Extremely & Incredibly

Chapter 12: First

Jake waits for Mason by the flag pole at the front of the high school building. Students stare at Jake - now made famous by Mason's boyfriend. Others ignore him and pay no mind to him.

Dress in a nice pair of jeans and a nice button-up, casual blue shirt; Jake did his best to look great for Mason. But, of course, they didn't plan to match or anything; Jake wanted to make an impression.

After checking his watch, Jake looks up to see Thomas passing by. They both make eye contact, but it is just for a brief moment. Jake then notices Becca by his side as they hold hands.

"Hey, stranger."

Jake turns around to the familiar voice of Mason. Once in view, Jake sees Mason dressed in some nice jeans and a red polo shirt.

"Hey," Jake says back with a big smile.

Mason leans in, and they kiss.

In the back of Jake's mind, he can't stop being a nervous wreck with thoughts of people seeing them clouding the lovely moment. Jake is too used to having to hide.

"Ready for school?" Mason asks him.

Jake feels Mason's hand grabs onto his. "I am. Are you ready?"

Mason knows the double meaning of Jake's question.

Jake wonders if Mason regrets coming out suddenly and without warning to others. Today, classmates will find out Mason is bisexual (after first assuming he is gay).

"We don't have to hold hands." Jake offers, trying to be considerate of Mason's doubts.

"I'm ready," Mason says with a reassuring smile. He grips Jake's hand tighter. "You look beautiful today."

With blushing cheeks, Jake holds on tight to Mason. 

People who once ignored him are now staring at the most-talked-about new couple, an outcast and an all-star athlete, the school's first openly gay couple.

With every step, Jake sees one by one, student by student, teacher by teacher, and acknowledges the relationship between Mason and Jake - even if they disagree with it.

By now, Jake knows the looks and probably what the homophobes think. But he turns to see Mason and how he is holding up.

"Mason, you good?" Jake asks him.

Mason looks at him. Jake squeezes his hand and smiles at him. Mason smiles back, "Yeah, I'm great."

It's a nice feeling that Jake is getting walking in with his official boyfriend. Finally, he stands proudly next to someone who cares for him. He can't believe that out of all the people in the world, the school's star athlete is who he is dating - publicly.

Mason's locker is first and right next to Thomas's. Becca has her arms all around Thomas and pecks on the lips.

"Hey, you two," Mason says to them.

They stop and say hello back. "How does it feel?" Becca asks them, but the question is mainly for Mason.

"Feels great," Jake answers first.

"Sure does. " Mason squeezes Jake's hand tightly. 

"Is this your first relationship ever, Jake?" Becca asks him.

Jake shakes his head no. "I had one person before that I saw for almost eight months, but that ended when he wanted to be an ass and just ghost me."

Thomas tries his hardest to hide his annoyance from Jake's jab. "He goes to our school?"

Now all eyes are on him. Jake, briefly, for a second, thought about outing Thomas, but instead, he chose to be peaceful. "No, he goes to a different high school. So, luckily I don't even have to see his face ever again."

"He's mine now," Mason says and pulls Jake in and kisses him in front of everyone in the hall.

Jake would love to pay good money to see everyone's reactions, but he is distracted by Mason's lips. After a moment, they part, and Mason opens his locker. Becca smiles, and Thomas is expressionless. Jake has a smile on his face, cheeks blushing red, but he feels like today will be one hell of a day.