About the Author

Calum McSwiggan is an author, journalist and LGBT+ advocate. He’s worked for Attitude magazine, written for Metro, Gay Times and the Independent, and was recently placed in the Guardian’s list of the fifty most influential LGBT+ figures in the UK. Putting LGBT+ stories at the heart of everything he does, he’s produced award-winning films, presented radio, and racked up millions of views on his online videos.

Follow Calum across all social media channels

@CalumMcSwiggan

Title Page

1

‘Prom night, baby!’

Chase startles me awake by hitting me squarely in the face with a pillow. I squint up at him through tired eyes and can see him grinning from ear to ear. ‘Come on, day’s a-wasting!’ he says cheerily, grabbing my arms and tugging on them. He’s been my own personal alarm clock ever since we started sharing a room.

‘Seriously, Zach, how can you lie in on a day like today? You slept right through breakfast!’

‘Why, what time is it?’ I groan, pulling my hands free and rubbing my eyes. I feel especially groggy today, like I’ve barely even slept.

‘Eleven fifty-nine,’ Chase says, as the details of our dorm room slowly come into focus. He’s wearing a backwards blue baseball cap, tufts of his soft black hair poking through it, and an extra-large Miami Dolphins shirt that completely swamps him.

‘You can’t sleep all day, Zach. Come on. You’re missing it! The rugby team are outside doing naked laps!’

‘They’re doing what?’ I say, suddenly more awake.

‘Naked laps!’ he repeats as I jump up and rush to the window.

‘They are not,’ I say, spotting them throwing a ball around, very much fully clothed.

‘Well, it got you out of bed, didn’t it? Honestly, Zach, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you move so fast. You say you’re not athletic? We could get you running in the Olympics if we just stacked the finish line with guys in their underwear.’

I laugh at that. I’d like to say I’m not so shallow, and yet here I am, leaping out of bed at just the suggestion of a hint of nudity. It’s been a long year, OK? And all quiet on the romance front. I feel betrayed by all the movies that convinced me private school would be inherently debaucherous. I was led to believe I’d be fighting off boys with a stick. In reality? Sometimes we stay up late reading queer manga. That’s about as debaucherous as it gets.