Best Friend's Boy

FIFTEEN

"KATO!" Dani squealed, launching herself on my back.

"Hey, Dani." I grunted, trying to keep my balance.

"You know, you give really shitty piggy back rides. You're so skinny I can feel your hip bones digging into my legs. Eat boy, eat!" She shouted, and I sighed, letting her slip off my back.

"Then don't jump on me, idiot." I growled.

"Hey Kato, Dani." Nick smiled as he and Dylan walked over to us at the end of lunch.

"Nick! Dylan!" Dani cheered, jumping onto Nick's back.

"Oh yeah, you like that Dani?" Cole winked seductively and she rolled her eyes.

"Oh baby." She fake moaned as Nick grinned up at her.

"Ew, get a room." Dylan whined, using me as a shield from our weird friends. Ash approached us and glared slightly when he saw Dylan clinging to me.

"Mine." He growled, pulling me over to him. My eyes wondenes and I glanced around our friends to see if they had heard.

"Yours?" Nick asked, rasing an eyebrow and cocking his head to the side

Fuck.

Realization dawned on Ash's face as he noticed his mistake. He paled slightly and cleared his throat, looking down at me.

"Uh..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Kato is- we're, uh- he's my b-boy... friend." He explained, his voice getting quieter as he spoke.

I smiled slightly, glad he'd told the truth. Wrapping my arm around his waist, I looked up at him to see he was smiling down at me.

"I knew it!" Dani squealed, grinning like an idiot. Matt was smiling at us and Nick was trying to keep steady with a squirming Dani on his back.

"You... huh?" I stuttered, looking at her.

"Oh, come on. It's obvious. I mean the way you guys look at eachother..." She trailed off and I blushed, looking down at my shoes.

"So, when are you coming out?" Nick asked, smiling at us. My head shot back up to Dane, waiting eagerly for his response.

"Uh, I- I'm not." He answered, and my heart clenched uncomfortably.

My friends' faces fell, and they looked around awkwardly. "Oh." Nick replied, and backed away slowly with Dani on his bsck. Dylan waved at us before heading off to class, leaving me and my secretly gay boyfriend.

Slowly, I looked back up at him, careful to not show how hurt I was feeling.

"I'm sorry." He said and my eyes closed.

That's what he meant. He couldn't come out, even for me. I knew that he was just scared, but it still hurt. Part of me worried if it was me. Was he ashamed? Did he just hate being gay? Sometimes I wish he'd just tell me these things.

I opened my eyez again and faintly smiled at him. It wasn't okay, but I could live with it. He was important to me...

And I think I loved him.

*  *  *

"I'm sorry about before. That was pretty awkward." Dani stated and I shrugged

"Don't feel like talking about it." I muttered, and she smiled sadly at me. "What about you? You never did tell me who you like." I reminded her and she blushed.

"It's..." She mumbled a name quietly and I rolled my eyes.

"Sorry, but I didn't quite catch that."

"It's... It's Nick!" She shouted, and slapped a hand over her mouth. I grinned and gave her a side hug.

"That's adorable." I laughed and she stuck her tongue at me.

"Right." She muttered, making me smile. At least I wasn't the only one with a weird love life.

We walked into my dad's house, and he greeted us from the kitchen. "Hey, Dad " I called back and he smiled. Things with my dad had gotten really good. It was like he'd never left, and the hole Mom had dug for me and pushed me into was filling itself up slowly.

"Hi Mr. ______." Dani greeted.

"Hello Dani!" He said and my sister walked in, jumling into my arms.

"How are things, big bro and big bro's best friend?" She asked, and I steadied my balance as Dani laughed.

"Good, before you broke my bones." I grumbled and Jade rolled her eye.

"Whatever, you love me." She jumped down. "See you guys." She smiled and left, again.

A smiled made It to my lips. I had my own little family, and they accepted me. I even had an amazing boyfriend.

I just wish he would accept himself.