Baby Baker

I told Cal that I would see him in third period, as I walked off to Matt's first, hoping to catch him before the bell rang.

I caught him just before he walked into the door. "Sen, what's wrong?" He asked, noticing my troubled expression.

"Can you ditch first?"

He looked around, then back to me. "Yeah, let's go." He took my hand in his as we walked out to my car. We got in and he turned to face me. "Alright, what's wrong?"

"Did I change while I was going out with Trey?" I asked, jumping to the punch.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, did I change a lot while I dated him?"

"Sen, don't let that fucker get to-"

"No, Matt. I'm just asking. I mean, I used to wear hoodies or t-shirts and jeans. Now, I'm dressing totally different,” I said, looking down at what I was wearing today.

He looked at me confused. "And? Is there supposed to be a problem with that?"

"I'm just wondering if it was Trey's doing..." I mumbled, looking at my hands in my lap.

He sighed, cupping my chin in his hand and making me look up at him. "Sen, you were starting to come out of your shell and dress more like this before you and Trey got together. Don't let him make you think this shit. What happened to not letting him get to you? Huh?" I smiled, knowing he was right. "Hey, now there's the smile I wanted to see."

"I'm sorry. I must be crazy from not getting enough sleep last night." He gave me a look. "No! Nothing like that happened. I just got in late. I just met the guy! Give me some credit!" He just laughed at my freaking out. "Ass," I mumbled, punching his arm.

"Ow! Now there's the Sen that I wanted to come back... Sen, you did change a little when you were with Trey, but it wasn't in a bad way. You just came more out of your shell and clung onto him a little. I think Zack was just jealous of that and that's why he wasn't too fond of him. Yes, you did get a little bit more... Feminine? I think that’s the right way to put it. But, you're still beautiful, no matter what. So don't let anyone try to tell you anything different."

"Thanks, Matt." I smiled, giving him a hug.

"So, what's this I hear about you giving Brian a chance?" He asked, smirking.

I gasped. "Who told you that?!"

"Who else? Your brother," he said, rolling his eyes.

"I said I would only give him a chance if he dumped Michelle. And I'm not just going to go running to his arms as soon as he dumps her, if he does!"

"No one said that... But, Valentines Day is only a few weeks away... Who knows?" He smiled, before climbing out of my car. Oh, these boys were definitely up to something.

When I got to third period, Cal was already there. I smiled and walked over to sit next to him. "Hey," I said, sitting in the desk next to his.

"Hey... I hope I didn't make you upset earlier."

"Oh! No, you're fine. I'm sorry about taking off like that. I just needed to talk to Matt."

"Good, 'cause I really didn't want to upset you and have you mad at me."

"Don't worry, you're too sweet to stay mad at." I smiled reassuringly. And, he was. He truly was a genuinely, sweet guy. You didn't come across those much these days. But there was something there made me question something about him...

"So, what're you doing after school?" He asked, trying to make conversation.

"Nothing, probably go home, do homework and take care of the lazy asses. The usual." He just laughed. "What about you?"

"Well, I was wondering if you would show me around, if you weren't busy or didn't mind. But, if you think they can't manage without you for a night, it's totally understandable." I laughed, shaking my head.

"They'll be fine on their own. We can go after school if you want?"

"Sounds great. I can't wait."

The rest of the school day went by pretty smoothly. It made me a feel a little uneasy, but I pushed the feeling away as I got in my car, Cal right beside me. "So, where to?" I asked as I pulled out of the parking lot.

"Anywhere."

"Why don't we go down to the pier and just talk? You seem like you have a lot on your mind."

He smiled shyly. "That sounds pretty good right now. I need someone to talk to, and I feel like I can trust you." I felt my heart swell at his words. It felt good to hear someone say that.

"Alright, what's bugging you?" I asked, as we walked above the waves on the wooden planks.

"Well... I guess I should just jump right in... I'm not like most teenage boys... I'm-I." He stopped, trying to focus.

"It's okay, you can tell me," I said, taking his hand in mine.

"I'm gay." I wasn't shocked by this. That was my suspicion I had had earlier. "Why aren't you freaking out?" He asked nervously.

I smiled and squeezed his hand. "It's okay, Cal. I had a little bit of a feeling you were. Don't worry, I'm not homophobic. I'm a pretty open person." He sighed in relief. "Am I the first person you've told?"

He shook his head. "I told my family two years ago when I had my first boyfriend... Well, let's just say, they took the news pretty well. But, he ended up being an ass. That's why we moved."

"Don't worry. If anyone has a problem with you here, they can answer to me... Or the guys. Depending on how big they are," I said, laughing lightly.

"So... Now that you know something huge about me... Can you tell me something about yourself?" He asked, unsure.

I froze. I felt comfortable around him and felt like I could trust him. But... Could I trust him with that? I made that mistake with Trey. But Cal wasn't Trey, he was a totally different person. Dammit, my head hurts!