Page 3 of Keep Me
“Are you excited?” Auden asks, walking back to Alex and putting her arm around his shoulders.
“Totally! How cool would it be if he was there?”
Auden nods, her cherry-ripe lips tipped up into a wide smile, “Totally cool. But, you know they probably just have his work on display.”
Together, we tour the exhibit, and for the next hour and a half, I watch Alex wander around the gallery with stars in his eyes. Part of me wants to find the number for JC’s agent, just so I can arrange a meeting with him. I see myself in how Alex interacts with the pieces, reading every single plaque for details, looking at them from every angle. It reminds me how much I love art, and how even when I was being picked on and bullied as a kid, I had something that was mine, and no one could take it from me.
That and my books.
“Asher, this is amazing. You probably made his entire year. Thank you. Thank you for being a good friend, and for being good to my son,” Auden says when she comes to stand next to me. We’re standing in front of a painting, and she bumps her shoulder against mine.
I reach out and grab her hand, rubbing my thumb along the soft skin. “It’s nothing, Auden. I like Alex, and I think he’s an incredible kid. He deserves to be able to see things like this.”
“He’s a special kid. I just wish he realized it more. I hate that these kids are bullying him, and I just feel so helpless. I want to do something to make it stop, but if I do, then I just make the entire situation harder on him.” Her gaze softens as she stares at him.
“That’s the hard part. Knowing when the right time is to step in, and when to let them handle it. I think that he’s got this, even if it might not seem like it right now.” I bring my hand to her face, cradling it gently as I swipe my thumb along her cheekbone. “Remember how strong and resilient you are, and know that’s the kind of kid you raised.”
Alex skips up to us, waving a piece of paper excitedly, so I drop my hand quickly and take a subtle step back, “Look, it’s a playlist of JC’s favorite music to listen to while he’s creating. I’m going to listen right now.”
He pulls his earphones out of his backpack and plugs them into his phone. “Can we head out now? I want to call Callum and tell him all about it!”
“You got it, kid.”
Auden and I follow closely behind him, as we walk back to the metro station in comfortable silence. Late summer in Chicago is hot, but it’s not unbearable. Tonight, there’s a light breeze, and the streets are buzzing with people. It’s one of my favorite things about living downtown: always being surrounded by people. Auden is lost in thought for a few blocks, so I reach over and give her hand a squeeze, letting her know I’m here.
“I think the part that bothers me the most about these kids teasing Alex because he’s not ‘rich’ is how hard I’ve worked to get him in this school. I worked so many doubles in heels that my feet would bleed, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat to be able to afford this apartment and this school. I want Alex to have what I never did. An accepting home, where he doesn’t feel like he’s judged for who he is. And these kids are judging him simply because his mother doesn’t drive a Range Rover and the fact his shoes and clothes are from Target.”
I hate that no matter how hard she’s worked, people keep making her feel less than.
“Kids are assholes, Auden. Growing up is hard. I know because I’ve been in the very same position that he is. Getting bullied by other kids because I didn’t fit into whatever norms they thought I should. I was nerdy growing up. I preferred reading and drawing over a lot of things, and kids were relentless.”
Her eyes soften, and she fidgets with her hair, glancing down at the strands in her hand then back at me, “It sounds a lot like Alex. ”
I nod, “I know how it feels, but I can say that he will find his footing and he will figure out how to stand up for himself and put them in their place. All you can do is be there for him, and you are giving him a home where he can be exactly himself. That’s what’s important. You’re giving him the tools he needs to stand up for himself. Confidence, love, self-assurance. He’ll find a group of kids who love the same things that he does, just like I did. And years from now, he won’t hold on to the kids who bullied him. He’ll remember all you sacrificed to give him the life that he wanted and deserved.”
I look over at her and see her sniffle.
Fuck, I didn’t want to make her cry.
Throwing my arm around her shoulder, I tug her against me and sneak a quick kiss on her head .
“Thank you,” she whispers quietly.
I sit close to her on the metro, letting my thigh brush hers as we share a secret look, and by the time we make it back to the apartment, Alex is bouncing around excitedly.
“This was awesome. Thank you, Mom. Thank you, Asher. I’mnevergoing to forget this. I can’t wait to tell Callum. I’m going to start saving all my money, so I can get a piece of original artwork.”
“Anytime, kiddo. We’ll have to go see more exhibits. If that’s good with you and your mom?”
Auden smiles softly, nodding. “Definitely.”
Alex punches the air excitedly, and I try not to think about how fucking good it feels to make them both happy.
It makes me think about the future, and how and where they fit in it. It makes me hope like fuck that they’re a part of wherever my future takes me.
“Not going to lie, I miss us all being in the same place,” Hudson says, taking another sip of his beer. “I wish Graham’s dramatic ass was home.”
“Same. Shit’s not as fun without him here, but I’m glad he’s doing the farmer thing,” I add in.
