A Straight Guy's Guide to Being Gay

Chapter 10

School wasn't all that bad, Theo supposed. It was only bad because you had to get  up early and make sure you didn't smell like shit or look like it. It was bad because you got homework and lots of confusing assignments that drained the life out of you. It was good because you got to see your friends. You didn't have to do chores, and you didn't have an excuse to lay in your bed all day and do nothing.

School also kind of sucked because of football. Theo hated most of the guys on the team, juniors and sophomores who thought they ruled the world because they could grab the ball with one hand.

Girls could do that, too, Theo thought dirtily. But they weren't boasting around.

Theo was in art class again, Max, Gerald, Timothy and him at their usual table. The Satanic Cult and the Queers all at their usual tables, too. Theo couldn't help but glance to his left at the Queer table, where Finn and Riley sat. The other kids were Greg, Jazz, Ifama, and Iowa.

Riley was in his usual rich-boy clothing, a green sweater over a white polo and dark jeans. His red hair was combed neatly back. Greg was a shy, brown-headed boy. He didn't say much, always nodding his head whenever someone spoke. Jazz wore loose pants and a rainbow pride shirt. They were the loudest and most outspoken, though Theo never thought they were annoying. He secretly kind of liked when they preached about their rights. He bet that they would become some sort of social activist one day. Ifama was from Africa, her accent thick and her hair even thicker. She was often experimenting with different hairstyles, and today she opted for a full-out afro. Theo imagined she was very hot. Her eyeliner was an electric blue, so was her lipstick. She wore overall shorts with tights, and a yellow tank top underneath. Theo knew she was trans, and he wondered whether she had to deal with crap from people about it.

Iowa, gorgeous as ever, was smiling and laughing as Riley apparently said something hilarious. Her emerald eyes danced with excitement, and underneath that table, he could see her tanned fingers intertwined with Ifama's chocolate ones. He felt a twinge of jealousy, and deciding better, felt happy, too.

Finn was busy painting a—Theo had to crane his head to look—flower, it's middle black but the petals surrounding it bright and colorful, full of textures and different color depths. His dark hair was falling around his face in soft curls. His cheekbones looked sharper from this angle. Theo looked away.

"Ms. Prim says that these watercolor paintings will be graded," Max groaned, his auburn hair puffing up as he took his hat off.

Timothy laughed. "Dude, she's always grading our work." Tim had a slight Mexican accent, and Theo often heard him mutter incomprehensible Spanish under his breath when he was frustrated or angry.

"Yeah," Theo agreed. He looked down at his own paper which was still empty except for some random pencil lines. He had no idea what to do, and observed the room for inspiration. Posters of famous artists and art pieces hung around the room, strings of light strung across the ceilings in a random fashion. The sinks in the back were full of emptied water cups and wet paint brushes. The paints were on a shelf in the corner, and blobs of paint seemed to have exploded on the shelves in the past, as they were splattered with blues, greens, reds, and yellows.

The windows were decorated with those sticky things you stuck on glass during a holiday. In this case, it was falling leaves and jack-o-lanterns. Ms. Prim seemed like a kind, gentle person from the way she took care to make her room pretty and homey, but it was nothing compared to the evil-eyed, devil who sat at the desk by the door.

His eyes returned to the blank paper below him. Gerald was painting a girl, Lily, he assumed. Her hair was in two red braids, her big blue eyes staring right back into the viewers. She was standing in a field of wildflowers, the wind carrying her hair behind her, and the sun shining brightly onto her freckled face.

"Shit, Gerald you're gonna get a four for that," Theo said approvingly.

Gerald blushed, brushing back a strand of hair that got loose of the ManBun. "I mean, it's not that good..."

Theo shook his head, forcing his mind to focus on his own. "When is this due?" he asked absently.

Tim chimed in. "Four weeks."

Theo huffed a laugh, grabbing for his water bottle. "Well then why the hell are we working so hard right now?"

Tim met his eyes, annoyed. "We are working hard, and because this is supposed to be perfect. It's going in the fair's gallery."

Theo choked on his sip of water. "The State Fair?"

"Yes, now shut up!" Max grumbled around his paintbrush which was in his mouth for some reason. He was squinting at his painting, the true image of an artist. Theo wanted to giggle.

The State Fair wasn't actually for the entire state, though a lot of people did come. It was just called that because it was really big and most people from around the state came. It was only advertised throughout Chula Vista. Theo didn't feel very comfortable about his artwork—mind you, his art was absolute shit—being shown to a bunch of strangers. Really it wasn't that bad, but it might be in the papers for the State Fair, and his art was really bad.

"Fuck," he muttered.

"No, no, no," Tim corrected. "Mierda." That must have been "fuck" in Spanish.

Theo gave him his most sarcastic smile, hoping that it conveyed, "I don't care."

"Fuck, Riley! What the hell?" Everyone turned to look, and saw that Finn's flawless painting was ruined, water spilled all over and blurring the different colors together.

Finn jumped up and Theo saw water spilled on his shirt.

"Look at what you did to my painting, Riley!" he said, aggravated. His voice became a little scratchy when he was angry.

Riley's face was red, redder than his hair, and he muttered something under his breath.

Theo, and everyone else in the room, he was sure, were staring in amusement and horror. Riley and Finn weren't best friends, but they were like the gay duo. It was a tad annoying, actually.

Finn leaned over, his deep blue eyes ever darker and piercing straight into Riley's. "What?" he asked, like a venomous bite.

"I—I'm so sorry, Finn." He grabbed paper towels and tried to soak up the water. Ms. Prim had come over and was asking what the problem was, asking for no swearing. Everyone had started to calm down when Riley removed the paper towels, revealing a tye-dye mess. Finn's face flushed with anger.

"Fucking hell, Riley, stop!" Riley jerked back, sinking low in his seat ashamed of himself.

"Finn," the teacher was saying, but everyone else was laughing. The emo kids were flashing their teeth with joy, Max and Tim laughing their asses off, Gerald still committed to Lily's portrait. And Theo. Theo who couldn't help but be disappointed that the flower that somehow spoke such depths to him was destroyed. Finn stormed out of the room. Riley stared after him with longing and he genuinely looked horrified at what had happened. Finn's ruined paper was laying, plastered to the table.

"Finn!" the teacher called out. She waved her hand, dismissing him. "At least he knows the heartbreak of losing a valuable piece of art. That's why I am entering your paintings into the fair," she said more to herself. "You must create something you are proud of and love, show your feelings and emotions."

Theo stood up, asking the teacher if he could use the restroom. He had an idea.