School had been something of a necessary evil. Kids were jerks wherever you went, Gavin knew that, and college had been better than high school. The people there had been more accepting, at least. That first few weeks, when he finally knew what freedom tasted like, had been wonderful and Gavin had tried to hold onto that feeling as long as he could. He could do his own thing, he didn't have to return home to his whore of a mother, and he could take care of Langston, too. It was a lot of responsibility, but he'd been ready. He also understood that not many people could have done what he did at 18. He still lived in the same town he'd grown up in; some of those old prejudices were still there. Gavin was just better at ignoring them now.
"Both of us should have been," Gavin admitted, "so it's all right." He followed the other man's gaze, noticing that he was staring at Gavin's camera. Not that Gavin could blame him. It wasn't like it was a camera just anyone had laying around their house, but one of his professional ones, small enough where he didn't need to carry around his pack and all of his lenses, but produced quality photos. "Are you a photographer too?" he asked instead, holding up the camera to show him.