Being gay is a curse when the homophobia you grew up with was so bad that you're homophobic yourself. Especially when you're into unavailable guys like your roommate, whose girlfriend is everything you're not (though appearances can be deceiving). S...
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For a while, everything was fine. Not necessarily good. Just fine.
Life goes on.
Things with Jamie were good, things with the swimming team were normal, things with school were... I would say normal because I'd rather not say good and run the risk of ruining the slightly-above-average performance I was currently... performing. Things with my family? Let's not mention that at all, actually.
Jamie had become very good at sensing when I was in a bad mood and he knew very well how to cheer me up. Sometimes this involved a bed, sometimes it involved a laptop, and one time it involved both. Don't ask me how that worked. Somehow, it did.
Now I was making my way through campus, Phyllis on one arm and Jamie the other, telling a story about one of my professors, when we ran into Kenny and Mason. I had finally reached the point where I could look at them without thinking of them as Jamie's ex and his new boyfriend, so I smiled at them. I was quite proud of myself. Grudges? What are those? No idea. Never heard of.
They came over, and Jamie let go of me to hug Kenny. "Happy birthday."
"It's your birthday?" I asked.
Kenny nodded, but Jamie said, "No, I said it just for shits and giggles."
Mason laughed.
"Well, happy birthday," I said, ignoring Jamie and dropping Phyllis's arm to offer Kenny a hand. As he shook it, I added, "This is Phyllis, by the way."
She wished him a happy birthday as well and we all started walking through the hallway. Nobody really mentioned going anywhere—we just kind of did because we were already headed in that direction. Together. Strange how things like that changed so drastically over time.
I held out my arm for Phyllis again with a smile on my face.
"Are you throwing a party?" Jamie asked.
"I'm not allowed to, apparently," Kenny said, turning his head towards us with a crooked smile. "Jackson is organizing something. God knows what."
Mason gave him a look. "Knowing Jackson..."
"Yeah."
Whatever that meant.
"Sounds fun," I said.
"I'll make sure you're invited," Mason said.
"If you'd like."
Kenny nodded. "Of course."
"It doesn't matter whether they would like it or not—they have no choice," Jamie said, looping his arm through mine again. "I'm bringing you either way."
"What if you're not invited?" Phyllis asked.
"I would be very disappointed. In myself, for having such bad friends. Jackson should know better." He scoffed. "Unacceptable."
