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chirp from Amaris when her mother told her that Daddy was home.
    “How can they be so fucking caring and nice and all with a daughter like that?” I muttered.
    Trenkins glanced at me in an odd way. I couldn’t help but snarl, “ What? ”
    A smirk appeared on his face. “Aren’t you supposed to make sure that I stay politically correct?”
    We walked to the car. “Your disgust was pretty obvious.”
    “So you thought you’d top my disgust with a loud rant about the unfairness of the world?”
    I slid behind the steering wheel and waited for Trenkins to close his door. “They oozed happiness and love. I was waiting for a rain of kittens or stars or whatever.”
    “How dare they be happy when you are grouchy. The nerve!”
    I blinked. “I’m not grouchy.”
    “Sure you are. As I said before, get this thing with your boyfriend straightened out. My patience with you is stretching pretty thin.”
    “There is no boyfriend,” I squeezed out while I threaded into traffic.
    “Oh. So that’s the problem. He doesn’t want to be your boyfriend? Didn’t get him off good enough?”
    “Trenkins!” I wheezed. My embarrassment brought a hot flush to my face. I wasn’t even sure if I was embarrassed because of Trenkins’s cheeky remark or because he so boldly talked about me being gay.
    “Don’t act all coy. Whatever is going on, get it straightened out.”
    “You’re repeating yourself.”
    “Just wanted to make myself clear.”
    “You did.” After a brief period of silence, I asked curtly, “Are you going to tell anyone about me?”
    “No. Why would I?”
    I shrugged. “Don’t know.”
    “Ever heard of ‘It takes one to know one’?”
    I almost missed the red light. We came to a halt with screeching brakes. “Are you serious?”
    Trenkins rolled his eyes. “Yes. Get over yourself. Other people have the right to be gay too. By the way, how about we go on first name basis, now that we know each other’s darkest secret?”
    Baffled, I heard myself saying, “Okay. I’m Jeff.”
    “Parker.”
    “How long have you known about me?” I asked when my curiosity got the better of me.
    “For two weeks. I was surprised, I have to admit.”
    “Why? Not wearing enough pink shirts?”
    Parker snorted. “Maybe. Or my gaydar is for shit.”
    “You’re not the only one with a shitty gaydar. I’d never have guessed you were gay.”
    “Maybe we’re both great at hiding it. So, tell me, buddy, what’s the problem with the boyfriend?”
    I glanced at him irritably. “I told you. There is no boyfriend.”
    “What about the cute blond thing everyone was lusting after? By the way, I never thought you’d be one with a penchant for the androgynous type. Come to think of it, he looked pretty young too.”
    “He’s not my boyfriend. I’ve only seen him once and he’s not my type.” Even I wasn’t convinced by my own words. “Oh, and he is legal.”
    “Aha.”
    “What do you mean with aha ?”
    “Maybe your preferences are changing?”
    “No!” I pulled a face. “Boys don’t do a thing for me.”
    “Except that one.”
    Yeah, except that one. There hadn’t been one single night in which I didn’t dream about Alex. Without expression, I said, “It was a fling.”
    “Sure, and you’re all sour and mopey because of that.”
    “He’s not my type and that’s the end of this discussion.”
    “Sometimes an exception can be the right thing. Think about it,” Parker said mildly.
    I didn’t want to think about it, so I shot back, “You’re talking from personal experience?”
    “All I’m telling you is you might want to consider seeing him again.”
    “Wait, how do you know about Alex?”
    “Who?”
    “The cute blond,” I replied impatiently.
    “I happened to be hanging out in the Lion’s Den two weeks ago. Want to try talking to the Greens now and drive over to the school afterward?”
    “Subtly changing the topic is not your cup of tea, huh?”
    “Nope. You think there’s anything to