A/N: If you read my other story than you know that I'm back. So, enjoy!

Warning: A bit of verbal bullying (Gay-bashing.)

I woke up earlier than usual. I hoped it had all been a horrific nightmare but it wasn't; it was all real. My only relief was that it was Saturday and I won't have to deal with any of this until Monday. But even so, it feels too short, I need more time to think about how I'm going to deal with this. By Monday the whole school could know, I could have no more friends, no more Daniel, new bullies, new levels of teasing and constant whispers coupled with sinister side glances. 'Stop. What happens, happens. If Daniel, if your friends can't accept you for who you are then maybe they weren't your friends to begin with. Being gay will just be a new excuse for the same old bully to torment you and before I know it the gossip mill will forget about the queer nerd boy.'

Yeah, I shouldn't get down in the dumps about this. Sure I am not going to pretend that yesterday wasn't the most horrible day of my life but I can't fight who I really am. I am gay and if anyone as a problem with it than its their problem. I am not shoving my sexual preference on to anyone. They can either accept me or leave me alone. With this sudden surge of optimism I went about my morning wearing Daniel's jacket seeing as this may be the only opportunity I get to wear it.

After lunch my alone time came to an end and I put away Daniel's jacket. Ed and Eddy have come to check up on me. The atmosphere is tense but with my optimism still going strong and with unfathomable courage I declared. "What those girls said were true. I am gay."

As soon as those words left my lips it dawned on me. 'I am an idiot. Why did I just say that? I could have pass it off as bullies making stuff up. Now Eddy wouldn't want to be my friend an-'

A tight hug suddenly breaks my thoughts. Upon release I see Ed looking at me in my eyes and saying."You are free to love whoever you want to love. The only thing that matter is that your happy and loved. I accept you for who you are, Double D."

Then he hugs me again. Moments like this always surprise me even after all these year. Ed says something uncommonly smart and all you can do is be shocked. I hug the big guy back and whisper. "Thank you."

We let each other go and turn to Eddy who seems buried in thought and carefully analyzing what Edd said. Ed nudges Eddy and he finally speak. "Wait, does this mean you been gay the entire time? What about Nazz?"

"Yes, I was born gay just like you were born straight. I never liked Nazz that way although I always did admire her but for the most part I just acted the way I thought I was suppose to act."

There was a long pause and Eddy furrowed his eyebrows. "Why?" At that moment my heart broke a little. Was my best friend asking me why I was gay? As if it was a choice, as if I had chosen to be ostracized, bulled, teased and discriminated upon. My voice raised and I began to fill with anger.

"Why? It isn't a choice. Its not something I can turn on and off. It is who I am, who I will always be. If you can't accept it, fin-"

Eddy raised from his seat and walked over to me grabbed my shoulders and started shaking me while yelling. "Why? Why didn't you tell me soon? Do you have any idea how many jawbreakers we could of had by now? Girls love this kind of stuff. Just imagine we could of had a Rent-a-Gay-Boyfriend scheme. Hell we could do it now. Just imagine all the money we could make."

I couldn't help but laugh hysterically. Here I was worrying to death how my two best friends would take it when they found out about my sexuality. When one accepts me full heartily and the other has some how made this about turning a profit and cares more about the fact that this was a missed opportunity for a scam than the actual fact that I'm gay.

Ed joins in on my laughing just because I am laughing but quickly get hit by an unamused Eddy who scowls at me. Eddy tries to convince me that we should totally use my "gayness" for his get quick rich schemes and I start to regret telling him. Since it somehow triggered his old self to come back. The rest of the day was well spent in their company and I have never felt more comfortable then I did with them now that they knew about a big part of me.

I smiled at myself that night thinking about how they handled the news and thought I should probably go ahead and tell the Cul-De-Sac. Not because I want to go around publishing my sexual orientation but if I just come out and say it. It will help cut time in the gossip mill and I will find out who really are my friends. It will not be easy and I doubt that they will all be as accepting as Ed and Eddy. However, it is something I will have to face, now and probably for the rest of my life so why not do it head on.

It was time. We were all gathered in the ally way and I was going to come clean. Standing in front of everyone, having them stare at me is daunting it makes me want to throw up. However, what would be the point in that? Losing my lunch isn't going to make this easier. Ed puts his hand on my shoulder and smiles at me. Eddy pats me on the back and I turn to him. He mouths. 'You can do it.'

I breath in and out. Even if everything goes wrong even if everyone hates me. I have my two best-friends by my side and that's all anyone can ever hope for. I look around at everyone knowing that after my next few words everything would change.

"I brought everyone because there is something I want to clear up. There are a couple of rumors going around about Friday night's party and I wanted all of you to know..." I hesitated for a second but then I felt Ed give my shoulder a reassuring squeeze and I continued."...I'm gay."

I stare into the sea of faces for a moment I fear that maybe I hadn't said I was gay out loud but a split second later I saw all their faces turn. First shock but then everyone settled into to their own emotions. Rolf was the first to speak.

"My grandmother would say only the heavens can save you now. Stay away from Wilbur and myself." He spit at the ground in front of me and mumbled unintelligibly has he hazily walked away. I wasn't really surprised but it still hurt.

"YOUR DISGUSTING!" Sarah shouted. My head turned to her. She waved her fist angrily. "YOUR NOTHING BUT A LIAR AND A FAG. LETS GO JIMMY!"

I thought Jimmy would remark the same before following Sarah but instead he smiled. "Wow Edd, that was incredibility brave of you."

"JIMMY!" Yelled Sarah.

"Coming!" He responded and ran away but doubled back and give Edd a flower Sarah had put in his hair. "Don't worry they will both come around." Then he was off.

Nazz still seemed a bit shock but noticing my gaze on her she smiled. "I'm a bit shocked,"she confessed",but it cool man. You have a right to like whom ever you like." She elbowed Kevin.

"..Uh..yea.." he said clearly uncomfortable with my revelation.

The only person left unspoken was Johnny who clearly seemed confused about what had just transpired. "Double D to be honest I'm not really sure what this all means. I mean...your still you, right?"

"Yeah." I responded.

"Then I don't get it. Why did Rolf and Sarah get mad? As long as your still you nothing else matters. I know Plank would have agreed." I laughed lightly at Johnny's comment most of the time no one really liked him. He was always a bit slow and his best friend was a piece of wood. But other than Ed he was the only one that seemed wholly unaffected by my confession. I didn't think about it that way before but his right. I'm gay but I haven't stop being who I have always been, Edd.

"Yeah, Johnny. I think Plank would have agreed. Come on why don't you join us at my house."

The four of us went off to my house. In the end things had gone better than expected although in the back of my mind I knew school was going to be a lot tougher to face. These guy were the people that I grow up with and still not all of them accepted me. High school was going to be much worse. But I won't cry, I won't give them the satisfaction. I will hold my head high, prepare for the worse but hope for the best. It sounds a bit lame but its all I can do.

Ed, Eddy and I are on our way to school. Eddy be-grunting having to wake up early for school and it being Monday. As well as begging me to lend him my homework cause he didn't finish his but we both know he didn't do it at all. I refuse to hand it over. He grumbles and for a second I think he may bring up my sexual orientation and say that I should give it to him because why else would he support being friends with a gay.

He doesn't, he gives me puppy eyes and goes off on a tall-tale about how that teacher has it out for him. I roll my eyes and feel stupid for doubting my friend. It must be the fear talking.

The truck is parked and we are at school. I freeze and my stomach feels like a lead brick was dropped in it. I feel sick and I don't move.

"It going to be alright, buddy. We are here for you." Eddy tells me and Ed nods vigorously.

I take a few deep breaths. "Thanks, but you guys..."

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence, Double D. We are your friends and we are going to stick by you."

I smile.

"Like chicken feathers." Ed says and I laugh.

"Idiot." Eddy tells him smacking him upside the head.

Ed does his puppy face and Eddy just glares at him. I laugh and they end up laughing too, we exit the truck like a bunch of idiots. We walk into school joking and messing around. As we walk down the hall, I can't help but look around nervously. In my mind I thought of people huddling around their lockers, staring at me and whispering about Friday but everything seemed absolutely normal, it was like any other day. Perhaps I have been watching too many teen movies.

The morning goes on as usual. Its at lunch where (excuse my language) shit hits the fan. I have my brown bag and sit at my usual table. The guys usually don't sit with me. Ed and Eddy usually sit with the other jocks and cheerleaders. They have invited me to their table and sometimes I agree if only to be near Daniel but the cheerleaders are always fawning over him, Eddy and Kevin never stop fighting over Nazz, and the other jocks are always picking on me when they saw that Ed was too busy with his lunch to notice them tormenting me.

Today, however, they insisted on sitting with me at the "loser table" as Eddy calls it. Ed sometimes sit with me at my usual table but Eddy sat only once here before he joined the football team and only long enough to tell everyone at the table that they are too beneath his awesomeness to have lunch with him.

I headed straight to the table while the guys made the lunch line, big mistake. I sat down and started pulling out the contents of my lunch out of the brown paper bag. Organizing it in front me, I was so distracted that I didn't see them coming. But I felt the mystery meat, the milk and slush running down my neck. I should up immediately from the shock.

"Oops, I thought you were the trash can, doll."

I knew that voice. I part of me screamed to not look but, I had to. There they were wearing a look of disgust (Red-Head), a sneer (Brunette) and a look of satisfaction (Blonde).

"I don't think you made a mistake all I see is trash and trash belongs with trash." sneered the Brunette.

"I can't believe they let that diseased rat sit anywhere near the rest of us." revolted said the Red-head.

I looked around nervous. 'No, please not here. Don't.' Then I saw her smirk, the blonde one, the harpy one. She knew what I was thinking what I was fearing. I saw her open her mouth and all I could do was shut my eyes tight and get ready for it. I was defenseless no friends by my side and no teacher in sight when you actually need one.

"What's the matter sweet cheeks? Closing your eyes won't make you any less of a fairy. Or are you hoping your crush, Daniel will come and save you? He won't. He knows all about you now. How your a little faggot lusting after his ass. Pathetic."

I open my eyes as the whispers buzz around us. 'He knows. That's why he left. He knew.' I want to cry. I was delusional to think that maybe Daniel liked me more than just a friend that our hanging out together were dates. I was a fool. But right now I was going to stand my ground. I don't even know this girl and yet she has decided to make my life hell from the moment we meet even before she figured I was gay.

" Just because I like guys doesn't make me pathetic. But you know what is? A girl that has to cling to a fairy like me in hopes to get Daniel to even realize that she exist. You have try to talk to trash since even though your so hot and their is no way he wouldn't choose you over me. His been hanging out exclusively with me for months. So its like your below trash and that's really sad because at least trash gets picked up...doll face."

'OMG, I can't believe I just said that.' I smirk at the shock face I'm reeving from the girls but then the blond smiles back. She looks to my left and I turn my head to see a shocked Daniel. 'What the hell was I thinking spouting all that nonsense.'

"What is going on here?" the P.E. coach asks shoving Daniel to the side.

"Just a mistake, Coach. An ugly-pathetic-little mistake."

Before I could say anything the guys are on the scene. Ed gives the girls the stink eye while Eddy fast talks the coach into letting me use the locker room so I could shower. Ed helps with my things and we head to my locker before going to the showers. Lucky I always keep three change of clothes in my locker in case of emergency.

As I shower Eddy says. "One of us should have stayed with you."

"I'm not a child Eddy."

"I know that Sock-head but if one of us had been there you would have eaten lunch instead of wearing it. And don't think I didn't catch what that blonde bimbo said to the coach. Who does she and her clones think they are to pass judgement on you?"

"...I don't know."

"Yeah, well she should keep her nasty opinions to herself."

"Yeah" Ed shouts.

I get out of the shower and change. We don't go back to the lunch room even though lunch isn't over instead we head over to the room that Biology club uses which is usually empty during lunch. I know someone out there must like me because it is and we end up having our lunch here joking and laughing as if I wasn't just humiliated in the middle of lunch and by the last bell anyone with ears will know. For the little bit that we were there I forgot and it felt like those good old Junior High years but then the bell rang and lunch was over.

The guys walked me to class, the moment I came inside everyone got quiet. I hated it. I sat in the back just to avoid having everyone stare at me. I didn't even care that I wasn't in the front...okay I cared a bit...a lot. But this way people would have to turn their heads to look at me most won't but the few that do will and do get yell at by the teacher for not paying attention.

I can't concentrate in class at all I can think of is: why do people care so much? I don't even know everyone in this class but I can hear them whisper about me and throw all kinds of glances at me: disgust, pity, shock, curiosity but worse of all hate. They don't even know me. How can you hate someone you don't even know? That hasn't done anything to you? Whose only crime is loving someone of the same sex? Its not even them!

I'm so distracted my thoughts I don't even notice that the bell rung.

"Mr. Edd class is over I would advise you to go to your next class NOW. I will not write you a pass." the Calculus professor sternly states.

"Oh...uh..yes,sir. Sorry."

I gather up my things but before I leave he says. "Next time pay attention to my lesson or don't come at all."

I was shocked, I have never been told that by a teacher but more importantly how could I ever think of not coming to class...but then again he does make a good point. Not paying attention in class is the equivalent of not attending class in the first place. "Hum-pf"

I accidentally walk into a giant wall of meat known as the football team's defensive lineman.

"Watch it, Faggot!" He shrieks. Causing some heads to snap in our direction.

I gather my wits and whisper back. "Sorry."

I try to make a hasty retreat but just end up being tripped by another football player. I hear them snigger. From the corner of my eye I can see an uncomfortable Kevin trying to hide his face with his red hat.

I pick up my spilled books and as I stand up I get shoved against a locker.

"Listen up fairy boy you better stay the hell away from us or we will beat the gay right out of you." One of them growls.

As they leave I hear one say. "I always knew that one was gay."

I go to the bathroom and just sit in one of the stalls. I wait for the bell to ring and for the hall to clear out. When I can no longer hear anyone I came out. I lifted up my shirt and check my back in the mirror...bruised. I sigh and throw some water on my face. Then I start to laugh. I can't believe they said they would beat the gay out of me. If a beating was all it would take I would of been as straight as an arrow by now. I guess all the other times I got punched, shoved and kicked didn't count towards getting the gay out of me since no one knew back than that I was gay. Same old bullies new excuses. I laugh at the ridiculousness before summoning the strength to go to class.