Below The Radar

Something isn't right here, I slept for like 20 hours today. I still just wanna lay down, and mope for the rest of this weekend. It was hard enough getting up to do this, if I even finish this all in one go. Anyways bare with me, I only have a few parts of this chapter planned out.

Chapter 8 - It's About Time

~•~ Recap ~•~

Jonah & Marty and Amber & Andi went on a double date to encounter Walker & Natalie who were also dating. Suspicion was raised of who was dating who, and Natalie convinced Amber & Jonah to kiss. Natalie posted a photo of the two kissing that Cyrus & Jonah & TJ had all saw. Meanwhile Marty admitted that he doesn't want to hide his relationship with Jonah anymore, pretending to date someone else was hurting him emotionally. Jonah complies on one condition, that they take it slow.

~•~

"¡Díganme cosas buenas, woo!" (Tell me something good, woo!) la maestra de español canta (the Spanish teacher sang). Ugh, how Jonah did not enjoy being in Spanish class so early in the morning, or in Spanish class at all. Jonah looked over at Cyrus who was smiling as happy as can be, how in the world can he enjoy this class? Jonah thought to himself. Jonah didn't understand most of the things that was being said in the class due to the teacher giving most of the directions in Spanish now. He had tried to ask to go to the bathroom once, apparently he said it wrong though, and couldn't end up going. It still baffled Jonah how necesito usar del baño (I need to use of the bathroom), was incorrect. Even with a sympathetic por favor (please), she had told him no no (no). Jonah eventually ended up telling her no lo se (I don't know), when she questioned him on what it was. She ended up telling him that he was going to have to redo the class if he did not study outside of school, and improve that way he can catch back up with the rest of his class.

Spanish just seemed so hard for Jonah, it was like he was trying to learn a whole new language. "¿Quién es tu amigo o amiga?" (Who is your friend?) the teacher asked him while he sat at his desk.

"Cyrus," Jonah simply told her.

Apparently that was the wrong way to answer somehow. Jonah hated it, she asked who his friend was, and he told her Cyrus who is his friend. "Mi amigo es Cyrus," (My friend is Cyrus) she said moving onto the next person. Each morning she went down the rows asking each student a question, and grading them on their verbal response. That portion of his grade always made him suffer, it wasn't like the assignments he could go home and google, only to find that they are somehow wrong.

When the class was dismissed Jonah was so relieved he could get on with his day to other classes that he actually knew how to do. Cyrus had went down the hallway to meet up with TJ who didn't look too well. He had dark circles under his eyes and a pained expression that spoke more than his mouth did. "TJ, are you sick?"

"I'm gonna be if I have to keep being friends with you," TJ harshly told him. TJ loved Cyrus, but he could not control what was coming out of his mouth. He was so done with everything.

"What? Why?" Cyrus asked. How could this have happened? He done nothing wrong, in fact he was helping by trying to hook Amber up with TJ.

"I can't stand being around you, after everything that's happened, it's unfair. If your truly my friend then come over to my house after school."

"It's not my fault that you feel this way," Cyrus told him. "I would come over any day, just not today I already invited Lucas over to my house."
"See that's exactly what I'm talking about," TJ pointed out extending his arms in exasperation. Meanwhile Lucas saw the heated conversation going on between the boys near the end of the hall. He decided to go check it out. "I set you up with a guy, and now you don't have time for me. It's what all my friends do, they find themselves a boyfriend, or girlfriend and leave me in the dirt."

"I'm sorry TJ," Cyrus told him as Lucas got closer, and into earshot. "Can we please settle for another day? I still wanna be friends with you."

"Ha," TJ told him. "As if I'd wanna be friends with a little fag like you. I should've known you'd betray me like this." Cyrus' heart skipped a beat hearing the word fag from what he thought was his friend. It only hurt worse and panged his heart having it said from TJ. That word was his one weakness and TJ knew, that and deliberately took advantage of it. Lucas was in earshot when the word was spat, as he quickly jogged over to Cyrus, and hugged Cyrus from behind who realized who it was resulting in him turning around, and hugging him back.

Lucas now faced TJ while he comforted his boyfriend rubbing his hands up and down his back while TJ growled at him. Cyrus held on tightly with one arm going around his shoulders, and the other swooping down holding his side, while he rested the side of his head on Lucas'. The black haired teen told TJ, "you've changed. This isn't the TJ that I used to know. You should be ashamed of yourself. He trusted you enough to expose his vulnerabilities, and for you to say something like that… mnm, it makes me so mad."

TJ switched from being extremely frustrated to feeling awful about himself for hurting Cyrus, that was not his intention, he didn't even know what his intentions were anymore. "Listen, I never meant to use that word, it just kinda slipped out," TJ started to explain, but was cut off by Lucas.

"It should've never been floating around in your mind to begin with." Lucas then pushed off of Cyrus releasing him to where he could now see his bubbly face. "Are you good?"

"Soy no puedo estar más contento cuándo soy con tú, mi novio," (I'm not able to be happier when I'm with you, my boyfriend) Cyrus told him after just getting out of Spanish class.

"Amo tú," (I love you) Lucas sweetly told Cyrus as TJ stormed past the two of them.

"Te amo," (I love you too) Cyrus returned back finally releasing Lucas so they could get to class. When they started to walk again there was one girl who had been watching them, and she called out to them as they passed.

"Slay queens!"

Cyrus and Lucas just rolled their eyes at her before continuing on. Today was going to be a big day. Cyrus planned on coming out to his parents. After his grandma had passed it made him realize that it was about time that he told them. No longer would he have to keep this side of him secret. His aunt would no longer urge him to get a girlfriend once she knows that he has a boyfriend. Cyrus' parents are therapists so they are bound to be supportive, and loving and carrying of him like they have been prior to telling them.

When lunch had rolled around Cyrus had to get to the bottom of the whole Amber mystery. Unfortunately Jonah was sitting a different table than them, he was sitting at a table with Marty, and some other students that Cyrus did not know. "Jonah, may I have a word with you?" Cyrus asked him.

"Yeah," Jonah said getting up from the table to be pulled off to the side.

Cyrus got right down to business, "okay no more games Jonah, explain to me this whole Amber situation. I don't get why or how Natalie could just force you guys to kiss."
"She thinks that we are dating, because we pretended like we are," Jonah told him.

"Why would you do that?" Cyrus asked him. "TJ got hurt being rejected by Amber who claimed to be dating you. Now all this time you are telling me that he could have went out with her?"

"No, he would never have a chance with her," Jonah told him.
"Why not?" Cyrus asked. "And furthermore why are you pretending to date someone?"

"Marty and me don't want people knowing that we are dating, do you know how much hate we could receive if they did know?" Also Amber is dating someone at the moment."

"Jonah no one gives a flip if you are dating a guy, it's 2019 for crying out loud, have you seen me and Lucas, we don't hide anything in fact I'm coming out to my family tonight," Cyrus proudly told him.

"It's different with me and Marty though," Jonah told him. "I still notice some hate towards gay people, and I don't want any of that directed at me."
"Look Jonah I got called a fag today, yes there will be some douches that are mean, but you shouldn't let that stop you from expressing your love like everyone else."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Jonah told Cyrus.

"Just so you know I'm not trying to force you to come out, I'm just saying that you have friends that love and support you. When you do you'll see it's safe, and you've been worrying over nothing."

With that said they parted ways, and Cyrus went back to sit with Buffy, and Andi. "Did you guys know that Amber is dating someone who isn't Jonah?" Cyrus asked them upon arrival back at the table.

"No, who is it?" Buffy asked as Andi stared bashfully down at her lap.

"I don't know, that's why I'm asking you two," Cyrus confessed. "So get this Amber was pretending to date Jonah, I just can't figure out why she would do that."

"Excuse me, I have to go to the restroom," Andi told her friends before scurrying off to the restroom, where she would not have to risk them investigating her about Amber. Not only did she not want to tell them, Amber would get upset if she spilled her secret along with her own. She didn't wanna do that to her girlfriend, ever.

School was over, and so was Lucas at Cyrus' house. The two were in the kitchen baking a cake in a round cake pan. It was nothing extravagant, just a plain vanilla cake with white icing. Cyrus' stepmom wondered why in the world he had wanted to make a cake so badly. In the end she allowed them to do it, while she sat back and relaxed hoping that they didn't make a big mess.

"I'm so nervous," Cyrus had told Lucas quietly while the cake was sitting to cool.

"Don't be, I mean who could get upset when there is cake present?"

Cyrus cracked a smile, and lightly chuckled. "I wouldn't be able to do this without you. You give me strength."

"Awh Cyrus, can you stop it with all the sweet talk, it's going to be the death of me, I don't deserve all of this that you are saying."
"Oh yes you do, now hushup, not another word, help me coat this thing with frosting." Cyrus handed him a butter knife which he scooped out frosting with, and smeared around the sides of he cake scrapping it across ever so delicately. Meanwhile Cyrus was trying to smooth out a big glob that he had just plopped onto the top of the cake. Lucas had to help him out after he finished the side of the cake.

"Hopefully you are a better icer than you are a froster," Lucas told him grabbing the icing that they would be using for decoration.

"Oh please, I'm a expert cake decorator," Cyrus told him grabbing the red icing tube, and putting a wavy line around the diameter of the circular no longer pure white cake.

"Looks messy now," Lucas said looking at the one color on top of the white that stood out too much.

"Just wait," Cyrus told him taking another color and repeating the same process. In the end there was a mix of colorful lines randomly overlapping around the border of the cake, which actually ended up looking really nice.

"Now how do we want to do the words?" Cyrus asked. "Also what words are we putting on it exactly."

Lucas put a hand on his chin pretending to think before leaning in, and whispering into Cyrus' ear. "A simple I'm gay with a smiley face would do nicely, and we can do each of the letters a different color of the pride flag with the apostrophe and smiley face counting as one letter each that way we get all seven of them in order." Before the two started putting words onto the cake they scanned the area to make sure that no one would come check in on them with it not finished. That would be rather bad if his dad Norman came in to seem the decorating a cake that said the word, gay and nothing else. Also that wouldn't be a very fun situation to explain.

When they were finished Cyrus wiped off his fingers with a paper towel, and snapped a photo of the cake that he would later share with his friends. "Wow, I can't believe we are really doing this," Cyrus said.

"Geez Cyrus stop making a big deal out of it, they'll love it, and probably share a quick laugh."

Just in the nick of time Cyrus' step mother yelled into the kitchen, "hey, how's the cake baking going on in there?"

"Great, actually we just finished up, wanna come see it?" Cyrus called back repositioning the cake onto the kitchen island where the words faced the entrance into the living room while him, and Lucas stood on the other side behind their work waiting anxiously.

"Yeah, let's see if you baking exceeds your mama's skills," she said getting up. "Norman get in here, cake's done." Together the two walked in seeing the boy's grinning faces who were standing so close together before they noticed the cake that was in front of the, with the rainbow words, I'm gay :).

Cyrus' step mom's mouth fell open as she covered it with her hand, and looked up at Cyrus teary eyed. Cyrus didn't let his smile falter as he just nodded his head confirming it. Norman read the label on the cake a few more times before chuckling to himself, "cute, where'd you guys get the idea?"

"Definitely not off of pinterest," Lucas had told him.

"So are you two dating?" the woman asked trying to take it all in.

"Uh huh," Cyrus said prior to turning over to his boyfriend that was right about this not being a big deal.

"Cyrus hunny, a word?" she asked motioning him to follow her.
"Uh, okay, be right back," he said getting separated from his boyfriend. Cyrus left the room with her.

"Mind if I take a photo, I wanna remember this day, and be able to show patients what my son did with his boyfriend?" Norman asked him.

"No, go right ahead," Lucas told him.

After the photo was taken Norman sat down facing the boy who didn't really know what he was supposed to say to his boyfriend's dad. "Just between you, and me I never thought he was going to come out. Thank you for helping him."

"No problem, just how did you know?"
"Ah, I knew you would ask that," Norman said laughing to himself. "Let's see here, at dinner he used to always talk about his friend Jonah, and no one else. The way that his face lit up everytime he said the word Jonah, it was very clear he had a crush on him. Plus I've seen his recommended videos on youtube, nearly every video is some gay idol, or coming out video. I could have sworn one of them was this same cake idea. Anyways just don't tell him that I already knew, some kids feel like it's a invasion of privacy for their parent to know, but what they don't realize is that we're their parents, and we know a lot more than they think."

"Woah that's scary to think about, not that I got anything bad to hide. I won't tell him what you said, but do you think that my parents already know?"

"Possibly, I don't know your parents, but it seems they raised you very well, so I'm assuming that with their hard work they at the very least have their suspicions."

Meanwhile Cyrus was drug into his parents bedroom where she closed the door letting tears fall from her eyes, as she pulled Cyrus into a hug. "I thought this was supposed to be the other way around, with me crying, not you," Cyrus bluntly said.

She sniffled before holding him at shoulder length apart looking at her brave son. "I'm just so worried, there are so many kids each year that take their own lives because of the bullying that they recieve for,"

"Being gay, yeah I know," Cyrus told her. "It's not like that here, I have friends that love, and support me, and on top of that the best family ever. You have nothing to worry about, and if something did happen, you know I would come and talk to one of you."

"Thanks, I needed to hear that, now why can't I stop crying?" she asked laughing dryly.

"I don't know mom," Cyrus said grabbing for the door handle.

"Wait," she said halting Cyrus. "I want you to know that I am proud of how brave you have become, it's not a easy thing going through what you have to."

"Oh I don't deserve all that, you guys make it easy for me to come out, and hey maybe in the future no kids won't have to, and people will just love people."

End Of Chapter 8

Now that ladies, and gentlemen is the cake that takes the cake! Jeez I feel like I really wasted this entire day, maybe tomorrow will be a lot better. I feel like Cyrus had some very solid lines in here *pat's self on back*. Well forstlasten11 it's time for a checkup, how is the story doing? I can't help, but feel I'm letting you down, because this chapter was not focused on Jarty like it should have been. I guess I was just so hyped from that new episode that I had to make this chapter the way that it was. Also please help me, anyone, how should the next few chapters go, and what should happen? I don't need a ending for the story though, that has already been figured out.

~Banana