The bell rang. I ran to my classroom, but I knew I was going to be late.

"Crud" I thought to my self. Mrs. Turner is going be mad. I ran up to he door of Mrs. Turners English classroom. I turned the doorknob slowly, hoping Mrs. Tuner might not notice. But before I even got more than half way through the door, I could hear Mrs. turners shrill voice calling out my name.

"Mr. Thomas!"

"Yes Mrs. Turner"

"Your late, that's a detention, you can serve it at lunch"

"A detention? I'm only a few minutes late!"

"That's a double detention, now go to your seat!"

I walked to my seat silently and Mrs. Turner went back to giving her lecture about using proper grammar. "On top of all the stuff that's wrong with my life I have to get detention, great..." I thought as I doodled a name on the corner of my notebook.

Keith

I quickly scribbled it out before the person sitting next to me could see. "I'm straight like everyone else, I cant like, him" I told my self. "But I do" I admitted silently.

Until recently I thought I was a normal guy. Jake Thomas, normal name, normal guy. I never really thought about girls, but it thought it was just because I wasn't into the girls that I knew. That's what I told my friends too. They always would ask who I liked, and I'd say no one yet. Then I met Keith.

Keith went to the same middle school as me, but I never saw him until two days ago. I was eating lunch in the cafeteria at my usual table of friends. I got bored with their conversation, so I scanned the lunchroom for a different table to sit at. That's when I saw Keith.

He was walking across the room with his lunch tray, and he saw me looking at him. He waved at me, and I nervously smiled and waved back. He walked over to my table and sat down.

"Hey" hey said.

"Uh hi" I replied.

"I'm Keith"

"Kool, I'm Jake."

"So Jake, u play any sports"

"No, but I do like watching my friends play, what about you?"

"I play basket ball, and a little foot ball."

"That's really kool. I wanted to try out for the school basket ball team once, but I wasn't that good."

"That's ok Jake, no bodies good at everything."

"Well I'm not really good at anything."

"Oh come on, you have to be good at something"

"Yea, I guess"

"So what are u good..." he began, but the bell rang. I said goodbye and got up and walked to my locker to get my books.

I felt different, I way I never had before. I kept thinking about Keith. "I like him" I thought to myself. "Wait, he's a guy!?!?!?!? I cant like him!" But I thought about him more, and I thought about how I never liked girls. Then I knew, but could not admit to myself, that I was gay.

I had avoided my friends and Keith since then. I went back to thinking about Keith and my thoughts drifted completely from Mrs. Turner's class.

"Mr. Thomas, what is a preposition?"

"What?" I asked, still deep in thought about Keith.

"You come to my class late, and you don't even bother to pay attention. If this continues, I will have to call your parent's" lectured Mrs. Turner.

"Ill pay more attention, I'm sorry" I said.

"You better" Mrs. Turner responded.

Then English class was over and time for lunch, or detention for me. "At least I won't have to avoid anyone," I thought as I headed for the detention room.

The teacher that was holding detention told the students in the room that we wouldn't have to do anything as long as we sat quietly. My thoughts immediately drifted. " Why do I like Keith?"..."I want to be normal, not gay"..."but I have to be honest with myself". All those thoughts drifted through my mind before the bell rang.

Nothing eventful happened the rest of the day. I got home late because I had to serve the other half of my "double detention".

When I got home, dad was still at work, as usual. He was never home early. I never got to see him, but that was ok because we weren't that close. I said hi to my mother, who was in the kitchen cooking dinner. She asked why I was late and I told her I was hanging out with my friends. I told her I had a lot of homework and went up to my room.

I threw my backpack on the floor and collapsed on my bed. "Thank god tomorrow's Friday" I thought to myself. "Maybe I can pretend I'm sick so I don't have to avoid anyone over the weekend." My thoughts then drifted to Keith. "His beautiful green eyes, the way his light brown hair sits on his head, his perfect white smile..."

"Dinners ready" yelled my mother.

With my train of thought broken, I walked down stairs to eat. I looked at the clock in the living room; it read 5:02.

"Mom, its only 5o'clock."

"I know, your father called earlier and said he was going to be late" my mom said as set a bowl of mashed potatoes on the table.

"He's always late" I replied.

"Now Jake, you're father works hard and makes a lot of money"

"I know I know..." I said as I helped myself to some roast and mashed potatoes.

During dinner Mother talked about her day and then asked me how mine went.

"It was ok" I lied.

"How was hanging out with your friends" she inquired.

"Uh.. We had a good time," I said remembering that that was my excuse for being late,

I skipped desert and went back to my room to do my homework. Actually, I didn't have that much.

After I finished my homework, I turned on my TV. There wasn't anything good on, and my thoughts just drifted to Keith again. "I only met him two days ago, how can I like him with ought knowing him Wait, how can I like a guy?" I thought. But I knew that I really liked Keith. I don't know why, it just happened, I saw him and I liked him...

My thoughts were broken by the sound of the slamming of a car door. I looked out my window, It was dark now. My dads red viper had just pulled in our driveway. I looked at the clock. It was 8:46. "He's an hour early I thought..."

I ran down the stairs to meet him. Actually, I just wanted to know why he was home so early.

"Hey dad" I said with little enthusiasm.

"Hey son" he replied.

"Your home early" I said.

"Yea, my last meeting ended earlier that I thought it would."

"Ok kool" I replied.

Dad then said I had school tomorrow. "duh I thought" He then said I should go to bed.

"Its not even 9o'clock!" I protested.

"So? You have school tomorrow" my dad replied.

"Honey" mom said to dad "he stays up till 10 on most school nights"

"Alright" dad agreed "but go watch television in your room or something. "

"Ok. Night mom and dad" I said as I climbed the stairs to my room.

"Night son" dad replied.

"Sweet dreams" mom added.

Back in my room I didn't even bother to turn on the TV. I knew I'd end up thinking about Keith anywise. I pulled my shirt and my jeans off, and went to bed wearing just my boxers as usual.

I stared at my ceiling thinking about Keith.

"I'm going to talk to him tomorrow," I thought.

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-Jess