Answers in the Pages

by David Levithan

The line to speak was getting longer and longer. Then, as they did for Mr. Howe, people stepped aside to let someone go to the front. It wasn’t until he got there that I realized it was Curtis. As soon as he got near the mic, his parents jumped up and rushed into the aisle. I thought they were going to try to stop him, because saying you’re gay to your friends and saying you’re gay to the whole town are two very different things. But when he stepped up to the mic, they didn’t block him or pull him away. No, they stood behind him. His dad put a hand on his back for a second, just to let him know they were there.