“Yeah, well. It's been a rough few weeks.”
Mom was already moving toward the kitchen. “I'll get water. And ice if you need it.”
“I'm fine?—”
“You're not fine. You're injured and you've been ignoring my calls.” She disappeared into the kitchen.
Leah sat in the chair across from me, still holding the chips. “So you've been dodging my texts because...?”
“Because I was dealing with a lot and didn't know how to explain it.”
“Try now.”
Dad leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, waiting.
I took a breath. “I fucked up. Hid injuries from the medical staff and Coach. Played through pain until my body gave out. Got benched. Now I'm in rehab trying to get cleared for prelims.”
Leah's eyebrows shot up. “You hid a leg injury?”
“Yes.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Because I was scared. The whole league was already questioning whether I was past my prime after last season. I couldn't give them more ammunition by sitting out injured.”
Dad's jaw tightened. “So instead you played through it until you couldn't anymore.”
“Yeah.”
“That's not smart, son.”
“I know that now.”
Mom returned with water and set it on the coffee table, then sat in the other chair. “This isn't the first time you've hidden something from us. You always do this when things get hard. You shut down. Stop calling. Pretend everything's fine.”
“I know. And I'm trying to do better about that. Which is why I'm here.”
The room went quiet.
“There's something else I need to tell you. Something I've been hiding for a long time.”
Dad shifted in his seat. Leah stopped eating chips.
“I'm gay,” I said.
Silence.
Dad blinked, processing. Mom's expression didn't change, but I saw her hands tighten slightly on the arms of her chair.
Leah was the first to speak. “Okay. And?”
“And... that's it. I'm gay. I have been since I was sixteen, probably earlier.”
“Right. But like... is there more to this story? Because you're acting like this is some massive revelation when honestly, Jace, we kind of already suspected.”
I stared at her. “What?”
“You've never had a girlfriend. You've never talked about dating women. You dodged every attempt I made to set you up with my friends. You own more grooming products than I do.”She shrugged. “I mean, I wasn't a hundred percent sure, but it wasn't exactly shocking news.”
