BAZ
I don't know what to do. Dylan's yelling at me and crying. I think he's hyperventilating. How do you comfort someone when they're hyperventilating? I've never comforted anyone before. I don't know how. What if I mess up? I try anyways.
I wrap my arms around him, tucking him into my chest. I can feel my shirt getting wet as he grips it and cries into me. He's still wearing his full uniform. Snow does that too. Every time I see him he's in his school uniform. Even on weekends. All throughout first year I had wondered if he even had any regular clothes.
I feel Dylan shift his head downward. I loosen my hold around him a bit. I can barely hear him when he begins speaking again.
"Baz, I can't get past the ward on Mummurs."
What?
He's looking at me again. I know there's confusion on my face.
"Baz, I'm transgender."
He says it as if it's the most awful thing in the world. But for him it probably is. He's stuck at this boarding school sharing a room with a girl. He can't get past the ward to the dormitory where he belongs.
He's crying again. He wipes at his eyes furiously with the sleeves of his school blazer. All it does is make his face extremely red. I pull him back into my arms. This time he wraps his own arms around my back. He's got quite the stong grip.
And I know I'm an arsehole for it, but I can't help feeling relieved. Because I'm not alone anymore.