NimirRaj

Uh oh. This is either a conversation with Stacey about her being pregnant or considering Jonathan’s presence pushy mom & dad may have invited the preacher over for a little chat. I hope they don’t make things worse.

I figured Stacey was pregnant based on her reaction to smells along with being sick but she hasn’t actually had the test yet so she might not be. Still, her admitting they had sex without a condom because they couldn’t buy any or whatever makes her sound like a dumb blonde. I mean come on it sounds like it happened repeatedly and she’s not on the pill apparently so she should have had more self control than to have repeated unprotected sex when she’s old enough to have more common sense. Jeez how hard can it be to buy condoms when Christian’s mother embarrassed him by giving him a whole pack as obliviously she found somewhere to buy them. I know it’s a small town but come on this is set in 2010 so I’m sure even a gas station would have had some condoms for sell. Being pregnant at her age and in a highly religious town is going to be hell if she is pregnant so let’s hope her period is just a little off this month.

From the way he was acting earlier in the chapter I was expecting that Matt was the one to see them but I didn’t expect him to claim Christian was somehow turning Jonathan gay. I was hoping Jonathan was wrong about his fears regarding how Matt would react as he seemed the closest to Jonathan, but sadly he was right to be worried. Gavin apparently doesn’t care and based on his supposed jokes about them being a couple I wonder if he’s guessed all along. Not to mention it was his girlfriend’s brother Jonathan was caught with so he may have learned Jonathan was gay from her plus she figured out Christian was gay so she may have let that slip to her boyfriend as well. I’m glad he’s accepting but I hope he doesn’t make too many jokes at their expense as that’ll get old.

Stacey to the rescue with some common sense as telling his dad when he might not even find out is crazy. Yes, if he finds out through gossip it won’t be good but even if they tell him it’ll still be gossip around town so he’ll be just as angry either way so it’s logically better to hope it doesn’t get back to him than insure he finds out by telling him. Mom the psychologist was wanting to talk to him about it from day one when she learned Jonathan was gay as if she can magically fix his homophobia and lawyer dad thinks things in legal terms when life doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes the best tool is just old fashioned common sense.

Uh oh. Could be one of their friends not that they’ll necessarily take it well or it could be someone who we as readers don’t know. Either way if they spread gossip about what the saw life will be hell for these two so I hope whoever it is doesn’t tell the entire town what they saw.

Yeah I’m with Christian as I don’t understand why Jonathan is friends with Gavin but none of them treat him like a true friend really half the time plus he has so few friends to begin with he’s probably just happy to have any friends even if they are jerks like Gavin. I’m sure he’s not as bad as he seems but he just comes off as a major pain. Then there’s Lacey who is so pushy and poor Christian can’t tell her that he’s not interested in her.

Poor Christian can’t stand Lacey’s whining and can’t say no to her. It’s obvious to everyone except her he doesn’t want to go but he sees no way out without her being upset. I’m afraid she’ll be angry when he finally gets the balls to say no and the comment by people that he had to go because everyone goes is irritating because that’s the typical argument everyone gives him.

So I guess my suspicions were correct and the old preacher knows his son is gay. I’m glad Jonathan stood up for his freedom but his dad is going to be really suspicious of his relationship with Christian. If he finds out they’re more than friends he’ll flip.

Mom is a psychologist and isn’t deaf so how can she expect her children to not hear what someone says? Her advice is to go to church but not listen to anything as if that will leave them unscathed by the ignorance of the preacher & Sunday school teachers. From the way the preacher looked at his son while stating a person can overlook their sinful feelings and live life as a straight person makes me assume he knows his son is gay. Jonathan keeps pressuring Christian to partake in activities he doesn’t want to and while he may have good reasons he’s kinda bossy plus the fact his father seems to be trying to pressure Christian into the same activities irritates me while also making me laugh. What I find funny is the reason the preacher wants him to spend time with Jonathan is because Jonathan has a group of good Christian friends...except we know from the Sunday school conversations that they aren’t exactly pure as the driven snow. 😂 I agree that Christian will have trouble making friends if he isn’t more social but trying to force him into sports just feels more like an attempt to get him to conform and be like everyone else when sports aren’t Christian’s thing.

Ok, the statement “Mom knew that I was looking into alternative lifestyles, but she didn’t know that I had committed to one yet.” just sounds weird like picking his orientation is like choosing a religion. I can just hear him now “Mom being straight isn’t trendy anymore so I’m looking around for an alternative lifestyle.” though I agree that gay is in this season. 😂 I’m assuming he meant that he wasn’t sure of his sexual orientation in the past and now had realized what it was...though the wording is just odd. I was kinda expecting a relationship between Matt and Christian based on the title of the story but this is an interesting twist if it turns out the preacher’s son is gay because that has to be tough. I mean where I’m from I’m not out mainly because of religion because while I myself identify as Christian and I don’t believe any Christians I am close to are necessarily homophobic they’d probably pity me at the very least which is something I don’t want.

Ok, yeah it does seem like mom is a hypocrite by telling her kids not to conform but then lying about being a Christian as well as looking to join a church despite not believing in such things just to appease clients. I mean in her case money is on the line if most of her clients feel the same way but still she’s confirming to make other people happy. I’m a little bit sad that Christian(the person not the religion 😂) is conforming to fit in with his peers as on one hand he didn’t seem pressured into it but it didn’t really seem like he would have done it if no one had suggested it so it’s definitely linked to a desire to fit in. Hanging around a preachers son who’s so uptight is going to get uncomfortable in the long run and I’m worried they’ll end up preaching against the LGBTQ+ community at some point which will be an emotional moment for our main character.

Ok, being from the south and a rural area I find these two snobby as we don’t have things they’re used to like cabs here even in the larger cities but honestly I sometimes wish we had some of the conveniences they are used to...though I’d be broke 😂 so I get the cultural shock they’re going through. Moving is hard enough but moving to a place that’s so different than you’re used to has got to be rough. The only gripe of theirs that I agree with is the whole school dress code thing as I get the visible skin issue of Stacy’s outfit but the no earrings/pierced ears on men is just ridiculous as it’s not like girls aren’t allowed to wear earrings. Have a mom that analyzes everyone has got to be tough plus her excuse for judging a stranger because it’s quote her job is just that an excuse to be judgemental. I’m not saying she’s a bad person just a typical one as we all have a habit of judging people even though we should know better. At the start of this story their dad irritated me as I get they were being bratty but the whole you’re grounding if you don’t put on a fake smile thing is ridiculous though I’m sure his attitude was just because they were getting on his nerves.

I know it’s cruel but I hope someone reminds Andy about his drunk story in the morning as that was just priceless. I assume “...before he took me right there, behind the bathroom.” 😂 refers to a bj but heh Andy may have really been experimenting at camp that year. 😉

Ugh I know some of the people there said they didn’t sign rather had their names forged but I never knew if Andy’s and Keith’s parents agreed or not with th petition. I hope they weren’t shunning Corey and acting all homophobic considering how he’s known them for years. Jenny’s parents I’m sure didn’t sign and weren’t even there though they may have had their names forged if someone was forging signatures. I’m glad his dad has his back but it’s still hard to fathom. I guess a parent’s love can overcome anything.

I think Corey’s dad had a brain transplant. That conversation was an about face and just didn’t fit with his previous personality. Still, it’s nice he’s being more of a...human being and seems to be accepting the situation despite claiming he never would.

The gossip/rumors surrounding the opinion of the football jocks isn’t surprising as I’m sure some will be shocked and uncomfortable at the idea of a guy they’ve played football with for years is gay. It’s sad Corey gave up Trouble because while he had a point right now more than ever he might want Trouble around to help cheer him up as well as distract him now that the town is gossiping about him.

I expected Corey’s dad to be outright violent but Cora wouldn’t let him get away with that in front of her so it’s good she was there. Still, his comments about how he already knew and how he couldn’t stand it in his house wasn’t surprising. He’s liable to keep being vocal and he’s not going to accept it overnight if ever. It’s not surprising either that Corey asked if his dad ever loved him as he probably has doubts he ever did.

Well Corey asked Clinton if CJ was coming back and apparently his worry was justified as whoops he knows what’s going on now. That’s one way to come out to him and he’s likely to out them both to everyone.

Greg showing back up is a bit of a complication but honestly I don’t know how the relationship with Clinton will handle the return of CJ so I’m not so sure they’re cut out to be with each other. With Greg it’s complicated because he only returned after being dumped and while Clinton is in the closet he’s not afraid to admit his feelings for Corey unlike Greg. Greg will likely make a move though and Corey will have to decide who & what he wants.

Clinton comes off as really sweet in this chapter with the whole motorbike thing, but I’m just worried Corey will fall hard only to be hurt in the near future. I guess I just don’t trust Clinton’s judgement when CJ is around.

Clinton sounds optimistic but naive. Things are not going to be easy and I see a lot of drama in the future.

Dad’s getting abusive and Corey gives the implication this isn’t the first time so my fears of him being abusive if he learned Corey was gay seems likely if he’s already abusive now. I’m really worried for Corey’s future.

I get the apartment didn’t have room for the motorcycle could actually be a reasonable reason to sell it yet it was Corey’s property. His dad will pocket the money for himself and he didn’t care about how his son would feel about him selling away something that was an example of his limited freedom. All he cares about is himself and I have no doubt that their money issues are at least in part because of him.

I worry for Corey as Clinton sounds like he’ll likely be CJ’s lap dog again when school starts back and won’t stop him from causing trouble for Corey which will really hurt him emotionally. Unless Clinton is prepared to be there for Corey he shouldn’t allow himself to get attached to him.

Clinton seems sweet when CJ isn’t around but as soon as he returns he’s liable to become an asshole again so Corey shouldn’t allow himself to get too attached. Maybe Clinton will grow some balls and be worthy of being his friend if not something more but from what we’ve seen it isn’t likely to happen soon if at all.