Woodsbury

Ch.1- I'm gay, you're gay, we're all gay pt.1

1.

Townsmen and women stood tall and proudly on my walls, and money sprouted from trees in my house. Expensive wax and lotions occupied the bathroom cabinets, untouched, and copper faucets were littered throughout my house like bricks of gold. My father had stacks of cash in his office and clouds of cigar smoke emitting from the cracks of his office door. My mother got a new designer-made dress every week and tanned outside by the pool more than she ever talked. My sister's golden brain allowed her to get a scholarship to boarding school and another to start her journey of becoming a lawyer. My brother went to Harvard and was dating his girlfriend, Emily, who was just as successful. I was a straight-A student who maintained a 4.0 while on varsity for the soccer and tennis teams.

I vividly remember my father's face when I won MVP during my soccer championship. He looked so happy. And at the time, the only times I remember him looking at me his face was full of disdain and disgust, like my life pained him. I remember how happy he was to show me off. I felt so good. Like my work finally paid off. He did the same with my brother, Sullivan, and my sister, Reagan, but they didn't have to win MVP for it to happen. I couldn't let that go.

However, things were changing, and I hated it and loved it at the same time. My recently made friends broke me out of my comfort zone—in a good way—and I found a backbone at times. But with the change in my relationships, one could change everything—the way my father looked at me, the way people looked at our family, the way my siblings thought of me, the way he thought of me.

Reece Jones was the culprit. I remember the first time we met and I played it in my head repeatedly. It was sweet torture. Temptation filled my body when I looked at him and thoughts that could get me killed but felt like heaven, took over my head.

Devin was gripping my bicep with his death grip and dragging me over to our lunch table where Radko stood with some mystery guy that Devin told me he knew nothing about.

I was nervous, but Devin didn't give me a moment to show it as he strode to the table with a mission: to find out who that was.

I didn't make eye contact, I mean I couldn't, but I could walk with my head high and not look anyone in the eye.

Radko was smiling at us as if fighting Devin's blank glare. I could tell he was nervous from a mile away. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down as Devin practically stomped over.

Mystery boy was standing there bored, looking around. He was a white boy with short, dark sandy hair. I wanted to look more, but we arrived at the table and I had to pay attention.

Devin unhanded my bicep and moved his hands to his jacket pockets. I looked across from me to see mystery boy. My hand twitched to touch my heart. Radko and Devin were bickering back and forth, I was over it. I wanted to know his name.

"He's Cam." Devin introduced me, startling me out of my thoughts, and put out his hands, before laying his hand on his chest. "I'm Devin.

I wave at mystery boy with a small smile, he waves back with an even bigger smile. I duck my head trying to avoid the hotness on my cheeks, I pick my head back up and he's still smiling at me.

Radko finally introduces the mystery boy. "He's Reece. My new bandmate–he just moved here." I moved my head to the side. Huh, it fitted him perfectly.

I turned onto the highway and my thoughts dissipated like a cloud. The dark hills in front of me were magnetic as the sun slowly rose to peek out from behind, spreading oranges everywhere in its path. Oldies played from an old CD my brother had as I watched orange fill the bottom of the sky and outflow onto the scenery; the rest of the sky mixed in with the blue hues and painted the tops of the pointed hills. I loved the morning and its way to make sure that my thoughts were dulled before I accidentally started something that couldn't be stopped.