“How long have you known?” Arthur didn’t know what to say, the truth was that he knew that his marriage was falling apart for the last couple of years, “I guess you can say, about two years. I mean, I knew Paula never actually physically cheated on me, but I could tell that she had someone else in her life that was becoming…more to her…more than me.”  Arthur sat up pulling away from Zadie’s embrace, “The thing that makes me the most upset is that this was all so…planned. I didn’t want to move here, but she kept pushing, even finding out about social services positions for me, I mean she really acted like she wanted out of Ohio, she seemed so driven. At the time, I thought it was desperation, so I agreed and we uprooted our entire family…our lives…all so she could reconnect with an old boyfriend. I feel…so…manipulated.” Zadie squeezed Arthur’s hand reassuringly.

“Zadie!” Arthur and Zadie looked up to see Spencer walking towards them. She hugged Zadie warmly, “Hey Spence, longtime no see huh?” Spencer giggled as she turned to look at her father, her eyes widening as she noticied the purple bruises around his neck for the first time, “Dad what happened?” Zadie and Arthur looked at each other for a moment before turning to look at Spencer, “What?”

* * * * *

Aiden slowly got up from his bed and walked over to his window seat. He sat down, sighing as he looked out into the night. Aiden felt himself smiling as he thought about the next day, ‘He said ok.’  Aiden thought back over the last few weeks as he tried to convince himself that it was actually happening. He really couldn’t pinpoint the exact time he knew that Glen might be into him, the slow realization that Glen always found some way to touch him everyday.

Aiden felt himself blushing as he thought about Glen “bumping” into him as he got out of the showers after gym or practice. Or how when they played one on one he always fouled Aiden bad enough for them both to fall down, Glen always on top and always finding a way of prolonging the moment. Sometimes after school Glen would greet him by pulling him into a crushing arm lock each time holding him longer.