Chapter 7: Comfort

I sat patiently on the park bench, waiting for Tiffanie to arrive. Tiffanie was the only black female fighter is this tournament, and although she just arrived, she seemed to have more popularity than me. She specialized in a unique style of boxing, but she included kicks to throw her enemies off. The morning air seemed so calm, so peaceful. It made me feel as if nothing mattered in this world, not a damn thing.

I looked down to my watch and saw that it was exactly eight o' clock.

"She's late." I muttered.

"Hey Pete." I heard her voice say from behind me. I tilted my head back and looked into her brown eyes. She wore a red tank top with the Superman logo on it, with black jeans, her red weaved hair reaching just above her lower back. I smiled at her, as if I was greeting an old friend. Heck, that's what she was!

"I'm not late. It's usually you who's always late. And what's your excuse for it?" Tiffanie turned her head and cuffed her ear towards me, waiting to her our famous prank line.

"Me and my Puerto Rican time." I said, holding back a laugh. Tiffanie leaned over, digging her elbows into the back of my shoulders as she held her head up with both hands.

"Yeah, you Puerto Ricans are late for EVERYTHING." She said, causing me to laugh at her remark. Standing up and coming around the bench to face me, she then sat down next to me and got serious.

"So Pete. I know you didn't call me out here to tell jokes. What's up?" she said as she lightly punched my arm. I frowned before sighing gently.

"Tiffanie…remember how I told you…you know, what happened to me when I was twelve?" She sat up on her feet now as she looked me in my dark brown eyes.

"…yeah, I remember. What about it?" she said.

"Well…Tiffanie, there's really no easy way to say this, but I think I'm changing…"

"Changing…how?"

"I think I might have developed…I don't know how to say this, but I think I might be…attracted to men…" I looked down at the cement floor as I said that last statement. Tiffanie was silent, and I felt like it was Julia: Part Two.

"Do you think I'm a freak?" I asked her. She remained silent before she decided to speak.

"I think you're still Peter. I see you as my friend, not as a freak. I just have a question…I thought you liked Julia and Sylvia." I looked at the trees ahead in the park as I spoke.

"I used to like Sylvia, but she's too bitchy for me. As for Julia, things just didn't work out…I told her about me…"

"You did? What'd she say?"

"She told me…she told me to be happy." I said, pushing my tears away.

"Wow…she must've really loved you." She replied. Tilting her head with child-like innocence, Tiffanie asked me another question.

"So…who do you like?"

I turned my face to the right, avoiding eye contact as I spoke. "It's…King. I know how it sounds, but I really care for him."

Tiffanie looked like she felt slightly disgusted, but she quickly caught it and turned it into a look of curiosity. "King, as in your step-dad King?"

"Tiff, you're really not good at making people feel better." I said as I stood up and began to walk away.

"Wait!" I heard her say. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have judged you, but you have to admit…well, can you blame me for being so shocked?"

"I…I guess not." I said as I sat back down next to her. "What should I do?" I asked, hoping that she would have some sort of answer.

"…I think you should tell him."

I looked at her in utter shock and disbelief. "Are you serious?!"

"Sometimes, the only way to move forward is to take that giant leap."

'King always says that…' I thought to myself. "Fine, I'll tell him, but I ruin my relationship with him, I'm gonna blame you." I said as I playfully punched her muscular arm.

"Go do your thing man. Tell me how it goes." She said as I rose back up to my feet. After giving her a friendly smile and wave, I took off towards the hotel. King was most likely in the weight training room buffing up, so I figured I'd check there first.

Sure enough, King was in the weight room doing pull-ups. As I looked at him, I noticed that he was wearing his tracksuit, so he must have been running as well. I waited for him to drop down from the bar before I decided to approach.

"Hey King!" I said as he looked in my direction. He smiled, showing me his jaguar teeth.

"What's up Pete? Man I've missed you, you've been avoiding me for days!" he said, sitting down in front of me.

"I'm sorry. Things have been a little rough…"

King looked as if he expected me to say more, and I could sense that he knew what I was going to say.

"I think I'm ready to tell you the truth...can we talk in private?"

Immediately, he stopped smiling and nodded slowly. "Sure, let's go back to the room."

The walk seemed like forever, and the elevator ride was extremely uncomfortable. Silence filled the air as we both walked down the hall towards the room. Once we arrived at the door, King removed the golden key from his pocket and unlocked it.

Once inside the room, King sat on the bed. I felt weird standing in front of him, so I sat at the foot of the bed. I sighed, getting ready to reveal my secret when suddenly, King interrupted me.

"I just want to let you know that you can trust me." He said.

I took another deep breath before I continued. "King…when I was twelve, I was…raped by a man…"

"WHAT?!" he roared. I lowered my head and continued to speak.

"I was raped in an alleyway at night. I got lost in the city when I went with my parents and I wandered into it…"

"Pete…"

"Over the years, I've been fighting certain feelings…I've been trying to deny them for as long as I could, but now I realize that I can't fight my own mind and body."

"What…are you saying?" King asked, sitting up and getting a bit more serious.

"King…I think I'm gay…"

King sat back against the wall, almost as if the shock was too much. He said nothing, nothing at all. I couldn't let the silence continue, so I decided to get down to the point.

"That's not it King…" I said, causing him to look over to me.

"King…I think I fell…I fell in love with you…"