Blaine smiled, but he did not utter the words. He was hoping his father would lose and lose big. Anderson for senate my ass.

Once the photographer was done, Blaine reluctantly followed his parents down the hall and out to the stage entrance. A campaign staffer gave a nod to the businessman who had been warming up the crowd with a "Why James Anderson is great for Ohio," speech.

James turned to his wife Elaine. "Is my tie straight?"

"Yes. You look very handsome."

"Thank you." He glared at his son who was looking bored out of his mind. "Could you at least try to pretend you support your father's campaign?"

Blaine looked at him coolly. "You and mom taught me to never tell a lie."

"Blaine!" exclaimed his mother.

"It's all right Elaine," James replied coldly, checking his cufflinks and smoothing out imaginary wrinkles in his jacket. "I guess a fucked up attitude and a smart mouth is all a part of the gay shit." He looked at his only son with disgust.

Yeah, thought Blaine. The gay shit.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome your State Senator, James Anderson!"

James and Elaine Anderson smiled beautifully and stepped out on to the stage followed by Blaine who quickly moved to his seat behind the podium.

He watched his parents waving to the cheering crowd. God I hope the fucker loses this year.

Senator Anderson launched into a rousing speech about the need for jobs in Ohio, lower taxes and of course, his signature issue, traditional family values. Blaine sat motionless and unsmiling. Campaign season was truly his own personal hell.

He surveyed the crowd of supporters, his eyes resting on a slim, redhead who was listening attentively and taking copious notes. He was wearing a journalist badge. Blaine knew all the journalists who covered state politics, so this guy must be new. The redhead looked up and met Blaine's gaze. They stared at one another intently. Blaine's gaydar went off. Yeah, the new guy was definitely gay. And, he looked young. Blaine gave him a seductive smile. The redhead smiled back. Maybe Blaine would ask him out. Wouldn't his father love that? Him dating a journalist.

Once the speech was over, Senator Anderson took questions from the media.

"Senator, what is your stance on the latest version of Ohio's Defense of Marriage bill?"

Aww, hell...

"I am 100% in favor of the bill. If re-elected, I plan to strengthen the language. It is imperative that the state of Ohio continue to pass laws and legislation that promote traditional family values and protect Ohioans from the homosexual agenda. That type of legislation will always get my strongest support and vote."

Blaine watched as the redhead's eyes grew wide and he started typing furiously on his iPad. He stopped briefly to shoot Blaine a questioning look. Blaine stared back blankly and the redhead continued typing.

Blaine sighed. Shit. He was never gonna get laid. And, he was so horny. All the time. Maybe he should just give up and call Tyler.

Blaine was the only son of James and Elaine Anderson. Despite Elaine's difficult, high-risk pregnancy, followed by a long and painful labor, the couple eagerly anticipated having many, many more children, but the doctors announced that Elaine was done. Her body could no longer conceive, much less carry a child. Elaine was sad and disappointed but James was more than disappointed. He was angry. How could he have made such a poor choice in a wife? He knew he should have gone after her sister. James hid his deep disappointment. Instead, he poured himself into his son. Blaine was the joy of their lives. His curly black hair framed his adorable, sweet face. He was delightful, full of energy and enthusiasm. The future of the Anderson political machine.

James's father had been a state senator and later a US congressman. James had followed in his father's footsteps on the state level, but his plan was to pave the way for Blaine to go all the way to the White House. Blaine would marry a woman who could breed like a mare. James would see to it. And then Anderson after Anderson would hold office. Just like the Kennedys, except they would all be members of the right party. The republican party.

James's dreams all came crashing down three months after Blaine's fourteenth birthday. First, there was the sleepover at Jake's house. Blaine and Jake had been friends since kindergarten. They were Boy Scouts together, tennis partners at the country club, best buddies. Then one morning, Blaine came home from a sleepover and announced that Jake was no longer his friend. His parents had figured it was just a silly fight like all kids had. But Jake had completely disappeared from Blaine's life. When questioned by the Andersons, Jake's parents acted strange about the entire thing, shedding no light on what had happened. A few months later, Jake's Dad was relocated and they moved to Virginia.

Then there was school. Suddenly Blaine was constantly getting into fights and his grades were plummeting. James and Elaine were at a loss to explain or understand what was happening.

When questioned by his parents, Blaine announced he was gay.

He liked boys. A lot.

He had told Jake he liked him and Jake had punched him. And then told everyone else.

Blaine's mother went into complete denial. She announced it was a phase. She was sure he would grow out of it. His father did extensive research on camps that promised to deprogram your gay child and make them straight. They decided against it due to the potential political fall out. People may not like gays but, they were suspicious of these types of programs and the people who sent their children there.

Blaine would just have to understand that he couldn't be gay. He just couldn't. It didn't fit into his father's politics or plans.

And, one night, after a bit too much bourbon, James Anderson explained things to his son.

He hadn't meant to hit him so hard. To be so rough. But Blaine had to understand. He couldn't fuck up his father's career by being a queer.

He had knocked a shocked and frightened Blaine to the floor with one punch. It was so easy. He was still short for his age and hadn't filled out yet. He had dragged him to his feet and slammed him against the wall, leaning in close. Blaine could smell the liquor on his father's breath.

"You wanna be a fucking faggot? Huh, Blaine? That's what you want for yourself? Fine! Be a fucking faggot! But you don't act on it you little bastard." James reached between his son's legs and grabbed his dick, squeezing it hard and twisting it. Blaine screamed out in pain. "Do you understand me Blaine! You keep this in your pants! You hear me? Keep it in your pants or else I will rip it off! I'd better never catch you screwing around! You're not fucking up my career. I've worked too fucking hard!"
Blaine had fallen to the floor, sobbing in pain. James had staggered backwards and stared at the sight of his son. His son. His fucking gay son. Not even man enough to defend himself.

Later, James felt bad about his behavior but, it had worked. They took Blaine out of public school and sent him to Dalton. His grades returned to straight A's, he perfected his tennis game, joined the glee club and became the perfect son. And, there had been no embarrassing gay shit.

Not yet.

But, James knew it was only a matter of time.

Blaine was no longer a scrawny 14 year old kid. Now he was 17, practically a man. He had grown a few inches taller and filled out. His body was muscular and strong from all the tennis. His adorable face had grown handsome. He was confident, smooth and almost unbearably good-looking. He had learned that with the right smile, and a tilt of the head, he could charm his way out of or into anything. Especially with women. Every girl whose father was a member of the Westerville Republican Club had made it clear that they were happy to sleep with him at anytime. So much for traditional family values.

Blaine had also grown bolder and more demanding. If his father wanted him to keep quiet about his sexuality, he would have to pay. He had requested an expensive sports car for his 16th birthday,threatening to call the newspapers and give a coming out interview if they didn't buy it. He also demanded money for designer clothes and electronic toys. His monthly allowance was ridiculous.

James wanted to put his foot down but, in all honesty, he was scared. Scared of what Blaine might do. There was something...off about his son and it wasn't just the gay thing. There was a slightly menacing aura that seemed to live just beneath the surface. Never fully present. Just...breathing. Waiting. It made James nervous.

Blaine was 17. James remembered being 17. Did gay guys have raging hormones like straight guys? He didn't know and he didn't want to find out. He just needed Blaine to behave until after Election Day.