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POV Josh

I sat in the clearing for a while, waiting for Tyler. In fact, I did not even go home. I worried too much about him. In retrospect, maybe I should have done just that. Only when I startled by the crackling of branches did I realize that I had fallen asleep at all. I remained sitting on the floor and looked around. I noticed the fabric of Tyler's red lumberjack shirt, peering through the branches, and jumped up relieved. After all, he was here. What his mother had said, however, was something else. But when I looked into his face, this fear also evaporated. He was beaming over his ears, his cheeks were red and his eyes were bright. I knew this glow all too well, it was the glow with which he looked at things he liked. Rain, Asian food, tea. Me. All at once Tyler ran and threw himself on me, so that the force outlined me. With a loud flop, we landed on the forest floor, Tyler on me, his eyes wide open in shock. A slight pain ran through my back, but to be honest, I barely felt it. "I'm sorry," Tyler mumbled and was about to get up, but I wrapped my arms around his back and hugged him to me. "Did go pretty well, eh?" I asked with a grin and Tyler nodded eagerly, grinning again. He was beautiful, I thought. He was always beautiful. And as Tyler began to tell, his eyes focused on me, his voice almost overflowing with happiness, I wished the moment would last forever.

2 days later

When I unlocked the front door, it was a quarter past seven. I had been in football training, like every Tuesday. Slowly I entered the house, praying inside to find it empty. I never knew who was there when, but here everyone came and went as he pleased. My father did not care what happened to me, probably my dead body could rot in a shoulder and it would take him only two days to realize that I was not there. If any. And that was the only good thing, because that way I could always disappear when I wanted. "Hello?" I called as I took off my shoes and kicked carelessly into the corner. "Anyone home?" I did not get an answer, which meant nothing. Even if Jordan or my dad were there, they would hardly bother to answer me. Sighing, I made my way to my room. The door was ajar, which startled me. I always kept them locked up. With a queasy feeling in the epigastrium, I pushed the door completely open and immediately my heart slipped in my pants. Jordan sat on the bed, his hands resting on something I could not recognize. At first I thought about turning around and walking away, but Jordan had already noticed me. "Josh," he said coolly, waving a wink at me to enter. Trembling, I entered the room. "Where were you?" He asked dryly. Of course, he did not know my training times. It was not like they were like that for two years. "By your little fagot friend?" He asked without waiting for an answer from me. My blood froze in my veins. How did he know that about me and Tyler? Or was he bluffing? But how else would he have guessed that I was gay? Was it because I had never brought a girl? Jordan seemed to be waiting for an answer or at least a reaction from me, but I said nothing. I had nothing to say anyway. Wordlessly, he held up what was previously hidden from his hands. It was my notebook.

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