>Be Evan.

>Be the day before Jason leaves for his first deployment.

>Evan approaches him in his room.

>Jason is sitting on his bed, clicking on his laptop, chilling.

>What is it?

>Just wanted to, you know, hang out a bit, since you're going to be gone for months.

>It'll go by quick. I can't wait to get out of here.

>Evan takes a seat at Jason's desk.

>What you up to?

>I'm researching this rifle I'd like to buy, Jason says, and turns the laptop to show him.

>Ah.

>Evan is thinking about something else to ask Jason, but then Jason speaks first.

> I feel like this is the only way I can make a difference in the world. I want things to be better, I want people to not be ruled by money, and everyone respects veterans. I just don't want to be average. I'd rather be dead than average, honestly.

>You want to run for office or something?

>No, not really, but I want people to listen to what I have to say. I want to matter. I don't want to be some nobody from a shit lower-class white neighborhood in suburban Michigan.

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>Do you ever worry about, you know, getting killed?

>Jason shook his head.

>I doubt I'll see any actual combat. Not my unit.

>Are you worried how Mom and Dad would be if you did get killed?

>Not really. I'm kind of done with them. They're idiots.

>Evan started.

>Uh, what? They're idiots?

>I mean, I love them. I do. They're good people, and they love me. But the way I look at it, if it did end up going that way, they kind of deserve to lose me for getting it so incredibly wrong.

>What the fuck? They deserve to lose you? What did they get wrong?

>It's not so much you and Maddie, but, I mean, come on, Evan. They had no fucking idea what they were doing when they raised me. They tried too hard. It didn't work out. They did better on you and especially Maddie, but that's just cause with age comes wisdom and the best way to learn is to learn from your mistakes.

>Evan doesn't know what to say to that.

>It's only like a two year difference between you and me...

>Two years is a long time when you're a baby.

>Jason ranted.

>They should have raised us to be self-sufficient, and I mean, clearly, they didn't. It was always, 'Never worry about it, we'll take care of it,' over and over and fucking over. And now we're adults and we can't do shit because we settled into that and thought it was normal. Cause we're not out living on our own, we're not successful, and, I mean, Christ, I'm only a couple of years away from being the same age they were when they had me.

>It's a different time now, says Evan.

>He knows it's a dry and lifeless excuse, but there's truth to it.

>Can't tell them that. They've always been right. They're never going to treat us like adults. And I don't mean in a cute, you'll-always-be-my-baby way, I mean they're always going to be talking down to us, long after it's necessary and long after we turn into the ones who know better. They don't get it.

>Jason closes his laptop.

>But I do love them. That I'm not gonna lie about. I do love them. I just need to be away from them and away from this house and away from this town for awhile. I'm sure when I get back I'll be in a better state.