The Beginning of Everything

That night, Ezra tells his mother about the tournament in San Diego. When Ezra tells her that Toby is the captain, she lowers her voice and asks if he turned out to be gay. Ezra chokes on his tasteless, “healthy” cookie and ignores the question. Then, seeing an opportunity to spend some quality time shopping with her son, she points out that Ezra will need a suit for the tournament. Ezra quickly says that he’ll go shopping with Toby, to which his mother replies, “That’s a great idea. […] Gay boys have such wonderful taste in clothes!” (118).

Ezra finds a suit with help from Cassidy and Toby, after which the three of them study at a café, something Ezra has never done before. After they get their work done, they decide to eat at In-N-Out Burger. As they are chatting about the supposed secret menu and other fast food mysteries, Toby notices that their classmate Justin works there. Ezra hears Charlotte’s distinctive laughter at the same time as Toby spots her sitting with Evan and Jimmy in the best corner booth. Toby, Ezra, and Cassidy huddle, trying to figure out how to get and eat their food without being noticed by the other group.