When Garrard Conley comes to the realization that he’s gay–he’s known since junior high–he does his best to keep it hidden, balling the truth up inside himself. He has a lot at stake: his parents are conservative, under the impression that homosexuality is a sin. His father, once Garrard is outed by the guy who sexually assaults him, threatens to stop paying for college if he acts on his impulses.
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