Page 79 of Small Sacrifices

i dont even eat steak if im allowed the choice. its like he does this on purpose.

sometimes my father is like a high school bully. Like oh ur a vegetarian? gayyyyyyy

how did they ever allow him to become a politician?

im gonna need the biggest hug when I get home. Max is great at those.

Reid wants to offer a hug of his own, but he's worried it'll come across as weird. Instead of words, he googles what emoji to use for expressing the desire to hug someone, and just sends that. Everett sends one right back, so he must have gotten it right. Still, the entire thing leaves Reid sitting on his couch with an ache in his chest. And then, there’s still the question that’s been niggling at him since he first met Everett.

If your father dislikes you that much, why does he keep you so close?

You’re in the Capitol all the time. He could avoid that.

yeah, but if im close he can control me better. if im away at college living in the dorms and attending classes who knows what kinda gay shit i might get up to? cant do that if im basically in his office the entire day.

hes convinced that if his people find out he has a gay son theyre gonna stop voting for him. like its okay in theory? he has gay friends and hes cool with them. butif it was me he thinks it would reflect badly on him. so i cant be gay. and he keeps an eye on me to make sure I dont step out of line.

That’s the longest text Everett has ever written to him. Reid takes a deep breath to calm his racing heart. Did Everett wait for him to ask about this? Either way, he must have thought about it a lot over the years. It bothers him.

Reid has no idea what he can even say to that. But the hypocrisy burns. Queer rights were a big part of Governor Mackenzie’s platform, and his own son can’t be gay? And for such a stupid reason, too. Clearly, he’s the opposite of the man that Reid wanted to work for so badly.

Chapter 27: An ending of sorts

On Monday, Reid wakes up equal amounts apprehensive and excited. He's not sure why—whether it's because he'll have to see Mr. Wright again or because he'll get to meet Everett after work—but it's very difficult to eat breakfast. In the end, he packs more snacks than usual and hopes for the best.

He plays upbeat music in the car, hoping among all his feelings, happy anticipation will win out by the time he pulls into his parking spot. Unfortunately, it's the nervousness that ends up on top. At least he's early, so he can still do some breathing exercises in his car.

When he reaches the security checkpoint, he's startled to see Marisol. Even with her head buried in her hands, he recognizes her by the baby pink blazer and the glint of her nails peeking through her dark hair. Officer McNaulty stands awkwardly nextto her, arm half-extended, as though she wants to offer comfort but isn't sure it's welcome.

Reid halts abruptly, the door crashing into his back as he steps into the room. The noise makes Marisol jump, intensifying the knot in his stomach.

Her makeup is impeccable. That's the first thing Reid notices. She's been crying. There's still a wet sheen on her cheeks. But her black eyeliner is sharp as ever, not smudged in the least. As is her lipstick—a sort of mauve-y purple that looks soft on her, but that Reid has always suspected might look a bit goth on someone with paler skin. Not a hair on her body is out of place, and yet something seems wrong.

"Good morning," he says, because he has to start somewhere. "Is everything okay?"

Marisol bursts out giggling. Now, he's not too sure what that means, but he gets the feeling that it's not good. Just as he sneaks a look at Officer McNaulty, who has retreated into her usual corner and demonstratively shakes her head no with wide eyes, Marisol's giggle stretches out into a groan.

She tips her head back to knock it against the wall. "He fucking fired me." There's a smile on her face as she said it.

Reid doesn't know what to think of that. Is she happy? Is she in disbelief? Is she having an emotional breakdown?

"He what?" Reid asks.

He just has to make sure. Because it doesn't sound real. This is not something that happens. So early in the morning?

"He fired me. Just like that. Accused me of violating my NDA because apparently, someone contacted him for a comment on the surveyor or something? I couldn't quite take in new information at that point because he threatened to sue me."

"What?"

Another giggle bubbles up. "Yeah, that's what I thought. I asked him if all his inappropriate touching fell under NDA too,and he actually fucking said—and I'm quoting here—well, none of that ever left this room. Who's gonna believe you without witnesses?Shame this is a two-party consent state, I'll have to look up if I'll be able to use that."

That bastard. Reid has to close his eyes against the first burn of the anger surging through him. It banishes all thought. All things considered, it's amazing how together Marisol is. She almost seems amused. Still, Reid can't help but remember the glint of tears on her cheeks. He just has to check.

"Are you going to be alright?"

Marisol shrugs, her eyes weary. "Probably. I have my family and fiancé to back me up. If Monique even has a job after all of this. Do you think they know about us?"

Monique. Immediately, Reid feels stupid. Marisol is engaged to Monique. That makes so many things make sense it’s embarrassing. He should have known, right?

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