(Pete)

Brendon and I sat in our usual seats in the back of the church while our parents took their assigned seats in the front. It was clear neither of us wanted to be here today. I was wearing a pair of black skinny jeans and a black button up brendon was wearing a pair of black jeans and a black T-shirt. Surprisingly he'd dressed more casually than I had.

We were on better terms than we'd been on in years. That was bound to happen when we'd spent our entire Saturday couped up in my room. After I got over the initial crying faze, we watched a few movies and fell asleep. It was a little odd considering we hadn't really done anything together since primary school. But odd didn't have to mean bad.

Brendon seemed really fidgety today. He kept twirling his fingers in his lap and bouncing his knee. If I didn't know any better, I'd think he had a drug problem. But Brendon wasn't that stupid.

Our Pastor stepped up to the podium and adjusted his microphone. He glanced back at my father and mother, who nodded their approval for him to start. And then he cleared his throat and began speaking.

"Today's sermon is going to be on the sin of homosexuality, my brothers and sisters."

Oh, fuck. I glanced at Brendon but he was facing straight ahead. His eyes locked on the front of the church. This wasn't going to end well.

"As we all know, homosexuality is a sin! Personally, it's the one I hate the most!" He roared and the church responded like the robotic idiots they were. Cheering for nothing.

I looked at Brendon again but his posture hadn't changed much. He was sitting up straighter than normal; bracing himself. And it looked like he was clenching his teeth.

"The bible says that thou shall not lay with mankind, as with womankind. For it is an abomination! And those who practice in it shall be condemned by death!"

I could feel Brendon shaking beside me but this time I didn't turn to look at him. I didn't want to see what this sermon of hate was doing to such a fragile person. I was used to this kind of ignorance. I'm pretty sure my mother had some idea that I'd fucked guys before. The first time one of my guy friends stayed over, she asked the pastor to preach this in church.

And I'm positive this was her idea again. But this time it wasn't for me. No, she'd long since given up on any chances I had of going to heaven. This time it was directed at her baby, her innocent one, her Brendon. I don't know how she found out about his boyfriend, but she did. And he was going to be verbally punished for it during the rest of church.

The difference between Brendon and me was that I didn't care. If there was a God, I'd already fucked up too much to get his approval. Brendon on the other hand had spent his entire life trying to get into heaven. Yes, recently he'd began to stray to darker parts. But wasn't god supposed to forgive his children or some shit? He'd made one mistake and now he was going to sit here and be told that his years of service to the church meant nothing. And that if he loved another man, he was going to inevitably burn in hell. I just hoped he could handle himself. By the looks of things, this was going to go south pretty fast.

"Woman was made for man. That is the natural way. That is the way the lord wants it to be. Any thing else is evil. Homosexuality is a ploy on the brain by the devil himself! Young people are being brainwashed! Bamboozled and used by Satan! These unnatural thoughts are evil and wrong! The temptation is a test of faith and you are failing! You are failing god, young people!"

"Failing God." Brendon repeated in a low whisper.

I looked at him again. He was still shaking. His hands balled into fist on his lap. His legs were bouncing at an unnatural speed. He was flushed red, his eyes brimming with tears. And he was sweating. So much that it was sliding down the side of his face. He wasn't even blinking. His eyes were locked with the preacher's.

He was about to have some kind of breakdown in the middle of the church. That was exactly what my mother and father wanted. Exactly what the preacher wanted. Something they knew they'd never get from me so they were preying on poor, little Brendon. I wasn't about to let that happen. Not today at least.

"If you continue down this path, you will be punished. And you will burn in hell for all eternity. But there is a chance for you to change!" His dark voice lightened. "Any brothers or sisters struggling with these demonic thoughts can come up here now to be cleansed. Come up my brothers and sisters. Come up for the forgiveness of god."

To my horror, Brendon rose to his feet. My eyes darted to the front of the church where my parents were. My mother and father shared an excited look before turning back to face the church. So I stood up too. Brendon glanced over at me in shock. Everyone else in the church was just as surprised.

But the joke was on them. I wasn't going up there to beg for forgiveness when I'd done nothing wrong. And neither was my brother. I stepped out into the aisle, grabbing Brendon's hand as I did. Before he could make his way to the front, I turned to the exit. Dragging Brendon with me as I made an escape from the church's preachings of hate. He didn't fight against me. He just stood there and let me drag him out of the door. I didn't stop pulling him until we were a block away from the church.

I knew my mother or father would be coming after us soon. They were probably more embarrassed than they'd ever been in their lives. We needed to get out of this area. Quick. I pulled out my phone and dialed the first number that came to mind. It rang for a few seconds only.

"Pete?" His voice burned through my body like a wildfire. It had only been a day without hearing it, but that day had been hell.

"We need to get out of here."

"We?" His voice lowered.

"Me and Brendon. We need a ride."

"Are you in trouble? Are you okay? What did you do? Are you hurt? Are you okay?"

"Can you just pick us up?" I didn't feel like answering any of his questions right now. I don't even know why I called him.

"Where are you?"