Shen and Teddy | Backdated to October 20
Oct. 20th, 2017 01:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ax_mainShen finds Teddy's hiding place and he tries openness on for size.
All morning, Teddy had just wanted to roll into a ball and disappear. He couldn’t shake the feeling that people were staring at him everywhere he went, that somehow – given the blackout and the faint smell of ozone that seemed to stick to him –that everyone knew. Not just that they’d fought, but what it had been about. And the cold and the fear settled so deep into his gut that he couldn’t even begin to think of a way out.
He’d skipped the classes he had with Billy. He couldn’t bear the thought of sitting next to him right now. Or worse – not sitting next to him, and having everybody looking at them and wondering.
This was what he got for winding his life around someone else’s. When would he ever learn?
No-one was usually hanging out in the second floor reading room this time of day, so Teddy curled up in the armchair by the back window. He propped his laptop on his knees and stared at the online vocab quizzes for the Spanish lesson he’d skipped out on earlier, not absorbing any of it.
Shen was outside flying, just like everyday, wearing one of the long-sleeved tunics tailored for her wings courtesy of Warren and a pair of leggings. (Well, 'courtesy of Warren'. She was paying him back for this. In installments.) She was just flying around the mansion when she caught sight of Teddy in one of the second floor rooms, and she frowned as she kept on flying, then circled back around. This didn't seem like his style; better check in with him.
She obscured some of the natural light falling into the room as she came to hover in front of the window, thus announcing her presence before she even knocked on the pane.
Teddy'd been so lost in his own world that he just about came out of his skin when the world went dark. He whipped his head around and it took him a moment to parse the shape outside the window as Shen. It wasn't Billy, so yay? On the other hand, it was another person, and he wasn't quite sure that he was feeling human enough to put on a good fake smile. Still, she banged on the pane and he opened it, because he couldn't leave her out there.
Despite her huge wings, Shen climbed in through the window with the practiced ease of someone who had been doing this a lot. "Hey. What are you doing up here on your own?"
He had only a second to make the choice. Pass it off as nothing important and not get Shen involved, or prove that he could be honest, even on the little things. "Just having a bad day." He shrugged and sat back down, leaving his laptop on the side table and pulling his knees up to his chest. "It happens."
Shen watched him with concern now that she could get a better look at him. The body language alone... "Yeah, you look like shit," she said simply. "You wanna talk about it?"
Not really, no. But talking to Tessa had helped some, before, even if he hadn't really listened to her warnings about hope and optimal outcomes. And it wasn't like any of this was going to stay a secret for long. At least not the major parts. If Billy didn't forgive him, there'd be a lot more obvious problems than Teddy being miserable for a couple of days.
"I had a fight with Billy this morning." He led off with that, the fear building at the idea of the words he was about to say.
"I. Um. I." Teddy looked away, the view outside the window suddenly fascinating. I have to trust someone. "I came out to him this morning. It didn't go so well." He swallowed hard, his mouth gone dry.
"Oh. Oh!" Shen grabbed an ottoman and slid it over, so she could sit in front of Teddy. This was better for catching his eye and making it clear she wasn't about to react badly. "I'm so sorry. I -" She couldn't believe Billy wouldn't have been supportive. What was going on? "Do you mind if I ask what you came out as?" There were options, after all. Ugh, she hoped Billy wasn't like, transphobic.
That made him pause for a second - he was already out at the school as far as his powers went. Then he realized, and wasn't that just more proof of how he had his head stuck up his own butt more often than not? "I'm gay," he said simply. It was a lot easier the second time.
He sank his chin down on the support of his knees and watched for her reaction, his misery overwhelming. "I've known pretty much forever. And I know -- I know -- I should have been honest with him from the beginning. But it's not that easy."
"Hey, yeah, of course," Shen confirmed, frowning in sympathy and resisting the urge to reach out for him. His body language was screaming Do Not Touch. So she smiled over at him instead. "Good on you for coming out. He probably just felt hurt." On several levels. "He'll get over it."
Teddy sagged down against his knees. She wasn't backing away or repeating any of the names that were still seared across his psyche, so that was a positive sign. "I hope so. I just... I'd hoped it would go differently." Like what? Billy would jump into his arms and pledge undying love? Yeah, sure.
Teddy did meet Shen's eyes then, searching for understanding. He hadn't lied because he'd thought it would be funny to mess with Billy... he'd had his reasons. And they'd made sense at the time. They still did, if he was going to be honest with himself. "I only ever told one person at my old school. Someone I thought I could trust. He outed me instead."
"Oh, shit," Shen sympathized with a grimace. "What an asshole. I won't tell anyone," she added immediately, firmly. "And I'm sure Billy won't either." No matter how hurt he was, he wouldn't do that, right? She paused, then asked, "How did it go at your old school?"
'Not well' was the understatement of the century. "It turns out that when the student council president tells everyone to 'shun the fag,' they take it to heart." The word tasted like bitter ashes in his mouth and he couldn't meet her eyes. "The whole last semester, all anyone ever said to me outside of class are things I'd really rather not repeat. I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I just wanted things to be different here."
Tears welled up in Shen's eyes whether she wanted them to or not. "I. Kind of. Really want to hug you right now?"
Caught partway through scrubbing his own wrist across his eyes, Teddy probably looked a little bit like a deer caught in the headlights. "It's okay. I like hugs."
Oh good. There was no room for Shen on his armchair, so she came at him sideways, twisting her wings out of the way as she sat on the arm of the chair to wrap her arms around him, tight and warm. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that," she told him, voice thick with emotions - both sympathy for him and anger at the haters.
He leaned into the hug, into the warm, strong human contact, and fought down the tears that were threatening. The wave of exhaustion crashed over him, emotional and physical together, and he was utterly out of words. He'd opened up more to Shen in the last five minutes than he ever had to anyone about this, and it felt as though the dam pushed up against his hurt and pain was being chiseled away. Not here. He wasn't ready to be that vulnerable here. He also wasn't at all sure how to put his arm around her without knocking into her wings or accidentally touching something he shouldn't, so he sat there instead and let her hold him.
Shen just held him tight for a while longer, then pulled back, keeping a hand on his shoulder and remaining on the chair's arm. "Hey. You know that shit won't fly here, right? You're safe here - from that bullshit, anyway."
"So far so good," Teddy could agree on that much, at least. "But I still have to share a room with Billy and I don't know what's going to happen there." He dropped one of his feet to the floor, kept his arms wrapped around the other, but in much less of a death grip than before. "I've been thinking about asking the Professor if I can go home for a few days. Just until things settle down." aka, running away from his problems. Again.
"Things with Billy," Shen figured out, thoughtful. She went to Yang Tian when she needed to regain focus and balance, so she would be the last one to fault him for wanting to visit his family, especially since the last time she'd needed her uncle hadn't been for anything anywhere near this painful. "Where does your family live?" If he'd told her already, she couldn't remember right then.
"My mom's in Brooklyn, so not that far. 'Family' has always just been the two of us." It was such a tempting thought; just go home and curl up in his own bed, put his head in Mom's lap like he was a little kid again, and wait for her to make everything okay. Except even she didn't know the details of what had happened with Greg, or that Teddy liked guys, or any of it. It would only hurt her to know that he had problems she hadn't been able to fix.
It wasn't that Shen was reading his mind; it was that this was the logical question to ask next, although she did so quietly, not wanting to push if it was an unwelcome inquiry. "Have you come out to her?"
Teddy shook his head glumly. "I don't think- That is, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't care. But she's got so much on her plate, I don't want to add more stress. The right time just hasn't happened yet."
"And you still think being home would help?" It was a genuine question, not a challenge, and Shen's tone made that clear. She had very little idea what that was like, not being out to your parent. She'd talked to Yang Tian about it when she was 12, and not at all sure if it was real or not, and he'd been there for her every step of the way.
"I wouldn't be here." It was giving up and he knew it as he said it, resting his forehead against his knee. If he left now, there was every chance he wouldn't end up coming back. The tears tried to start up again and he blinked them away furiously. "If I'd just kept my stupid mouth shut..."
"Hey, no," Shen told him immediately, the hand still on his shoulder squeezing it gently. "Seriously, he'll get over it. Coming out wasn't the wrong thing to do, okay?" She rubbed her hand on his shoulder comfortingly, then pulled it back. "You should check in with Clarice. I'm sure she'll teleport you home this weekend if you want. And you can come hide in my room for as long as you need, outside of classes. Jeanne-Marie won't ask if I tell her not to."
Her roommate had a very curious nature, but she was also a caretaker, and Shen was convinced the latter would overtake the former, given the size of her heart.
"There's no timetable on coming out, okay?" She held his gaze, wanting him to see she meant it.
Teddy nodded, managing a wan half-smile that was still better than anything he'd been able to do that day. "Thanks. I appreciate that. I might take you up on that offer later. I just... don't know if I have the bandwidth to deal with being around a lot of people right now." And most of them, he was sure, knew or would soon know what was going on. Billy would have run to Illyana or Tommy first thing, and Illyana knowing probably meant Kitty knowing, which meant Bobby - and he could easily let something slip to Kurt... Tommy didn't like Teddy very much, and he and Tamara would talk...
Most people here liked Billy, maybe everyone did. And that would leave Teddy without a whole lot of options when they inevitably started picking up sides.
"Of course," Shen nodded easy agreement. "Whatever you need. It's a standing offer, anyway."
"Thanks," he said again, knowing he was repeating himself. "Jeanne Marie will be okay with it? I know she and Billy are friends..." he trailed off, uncomfortable. "I don't want to cause problems."
"Billy will come around," Shen replied, as if her determination could make it so. "He isn't a jerk, he's bound to. But no, she won't mind. She'll understand, if you're okay with me explaining things to her. Or if you aren't, she'll just have to trust me. I'd trust her on something like this."
He sighed softly, nodding again. "I know it won't take long for all of this to get around, if it hasn't already. But maybe not? Just yet? I mean, everyone can probably tell that we fought. But if the reason can stay between us for now-" (them, and whoever Billy was telling, anyway.) "I'd appreciate that."
"Of course," Shen assured him with an emphatic nod. She wasn't going to out anyone against their will.
Although she would damn well talk to Billy about it.
She reached out to rub her hand over Teddy's shoulders. "It's gonna be okay, you know? He'll come around. And no one here's gonna be on your case about it." All of them things she'd already said, but she figured he could use hearing them again.
He leaned into the touch, too wrung out to do anything else. Talking had helped, a little, and Shen's support right now meant everything, but now that the storm was passing he was left empty and aimless in its wake. "I hope you're right."
"Of course I am," Shen stated with a nod. "Or I'll kick people's asses until I am right. But I'm hoping for option A."
Teddy had to smile a little bit at that. "Same. Though I'm pretty sure Option B would sell a lot of tickets."
"Tonight only, for your entertainment, Swift takes down a bunch of haters!" Shen mock-announced.
That won a small laugh from him, some of that quiet desperation bleeding off and away. "I know who I'd bet on." He smiled up at her. "'Swift'? I like that."
"Yeah," Shen nodded. "We're gonna need codenames, right?" She kept her hand on his shoulder, but it was more of an affectionate touch, and proof of her comfort with him, than anything else, now. "Have you picked yours?"
Teddy shook his head. "I haven't come up with anything that I like. Or ... anything at all, really. It's hard to pick a single word that sums up me." Especially when I have no idea who that is half the time. He shrugged. "I'll figure something out eventually." It was the kind of thing he'd usually talk about with Billy, a conversation that invariably devolved into bad jokes and insults before they came close to any kind of decision at all.
"I'm sure it'll come to you," Shen nodded. "Don't stay stuck on 'it has to sum you up', though, is my advice. It could also be something to reach for? Or who you want to be out there? Or just something you like the sound of. There are options."
"I'll hit on something eventually. We've got time." Probably. Everything about the X-Men felt so nebulous and distant right now anyway.
"And I'm sure you can pick something and change it later if it doesn't work for you, anyway," Shen stated. She rubbed his shoulders again. "How are the wings coming in? You want to try and come out for a flight?"
"I've been practicing flying with Tarama, off and on. They're good." He caught himself arching under her hand like a cat getting scratched. "I should do my Spanish homework- eh. Screw it. Yeah. Flying would be good."
"Let's go fly!" Shen stated firmly, pushing up from the arm of the chair to head for the window. It helped her clear her head when she needed it; obviously it would be the same for him.
It was a lot better than brooding, even if he wasn't exactly feeling it at the moment. And one major benefit -- if Billy wanted to yell at him some more, he'd have a lot harder time finding Teddy up there. Teddy stood, tucked his computer in his book bag and his book bag under the chair out of sight, and followed Shen.
All morning, Teddy had just wanted to roll into a ball and disappear. He couldn’t shake the feeling that people were staring at him everywhere he went, that somehow – given the blackout and the faint smell of ozone that seemed to stick to him –that everyone knew. Not just that they’d fought, but what it had been about. And the cold and the fear settled so deep into his gut that he couldn’t even begin to think of a way out.
He’d skipped the classes he had with Billy. He couldn’t bear the thought of sitting next to him right now. Or worse – not sitting next to him, and having everybody looking at them and wondering.
This was what he got for winding his life around someone else’s. When would he ever learn?
No-one was usually hanging out in the second floor reading room this time of day, so Teddy curled up in the armchair by the back window. He propped his laptop on his knees and stared at the online vocab quizzes for the Spanish lesson he’d skipped out on earlier, not absorbing any of it.
Shen was outside flying, just like everyday, wearing one of the long-sleeved tunics tailored for her wings courtesy of Warren and a pair of leggings. (Well, 'courtesy of Warren'. She was paying him back for this. In installments.) She was just flying around the mansion when she caught sight of Teddy in one of the second floor rooms, and she frowned as she kept on flying, then circled back around. This didn't seem like his style; better check in with him.
She obscured some of the natural light falling into the room as she came to hover in front of the window, thus announcing her presence before she even knocked on the pane.
Teddy'd been so lost in his own world that he just about came out of his skin when the world went dark. He whipped his head around and it took him a moment to parse the shape outside the window as Shen. It wasn't Billy, so yay? On the other hand, it was another person, and he wasn't quite sure that he was feeling human enough to put on a good fake smile. Still, she banged on the pane and he opened it, because he couldn't leave her out there.
Despite her huge wings, Shen climbed in through the window with the practiced ease of someone who had been doing this a lot. "Hey. What are you doing up here on your own?"
He had only a second to make the choice. Pass it off as nothing important and not get Shen involved, or prove that he could be honest, even on the little things. "Just having a bad day." He shrugged and sat back down, leaving his laptop on the side table and pulling his knees up to his chest. "It happens."
Shen watched him with concern now that she could get a better look at him. The body language alone... "Yeah, you look like shit," she said simply. "You wanna talk about it?"
Not really, no. But talking to Tessa had helped some, before, even if he hadn't really listened to her warnings about hope and optimal outcomes. And it wasn't like any of this was going to stay a secret for long. At least not the major parts. If Billy didn't forgive him, there'd be a lot more obvious problems than Teddy being miserable for a couple of days.
"I had a fight with Billy this morning." He led off with that, the fear building at the idea of the words he was about to say.
"I. Um. I." Teddy looked away, the view outside the window suddenly fascinating. I have to trust someone. "I came out to him this morning. It didn't go so well." He swallowed hard, his mouth gone dry.
"Oh. Oh!" Shen grabbed an ottoman and slid it over, so she could sit in front of Teddy. This was better for catching his eye and making it clear she wasn't about to react badly. "I'm so sorry. I -" She couldn't believe Billy wouldn't have been supportive. What was going on? "Do you mind if I ask what you came out as?" There were options, after all. Ugh, she hoped Billy wasn't like, transphobic.
That made him pause for a second - he was already out at the school as far as his powers went. Then he realized, and wasn't that just more proof of how he had his head stuck up his own butt more often than not? "I'm gay," he said simply. It was a lot easier the second time.
He sank his chin down on the support of his knees and watched for her reaction, his misery overwhelming. "I've known pretty much forever. And I know -- I know -- I should have been honest with him from the beginning. But it's not that easy."
"Hey, yeah, of course," Shen confirmed, frowning in sympathy and resisting the urge to reach out for him. His body language was screaming Do Not Touch. So she smiled over at him instead. "Good on you for coming out. He probably just felt hurt." On several levels. "He'll get over it."
Teddy sagged down against his knees. She wasn't backing away or repeating any of the names that were still seared across his psyche, so that was a positive sign. "I hope so. I just... I'd hoped it would go differently." Like what? Billy would jump into his arms and pledge undying love? Yeah, sure.
Teddy did meet Shen's eyes then, searching for understanding. He hadn't lied because he'd thought it would be funny to mess with Billy... he'd had his reasons. And they'd made sense at the time. They still did, if he was going to be honest with himself. "I only ever told one person at my old school. Someone I thought I could trust. He outed me instead."
"Oh, shit," Shen sympathized with a grimace. "What an asshole. I won't tell anyone," she added immediately, firmly. "And I'm sure Billy won't either." No matter how hurt he was, he wouldn't do that, right? She paused, then asked, "How did it go at your old school?"
'Not well' was the understatement of the century. "It turns out that when the student council president tells everyone to 'shun the fag,' they take it to heart." The word tasted like bitter ashes in his mouth and he couldn't meet her eyes. "The whole last semester, all anyone ever said to me outside of class are things I'd really rather not repeat. I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I just wanted things to be different here."
Tears welled up in Shen's eyes whether she wanted them to or not. "I. Kind of. Really want to hug you right now?"
Caught partway through scrubbing his own wrist across his eyes, Teddy probably looked a little bit like a deer caught in the headlights. "It's okay. I like hugs."
Oh good. There was no room for Shen on his armchair, so she came at him sideways, twisting her wings out of the way as she sat on the arm of the chair to wrap her arms around him, tight and warm. "I'm so sorry you had to go through that," she told him, voice thick with emotions - both sympathy for him and anger at the haters.
He leaned into the hug, into the warm, strong human contact, and fought down the tears that were threatening. The wave of exhaustion crashed over him, emotional and physical together, and he was utterly out of words. He'd opened up more to Shen in the last five minutes than he ever had to anyone about this, and it felt as though the dam pushed up against his hurt and pain was being chiseled away. Not here. He wasn't ready to be that vulnerable here. He also wasn't at all sure how to put his arm around her without knocking into her wings or accidentally touching something he shouldn't, so he sat there instead and let her hold him.
Shen just held him tight for a while longer, then pulled back, keeping a hand on his shoulder and remaining on the chair's arm. "Hey. You know that shit won't fly here, right? You're safe here - from that bullshit, anyway."
"So far so good," Teddy could agree on that much, at least. "But I still have to share a room with Billy and I don't know what's going to happen there." He dropped one of his feet to the floor, kept his arms wrapped around the other, but in much less of a death grip than before. "I've been thinking about asking the Professor if I can go home for a few days. Just until things settle down." aka, running away from his problems. Again.
"Things with Billy," Shen figured out, thoughtful. She went to Yang Tian when she needed to regain focus and balance, so she would be the last one to fault him for wanting to visit his family, especially since the last time she'd needed her uncle hadn't been for anything anywhere near this painful. "Where does your family live?" If he'd told her already, she couldn't remember right then.
"My mom's in Brooklyn, so not that far. 'Family' has always just been the two of us." It was such a tempting thought; just go home and curl up in his own bed, put his head in Mom's lap like he was a little kid again, and wait for her to make everything okay. Except even she didn't know the details of what had happened with Greg, or that Teddy liked guys, or any of it. It would only hurt her to know that he had problems she hadn't been able to fix.
It wasn't that Shen was reading his mind; it was that this was the logical question to ask next, although she did so quietly, not wanting to push if it was an unwelcome inquiry. "Have you come out to her?"
Teddy shook his head glumly. "I don't think- That is, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't care. But she's got so much on her plate, I don't want to add more stress. The right time just hasn't happened yet."
"And you still think being home would help?" It was a genuine question, not a challenge, and Shen's tone made that clear. She had very little idea what that was like, not being out to your parent. She'd talked to Yang Tian about it when she was 12, and not at all sure if it was real or not, and he'd been there for her every step of the way.
"I wouldn't be here." It was giving up and he knew it as he said it, resting his forehead against his knee. If he left now, there was every chance he wouldn't end up coming back. The tears tried to start up again and he blinked them away furiously. "If I'd just kept my stupid mouth shut..."
"Hey, no," Shen told him immediately, the hand still on his shoulder squeezing it gently. "Seriously, he'll get over it. Coming out wasn't the wrong thing to do, okay?" She rubbed her hand on his shoulder comfortingly, then pulled it back. "You should check in with Clarice. I'm sure she'll teleport you home this weekend if you want. And you can come hide in my room for as long as you need, outside of classes. Jeanne-Marie won't ask if I tell her not to."
Her roommate had a very curious nature, but she was also a caretaker, and Shen was convinced the latter would overtake the former, given the size of her heart.
"There's no timetable on coming out, okay?" She held his gaze, wanting him to see she meant it.
Teddy nodded, managing a wan half-smile that was still better than anything he'd been able to do that day. "Thanks. I appreciate that. I might take you up on that offer later. I just... don't know if I have the bandwidth to deal with being around a lot of people right now." And most of them, he was sure, knew or would soon know what was going on. Billy would have run to Illyana or Tommy first thing, and Illyana knowing probably meant Kitty knowing, which meant Bobby - and he could easily let something slip to Kurt... Tommy didn't like Teddy very much, and he and Tamara would talk...
Most people here liked Billy, maybe everyone did. And that would leave Teddy without a whole lot of options when they inevitably started picking up sides.
"Of course," Shen nodded easy agreement. "Whatever you need. It's a standing offer, anyway."
"Thanks," he said again, knowing he was repeating himself. "Jeanne Marie will be okay with it? I know she and Billy are friends..." he trailed off, uncomfortable. "I don't want to cause problems."
"Billy will come around," Shen replied, as if her determination could make it so. "He isn't a jerk, he's bound to. But no, she won't mind. She'll understand, if you're okay with me explaining things to her. Or if you aren't, she'll just have to trust me. I'd trust her on something like this."
He sighed softly, nodding again. "I know it won't take long for all of this to get around, if it hasn't already. But maybe not? Just yet? I mean, everyone can probably tell that we fought. But if the reason can stay between us for now-" (them, and whoever Billy was telling, anyway.) "I'd appreciate that."
"Of course," Shen assured him with an emphatic nod. She wasn't going to out anyone against their will.
Although she would damn well talk to Billy about it.
She reached out to rub her hand over Teddy's shoulders. "It's gonna be okay, you know? He'll come around. And no one here's gonna be on your case about it." All of them things she'd already said, but she figured he could use hearing them again.
He leaned into the touch, too wrung out to do anything else. Talking had helped, a little, and Shen's support right now meant everything, but now that the storm was passing he was left empty and aimless in its wake. "I hope you're right."
"Of course I am," Shen stated with a nod. "Or I'll kick people's asses until I am right. But I'm hoping for option A."
Teddy had to smile a little bit at that. "Same. Though I'm pretty sure Option B would sell a lot of tickets."
"Tonight only, for your entertainment, Swift takes down a bunch of haters!" Shen mock-announced.
That won a small laugh from him, some of that quiet desperation bleeding off and away. "I know who I'd bet on." He smiled up at her. "'Swift'? I like that."
"Yeah," Shen nodded. "We're gonna need codenames, right?" She kept her hand on his shoulder, but it was more of an affectionate touch, and proof of her comfort with him, than anything else, now. "Have you picked yours?"
Teddy shook his head. "I haven't come up with anything that I like. Or ... anything at all, really. It's hard to pick a single word that sums up me." Especially when I have no idea who that is half the time. He shrugged. "I'll figure something out eventually." It was the kind of thing he'd usually talk about with Billy, a conversation that invariably devolved into bad jokes and insults before they came close to any kind of decision at all.
"I'm sure it'll come to you," Shen nodded. "Don't stay stuck on 'it has to sum you up', though, is my advice. It could also be something to reach for? Or who you want to be out there? Or just something you like the sound of. There are options."
"I'll hit on something eventually. We've got time." Probably. Everything about the X-Men felt so nebulous and distant right now anyway.
"And I'm sure you can pick something and change it later if it doesn't work for you, anyway," Shen stated. She rubbed his shoulders again. "How are the wings coming in? You want to try and come out for a flight?"
"I've been practicing flying with Tarama, off and on. They're good." He caught himself arching under her hand like a cat getting scratched. "I should do my Spanish homework- eh. Screw it. Yeah. Flying would be good."
"Let's go fly!" Shen stated firmly, pushing up from the arm of the chair to head for the window. It helped her clear her head when she needed it; obviously it would be the same for him.
It was a lot better than brooding, even if he wasn't exactly feeling it at the moment. And one major benefit -- if Billy wanted to yell at him some more, he'd have a lot harder time finding Teddy up there. Teddy stood, tucked his computer in his book bag and his book bag under the chair out of sight, and followed Shen.
