27. old ghosts

TWENTY SEVEN

old ghosts

Tuesday, April 15th

Isaiah was exhausted. Mentally and physically.

Practice on Monday was a pain. Coach had insisted on making them participate in team building exercises, and that meant being nice to each other, which Isaiah knew none of them were good at. They had their own little groups, and Isaiah didn't want to be anywhere near Alex's. Not after all the bullshit they'd been throwing at him.

Coach had them partner up with people they'd never worked with before, and Isaiah was stuck with Alex, which made him want to bash his head against a wall. It felt like he was being punished when he hadn't even done anything wrong. The other boy had looked just as upset, sporting a scowl and tense shoulders, looking anywhere but him.

"I don't get it," Alex had grumbled to the coach. The man turned to face him with narrowed eyes, as if challenging him to protest. Which, he did. "Why do we have to do this? We get along on the field."

Coach scoffed. "I'm tired of seeing you all fighting off of it. You're all immature when it comes to certain things, and I want you all to get to know each other and look past what makes you hate one another so much. Okay?"

Alex's frown only deepened. "Why does that matter though?" he complained. "Again, we do well during games."

Coach slapped a hand on Alex's shoulder, shaking it. "And you'll do even better when you get along away from games. I need you guys in top shape. Playoffs are serious, you hear?"

"Yes, sir," mumbled the players in monotone unison. For once Isaiah agreed with Alex; this was bullshit. He was perfectly fine with Steve, Ashton, and Marcus, and them only.

Isaiah was left batting while Alex pitched to him in the cages, and the one thing keeping him sane was the memory of him and August on Saturday. Despite that, the atmosphere was still tense and uncomfortable. If they'd been in a cartoon, Isaiah was sure Alex would've had steam coming out of his ears. He threw the ball particularly hard, purposely tried to aim for his thigh or side, and Isaiah was slowly began to get fed up with it.

"Look," Isaiah said after the ball skimmed his hip for the third time. "I don't like this either. But can we at least practice properly? I remember Coach saying that the next team we play is really good."

Alex side-eyed him, smacking a new ball against his glove rhythmically. "Whatever," he muttered. Isaiah sighed, adjusting his grip on the bat.

He pitched much better this time around, but the tension was still there, thick and suffocating. So, he tried to ease it as best he could. "You know who we're playing next?" Isaiah asked. "Coach mentioned it, but I don't remember the name."

That annoyed look on his face didn't leave. "Lakewood," Alex answered. "Now shut up. I don't want to talk."

Isaiah scowled. "Fine."

Lakewood... now why did that sound so familiar.

___

Come Tuesday, Isaiah still wondered where he'd heard about Lakewood before. Maybe they played them in the past? But he felt like he would've remembered them if Coach said they were skilled.

At lunch, Isaiah voiced his thoughts. "Have we played Lakewood before?" Steve shook his head, Ashton shrugged, and Marcus didn't answer, simply stared down at his phone. Isaiah sighed and fiddled with the wires of his headphones, frowning.

"Are you sure?" he pushed, and Steve looked up at him, one eyebrow raised in silent question.

"Why does it matter?" he asked. He was right—why did it matter? Isaiah had no fucking clue, but he felt like he'd heard the name before.

Marcus looked between the two, realized Isaiah was genuinely confused, and sighed. "If you're so pressed about it," he muttered, "Lakewood was August's old school. That's probably why it sounds familiar."

Isaiah froze. "What?"

Marcus gave him a weird look. "August's old school," he said slowly. "We told you this like, two months ago. When you two had that whole argument? You said some stupid shit, I think."

All Isaiah could get out was a quiet oh. He nodded and stared down at the table; August's old team was who they were playing next. Were the guys who hurt him still on the team? Did they know this was August's new school? That Jay guy's brother went here, so they had to know. If Isaiah was reacting like this, then he couldn't imagine how August would if he found out. He was bound to know if he went to the game.

Isaiah sat up, the abrupt movement catching the attention of his three friends. "You guys have to make sure August doesn't go to the next game," he stated seriously. Ashton let out an awkward laugh, giving Isaiah a bewildered look.

"Why?" Ashton asked curiously. "It's his old teammates. Maybe he wants to see them."

Isaiah clenched his jaw. Trust me, he doesn't. "Please," he begged, giving his friends a pleading look. "Just make sure, okay?"

Ashton nodded in understanding and went back to his phone, and Steve's gaze lingered on Isaiah before he continued to do what he was doing before. Marcus was watching him closely, as he had been doing since Isaiah came out to him, and it was beginning to become overwhelming. He met Marcus' eyes and mouthed, "What do you want?"

Marcus looked like he was about to respond, until he looked at something behind Isaiah and decided against it. Just as he did, he felt a hand touch his back, and the bump of August's rings could be felt through the fabric of his shirt. August grinned when Isaiah looked up, and next to him was Morgan, who sent him a happy wave.

"Hey," he greeted, watching them as they took their seats. August nudged his thigh against Isaiah's, the warmth of his leg sending butterflies into his stomach.

August's gaze skimmed over everyone else at their table, and he furrowed his brows. "You guys are quiet today," he commented. "Don't tell me all of you are fighting."

"Nah," Ashton replied. "We were just talking about the team we play ne—" He shut up instantly when Isaiah sent him a look.

August noticed and gave Isaiah a curious look. "The team you guys play next?" he guessed, and Isaiah didn't answer - just took a large gulp of water as an excuse not to speak. August scowled, pinched Isaiah's thigh, causing droplets of water to dribble down his chin from surprise.

"It's Lakewood, isn't it?" August muttered, sighing. At Isaiah's alarmed look, he added, "I'm not stupid. I've played in the playoffs before, too, when I was a sophomore. We played this school. And with your reaction, it wasn't hard to put two and two together."

Isaiah hung his head. "Sorry." He pinched the bridge of his nose, and he watched August reach out, then hesitate, eventually pulling his hand back. Isaiah felt even guiltier. All August wanted to do was comfort him. Touch him in his own way of saying it was okay. But Isaiah was still scared. He wanted to know how August wasn't afraid to be himself even after what he went through.

"Don't be," August said, voice low enough so only Isaiah could hear. "I get why you'd want to hide it. But I'll be okay. I'm surrounded by people, so they won't do anything if they recognize me."

Isaiah bit at his lower lip. "Are you sure?"

August chuckled, nodding his head in reassurance. "I'm sure," he promised. "And if something does happen, I've got you guys. Right?"

"Right." Isaiah smiled, feeling a bit better about the situation, but still unable to rid the anxious feeling he got. He didn't want anything bad to happen - he didn't know what he would do if August got hurt again. It was a terrifying thought. He found himself thinking about it far too much, and it was starting to become a serious fucking problem. August wasn't worrying, so why should he?

"Hey," barked Steve, snapping Isaiah out of his thoughts. "Stop making heart eyes at each other and give me the notes for Mrs. White's class. From last Wednesday."

"We weren't—"

"He's just joking, Isaiah," August said, keeping him from getting defensive. "Keep reacting and he'll keep doing it."

Steve frowned. "Don't spill my secrets."

"It's not a secret," August retorted, rolling his eyes. "Everyone does it to get on people's nerves. You're not original, buddy."

"God, you sound like my little sister," Steve muttered, shaking his head. Isaiah grinned; he could see it. Lily had a similar personality to August's; they both had no problem speaking their mind and tended to tease people a ton. The only difference was that Lily did a lot of pranks on her siblings.

August looked proud as he said, "Your sister sounds like a wonderful person."

Steve just glared.

___

Isaiah's mom arrived home a few hours after he did. He was lounging on the couch, watching an anime Ashton had recommended on his phone when the front door opened. He peeked over the edge of his screen, watching his mom kick off her heels in the hallway.

"Hi, Mom," he greeted, sitting up when she turned around to look at him. She smiled and set down her purse before walking over, plopping down on the other end of the sofa with a tired sigh.

"How was school, mijo?" she asked, lazily tying her hair back. She looked exhausted, concealer barely covering the bags under her eyes. Seeing how tired his mom and dad got after a day of work made him want to stop growing up; the adult life seemed scary. Isaiah had enough anxiety.

He shrugged, tugging his headphones out of his ears. "Fine," he replied and she nodded. "How about you? How was work?" She looked surprised at the question, and it made Isaiah realize how him and his siblings didn't ask that as much as they should. It never really occured to him that they could have bad days, too. Parents could be like superheroes.

"My day has been okay," she answered, looking a bit brighter than before. "Though I'm pretty sure my boss' wife doesn't like me."

Isaiah snorted, grinning in amusement. "What?" he laughed. "Why?"

"Well," she began, raising her eyebrows and looking up at the ceiling. "My boss, I knew her in high school, so she's kind to me. We're familiar with each other, and her wife seems to think I'm out to steal her. Little does she know I am happily married with three kids, and definitely not interested in women."

Boss is a woman. Has a wife. That's all Isaiah really registered, and he felt his heart hammering against his chest. She didn't seem to be disgusted, and seemed to be perfectly fine having a female boss who was married to another woman. Would she be okay with Isaiah being gay, though? Isaiah had heard that some parents were fine with people outside the family being gay, but inside the family was unacceptable.

"You know," his mother whispered, turning toward Isaiah, looking like she was holding back a laugh. "That reminds me. Did you know me and your father always thought Jordan was a lesbian?"

Isaiah's eyes widened. "No, why?" Was he about to get his answer?

"It's not the fact she's never had a boyfriend," she explained, waving a hand. "She has all these posters of female celebrities on her walls. She always wears such masculine clothes, and I remember when she was your age, she wanted to shave her whole head. Oh dear, I'm so glad we kept her from doing it."

"What if she was?" Isaiah blurted, neck feeling warm when she gave him a curious look. "What if she was? You know, into girls."

Mom blew out a breath of air, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, I wouldn't mind," she said honestly. "At least I wouldn't have to worry about a pregnancy scare at a young age."

Isaiah laughed nervously, nodding his head at her words. "Yeah, true." He picked at his phone case, and he briefly wondered if she was suspicious of him after he asked that. It made him nervous.

"I'd be fine if you or Dylan were gay as well," she continued on, laughing a little. "I wouldn't have to worry about you two getting a poor girl pregnant."

"Mom."

"Oh, hush," she scolded, waving a dismissive hand. "You've always been so awkward talking about dating and girls and stuff related to it. Everyone's thought about that stuff, so don't be all shy, silly."

Isaiah scrunched up his nose in disgust. "It's because I'd be talking about it with you," he grumbled. "It's gross and weird."

His mom chuckled, and when she didn't speak for a few moments, Isaiah looked up. She had her eyes closed, so he assumed she was beginning to go to sleep. He wrapped his headphones around his phone and started to get up to head upstairs, but was stopped by her speaking once again.

"Before you go," she said, words laced with exhaustion, "I want you to know that you can talk to me about anything. You can talk to your dad, too. Nothing to be afraid of, alright?" She gave him a loving smile, and Isaiah wanted to cry. "Being a teenager is hard. You kids seem to forget we were your age once, too."

Isaiah swallowed down the lump in his throat. "Yeah. Yeah, I know, Mom. I love you."

"Te quiero mucho, mijo. Goodnight."

As soon as Isaiah got upstairs, he felt a few tears escape, sliding down his cheeks, but for once they were happy tears. The good ones. Isaiah buried his face in his pillow, clutched at the sheets, not bothering to hold back the wide smile that slipped onto his face.

Mom would love me regardless.

___

Q: I don't have one, so I'll just ask how your days have been so far ☺️