"Ok boys, whatever happened to the whole " keep this a secret"… thing?"
Asked Taylor as she made air quotations with her fingers. She had joined the boys on their hand in hand hobble to their next class.
"I dunno, it just happened" replied Connor.
Jude was still dumbstruck and he had the biggest, silliest grin on his face. He looked at Taylor with eyes that said; I got it bad.
"No need to answer Jude, obviously Connors' still got your tongue" quipped Taylor.
Both boys mouths fell open in embarrassed disbelief, their faces turning deeper red.
"Anyway, about time, all these other love sick puppies around here slobbering and joined at the hips. You guys are waaay cuter" Taylor blurted out.
"Oh, I'm so happy for you guys, group hug" she said as she pulled both of them into an embrace.
By now they reached Jude's and Taylor's classroom, Connor had to continue to the science lab.
They stopped and Connor said "See you later at the bench, my dad is going to pick us up"
"See you there" said Jude as he squeezed Connor's hand and raised it to his lips and gave it a peck.
"Parting is such sweet sorrow" Jude said mockingly.
"Give it a rest, Juliette, we got class" that was a Taylor.
"Hey, why I gotta be Juliette" huffed Jude with a pout and he joined her as they headed into the classroom.
Connor limped his way to the science lab, smiling to himself about Jude's antics and Taylor's dry humor. He was almost to the lab when he heard someone say
"Hey… Stevens"
Connor turned around to see a boy around his height and build walking towards him. The boy was handsome in a masculine but exotic way. He had tight messy curls, his skin was light pecan, his eyes were an intense hazel-green combination and he had the beginning growth of hair on his lip and chin. He was obviously multi-racial. His afro features accentuating his looks, especially his lips. He wore a Bob Marley T-shirt and cargo shorts with sports flip-flops. He had a trim, muscular, athletic build. Connor recognized him from the playground. Matt Murphy was a soccer player, a really good one and he was a popular guy a school.
"Hey Matt" said Connor as Matt walked up to him.
"So, I saw that little show earlier" Matt said.
Connor chuckled, took a deep breath and said "Okaay, and….?"
"That means you're…." replied Matt.
"I'm gay, yes, I'm gay" Connor said cutting him off abruptly, giving him a hardened look dead in the eyes.
"Duh" said Matt. "It would be weird if you weren't , I mean, swapping spit with that Jude kid and all" he continued. Then he stepped closer to Connor and leaned in and said in a low voice
"I was going to say, that means you're taken. Dude that was freaking hot"
Connor pulled back and stared at Matt. He was kind of stunned. Did he hear what he thought he just heard. He searched Matt's eyes for an answer.
Matt held the eye contact until he saw the look of realization on Connor's face then he turned his eyes away and dropped his head slightly.
Connor felt badly, because he was gearing up for a confrontation but that was not what this was at all. It was really a part flirt and a subtly coming out. The flirting was dead on arrival, Connor only had eyes for Jude. But something inside him felt for Matt. He remembered what it was like before he came out to his dad.
Matt looked at him and turned to walk away.
"If you want to talk, sometime, it's all good" said Connor.
Matt looked back and smiled a little, nodded and kept walking.