Page 5 of Pieces of Me

“Dad, stop―” Rylan began, and Bob gave an emphatic shake of his head.

“You’re too young to know your mind yet, son,” he said firmly, and Rylan faced him.

“I’m old enough to know that I like guys, not girls.” His voice was equally as firm, and pain shot through him when Bob’s lips thinned into a tight line.

“This has been a hard year on all of us, Rylan. What your mom did, me being gone so much, it’s no wonder you’ve been feeling confused as hell. But now we have a chance to be―we can get back to being normal.”

This wasn’t the time or place, so Rylan didn’t argue, didn’t waste his breath trying to convince his dad that being gay was normal and that hanging around a lot of girls wouldn’t change the way he was made. His big mistake, he thought ruefully as they got out of the truck, was coming out during the very emotional night when Bob was at last throwing Diane’s things away and raging about “no more secrets.”

Let’s promise to never let any secrets come between us, Ry!

Well, Rylan had let loose with a very big secret of his own in response to that, and while Bob’s reaction hadn’t been overwhelmingly positive, at least he hadn’t tossed Rylan out or said he didn’t love him anymore or some such bullshit. Instead, Bob apparently preferred to wait it out, wait for Rylan to come to his senses and admit that saying he was gay was just some big stress response to everything he’d gone through.

Rylan knew what he was, though, without a doubt. He had always…felt different, hadn’t giggled with his friends about how girls’ tits bounced when they ran in gym class, or tried as hard as he could to get a glimpse of lacy panties up the legs of their shorts when they sprawled on the bleachers above where the boys sat.

No. What excited him was the sight of the lifeguard at the local pool discreetly adjusting himself in his Speedo when he climbed down from the tower. Or the one time a friend’s dad had been sunning himself on a lounger nearby while Rylan clung to the side of the pool. From that vantage point, Rylan was able to see straight up the leg of the guy’s swim shorts, and was treated to a glimpse of crisp pubic hair and a hint of balls. That view, along with the sweat droplets caught in the man’s happy trail, had made Rylan painfully hard in an instant, and he’d been grateful as fuck for the shelter of the cold water his lower body was in.

“Maybe you’ll meet someone through him,” Bob said, his voice cheerful and determined. “A friend of a friend? That’s how I met―” He broke off with a wince, and Rylan reached out to pat his shoulder. He’d heard the story many times of how Bob and Diane met, at a party thrown by mutual friends.

“Sure, Dad.” Rylan let the argument about being gay go for the time being. “Scott seems to be pretty popular.” Indeed, there was quite a group gathered around him, and everyone was talking and laughing. The girl was still clinging to Scott like a limpet, plastered against his side.

“Well, come on, son. Let’s go see what they have.” Bob jerked his head toward the furniture store, and half an hour later, Rylan was the proud owner of a cheap black metal futon that could fold flat to sleep on or fold up to serve as a couch.

“Now you can have a place to sit and do homework or read,” Bob said as store employees loaded it into the bed of the truck. “I know living space is at a premium right now, and I appreciate your good attitude about all this more than I can say.” He wrapped his arm around Rylan’s shoulders and gave him a sort of awkward hug.

Rylan smiled. “I think it’s Scott you need to thank more than me,” he pointed out. “He was taken by total surprise today, and he could have told me to go―uh, screw myself, but he didn’t. He was cool about the sharing-the-bedroom thing.”

Bob nodded. “I’m so glad to hear that, son,” he said with relief. “Heather and I knew this wouldn’t be easy on you kids, but we―” His face suddenly crumpled. “Oh God. I acted pretty rashly with all this, didn’t I? I just wanted―” He was twisting his fingers together with anxious motions, and Rylan gave his arm a comforting squeeze.

“It’s gonna be okay, Dad,” he soothed. “Like you said, we’ll all work together. It’ll be okay,” he repeated, and after a few deep breaths, Bob regained some control over his emotions, giving Rylan a shaky smile.

“Thanks, Ry. You’re a damn good kid.”

Rylan didn’t say anything, and when the futon was secure in the truck bed, they headed toward the mall. They went their separate ways once inside, Bob going in search of a bathroom and Rylan to wander around a little before making his way to the food court where they’d agreed to meet Scott in an hour.

“If you run into him,” Bob called over his shoulder, “ask him if there’s anything he wants or needs. I was gonna get all the kids a little something as a ‘welcome to the family’ gift. Okay? Tell him not to go crazy, but if there’s something he’s been wanting, he can let me know.”

Rylan nodded and ambled off, his hands crammed in his jeans pockets. It wasn’t long until he heard laughter and caught a glimpse of glossy dark hair. Scott’s group was a little ahead of him, massed around the hot pretzel counter. As Rylan drew nearer, he realized Scott wasn’t with them and turned around, intending to pass them by.

He stopped short when he heard someone say, “So Lisa, are you gonna go with Scott to Homecoming? I heard he was about to ask you.”

He was shocked when Lisa, instead of showing enthusiasm, snorted out a derisive laugh. “Fuck no. That dude doesn’t have any money. I’m not wasting my gorgeous designer dress on dinner at McDonald’s.”

“Plus, what would he wear? The blue T-shirt, or the red one?” This malicious observation came from a muscly jock type, who was cramming pretzel bites into his mouth as fast as he could, spraying crumbs with every word.

“Oh God, Steve. Remember when he came to school that day in that shirt you gave to Goodwill? What was it, Ninja Turtles?”

Steve choked a little on his next bite. “No, it was Pokémon,” he chortled. “And I forgot all about that! I was so pissed my mom made me donate it, but it had that weird stain on the collar and she wouldn’t let me keep it. Then fucking Scott shows up wearing it, all proud of it and shit. Remember how we laughed? That was so funny!”

“Holy shit, really? I would die,” Lisa exclaimed, her eyes wide in horror. “First by having to go into such a nasty place as Goodwill, and then showing up at school wearing someone else’s castoffs.” She gave a delicate shudder. “So gross.”

“Why do you hang out with him?” This came from a slender redhead who was sipping some kind of fancy coffee drink. Rylan was sure as hell wondering the same thing by then, and he watched Lisa, waiting for her reply.

She took a delicate bite of her pretzel dog and wiped her lips with a napkin. “’Cause Jesus Christ, Brenda, have you seen him? Hottest guy in this piece of shit town.” She ignored Steve’s indignant “Hey!”

Brenda nodded agreement. “He’s, like, supermodel gorgeous,” she observed. “Are you guys―” She raised her brows significantly, and Lisa grinned.

“Of course.”