Chapter 4: Back to Anchor Beach.

Disclaimer: For the 24th time, I do not own the Fosters.

AN: I know this one is short compared to the first three, but this is the best I could do. Please leave a review if you have any ideas that might help me write longer chapters.

Jude's POV:

Well this is awkward.

The dreaded day of reckoning has arrived, and as far as I'm concerned it's getting off to a bad start. Because Connor and I find ourselves sitting in his living room with Taylor and Daria waiting for Jax, Castor, Alex and Carson to get here.

This is also the first time Connor and I have seen Daria in person since we started dating.

School starts in twenty five minutes, and Connor is already shaking like a leaf. He's pressed up against me with one arm around me, and the other hand gripping mine in a vice grip.

Sensing the awkwardness in the room, Taylor decides to try to make conversation.

"So. How are things?"

Connor doesn't respond.

"Good on our end. You?" I respond.

"Good." She said, "Is he okay?"

"I'm fine." Connor says, his voice hoarse, "I'm only losing my sanity."

"It's okay to be scared, Connor." Daria interjected, "You're about to come out to the school, something not many people are brave enough to do. The takes stones."

"Yeah, took me long enough." Connor snarked, "All I had to do was fall for my best friend, get a girlfriend to push the thoughts away, cheat on said girlfriend with said best friend, and then get shot in the foot. I'm the real picture of courage, aren't I?"

"Grr. Kitty's got his claws out, huh?" Taylor asked, approval in her voice, "I love it."

"Sorry. He get's snarky when he's scared or nervous." I said, and turned to Connor with narrowed eyes, "And I thought I told you to stop sweating that stuff?"

"Sorry, I can't help feeling bad about it." He said.

"Don't worry about it Connor." Daria said, "I'll admit that you didn't go about doing it the right way, but you were confused and scared. Confusion and fear make people do stupid things. If you'd have told me about some of the stuff I would have understood."

"I'm still sorry." He said, "I led you on. I cheated on you."

"Don't worry about it." She said, "I knew something was up between you two anyway. Plus you two are monstrously cute together."

"Daria, you are a gem." I tell her, "You're more forgiving than I thought you'd be."

"Everybody deserves their OTP." She said simply.

"Huh?" Connor asked confused.

"It means 'one true pairing'." She explained.

"Oh. That explains it." He said.

The door to the living room, and Jax bounces through the door followed by the others.

"Connor! You okay man?" He asks before turning to Daria, "And, hellooooo ladies."

"Don't start Jax." Connor deadpanned.

"I was just being polite, Connie."

"I will disembowel you with a salad fork." Connor growled

"Nah you won't." Jax said brightly.

I rolled my eyes.

"Jax, now isn't the time." I said, "If you haven't noticed, Connor is having a bit of a meltdown."

"Ah. I see. You nervous, bro?" He asked.

"Of course I am," Connor answered, "I'm only about to come out of the closet to a school that has zero openly gay students. Not an easy task."

"I'm pretty sure you're not gonna be the only one." Carson interjects, "In our grade? Maybe. But not the whole school. Some of the upperclassmen might be out."

"You guys wanna start walking there now?" Taylor suggests, "So Connor doesn't have the chance stew in his terror any more than he has to?"

"Sure let's do it." Connor said, as he grabs his cane and practically drags me out of the door.

Ten minutes later, our group was well into the journey to the school. Connor and I were walking at the head of the column. Daria was walking behind us, chatting flirtatiously with Jax. Taylor walked behind them, talking about some new movie with Castor, Carson and Alex.

I noticed that Connor was shaking even harder.

"Connor. Are you sure you want to do this?"

He turns his head to look at me.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to." I said.

"I do want to. I'm just a bit scared of what people are gonna say." He responded, "Besides, I promised you."

"I only want you to do this if you're a hundred percent sure." I said.

"With you, I'm always a hundred percent sure." He said.

He reached out and put his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

We turned the corner and the school was in sight. Connor's shaking increased, but he was taking deep breaths to calm himself.

"Here it goes." He said.

I found myself shaking right along with him. He turned to me and held out his hand.

"Yeah. Here goes nothing." I said and grabbed his hand.

As we approached the school, we caught sight of other students waiting around the front doors. As soon as they caught sight of us, they immediately started whispering.

"There he is." One pointed out.

"He's back." Another stated the obvious.

"Can you believe he got shot?" One questioned.

Connor's grip on my hand tightened and he pulled me closer to his side as the rest of our group enclosed around us like our own personal secret service.

"Holy shit. Are Stevens and Foster holding hands?" Another asked.

We walked to my locker. I opened it, while everybody in the guard stood by us glaring at passerby.

"So."

Connor and I look up. I frown.

It's the same bully that made fun of me for my nail polish that one time.

"What do you want, Jeremy?" Connor asked testily.

"You two dating now, or some shit?" He sneered.

"Yes, actually. We are. You gotta problem?" I sneered back.

"Was I talking to you, faggot?" Jeremy sneered.

I barely gave it a second thought as Connor's fist flew out and made contact with his chin at the same time my knee rose to make painful contact with his genitalia. He fell to the ground, and Connor moved to throw another punch, but Jax grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back. Jeremy stumbled back to his feet. I could hear somebody laughing hysterical in the back ground.

"You okay? Your hand hurt?" I ask him.

"Oh, on the contrary. That felt awesome." He said, giving his fist a kiss. I rolled my eyes at his dorkiness, "He's lucky I didn't use my cane."

"You'll pay for that. You and your little fucking boyfriend." He snarled.

"OH I BEG TO DIFFER!"

I whip around to see Callie stalking down the corridor towards us like the devils personal bounty hunter, with Jesus and Mariana on her flanks.

Perfect timing.

"Did you know I've been to Juvie?" She asked Jeremy on approach.

He shook his head in the negative.

"I'm not afraid to go back." She said, getting up in his face, "You EVER touch my brother, or Connor, and I will take a baseball bat to your face."

"I will break both of your knees." Jesus continued, "Our brother will tie you up with piano wire and torture you mercilessly."

"And I will knock you out and throw you off a cliff." Mariana said chipper, making her threat even creepier, "Any questions?"

Jeremy looked properly traumatized now as he shook his head.

"Then beat it." Callie said, waving him off as if he were an annoying insect.

He made an exceptionally quick exit.

"We had that handled." Connor told Callie.

"We could see that." She agreed.

"But we weren't about to let you have all the fun." Jesus said jokingly.

"Thanks guys." I said sincerely.

"Any time little brother." Jesus said, "Anyway you better get to class. It starts soon."

I turned to Connor and lent in and gave his a kiss.

"See you at lunch." I said when we pulled apart.

Taylor and I headed off to class while the rest of the group headed off in the other direction.

Lunch came not quickly enough.

There are six periods in Anchor Beach if you didn't count lunch. My first period was English, my second was Art, my third was history. Then lunch, then math, then science, then I ended the day with health class.

Since final exams are coming up, all the classes before lunch seemed to drag on forever. When lunch finally arrived, I met with the rest of the group at the doors, giving Connor a kiss hello, and headed out with them to one of the picnic tables that sat in the shade of the trees. We sat down and started to eat our sack lunched.

Well, everybody but Carson, who wasn't eating anything.

We had been sitting down for five minutes, when something caught my eye.

Two guys were walking towards our table.

They were holding hands.

I nudged Connor as they got closer. He looked up and I nodded towards them. He looked and his eyes widened.

The two guys approached the table.

"Can we sit here?" They asked.

"Of course." I said, and Jax and Daria scooted over to clear a spot for them.

"It's good to know we're not alone." Connor added.

"I'm Ritchie, this is Wynston." One of them introduced.

"I'm Jude, this is Connor." We shook their hands.

"We know. The whole school has been talking about you since this morning." Wynston said.

"The first openly gay couple in the school to ever come out." Ritchie added.

"We saw you guys take on that Jeremy kid earlier." Wynston said, "I nearly laughed myself silly."

"Oh that was you?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Did you guys come out too?" Connor asked.

"We figured we would let you guys know you weren't alone here." Ritchie said.

"What you guys did was brave." Wynston said, "We figure if you guys could do it, then why couldn't we? The closet was suffocating us."

"Yeah. I know what you mean." Connor muttered.

"Thank you both. It's... it's really nice of you." I said sincerely.

We all sat and talked to the new comers, getting to know them. I leaned my head on Connor's shoulder.

I pondered how the day had progressed so far.

Only one bad reaction.

Plus we had inspired another couple into coming out.

Our group was growing.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.