Narration
Jeff sat on his bed, eying the cell phone which lay a few inches away. Pit was out for the moment, so the blond could make a call in private. All he had to do was pick up the phone, dial home, and speak. Simple as that.
But what if his father picked up? Jeff didn't want to tell him first. What if his father got angry or was disappointed or--
This was stupid. He was overreacting over nothing.
Reaching over, his fingers froze just as they were about to touch the cell phone, then his hand recoiled back.
Why was he making such a big deal out of this? It was just a matter of starting a little chat. The first step was to open with light conversation. "Hey, how are you?" or "It's been a while," or even "How are things at home?"
After that, he would casually slip into the topic. An offhanded "So, I was talking with my roommate the other day and--" no, that would connect the angel with the issue and he didn't want his parents assuming that-- or maybe a joking "Ha ha, so, funny story about why I don't have a girlfriend--" but Jeff wasn't one for playing around like that, his parents would know something was wrong-- or perhaps simply "Did you hear the news? Apparently two male teachers are getting married at Smash Academy and--"
This was ridiculous. It was no big deal. So why was he treating it as such? It's not like he was going to tell the whole school or anything. Just his parents.
Jeff picked up the cell phone, fingers hovering above the keypad. Not a moment later, he threw it back onto the bed.
Why did he even feel the need to tell them anyway? Just because he had alluded to it to his roommate didn't mean he had to tell his parents. Besides, he hadn't even used the technical words for it. Not that he thought Pit would understand. The angel was awfully oblivious when it came to those sorts of things. The point was that he had spent a majority of his life keeping it a secret.
Sure, growing up in LA, he had seen all sorts of walks of life. But in the upper echelon, those sorts of topics were ignored, not discussed. If Jeff had shown any interest in his peers, gender regardless, it was nothing more than about money and connections. It would always begin with an introductory "my name is..." followed by a "my family does this..." and concluded with a friendly "we should do lunch sometime." It was a game that both parties new the rules and played along.
And that had worked just fine for him. Jeff had become a master of the game, adding little details like a charming smile and suave compliments. There was no reason to change it now. If he told his parents, he would be ruining the game. Why fix something when it's not broken?
Jeff gazed at the cell phone again. Slowly, he grabbed it and dialed the numbers.
One ring.
Two rings.
Three rings--
"Hello?"
"... Hey poppa."
"Jeff? What is it? I'm very busy right now."
"It's just..."
Jeff's throat became dry.
"Well?"
"I... forgot to call on Father's Day."
"... You did? I hadn't even noticed."
"Yeah... so, uh... Happy Father's Day."
"Is that all, Jeff?"
"... yes."
The line went dead.
But what if his father picked up? Jeff didn't want to tell him first. What if his father got angry or was disappointed or--
This was stupid. He was overreacting over nothing.
Reaching over, his fingers froze just as they were about to touch the cell phone, then his hand recoiled back.
Why was he making such a big deal out of this? It was just a matter of starting a little chat. The first step was to open with light conversation. "Hey, how are you?" or "It's been a while," or even "How are things at home?"
After that, he would casually slip into the topic. An offhanded "So, I was talking with my roommate the other day and--" no, that would connect the angel with the issue and he didn't want his parents assuming that-- or maybe a joking "Ha ha, so, funny story about why I don't have a girlfriend--" but Jeff wasn't one for playing around like that, his parents would know something was wrong-- or perhaps simply "Did you hear the news? Apparently two male teachers are getting married at Smash Academy and--"
This was ridiculous. It was no big deal. So why was he treating it as such? It's not like he was going to tell the whole school or anything. Just his parents.
Jeff picked up the cell phone, fingers hovering above the keypad. Not a moment later, he threw it back onto the bed.
Why did he even feel the need to tell them anyway? Just because he had alluded to it to his roommate didn't mean he had to tell his parents. Besides, he hadn't even used the technical words for it. Not that he thought Pit would understand. The angel was awfully oblivious when it came to those sorts of things. The point was that he had spent a majority of his life keeping it a secret.
Sure, growing up in LA, he had seen all sorts of walks of life. But in the upper echelon, those sorts of topics were ignored, not discussed. If Jeff had shown any interest in his peers, gender regardless, it was nothing more than about money and connections. It would always begin with an introductory "my name is..." followed by a "my family does this..." and concluded with a friendly "we should do lunch sometime." It was a game that both parties new the rules and played along.
And that had worked just fine for him. Jeff had become a master of the game, adding little details like a charming smile and suave compliments. There was no reason to change it now. If he told his parents, he would be ruining the game. Why fix something when it's not broken?
Jeff gazed at the cell phone again. Slowly, he grabbed it and dialed the numbers.
One ring.
Two rings.
Three rings--
"Hello?"
"... Hey poppa."
"Jeff? What is it? I'm very busy right now."
"It's just..."
Jeff's throat became dry.
"Well?"
"I... forgot to call on Father's Day."
"... You did? I hadn't even noticed."
"Yeah... so, uh... Happy Father's Day."
"Is that all, Jeff?"
"... yes."
The line went dead.