Page 21 of Everything That Kills Me
“How do you know something happened?” Jack asked.
Thomas sighed. “You’re sixteen years old, it’s only nine thirty and you walked away from the house.”
“There was this girl. Alice. The one who invited me. The one whose birthday I thought it was. It wasn’t. It was her stepbrother’s. I should have asked. Alice thought I’d come to be with her. The flowers were a mistake. She wouldn’t leave me alone. She behaved as if we were going out with each other. I’ve only spoken to her a few times! But she clung to my hand and even when I managed to break free, she pressed herself against me. I didn’t want to upset her, but I couldn’t figure out how to make it clear I wasn’t interested.”
“You could have just told her. Said you were flattered but you don’t want to go out with anyone.”
Except he did.
“Why weren’t you interested?”
“Not my type.”
Thomas glanced at him. “You have a type?”
“It appears I do. Not Alice.”
“Why not?”
Jack didn’t answer.
“If you’re ever asked why you’re not interested, don’t detail the other person’s faults. Don’t say they’re too tall, too short, too thin, too fat, too anything, or that they’re too good for you. That’s never going to end well. Apart from being insulted by any criticism, they might think they can fix things so you’ll change your mind. Be vague. Say it’s not the right time for you to get involved with someone… You’re not long out of another relationship… You don’t feel the same way as them… Something like that.”
“I didn’t want to upset her.”
“That’s good. It’s not kind to hurt someone’s feelings unnecessarily. Think how you’d feel if the boot was on the other foot. But if they persist, then you have to be more assertive or the hole you’re in gets deeper. That applies to any situation you need to get out of.”
“I wanted to sayfuck off, I’m not interestedbut…”
Thomas gave another sigh. “Then that would have been unkind. Growing up is hard regardless of what gender you are. And harder for some than others, particularly if they’re confused about who they are and how they feel. When you’re young, there’s a lot to figure out. This is the sort of thing that mixing with your peers can teach you. It’s okay to make mistakes in that world, not in ours.”
“Not if Alice is a psycho.”
Thomas chuckled. “I hope you can tell the difference.”
Jack hoped so too. “She’s…young, making assumptions, not doing the right thing.”
“Finding her way.”
“Yes.”
“Like you.”
Except Jack wasn’t really findinghisway. Thomas had set him on this path.
“Maybe I’ve not approached this correctly,” Thomas said. “We’ve not discussed sexuality and relationships. I could get you a young woman.”
Jack tensed. “Getme one? You mean pay a woman to have sex with me?”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Or a young man?”
“No.”
“One of each?”
