I remember exactly when it happened.
It was 11:39 PM, New York Time, and I was on my floor playing spin the bottle with a group of friends. I was fifteen. I kissed my best friend Ray and I knew.
I was gay.
Now I was nineteen. I hadn't told anyone, or even said it out loud.
Time to change. I wanted to tell the whole world.
I picked up my coat and ran out the door. Mikey asked where I was going, but I ignored him. I ran up seven flights of stairs, bursting through the door to the roof, scattering pigeons and dropping to my knees to breathe. As soon as I caught my breath, I pulled on my jacket and walked over to the edge.
I inhaled slowly and stepped up on the ledge. But instead of jumping, I opened my mouth and screamed, "I'm gay!"
People down on the sidewalk below stopped and looked around, trying to find out where the shout had come from.
"I'm gay!" I shouted again. "It feels so good to say that!"
"I'm gay too!" a new voice shouted.
I looked across the street to see a window in a different apartment building open. A man, who was fairly attractive from what I could see, was hanging out of it, smoking, it looked like.
"My name is Frank! Wanna date?" the man asked.
I grinned. "Okay!"