Okay! This is about the time of day I'm gonna shoot for posting daily updates of this story, so I hope you're all enjoying it!

Emily knocked on the door, then stepped back next to Jeff. After a few moments, a bored looking high school girl opened the thick oak and just looked at them.
“Um,” said Jeff intelligently.
Emily took over so he wouldn't back out now, “We need to see Miss Scroggs, please. It's kinda important.”
The girl verbalized a disinterested sound that would have been a grunt, if it hadn't been born of trying to be cool. She turned and walked further into the house.
“Do we, y'know, follow?” asked Jeff. Emily shrugged, shook her head and reached over to take his hand so he would know she was there for him.
They waited about five minutes, then the door swung wide and the beaming face of their Speech, Debate, and Drama teacher faced them. She was tiny. Well, bigger than they were, but not by much, she was short enough and fit enough, that she could probably pass as a frosh in high school easy.
“Hey! I didn't expect to see either of you until classes start this Fall. Oh, Jeff, I heard about your mother, I'm sorry. What can I do to help you?” she said and asked as she vacillated between topics.
“Is there somewhere we could, um, talk private?” asked Emily, shooting a glance at the teenager trying not to look interested behind her mother.
“Oh! Of course there is. Devin, looks like I'll be busy for awhile, Come back down and get me when it's time to leave for your appointment if I'm not done. This way, kids,” she said, leading the way to a comfortable looking den.
After they were settled, Emily started, because Jeff was way too embarrassed. “We're sorry to bother you at home and all, especially since it sounds like you had plans with your daughter, but... well, we kinda thought you would understand the problem.”
“Oh? What problem is that — and why do you think I would understand? And Devin isn't my daughter — do I look old enough to have a daughter older than you two? — she's my younger sister,” said the young teacher.
“Well,” said Jeff, speaking at last, “last spring you chewed out the class for making fun of the gay character in that play we were watching. It just seemed like you felt pretty strong about it.”
Katarina Scroggs suddenly realized that one of these two kids — probably Jeff, from the worried looks around the room, anywhere but at her — was going to come out to her as gay. She could almost hear Grans saying, “Proceed delicately, Kit-kat.”
“Ah. Well, anything either of you tell me will go no further, and I'll do whatever I can to help,” she reassured them.
Jeff looked over at Emily, the fear may as well have been written on his face with a Sharpie. “I — I think I may be gay. I'm not sure but I caught myself staring at another boy's butt at the park the other day. And I liked it...” was all he got out before his lip started to tremble and his voice quavered, “I miss my Mom!”
Emily reached around his shoulders and hugged him, saying nothing.
Katarina laid a hand on the boy's knee as she crouched in front of him so she could look up at him, saying, “There's nothing wrong with being gay, despite what the kids at school or even what the people in this town will say. That being the case, I suggest you keep it a secret except from people you trust because just nothing being wrong with it won't keep small-minded folks from taking their fears out on an innocent.” She paused a moment, then went on, “I have a couple of questions, though, can I ask them?”
Jeff nodded as tears started to come down his cheeks.
Katarina nodded back and asked, “Have you started any of puberty? Hair under your arms or on your legs? Voice cracking?” she waited while he shook his head and sniffled, “I'd say this was the first sign then. Look, anytime you need to talk, I'll be here for you. Think of me as a big sister — unless we're in school, then I'm strictly Miss Scroggs, got it?”
The three talked about things until Devin came and knocked on the door to fetch Katarina.