A Queen Among the Jocks (boy x boy)

Part 30

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That same day, my team and I were informed that we had all qualified for a full expense paid training camp at Utah the following month. My teammates and I were elated, and we were all looking forward to August. Elliot, one of my teammates, approached me with a cheerful tone and shared his plan for the training camp. He suggested that we sleep, train, and do snow activities together, even though we were not sure if it was snowing in Utah. I approved of his plan, matching his excitement. This would be my first training camp ever, and I was eager to experience these types of sports activities to develop my skills in volleyball.

Clearly, volleyball in America was different from the Philippines. The preparation was unique, with schools investing a lot in training equipment, facilities, mentors, and training camps like the one we were about to experience, all covered by the school. No wonder TJ and my teammates were very athletic, dedicated, and skilled players. It made me realize how fortunate I was to be part of this team.

One day, I violated a rule, and as punishment, TJ, our team captain, made me clean the entire gym every day for a week. I did not complain, knowing how angry he was. After all, I was their junior. TJ was a complicated person. Sometimes he would show a lot of interest in someone and bug them until they gave him attention, while at other times, he would ignore them and act like he didn't know them.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I might be able to convince TJ to lift his punishment," Elliot offered. They were already changed and ready to go home, but he insisted on waiting for me.

"No, El, it's okay. I can do this. Besides, I violated a rule, so this is just right for me," I replied genuinely. I thought Elliot was a bit too much when it came to showing his affection. He did not have to be with me all the time, even though he had told everyone he was into me. We still had private lives.

Elliot waited for me to finish cleaning the gym and the changing room. Afterward, I showered, got dressed, and headed out. Elliot offered me a lift and stayed for a little while. It had been a tiring day for me.

Since it was Friday, I got to enjoy the night a little bit late. My mother asked Elliot to stay for dinner and watch a movie with us. Elliot and I volunteered to make popcorn.

"Your parents are really cool, Apol," he told me while preparing the popcorn.

"I know, right? They are dream parents for someone like me, someone who is gay," I said. As an openly gay person, I was extremely lucky to have parents who supported me. They were overprotective, too. When I told them about my sexuality, my father wanted me to take self-defense lessons, while my mother immediately took me to a salon and shopping. I told them I was not that kind of gay, but I was overjoyed to experience it with my mother. Not all young gay people like me got to experience the kind of treatment my parents gave me.

"What about you, Elli? How did your parents react when you told them you're bisexual?" I asked. I was genuinely curious about his parents.

"Well, my mother accepted me, but my father seems off with it," he said. I took his hand and expressed how sorry I was to hear that.

"I'm so sorry to hear," I replied sympathetically to my friend. He shrugged, "No it's fine, he's getting used to it though," he added. Hearing this made me smile wider. I was happy to know something about Elliot, even if his father was not fully accepting him, I was glad he was adjusting.

We were planning to have a movie night with my parents, so we prepared some popcorn and headed to the living room. As we settled in, my phone started to chime a couple of times, but I ignored it when I saw TJ's chat head. After what he did to me in front of the team, I wasn't in the mood to talk to him.

It was a sunny Saturday morning, and I decided to go for a run. I wanted to explore Long Beach, California, and get some fresh air. As I listened to Lizzo's album, "Good as Hell," I noticed that many people were jogging along the same path. After a while, I started to sweat profusely, so I continued running until I reached the beach parking lot. That's when I spotted TJ on a bench, calling my name.

However, I pretended not to hear him since he gave me a week-long punishment to clean the gym. As I ran past him, my phone rang, and it was TJ. "Hey?" I answered, still running. "Hey, wait up, I'm right behind you," he told me over the phone. I stopped running, and he came over, placing his arms behind my back.

There he was, my half-naked team captain who caught me staring, and I rolled my eyes when our eyes met. "What do you need?" I asked, annoyed but trying to sound cheerful. "Are you ignoring me?" he replied. I lied and shrugged, "No, why?" He said I didn't respond to his texts, but I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was getting to me. So, I looked at his messages, replied with "Asshole," and smiled before running off again. He shouted after me, "Oh, come on!" I was just glad he didn't follow me.

I decided to grab some breakfast at a local diner, a waffle, and a coffee. I also changed my wet shirt and put on a black sleeveless undershirt that matched my black running shorts. As I was eating, I received a call from Elliot. He invited me to watch and assist in a volleyball clinic he was working on. He also mentioned that there was a game later, and it was a good opportunity to see some good players in Long Beach.

We agreed to meet later at the venue since he was still on duty and couldn't pick me up. After the call, I took a cab back home to change since it was already 10:55 am. I told my parents about my plan, and they agreed to let me go. They also suggested I have dinner outside since they had a date that night. I prepared my outfit for later and got ready to head out.

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Authors note: 

Hey, how are you?

Thank you for reading this chapter. 

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