color blind.| jyatt

No Boys

Jaeden

I grew up in a Christian family. As a kid I was told what was right and wrong. Homosexuality was one of the wrong things. I hated gay people, a lot. I thought it was disgusting that two boys could actually kiss each other. I used to sit in my bed and stare at the ceiling. I'd imagine the boys bathroom sign and then put an ❌over it. Then I would imagine the girls bathroom sign and the put a ✅over it. But the thought of kissing a girl also made me cringe. I don't know maybe it was because I was young.

• • •

I was fixing my hair in the mirror when I hear my mom call from downstairs.
"Jae, baby we're going to be late for church please hurry!" I shout back with a loud but polite ok. I always felt weirdly unwelcome at my church and I have no idea why.
I jogged downstairs to see my mom and dad all dressed up standing by the front door. My dad was the youth pastor so he always had to look nice.
*look at picture above*
"Well don't you look handsome!" My mom said pulling me by my shoulder into a big hug.
"Yeah yeah" I said rolling my eyes.
We got in the car and I immediately got on my phone.
"So honey," my mom started. I looked up. "What do you think about Sophia? She's a nice girl, right?" I hummed in reply.
"Maybe you should talk to her and get to know her!" She suggested looking at my through the rear view.
"I guess so mom." I said chuckling and shaking my head. She giggled too.

We arrived at church and got out of the car. I looked at the sign. "Church of Christ" was plastered with big letters on the front with two little old men waiting to greet people at the front. I only knew one, the other was most likely a new comer. We greeted them with hellos and walked in. I looked around. Everyone was chatting amongst themselves and goofing off. Everything was just as usual. I scanned the room, then it happened. My eyes landed on him.....
"Who's that?" I ask my dad interrupting him from talking to the greeters. He turned to look at me. Then he looked in the direction I was pointing.
"Gee I don't know. We should go introduce ourselves." He said smiling. I nodded and we headed towards him.
"I don't believe we've met. I'm Jon the youth pastor." He stuck out his hand implying for the boy to shake it. He did. He said his name was Wyatt Oleff and that he was new.
He turned to me. "And this is my boy Jaeden." He had a big smile on his face. I said hello and shook the boy's hand. We made eye contact. I immediately let go after that and stuck my hand in my pocket. I don't know what it was but his stare made me feel something.
• • •
I started walking to the youth hall with my hands in the pockets of my dress pants. Someone walks beside me.
"Jaeden was it?" He asks. It's Wyatt. "Uh yeah. Hi." I say looking at him. Again we made eye contact. God I hated it.
"Well I don't know where to go so I thought I would just catch up with you!" He said cheerfully. I smiled. This guy was pretty nice.
We continued walking until we reached the youth room. There was about 20 students already sitting down since our church was pretty big. Wyatt and I located a seat close to the back and sat down. Sophia was back there and I was going to make an effort to talk to her. She smiled at me as I sat down.
"Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Please take a seat." My dad walked to the front of the room. "Today we will be in the book of mark." I opened my bible. I noticed Wyatt didn't have a bible in his hand, he was just twittling his thumbs.
"There's..uh.. bibles over there." I pointed to the area behind my dad. He nodded and got up. Soon returning and taking a seat beside me again.
Through out the lesson, I could feel someone keep glancing at me. I turned to look and apparently I looked at the right moment. Because I caught Wyatt mid-glance. A bright crimson color spread across his face and he quickly turned forward.