"Dad….Mom-I have something I want to tell you," Blaine said breathlessly, "but first-you'd love me no matter what I did, right? Like I'd never stop being your son or something right?"
"Of course not Blaine! You know we love you no matter what!" his mother said graciously.
Blaine's dad just grumbled from the drivers' seat, "Damn traffic-you'd think that these people could learn to drive-but yes Blaine, what were you saying?"
Blaine knew that this probably wasn't the best time-they had just gotten out of the Ohio State game and his dad was trying to navigate the parking lot filled with people who just wanted to go home. But Blaine knew that he had to tell them. They'd know soon enough with report cards coming out anyway, with his grades slipping-not because he wasn't smart, but because the bullying was taking its toll. It hadn't been bad until he got to middle school. That's when the bullying started. How could they tell? Did he give off that kind of scent or something? Why did they hate him so much?
"Mom…Dad…"Blaine started, but started to choke back a sob, "I like boys-I'm gay."
His mother turned around and said "Nice try mister, but what about that nice Libby girl you're always hanging around with? You seem like two peas in a pod!"
They didn't believe him. Why did this have to be so hard? Blaine took a deep breath and choked back another sob.
"Libby isn't talking to me anymore…I told her and she said that I was going to hell," Blaine sobbed loudly, "but I can't help it! I'm gay!"
"Stop that!" Blaine's dad shouted, turning red from the tips of his ears on down, "You're just confused! You don't know what you want-you're only fifteen for God's sake!"
"Dad, I've known since I can remember!" Blaine shouted through his sobs, "I knew I was different-but I like boys. Girls are nice, but I don't like them like that!"
"I didn't raise a fag," his dad spat out, still facing the front of the car, "you just don't know what you want."
That word. That's what they called him in the hallways as they slammed him back into his locker. Or when he tried to take the gym locker next to theirs.
Blaine looked up at his mother. She was facing the front of the car, shoulders silently rising as she cried. His father was gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles were pure white. His face and ears were still red with rage though.
"I'm so sorry," Blaine choked out, "I don't want to be this way, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to disappoint you. I'm so sorry."
Blaine had full, body wracking sobs. He kept apologizing, as if saying sorry would make him un-gay.
"Stop crying-don't act like such a little fairy," his dad said quietly.
"Bryan-stop it!" his mother said through her tears.
"No, it's your fault he's like…this! You babied him his entire life, you always had to be around him!" his dad screamed at his mom.
"No, dad, it's not like that!", Blaine yelled at him.
"YOU. Shut the hell up you little queer-I sure as hell didn't raise you to be like this!" his dad roared back.
Blaine retreated. He sat with his head down, not daring to look up again for the entire ride home. The car was quiet, they didn't even have the radio on to cut through the thick silence.
His dad didn't speak a word until he got home. "Sarah-please go inside, I need to talk to Blaine for a moment."
His mother nodded, and left Blaine and his father alone in the car. Blaine gulped as his dad started to speak.
"Listen to me-you won't tell anyone else about your little 'problem'. We will keep this in the family, this is no one else's business. You're going to see a counselor to see if we can't get your head on straight and fix you. You WILL NOT talk about this. You're also out of choir and orchestra. You'll take shop or something, I don't know. This is not right Blaine Anderson. Just know that."
With that, his dad left him in the car sobbing, hoping that tomorrow this would have all been a nightmare. Nobody wanted him, he was something broken that needed to be fixed. He was just another fracture in the Anderson façade that needed to be patched. But maybe he'd just take care of the "problem" for them. If nobody wanted him in the world, maybe he should just take himself out, save them all the trouble.