playing for the other team (bxb)

[4] how does a southern homosexual get laid more than I do?

With the flaws that came with each other person's house, the most ideal house to hang out at was Lydia's house.

Usually, Jamie didn't like to have the entire group over. Yesterday was a perfect example of why Jamie dreaded having friends around his family. His younger brother being that much of a prick wasn't a rare occurrence, and even though Jamie acted like it didn't bother him, it certainly played a big role in the reason why Jamie preferred to not have the entire group over. He didn't have an issue with having just me over because I had known him for his entire life so he ceased to feel any embarrassment of his family around me, but with the whole group around, it could sometimes be bothersome. Jamie could also sometimes feel awkward having friends around his mother, which for a long time, I didn't understand. Though, I suppose it does make sense. Jamie's mother certainly loves him a lot and she's become more supportive over time, but with her being the churchgoing woman that she is, Jamie could sometimes feel awkward around her. Despite her support, there had always been an underlying feeling that her religion influenced how she felt about gay people. It was clear that she was afraid that Jamie being gay meant that he would turn his back on religion (And really, if someone told Mrs. Wright that her son was an atheist, she would probably faint.) On the bright side, Jamie's older brother, Matt, and his father are both pretty easygoing. Matt is just a few years older and he's this nerdy hermit, but really, he is a cool guy. He's always been there for Jamie, and for that, I love him. And with Jamie's dad, he tends to just stay out of everyone's way but when he is around, he's a nice guy.

My own family, admittedly, is not always the most pleasant to be around. Being that I am an only child, my parents tend to become overly invested in my life. They definitely have their own expectations for me and unfortunately, a lot of these expectations extend to how they view my friendships with people. Ever since I became friends with Lydia, they've been obsessed with the idea of me going out with her. And truthfully, they've never been the fondest of Jamie.

With Sawyer and Naomi, their issues at home are fairly simple. Naomi has a two-year-old brother so she tries to not stress out her parents by always having people over. Sawyer, on the other hand, prefers to not have people over because his bedroom is too small to fit everyone comfortably and he doesn't like to hang out downstairs, as his parents are usually around.

Lydia, by contrast, has workaholic parents who are usually not around and her only sibling, her older brother, is in his freshman year at college so he no longer lives at home. The house is usually empty, thus making it the perfect place to hang out.

The five of us-Lydia, Sawyer, Naomi, Jamie, and I-were in Lydia's kitchen. The four of them sat at the kitchen table while I rummaged through Lydia's pantries for something to eat. The unfortunate thing, for me at least, is that Lydia has the type of mother who only buys snacks that are good for weight loss, so, really, much of the food in her kitchen is hardly edible.

As my eyes scanned over the last unchecked cabinet, it becomes apparent that there's nothing remotely appetizing. I let out a sigh as I sit down at the table with everyone else.

"I hate your mom so much," I bluntly say to Lydia, and Jamie promptly gives me a light smack on my arm. It seemed that Jamie was always correcting my behavior or setting me straight otherwise. Sometimes it got a bit irritating, but really, a lot of it was well deserved.

Lydia laughs at this, "No, I get it... trust me, I get a little bit tired of it sometimes too. She's obsessed with losing weight, so she doesn't really let us have any fatty food in the house so that she won't cheat her diet."

"I'd go insane," Because, really, I would.

For the most part, I have to stay in shape for football. With the position that I play, I don't necessarily have to be as muscular as some of the other guys on the team but I still definitely can't let myself get out of shape. Despite this, I can definitely be an unhealthy person at times. There's no way that I'd ever be able to stick to a strict diet like that.

"So, have you thought about... you know... what we talked about at all?" Lydia asks me, straying from the original conversation with a devious look in her eyes.

Before I can even answer, Jamie chimes in curiously, "What now?"

I scoff, "Lydia's being annoying again-that's all you have to know," And then, after a short pause, "And no, I'm not doing it. I already told you."

"Is no one going to elaborate?" Sawyer asks.

"She wants to set me up with this one girl-uh, Mikaela."

"Because there's no reason why you shouldn't just give her a chance," Lydia argues, "I'm not saying that you need to date her... you could at least just give her a chance."

"Well, I-"

Lydia cuts me off, "I don't even want to hear it."

"Come on, Lydia," Jamie starts, "He doesn't have to go out with her if he doesn't want to."

"I knowwwwwww," Lydia draws out, "But it's just... it's been a while and I feel like there's no reason not to."

"We'll see," I tell her, but really, it's unlikely.

Footsteps can be heard coming down the stairs, and Sawyer turns to Lydia, asking, "I thought that your parents didn't get home until 8."

"They don't," She answers, "That's Eric."

"Eric's home?" Jamie quickly butts in, and I swear, I can see his ears perk up.

"Yeah, just for a bit, though."

Jamie has forced me to swear that I'll take this secret to the grave, as I'm the only one that he has ever talked to about this. You see, Eric and Jamie have had a bit of a fling. Well, I'm not sure if fling is the proper word to use here. They were never seeing each other in an actual romantic way, but they had hooked up quite a few times. It had happened a few times when Eric was a senior and we were all juniors. Lydia is completely oblivious to this fact, and I think that if she ever found out, her brain would explode into a million little pieces well beyond repair.

As Eric enters the kitchen, Jamie is quick to spark up a conversation, "Hey, I didn't know you were home from college."

Eric is a somewhat decent-looking guy. You can definitely see how he resembles Lydia, with them both having the same light blonde hair and the same light eyes. Still, I can't say that I understand the appeal.

"Yeah, well, only for this weekend. You know, so, I'll be around," He replies, and it takes a conscious effort for me to not roll my eyes at this. I'm sure that Lydia and the others would never pick up on it, but to me, it just seems so blatantly obvious. And the worst part is that I'm sure Jamie will take him up on the offer he just put out.

I really don't understand how Jamie can get with guys so much more often than I get with girls. I suppose that part of it makes sense. He's one of the only out guys in our town-and one of the only attractive out guys at that-so I guess that a lot of the closeted guys in town see him as the best option. Still, it's definitely a bit embarrassing if a gay male in a conservative town gets more action than I do.

Fuck, maybe I should be taking Lydia up on her offer.

QOTD: what do you look for in a partner?