Jock Next Bed (BL)
Chapter 192: Broken Dam

Chapter 192: Broken Dam

"I was the perfect son, wasn’t I?" Sky let out a hollow laugh, his chest rising and falling unevenly. "I got good grades. Everyone liked me. I never caused shame. I tried so hard—so fucking hard—to be someone you could be proud of."

"Sky!" His mother called sharply.

His father’s face was unreadable, but his jaw was tight, his fists still tightly clenched at his sides.

Sky exhaled shakily, his voice breaking. "I was walking on eggshells my whole life because I always felt like you were embarrassed by me." His eyes burned. His throat ached. "Like you blamed me for being weak. For being too emotional. For crying too much. For not being the son you wanted—"

His mother sucked in a sharp breath, shaking her head. "Sky, stop—"

"And for causing Grandma’s death," Sky pushed on, his voice barely above a whisper, but it sliced through the air like a blade. "You never said it, but I could feel it. You blamed me for it. For things I could not control! I did not ask to be born in a confused body, which I hated so much! But I knew you still blamed me! You looked at me like I was disgusting! I had to try so hard!" His lips trembled.

His father’s expression flickered—shock, anger, something else. But he said nothing.

Sky let out a shaky laugh, wiping at his eyes, but it didn’t stop the tears from coming.

"I’ve been living with everything for years. It eats me alive. Every single day." His voice cracked as he stared at them—his mother, his father, Rain. "I hate my life. I wanted to die. I took pills. I still do. I—I fucking tried—"

His mother let out a strangled cry, stepping toward him again, but Sky took another step back, shaking his head.

"But I’m still here," he whispered. "I’m trying to be here. I’m trying to hold on." He laughed bitterly. "And now, after everything, you’re telling me that none of it matters. That all of it—every single thing I’ve done—means nothing. Because I like Chris?"

His father’s eyes flashed, his lips pressing into a thin line. But he still didn’t say anything.

Sky let out a breathless laugh, his vision blurry. His hands trembled at his sides.

"If that is it, then so be it." He said with conviction. "Do your worst."

His father’s voice was low, trembling with barely contained emotion. "I will not have my son like another man."

Sky froze, his breath catching in his throat. His father’s eyes were hot, glistening with unshed tears. Sky was crying. His mother too. Rain tried to hold hers back, her hands gripping Sky’s arm as if to pull him away, to stop him from saying more.

But Sky wasn’t done.

He looked at his father, his voice steady despite the tears streaming down his face. "Then you’ll have no son at all."

The words hung in the air, heavy and final.

His mother let out a broken sob, her hands covering her mouth. His father’s face crumpled, but he didn’t move, didn’t speak.

Sky turned and walked upstairs, his legs shaking with every step. Behind him, he heard his mother’s voice, broken and pleading to his father. "What’s wrong with you? How could you say that to him?"

His father’s voice rose, sharp and defensive. "It’s your fault for always babying him! You coddled him, and now look what’s happened!"

The sound of their arguing followed Sky as he entered his room.

He stood there for a moment, his chest heaving, his hands trembling as he grabbed his bag and began shoving clothes into it.

Rain appeared in the doorway, her face streaked with tears. She didn’t say anything at first, just watched him with a mixture of heartbreak and determination.

At one point, Sky paused, a choked sob catching in his throat. He looked up, blinking rapidly, trying to hold himself together.

Rain stepped forward, forcing him to face her. He resisted at first, his body stiff, but she didn’t back down. She grabbed his shoulders, her grip firm, and pulled him into a hug.

Sky stood frozen in place, his body stiff against Rain’s embrace. He could still hear them downstairs—his mother’s voice, raw with grief, his father’s, sharp with anger. Their words blurred into a distant, painful hum beneath the ringing in his ears.

Rain’s arms tightened around him, her whole body shaking. She was crying now—really crying—and that did something to him. It cracked something open inside him.

His breath hitched. His hands trembled at his sides, but slowly, he lifted them and clung to her like she was the only thing keeping him from falling apart completely.

Rain held him tighter as she whispered in a broken voice between her sobs, "It’s o-okay. You’ve... always given... your best."

The sob tore out of him before he could swallow it back. He buried his face into her shoulder, his fingers digging into the fabric of her sweater.

He have indeed given his best. He hated it all. He didn’t like being in the spotlight. Didn’t care for people. But he had forced himself to build on that facade, hoping it would make his parents more relaxed. Hoping it would make his father think better of him. There was nothing he didn’t do. Whether in school or at home or in the community. He had done lots of volunteering as well, even at old people’s homes, where he even helped clean them up.

He did a lot.

He wouldn’t say it, but his family’s reputation improved a lot because of him. And his father had also encouraged Rain to put herself out there also.

They did pageantry, she even did sports. They still studied hard on top.

People respected their parents. Business went well for them.

But one Chris. Just one Chris, was enough to clear it all out and turn him into a villain.

His mother came into the room just as Sky was about to leave. Rain excused herself quietly, giving them a moment alone. Her eyes were red from crying, her nose and ears flushed, but she managed a small, trembling smile as she stepped aside.