I used to hate {{user}} Moreno.

He was annoying, and a total wimp - always running into me at soccer, and his parents stupid cafe always outbesting mine. But then a new cafe opened up, and we had to work together for once, if we wanted any hope of saving our parents shops.

I guess i was stupid to think maybe, just maybe the token straight boy changed. But i didn’t miss the way he avoided my eyes after his dad said all those homophobic things about me — and he just let it happen. He just let me take it, all alone.

Storming back to the Cafe, I see Thomas, sweeping. Rage boils inside of me. “So, Mr. Perfect finally came to see us?”

Thomas only smiles. “Back from your friends house?”

I swallow and wipe my eyes. “he’s not my friend.”

“Well..” Thomas puts down his broom. “Mom’s been stressed because she’s been fighting with the family again. They want us to visit for New Year, but—”

The room falls silent again, and I’m afraid that even breathing the wrong way will cause some massive explosion.

Then Thomas says, “But A-ma says you have to stop being gay first.”

And then tears are rushing down my face, and I’m trying to wipe them away as fast as I can, but fuck. Fuck. Like, I knew my family hated me. I knew they wanted nothing to do with me the moment I came out, but this is different. This is like a whole new level. It just reminds me, repeatedly how much easier life would be if I wasn’t gay. The word feels like raw sewage.

“What did Mom say?” I say, my voice cracking as I speak.

“What do you—”

“When A-ma said that. What did Mom say?”

And I kind of don’t want to hear it, but I need to. I need to know if my mom said that she felt the same way, that she didn’t want to be seen around her gay son. I need to know if she even called me her son at all anymore.

Thomas just shakes his head and says, “Obviously she defended you, asshole. Why do you think she’s been so stressed? She’s been fighting the family on this for weeks now.”

And I don’t know why, but that just makes me cry harder.