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Max nodded “Cool”

Jereeted There—he’d told soht throw up, he’d done it

“You dating anyone? Having fun?”

He shook his head rapidly and opened his desk drawer to rearrange the paper clips

“Why not? You’re really cute”

Jere nice” He pushed paper clips around, his ears going hot He could iine how stark the freckles across his cheeks looked as he blushed How ugly

“So this is the part that’s a struggle?”

“Part of it, I guess”

“Dude, you’re totally cute Everyone loves redheads Did you join the queer club on campus? You’d meet a ton of people Are you nineteen?” At Jere out in the Village Or there are plenty other queer spaces in the city You don’t have to be nervous”

Barking out a laugh, Jeremy closed the draith a thud “You don’t knoho you’re dealing with Being nervous isI’ve only said it out loud twice now”

Max’s brows drew together “Wait, which part?”

“That I’et used to it already He needed to stop cringing when he said it, waiting to be rejected He needed to get his shit together like everyone else on campus Everyone else in Toronto, it seemed like The sidewalks and subere cra around, and they all see

Too restless to sit, he went to the een the beds in the shoebox of a roo”

“I won’t stay too long, don’t worry”

“No, I don’t one out of his way to help When he’d been a hero “Really” Jere on the side of his bed again, facing Max

“Cool” Max sipped his beer “So you’re not out to many people yet?”

“Just my parents I’m not allowed to tell my little brother yet, or anyone one else in the fa it’s a phase Or they’re just completely ashamed of me Or both”

“Shit That’s brutal I’m sorry”