Swiping my finger over the screen, I start a new message.

Me: Hey! How’s the vacation going?

Greyson: Mine’s going good. I’m actually sitting on the beach right now.

Me: That’s so not fair. I’m jealous :(

Greyson: If it makes you feel better, I’m thinking about u. Have been ever since I got here.

Me. Ha, ha, you’re such a sap. JK, I’ve been thinking about u, too.

Greyson: What are u doing right now?

Me: Sitting in the living room, listening to my mother tell fake stories about my college life.

Greyson. Seth… I’m so sorry.

Me: It’s not your fault. It’s my own damn fault for letting her. I just want to stand up and scream the truth.

Greyson: It has to be hard when it’s your own mother. I can’t even imagine. I can’t imagine a lot of stuff that you’ve gone through. You’re so strong.

Me: Yeah, right. If I was strong then I’d tell everyone the truth.

Greyson: It’s okay to be scared, Seth… I still am sometimes.

Me: Really??? U don’t seem like it.

Greyson: It’s not often, but sometimes when I hear someone say something stupid, I get a little uneasy.

Me: How do u deal with it so well? Because I’m dying to know.

Greyson: Honestly, I just shrug it off. Even though it’s hard, in the end it doesn’t really matter what other people think of you, as long as you’re happy. Life’s too short, you know, to let other people drag you down.

Me: Wow, you’re like super wise. Seriously. Maybe u should be the psych major.

Greyson. Yeah, that’d go well. I may be able to talk to you, but when it comes to complete strangers, I’m not as smooth.

Me: So u used all your smoothness on me, huh?

Greyson: Obviously. I just can’t help it. You’re too adorable.

A ridiculously goofy smile takes over my face as I move my fingers to type back.

“Seth, who are you texting?” my mother asks, interrupting me. “Oh. Is that Sally?”

I bite down on my lip and clench my phone in my hand as something snaps inside me. I think about what Greyson said. He’s so right. Life’s way too short to keep living like this.

I glance at the faint scars on my hand, the ones my mother made me cover up, and it fuels me with enough rage to stand up and confront her in a room full of people.

“Actually, that was Greyson,” I tell her. “You know, my boyfriend I met at college.”

Her face drains of color as her fingers strangle the cup she’s holding. “He’s kidding,” she says to everyone with an off-pitch laugh.

“No, I’m not.” My voice shakes, but I manage to stand firm. “And you know it. You’ve known it for a while now.”

“Shut your mouth,” she snaps, slamming the glass down on the table in front of her.

“”No, I’m not going to stay silent anymore,” I reply, my voice growing firmer. “This is who I am and you’re going to either have to accept it or stop forcing me to come home.”

It grows so quiet you could hear a pin drop. One of my uncles chokes on a cough and my aunt starts crying.

My mother trembles with rage as she rises from her chair and points to the door. “Get out of my house.”

“Gladly.” My legs shake as I pick up my coat and storm out the door. “Fuck,” I curse when I realize my car’s blocked in.

Having nowhere else to go, I slip on my coat and start walking down the icy sidewalk. The air has a nip to it and a layer of snow covers the grass. Goosebumps dot my arms and my teeth chatter, but I continue moving until finally I reach the gas station about a mile away. Inside, the place is practically empty. Even the tiny diner at the back has a total of zero customers. Taking a seat at one of the tables, I pull out my phone to text Greyson, but realizing how much I need to hear his voice, I end up dialing his number instead.

“Hey,” he says as he picks up. “I was just thinking about you.”

I slump back in the seat. “That’s because I’m hard to forget.”

“What’s wrong?” he asks immediately. “And don’t say nothing. I can tell by your voice there’s something wrong.”

I blow out a breath. “So, remember how when we were texting, I said I wanted to scream the truth to everyone?”

“Oh, my God, you did?” He sounds worried.

“Well, not so dramatically, but yeah, I kind of declared to everyone that I was dating you.”

He hesitates before he asks, “And what happened?”

“Pretty much what I thought would happen.” I trace the cracks in the table. “My mother threw me out.”

“Seth, I’m so sorry. I wish I was there with you… But I’m really proud of you.”

“Thanks.” I glance out the window as snow begins to fall. “I think I’m going to drive back to school tonight.”

“I don’t like the idea of you on the road that late. Or spending the weekend by yourself,” he says. “Isn’t there somewhere you can crash until Sunday?”

“My car.” I sigh tiredly. “It’s better if I go back. Being here… It brings up too much painful shit.”

“Well, if you do, call me while you’re on the road and I’ll talk to you during the drive.”

“You know it’s like a three-hour drive, right?”

“What? I can talk for three hours straight,” he says and I snort skeptically. “Okay, well, you can, then.”