“To be fair, Oliver would have made a hell of a better boyfriend than Tyler,” Max says.
Against me, Jude’s entire body goes stiff.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Max,” Celeste hisses. “Why the hell would you bring him up?”
“Who is Tyler?” I blurt, not even meaning to.
Jude shudders.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have mentioned him,” Max answers. “He was Jude’s boyfriend for most of senior year. He was a real piece of shit. Just a complete asshat of a man.”
“An absolute dick,” Celeste adds.
“Yikes,” I say softly, gently stroking Jude’s arm to comfort them. “What happened?”
Celeste glances at Jude, then shakes her head. “We should change the subject.”
“Yeah, I’m sorry,” Max agrees. “I’m sure Jude doesn’t want to talk about–”
“He abandoned me in a hotel room on prom night because I refused to have sex with him,” Jude says.
Time seems to stand still for several seconds as I process this information, but it isn’t long before I recognize the white-hot rage coursing through my veins. I clench my jaw tightly, determined to keep my composure.
“And that was just the final straw,” Max continues. “He also refused to accept Jude’s gender identity and kept deadnaming them even after repeated corrections.”
“Jude deals with that bullshit far too often as it is,” Celeste adds. “Their parents deadname them all the time, too.”
My fist balls tightly against my thigh, nails digging into my palm. No wonder Jude doesn’t get along with their family—none of them accept Jude for who they are. It’s infuriating. My gaze lands on Theo on the other side of the sectional—wrapped blissfully in Caleb’s arms, laughing as he talks with Grace, Chloe, Harrison, and Vimlesh. I remember how afraid we were for him when his shitty ex-girlfriend outed him to his conservative parents. I remember the righteous anger I felt toward Theo’s ex and his parents, and how it manifested as an urge to protect Theo at all costs.
That reaction was merely a practice run, it seems, because my need to protect Jude now is even stronger.
“Oliver?”
I turn back to Jude, who is watching me with a puzzled expression. “Hm?” I ask softly.
“You’re kind of crushing my arm a little bit.”
I let go at once. “Shit, sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
Jude chuckles. “It’s okay.” They lightly squeeze my arm. “You don’t have to let go completely.”
With a weak smile, I give their arm a gentle squeeze in return. “I’m sorry about your ex. And your parents. That sucks.”
Jude shrugs. “It’s fine. It is what it is.”
I shake my head. “It shouldn’t be. You deserve better.”
“That’s what we’ve been telling them for years,” Max interjects. “Maybe they’ll actually listen to you.”
“Five more years,” Jude mumbles, leaning their head against my shoulder. “Then I’m free.”
I shoot Celeste and Max an inquisitive look.
“Five more years of school,” Celeste explains with a sigh. “Jude’s parents are giving them a free ride through school as long as Jude keeps them happy.”
“That’s so fucked up,” I growl.
“Yep.”
