Read Online Andy Squared by Jennifer Lavoie - Free Book Online Page B

but his own appealed to him.
    The silence resumed for another few minutes, and it was neither comfortable nor strained, but an odd mix of the two. Andrew felt like Ryder had something to say to him. He wanted to ask him, but he didn’t know how to. Magpie wandered over after eating and nudged his thigh with her velvety nose. He lifted a hand to stroke it gently, enjoying the smooth texture and contemplating his next words.
    â€œSo…speaking of girls, you said you were already interested in someone when I told you Sarah wanted you. Who is it?”
    â€œAndy…” Ryder hesitated. Magpie turned her head to sniff Andrew’s pockets, looking for a treat. “It’s complicated.”
    â€œWhy? Is she already dating someone?”
    â€œWell, no.”
    â€œThen how could it be complicated?” Andrew asked. He pushed Magpie’s nose away from its quest.
    â€œYou’re my friend, right?”
    The sudden, random question startled Andrew and he nearly fell off the wall into Magpie’s stall. The horse shied away from them warily and moved her attentions elsewhere. Andrew looked at Ryder to see if he was serious, and found him staring back, his face carefully blank. What the hell kind of question is that? “Of course I’m your friend. Hell, I’ve been hanging out with you more than I have with Charlie.”
    â€œEven if I were to tell you a secret that…most people around here probably wouldn’t agree with? You’d still want to hang out?”
    â€œYou’re a cool guy, Ryder. We’re cool.”
    â€œEven if your other friends thought—” Ryder pressed his lips together.
    Andrew wondered what the big secret was. And what wouldn’t his friends like? “Well, as long as you haven’t, like, murdered someone or gotten my sister pregnant, I don’t think there’s much you could say that would make me stop wanting to hang out with you.” He paused and then looked at him closely with squinted eyes, a little nervous. “You haven’t killed someone, right?”
    Ryder laughed softly and shook his head. “No, it’s nothing like that.” When he looked up at him, a serious expression settled across his face. “Remember when you said Sarah liked me, and I said she wasn’t my type?”
    â€œI remember. Why?” he asked suspiciously. Sarah was pretty. Gorgeous, really, he supposed, though she had been his friend for so long he couldn’t see her that way. She could be any guy’s type of girl: funny, smart, sporty but feminine, and beautiful.
    Ryder took a deep breath and breathed out before speaking softly. “She’s not my type because she’s a girl. I like guys, Andy. I’m…gay.”
    Andrew stared at him in complete shock over his confession. Well…that wasn’t what he was expecting . He looked at the wall, then back at Ryder, and back again to the wall, trying to gather his thoughts. What came out was simply a soft “oh.”
    â€œOh? That’s it?”
    â€œYeah, oh.” When he really stopped and thought about it, Andrew wasn’t surprised. Not like he would’ve been if the secret had been, say, Charlie’s. And something about the admission made him feel strange. Excited. He didn’t know what that meant.
    â€œSo…we’re cool?” Ryder finally asked, looking nervous for the first time since Andrew had met him.
    Andrew nodded and flashed him a small grin. “Yeah, we’re cool.”
    Ryder visibly relaxed.
    â€œSo, uh…when did you know?”
    â€œThat I was gay?” Andrew nodded and Ryder focused on the far wall as if recalling a distant memory. “I started to realize I was different at thirteen, but I knew for sure once I hit fourteen.”
    â€œThat early?”
    â€œYep. There was this girl in class that all my friends were pushing me to go out with. I wasn’t really interested in her. I