Free Before I Break by Alec John Belle Page B

didn’t want to be. We pulled onto the street of the church as he sang really loudly the entire way, giggling like a two year old playing Peek-a-boo.
    The march across from the church continued and I got out of the car, trying to get passed the officers, but they wouldn’t let us through.
    “That’s my girlfriend,” I lied. “I’m here for the rally.”
    The officer nodded and let me go by and I dragged Jake along with me, and the officer stared him down, probably knowing how stoned he was but brushing it off. Melissa saw me and smiled brightly. “Are you here to show your support?”
    “No,” I said, sounding a little harsher than intended. “I am here to stop you from doing this, ‘Lissa. This is drawing attention to you that you don’t need.”
    Melissa was angry, that much was obvious. “Then go home, Cy. We don’t need you here if you’re going to be just like them.”
    “I’m not trying to be! I am not trying to be like them, but as your friend, I want to stop you from embarrassing yourself.”
    She threw her sign down as the others all stopped to stare at us. Several cameras were pointed in our direction and I was sure this was going on live. My nerves were really getting to me and I just wanted this all to stop.
    “Is it me you’re worried about,” Melissa asked, “or you?”
    “Why would you ask something like that?” I demanded. “I am not embarrassed.” Even as I said it, I wasn't quite sure it was true.
    “Then let me embarrass myself if I want to. Goodbye, Cyril.” Turning her back on me, she went back with the others and grabbed her sign off the ground, leaving me alone.
    “That went well,” Jake laughed. “Look at all the rainbows!”
    “Oh, just come on,” I replied angrily, grabbing onto him and tearing through the crowd to the church. “I’m not done here.” Walking over to the officers, I shouted, “You guys can’t do something? This is ridiculous!”
    “Freedom of speech,” one of them said.
    “I don’t give two shits about freedom of speech! That’s my girlfriend out there and she’s setting the wrong image for herself. Damn it!” I kicked a rock hard across the street and knew what I had to do. So much anger was building inside of me and there was only one person to blame for this. Stomping across the street to the church, I pushed through the crowd and threw the from door open, looking for the chapel.
    “What’s going on?” Jake asked, completely oblivious to life right now. Oh, how I wished I was him at the moment. Inside, there was a whole group of people, and from the looks of it, they were holding hands and all singing Kumbaya. All eyes turned to me as I stormed down the aisle, seeing Pastor Morrison on stage.
    “You bastard!” I screamed in rage. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
    A couple— who I identified as my parents—got up from the front and walked over to me. “Son, enough of this,” my father said. “We have this under control.”
    “Under control?! You call this under control?” I didn’t even know what I was mad about. I wasn’t even mad at Morrison, or Melissa, or even Avery. The whole world was to blame right now. I was sick of the fighting, the arguing, and the condemning. “That’s right, I forgot, we’re all just going to come in here and ask God to strike down my friends, aren’t we? Because that’s what real Christians do, right?”
    “Cyril!” my father yelled at me, making my heart stop. “Let’s get out of here. We’re going home. Now.”
    “I’m not done here!” I screamed as my dad took a hold of my arm and dragged me out. “Do you hear me? This isn’t over until you all give it a rest!”
    Jake followed as my parents and I left the church, but no one said a word once we left. My parents got in their car and I got in mine with Jake, but no one seemed to really know what to say. My throat was sore from all the screaming I did back at the church, but I couldn’t help it. Once I calmed down, I