“It’s my turn, Rory!”
“Choose me!”
He slowed down and looked like he was about to stop when someone yelled, “Run, don’t skip. That’s so gay.”
Rory halted midstride and frowned at the kid.
“Well, that’s good, ’cause I’m gay,” he said matter-of-factly.
I moved away from the wall, casting my gaze from the bleachers to the puzzled-looking kids. Great. Any second now, some irate parent was going to charge forward demanding to know what the hell possessed him to share his private life with their precious darlings. Geez, maybe Coach Perez’s kids were out there. I doubted Perez cared if Rory was gay, but he might take exception to a group discussion about it. I wasn’t sure what the protocol for defense was in instances like this. Rory wasn’t the type of guy to back down from anything or anyone. He wouldn’t apologize for stating his truth. And while I admired that about him, I had to admit, it made me very uncomfortable. He was a wild card. Anything could happen.
“You are not,” the boy said with a bewildered frown.
“I am,” he countered. “Gay people come in all shapes and sizes, and we have all kinds of interests. Just like you. All right. Time’s up. See you guys next week. Fist bumps!”
The kids jumped to their feet and surrounded Rory, hopping around him excitedly in an effort to be the first to say good-bye. They seemed unfazed by his revelation, and so did the parents hovering nearby. Rory greeted a few of them before turning to me with a smile.
“How’s it goin’?” he asked. “I saw you—”
“Bye, Rory!” A small girl held her hand up for a high five. When he complied, she pointed to me and bit her lip shyly before continuing. “Is he your boyfriend?”
He gave an exaggerated sigh and shook his head. “No. He’s just a friend. Don’t tell him I have a crush on him.”
The girl snickered mischievously, then blurted, “He likes you!”
“Well, I guess that secret is out,” he huffed in amusement as he nudged my shoulder. “Come on. Let’s get outta here.”
Rory motioned for me to follow him out the side door and down a short hallway to a weight-room-slash-mini-gym. There were treadmills and elliptical machines on one end facing a large window with a view of the outdoor basketball court and swimming pool. He greeted a few people but didn’t stop until he reached the punching bags positioned over a large swath of mats. I dropped my bag on the floor and took in my surroundings. There were maybe five or six other people working out at the opposite end of the room, but this corner was empty and relatively private.
“This is nice,” I commented.
“Yeah, it’s not bad. They’ve done a ton of improvements since I was a kid. This whole section was added on three years ago. We’re standing on what used to be the playground. They got rid of the rusty old equipment and replaced it with some swanky new stuff and moved it to the grass by the hoops. Better use of space, if you ask me.”
“You came here when you were a kid?” I asked.
“Every day after school.” Rory clapped his hands as if to signal a conversation change, then pointed at the punching bags. “Boxing or wrestling? Pick your poison.”
“My coach will be pissed if I show up with bloodied knuckles, so wrestling, I guess.”
Rory rolled his eyes. “It’s not a brick wall, so you’d most likely be fine, but I was thinking we’d try something different and—”
“Hang on.” I put my hands up and let out the breath I felt like I’d been holding since he came out to his camp kids in the gymnasium. “What happened back there?”
He frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You told those kids you were gay. Is that gonna be a problem?”
“For who?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. You came out.”
“I am out. I don’t care who knows. And if an eight-year-old is going to call me gay for skipping, he should know I’m just as gay when I bench press his dad’s weight with one hand tied behind my back. It’s called a teaching moment, babe. Kids aren’t going to learn if they aren’t taught. Am I right?”
“Yes. For sure, but…are their parents going to be okay with it?”
“Fuck ’em. I don’t care what they think. If they don’t want their kids hanging out with me, they can make other arrangements. Any other questions?” he asked sharply.
I licked my lips and nodded. “Yeah, like a million. I thought you just came out a year ago? How did you mentally get here so fast? You don’t seem like the type of guy who gives a crap what anyone thinks about him.”
“I don’t now, but I did in college. I wasn’t ready for uncomfortable conversations with my family, friends, or teammates. Everyone assumed I was straight based on looks alone, and it was a helluva lot easier to go along with it. But I was an asshole too. I hinted at being bi in case I got caught in a compromising situation. Then I got really stupid and dated a few girls to back up my claim and appease my mom.