Page 59 of My Family

"Aunt… she said…" he starts and hesitates. But he finishes it: "You seeing anyone?"

That catches me off guard. "Uh, yeah. Kind of."

He grins, the familiar troublemaker grin. "Didn't think you had it in you, bro."

"It's complicated," I say, but I can't stop the smile from leaking onto my face. "But yeah. I'm happy."

For the first time there's a flicker of the kid I used to know on his face. "That's cool, man. Good for you." We let the words hang, then he says, "You think you're the only queer one in this family?" It's not a question so much as a dare.

I stare at him, gears grinding. "What?"

He shrugs. "Just saying. If you thought you were the lone rainbow sheep, you were wrong. I like both. Makes the math easier, you know?"

It's my turn to laugh, wild. "Does Aunt know?"

He shrugs again. "I told her once. She just said Jesus loves everybody equally, and that's not her place to judge."

I smile, and for a second the pressure in my chest lets go. "She's good like that."

We talk a little more. About the medication schedule, the rules, the dumb stuff like rec time and who to avoid in the yard. But mostly, it's just the two of us walking an ugly hallway.

At the end, I place a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks, E," he says, quietly.

"I'm here for you, little bro," I reply. "I'm not going anywhere. You got me now."

He looks dead embarrassed, but I don't care. We keep walking in silence until Griff's office, where I knock and he says, "Come in."

He's behind his desk and smiles when he sees us. He gestures for us to sit, and I close the door behind us.

"Let's keep this simple," he says, looking straight at Tyler. "You know why you're here. I know why you're here. What matters now is what you do with the time."

Tyler shrugs. Griff's eyebrows don't move, unimpressed. "I've seen kids come in worse than you and walk out with a future. I've also seen them flame out. You get to decide which one you want to be."

Tyler looks down at his hands. "Is this the part where you lecture me about life choices?"

Griff laughs and sits back. "No lectures. You'll learn the rules soon enough. I just want you to know that I don't care about your record. You start fresh here. All I ask is that you show up. Participate. Don't make my life harder than it needs to be."

Tyler nods.

Griff turns to me. "He's your responsibility, Ethan. You'll be his leader." I nod, feeling my stomach churn. "And if he causes trouble, it's your ass."

"I know, sir," I say.

Griff nods, and he looks amused. Then he fixes his gaze on Tyler. "You ever done MMA, son?"

Tyler looks confused. "Like fighting?"

Griff smiles. "Mhm. We run a program here. Helps with discipline. Teaches control. Your brother is one of our best. I think it would do you good. You have to choose some form of exercise."

Tyler hesitates, then shrugs. "Yeah, sure. Whatever."

"Good," Griff says, then looks at me again. "He's in room 21. Will you take him there, please, Ethan?"

Room 21. I run through the roster in my head and my stomach flips. 21 is Reed's room. Reed, who's been looking for a reason to go nuclear since Mason left. I almost open my mouth to protest, to ask for a reassignment, but the words don't come. I just nod, jaw tight. He'll probably even get Mason's old bunk. Reed will not like that.

"Get him settled. And Ethan…" he says, "…keep him on a short leash. He's your responsibility," he repeats.