"How did you...?" I ask.
"All the romance options in the games, you always choose guys. So you saw some guy at the mall and he made you cream." His eyes go wide. "Dude are you dating someone and not telling us?" I blush and give myself away. "Where did you meet him?"
"At the store a few weeks ago. We've been texting. I ran into him at the mall. He asked me to dinner."
"And when did he make you cream?"
"He walked me to the car and we made out and it got a little... heavy. It wasn't all one sided." I say slipping out of my jeans and underwear into the new pants.
"You going to bring him around." I snort.
"No." I admit. "Well not yet at least."
"Why not?" He asks.
"Because I haven't told mom and dad I'm gay." He shakes his head.
"You shouldn't need to. You should just be able to bring him around and say hey this is the person I like. You know they aren't going to care. They are really cool about the serious stuff."
"Yeah but what if this is like, the one thing they can't stand?"
"Then you can come live with me at college." Wow my playboy older brother who had his own apartment at college, he was only back for the summer, was going to let his little brother cramp his style.
"Thanks." He nods and gets out of the car. Going inside mom is standing there and raises an eyebrow.
"Put your pants in the washer I'll wash them." I flip to look at Andy.
"I didn't say anything."
"I think I'm smart enough to see him run you out some pants. I know you are grown enough not to pee yourself so what happened that made you need new pants and not want us to see it?" I said nothing and went for the laundry room. She followed. "Well?" I stayed silent. There was no way I could tell my mother I'd creamed my pants. Dad tapped her shoulder getting her attention. She rolled her eyes.
"I'm his mother why can't I know?" She asks he says nothing and she just walks away. He steps in and looks at me.
"I just want to make sure there wasn't some trouble or something. I'm guessing like most young guys you got a little over excited and needed new pants right?" I nod and feel my face boiling in embarrassment. "Want to tell me what happened?" I shook my head no. Remembering what Andy said about telling him I was gay I hesitated but I couldn't do it. Not yet. I wanted him to know about Zach. I really liked him and I wanted to share the happiness with my family but what if they didn't like it or couldn't accept it. Dad nods and starts to leave.
"Dad..." He stops. I winced I couldn't do it, not yet. "Never mind." He nods and leaves. I go up and get in the shower then flop on my bed. My phone dings. Grabbing it I see that Zach is texting.
'So how was your shower?' I blushed and admitted the truth.
'Longer than it would have been if I'd just been washing.'
'Me too.' I wondered and decided that he was probably the only person I could ask so I took a breath and started typing.
'Hey can I ask you something serious?'
'Always.'
'How did you tell your family you were gay? I haven't and don't know what to do.'
'Oh, well I'm not the example. I had a free weekend at home in high school. They were supposed to be away until Monday. But came home Sunday midday and caught me in bed with my boyfriend at the time.'
'LOL, yeah I don't want to do that. Did they take it alright?'
'They didn't care that I was gay, they did care that I was having sex and I was grounded for two weeks.'
'That's nice that they didn't care. I don't think my family would care. My brother already knows. Said he figured it out because I always romance the guys on my video games.'
'He's good with it?'
'Yeah.'
'You know if they don't like it you'll be going off to college in the fall, right? You'll be away from them if they throw a fit.'
'I've got one more year of high school. I had to repeat a year when I was in grade school.' There was a pause before he texted back.
'Why'd you have to repeat?'
'I'm dyslexic it screwed with me that year but we figured out my trouble and I have been fine since.'
'Oh. Well just so you know I think your parents will be fine. They are the hard part. If they know then it's easier to tell other people.' He started asking me about my senior year and I texted with him until I had to say goodnight.
___
"Dude why do I have to tell them?" My brother was asking me.
"Because I'm a lily-livered chicken. Please I'll be right there but will you tell them?"
"No. Grow a set. School starts this week you want to start with them knowing and have a good year. So tell them. I'm going back to school next week." Andy tells me. I'd been in his room for an hour trying to get him to do this for me.
"Fine will you at least come with me?" He nods and stands up. I head for my parents who were fixing dinner. I stand and stare. I had no idea what I wanted to say though.
"Hey guys," Andy says getting their attention, "He's got something he needs to say." They stand there and stare at me.
"Uh..." I start to turn but Andy stops me and turns me back around. "I can't." I hiss at him.
"Just spit it out." He tells me. I look at them then close my eyes take a deep breath.
"I'm gay." I say. When there's no sound I open my eyes and look at them.
"Is that it?" Mom asks.
"What do you mean is that it?" I ask on a huff.
"We knew that Angelo. There's nothing about you that's a secret. Not even that guy you've been texting with all summer." I squeak and turn to Andy.
"I didn't say a word." He says and goes to poke his fingers in the dressing mom was making. Dad chuckles.
"Angelo, we've known you since you were born, we know you well." Anise who was sitting at the table and had heard me tipped her head to the side.
"What's gay?" She asks.
"It means he likes guys instead of girls." Andy says. She frowns.
"You still like me and mommy don't you?"
"Yes but he means I'll date guys instead of girls."
"Oh. Okay." She goes back to her coloring. I just stand there as my family goes on.
"Seriously? No one's got anything to say about me being gay?" I ask loudly my hands out at the side.
"Sorry." Mom says and smiles at me, "Your parade was in June you missed it. We'll go next year if you want." I laugh and shake my head.
"No thanks."
"I should thank you though, I bet your mom that you'd come out before high school was over. She said you'd wait till you could run away to college. I get to pick a color and she has to dye her hair." Dad says to me. Laughing I just shake my head again and go sit next to Anise and help her color. That night I lay out my outfit for school the next day then pick up my phone. Dad pops into my doorway.
"By the way, no boys in your room, none in the car, and if we catch you having sex you are grounded. We'd like to meet this guy you are dating though. Invite him for dinner."
"Maybe." Is all I say. I pull up my texts to Zach.
'Well I told them.'
'How did they take it?'
'They went, 'We know,' and went on with making dinner. They even put it together that I've been texting you and stuff. No one cared a bit. It's nice but I was expecting more. I think I like the nothing though.' He sends me a grinning emoji.
'That's great. What did you tell them about me?' He asks.
'Nothing. You are the first guy I've dated and I'm nervous I guess. They said to invite you to dinner. So if you want to come...' I waited.
'I'd like that. Let's wait till schools rolling along then I'll come over. One stressful thing at a time.'
'Yeah that's a good idea.' We chatted then I said goodnight so I'd get some sleep for school.