Flamer

Aiden explains how much he likes archery despite being terrible at it and remembers his confirmation. He took the confirmation very seriously and chose St. Sebastian as his confirmation name because St. Sebastian’s symbol was an arrow. Aiden hoped he would feel the Holy Spirit descend on him to make him holy too. However, he felt nothing and was left disappointed.

At orienteering, the same boy that bullied Aiden the day before is giving Ted, the Scout leader who is running the class, a hard time and uses another anti-gay slur. Ted calls him out and makes him look bad in front of the class, and Aiden says how much he likes Ted and wishes he could be like him. When the boy turns his attention to Aiden, Aiden has a comeback ready and stands up for himself. He can’t wait to tell Violet in his next letter, along with telling her about the dreams he’s been having.

Later, Aiden declines to join in a volleyball game. He hates sports and remembers all the times he’s messed up and people have gotten mad at him because they’re taking the game too seriously. He gets hit in the head with the ball while sitting on the sidelines.