he gave me back was like a solar flare.
“Then go clean up and eat something. Can you do that?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
“And don’t forget to text me.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Love you, Rusty. Don’t let that freak you out none.”
“Love you too.”
I signed out of Rex’s Skype then and swung my legs around my bed and tried to stand up. My knees wobbled, and I sat down on my ass again and wondered if Oliver was going to have to come get me because I hadn’t eaten since . . . when? Thursday? And I was too weak to actually do all that showering stuff, but I still needed to pee.
I’d managed a wobbly legged trip to the bathroom to pee and had just sat back down on the bed, dizzy and frustrated, when the door was thrown open. Rex marched in, dragging Professor Pritchard by the arm. I tried to use the blankets to cover up my knees.
“Rex? What in the fuck did you do?”
“Mr. Baker?”
Reluctantly I looked up and met the professor’s eyes.
“Sorry I missed your class today,” I apologized, but it was sort of insincere. The pull to go back to bed was so strong, I felt my shoulders hunching.
“Yeah, so am I.” He sat down next to me, and I flinched back.
He looked up at Rex and said, “Can I get a chair, since you dragged me up here?”
Rex thunked the roller chair from my desk down in front of Professor Pritchard. He was scowling , which I’d never seen him do.
“Be. Nice.”
Pritchard grimaced as he moved to the chair. “Yes, I hear you.”
Rex scowled back, and Pritchard turned his attention to me.
“You forget,” he said, looking suddenly old. “You forget how fragile young people are sometimes. We think they’re all grown-up because they’re here, but they’re not always. It’s your first time away from home, and it’s not always easy.” He grimaced again. “ Especially if the people at home aren’t exactly warm. And you’re having a hard time.”
“I don’t belong here,” I said miserably, pulling my knees up to my chest, and his hand on my shoulder was a surprise.
“No,” he told me honestly. “But not because you’re stupid. I reread your paper. It was really very good.”
I perked up. “Really?”
“Yes, I made some assumptions about you. I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry.”
I shrugged. “I am spoiled.”
“Maybe. But I think you’re spoiled for the wrong things. Do you really have a boyfriend back at home?”
That made me lift my head. A boyfriend? Oliver was my boyfriend? For some reason, that was so much less scary than saying I was gay.
“Yeah,” I said, and I arched my back, suddenly needing to stretch. “I need to call him in a bit, after I shower; he’s worried about me.”
“You do that. I will go,” and here he glared at Rex, “ finish teaching my class , and Rex will get you some food, okay? We’ll meet back in an hour. How’s that sound?”
“I have other classes,” I told him, thinking about it, and he nodded, but then surprised me.
“No, no, I don’t think you do. I think what you have is a long conversation with a guidance counselor, and a walk around the campus, and at least two good meals. Today, you become a big exception to everything we ever tell you about college, how’s that?”
I smiled a little. The conversation with the guidance counselor sounded boring, but the rest of it? I was really starting to get hungry.
I came back from my shower with a growling stomach and the dizzy vision that I used to get after a football game if I forgot to have my banana and milk beforehand. When I got to my room, Rex was there with a stack of peanut butter and jelly on wheat, as well as a half gallon of milk and a bunch of bananas.
My eyes got big when I saw that plate of sandwiches on his desk, and I’d shoved half the first one in my mouth before I remembered to talk. “Mmmf omf fa frrrkn mnnds.”
“Milk,” Rex said with a tired smile. “Here.”
I wiped out a quarter of the bottle, and after I swallowed, he handed me another
“Then go clean up and eat something. Can you do that?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
“And don’t forget to text me.”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Love you, Rusty. Don’t let that freak you out none.”
“Love you too.”
I signed out of Rex’s Skype then and swung my legs around my bed and tried to stand up. My knees wobbled, and I sat down on my ass again and wondered if Oliver was going to have to come get me because I hadn’t eaten since . . . when? Thursday? And I was too weak to actually do all that showering stuff, but I still needed to pee.
I’d managed a wobbly legged trip to the bathroom to pee and had just sat back down on the bed, dizzy and frustrated, when the door was thrown open. Rex marched in, dragging Professor Pritchard by the arm. I tried to use the blankets to cover up my knees.
“Rex? What in the fuck did you do?”
“Mr. Baker?”
Reluctantly I looked up and met the professor’s eyes.
“Sorry I missed your class today,” I apologized, but it was sort of insincere. The pull to go back to bed was so strong, I felt my shoulders hunching.
“Yeah, so am I.” He sat down next to me, and I flinched back.
He looked up at Rex and said, “Can I get a chair, since you dragged me up here?”
Rex thunked the roller chair from my desk down in front of Professor Pritchard. He was scowling , which I’d never seen him do.
“Be. Nice.”
Pritchard grimaced as he moved to the chair. “Yes, I hear you.”
Rex scowled back, and Pritchard turned his attention to me.
“You forget,” he said, looking suddenly old. “You forget how fragile young people are sometimes. We think they’re all grown-up because they’re here, but they’re not always. It’s your first time away from home, and it’s not always easy.” He grimaced again. “ Especially if the people at home aren’t exactly warm. And you’re having a hard time.”
“I don’t belong here,” I said miserably, pulling my knees up to my chest, and his hand on my shoulder was a surprise.
“No,” he told me honestly. “But not because you’re stupid. I reread your paper. It was really very good.”
I perked up. “Really?”
“Yes, I made some assumptions about you. I shouldn’t have. I’m sorry.”
I shrugged. “I am spoiled.”
“Maybe. But I think you’re spoiled for the wrong things. Do you really have a boyfriend back at home?”
That made me lift my head. A boyfriend? Oliver was my boyfriend? For some reason, that was so much less scary than saying I was gay.
“Yeah,” I said, and I arched my back, suddenly needing to stretch. “I need to call him in a bit, after I shower; he’s worried about me.”
“You do that. I will go,” and here he glared at Rex, “ finish teaching my class , and Rex will get you some food, okay? We’ll meet back in an hour. How’s that sound?”
“I have other classes,” I told him, thinking about it, and he nodded, but then surprised me.
“No, no, I don’t think you do. I think what you have is a long conversation with a guidance counselor, and a walk around the campus, and at least two good meals. Today, you become a big exception to everything we ever tell you about college, how’s that?”
I smiled a little. The conversation with the guidance counselor sounded boring, but the rest of it? I was really starting to get hungry.
I came back from my shower with a growling stomach and the dizzy vision that I used to get after a football game if I forgot to have my banana and milk beforehand. When I got to my room, Rex was there with a stack of peanut butter and jelly on wheat, as well as a half gallon of milk and a bunch of bananas.
My eyes got big when I saw that plate of sandwiches on his desk, and I’d shoved half the first one in my mouth before I remembered to talk. “Mmmf omf fa frrrkn mnnds.”
“Milk,” Rex said with a tired smile. “Here.”
I wiped out a quarter of the bottle, and after I swallowed, he handed me another
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