"I'm sure they would," Jamie said quietly. He looked up again, a strange expression on his face. He wasn't sure where the confidence was coming from as he continued, "But what if I said I'm more like the rest of my housemates than I let on? That I don't much care what other people think?"
In truth, he didn't, at the end of the day. It was hard sometimes not to be popular and have lots of friends or be athletic, but he dealt with it. There were consolation prizes for being smart and even a little naive about the world, some days. It meant he got to keep his optimism, even when others were screaming apocalypse and Armageddon. He felt silly, at points, for talking too much, but it was part of what made the friends he had his friends at all. Caring what other people thought too often led to a hurtful, negative self-image and he got enough of that from his father and half-brother.
Sitting here, talking to Theodore about such things was making him think and he liked thinking. He liked being helpful, and so far it didn't seem like he was doing such a great job of that.
People could judge him all they liked, but if Theodore wasn't interested in facing that, Jamie couldn't force him to.
"My offer, if you want to call it that, stands regardless. If it makes you feel better to touch me and you do want to be friends, I'm up for it."
Never let it be said that Jamie Chambers wasn't giving, even if what he gave wasn't material.