Making the Grade
Chapter 7
My first GSA meeting is the next day. I go in after school, not really sure what to expect. All I know is that this better get me some brownie points with Frank. If this doesn’t bring us closer, then I don’t know what will.
When I get to the room, the desks are arranged into a circle of about fifteen chairs, and Mr. Iero sits in one of them. He grins at me when I walk in, so I smile back. I head over and plop down in one of the empty chairs, with this one chubby red-headed kid named Patrick on my right and a boy with tea green eyes and a brown Beatles 1964 era haircut on my left. Both of them are cute, but have they seen the work of art that is Frank Iero?
Patrick nudges me, and asks, “You’re new to GSA, right?”
I nod, answering, “Yeah.”
Patrick smiles at pats me on the shoulder, saying, “Welcome to the island of misfit toys.”
The chairs slowly fill up, and when everybody’s present, Mr. Iero starts the meeting.
“We have a new member today.” Mr. Iero looks directly at me, which makes me squirm in my chair. “Gerard? Would you like to introduce yourself and maybe tell us a little about your experience as a LGTBQ teen?”
I stand up, tugging on the end of my shirt anxiously. “My name’s Gerard and-”
“HI GERARD,” the entire group interrupts.
“Um, okay,” I mutter. “I knew I was gay after kissing a girl in the 4th grade and, well, not necessarily enjoying it. I’m in the closet, because I’m afraid of how people will react if I come out.”
“What is it that you’re afraid they’d do?” Mr. Iero asks.
“Well, I had a friend named Peter Wentz, at my old school,” I inform. “He came out in the second grade. And…. All of the kids picked on him for it. I mean, they threw rocks at him when he walked home from school. Certain adults were just as bad as the kids; I can list at least 6 households he wasn’t welcome in. So, yeah, I didn’t exactly want to go through what Pete went through.”
“Thanks for sharing, Gerard,” Mr. Iero tells. I sit down, peeking around the circle to see how well received my story was. “Shall we all introduce ourselves to Gerard?”
The group simultaneously nods.
“Patrick Stump, why don’t you go now?” Mr. Iero suggests.
Patrick stands, not really seeming nervous or even rattled at all. “I’m Patrick,” he starts in a voice much too deep for his baby cheeks.
“HI PATRICK,” the group greets, except for me, who is still trying to get a hold of how things work.
“I came out in the seventh grade, here at this school. And…” Patrick rocks on his heels, stuffing his hands into his front jean pockets. “I was shocked by everyone’s reactions.” The group all exchanges nervous glances. I look over at Mr. Iero, who is actually smiling and nodding along with what Patrick is saying. “I was treated…” Patrick glances over at me with those baby blues and grins. “Very well. I mean, obviously one or two guys were a bit ruffled and a couple more would make fun of me, but, overall…” Patrick looks from person to person. “I was accepted. I was treated with respect.””
Patrick sits down, and everyone claps.
Mr. Iero thanks Patrick, and then moves on to the next kid, girl named Lizzy.
I don’t really listen to the other kids much. Instead, I spend the meeting considering what Patrick had said, and contemplating about whether I should come out or not.
After the meeting, I catch Patrick on his way out.
“Hey, Patrick,” I start.
Patrick turns around, surprised to see me or maybe even anyone in general talking to him outside of class and GSA. “Yeah?” He pushes his chunky, dark glasses further up onto the bridge of his nose. I can’t hold back my grin at the gesture, because it reminds me of my younger brother, Mikey.
“How did you come out?” I ask.
Patrick shrugs, telling, “Well, I came out two different times. Once, was at a family gathering. I told everyone to gather round, then just went, “I’m gay” and left the room. I did it again at school, telling my class in a piece of writing we were supposed to share. And trust me, I had a lot of help having it spread around the school after that.”
“Do you think I should do that?” I question.
Patrick considers this, tilting his head and pushing his hat to the side to scratch the top of his head. “Well, I mean, it’s different for everybody. I’d say the main thing to take into consideration when coming out is how your demographic will react. Try to cater to them a little bit.”
“Thanks, Patrick,” I thank. He nods, so I grab his arm. “Really.”
Patrick’s pink lips upturn, and he replies, “It’s my pleasure, Gerard.”
I get home that night. My parents and Mikey are out at Mikey’s soccer game, so I have the entire house to myself. I lounge around in my briefs and t shirt, trying to think of an idea for how to come out. My parents probably won’t react too well, so I figure that it’s best to not do it anywhere public.
I’m searching for something to eat when I get the perfect idea. Why not make a cake? I mix all the batter, pour it into a nice circle pan and put it in the oven. When it comes out, I let it cool for about 15 minutes before going at it with blue icing. In red, I write in frosting over the top, ‘I’m sorry, I’m gay –Gerard’. I figure that, hey, at least they get a cake, and this way, it gives them time to react to it before talking to me. I go to bed that night, fully realizing then that although I won’t see them until after school tomorrow, there’s still a chance that they’ll absolutely hate me, their gay son.
When I get to the room, the desks are arranged into a circle of about fifteen chairs, and Mr. Iero sits in one of them. He grins at me when I walk in, so I smile back. I head over and plop down in one of the empty chairs, with this one chubby red-headed kid named Patrick on my right and a boy with tea green eyes and a brown Beatles 1964 era haircut on my left. Both of them are cute, but have they seen the work of art that is Frank Iero?
Patrick nudges me, and asks, “You’re new to GSA, right?”
I nod, answering, “Yeah.”
Patrick smiles at pats me on the shoulder, saying, “Welcome to the island of misfit toys.”
The chairs slowly fill up, and when everybody’s present, Mr. Iero starts the meeting.
“We have a new member today.” Mr. Iero looks directly at me, which makes me squirm in my chair. “Gerard? Would you like to introduce yourself and maybe tell us a little about your experience as a LGTBQ teen?”
I stand up, tugging on the end of my shirt anxiously. “My name’s Gerard and-”
“HI GERARD,” the entire group interrupts.
“Um, okay,” I mutter. “I knew I was gay after kissing a girl in the 4th grade and, well, not necessarily enjoying it. I’m in the closet, because I’m afraid of how people will react if I come out.”
“What is it that you’re afraid they’d do?” Mr. Iero asks.
“Well, I had a friend named Peter Wentz, at my old school,” I inform. “He came out in the second grade. And…. All of the kids picked on him for it. I mean, they threw rocks at him when he walked home from school. Certain adults were just as bad as the kids; I can list at least 6 households he wasn’t welcome in. So, yeah, I didn’t exactly want to go through what Pete went through.”
“Thanks for sharing, Gerard,” Mr. Iero tells. I sit down, peeking around the circle to see how well received my story was. “Shall we all introduce ourselves to Gerard?”
The group simultaneously nods.
“Patrick Stump, why don’t you go now?” Mr. Iero suggests.
Patrick stands, not really seeming nervous or even rattled at all. “I’m Patrick,” he starts in a voice much too deep for his baby cheeks.
“HI PATRICK,” the group greets, except for me, who is still trying to get a hold of how things work.
“I came out in the seventh grade, here at this school. And…” Patrick rocks on his heels, stuffing his hands into his front jean pockets. “I was shocked by everyone’s reactions.” The group all exchanges nervous glances. I look over at Mr. Iero, who is actually smiling and nodding along with what Patrick is saying. “I was treated…” Patrick glances over at me with those baby blues and grins. “Very well. I mean, obviously one or two guys were a bit ruffled and a couple more would make fun of me, but, overall…” Patrick looks from person to person. “I was accepted. I was treated with respect.””
Patrick sits down, and everyone claps.
Mr. Iero thanks Patrick, and then moves on to the next kid, girl named Lizzy.
I don’t really listen to the other kids much. Instead, I spend the meeting considering what Patrick had said, and contemplating about whether I should come out or not.
After the meeting, I catch Patrick on his way out.
“Hey, Patrick,” I start.
Patrick turns around, surprised to see me or maybe even anyone in general talking to him outside of class and GSA. “Yeah?” He pushes his chunky, dark glasses further up onto the bridge of his nose. I can’t hold back my grin at the gesture, because it reminds me of my younger brother, Mikey.
“How did you come out?” I ask.
Patrick shrugs, telling, “Well, I came out two different times. Once, was at a family gathering. I told everyone to gather round, then just went, “I’m gay” and left the room. I did it again at school, telling my class in a piece of writing we were supposed to share. And trust me, I had a lot of help having it spread around the school after that.”
“Do you think I should do that?” I question.
Patrick considers this, tilting his head and pushing his hat to the side to scratch the top of his head. “Well, I mean, it’s different for everybody. I’d say the main thing to take into consideration when coming out is how your demographic will react. Try to cater to them a little bit.”
“Thanks, Patrick,” I thank. He nods, so I grab his arm. “Really.”
Patrick’s pink lips upturn, and he replies, “It’s my pleasure, Gerard.”
I get home that night. My parents and Mikey are out at Mikey’s soccer game, so I have the entire house to myself. I lounge around in my briefs and t shirt, trying to think of an idea for how to come out. My parents probably won’t react too well, so I figure that it’s best to not do it anywhere public.
I’m searching for something to eat when I get the perfect idea. Why not make a cake? I mix all the batter, pour it into a nice circle pan and put it in the oven. When it comes out, I let it cool for about 15 minutes before going at it with blue icing. In red, I write in frosting over the top, ‘I’m sorry, I’m gay –Gerard’. I figure that, hey, at least they get a cake, and this way, it gives them time to react to it before talking to me. I go to bed that night, fully realizing then that although I won’t see them until after school tomorrow, there’s still a chance that they’ll absolutely hate me, their gay son.