Page 45 of Noah

I smiled at him. I was going to like this kid. "Can I tell you something else?"

Kyle nodded.

"I'm like you. I have a lot of noise in my head. Add in the noise and bright lights on the outside, and it can get pretty deafening in my head. Makes it hard to think and speak."

Kyle's eyebrows dipped ever so slightly.

I pressed on. "Do you have trouble figuring out what people are thinking and feeling?"

"Not mom."

"Yes, I suppose you've learned to read her fairly well."

"Tells me."

Bravo to mom. It seemed she'd got in the habit of telling Kyle how she was feeling and what that felt like on the inside. I reached for my bag of cards.

"I have something that could help you."

Kyle raised his hand and started tapping his lip.

"It's nothing scary. Just cards." I pulled them out and placed them on the floor, fanning them out so he could see them better. I pointed to one. "This person is frustrated. Do you see how his bottom jaw is thrust out? And his eyes are all pinched." I flipped the card over. "It says here that his fists might be clenched as well. And he might be pacing."

Kyle pointed at the question section.

"Those are things you could ask him. Can I help? Can you tell me what's going on? Then you wait for an answer. Depending on what he says, you can try to figure out how best to respond. I find that part is easier. It's the initial question that used to trip me up. Still does sometimes."

He lay his hand on the cards.

"Yeah, you can borrow them." I tucked them neatly back in the bag. When I glanced at him, Kyle had gone back to reading. I clambered up off the floor. "See you, Kyle."

No response.

Jamal was smiling when I reached the doorway.

"That went well," he said.

"I think so."

"It's rare to hear him speak."

"He had important things to say. Noah says I do that."

I followed as Jamal started to wheel down the hall. "You and Noah are getting closer?"

"We went on a date." That's all he was getting from me. Jamal was in a trustworthy position at the centre but that didn't mean I should trust him. Alesia would disagree but I felt more comfortable going at my own speed. Maybe in time, Jamal would become a friend. I respected the hell out of him and what he was doing. Noah too. That man had a lot on the go with running that pub and still found time to volunteer to help LGBTQ youth.

Yet, Noah seemed to think his efforts weren't good enough. It kept him driven but it made me sad that he didn't realize how incredible he was. He didn't need to reach perfection. He needed to reach happiness and purpose. He seemed to have reached both of those things.

Maybe I was missing something. It wouldn't be unusual for me to get things wrong. I had thought Ricky loved me. His face and his body always told me that story. I had missed the clues.

"You should know that Kyle is transgender," Jamal said.

That might explain some of Kyle's delicate features. I wouldn't have known if Jamal hadn't told me. "When did he express his identity to his mom?"

"When he was six. Refused to wear girl's clothes and wanted his hair cut short. Kept yelling boy at her when she tried to talk him out of it. She started him on puberty blockers a year ago."

"So, he's what … twelve … thirteen?"

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