is that my mother wants me to go to the wedding and I don’t want to go.”
“And the long version?”
LA sighed and picked up his drink for a more lengthy slurp.
Cass kept rubbing his chest, waiting patiently.
“The long version is that my brother, Carter, is marrying Katie, the girl who made my life a living hell in middle school and high school.” LA kept drinking, grateful for the familiar burn and hoping it would fuzz over the sudden ache of pain in his chest. “Think of every homophobic thing you can say to a person, multiply it by a thousand, and oh yeah, she got me suspended and then tried to have me arrested for assault.”
Cass’s paw tensed for a moment, but then went back to the soothing petting. “What happened?”
“Senior year. Was trying to get a sip of water from the fountain and she came up behind me and slammed my face into the faucet. I choked, snarfed a bunch of water, ended up spitting it all over her. She slapped me. So, I pushed her. Hard. I didn’t mean to, but I just wanted to get her away from me. She slips inthe water on the ground and crashes into the lockers, splits her head open, blood everywhere. Suspended for two weeks.”
“But it was an accident,” Cass said softly.
“The principal didn’t see it that way and her parents damn sure didn’t.”
“She attacked you first.”
“Yeah, they didn’t care.” LA slurped more of his drink, though it did little to quell the chasm opening up inside of him now. “Just like they didn’t care that she had been bullying me for years.”
“I am so very sorry, Elly.” Cass murmured. “That wasn’t fair and—”
“Can we talk about something else?” LA said suddenly, fighting the heat stinging his eyes. “Please?”
“Oh. Of course.” Cass purred softly. “I’m not going anywhere.”
LA swallowed hard and clung to Cass’s paw. “Thank you.”
“Ready for the best television show ever?” Cass said cheerfully.
“Beyond fucking ready. Let’s go.” LA pressed play on the first episode and turned his drink up. He needed something to numb the residual ache, the pain that wouldn’t leave, and he was desperate to slow his swirling thoughts.
