Diana: He’s gay.
Lucas: You make me nervous.
3. What is your overall reaction to the poem?
Lisa: You should at least buy him dinner and a movie first. Don’t be so cheap.
Zach: No one wants to hear about your kinky fetishes.
Diana: Lame pickup line. But you get bonus points for delivery. Score!
Lucas: I’m surprised you wrote about me.
He really was surprised. Donovan had obviously planned this in advance. He’d put time and effort into it. Lucas felt flattered, even if he was painfully embarrassed. Especially by some of those comments. No one had ever done anything like this for him before. Did Donovan like him like that?
When Lucas found the courage to look up from the paper, everyone in the group was gawking at him.
Donovan wore a sly smile. “What do you say?”
“Okay.”
As soon as Lucas said it, Zach jumped out of his seat and yanked his desk away. He turned in his paper, grabbed his backpack, and stormed out the door.
Lucas stared at the empty doorway, a little stunned.
“Forget him,” Donovan said. “If he doesn’t like queers, that’s his problem.”
Lucas blushed, uncomfortable at hearing himself referred to like that. Donovan was right, though. If Zach didn’t like him, there was nothing he could do about it.
DONOVAN grabbed a table near the back of the coffee shop and sat down to wait for Lucas. He smiled as he thought about the stunt he’d pulled in English. Of course Lucas had said yes. Donovan had pulled out all the stops. He’d written poetry, for God’s sake. And it had taken him far longer than he cared to admit. But this was important. Donovan pulled out his phone.
Donovan: waiting for L
Trish: be nice
Donovan: butt of course
Trish: i mean it. don’t scare him away
Donovan: you mean with my enormous cock?
Trish: omg do i need to chaperone?
Donovan: calm your tits, i’ll be nice
Trish: you better or i swear i’m not bringing you to alex’s party
Donovan: what if he doesn’t want to go?
Trish: then i’m leaving you home and going stag
Donovan: bitch. fine i’ll convince him to cum
Trish: watch your mouth. he’s sensitive
Lucas entered the coffee shop, then stuffed his hands into his sweatshirt. He looked around, shoulders hunched.
Donovan sighed. Why was Trish trying so hard to set him up with Lucas? Could she not see how pathetic he was?
Donovan walked over to him and said hello.
Lucas smiled. “Hi.”
“You want something to drink?”
“Yeah, okay.” Lucas stared at the menu board in confusion as they waited in line. “I’ve never been here before.”
“Do you drink coffee?”
“No, not really.”
Jesus, a coffee virgin too?
“What can I get for you?” asked the perky barista.
“Grande skinny mocha,” Donovan said, then turned to Lucas.
“Um… I’ll have… um… the same.”
Donovan paid for the drinks, then led Lucas to a table.
“So you and Trish have become friends, huh?” said Donovan.
“Yeah. She’s nice.”
“Mhm. And persistent. And accepting. And, what was it?” he teased.
Lucas chuckled. “Yeah. I didn’t know who else to write about.”
“Hmm. What about Alex?”
Lucas shook his head. “No.”
“What happened between you guys at the cast party?”
“Um….”
“Hold that thought—drinks are up.” Donovan retrieved the drinks, then returned to find Lucas texting. “Let me guess. Trish?”
“Yeah. She asked if you were being nice.”
Donovan cocked an eyebrow. “Am I being nice?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. Now you were about to tell me what happened with you and Alex.”
“Oh. It was nothing really. He was just joking around, you know?”
“So nothing happened?”
“Not really.”
“Not really? That could mean a lot of things. First base? Second base?”
“Um… I don’t really know what that is exactly.”
“First base: kissing. Second base: hand jobs. Third base: blowjobs. Fourth base: fucking.”
Lucas’s cheeks turned pink, and he stared down at his drink.
“So? How far did you get with Alex?”
Lucas fidgeted with his lid. “Can we talk about something else?”
Donovan relented, trying to come up with a new approach. “Sure. What do you want to talk about?”
“What kinds of things do you like to do?”
Donovan wiggled his eyebrows and grinned, making Lucas blush again.
“Relax, I’m teasing. Hmm, I like to dance. Have you ever been to Rascal’s?”
“I’ve heard of it, but no.”
“Trish and I go there sometimes. You should come with us.”
“Yeah, maybe.”
“You know, I think I’ve seen Alex there before. You two are friends, right?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“What does he like to do?”
“I think he likes parties. And football, obviously. I don’t really know what else.”
Donovan’s phone went off.
Trish: don’t just talk about yourself. ask questions about him too
“She’s like a mother hen,” Donovan said.
“How long have you two been friends?”
“Sixth grade. She and I both had a crush on Bobby Kendall. We were sworn enemies at the time, both vying for Bobby’s attention. She actually punched me once because I gave him my Twinkie at lunch.”
Lucas’s eyes grew wide. “You are talking about food, right?”
Donovan laughed. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
He continued his story, telling Lucas about the various ways he’d tried to win Bobby over. Ultimately Bobby had blown them both off in favor of some skinny blonde bitch. Trish and Donovan had become best friends soon after. They spent all their time together plotting revenge on the unsuspecting girl.
“What did you do to her?” Lucas said, his brow wrinkled.
“Stupid shit. Stole her pencils. Put gum in her hair. The worst was when I made everyone in class think she farted. That made her cry.”
Lucas looked at him with a somber expression.
“It was stupid, but we were just kids, you know?”
“Yeah.”
“We haven’t fought over a guy since.”
Lucas nodded, taking a sip of his drink.
“So let that be a lesson to you. Never go after a guy Trish has her eye on.”
Lucas choked on his drink and then coughed forcefully.
“You okay?”
He nodded with watery eyes.
“So I was thinking you and I should go out sometime.”
“On a date?”
“Yeah. On a date. Tomorrow night.”
Lucas hesitated. “What did you have in mind?”
“You’re not allowed to ask. It’s a surprise.”
“I don’t like surprises.”
“We’ll invite Trish as a chaperone. What do you say? It’ll give us a chance to get to know each other.”
“Um… okay.”
Donovan offered to pick Lucas up the following night and told him to dress casually. They said good-bye, and once Donovan was in his car, he called Trish.
“What up, D?”
“It’s a done deal. We’re picking him up at eight.”
“Sweet!”
“Don’t tell him where we’re going.”
“He doesn’t know about the party?”
“I told him I wanted to surprise him.”
“That’s probably not a good idea considering what happened last time.”
“My date, my decision.”<
br />
“Fine,” Trish said. “Pick me up at seven.”
HIS mom had just finished serving dinner when Lucas entered the house. “Sorry I’m late,” he said, joining his family at the table.
“Were you out with a friend?” his mom said.
“Yeah. Um, I wanted to ask you, is it okay if I go out tomorrow night?”
His mom and dad exchanged looks, and then his dad said, “Out where?”
“Um… I’m not really sure. He said he wanted it to be a surprise.”
“Hold up,” said Mason. “He? Are you going on a date? With a guy?”
“Yeah.” He held his breath as he glanced at his dad and then his mom. “If that’s okay.”
Mason furrowed his brow. “Who with?”
“With whom?” his mom corrected.
Mason ignored her and continued to glare at his brother.
“Donovan Evers. He’s in my English class.”
Mason sat upright in his chair, his eyeballs bulging. “Donovan Evers? He’s, like, the gayest kid in school.”
“Mason, that’s enough,” his dad said.
“What?” said Mason, crossing his arms. “You’re not the one who has to go to school with him. It’s not fair. Why can’t he wait until after graduation to do that stuff?”
“Mason, that hardly seems fair,” his mom said. “Would you like to wait until you’re out of school to start dating?”
He slumped back against his seat. “Well, at least lay down some ground rules. No touching or kissing in public. Especially not at school.”
Lucas felt his cheeks heat up. An uncomfortable silence descended over the table.
“I’m sure Lucas will take your feelings into account,” his mom said. “But you need to be fair to your brother. Lucas, how well do you know this boy?”
“He’s good friends with Trish. I think she’s going with us too.”
“Oh, a double date? That sounds like fun. Of course you can go, sweetie.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Sharon,” his dad said, “don’t you think we should meet this boy first?”
“Of course, dear,” she said with a placating smile. “Lucas, is he coming here to pick you up?”
“Yeah. He said he’d pick me up at eight.”
Lucas wondered how Donovan would act in front of his parents. He didn’t have a filter around anyone else. He hoped Donovan would be polite, or at the very least, that he wouldn’t make any innuendos. That wouldn’t go over well with his family.
“All right, then,” his dad said. “Tomorrow at eight.”
Chapter Eight
Safety First
“LUCAS, sweetie,” his mom said, popping her head in his bedroom, “You wanna help me make breakfast?”
“Sure, Mom. I’ll be down in a minute.”
Lucas knew something was up. They usually reserved family breakfasts for Sundays. On Saturdays his mom left early for work, and his dad liked to sleep in. Lucas slipped on a T-shirt and shorts and headed down to the kitchen, where he found his mom setting out ingredients for pancakes. She was wearing a dress suit and her hair was pinned up in a French twist. Neither his dad nor Mason were downstairs yet.
“So,” she said, “Are you excited about your date tonight?”
“Ah, so that’s what this is about. Yeah, I guess.” Excited and anxious and a little bit terrified. He couldn’t say that to his mom, though.
“I remember my first real date,” she said, handing him the mixing bowl while she laid strips of bacon in the frying pan. “Patrick Lacey. We went to the bowling alley. I was so nervous, I thought I’d throw nothing but gutter balls all night and make a terrible fool of myself.”
“Did you?” His mom was always so poised. It was hard to imagine her being a nervous wreck about anything.
She smiled. “No. It turned out I had nothing to worry about. He bowled a terrible game.” She laughed. “I think he was more nervous than I was.”
“So you beat him?”
“Oh no. I didn’t want to bruise his ego, honey. Sometimes you have to lose the battle to win the war.”
“Whatever happened to ‘Just be yourself’?”
“Of course you should be yourself. I’m just saying—if you want someone to like you, it doesn’t hurt to stack the deck in your favor.”
Lucas folded his arms. He didn’t like the direction this conversation was headed.
“For example,” she said, “try and show interest in the things he’s interested in. Laugh at his jokes. Try not to be disagreeable.”
“Mom, I’m not a girl.” Even if he were, that still sounded like crappy advice.
“Of course not. But if you want someone to like you, you have to be likable.”
Did she think he wasn’t likable? Lucas sighed. He knew what she was trying to say. He needed to work harder to fit in. It was what she’d been saying for years.
“I’ll try, Mom.”
“Good. I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time. Oh, that reminds me. I asked your father to have a talk with you this morning.”
“About what?”
“You know, father-son stuff.”
His eyebrows shot up as he realized what she meant. “Mom, I know about all that stuff.”
“Now don’t be embarrassed. Think of it as a rite of passage. And go easy on your father, Lucas. This is difficult for him.”
“It’s really not necessary, Mom. Please.”
“Then just smile and nod, honey. It’ll be over before you know it.”
That seemed to be her answer for everything.
LUCAS ate quickly and then hid in his room. He dreaded the upcoming conversation with his dad. Surely his dad dreaded it too. Maybe he’d forego it altogether.
His attempts at busying himself with schoolwork were unsuccessful. He couldn’t focus, having to reread the same paragraph from his history book three times before giving up and moving on to math. He’d just plopped down on his bed with his statistics book when his dad knocked on his door.
“Lucas? May I come in?”
“Yeah, Dad.”
His dad entered, stood for a few moments, and then took a seat at his desk. He cleared his throat. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you for a while now. When you told us last night that you were going on a date, I realized this conversation was overdue.”
Lucas remained silent. Nod and smile, he reminded himself.
“Things were a little different when I was your age. Kids didn’t have to worry about things like AIDS.”
Lucas tensed. He’d expected his dad to ease into the conversation more gently. “Dad, it’s just a date. I’m not going to be doing anything like that.”
“Well that’s good to hear, but I promised your mother we’d talk about this, Lucas, so bear with me.”
Lucas nodded. He couldn’t quite muster a smile, though.
“Having sex can be very… pleasurable, but it can also lead to serious health problems. Every time you have sex, you’re taking a risk.” His dad rubbed the back of his neck. “There are things you can do to minimize that risk. It’s up to you to protect yourself.”
Lucas felt the heat rising in his cheeks. “I know about condoms, Dad.”
“Do you know when and how to use them?”
What was he supposed to say to that? If he said yes, his dad might think he was doing that kind of stuff. If he said no, his dad might launch into a detailed explanation.
“As for when to use them, you’re at the most risk if you have—” His dad stuttered. “Well, if two men engage in—”
There was a long pause, during which Lucas wished he were anywhere in the world other than where he was.
“He means butt sex!” Mason shouted from his room.
Lucas winced.
“Mason!”
“What? I need to know this stuff too,” Mason said.
“You’ll have your turn. Let me talk to your brother first.”
“It’s fine, Dad,” Lucas said. “He can come in.”
Lucas needed someone to take the focus off him. Maybe his dad would keep the talk more general and steer clear of the gay stuff if Mason were there.
“All right, Mason. Get in here.”
Mason entered the room with a grin on his face and plopped down next to Lucas on the bed.
Lucas scooted away. This was embarrassing enough without having to sit next to someone.
“Now where was I?”
“Butt sex!” Mason said, as though it were a cheer.
“I’m not doing that.” Lucas took a calming breath as he fought the lump forming in his throat.
“Whether you are or you aren’t, you still need to know about it,” his father said.
“Eww,” said Mason. “Why do I need to know about it?”
His father sighed. “You’re free to leave.”
“Okay, fine. Tell us about butt sex.”
Why did Mason find this so amusing? It was torture. Lucas was sure his face was beet red, and he was unable to look anywhere but at his shoes.
“I have nothing more to say about that. Other than it’s risky and you need to use a condom every single time, no matter what the other person says. And that goes for you too, Mason. Every time.”
Mason recoiled. “I’m not having butt sex!”
“You know what I mean. You need to use condoms for normal sex too.”
Lucas cringed at the word “normal.”
“Now, as for how to use them. Wait right here.” His dad got up and left the room.
Mason laughed. “If he comes back with a banana, I’m gonna lose it.”
A shot of panic ran through Lucas. If there was going to be a practical demonstration, he would die on the spot.
His dad returned, carrying a bag from the pharmacy. He pulled out two boxes of condoms, giving one to each of his sons. “Have you ever put one of these on before?”
Lucas shook his head.
Mason laughed. “Not until now. Close your eyes.”
“Very funny,” his dad said. “Now go ahead and open one up.”
Both boys stared at their dad, wide-eyed.
“I was joking,” said Mason.
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