"Russ," she said, "you never really hid it. Not on purpose, anyway."
My chest tightened.
"I just…" she shrugged. "You were gentle. You noticed things other people didn't. You cried when stuff hurt, and you gesture a lot when you talk. That's not something guys around here usually get rewarded for."
I swallowed.
"I was worried," she admitted. "About people being cruel. About you trying to make yourself smaller just to survive."
She hesitated, then said, "That's why I asked Damien to room with you."
I blinked. "What?"
"I've known him for over a year," she said. "And when his last roommate passed and you got accepted into Silvervein… it felt like the universe lining something up."
I stared at my hands.
"So… they're okay with it?" I asked quietly. "With… me?"
Then, before she could answer, the panic slipped out.
"I mean…this is the 2000," I said, lowering my voice. "People weren't exactly… nice about this stuff back then. I've heard things. Like really bad things."
