Page 98 of The Same Flesh
For a moment, Daniel’s mask of anger melted, and a smile floated up.But then he said, “His dad is the worst.”
Jem shrugged.
“He is.He kept trying to tell me I need to pray.”
“You do need to pray.I saw your ass hanging out of that skirt.”
Laughing, Daniel shoved Jem’s shoulder.“Stop!He kept telling me I need to understand my parents.How it’s not easy for my parents.Well, it wouldn’t be hard for them if they weren’t brainwashed, right?If they were just normal people who loved me for who I am, it wouldn’t be hard.It’s not like I’m a bad kid.”
“You stole a car.”But it was the wrong thing to say.And the tone was wrong, too—too light, when the emotion in Daniel’s voice at the end was heavy, heavy, heavy.Jem scruffed the boy’s hair.Daniel tried to turn away, but Jem squeezed the back of his neck.“Hey.You’re not a bad kid.You want to know a big secret about growing up?”
Daniel was wiping his cheeks and looking away.But since this was Daniel, and he’d nevernothad a smart mouth on him, he mumbled, “How much is it going to cost me?”
“This one is free.Your parents are who they are.And they’re not going to change.You’ve got to figure out what you’re going to do about it.”
Daniel ran knuckles over his cheek again.Lights shot past them on the freeway.A Charger cut across four lanes, trying to make an exit.This was Utah, so the rule was fuck y’all and get out of my way.
“Justin and I were talking about it,” Daniel’s voice was careful, like he was explaining something.“We did all the math.We could get an apartment if we both worked thirty hours a week and split it right down the middle.He knows a guy who would rent one to us.”
“Yeah, you can’t rent an apartment when you’re a minor, boner.”
“You can if you’re emancipated.Lupita was telling us about it.She did it when she was seventeen.You just have to prove you’re, like, being abused and stuff.”
“Daniel.”
“I’m not a kid!I hate going to school with—with them.They don’t know what anything’s like.They don’t know what real life is like.All they care about are their clothes and their phones and going to church.They don’t know anything about anything.”
“No, probably not.They’re teenagers and dumb as shit.That’s how it’s supposed to be.”
“Well, I’m not dumb as shit.I can take care of myself.”
“Yeah.”
“I can get a job.I can have my own life.I don’t have to listen to my dad bitch about me wanting to buy a wig because he’s scared that he’s gay and he’s forty fucking years old and doesn’t know what to do about it.”
“Look,” Jem said.“I get it.It’s not easy right now.But it’s going to be a lot harder if you throw everything away.You think life is going to be easy if you start working full-time and paying rent when you’re fifteen?What about health insurance, dumbass?What if you get sick?What if you want to go to college and get a job that’s not bagging groceries?You think they’re going to let you in if you’re a high school dropout?What about retirement?Are you going to start your own forty-one-K.”
“It’s not a forty-one-K.It’s a four-oh-one-K.And I can get a GED.And I don’t need health insurance because I’m fine—”
“The whole point is you get it when you don’t need it.”
“—and I can figure out college later.I don’t know what I want to do.Maybe I don’t want a traditional career, like school and all that.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.”But a moment later, Daniel said, like it was a challenge, “I could be an actor.”
Jem tried not to groan.This was a Tean conversation.This was one hundred percent—hell, a hundred and ten percent—a Tean conversation.Tean would know what to say.Something about being responsible and backup plans and how many people actually made a living as an actor.
But Jem wasn’t Tean, even if it probably would have made life easier.So, he said, “Okay.”
Daniel watched him out of the corner of his eye.He shifted a few times.Pulled at the seat belt.“Okay?”
“Okay.Go be an actor.”
“My parents won’t let me.”
“Get emancipated.Fuck, you don’t even need to do that.Run away.”
