Page 14 of Something Like Summer
Tim’s grin was cocky. “Whenyou put it like that, I do have it good, but I still get crap fromother people. Miss a catch or don’t make it to base and your teamturns on you, especially if you lose the game.”
Ben made sure he didn’tlook convinced.
“Well, all right, howabout this then?” The smile dropped from Tim’s face. “At my lastschool my ex-girlfriend went around telling everyone that I rapedher, just because I dumped her. I had every girl in the schoolcoming up to me and saying the craziest shit. A few even tried toknee me. It was insane.”
“Whathappened?”
“What do you mean? Nothinghappened. It was her word against mine, but she didn’t take it tothe police or anything because she knew the truth. It blew overafter a while, but people never treated me the same afterwards. Youdon’t know how glad I am to have a fresh start.”
“The idea soundsappealing,” Ben admitted.
“Would you still come out?If you moved to the other side of the country where no one knew,would you come out again?”
“Yeah,” Ben answeredimmediately. “Are you kidding me? What would I do otherwise?Pretend I’m into girls and start sleeping with them?”
Tim only shrugged inresponse.
“I’d definitely come outagain. It’s the only chance I have at meeting someone else who isgay. It pays to advertise. That’s the theory at least.”
“No luck in the romancedepartment?” Tim asked with an amused expression.
“Not really. Not love atleast.”
A garish cuckoo clock cameto life, the little bird popping out and returning to its littlehome seven times.
“Jesus, I should gethome.” Ben hurried to leave, pulling a shoe onto the wrong footbefore realizing it and reaching for the other. “Are you going tobe all right? There’s drinks and stuff in the fridge and leftoverpizza on the counter. Should I bring it in?”
“Naw, I canmanage.”
“I thought I’d come by inthe morning to make breakfast and check on you, and then again inthe afternoon?” Ben didn’t mean to phrase it as a question. Hewanted to say it like it was the obvious thing to do.
“Yeah?” Tim answered withhis own inquiry. “You’d do that for me?”
“That and a hell of a lotmore.” The words were out of his mouth before his brain could stopthem. The only damage control he could do was a nervously littlelaugh, which probably made him sound twice as crazy. “Uh, so seeyou tomorrow then,” he said before he made a mad dash for thedoor.
* * * * *
The pancakes were the rightshape--round and flat. They were also spongy like they should be.Only the color was off. The first few out of the pan were an albinoversion of the normal brown variety. The next three were almostblack. Ben had no idea what he had done wrong.
He had read and reread thesimple instructions in his mom’s Betty Crocker cookbook three orfour times and had even written down the basics, but these didn’tlook right at all. He shoveled the last pancake onto the plate withthe others and poured a generous amount of syrup over them toconceal their inadequacies.
If Tim noticed that theyweren’t quite right, he didn’t let on. It may have helped that hehad taken a painkiller when Ben had shown up half an hour ago. Hiseyes had a certain glazed look about them when Ben presented hiscreation. Within five minutes the entire plate had been cleared andlicked clean.
“A guy could get used tothis,” Tim said appreciatively as Ben carried the plate back to thekitchen.
Next up was Tim’s requestfor a bath. This idea had already been the subject of more than oneof Ben’s fantasies the last few days. In them he had to assist hispoor, helpless invalid out of his clothing, place him in thebathtub, and sponge clean every delicious nook and cranny of hisbody. This, of course, would lead to an involuntary physicalreaction on Tim’s part, one so intense that he’d beg Ben forrelief.
The reality wasn’t anywherenear as exciting. Ben was asked to run the bath before he left forschool, Tim insisting that he could manage the rest on his own. Ifthis was true then it was also clear that Tim could have turned thefaucet on by himself, but Ben let it slide. The more indispensablehe became the better.
As the tub filled and thebubble bath frothed, Ben thought of how he was supposed to be inP.E. this very moment. He felt deliriously happy about missing it,but he still had to make it back to school in time for roll call inEnglish class. Even though he had awakened early to have extratime, he already needed to leave if he wanted to makeit.
“Bath’s ready!” he yelledas he headed for the door. “See you later today!”
“Don’t take my car!” Timshouted back.
“What?” Ben respondedbefore shutting the front door and getting in the sportscar.
Ben felt conspicuous beingthe only person walking across the parking lot when he arrived, buthe wasn’t stopped and figured it wouldn’t matter if he was. Whatwere they going to do, punish him for showing up? He felt lessconfident when he entered the school and found the hallways empty.Having just heard the bell, he had assumed that first period justended. Now it was clear that second period had begun. He washuffing and puffing by the time he reached his Englishclass.
