Dylan James - Gay Love and Other Fairy Tales

Gay Love and Other Fairy Tales

Dylan James

Copyright 2018 by Dylan James

Cover design copyright 2018 by Story Perfect Dreamscape

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, business, places, events, and incidents are either products of the authors imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblances to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Published September 2018 by Deep Hearts YA, an imprint of Deep Desires Press and Story Perfect Inc.

Deep Hearts YA

PO Box 51053 Tyndall Park

Winnipeg, Manitoba R2X 3B0

Canada

Visit http://www.deepheartsya.com for more great reads.

Chapter One

Jordan

It started with my family. The day before school started. Over dinner. At TGI Fridays.

I dont know why I chose to do it so publicly but I dont know if I really had a solid plan in mind. I wonder how many people actually have a step-by-step plan and follow it. If someone is like me, it just happens.

We had finished our dinner, the waitress had taken our dirty plates away, and we all sat back in our seats, sighing from being so full and still contemplating the dessert menu. Theres always room for dessert. And, apparently, theres never a wrong time to come out as gay.

Guys, I said, my mouth leading the way before my brain could fully catch up. Mom and dad and Bella, my sister, all looked at me. Maybe it was the weight in that word, how I said it so seriously, but it seemed they knew I had something important to say.

Im Im gay.

Around us, the noise of other diners seemed to hush and there was a clatter of dishesalmost like this was a conversation for the whole restaurant and everyone was scandalized. My palms went sweaty and my heart thudded irregularly.

Moms eyes widened I doubt it was surprise, but I guess it could have been. Dad looked like he was about to say something. Bella giggled into her hand at eight years old, Im sure any mention of the word gay is giggle-inducing.

So, did you decide on dessert? the waitress said as she came up to our table again.

Mom, dad, and Bella were all staring at me and I was staring back at them. No one said anything, no one acknowledged the waitress. The longer the silence went on, the more terrified I became. No one chose a dessert.

I felt my cheeks burning with shame. My eyes started to water. Dont cry, I told myself. If the silence went on even a second longer, I knew I couldnt hold anything back.

Just as the waitress was about to give up and walk away, mom said, Can we get something big and sweet? We need to celebrate. A smile immediately spread across her face a warm, genuine, loving smile. Relief flooded through me.

But there was still dad. I looked at him and he looked like he was still thinking, trying to process what Id said. I mean, it couldnt have been a surprise, right? Every time he tried to engage me in sports or other masculine things, I always made lame excuses. I wasnt the boy he thought Id grow up to be, I knew, but surely he still loved me. Right?

Thank you, dad said, finally. Thank you for sharing.

More relief flooded into my chest. I was at risk of crying still, but for a very different reason. Beside me, Bella still giggled.

Maybe its because mom is a doctor and dad is a teacher they both deal with all sorts of people and they know that being gay is normal. Maybe theyre just nice people. Maybe they just love me so much that if Id come out as sexually attracted to dinosaurs, theyd accept it.

I didnt think too much on it, I still dont, because it doesnt matter.

What does matter is that I got to start senior year of high school without hiding who I am. It wasnt like I rushed into having a boyfriend there really werent any gay guys at school I was interested in anyway but it at least opened the door to the possibility.

Anything could happen, right?

Anyway, after dinner, I sent out a snap declaring my homo status and posted a similar thing on Tumblr. I got a few anonymous hates on Tumblr, but mostly I got love. Overwhelming love. Even though this is the twenty-first century, I was still surprised at how positive it all was.

Now, at late September, after about a month of being out of being free I was still the same old Jordan Ortiz. Nothing about me was different, except the faade of liking girls, of course.

My friends were still my friends, my nemeses were still my nemeses, and those I didnt interact with just didnt care. I sometimes got called fag, but I got called that before coming out. Like I said, same old Jordan Ortiz.

Well, I guess theres one change. Im now co-captain of the cheer team. The other co-captain is a high-maintenance, self-obsessed girl by the name of Nikki Simms.

Nikki is the kind of person that lives for Snapchat and Instagram fame. Its like her life goal to get sponsorship deals or something. Shes forever taking selfies, especially when shes got a Starbucks cup in her hand, and posting them. If she doesnt get enough likes, she deletes a photo and throws a fit. Im pretty sure she wants to be the next Kim Kardashian. Really. Its exhausting working with her.

Or should I say working for her.

Were co-captains, but its clear she thinks shes more captain than me.

I really dont care. I just like the cheer team. I love performing and launching people into the air. Plus, all the eye candy when we perform at football games is a nice added benefit. All those tight ends and whatnot.

I steal one more glance over my shoulder at the football team running a scrimmage behind us I couldnt help indulging myself in that brief moment of unobtainable eye candy and very quickly found my gaze following Benjamin as he charged across the field, looking powerful as hell and then turned back to the task at hand. Cheer practice.

Nikki takes charge again and orders us to run through our routine one more time. Were supposed to have a teacher supervisor coach us, but even she cant stand Nikki and has basically walked away. Were all at Nikkis mercy. But she does lead us into phenomenal routines.

I take my spot next to Alex, with my BFF Hannah in front of us. A moment later, music thuds from the portable stereo Nikki had brought along. I plaster a smile on my face and join hands with Alex to catch Hannah as she leans back, falling into our embrace. We lift and spin her once. She lands in our arms again and we help her stand, then a second later her left foot is in my hands and her right in Alexs we lift her up, and, well, youve seen cheer teams before. We throw her in the air, spin her around, and have her soaring in every direction.

To my left are two more trios like us, performing similar routines. The one furthest from us is doing an identical routine. Between us is the trio featuring Nikki with her naturally being the chick in the air and her trio is doing the more complicated stunts.

Nikki, of course, is hoping that someone snaps or instas the whole thing and some cheer scout from college sees her. Or maybe shes hoping a hunky NFL player spots her and gets her to join his teams cheer squad. Or maybe she just wants a million likes.

If social media wasnt around like if it was the dark pre-history of the internet back in the nineties then she probably wouldnt even be on the cheer team.

The music comes to an end and so does our routine.

I throw my arms around Hannah and pull her into a giant hug. You did great, babe! I tell her.