Saturday has finally arrived! The week leading up to this has been uneventful. Ben has been busy a lot of the time, and I usually just text Max and Gabby, so I've been doing nothing truly exciting. However, today should be different. I've spent a bunch of time getting ready. I wanted my outfit to look good, and seeing as it was something truly special, I decided to go into my makeup. It's been so long that I've worn any, but I might as well go full throttle. Max promised to protect me, so I want to see how much he truly meant it.

An alarm on my phone sounds, which is my signal to meet Ben. I rush out of the house with a quick goodbye to my parents and make my way to the park where we promised to meet each other. Most days I find that I can't stand the heat, but the weird thing about tonight is that I can.

It isn't long before I see Ben turn the corner of the sidewalk. I can see his expression, a bright smile, all the way from the gate of the park. I swear he has the charisma of a big screen actor, or a politician. Preferably the former. I'm so entranced by his face that I don't register right away that he clearly didn't put the same effort into an outfit as I did. I'm not complaining though. Even when he barely tries, he looks more put together than I could ever ask for.

"Hey, earth to Sam, you still with me," he chuckles, which snaps me into the reality that I was just staring at him for who knows how long.

I rub the back of my neck before muttering, "you look nice."

"So do you." He wraps an arm around my waist, and we start making our way to Max's house. Thankfully, I got that break from walking so much because I'm pretty sure that my legs were ready to kill me. We walk the distance pressed against each other, taking our sweet, slow time, which probably annoyed Max as we promised to be there on time. However he can wait, this is the first time I've seen Ben all week.

We eventually reach the large house, and it looks like some people have already started to arrive. I shoot Max a quick text that we're here, and we make small, careful steps inside. Obviously, Max has forgiven what Ben and I did, but other people are a different story. We make our way to the living room, and I see Max talking with the guys that surrounded him at the last party we went to. They notice us before Max does and make a move like they're going to try and fight us. That is until Max sees what caught their attention and takes a step in front of them.

"I'm so glad you two made it," he says sincerely as he wraps first Ben and then me in a hug. His hug feels tight but in a comforting way. A look of confusion washes over the other guys, and I somehow feel more anxious than before. There's one thing having guys be pissed at you, but then being confused is a whole other ball game.

"What the hell, man?" one guys asks once the hugging is over.

"I'll explain everything later," Max gets in the guy's face," but for now, if any of you try to lay a hand on either of them, don't expect things to be pleasant for you." I can't see his expression, but the look of fear on the other guys' faces proves that's probably for the best. I'm very aware of how scary Max can get, so it's not like it would be new information anyway.

More people start flowing in from the door, and the air starts feeling thicker. It feels like it should be hard to breathe, yet I have never felt more alive. It's almost like how people say dying makes you appreciate living more. The feeling is both frightening and exhilarating.

Max keeps a close watch of all those who enter like he's the bouncer of his own party. Soon though, he moves away from the door and towards me and Ben again. He grabs ahold of our hands, and pulls us onto a table in the middle of the living room. He makes futile attempts at quieting the crowd around us who've all become interested in only their little worlds.

"Oi, everyone!" Ben's booming voice thunders out, which works much more effectively. Everyone's eyes dart towards us, and Max clears his throat.

"I have something that I want everyone to hear," Max starts off shakily. I can feel his hand trembling in mine, and I give it a squeeze of reassurance. I have no idea what he's about to do, but I trust him enough to support him.

"I want to make my apology loud and clear," he looks towards me quickly, "I spent years torturing Sam for being openly gay, and I am ashamed of myself for doing this. Sam did not deserve this. He's done nothing to me without my provoktion, and why did I even do it in the first place? I did it because I was ashamed, not of Sam, but of myself, and I was scared of what I hid for so long. I harassed Sam for being gay because I was scared to admit that I'm gay too."

There's gasps and murmurs amongst those watching us with beady eyes like they're waiting for us to fall, but we won't fall. I won't let that happen. 

"I'm gay too! There! It's out now, and if anyone has an issue with it, you know what's best for you is to keep your mouths shut! And before everyone leaves, I want everyone who has tormented Sam because of me to apologize to him."

With that, we step off the table, and the party returns to what it was before the big speech. I do my best to try and grab Max into a hug, but he's so tall that it's a struggle. He leans down to help me, and I feel him start to cry. Ben joins into the hug, and we hold onto Max until we feel him calm down. Once he's breathing regularly again, we release him, and we go to enjoy the party.

Who know a game of kickball could lead to this. I got a boyfriend, a new friend who's popular, and a life that will hopefully be easier as time goes on. I may have questioned why at first, but I'm glad I was picked.