Boys Will Be Boys

Chapter Eighteen

Author's Note:

You guys, we hit 10k! *dances around happily* I'm so excited. Thank you guys for all the votes and lovely comments, you are all amazing and beautiful and gah. Here's Chapter Eighteen and it's long as shit, so ENJOY! :)

xoxo,
Q.

When I walk into school the next morning, the hallway goes completely silent. I’m immediately weirded out, and I feel people’s eyes follow me as I walk to my locker. Alana is standing there, waiting for me, her eyebrows furrowed in worry.

“Um, Alana, what’s going on?” I ask, quietly, since the usual morning chatter is oddly absent from the hallway.

“They know.” She whispers.

“What?” I ask.

“They know.” She repeats. “They know about you and Emery. Everyone knows.”

I freeze. My heart slowly starts to sink down deeper and deeper till I can feel it in my stomach, at which point it starts to come back up at an alarming speed and I swallow, feeling it in my throat and trying to force it back down to where it belongs.

“How?” I choke out.

“I don’t know.” Alana shakes her head, miserably. “Luke, what are you going to—?”

I don’t let her finish. I close my locker door and say, robotically, “I have to go to first period.”

My brain isn’t functioning. I feel Alana watching me as I walk off, but I don’t turn back. I don’t look around me at the people who are quite obviously staring at me; instead I just look forward, feeling the fear shoot through my veins.

When I walk into History, everyone stops talking and looks up to stare at me. I gulp, and go to my seat besides Nate.

He’s also staring at me. I don’t meet his eyes. I don’t say anything. I just sit there and begin pulling out my books from my backpack. I don’t think it’s hit me yet. My brain hasn’t absorbed it yet, and I can’t think.

I’m terrified.

What if he hates me? What if he thinks I’m disgusting? What if he never wants to talk to me again? Nate and I have been best friends since we were in grade school; I don’t know what I’m supposed to do if he stops talking to me.

Mrs. Lawrence walks in and tells us that we’re going to be watching a movie today, which, for everyone else, translates into ‘nap time’.

As soon as the movie starts and the silence is filled with boring narration, Nate starts speaking.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he says, quietly.

“Tell you what?” I respond, not looking at him.

“Don’t avoid the question, Luke.” He snaps. “I’m your best friend. Why didn’t you tell me you’re gay?”

“Because it’s none of your fucking business!” I exclaim in a whisper, finally meeting his eyes. His eyes widen, alarmed at my intensity.

“Look, dude, I’m not judging you. It’s your life and Alana said it, you can date whoever you want to.”

I bury my face into my hands. “How did you even find out?”

“Everyone knows, man. There are…um…pictures.”

I stare at him, feeling ready to throw up at any moment. “Pictures of what?”