Page 38 of The Same Flesh
“He is such a dork,” Jem said as the boy disappeared into the gym.“God, he’s going to make a terrible drag queen.”
A man in a red hat glanced at them as he passed.Jem grinned and gave him a big thumbs-up.
“Okay,” Tean said.“Let’s find a seat before they burn us at the stake.”
Inside the gym, it was even louder—someone was apparently testing the buzzer, which meant sounding it over and over again, and between bursts, parents and coaches and teens shouted to be heard over music pounding so loudly that Jem could feel it in his jaw.The air was warm verging on hot, and it smelled unmistakably of damp winter clothing, of gym mats that needed to be bleached, and of sweaty teenagers.The crush of bodies meant Jem had to half-weasel, half-elbow his way through the crowd, one hand pulling Tean along behind him.Tean, for his part, was already getting that look on his face that meant too many people, too much noise, and too little space.Maybe, Jem thought, he needed a little sign to wear at times like these that said MAY BITE.
Finally, though, they found seats.Jem got Tean’s sandwich ready first—cuffing the paper back so that Tean could hold it and eat it.Well, eat three bites of it.
“I’ve never heard him say ‘God’ before,” Tean said.
Jem handed over the sandwich.
Tean took it, but instead of eating, he said, “And his parents would kill him if they caught him swearing.”
“His parents have bigger things to worry about,” Jem said.“That boy has ants in his pants.”
Tean actually closed his eyes in despair.
Laughing as he unwrapped his own sandwich, Jem said, “He’ll be fine.He’s smart, and he’s a good kid.He’s trying to figure himself out right now.”
“Jem, heknewthat man was flirting with him.”
“Of course he knew.He liked it.”
Tean opened his mouth and shut it again.
After a bite—chicken salad on a croissant; insanely good—Jem said, “He’s young.He’s dumb.He had to pretend not to be who he was for a long time, and now he gets to be himself.A little, anyway.And that means he’s also testing boundaries.He’s pushing his parents.He’s pushing you.He’s pushing me.And that means doing some epically dumb shit.Which, as far as I can tell, is pretty standard teenage behavior.”
“Flirting with a man four times your age isn’t standard teenage behavior.”
Jem shrugged and took another bite.“He won’t do it again.”
He didn’t add—out loud—Not with Wendell, anyway.
Tean still hadn’t started in on his sandwich.He was staring morosely at the gym floor, where men were dragging mats around, and a boy was doing cartwheels that made the stand erupt in cheers, and a woman with a medical bag was making another boy flex his knee.
“It’s all part of the same deal,” Jem said.“Tean, come on.This is what kids do.They sneak out.They wear stuff their parents hate—makeup, clothes, accessories.This one girl I lived with, she took a different set of clothes to school every day in her backpack and changed in the bathroom.”
Tean whipped his head around.“Do you think he’s doing that?”
“The real thing you should be worried about,” Jem said, wagging the sandwich for emphasis, “is if he’s going to get his nipples pierced.That was the next thing she did.”
Tean’s jaw dropped.
“Oh my God, I’m joking.Well, not about Beth, but I don’t think Daniel’s going to do that.”Jem took a bite, chewed, swallowed, thought about it.“That’ll be some college shit for him.”
Tean rested his elbows on his knees.“I can’t do this.”
Jem rubbed his back.
“I can’t,” Tean said again.“I’m not his dad.I don’t have kids.I have no idea what I’m doing.”
“What is a dad,” Jem said philosophically, “except the man who takes you to the drag store?”
Tean shook his head and dropped his gaze to the bleachers.
“Daniel loves you,” Jem said.“He trusts you the way he doesn’t trust anybody else in his life.Maybe not even me, after the shit I pulled last night.You’re going to be fine.Plus, I’m going to help you with the fake titties and stuff.”
