Chapter 3
There was a soft knock on the door. Robert stood up and went to open.
"It's messy and cold, but you'll have to live with it for now." he said, as he let Jean in. He brushed off some ice off another chair. Jean looked nervously at Bobby.
"So, i see you told him", she said. Bobby nodded. Jean looked back at Robert. Robert held up his right index finger before she said anything else.
"First up, don't do stuff like that. I know you meant well, I know you're inexperienced with telepathy, but still, you offer help, a shoulder to lean on. You don't just... tell someone they're gay. Bullies tell people they're gay and it can lead to a lot of pain, and the same can happen if friends do it too, even if they mean well." Robert extended his right long finger.
"Second, just because you know something about someone, doesn't necessarily mean that it should be said. I am, however, going to break that rule in a couple of minutes, so just take it on faith, do-as-I-say for now." He held up his ring finger.
"Third... thanks for being his... and my friend. For what it's worth." Robert smiled a little.
"But seriously don't do stuff like that. You're going to hear a lot worse stuff, and you can't always butt in on someone else's business."
He sat back down on the bed. Jean sat down as well, still silent.
"I know i shouldn't have, but... seriously, you must remember how it felt. You... he was hurting" She said as she looked at Bobby, who couldn't meet her eyes at that statement. "I just... wanted to help."
"Like I said, I know", Robert said. "But... trust me when I say this, it could have gone bad. You know what people think, but you can't always predict what they'll do. Well, not yet you can't, i guess."
Jean nodded her head at that.
"Is that why you wanted me to come up here?" Jean asked. Robert shook his head.
"Well, at least not just this. I want you to read my mind. See if you see the same thing in me as you saw in Junior over here." Robert looked at Bobby. "You need to hear it from someone else."
"I consider myself Bobby the First, not Bobby Junior", Bobby grumbled.
Jean sat up and put her hands around Roberts head.
"Only Gay/Straight/Other now, you hear?" Robert said. "There's a whole bunch of stuff in there."
"Doubt it", Bobby said.
"Dude, stop insulting yourself" Robert said. "Or I bring out the "Your Mama"-jokes."
The three sat in silence for a while, until Jean removed her hands. She looked incredulous.
"You... You're straight?" She asked.
"Close enough", Robert said.