Ch. 3
Glen had bought lunch for the both of them and found a secluded table outside. Sam asked the first question, "How can you put up with that Alvers guy calling you those names all the time?"
"Well, he's usually the only one that bugs me about being gay. There are a few other people, but just about everybody else here is pretty cool. Also, you're about the only person I'VE actually told, too,"
"Really?" Sam asked. "Then how does everybody else know?"
"Well, some of them actually don't, either because they're too blind or they don't want to admit it to themselves. I basically just act like everybody already knows that I'm gay anyways. That way there's really no need for me to actually disclose anything."
"And that works?" asked Sam.
"Very well, actually. I've had a lot of people tell me that they admire the self-confidence I have. And I've still had a few girls come up and ask me for dates, even though they know," he said with a small chuckle. "But I'll tell you who's really been understanding. Look over there," he said, pointing to another table where a girl with red hair was sitting next to a guy with red sunglasses. "Her name's Jean. She told me something a while ago that really made a difference," "What was that," Sam asked. "Well, there's actually a bit of a story behind it. See the guy next to her with the shades? That's Scott Summers, her boyfriend. I actually had a bit of a crush on him a while ago. He found out, and well, he freaked out a bit."
"I guess she wasn't too thrilled to find out that somebody else had eyes for her boyfriend," said Sam with a grin.
"Not exactly, no. And this was back when I was starting to realize that I was gay, feeling all confused and everything. First she apologized for Scott. Then she told me that it shouldn't matter that I was gay, she still thought I was a good person. She was actually the first person to tell me that. That really helped a lot. And the last thing she said was that I shouldn't let other people tell me what's right when it comes to love."
"Wow, that really makes a lot of sense," said Sam, staring into Glen's eyes again.
"I know. The funny thing was that she said exactly what I had been thinking, almost like she could read my mind,"
"Yeah," said Sam, continuing to gaze.
"Anyway," said Glen, "that's what I've done since then. You know how some people say that gays are evil?"
"Oh yeah," said Sam, breaking his gaze for a moment. "My uncle's pretty religious, and so is a lot of my family, actually," He went back to staring at Glen.
"Well, I just refuse to play along. I refuse to accept that I'm a bad person just because I'm attracted to a guy, and I refuse to feel any kind of shame or guilt that they say that I should!" Glen said, his voice rising a bit at the end in excitation.
"That is so amazing," thought Sam, his eyes still locked onto Glen's.
Glen noticed Sam gazing at him again. He started to open his mouth, to ask, "What are you looking at?" but instead only gazed back at Sam silently. He felt his head slowly start to move closer to the other side of the table, the visual connection between them growing. "I think I can really help this kid," he thought. Sam also began to lean forward, his eyes shooting laser beams into Glen's. "He knows so much and he's so friendly, I can't believe I've met somebody like this!" They were now just inches away from each other, and neither of them had yet to blink.
Suddenly, the bell rang, shattering the connection between the two boys.
"Ack, the bell," Glen muttered. "Guess we gotta go,"
"Yeah," muttered Sam, pining for the moment that had just been destroyed. "What other classes do you have later today?"
"Latin, then History," Glen replied.
"Hey, I think we're in the same History class. I'll see you then!" Sam said, beaming, and rushed off from the table with a spring in his step.
Glen sat there for a minute, watching him go, reflecting on the connection they had just shared and what could have been.
Glen had bought lunch for the both of them and found a secluded table outside. Sam asked the first question, "How can you put up with that Alvers guy calling you those names all the time?"
"Well, he's usually the only one that bugs me about being gay. There are a few other people, but just about everybody else here is pretty cool. Also, you're about the only person I'VE actually told, too,"
"Really?" Sam asked. "Then how does everybody else know?"
"Well, some of them actually don't, either because they're too blind or they don't want to admit it to themselves. I basically just act like everybody already knows that I'm gay anyways. That way there's really no need for me to actually disclose anything."
"And that works?" asked Sam.
"Very well, actually. I've had a lot of people tell me that they admire the self-confidence I have. And I've still had a few girls come up and ask me for dates, even though they know," he said with a small chuckle. "But I'll tell you who's really been understanding. Look over there," he said, pointing to another table where a girl with red hair was sitting next to a guy with red sunglasses. "Her name's Jean. She told me something a while ago that really made a difference," "What was that," Sam asked. "Well, there's actually a bit of a story behind it. See the guy next to her with the shades? That's Scott Summers, her boyfriend. I actually had a bit of a crush on him a while ago. He found out, and well, he freaked out a bit."
"I guess she wasn't too thrilled to find out that somebody else had eyes for her boyfriend," said Sam with a grin.
"Not exactly, no. And this was back when I was starting to realize that I was gay, feeling all confused and everything. First she apologized for Scott. Then she told me that it shouldn't matter that I was gay, she still thought I was a good person. She was actually the first person to tell me that. That really helped a lot. And the last thing she said was that I shouldn't let other people tell me what's right when it comes to love."
"Wow, that really makes a lot of sense," said Sam, staring into Glen's eyes again.
"I know. The funny thing was that she said exactly what I had been thinking, almost like she could read my mind,"
"Yeah," said Sam, continuing to gaze.
"Anyway," said Glen, "that's what I've done since then. You know how some people say that gays are evil?"
"Oh yeah," said Sam, breaking his gaze for a moment. "My uncle's pretty religious, and so is a lot of my family, actually," He went back to staring at Glen.
"Well, I just refuse to play along. I refuse to accept that I'm a bad person just because I'm attracted to a guy, and I refuse to feel any kind of shame or guilt that they say that I should!" Glen said, his voice rising a bit at the end in excitation.
"That is so amazing," thought Sam, his eyes still locked onto Glen's.
Glen noticed Sam gazing at him again. He started to open his mouth, to ask, "What are you looking at?" but instead only gazed back at Sam silently. He felt his head slowly start to move closer to the other side of the table, the visual connection between them growing. "I think I can really help this kid," he thought. Sam also began to lean forward, his eyes shooting laser beams into Glen's. "He knows so much and he's so friendly, I can't believe I've met somebody like this!" They were now just inches away from each other, and neither of them had yet to blink.
Suddenly, the bell rang, shattering the connection between the two boys.
"Ack, the bell," Glen muttered. "Guess we gotta go,"
"Yeah," muttered Sam, pining for the moment that had just been destroyed. "What other classes do you have later today?"
"Latin, then History," Glen replied.
"Hey, I think we're in the same History class. I'll see you then!" Sam said, beaming, and rushed off from the table with a spring in his step.
Glen sat there for a minute, watching him go, reflecting on the connection they had just shared and what could have been.
