I never understood why cats were always so scared, you know? They get spooked easily, even with a small, silly thing like a spoon. I always liked them but never understood that. I admired them for their curiousness, they were always sniffing everything, and exploring, and so did I! I liked to explore, I liked to play and find new stuff! I wanted to be another type of cat, the one who didn't fear anything! Except for water of course... but that's beyond the point. I did great since I became a hero. I was the fearless cat!
Until one day I finally understood it. I finally understood why they were all scared of everything.
Cats were curious, sure, but have you ever heard that curiosity killed the cat? Well, I assumed that's why they were all scared. Of so much looking around something eventually killed the first curious cat, and that spread onto all of them once they've heard. They got scared of the possibilities of what might happen, not of the thing.
For my misfortune, I was curious enough to try things beyond my grip. And I was brave enough to tell them!
But I never stopped to consider the possibilities of what that might cause... from that day, I understood why cats got scared so easily, not because I've seen it myself, I lived it, and all I can say it's that it was the worst experience of my life... one that it'll haunt me forever, and one that taught me that fearing wasn't a bad thing.
Connor sat on the ground with his hands under his chin, looking fondly at the boy with red hair and blue eyes. The boy was playing the drums in his band as they gave a concert for the public. He was among his public. The boy had such an amazing smile and Connor sighed. Why is he so hot?
Someone sat by his side and a rainbow-colored cotton candy appeared in front of his face. He grabbed it with an eyebrow raised and turned to the person who gave it to him. He smiled. "I thought you didn't enjoy these, Greg,"
"I don't, I just came here to watch you drool over Zane," Greg said amusedly.
Connor punched him and whispered. "I don't drool for him!"
"Really? Because when I arrived you were looking like-" He looked at the band and made a dreamy face, while his mouth hung open.
Connor laughed and punched him, slightly embarrassed. "You're an idiot,"
"A certified one, may I add," Greg said, putting cotton candy on his mouth. "For real though, you looked way too dreamy. If he looked over here he would've noticed,"
Connor looked worried. "You think so?" He looked around then at Greg again. "Do you think somebody else noticed?"
"That you're gay for Zane? Nope, I don't think so," Greg joked. Connor frowned and looked away. Greg stopped eating. "It's not a bad thing, you know?"
"Said the straight one," Connor said. "That's easy for you to say, you don't have to worry about what everybody else thinks! You don't have to hide that you like girls,"
"And what does it matter what they all think? They can suck it up," Greg said. Cheers rumbled in the place and they both noticed the show was over. "Wanna stay or should we leave?"
"Staying would be beyond weird, let's go," Connor nudged him away and they both calmly walked through the park. "It's just... I don't know. It's hard to shake people's opinions on you, at least that's how it is for me,"
"Well but, think about it. It doesn't matter what they think of you, right? All that matters is that the people that love you do!" Greg playfully nudged him. "Amaya and I already know, and we don't think anything weird of you, do we?" Connor shook his head. "Once you tell your parents everything will be alright, you'll see!"
Connor stopped dead in his track. "Tell... my parents...?"
Greg stopped and turned around. He looked at Connor. "Surely you thought about that,"
Connor shook his head slowly. "No, I..." He bit his nail. "No, I didn't think that was a thing until now,"
Greg looked at him worriedly and walked towards him. He grabbed his arm and led him away. "Well, don't worry, they will still love you. No matter who you love,"
Connor looked at the ground. "I don't know... Mom and Dad always tell me to get a pretty girl as Fidelite did..." His voice came out shaky when he asked, "What if they don't accept it? What if they don't accept me?"
Greg cast him a reassuring glance. "Don't worry, they won't hate you. They might be surprised, but other than that, I think they'll end up accepting it," He grabbed Connor's hand and started running ahead. "Come on! I told Amaya we would meet up with her at the school gate!"
Connor smiled. Greg always knew how to make him feel better, he always found the right words. He sighed and smiled, squeezing Greg's hand to avoid losing his grip on his. Everything will be alright...
Connor saw Amaya waiting by the school's gate, right under the shadow of a rowan tree. When she spotted both of them, she rolled her eyes and smacked Greg on the head with a book. "You two should tell me when you plan on skipping classes!" She grumbled. "I want to skip class too!"
Greg rubbed the spot on his head that Amaya smacked. "I didn't know Connor skipped class until we talked later this morning!"
Connor giggled at their interaction and greeted Amaya cheek-to-cheek. "Sorry we didn't tell you. I would've had if I knew Greg skipped classes as well,"
"Well, now you know better," She walked beside them through the way they usually took. "You two look a bit sweaty though. Where do you come from? Our neighborhood is not that far,"
"We were at the park," Greg said, putting what was left of his cotton candy in front of Amaya. She took a bite out of it and Greg said, "Connor was drooling over Zane again,"
"I wasn't drooling!" Connor yelled, blushing.
Amaya laughed. "I can already imagine how you were looking at him. Was it a show or band practice?"
"A show," Connor said dreamily. "He did so well," Greg and Amaya shared an amused look and giggled. Connor looked at them. "I'm right here,"
"It's just... you should hear yourself! You sound so funny when you talk about Zane," Amaya said. "How old was he again?"
"Seventeen," Connor sighed defeated. "Why does this world make it impossible to like someone?!" He complained.
"Well, maybe he'll notice you," Greg adventured.
Connor looked at him. "Yeah, because he's gonna look at a thirteen-year-old." They crossed the street and then stepped into their neighborhood while the hot summer sun hit them. Connor covered the sun with his hand. "I hate summer, it's always so hot,"
"I don't hate it but... it's awfully hot today," Said Greg, covering the sun as well. "Wanna come home? I've got some Ice Pops there,"
Both Amaya and Connor nodded vigorously; the ones that Greg's mom did were amazing. They followed Greg to his house, on the way greeting Alexander -Amaya's father- who was leaving for work. Once inside, Greg yelled. "I'm home!"
"I'll be down in a second!" That was Lina, Greg's mom. "Greggy, there's something for you in the kitchen!" Greg shared a look with him and Amaya, mostly a confused look.
Connor shrugged. "Maybe it's something for summer? You know, like clothes?"
"What's gotten into her?" Greg said, walking into the kitchen as Amaya and Connor laughed. When they stepped into it, they saw nothing, and Greg turned around to look at them. "I think my mom went crazy, there's nothing here,"
From behind the kitchen counter, a head with blonde hair and similar green eyes popped out, looking at them. Connor smiled as the person told him and Amaya to keep quiet. "Are you sure? Check the place, maybe you'll find what she meant," Connor said, smiling.
"Yeah, Connor's right, why don't you check around?" Amaya agreed.
Greg narrowed his eyes. "Is there something in the air? Because you two are acting weird now," Greg walked around until he approached the counter. "There's nothing here- Ah!" He didn't get to finish his sentence when the person hiding behind the counter lifted him in the air over his shoulder. "What?!" Then he noticed. "Dad?!" Greg laughed.
Connor and Amaya shared a look with a smile. Daniel always surprised Greg when he got back, each time different. Last time he had pulled Greg into the pool with him. "Hi, Daniel!" Both greeted him.
Daniel smiled at them as he shook Greg. "You two are not safe either," He lifted Connor and the brunette laughed. "Or maybe just Amaya, because she's a lady,"
"No fair!" Greg laughed. Daniel put both of them down and Greg hugged him. "It's been so long!"
"Yeah!" Daniel agreed. "Look at you three, you're far taller than last time I saw you! Especially you, Connor, you're almost a head tall than both of these shorties here,"
Connor blushed and scratched the back of his head. "I guess I've got a growth spurt,"
"Here," Greg placed on the counter ice pops and all of them got one, including Daniel. "How long are you staying, dad?"
"For a few months, these are my vacations," Daniel answered, patting Greg's head. Connor smiled at their interaction; his dad was never that fond with him, he always preferred to do 'boys' stuff, like wrestling or lifting heavy things. Connor never liked that kind of interaction. "So where did you kids were? Your mom told me you skipped class today," Daniel reproached Greg.
Greg laughed nervously. "I wouldn't have if I knew you were coming..."
"We were at the park," Connor answered with a smile as he tried to open his ice pop.
"Watching Connor's crush," Greg said under his breath.
Connor blushed and Amaya laughed. She said. "They were watching Connor's crush. I was at school,"
"This-" Daniel put his hand on Amaya's head."-is the perfect example of what you should be doing, Greg," he said, then he looked at Connor. "So we got to the phase were crushes are a thing, huh? What's her name?"
Connor felt uncomfortable. How could he tell him that it wasn't a she but he? "H-Her name... Her name is... uh..." Greg put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at him reassuringly. Come on, Connor, you can do this... He told himself. "His name is Zane," He blurted out.
Daniel stopped eating his ice pop and looked curiously at him. "Oh, so it's a he?" Connor nodded hesitatingly. "Why didn't you say so? I've could've corrected myself,"
Connor let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. He couldn't find the words to answer, so Greg did it for him instead. "It's not that easy for him, dad,"
Connor felt a hand on his head and he looked up at Daniel, who was smiling at him. "You can tell me whatever you want Connor, I'm not gonna judge you," He put his hand under his chin. "I should tell you about the time I come out of the closet to my parents,"
Connor's eyes widened. "Come out?"
"As you heard, kiddo," Daniel laughed. "I'm not straight,"
"Then what are you?" Amaya asked intrigued.
"I'm pansexual," Daniel smiled. "Didn't think I was gonna say that again,"
"And- And it went good?" Connor asked. "Your coming out?" Connor was genuinely curious. He felt nervous every time he thought about coming out to his parents, so maybe asking Daniel how it went his it was gonna help him to feel better, and maybe a little bit more confident about coming out.
"Well, at first my parents were shocked, confused," Daniel explained. "They weren't familiar with the term so I had to explain to them what it meant,"
"And what happened after you explained?" Amaya asked, all while they walked to the living room.
"They sat in silence for a few minutes," Daniel said. "That felt terrifying for a moment,"
Connor sat on the couch and looked intensely. "How much?"
"As if the world was gonna end." Daniel sat on a nearby chair. "But after that, they just accepted it, quietly, but they did,"
"A-And they didn't rage? Yell?" Connor asked.
"Not for a bit," Daniel looked at him. "You're scared to come out to your parents, aren't you?" Connor nodded slowly. He didn't like to admit he was scared. Other cats got scared, but not this one. "Take my advice, and sit them down in a quiet place to tell them, it'll be far much better than any other place,"
"Do you think it'll go good?" Connor asked while he looked at Greg.
"I can't promise you it'll go good, but I've known Katrina for a while and I don't think she's the kind to rage at something like this. She'll accept you, you're her son," Daniel reassured him.
Connor smiled. It felt much more reassuring hearing that from someone who already experienced it than someone that hasn't. Not that he was being ungrateful to Greg, in fact, he was grateful for his support, but hearing those coming from someone who already went through his worst fear felt way better.
"In case anything goes wrong, though I doubt it, we're gonna be here for you," Amaya said, putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah! We're not gonna leave you alone if that happens. No sir!" Greg added.
"Thank you, guys," Connor felt so lucky for having such accepting friends. He was glad he once met them, and he was glad to the stars for crossing their paths. "Can we please change the subject now, though? I'm kinda bored,"
Amaya and Greg giggled, and Daniel said. "I'll leave you kiddos to do your things, but I'll be right around the corner if you need me," He blinked. "Quite literally,"
When Daniel left, Greg turned to them. "I've got a new game for my PS4, wanna play?"
"Heck yeah!" Connor exclaimed.
They stayed at Greg's until night.
Connor waved at Amaya as she entered her yard and he stood on the porch of his house. His heart was beating fast, so much that he felt it was gonna jump out of his chest at any moment. Calm down, Connor. Not like they are gonna know... Since Greg mentioned that he had to eventually tell his parents he was into boys, his mind wouldn't stop bringing every worst possible scenario for if it went wrong.
He twisted the key to one side and then entered. "I'm home!" He yelled. A head popped out from the living room and Connor forced himself to smile. "Hi, Dad,"
"Where have you been all day? It's almost time for dinner!" He said.
Connor shrank in place; for some reason, his father sounded pushier than ever... or maybe he was just torturing himself. "I went to Greg's, I let Fidelite know earlier,"
His brother, who stepped out of the kitchen, walked past him and went upstairs. With a piece of bread on his mouth, he said. "Sorry, forgot to tell,"
Connor grunted annoyedly. "Well, I did tell him," He told his father.
At that moment his mother, Katrina, appeared from the kitchen. "He was just with his friends, Harold, let him have some fun,"
"Amaya might be a formidable girl, but I never liked that boy Greg that much," He said, which made anger burn in Connor's chest. "He's such a free spirit as his father,"
"You're not hating on Daniel, are you?" Katrina asked, warning on her voice. Connor could understand her. Much like Greg and him, Katrina and Daniel had been friends since they were little, such a long time ago sometimes they had trouble recalling how they both met exactly.
"No, of course not dear!" Harold said. "I just think he has trouble handling his kid a little bit," He looked at Connor. "He has to travel away for some reason, right?"
Connor kept quiet; he wasn't gonna answer that. "I'll get ready for bed,"
"Be down in a minute, okay sweetheart? Dinner's almost ready," Katrina told him gently. Connor smiled at her and nodded, trotting upstairs. As he reached the end of the stairs, he stopped when he heard his mother's voice.
"You're trying to get Connor to hate Daniel's family, and I don't accept that," She said.
He heard a gruff scoff. "It's better if he stays away from them, and you should too, Kat. You can't see what they are doing to you,"
Connor gripped onto his jacket as anxiety filled him. Why did his father insist to keep the distance from Greg's family? He was his best friend!
"They are doing nothing to me," Katrina retorted.
"Yes, they are! They are putting in your head those crazy ideas of theirs! I'm telling you this for your safety, I don't want you to be hurt," Harold said. Connor waited for an answer from his mother. His father sounded so soft when he told her that Connor thought he was right. Maybe he is?
"My... safety?" Katrina asked, unsure.
"Yes, your safety! Sometimes you make things more complicated than they are, Kat. I'm not trying to push you away from them, I'm just trying to protect you," He said lovingly.
"I guess..." Katrina said. She sighed. "Can you not involve Connor, though? Greg means a lot to him, they are almost like brothers,"
"I suppose I can... let that pass..." Harold said winded. "But I don't want him near Daniel nor Lina,"
"I'll talk to him about it," Katrina said.
Connor backed up from the stairs. But... Lina and Daniel had always been nice to me... why would they harm me in any way? He walked towards his room. How could they harm me? He closed the door to his room and sat on his bed. He felt so lonely here, that's why he always enjoyed being at Greg's, or even at Amaya's sometimes. Their houses always were joyful, and it was fun to play with Birdie and Lionel.
He looked at the window, where two cat collars sat. One belonged to the stray cat that used to visit him when he was younger, which once also served to help Lightning Fur communicate with him. He wondered where he was... one day he just stopped visiting.
The other belonged to a cat his parents had gifted him when he was younger too, right when the stray cat stopped appearing. He was happy with it, until one day it disappeared too. He always suspected his father and brother had something to do with what happened but never said a thing.
He laid down and sighed. I wish I had another cat... that way I wouldn't be that lonely, He stood there for a few moments before sitting up again and then standing up to get clothes from his closet. When he had picked his pajamas, he dressed and walked back to his bed, where he saw a text from someone on his cellphone.
Greggy~: Look what I took for you this morning~
Connor touched the screen and when he opened what Greg sent him, blood rushed to his face, and maybe somewhere else. It was a picture of Zane, with the hottest of smiles Connor had ever seen as he played the drums in the park. He must have taken it when I was distracted...
He had first seen Zane when they were practicing near HQ one afternoon after school. Something in the red-headed boy had caught Connor's attention, and soon he had found himself not being able to stop thinking about him. It didn't take Connor long enough to put the strings together as to why was that.
It was scary to find out about that, let alone shocking... He thought. What will my parents think once I tell them?
"Connor, dinner's ready!" His mother's voice ran through the house.
"Coming!" He yelled back. He took a deep breath and thought about what Daniel had told him earlier. Sit them down in a quiet place and tell them. He bit his lip. I hope that works... As he walked towards the door with a frown, he sighed. I'll tell them another day...
He didn't know that that day was gonna be the worst day of his life.