The Elites

Absolute

"Is this all we get to be absolute
Quiet but I'm sure there is something here
Tell me everything cause I want to hear"

"Absolute" – The Fray

"I can't believe Reed attacked Hope, I did not hear about this" Hunter says, looking surprised. "That family is really good at keeping secrets, huh?" She's right, I feel like the information the media gets is what the family decide to let them know.

"I'm just glad I was there" I reply. Hope seemed powerless against Reed, which scares me. Hope is cocky and self-assured, I never thought she'd visibly show fear to someone who attacked her, I thought she'd still retain her confidence even in the face of danger.

"You didn't need to protect Hope" Hunter tells me, is she acting like my mom now? Well, Melissa. A sinking feeling appears in my stomach as I realize I temporarily forgot my parents were dead. I should be used to life without them now. "What if Reed hurt you?"

"I couldn't live with myself if something happened and I just sat in the living room, picking a movie" I tell Hunter. If Reed hurt Hope and I did nothing, I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror. I will always defend my friends when they can't defend themselves.

"I guess you're right" Hunter agrees, she knows how much I care about Hope. "Are you really going to come out?"

"Yeah, I'm going to tell Melissa and William tonight" I answer, I think Hope telling me she's going to tell her parents made me decide to tell Melissa and William as well. I'll mention it either before or after dinner, depending on if I feel brave enough to do it before dinner.

"I'm proud of you" Hunter tells me, smiling at me. "No matter what happens, I'll always be here for you." I'm lucky to have someone like Hunter as my best friend, she stands by my side no matter what, and she helps me when I screw up, instead of leaving and forcing me to fend for myself.

"It's nice hanging out with you" I say, meaning it. We haven't spent much time outside of school just us two, and I'm just realizing how much I missed it.

"I know I might have hurt your feelings when I said Chelsy knew-"

"It didn't" I interrupt Hunter, I don't care who knows Hunter best, I'm her best friend and that's all that matters to me. "People can have more than one best friend." I'm not possessive, I don't expect Hunter to only hang out with me. Chelsy's nice and her and Hunter seem to have a fair bit in common which must be nice for Hunter. We're close, but we don't have much in common, though we do always find things to do that interest both of us.

"Hope's different to what I thought, I'm sorry I was a bitch to her" Hunter says, I'm not mad at Hunter. What she said was cruel and unnecessary, but everyone's over it.

"It's fine, we've all moved on" I say, shooting Hunter a genuine smile. She smiles at me and then glances down at her phone and sighs.

"I should head home to study, but this afternoon was really fun" Hunter says, getting off my bed and standing up. I walk downstairs with Hunter and open my front door, it was so nice just chatting to Hunter about anything and everything. "Tell me what happens, okay? If it goes badly, we'll figure it out together."

"Thank you" I say and I pull Hunter in for a hug. I stand in the doorway until she's gotten into her car, I wave to her and then head into my living room.

I haven't decided if I should tell Melissa and William I'm attracted to Hope and that's how I figured out I'm into girls, or if I should just tell them I think I'm bisexual and then if they seem ok with it, mention how Hope and I are now dating. I should just lay it all out on the table, they'll probably hear about this from Susan or Andrew soon, so I should tell them everything.

"Hey" Melissa says, causing me to jump. I turn around and see her and William standing in the doorway. They must have gotten back from the shops, this is a perfect time to talk to both of them. "Has Hunter been gone long?"

"Can I talk to both of you?" I ask, answering Melissa's question with a question. They both sit down on the couch across from me. Oh god, there is no going back now. "I'm gay" I blurt out.

Melissa looks surprised, I can't tell if she's disappointed or not. William's face is guarded, not giving me any indication of how he is feeling. I clench my fists, my heart racing in my chest. What am I going to do if they don't accept me?

"I'm surprised, Juliet, but I don't have a problem with it" William says after a few seconds of silence. I smile, my uncle is accepting me for who I am. I'm so glad he can see that love is love, and it doesn't matter who you fall in love with. "I'm proud you could find the courage to tell us."

"Melissa?" I ask, she hasn't said anything. She was the one I was more worried about, I hope I haven't made a mistake. I can feel my heart beating faster, is this going to end how I feared?

"Are you sure?" Melissa asks, causing my heart to sink. She wishes I was straight, I can tell by the way she's looking at me. "Teenagers can get confused." I'm not an expert, but this sounds homophobic to me.

"I'm sure" I answer truthfully, I'm not confused or experimenting, this is real. "I'm still the same person you love, this won't change anything unless you let it." As much as Melissa sometimes annoys me, I love her and I need her to accept me. Melissa and William are my family now.

"I'm not upset, I'm just surprised" Melissa assures me. I smile, they're both ok with my sexuality. I feel so relieved, I wish I told them weeks ago, I can't wait to tell Hope what they said, I hope Susan and Andrew act the same.

"I'm dating Hope Flynn" I say, dropping the second bomb. Neither of them look terribly surprised by this news, she is the only person I've become close to this in the past few months, I've known Hunter since I moved here.

"We should have her family around for dinner" Melissa suggests, that could be awkward, but I'm glad Melissa is okay with us. "Just make sure neither of you get pressured into doing something you're uncomfortable with. No means no, okay?"

"I know" I tell Melissa, I would never pressure Hope into something she didn't want to do, and I know Hope will always respect my choices. Hope's been sexually assaulted, she would never force me into anything.

"Just be careful with her, Jules, it's possible that the two of you being intimate could trigger her" William advises me, causing me to nod in agreement and my cheeks to flame. Discussing anything even remotely sexual with Melissa and William makes me feel really uncomfortable.

"Thank you for accepting me" I say, getting up. I get over to them and give them both a hug, I'll never be able to express how grateful I am to my aunt and uncle, I just really hope they know much how I love them.

*Author's Note* They both accept Juliet!!