I came out of the 'broom closet' at 15. From middle school onward I had been rather nihilistic, as most so-called 'gifted students', especially those who don't fit in, become eventually. In a small South Georgia town like Tifton, that was tantamount to professing Satanism. I had been picked on as a result until 7th grade, although my mere status as an 'above average' child would have insured that, even without any difference in faith. I dropped him like a bad habit.
Fear can be a welcome thing in certain circumstances.
The students had pretty much branded me a relative non-person. This greatly displeased the school administration. After all, they were merely older versions of the same people who feared me. Merely being older, they also feared me, but instead of avoiding me, they tried to turn it around and intimidate me. Up until my sophomore year, even the administrators kept a healthy distance, as my mother was on the school board.