Page 173 of The Lineman

I blinked. “Jamie—?”

He stopped at the threshold.

Turned around.

And then—

He ran back to me, threw his arms around me, and hugged me tight.

I stilled. We weren’t supposed to touch the students. Gay teachers really shouldn’t. That’s how rumors and jeers and—well, fuck it. I wrapped my arms around him, holding him just as tight.

His breath was shaky against my shoulder, his grip strong, like he was holding on to something bigger than just me.

Something he had needed for so long.

Something we were finally giving him.

My chest ached.

I squeezed him once before pulling back, looking him in the eyes.

“You’re gonna change lives, Jamie.”

Jamie sniffed, nodding furiously. “So are you.”

I smiled.

He smiled back.

And when he left, practically floating out of the room, I knew—without a doubt—that this was the most important thing I had ever done.

Chapter forty-six

Elliot

Mikewasspiraling.

And when Mike spiraled, he dragged the entire fucking house down with him.

“I hate this,” he groaned, yanking his sweater off for the third time in ten minutes. “Why do I have no clothes? What kind of self-respecting gay man am I? I own nothing to wear!”

I leaned against the doorframe, watching the carnage unfold.

His bedroom looked like an apocalypse had hit—a mix of sweaters, button-downs, and entirely too many pairs of pants were strewn across the bed, the floor, the lamp. At some point, he had thrown a shoe at the mirror, where it had landed perfectly upside down in the laundry basket.

Homer sat perched on his pillow. His eyes were wide, and I was fairly certain he was braced and ready to bolt should some article of clothing sail his way.

“Mike,” I said, fighting back a grin, “you do realize you’re going to a high school event, right? It’s not the Met Gala.”

Mike whirled on me, his eyes wild. “Do you know what people say about first impressions? Do you?!”

I held up my hands. “I’m gonna guess a lot.”

He stabbed a finger at me, then at his closet, then back at me like I was personally responsible for his ensemble crisis.

Then he muttered, “Jesus Christ, I’m going to be naked.”

I smirked. “I mean, if that’s the look you’re going for, I fully support it. It’s definitely on theme for an LGBT event. It might be a little much for this particular age group, but they’ve gotta learn sometime, right?”

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