Page 74 of This is Me

“Well, you see… Pete, may I?” He asked, tilting his head toward me.

I honestly had no idea what he was going to say, but I did know that everyone at the table knew who I was and what I was, so, I couldn’t see the harm.

“Hey, if you think you know, go ahead.”

John cleared his throat before turning back to Lachlan. “Well, little one, you see… Pete is gay. So, the joke was laced in sarcasm. Saying the fear Blaire induces turns him on, when in fact, nothing Blaire does will ever turn him on. Ever.”

“That’s… a terrible joke,” Lachlan looked at me holding the same expression his parents did, and it was uncanny how much he looked like his father.

“Why did you laugh then?” Phillip asked.

“I was laughing at John choking.”

“Lachlan!” Mrs Brodie went to smack Lachlan’s arm, but he quickly moved away.

As the Brodie family continued to squabble and laugh, I found myself smiling. Never in my life had I felt so comfortable to be me. Since this morning, when Blaire and I had arrived at her house, I’d felt welcomed. I felt like I belonged. No one judged me for who I was, and no asked questions or pressured me. I felt normal. Something I hadn’t felt for the longest time. And all it took was a day.

“So, Pete, will you be going to school tomorrow?” The sudden question ripped me back to reality. The reality that this was only for now. I still had many things to face.

“Yes, he is,” Blaire answered before I had the chance, and as I looked at her, I saw she was giving me a slight nod, which I returned.

I knew I couldn’t avoid school forever. I couldn’t prevent what was coming.

“Do you need me to drive—” Mr Brodie started, but Blaire cut him off.

“Oh, no. Pete can drive us both. The other guys will have to… make a decision.”

“Oh?” Mr Brodie questioned, looking between Blaire and me before something seemed to click in his mind. “Oh…”

“Thank you for the offer though, sir,” I said with a polite smile, trying to hide the pain of my two best friends walking away from me.

“Pete, how many times do we have to tell you? It’s Ryan and Taylor,” Mr Brodie stated, gestured between himself and his wife.

“Or, mum and dad,” Mrs Brodie chimed in with a smile.

“Oh, God, no. We don’t need another brother.” Jordan chuckled, looking around at his three brothers. “The only good one is married. And he’s only the good one because I don’t have to see him every day.”

“Jordan!” Mrs Brodie glared at her second oldest son while John, Phillip, and Lachlan nodded their head in agreement.

“Alright, if everyone’s finished, let’s clear out because I want peace and quiet,” Mr Brodie said, standing up and continuing to collect everyone’s plate.

“Do you need any help?” I offered, starting to follow Mr Brodie’s suit, but he stopped me.

“Oh, no, Pete. It’s Lachlan’s turn to help. Besides, I think you should get some rest,” Mr Brodie finished with a smile before pointing at Lachlan. “Come on—get up and help.”

“What? I did it last night!” Lachlan argued.

“Every single week we go through this.” John sighed.

“You did not!” Phillip retorted with a laugh. “You ran to your room to play some stupid game last night.”

“It’s not stupid!”

“But you admit that you played it last night and didn’t help clean?” John crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows as if he was the world’s best detective.

“What? No!” Lachlan tried to defend himself.

“Boys, drop it,” Mr Brodie interjected, “Lachlan, you’re helping. End of story. Everyone else, please, just leave.”