The rest of the weekend following the Halloween dance was uneventful for both Rocco and Mike. They hung out at the skate park and in Rocco’s back seat on Saturday. On Sunday, it was Mike’s bedroom after lights out.

  Monday morning rolled around. Mike walked into the High School prepared for anything. At the time, the kids at the dance seemed nonchalant about coming out as Rocco’s boyfriend. The magic of the dance had faded. Joe was with him as he walked in, but he wouldn’t be with Mike all day. There would come a time when he needed to stand up for himself.

  “No matter what, you’re still my brother and I love you,” Joe said to Mike.

  Mike watched Joe walk down the hall to the Haven. Mike looked up at the stairwell leading up to his first period class. He breathed out heavily before climbing the stairs. A few of the kids looked at Mike and then hurriedly averted their glance. Some kids looked at Mike and started to whisper. One or two kids nodded and high-fived Mike. Those were the kids that Mike needed to focus on—not the ones that showed passive disapproval.

  When he reached the top of the stairs, he saw Stanton, Chris, and Matt together at a locker. Mike’s eyes caught Stanton’s. Stanton sneered and looked away. Chris kept watching Mike with a blank expression. Mike looked away and headed towards Civics class. At least, he would have Rocco by his side.

  When he entered the room, Moni and Toya both waved cheerfully at Mike. He had not seen them at the dance and wondered what happened to them. A few of the other kids in the class avoided eye contact. Rocco was not in his seat which was not necessarily unusual. Mike wished Rocco was there right now.

  “Hey Mikey!” Toya said.

  “Were you two at the dance?” Mike asked.

  “No, my family doesn’t let me celebrate Halloween,” Toya said with an exaggerated frown.

  “I wasn’t feeling too well myself,” Moni answered.

  “I heard we missed an event,” Toya said smiling widely at Mike.

  Mike rolled his eyes. “What did you hear?” He, of course, knew what happened—he was there. He wanted to know how the events of the evening were being talked about.

  “I heard a certain plague doctor and a certain member of KISS are officially going out,” Toya said.

  “That’s not a lie,” Mike said nervously laughing. “Is the talk all bad?”

  “It’s split, some good, some bad,” Toya replied.

  “I can handle that,” Mike stated.

  “We got you, Mike,” Moni said and patted him on the shoulder.

  Rocco screeched into the parking lot and ended up parking in the far corner. He was running late and, since he had to park so far away from the doors, he would end up being late for class. He did not have any excused note so he would have to suffer the consequences of his tardiness. He grabbed his bag and started a quick pace towards the school building. On his way, he passed many people who he did not know but who stood and watched as he walked by. He heard whispers from behind. It was amazing that these people were talking about him. On Friday, he was sure they didn’t know he existed. As he got closer to the building, he heard the first bell ring. Rocco continued his pace because running would make him breathless.

  He was almost to the door when he came upon a group of guys who were somewhat familiar to him.

  “Yo, Rocco,” one of the guys said. “Heard about the dance. Congrats!”

  Rocco stopped in his tracks—a congratulations? “Thanks.”

  “Takes some mighty balls to do that,” another guy said. Rocco laughed. They all gave him a high five as he walked by them. A group of strangers was being nice to him the Monday after he came out to everyone. He didn’t know how to take this.

  The second bell rang which meant that he was now late. He jolted up the stairs and into the classroom a minute after the second bell. At least he beat the late bell.

  “Sorry I’m late, Mr. Pendleton,” Rocco said as he entered the room.

  “You’re fine, Rocco,” Mr. Pendleton said looking up from his grade book. “I haven’t even gotten to your name yet.” He continued with his roll call.

  Rocco’s eyes spotted Mike. Mike was staring at him from his desk. A big smile of relief spread across Mike’s face as Rocco locked eyes with him. Rocco was glad to see Mike. He was also glad that Mike was smiling. Behind and to the side of him, Toya and Moni gave him nods and smiles. Rocco continued to keep his eyes on Mike as he made his way to his desk. A few “OOOO”s and kissing noises came from the back of the room. Rocco had to give them something, so he gave a surfer’s hello gesture. A few people giggled at the gesture.

  “Class! Enough!” Mr. Pendleton said. “Rocco, seat please.”

  As Rocco passed by Mike, Mike reached out and squeezed Rocco thigh. Rocco squeezed Mike on the shoulder and took his seat. He leaned up and whispered in Mike’s ear.

  “How you holding up?” Rocco whispered.

  “Good, you?” Mike whispered.

  “Good too,” Rocco said.

  A voice came on the loudspeaker. “David Wick and Joe Barber report to the principal’s office immediately.” Mike looked back at Rocco. Rocco raised his eyebrows and frowned.

  When Joe entered the school office, David Wick was already sitting on the couch. David looked up at Joe and made a grimace. The only seat available in the small front office was right next to David so, rather than stand, Joe took a seat next to David. David visibly tried to scoot further away in the small two-seated sofa. Joe rolled his eyes.

  “Mr. Brown will be with you momentarily,” the receptionist said to the boys.

  Joe crossed his legs and twiddled his thumbs while David chewed on his thumbnail. The tension was thick between the two of them. Joe was expecting to see David at some point since they were both on the football team.

  A few minutes passed when the door of Mr. Brown’s office opened. A short, portly man in a short-sleeved dress shirt and tie emerged. His hair was combed over to the side to cover his bald spots. Mr. Brown looked at the boys on the sofa.

  “David and Joe, come in,” Mr. Brown waved and went back inside. David and Joe got up in unison, but David was the first to enter Mr. Brown’s office.

  “Sit down,” Mr. Brown said motioning to the two chairs in front of his desk. David took the seat against the wall and let out an annoyed sigh as he sat. Joe quietly took the other seat.

  “So, I understand you two had an altercation at the dance this weekend,” Mr. Brown said clasping his hands together on top of his desk. “We can’t have this type of thing going on here.” David looked blankly while Joe nodded. “Joe, why don’t you start? What happened?”

  David rolled his eyes and started to tap his feet. Joe cleared his throat.

  “Well, Mr. Brown, David was harassing a friend’s date, and I put a stop to it,” Joe said nonchalantly. David let out a sour laugh.

  “What’s so funny, David?” Mr. Brown said.

  “The friend and the date were his brother and his boyfriend,” David said glibly.

  Mr. Brown paused for a moment. “Oh, I see. Is this true, Joe?”

  “Yes, sir, it is. David was harassing my brother and his boyfriend,” Joe replied.

  “How was David harassing these two guys?” Mr. Brown asked Joe.

  “David kept pressing Rocco, I mean, Marcus Rocio about his date,” Joe said.

  “How so?” Mr. Brown asked.

  “His date, my brother, was wearing a mask. David kept trying to get my brother to take his mask off,” Joe replied.

  “Why was it your concern, Mr. Wick?” Mr. Brown asked.

  “I wanted to see who he brought to the dance,” David replied.

  “For what purpose?” Mr. Brown asked.

  “I just wanted to know,” David replied.

  “Was this because you knew Marcus brought another guy as his date?” Mr. Brown asked. Joe was surprised at the calm demeanor of the principal. He had no run-ins with Mr. Brown but had always heard he was a stern man.

  “I suspected it,” David replied.

  “And you wanted to shame Marcus and his brother somehow?” Mr. Brown asked.

  “He called them faggots,” Joe interjected.

  Mr. Brown’s eyebrows raised. “Is this true, Mr. Wick?”

  “I don’t remember that,” David said with a smirk on his face.

  “You liar!” Joe exclaimed.

  “Now, now, calm down, Mr. Barber,” Mr. Brown said.

  “He started shoving me,” David interjected.

  “Is that true, Mr. Barber?” Mr. Brown asked.

  “Yes, sir,” Joe said looking down at the floor.

  “We certainly do not tolerate physical violence here,” Mr. Brown said at Joe. “But we also will not tolerate harassment,” Mr. Brown looked at David. “David, would you step outside a moment. I want to speak with Joe alone.”

  David let out a gruff grunt and left the office. He went to sit out on the sofa. Mr. Brown inhaled deeply and shifted in his seat. He looked over at Joe who was still looking at the floor.

  “Joe, did you know about Marcus and your brother before this incident?” Mr. Brown asked in a sympathetic tone.

  “Yes, sir, I’ve known for a while. David Wick has been calling guys names and beating them up for years. I was only trying to protect Mike,” Joe said.

  “Mike is your brother?” Mr. Brown asked. Joe nodded. “Look, I know about David. I’ve gotten several complaints about him. I also understand you wanted to protect your brother. It’s our nature to protect the ones we love.”

  “Yes, sir,” Joe said.

  “So, while I agree that you were right for wanting to protect your brother, I cannot let your physical altercation go unpunished. I also do not want this homophobia to go on like it has,” Mr. Brown explained.

  “Yes, sir,” Joe said.

  “I usually would give you detention but since we are in the middle of football season, I know that will mess up with your practice,” Mr. Brown stated. “I want to be a little creative here.” Joe looked up from the floor. “With the assistance of our guidance counselor, I want to start up a Gay-Straight Alliance Club here.”

  Joe gave him a look of confusion. He was not sure what Mr. Brown was asking of him.

  “A Gay-Straight Alliance?” Joe asked.

  “Yeah, a club where gay kids can meet other gay kids and talk about their issues in a safe space.”

  “Where do I fit into this?” Joe asked.

  “I want you to attend the meetings so that you can get an understanding of what these kids are going through each day,” Mr. Brown said.

  “But I already have an understanding from my brother,” Joe said.

  “And that’s where the punishment part comes in, if you want to call it that. I want you to help start it. What better person to help start it than the straight brother of a gay student?” Mr. Brown said.

  “I don’t think a straight guy like me should start a club like that,” Joe said.

  “You’ll only help start it. I’ve had some gay students come to me asking to start it. I imagine they will do most of the work,” Mr. Brown explained.

  “And that’s my punishment?” Joe asked.

  “Think of it as doing this for your brother,” Mr. Brown stated.

  Joe thought about this for a minute. “Okay, I’ll do it,” he replied enthusiastically.

  “It’s either that or detention,” Mr. Brown said. Joe nodded. “Now, go to class. Ms. Richards will be in touch soon about getting started.”

  Joe got up from his seat. He went to leave but turned back towards Mr. Brown. “Thank you for starting this alliance club. It will do some good around here.” Mr. Brown smiled.

  When Joe left, Mr. Brown got up and motioned for David to come into his office.

  “Have a seat, David,” Mr. Brown said sternly. David took a seat. This time, his demeanor was much less arrogant and more repentant.

  “Mr. Brown, I am so---” David started but Mr. Brown interrupted.

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  “Save it, David. I know you are going to give me some half-assed apology,” Mr. Brown interjected in a curt manner. “Your days as a homophobic asshole are over, young man.” David was shocked at the frankness of Mr. Brown’s tone. “I have heard nothing but complaints that you are the instigator of most of the gay hate in this school. You call gay kids names, and you beat them up without any immunity. That atmosphere is not what this school needs.”

  David stared at the floor as Mr. Brown talked. All he could muster was a quiet “Yes, Sir.”

  “Now, the season is in full throttle so I’m not going to give you any detention. However, I expect a more tolerant attitude. You don’t have to agree with anyone’s choices, but you have to respect them. I expect you to be at least civil. Our school is starting a gay-straight alliance where kids like those that you beat up can feel safe and empowered. You are certainly banned from attending any of those meetings. What I’m going to do is ask that you apologize to each of those kids face to face. Your apology better be sincere, or I will see to it that your career as a football star is over at this school. You are also going to ask each of those kids what you can do to make up for your years of bullying. You are going to do everything those kids ask of you. And you are going to be grateful and happy. Is that understood?”

  David ashamedly replied, “Yes sir.”

  “Now get out of my office before I think of more.” Mr. Brown said. David got up and walked out of his office with his tail between his legs. Mr. Brown crossed his arms and smiled out of pride for what he had done.

  By the time, Mr. Brown was done, the bell for first period rang. David went to his locker to get his books for the next class.

  During a longer break, David stood at the Haven waiting for Joe. He hadn’t seen him since this morning in Mr. Brown’s office. He was eager to find out if Joe’s punishment was the same. Several regular Haven kids, including Tiffany, gathered but avoided David. Stanton and Chris approached the Haven unnoticed by the other kids. Tiffany whispered at the kids not to engage with David.

  In the distance, Joe approached. Tiffany caught sight of Joe and waved at him. As Joe approached, he saw David standing off to the side staring at him. Joe avoided David’s blank stare.

  “Hey, Joe!” Tiffany said and gave Joe a hug.

  “Hey, Tiff,” Joe said giving David the side-eye.

  “What happened with Mr. Brown?” Tiffany asked.

  “I don’t have detention, but he wants me to help with starting a gay-straight alliance,” Joe said.

  “A what?” Tiffany asked as some of the other Haven kids gathered around Joe.

  “A club for gay kids to talk about their stuff,” Joe replied.

  “Oh. That’s not too bad.” Tiffany said.

  “Yeah, and I want to do it. I want to do it for Mike and Rocco and all those other kids who were made to feel like shit,” Joe said trying to get David’s attention without looking at him.

  “Yeah, this school definitely needs that,” Tiffany said.

  “That’s all you get?” David exclaimed from the side.

  Joe and Tiffany ignored David. David was turning red from anger that Joe had gotten off so easily. He was going to have to be face-to-face with those that he tortured. He would rather have detention and be off the football team than have to face his victims in person.

  “Mr. Brown is a fair man,” Tiffany said loudly. Joe nodded.

  Mike and Rocco walked up to Joe despite having caught sight of David. This was the first time Mike had seen Joe since he was called into Mr. Brown’s office. Mike wanted to know what had happened and what he had to do. They went around David who remained alone off to the side.

  “Hey guys!” Tiffany said to Mike and Rocco. “Despite what happened, I loved hanging out with you two at the dance.” Mike smiled and waved but quickly turned to Joe.

  “Joe, what happened?” Mike asked wide-eyed.

  “Well, we talked about the dance and what happened,” Joe said.

  “Did you get in trouble?” Rocco asked.

  “Not really. I do have some good news,” Joe said smiling.

  “Good news?” Mike exclaimed.

  “I get to help start a gay-straight alliance—a safe place for the gay kids here,” Joe said placing both of his hands on Rocco and Mike.

  “Can I be a part of it?” Tiffany asked.

  “Of course you can,” Joe said.

  “I can’t believe this. What the fuck kind of punishment is that?” David scoffed. Stanton frowned at the injustice David faced even though he had no idea what punishment David had to endure.

  Joe finally made eye contact with David. Joe’s anger was beginning to boil up. He knew Mr. Brown didn’t give David detention because of football practice. “It’s called being of service to my fellow students and it’s not punishment, David.”

  “It’s called a cop-out. You get to run off and start a social club. I have to personally apologize to every queer in this school. What kind of justice is that?” David said and huffed in disgust.

  “You mean you have to apologize to all those kids you beat up??” Joe said sarcastically. “Oh, the humanity!”

  “Fuck you,” David said. “And fuck all those god-damned faggots I got to see.” David looked at Mike and Rocco when he said this.

  Joe’s face turned bright red from anger. He had reached his limit with David and his bigotry. “This attitude of yours is bullshit, David!” Joe freed himself from the crowd that surrounded him and climbed the stairs to the landing overlooking the Haven. Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Joe as he stood at the landing.

  “Now listen here, Miners Creek High School. This homophobia stops right now. I’m not gay but my brother is dating a guy. A guy who I think is one of the best guys I’ve ever met. Of course, I love my brother with all my heart and if he likes a guy, I’m 100% behind him because that is who he is.” There were several nods in the Haven as well as some pats on Rocco and Mike’s back.

  “I know I’m not gay because—” Joe hesitated for a moment then looked at his brother. The look of pride on Mike’s face gave Joe the courage he needed to continue. “I know I’m not gay because I tried it.” There were a few gasps in the audience. “That’s right! The quarterback, the star of the football team, hooked up with a guy once. And you know what? I didn’t care for it. Who in this crowd can say that?”

  Joe looked around at the crowd of student who were in a state of shock. “I can speak from experience. I can say with certainty that I am straight because I didn’t like messing around with a guy. I’m not going to out the guy I played around with, but he’s a self-loathing gay basher who likes to beat up vulnerable guys.” Everyone looked over at David who had turned beet red from embarrassment. “Classic case of the lady doth protest too much”.

  “That’s how you use that phrase,” Mike said loudly so Stanton could hear him.

  “So, if you have a problem with any of that or with my brother or his boyfriend or any other gay kid, then fuck you! This school is starting a gay straight club, and I will be proud to help start it up because that’s what this school needs.”

  Joe raised both his hands in the air, made them into fists, and walked down the stairs. The kids gathered around Joe started to cheer in solidarity. David scurried off. Joe descended the stairs and went over to Mike and Rocco to give them a group hug. Tiffany ran up to Joe and gave him a kiss.

  “Wow, Joe, that was so brave!” Tiffany said.

  “Joe, you didn’t have to do that,” Mike said.

  “Yes, I did,” Joe said and pinched Mike’s cheeks.

  “Does it bother you that I played around with a guy?” Joe asked Tiffany.

  “What bothers me is that it was David. Ick. Of all the guys, you picked him?” Tiffany said laughing.

  “Well, it just sorta happened unexpectedly,” Joe replied.

  “No wonder you didn’t like it,” Tiffany laughed. Joe returned the laugh.

  The bell rang indicating the long break was over. All the kids started to disperse. Mike took Rocco’s hand and started to go to class. As they walked, a voice from behind Mike spoke up.

  “Mike?” It was Chris. He was alone. Stanton was standing at the Haven alone.

  “Yes?” Mike said turning around.

  “Can I have lunch with you today?” Chris asked. He had an eager puppy dog look on his face. Mike had almost forgotten about Chris since he met Rocco. He hadn’t noticed that Chris had practically grown a foot since school started and his stubble was starting to thicken. Even though they had barely spoken since the school started, Mike did miss his old friend.

  “Our table is always open,” Mike said and walked to class with Rocco.

  “It’s spreading like wildfire, man!” Raz exclaimed.

  “Yeah! It was glorious,” Rocco replied. The entire school was a buzz about the dance and about Joe’s speech. “It all happened exactly like the rumors are reporting.”

  “And we are going to have a gay-straight alliance?” Raz asked.

  “Yeah! Can you believe that?” Rocco asked.

  “I’ll go if you go,” Raz said.

  “Come on! Of course, I’m going but your attendance doesn’t have to depend on mine,” Rocco stated.

  “Yeah, I know. But I’ll feel more at ease if you’re there,” Raz replied. Rocco nodded.

  “And he really fucked David Wick?” Pete asked.

  “Well, he said they played around. I don’t know exactly what they did together,” Rocco answered. “I really don’t want to know.”

  Meigs appeared and sat down next to Raz. Usually, Meigs was nowhere to be found during lunch. It was a good bet that Meigs was in the bathroom tending to his wounds. Today however was a first.

  “May I join you fellas?” Meigs asked after he sat down.

  “Of course, Meigs. You are always welcome here,” Austin replied. Meigs and Austin shared a smile.

  “So, is it really true about Joe Barber?” Meigs asked, his eyes wide with anticipation to find out the details.

  “That’s what he said!” Rocco replied.

  “And it was with David Wick??” Meigs was dripping in schadenfreude.

  “He didn’t say his name, but that was the obvious assumption,” Rocco replied. Rocco knew it was truth.

  “Oh my fucking God! That is so rich.” Meigs said tapping his fingers on the table.

  “I know!!!” Rocco agreed. He loved the fact that the bully had been put in his place.

  “I didn’t get a chance to tell you, Meigs, your costume at the dance was spectacular!” Austin said.

  “Well, thank you!” Meigs replied.

  “You were totally hot,” Pete smirked.

  “Easy boy, I’m taken,” Meigs said winking at Raz.

  “Wait a minute…” Rocco spoke up. “Do you mean you and Raz?”

  Raz and Meigs looked at each other and smiled. Rocco, Pete, and Austin nodded in approval.

  “Good job,” Austin replied.

  “Damn, I missed out,” Pete said. Meigs cut a smiling pouty face in jest at Pete.

  “Back off Pete. He’s mine,” Raz jokingly said and held Meigs’s hand.

  “Alright, alright. Let’s talk some business then,” Pete said. “O’Malley asked if we would do a show in a couple of weeks.”

  “Totally works for me,” Austin chimed in.

  “Same here. I’d rather play at the skate park than a party. The park is much more our kinda crowd,” Rocco added.

  “I agree,” Pete said. “Let’s talk about getting a little rougher. I want to go straight punk.”

  “YES!” Rocco exclaimed. Everyone else nodded in agreement.

  “Do you need a tambourine girl?” Meigs asked.

  “Hmm,” Pete thought. “I don’t know.”

  “Every band needs a Stevie Nicks,” Meigs said and shook his hands like a tambourine.

  “Tell you what,” Pete started. “Come to practice and we will try to see how we can fit the bass’s boy into the lineup.”

  “Boy?” Meigs asked in defense. “I prefer to be the bass’s bitch.”

  “Well, ok, then!” Pete exclaimed and laughed out loud.

  Mike sat down next to Jared at lunch. Rusty had not made it to the table just yet. Jared was already halfway through his lunch when Mike picked up his fork to dive into his Salisbury steak.

  “So, it’s official?” Jared asked putting his fork down. He would stop eating only to talk to his friend.

  “Yep, it’s official,” Mike said putting his fork down before he even cut into the steak. He was not very hungry after the excitement of the morning.

  “How do you feel?” Jared asked.

  “I don’t really know how I am supposed to feel. I’m relieved but I’m also a little…I don’t know…edgy?” Mike replied.

  “Edgy? Edgy about what?” Jared asked.

  “I’m not sure. Like I feel like everything worked out a little too perfectly,” Mike replied looking off into the lunchroom.

  “Like you are expecting something bad to happen?” Jared added.

  “Yeah! Exactly!” Mike replied. Jared seemed to have a knack for knowing how he felt when he could not come up with the right words.

  “You know what I think?” Jared said looking over the lunchroom.

  “What?” Mike looked at Jared.

  “I think a part of you expected your world to blow up when you came out. It didn’t but you still have that dread inside of you that you want to channel somewhere,” Jared said. “I also think the other part of you was expecting something magical to happen when you came out. Nothing magical happened. The world just kept going like it always does. You’ve got these two powerful feelings in you that have nowhere to go. So, you’ve got to find a use for them.”

  “Like what?” Mike asked.

  “You should use those strong feelings to draw or paint,” Jared replied.

  Mike thought about what he said. It made perfect sense. He had to channel his feelings into something creative. “You know what? You are right.”

  “The question is, what are you going to create?” Jared asked.

  “I’m going to have to think about it,” Mike replied. “You know, I might see if there is a space in Art class next semester.”

  “That’s the spirit, my friend,” Jared said and picked his fork back up to dig into his lunch. Mike did the same. His appetite had returned after Jared helped him realize what was bugging him.

  Chris had just left the lunch line. He stopped to look for the table where Mike was sitting. His natural inclination was to go to the table where Stanton and Matt were sitting. Today was going to be different. He had to retrain himself to point in the direction of Mike’s table.

  He spotted Mike, Jared, and Rusty sitting in one of the corners. He started towards the corner when he spotted Stanton and Matt at their usual table. He stood there in the middle of the lunchroom torn. Did he want to go with his old habits of eating with Stanton and Matt or be novel and eat with Mike and his new friends?

  Mike’s new friends scared him a little. He felt intimated because he wouldn’t know what to talk about with them. It was doubtful that they would want to talk about sports. Jared also blew up in front of everyone in the lunchroom at them. He didn’t know how to take Jared.

  He started to walk to his old table but veered off to Mike’s table when Stanton looked up at him. After this morning, he wanted to leave the hate behind him. Chris dearly missed his old friend and wanted to do whatever it took to get him back—even if that meant being the square at the table.

  Mike, Jared, and Rusty were deep in a conversation when Chris approached their table. All three looked up. Jared and Rusty gave Chris a quizzical look while Mike smiled at him widely.

  “C-Can,” Chris stuttered, “Can I join you?”

  “I don’t know, c-can you?” Jared quipped.

  “Sit down!” Mike said. Chris smiled and placed his tray on the table. He sat down while Jared and Rusty stared at him.

  “Hey,” Chris said quietly.

  “Guys, this is my old friend, Chris.” Mike introduced.

  “Yeah, we know who you are,” Rusty said sharply.

  “Chris wants to hang out with us,” Mike said and looked at Jared and Rusty as if to say, ‘be nice to him’. Jared eased his face and extended his hand for a shake.

  “I’m Jared. We never really met before.” Chris shook Jared’s extended hand.

  “And I’m Rusty,” Rusty followed Jared’s lead by shaking his hand.

  “And I’m Mike,” Mike said extending his hand to shake Chris’s. The tension eased significantly as they laughed.

  “Mike,” Chris started, “I want to start out by saying I’m sorry for everything—for shunning you and making fun of you behind your back. I haven’t been a very good friend. I miss hanging out with you.” Chris looked down at his tray, ashamed of his behavior.

  Mike smiled sweetly. “It’s fine. I get it.”

  “No, I forgot what it meant to be a friend. I forgot that you were going through something big, and I wasn’t there for you,” Chris said still looking at his tray.

  “Chris, look at me,” Mike said. Chris looked up from his tray. “I forgive you. You’re still my friend. I miss you too.” Chris smiled and nodded his head.

  “I want to know all about you and Rocco,” Chris said eagerly.

  “You do?” Mike asked surprised at his enthusiasm.

  “Of course, this is a huge thing for you,” Chris said. “It doesn’t bother me about the gay thing.”

  Mike looked at Jared and then at Rusty. “Well, first thing, I’m not gay nor am I straight. I wouldn’t even call myself bi. I’m kinda fluid. I like the person, not whether that person is a boy or a girl.”

  “That makes sense,” Chris said.

  “I fell for Rocco the first time I laid my eyes on him,” Mike said.

  “Ok,” Chris nodded.

  “And everything else just kinda wonderfully happened,” Mike said dreamily.

  “Wow, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you are in love,” Jared retorted.

  “Yeah, I am. Rocco and I are in love,” Mike replied. “Does that make you uncomfortable to hear, Chris?”

  “No, not at all,” Chris replied. “I like what you said about liking the person. I think I could be open to that.”

  “Really???” Mike said in disbelief.

  “Yeah, really,” Chris said. “I haven’t had feelings for another guy before, but I wouldn’t necessarily rule it out.”

  “That’s all you need to be cool with us,” Rusty interjected.

  “Are you guys like Mike?” Chris asked unsure if he phrased the question properly.

  Jared and Rusty laughed. “Well, I’d be open to it,” Rusty said.

  “I mean, sure, why not?” Jared shrugged. Chris felt very much at ease after hearing this.

  “Hey, Chris,” Mike said, “I’m learning how to skate.”

  “Like on a board?” Chris asked impressed.

  “Yeah, this guy is teaching me,” Mike said pointing at Jared. Jared waved off the comment.

  “So, you teach skateboarding?” Chris asked in an excited tone.

  “Meh,” Jared shrugged.

  “He’s only the best,” Mike beamed.

  “I’m only good because this guy drew me a killer flyer,” Jared said pointing at Mike.

  “Oh yeah, your art. You did a flyer?” Chris asked.

  “Meh,” Mike shrugged laughing at his bad imitation of Jared.

  “Man, that’s pretty awesome,” Chris said excited. “For the both of you.”

  “You should come down to the skate park sometime. Rocco’s band practices there a lot while Mike learns how to shred,” Rusty said.

  “Yeah, I’d really like that!” Chris said barely holding down his enthusiasm.

  The four of them finished lunch talking about skating, art, and Rocco’s band. As he usually did every day, Mike ate half of his lunch and gave Jared the rest. Mike always did this even if he was hungry enough to finish his own lunch. On the days when he wasn’t so hungry, he would give Jared more of his lunch. Soon enough, Mike relayed to Chris why he did this. Chris started to do the same for Jared.