Bloom // Peterick

Chapter 2

An hour later, Hayley asked for everyone's attention. I had been discussing how we would advertise under the radar with Ashley and Alex. Gee and Frank were supposed to be helping, but they mostly just whispered to each other and kissed.

"So, this meeting is technically over. But it would be super helpful if you were all just thinking about this over the weekend. Text me if you get any genius ideas," she says, scrawling her phone number across the board. "We only have two weeks to pull together an incredible queer dance, but I think we can do it. Have a good weekend, guys!"

I pick up my backpack, fully intending to just leave immediately. While it wasn't nearly as world-shattering as I thought it would be, I came out to a bunch of my closest friends, and it took a lot out of me.

"Hey, Patrick," Alex says, sidling up next to me in the hallway. "So, you're out now!" he says, smiling brightly.

"Yeah," I agree. "You are too."

"I feel free."

"Hey, so are you gonna tell the ones who didn't come all the plans?"

"I was texting them the conversation in real-time during the whole meeting. They are up to date."

"Alright," I say, turning around to face him and walking backward. "Well, I'm gonna go to my locker before leaving, but tell me how it goes with Jack."

His face lights up a bright pink, but he's not embarrassed. "Kay. See you tomorrow."

"Bye, Alex."

-

"How was it, honey?" my mom asks immediately after I have the car door closed.

"It actually went pretty well. No one was shocked or anything. And it's easy to come out to people who are also gay."

"Well, that's good," she says, looking ahead at the road, her voice revealing that she stopped listening after the first sentence. She takes good driving very seriously.

"Except, the leader, Hayley..."

"Oh, the one I know?" she interrupted. "Williams, is it?"

"No, not that one, but she was there too. Anyway, the leader said that the school isn't letting queer couples into prom. So we're going to do a dance in her basement instead."

This gets her attention. "Not letting queer couples in? I'm almost positive that's illegal."

"I know. Hayley told them that. It didn't get us anywhere."

"Patrick, I'm so sorry. Your school is normally so accepting. This is the worst news for me, as your mother. I'm so, so sorry."

"I know," I say. I can tell she's upset. "But it's fine because our dance is going to be better and we're going to make sure all the lgbt+ kids hear about it. It'll be fine, Mom. Prom sounded stupid, anyway. This one will be much more entertaining. And I get to help put it together, too!"

She lets me go on with telling her about the dance for the rest of the ride, occasionally interrupting with ideas for decorations and offers to supply food. I'm getting more excited every moment I spend talking about our plans.

-

The next school day, I can't wait for lunch because I can tell my friends all the ideas I have. I see Alex leaning against the wall outside the cafeteria talking to some guy with weird hair and I assume that it must be Jack. They seem cute together.

"So, guys," I start, sitting down at the round table with Joe on my left and Hayley W on my right. "I had some ideas for the dance. Like, we could have rainbow-themed snacks at the table. My mom loves to cook, so she could definitely help with that. We've even already come up with a story to explain it to my dad."

"Sounds good, Patrick," Hayley mutters. They're all kind of focused on something in Andy's lap, and I can't read their expressions.

"Uh, guys, what's up? Or rather, down?"

They give me some nervous looks but pass Andy's phone over anyway. I see that the well-known school gossip page is pulled up. My friends and I have never been a group to pay much attention to this, knowing it's just a cry for popularity and fake purpose in the form of melodrama. I read the latest headline, anyway.

"Fairies Try to Tear Down Prom," I breathe. There's a picture taken through the window of the room during yesterday's meeting. And you can quite clearly see my face. There are horrid comments about me and the others, and I suddenly feel like my ideas don't matter. Why do we even need to do this dance? Obviously, no one supports it.

"We're not trying to stop it, though. We just want one too," I whisper. Then, stronger, "Who would do something like this?"

Joe pulls himself forward from his relaxed position and puts a hand on my shoulder. "It'll be fine, Patrick. It's not like this hate is new. It's just visible now. We've already planned a bunch, our dance isn't school affiliated, we aren't breaking any rules. We have nothing to worry about."

I feel like we have something to worry about, though. I was finally feeling like I could come out of my own accord at school to everyone. The opportunity was just stolen from me, and now it's been used to cast me in a negative light. Some of the comments swirl around in my head. 'And here's the explanation for why that Patrick kid is always staring at me in gym. Pervert.' 'Why are they even allowed at school?' 'I bet they all have STD's'. How am I supposed to walk the halls of this school knowing that everyone thinks that about me?

-

The rest of the day, I am painfully aware of the stares I didn't notice before lunch. I see people covering their mouths and pointing, laughing at me. I hear whispered slurs more than my own name. I haven't felt this wrong in my own skin since I first realized I was gay. I haven't felt this scared since then, either.

"Woah, you okay, Patrick?" I hear as I run into something. No, someone. "You gonna answer? I haven't seen you in hours, feels like years." A blinding smile and the signature eyebrow quirk. Pete goddamned Wentz.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I huff. I'm having an emotional overload, and I wish I had run into Pete under better circumstances.

"Patrick, you're not fine. You saw the page?"

"Yeah."

"Dude, it's fine. It doesn't matter what they say, I think you're pretty cool. And not a pervert." So he saw all the comments, too. Awesome. "Where are you headed?"

"Biology."

"That class sucks, man." He pulls a hand up to his hair, pulling at it a bit while thinking. "Hey, do you wanna skip with me?"

I'm taken completely off guard. I've never skipped a class before, but I feel like I need it after the day I've had. Plus, we're talking about reproduction and it doesn't seem like the safest place for me in light of the public's new revelation.

"It's fine if you don't want to, Patrick. I understand. It was gonna just be me and the others anyway."

"The others?" I ask as the two minute bell rings. I have to make a decision quickly or I'll be late.

"Yeah. I've rounded up almost all of the GSA kids." And now I'm sold.

"Okay, Pete. Let's go." Even though I'm breaking the rules and the entire school hates me, I don't think I can remember a feeling better than Pete's hand on my back, ushering me toward the parking lot.