#jesse benali

[ice-creamforbreakfast]

Prom was every bit as unexciting as Clementine had expected.

She kept to the edges of the room, slipping from place to place to avoid being spotted. Keely looked revoltingly happy with that idiot Dallas. They'd just had their photos taken. Her little band of do-gooders were gathered in another corner, one of them being chatted up by a random boy, while Burton (that blue-haired buffoon) appeared to be schmoozing the headmaster for reasons known only to himself.

None of them were her objective.

Where was Bryant?

[ice-creamforbreakfast]

Keely hovered awkwardly until she spotted someone familiar. The nervous boy on the sofa; she recognised him from school. Her mind immediately started trying to categorise him, and she quickly shut it down.

Celeste waved her over to the seat beside him.

“I don’t know if you know Keely, Jesse!” she said brightly.

Jesse looked like he wanted the sofa to swallow him.

“Remember, you’re both here for the same reason. No one’s running back to school to gossip.”

That seemed to steady him, just a little.

[ice-creamforbreakfast]

“It’s fine. Really.” Keely gave him her best reassuring smile.

Jesse smiled back, losing some of the tension he seemed to be holding onto.

“I’d like to hang out sometime… only if you’d want to.” He gave a small, awkward shrug. “I get it if you wouldn’t.”

Keely’s smile softened, this time without effort.

“No, I’d like that.”

[ice-creamforbreakfast]

“Hey.” Keely smiled, taking the seat across from Jesse.

He looked at her for a moment, like he was trying to work something out, then cleared his throat.

“Look… I kind of owe you an apology,” he said, forcing himself to meet her eyes.

“What? Why?” Keely frowned. This was the first time they’d ever spoken.

“I know how hard things are for you at school,” he said quietly, “and I didn’t say anything. I was too chickenshit. I didn’t want them to—” He trailed off, shoulders dropping.

“Ah.”

Keely understood.

He was a fairly new student. She figured he’d transitioned before coming to their school. No one knew. And he clearly intended to keep it that way. His nervousness suddenly made sense.

[ice-creamforbreakfast]

Keely faked a call and slipped outside for a breather. As lovely and massively affirming as it was to be in a room full of people who just got her, it was also a overwhelming.

She stood in the cool evening air, letting herself breathe, then glanced up from her phone.

Apparently, she wasn’t the only one who needed a moment.