"Hello!" said Everett's mother as she greeted them at the door. "Oh David! He's brought home a girl! Thank heavens! We were getting so worried!" his mother rattled on as she ushered them inside.

Katie shot Everett a sideways glance as they followed his mother. Catching her eye, he shrugged.

When a fair amount of time had passed without Everett bringing up the topic, Katie gave him a gentle nudge.

"Is there something you want to tell us son?" his father asked, peering across the table at him.

"Y.. Yeah. Actually, there is," Everett said.

"Well? What is it?" his mother asked excitedly. "You're not going to leave us hanging are you?"

"Mum, Dad, I'm… I'm gay."

'So much for the calm, perfect family,' Katie thought. The moment Everett had finished speaking, his mother burst into tears and his father was standing up so quick that if you'd blinked you would have missed it completely.

"Look! Look at the state your mother is in!" Everett's father roared.

"But you brought a girl home!" said his mother in a whisper, looking timidly up at him, and glancing briefly at Katie sitting beside him.

"Katie…" Everett said. "Katie's a friend." At that, she burst into tears again.

"My baby! My sweet, precious baby boy!"

"Can't you turn it off?" his father snapped later that night when Katie had left.

"It doesn't exactly work like that Dad…" Everett said.

"I will not have this in my house. Unless you choose to work on this, and correct the error…"

"It's not something that can be fixed.." Everett said.

"Get out!" his father yelled. "I will not have a gay for a son!"

Everett did everything he could to hold back the tears as he ran to his room and packed a bag.

"Out!" His father yelled at him as he made for the front door. "Out! Out! Out! And don't come back!" he yelled before shutting the door.

"Unless you decide to change of course!" Everett only just heard his mother's nervous plea before the door was closed on him. Everett glanced back, one last time at the door to the house he'd grown up in. The only house, and family he'd ever known. As he turned to look at the dark street before him, Everett took a deep breath and headed for the car.

"What am I going to do?" Everett asked through sobs as he stared up at the starry sky above. "Where am I going to go?"