The Alliance Read Online Free PDF Page A

I stood up on a bench and held my clipboard over my head.
    â€œYo, guys!” I shouted over their jabbering. Everybody looked at me and quieted down. “Hey, good practice today. I know I’m new to varsity, but I really need your help. I want to start a new organization at school and I need you guys to sign this petition to get the ball rolling.”
    A couple guys shrugged and stepped forward, reaching for my pen. But Ren stood up.
    â€œWait a sec,” he said. “Is this that fag group you were talking about?”
    The guys who’d approached me suddenly backed off.
    â€œIt’s not a fag group,” I said. I explained what the GSA was. “Everybody in this school looks up to the football team. You guys are heroes. If we take the lead and get this group started—”
    â€œNo way, man,” Phil Oliver, the quarterback, said. “Don’t want nobody thinking I’m queer.”
    â€œI told you, signing this doesn’t say you’re queer or anything…”
    But I was sunk. Where the quarterback went, everybody went. One by one, they turned their backs. Some guys made comments about not wanting me to watch them dress. As I slammed my locker shut and stormed out, I heard someone say, “Oooh, look, boys. Mary’s upset!”
    Their laughter disappeared behind the door as I marched into the hall. I almost knocked Cory over.
    â€œWhoa, Tiger,” she said, jumping out of my way. She smiled and offered me a mango smoothie.
    â€œNo, thanks,” I said, seething. She looked hurt and pulled it back. “I’m sorry, Cory. It’s not you. I just … Why can’t I find anyone to sign this petition?”
    She put her arm around my shoulders. “Honey, you’ve been working on this awfully hard. But I think this is a sign that maybe you should just forget about it. You can’t start a club if no one wants to join.”
    I shook my head. “I’m not giving up. I’ll get Mr. Winston to give me permission to drop by the other lunch periods. I’ll—”
    She squeezed my shoulder. “It’s great to see you so fired up, but I think you could be spending this energy doing something else. Something better.”
    I exhaled. “Something better? Cory, I’m doing this for Jamie. I owe it to him to see that the crap that happened to him stops. Look, can you just sign this?” I held out the clipboard.
    Cory recoiled from it like I was holding out a spider. “Scott, I can’t do that. Jamie was a sweet guy. But he made his choice. Signing that is like saying I agree with that choice.”
    I felt ice fill my chest. I looked at Cory as if I’d never seen her before. There she was: soft brown hair, smiling like always. But something was different.
    â€œChoice?” I asked. “Cory…Do you think Jamie
chose
to be gay?”
    Her fingers went to the cross at her throat. “Being gay isn’t natural, Scott. It’s not part of God’s plan.”
    I stepped away from her. “You’re kidding, right? Why would anybody choose to be harassed like Jamie was? Why would someone choose to be teased and shoved and threatened? How did that benefit him in any way?”
    â€œI don’t know,” she said quietly. “But then, I don’t know why people choose to kill. I don’t know why people choose to cheat on their spouses. I don’t know why people choose to defy the Lord’s commandments every single day. I don’t judge. That’s for God to do. All sin is matter of choice, Scott, and Jamie chose to sin.”
    â€œJamie didn’t choose to be gay,” I spat. “But
you’re
choosing to hate him because he was.”
    She shook her head. “I don’t hate Jamie. My church teaches us to hate the sin, love the sinner.”
    â€œYeah,” I said. “That’s still hate. I thought Jesus was all about love. Or maybe you didn’t