Chapter Five: Maxxie

As I sauntered into school on Monday, I had no idea what to expect. I wondered if Jace would talk to me or if he would give me the cold shoulder. I set my expectations low, that way I wouldn't get my heart broken. But remembering the way that Jace had looked at me after he'd kissed me, I had a strong feeling that he would at least talk to me.

I walked to my locker and twisted my combo into the lock before it swung open. A pale pink piece of paper floated to the ground. I raised an eyebrow as I bent down to pick the paper up carefully. I anxiously unfolded the paper and read the little note.

Turn around.

I slowly turned around and was staring into Jace's bright blue eyes. He grinned at me and I felt my heart flutter in my chest. I could feel the surrounding people's eyes staring at us as Jace gave me a small wave.

"Hey," he said.

The words were caught in my throat but I managed to say, "Hey."

He leaned on arm against the locker and stared at me. I could feel everyone's eyes on him as he looked at me. They were probably thinking that Jace was crazy. They probably thought that he needed help or something.

Suddenly, everyone's jaws dropped. Jace's hand reached out to me and he laced his soft fingers with mine. I bit my lip to keep from squealing with delight. I didn't even want to see the faces of the people around us.

"So, I have a question," Jace said softly.

I swallowed. "Okay."

He took a step closer to me, not letting go of my hand. Our faces were close enough to each so only we would hear, but they weren't close enough for us to kiss each other. He bit his lip nervously.

"So, I was wondering if you were alright with coming out to the school," he said carefully. "I mean, would it be alright with you if... if we hung out around school? You know, romantically."

I grinned. Was I scared of being made fun of even more for being gay? Of course. Was I afraid of Brian finding out? Of course. But I was mostly ready for coming out. I knew that it was weird for the geeky, shy kid to say, but I really was ready. I was crazy about Jace and I was almost positive—though we still had to get to know each other better—he felt the same way about me.

"I'd love to do that," I replied to him.

He beamed. I smiled back. That was all I could do these past couple of days; smile.

>>><<< 

        As lunch rolled around, I grew more and more anxious. Like most couples, Jace had promised to sit with me at lunch. I had no idea how he was going to face the entire school at one time, especially his friends. This would prove just how brave Jace was—and just how brave I could be.

As I walked into the cafeteria, my knees were shaking. Brian gave me a sideways glance.

"What's wrong with you?" he demanded. "Is your rash flaring up again?"

I elbowed him. He yelped but didn't say anything more about my rash in a place that could not be named. And in my defense, it only happened once every winter.

As I walked deeper into the cafeteria, I caught sight of Jace leaning against a wall. His hands were in his pockets and his blue eyes were searching. His eyes soon caught mine and he smiled. He shrugged away from the wall and walked towards me. As I stopped in the middle of the cafeteria, everyone was looking at us. Jace finally reached me and his arm wrapped around my waist. His face came closer and closer to mine. I could feel everyone's shocked eyes on Jace and I as his lips came crashing closer and closer towards mine.

As our lips finally met, I could hear everyone gasp. I couldn't help but feel the least bit happy—I was kissing Jace Storme, the hottest guy in the school, right in front of the entire school. I gently closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around his neck, enjoying the kiss. His grip around my waist tightened as he pulled me closer. Silence loomed over the entire cafeteria.

As Jace pulled away from me, he smiled. I smiled back sheepishly. The cafeteria was still silent. Jace looked around, looking slightly afraid. I couldn't blame him. I glanced at Brian. His mouth was gaping open.

"Shit," somebody in the crowd breathed.

Jace smiled and slinked his arm around my shoulders. He kissed the side of my head and whispered, "Sorry about the crowd. Let's go outside, shall we?"

I grinned and let him sweep me away. As we walked through the cafeteria, I glanced back at Brian. He looked confused and furious. I sighed. Explaining everything to him would be a whole other adventure.

>>><<<

        "Since when are you gay?" Brian demanded. I blushed and continued to put my books away.

"Since I was born," I replied. I gave him a quick glance.

He shook his head. His curly brown hair bounced around his face. "No, I mean, like.... I don't even know what I mean! But why didn't you tell me?”

I sighed. "Because I didn't want you to freak out. Like you're doing right now." I shut my locker. Brian and I began to walk down the hall.

Brian exhaled through his nose and replied, "I'm obviously going to freak out! My best friend is gay!"

I sighed again and shrugged. "It's not really a big deal, Brian. I'm still me. I'm just dating--" I paused to smile "--Jace Storme."

He rolled his eyes in exasperation. I understood why he was so upset. I understood that he needed some time to cool off. I understood that he probably wouldn't accept who I was. But he seemed to take it well, or at least not as bad as I anticipated. He wasn't screaming or sweating or walking away from me. He was still walking to class with me, though he wasn't saying a word.

We finally reached the classroom and we took our usual seats beside each other. Brian scowled at his desk, deep in thought. I just opened my books, not wanting to disrupt him.

"Maxxie," Brian said.

I turned to him. "Yeah?"

He took a deep breath before saying, "Does this mean that you won't want to play Batman games with me anymore?"

I grinned and gave him a playful nudge. "Dude, I couldn't imagine life without playing video games with you."

He grinned back and nodded. "Good."

I couldn't help but smile some more and shake my head. What a crazy kid.