Chapter 3: Unease

After yet another game in which the Dobermans lost to the Rottweilers by a relatively small margin, there was an after-party at Angus', an Irish pub located in Hitsville's town square, where both teams were invited to celebrate and unwind after the adrenaline-spiking sporting event. The pub was already a popular hangout spot for teens in the area, but with students from two separate schools showing up, the place was even more busy tonight.

Katherine and I managed to find a two-person table that was still close to where everyone else sat, but just far enough away where we could comfortably hear each other speak without having to shout at the top of our lungs. At the moment, we were busying ourselves sharing an order of soft pretzel bites with hot, beer-infused pub cheese dip, which we washed down with water. Both of us wore green and ivory sports blazers over our cheerleading and football uniforms respectively as we engaged in a rather interesting conversation.

We'd been a thing for two whole years at this point, but only now was I telling Katherine more about my familial situation. I didn't leave out a single detail as I explained it all to her. I told her about about my lack of knowledge on my birth parents or birthplace, my life in the orphanage, my adoptive parents' LGBT status, and how living with them shaped me into the man I am. I even divulged into how I was being raised, and how Clark and Cheryl taught me to never give up or take no for an answer, and how wealth and success are the keys to respect. I initially neglected to tell her a good chunk of these things, because LGBT folks didn't have the best reputation at the time.

"Wow, that's really fascinating." Katherine took a sip of her water. "But honestly, I'm a bit hurt that you kept all this from me."

"Well I wasn't sure how you'd react," I said, grabbing another pretzel bite. "Plus, I know your family's very Christian and ultra-conservative, so I was especially worried."

"True, but that doesn't mean I agree with my parents on everything," Katherine replied. "I actually like LGBT folks, and I think you're extremely lucky to have been taken in by some. So long as they treat you right, that's all that matters. And if anything, I'm sure it helps you understand those types of people way more than I do."

I said nothing, but let out a sigh of relief, grateful that my girlfriend was able to accept some of my deepest confessions.

"But moving on, I guess it's only fair to tell you more about my own parents now that you've done the same," Katherine continued.

"That's completely up to you, though," I quickly said, though I secretly hoped she would, as I didn't know much about how she lived her life whenever I wasn't around.

"No, no, it's fine. There's not much to reveal about my home life, anyway," Katherine shrugged dismissively. "But if there's one odd thing you should know about my parents... they're divorced."

"Wait, what?" I cocked an eyebrow. I'd been to her house several times for various reasons since we began to date, and each and every time, they were both in the house with us, with no signs of strife between them.

"I know, it sounds strange even to me, but I speak the truth. See, they got married back in Germany, and immigrated here shortly after having me. And then a couple of years ago - right around the time we started dating, actually - they filed for a divorce. But unlike most split couples you see on television, they didn't divorce because they couldn't stand each other. Quite the contrary! My parents still get along great, but they just figured that marriage wasn't the way to go," Katherine explained. "Dad's moved out and lives on the other side of town, but he spends so much of his time with Mom and I. Sure, they don't kiss each other anymore, and Dad always leaves the house around bedtime, but otherwise, it feels as though nothing's changed."

By this time in our discussion, every last pretzel bite had been devoured, and what was left in the bowl of cheese dip had solidified a bit.

"Wow, that's something I've never seen before," I chuckled.

"Isn't it, though?" Katherine chuckled as well.

"Honestly, I really enjoyed this conversation. Now that we've learned a bit more about each other, I feel like we're closer than ever," I admitted.

"Ain't that the truth," Katherine replied.

Just a moment later, we both looked over at the front door as it opened, causing a small bell to ring as the maitre'd ushered in a small group of Kicksburg students. I nearly spat out my swig of water as soon as I laid eyes on them. At the head of the group was Mark himself, accompanied by a small entourage of jocks and cheerleaders from his own team. As soon as I got a good look at him, I immediately panicked on the inside. I could feel my brow start to get soaked with frigid perspiration as my heartbeat quickened. As soon as the nausea kicked in, I bolted for the single-person men's room. I thought I briefly heard Katherine ask "What's the matter?" as I left, but I wasn't 100% positive. But that wasn't important right now.

Upon locking myself inside the thankfully unoccupied restroom, I knelt before the toilet and heaved. My eyes watered profusely as I regurgitated my dinner into the porcelain bowl, vomiting again and again until nothing but unsightly black bile came out, grafting the skin inside my mouth and throat. I eventually willed myself to calm down and sat back on the tiled floor, not caring one bit about the millions of bacteria it was most likely riddled with. Even as my breathing steadied and my digestive tract calmed down, I still couldn't stop my whole body from trembling so violently. With no other options readily available, all I could think to do was sit there and hug my knees, rocking back and forth on the public restroom floor in an upward fetal position. Losing all track of time and not caring whether or not there was some desperate stranger outside waiting to use the toilet.

Reviews

[Aura]

I liked this chapter, finally we see some Katharine and Mike bonding! Katharines family situation is so unique. Usually couples divorce because they can't stand each other or can't see past their differences. Katharines parents divorce because they still love each other but marriage does not justify it. I dont know if this is true or not, but isnt divorce usually looked down upon in Christianity and that its okay only if the couple was sexually immoral to each other? To me it seems kind of contradicting that katharines parents are christian and conservative about LGBTQ+ but are liberal to end their marriage because they still like each other and marriage doesnt justify it. But thats just my interpretation and i honestly dont know alot about the christian faith so maybe you can correct me if I said something wrong .

Oh no, did Mike see Mark Simmons walk into the Irish Pub? I mean it makes sense i think because the incident coukd be traumatizing to Mike and that why he reacted the way he did.