His words were honed blades, well-trained, practiced. He dragged on his cigarette, breathed out the smoke, readied himself.

“You were abused, Jack. Your mom hurt you. Every day she didn’t feed you, she hurt you. And if you’re expecting pity from me, you’d better look somewhere else. Because...you were abused as a kid? So what?” Theo’s shoulders tensed, and he spoke quietly. “So was I, you asshole. But you’re supposed to—I want to move forward, and you—”

Theo took another drag from his cigarette, maybe to stop himself talking. Jack wanted to hit him, and wanted to crowd up behind him, press against his naked back, say no, and fuck you, and please.

Theo whirled, and his voice was so familiar—it was the voice he’d used to torment, to bully. “Yeah, you got fucked up by your mom. She taught you how to be afraid, all the time. How to hate yourself. And that hate is eating you up. But you fucking let it. You lie to yourself, blame the poverty, and you don’t accept the simple truth that your mother was a monster. So you need to be the shining example, the captain, get the highest grades, land the internship—you need people to worship you, so that—”

He dropped the cigarette and ground it into ash on the scarred carpet. And then he met Jack’s eyes—and his gray irises, dark as slate, were colder than they had ever been. “You want people to worship you so they don’t see who you really are. You’re just a poor kid who scammed his way up. And I’m not going to be a part of that, not anymore. You can fuck right off for all I care.”

He took a step toward Jack, bristling, and the apartment felt like that moment before a lightning strike, ozone and electricity.

His face was vicious. Fuck, this hurt.

“Go, do your internship, whatever. Marry Margaret, stick your prick in her, fake being... Have her pop out a brood of redheaded brats. Make the perfect family you need to prop up your ego. Just know that this time, the only person who’s forcing you into that filthy apartment is you. And that you’re locking everyone else in there with you.”

Theo crossed his arms over his chest, holding himself back. Hiding his ribs, his shoulders, making himself small. Jack clenched his fists, teeth nearly cracking as he ground them with the pressure of his tight jaw.

“It’s almost funny, your selfishness, but it’s mostly pathetic. You’re willing to hurt other people, you know? Even Margaret—you think she’s going to appreciate a lifetime of your lies?” Theo snorted, derisive. “All because poor little Gardner never got a real hug.”