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“When I read this as a kid, it was the first ti world outside of rural Louisiana, and that it was okay to chase your dreams,” I said “I didn’t see a lot of that aroundstill My parents have lived their entire lives within fivethere’s anything wrong with that because they seee that what I wanted forto be found in that small town”

“What did you want?”

“Someplace where I didn’t stand out By the time I read this book at six or seven years old, I’d already been called a freak, a homo, a sissy, every slur you can think of for a boy asn’t as masculine as people felt I should be I didn’t just hear that fro, what some adults will actually say to children”

He asked, “Did you hear it from your parents?”

“Not the slurs, but hen up and stop acting like a girl He didn’t know any better at the time When I was about twenty-two, I finally explained why that had hurt ized and felt just awful”

I closed the book and traced the colorful cover as I continued, “Even before I knehat it h loud and clear—I was different, and that wasn’t okay in that town Thank God for my love of books and movies They showed me there was more to the world and made me believe I’d find a place where I’d fit in someday I’d hate to think ould have become of me otherwise”

“I’ot out of that place”

“It wasn’t all bad,” I said “When we go for a visit in a feeeks, I’ll show you all the things I loved about it, including the secret places I’d go to be alone with et to share that with you”

Lorenzo reached across the table and tookforward to it”

“We talk about my childhood a lot, but we never really talk about yours,” I said “What was it like?”

“It was actually pretty happy You know both ht they were living the dreahborhood, so we didn’t really feel like ere ”

He took a sip of hot chocolate and continued, “Forood grades, I needed straight A’s I also had to excel in sports, be popular, and make my parents proud I was the oldest of three and was always told I needed to set a good example for my brothers, so that’s what I did Deep down, I kneas different because I was attracted to boys in the sanored that part of me, I could fit in and pretend I was just like everyone else”

“It sounds like you were under a lot of pressure”

“I was, but I put most of it on myself My parents wanted to see me succeed, but they didn’t push me I just had this drive to do h”