Will was thankful Jack had called him to go out his last night at school.
He never would have thought that his best friend would be someone like Jack
but he had been so great. He said after he had finished loosing that last
ten pounds he would teach him how to dance without pointing and take him to
some clubs and introduce him to people. The only thing Jack couldn't seem
to understand was why he wanted so badly to reconcile with Grace. Will was
eating french fries and a cheese burger.
"You know you might want to put that down or that ten pounds you lost is going to come back as twenty," Jack said as he picked the croutons out of his salad.
"Relax this is the most I've eaten since Thanksgiving." Will said
"Will I tell ya stress eating is not the way to go. Don't you want to look good when you tell your mom and dad who you are?" Jack asked
"It's all happened so fast. If someone would have told me this time last year I would be gay I would have laughed at them."
"Will I guarantee the next year will be one of the best of your life if you stop pretending to be something you're not." Jack said
"I'm just worried about my parents and my brothers. My parents and I have always been so close I'm there baby. My brother Sam is my best friend I would never want to lose what we have and my brother Paul has always been such a jerk that I know he will use this to be an even bigger jerk and I'm just scared that my family will hate me." Will said
"Will real love is unconditional there is no way you're parents could stop loving you." Jack said
"Jack what a nice thing to say where'd you read it?" Will asked
"Mary Tyler Moore said it in an interview about "Ordinary People"." Jack said
Will laughed Jack was so funny.
"Will the nice thing about being gay is that the love is so free we usually can make a new family. And you've already got the cutest little sister you could ask for." Jack said
"Thanks Jack but I want my family I would hate for this to end up being a huge mess the way it was with Grace." Will said
"Oh god can we stop talking about Grace! I am so sick of hearing about her can we just move on?" Jack exclaimed. "I thought we buried her and all women after you slept with Diane. By the way I still can't believe you did that, yuck. You've shed enough tears for her realize its over get over her and move on to I don't know a man."
"Hey hey she was a good friend and I hurt her and I just wish that I could tell her I'm sorry and that I still want to be friends with her." Will said
"That's just nasty. She's a girl yuck. Will she probably has cooties." Jack said
"Jack I know you're only in eleventh grade but by next year I think you will realize that just because she's a hetero girl does not mean she has cooties." Will said
"Will trust me she is not good for you at this time in your life. You're just figuring out who you are. Look at you. You're still fat, you have no fashion sense, you can't even handle yourself at a club. There is no way you would be able to handle a hag." Jack said
"I can understand her being upset after all I did ask her to marry me." Will said.
"Yes you've told me and its still gross. Don't bring it up anymore the thought of a man spending the rest of his life with a woman. Ewww" Jack said
"Is one of the rules of being gay that you can't have girl friends?"
"No" Jack answered "but why would you want to? Will you are finally going to come out to your parents. You no longer need a beard." Jack said
"You're right Jack thank you so much you've been a great friend and you've taught me a lot over the past month. I don't know what to do to show you how much I appreciate everything." Will said
"Oh Will, I know and you're thanking me by paying for dinner. And just so you don't get your hopes up this is not a date." Jack said smiling
Will paid for dinner and he and Jack waited on the sidewalk for cabs.
"I've thought so many times about when, where, and how I'm going to tell my parents. Holidays at my house are so dysfunctional anyway."
"What's it like at your house?"
"Oh I pretty much stay in my room and my mom tries to help me and my dad get along and he looks at me like he wishes I'd disappear. Holidays at my house are like every other day." Jack said sadly
"Oh Jack that's awful you know if you're not doing anything you're more than welcome to come to my house in Connecticut for dinner."
"I will if and only if you've come out to your parents by then don't use me to break the ice." Jack said
"I would never do that just consider it my way of thanking you." Will said
"Ok and keep in mind you have to do it soon Christmas is only about a week away and I'll need all that time to plan my wardrobe. Do you know how many hotties there are in Connecticut?" Jack asked
"Yeah I've noticed but I've never been able to act on it." Will said laughing at his friend
"And just remember me having a Merry Christmas is depending on you being honest" Jack said
"You'll be the first person I call after I do it" Will said
Just then a cab pulled up. Jack got in it.
"Yeah and just remember anticipation hurts the most." Jack said through the open window
"Alright Jack I'll see you soon." Will said as he waved good-bye
Will decided to walk back to campus to clear his head. He had gone over the conversation he was going to have with his parents a million times but tomorrow he would actually have to see them and say it to them and the thought didn't get any less frightening.
"You know you might want to put that down or that ten pounds you lost is going to come back as twenty," Jack said as he picked the croutons out of his salad.
"Relax this is the most I've eaten since Thanksgiving." Will said
"Will I tell ya stress eating is not the way to go. Don't you want to look good when you tell your mom and dad who you are?" Jack asked
"It's all happened so fast. If someone would have told me this time last year I would be gay I would have laughed at them."
"Will I guarantee the next year will be one of the best of your life if you stop pretending to be something you're not." Jack said
"I'm just worried about my parents and my brothers. My parents and I have always been so close I'm there baby. My brother Sam is my best friend I would never want to lose what we have and my brother Paul has always been such a jerk that I know he will use this to be an even bigger jerk and I'm just scared that my family will hate me." Will said
"Will real love is unconditional there is no way you're parents could stop loving you." Jack said
"Jack what a nice thing to say where'd you read it?" Will asked
"Mary Tyler Moore said it in an interview about "Ordinary People"." Jack said
Will laughed Jack was so funny.
"Will the nice thing about being gay is that the love is so free we usually can make a new family. And you've already got the cutest little sister you could ask for." Jack said
"Thanks Jack but I want my family I would hate for this to end up being a huge mess the way it was with Grace." Will said
"Oh god can we stop talking about Grace! I am so sick of hearing about her can we just move on?" Jack exclaimed. "I thought we buried her and all women after you slept with Diane. By the way I still can't believe you did that, yuck. You've shed enough tears for her realize its over get over her and move on to I don't know a man."
"Hey hey she was a good friend and I hurt her and I just wish that I could tell her I'm sorry and that I still want to be friends with her." Will said
"That's just nasty. She's a girl yuck. Will she probably has cooties." Jack said
"Jack I know you're only in eleventh grade but by next year I think you will realize that just because she's a hetero girl does not mean she has cooties." Will said
"Will trust me she is not good for you at this time in your life. You're just figuring out who you are. Look at you. You're still fat, you have no fashion sense, you can't even handle yourself at a club. There is no way you would be able to handle a hag." Jack said
"I can understand her being upset after all I did ask her to marry me." Will said.
"Yes you've told me and its still gross. Don't bring it up anymore the thought of a man spending the rest of his life with a woman. Ewww" Jack said
"Is one of the rules of being gay that you can't have girl friends?"
"No" Jack answered "but why would you want to? Will you are finally going to come out to your parents. You no longer need a beard." Jack said
"You're right Jack thank you so much you've been a great friend and you've taught me a lot over the past month. I don't know what to do to show you how much I appreciate everything." Will said
"Oh Will, I know and you're thanking me by paying for dinner. And just so you don't get your hopes up this is not a date." Jack said smiling
Will paid for dinner and he and Jack waited on the sidewalk for cabs.
"I've thought so many times about when, where, and how I'm going to tell my parents. Holidays at my house are so dysfunctional anyway."
"What's it like at your house?"
"Oh I pretty much stay in my room and my mom tries to help me and my dad get along and he looks at me like he wishes I'd disappear. Holidays at my house are like every other day." Jack said sadly
"Oh Jack that's awful you know if you're not doing anything you're more than welcome to come to my house in Connecticut for dinner."
"I will if and only if you've come out to your parents by then don't use me to break the ice." Jack said
"I would never do that just consider it my way of thanking you." Will said
"Ok and keep in mind you have to do it soon Christmas is only about a week away and I'll need all that time to plan my wardrobe. Do you know how many hotties there are in Connecticut?" Jack asked
"Yeah I've noticed but I've never been able to act on it." Will said laughing at his friend
"And just remember me having a Merry Christmas is depending on you being honest" Jack said
"You'll be the first person I call after I do it" Will said
Just then a cab pulled up. Jack got in it.
"Yeah and just remember anticipation hurts the most." Jack said through the open window
"Alright Jack I'll see you soon." Will said as he waved good-bye
Will decided to walk back to campus to clear his head. He had gone over the conversation he was going to have with his parents a million times but tomorrow he would actually have to see them and say it to them and the thought didn't get any less frightening.