Page 8 of Down My Chimney

“Oh God.” I flushed. “I’m still so sorry about that. I didn’t know Matty was even home, let alone that he was going to barge in.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Henry said. “Once I realized you hadn’t died, it was kind of funny.”

“Easy foryouto say. You’re not the one whose roommate walked in on him having naked phone sex.”

“Oh come on, like he hasn’t seen you naked before.”

“He has, but it’s not the naked part that was the problem. Or at least notmebeing naked. I was more worried that he’d seen you, and that—well, you know.”

Henry was quiet for a second. “Yeah. Yeah, I know.”

I traced a finger down his cheek. “I really am glad you’re here, you know.”

“I’m glad I’m here too.”

“This semester has been awful so far. My classes suck. Coach is killing us. Looking forward to you coming is the only thing that’s gotten me through.”

“I wanted to ask about that, actually,” Henry said. “What was Dev talking about at dinner, about spring break?”

“Ugh. Training camp.” I made a face. “He’s right, just thinking about it is depressing. Coach is taking us to some place up in the mountains with no cell reception, so we can condition at higher altitude and expand our lungs or something. It sounds awful.”

“Eww, agreed.” He smiled sadly. “And it also means you and I can’t go to Mammoth.”

“Oh my God, Mammoth.” I slapped a hand to my forehead. “I completely forgot about that.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Henry said quickly. “We only talked about it once. And we don’t even know if your parents are going to need the cabin then.”

My stomach sank. Henry was being nice about it, but I knew he was disappointed. And now that I remembered the plan we’d talked about—the two of us, alone in my family’s cabin for a whole week—it actuallyhurtto know it wasn’t going to happen.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “Fuck, I really am.”

“Don’t be sorry. It wasn’t even a real plan.”

“Yes, it was,” I insisted. “It was, and it was a good one, and I suck for not telling you about this sooner. I just don’t know where my brain has been lately.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it.”

After a pause, I added, “I’m sorry about dinner too.”

“What? Why?”

“Because of what Taylor said. About that movie being gay.”

Henry’s lips quirked up in one corner. “Technically, he said it was girly.”

“And you’re gonna tell me that didn’t bother you just as much?” I arched an eyebrow. “You were practically quivering, keeping yourself from telling him he was being a misogynistic, homophobic asshole.”

“He wasn’t being an asshole,” Henry said. I just looked at him, and he sighed. “Okay, well, he was. But he wasn’t trying to be. And I didn’t really want to lecture your friends on the first day that I met them.”

“They don’t mean it,” I offered.

Henry gave me a dry look. “You sure about that?”

“I am,” I said firmly. I wanted to believe that. Ineededto. “They’re good guys. That’s just how they show their affection, you know?”

“By saying that liking anything stereotypically feminine makes you less of a man?”

“By making fun of each other,” I countered. “About anything. I mean, yesterday, Matty wouldn’t stop giving Taylor shit about how bad his farts smell. They’ll joke about anything.”

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