Page 26 of The Rebel's Guide to Pride

“You withheld just howmuchfun you had with him that night, and now you’re just gonna drop that tidbit without any context?” she asked, swiveling in her chair to face me. “Like by sleep do you mean…?” She made a crude gesture with her fingers that wasn’t anatomically possible.

“Give each other a secret handshake?” I joked, and she gave me an annoyed kick with her Doc. “Okay, fine. We might’ve engaged in…extracurricular activities. And I might’ve slept over. It’s a long story that ends with a garden gnome breaking my fall and—”

“You stayed?” She cut me off.

“Not intentionally,” I said, rubbing my shin.

“Soareyou gonna let him get to know you?”

“I dunno…”

“Then you’re gonna Z-step him?”

“I. Don’t. Know,” I enunciated, throwing the breadstick at her in annoyance. “It wasonetime. I think it’s best if Iavoid him…Why are you giving me angry eyebrows right now?”

“Because you’re doing it again,” she began with a level gaze. “The whole avoidance thing. You did it to Jonathan with the tattoo, Bailey the skateboarder, Zach from West Point baseball, and the list goes on.”

“C’mon, Saw, give me a break.”

“Even though Cohen despises Mason for whatever reason—”

“Who doesn’t Coco hate?” I scoffed.

“Mason wasactuallynice unlike all those other jerks,” she concluded.

“Damn, this is like dodgeball all over again, only this time it’s…” I motioned offhandedly. “Dodging a dick that you’re trying to throw at me.”

“You know that’snotfunny, Zeke,” she said heatedly, jabbing a finger at me. But bringing up the past didn’t make her forget why she was shading me. “You avoid talking about your parents’ divorce and telling me why you’ve been distant lately”—I gave in and started to explain where I’d been last night, but she didn’t let me speak—“and you bailed on QSA without an excuse. Kennedy and I had to plan the best we could.”

“God, you’re making me feel like a—”

“Zasshole?”

“Ha.”

I could tell her about the rec center’s mentor program, tell her how I wanted to do something more. Judging by her attitude, she’d only lay into me like Cohen had. After the vitriol he’d spewed, plus JACass’s phone call, it’d only feel like a third strike.

“I talked to my father last night,” I offered instead.See, I’m not avoiding it.

Her mood downshifted from keyed up to full-on concerned. “You did?” she asked as worry etched on her forehead. I nodded, already regretting that I brought it up. “What did he want?”

I shrugged, tension clenching my stomach. Both my appetite and nerve were lost. I couldn’t tell her everything he’d said, not without her pushing me to unpack things I’d rather keep in the past.Okay, so maybe I am avoiding it.

“While some would say I’m extremely good at body language, you’re gonna have to give me more than that.”

“And by ‘some,’ do you mean Kennedy?” I didn’t think it was possible, but she prodded me with only her glare. “Okay, fiiine.” I gave in with a deep breath. “It was the typical bullshit about my bad decisions. And when I grilled him about sponsoring Family First, he said it was just business. Nothing personal.”

“That is—” She snapped on a fake smile as the front entrance’s door chimed. “Good evening, Mrs. and Mr. Sinclair. Your usual table is ready.” They exchanged pleasantries before their footsteps clacked down the rustic floorboards. She turned to me and lowered her voice. “That is a seriously fucked-up thing for him to say, Z.”

“Right?” I leaned my head back against the desk, exhaling roughly. “I don’t know how he could say that when the state governor is intentionally targeting queer kids. That’s pretty damn personal to me.”

“I’m so damn proud of you,” she said, her eyes softening. “Are you okay, though?”

I smiled at her, bringing my hand to my chest. “I am, titty promise,” I vowed. “Not letting my father get me down anymore.”

“Good, because you’re sticking it to ‘the man’ with thesespeakeasies, well not literally sticking it like…” She made the hand gesture again.

“You’d make a great catcher,” I teased. “Because you just told me to pitch a curveball.”

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