Adam jumped off the picnic table and ran to meet Katie halfway. “Hey, ready to go?”

Katie’s dark, curly hair fell into her eye. She gave him a look. “Who were you just talking to? Gordon?”

“Yeah, we were just talking about the weekend,” Adam said quickly, then grabbed Katie’s sleeve and tugged her down the sidewalk. “Come on, let’s go. If I make it home before my mom, I wanted to talk to him some more. He just said something crazy about two hundred dollars.”

Katie followed at a snail’s pace. She didn’t look excited, like Adam had hoped; she looked wary. “So, this weekend is on, then?”

“Yep. I’m meeting him at the beach at nine am,” Adam said over his shoulder. “That should give me enough time to grab my bag and leave a note.”

“I can’t believe you’re doing this,” Katie muttered. “I wish there was some other way…”

“Well, there’s not,” Adam said, firming his jaw with determination. “We’ve been over this a million times. My parents are evil. There’s no getting around it. They’ll never let me be gay.”

Katie sighed in resignation.

The two of them slowed to a stop at the corner and Adam hit the button to signal the cross walk. Walking home was about the only freedom he got. His parents weren’t evil in the classic sense of the word, but they ruled the household with an iron fist.

Adam was an only child. He was used to following the rules. And there were a lot of rules at the Moore house.

The two teenagers crossed the street and passed the family practice on the right. Hedgecoast was a small town ten minutes from the sea. You could see the water from the attic at Adam’s house. It was a tight-knit community with a great affinity for the lord. Most of the residents went to Sunday morning mass at St. Christophers, and the people that had the money sent their kids there for school, too.

Adam’s parents had the money. His father owned the only doctor’s office in town and his mother was the receptionist. It had always been that way, and they had always lived three blocks from the church in their large, colonial house.

Adam liked his town all right. He loved riding his bike to the beach, and hanging out with his best friend, Katie, after school. But since summer had ended, things had been different. Adam had drunkenly gone after the one boy he never should have messed with, and now everyone at school knew his business…

And soon enough, Adam’s parents would find out, too. It was inevitable. Adam wasn’t even sure he’d be able to make it till the weekend, but he had to try. This was the craziest idea he’d ever had, but he had to get out of here!

In just minutes, Adam and Katie reached Cherry Lane and darted down the street. They lived next door to each other and had been friends since childhood. Katie was the only one who knew of Adam’s plan to elope with a stranger he’d found on the internet, and hopefully it would stay that way, until they found the note, that is…

“Want to hang out later?” Katie asked as they got closer to their houses. “Maybe after I work on that essay for English, I can come over for a couple hours.”

“Sorry, I’ll probably be talking to Gordon,” Adam said.” So, I’ll be on my computer pretending to be busy all night.”

“Can’t you give it a rest already?” Katie groaned. “If I’d known helping you get a dating profile would end with you running away, I never would have done it.”

“Don’t be like that,” Adam said, slowing as they neared his house. “I’ve been thinking about doing this since school started. I know you don’t approve, but please just try to support me.”

“I am supporting you.” Katie stopped at the end of Adam’s driveway and put her hands on her hips. “I just wish we could spend our last week together.”

“Oh, stop it,” Adam said, pulling Katie’s stiff body into his arms for a hug. “This won’t be our last week together. Once all this blows over, you can come for a visit.”

“Really?” Katie smirked, and there was humor in her voice when she spoke. “You’ve been hiding Gordon’s face from me, but you know I saw his profile, right?”

Adam pulled away with a huff. “I’m not trying to hide him from you!”

“You are,” Katie said. “And I would hide him from you, too. He’s ugly.”

Adam sighed, then shifted his backpack on his shoulder. “He’s a nice guy, Katie. And he’s willing to let me move in for awhile. Being attractive wasn’t part of it.”

“I thought we made that profile so you could find love,” Katie whined. “Why don’t you keep looking. Maybe someone better will come along!”

Adam shook his head. “Everything’s set for this weekend. I’m not backing out now.”

Katie looked away. “I guess I’d better go, then. I’ve got an essay to write. Apparently, I’m just wasting my time here.”

“I’m not bothering to write it. I’ll be gone by the time it’s due,” Adam said, a sad smile on his lips.

“Yeah.” Katie frowned, then turned away. “Good for you. It’s going to be a hard one.”

Adam waited until his bestie reached the house next door, then he headed inside his own place and jogged upstairs. He didn’t have time for another video chat, so he got out his laptop and sent a quick message through Skype.

How much money are you paying your neighbor to drive you up here?

Gordon was online, and almost instantly, the three dots appeared that indicated he was typing a reply. Adam got settled on his bed, a big queen with a dark blue coverlet, and waited for his message.

Don’t worry about that. I already told you, money is no object to me.

Adam frowned as he typed a reply. But I thought he was your friend? Why do you have to pay him so much money?

Because Jamie needs it. He doesn’t have extra money like I do.

Money. It was the main basis for their relationship. And Gordon promised he had a lot of it.

Adam wasn’t trying to be a snob, but he was secure in the knowledge that Gordon had options. Adam didn’t have any options where his parents were concerned, and he was sick of feeling helpless.

Adam sighed and decided to let it go. While it was a safe feeling knowing Gordon had cash in hand, Adam just wasn’t comfortable wracking up a huge bill before he’d even arrived yet. Gordon said it was fine, and he didn’t care what it cost, but Adam was afraid he’d have to pay him back in some manner…

Your neighbor seemed nice, Adam said, just to change the subject. But he had a lot of tattoos.

You’ll have to ask him about them on Saturday. I think he’s got a story for every single one of them, Gordon said. But let’s talk about something else. What’s the first thing you want to do when you get here?

Adam glanced at his reflection in the mirror over his dresser. He really couldn’t imagine what it would be like to leave home… he hadn’t even thought about what he wanted to do…

Maybe I’d like to go to a gay club? he typed. I just want to be out and proud… I don’t want to hide anymore.

I get you. There’s tons of gay clubs and bars around me. We’ll check them out together.

Adam looked at his reflection again. His dark eyes were serious and sad… No, he wasn’t thrilled about moving in with Gordon. Katie was right. He was ugly. But out of all the creeps, fakes, and pretty faces that had swarmed his dating profile, Gordon was legitimate. And he was willing to help Adam find himself, no strings attached. He said he was lonely, and bored, so Adam would be his top priority.

Adam did not didn’t have a lot of options… so this was going to have to work.

When Adam looked down again, there was another reply, but he could hear his mother coming in the door downstairs, so he exited out of Skype before she could come up.

And come up she did. “Hi, honey.” Faith pushed the door open and leaned against the jamb. Tall, and beautiful, she pushed her short dark hair behind her ear. “How was school?”

Adam nodded at his laptop. “I was just starting my English essay.”

“Oh, sounds fun.”

Adam snorted. “Right.”

“Well, I’m going to start dinner. Come down if you need any help.”

Adam nodded and waited for his mother to clear out of the room. She left the door wide open, but Adam was used to it. There was no privacy in this house.

Once she was gone, Adam pulled up Skype again. He and Gordon chatted about all the things they were going to do once they were together, but Gordon’s cute neighbor wasn’t mentioned again, and Adam sort of forgot about him.

Promptly at six, David came home from work. “Hey, champ,” he called up the stairs and Adam said his goodbyes to Gordon, then closed his laptop. “Dinner’s ready.”

Adam came downstairs and made a right for the formal dining room. Dinner was always served at the table. There were no exceptions. And tonight was no different. Faith was placing a bowl of salad next to the chicken and potatoes when Adam took his seat in the middle.

“Your mom says you’re working on an English essay,” David said from the head of the table, and Adam turned to blink at him. “Why don’t you bring it down after dinner. We’ll go over it together.”

“Ahh, I haven’t started on it yet,” Adam said. “I had math to do first.”

“Well I’d like to see it before you turn it in,” David said, his brow furrowing with concern. “You’re last essay could have been better. Let’s make this one perfect.”

“I’ll start right after dinner,” Adam said. “I’ve got my topic picked out and I know what I’ll be writing about. It won’t be hard.”

“Good. But I still want to see it.”

Adam nodded as Faith began to portion out the food. It wasn’t due until Monday, but he’d have to sign out of Skype when he went upstairs. He had to finish the essay now. He wouldn’t be able to get away with it if he didn’t.

“So, you were later than you said,” Faith said as she moved to David’s place and served him some chicken. “I thought you’d be right behind me

“Sorry, I was helping that new assistant,” David said as Faith tended to his plate. “He had all these questions about coding he should have asked you, but I swear he saves them just to keep me after close.”

“He does.” Faith finished with everyone else’s plates and moved back to her own space, across from Adam. “He hasn’t spoken to me since I mentioned conversion therapy. I don’t think he likes me much.”

“Well, the only reason he likes me is because I’m a man,” David chuckled, digging into his food. “It makes me uncomfortable.”

“I can’t wait for Suzie to come back,” Faith said, shaking his head.

“I know. I feel like this kid is always trying to hit on me. I can’t take him seriously.”

“He is trying to hit on you,” Faith said tightly. “It’s why I mentioned that therapy to him. He obviously needs it. He can barely get through a day at work without making something about sex.”

“You should have heard him in the exam room today,” David laughed. “Mr. Hammond was getting his prostate checked and he made some ludicrous joke about butt plugs.”

Faith pressed her lips together. “Wonderful.”

“He was trying to invite me to a housewarming party tonight without you,” David said between bites. “I guess he’s settling in.”

“That’s nice.”

“Is it? Are we supposed to welcome their kind at the church as well?”

“Did he say he was coming to the church?”

“No, but that’ll be next. He and his boyfriend are engaged.” David rolled his eyes. “Its not like there’s any other church around here to get married at.”

Adam hung his head as his parents talked about their new assistant, Joey. He’d only met the guy once, but it was obvious he was a homosexual. The way he walked, the way he talked, it was all there.

Adam wasn’t like Joey. He was able to keep his secret to himself with ease. Nothing about him gave away his true nature, and Adam kind of regretted that in a way. Maybe if he’d always been outwardly gay, his parents would have just gotten used to it…

Only, Adam knew that was untrue. He’d always been gay, and his parents had always been against the mere ideas that two men could be in a relationship. Adam had been hiding it since birth, and for good reason, too. Faith was all into conversion therapy. Her brother ran his own place up in New York. Adam had known about those terrible treatments his whole life.

Dinner continued around Adam as he thought about his crazy plans to run. He wasn’t going to Uncle Christian’s special camp. He was getting out of here one way or the other.