His face screwed up for a minute, and then Alan rolled his eyes. “MayI talk to you?”
I gave him a tired smile. “Sure.” I drew a leg up onto the bed and put my elbow on my knee, resting my head on my hand.
Alan sat down on Felix’s bed. “I wanted to say I was sorry,” he muttered.
“No, don’t be. You love your dad—it’s commendable.”
He stared at me. “I was so angry when my dad called me at school. I told Mr. McCabe I wanted to drop your classes.”
“I know.”
His eyes widened. “How do you know? I only did it before last period.”
Somehow telling Alan was easier than Felix.
“Mr. Cass told me. He also thinks I did a lot of bad things at school, and I’m probably going to be fired.”
“Wh-what?” Alan turned to face me fully. “Bad things?”
“None of it’s true,” I insisted. “Someone is trying to get rid of me.”
“Who?”
“Probably the same person who burned down the gift shop today.”
“Why would someone do that?”
“Hell if I know, kid.”
Alan got back to his feet, standing before me. “Because you and Dad are together, huh?”
“Maybe.”
“You don’t have to sugarcoat it with me. I know bad shit still happens to gay people, even in progressive places.”
I lowered my leg and put my hands in my lap. “Yeah. That’s probably the reason,” I answered truthfully.
Alan leaned down suddenly and gave me a tight hug. “Some people suck.”
I put my arms around him. “Most don’t. Remember that.”
Alan pulled away only when he heard Felix moving around in the bathroom. He wiped the corner of his eye and then said in a louder voice, so his dad knew he was in the room, “Can I order a pizza for dinner?”
I leaned to one side and pulled my wallet from my back pocket. Not that I really had spare cash to fling around, what with the pending unemployment and all, but who was I to deny us all a pizza when we really fucking deserved it.
“Order two,” I said, giving Alan some money.
“Thanks.” He offered me his quirky teenage smile, then left the bedroom just a few seconds before Felix stepped out of the bathroom.
It was going to take some work to adjust my default setting from “hold Felix down and make love until we’re both dead,” to something more respectable if I saw him walk around half-naked on a regular basis. Then again, that chest, those abs—no, he could be naked around me all he wanted.
“Feel better?” I asked.
He nodded and yanked a T-shirt over his head, much to my displeasure. “I needed that. Did I hear something about pizza too?”
“Hmm…. Alan’s ordering some.” I waved a hand when Felix made a move to grab his wallet off the dresser. “I gave him money.”
“Thank you. I’m really not in the mood for cooking tonight.”
