Page 61 of Bobby Green

“But, Vern! How am I going to get out of this damned town without you?” She sniffled, and a small bit of anger flashed in his breast.

“I don’t know—but why aren’t you down here with me if you wanted to get out so bad?” he asked, knowing it was unjustified but saying it anyway. God—all the damned worry about money and how much it would be easier if he’d had a helpmate in the process. He didn’t wanther, but she hadn’t known that.

“But… but you were supposed to pave the way!” she accused. “You’re the provider!”

“Well, I’d rather be an equal,” he said, and while he knewhewas thinking of Reg, maybe it would giveJessicaanother way to think about a partnership. “Jessica, look. The breakup is all me, but I’m just saying—it’s hard to be a knight in shining armor. Maybe you need to look for a man you can work next to instead.”

“Thanks a lot for the tip, Vern,” she snapped. “That’s really fuckin’ wise of you.” But he could hear the tears in her voice. However she felt about him, he’d hurt her—and badly.

“I’m sorry,” he said into the silence. “I didn’t want to hurt your feelings. But I think you’ll be able to grow a lot without me.”

“What about you? You got any growing to do, champ?” she snarled.

“Yeah,” he said, and he heard her surprised gasp on the other end of the line. “Jessica, you got no idea how much I’m learning about myself.”

He looked at the snake and rolled his eyes, because he wasn’t about to tell the girl he was gay. For one thing, his mom still had to live in that town, and for another? The stuff between him and Reg, or him and any of the guys, that all felt private. He realized that for the last two and a half months he’d been having a crash course on how hard the world got, how weird it got, when you were showing one face to the sun and keeping another for just a few people to look at.

He couldn’t help not telling her he was gay—he hadn’t even told his mother, and his mother was really the only one he owed the truth to. But hecouldtake her out of a position of power in his life, because if he didn’t trust her with that, there wasn’t much hecouldtrust her with.

He managed to end the conversation five minutes later and finished it up with a text to his mother.Broke up with Jess—she or her brother may be by to get her stuff.

His mother answered,Good. Long time coming, hon. Maybe next time you’ll stay home longer, you think?

Oh jeez—Mom.

Yeah, sure. Love you, Mom. Happy New Year.

You damned well better call me by then!

It wasn’t until he laughed that he realized his eyes had overflowed. Apparently burning bridges and making your life square didn’t come without consequences.

Ever.

BY THEend of the day, he and Ethan had moved his pitiful stash of possessions into Ethan’s pitiful by-the-month apartment. Standing in the middle of the place, and yeah, it wasn’t awesome, but still—he felt like he could breathe for the first time in months.

He kept his sleeping bag on the bed, making plans to buy a comforter and a new pillow, and folded his clothes up in drawers. Ethan let him keep the weird animation posters so it didn’t look like a barren hellish wasteland.

Bobby looked around the room after he got settled and smiled a little.

Had his own couch, his own bed, a minifridge, and a television.

Not that the quality couldn’t use some upgrading, and the neighborhood was a shithole, but this was as close to comfortable in his own surroundings as he’d been since he’d left home in August.

Well, if you didn’t count Reg’s living room, it was.

Speaking of…

Guess where I am?

Not here.

He laughed a little to himself. Well, Reg was nothing if not direct.

Sorry about that. I was going to open presents with you this morning.

You texted.

Yeah, but I didn’t tell you why I couldn’t make it.