Demetri knew he didn't lead the most glamorous life. He understood why he wasn't popular, why his peers didn't gravitate towards him. He also knew some of that was in his control.

Sure, he could give up his geeky pursuits in the hopes of gaining a few popularity points. But to Demetri, those nerdy interests made him who he was. They made him at least a little happy.

He'd tried telling Eli over and over, the problem wasn't with them. The problem was how others treated them.

Losing that part of themselves to make them stop wasn't worth the sacrifice.