A Fresh Start

by Lexi Bissen

  Gibson comes up to us after River holds me in the hug for a bit too long. “All right, man, hands off my woman.” After River releases his hold, Gibson tucks me into his side.

  Allen comes between the three of us and sticks his hand out to River. “Hello there, I’m the best friend,” he says, nodding in my direction.

  “Hey, nice to meet you.” River takes his hand and shakes it.

  “You’re straight, right?”

  “Allen!” I yell. He has no filter, even with strangers.

  River looks to Gibson and I; Gibson trying to hide his laugh and me standing there mortified. “Uh, yeah. Sorry, man.”

  “Ugh, figures. Can the next person you invite here be a little more…my type?” Allen asks Gibson.

  Unable to hold it in anymore, Gibson lets out his laugh. “Yeah, man, I’ll see what I can do. Maybe you and Ronnie can come out to L.A. with us sometime and we can hunt you down someone.”

  I like the sound of that, and by his sexy smirk, I’m guessing Allen does too. “The odds of me finding a gay man in L.A. are much more likely than Alabama. Plus, we’ve never traveled, so count us in.”

  Before we plan any trips together, I have to build up the courage to tell my parents about Gibson…and UNF.

  The four of us head to Dan’s after a stop at baggage claim. Dan isn’t working tonight, which is rare. What’s even stranger is the scent of homemade food when we walk through the front door. From what Gibson’s told me and the meals I’ve had here, neither of these guys cook…at all. Gibson lucked out with the pasta dish from our first date, but ever since then, his cooking has been on the same level as his eggs. I’m usually bringing dinner over on nights I’m not working and cook something up for us. The closest I’ve seen Dan come to cooking was overdone noodles and canned pasta sauce. What he’s making now actually smells…good. And there’s no burnt aroma, which is a great sign.

  When we enter the kitchen, there’s a nice spread of food across the countertops. It looks as if Dan has ordered take-out from every possible restaurant in the area. No wonder it smells so good.

  “What’s going on here?” Gibson finally asks the question we were all thinking.

  Dan is standing in the middle of the kitchen awkwardly, looking as if he’s not sure of what to say. “Hey, kids. I just figured since you have company coming over, I’d order some food so Ronnie wouldn’t have to cook like she always does.”

  River drops the bag off in the living room and goes up to Dan, holding his hand out. “Hello, sir, I’m River. Thank you for letting me stay in your home.” The surprise on Dan’s face can be read clear as day. He takes in River’s appearance, trying to connect the tattoos and criminal look with the manners coming out of his mouth.

  “Um, ” Dan stutters, “yeah, sure.” He grabs River’s hand and shakes it.

  Gibson comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. “I think his reaction is better than yours, babe,” he whispers in my ear.

  I turn my head around and pierce him with a stare before connecting my elbow with his stomach. “Watch it, mister,” I warn. He laughs and starts heading to the food, letting out a “thanks” to Dan on the way.

  “You’re not going to cause any trouble, right?” Dan questions River. It’s meant to be a joke, but I’m sure the cop in Dan is worried.

  I head to the fridge to collect some drinks for everyone when Allen stops me, slinging his large arm over my shoulder. “Don’t worry, Dan-o, we’ll keep an eye on River—” Allen suddenly stops, looking over at River, “I just realized nothing comes to mind for a nickname for you.”

  “I’m sorry, what?” River asks.

  Allen removes his arm from my shoulder and begins tapping his chin. “Nope, I’ve got nothing. How could that be? Something comes to mind for everyone I know, yet my mind is blank.”

  I roll my eyes and continue toward the fridge. “Don’t hurt yourself over there, hun, I’m sure something will come to mind,” I call over my shoulder.

  The five of us start digging into the food. After he finishes, Dan leaves and heads to his office, claiming he has work to do. I think being around a lot of people makes him uncomfortable. While Gibson says Dan does work a lot, even when he has the day off he spends it in that secret office of his. Neither Gibson nor I have seen what is in there.

  We all finish eating and I begin cleaning up. Allen and Gibson are lounging on the couches, rubbing their protruding stomachs. Gibson scoots forward, attempting to reach for the PlayStation controller on the coffee table, but lets his arm fall when he realizes it’s too far.

  Shaking my head, I return to clearing the food and dishes. The feeling of someone watching me makes the hairs on the back of my neck stick up, but when I look to the living room, both Allen and Gibson are both in food comas. Turning back to the task at hand, I catch a glimpse of River, arms crossed and leaning against the sink, smirking at me. He isn’t staring in a creepy way, more like he’s curious. It still makes me uncomfortable.

  “How do you like Freedom from what you’ve seen so far? We pretty much passed through the whole town on the way from the airport.” I let out a nervous laugh, not used to being around a practical stranger on my own. I haven’t had much experience with the whole small talk thing and I don’t want to sound like an idiot in front of my boyfriend’s best friend. “You’re from a big city, so I’m sure this is nothing to you.”

  River laughs and begins gathering the empty cartons. “Contrary to what a lot of people may think, I didn’t live the same kind of life Gibson did. My mom was determined to keep me away from any and everything that had to do with my father. I would only visit him one week over the summer or spring break, and even that was too much for him. My mom hated it, but she wasn’t able to get full custody of me.” His eyes go cloudy as he talks about his dad. I couldn’t imagine the feeling of being unwanted by a parent. My parents may not focus on me as much as they do my brothers, but they did make sure I felt loved.

  Wanting to steer away from this heavy topic, I decide to ask about something lighter. “What do you do for a living? Gibson said you were in school. What are you going for?”

  His smile tells me he knows I’m trying to fill the awkward silence. “Both actually. I’m in school to get my art degree and working at a tattoo shop a buddy of mine has owned for a few years now.” He looks over to where Gibson is lying on the sofa. “Actually, most of the ink on your boy was done by me. He let me use him as my blank canvas when I was practicing. He’s a dumb shit for letting me do it, now that I think about it.”

  I think about the beautiful artwork covering Gibson’s body. None of it makes sense, and I now understand why. He was letting River do what he wanted, so the randomness down his arm and across his chest was just practice. It’s so Gibson.

  “You know, you aren’t what I expected when I met you,” River says, breaking me from my thoughts.

  My body stiffens as I collect the used silverware. I’m not sure if he meant for that to come out as a negative, but I’m curious. Turning back to him, I raise one eyebrow and cross my arms under my breasts. “Oh yeah, and what did you expect?”

  River laughs and holds his hands, which still have the empty container of Chinese noodles, in a defensive position. “Whoa there, I didn’t mean it the way you thought. Bring that brow down a notch.” He laughs and tosses the trash in the nearby garbage can. “All I meant was you aren’t like any of the girls my boy has ever been with, or even ones he’s been attracted to. First there’s the fact that you’re blonde.” He points to the top of my head and I run my fingers through my long locks, self-conscious of my hair now.

  “What’s wrong with being blonde?”

  “I didn’t say there was anything wrong with blondes, I happen to be quite a big fan of them,” he says with a smirk. “I was just pointing out a physical feature, but it’s more than that. You just seem…normal. I’m not used to that with the kind of people Gib used to hang out with. You should have seen some of those women. Total gold-di
ggers. I like you, though.”

  Oh, I don’t have to imagine. I’ve seen some of those lovely ladies on Gibson’s Facebook. They’re the same assholes who leave crude comments on my boyfriend’s pictures. Luckily, Gibson deletes them, but not before I see some of the disgusting things they offer him.

  I relax, knowing River approves of me and Gibson. “I like you, too, River, and I’m happy Gibson has someone like you and your mom in his life. He may not say it a lot, but I know he loves both of you more than anything. He never stops talking about you guys.”

  “Well, maybe not more than anything,” he says with a wink.

  Before I have a chance to respond to him, my very sluggish boyfriend drags himself into the kitchen. “What are you two girls whispering about in here? You better not be hitting on my girl, Miller. You may have started your boxing shit again, but I can still kick your ass.” Gibson grabs me by the waist and pulls me to stand in front of him while he leans against the counter, wrapping his arms around me in a tight hold.

  River lets out a laugh as he leans against the refrigerator. “Yeah, man, the two of us were just planning on how we were going to run off together without you noticing. Sorry to break it to you, but she’s moved on to a bigger, stronger man.”

  I’m doing everything I can to hold my laugh in and play along with River. Looking over my shoulder at Gibson, I shrug. “It was the blue eyes, they did me in.”

  Gibson’s grip around my waist tightens and he leans down to whisper in my ear. “You better not even joke, princess. I’ll make you pay for this later,” he growls out.

  My body goes warm. “Oh yeah? What did you have in mind?” I lean into him, molding us together so Gibson can feel every part of me. He grabs my hips, stopping my movements.

  “Watch it,” Gibson warns.

  “You two need to get a room!” Guess Allen is up. My best friend comes into the kitchen, covering his eyes with his hand. “This is too much for my innocent eyes. River, are you sure you want to be here this week? These two are disgusting, little horny teens who can’t control themselves.”

  I duck my head and try to control the heat creeping up my face. Allen knows exactly what to say to embarrass me. Detaching myself from Gibson, I head toward my backpack to gather my things. “Well, on that embarrassing note, I have to get going,” I say to the boys once I have my bag slung over my shoulder. “River, it was nice meeting you. I’ll see all of you tomorrow.” I walk up to Gibson and plant a small kiss on his lips. He grabs my hand and stops me from walking away.

  “I’ll walk you out, baby.”

  I laugh at the fake kissing noises Allen makes as Gibson and I head for the front door.

  Once we’re by my truck, I toss my bag into the backseat and face my ever-so-handsome boyfriend leaning against the driver’s side door.

  “Why are you leaving so early?” he asks, running his hands down my arms and settling them on my lower back, dangerously close to my bottom.

  Draping my arms over his shoulders, I lean my soft body against Gibson’s hard torso. “I have to show my face at home a little this week or my parents may start to become suspicious. I can only use hanging out with Allen as an excuse so much before they start asking questions.” I bite my lip, trying to figure out a way to bring up something else I had in mind for tonight. “Actually, I was thinking of maybe mentioning UNF and…you, to my parents tonight.”

  Gibson’s body stiffens and his Adam’s apple bobs. Well, at least I’m not the only one who’s nervous. “Are you sure that’s what you want to do? Tell them about me, I mean. I think it’s time you mention UNF to them. Maybe not say you’re going for sure, but bring up the acceptance letter.”

  “Yeah, I agree there. I don’t want to spring it on them right away.” I run my fingers up his neck and into his hair. “I am sure about telling them about you, though. I want my parents to meet the man I’m in love with. I may not say that to them right away, but I’m think easing them into our relationship could maybe work.”

  “Whatever you want to do, I’ll be behind you.”

  I love the support I get from him. Gibson leans down to kiss me, but I pull away. There’s still one more thing I have to mention before he distracts me with his lips and that darn ring.

  “Last thing. I have my paper for you to read, finally. I…um, changed it a bit. I wanted to include something that became recently important to me.”

  “That’s awesome, babe. When are you going to bring it to me?” I know he’s been waiting a while for this, and can tell by his wide eyes that he’s excited for it. Although I did finish the essay a couple of weeks ago, it never felt complete to me. There was something missing and that was Gibson. Every time I read it, I couldn’t see him not being a part of my future. Even if we only last through college, it had to be mentioned that I could see a future with Gibson Mitchell.

  As I enter the front door, the loud voices of commentators are coming from the living room, yelling and cheering My father comes into view as I make my way through the hallway. He’s in his usual recliner, beer in hand, yelling at the TV screen, even though it’s obvious no one can hear him. This is a typical Friday night for Michael Hamilton, as if he couldn’t get enough football tonight at my brother’s game.

  Mom is in the kitchen, putting the dishes away. Sean is nowhere to be seen, and that could work in my favor. I know he would overreact and throw a fit if I even brought up Gibson and me in the same sentence. He’d overreach, and while I do love him, he needs to understand I’m eighteen, not eight.

  I drop my backpack into one of the empty seats at the kitchen table and plop myself in the one beside it. Mom turns at the sound, her smile fading just a bit when she sees me before checking the time on the oven.

  “Oh, hi, honey. Are you just getting home?” Of course you wouldn’t have noticed me not here.

  I rub the back of my neck, feeling the tension settle in. “Yeah, I was out with Allen for a bit.” She turns back to drying the pots and pans she must have used for dinner. “Actually, Mom, there’s something I wanted to talk to you and Dad about.”

  Her hands freeze and she places the dishtowel and pot down. “Is everything all right? Is it your grades? Are you struggling this semester?”

  My parents have always been on my brothers and me about our grades, wanting us to all be A students. I’ve never struggled, but the boys usually did.

  “No, my grades are great, Mom. All A’s. This is about something different. Do you mind getting Dad to come in here?” She calls for my dad to come sit with us. Luckily its halftime, so he comes in with minimal complaining.

  Once we’re all seated at the table, my mouth goes dry and words become jumbled in my head. I sit there, watching my parents stare at me, looking between themselves. I know I should have said something by now, but I don’t know how to start.

  Finally, my dad breaks the silence. “Did you have something you wanted to tell us, or was I just called in here for this awkward non-conversation?” He keeps straining his neck so he can catch a view of the TV.

  Mom shoots Dad a glare and tries to get him to focus on me. “Ronnie said she had something she wanted to talk to us about. I’m sure it’s important.” She looks back to me and raises both eyebrows. “Go ahead.”

  Taking a deep breath, I look to my parents and try to find the courage to tell them about my relationship. “Well, you both know how I’ve been spending a lot of time with Allen lately?” They nod and I continue. “It hasn’t only been Allen and I together. I’m actually…well, I’m kind of…seeing someone.”

  That gets my dad’s full attention. The game completely forgotten, he leans forward just a bit in his seat. “Are you telling us you’re dating someone?” I nod my head yes, scared to answer from the hard tone of his voice. “And you’ve been lying about who you were with all this time?”

  “No,” I answer. “Well, not the entire time. Yes, there have been a couple.”

  “Sweetheart, why didn’t you just tell us about this boy? You kno
w we don’t have a problem with you dating.” My dad grunts in response and crosses his arms over his chest. She may not have a problem, but it’s apparent he isn’t a fan of the idea. “So, who is he? We’d love to have him over for dinner.”

  I begin chewing on my fingernail, wondering how they’re going to take this news. “Actually, you two don’t exactly know him.”

  Before either of my parents can respond, someone bursts through the front door.

  “Where the hell is she!” my brother yells from the front of the house. Loud footsteps come from the stairs as he runs up and slams one of the doors against the wall.

  My parents stare wide-eyed in the direction of my brother’s voice. I don’t, though. If my brother had been with Rodger just now, I know what his outburst is about and I want nothing more than to make a quick escape out the backdoor.

  Once Sean realizes I’m not upstairs, he comes barreling into the kitchen. He spots me right away and narrows his eyes. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing dating that lowlife asshole?”

  My mother gasps, but before she has a chance to say something to my brother about his language, Dad turns to me and asks, “What is he talking about, Ronnie? Who exactly are you seeing?”

  I open my mouth to try to explain, but Sean beats me to it. “That no good Gibson Mitchell, that’s who.” Sellout.

  Dad stares at me, as if he doesn’t believe what my brother just said. My silence must give away the answer, because his face goes from a light tan to red with anger in seconds. “Tell me what he’s saying isn’t true, Ronnie.” His tone is strict and I want nothing more than to tell him it isn’t true, but I can’t lie to them.

  “Yes, I’m seeing Gibson. But—” He raises his hand, cutting me off from defending my relationship.

  “I told you when that boy came here I didn’t want you anywhere near him and now I find out you’re dating this guy. I’m disappointed in you, Ronnie. You’ll end this so-called relationship right now. This boy isn’t good for you or your future.”