True Love:Follow Your Heart

by Melissa Heagerty

  Oh, but he was. “You heard me. Do you want to let it out? Hit me until you can't stand it. I'm a big boy, Vance, I can take it.” Kasper reassured him he'll be fine. He stands right in front of him. Giving him very little room to move. “Hit me!” Kasper slowly pushes his brother. Trying to provoke him. With one more final attempt, Vance had enough. Kasper saw the rage in his eyes. His teeth gritted. Both fists were tight.

  Then he started swinging away. Punching his stomach, his face whatever was easier to hit. Kasper was able to duck most of them. The bigger picture was he felt his brother's anger in those wallops.

  “Let it out Vannie, there you go.”

  Screaming out his frustration Vance sunk to his knees. His screaming shortly turned into tears as everything poured out.

  Kasper kneels to hug him hearing his brother cry. Hating the fact that he can't protect him the way he promised. “It's okay, kid I'm here.” Kasper rubbed his back lightly.

  Katrina walks away, leaving them alone.

  《***》

  A few moments later, Vance regained his composure to dry his tears. “Sorry if I hit you.”

  Kasper snorts out a laugh. “You know how to throw a punch kid that's for sure.” Kasper cheered him up a bit.

  Vance smiled, tittered out a short laugh.

  “You ready to talk?” Kasper wrapped his arm around his shoulder.

  He nods lightly. Lifting his glossy eyes heavenward at him. “Y-yeah, this stays between us?” Vance wanted to make sure no matter what he says does not get repeated back to Katrina.

  Kasper wrenched his head back towards the kitchen window, seeing she left. Giving Vance his undivided attention. “No matter what you tell me. It stays between us.” Kasper promised to keep his secrets.

  Vance took a deep breath before revealing what he's been holding in. “The kids at school were picking on me because I'm different.”

  That sparked Kasper's attention a bit. “Vannie, kids your age, they're just trying to fit in like everybody else. Sadly, some people need to be the outcast to prove a point. You aren’t doing anything wrong. You know that, right?” Kasper asked him if he knows the difference between good and evil.

  “I know, but when they talk about you, I try to defend you the best I can.” Again, getting his attention.

  Kasper raised his brow in a quizzical notion. “They talk about me?” He wondered in a nervous tone. He shakes his head, admitting it being true. Kasper lowered his head in shame.

  “It's nothing I don't hear every day. Wondering if I'm going to screw up as you will. Nobody will love me because of what I am.” Vance felt embarrassed even to doubt himself.

  Kasper didn't want to hear that talk from him. “Hey, you listen to me right now. Stop doubting yourself. You do that, and everything else will fade away.” Kasper wished he could handle these bullies for him.

  Vance needs to battle his own fights.

  “It's okay to be peculiar, to be dauntless and courageous, that's what makes you unique from anyone else. Stand up to them, Vance. You are sophisticated, not feeble. They can't break you if you cave in defeat. You have power too.” Kasper puts his fists up showing him. “Only if they don't leave you alone, sometimes provoking them also works. However, you need to be sure you're ready for this responsibility.” Kasper paused his train of thoughts. Peering over his shoulder. Grateful, his mother wasn't eavesdropping on this conversation. Continuing his advice to his little brother. “Hitting me is different from hitting bullies. It will change you. When you glance at the mirror, you don't find the same man looking back. You need to figure out what kind of man you want to become.” He wasn't trying to scare him but see the difference in this world.

  “I don't know if I can do this, Kasper. Face them again.” Vance showed his vulnerability right now.

  Kasper sighs out of frustration. Patting his shoulder. “It's alright, Vannie. You don't have to do anything you don't want to. But if you let them win, they will walk all over you, until you're back is pushed into a corner. You'll never know if you are ready. Just be careful no matter what you decide okay?”

  Vance nods as what Kasper told him was a lot to take in. His mind wandered on one thing in particular. “You'll love me no matter what, right? Even if I'm 'different'?” He never wanted to lose him.

  Kasper chuckles, walking up to him giving him a reassuring hug. “I will always be there for you, Vannie, no matter what. Supporting you in whatever you want to do. I'll always be by your side.” It was from the heart. He loves his brother. He'd do whatever it took to keep him safe and happy. “You feeling better?”

  “A little thanks to you. Thanks for having my back, Kasper.” He felt a little better about sharing his emotions.

  Kasper smiles, kissing his forehead. “Always little brother. So, next time you see those bullies?” Kasper wondered what he'd do.

  Thinking as he wasn't sure himself, but he'll take his brother's advice. “Show them they don't scare me anymore. Nothing they do can hurt me.”

  Kasper nods, walking inside the house.

  《***》

  “There's my boys. Is everything okay?” Katrina asked.

  Vance nods, hugging his mother. “Yeah, everything's fine.” Vance released the hold as Katrina watched him heading upstairs.

  Kasper sighs after a long day. A lopsided smile formed knowing he'll be okay.

  Katrina noticed the blood on his lip. And a cut on his eye. “So? What happened?” She got the first aid kit from the kitchen.

  “You saw?” Kasper asked, already seeing Katrina's incurious eyes gazing at him.

  “I saw your brother fighting you. Is he going to be okay?” She began to clean up his wounds.

  Kasper winced a bit. “Yeah, you got nothing to worry about. Just dealing with normal teenagers' stuff … Oww!” He yelped at the spray hitting his cut. Making Katrina laugh.

  “If you stop moving, I can fix it.”

  He fidgeted a bit. Katrina ended up finishing his cut.

  “Thanks, ma.”

  She smiles, kissing his forehead. “Keep being a big brother to him. He needs you now more than ever.”

  And boy does Kasper know that for a fact. “He knows I'll be there.”

  Chapter 7

  “Hey, Mikey,” said his uncle Aaron who sat outside his house after school, would wait for him to get home.

  They hugged and pulled out of the embrace.

  “Hey, Uncle Aaron, everything okay?” Michael asked.

  Aaron shook his head. “Everything is fine. I brought more of your belongings back.”

  He nodded out of relief that everything was okay so far.

  “How are your first few weeks going?”

  Michael shrugged his shoulders. “It's been interesting, to say the least,” which was the truth after all. He was still trying to take everything in.

  Aaron chuckled; he knew when to shut up. He didn’t want to pry into his nephew's life. “I'll let you get inside to see him. You got my number if you need anything?”

  Michael nodded as they shared a hug goodbye. Michael took a deep breath and walked into the house. Eileen’s house held secrets within its walls, but so did Michael’s. His uncle pleaded with Michael to return home to help take care of his father. It wasn't that he couldn't do both. Aaron had a family to support, after all. Aaron's brother was stubborn. He refused to leave his home. Thus, he asked Michael to return home. He knew about the whacked relationship between his brother and nephew. Aaron hoped it wouldn’t backfire, and one day, they will reconcile their hatred before it's too late.

  Once he entered his childhood home, bittersweet memories came flooding back. He saw the photos of memories his family had scattered around the living room. One specific photo caught his eye. It was a photo of him, his mother, Rachael, and brother Patrick. He placed the frame back in its place, as a voice got his attention. Michael tilted his head, he heard footsteps which traveled down the stairs.

  “Son, i
s that you?” Out called an older gentleman, who wheezed as he caught his breath. The old-timer had a lot of pain, and heartache filled his life over the years. This was another obstacle he had to overcome. He sure as hell wasn't out. Not by a long shot.

  Michael nodded his head. “Yeah, Dad, it's me.”

  “I'm glad to have you home, son, I know it wasn't an easy decision for you to make,” his father admitted to him.

  Michael swallowed hard and agreed inside his head. He hoped this time around, things would be different.

  “Aaron brought most of your things back inside. You want to wait to unpack later and join your old man for dinner?” Collin asked. He assumed he had better plans.

  “Yeah. Sure, why not?” To both their surprise, he accepted.

  After they got dinner ready, they sat down to enjoy and rekindled this strained relationship.

  “How's school going?” Collin broke the silence first.

  Michael shrugged his shoulders. “Alright, I guess, there’s still a lot to figure out there,” he admitted to him. “A teacher paired me up for a school project,” Michael said after he chewed his food.

  Collin’s nostrils flared up a bit. He saw how his son's eyes sparkled. He decided to show some enlightenment to that. “Let me guess, a girl?” He figured, which made Michael blush. A smile almost formed on his lips. “Be careful with girls, Michael,” Collin advised as if he knew from experience.

  Michael shook his head. His dad never wanted him to get serious with anybody. This was nothing new to him. “Not this girl, pop, this one is different.”

  Collin let out a choked laugh of disbelief. “Make sure it's a school thing and nothing more.” He put his foot down on the subject and wanted him to think straight.

  Michael groaned out of frustration, which made him roll his eyes. It was always the same old crap with him. They went back to the silent dinner. Collin wanted Michael to focus on one thing and one thing only—sports. His father excused himself to bed early, since the medication made him sleepy. Michael agreed to clean up before heading towards his room for the night. Michael procrastinated on his homework as all he could think about was Eileen.

  Feeling his eyes drifting, he fell asleep seconds later. During his slumber, an old bittersweet memory came flooding back to him that night. He didn't know how it happened or what triggered it. All he knew was it wasn't planned, yet he re-lived a nightmare.

  Last year, he was on the freshman football team. Everything was going for him. He and his former girlfriend Mari had their life planned out. Yep, he thought they could survive high school without any hiccups. When high school came to an end, they were going to move in together before college. Maybe after college, they were going to get engaged. But on one stormy night, in the blink of an eye, everything changed. The score was tied, and Michael had the ball at the last second, but sadly he was inches from reaching the end zone and … boom!

  It was lights out. The next time he woke up was in the hospital, hearing voices, as he came in and out of consciousness. Shortly, after a few days, he was told he could go home, knowing how much disappointment his father had. All their hopes and dreams came crashing down that night, in an instant. His knee was broken. His spirit was crushed completely. It took a while to get it back on track. Not playing football again was going to crush his father's spirit. He arrived home, regretting coming home in the first place.

  “You had everything going for you, son,” Collin snarled as he heard him enter the house.

  Michael hated it when he got like this—always lashing out at him, biting his head off about anything.

  “You blew it all away! Now you'll end up in this town forever.”

  Michael felt his eyes droop towards the floor and hung his head low. He was right about that one thing, though. He did blow it. It wasn't like he was going to stay here forever. Michael made a promise to himself. He wasn't going to be like his father or walk away like his brother. “I know I disappointed you,” an agonizingly bleak, Michael shook his head.

  “You embarrassed yourself. You let love cloud your head. And look at what happened.” Collin shook his head and headed upstairs without uttering another word.

  Michael gritted his teeth, struggling to control his temper. He promised then and there he was going to find another way to prove to his father he isn’t worthless or in his father's words a failure.

  Michael woke up from his nightmare and glanced at what time it was, when he caught his breath. “J—just a dream,” he whispered and failed to go back to sleep as his mind wouldn't let him.

  It was only a few hours until morning. He snapped out of his trance once he heard a knock at the door.

  “Everything alright in there?” His father asked.

  Michael looked at the alarm clock again. He managed to survive the night. “Y—yeah, everything's fine dad. I'll be down soon.”

  He mumbled something before his footsteps departed into the kitchen. Michael took his sweet time to come down into the kitchen, finally making his appearance known.

  “You look like hell,” a sardonic remark from his father who glanced up from his newspaper.

  Michael nodded his head as he laughed. “Yeah, I couldn't sleep last night.”

  Collin raised his eyebrow. “Dreamt about that girl again?”

  Michael rolled his eyes and looked for something to eat. He wasn't in the mood to start this again. “Did you feel that way about mom when you first met her?” He asked, as he never heard any stories about her.

  Collin ignored the question, like always.

  “I'll see you later, pop,” he said in a stiff mumble as he didn’t want to be late and took his food to go.

  《***》

  The same morning, a determined Michael wanted to find her again, no matter the cost. Yet again, his back once again bumped into the troublemakers.

  “Oops,” Ryder teased, which made Christian laugh.

  Michael had enough of this crap and wanted to know what their issue was with him. Michael was going to wrench Ryder by the arm, but Christian shoved Michael’s back against the locker, which caused a few surprised students to ogle nearby.

  “Well, what do we have here?” Christian laughed. He watched Michael grit his teeth as he wasn’t afraid to throw a punch if needed. “Trying to be a 'tough guy?'” He taunted Michael.

  Ethan came up next to Michael. “Hey man, this is something you do not want to do,” Ethan said as he saw Michael tighten the grip on the side of his hand.

  “Better listen to him, pipsqueak,” Ryder dared him.

  “I've had enough of this!” A ticked off Heagertigh vented to Ethan.

  Ethan understood his frustration because he used to feel that way, but this wasn’t the answer. “There is always a better way. Let him go, alright?” Ethan pleaded.

  Michael lowered his fist and became the bigger man once again. He punched the locker hard next to him, which shattered as they walked away.

  “You better run,” Christian yelled as Ryder held him back.

  《***》

  “Believe me, man, I know you're frustrated with them. I was too,” Ethan told Michael, who cooled himself down.

  “I have already been here for a few weeks, and I promised myself I wasn't going to be that guy,” Michael started to calm down.

  “You're on the right track, though man. Whatever you do, don't let them win,” Ethan voiced.

  Michael lifted his head to spot Eileen, who sauntered by. She saw both of them and walked towards the class. “Hey, uh, you know pretty much everybody in this town, right?”

  Ethan pondered for a moment. “Hmm, it depends on the topic, but I'm pretty popular here.”

  Michael agreed with that. “What's the deal with the girl you glanced at?”

  Ethan thought about it for a moment and figured out who he was talking about. “Oh, Eileen?”

  Michael smiled, which gave Ethan the idea that she smote him.

  “She's a nice
girl, shy, quiet, keeps to herself,” Ethan explained, as he trailed off a bit. “I don't know too much about her, but she did help tutor me last year before she had her incident.” He didn’t need to know they dated.

  That made Michael want to know more. “Incident? What happened?”

  Ethan pondered if he should tell Michael. It was not like the whole school didn't already know.

  “You should wait and have Eileen tell you herself. Don't believe the rumors that go around.” Ethan patted him on the back.