I Wish You All the Best(8)

“Are you sure? You don’t seem too thrilled. We can look at different schools, I just thought this would be easier.”

“I don’t want to tell them,” I blurt out. “That I’m nonbinary.”

Thomas’s hands drop from the wheel. “Are you sure? You know that means everyone’s going to call you by the wrong pronouns?”

Like that wasn’t obvious. “I don’t care.” I’m used to it by now.

“And you’re sure about this?”

“One hundred percent certain.” And I am. I don’t think I can handle actually being out right now. Not unless I absolutely have to be.

“Okay. We’ll have to lie and say it was something else. This sounds harsh, but if Principal Smith knows you were kicked out, that’ll help.”

I shrug. “Whatever.”

“All right.”

Thomas leads me through the huge glass doors at the front of the school. There’s a group of kids hanging out near the front, and each of them waves to Thomas as he passes by. I guess their Christmas break is already over. Back home we still had another week left to go.

“Thought you were sick today, Mr. Waller?” one of them says.

Thomas waves back at them. “Nope, just had some stuff to handle.”

I try to follow far enough behind Thomas so maybe the other students won’t make a connection between us, but the way their eyes drop from him to me tells me that they already have. He leads me through another set of glass doors into the front office, waving at the secretary behind the desk. “Hey, Kev.”

“Hey, Thomas. Principal Smith’s already waiting for you,” he says.

“Thanks.” Thomas turns to me. “You wait out here for a second. I’m going to explain the situation to her.”

“Okay.” I take a seat in one of the plush armchairs up against the glass dividers of the office. “Don’t tell her. Please?” I say under my breath.

“I swear,” he assures me, and something about the way he says this tells me to believe him.

I watch Thomas as he vanishes around the corner, waiting to pull my phone out of my pocket, before I remember it isn’t there. I’ll need to talk to Hannah about getting a replacement, though I’m not really sure how I’m going to pay for it. Maybe I can get a job somewhere, start saving up too. I don’t really know what Hannah’s offered. If she’s only planning on letting me stay until graduation, or as long as I need to.

Then there’s college, and the letters that’ll decide my entire future. Letters that’ll be delivered to Mom and Dad’s house because that was the address I put on all those applications. I wonder if there’s anyone I can talk to at the schools, ask to be sent another letter. Or maybe I’ll have to apply all over again.

God, I don’t want to even imagine having to pay for it. I can’t ask Hannah to do that; I don’t want Hannah to do that for me. Maybe that’s some kind of blessing in disguise, Mom and Dad were definitely more excited about me going to college than I was.

Maybe now I don’t have to worry about it anymore.

I guess we still have a lot to discuss, but how am I supposed to basically ask my sister when she’s planning on kicking me out?

I’m getting antsy, and now isn’t the time to think about this stuff, but I can’t get my mind to focus on anything else. Every time I glance up at the clock above the door, it’s like time slows down, which is only adding to the torture.

And then the door swings open, and a boy walks in.

He’s tall—much taller than me, tall enough that his legs are the first things I notice—with a skinny frame and dark brown skin, black hair buzzed shorter on the sides so the top sticks out a little more.

“Hi, Kev,” he says with a smile.

“Hey, Nathan.” The secretary behind the desk smiles back. “Not in any trouble, are we?”

“I knew my street racing days would catch up with me.” This kid, Nathan, laughs like it’s his favorite thing in the world to do. “Principal Smith called for me.”

“You specifically?” Kev raises an eyebrow. “Must be some special occasion.”

“Maybe my status as a model student is finally getting recognized.”

“Hilarious.” Kev doesn’t laugh. “Well, she’s in a meeting right now, so just take a seat, shouldn’t be too much longer.”

“Cool.” Nathan takes the seat next to me, crossing one long leg over the other, and rests his hands in his lap. It takes just a few seconds for him to break the silence. “Are you new? I don’t think I’ve seen you around.” He adjusts the way he’s sitting so he can sort of face me.

“Yeah, um, just moved here.” I shuffle my feet, my socks falling farther down the backs of my feet.

“Nice. I’m Nathan.” He sticks out a hand.

I take it slowly but don’t shake, and I don’t really know why. It’s like my brain is falling behind the rest of my body. “Ben.”

“So where are you from, Ben?”

“Here.” I answer before I realize what I’m really saying. “Or, not here, but I am from North Carolina,” I sputter. Dammit, I can’t even get this right. “Goldsboro, I’m from Goldsboro,” I finally say.