Don't Call Me Teacher's Pet! (bxb)

8: Cary's Confession

Sighing, I collapsed onto my bed. I'm so exhausted. If this is how I feel after the first week of school, this going to be one awful school year... I wonder if Cary really meant what he said, about being comfortable with... that.

As I stared at the ceiling I thought back to this afternoon with Cary. Each of us holding our own pile of dry clothes, Cary and I stood outside the toolshed in silence for a moment before Cary spoke up.

"You can go ahead and change first."

"Why don't we just change together?" I didn't particularly enjoy being naked in front of others (despite what that night with Mr. Elliot would make you think), but this seemed kind of strange.

"..." Cary stared at the toolshed a short moment before turning his burning gaze to me. "Changing together, there's nothing wrong it, but first, I think you need to know that I'm gay." 

He spoke without hesitation and his gaze remained steady. Cary's confidence left me frozen in my place with shock. Did he really just state what I think he did, point blank? How does he just say that sort of thing without missing a beat? Can a person really say that without any sense of shame?

Cary went on and continued. "If you're not comfortable with it, you can go ahead and say so..."

I snapped out of it and quickly responded, "Oh! No, not at all. Nothing like that." How could I say have a problem with it when I'm... the same? 

"Alright. Then..." Cary pulled the shed door open. Holding it open, he gestured for me to go in. "After you."

We changed silently on opposite sides of the dimly-lit toolshed, each facing the wall. I was self-conscious after the way Cary had stared at me when we were hosing off, but when I glanced back, I could see he was making a point of staring straight ahead at the wooden wall. As he pulled his wet t-shirt over his head, sunlight from the nearby window glistened off his muscular back... Not a bad view... Wait a second! What?

Snapping of out it, I quickly turned my head back to my own wall. I did not just catch myself staring at the naked back of Cary Sullivan.

As we finished changing, Cary's mom knocked on the door to check on us. Upon leaving the shed, she insisted that I stay for dinner while our clothes were left to dry in the dryer.

Dinner was lively, as you can imagine, with four screaming children and all seven of us crowded around the table in the small dining room. Cary's father never showed up. I decided it would be impolite to ask about it.

The boys interrogated me with lots of questions. Apparently, they weren't used to Cary bringing home friends. Whenever they would ask more personal questions, Cary would  scold them or glance at me apologetically. He seemed so different around his family, so normal.

After dinner, I was told to stay with Cary in his room while we waited for the clothes to finish drying. Inevitably, it was uncomfortable and silent. Standing awkwardly by Cary, I asked to sit down.

"Oh, go ahead, of course." He quickly pulled out a chair from the desk against the wall before sitting himself on the bed. As we sat once again in silence, I couldn't help but feel the need to bring up what Cary had mentioned before.

"Uh, hey, that thing you brought up before, is that really true? It's not a joke, right?"

"What thing?" Has he already forgotten?

"That thing about you... being gay..." 

Cary seemed slightly puzzled. "Well, of course. You thought it was a joke?"