Click for Coming Out in Middle School - by By Benoit Denizet-Lewis - New York Times Magazine

Short Stories: (alphabetical order-All stories complete, except maybe Comicality's which may go on for eternity, ha-ha)

Name; Author of Story (Website); Ages of Main Characters; Story Is About:
8th Grade  (in 3 parts); Cole Parker (Awesome Dude); 13; Popular, athletic Brad and shy, studious & friendless Danny get together over Algebra & big problems with their teacher, Mrs. Graedon. 

At The End Of The String; Simon Jimenez (Awesome Dude); 8 to 17; "I was on my way to talk to Brody when the car hit me". . . . . . "A dark figure emerged from the shadows, half-lit by the glittering streetlight and the pale glow of the moon". . . . .  . . "huge black wings erupted out of her back like a blooming rose. She was beautiful." . . . . "I knew who this woman was. 'Are you Death?'" . . . . . “'Most people have something holding them down to this world,' she said, 'like a tether on a balloon. It could be something material, a person, or persons, an unfinished goal. There are many reasons to want to keep living. I wonder, Harbor, what is yours?'

I smiled just thinking about it. 'His name’s Brody.'

Her hand stroked my cheek so gently I wanted to cry. 'Tell me about him,' she whispered."

Do You Remember When You Colored The Sky Orange?; Grasshopper (iomfots); 17; Two gay boys, intolerant families and high school.

I Just Love Thanksgiving, Don't You?; Grant Bentley (Codey's World); 14; This is about how 14-year-old Jody figured out that he was gay, thought by thought, happening by happening, and what he did to go out and unsuccessfully find a boyfriend, ha-ha. It was only when he had reached a dead end, coincidently enough on Thanksgiving, that things started to look up. You'll enjoy reading this funny but thought provoking short story.  

Issues, Envelopes, & Homophobes; phrineas flogg  (Fiction Press); 16; This is a series of short letters between two students who are unwilling pen pals in the same high school but different English classes. And right off the bat the initial letter writer tells the other that he's gay to discourage the reader from responding. But he does and we're off. This is a great read of 28 super short chapters which can be finished in about an hour. There is a surprise ending.

Jenner & Brown (in 4 chapters); Daniel Self; (iomfats); 14; This is a beautiful and well-written British boarding school tale of how two 14 year old gay boys meet as new roommates and develop a romantic relationship including some very intimate sex.  My attraction to the story is the reaction of both sets of parents when they find out that their boys are queer.  Every gay boy dreams of hearing something like this from his mother:

Daddy and I spoke about you and Chris last night. We both agreed that we would talk with you today, and we both feel the same way. Your happiness and your future are the two things that matter most to us in the world. If your relationship with Chris was adversely affecting your school work then we might have been worried, but it's not, in fact, if anything the opposite seems to be true, and obviously Chris makes you very happy, happier than we have seen you. Christopher is a boy, and I suppose we always assumed that it would be a girl that would be lucky enough to have you for a boyfriend, but as I said, you're a grown up boy now. You know about yourself more than anyone else, and no one has the right to challenge you in that. We love you, and you have always made us proud and that has not and will not be any different because we know that you are gay.

Kind of takes your breath away, doesn't it, because we normally fear the worst when a gay boy comes out to his parents.  Enjoy the story.

Just Out of Reach; Comicality (Comicality - Gay Authors); 17; This story deals with the heartbreak that most every gay boy has to deal with-falling in love with a straight boy.  But it's much more complicated when the boy also happens to be your best friend.  There is a minimal amount of sexual content in this story but how it plays out very much serves the whole purpose of the story. 

On The High Plains of Wyoming; Cole Parker (AwesomeDude); 16; The first part of this awesome story seems to be a little slow, but there is a reason for laying this necessary foundation, which shows that gay 16-year-old Mason is an independent and skillful outdoorsman and marksman. Because when you get to day three of his four-day adventure out on the high plains and forests of western Wyoming, you will see how these skills are critical for him surviving this sometimes-violent drama. Since he was accidentally outed in this very conservative and small town when he was 9 years old by his then best friend Elam, Mason has been the subject of beatings and derision at school, without friends and generally ostracized.  But he has overcome his shunned existence by dedicating his otherwise lonely hours to teaching himself how to be self-sufficient.  Read this story to see if it's possible for him to get his best friend and a lot more back. 

Street Life; Graeme (DeweyWriter); 16; What made Craig try to kill himself?  What circumstances led him to believe that becoming an underage boy prostitute was the only way that he could survive?

The Bully (In 3 parts); Cole Parker (AwesomeDude); 13-14;  Life in The Hammil Academy - (A British Boarding School)-1970 - I recommend any and all of Cole Parker's Stories

The Gift; Graeme  (DeweyWriter); 15; A loving Dad willingly gives something very special to his gay son after the boy attempts to kill himself.

Valentine's Day; Cole Parker (iomfats); 15; Cory is convinced he's straight and is so attracted to Marcie, but then he meets her future step-brother Robin at their Valentine's Day threesome dinner.

What Ya Doin' In the Dumpster?; Grasshopper (iomfats); 17; How a high school bully inadvertently became a gay matchmaker.  

Whispers From The Past; Grasshopper (iomfats); 17; Brian learns to accept himself as a gay young man thanks to his father's mysterious cousin.

You Are Not Alone; Dewey (DeweyWriter; 15; Mike had just come back from spending 3 weeks with his uncle. Before the trip he had been a normal happy fun loving teenager. But now after his return, he has become impossible; he doesn't want to be touched, he refuses to talk about his trip or what's bothering him, he is constantly taking showers, he puts on thin, fake smiles for everybody, he hardly eats anything at meal times, he loses his temper so easily, and now he has nightmares every night. Can his best friend Paul on a month long visit figure out what has happened to cause this drastic change and help bring his friend back to the great person he was before the trip?         

Name; Author of Story (Website); Ages of Main Characters; Story Is About:
A Class by Himself; Comicality (Comicality - Gay Authors); 14-15; This is one of my favorite all time gay teen love stories and one of Comicality's best.  Derrick was recently forced to leave the comfort of his old school to attend a new prep school for gifted and mostly wealthy students on the other side of town because as Derrick put it, he was "so blasted smart." He may not have their money, or their possessions, but once he finds the love of a boy he meets on the long bus ride . . . he finds something much stronger. This is the story of Derrick and Tanner, two kids you're really going to like.  Sex is a feature of this story, but it is woven in beautifully and naturally. These are normal raging hormone teenage boys after all, ha-ha.

A Mourning Storm; Ronyx; (The Mustard Jar); 15-16; This is an awesome and captivating story that once I started it I couldn't stop until I'd finished the whole thing in one night.  Sometimes life isn’t fair. Fifteen year-old Richie Ferguson, who was named after his police homicide detective father Richard, has to learn this the hard way when his mother dies of cancer and he’s forced to live with this same father who left the family two years earlier for another woman.  And he hates this sperm donor with a passion because he thinks that when his mother needed her husband the most during her fight to stay alive, he stayed away and did nothing. And because of that Richie had to grow up way too soon and become the man of the family. It was he that had to bear the responsibility of his twelve year old sister Melinda and his eight year old brother Andrew both of whom he loves dearly.  And now he has to live with his father and his whore Linda and their two boys, Harley and Freddy who are about the same ages as Andrew and himself in the very same house he grew up in.  And Richie's gay even though he's seeing Becky as a cover.  Poor girl as she thinks that Richie is her boyfriend. And because of his fears of the consequences he can't bring himself to tell anyone about his gayness, even his best friend Gabe.   And so Richie’s life becomes a storm as he gets into a series of verbal and physical fights with his father and finally gets his wish to live with his Uncle Raymond and his Aunt Barbara.  And then he thinks that his step-brother Freddy has taken over his room now that he's not there so on one hand he wants to hate him but on the other hand he finds him really attractive.  And when he has to escape the volcano that is his life he meets Wade, a boy with a ton of problems who becomes his first boyfriend but then Wade gets himself and Richie into a horrific car accident that will forever change their lives.  So the question becomes will these tumultuous winds destroy him or will he find a calm sea in time to save his own life?  Yes, there is some intense unprotected sex for a short interval but that is definitely not the focus of this great tale.  Choose this story.  You won't regret it. 

A Pure and Honest Heart; Zambezi (iomfats); 13-14 & 17-18; A heart-warming coming-of-age story of seventeen-year-old poor Brad falling in love with thirteen-year-old wealthy Richie at an exclusive British Boarding School. But Brad has had a beautiful girlfriend Sarah like forever who he thinks he can't live without and this kid is so young. How can this be? Follow this story as Brad is starting the final Upper Sixth year as the leader of his House known for his intelligence and for always doing the right thing and then there's Richard who is just starting out as a new Third Former and recovering from his parents recent difficult divorce.

Brittle as a Bird; Ronyx; (The Mustard Jar); 11 to 18 plus; This is the story of hope even when all seems lost. This is not a pretty story. It's hard to read because of all the blackness in Joey Carpenter's life. It got so bad that Joey threw himself off a bridge in a spur of the moment decision to kill himself. But he somehow had enough will to live that he regretted doing it once he hit the water. A cop rescued him so he was given a second chance at life. But the why as in why did he do it and the charting of his slow and uneven road to recovery is what this story is all about.

His hellish nightmare of a life all started when his beloved Uncle Mike raped him when he was 11. His father then blamed both his uncle and Joey the victim when he caught them naked together. He then beat his son so badly that Joey begged him to just shoot him. And then slowly but surly his father, with his mother's quiet acquiescence removed his son from his own home and the family so that by the age of 16 Joey was living in the garage with no source of funds and with little or no contact with his parents. But then he even loses the garage and has nowhere to live but the street. This gay boy story will take you crisis by crisis down all the way to rock bottom where he has to rent his body, or at least his mouth, for sex on the street to earn any money to live on. And this includes the cheap wine and pot he buys which helps him forget that nobody cares whether he lives or dies.  Remember that he's too young and with no address he can't get a regular job.  He's an outcast at school where Gene Albright his main tormentor and everybody else knows what he does on the street to survive. But amazingly he does get good grades because he's smart and he's determined to show up his parents and school does relieve the boredom and empty spaces in his life.  However he finally  gets so depressed with his friendless and pointless existence that he even quits school.  He believes that everything he touches turns to manure.  Welcome to what rock bottom looks like.

He does truly feel completely friendless but in fact he has two unlikely but true friends, Ticker and Star who in the end are going to save his life. In fact his life was saved as a result of this conversation with Star:

Desert Dropping; DomLuka (DomLuka - Gay Authors); 16; Rory is gay and his Mom has just passed away and soon after the funeral his life is completely upended when he finds out that his Mom contacted the father that he never knew he had. Now, he's forced to live in the desert with a very unusual family he doesn't know, and a father he doesn't want to know. Friends will be made and the meaning of family will be found as Rory discovers that everything isn't so bad in the desert after all. There is some sex in the story but the story is not about sex; it is about Rory dealing with a whole new world of opportunities and challenges.

Dominoes; Cole Parker (Awesome Dude); 15; What if you were a very shy 15-year-old boy and a sophomore in high school and thought that you might be gay and then spilled all of your deepest darkest most embarrassing sexual secrets on the radio where many of your classmates were listening, and then your full name was accidentally mentioned? Would you be able to go back to that school? Would you want to even live another day?  What would you do?

Duck Duck Goose; Cole Parker (Awesome Dude); 14, 15 - 16, 17; Don't let the childish nature of the title scare you off. The title is just the name of the pre-teen game the physical education coaches at this Southern California high school sometimes had their charges play so that 13 to 17 year olds could do stuff together where something other than age would decide the competitiveness of the activity, where the bigger boys wouldn't always win or hurt the smaller ones. So this was the game being played one day which changed the lives of two of the boys in it forever - 16 year old Matt Tucker a junior with loving parents and 14 year old Kevin Ingram, a freshman with an abusive father and a passive mother. Matt breaks Kevin's wrist in this supposedly non-violent game and so this very complicated up and down relationship takes off between Matt who has a hard time understanding that he's gay and Kevin who knows he is.

Like all of Cole Parker's stories, this engrossing 34 chapter plus tale with a message is written so that you really care what happens to the kids in this gay high school love story, whether they're gay or straight. As the story winds down, we even get to see how their lives turn out as they get older. The beginning chapters of this story deal with the challenge any undersized freshman has to go through to survive in high school plus the extra weight of being the son of the head of the Physical Education Department in the same school. Musically gifted and freshman Matt doesn't handle his first year very well and pays a dear price by being beat up, laughed at and ultimately ostracized. But he makes a good decision to tough it out and survives to his junior and senior years with which this story centers on. But the point of this story is mainly about the series of choices Matt makes in his high school years that help him turn out to be the college student and man that he eventually becomes. Because Matt has a solid relationship with his mother who is a psychologist we are privy to the many conversations they have during this time which show his growth from being a friendless, immature and struggling freshman to a confident gay college freshman, at least after that Thanksgiving, ha-ha.  Matt's maturing process also shows how he develops deep friendships with two kids you will really grow to like, Becky and Timothy.

For the Love of Pete; Dewey (DeweyWriter); 12 to 17; This story is a classic. But I'll let you be the judge.  Here is an excerpt from Chapter 1:
"Pete, you said you loved me [Brian]. How do you love me? Like a friend or like a, um, like more than a friend."

He looked me in my eyes, piercing my soul. His gaze never wavered as he said "Bri, I love you. I wanted you to be more than a friend. I have for a long time. But then I realized what that meant. That was one reason I went out with Ashley. I didn't want to be gay." He broke eye contact, looking at his shoes. Another big sigh and a sniffle. "But I am gay and I can't change that. I know that you may hate me and never want to be around me again, but I have to tell you or I won't be able to live with myself. I want you to be my boyfriend. I want you to be with me." He kicked at the gravel we were sitting in, making rocks fly.

I couldn't believe my ears. He loved me. He loved ME! I never will understand why he chose me. As I sat there in silence, I studied his form. His hair was wild right now from his crying, and his eyes were puffy. His beautiful face, flushed and tear streaked, was lined with worry. I stared at him for what seemed to be a long time. He started to shift uncomfortably under my gaze. I thought he was going to get up and go, but I put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. He looked up at me, fear of rejection in his eyes.

"Pete, I don't want to be gay either." Several emotions passed his face at once. Fear, disbelief, relief, joy, love, all within milliseconds of one another. I turned toward him and leaned in closer. "I have loved you since I met you, but I was too stupid to know it. And if I have to be gay to be with you," I said with conviction, "so be it." I moved closer to him and put my lips on his. His initial reaction was to back away, but when he realized what was actually happening, He leaned into me and we kissed for the first time. It was a gentle kiss, full of love and confirming what we both felt for each other. It lasted for eternity and ended all too soon.  Copyright ©2004 by Dewey
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Did that catch your interest? I hope so. This is a beautiful but challenging long running gay junior and senior high school love story between Brian and Pete.  They face an enormous pile of difficulties including Pete's homophobic and physically abusive parents and a long distance move. Follow this page-turner of a story as these boys try to figure out life, deal with intense emotions and are forced to make adult level decisions long before they are adults. This story continues with, "Brian and Pete", "Brian's Destruction", and finally with "The Power Within."  And with all the problems that Brian and Pete have to deal with, they decide to forgo the sex for awhile so that they can grow up a bit physically and emotionally and really get to know each other first.  They want to be together for the long haul.

From the Heart; Codey; (Codey's World); Jeremy (10 - 18), Tony (8-16);  Once upon a time there were two inseparable neighbor boys who spent their young lives together doing all the things that boys do growing up which included building a tree house and getting into the usual harmless trouble. These two boys, one gay, one straight, truly loved each other as if they were blood brothers. Hey, they even had a little ceremony which literally had them mixing their blood together. Then one day in their teens a doctor's painful pronouncement changed everything for them but not the love they had for each other; it just refocused and strengthened it.

I have never, ever read a story in my life that moved me more emotionally, that embraced my heart and would not let it go as this one did - and this just started to build up right from the opening sentence to the closing period. This story is incredible as it shows us what deep and loyal brotherly love really looks and feels like. I was emotionally drained after reading it. And it is really awe-inspiring to realize that a very sick 16 year old boy named Codey wrote it. He died when he was 17 in 2007 from the long-term effects of a horrific car accident that happened when he was almost 12 - his mother, father and younger brother were killed in the accident caused by a drunken trucker.  He was in a coma for 47 days and was not expected to live until his 18 birthday which unfortunately turned out to be true. So as I read the story I could see how Codey put all of his heart and soul into this short novel. It has been revealed that this story was a very personal statement from Codey to his friend Tim that all would be OK after he was gone. So there were several places that I had tears running down my face as I read it.  I just identified with both of the main characters, Tony and Jeremy so much, especially Tony because of the deep love and friendship he had for Jeremy and what he was willing to do for his seriously ill friend.  Click Here to go to Codey's Website that is still maintained to this day as a memorial by his many friends.

Heart of The Tree; Graeme; (Awesome Dude); 18-21; The Tree, a Moreton Bay Fig Tree, was old. It had watched over many generations of local inhabitants. Settlers moving west from Sydney, Australia, recognizing that the area was suitable for farming, had formed the small township of Mourton around The Tree. Even then, the residents recognized something special in The Tree and preserved the land around it as a park. The children enjoyed clambering through the gnarled roots, up between the multiple, twisted trunks, and along the huge, curving branches.

Young lovers enjoyed the cool shade the spreading canopy provided. Many a tryst took place under the protection of The Tree. Slowly, a legend grew. Vows of love taken within the cover of The Tree were true and binding. The Tree was given the appellation “The Lovers’ Tree”, though most locals would shorten that to “The Tree”. Many a wedding was held under those leaves, and the district enjoyed the lowest divorce rate in the country.

The townsfolk loved their tree and protected it to the best of their ability. Three times, though, that protection wasn’t enough. Three times, The Tree started to die. Three times, a young maiden, despairing of ever finding love and considering suicide, found her beau in a stranger to the town. Three times, a wedding was held under the canopy of the dying Tree. Three times, The Tree recovered. Three times, a young maiden was given the sobriquet of "Heart of The Tree." The last time had been just after World War II. Since then, The Tree had faithfully cared for the children, protected the young lovers, and comforted the older couples.

One night in late November, a drifter came into town. Filled with a sickness in his heart, he lay down beneath the tree and fell asleep. He never woke up. The sickness in his heart, though, spread to the tree. The fourth time had arrived. But this time The Heart of The Tree turned out to be someone nobody ever expected. It was a he and not a she, he was gay - and the fun and complications begin. This is a story that I highly recommend.

Joel; Ted Louis (Ted Louis); 12 - 18; Physically and sexually abused by his father, then locked in a garden shed without food, Joel spends the night digging his way out through the hard dirt floor with only his hands and a sharp stick. As he reenters the house, he is confronted by the sight of his abuser shooting and killing his mother. After being threatened by his father, the traumatized boy flees the house and wanders in a daze. Crane Johnson, a wealthy twenty-nine year old bachelor, volunteers time coaching with a policeman friend in the policemen's baseball league for teenage boys. At the completion of one of the team's games, he discovers a lone boy about twelve years old sitting in the bleachers. The boy, dirty, disheveled and unable to speak, appears to be traumatized and can't or won't reveal who he is or where he lives. The boy attaches himself to Crane.  Later Crane discovers that the boy, now known as Joel, has three brothers who were found by police abandoned and locked in a closet of their home.  Set in the beautiful and peaceful South Texas hill country, Crane uses his wealth to fight official corruption and prejudice to keep Joel (who turns out to be gay) and his brothers.

Middle School; Cole Parker (AwesomeDude); 13; How can Marc tell his best friend that he's in love with him when he's sure that he's straight? And then how does he get up the courage to say, "Mom, Dad, I think I’m gay.”

W. A. R.; Jeff Wilson (Nifty); 13 - 21; I was very impressed with the depth and character development of this engrossing tale. The story is told from the point of view of the main character, Billy Roberts or William Aaron Roberts (W. A. R.). His story is filled with high and low moments as Billy has to confront so many crises from the age of 13 to 21, many of which are the result of the fact that he is gay as he eventually figures out. The first part of the story deals with how Billy is very much involved with the care of his grandmother who has suffered from a stroke and requires constant care by his mother who had to leave her nursing job. It also deals with the stress that a family feels when it has to take care of a stroke victim and then her sudden death.  But along the way, Billy's feelings toward his best friend Brett are bubbling just beneath the surface. At this young age, those feelings can be confusing. Hormones are running rampant, emotions are always on edge and there is nothing more important in the world than . . . your best friend.  Oh and yes, Billy, though very smart, has a rather short temper - which gets him in a lot of trouble. Good thing he's good at apologizing, ha-ha.  Parts 2, 3, 4, 5 and the final part 6 deal with a whole lot more . . . how do you handle sexual abuse? How do you handle the fact that your two best friends hate each other? How do you handle the fact that your mother has suddenly become a homophobic Methodist? How do you deal with the death of your father? There's a whole lot more to this story than first meets the eye. So read and enjoy the ride.  Jeff handles some really sticky situations rather well. Yes, there is sex in this story, but I believe it is a minor, but integral and an appropriate part of the story.  Parts of this review are based on a review by Tarheel Writer.  Turns out that we both liked this story a lot, so why reinvent the wheel, so to speak.

We're Working On It; Richard Norway  (AwesomeDude); 15;  Cory is a 15 year old boy who was physically abused over 3 years by his father, then thrown out of his home when the father finds out that he's gay.  Cory winds up walking in the rain along a busy highway thumbing a ride to his aunt's home in Florida. Richard is a 50 year old widower who wonders what his unmotivated life is about these days.  On his way home from work at the successful business he owns one day, he spots the boy and by the way his shoulders were drooped, his head bowed, Richard sensed that the boy’s pain might just be greater than his own that night.  But Richard had a policy to never pick up hitchhikers.  But he did this night and both their lives turned out to be much better because of this spur of the moment decision.  This is a beautifully written story filled with so many heartfelt moments and expressed feelings that grab your very heart and soul.  Cory is a thoughtful and kind boy who you will find yourself identifying with.  At the end, Cory's best friend Matt is murdered at his high school because he was gay.  I think it will be a long time before you forget what Cory says at the Memorial for his friend at his packed high school auditorium.  It's only 17 chapters but it packs an emotional wallop.  
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Stories I'm Reading Now:

Perry and Jesse; underthehoodster; Gay Authors - (Jan. 2012) I've read about 75% of this story and so far I really like it.  But for the much of the first 6 months of 2012 I'm going to be working on the Spanish language side of this site and won't be able to finish it for awhile.  If you understand a little Spanish you can click Here and take a peek at what I'm working on - a Spanish translation of the featured stores on this page.

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Other Sites Where You Can Find Reviews of Gay Fiction Stories:

queerschool.com - Quality Gay Fiction About Gay Teenage Boys at School and Away From School.  You'll find first rate reviews on this site.

 
tarheelwriter.com - Here are the gay themed stories and movies that Tarheel Writer really liked.  These are good reviews.  Categories; Complete Stories and On Going Stories - High School, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Young Friends; Short Stories; Fan Fiction, Movies and More

littlebuddhatw.gayauthors.org/favorite_stories.php - LittleBuddhaTW's Favorite Stories