He shook his head before stopping and shrugging. “Maybe? I don’t really know. It’s… like, some days, they talk about stuff like that. They’re enby, but that’s….”
“It can change,” I told him. “Gender identity. It’s fluid. You can find a label that works for you at first but might not be what you want later on. It happens.”
“I can get some,” he blurted out, almost looking horrified at the words coming out of his mouth. “If I needed to.”
“Get what?”
“The shots.”
I sat up in my chair quickly, startled at the implication. “Whoa. Hold up. Not from some random, right?”
“He’s not some random—”
“Unless he’s a licensed physician, he is some random,” I said sharply. “Think, Diego. If this is something Kai wants, really wants, there are proper channels to go through. Do you really want to jeopardize their health to get something from some dude off the streets? You said you’re Kai’s protector. This isn’t how to protect someone.”
He deflated. “It’s not like they’ll have health insurance for long, the way things are going. And I don’t have any myself, so I can’t marry them and use mine. Isn’t it better to have a plan?”
Holy fuck. He shouldn’t have to be thinking this way. “It is. But this isn’t the way to go about it. You’ll never forgive yourself if something goes wrong.”
He wouldn’t look at me. “It was just an idea.?
?
“I get that. But it’s not the right way. Have you actually talked to Kai about this? Or is this something you’re spearheading on your own?”
His hands curled into fists. “I’m just… you have to prepare. For any eventuality. And if the moment comes, I need them to know I can handle it. I can take care of it for them. That’s what I do.”
I leaned forward, elbows on my knees. “I get that. And that’s awesome of you. But there’s a right way and a wrong way.”
“But their fosters won’t—”
“You’re seventeen, right? Both of you?”
He nodded.
“And do you think this is life-or-death? Something that needs to happen in the immediate future? Is Kai in danger of hurting themselves if this doesn’t happen right away?”
He shook his head.
“Then you have time,” I told him. “Soon you’ll both be eighteen, and Kai will be able to make those decisions on their own. And since you already support them in such a ridiculously spectacular way, they’ll be even happier then to know you’re in their corner. When and if that moment comes, you find me or anyone here, and we’ll help you the best we can. And if it’s insurance-related, we’ll figure out something. I’m sure of it.” It felt like hollow platitudes. My own insurance premiums weren’t too bad, given I had it through the college, but it wasn’t great.
“It’s what you’re paid for, right?” Diego said, sounding resigned.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not getting paid shit. This is part of my schooling. You’re getting the Corey Ellis Experience for free. And,” I said quickly, just as he started to clap back, “because I want to be here. Talking to you all is the highlight of my day.”
“Really.”
“Really.”
There was a sparkle in his dark eyes, and I knew whatever he was going to say next I really wasn’t going to like. “Nothing to do with Jeremy, then?”
Yep. Fuck him. Fuck the children. I hoped the ozone depleted and the surface of the earth burned. I was done. I stood abruptly. “Diego, this has been an enlightening conversation. I’m glad you feel you could come to me. Keep that in mind for the future. Spread the word so everyone else knows the same. Unless there’s anything else, you can find your way out.”
He grinned at me. It lit up his entire face. Cute kid. An asshole, but cute. “That serious, huh?”
“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” I snapped at him. “Jeremy is a colleague, my boss, and my former professor. We have a strictly professional relationship.”
He waggled his eyebrows at me as I shoved him toward the door. “Hot for teacher, huh? I can dig it. My science teacher, Mr. Grayson, likes to wear tight pants that show off his—”