The librarian nudged him awake.

When he looked up at her, she gave him a sympathetic smile. “Summer school?”

Luke was confused for a moment. He wasn’t in summer school. He wouldn’t even be returning to regular school in September. What was she talking about?

Then he looked down at where he had been napping. A heavy book was open in front of him. From the few words his exhausted brain could decipher, he guessed it was a history book. Right.

Now it was coming back to him. The library was temperature controlled and quiet, so it was a good place to sleep. He had discovered that people left him alone if he pretended to be studying before closing his eyes. A kid constantly put to sleep by his studies went over a lot better than a homeless guy curled up in the corner.

The librarian was still looking at him. He forced a smile and rubbed at his eyes. “Uh, yeah. I’m not one for studying.” He shrugged.

“I hear you.” She nodded along. “Unfortunately, I have to lock up.” She nodded at the book. “Did you want to check it out?”

Luke didn’t have a library card. The library card in his wallet belonged to Melody.

“Nah.” He said with a shrug as he got to his feet. “I’ll probably just loose it.” Regretfully, he started for the door. “It’s easier to study here anyway.” He added, hoping she wouldn’t get suspicious if he kept talking.

The librarian nodded. “We open at nine tomorrow.” She told him with another sympathetic look.

“Thanks.”

And with that, Luke was forced back into the world. He had managed to avoid the heat of the day, which was good, since he was still wearing a heavy hoodie. The evening air felt too hot, and he knew that people gave him curious looks as he wandered.

The looks made Luke nervous, and he flipped up his hood. He was still paranoid that people would recognize him.

He knew they probably wouldn’t. He had taken the right steps for that. Melody had killed herself, not run away, so nobody was looking for her. But still, he didn’t want to take any chances.

He was passing the town’s skating arena, slowing to take the time to remember how much he had enjoyed his skating lessons as a kid, when the door opened. Two men, one the limping owner of the arena, came out. They were chatting about the start of the hockey season in a few months.

The owner of the arena glanced up and saw Luke. “Is that your daughter?” He chuckled, nudging the other man.

A mixture of heated anger and cold dread filled Luke. He spun around and walked away. It was a challenge not to run, but he would draw more attention that way.

He ducked into a fast food restaurant and went into the bathroom. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. Even turning sideways and peering at his chest, he thought he was passing. How had the arena owner thought he was a girl?

His face. He leaned in closer to the mirror and ran a hand over his smooth cheek. It must have been his face. He had to find a doctor to prescribe hormones.

But even if he found a doctor, he couldn’t afford the medication. His first priority had to be a job.