#lee finds new ways to do workouts because she's tired of every day feeling like leg day

[tleeaves]

So, this might be the stupidest thing I've done for exercise yet, but because our dumbbells are still MIA, I have started using my law textbooks as weights to do curls and lifts. Those textbooks are Thick. And I haven't done weights in a while so they're extra difficult (not to mention how weirdly shaped they are for use in a way they were definitely not intended to be used).

Stick around for results, I guess? Today I found out that two textbooks per arm while doing squats after about three months away from the boxing gym is murderous. I have wasted away 💀

[nukacoola]

Companions react to Danse stepping out of power armor for the first time!

Cait: 

She would look Danse up and down very obviously and grin which would make him extremely uncomfortable. 

“Ya’outgha get out of that thing more often Dansey. Who knew there were cookies in that tin can of yours.”

She obviously isn’t actually interested in Danse. Way too boring. But she’s not one to toss out eye candy just cause it isn’t her favorite flavor. She wouldn’t actively follow him but for fun and also to get on his nerves she would definitely cat-call him everytime he was in hearing range. Deacon and Hancock might join in for a few comments if they don’t have anything better to do.

She would not stop unless sole made a convincing plea or reason for why she should and maybe not even then.

Danse would not respond or look at Cait but he would be very red and never get out of his suit in front of her again.

Codsworth: 

��Why Paladin Danse I dare say you’ve been keeping up your workout routine! Cheers to your excellent health whether in or out of your power armor!” Codsworth is reassured that his owner is traveling with someone so equipped for the struggles of the wasteland.

“Uh, thank you, Codsworth.” Danse would feel a bit awkward but he would appreciate the compliment. 

“Might I polish that for you while you're otherwise engaged? It seems to be in a just dreadful state and I would like nothing more than for you to be looking your best in your wasteland escapades!” Though he is reassured by Danse’s physical state and abilities, he is mortified by the state his armor is in. All the scratches, dings, and dirt? It’s just horrible. Codsworth has always wanted an opportunity to fix that suit up and is pretty happy that the day has finally arrived.

“I- If you’d like to you can.”

“Oh good! I do so love a difficult task!” With that Codsworth would zoom away to procure the necessary supplies to return Danse’s armor to it’s original state. Danse didn’t really know whether or not he should be offended at the robot’s comments but he decided to just continue about his business and not think about it too much. 

Curie:

“Oh Monsieur Danse, you are quite zee lovely specimen! I would be eager to do a physical examination if you would allow me to.” Ever since leaving the vault, Curie has been astounded at how many different sorts of humans there are. Danse is particularly interesting to her because of the amazing athletic feats he does so regularly. She is also interested in studying the effects of constant power armor usage on the human body. When she sees him step out of his suit for the first time and sees his overly muscular physique, it just tacks on another reason she wants to study him. 

Before Blind Betrayal:

“The only specimen that needs examining is you, synth. Don’t talk to me unless you’re submitting yourself to the Brotherhood.” The only reason Curie isn’t already on the Prydwen is because Sole thinks it’s their friend. It bothers Danse immensely that Sole hasn’t destroyed or used this inhuman thing already.

(Don’t get mad at me he literally says this in game.)

Curie is very hurt, she expected this reaction but it still hurt. She was still getting used to feelings such as the pained ones she felt in moments like these.

After Blind Betrayal:

“No. Thank you.” Danse’s words were strained. Being around Curie was pretty awful for him. He had treated her so terribly before and he still had strong feelings of disgust towards her despite what he knows now. Everytime he sees her and has those feelings of hate and disgust, he remembers that he and Curie are the same. He’s still struggling to overcome the years of propaganda that were drilled into him. 

Curie is disappointed. Did Danse not see they are the same? If he didn’t believe in her humanity then he would have to not believe in his own. It is very confusing for Curie. She hopes that he will eventually go back on his denial of her offer. He would be a very interesting specimen.

Deacon:

He would be surprised that Danse would be able to wear that clunky thing so much in the first place. He wouldn’t be surprised at how muscular he is under the suit though. It takes a lot of strength to operate those suits. He’d read that before they were fully developed, a lot of trial runs had resulted in really terrible accidents. The kind of accidents that crush all of your bones at once or remove your top half from your bottom.

Deacon would definitely make a few jokes. “Hey the sardine’s outta the can!” “Isn’t getting out of that bulldozer against Brotherhood policy or something?” “And I thought it was glued on! Learn something new everyday.”

Danse would scowl at his comments but say nothing. He did not like Deacon one bit. That man’s hiding something and if it turns out what he’s hiding will harm Sole or the Brotherhood’s mission, there was gonna be hell to pay. Danse could’ve sworn he’d seen him on the Prydwen a few times but whenever he looked back again to check, he was gone. Danse didn’t much like the idea of leaving his power armor alone with Deacon around but Sole assured him he’s harmless. We’ll see...

Whenever Danse returned to his suit Deacon would stand suspiciously close to it and act like he was trying to play cool after almost being caught doing something nefarious. He would never get tired of watching Danse carefully inspect every part of the armor before apprehensively getting in. Man that guy’s fun to mess with.

Dogmeat: 

He was so surprised! He thought this human was just made of metal! But now Dogmeat can play and jump and lick! Yes!!

Danse has no idea how to deal with a dog he wasn’t allowed to kick so he would just try to awkwardly push the pup off until Sole took care of it.

Hancock: 

Oh HELL YES! Hancock has wanted to punch this fucker since he first laid eyes on him. “HEY SOLDIER BOY, TIME TO SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO OUT OF YOUR DAMN COWARD COFFIN!” He would make a beeline towards the paladin and the paladin would speed walk towards the ghoul as well. Sole barely let him insult the damn freak but this was a direct attack of which he was most definitely gonna defend himself from.

Sole would freak out a bit and try to get in between the two. They would both try to get Sole out of the way so they could pummel each other. A brief alliance in order to facilitate their battle. This was too sweet of an opportunity to miss. 

“Sorry Sunshine, this is happening.”

“Sole, it has directly started an altercation with me and I intend to see it through.”

If they both had a great relationship with Sole after a bit of panicked begging to both parties, the men would begrudgingly back off. They would, however, insult each other viciously despite Sole’s protests. 

“You have no fucking idea how lucky you are meathead. I swear to god if they weren’t here…”

“You call me a meathead but you’re the one who’s rotting, ghoul.”

They would continue to jab each other until Sole dragged Danse off to do what he got out of his suit to do in the first place. 

If one or both of them didn’t have a close relationship with Sole, well, it wouldn’t be pretty. They would forcibly move Sole out of the way and fight for a while. Though Danse is much bigger than Hancock, Hancock is quicker and better at hand to hand. Danse, being unused to fighting outside of his armor, was ultimately unable to beat the ghoul. Hancock landed one final blow to his face, knocking Danse flat. When he stayed down Hancock laughed loudly and spit at him.

“Done in by the best, lucky you.” It would be a huge blow to Danse’s ego and he’d resent Hancock even more now. Hancock would gloat constantly when Danse was around. “Heyyy, there’s my favorite punching bag!” “Come on over Dansey I won’t bite!” He wouldn’t out of shame, but if Danse ever did try to retort, Hancock would just taunt him. Saying something like “Oh yeah? Ya know my favorite way to settle conflicts is by beating the other asshole into the dirt. Hop outta that suit and we can go for round two.”

MacCready:

Mac’s always thought of Danse as an annoying asshole. He still thinks of him this way but when he stepped out of that armor for the first time. Ho lee sh-crap. MacCready might have to look into joining the Brotherhood if the rest of those guys looked the same as Danse. He had expected him to be strong cause of the whole carrying 500 pounds of steel everywhere but his body was something Mac was not expecting and something he could look at for a while. 

If Danse came near the merc he would probably clam up and blush a bit. If Danse caught him staring, he would annoyedly ask, “Is there a problem, civilian?”

“I- uh no.” any other day he would’ve fired back some snide remark but he couldn’t quite seem to think of one right now. 

Nick:

Nick really couldn’t give less of a damn. He hated Danse, Danse hated him, and the two did their best to ignore each other. 

Piper: Piper didn’t really care either. Sure he was muscular but she was very turned off by the everything else about him. All she really payed attention to was the possibility of an exclusive interview or an inside look at the Brotherhood’s workings. Danse would never agree to either of those though. Preston: Preston didn’t care. He already knew you had to be strong to wear power armor especially if you wore them as much as Brotherhood Paladins did. He didn’t like the Brotherhood and by extension, he didn’t trust Danse. Preston was mannerly of course, for Sole, but he knows Danse thinks very little of the Minutemen so he didn’t try too hard to be kind. Strong: Strong thinks this is good time to smash strong human. He has killed many brothers but he wears metal suit. He is weak without metal suit. Human friend tells Strong that if Strong smash, Strong will not find milk of human kindness. Strong angry, Strong want to smash, but Strong not smash.

Danse would never get out of his suit near Strong unless he absolutely had to. Sole insisted that the abomination wasn’t going to be a problem but he didn’t believe it for a second. It took all of his willpower to not open fire on the thing whenever he saw it. Sole has poor taste in companions...

X6:

X6 wouldn’t care. He would consider taking this opportunity to get rid of the high ranking Brotherhood soldier, but it would make Sole upset and would do relatively little to the Brotherhood as a whole. 

Ask and ye shall recieve! I decide the winner on Hancock’s one by their special stats. How the hell does Hancock have such good stats and he’s still terrible in a fight??

[thefederalistfreestyle]

Wallace Smith is hanging from a beam. The Hamilton actor, one of the principals in Chicago’s staging of the mega-hit musical, has to hit a specific mark during the song Yorktown, near the end of the first act. Alexander Hamilton is about to announce what Smith’s character, Hercules Mulligan, has been up to (spoiler: he’s a spy!) while Hamilton and George Washington are trying to win independence for the colonies. If you’ve ever watched a gymnast hang from the high bar and then propel himself into a handstand, you have some idea of what Smith is about to do. He swings his legs back and then uses his core muscles to kick his whole body, launching forward. He lands near the front of the stage just as Hamilton yells “HERCULES MULLIGAN!” Then Smith breaks into one of the show’s more memorable raps. This maneuver takes strength, skill and timing. If Smith fails to land at the right moment it will throw off the flow of the musical. He has to do this correctly every night because every night the theater is full of people who have had the date blacked out on their calendar for months (the Chicago version of Hamilton is sold out through the end of the summer, and tickets are scarce come September.) There are fans who know every word of the platinum soundtrack, who have watched every video on the the show’s YouTube page, and who follow every actor’s social media account with devotion. With so many people awaiting Mulligan’s entrance or the Marquis de Lafayette’s tongue-twisting raps or the Schuyler sisters’ flirty songs, the actors who create Hamilton every night must have the discipline of a professional athlete to ensure the fans who were able to get tickets for each night’s show are dazzled. At the PrivateBank Theater in Chicago, Hamilton is staged eight times a week. Curtain is at 7:30 p.m. for night shows and 2:00 p.m. for matinees, but the cast members’ work starts well before curtain comes up the opening song, Alexander Hamilton. Chris De’Sean Lee is a young actor who plays the Marquis de Lafayette, a French nobleman who fought on the patriots’ side during the Revolutionary War. Hamilton — the show, as well as the character — is non-stop, so actors have to be in top shape to impress the people who inhabit the PrivateBank Theater’s seats every night. Lee works out shortly after waking up each morning, mixing cardio and weightlifting. “It’s really about getting my heart rate up, burning fat, conditioning to be able to do something long term. At this point, it’s really fine. I don’t find myself getting as tired doing the shows as before,” Lee said. Smith and Lee are both avid Golden State Warriors fans, but Lee adds a layer to his workout Steph Curry doesn’t. Since Lee has to spit Lafayette’s rapid fire rap while also jumping off a table and landing softly, he hums on the treadmill. He’s practicing not just using his vocal chords correctly but also working on timing his breath. “I’m rapping 13 words in two seconds. You have to be really fast, it’s in a French accent, and you have to be understood all while preparing to jump off the table,” Lee said. “For so long, I was constantly in my head about when to breathe.” Smith’s days also start with a trip to the gym, while Samantha Marie Ware, who plays Peggy Schuyler and Mariah Reynolds, is a big fan of yoga and pilates and works with a trainer three times a week. They stay in shape not just to manage the eight shows a week, but also to fit in the Tony-winning costumes that were made for them when they were cast for the show. [. . .] As with athletes, avoiding injury isn’t their only aim. They want to make sure they are at in peak shape for every performance and that means being mindful of when, and what, they are eating. “Because the corsets are really tight, it’s really hard to eat a larger meal. What I try to do when I’m in a show is I’ll eat something light for dinner, and I’ll keep snacks at my station,” Ware said. But the biggest reason they are so mindful of their nutrition is their voice. Soda pop, dairy, beer, fried foods — they all can affect their vocal chords. Much as a pitcher or a quarterback has to protect his arm before all else, Hamilton’s cast must protect their voices to deal with the show’s intense lyrical load. Their voices being even just a bit off means they may not hit the notes required. They have to time eating carefully so the food doesn’t sit in their stomach when they’re performing. “Most foods create some kind of phlegm or dryness to your vocal chords. A lot of foods I could eat that wouldn’t affect my voice in a drastic way, but I don’t think it makes sense to perform at anything less than 100 percent. Being at 98 percent, that bothers me. I feel like eating puts that 98 percent of my vocal chords. I just don’t do it,” Lee said. He admits to splurging on unhealthy foods on off days, though. Protecting their voice also means not letting the the show take over their voices; like athletes in a long-distance run or swim, they don’t want to get caught up in the moment and use too much too early. Hamilton features heated rap battles, loud speeches proclaiming freedom and in some cases, buddies getting drunk together while waxing poetic about the future. “When you’re miked and your voice is being amplified, sometimes, when your adrenaline is pumping, you want to push vocally. Scream louder. Sing harder,” Smith said. “There’s no need to push. It really helps the performance when you are easing into it. Vocally, it’s very easy to injure yourself.” For principal actors, sticking to a routine is key. They know exactly when they should go to sleep, when they should eat and when they should warm up their voices to make sure they are in peak shape by curtain. Ware starts singing in the shower at home, and quite often, to her cat. Lee puts his warm-ups on Instagram, singing everything from Mr. Rogers to Stevie Wonder to N’Sync. [. . .] Hamilton is expected to stay in Chicago for two years, and while much of the original cast is intact, there are still times when the cast needs to miss performances. When vacation, injuries or an ill-timed bout of laryngitis comes up, swings and understudies are called upon. Swings are the theater’s bench. They fill in for the ensemble when someone is out sick or on vacation. They have to be at every show, even when not performing. They have to be ready to jump in if another performer is sick or injured. “We one time had someone call out at half hour. It could be short notice, sometimes we know ahead of time,” said Gabriella Sorrentino. “I even at one point, someone got hurt in act one, and they threw me in for the second half. I’ve had all scenarios happen.” With the chance to go on at any minute, she has to stay limber and strong enough to take on any part in the ensemble. In Hamilton, cast members move props and sets into place, often as part of a song’s choreography. Since she can be tasked to take over any role, she has to be able to do the heavy lifting. She also has to be able to sing any of the women’s five singing tracks in the ensemble. Sorrentino is not just a swing but also the dance captain. She helps run weekly rehearsals and prepares new cast members for the show. Brady left his role as Aaron Burr in early April, and Sorrentino prepared Daniel Breaker to step in. During shows, she’s watching from the wings, taking notes to give to the ensemble. Unlike in many musicals, where the ensemble or chorus comes out just for specific songs and dance numbers, the Hamilton ensemble is onstage for most of the night. There are 50 numbers in Hamilton, and dancers must do everything from waltzing to breakdancing numbers. “The first week, when we were rehearsing in New York, and I think all the swings would agree with me, we were all in a little bit of shock with how much content is in the show,” she said. “It’s kind of neat to be part of a show where, in other shows, ensembles are not in shows as much. We’re really the show. We really are backing up the principals. The ensemble, we’re the foundation, the backbone to the show.” When Jimmy Garoppolo filled in for Tom Brady at the beginning of the 2016 NFL season, Patriots fans still expected their team to win. When an understudy or swing is onstage, there should be no difference in the show. “I know how, especially for Hamilton, people have been waiting for years to come and see the show. I know how important it is for them to see it and take it in, and I know how important it is for me to do my job and make sure they enjoy it,” Sorrentino said. “It’s the balance of me giving to them what they want, and then them receiving that information. And it’s evident. When we go to the stage door, people are in awe of the show.” [. . .]

How the cast of 'Hamilton' stays in shape to turn the world upside down, nightly (For The Win)

just cuz it’s a passion doesn’t mean that it’s easy! great article on the rigors of doing a show like Hamilton, including more on how Wayne Brady dealt with injury during his time with the Chicago company & how some of the principals switch characters between acts

[teddy-bear07]

The New Kid

 I stepped into my closet and looked around.

   I grabbed a white shirt, light blue skinny jeans, black Adidas, and my red, black and white varsity jacket. I walked into my bathroom and brushed my black hair back.

   Since I was little people have always told me that I won the lottery when it comes to the gene pool. My mother is Egyptian and my Father is Korean, leaving my sister and I pretty well off. We both have wavy black hair, mine an undercut and hers long, and we both have jade colored eyes. Our skin is a golden olive-brown and tans in just the right way. We both have barely any acne, which is awesome! I'm 6'4, with a lean yet muscular build. My face is almost perfectly proportioned. My jawline is one of the many things of mine that I'm proud of, along with my cheekbones. My nose isn't to large or to small, my ears either.

   People say that my accent helps. My sister and I were born in Australia, and we spent 5 years of our life there. We purposely kept the accent. People say it's hot. So.

   I quickly brush my teeth and run downstairs to my kitchen where my mom is drinking coffee at the table and my dad is reading the paper.

   I grab my school books from the kitchen island.

   "Well good morning to you to," my dad says, looking up over the newspaper.

   "Sorry dad," I say, grabbing an apple from the fridge and kissing mom on the forehead. "Lylith! Hurry up!" I call upstairs to my younger sister.

   "I'm coming Zeke!" she answers.

   "Ezekiel," my mom says as I head towards the foyer, "Can you stop my the grocery store and get me some stuff on your way home?"

   "Sure mom," I tell her, as I look in the mirror on the foyer wall, messing up my hair a bit.

   "I'll text you the list!" she yells as I head outside.

   Once I'm out the door I stop and close my eyes. It's so beautiful here. I breath in the sent of the salty sea. The wind caresses my face and ruffles my hair, whispering to me. I look out at the sea for a moment before jumping into my truck. Lylith runs outside as soon as I start the engine.

   "Jeez, in a hurry much?" she says with a smile.

   "Sorry, but if i didn't make you hurry then we'd both be late for the first day of school."

   Lylith and i go to Virginia Beach Academy, home of the Trojans. The school has three levels and tons of windows. There's a roof garden for seniors to eat lunch on, and the grounds are open and beautiful.

   Virginia Beach is a city on the coast of virginia. Palm trees line sidewalks and sand that feels like cotton is everywhere. It's constantly humid here, but makes up for the humidity by almost every building being air conditioned. The school has four separate buildings. One building is used for the kids involved in art, workshop, photography, film, etc. It's one level and the room are very large and spacious. Another building is used for the sports. It's two levels and holds a basketball court, a swimming pool, a workout room, 4 batting cages, a soccer simulator, a golf simulator, and several supply rooms. The last two buildings are the main buildings. They're three stories tall and used for classes and staff offices.

   Lyl is a sophomore this year and me a senior. We're both athletic and are in several after school activities and clubs. I'm in cross country and basketball and Lyl is in cheerleading and soccer.

   As I pull into the school parking lot I see some of my cross country buddies. They see me getting out and all shout in unison, "ESSA IS HERE!"

   "I'm gonna run before you friends rub their idiocy off on me," Lyl says, walking away, already heading towards her soccer friends.

   I chuckle and head towards the guys, Brandon, Ian, and Thomas.

   "Ezekiel Ivan Essa, who said it was okay for you to fall off the face of the earth this summer?" Brandon asks, slappin me on the back.

   "Sorry man, between my job and my parents signing me up for all the church activities I was crammed," I answer him.

   "Aw man, more church stuff? I get that you're parents are big time Christians, but that doesn't mean they should drag you into a bunch of activities!" Ian says.

   "It's not that bad," I say. Ian is right. All the church activities do get tiring after a while, but i also enjoy the majority of the stuff we do. The church does VBS, which is always fun, they do meal packing, singing in different towns, mission trips, (we went to Haiti this year), and a variety of other things.

   "Anyway, what's you're guys' first class?" Tom asks,

   It turns out that Ian and I have first period; advanced math; together, and that Brandon and I have fifth period; music; together. All varsity players, no matter which sport, male or female, have lunch together.

   Soon the boys and I head inside to get ready for class.

   I walk to my locker, which is on the second floor, and grab my advanced maths book along with my AP English Literature and Composition book and Spanish book.

   "Mr. Ezekiel Essa, Mr. Roy Jansen, and Miss Keirsten, please come to the main office before class." I hear over the intercom system.

   I put my books in my bag, close my locker, and head to the offices.

   When I get there I see Keirsten and Roy standing with Principal Leah Norstrom and three other people, two girls; blonde and auburn hair; and one boy; black hair.

   "Ah, Ezekiel. These are our new students. These two girls are Clarrise and Monica," she points to the blonde first and then the auburn. "And this is Jeremiel." she points to the boy. "You all will be showing them around the school this next week. Clarisse and Roy, since they both have first class together, will be pairing up, Monica and Keirsten, because they have art together, and Zeke and Jeremiel, you both are in cross country and music together."

   "When will we start showing them around?" Keirsten asks.

   "Right now," Mrs. Norstrom says. "You are excused from you first two classes today. And you will be eating lunch with them."

   The whole time Mrs. Norstrom is talking i've been studying Jeremiel. He's a few inches shorter than me, so that would make him about 5'11, he's lean like me. His ethnicity has to be something Asian. His face is soft but defined. His cheekbones are just noticeable and his jaw is soft and smooth. His hair is a slightly overgrown undercut and is wavy and his eyelashes are thick and dark. He must have heterochromia, because one eye is a dark, deep brown and the other is a piercing light blue. He's wearing a baggy red Supreme sweatshirt, blue jeans, a silver cross necklace, and black work boots.

   "You all are excused," the principal says.

   I walk out to the hallway and stop. "I'm Ezekiel Essa," I say, holding out my hand.

   "The principal already told me," he says.

   I raise one eyebrow, waiting for him to shake my hand.

   He sighs, and shakes me hand. "Lee Park Jeremiel."

   "The Angel of Visions and Dreams," I say, starting to walk down the hall.

   "What?" he asks. He looks confused.

   "Oh, sorry," I say, rubbing my neck. "I just, um, after the archangel? You know, the angels by God's side? I'm sorry, that was weird. It's jus-"

   "It's ok," He says. I look at him and he has a small smile on his face. "Ezekiel, the Angel of Death and Transformation."

   I smile. "You go to church?"

   "Yeah, Grace Bible Church as of next Sunday. You?"

   "Well, I hope I didn't make too bad of an impression already, because I guess ill be seeing you every Sunday.

   "Oof," he says, a teasing note in his voice. "I guess I'm gonna have to talk to my parents about moving churches."

   "Aw, damn it. I scared of another member! Stupid Zeke. God why do i have to ruin everything?" I say, laughing at the end.

   He smiles fully and my breath catches. His name isn't the only angelic thing. His smile lights up his whole face and i swear i hear a choir. His eyes hold a heavenly light and i feel as if i'm looking at the gate of Heaven.

   I whip my head away from him, so he doesn't see the red appearing on my cheeks.

   "Hey, you okay?" He asks.

   "Um, yeah. Yeah. got something in my eye. Don't want you to think I'm crying," I say, rubbing my eye, acting. Once my cheeks have cooled down i look at him again. "So, I'm guessing you're Korean?"

   He nods. "What about you? Your eyes and face shape are similar to a Korean’s, but..., not?"

   "My mom is Korean. My dad is Egyptian. That's where I got my last name, Essa. It means 'Gift of Isis', and Isis is the Goddess of wisdom. Not like the group Isis. Anyway, they met in Australia, got married, had me and my sister, and then moved to the U.S. when I was five."

"Cool. And you can call me Jere or Park. Jeremiel isn't the best name to repeat over and over."

   "Well, you can call me Zeke or Essa. Can i see your schedule?"

   He pulls his schedule out of his bag and hands it to me.

   "This is great!" I say. "We have shop, lunch, gym, and cross country together!"

   He smiles again, this time a small smile. "Thats nice."

   "Lets go! We only have two periods to walk around so we better start now!"

   "Are you always this peppy?" he asks me.

   "No, I'm just really happy that I got to the awesome new kid before anyone else!"

   He chuckles and smiles. And then his face falls.

   "What's wrong?" I ask and stop walking.

   "It's just, not many people would like to be my friend."

   "Why not?" I'm so confused.

   He mumbles something under his breath that I can't hear. He's staring at the floor, and his hair is slightly covering his eyes.

   "What was that?" I ask, bending towards him a bit to hear him better.

   He mumbles again. I place my hand on his shoulder.

   He looks me in the eye and says, "I'm gay! Okay? So go on and make fun of me already!" he looks back down at the floor. How the hell am i so lucky?    

   "Look at me," I say.

   He doesnt look up. I see a drop of water hit the floor. I squat down and look up at him. Another tear runs down his face. He looks surprised to see me on the floor looking at him.

   "Lee Park Jeremiel, I couldn't give two shits if you were gay. Your sexuality doesn't matter to me. Hell it couldn't matter less. I will protect you at all costs, okay?"

   His brows furrow and he wipes the tear from his cheek. "Are you sure? If others find out tht you're friends with a faggot then-"

   "Shut up. Never call yourself a faggot. You sexuality doesn't make you inferior to anyone. You are worthy. Of God, of friends, of everything. OK?"

       He smiles. "OK."