I'm Not Gay, I Swear! | McPriceley

Chapter Five

Surprisingly, Arnold and Connor got along really well. Maybe it was just the fact that they both were really friendly people who knew how to start a conversation with ease. Or maybe they had a lot in common. Either way, Kevin couldn't help but feel a little left out as they talked.

Sure, Kevin hadn't really been one to talk in the first place, but he felt almost like a third wheel, not knowing how to join in. So he sat in the background, taking small sips of his coffee as Connor and Arnold and talked on and on.

Suddenly, Connor turned to him. "What do you think, Kevin?"

Kevin's eyes widened. "What?" Was he supposed to have been paying attention?

Connor smiled lightly. "We were just talking about musicals. I was wondering what your thoughts on them were."

"Oh! Well, I've seen a few with Arnold, like Grease and Footloose. Definitely not super into them, but they aren't bad. What about you?"

"I absolutely love them. I'd honestly love to be on Broadway someday," he said, his eyes sparkling as he stared into space.

"Really?" Kevin asked, starting to get a bit more interested in Connor's dreams of becoming an actor.

"Of course! I was in theatre in high school, and it was amazing. I just would need to be able to raise enough money to move to New York to become a full on Broadway actor."

"So... you can sing?"

"Well, yeah. I don't know how well though..." he glanced down, almost embarrassed by the fact of his singing being brought up. "I mean, sure I got the lead pretty much every time, but I don't want to brag about how incredible I am or what not."

"Yeah, we definitely don't need another person with a giant ego," Arnold said, nodding his head subtly to Kevin, which made Connor giggle.

"Hey! I do not have a big ego!" Kevin said defensively.

"Suuure you don't," Arnold smirked. "He does," he whispered to Connor.

Kevin huffed. "Maybe my ego is perfectly fine and you guys just don't have a big enough one."

"Whatever you want to tell yourself, Kev," Arnold chuckled.

Connor raised his eyebrows at the sound of the nickname. "I thought you didn't like nicknames," he said to Kevin.

Kevin just glanced away from him.

"Ohh," Arnold said. "Kevin just has a really hard time warming up to people. It took me forever for him to actually like me."

"Ah, I see," Connor nodded, still peering over at the brunet as he continued to look away.

"I'm pretty sure he just had a trust problem, though I don't know why," Arnold explained.

Kevin finally spoke up once again. "Okay, so maybe I have a trust issue. So what?"

"Well... maybe something happened to you in the past that caused it. We can most certainly figure out exactly why you're so unwilling to trust others, though. I'll be here to help you!"

"I don't need help!" Kevin said angrily, causing the other two's eyes to widen. "Why does everything have to be centered around some problem that I apparently have? Can't I just go one minute without you turning a conversation into a therapy session?"

Connor stared at him, mouth agape. "I-I'm sorry, Kevin, I'm just trying to do my job-"

"Well, guess what? I don't care about your... job. 'Helping' people out of their sexuality. Which-which I'm not even gay!" he half-lied. "Just... stop trying to help me!" He stood up and stormed out of the diner.

Every customer in the diner had overheard the argument by now, and turned to stare at Connor and Arnold, who watched as Kevin started walking back down the sidewalk, most likely to go back home.

Arnold put a hand on Connor's arm. "Hey, it's okay. It's not your fault. He's just... upset. I'm sure he's just under a lot of stress at the moment."

Connor nodded, trying to blink the tears out of his eyes. "Yeah..."

Arnold glanced back up at the figure of his best friend that was slowly getting smaller. "I'm going to go try and talk to him. I'd stay away from him for a little while, though... when he gets upset like this, it often takes him a while to cool down."

"Alright," Connor said, avoiding eye contact with Arnold. He could feel the stares of the many customers burning into him, which made him even more determined to hold his tears in. There was a light ring of the door's bell, in which Connor assumed was Arnold leaving. He sat there in silence for a few moments more before finally standing up to leave the diner as well.

But this resulted in him being alone. And well, when he was alone, dark thoughts always came to his mnd.

Sure, it was mandatory to stick by his new patient's side at all times, to make sure he could keep an eye on Kevin, but being with someone else meant he didn't have to deal with the thousands of things running through his mind. Because Connor McKinley did in fact have a horrific past, and he wished that the entirety of his childhood could be wiped from his memory.

This new job, though, would help him come through and become a better person, to try and fix up his messed up past. Even if it did come with a price.

Once he had arrived back at the Prices' house, he took a deep breath, trying to get back into his cheery mood. That was another part of his job; trying to maintain as happy as he could, as he was supposed to be a role model for Kevin. What kind of companion would he be if he was taken over by his depressing thoughts all the time? Definitely not a good one.

Inside, Kevin was nowhere to be seen-- probably up in his room pouting. The rest of the family was gathered in the living room, much like always. He gave them a quick 'hello' before heading up the stairs. As he went to walk into his room, he noticed Kevin sulking in his bedroom, staring daggers into the floor. Connor let out a small sigh. Though he wanted to help Kevin out desperately, he took Arnold's advice and decided to steer clear of him until he was better.

Connor sat down on the edge of his temporary bed, resting his face in his hands. He hadn't expected this to be so hard. He'd always assumed that as soon as he got here, Kevin would be willing to open up and tell him everything that was wrong in his life. All he truly wanted to do was help him.

Maybe he just wasn't right for this. Maybe he'd never be able to guide people through their problems. Maybe he really was just a disappointment.

Connor finally lifted his head and rested it against the headboard. Whatever the problem was, he still had to stay strong-- for the both of them. He was here to aid Kevin on his journey of figuring himself out, and by gosh, that's just what he is going to do.