We Make Mayhem [boyxboy]

Chapter Twenty-Six

That night, I sat my parents down and laid it all out in a single sentence: hey remember that Noah kid well we're dating ha ha okay thank you, goodnight. Then I tried to tapdance off into my room, but no cigar.

"Where do you think you're going?" Mom cried. "Get back here, Buster! This is a big deal!"

"Is it, though?" I asked.

"Of course! We want you to be happy, and if this"—She summed it all up with a wave of her hand—"makes you happy, then we're happy, too."

I had never shown any sign of being anything other than heterosexual. They seemed to be taking my abrupt one-eighty on this really well.

"You aren't, like, weirded out or anything?"

Mom looked at Dad.

"He's not one of those vegans, is he?" Dad asked.

Mom rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to your father. You can date a vegan if you want, honey. You can date whoever you want."

"Thanks, but I just want to date Noah."

She stood up and patted my arm on her way to the kitchen to check on her peach cobbler. "That's lovely."

Dad turned on the TV. He smiled when we caught eyes over the peach cobbler Mom brought out for us, but I couldn't really read his face.

The whole thing seemed a little too easy, but I slept really well. In the morning, Mom asked me, "So I guess there's no chance of you and Chloe patching things up, then?"

"No. At least not romantically."

"Just thought I'd ask. I always loved her."

"You'll love Noah, too," I said.

Mom smiled. "I'm sure I will."

*

The new episode of West Van Confidential went live at seven a.m. When I got the notification from my podcast app, I was brushing my teeth.

Now Available: West Van Confidential #58 - Lions and Tigers and Rooftop Kisses, Oh My!

I snorted again at Marina's dumb title, but my stomach roiled a little. It was done. It was up.

Dad drove me in his work truck for the last time in my week of being grounded. I watched every kid walking on the sidewalk with earbuds in—were they listening to West Van Confidential?

From the minute I walked into the school, I knew the story was out. All eyes on me, everywhere I looked. Some wide and disbelieving, some curious and scruntinizing, some sparkling and friendly. I was used to people constantly coming up to me in the hallway about A/V club, student government, or fundraising shit, but that morning, no one did. All I got were a few shy hellos. Honestly, it was great.

The only greeting I really got came in the form of Noah sidling up next to me at my locker and nuzzling my shoulder.

"Good morning," I said.

"I love it when you talk dirty."

I laughed. "You're nuts."

"Mmm..."

I had to cover my mouth, I was laughing so hard. Noah leaned against the locker beside mine, looking very pleased with himself. Nathan Carney, whose locker Noah was leaning against, had to say "excuse me" three times before the words finally registered.

"Sorry!" he squeaked, shuffling out of the way.

Nathan shook his head as he opened his lock. "I'm happy for you guys and everything, but my locker likes its space."