The Seasons

Chapter 33

Micahel bit the inside of his lip as Slaine stared at him blankly. Micahel was an excellent student and the only student failing all three subjects he taught, and it wasn’t his teaching that was the issue. Everyone else was excelling, he had even gotten an award last year for not having a single student fail his class, and it was made a big deal because he taught across three subjects seeing over a hundred students a day. The award now sat on one of the dark wood shelves behind him.

“You were excelling in all your classes up until this December. I’ve looked at your files, your mother is a single parent, and you have three younger siblings, two brothers and a sister. So, I’ll ask again, is there something that I should know? Has something changed at home?”

Michael ran a hand through his blonde hair, his brown eyes glimmering. “It’s nothing, Sir. I can handle it.”

“You’re a child,” he deadpanned. “You don’t need to handle it. What is happening at home, Micahel?”

“You can’t tell anyone.”

“You know I can’t do that. If something is threatening your or your sibling’s safety, I have to tell someone. You know this.”

“He’ll hurt them.”

“He will not.”

“He said he would.”

“He lied.”

“My mum got this new boyfriend,” Micahel said, his eyes glued on his fingers as he picked at his skin. “And he’s not nice; he’s drunk all the time. He’s always so angry.”

“Is that how you got that bruise on your leg?”

“Yeah. He threw the remote at Matt, and I stuck my leg out so it hit me instead of his face.”

“What about the bruise on your wrist?”

“He was screaming at Mellie, who was crying because she fell. He told her to shut up, or he’d give her a reason too. She cried more. He was about to hit her, so I grabbed him; he grabbed my wrist, squeezing.”

“What does your mother say about all of this?” Mathew peeled at his skin until it bled, and he shifted, his gums throbbing. Slaine scowled as he grabbed his tissue and threw it at him. “Stop picking your skin.”

“Mr Monroe, are your parents religious?” Michael asked, looking up at him; Slaine’s eyebrows shot up when he realised Micahel had unshed tears in his eyes,

Slaine hesitated. He didn’t know his birth parents and had never been around at foster homes long enough for him to form an attatchment. He had always been sent back, and the one family that had kept him hadn’t believed him. But for the longest time, he had considered Shanelle and Simon his parents. “Yeah, I guess they had been.”

“My mum is too. She’s catholic; she said I was this way because I didn’t have a father growing up. I argued with her about having no father is better than having him. I know she loves us; I know she does, but she thinks it’s her fault.”

Slaine frowned. “What’s her fault?”

“I like men. I’m gay. And when she found me in my room with a man, she freaked out. She went on this whole rant about how she had failed as a mother, how I was this way, about the reason I craved a man’s touch, was that I didn’t have my father’s love. That if she found someone to be my father, it would somehow turn me straight.”

Slaine tensed; he said man, not boy. Was his lover older than him? Sure, his mother could have worded it better, or maybe he was paraphrasing, but if his mother compared his lover to a father figure, he had to be much older than Michael. “This man? How old is he?”

“I don’t see how that’s relevant.”

“Michael, you are seventeen. You are not a legal adult. The age of consent is eighteen. You know this. If you wanna screw someone who’s also seventeen, I couldn’t care less, but anyone older than you is committing a crime.”

“Please don’t hurt him,” he whispered. “He said he likes me. He said he cared about me. And when I’m eighteen next month, I will ask my siblings to come live with us.”

“Us? Micahel, you’re living with him?” Slaine snapped, bewildered. “I need a name.”

“No, you’re going to hurt him.” Michael stared at him, tears in his eyes. “You can’t hurt him. He’s the first person who’s cared for me. I don’t want to be alone.”

“Michael. You are seventeen. You have your whole life ahead of you; you will find someone. I know you will. You’re a great student. But this man is not the right person for you. I need his name.”

“Promise me that you won’t hurt him,” he whispered. “And that you won’t call the police.”

Slaine scratched at his head in irritation. s**t. What the hell did he do?

“Lie to him, Slaine,” Chaos said. Slaine stared at the mirror behind Michael to see Chaos standing beside Micahel. “You must tell the authorities about both men. They are hurting him.”

Slaine stared at Chaos before looking at Michael. “How old are your siblings?”

“My brothers are both fourteen, my sister is eight.”

Slaine exhaled through his nose and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He looked over at Michael, whose eyes were still shimmering with unshed tears, and he nodded ever so slightly. “I won't hurt him, but I need his name. And while you’re giving names, also give me the name of your mother’s boyfriend.”

“And you swear you won’t tell the authorities? Mr Monroe, I’m only seventeen for one more month and then I’m legal.”

Slaine ran a hand through his hair. Did he not realise how stupid he sounded? Or how naive? “Yeah, sure, I need names.”

Slaine ran his tongue over his teeth as he watched Michael scribble down the names of the two men. When he first met Michael, he knew that this kid would make something out of himself, that he would leave this small shitty town behind and make it. But if Slaine failed him now, even though he’d seen how hard he had been working over the past four years and some douche had come to make his life difficult, as much as he hated it, he couldn’t fail him.

“I’m going to allow you to have one final resit,” Slaine said, causing the teenager to look up at him with wide eyes. “However whatever the outcome is, that’s going to be your final result. If you’re struggling to find somewhere to study, bring your siblings and come to this cafe. Your siblings will be cared for and you can study. I’ll email you the date and time, for you exam, don’t be late.”

Michaels's eyes widened as he nodded, thanking him repeatedly as he left the office with the piece of paper Slaine had written down The Season's name and address. Slaine slumped into his chair, catching sight of his reflection and Chaos, who was standing beside him.

Did he say something? He wasn’t sure, and that was the first time since he had met the deity. He didn’t know if he should have spoken to them, and the thought terrified him.

~*~