The Ongoing Reformation of Micah Johnson by Sean Kennedy Read Free Book Online Page B

like last time.”
    His mother gave him a withering look.
    “What?” Alex asked, and then he shrugged. “Oh, the sex thing.”
    Micah held up his hands, as if to say I didn’t tell him .
    “We know that kid attacked you for being gay. What we don’t know is why you covered for him.”
    “Look, Dad, there were reasons.”
    “Please enlighten us, then.”
    “I can’t.”
    Joanne shook her head. “Micah, why do you have to make everything so difficult?”
    “Me?” Micah asked, incredulous. “If Dad had his way, he would have had us in the courts!”
    “Hang on a minute!” Rick protested.
    Micah ignored him. “At least this way, it’s all dealt with.”
    “By letting someone get away with a hate crime?” Joanne asked.
    Was it a hate crime if it was gay on gay? Maybe. Micah’s dark humour always popped up at the most inappropriate times.
    “Don’t you laugh at your mother!”
    “I’m not laughing,” Micah choked. He hadn’t even realised he was smiling. “Seriously! But, Dad, I remember you telling stories about school and how you were in punch-ups all the time. You thought it was funny then. How come it’s so different when it’s me?”
    “Because you’re my son!” Rick looked close to exploding, and Micah was shocked at how emotional he sounded. “Because I don’t want people targeting you because you’re gay! Do you think we don’t worry about you? Do you think we don’t imagine what it’s going to be like for you in the AFL, if this is what you’re getting in school?”
    “Dec survived okay,” Micah pointed out.
    “He’s less hotheaded than you, and can walk away from a fight.”
    “Actually,” Alex chimed in, “getting involved in fights on the field probably lost him the Brownlow Medal.”
    Everybody looked at him.
    “What? I read it on Wikipedia. He used to get upset if other guys sledged Simon.”
    “Well, that’s different,” Micah said. “You being trash-talked on the field is one thing, but it’s not on if it’s about someone else. And this wasn’t about me.”
    “Then what was it about?” Rick asked.
    Realising he should have come up with a reasonable excuse way before this, Micah had to think fast on his feet. “He was making fun of Carl.”
    “Emma’s cousin?”
    “Yep.”
    “What about, exactly? Did he think he was gay?” Joanne faltered a bit. “Are… are you and Carl boyfriends?”
    Micah tried not to smile; smiling seemed to get him in trouble with his parents. “Mum, not everybody is gay!”
    Alex snorted, and Joanne rebuked him—a bit more harshly than she probably meant, but it was like water off a duck’s back to Alex.
    “Look, he was just calling him a geek and being really mean. So I pushed him, and then he hit me.”
    “That’s the big secret?” Rick didn’t look convinced.
    “There’s no use making a big deal out of it. And if we bring Carl into it, it’ll just be embarrassing for him. So it’s sorted, and can I go to bed now?”
    Joanne’s head jerked up suspiciously. “You haven’t eaten dinner.”
    “I’m not hungry.”
    “Micah—”
    “Look, they said I don’t have concussion, so I’m fine.”
    “After everything that’s happened today, you’re not going to bed without food,” Rick said.
    “Well, if I must. But I really have suffered, so can we have pizza?”
    His mum’s lips pursed. She knew she was being played, but Micah knew she would relent.
    “Okay. But you’re calling.”
    As Micah went to get the menu off the fridge, Alex followed him.
    “We hardly ever get takeaway. You should get knocked out more often.”
    “Don’t worry, kid,” Micah said. “Knowing my luck, this probably won’t be the last time.”
    “That’s what I’m afraid of.” Alex’s solemn expression disturbed Micah. He reached down and tousled the kid’s hair, something he very rarely did, but he felt the situation demanded it.

Chapter 4
     
     
    DURING GETOUT training the next morning, Dec took Micah aside and asked him for