"Oh, the good ole "Am I an adult now?" talk," mumbled the teacher as he rubbed the back of his neck, the other on his hip. "How old is he, fourteen? Kid, he's not ready. Hell, I'm not sure what kind of ready you're thinking, but I can guarantee he's not ready for anything. Especially if he's still hiding behind your friend. You're not so ready yourself, you know. A lot of this kind of stuff, it's something I don't think anyone will ever be fully ready for. Lots of this is something you can't get involved with. People learn their own way. If you keep babying him then he's going to stay a baby, because by the time he's your age he'll be fully dependent on you. He's a teen. Let him stand on his own for once. If he falls down then pick him up and let him try again."
"Tch, look at me giving social advice, and here I am needing some," Terry grumbled while hiding his blush with his splayed hand. "I... Okay listen, I've never been interested in relationships until just recently. The guy I'm with, uh... Well he's handsome. And strong. It's only natural that he attracts people, right? There's a skimpy guy that hangs around him a lot and though they both promise there's nothing going on, I can't shake off this stupid feeling. I trust him, but I don't know... I feel like I can't compete. What do you think?"