I still feel a little wary about this school. I don't know why. Maybe it's because every single classroom has a cross on the wall when Abe specifically told us it wasn't a religious school. Maybe it's the kids, they're all so vulnerable and afraid to come out that they come across as a little snippy. Maybe it's the teachers, I have a feeling that the math teacher here has some internalized homophobia.

Maybe it's just me, afraid of my mother and afraid to step up and be who I truly am. That has to be it. Right?

I'm having these thoughts as Abe's on stage talking about some event that's coming up in a few weeks that he expects all students to participate in. I'm not sure what's going on, and by the looks of the kids around me, I'm not sure they do either.

Jules is probably thinking about her audition song for the community theater show. Myles is probably thinking about what arts and crafts project he's going to make next. And I don't even know what Laurie's thinking about. I take a long sigh and look around at the kids that I don't know. The ones that I know the names of and nothing else.

My eyes pick out a tall brunette girl with striking brown eyes, snapped to attention. Chloe Ahern, top student at her old Catholic school. She's not part of the LGBTQ+, she's just here because her old school shut down. She's quiet. Sweet. She only talks when she has to talk, unlike some kids here who just yearn to hear the sound of their own voice.

There's a girl with curly auburn hair who's anxiously tapping her foot on the linoleum auditorium floor and tapping a pencil on the wooden armrest of her seat. Brooklyn Brooks, unfortunately named, but she told us to call her Caroline instead. Where Caroline came from, I have no idea, must be a middle name or something. Anyway, Caroline's father is on the school board for some school. How do I know this? Caroline's not exactly the quietest person in the world.

And then there's a girl who really gets me worried. Luane Martin-Broadhurst. There's a plain white notebook on Luane's lap with some Catholic school's crest on it, and she's writing in it furiously with an expensive-looking pen. As I continue people-watching, I notice that every time Luane writes a new paragraph, she stares daggers at someone.

I'm staring at Luane when I feel someone tap my shoulder. I turn and see Myles looking at me with a much calmer look in his eye than Luane's.

"What's your beef with Luane?" Myles asked. I shrugged and said, "What's Luane's beef with everyone? She seems to hate everyone here. She's the only kid here besides Chloe who's proud of their old school, cause remember where we all came from. We all either got bullied relentlessly or expelled. Is it just me or is Luane a little...weird?"

"Come on, Emersyn. Not everyone that doesn't get along with you is Public Enemy #1. She's writing in a notebook for heaven's sake!"

"Yeah, writing in a notebook while staring at me and Jules for five minutes straight. That's not normal." I said.

"Maybe she likes you." Myles whispered. As soon as he said that, Abe gave me a wink from the stage. I shake off the thought of Abe agreeing with Myles and gather my thoughts together.

"There's no way Luane likes me. She's probably straight."

"Remember orientation? On the first day you came here?" Myles asks with a smirk. I nod, confused, and Myles throws an arm around me. "The only person who didn't raise their hand when Abe asked who was part of the LGBTQ+ was Chloe Ahern. Luane isn't straight."

"She may not be straight, but she sure is problematic." I groan. I turn my attention to Abe, who is talking about fixing up the school for Open House so our cover doesn't get blown. I can feel the tension in the room when Abe says that. If we don't do this perfectly, some of us could get pulled out of this school. And the next step if that happens, at least for me? Boarding school.

I take a deep breath and try my best to not worry about this Open House crap. I mean, I don't have to worry about it until next week. I hear frightened murmurs from everyone in the room but a few kids. Some of the younger ones who don't know what's going on, (the youngest kid here is a genderfluid fourth grader) some of the kids who know for a fact their parents are accepting, and some of the ones who generally don't give a crap what happens to them. I envy the kids who didn't murmur. I wish that I could be like them, not have to worry about my mother or what she does to me or anything of that sort.

"And that's it! Have a good day, kids!" Abe says, motioning for us to get out of our seats and to our next class. For me, that's Study Hall.

And I forget that Jules is in my Study Hall until I hear them yell "Wait up!" as she runs past a group of students and skids to a stop right next to me.

"Did you pay attention to anything that Abe said? About the Open House thing?" I ask Jules. They shrug and say, "Well, yeah, but I thought you would pay attention more than anyone. You love this place more than your own house."

"Well, to be fair, my house is a toxic, religious, transphobic dumpster fire. I would sleep here if I could." Jules laughs a little before realizing I wasn't joking. She holds the door open for me and sits down at a desk in the far back corner of the room. I follow behind her, sitting next to her.

"Abe said that he was gonna give us all assignments. We all have to do our part to make sure our parents don't find out that this school is Gay City." Jules whispers.

"Why are you whispering? The other kids in here are talking about it too!" I say in a slightly more normal tone of voice. Jules shrugs and raises her voice a little. "Anyway, I'm scared that someone's gonna blow our cover to their parents, cause things spread like wildfire around here. You know how I know Caroline Brooks' dad?"

"Cause he's on the school board?"

"No! He's in the Christian Parents Association of Redwick Bush's Facebook group that my mom set up!" Jules sighs a bit and says, "My point is, if Caroline says anything, we're doomed."

"You're suspicious of Caroline?"

"Well, yeah! I think everyone is at this point."

"I'm not." Jules looks at me with wide eyes. "What? She seems nice enough."

"I heard you talking to Myles during that assembly. Why do you have this thing against Luane?"

"I don't know, okay? I was interrogated once about her, I don't really feel like being interrogated again!" Jules sighs and inches away from me, then says, "Are you scared?"

"What?"

"You heard me. Are you scared? That our cover's gonna get blown? Cause think about it. If anyone spills the beans, half of the students here are gonna get pulled out of this place. Scratch that, most of the students here. And think about what that's gonna mean for Abe. This place won't get any new enrollments, which means less, or no, tuition money, which means Abe probably won't be able to afford to run this place anymore. And if this place closes, we will never get to come back even if we get the chance. And you heard Abe, this school is his pride and joy. I mean, going back to a homophobic school's gonna be hard enough, but...think about Abe."

I blink a little, letting what Jules just said sink into my brain. And they were right.

I need to do my part. I need to save my school.