Luke caught him after school by the lockers. “Come home with me,” he said.
“I’ve got cadets.”
“Then I’ll come home with you until you have to go,” Luke said. “I brought my bike.”
“…Okay,” Shane said. They could go to his room if Chloe came over after work. Dad wasn’t due home until Shane was due to go out.
“We need to work out what the hell to do,” Luke added urgently as Shane closed his locker and loped down the corridor. Luke fell into effortless step.
“I’d love to hear ideas,” Shane said dejectedly, “because if I say nothing, I go; if I come out, I’ll get kicked out, and medical school isn’t enough.”
“We’ll sort something,” Luke said. The bike shed was empty, and in its shadowed, damp confines, he caught Shane’s shirt collar and kissed him lightly. “Promise,” he added.
“I just fe
