Falling Out of Line

Pretending to be gay might be the smartest thing I've ever done. The girls have started backing off, and most of the guys just make faces at me now, but at least they aren't threatening to kick my ass. It doesn't make any sense, but a gay Tyler fits in perfectly at Cranbrook Academy. Kaitlyn even invited me to her party tonight. The only parties I ever went to before were birthday parties for my foster siblings, I could tell they didn' t really want me there, either.

I was just getting out of the shower when I heard the doorbell ring. Sean was in the garage and Cory was doing laundry in the basement, so I figured they wouldn't hear the door. I wrapped a towel around my waist and shook my hair to dry it a bit before rushing to the door. When I opened it, some muscley guy looked down at me. Instead of looking confused, he grinned and stuck out his hand.

"You must be Tyler."
"Um, yeah. Who are you?"
"I'm your uncle! Didn't they tell you about me?"
"Um-"
"DALLAN!" I heard Cory shout from behind me. Cory ran past me and jumped into the guy's(my uncle's) arms.

They hugged tightly. I felt oddly out of place in this family moment.

"Hey buddy! How've you been?"
Cory settled back on his feet. "I've been great, but I wish you would've called before coming by. I haven't cleaned up at all."
"You spent all of yesterday cleaning. You threatened to hit me with a mop!" I interjected.
Cory frowned. "Well you kept getting in the way of me cleaning."
The guy at the door chuckled. "Same old Cory."
"Oh, don't act like it's been years since we've seen each other."
"Might as well have been years. You've got new furniture, a new haircut, a new kid," he pointed to me.
Cory frowned. "Tyler, why are you naked?"

I looked down, realizing I was still damp and wearing just a towel. "I-"
"He takes after his uncle - greeting people naked. It leaves a lasting impression." Dallan smirked before running a hand through his hair.
"How can he take after you? He's adopted and he's never met you before! And don't act like you're still a stud - you've been living with Keith since Sean and I went off to school, and you stil haven't proposed."
"Geez, now I remember why I don't visit more often - you're always busting my chops."

Cory glared at him but didn't say anything more.

"Alright, what's got my babe all worked up?" Sean emerged through the doorway. He saw Dallan, and suuddenly they started glaring at each other. Before I knew it, they were wrestling on the ground. I jumped back and looked at Cory, who was just shaking his head at them. Just as I was wondering if I should call the police, Dallan put Sean in a headlock, then ruffled his hair and gave him a noogie.

"Geez, Ace, what happened to ya? You used to able to pin me at least once." Dallan smirked before letting Sean go.
Sean lay on his back and sighed. "I'm too old for this."
"I'm older than you."
"Whatever." Sean looked at him, then me. "Where are your clothes, Tyler?"
I rolled my eyes. "I'm going to put some on while you guys do your whole family thing."
I saw them look at each other before I retreated upstairs.

I knew I didn't fit into their little family reunion. I was still just a bystander here, like the rest of my foster family experiences, even if Cory and Sean are the nicest family I've ever been with.

In a couple hours, I'm going to go pick up Lewis so we can go to Kaitlyn's party together, so I started getting ready. I blowdried my hair and tried to style it, but it wasn't working with me. It sat flat on my head, and I was out of hair product, so I just covered it with a beanie. I dressed in a pair of slightly fitted black jeans, a white t-shirt, my light green hoodie, and white sneakers. I had just finished tying my shoes when Sean called me to come downstairs. I grabbed my cell phone, wallet, and keys and stuffed them in my pockets before heading downstairs.

Everyone, including my strange new uncle from earlier, was sitting on the couch. I noticed Sean and Dallan each had a beer in their hands but Cory didn't.

"Tyler, come have a seat." Cory smiled at me.
"Um, I have to go pick up Lewis in a few minutes."
"We won't keep you very long. Just come sit."

I sat in the chair across from the couch.

"Tyler, we want you to meet your uncle and Sean's brother, Dallan." I looked at him and he smiled.
"Hi. I saw him earlier, you know."
"We know, but we want you to get to know him."
"Okay."
Dallan sat up, setting his beer on the coffee table.
"Coaster," Cory whined at him.
"Dallan rolled his eyes, set his beer on a coaster, and turned to me. "Hi, buddy."
"Um, hi."
"How've you been doing?"
"Good, I guess."
"Well, I'm Sean's older brother, and I don't live too far away. Me and my boyfriend, Keith, live in the city nearby. Sometimes we come to visit. I work as a college football coach and high school recruiter. Do you like sports?"
"Not really... I suck at sports."
"That's okay," he leaned to whisper, so I leaned forward. "Keith does too." He grinned.
I smiled.

He told me about his boyfriend, who is an English professor at Dallan's college. They've been together almost as long as Sean and Cory, and they have a pet cat named Leo, but they aren't married. When I asked why, Cory answered "It's because he continues to drag his feet. He's a huge commitophobe."

Dallan rolled his eyes. "I don't like the idea of being deadlocked in a relationship."
"But you've been with Keith for years! YOU LOVE HIM! Why not just take the next step?"
He sighed and took a long gulp from his beer.

I pretended to check my watch. "And on that note, I better go. Lewis will be waiting for me." I stood up.
"Wait! We're all going out to dinner tmorrow, and you'll get to meet Keith." Cory said.
"That's great," I said as I reached the front door.
"Did you maybe... want to bring someone along?" Sean asked.
I looked back at him. "Who?"
"I don't know. Maybe a friend."
"But, I thought this was a family dinner."
"It could include a guest, if you want to."
"I'm good."

They went back to talking to each other, so I left. That was weird.

I hopped in the car - Sean let me borrow it for tonight as long as I brought it back in the same condition - started it up, and drove pick up Lewis.

When I showed up at his door, he grabbed my hand and dragged me back to the car. He hopped in the passenger seat and I just stared at him before climbing back into the car.

"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Let's go."

I raised an eyebrow, but didn't question him further. We rode to the party in relative silence. Lewis fiddled with the radio, but I knew he wasn't really listening to it. I looked at him and noticed his outfit. He wore a pair of really tight skinny jeans that made my legs feel uncomfortable. He had on a blue tank top and a grey cardigan that was designed to look like a prep school uniform, and his sneakers looked so new and unique - I couldn't even tell what brand they were, so they must have been expensive. He kept messing with his tousled hair and playing with the eagle charm on his necklace. He had put a lot of effort into his outfit.

"Trying to impress someone tonight?" I teased.
He finally met my eyes and laughed. "Yeah, right. I just wanted to look good tonight. I don't get invited to parties often."
"Me either."
"You're kidding."
"Nope."
"You?"
I laughed. "You think so highly of me. I wasn't anything special at my old schools. I wasn't popular, and I didn't date alot. I was a loser. Being liked by people is new to me."
"That's so sad, Tyler."
I shrugged. "Oh hey, I met my uncle today."
"You did?"
"Yep. While I was naked. And then Cory started nagging him, and then my uncle and Sean started wrestling." I looked at him and grinned. He stared at me.
"Your family is weird, Tyler."

I laughed. Then I thought about it. I guess they were my family now, even if I wasn't an original member. It was just something for me to get used to.

"Apparently, being gay runs in the family, because he has a boyfriend too. We're going out for dinner tomorrow."
"That's nice. I like your family."
"Well, what about yours? I've never met them."
He was quiet, then said "They're alright."

I looked at him, but he was looking out the window at the crowd of people gathering. We were at Kaitlyn's.