Page 60 of Small Sacrifices

Chaos seems too mild a term to describe the state of Reid's life over the next few days. His apartment quickly proves to be a poor refuge. Within a few hours of them waking up, the first journalist knocks on the door.

With no close friends for Everett to turn to, Reid reluctantly asks his sister if she can house two strangers in her guest bedroom.

Luckily, Briana has both the extra space and a doorman, which helps keep the intrusive questions at bay.

But that doesn't mean that Reid is safe.

Once Briana learns he quit, her questions are relentless.

Watching Lieutenant Governor Coleman's first press conference makes Reid sick to his stomach, and he's grateful that Everett isn't there to see him. When they show the video Everett recorded, he can't scramble off the couch fast enough to get away from the horrible words Mackenzie said.

Observing the aftermath is much more satisfying.

News programs don't even seem to know which part of the story they want to cover first. When Everett doesn't comment, Ms. Greene does.

Important people start saying Robin's name in the same breath as the governor's. They ask if Mackenzie could be held criminally liable for Robin’s death.

A week later, the impeachment proceedings have started, and no one uses that title anymore.

At most, they call Mackenzie the former governor, like it's a done deal. Reid much prefers it when news anchors call him an alleged child abuser and homophobe. It gets even better when external sources prove that Mackenzie knew about the health risks to the children. People take to the streets again and make some really creative signs. It’s amazing.

There's much debriefing to be done. Interim Governor Coleman listens patiently as Reid recounts every little detail of the past few weeks. It's not like he's got much else to do. So far, no one's replied to any of his applications.

When he's finished speaking, Coleman hums. "And what do you think of the way in which you lost your job?"

Reid bristles. "I didn’t lose my job. I quit. It felt like the only thing I could do under the circumstances. I…" He takes a deep breath. "Knowing what I knew, I couldn’t stay."

There's a pause on the other end of the line that makes him nervous. But when Coleman asks her next question, she sounds like she's smiling. "Ms. Contreras says that this was your first internship right out of college. Is that correct?"

When Reid confirms, she clicks her tongue.

"And they didn't even let you stay for a month.

Such a shame. Listen, I understand if you want nothing to do with this administration anymore.

But would you be willing to come back to work for me?

I could use someone with your attention to detail to liaise with the public. Especially in this mess."

"As an intern?" Reid's voice squeaks embarrassingly, but he can't bring himself to care.

"Yes. We'd start a new contract, of course. It looks like they weren't paying you. Now, I can't give you a lot, but I think you've more than proven you'd be a valuable addition to my team. And I firmly believe that good work should be compensated."

Well, that's a relief. But Reid hesitates. "I'm terrible on the phone. Just—you should know that."

She laughs. "Well, now I do."

They talk some more. Reid is worried about how his relationship with Everett might affect her decisions, but she assures him it will not be a problem. Which is a good thing, because the next day, Reid gets roped into the headlines.

He should have known that this would happen when one of the seedier newspapers proudly proclaimed they had secured an exclusive interview with Mr. Wright.

But it still shocks him to see the headlines.

Intern fired over gay affair with former governor's son - workplace discrimination or workplace misconduct? Well, fuck.

Reid's phone rings before he's even made sense of it for himself. It's his mother. His throat is suddenly so dry that it clicks when he swallows. Right. Better get this over with.

"Are you alright?" she asks, cutting off his greeting. Her voice sounds harried and out of breath. There are footsteps in the background, like she's pacing.

"I'm fine." Reid is surprised to find he means it. His voice is steady, and he smooths the palm of his free hand against his thigh. Even his heartbeat, which he's suddenly very aware of, is calm.

"Don't lie to me! The newspaper said—"

"I don't care what the newspaper says, Mom. They’re lying, anyway. This is a good thing."

His mom sucks in a sharp breath. "Darling, I don't think you understand—"

Aaand that's enough. "Everett is my boyfriend. I quit my job, I wasn’t fired, and he had nothing to do with that. I have a new job already, and I feel a lot better about this one. I understand just fine."

There's a shuffling sound at the other end of the line. "Are you sure? I just don't want you to risk overwhelming yourself, sweetheart. A new job can be very stressful. Maybe you should come back home, let us take care of you for a while."

Reid takes a deep breath and tells himself that she means well. "I'm sure," he says. "I still have ten months to prove that I can do this. And I will, but I can only do that if you let me. Please respect my judgment."

That takes the wind out of her sails. The resulting conversation is surprisingly relaxed. She doesn't second-guess him again. Instead, she wishes him well and even tells him she's proud of him before she hangs up.

It takes Reid a little while after that to realize that they never addressed the thing with Everett after he said they were together. Maybe Briana was right, and it really is a non-issue. But even if it isn't, it can be an issue for another day.