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Jase shook his head and laughed “C'o before my mom calls the cops and they put out an all points bulletin on me She's a little neurotic that way I'm an only child”

Luis walked a pace behind Jase all the way out to the parking lot He followed hie shiny two door car that had been custo would be black, even the wheels It took a moment for Luis to realize Jase's car was a l986 Buick Grand National He gazed at the car, threw his ar up and down “I can't believe you have a freaking Grand National How cool is that? Seriously I haven't seen one in years” It was the ultimate muscle car of all time and Luis had alanted one himself

But Jase looked at Luis and jerked his head “You haven't seen one in years I just got this car a raduation present and I paid for half of itthe and lowered his voice “I'm sorry I meant I haven't seen one like it before in a while My uncle has the only one for miles where I come from in Tennessee Most people drive pick up trucks where I come from” Luis's uncle had once owned a Buick Grand National in 1986 He had a pick up truck, too, and only drove the Grand National on special occasions His uncle had been gay, and had died of AIDS complications by the time Luis had first met Jase in New York So in the Grand National with his uncle

Jase laughed He scratched his balls with an unconscious swipe of his hand “Most people drive pick up trucks around here, too

I worked fucking hard to get it

Luis s to work that hard for soarettes out of his pants and lit up in front of Luis He extended the pack and asked, “Want one?”

Luis made a face “No thank you, I don't s either It's bad for your health” In Luis's real life, Jase had quit s on the sly every now and then Luis started to wonder if he could get the young version of Jase to quit se to hi boy I knohat I'”

“Go ahead,” Luis said “Kill yourself See if I care”

“Dude,” Jase said “It's none of your business I don't even know you I get enough of that froeneral This is America It's supposed to be a free country”

“It's also an expensive, disgusting habit,” Luis said He folded his arms across his chest and looked the other way

“I paid less than a buck for these,” Jase said

Luis forgot all about how cheap cigarettes used to be, before the governes “I meant it adds up Besides, it's still bad for you You should put it out right now before you get hooked Soht have a kid and you'll want to be around for hihed and blew a stream of smoke in Luis's face “You're not my mom And I doubt I'll ever have kids”

“Then s version of Jase could be as stubborn as ed and walked around to the driver's side “Get in,” he said “I don't live that far fro and flicked the cigarette into the parking lot before he finished it

Luis gulped Jase was a litterbug, too Then he wondered if the younger version of Jase was a better driver than ed Jase As an adult, Jase was probably one of the worst drivers Luis had ever met He either went too fast or too slow He didn't stop when he was supposed to stop and he never navigated turns correctly He'd recently backed into a fire hydrant pulling out of a parking space near their town house on the Upper West Side He sent the entire block into a tailspin for a full day But Luis didn't have et into the Grand National and buckle his seat belt or spend the night on a bench outside Jase's high school

And he couldn't wait to go back to Jase's house and see Mary, Isabelle, and Barry

Chapter Four

“Myfor a cruise tomorrow,” Jase said He'd just pulled up to the front of the house where he'd grown up, the same house Luis would come to know and love alramps live here, too So they'll be around They never leave Gramps still works full time and never takes vacations He thinks vacations are for weak people and are a waste of ti on to the bottoht it was cute the way Jase referred his Mary and Barry as his “mom and dad” But he was too nervous to open his mouth to speak He'd never been on a ride like that in his life Thelot, Jase hit the gas and sped all the way home Luis was amazed they hadn't flipped over on that one severe curve just outside of town But he didn't say anything He took a deep breath and s better than telling them you ran away fronition “If ra questions” He smiled and punched Luis in the arm “You knoomen can be, man”

Luis sent hiay He was speaking to Luis as if speaking to one of his straight buddies “What should I say?”

“Let's tell theh school and decided to spend the su around Alaska,” Jase said “And that's not totally a lie either I'll tell the for teive you a job doing sorandfather as “graood tofor work and I a around Alaska” He didn't want to lie to the people he would one day love and respect in the future, even though they had no idea who he was yet and that he did, indeed, love them But he couldn't tell them the truth either They'd send hiuess you'll have to stay here until you figure out what you're going to do,” Jase said, staring down at his lap