Thomas found Ian waiting for him when he got out of Family Studies on Friday. Confused, he fell into step beside his friend as they headed for the cafeteria.

“Did Briar get a boyfriend over the summer?” Ian forced a casual tone when he asked the question.

Thomas sighed. Sometimes he wished he could just tell Ian to ask Briar out. But that would be weird coming from her older brother. Plus, if Briar said yes and they started dating, that would be even weirder.

So, he just shrugged in response to the question. “She hasn’t said anything about a boyfriend to me.” Not that it meant she didn’t have one, but Thomas wasn’t going to go into all that with Ian in the halls of the school.

“Oh.” Ian nodded, still trying to look casual. He was too obvious about it.

Thomas’s curiosity got the better of him. “Why do you ask?” He had a moment of fear that Ian was finally psyching himself up to ask her out, but wanted to make sure she was available first.

Ian gave an exaggerated shrug. “I’ve seen her around these last few days, and she’s been with the same guy every time. They seemed close, so I thought they might be dating.”

“Huh.” Thomas had seen Briar a few times, but there had never been a stranger around.

Ian suddenly grabbed his arm, pulling him to a stop. “That’s the guy.” He hissed, tilting his chin.

Thomas looked and couldn’t keep from barking out a laugh. “They’re not dating.”

A few feet away, Logan was reading something on a bulletin board. He fidgeted and looked around. When their eyes met, Thomas waved, but Logan seemed to jump and shrink back against the wall. He glanced around again before looking at his feet.

Thomas frowned. “I’ll catch up with you later.” He told Ian, taking a step in Logan’s direction.

“Wait, but how do you know they’re not dating?”

Thomas flashed a grin at his friend. “Because he’s her brother.” He laughed at Ian’s surprised but relieved expression.

“You look scared.” He commented when he reached Logan. “Are you lost?”

Logan shook his head frantically. “No, I…” He nodded at the classroom door beside the bulletin board. “I’m… scared to go in.” He mumbled at his feet.

Thomas looked at the door and realized that it was Mrs. Rust’s classroom. Right, it was Friday, so the GSA would be meeting in there.

Thomas sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Can I assume, since you’re so scared, that you didn’t want to go as just an ally?”

Logan nodded slowly.

“Why didn’t you ask Briar to go with you?” Even as he asked, he could imagine Briar decked out in rainbows, screaming her support for her gay brother. Maybe Logan didn’t need that kind of in your face support.

“Briar’s like a floatation jacket.” Logan muttered. When Thomas raised an eyebrow in confusion, he went on. “She’s always there to offer support, but I’m scared to become reliant on that support.” He gripped his backpack and planted his feet. “If I do, and there comes a time when she’s not there, then I’ll drown.”

“Ah.” Thomas wondered how much time Logan had spent thinking about that metaphor. He looked at the door. “Would you like me to go with you, or is that just as bad?”

“You’re not Briar.”

Right. He and Logan didn’t really know anything about each other. Even if they were family, they didn’t have the kind of bond Logan and Briar, or Thomas and Briar, had.

Thomas started to turn away, feeling awkward for having made the offer.

Logan grabbed his arm. “You’re not Briar, so relying on you would be like relying on floaties when the jacket fails.” He smiled and nodded.

“Oh.” Thomas felt his face start to heat up with embarrassment. “Okay.”