Truths Revealed - Sam

The party was in full swing when we got there, the rec room of the hotel filled with loud chatter, music, and the scent of sugary drinks and snacks. It was Leo's 18th birthday—one of the other footballers I didn't really know that well. But it was an excuse to get everyone together, and on this trip, everyone was eager to celebrate.

Of course, drink was banned, and we were confined to the hotels function room by the teachers but it still everyone decided to go.

I wasn't exactly in the mood to party. There were a lot of things on my mind It was all a lot to process. But I couldn't deny that I was happy to be away with Jay, out of the pressure of our usual routine. I just hoped this night wouldn't bring up anything uncomfortable.

As I made my way through the crowd, I saw him—Kyle. He wasn't his usual self. Normally, he'd be the loudest one, cracking jokes at someone's expense or throwing some dumb comment about me hanging out with Jay. But tonight, he was... quieter. He didn't make a single snide remark. Instead, he just gave me a small, almost awkward wave when I caught his eye.

"Hey," Kyle said, his voice low.

"Hey," I responded, unsure of what to make of it. He didn't say anything else, just drifted off into the group of other football guys, blending in which wasn't like him at all. I stood there, not knowing how to feel. What was that about? It wasn't like Kyle to be this... calm. Maybe he was just in a weird mood tonight.

"Sam! Over here!" I heard Eli's voice from across the room, pulling me out of my thoughts. I smiled and made my way over to him, Alex, and Jay, who were all huddled around a table where someone had set up a game of truth or dare.

Pretty much everyone we knew had decided this was a good game to play, it felt like a good idea until some of the others invited themselves in, the group growing larger as more and more joined in, Kyle, Ben, and Brad were there too, but mostly everyone was focused on the game, a bottle spinning in the middle to decide whose turn it was.

Things were going well. We were all laughing, joking around. Until Leo, the birthday guy, spoke up.

"You know," Leo said, loud enough for everyone to hear, "you've been hanging out with Jay a lot lately, Sam. Guess we don't see you much anymore."

I felt my face heat up as the attention shifted to me. I wanted to shrug it off, but the words felt sharp. I didn't need to be reminded that I wasn't spending as much time with the team, but it wasn't like I even really spent much time with Leo anyway, I barely knew anything about him outside of football.

Before I could say anything, Kyle, surprisingly, stepped in.

"Why does it matter?" Kyle said, his voice low but firm. "Let Sam hang out with who he wants. It's none of your business."

I blinked in surprise. Kyle was standing up for me? I didn't know how to react. It didn't make sense. Kyle had always been the one making snide comments about me, about Jay. Why was he defending me now?

Leo looked like he was about to argue, but Kyle didn't give him the chance. He just turned his back and rejoined the others in discussing dares for the next persons go, leaving me confused and a little unsure about the situation. I still didn't like Kyle. Not really. But there was something in the way he'd spoken up that made me wonder if there was more to it than I'd realized.

The game continued, and the tension from earlier quickly faded as the dares got more ridiculous. But then, someone dared Ben to kiss Jay. It was harmless of course but then maybe they didn't know what I knew, what Jay knew... The room fell silent for a moment, and I could feel my stomach tighten.

Jay, though, didn't look fazed. He just shook his head, looking uncomfortable but calm. "I can't do that," he said, his voice steady but quiet.

The others were all whispering amongst themselves, clearly confused by Jay's refusal. They were trying to make sense of it. It didn't take long for the questions to start flying.

"Is Jay seeing anyone?" someone asked.

There was a beat of silence. It was like everyone was suddenly more interested in Jay's personal life than the game.

"Well, he must be, right?" someone else added, glancing at Eli. "I mean, we all saw the way they were looking at each other the other night. Are you two together?"

Eli froze, looking caught off guard. "No, no," he stammered. "I'm dating someone else."

That didn't seem to deter the group. The questions kept coming, and the pressure was starting to build. I could tell Jay wasn't sure how to respond. I could see his discomfort written all over his face, and I couldn't help but feel bad for him.

Ben, on the other hand, was fuming. He stood up, his face red with frustration. "I'm not kissing a gay guy no way" he spat, and the whole room fell awkwardly still.

The group looked around, and it seemed the previous question was still on everyone's lips, "ok so it 's Jays go as Bens run off" and suddenly, someone dared Jay and Eli to kiss instead.

The entire room was watching them now, expecting some kind of performance. I could feel the heat on my face, the anxiety rushing through me.

"Can I just do a truth instead?" Jay asked, his voice sounding a little strained. The room fell silent as everyone waited for his question.

"Who's your secret boyfriend?" someone asked eagerly, their eyes gleaming with curiosity.

Jays eyes searched the room as if lost, his body shrinking into the floor looking like we wished It would swallow him up, or maybe a distraction would just end the game abruptly meaning he wouldn't have to answer, I needed to help him in the only way I knew I could.

"It's me," I blurted out before I could stop myself. "I'm his boyfriend."

The room went silent for a heartbeat, and then everyone started talking at once, the noise rushing in from all sides. The stares, the whispers, the questions—it was all overwhelming.

Jay's hand found mine, squeezing it as if to steady both of us. But there was no going back now. The truth was out there.

"I'm gay," I said, louder than I meant to, but I didn't care anymore. I felt the weight of the words in my chest, but I wasn't scared. Not with Jay by my side.