When a boy tells you he loves you

1

"I love you." Those words rolled off your tongue.

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"Beep beep." My alarm goes off. It's a cold winter morning here in this town. I get out of bed, stretching my arms. I grab my phone and scroll through social media. I have a text from my friend Harley.

Harley: MORNING LOSER
Me: what the hell where you doing up at 4 in the morning?
Harley: couldn't sleep. Can't wait 4 u 2 meet Donovan.
Me: Donovan? What happened to Tyler?
Harley: who?

Classic Harley. Whenever she breaks up with a guy, she pretends he has fallen off the face of the earth.

Me: never mind.
Harley: also can you pick me up?
Me: did you crash your car again?
Harley: no, grounded.

I turn off my phone and go to my closet. Change into a flannel, black shirt and jeans. I comb my brown curls and go to the bathroom. I hear the door pound.

"Elliot hurry the fuck up!" my sister yells. "Language April!" I yell back. She keeps pounding the door. I finish up and open the door.

"Little gay boy got to look good for the straight boys," April says under her breath. "I have a better chance with a straight boy then you do," I say back under my breath. I walk into the kitchen and take a granola bar.

"That's all you're eating?" My mom asks, not looking up from her magazine. "Yeah, I have to go pick up Harley," I say grabbing my backpack. "Crash her car again?" "Grounded." I open the garage door and walk to my little silver car.

I drive to Harley's house in silence. I honk my horn. Harley comes out of her house in a gray dress and heels. She opens the car door and climbs in.

"That's one heck of an outfit," I say sarcastically. Harley looks at me. "Are you sure you're gay? Aren't gay boys supposed to dress up trendy and fashionable?" I roll my eyes.

She pugs in her phone into the radio and turns up the volume. She turns up the bass just to annoy me. "I've been fuckin hoes and poppin pillies, man I feel like a rockstar," Harley attempts to sing.

I try to focus on the road. "Come on Elliot." I ignore her. I pull into a parking spot. I get out of the car, Harley trying to catch up behind me in her heels.

I see a group of boys in the corner of my eye, whispering. "Hey look it's the slut and her faggot friend," one of the boys say. James Morrison.

"Fuck off James, I get more dick in a day then you get pussy in a year," Harley fires back. "Oh ouch that hurt," James says, pretending to get hit in the chest. They laugh.

"Let's go Harley," I say to her, grabbing her hand. "Look the fag decided to be straight. Dude wrong choice in women though," one of the other boys say. Shane Carter.

I see Harley's middle finger fly up alone. "Want to go little bitch," Shane says. "Yeah let's go!" I turn around and grab Harley. "Hey guys let's stop this before the principal comes." "Shut up Mayer," James says.

I turn, my eyes meet Mayer's. Patrick Mayer. I feel Harley freeing herself from my grip. We sorta stare at each other for awhile, not playing attention to the chaos that's happening right in front of us.

I feel someone shove themselves past me. I break the contact between Mayer and I. I see someone pick Harley up and put her on his shoulder.

"Let me down," Harley screams. "Hey let her down," I yell at him. I start hitting his arm. "Who's he?" The guy asks her. "Donovan this is Elliot, Elliot, Donovan." I stop hitting him. "Sorry," I say.

"No hard feelings," Donovan says. Then I realize that class started ten minutes ago. "Shit shit shit," I mumble under my breath as I run into the school in flash.

Let's just saying I'm not trying out for the cross country team this year. Or any year. I run into the counselor's office.

"You're late Mr. Winston," the counselor says. "I know." She writes me a note and I run to my first period class.

"No running in the halls fag," Shane says as I speed past him. I once again make eye contact with Mayer. God he's gorgeous. If only he was gay.

I meet up with Harley and Donovan at lunch. "Then Shane was like want to go little bitch and I was like yeah let's go," Harley telling Donovan the story of this morning.

"Wow my tough lady," Donovan says. I stare into space daydreaming about Mayer. His dark straight hair is to die for. That slim yet muscled body.

I hear snapping. "Earth to Elliot, hello," Harley says. I break my focus. "Sorry," I say. "Were you listening?"

I look away as she waits. "I'll take that as a no. What's wrong with you?" I sigh. "Patrick Mayer." "Oh yeah he's gay."

I look at her confused. "Huh?" "He's gay," Harley says again. "Mayer isn't gay, he's straight," Donovan cuts in. I nod in agreement.

"Yeah he is, I have a really strong gaydar." "No you don't, you didn't know I was gay until I came out to you," I say.

Flashback

"Harley I think I'm gay," I say. "No you're not, you like girls," Harley says. We're laying on her bed on a school night. Beginning of freshman year.

"I like boys." "What about Mila Kunis, you have a crush on her." "I actually have one her boyfriend Ashton Kutcher, not her." Harley slaps my arm.

"Well you never kissed a girl before, so it's probably a lack of experience," she says. I roll my eyes. "I don't need to kiss a girl to know I'm attracted to boys."

"Really?" Harley grabs my face and kisses me. I push her away. "What's wrong?" She asks. "I think you made me more gay," I say.

End of flashback

Harley rolls her eyes. "Wait you two kissed?" Donovan asks. I nod. "And then we watched porn afterwards," I add. Harley slaps my arm. We didn't watch porn afterwards.

Flashback

Harley and I are laying on her bed in silence. "Am I the first person you came out to?" Harley asks breaking the silence.

"Yeah," I say. "So when are you coming out to your parents?" I sigh. "I don't know. I don't think I ever will."

End of flashback

I did eventually tell them, but that's a different story for another day. "Jesus you guys have history," Donovan says.

The bell rings. End of b lunch. I go to my fifth period class and I see you. Mayer. With a girl. Harley is wrong. He can't possibly be gay.