[ he scrubs a hand down his face, then shoves it through his hair. what does he even say. he scratches his throat, lets the words hang a little longer. if they're doing emotional honesty, then... ]

Being queer back home means you can't live out in the open. I always knew just how much of being me I could get away with being. Wasn't safe for me to come any further out of the closet, and wasn't safe for anybody dumb enough to hop onboard the freak train. They can spread the rumors all that want, but if they ever got any concrete proof...

[ he was already the town pariah. eddie sinks down further against his headboard. ]