Author's note: sorry this took so long and it's a little short, but I've been very busy with school. I'll try to find time to write and I'll update as frequently as possible.

Chapter 11: Glory Days

Senior year was right around the corner and Tina and Zeke were beyond ready to make changes in their lives. They both looked at similar colleges, not because they couldn't be separated, but because they enjoyed what they offered and were relatively close to home. One college in particular caught Tina's attention. Tina wanted to major in journalism at Wagner College in the borough of Staten Island, which was relatively close to home. Zeke was interested in going to a culinary arts school, but did not have the funds to go to one, let alone a four-year college, which was extremely discouraging.

Before the first day of school, Tina hung out in Zeke's room and they talked about the upcoming year. Since Bob and Linda had a date night, Gene was at Todd's house and Louise and Rudy's, they had the place to themselves. The two were in Zeke's bed where Tina rested her head on his chest and Zeke had one arm around her as he rubbed her back. "You excited to finally be done with Huxley?" Zeke asked.

"Ugh, I can't wait to graduate," Tina said with a groan, "what about you?" she asked.

Zeke shrugged. "I mean, I guess." He said.

"I'm not convinced," Tina said as she rested her elbows on his chest, "what's wrong?"

Zeke sighed. "I wanna go to college but I just can't afford it. At least your folks put some money away for you. Mine never did that."

"Well," Tina started, "what about community college?" she asked.

"Don't know," he said, "all those books'll add up." The two of them were quiet for awhile and Zeke shifted so he was laying on his side, facing Tina. "Tin?"

"Yeah?" she asked.

Zeke looked down and stroked her arm. "This may sound weird, but… you ever think about going all the way?" he asked.

Tina shrugged. "Well," she started, "judging by my fan fictions yeah."

Zeke laughed nervously. "No, I mean, with me." Tina blushed and nodded. Zeke rolled over and lay on top of her. "What do you say we, I don't know, see where things go." He suggested as he stroked her hair.

"But what about my parents?" She asked.

"We'll take things slow and if we hear the door open, we'll stop. Sound good?"

"Yeah," Zeke smiled and kissed her on the lips. The two kissed passionately for awhile until he began to kiss her neck and put his hand up her shirt. However, before they went any further, they heard the door open. Zeke rolled off of Tina and she leapt out of bed to check and see who it was. She saw Gene closing the door behind him wearing a sweatshirt.

"Oh, hey, T." He said as he started walking up the stairs. She noticed that he was wearing a hoodie.

"Gene, why are you wearing that, it's 80 degrees."

"Geez," he said as if he were trying to hide something, "can't a guy wear what he wants without being judged? My body, my rules!" Gene was significantly taller than Tina now, but she still noticed everything. She looked up at him and saw what looked like hickeys.

Tina stopped him and grabbed his sweatshirt. "Gene," she said with surprise, "are those hickeys?" she asked with a smile on her face.

Gene looked down, "yeah," he said quietly.

"From who," she asked, "I thought you were with Todd… oh. OH!" Everything fell into place. Gene always preferred the company of girls and was very flamboyant. She even remembered when he admitted he showered with her paper mache boyfriend, Roberto when they were younger. He hadn't dated anyone in high school and always had trouble making guy friends. Hell, there were instances where he was bullied by guys his age or older. Todd had the same problem as well. He came out earlier than Gene did and was harassed frequently. She even remembered when someone wrote "faggot" on his locker, which he then quickly covered up. She figured they were just friends since they cheered together. Everything was crystal clear. "Are you two a thing!?" she asked. Gene nodded. "So, does that mean you're-"

"No," Gene interrupted, "I'm… I'm bi. I'm still attracted to girls, but there's just something about Todd that… well, I really like. I know we hated each other when we cheered together, but we grew up and clicked. We have a lot in common. He's funny, likes cheer and is easy to talk to. I want to date him, but I'm nervous and he said we'll keep it a secret until I'm ready to... come out. Please don't tell mom and dad." He said nervously.

"Don't worry," she reassured, "but you're gonna have to tell them sometime. You can't hide it forever."