Page 50 of Don't Puck Up
There were long tables with bench seats lined up on either side, and families gathered around them with delicious-smelling food piled on their plates. I made my way along the rows, greeting everyone, taking selfies with them, and signing whatever they wanted. It was good to be able to give back to the community, even with something as small as my time, but seeing all these women and children in the shelter was heartbreaking. There was something wrong with society when people were forced for their own safety to flee partners who were supposed to love them.
“Locke, when you're done, Kam needs some help out the back.”
I moved over to him as he was hefting a tray of vegetables into place for the next serving. He placed it down, leaned in close, and whispered, “It doesn't seem like a lot, but you're doing good here.”
“It doesn't feel like enough. I'm looking around this room, trying to figure out where society went so wrong. These women and kids have fled dangerous situations that none of them deserved to be in.” I sighed, and Chris pressed his shoulder to mine as we walked back out of the way.
“That's why we help. We each do our bit to make the lives of the people around us better. We use our privilege and our voice to raise awareness and funds. Trust me, you've made a difference today.”
“You're good at this. Inspiring people, I mean.”
Chris smiled and gestured with a tilt of his head toward Kam, who was elbow deep in a bowl of mashed potato. “I had a good teacher.”
I got stuck into clearing plates and washing them. But the moment there were enough kids finished their lunch, we were called back out. The older ones were even more rambunctious than the littlies. Proudly wearing their jerseys, they had no hesitation in crash-tackling Chris and me, trying to bring both of us down. Chris handled it like a pro, setting up competitions between the kids, while I floundered.
Hours passed, and my cheeks were hurting from laughing so much, my feet were killing me, and I was a sweaty mess, but I'd had the best time. I collapsed, exhausted, onto the stairs, and Chris eased himself down next to me.
“I'm wrecked,” I admitted with a laugh.
“You're good with them,” Chris said.
I laughed and shook my head. “Nah, I was overwhelmed and completely unprepared.Youwere good with them.”
“Kids are easier than adults most of the time. There's no judgement, no criticism. They just want to have fun and be cared for,” Chris murmured.
I knocked my shoulder into Chris’s and gave him a small, sympathetic smile. “People can definitely suck.”
I watched as Chris nibbled on his lip and tapped his fingers on his knee. “You want to talk about it?” I asked.
“Huh?” He glanced at me, and I repeated the question.
His shoulders sagged as he exhaled, and he nodded. “What was it like for you coming out? How did you handle it? Was it hard?”
“Coming out to my family and friends was easier than I expected. My friends were all beach bums and skaters. The only thing they worried about was whether the waves were good or if they could skate. I was fourteen when the new kid started and, apparently, I had no chill hiding my attraction to him. He was keen to experiment, and whenever we got together, we were making out. More than one of our friends busted us. Then my mum did. She sat me down and told me that there were three rules I had to abide by when having sex, no matter who my partner was—always get consent, respect them and yourself, and always be safe. It didn’t matter who my partner was as long as I did those things.” I smiled, remembering Jono’s horror at my mother having that conversation with me while he was lying shirtless on my bed. “When I came to Hollywood, I didn’t tell anyone except my agent that I was bi. He suggested not hiding but also not advertising it. In other words, take women out on public dates, and—” I looked around, noticing all the young ears “—entertain men in private. That got old very quickly, so I came out and prayed it didn't destroy my career. I was lucky that I'd just landed my first big role and my coming out resonated with the audience for the movie.”
“Cool.” He nodded slowly, mulling over what I’d said.
“It's okay not to come out if you’re not ready—”
“Oh, no, I’m not gay,” he rushed to assure me. He held his hands up in a stopping motion and pressed on, saying, “I was just asking. You know, out of curiosity. I know a guy—one of my teammates came out recently—”
“I remember. Hux, right?”
“Yeah. It was better than he expected. There wasn’t as much bad press as he thought there would be. The fans still say shit every now and then, and there’s always a homophobe online saying we lost a game because Hux is queer—that sort of bullshit.”
He shrugged, but I saw straight through his façade. I’d seen him vulnerable and self-conscious before. But I couldn’t say a word, and it sucked. Big time.
“I was curious what your experience was.”
I nodded and plastered on a fake-arse smile while my heart cracked. “Yeah. Overall, it was okay.” I picked at an imaginary thread on my jeans and added, “It’s better that I’m out now, although I don’t get to go out in public with dates often. You know how it is—TMZ has a field day with that stuff.”
“You guys ready to head off?” Kam asked from behindus.
I pushed up off the stairs and wiped my hands on my jeans as I gave her a genuine smile. “I think so.”
“What are you up to for the evening, Locke?” Kam asked.
“I’ve got an early flight to New York tomorrow, so I need to head home and pack.” I shook Chris’s hand and kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks again for today. I had fun.”