Page 36 of Protecting the Nerd

Gabe had watched the entire exchange without saying anything, and he wouldn’t comment on it now or ever. He was Fir’s son through and through, and I saw a bright future for him as a doctor. He had this quality about him that made you trust him, which would be so crucial for a doctor.

I refocused on the game, and after a squeeze on my shoulder, Fir left me and Gabe to it. An hour and a half later, Gabe had to admit defeat, but he’d put up a worthy fight, and I was proud of him. “You did well.”

“Thank you. I’ll beat you next time.”

“I’m counting on you to keep trying.”

Gabe laughed. “I love that about you. You never tell people what they want to hear. You speak the truth, even to a kid like me, and that’s awesome.”

I frowned. What had I said that was so special?

“Most people would’ve assured him he’ll win next time,” Fir said with a smile.

Ah, okay. “Not yet, but if you keep practicing and learning like this, you will. You have an innate sense for the game and the strategies involved.”

“Gabe was right, you know?” Quillon said as we walked home, our hands laced as always. “The fact that you speak the truth is special.”

“I never realized that was something extraordinary, though after he mentioned it, I thought about it. He’s right that most people tell others what they want to hear. Or what they think they want to hear. I’ve had that same issue with PhD students who came for an internship. Whenever I’d ask them questions or show them a problem I was working on, they were all polite, afraid of offending me instead of telling me the truth.” I snorted. “I can’t remember the last time I was offended. I don’t take things personally, especially when it’s about my work. Math isn’t personal. It’s neutral. It’s either right or wrong and doesn’t care about anything else.”

“Is that why you choose a career in it? Because it offered you that clarity?”

Had I? It hadn’t been a conscious consideration, but subconsciously, it could’ve played a role. “I’ve always been drawn to math and science. I’m naturally curious and always wanted to know how things work, so even as a kid, I knew I wanted to become a scientist.”

“Your parents never discouraged it?”

I lifted one shoulder. “No, but they didn’t encourage me either. They didn’t care enough, I guess.”

“York…”

“Yeah, Essex bullied me. Badly. And no, my parents never knew…and neither did Essex’s friends.”

“You don’t need to talk about it.”

“I trust you.”

He squeezed my hand. “Thank you. That means a lot to me. I take it he bullied Fir too?”

“Yeah, though we didn’t find out about each other until we became friends a few years ago. He was the only person who knew, but last year, at the school reunion, I told Tiago and gave him permission to tell Essex’s other friends.”

“How did they take it? It must’ve come as a shock to them.”

I blew out a breath. Talking about this would never be easy. “Not as much of a shock as I had feared. They believed me.”

“You doubted that?”

“He was their friend. Why would they believe me, telling them this twenty years after Essex’s death?”

“Because you don’t lie?”

He said it as if it was a proven truth, and warmth filled me. “Thank you, but they didn’t know me.”

“That’s why you think they hang out with you. Out of pity.”

As expected, he had no trouble connecting the dots. “Why else? It’s not for my sparkling personality.”

“Why not?”

I frowned. “The sparkling personality part was sarcastic, in case you missed that.”

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