Page 56 of Pippin & Nacho

“But you came up with the idea,” Stix said.

Sam smiled at me and stood close. “Open it. I hope you like it.”

“I’ll love it, no matter what.”

I tore the paper off and opened the box holding the beautiful, brand-new skateboard—my first. It was absolute perfection. I ran my fingers over the bright teal-blue underside. It was so smooth. The only thing painted on it was [CSS], the name of the skateboard brand, which was rated as one of the best for tricks.

“God, I… love it so much.” My eyes welled. Why was I getting so emotional over this? Maybe because I’d never had a gift like this before, and it was brand new. Sam and I didn’t even buy brand-new phones or earbuds. They were always used or refurbished. Even our clothes were used. “But this is so much.”

Stix rested a hand on my shoulder. “Not really. Sure, the board wasn’t cheap, but seriously, we only chipped in about ten bucks each.”

“I picked out one that was plain so you can decorate underneath how you want,” Sam said.

“Thanks,” I whispered, struggling to hold in my emotions. My bottom lip trembled a bit, and I sucked it in so no one would see.

“One more gift,” Stix announced, handing me a plastic grocery bag. I opened it and peeked inside to find a black T-shirt. “It’s from Goodwill.”

I pulled it out, unfolded it, and snorted a laugh as I read the words. ‘I Had A Dad Bod Before It Was Cool.’ “You and your ironic T-shirts, Stix. I love it. Thanks.”

We all quickly ate some cake before we had to get ready for work. Everyone chatted, even Sam, while I stayed silent. My breath came in shudders as I ate my delicious cake. I was so focused on my gift, the love I had for this family, Sam, and how tired I was physically and emotionally. It was getting to be all too much for me to process.

“You okay?” Alpha asked, startling me.

“Yeah, totally.” I slipped on a mask full of smiles, now truly understanding why Sam did the same thing all the time. But Alpha’s quirked brow and frown said he wasn’t buying my lie. At least he didn’t push me to open up.

We all cleaned up the mess, and when everyone stepped out to work, Alpha grabbed my arm and tugged me into his office. I guess he was going to push me after all. “Sit and talk. Work can wait for a minute. You seem completely off, and you’re the steadiest person I know, so what’s going on? You look like you’re about to shatter.”

I sighed, sitting down in the worn office chair across from his desk. “I don’t know… just feeling over-emotional for some reason.”

“What’s going on?”

“Working a second job isn’t helping. I’m so fucking tired all the time. It’s not just the hours, but Sam… he doesn’t like being away from me for long periods.”

Alpha sat on the edge of his desk, facing me and nodding. “I can understand that, but he’ll get used to things soon. He’ll adapt just fine. He just needs time.”

I rubbed my clammy hands on my jean-clad thighs. I really needed to take this opportunity to talk to someone, and if I could talk to anyone about this, it would be Alpha. He wouldn’t say a word to anyone, and maybe he’d have some sage advice.

“It’s… not just that or needing the damn money.”

“So tell me what else is going on.”

“You promise not to say anything, especially to Sam?”

“You got it.”

I nodded, grateful to finally have an ear to talk about all this.

“We’re really not sure if he was born that way or if… Fuck. I shouldn’t say anything, but dammit, I need to talk to someone about all this.”

Alpha stood and squatted in front of me. “I won’t say anything. We all need someone to talk to, and we can only take so much on before we break if we don’t have an outlet for our voices and struggles. If you can’t talk to me, you can always talk to a therapist.”

I nodded and took a deep breath. “Sam was sent to conversion therapy as a young teen by his parents. He hadn’t even come out as gay yet. Fuck, the facility did all sorts of horrible things to him. They hurt him, Alpha. So much. And they used electric shock therapy on him and probably had no idea what they were doing or they just didn’t care.”

He stood and ran a hand through his honey-blond hair, looking as if he was about to be sick. “Jesus fuck…”

“We were foster brothers, and our last foster father hurt Sam, so I took him out of there. As you know, we ran away from that life. I had to protect him at all costs. He’d been hurt enough. Sam is doing great for the most part—”

“Because he has someone who loves him and cares about his well-being.”

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