Page 25 of Perfect Day

So he hung back at school, helped stack chairs and sort out music and props and waited for Finn and Sean to leave. But he couldn’t stay too long because he needed to be at Liz’s in time for her date.

Ha-ha.

Just after six he headed out of the school and almost tripped over his own feet in his haste to stop when he saw Finn and Liz standing together in the school foyer. He was hidden from them around a corner of the corridor, close enough that he could hear their conversation. Really, he should have braved it and walked out past them with a cheery wave. But he didn’t—mostly because they were talking about him.

“...a couple years ago,” Liz was saying. “He started out just teaching the kids after school, but he’s so good with them we’ve kind of roped him in to be a more general ad hoc music teacher.”

“A couple years?” Finn sounded surprised.

“Yeah. I keep thinking he’s going to move on. Apparently he’s lived all over. But... I don’t know. I guess he just likes it here. He does a few shifts at Dee’s too. The coffee shop in town?”

“Yeah. I, uh—It’s a kinda unusual career for someone like him.”

“Really,” she agreed.

Finn gave a scratchy laugh. “I guess he really was the black sheep of the family.”

“I feel so bad for him,” Liz said, warming to the subject. “He always seems—I don’t know. Lonely. A little sad or something. Rootless.”

Joshua squeezed his eyes shut, partly because being flayed alive was painful but mostly because it was true. Hehadalways been lonely, except for that one perfect summer.

“He’s uh...” Finn cleared his throat, his voice tight. “He doesn’t have a, um...a partner?”

“No. Well, there was Emma, I guess. She was a substitute teacher for a couple months last year? She had this enormous crush on Newt, but I don’t think anything happened.” She lowered her voice. “I actually wonder if maybe he’s gay?”

Silence stretched thin before Finn said, “Right. Well. You never know, I guess.”

“If he is, he’s way, way in the closet. I mean, with his family, it was probably difficult, but it’s a shame he never pushed back, you know? Stood up for himself.”

“Absolutely,” Finn said, with feeling. “You can’t take shit from your family. You gotta stand up for what you want.”

“You said it. That’s why I have Matt, actually.”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s just say I was under pressure to give him up, but there was no way I was going to let that happen. It’s my life, right? So I said, ‘Mom, you can either support me or you can get outa my way.’” She laughed. “And you know what? She’s the most doting grandma you can imagine. SheadoresMatt.”

“I admire that,” Finn said. “You’re no pushover. You fought for what you wanted.”

“Finn, the way I see it, we’ve got one life. There’s no second chances, right?”

“Right. No second chances.”

Joshua pressed his back against the corridor wall as if it could swallow him up. He should have known better, of course. Eavesdroppers never hear any good of themselves. But this? He hated how Finn saw him—unable, or unwilling, to stand up for what he wanted. It wasn’t true and it wasn’t fair.

“Joshua?”

He jumped. “Sean, what are you doing here?”

“Using the restroom.” He eyed Joshua curiously. “You okay?”

“Yes, I was just—” He pushed himself away from the wall, realizing how odd he must look. “I was just gathering my thoughts.”

Sean’s gaze slid past him to Finn and Liz. “Okay... You, um, need a ride?”

“No. No, I have my car.” He grabbed his bag and headed for the foyer, Sean on his heels. “Thanks for coming, by the way. I’m sure Liz appreciated it.”

“Liz?”

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