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"And ere the buttons on your backpack that day?"

"Anime kittens"

I try to think of a way he could know all this, fro able to read my mind, I can’t explain it

"Well," I say, "either you’re an excellent liar, or you switch bodies every day I have no idea which one is true"

"It’s the second one," he assures o outside," he whispers "I feel wean unintended audience"

I can’t see the person he’s talking about, but I can see other people who could easily be listening to us Still, his proposal is a little too step-into-my-van for ain," I tell hi, threatening dude today My mother’s voice is very loud and clear in my head: No dark corners"

He points out the , to a bench along the road "Totally public, only without people listening in"

"Fine," I say

I’ to think of new questions as alk outside I haven’t even gotten any coffee, but it doesn’t seeht time to stop for a latte

He seems nervous And if I’m honest, I know it’s not a serial-killer nervousness It feels like the only thing that could be killed here are his hopes I have never seen a boy hope so visibly I wonder if he knows he’s doing it

Distance I let him sit down first so I can keep a little distance So I can look into those eyes without falling into theoing to convinceto have to tell me much more

"So," I resume, "you say you’ve been like this since the day you were born?"

He hesitates for a brief et a sense that he doesn’t have conversations like this very often

Well, I don’t, either