Not My Congressman (ManxMan)

Chapter 20

Trigger Warning: Homophobia

Nine Years Ago...

Wyatt laid back in his bed, his head messily strewn about his face as he threw a football up and down in his room. At sixteen Wyatt was quite the ladies man; and by that we mean that all the girls were after him, though he never really showed much interest in them. At the time everyone thought the macho muscular football player hottest-boy-in-the-sophomore-class was just picky or had high standards. Or perhaps it was the fact that was a good Christian boy; president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, a youth group leader at their local Southern Baptist church, and just an all around good Southern boy. But deep inside Wyatt knew... He was different...

"Can you believe Finny's a fucking fag." Wyatt scoffed, glancing up to see Kayleigh walking around his room and picking up random his things as a girlfriend normally would. At the time Kayleigh wasn't Wyatt's girlfriend, she was his best friend; And granted that they both were a sexy, blond haired-blue eyed popular kids; him being a football star and her a cheerleader; the entire town expected it to be merely a matter of time before they got together.

"Wyatt, you shouldn't say that!' Kayleigh shot him a glare. "Those kinds of people are God's children too. We should love them and help guide them back to the path of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Wyatt rolled his eyes at her with a smile, continuing to throw his football up in the air and catching it as he stared blankly at the ceiling.

"It's disgusting... Feeling that way about your own gender... It's unnatural..." Wyatt repeated what he felt he was meant to say in that moment; what he had been told all his life by church members and everyone around him. The fact that deep in his heart he felt the very opposite is perhaps what tormented him most. He didn't know anyone who had these kinds of feelings; but now he knew one more person... Finn...

Wyatt felt a weight on him since he was a child and first had feelings for another boy; that boy being Finn. It was innocent, like a flutter in his heart that he didn't understand; the feelings of butterflies in his stomach whenever he'd carry him and tease him. He glanced up towards the blond girl standing by his desk and blankly staring out into space.

"Kay... If I tell you something... Do you promise not to tell anyone?" Wyatt asked blankly, his eyes narrowed to carefully scrutinize the pretty blond's reaction.

"Of course, we're best friends aren't we." Kayleigh blinked confusedly, walking over towards the foot of the bed and sitting down by Wyatt's feet. "What's wrong, Wy?"

"I... Sometimes I feel... things for... other guys..." Wyatt mumbled softly, glancing up in utter shock to see Kayleigh looked unnaturally calm in that moment.

"I know what you're going through." Kayleigh gently placed her hand supportively on Wyatt's shin. "I feel things for girls too..."

"Y-you... But you're... So girly." Wyatt's face flushed in confusion as he whispered to Kayleigh, earning a glare from the girl.

"You're the most masculine macho guy at our school... Sexuality doesn't have anything to do with how masculine or feminine we are." She explained calmly, though the nervous gulp going down her slender fair neck was enough to give away her inner turmoil.

"So... You're..."

"Kayleigh." Kayleigh cut him off matter-of-factly. "I'm just... Kayleigh... I'm still the same person, I just... I have things to figure out. And the church is helping me. I found these Baptist message boards online that helped me realize that there's nothing wrong feeling the things I do... It's just wrong to act on it..."