Leeza shakes her head. “She was asking who we could set you up with for prom, so no. That’s one reason I asked you—figured we’d both get to have a date without being saddled with someone we can’t tolerate.”

“Should I tell her?”

Leeza’s jaw drops. “What? No. I know I said Laney’s more likely to be understanding than most people, but the fewer kids who know, the better. And you don’t want Gordo to hear, for sure. You’ve seen how he is with Chaz.”

“What’s that about? He can be all nice, I’ve seen it now, but then a whiff of gay and—”

“He’s a beast. I know. But that’s kind of every guy, every straight guy, right? It would be weirder if he was the opposite.”

“Not where I’m from. Even the biggest bros are either cool with it or at least act like they are to fit in with everyone else.”

“If they have to ‘act like it,’ is that really a big improvement?” Fair point. I don’t concede; I change the subject.

“So … back to Chaz.”

“He thinks you’re setting him up. And he made a big speech about how even if he was gay, he’s not stupid enough to risk graduation, this close to the end of school, for some kid who showed up out of nowhere with a bad haircut.” She hears herself. “Sorry, his words. I think it’s kind of cute.”

I am not used to rejection. Confidence is my brand, and it is usually enough: if someone sees that you like yourself, it gives them permission to like you, too. Here I am coming all the way from the future to give this kid a gift of a better life—an actual gay one—and he’s gonna do me like that?

Apparently, my face is all sorts of red, and Leeza does not get why. “Don’t be embarrassed. Chaz is cute. I thought so too when we met.”

When I can speak without shrieking, I push back. “You know what a gay guy wears in the closet?”

“What?”

“A T-shirt that reads ‘Even if I was gay …’ ” She laughs, which lets me know I’m not going too far. “Nobody—nobody—starts a sentence, ‘even if I was gay,’ unless they’re on the defensive.”

“Can you blame him? What with his brother and all, and his family so strict, he can’t be anything but what he is, and what he is is scared. Tawny is safe. I’m safe. You—you’re a wild card.”