Chapter 11 #3
Marcus practically bounced over to Alex. “Dude, can I get your number? Or like, your Instagram or SnapChat or something?”
“Yeah!” Alex pulled out his phone, and they quickly exchanged information. “Hit me up anytime. And seriously, come to Camp Pride next summer. It’s amazing.”
Marcus grinned. “I’m definitely gonna try.”
They hugged—quick, enthusiastic—and then Marcus moved to the adults. “This was so cool. Like, so cool. Can I come to Camp Pride?”
“Absolutely,” Joshua said. “We’d love to have you. Does Kyle have your email address? Be sure he does and we’ll send some Camp Pride flyers his way when the time comes.”
Marcus grinned and hugged everyone in rapid succession—quick, enthusiastic hugs that made Nate laugh.
Jamie paused at the table where Alex was gathering his things. “You’re all right,” Jamie said, hands shoved in his hoodie pocket.
“You too,” Alex said.
Jamie nodded, then moved to the door. He looked back at the group of adults. For a second, Colin thought he might leave without saying anything. But then Jamie pulled out his phone, held it up, and said, “I’m keeping Kyle’s number. And yours.” He nodded at Colin.
“Good,” Colin said. “Use it if you need it.”
Jamie gave a two-fingered salute and walked out.
Emilio stopped at Alex’s side. “Hey. That stuff you said yesterday? About your friend? That... that helped. Thanks.”
“Yeah, man. Anytime.” Alex looked up at him. “And seriously—talk to your coach. It’s gonna be okay.”
Emilio nodded. “I will.”
They bumped fists, and then Emilio moved to the adults. He stopped in front of Joshua first. “I’m gonna talk to Coach tonight. Its already set up.”
“Good man,” Joshua said, gripping his shoulder. “And remember—you can call Kyle if you need backup.”
Emilio nodded, then turned to Colin. He hesitated, then extended his hand. Colin shook it, and Emilio’s grip was firm, steady.
“Thanks,” Emilio said.
“Anytime.”
Emma was the very last. She stood near the table, clutching her notebook and her collage, looking at Alex.
Alex stood up. “Hey, Emma.”
She didn’t say anything for a moment. Then, quietly: “Thank you for being here. It made it... easier.”
“I’m glad,” Alex said. He smiled. “And seriously—keep drawing. That collage you made? It’s really beautiful.”
Emma’s cheeks flushed. She nodded, then—to Alex’s surprise—stepped forward and hugged him.
Alex hugged her back. “You’re gonna be okay,” he whispered.
Emma nodded against his shoulder, then pulled back and moved toward the adults.
She hugged Nate first—a quick, tight hug that made Nate’s eyes burn with sudden tears. “Keep making art, Emma,” he whispered. “It’s important.”
She hugged Joshua next. “Thank you for listening.”
“Thank you for being brave enough to share,” Joshua said.
Then she turned to Colin.
She didn’t say anything. She just stepped into his arms and held on.
Colin felt his throat close up. He hugged her back, careful not to hold too tight, and whispered, “You’re going to be okay. I promise.”
When she pulled back, her eyes were wet, but she was smiling.
“Thank you,” she said.
And then she was gone, walking down the hallway with her parents, her notebook held close to her chest.
The door swung shut.
The room was suddenly very quiet.
Alex stood at the table, staring at the closed door, his hands shoved in his pockets.
Colin could see it on his face—the weight of saying goodbye to kids he’d just connected with. Kids who understood what he’d been through because they were going through it too.
Joshua’s hand found Colin’s. “You okay?”
Colin nodded. “Yeah. I––I think so.”
Nate wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “God, that was... that was a lot.”
“Yeah,” Kyle said quietly. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, looking a little shell-shocked. “That was... I’ve never seen anything like that.”
“You did good, Kyle,” Joshua said. “You made this possible. And you’ll help it grow after we’re gone.”
Kyle shook his head. “I will, Josh. But, you guys made it work. I just... I just opened the door.”
“That’s more than most people do,” Colin said.
There was a sound from the hallway—footsteps, voices. Colin turned.
Sharon and Paul appeared in the doorway.
Alex’s face was carefully neutral, but Colin could see the tightness around his eyes. He didn’t want to leave.
Sharon looked apologetic. “Honey, we need to hit the road. It’s a long drive back.”
Alex walked slowly toward them, hands shoved in his pockets. He looked back at the empty chairs, the leftover supplies on the table, the remnants of the weekend scattered around the space.
“I don’t want to go,” he said quietly.
Sharon stepped closer. “Honey, we really do need to leave. It’ll be dark soon.”
Alex nodded, but he didn’t move. “I know they’re gone,” he said quietly. “But I wish... I wish I could’ve stayed longer. Helped more.”
Colin walked over and put a hand on his shoulder. “You helped plenty, kid. Those kids needed to see someone like you—someone who’s been through it and came out the other side. You gave them hope.”
“But what if Emma needs something? Or Emilio? Or—”
“That’s why Kyle’s here,” Joshua said gently. “He’s their person now. And we gave Emma’s parents the tools they need. You did your part, Alex.”
Alex nodded, but his eyes were still wet. “I just... I got to know them. And now I have to leave.”
“That’s the hard part of this work,” Colin said. “You connect with people, and then you have to move on. But that doesn’t mean the connection wasn’t real. It doesn’t mean it didn’t matter. And, hey! There’s always Instagram! Snapchat! TikTok!”
Paul cleared his throat. “Come on, son.”
Alex took a breath, steadied himself, then went around the room quickly—hugging Trent, Nate, Kyle, Joshua, and finally Colin.
“See you in a few days,” Colin said. “Last couple stops, remember? You’ll be back with us before you know it.”
Alex managed a smile. “Yeah. Okay.”
“And we’ll tell you everything that happens with Emma,” Joshua added. “I promise.”
“Okay.” Alex wiped his eyes. “Thanks, guys.” He gave one last look at the room—at the leftover supplies, the empty chairs, the space where so much had happened in just two days—and then walked out with his parents.
The door closed behind them.
“That kid’s got a big heart,” Kyle said quietly.
“Yeah,” Colin said. “He really does.”
After Alex left, the team stood in the quiet room for a long moment.
Finally, Trent broke the silence. “I vote we find a motel. A real one. With an actual bed and hot showers. The level of ‘done’ I am with sleeping bags on floors simply cannot be measured.”
“Seconded,” Nate said immediately.
Kyle laughed. “Can’t say I blame you. There’s a Holiday Inn about ten minutes down the road. Nothing fancy, but it’s clean.”
“Sold,” Colin said.
“Yeah,” Joshua added. “I confess that the whole sleeping bag thing was a flawed decision. It’s motels from this point forward.”
They spent the next hour packing up supplies, cleaning the community center, and loading everything back onto the bus. Kyle helped them carry boxes, offering commentary and terrible jokes that somehow made the work feel lighter.
When they were done, Kyle walked them back to the parking lot. The sun was starting to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink.
“Well,” Kyle said, shoving a hand into his pocket. “This was... something.”
“It was,” Joshua agreed. “Thank you. For everything. For organizing this, for being there, for caring about these kids.”
Kyle shook his head, the Outreach Playbook still tucked under his arm.
He lifted it slightly. “I should be thanking you. You gave those kids something I couldn’t—hope.
Proof that it gets better. That there’s a community out there waiting for them.
” He glanced down at the binder. “And this… this is going to help me keep it going. The questions, the guides, the way you broke it all down—it gives me something solid to build from.”
“You’re part of that community,” Colin said. “And you’re going to be the one who keeps it all alive. That matters more than you know.”
Kyle’s eyes went bright. “Yeah. Well, thanks, Josh. This will be a tremendous help.” He cleared his throat. “You guys are welcome back anytime. Seriously. Next year, if you do this again—call me.”
“We will,” Joshua promised.
They shook hands, exchanged more thanks, and then climbed onto the bus.
As Trent started the engine, Colin looked back at the community center. Kyle was standing on the steps, watching them go, one hand raised in a wave.
Colin waved back.
And then they were pulling out of the parking lot, leaving Farmville behind.
The Holiday Inn was exactly as advertised—nothing fancy, but clean. They checked into three rooms: one for Trent, one for Nate, and one for Colin and Joshua.
“Team dinner later on?” Nate suggested as they stood in the hallway with their room keys.
“Yeah,” Colin said. “There’s a diner across the street. Meet in the lobby at seven?”
Everyone agreed and disappeared into their rooms.
Colin and Joshua’s room was small but comfortable—two double beds, a TV mounted on the wall, a bathroom that actually had decent water pressure. Colin dropped his duffel on the floor and collapsed onto the bed closest to the window.
Joshua kicked off his shoes and stretched out on the other bed. “God, that’s better.”
“Yeah,” Colin said.
For a moment, they just lay there in silence, staring at the ceiling.
Then Joshua rolled onto his side, propping his head up on one hand. “So. First stop.”
Colin turned his head to look at him. “First stop.”
“What do you think?”
Colin considered. “I think... it went better than I expected. And worse, in some ways.”
“Worse how?”
“Emma,” Colin said quietly. “Finding out what she’s been going through. Knowing there are probably dozens more kids like her in towns we’ll never get to.”
Joshua nodded. “Yeah. That’s the hard part.”
“I know,” Colin said. “But we helped her. We helped her parents. We gave them tools. That’s got to be enough.”
Joshua nodded in agreement, then added, “You were amazing with them, by the way. The legal stuff, the way you laid it all out—that was exactly what they needed. You kept the high emotion to a minimum, just helped them understand the law of it.” He got up and moved to Colin’s bed, lying down next to him.
Colin shifted to make room, and Joshua curled against his side, head on his shoulder.
“I’m so proud of you,” Joshua said in a low whisper. “I know this weekend was hard. I know it brought up a lot of stuff. But you showed up anyway. You helped those kids. That takes such courage.”
Colin wrapped an arm around him. “I couldn’t do this without you, mo ghrá milis.”
“You probably could,” Joshua said. “But I’m glad you don’t want to.”
Colin pressed a kiss to the top of Joshua’s head. “How do you think the session went? The group stuff?”
“I think it was good,” Joshua said. “Better than good, actually. The kids opened up. They asked real questions. They supported each other. That’s exactly what we wanted.”
“Ben’s going to come out to his parents,” Colin said.
“Yeah. I think so too.”
“I hope it goes okay.”
“Me too,” Joshua said. “But even if it doesn’t, he has Kyle now. He has resources. He’s not alone.”
Colin nodded. “And Emilio’s going to talk to his coach about Connor.”
“That’s huge,” Joshua said. “That kid was carrying so much weight.”
They lay there in comfortable silence for a while, the sounds of the motel filtering in—muffled TV from the next room, footsteps in the hallway, the hum of the air conditioner.
“Do you think we’re actually making a difference?” Colin asked quietly.
Joshua lifted his head to look at him. “Honey, are you serious?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes it feels like we’re just putting band-aids on bullet wounds.”
Joshua sat up, turning to face him fully.
“Colin. Emma hugged you. Ben trusted you enough to ask for help. Emilio opened up about his friend. Those kids showed up—even though they were scared, even though it would’ve been easier to stay home—they showed up.
Because we created a space where they felt safe enough to do that. ”
He cupped Colin’s face. “That’s not a band-aid.
That’s hope. That’s connection! That’s kids realizing they’re not alone.
And yeah, maybe we can’t fix everything.
Maybe there are towns we’ll never reach and kids we’ll never meet.
But the ones we do reach? The ones we do meet?
We’re changing their lives. Don’t doubt that.
” He bolted upright and shook Colin’s arm.
“And it’s not over! Colin, it’s not over!
Kyle’s a good guy. He’s got the playbook and he’ll keep it going.
He told me he’s already setting up another circle chat for next weekend.
We planted a seed that’s already sprouting. ”
Colin felt his throat tighten. “When did you get so wise?”
Joshua smiled. “I married a good man. It rubbed off.”
Colin pulled him down into a kiss—slow, tender, full of everything he couldn’t quite put into words. Joshua melted into it, one hand sliding into Colin’s hair.
When they pulled apart, Joshua rested his forehead against Colin’s. “We’re doing good work, love. Important work. Don’t lose sight of that.”
“I won’t, mo chroí,” Colin whispered. “Not as long as you’re here to remind me.”
“Hour and a half ’til dinner,” Joshua murmured, snuggling close in Colin’s arms.
As they lay curled together, Colin felt the tension in his chest ease.
They’d done it. They’d survived the first stop. And tomorrow, they’d pack up and do it all over again in the next town.
But right now, they could rest.