Free Never a Hero by Marie Sexton Page B

tone.
    “I’m really sorry.”
    “For what? Wearing a Halloween costume?”
    He laughed nervously. “This might be the most awkward thing I’ve ever done.”
    Which was exactly why I’d become something of a hermit. That kind of thing happened to me all too often.
    “Where’s Nick?” Paul asked.
    “In the back.”
    “Oh. Good.” His smile turned mischievous. He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “So, tell me. Are you Nick’s boyfriend?”
    The directness of the question embarrassed me. “No.”
    Paul was clearly disappointed by my answer. “Are you sure?”
    I thought about what had happened the week before. About how it had felt to have Nick’s hand cupping my groin. “I think I’d know if I was.” But my voice came out shaky.
    “So, is he gay?”
    I wasn’t sure how to answer. I was pretty sure he was, but it seemed strange to have Paul ask me. “You’ve known him longer than I have.”
    “Yeah, but he’s really elusive about the whole thing, you know? I always thought he was straight, but after we helped him move, El said he was pretty sure I had that wrong.” He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe he’s just not out?”
    Was Nick in the closet? That might explain his sudden about-face after making a move on me, but somehow, it didn’t fit. He was too confident to be in denial about his sexuality. “I don’t think that’s it.”
    “But you do think he’s gay?”
    I felt my cheeks began to turn red. “Pretty sure, yeah.”
    He grinned at me. “So you are his boyfriend!”
    I was saved from answering by a swarm of trick-or-treaters. I’d never been so relieved to see packs of children in my life. Butterflies, fairies, Storm Troopers, several things I couldn’t identify.
    “What happened to your arm?” one of them asked.
    “Bear attack,” I said, more confident this time.
    By the time they were gone, Nick was back. “Since you’re here,” he said to Paul, “will you cover for a bit so we can go look around?”
    “Only if I get to hand out actual candy.”
    “What’s wrong with the stuff I bought?”
    Paul laughed. “Halloween isn’t about pencils! It’s about treats! They don’t say, ‘trick or school supplies,’ do they?”
    Nick made a low, angry noise that sounded suspiciously like a growl. “I hate what they’ve done to Halloween. I refuse to buy into the idea that getting factory-wrapped candy bars is somehow better for our kids than getting apples from their neighbors.”
    “Don’t tell me you actually liked getting apples on Halloween,” I said. Although if anyone did, it would be Mr. Healthy Diet.
    “Besides, you’re not handing out apples, either,” Paul pointed out.
    “My point is, the whole ‘razor blade in the apple’ thing is nothing but an urban legend. Yet we’ve let ourselves be convinced that things like homemade popcorn balls are dangerous, whereas candy is good.”
    I thought about Nick’s popcorn. I couldn’t blame a kid for wanting candy instead.
    Paul shook his head in amusement. “You should hang out with El. He’s been raving for weeks about how Halloween has been ruined.”
    “He’s right.”
    Paul rolled his eyes in my direction, smiling as if we shared a secret. Nick didn’t see it because he was rooting around in a cabinet.
    “We’ll be back in half an hour or so.” He pulled out Paul’s bowl of SweeTarts and shoved them into his chest. “Happy now?”
    Paul grinned at him. “Ecstatic.”

    I opted to leave the mask and cape behind, although I kept the T-shirt on. I put on my jacket and Nick and I waded through fallen leaves and costumed kids toward the heart of the Light District.
    Nick pushed his mask up onto his head in order to glance sideways at me. “Let me guess. Paul was giving you the third degree.”
    “He wanted to know if you’re gay.”
    He laughed, shaking his head. “He’s kind of clueless, but he’s a good guy. Great at his job, too.”
    “Well, you are, right?”
    “Great at my job?”
    “No.