Justin walked up to the front door of St. James Academy with nervous apprehension. Several whispered conversations he passed in the courtyard combined with disconcerting stares from his classmates told him something was very, very, wrong. Daphne ran up behind him and grabbed his jacket roughly pulling him into the empty school auditorium.

"Daphne, what the fuck?" he yelled shaking his arm lose from her clutched fist "Let go of me".

"Why didn't you tell me Justin; I thought I was your best friend?" she angrily hushed at him.

"Tell you what?" Justin asked as innocently as he could.

"Did you try to give Chris Hobbs a blowjob yesterday? Cause he's saying that you did and the whole school is saying that you're gay!" Daphne wasn't one to be consumed with gossip but after Justin asked her about Woody's and the school rumor mill lit up, she was seriously concerned for Justin's safety and beyond irritated that he had kept something this huge a secret from her.

"Oh God!" Justin groaned "Oh God, this is bad. Really, really bad" Justin had no choice but to confide in Daphne. He didn't really think she would care he was gay anyway but was relieved to find he was right. She hugged him and gave him her car keys.

"You need to get out of here…at least for the day. Let me do some damage control. I'll tell everyone we're sleeping together" Daphne offered but Justin winced at the thought.

"Look Daph, thanks, but no thanks. I'm not going to lie and I don't want you to do it for me. I wasn't planning to come out this way but it's out now and I don't really want to hide who I am. I'm gay. I'm not ashamed of it. I was hoping to make it through high school without dealing with homophobic assholes but I'll be damned if I am going to run away like some silly faggot". Justin grew bolder as he spoke, convincing himself as he went. "There's only one person I am really not looking forward to facing."

Daphne gave Justin another quick hug, "Why don't you go tell him now before the school finds out and calls him."

Justin took Daphne's keys and headed out to the parking lot. He was almost to the car when he saw her, Mrs. Peterson-Kinney, rapidly walking towards him. Shit!

"Justin", Lindsay scolded him as she approached, "I know you're not leaving school without permission. That's not like you."

Justin shook his head sheepishly, he had never been caught ditching before, "Sorry, um, it's sort of an emergency" he lied.

"Do you have a pass?" Lindsay asked.

"I, um, must have dropped it" Justin exclaimed looking around for the imaginary pass.

Lindsay read Justin's apprehension and surmised he was lying but he was a good kid and ditching school would mean detention that he didn't really deserve. She gave him a knowing smile and nodded. "All right, just this one time I'll look the other way but you owe me" she said with a friendly wink.

Justin drove off and found his father at his store. Craig Taylor looked dismayed to see Justin in the middle of the school day but the dismay turned to outright concern when Justin asked if he would talk to him in private. Justin took a deep breath as he closed the door to his father's office. Craig Taylor sat down waiting for an explanation.

"Dad, I'm gay" Justin said in a single syllable, exhaling loudly after feeling a surge of adrenaline at having finally said it out loud to his father.

"I'm sorry" Craig said looking quite shaken, "What was that?"

Justin sat down across from his father and placed his hands on the desk, he forced himself to look him in the eyes. "Dad, I know this might be a shock to you but I think you should hear it from me that I'm gay"

"Justin you're not gay!" Craig insisted rising up and pacing nervously back and forth, "Don't ever let me hear you say that again".

"Dad" Justin spoke calmly, "I'm sorry to tell you like this but something happened at school and I was worried they would call you and I thought you should hear it from me."

"What happened at school?" Craig asked his temper rising, "You didn't, my God, you and Mr. Snyder. Is that what happened, did he mess with you last year?"

"What Dad, no, oh my God, no" Justin said firmly, taken aback by the mental leap his father was making to his gay art teacher, "Why would you think that? No listen, I'm just gay. Dad, I'm not a serial killer, I wasn't molested, I just happen to like men instead of women. I'm still the same person I was yesterday that's the only difference okay?"

"Justin, you're just confused. You can't be gay. You're too young to know what you want, what you like." Craig was yelling at this point and Justin felt the conversation was getting away from him. "Oh God, you haven't actually, you know…."

"Dad, listen! Are you listening to me?" Justin said firmly getting aggravated by his father's inability to hear what he was saying, "I'm not asking for you to help me figure out if I'm gay. I'm telling you that I already know I am. I've known for a while. I'm not confused. One day I know I will meet a great guy and we will have sex. I don't have to actually have sex to know what I'm attracted to and what I like. I like dick! I want to be fucked by dick! I want to suck dick!"

"GET OUT" Craig shouted so loud that the glass shook in his office "GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY HOUSE"

Justin fled his dad's office in a panic. That did not go as he planned at all. He knew his dad would be upset but he never dreamed he would kick him out. Justin let the tears flow as he got behind Daphne's car. He had no idea where to go from here. He drove home and packed up what he could. The napkin with Michael's phone number on it was still lying on his dresser. Maybe Michael would be able to help him, he picked up the phone, tried to control his sobbing and gave him a try.

Justin was finally able to pull it together sitting on Michael's couch at his apartment. He was introduced to Michael's roommate Emmett and the two of them had done a lot to cheer him up and get his mind off of things before Michael apologized and had to leave for work but not before offering him his couch until a more suitable arrangement could be made.

Justin laughed as Emmett recalled charming stories of his gay youth in the South. The stories hinted at the pain beneath the surface but if Emmett could make it through with a smile of his face, surely Justin could as well.

"So sugar, you got a boyfriend yet?" Emmett teased.

Justin shook his head no. "I sort of have a crush I guess, but he's straight".

Emmett laughed, "Straight huh? Are you sure, lots of closet cases can surprise you. Did you try anything yet?"

Justin laughed, "No, his friend sort of just told me plus he's married and older, so I'm pretty sure it's not going to happen"

"Yikes married men are a challenge but you never know. So what do you know about the art of seduction?" Emmett laughed, jumping up from the couch and pulling out a drawer in his bedroom. He motioned Justin to join him.

Justin walked nervously into Emmett's room. He had no idea what to expect as he peered into a deep drawer filled with candles, flavored condoms and sex toys some so large they made Justin wince at the thought.

"I know nothing about the art of seduction or much of anything about being gay at all. I just know that I want to know more." Justin admitted.

With that Emmett set Justin down and gave him a fascinating tutorial of subjects ranging from vocabulary, cruising, grooming, and all manners of gay sex. He taught him about reading subtle looks and when to know if someone was checking you out. Justin thought about his run-in with Brian in the art room. He did see that look. Brian had scanned his body while his teacher kissed him. He just knew there was something there. Before his mind got the best of him, Emmett started in again "So you think you're a top or a bottom?" Emmett asked before taking out a large dildo.

"Huh?" Justin asked bewildered sizing up the dildo with wide eyes and unsure of what was behind that question that he might of missed while thinking of Brian.

"When you think about having sex, do you think about fucking or being fucked?" Emmett asked as plainly as he could, no reason to mince words now.

Justin thought about it for a minute as he allowed himself to fantasize about Brian. His first thought was of Brian taking him in the art room over his desk, he smiled while answering "I don't know mostly being fucked, I guess, but I'd kind of like to try it the other way."

"Ok, well when a man asks that question, you just tell him you're versatile. That way you can see who has a bigger cock and go from there." Emmett patted Justin on the thigh as he spoke feeling like a gay mentor.

"I don't think that questions gonna come up for a while" Justin sighed. If only he could just fast forward his life to a point in time where that was the case.

"Honey, you are de-lec-table! A sweet little twink like you could fuck or be fucked by almost anyone you want if you play your cards right. We should all be so lucky!" Emmett smiled warmly and gave Justin a friendly peck on the cheek.

Justin thought about what Emmett was saying and glanced in the mirror at his reflection. He wasn't exactly a troll, he just needed to find a place to meet other gay men and he thought he could do well enough especially with Emmett and Michael's guidance.

"Emmett, do you think you can help me?" Justin said shyly a fierce determination building within him.

"Sure baby, anything"

"I want this man, the one I told you about. I need my first time to be with him. Can you help me get him?"

"The married straight guy?" Emmett asked cautiously, "You sure you don't want to start with someone easier. We can go to Babylon, easy pickings."

"No" Justin insisted, "I can't explain it but deep down I know he's gay. I want him. I have to have him."