When lunchtime rolled around at Moon Lake High School, Tad headed to the cafeteria to eat his lunch and talk with his friends. As he walked into the cafeteria, he quickly scanned the room to see if Connor and Ryan were already there. Sure enough, the two young men had already taken their seats at a table on the far end of the cafeteria. Tad walked over to their table and sat down across from his two friends.
“Hey guys,” he said casually as he took his seat. “How are you both doing?”
“I’m doing fine, thanks for asking,” Ryan responded.
“Same here,” Connor said. “I appreciate what you guys did for me last night. I feel like it really helped me. I was finally able to get some things off my chest, and it feels like a massive weight has been lifted off my shoulders.”
“I’m glad we could help,” Ryan said. “I hope you took what Tad and I said to heart.”
Connor nodded. “I did,” he responded. “After we talked, I felt kind of guilty for keeping the fact that I was questioning my sexuality a secret from my parents for so long. I felt like I had betrayed their trust by not telling them. So, I decided to come clean to them.”
“You told them?” Tad asked. “That’s great! How did they react?”
“They were a little surprised at first,” Connor said. “But they quickly got over it and said that they were always going to support me.”
“See? I told you they would support you,” Ryan said, patting Connor on the back. “I’m proud of you, Connor.” Tad noticed that Connor began to blush when Ryan said that he was proud of him. He wasn’t sure if Ryan had noticed too, but if he had, it didn’t seem like he was going to say anything.
“Heh...thanks Ryan…” Connor said sheepishly. “Now all I have to do is figure out what species of Were I want to become. If I’m being honest, I don’t think the risk of my sexuality changing bothers me as much anymore.”
“Really?” Tad asked. “Why’s that?”
“Well, I think it’s because I’ve told you two and my parents,” Connor says. “I don’t feel like I have anything to hide anymore, and because of that, I don’t think I’ll mind as much if my sexuality changes. I mean, at least I’d finally know what gender I’m attracted to!”
Ryan laughed and wrapped his arm around Connor’s shoulder. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this confident before!” he said. Turning to Tad, he asked, “Is this the Connor that you’re used to?”
As Tad watched Ryan put his arm around Connor, he couldn’t help but smile. The two of them were really cute together! Connor looked so happy to just be sitting next to Ryan. In fact, this was the happiest Tad had seen Connor in a long time. Ryan really seemed to be bringing out the best in him.
“Yeah,” Tad responded. “That’s the Connor I know.”