"Still kind of a crappy thing for him to do," he said, making a face. Thomas could understand not loving someone and not wanting to pretend like you did because it really wouldn't be good for anyone in the long run. Feelings would inevitably be hurt and you'd probably lose out on other amazing experiences because you thought you'd found the person you wanted to be with.

"The last thing I remember about my parents is that my dad was sick," he said, rubbing the side of his neck thoughtfully. "A lot of people in my world were and he was just unlucky. It made him angry and mean. I try to convince myself that he wasn't really like that and it was just the disease making him say those things."