A Tale of Wild Roses [ROUGH DRAFT]

Chapter 32

Angel Romero was terrified beyond belief, but a part of him felt ready at the same time. Lucia was sleeping over at her friend's house as a kickoff for summer break, and Angel's parents were sitting at the island talking about who would pick her up in the morning. For the last few weeks of school, he'd been considering telling his parents about Oliver. They had agreed to get back together shortly after they started talking again. The boys still had shit to work through and process, but they planned to do it together.

Angel finally felt like the ground beneath him was settling, especially since Adrienne never showed up at school ever since he was suspended. He felt like he had the space to begin accepting all the chaos of his freshmen year. Angel really hoped that his sophomore year would be easier, but he pushed all his thoughts aside and approached his parents.

"Um, can I talk to you guys about something?" His dad acknowledged him first. "You guys? We're not 'your guys.' " Well he was off to a great start! "Um, sorry." He sat in a stool beside his mom, adrenaline rushing through his body. "So, what is it? You didn't get in trouble again, did you?" Angel hadn't realized that he was spacing out, slightly embarrassed. "Oh, no. Definitely not."

"¿Sarcasmo? ¿Quién se cree que es?" Mrs. Romero shook her head in disapproval. Shit was going south real quick. Angel decided that he had to be out with it before the conversation got any worse. "No, no. I'm being honest. I just – wanted to tell you something I thought you should know." Angel could hear his voice getting smaller by the second. His parents waited for him to continue as he picked at a hole in his jeans. "You remember Oliver?" They shook their heads yes.

"Well, uh." He had no clue how to word it. It felt weird to just say it outright. He's my boyfriend, just say it. He thought on repeat.

"You know that feeling when you meet someone, and you just know that they're gonna mean something to you? Well that's how I feel about Oliver."

"Okay, so...you're saying that he's a good friend? Why are you making such a big deal out of it?" His dad asked. "That's not it. It's – it's more than that." Here goes nothing.

Angel Romero came out to his parents on the first day of summer, having no idea how they would react. "Oliver's my boyfriend. I'm bisexual." Relief washed over him. He felt like he could breathe again. Angel hadn't felt this sure of himself since the first day of 9th grade. He had been confused about who he was, his facade quickly fading all thanks to a boy from the sunny state of California. Oliver Adams, Angel's bisexual awakening.

Oliver Adams, a boy that Angel Romero would love for eternity.