Ryder's Boys

by Cody Ryder

  I nodded and tried to smile. “Thanks, Frankie. I’m so sorry about all this.”

  “You have no need to be sorry. You didn’t do a thing, Luke, you had no idea some fucker would break into your place. When I agreed to help Will out, I did it knowing full well that eventually it could all come out. I could give two shits about what ‘the public’ thinks about what I do with my personal life.” She did quotes in the air with her fingers. “It’s ridiculous that being gay is even any kind of scandal anymore.”

  Will nodded in agreement. “Still, I guess we should all get ready to be in the tabloids for a while. The press and the public can be brutal. The fake relationship aside, I can’t imagine my fan base responding well to this whole thing.”

  “You’re telling me the fangirls don't want leaked nudes of you?” Frankie laughed.

  “You know my mom has worked hard to maintain a wholesome image for my brand. They call me Bieber without the bad decisions. There’s going to be a lot of disappointment for sure. It’ll probably take a while for me to recover from it all, but I suppose it’s okay. I’m not going to renew my contract anyway.”

  “You’re not?” Frankie said, shocked. She looked at me, her eyes wide.

  “He just told me today,” I said.

  “Chances are whoever got the photos will recognize just who it is that’s standing there showing off his parts, and sell the things online for a boatload of cash. They’ll be published, passed around…and people will definitely be upset about the relationship thing. Whether it bothers your or not, Frankie, this could really put a streak on your career. Producers can be weird about scandals, you know that.”

  Frankie’s disbelief that this could even be a scandal today had gotten me thinking. There was no way to get the photos back or prevent them from being seen, but maybe there was a way that we could prevent this whole thing from blowing out of proportion. It would take quick action and a good deal of work, but the more I thought about it, the more I believed that it was possible.

  “I’m sure my mother will disown me, though,” Will said with a sad smile. “To see me involved in a scandal…to see my name plastered all over the e-tabloids, and all people she’s going to have to answer to. I don’t think she’d be able to forgive me.”

  “I think…I think there may be a way we can fix this.”

  “What do you mean?” Will asked. “How?”

  “Well, not entirely. The photos were stolen and are probably going to make it out there eventually. We could either risk waiting to see if it will happen, or we could act first. People are supportive for gay rights, and more people are becoming aware, right? There are people who need inspiration to come out of the closet. Shit, I was in denial about it for almost my entire life. What if we could be that inspiration?”

  Frankie’s mouth curled into a smile. “I think I know where you’re going with this. Go on.”

  And so I laid out my plan for them, and by the end of it Will was on his feet, pacing back and forth, nodding. Frankie grinned and clapped her hands together. “I don’t see a reason why wouldn’t shouldn’t do it.”

  “We’ll need to start now,” he said. “If we’re going to do this, we can’t risk wasting any time. Are you guys ready to pull an all-nighter?”

  “I already got three hours of sleep,” Frankie said. “I’m good.”

  I was wide awake from the rushing adrenaline. “I’ll call April. If she doesn’t wake up I’ll drive over to her place and bang on her door.”

  But she did wake up, and when she heard the full thing from me, starting from what had happened to what we planned to do, she wasted no time coming over. She arrived with her laptop bag slung around her, a pair of light stands under one arm and her camera bag gripped in the other hand, and the two of us set up the equipment while Frankie went to her car and got an emergency outfit she kept in there for last minute auditions. Will sat at his computer, writing down what he was going to say.

  By the time we finished with everything, it was pushing six in the morning. I would occasionally check my cell phone with the fear that I’d see it was too late, and that our photos were already smeared across the Internet tabloids, but they weren’t.

  April published the article complete with a video interview and full gallery of our photographs on her website by six thirty. Immediately afterwards, both Frankie and Will Tweeted out the link to their millions of online followers, setting everything in motion. They both let out a long breath, and set their phones onto the table. “I’m turning mine off,” Frankie said. “I’ll wait for the reaction from everyone in the studio today.”

  “Guess I will too,” Will said. “If only so that I can get some sleep before the inevitable knocks on my door come.”

  “I think I’d better contact my web host,” April said dazedly. “I don't want my site to crash.” She yawned. “Speaking of crashing, can I pass out on your couch? I don't think I can drive home right now.”

  “Go for it,” Will said. “I’m just about to keel over myself.”

  He and I crawled into bed, and despite the intensity of the last few hours, I fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.

  Twelve

  If our photos were going to be put up on the Internet, why let some asshole make money off them?

  My plan was simple – we would take the wind out of any potential controversy by releasing the photos ourselves. If the thief tried to sell them, they would be turned away. After all, who would pay money for what’s already available online?

  Frankie interviewed the two of us on video telling our story. We didn’t make any apologies for anything, because there wasn’t anything to apologize for. We were making our announcement to the world that we were not afraid, and that we were no longer willing to hide behind a lie. It felt good to come out with it, to speak straight to the camera and announce that we were together, and I realized that what had happened was actually a great blessing. It had forced us to confront something that we had been too afraid to face straight on our own, and hopefully help other people while doing it. At the end of the interview, Will announced that he would not be making anymore pop albums, and we encouraged people to not be afraid to be themselves.

  The ring of the doorbell made us both shoot up in bed. I grabbed my cell phone, saw that it was off, and then looked at the digital clock on the table by the bed. We’d been asleep for five hours. We were both still wearing our clothes from the night before, having been too damn tired to change into pajamas, and we slipped out of bed and went out into the living area. April sat up from the couch, her eyes in a tired squint. “Whuhfuh?” she mumbled.

  Will went to the door and looked through the peephole, and then opened it to let Frankie inside. “Tried to get ahold of you guys, but your phones were off,” she said, taking off her big, bug eyed dark glasses. “I’m guessing you have no idea what’s going on?”

  We both shook our heads. “We’ve been asleep.”

  “It’s insanity out there,” she said. “Well, at least it feels like it is. People at the studio kept coming up to me, telling me how much they admired what I did for you guys. My phone has been blowing up non-stop.

  “Holy shit,” April said. “My Facebook page has gotten ten thousand follows since the article went live.”

  “Your plan worked, Luke,” Frankie smiled. “Look.”

  She went over to Will’s laptop and turned it on, and then navigated to her Facebook account. My heart was hammering, and when I saw the first story on the feed it nearly leapt to my throat. It was post made by an LGBTQ awareness page that said, “Listen to singer William Masterson and his partner Luke Golden’s heartwarming story, and why actress Francesca White acted to protect their relationship. You’re bound to be inspired and moved!” The link went to April’s website.

  The next story had the headline, “Hearthrob singer William Masterson comes out as gay! Releases sensual photo series with him and his partner.”

  The one after that, “William Masteron reveals he’s gay, to retir
e from music. Publishes nude photo book. (Why couldn’t it have been a sex tape?)” I couldn't help but laugh at that one.

  There were dozens more, all pointing to April’s website where the exclusive story and photos were, and if there were any negative posts, they were vastly outnumbered by the positive ones. We looked on Twitter and saw that Will’s tweet had been reposted nearly twenty thousand times, with replies like, “I’m going to tell my parents today.”

  It was overwhelming. Hot tears filled my eyes as I thought about all the years I had been too afraid to admit that I was gay. I felt ashamed that I had been ashamed about it, that I had fought so hard to convince myself that I did like women, but just hadn’t found the right one yet. I had loosened up so much ever since April and I met during college, but before that…the denial had been so strong that it had blinded me to myself. I looked at Will, and saw that his eyes were wide. “This is amazing,” he said. “I don’t believe it.” He turned and saw the tears that were running down my cheeks, and drew one arm around me, hugging me close to him.

  “It’s a good thing that I got here so quickly,” Frankie said. “Your mother called me when she couldn't get ahold of you. She said she was on her way here.”

  He straightened up slightly. “How did she take it?”

  “About as well as you might imagine.”

  He nodded grimly.

  April went back home to make sure the website didn’t go down from all the traffic, leaving the three of us sitting quietly around the dining table, watching the messages of support and love pour in through the Internet. Frankie’s phone rang, and she smiled when she looked at the screen and answered it.

  “Hello? Hi Ellen. Yeah, I’m doing great…”

  She went off to talk, and when she returned she said, “That was Ellen DeGeneres. She’s one of my cast mates on the animated movie. She wanted to know if we would come on her show to be interviewed.”

  “That was quick,” Will laughed. “What did you tell her?”

  “Yes, obviously. Though I said I couldn’t speak for you two, but I’m sure you’ll do it, right?”

  “Of course,” we both agreed. A ball of good, positive publicity had started rolling, and it would be best if we urged its momentum forward as much as possible. It was a little overwhelming to know how many people now knew about our story, about our relationship, and that I even existed. What had spread on the web would be on the entertainment news shows. Once it hit Ellen, our story would heard and known even by people who could care less about the life of some pop singer. It amazed, overwhelmed and yes, frightened me how quickly things could spread online.

  Will brought out his guitar and started to play. At first it was just him absently strumming bits and pieces of songs, just a time passer way of playing. He played a sequence a few times, cocking his head to it, and then started to hum along. Soon he was assembling a brand new song, singing brand new lyrics to it, and both Frankie and I had turned our attention completely to him. It would’ve been impossible not to – he was magic.

  He nodded to himself when he was done. “Yeah.”

  “That was beautiful,” I said.

  “I’m going to make a new album,” he said with decided finality. “When I go back to school. My own songs on guitar.”

  “That’s a fantastic idea, Will,” Frankie said. “I’d never heard you play your own music before. It would be such a shame if you didn’t share that with all your fans.”

  He played a few more songs for us, each one of them brand new and written right on the spot. I was so completely drawn in – all three of us were – my love for him buzzing in my chest and the stress and craziness of the past few hours melting away into the music. New beginnings. That’s what today was.

  There was a knock on the door when Will finished playing, and we all knew who it was. He set the guitar aside and went to open it for Linda.

  She had on large dark glasses like Frankie had been wearing, and was dressed in sharp business attire, a full on blazer and pencil skirt that looked like it was probably uncomfortable to wear in this summer heat. A lump rose in my throat as I anticipated angry words to be exchanged, but she was quiet.

  “Hi, mom,” Will said. “Come inside?”

  She nodded and followed him in. I stood up and Frankie did too, coming to my side

  Linda looked at me icily. “I knew there was something strange going on when I first met you,” she said. “I knew it, and I should’ve put my foot down then.”

  “Mom,” Will said, his voice tight but patient. “Meeting Luke is the best thing that’s happened to me. You couldn’t have done anything to keep us apart, even if you did try.”

  “Best thing? Will, honey. What about the two platinum albums? The first time your shows sold out?”

  He shook his head. “Luke has done so much for me in the short time we’ve been together, mom. He’s given me control of my life. He’s reminded me that I have a choice. I want you to know that I came to the decision to leave the contract before we even decided to make this announcement today.”

  She took a deep breath. “I can’t believe you would do this to your career. To yourself. Your reputation. Releasing those photos online…it’s not you.”

  “It’s not the you that you want to believe I am, mom. You’ve been shaping me to be someone I’m not. It’s been that way my whole life, but especially since dad died.”

  “Don’t bring you father into this.” Her voice drew quiet, and for the first time I saw a flicker of doubt cross her face.

  “I thought that making you happy was honoring his memory, but now I understand. Dad would’ve wanted me to stay in school. He encouraged me to go to school, mom.”

  “So you’re just going to throw away everything. Your career.”

  “No, I’m not. I’m just going to do it for me now. I’m going back to design school. I’ll keep making music, but not under the label.

  “I just can’t believe you’ve done this,” she said, shaking her head. Then she glared at me. “You have no right to be interfering with my son’s life!”

  “Will has made his own choice,” I said, my voice steady. “He’s living his life.”

  He came to me and took my hand. “Everything I’ve done so far has been to make you happy. To fulfill your dreams. They’re all things you wanted, mom, not me. I hope you can understand why we did what we did.”

  “Things could’ve turned out much worse than they did, Linda,” Frankie said. “I’m surely you’ve seen the reaction to their announcement. It could’ve been a scandal, but the response has been nothing but positive.”

  “Yes,” Linda said. “And thank God for that at least.”

  “It was Luke's idea,” Frankie continued. “Just last night those photos were on the verge of being leaked by a thief, sold to the tabloids. It was Luke’s plan to release them first before that could happen. And it worked, Linda.”

  Her glare softened for a moment. “It shouldn’t have happened in the first place,” she said in a low voice. “I don’t know what to be more disappointed about, the fact that my son is gay, or that he’s given up his entire career.”

  Frankie gasped. Will’s hand flinched in mine.

  “I think you need to leave, ma’am,” I said coldly, pointing to the door.

  She looked to her son, expecting something from him, I didn’t know what. An apology? Him saying that he changed his mind?

  “Get out,” I repeated.

  Linda looked at Will with pleading eyes. It seemed like she knew she had gone too far, maybe even said something she didn’t mean. But she refused to apologize. She only stood there, refusing to look at me, her eyes begging her son to reconsider his decision.

  “Go home, mom,” Will said. “Just go home.”

  Linda took a breath, straightened up, and marched to the door. She hung there for a moment. “I heard you playing your guitar. You played beautifully, Will.” Then she left. We all stood there silently for a moment in her wake, the door hanging open. Finally,
Will went forward and shut it. I hugged him, and then Frankie came and put her arms around the both us, and we stood silently in a group hug.

  Thirteen

  “Um, hi.” I felt a tap on my shoulder as I snapped a few shots of wedding decorations, and I turned around to see the maid of honor standing there with a look on her face that I had seen so many times over the past year.

  “Hello,” I said, waiting for the inevitable question.

  “You’re Luke Golden? The Luke Golden?”

  “I’m a Luke Golden.”

  “But you’re the Luke Golden that’s dating William Masterson, right?”

  “Guilty,” I said, turning back to continue shooting. There was a lot to do, especially now that I was on my own. April had resigned her position as my wedding photographer assistant to work on her website full time. She’d had to hire an assistant of her own, things had grown so rapidly. I thought about looking for someone new – actually I hadn’t needed to look, there were people coming to me wanting a job, many of which were complete strangers (and some who weren't even photographers) – but I decided that I’d just take things on solo. There wasn’t a shortage of work, and I was able to charge more just because of my name and who I was associated with. And people were happy to pay. So many of my clients were just excited to have William Masterson’s boyfriend as their wedding photographer, I probably could’ve taken their wedding photos with an iPhone and they would’ve been fine with it.