That day began like any other. 

First I pushed snooze on the alarm around 3 or 4 times, then I made coffee, snuck back into my room, made sure to lock the door, then sat down and started my day out with reading all of my updates of my online, BL manga. 

"An update after all of this time?!?"  I thought excitedly. " I wonder if there is going to be a steamy, forbidden, school library scene this time."

Thump Thump Thump!

"Score!"

Next It was time to unlock my bedroom door and clear my browser history, no teacher or preacher's son should be caught dead with that sort of thing.

Also, there would surely be a misunderstanding. 

You see, I'm not homophobic at all, however the world I live in would take one look at what I was reading and label me immediately as gay.

The reason I am not homophobic? Even when I grew up in the conservative environment that I did?  These are questions that I am often asked and the answer is simple, my childhood friend Luke Harding, came out as being homosexual when we were only twelve years old.

I remember swinging on the swing set, mid fall, when out of the blue Luke said to me, "I think I like boys." 

All I said in return was, "Oh?" 

Instead of being dumbfounded or disgusted I was merely a bit surprised because even at that age, with his good looks, he had already had a few girl friends, (even though they never lasted long).

Other than that I didn't think too much of it. 

He was still Luke so what did it matter anyway?

Not long after that, Luke's father beat him rather badly after he found a gay porn magazine under his bed.

This did not keep him down though, for unlike me, Luke has always had full confidence in who he is, and accepted the fact that he was gay immediately.

This is what gave me the understanding that we are born the way we are and that is that.

For even after sneaking up the tree to my window the night that his alcoholic father blacked one of his eyes, dislocated his shoulder, and left multiple bruises all over his body, he still refused to bow down to society's rules.

That night he sure did put up a strong front, but I could hear him quietly weeping in my bathroom.

"All he wants is to find love like everyone else.."    Was all I could think as tears rolled down my face.

That year he went to live with his grandmother, and it was not to be spoken about again. Not to his family. Not to school.

Luke is like me in the aspect that he doesn't like troublesome things. 

This is his reason for never coming out, not because he was ashamed. That is something I also strongly envy about him.

I still haven't told him my about "dirty" secret......

That day on the swings after I nonchalantly said, "Oh?" He replied with, "Oh, but you are no where even close to my type, so don't worry about me hitting on you or anything." 

So as of why I haven't told him, despite us being best friends? 

It is because Luke......

 Is an ass.  -_-