All the usual disclaimers apply. This story is fiction. None of
it is true; any resemblance to real people (alive or deceased) or
places is coincidental. If you're under 18 or it's illegal where
you live to possess stories where kids actually express their
sexuality, you should leave now.
Sex scale:
--> 0 - None at all (in this chapter!) I'm telling a love story. <---
1 - Nudge-nudge, wink-wink. Maybe a bit of kissing and petting.
2 - There's one sex scene, and it's rather tame
3 - I'm trying to balance story-telling and sex
4 - There is some plot, but there's also a lot of sex!
5 - Plot? What plot? Just a few words to set up the scenes.
Please support Nifty to keep this useful resource alive. You might
be using it for your pleasure, but for readers discovering their
sexuality it can be a resource as well.
Chapter 6
The water polo team had a decent but not great season. We made the quarter-finals, suffered a loss, and ended up on the 'B' side. For the last game of the season both Corwin and Fraser came out the pool to watch me play. I managed to score a goal in the last half, but the game ended in a defeat for our side, with the other team three points up in a 12-9 score.
We were a rather dejected bunch heading out of the locker rooms after showering and changing. I was met by Corwin and Fraser, both of whom congratulated me on my goal while being sympathetic for our loss. Letting down his guard for a moment (we weren't at school, after all) Corwin gave me a close and rather long hug.
"Maybe you shouldn't have done that," Fraser told his brother after we pulled apart. "Some of Lance's teammates noticed."
"Oh!" said Corwin. "Uh, yeah ..."
"Ah, don't worry about it," I told them. "They're good guys. Besides, it's normal for good friends to hug each other."
Two days later I got a call from the coach. He got straight to the point. "There are rumors going around that you're gay," he said.
I decided to play dumb. "What sort of rumors?"
"The guys from Tamarack High School tell me you've been hanging around a lot with a student who was roughed up earlier this year for being gay--"
"We're friends," I interrupted. "He lives just across the street from me. Ever since that scuffle at school his mom's been driving him back and forth. I go along with them because it's convenient."
"And then they told me that same boy gave you quite a hug after we lost the game on Saturday."
"Oh," I said. "Alright ... well, Corwin and I get along pretty well."
"A lot better than he gets along with anyone else at school, apparently. Look, not everyone's comfortable with the idea of having a gay player on the team. At least one of my better players has told me he'll leave if you're gay and stay on."
"Uh, alright, how about we just go with 'don't ask, don't tell'?"
"Too late for that," came the response. "I talked to your father last night. I got an earful, I can tell you."
Now I was starting to get upset. "So, wait--you start out by asking if I'm gay, then it turns out you already know?"
"I wanted to see how you'd react to the question. Pretty much what I expected: no confirmation, but no denial either."
"Okay!" I snapped back. "You've already bypassed the 'don't ask' part! Where does that leave 'don't tell'?"
"I'm not going to lie for you, Lance. If any player asks me if you're gay, I'm going to tell them the truth."
"What?! What about my right to privacy?"
"Not as much a right as you think. Listen, your teammates already have problems with the rumors you're gay. I can't compromise team morale. We barely made it into the semi-finals this year. I'm afraid we won't do as well next year if the team doesn't want you on it."
Now I was getting a steamed. It really sounded like he'd already made up his mind. "So what do you want me to do?" I asked curtly.
"I think for the good of the team you should take your leave. The season's over, so all you need to do is not show up for the first practice in August."
"You're kicking me off the team?"
"I didn't say that--"
"No, just like you didn't say 'Nice place you got here; would be a shame if it burned down.' I've got half a mind to show up at training in August just to see if you have the guts to kick me off!"
"You won't get the chance," he responded. "If you won't commit to leaving on your own, I'll do it by sending a letter."
"Then send your damned letter!" I snapped. "Because if you don't, damned sure I'll show up in August--with my boyfriend in tow!"
"As you wish. As of now, Lance, you're no longer on the team. You'll get the letter within a week. Good-bye."
I didn't bother with a "good-bye" of my own; I just terminated the call.
The letter arrived as promised, saying I was being released for "performance reasons" and unspecified "issues relating to the morale of the team as a whole." I showed it to Mom, explaining the wording was code for "we don't want you on the team because you're gay." She sighed, said how sorry she was for me, but didn't offer much support beyond that.
Corwin had his own take on it. "There are only two high schools in town. I'm sure some of your teammates go to Tamarack, right?"
"Yeah," I told him. "About a third. Ahkonshuck puts a higher value on athletics, so that's where most of the team's from."
"Right, and Ahkonshuck probably isn't as tolerant of gays. That's why you're off the team. Of course, now the whole team thinks you're gay, including the Tamarack kids. When we go back to school in August we might as well wear pink t-shirts with 'I'm With Him' printed on them."
"Shit!" I cried. "You get beat up because you're gay! I've been kicked off the water polo team for being gay. My brother hasn't talked to me in four months. I can't have you visit me at home because Mom's not comfortable with us. Why the hell are we still living here?"
"Mom and Dad are asking the same question," Corwin said. They're thinking about moving up north, somewhere in New England. Just to get away from all this crap."
"Seriously?" I asked.
"Yeah. I ... I wasn't planning on telling you until they'd decided one way or the other. I didn't want to get you all worried we'd have to break up, only to find out you didn't need to worry because we ended up deciding to stay."
I felt not only sad but a little scared. Aside from my sister, the Sarno family seemed to be the only ones who understood me.
That same week we celebrated the end of school and the start of summer with a trip to Starlight Beach. This time Fraser stayed behind. He had a girlfriend now and wanted to be with her more than he wanted to be at a nude beach. Of course his mom suggested he should just ask her along, but Fraser said he wasn't that close with her yet. He was also concerned his girlfriend would view the invitation in completely the wrong way.
Although we were both 16 and considered ourselves mature enough to visit the non-family section beyond the fallen tree, we decided against it. Our state was socially conservative and the age of consent was 18. We just didn't want to get into a whole lot of legal trouble.
We had a decently fun time, but I missed having Fraser with us. I mused he would make a great little brother. Well, at 14 he wasn't that little anymore, but still he was a fun guy to have around. My brother Rudy was almost twice my age and wasn't that much of a presence in my life; he'd moved out before I turned 10.
At least on the beach Corwin and I could be boyfriends. After all, people who enjoyed going naked in public were already a fairly tolerant bunch.
A tradition for the Sarnos on beach day was a stop at a family run burger restaurant on the way back home, the same one we'd visited last year. It had been there for years; Jim told me the business was now run by the grandchildren of the people who had started it. When he asked the teen-aged serving gal if she was part of the family, she said yes: she was a great-granddaughter of the founder's family.
Between ordering and receiving our food, Jim told me the news. "We're moving, Lance. I don't like this place, and I don't want Corwin and Fraser to have to put up with it anymore. I've already found a job and we'll be moving at the start of August."
I was hit with a sudden wave of sadness and loss. "Oh," was all I could come up with. "I guess, well, I think it'll be good for all of you. But I'm really going to miss Corwin."
"We've thought about that, too," said Heather. "And talked about it. We'd like to invite you to join us."
In an instant my sadness turned to amazement. "What? You mean--you'd really let me live with you? Like, pay for me and my clothes and food and everything, even though you don't have to?"
"We've decided it's worth it for you, Lance," said Jim. "You were living with us for two and a half months after your father kicked you out. The family budget didn't suffer that much. My new job pays better, which is good because the cost of living there is higher." He smiled. "We could say one good thing your father's done is footing bill for raising you up to now!"
"I should be able to find work as well," said Heather. "We're not concerned about the finances; we're much more concerned for your happiness and welfare."
I looked at Corwin. "Did you know about this?" I asked.
He nodded. "Things all came together just this week. Mom and Dad asked me not to say anything until all of us got together so we could talk about it."
"Okay," I said. "That makes sense. Wow, this is amazing! But, well, I'm going to have to think about it. Right now I think my mom needs me, even if she isn't really on my side."
Heather agreed. "It's something to consider. But I'm afraid we can't help you there. You'll have to work that out on your own. Oh, if you decide you want to come with us, you'll have to get her permission. Otherwise you'll be considered a runaway, and we'd be in trouble for not making sure you were returned home."
"It's not even July yet," Jim said. "You've got a month to think about it before you decide."
"I'm going to need it," I replied.
It was one of the toughest decisions of my young life. Searching the web helped a bit. There was lots of advice for people whose potential in-laws didn't like them (that would be the case for Corwin) and lots about parents who were uncomfortable with their gay sons. But there was almost nothing about my specific situation. I found articles talking about a child from a divorce wanting to live with the other parent, but nothing for a teenager wanting to switch out his whole family for another.
I could see Mom still loved and cared for me, even if she didn't really accept my sexuality. To me it felt like moving out of state would be rejecting her. I didn't want her to suffer the same enormous sense of loss I had when Dad rejected me.
It was all the more complicated because I was still a minor. In two more years I could leave on my own, and even do it on cordial terms. But right now, at 16?
I decided to talk to Janice. She'd done the same thing herself, moving out to be with her boyfriend. Mind you, she'd done it at 22.
I called and asked if we could meet over lunch. Of course she said yes, and two days later drove to my place and picked me up. We returned to her home, a nearly century old house on an acreage outside of town.
Janice had a rather plain face, with long brown hair and an infectious smile. Her partner Mitch was similar, also wearing his brown hair long, with a full beard as well. Despite his rather unconventional appearance he was gainfully employed at a material recovery facility (a fancy name for a recycling plant.) They both used "free spirited" to describe themselves, but were pretty low key about it. Of course they knew about my relationship with Corwin, and like his family they had no problems with it.
Between the two of them they'd prepared a hearty and delicious stew with home baked sourdough bread. Over lunch I told them about the offer Corwin's family had made. Given the problems he and I had run into for being gay, I found it very a tempting one. But at the same time I was torn between moving north with them or staying behind to be with Mom.
"The way I see it, Lance," Janice said, "it comes down to who do you love more, Corwin or Mom?"
"Oh, man, that's so hard to say!" I lamented. "Corwin's family's been there for me ever since they figured out we're boyfriends. But Mom's suffered a lot: finding out I'm gay and the marriage going up in flames because of it--"
"It's not because you're gay!" Janice retorted. "OK, it was the match that lit the fire, but it had been building for a long time. You can't blame your sexuality for Dad being an absolute ass and trying to screw all of us over."
"OK, but because of all that I feel I should be here for Mom," I said. "We've both had a pretty rough time of it this year. And yet, moving up north with Corwin--that's like a real opportunity. And I get to be with Corwin."
Mitch made an insightful comment. "The answer's easier than you think. Your mom has parental rights, so she gets to decide if you can go. All you can do is ask. If she says yes, you're on your way. Otherwise you'll have to say good-bye to Corwin."
"Almost," said Janice. "A big part is how the question is asked. This is what Lance is really wondering about. Does he phrase it in a way that implies he really wants to go, or more along the lines of 'I have this offer, but maybe I should stay with you instead'?"
"I could do that by not asking at all," I said.
Janice nodded. "So it's either ask and hope for 'yes,' or be quiet and nothing changes."
"And we're back where we started. Do I ask or not?"
"The way I see it," said Mitch, "leaving would give you a 5 year head start on your life. Otherwise you'll have to finish up high school here. After getting kicked off the water polo team it's going to be harder to hide that you're gay, which could make you a target at school and harm your education. Then you'll need to figure out what college you want to go to. If it's out of state you'll pay a lot more in tuition. No way your Dad's going to pay for it now. And I think you'd want to go out of state."
"Speaking of which," I asked, "why are you both still here? I mean, I think you'd fit in a lot more in California or Oregon."
Janice smiled. "We're here because we're trying to work for change. You know, haul our culture out of the 19th century and improve it for everyone. Especially for people like you."
"Yes," added Mitch. "We're still young and optimistic. Maybe we can leave this state a better place than we found it."
He went on to clarify his earlier comment. "When I said 5 years, I'm talking about how long it will take to really start your adult life and pay for college. If you're still living here and want to go to an out of state college, you'll pay thousands more in tuition, which will take longer to pay off. But if you're already living in there when you go to college, you'll be considered in-state. The tuition will be lower and the Sarnos may even be able to assist you. Well, some of that may depend on how you and Corwin are getting along 3 years from now."
"Right," said Janice. "Dad's probably going to spend the money he was saving for your college on something like a new car instead."
I agreed. "Yeah, probably. Me being gay may have disappointed the crap out of him, but it's sure saved him a lot of money."
"Except for the divorce," Janice said. "And there's another complication: child support. If you take off to New England, Mom's no longer taking care of you, so Dad doesn't have to fork over a few thousand a year for your upkeep. So he saves even more money."
"I don't think so," said Mitch. "Lance's still his child. He doesn't have custody, so he still has to pay child support. The payments should go to the Sarnos instead."
"Or he can keep paying Mom," I said. "I'm sure she can use the money. The Sarnos have already said they don't see me as a financial burden."
Mitch shook his head. "The money's supposed to be used for you, Lance. If your Dad found out you weren't at home anymore and your mom's been keeping the child support for herself, he could raise a stink about it. And I wouldn't be surprised if he'd turn around and sue her to get it all back."
"Okay," I said, "all this assumes Mom lets me move in with Corwin's family."
"So you're going to ask her, then?" asked Janice.
That gave me pause. I'd just as much as said I'd prefer to be with Corwin instead of staying with Mom.
"Well, I'd like to. But right now I'm helping her around the apartment. That's why I'm thinking I should stay."
"I don't think it's a compelling reason," said Janice. "Lots of people live on their own these days, even if they're employed full time. Rudy's doing it. And look at it this way: without a teenager at home, Mom could find it easier to attract someone to live with."
I laughed. "You mean, a boyfriend!"
"Exactly!" Janice responded. "And don't forget, both me and Rudy are still in town. No, if you move out, Mom's going to be looked after. She's had to make a lot of adjustments this year already, and I'm sure she can handle another."
Mitch added, "I've already said it, Lance: going with the Sarnos is going to jump start your life. The people there may not embrace you and your boyfriend with open arms, but they'll for sure be more welcoming than here. You're better off going."
I looked at Janice. "If I decide to ask her, will you be there to support me?"
"If course I will," she replied.
Janice drove me home. While waited for Mom to come back home from work, Janice and I prepared dinner. Mom was delighted to see her daughter and didn't seem to notice Mitch wasn't there with her.
We waited until after dinner to sit down with Mom and fill her in on why Janice was here. We told her about the offer Corwin's family had made, and how we felt it was a good opportunity for me. We touched on how much I'd struggled with even asking her to let me move. Briefly we talked about how we'd apply to have child support transferred to the Sarnos, and how with an empty nest Mom might be able to attract someone else into her life.
Of course she couldn't answer right away; it was an awful lot to ask of her. She'd already lost her husband, and now she was being asked to let go of her youngest son a few years before she had expected to.
She didn't reject the proposal outright, which both Janice and I saw as a good sign. After Janice left I called Corwin to let him know I'd decided to ask permission to move in with them and it was now up to my Mom. We didn't want to get our hopes up, but things were looking good.
The next day she asked if we could go to visit the Sarnos. She wanted to meet all of them: Heather, who she already knew, and Jim of course, and Corwin as well, given that me and him were the catalyst for all the drama of the last 6 months. I suggested to Corwin that Fraser be there, too. He was such a likable kid that I was sure Mom would warm to him, which I saw as improving the chances she'd agree.
It was another sign she was taking the offer seriously: she wanted to meet the family who was asking to care for me for the next two years. To now I'd been looking at this situation from my point of view and how it would affect me. I was starting to realize Mom needed a lot more information if she was going to be comfortable letting another family, one she hardly knew, to look after her youngest son.
The conference went as well as could be expected. Mom had a lot of questions; Jim and Heather were open, honest, and reassuring. Corwin and I were nervous. Fraser was calm and confident.
Heather emphasized she in no way saw Mom as being unable or unwilling to look look after me, nor did she even question if she loved me. They were moving because they wanted a more welcoming environment for their older son, and saw how it could make life easier for me as well. She and Jim acknowledged they were asking a lot of her. Mom had the final say. If she decided against it, I'd be staying with her and that would be the end of the matter.
We all talked about the 2-1/2 months I'd spent with them as an unexpected guest. It had worked out remarkably well, which played a significant role in them deciding to ask if I wanted to move with them. We even mentioned that because Corwin and I were boyfriends we got along better than most siblings. Even if we broke up, I'd still be considered part of the family, and both of us were sure we'd still tolerate each other. Or I could even come back home to her.
Mom reserved her decision. She now had the information she needed, but had to think it over.
It was a long four days for me, my mom, and Corwin. Twice Mom asked me if I truly wanted to move out of state. I said yes, not because I wanted to leave her behind, but because of the unfriendly social environment I was stuck in.
When she at last came to a decision, it surprised even me. "You know I've really been thinking about this," she said. "Here's an idea: how about we both move?"
"You mean, we go live in New England like the Sarnos are going to do?" I asked. "You'd do that?"
"Why not? The original idea behind you going with the Sarnos was to give you a head start on your life that you can't get here. Maybe I can do the same: make a fresh start. Right now I'm focusing on you, getting you ready for when you finally leave home, perhaps to go to college. I can do that up north as well as here. We've just moved house, so I don't really have that much stuff right now. It would add only a little to the cost of moving all of the Sarno's possessions."
"You have a job here," I told her.
"I'm sure I can find another one, and Jim and Heather might be able to help me. It all works out: you'll be better off, you'll still have Corwin, and we'll still be together. And no legal hassles over who's supposed be be looking after you."
"Does that mean you're OK with me and Corwin?"
"I can accept it, even if I don't like it all that much. And if it was a girl named Catherine we wouldn't even be talking about all this. It's all happened because you have a boyfriend, and that's not accepted here."
"Are you sure you can handle moving?" I asked.
"It's been a tumultuous year already," Mom replied. "With you and the Sarnos there for me, I'm sure I can make it."
And so we moved. As Mom had noted, packing up the apartment was easy because we'd just moved in, and in fact not everything had been unpacked. We found someone to sublet to and both Rudy and Janice promised to keep an eye on the new tenants.
The Sarnos chipped in for us by hiring a larger truck for the move and directing the company to load from both places. Mom offered to help pay, but they wouldn't hear of it.
Getting both me and Mom there took some planning. If it was just me going with Corwin's family, we'd pack the five of us into their SUV for the trip. It wouldn't work with 6 people. So the Sarnos drove the 1200 miles to their new home, while Mom and I stayed behind with Janice and Mitch for three days before taking a flight. By then the Sarnos had started moving in to their new home. They found both me and Mom places to sleep until we could find an apartment.
We didn't have that much time to find a place, nor very much money. We settled for a two bedroom apartment in a less than desirable part of town, planning to move up in a year once Mom got established. I was hoping my physique would help keep the tough kids off my case. The Sarnos lived a couple of miles away, and to stay in shape I took to jogging there and back every day.
Integrating into the community would take a bit of time. All of us exhibited a noticeable southern drawl in our speech which immediately showed our origins. Whenever we spoke with someone for the first time we could sense guards going up, which we attributed to us being stereotyped as rednecks. Fortunately it usually took only a few minutes of conversation to establish our values and theirs were more aligned than would seem at first glance. Typical for Fraser he hammed it up a bit, trying to be the archetype of a southern gentleman, although being only 14 he certainly didn't look the part!
The city had three high schools. We checked them out and one immediately caught our eye by including a Gay-Straight Alliance in its list of extra-curricular groups. That was icing on the cake, for by state law all schools protected LGBT students under anti-bullying legislation, and the school division's web site highlighted those policies. All three of us, me, Corwin, and Fraser, enrolled there.
Both Heather and my mom found jobs at retail stores downtown. Almost before we knew it September rolled around, and with it the start of school. Corwin and I enjoyed the extra couple weeks of vacation, for back in our home state school started in mid-August. We'd knew we'd feel it at the other end of the school year, though, with school letting out at the end of June instead of half way through.
Two weeks after starting at our new high school, Corwin and I entered a room after the end of classes where about a dozen other kids were hanging out along with a teacher. When asked to introduce ourselves I started with, "I'm Lance Hollmeyer," then gesturing to Corwin added, "and this is my boyfriend Corwin."
Quietly and looking only at me, he added, "I'm Corwin Sarno, and this is my boyfriend Lance."
We were greeted with a round of applause. We felt like we'd finally come home.
The End
Author's notes
I was deliberately vague about where the story's located, because
I didn't want to make any gaffes by naming a particular city or
even a state and then getting some details wrong. When I wanted
to get a feel for the social and political climate of Corwin and
Lance's home I used Tennessee as a guide, and the state they
moved to was based on Vermont.
If you enjoyed this story, please let me know by dropping me a
line at ethanflowers98@protonmail.com.
You might like the other story I have on Nifty: A Hole in The
Fence, in Young Friends