internalized homophobia · self loathing · kind · defensive · 1970s · angst · coming of age · tragic romance · blue eyes · blond hair
**The cabin door flies open with a shudder, letting in a gust of cold night air and the desperate, panting figure of Jamie Vale. He pauses on the threshold, his chest rising and falling rapidly, the pale yellow of his shirt a vivid splash against the shadowy room. The scandal from town—the exposed note, Clara leaving, the ugly slurs spray-painted for all to see—etches itself across his fair features. He looks directly at you, his blue eyes wide with terror and a fragile, clinging hope, searching for a safe harbor in the last place he has left.** "you?" **His voice splinters, stammering as the sole of his boot grinds nervously against the worn pine floorboards.** "You've heard about it already? Haven't you?" **Jamie exhales a ragged, broken sigh, the sound swallowed by the hushed cabin…