Warning: Gay slurs

I lay on the bench in front of my father's shop, soaking in the warm sunlight as I listen to all the people walking around on the boardwalk, talking and going about their business like any other day. I move my head slightly so I have a better view of the beach where people are splashing around in the water and having fun.

I hear footsteps from behind me and I quickly sit up on the bench and look up, seeing my father standing there furious. "You think it's okay to just sit there all day?" He growls lowly so nobody else on the boardwalk could hear him.

I shiver and move slightly but stop as I see the glare on his face. "No sir," I reply quietly, doing my best not to cower under his heavy gaze. He snarls and grabs my wrist roughly, dragging me into his shop, past all the surf boards and swimming supplies, and into the backroom.

He pushes me inside and slams the door shut. I scramble to a corner and look up at him, terrified as he slowly walks closer to the corner with a maniacal grin on his face. "You will stay here and work the whole time this place is open. No breaks, no complaining. You hear me?" He growls, poking me in the chest as he says the last three words.

I gulp and nod, looking down at the scuffed hardwood floor, trying my hardest not to anger him further. "Well? Get to work!" He yells, pushing me towards the door. I scramble out of the backroom and walk up to the cash register where my friend Payton is working.

She smiles at me sadly as I walk behind the counter and stand next to her. Her dad and my father are friends so it only took a little bit of convincing from her dad for my father give her a job here. She absolutely hates it here but she needs the money so she can keep up her cosplays.

I unconsciously rub my smarting wrist and stare out the window. "He did it again?" Payton asks from beside me, staring down at my sleeve. I slowly nod and watch as a customer comes in and looks around, not really wanting to talk about my father.

She seems to get the hint and goes back to working, walking out from behind the counter and over to where the customer is looking around. She asks them if they need any help and they recognize her as a cosplayer. I watch as they talk for a while, making sure to keep an eye out for my father, not wanting my best friend to get in trouble for socializing on the job, or worse, get fired.

"Can you help me find something please?" A customer asks. I look away from the backroom door and turn my attention to the small boy standing in front of me. "What can I help you with?" I ask him. He takes out his phone and shows me a picture of a rainbow popsicle floatie.

I nod and walk out from behind the desk. "I know where that is, follow me," I tell him. He nods and follows me to the back of the store where my father keeps the floaties. I point out the rainbow popsicle ones on the bottom shelf and he nods, bending down to pick one of the boxes up.

We walk back to the register and I take the box from him, scanning the tag. "I'm getting it for me and my boyfriend, he's over at one of the restaurants getting food for us," the boy says as I ring him up. I smile softly and tell him his total, waiting patiently as he takes the money out of his wallet.

He hands it over to me and smiles at me as I put the money in the cash register. I wait for the receipt to print out and put it in the bag with the floatie before handing it to him. "Thank you so much! My boyfriend is going to love it!" He exclaims happily.

I hear the backroom door open and I freeze, feeling my face pale as my father walks out, looking furious at the small boy standing in front of me. "Run," I whisper to him, a deadly serious expression on my face. He takes note of my fuming father and bolts out of the store before my father can get to him.

"Bunch of fucking fags!" He yells. I see Payton look over at me worriedly but I keep a neutral expression on my face, refusing to accidentally out myself. "Why did you sell that faggot anything?" He growls so close to my face that I can feel his breath.

I start to shake slightly but quickly swallow down my fear to answer him. "He's a customer, we need the money," I mumble. My father lifts his hand up and I shy away but he seems to think better of it, walking back to the backroom and slamming the door shut behind him, making the walls shake.

Payton runs over to me, leaving the customer staring at the backroom in shock. "I'm fine Pay," I tell her softly as she worries over me. She looks unconvinced but she nods anyways. The customer walks over to us and looks over at me worriedly.

"Do you need me to call the police?" They whisper. I shake my head no and they look conflicted. "I'll be alright, thank you though," I tell them, my voice barely audible. They slowly nod and purchase what they wanted before walking briskly out of the store.

I stare outside longingly as people come in and out of the shop, the only time I tear my eyes away from the beach being when there's a customer or my father walks out of the backroom. Soon, Payton taps my on the shoulder and tells me that it's time to close.
 
I nod and stretch before walking over to the front door, switching the sign to closed. I walk around the shop, restocking things and making sure everything is in order before I can leave. "Do you need to stay at my place tonight?" Payton asks me as she writes down the amount of cash she put in the safe.

"Yeah, that would be nice. I'm going to go to my spot first if that's okay, " I say softly. She looks up at me and nods, telling me that she'll lock up when she's done. "I'll text you when I need a ride there," I tell her as I walk out the door, not hearing her response but knowing that she would come pick me up when I messaged her.

That's the thing about Payton, no matter what time of day or where she is, she will find a way to help you out. Whether that's getting somewhere, calming you down, or saving you from your crazy father for the fifth time this week. I walk down the boardwalk, quickly stopping at my favorite restaurant and walk inside and up to the front.

"Hi Linc! What can I get for you today?" Max, the cheerful old man who works here asks me. "Just a philly cheese steak," I tell him. He nods and I go to pay him but he insists that it's on the house, as he always does when I come here. I walk over to one of the tables and sit down, taking my phone out of my pocket for the first time today.

I scroll through TikTok, liking all of Payton's new posts and making sure to comment. I'm somewhat famous in social media because of the fact that I've been in so many of Payton's posts and she always tags me. I don't really post anything though, but sometimes it's fun to do a live stream or ask questions on my Instagram story.

I quickly switch over to Payton's account, having access to it for posting and just to make sure that the comments aren't getting out of hand. I check through the comments and delete a few, blocking some people who are repeat offenders.

A lot of them are bashing her for her sexuality, which have made me angry to the point where I actually posted on her account and told people that they needed to stop or they will be blocked and reported. Payton was surprised that I posted on her account that time, she gave me permission to do so anytime I wanted but I never have as I'm not too fond of being famous.

I look up from my phone as Max sets down two trays in front of me. He sits down across from me and slides one of the trays in front of him, taking a bite of his meatball sub. I turn off my phone and put it back in my pocket, sliding my tray towards me.

I take a bite of the philly cheese steak and moan in appreciation. No matter how many times I eat here, I will always be amazed at how delicious the food is. "So how was today?" Max asks me, wiping his mouth with a napkin.

I frown as I finish chewing my food, and Max seems to know that something went wrong just from my reaction to that question. "Was it him again?" He asks me softly. I feel a lump in my throat as I nod, looking anywhere but at Max, the man who's more of a dad to me than my own biological father.

The man in front of me sighs and shakes his head. "If you ever need a place to go, I've got an extra room Linc. My wife wouldn't mind at all," he tells me. I look up and smile softly, blinking away the tears in my eyes. "I'm staying at Payton's today. Well, after I go to my spot," I tell Max. He nods at me and then changes the subject, talking about his grandkids and some new things that he wants to try out at the restaurant.

I finish my philly and talk for a little longer before Max tells me that if I want to go to my spot today I should probably leave now. "Thank you for coming in," he says to me. I smile softly and gratefully walk into his outstretched arms, feeling safe and protected.

He pulls back and smiles at me, ruffling my hair softly. "I'll see you around Linc," he says. I nod and walk out the door, waving at the restaurant until I can't see it from the boardwalk anymore. I walk down the stairs of the boardwalk and sit down on a bench, taking my shoes and socks off.

I walk over to the lockers and the lady at the desk smiles at me and hands me the key to my locker. I walk in and put my shoes and wallet inside, closing it softly and walking back out of the locker room. I hand the lady the key and walk out of the place.

I smile, loving the feeling of the soft sand under my feet as I walk down the beach. Most people are packing up as the sun starts to set, deciding that they need to go home so they can get enough sleep for work or school tomorrow. I walk past a couple sitting on the beach, looking happy as could be.

I remember how mad my father was when the boy who was buying the floatie mentioned that he had a boyfriend and as I look at the couple sitting on the beach, I realize that I can never have that. My father would be furious if he knew I liked boys, let alone was dating one.

I walk faster by them, wanting to be at my spot so I can forget about what my father said. I climb up the rocks, making sure that nobody is looking before I do so. Not that it's illegal or anything, but I live in a popular tourist town, and I don't really want anyone else to find my secret spot and tell the whole town about it.

I make it over the rocks and back onto soft sand. I walk across the tiny beach and to a small cave sitting behind it. Water flows from the ocean and into the cave, ending up in a deep pool in the middle of the magnificent cave. I walk inside the cave and sit down beside the pool, rolling up my jeans and slipping my feet into the water.

I lean back against a rock and lay there, resting my eyes as I let the comfort of the cave ease my worries.

•••••••••••••••••••
A.N./  And so it is the start of a new book and a whole new world to write about. I'm actually quite proud of how this chapter turned out compared to how I've written some of my other books. Any corrections on my grammar or punctuation is much appreciated as is any feedback! I would love to hear more from all of you! I hope you all have an amazing day!