In The Spotlight - Solangelo

Chapter Twenty Seven

"You... what?"

"I'm gay, Dad!" I repeated, slightly louder this time. "I've been trying to tell you for years, but every single time I've tried to tell you, you have just changed the conversation, or avoided it completely! The only person I knew for certain that I could talk to about it was Biana, but now she's dead. And the only other person who knew was Thalia, and now she's disappeared. It took me long enough to come out to my friends, who actually accepted me, but I just... I couldn't come out to you. And now I regret it."

"But you're..." He seemed lost for words. "You're..."

I stood up. "I like guys. And you don't like the fact that I like guys. I may as well just leave, 'cause you clearly don't give a f**k about my life!"

"Is this... is this a joke?" Dad asked, almost desperate to find an excuse for this.

I shook my head. "No, it isn't a joke. I... I'm going upstairs."

"Nico..." Persephone stood up, and made her way towards me. "If it counts for anything, I, um..."

"Just shut up," I snapped. "I literally just met you today. It's my Dad that I need to accept me. Just sit back down."

"Don't talk to your mother that way!"

"She's not my mother!" I turned back to Dad. "And, once again, you are trying to change the conversation. You are trying to revert the argument back to the subject of my Mum. Instead of just saying that you accept me. So? Do you?"

Dad hesitated. "I, well, uh..."

"Exactly." I took a deep breath. "Goodbye."

I grabbed my school bag, ran upstairs, and begun to throw a bunch of clothes into the bag. If Dad didn't want me around, fair enough. Of course, he had never openly admitted that he hated homosexuals and wanted me to leave immediately, but I got the clue. He didn't accept me for who I was. The only reason for me to stay behind would be Hazel, but I knew eventually I would have to come out to her as well, and... well, after what I just went through with Dad, I wasn't excited to try that out.

I slung my bag over my shoulder, and begun to made my way back downstairs. However, Hazel was waiting in the hall for me.

"What were you and Dad fighting about?" she asked, with her arms crossed.

I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. Go back to sleep."

"But..." She frowned. "You have your bag with you... are you... leaving?"

"Yeah. I'm... I'm sorry. It isn't your fault. I love you, ok?" I gave her one last hug. "I'll, um... I'll see you around."

And with that, I went back downstairs, and left the house, making sure that I slammed the door hard on the way out. Annoyingly, Hazel followed me outside.

"What does.. What does 'gay' mean?" she asked. "I heard you telling Dad that you are gay, and I figured that's what you were fighting about, but I don't really know what it means, so..."

"It means I like boys," I explained. "Romantically, I mean. I, um, prefer dating boys rather than girls."

Hazel was silent for a moment as she took the information in. "Do that mean I'm gay? 'Cause I'm currently dating a boy..."

"No, no no!" I shook my head. "If you were gay, you would like girls. People who are gay date people of their own gender. Boys like boys, and girls like girls."

"Oh... ok..." She looked around. "But... you're gonna come back inside though, right?"

I shook my head. "Dad doesn't like the fact that I'm gay, so I'm leaving."

"Are you going to come back?"

I hesitated. "Y-yes," I lied, beginning to make my way down the street. "I'll see you around, Hazel."

I didn't look back, but I heard the door open and shut, so I assumed she went back inside. I wiped away the tears that had formed over the past half-hour. Once I turned the corner onto a new street, I realised that I had no clue where I was going to go. I had no other family, and I didn't know the address of most of my friends. There was Percy's house, but... I didn't feel like that was a good place to go. I loved Percy, I really did, but I didn't want to disturb him. There was also Jason, but I was already heading in the wrong direction to his house, and I didn't went to walk past my house again. That left... Will Solace. My boyfriend.

I brought out my phone, and dialled his number.

He picked up almost immediately. "Nico...?"

"Hey, Will," I greeted, trying to sound like I hadn't just been crying. "Uh, I know I was literally just at your house, but... I was wondering if... Uh..."

"What is it?"

"Could I, um, could I possibly crash at your place tonight?"