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Contents ( 42)
  1. The Art of Breathing
  2. Part One: How We Became Who We Are
  3. Prologue: Or, Where the Kid Hears the Word of the Day
  4. 1. Where Tyson Learns to Breathe
  5. 2. Where Tyson Makes a Phone Call
  6. 3. Where Tyson Graduates and Bear Freaks Out
  7. 4. Where Tyson Says Good-Bye
  8. 5. Where Tyson Gets the Mail
  9. Part Two: Coming Home
  10. 6. Where Tyson Comes Home
  11. 7. Where Tyson Gives a History Lesson
  12. 8. Where Tyson Attends the Most Awkward Party Ever
  13. 9. Where Tyson Plans Attends a Protest
  14. 10. Where Tyson Gets Arrested
  15. 11. Where Tyson Gets His Ass Handed to Him
  16. 12. Where Tyson Writes Bad Poetry and Gawks at Frat Boys
  17. 13. Where Tyson Decides to Man the Fuck Up
  18. 14. Where Tyson Asks Some Questions
  19. 15. Where Tyson Remembers Theresa Jean Paquinn
  20. 16. Where Tyson Learns the Benefit of Therapy
  21. 17. Where Tyson Meets the Man Who Becomes Helena Handbasket
  22. 18. Where Tyson Gets Screwed at His Own Birthday Party (And Not in a Good Way)
  23. Part Three: Just Breathe
  24. 19. Where Tyson Goes to Helena Handbasket’s Sex Dungeon
  25. 20. Where Tyson Beholds the Awesome Wonder That Is Paul Auster
  26. 21. Where Tyson Receives Advice from the Six Sages
  27. 22. Where Tyson Makes a Phone Call
  28. 23. Where Tyson Hears the Inevitable
  29. 24. Where Tyson Meets His Match
  30. 25. Where Tyson Says Hello, Where Tyson Says Good-bye
  31. 26. Where Tyson Touches upon the Inevitable
  32. 27. Where Tyson Faces the Music
  33. 28. Where Tyson Breathes
  34. 29. Tyson And Dominic
  35. 30. The Art Of Breathing
  36. Epilogue: Or, Bear’s Perspective, As It Were (Yeah, He’s Gonna Freak)
  37. Author’s Note
  38. Excerpt
  39. Prologue: Or, Where Bear Answers the Door
  40. More from TJ Klune
  41. Readers love the Bear, Otter, and the Kid Chronicles by TJ Klune
  42. By TJ Klune

To which I have no retort. Absolutely none at all. Me. A McKenna. Nothing. “You’re pretty smart, you know that? Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. If they do, you tell them a member of MENSA told you that.”

He beams at me. “Thank you! That’s awesome of you to say. But isn’t MENSA the group of old gross guys who molests little boys? You probably shouldn’t belong to that. I don’t want you to get molested.”

“No… that’s…. Vince, that’s NAMBLA.”

“Oh. Is MENSA Jewish food, then? I don’t know if I’ve ever had Jewish food. I went to Asia and had Asian food, and it wasn’t like Panda Express at all. Everything there had tentacles or used to be a dog, and I felt really bad because I would never cook Wheels. You know? That would just be so wrong and….”

A BRIEF Intermission from the Sages (And From Real Life In General):

I go back inside to find Dom to tell him… I don’t know. Something. Anything. He should have been out there by now.

Do I love him? Fuck if I know.

Shit. Of course I do.

I probably never stopped.

Peachy. This is just fucking peachy. Goddammit.

I walk into the bar. The dance floor is packed.

I can see movement up on the balcony.

Maybe he’s up there.

I turn the corner.

He’s standing there, leaning against a wall. Talking to some guy. I watch as he leans in and says something. The other guy laughs. Dom smiles, and I swear I’m back in that hallway, I’m fifteen years old, and I have a present in my hands I want to give him. I just want him to see the story I made him, to show him how I see us, and maybe, just maybe he’ll look at me and say, There you are. Right in front of me this whole time. I don’t know why I’ve never seen it before. But I do now, and I love you. I love you too.

The guy reaches up and touches his arm. A caress that’s more than friendly.

It’s what I deserve, really. For taking this long. I should go back outside. Whatever will be will be. Gay, bi, whatever. He’s my friend, and that’s all that matters. I just want him to be happy.

I turn to leave.

An explosion of laughter behind me.

He looks over.

Our gazes lock.

I can’t breathe. The earth quakes beneath my feet. Everything I’m feeling is splayed across my face, I know, and I can do nothing to hide it. The anger. The jealousy. The fear. Rage and desire, amassing as one.

He stands up straight.

Run, I tell myself. Please, run.

Run, it whispers. Please, run.

But I can’t. I can’t move. Breathe, Kid. It’s Bear. I can hear him. All other sounds fade away to the voice of my brother.

Just breathe.

Dom takes a step toward me, leaving the stranger behind.

Inhale, Bear says. You can do this. Inhale.