backed that statement.
Noah took a long sip of his drink, and Alex watched as the column of Noah’s throat moved when he swallowed.
“My mom’s a bit… let’s say overprotective. She didn’t think it was a good idea for me to attend elementary school because she was terrified of accidents that could happen when you have hundreds of kids together in one building. Recess, especially, gave her nightmares.”
“That’s… extreme.”
Noah sent him a withering look that said, Ya think? But the shrug that followed it up was more of the it-is-what-it-is variety. Alex frowned. It sounded like a weird dynamic. Then again, what did Alex know? His relationship with his father consisted mostly of Alex doing stupid shit to be noticed, so he was in no position to judge anybody.
“What’s the idea there?” Alex asked. “Does your mom think people send their kids to elementary school not to learn and eat Play Doh, but to duke it out, gladiator-style, during recess?”
“I don’t think you should actually eat Play Doh.”
Alex scoffed. “Speak for yourself. If one of your classmates is the school bully, you absolutely have to eat Play Doh. Or get beaten up after classes end.”
“Seems like you could have used some homeschooling.”
“Nah, my father would have never gone for that. He sent me to Germany, instead.”
“What’s in Germany?” Noah asked with a confused look.
“A boarding school.” Alex shrugged. “In Bavaria.”
Noah studied him like he was a creature from another planet. “How old were you?”
“Eightish?” Alex guessed. He’d been to so many schools over the years that it was hard to keep track when it all had started.
“That sounds really young.”
Alex shrugged again and avoided Noah’s gaze. He didn’t like the direction of this conversation.
“My dad’s a workaholic. Honestly, I saw him more while living in Germany than I did while we were still sharing an apartment, so it wasn’t that different. In a way, it was even better. There were always a lot of people around, so—” So I didn’t have to be alone all the time. He didn’t say that, though. That was a guaranteed road to pity station, and Alex did not do pity. “It was good. Got rid of the bully, so no more Play Doh lunches for me. It was actually a very effective solution,” he said breezily.
Noah continued studying him with that penetrating gaze of his that seemed to cut right through the thick layer of bullshit Alex had surrounded himself with. How the hell had they gotten from homeschooling to discussing Alex’s messed-up family?
Alex stretched his neck from side to side and looked at the stars that were beginning to appear overhead. “The way I see it, you can’t win at everything. I mean, look at me. I’m rich. I have a decent brain inside the ol’ noggin.” Alex tapped at his temple, and Noah’s lips quirked in a smile. “Granted, I don’t use it that much, but it’s still nice to know it’s there should I ever need it. Also, I’m hot. And I’m talking, like, epic levels of hotness. I’m so hot that global warming might be partially my fault.” Alex shrugged at Noah’s amused expression. “It’s a gift and a curse.”
“Obviously.”
“So I drew the short stick in the parental lottery? I mean, you can’t win ’em all.”
“What about your mom?” Noah asked.
Alex slammed on his back to the ground. “She left when I was five. It would be sad, but the tragic childhood card has scored me a lot of hand jobs over the years, so there’s that silver lining.”
“You’re just a real optimist, aren’t you?”
“A ray of sunshine in every life. You’re lucky to have me here, brightening your days.”
Noah snorted, but Alex took it for the gesture of appreciation it was obviously meant to be.
Alex stared at the stars, thousands of them stretching above him like tiny diamonds. He had to give it to Oregon—their night sky beat the hell out of the one back home in New York.
Alex emptied his bottle of beer and opened another one, offering one to Noah as well. He took it and weighed it in his palm. “I feel like we’re forgetting something,” he said as he squinted at the label. “Something important.”
“You’re just paranoid from the dust you inhaled. It’s been in that shed for decades, and there were probably all sorts of interesting particles in it, so it’s made you high.”
Noah snapped his fingers. “We forgot to eat dinner.” He pointed toward Alex with his beer bottle. “Aren’t you supposed to eat