I was guilty; not because my father found out about me that way, but because I've let him treat her like she was just a piece of shït, because I've let Claire down—I wasn't able to keep my promise, which was to come clean to my parents about my sexuality and tell them the truth about Claire and I.

  What happened next was absolutely ridiculous: my father yelled at me for fūcking a whöre who's just as filthy as I was for the next three hours, my mother cried and wailed hysterically, as if cuddling with another girl was the worst sin I had committed, as if loving someone who loved me for being the real me was going to send me straight to the depths of Hell.

  They pretty much disowned me after that incident, actually. That same night, I packed my bags and was totally prepared to move out of the house, since they sounded and acted like they didn't want me anymore, but when they heard the door creak open and saw me standing there, ready to leave, my mother cried again and begged me to stay.

  I hated how she saw Claire as this sexual predator that took away my innocence. If anything, Claire was an angel that had brought light to my life and taught me that no matter what anyone else thinks or says, I should do whatever makes me happy.

  I was prepared to leave, but when I saw my mother getting down on her knees and begging me not to leave her alone, I changed my mind and decided to stay for a while. They'll have to come around sometime, right?

  Well, they didn't, unfortunately. When they had found out about my sexuality that last summer, they forbade me from seeing Claire. Ever.