We were eating brunch all together a week later, like Dorothy always did on Sundays. I was amped up this time though. Wyatt had been right that I was being silly by not asking for help when I needed it, but it was nerve wracking for me. I'd never done this before, especially not for something like my music. My father would have had my neck if I ever asked for help there. All my guitars, the bass, and the keyboard came from money I saved up from birthdays, Christmas, Easter, and working in the neighborhood.
About halfway through eating, I put my utensils down and looked at Dorothy nervously. She looked back at me, holding back a smile and gave a nod like she was waiting for me to speak.
"So, there is a Battle of the Bands coming," I started, and I noticed that Wyatt stopped eating to pay attention to what I was saying. "The prizes include cash and a record deal, and they also have a contest for best original song which could come with a scholarship for a music degree at college."
"That sounds exciting," Dorothy said with a smile.
"That's amazing!" Wyatt cried, taking my hand.
I smiled at him. "The problem is that the entrance fee is one hundred bucks. We decided we would split it between the four of us, so we each have to come up with twenty-five bucks, but obviously, it's been a little harder to come up with the money lately for me..."
Dorothy's eyes twinkled in amusement and happiness as she told me to go and get her wallet. I went over to her purse and pulled out a tan wallet that could have been a small purse all on its own and brought it over to her. She pulled out two fifties, which immediately made me wonder why this little old lady carried them around, and handed them to me.
I stared at the cash in my hand in shock. "Dorothy, I only needed twenty-five..."
She nodded at me and waved her hand dismissively. "Consider this me investing into your band. I believe in you, and in your band. If I didn't, I wouldn't have given you the basement to practice in. So just let me have this as a Grammy, okay?"
I felt the tears stinging my eyes. My own family never would have supported me like this, and it was hard to keep it together in the face of such support and love. Dorothy pulled me into a hug as I cried quietly. Once she let go of me, I felt Wyatt come up behind me and hug me, putting his chin on my shoulder.
With the money set up, my bandmates and I finished the registration and waited to hear when we would have the first part, which was the audition. Until then, school let out for the winter break. I had been dreading this time of year, as it would be my first away from my family. Not that I particularly enjoyed being around my family during the holidays. Despite them being Mormon converts, my father spent all day Christmas eve and Christmas drinking, and he was a mean drunk.
On top of that, there was a lot of the family that would remark on this girl at church and that girl in their neighborhood that would apparently be perfect for me. It had always been an exhausting affair.
Christmas with Wyatt's family is an entirely new experience. We spent all day Christmas eve prepping food for the next day, and making cookies for ourselves and ones we will give to family. I had never had so much fun making and decorating cookies. Wyatt and his siblings made everything so much more fun, and I loved how he would sneak kisses between decorating or rolling out the dough.
I woke up on Christmas morning to Wyatt slipping into my room, early enough that no one else was awake quite yet. I wasn't dressed yet, only wearing my boxers, but Wyatt didn't seem to mind as our skin touched, his chest on my back. I let out a happy little sound as I turned around to face him. He didn't waste any time kissing me, and it wasn't just me who was fully awake now.
Wyatt ran his hands down my chest and abs until his hands skirted the waistband of my boxers. He slipped one of his hands inside and gripped onto me, stroking me slowly. I groaned his name as he pulled my boxers off with one hand and slipped under the blanket. I pushed the blanket down so I could see him as he started licking up my entire length.
It would never get old to watch Wyatt take me into his mouth like this. Despite having my dick settled into his mouth, he seemed to be smiling as his eyes were sparkling, even with a light layer of sleep still in them. His hands roamed my body, from my chest down to my thighs and balls, until they settled on my ass. He'd been getting more bold in his exploration of me, and I felt one of his hands grazing along my crack while the other came back to massage my balls.
My breath hitched in my throat as his fingers moved deeper, right over my hole. It's a simple touch, not even trying to delve deep, but it sends an electric shock right through me. He kept looking up at me, as if he was making sure what he was doing was okay, while still moving up and down on my dick. I gave him an almost imperceptible nod and he pressed forward a little more.
I moaned and let my head fall back as he probed at my ass, very lightly pushing against the circle so only the very tip of his finger went in. I could feel everything in my pelvis tightening as my orgasm came on, and then I was pumping cum down Wyatt's throat. He moaned against me as the taste of me flooded his tongue while he swallowed it all up.
He kissed his way up my chest and then kissed me properly and passionately. "I forgot how much I enjoy a dick in my mouth."
I smiled at him. "I hope it's better than the last time you did it, though."
Wyatt's features softened as he looked at me. "Way better, actually. I don't remember a time when sex was ever this..."
He struggled with words for a moment until I offered up quietly, "Connected? In sync?"
He nodded at my words and pulled me up against him. "Exactly."
I grinned at him and pushed him onto his back. "My turn."
I licked and kissed down his body until I was at his perfect dick, swirling my tongue around it as he let out a sigh. I loved seeing him in the throes of pleasure like this, as his back arched while I worked him over and over. He always grabbed onto my hair as he came, crying out my name as his load went down my throat. It made me want to see him give those faces while he was inside of me, but that would have to wait. We had Christmas to deal with.
I was more than a little surprised to come up to find the same amount of presents under the tree for me as for her other grandkids, as well as a stocking full of candy, chocolate, and little presents. Dorothy always gets her grandkids matching pajamas, which they still love despite being in high school now. There were a pair for me, and she roped me into her annual family photo like she always does.
I did not manage to keep dry eyes that day. I had never felt so loved and cared for before, and it was overwhelming. I even went with them to visit family to exchange small gifts, and then we went home to have roast dinner with carrots, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls, and orange rolls.
It was the best Christmas I've ever had.
~~~
For New Years we spent all day playing games, drinking sparkling cider (the non-alcoholic kind), making food to eat, and watching the ball drop. Wyatt kissed me as we yelled happy new year, and it was a picture perfect moment. In fact, I believe Evie managed to capture a photo of us kissing that night, and I kept it on my phone.
After we went back to school, there was still a little time before baseball started in the spring, though Wyatt was getting his workouts in while he worked on prom stuff with the rest of the student body representatives. The guys and I were focusing on our music, wanting our sets for the battle to be perfect. After both of us were free, Wyatt and I spent most of our free time together; talking, making out, and bringing each other to orgasm with our mouths and hands.
One of the days, after practice, I waited until Wyatt got there to hand out a song I wanted to perform at the Battle in Salt Lake if we made it that far. I handed it out to everyone, and they read over it. Wyatt couldn't read music like the guys could, but he could read the lyrics. For a long time, everyone was silent, just staring at the music or the words, biting their lips or glancing at me.
"Is it bad?" I asked.
Varick shook his head. "No, not at all. I'm positive it will sound amazing but..."
Wyatt was reading over Zach's shoulder and he looked up at me with a worried expression. I knew why, of course. The song was about standing on the ledge of the building, considering whether you were going to jump or not. I'd been writing it for quite a while, but hadn't finished it until recently.
"Are these thoughts you're struggling with right now?" Wyatt asked me as he came over to put his hands on my shoulders.
"No," I replied, looking away from him. "Actually, where I'm at right now is probably the farthest I've felt from suicide in a long time. The closest was the night my father kicked me out..."
Wyatt pulled me into him, wrapping his arms around me. It felt so good to be in his arms, to have him comforting me. Honestly, he was a big reason why suicide was such a far away option now. Him and his entire family. I had never been supported before; not like they did. I was luckier than I had ever realized. I'd had a family right here the whole time who wanted to be there for me.
When we pulled out of the embrace, the two of us sat down on the couch so we could face my friends.
"Do you remember last year, when I was out of school for a week?" I asked them all.
Everyone nodded their heads as Varick said, "We figured your dad left bruises on your face again. He never let you go to school with visible wounds."
"I wanted to march down the street and give him a taste of his own medicine," Wyatt growled, and it made me smile to see him so protective.
"He did hit me, but that wasn't why I was out," I explained. "He hit me a few times on the back and side, leaving some bad bruises, but I could hide them. It all felt like so much that night though, so I took every pill I could find in the medicine cabinet. Eliza found me and called 911. My parents were so angry with me. They kept me in a unit for a few days, trying to get me on medicine for depression and anxiety, as well as in therapy. They stopped me going to therapy, but I could walk and fill my own prescription, so I've been doing that for a while. Anyway, that's when I started writing that song."
What I didn't mention was that I worked to finish the song after I recovered from my father's beating this last time. I had considered, instead of going to Salt Lake to find a shelter, to just go up to one of the mountains or canyons and die. It didn't happen because of Wyatt though. Afterward, I felt the need to use art to get the feelings out, and thus, the song was finished and I had been putting the finishing touches on it.
