Date Me, Bryson Keller(67)

“What?” she shouts. Mom spins on her heel and races out of the room.

“Honey!” Dad calls out. He’s stopped her at the front door. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to deal with those fuckers.” Mom’s swearing causes me to drop the plate. It shatters, but I don’t move to pick it up. Instead, I turn to look at my mother.

Mom never swears.

That’s when I realize that Mom may not understand me quite yet, but she loves me regardless. I am her son. It doesn’t make up for how poorly she handled my being gay, but I feel my heart mend just a little bit. Actions speak louder than words, and right now Mom is showing me that she will always love me.

Mom leaves Dad standing there, and a moment later, he runs out of the house, too.

    I run to our front steps. Dad is chasing after Mom. By the time he gets her to stop the car, she’s already in front of the neighbor’s house. I think that Dad is trying to convince her to come back home—to talk things over. But instead, he climbs into the car, too.

I watch as my parents rush to Fairvale Academy.

As they head into battle for me.





32


I’ve barely slept at all. My mind races with all that’s happened. I reach for my phone and find it dead. I haven’t bothered to charge it. I haven’t bothered to do much of anything aside from lying here and staring at the ceiling.

It’s fast approaching midday and I’m still in bed. Beneath these covers, the world outside ceases to exist. I’m happy to pretend. Or at least I would be if I wasn’t starving.

Last night I heard Mom say she would work from home today. It’s another reason for me to not want to leave my room. There’s still an awkwardness between us. I sigh. I’m curious to know what happened yesterday, but when I close my eyes, I can vividly recall the hurt. It hasn’t scabbed over yet.

There’s a knock at my door and I pause. I even go as far as holding my breath.

“Can I come in, Kai?” Mom asks. Her voice is soft and unsure. I wait for the turning of the door handle, but it doesn’t come. Instead, she stands and waits.

    “Uh…sure.” I sit up and run a hand through my bedhead curls.

Mom enters my bedroom like it’s her first time doing so. She looks around before her eyes settle on me.

She exhales. “We need to talk.”

I nod. She crosses the room and takes a seat at my desk. Mom’s hands rest on her knees, and she’s gripping them tightly. She seems nervous. I am, too. The last time we spoke in this room it did not go well. I hold my breath and wait for her to start.

“I’m sorry,” Mom says. She looks me straight in the eye when she says it. “I messed up and I hurt you and I’m just so very sorry.” Mom shakes her head. “I was selfish. I thought only about my feelings and not about yours. I can’t imagine what you’ve had to go through. When I think about those assholes at school I just get so angry, but then I remember that I was one of them.”

Tears spring to her eyes, and Mom tries and fails to blink them back.

“I hurt you, that I know. Saying sorry doesn’t feel like enough, but it’s all I can do. I failed you, Kai. But I promise to try, to keep trying so that it never happens again.”

“I’m sorry that I disappointed you,” I say. Tears are streaming down my own cheeks.

“You didn’t, Kai. You’re perfect just the way you are.” Mom buries her face in her hands. “My son is perfect just the way he is.” She sounds as if she’s talking to someone else.

I stand and close the distance between us. I only hesitate once before hugging her. Mom’s arms wrap around me instantly. She clings to me. We stay like that until both of us have stopped crying. Mom pulls back and reaches for my face. She cups it between her hands and uses her thumbs to wipe away my drying tears.

    “You’re perfect, Kai Sheridan,” she says. “And I love you a whole lot.”

“I love you, too.”

“You should get washed up,” Mom says, looking at her watch. “Then come eat breakfast. Or lunch. Your dad cooked it. I’m just in charge of reheating.”

“Thank God,” I say, and we both laugh.

“You’re insufferable,” Mom says. She stands up and leaves me alone in my bedroom. I close my eyes and bask in what just happened. Piece by piece I feel my heart retaking shape.

When I open my eyes, I notice that Mom has left two things on my desk. The first is the photo strip of Bryson and me. It’s crinkled but intact—a lot like me. I pick it up and study those perfectly captured happy memories. I miss him.

The second is a large envelope from Tisch. With my heart in my throat, I rip it open. I only look at the first lines:

    Dear Mr. Sheridan,

Congratulations…



I scream and I hear Mom laugh behind my door.

I rush to charge my cell phone. When it’s powered up, I clear all the messages and notifications without reading them. I open my camera and take a picture of my acceptance letter. I text it to our group chat.

    Oh my God! Priya texts back. This is amazing! I’m so happy for you!

Donny sends a celebratory GIF.

I open a new text to Kelly and pause. I tap the edit button and change the name to Bryson. I want to share this news with him, but I don’t know how. I look at the strip of our photos. We look so happy and hopeful.