Protectively, he brings his arm around her shoulders and keeps her close to his side.

"Gonna be honest with you," he sighs. "Once you grow up, you're probably still gonna get called a freak. And probably worse."

He shrugs slightly. "I get called a freak too. And some other things, that aren't very nice. People are...a lot of people are cruel and uncaring. But you will learn to ignore them...learn to harness that emotion that rises up in your chest, and turn it into something good."