WHITNEY'S HOUSE
The tension
in the air is too much for Jason. He springs to his feet as well. "Lauren,
don't. It's not--"
"Don't, Jason,"
Alex interrupts. He raises a hand as a signal for Jason to stop.
Alex's sudden
calmness takes Jason even more by surprise. He shoots the darker-haired
young man a puzzled look, but Alex responds with merely a calm look. A
comfortable look -- like he's in control now.
"Guys ..."
Lauren says, suddenly needing to make her presence remembered. Jason isn't
sure if she is begging to be let in on what is going on or scolding them
for it.
"Thank you,
Jason," Alex says. "For everything. For being so good to me through all
of this and supporting me and helping me out. You're the reason I was able
to get to this point."
"What point?"
Lauren cuts in, her growing agitation apparent.
Alex takes
a step towards her. There is still quite a gap between them, and he doesn't
think he can close it entirely, but he needed to be able to come closer.
"I'm sorry,"
he says softly. "I'm sorry I've put you through this. No one else should
have had to get dragged along on this with me. I never wanted you to get
hurt ... That's why I have to do this. I want you to understand that this
isn't about you. You're a beautiful girl. You're charming, you're funny
..." He cracks a smile. "A little wacky. But you're a terrific girl."
Jason has been
watching Alex speak, amazed at what he is hearing and how strong it sounds.
But now he brings himself to look at Lauren. She is everything that Alex
is not. She's ashen, almost sick-looking, and her features are contorted
as she tries to figure out what kind of turn this night has taken.
"I'm so sorry,"
Alex says again, shaking his head. "I ... Lauren, I--Yes, I am. I'm gay."
Something changes
in the room at that instant. To have those words out there ... Jason realizes
that it is the first time he has actually heard Alex say it. Lauren looks
like she's on the border, uncertain whether she should be relieved or devastated.
And Alex looks like he is in the midst of an out-of-body experience.
"There. It's
out," he says, glancing up at both Lauren and Jason to study their reactions.
Jason finds
himself moving towards Alex, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "I'm
proud of you, buddy."
Something different
seems to be descending upon them. Jason isn't sure what it is, but he tries
to enjoy it. Some peace, at last. The calm after the storm, he thinks.
But too quickly,
he sees the change coming over Lauren. The whole time, she has been on
the fence -- or maybe a million different fences -- torn between shock
and acceptance and so many other things.
Wait,
he thinks abruptly. It's the calm before the storm. And it
lasts all too briefly.
"You knew?"
Lauren cries. Her eyes narrow as her devastation focuses directly on the
boys. Jason feels like her gaze is burning right through him. "Why did
you let this go on? Why didn't somebody stop me from making a complete
idiot
of myself?!"
Before either
Alex or Jason can respond, she pushes past them and yanks the door open.
She nearly rams into Courtney
as she flies from the room.
Frozen outside
in the hallway, Courtney watches Lauren storm out, too confused to make
a move. Seconds pass before she looks inside the room at Jason and Alex.
"What just
happened?" she asks, slowly entering the room as though she is on guard
against whatever drove Lauren out of here.
"We'll explain
later," Jason says before Alex can get in even a word. "Let Lauren go."
"I don't want
her to get in the car--"
"I'll make
sure she doesn't," Alex says. "I'll make sure Whitney or somebody keeps
an eye on her."
That doesn't
seem to comfort Courtney much, but Jason begins leading her down the hall.
"Come on, Court. Let's crash. I'm exhausted."
"I wanna know
what happened," she protests.
"You'll find
out," he assures her. "Just not now."
Reluctantly
she agrees, allowing herself to be led only after Alex gives her another
assurance that he will make sure Lauren is okay. He watches the couple
disappear down the hall, looking for a room to sleep in so that they can
shut out the night's events for at least a few more hours. He knows that
he won't be able to do that tonight.
And he knows
that, no matter what happens now, tonight he has irreversibly changed every
one of their lives.
END OF EPISODE #227
What did
you think about how Alex's admission played out and how the others reacted?
What about Diane's very different pair of scenes? Come over to the Message
Forum and join in on the discussion about this episode, as well as
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