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“Right Shit, I’m sorry”

“I feel like they don’t knohat to say, so they kinda…stopped talking”

“That’s brutal”

“Is it?” Jeremy’s face creased “I feel like I shouldn’t be upset Like I should be grateful they didn’t throw s That must be worse”

“That doesn’tyou isn’t terrible”

Shoulders sagging, Jere that”

“It’s the truth” The words felt eodfathering in the world couldn’t change how Jere

“Lesson learned: Keep your expectations extremely low so you can’t be blindsided” Jeremy’s shoulders were hunched, and the sadness in his voice had Max’s chest tightening

“No,” Max said “I mean, as much as that makes sense on one hand, I don’t want that for you You deserve better than low expectations”

Jeremy smiled faintly “Thanks”

They walked in silence Max had so many more questions about Jere with them? How could they be so cold to their son eet and kind and funny and so scared?

He didn’t want to push Instead he asked, “How do your new boots feel?”

“Good! Barely had to break thee of subject “Thanks for the suggestion I’d have felt even ht without the new clothes”

“You weren’t aard”

Jeremy shot him an incredulous look “Dude, come on I was there”

Max laughed softly “It wasn’t that bad You just need to get out of your oay It co to phrase this? He fiddled with the zipper on his coat “Are you sure you really want to hook up with a guy?”

“What, you think I’?” Jeremy’s face screwed up “Trust me, I wouldn’t have come out to my parents if I didn’t like men”