Raise Your Glass by John Goode

gay bar out here.”
    “Are they filming Queer as Folk ?”
    He didn’t even acknowledge their existence until Kelly walked by.
    “Hey, Brad,” he called out, all casual, like he’d just run into him at the mall. “Lemme ask you something.”
    Brad looked up at him with eyes devoid of all life, and I felt myself shiver a little.
    When Brad didn’t say anything back, Kelly just kept talking as if he had. “You don’t mind if I go out with Jennifer, right? ’Cause I’m sure she is dying to know what it feels like with a real man.”
    Brad choked back a groan as his muscles protested, and stood up in a second; if I hadn’t been ready there would have been no way for me to stop him. His chest pressed against mine angrily as I blocked his way. He roared at Kelly, which was bad, since his mouth was right next to my ear. “Come say that to my face!” I was leaning into him with all my strength and he was still moving down the steps toward Kelly. “Walk up here and fucking say that to my face!”
    Kelly took a step back, playing it off like he was pretending, but I had seen his eyes grow wide for a second before he realized I was holding Brad back. “Hey, look!” Kelly called out to the guys around him. “He wants me to go up there and get in his face.” Turning to Brad, he spoke slowly as if speaking to a child. “ I’m not like that .” He pointed at his chest. “ Me straight, you fag !”
    Both Brad and I went down another step, and I knew I couldn’t keep him back for much longer. I screamed over my shoulder at Kelly, “Get out of here, you asshole!” It just made him and his friends laugh even louder. I looked at Brad and pleaded in a voice only he could hear, “Please, please don’t do this.” No response. “If you hit him, you’re gone, you know that?” Still nothing. “You won’t be able to play baseball.”
    That got his attention.
    His eyes locked with mine, and I could see the green in them was brighter than I’d ever seen before. It took me a second to realize it was from tears. In a pretty accurate imitation of what I had said before, he sarcastically asked me. “What makes you think they’re going to let me play baseball?”
    It felt like he had slapped me across the face.
    My hands dropped, and he pushed past me instantly. I heard him and Kelly start to go at it, but I honestly couldn’t focus on anything but the fact that Brad blamed me for everything. I wasn’t the one who kissed him. Well, I kissed back, but he started it! And I wasn’t the one who asked him to come out in front of everyone! I was the one who was telling him at the time not to do it. But this was my fault?
    I turned around and found Kelly and Brad chest to chest, each one daring the other to make the first move. I imagined I could smell the testosterone as I approached them. Ignoring Kelly, I stepped between them and glared at Brad. “Are you kidding me?” He took a half step back in shock, but I wasn’t letting him. “You’re pissed at me? Do you think it is my fault they aren't going to let you play?”
    “I didn’t say that!” he answered quickly, making it pretty obvious that was exactly what he had meant.
    “Sure sounded like it,” I answered just as quickly, making it even more obvious I was calling him on his bullshit.
    “Well, I didn’t mean that,” he said in a much lower voice.
    “Then what did you mean?” I held my breath for his answer.
    It was obvious he didn’t know what to say. He opened his mouth and then closed it once he saw how angry I was. I might have let what had happened go, seeing how flustered he was, but that wasn’t going to happen, because Kelly had to open his big mouth.
    “Awww, look,” he said from behind me. “Lovers’ quarrel!”
    I spun on Kelly and slammed the flat of both my palms into his chest. His arms pinwheeled as he fell back into his friends; they caught him before he hit the ground and then pushed him toward me. I raised my fist and part of my