I laid the groundwork at dinner. Brandished my good grades, brought up the gay couple in class, said "This is how it is," to see what they'd say. They hesitated. Then gave in. Because we were all thinking the exact same thing: I couldn't spend the rest of my life hiding. Then, as my therapist likes to say, the hardest part was over. I'd proved stronger than they. And I'd left them behind, even if I could never forget what they'd done for me.
And that was it. The die had been cast. I was headed for my fate.
I tried my best to play it cool. But inside, the thought of that evening freaked me out.