Tanner in The Center Boyxboy

LINDA: TRUTH SEEKER.

Afterward, Tan sits on the side of the bed facing away from Sven as he gets dressed too lost in his thoughts to realize Sven is trying to get his attention. "Hey" he snaps out of it feeling Sven's hand on his shoulder. "Where are you?" Sven asks noticing how distant he is.

He forces a smile "right here. I have to get going school's about to end and Ronnie needs her car" after putting his shoes on he looks around for everything else.

"Can I see you later? Maybe I can come over and we can hang out?"

Standing at Sven's bedroom door before he leaves Tan says "umm I'll text you ok."

"Okay" Sven replies and Tan leaves without saying anything else.

Frantically rushing to the car tears fall from Tan's eyes, what just happened was something Tan's wanted for as long as he could remember, but he didn't want it like this. Getting in the car Tan sits there for a minute crying as he fixes his hair so his friends don't notice.

Why couldn't Tan enjoy this? Having sex with your crush should be at the top of everyone's list and it was for Tan, but having feelings you can't explain for another man kind of complicates things, and Tan has a lot of feelings for Harris. But Harris wasn't Sven and Sven's the guy Tan has always fantasized about.

Driving to school Tan erases anything indicating that he and Sven had sex or that he's been crying. By the time he made it inside the school, the bell rings and school ends, walking to Ronnie's locker he sees her and Erica dumping books in their lockers. "Tan!" Erica sees him walking towards them "hey how'd it go?"

"Yeah, how's Sven?"

"It went fine" Tan replies "he's fine just kind of depressed I think, he was just sad about losing the game."

"Did you guys talk?" Ronnie asks as he hands her the car keys

"We did and I showed him his page in the yearbook I think that made him feel better" and having sex with him definitely helped. "I'm gonna go fix the font in the yearbook, I'll see you guys tomorrow all right"

"Okay" Ronnie replies

"Tan are you ok?" Erica asks noticing no emotion or reaction coming from him

"Im fine, I just have to get this done before my mom gets here, I'll text you guys. Bye"

"Ok later," Erica says

"Bye Tan."

He walks away feeling like shit for lying but he can't tell them the truth, if he tells them he slept with Sven and doesn't show he's excited about it they'll ask why. If he shows how much he's freaking out and how bad he actually feels for doing it, they'll ask why he's not happy getting something he's always wanted. Tan wasn't ready to explain why sleeping with Sven was a terrible idea so instead, he bottles it all up.

Sitting at his computer desk at home doing homework Tan hears behind him "hey Boobs"

Turning around Tan sees Lin walking in and shutting the door "hey what's up?"

She gets in his bed "not much just wanted to talk to you"

Putting his pencil down he turns in his chair "bout what?"

Not holding back Lin asks "was Harris the same guy I heard on the phone when I called on Saturday?" She already knows the truth

"No that'd be weird" he scoffs rolling his eyes

"Would it? Because that guy sounds exactly like the one on the phone"

"That's impossible Lin."

"See I don't think so" she sits up "I saw you two together and you weren't talking to him like someone you'd just met. You were smiling you never smile at strangers, and who else would be telling you that the shower was ready at 12 in the afternoon?"

"My dad Lin! It was my dad, not Harris"

Lin gets out of his bed "I don't understand why you're lying Tan!" Because her knowledge can put Harris in danger and he doesn't want that to happen, he has to protect Harris. "I understand you not telling Ronnie and Erica but me your best friend since third grade, Tan! You're lying to me?" She guilts him into telling the truth

But everyone underestimates how strong Tan actually is, he cares too much about Harris to hurt him this way. "Thank you so much for pulling that card out on me Lin, but everything you're accusing me of is very impossible but you believe what you want, you know over me your best friend since the third grade."

"Fine Tan lie to me, that's where we are now"

Laughing in disbelief "you can't guilt me, Lin, if you can't believe me then I have as much right to be mad at you."

"I'm not mad at you Tan I'm disappointed, our friendship means nothing if you're going to lie."

Tan watches as he's about to lose a friend "then I guess I'm disappointed too."

Lin walks out and Tan starts to breathe heavy as he's about to cry. "What was that?" His mom comes in asking "Linda just left crying? What was all the yelling about?"

"Nothing Sheila please leave me alone" he drops on his bed.

"That was not nothing you guys were yelling at each other, if something's wrong you have to tell me"

"No, I don't! Please, I just want to be left alone!" realizing she can't do anything unless he is willing to talk to her, Sheila leaves Tan's room shutting the door behind her.

Tan cries as he rushes off the bed grabbing his phone and getting in his closet and shutting the door. Sitting on the closet floor crying he calls Harris "hey Boobs how are you?" Harris answers happily

Sniffling he replies "I'm so sorry, Harry"

"What's the matter?" Harris hears the sadness in his voice

"No matter what I do I always seem to ruin it" Tan cries knowing what the outcome is going to be once again. "Lin thinks that you're the same guy she heard on the phone on Saturday, she thinks because of the way I was acting around you this morning and how similar your voices sound, you're the same guy." Harris doesn't get a chance to speak because Tan continues to defend what happened, "I didn't mean for this to happen, Harry, you have to believe me, I know that if she tells the other girls about this they will all start asking questions and I cannot allow that. So I'll keep denying it, and I understand-"

"Tan?" Harris tries to cut in but Tan continues

"If we can't see each other anymore I deserve that"

"Are you done?"

"Yes" Tan wipes his eyes

"This isn't your fault, it's mine for accepting a job at your school and for allowing you to show me around. Don't worry about it ok? We'll take things slow but I think you're in control of the situation, and I'll call the principal tomorrow and decline the job offer so I won't ever have to show up there again." Harris reassures  Tan a mess in the dark crying on his closet floor.

"Ok" Tan's breathing becomes slower and deeper as he calms down, "I'm sorry I called so late she came over and just tried to force me to tell the truth but I didn't. It was overwhelming and I had to talk to you."

"Anytime you want to talk Tan you can always call me day or night."

"Ok, I should go I have homework to finish"

"All right I'm doing work myself, I'll see you soon?"

"You will"

"Bye"

"Bye" they both hang up.