(no subject)
"Your girlfriend's a what?"
Nate blinks at her, unruffled.
Very slowly and clearly, as if he honestly thinks she didn't hear him the first time, "A football player."
Gwen is rapidly becoming confused.
"A football player," she echoes. "Right."
Nate, meanwhile, is blithely ignoring her complete bafflement.
"Yeah," he says, "he got saddled with kind of a crappy team this year, but he's actually pretty good. I always kind of had a secret suspicion that he wasn't even on the team ... but apparently not."
Gwen stares at him.
"So," she says slowly. "Your ... girlfriend."
"Sam," Nate corrects, watching her curiously.
"Sam," Gwen says. "He's ..."
"A he," says Nate, very slowly. He seems to have come to the conclusion that Gwen's going to need all the help she can get with this.
As for her, she's running through the list of tried and true cliches: No matter what, you'll always be my little brother makes it sound like he shot somebody. It's okay to be gay ... rhymes. Then there's You know I'll support you no matter what, which seems solid and not overly maudlin ...
"Have you told Dad?" is what comes out.
Nate winces delicately.
"Gwen," he says, pained. "Why do you think you're my test audience? Dad made me promise to bring him over."
"Him?"
"Sam."
"Right." Gwen stares at him incredulously. "And you said yes?"
Nate fidgets.
"He backed me into a corner! I screwed up on my last chem test, I had no bargaining chips! You've gotta help me out here."
Gwen sighs, feeling a migraine coming on. She was planning to head out to the studio tonight.
"Okay," she says, running a hand through her hair. "Okay. Probably we should ... um. Does Mom know?"
Nate just smiles angelically.
"... Great," Gwen mutters. "Guess that's item one on the agenda."
Nate blinks at her, unruffled.
Very slowly and clearly, as if he honestly thinks she didn't hear him the first time, "A football player."
Gwen is rapidly becoming confused.
"A football player," she echoes. "Right."
Nate, meanwhile, is blithely ignoring her complete bafflement.
"Yeah," he says, "he got saddled with kind of a crappy team this year, but he's actually pretty good. I always kind of had a secret suspicion that he wasn't even on the team ... but apparently not."
Gwen stares at him.
"So," she says slowly. "Your ... girlfriend."
"Sam," Nate corrects, watching her curiously.
"Sam," Gwen says. "He's ..."
"A he," says Nate, very slowly. He seems to have come to the conclusion that Gwen's going to need all the help she can get with this.
As for her, she's running through the list of tried and true cliches: No matter what, you'll always be my little brother makes it sound like he shot somebody. It's okay to be gay ... rhymes. Then there's You know I'll support you no matter what, which seems solid and not overly maudlin ...
"Have you told Dad?" is what comes out.
Nate winces delicately.
"Gwen," he says, pained. "Why do you think you're my test audience? Dad made me promise to bring him over."
"Him?"
"Sam."
"Right." Gwen stares at him incredulously. "And you said yes?"
Nate fidgets.
"He backed me into a corner! I screwed up on my last chem test, I had no bargaining chips! You've gotta help me out here."
Gwen sighs, feeling a migraine coming on. She was planning to head out to the studio tonight.
"Okay," she says, running a hand through her hair. "Okay. Probably we should ... um. Does Mom know?"
Nate just smiles angelically.
"... Great," Gwen mutters. "Guess that's item one on the agenda."