The Reluctant Bully

Hank doesn’t want to be a bully. He does it to fit in. In his sophomore year in high school, his buddies are football stars like his older brothers. His father had been one too, but not Hank. Tall for his age and lean, he doesn’t have the build for football. Basketball is his sport, but he isn’t a star.

Kenneth is as unlike Hank as you could imagine. Very small, very smart, and Asian, Kenneth is a natural target for Hank’s friends, so Hank bullies him too. Kenneth does his best to ignore Hank and his friends.

We follow Hank and Kenneth for ten years as they live their very different lives. Hank marries his high school sweetheart and works in construction like his father and his two brothers. Kenneth comes out as gay in college and finds a lover. He goes on to graduate school, pursuing his PhD degree and a succession of relationships.

There’s no reason to think Hank and Kenneth will ever meet again, but, after all, this is a gay love story.