to read the comments. My relationship with Dre was “so effin’ adorable!!!!” or “a perversion of God’s word” or “kinda gross; that Dean guy is weird” or “unimportant . . . the election’s in 3 weeks . . . don’t we have better things to worry about????” Support for my mother among Republicans fell when she refused to issue a statement renouncing my new “lifestyle.” I’d expected Mr. Rosario’s supporters to be more open-minded, but while they weren’t disgusted by Dre’s sexuality, they most certainly didn’t approve of him dating me. Mr. Rosario’s full-throated support of his son seemed to cost him almost as much as my mother’s silence regarding me had cost her.
McMann, however, surged in popularity while he fanned the flames, slyly insinuating that my relationship with Dre had been a cover that had allowed our parents to work together to undermine him. It was the most ludicrous conspiracy theory I had ever heard, and I doubted many people believed it, but some did. Enough to ensure the vote would be split.
“Dude, you reek.”
I was lying in the sun on the patio when Tamal’s long shadow fell across me.
“I’m wallowing,” I said.
Tamal had been trying to reach me since the photos and messages had leaked, and I’d been ignoring him because I didn’t want to see him. I still didn’t. “Marinating is more like it.”
I kept my sunglasses on, hoping Tamal would take the hint and leave, but he sat on the lounge chair beside me. “I’ve been calling you.”
“And I haven’t been answering.”
“Leaving me no choice but to drop by.”
“I wish you hadn’t.”
“Your dad called me,” Tamal said.
“Whatever. Please just leave me alone.”
Tamal huffed and then stood. I thought I had finally gotten through to him and that he was going to leave, but I was wrong. Tamal scooped me up like I weighed nothing. I flailed, my brain trying to catch up to what was happening, and then I was flying through the air. I was hitting the water. I was sinking to the bottom of the pool. My reflexes kicked in and I swam to the surface, gasping for breath.
“What the heck, Tamal?” I tried to climb out of the pool, but Tamal pushed me back in.
“I’m not letting you out until you quit this shit.”
“Leave me alone!”
Tamal pushed me away from the wall again. The shock of the cold water had cleared the fog from my head, and I’d lost my sunglasses somewhere in the water. “Why didn’t you tell me about you and Dre? I thought I was your best friend.”
Every time I tried to swim to a place Tamal wasn’t so I could climb out of the pool, he ran around to where I was and pushed me back in. The chill was starting to make me shiver.
“You are.”
“Did you think I wouldn’t get it? That I’d quit being your friend?”
“No.”
“Then what, Dean?”
“I was scared you’d tell someone. You kind of have a big mouth.”
Tamal looked like he wanted to argue the point, but instead said, “Yeah, okay. Fair point. I just hate keeping secrets, you know?”
“I know,” I said. “I wanted to tell you, though. I really did.”
Tamal leaned over and offered me his hand. He helped me out of the pool, and I ran to where we kept the towels so that I could try to get warm.
“So you and Dre are a thing?”
“Were.”
“Why were?”
I didn’t even need to ask Tamal if he had read the leaked messages because I knew he hadn’t—that’s the kind of friend he was—so I explained everything. The difference between telling Tamal and telling my parents was that I felt no fear with Tamal.
“Wow, you really messed up,” he said when I’d finished.
“I know.”
“How’re you planning on fixing it?”
I shrugged because, maybe for the first time, I had no plan. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. I didn’t know what came next.
“You’ve taken care of your phone, right?”
“Not yet,” I said. “I meant to.”
Tamal was staring at me like I’d grown a third eye. “Someone leaked all your personal messages and stuff. Either your phone or Dre’s was hacked.” He was shaking his head. “How was that not the first thing you did? I’m surprised your mom didn’t think of it.”
“She’s been busy,” I said. “Mostly cleaning up my mess, but there’s also the debate tomorrow. And I’ve been—”
“Wallowing.”
“Yeah.”
“Good thing you got me, then.”
Tamal and I went inside. He hooked up my phone to his computer and ran a program that I