“No one cares.” No one did. Unlike the adults in his mother’s generation and beyond, Simon’s peers only wanted one thing—to win. Gay, straight, white, black, rich, poor. If you could catch and throw a ball, the football team loved you. If you could outthink your opponent, the debate team had to have you on their team. If you scored the highest grade on your stupid SATs, you had your college of choice waiting on you. Life was too short for prejudices. If only the idiot adults making so many rules would wake up and realize it.
Now to see where Flash stood. Was he a rich jackass? Or a decent guy who just happened to have money? Because if the man had some prejudices, Simon needed to know before he let his mom get in any deeper with the guy.
Aunt Nora had helped out already, using Coach Deacon to get his mom to Flash’s house. Simon wasn’t sure what had happened between them, and frankly, he didn’t want to know. But his mom had been all smiles for two days now. And Flash had been in a terrific mood.
Time to shake Flash’s tree once more and see what fell out.
“Look, Felix, I’ll be right here waiting for you. I swear, he even looks cross-eyed at you, leave the office and come see me. You know he won’t hurt you.”
Simon knew it took guts to reveal a big secret like Felix’s, and he never would have suggested it except that he hadn’t been lying. Everyone knew the kid was gay. Felix liked to wear makeup to school, and not in any Emo kind of way. He had a feminine manner about him that some kids had poked fun of…before Felix had joined the team. Now one of the Cougars, Felix had nothing but friends. No one messed with him. Didn’t hurt the kid could run like a rabbit either.
“Wish me luck.” Felix held up a fist.
Simon bumped it with his own and waited. And prayed Flash couldn’t screw up what could be a great thing.
Mitch heard a knock and wished to hell his brother would stop leaving him in charge of the team. Dorset or Paglitelli, even Stan would be a better choice. Except all those assholes had deferred to him. Just because he’d played in the NFL didn’t make him a great coach, it made him a great player.
Then again, he did think of himself as a terrific coach, so maybe they had something there.
“Come in,” he said in a loud voice when no one had entered.
The door slowly opened, and one of the sophomores on the team stuck his blue-dyed head in. Tall, lanky, and a little bit strange. A typical high school boy. What was his name? Warren.
“Hey, Warren. Come on in.”
The boy looked nervous, his gaze shifting around the room before settling on Mitch. “Ah, actually it’s Felix, coach.”
“Felix Warren, right?”
Felix blinked then gave a shy smile. “Oh, yeah.”
When the kid remained standing, all decked out in his uniform, Mitch motioned to the chair across from the desk. “Have a seat. You wanted something?”
Felix sat, took a deep breath, then let it out. “I need some advice.”
God, help me now.But then, that was part of coaching young men. Being there to help them with more than just the game. “Sure. Hit me.”
“Well, see, I… I’m not sure how to say this.”
Mitch took pity on the kid, who looked ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. “Just spit it out. Think of the coach’s office like a confessional. Unless you killed somebody, what you say stays here.”
Felix relaxed and stared at Mitch with an intensity Mitch found unnerving. “Um, okay. See, Coach, I’m gay, and I’m not sure how to tell my parents.”
Mitch was hoping for something more along the lines of dealing with a bully. Trying to ask out the cute girl in class. Even dealing with failing grades. “Ah, okay.” This was deep, and giving the kid bad advice could really hurt him.
“Do you think I should quit the team?”
“Huh?”
“Because I’m gay.”
“Unless you’re distracting your teammates by flaunting your ass, I think we’re good.”
Felix laughed. “Not a worry. I don’t think anyone else is flying my flag.”
“Right.”Sonot the conversation Mitch wanted to be having on a Friday night, not when he’d been wracking his brain about what to do about Becca. “Your parents, are they ultra conservative or religious? Do they have prejudices? Do they hate gay people?”
“No. At least, I don’t think so.”
