Sebastian rolled his eyes at "We're 17" but didn't argue it, which left Gene feeling a little awkward. He'd gotten so used to summer already-- his London friends would have jumped on that. Gene wasn't looking for a fight or anything but he was a lot more comfortable arguing than doing anything else.
"You're embarrassed to be seen with me?" Sebastian assumed, catching up to Gene in no time at all. Gene, who was indeed embarrassed to be seen with him, had been trying not to make that obvious: getting called on it threw him off balance a little.
He wasn't going to admit that, though. "Just don't want to have to think up a story," he said. This was barely even a lie. He had already spun his web of lies for his London friends and he was loath to disrupt it. But also, he was embarrassed to be seen with Sebastian. He was wearing pink trousers and definitely too attractive to be friends with Gene.
"But if we run into anybody I know," he added, just in case, "You're from my school, it's in Scotland, it's called St. Matthew's, we get access to telephones once a month, and it isn't Jewish."
He hated telling people about the lies he kept going. Sometimes Henry thought they were a little funny-- which, sometimes, they were-- but it still made him sick with guilt. Even this lie, which he legally had to tell, since his friends were Muggles.
"What are your plans after we graduate?” asked Sebastian. "Obviously you saw what I plan to do; only I hope to get a modeling contract with a wizarding magazine and not a Muggle one."
Gene had not realized that modeling was, for Sebastian, a serious career choice. Although it made sense. All the same, Gene couldn't make himself believe that it was particularly worthwhile to get a job being photographed. Probably it was easier to imagine yourself modeling if you weren't scrawny and squinty.
"Really don’t want to end up working with my parents,” added Sebastian. Gene coughed uncomfortably; he had always considered teenager-parent relationships very personal. For sure he never complained about his parents. Not even to Henry, who was his best friend and the only person he would complain about his parents to, if he did. Absolutely not Sebastian.
"I dunno," he said in answer. "I was thinking about maybe law school, but I have no idea if I'm really good enough for it. You have to be really smart." And, you know, it helped to not be a fidgety liar.
"I'd just like to do something good for people who need the help, I just don't know how. And-- y'know, lawyers argue a lot. And so do I."
This was more than he'd planned to share; he glanced sideways at Sebastian again and added "So... you want to go into modeling professionally?"
