Okay so the main thing is I didn’t show it to him. That should be clear.

We got the internet late for people I knew and it was regarded with suspicion by Mom & Dad, who kept it in the mudroom, which had its own locking door. But over Christmas that first year it was moved into the living room facing the tree. I had been using this message board for Animorphs and then emailing with this very convincing kid about them and yo-yos. “DrManatee” because I loved and hated this special about them being killed by outboard motors — and I used to search pictures of them (a reliable gradient of pale blue to grey to moss-brown shadowed bellies) and then go watch TV in the other room to watch TV while they loaded, a lot of Frasier reruns on Four before it was Omni. Can’t remember his name. So eventually I got an email that was mostly swearing about my body and how yo-yos might make it feel and I was young enough that the swearing freaked me out more than anything. I asked why. He said his older brother had got on his email. I showed my parents and that was really the end of the internet in the living room for me.