Chapter 32
957words
Standing out of bed I get dressed leaving my room, stopping for a second in the hallway I think about going to wake Gentry up but honestly, him asleep is better for me, so I just walk away. Once down the stairs, I navigate my way towards the kitchen until I stop hearing the sound of my mom's voice talking to someone.
"Yeah he's always been a late riser, he's not late for classes is he?" I hear her ask
"No I don't think so and plus Shane's doing fine in his classes, it's baseball that's the problem" "Baseball's a problem? You guys said last night the team was doing great"
"We are—" I hear Gentry try and correct, "I just mean with us, baseball is getting between us, and I
kind of let it happen—" I should go in before this idiot says something he shouldn't.
Walking into the kitchen my mom sees me first and says, "you're up! Good morning" causing Gentry to stop talking and turn to me walking towards him
"Morning mom," I greet back stopping next to Gentry at the island. When she's not paying attention with her back turned to us, I look at Gentry and whisper, "what do you think you're doing?"
"Getting to know your mom,"
"Great, can you do that without mentioning anything about us and the team?" "Sorry," he whispers back and we quickly act normal because my mom turns to us.
"So Gentry was telling me about how this is going to be his first quiet thanksgiving, can you believe that Shane? Ours are almost always like this"
"Oh right it's thanksgiving... happy thanksgiving and all that"
"Such enthusiasm," she walks from the stove to me kissing me on the side of the head, "happy thanksgiving to you too sweetheart."
"I'm going to shower," not waiting for a response from anyone I turn leaving my mom and Gentry in the kitchen.
Once I'm back upstairs I don't get a chance to make it to my room, stopping me my dad asks, "how are you doing on that team, really?"
"Fine dad, everything is fine"
"And I don't have to worry about this coach ending up like the last one? We can't go through something like that again you get that right?"
Nodding with my head down I wait for the moment this conversation ends, "have some common sense this time, and don't do that stupid shit again, all right?"
"I won't," I reply quietly
"Good," he taps my back, "happy thanksgiving"
"Yeah... you too." I watch him head for the stairs crossing paths with Gentry who's coming up. Seeing me practically stuck in the hall Gentry stops in front of me and asks, "are you ok?" So lost in
thought about what my dad just said I don't notice him speaking, until I feel his fingers gently glide against my neck. Breaking my trance I look at Gentry as he strokes my neck,
"what's wrong Shane?"
"Nothing," I shake my head, "stop touching me." Pushing his hand away I walk to my room shutting the door behind me.
Sitting on my bed I try to forget something I haven't thought about in months, something that ruined most of my high school life and I tried my hardest to forget. Leave it to my dad to reopen that wound and make it hurt all over again, the man is good for one thing.
Trying not to let it bother me I get undressed walking into my bathroom, taking a hot much-needed shower, I brush my teeth and walk out to find Gentry laying in my bed catching me by surprise. Thank god for this towel around my waist, "get out of my room"
"What did your dad mean when he said he didn't want our coach to end up like your last one?"
Gentry asks completely ignoring me telling him to get out, of course, he heard that
"Nothing," I quickly answer walking to my closet, "and don't try to guess either because you won't get it."
Once inside my closet, I put on a fresh pair of boxer-briefs dropping the towel, while I look for clothes Gentry stands by the closet door and asks, "did you have an affair with your high school coach?"
"What?" I scoff looking at him, "this isn't some terribly made teen movie Gentry" "Ok then he did something to you he wasn't supposed to," he guesses again "Wrong again," I say as I put on my jeans
"Then tell me Shane, or I'll keep guessing."
Taking a deep breath I look at him contemplating whether if I should or not, hearing coach Packer's voice in my head scream that we'll be off the team if we don't try to get close I decide to tell him. I don't want to be the reason neither of us play baseball anymore.
Walking out of the closet shirtless I sit on my bed and Gentry stays standing by the closet which is a distance from me. Unsure how to say this while I look at him I start to talk keeping my eyes anywhere else, "during sophomore year I had a coach and he was kind of the reason I
figured out I was gay. Not because we ever did anything it's not like that, but he just made me feel a way that didn't make sense, no guy was able to do that. So I got curious what it was about him, then one day I stupidly followed him home—"
