Page 52 of Something Like Summer
They took second place inthe talent show. First place was stolen away by the cheerleaders.The male students made sure they got the audience vote, and most ofthe teachers bought into the school spirit. Both Ben and Allisonwere happy they had at least beaten the Super Fartio Brothers. Theygraciously accepted their $50 gift certificates to a local mall andused them that weekend to buy summer clothes.
Prom followed a week later.Allison went with Ronnie, and Ben wasn’t the least surprised whenshe told him that Tim was there with Krista Norman. He tried not tolet it get to him. After all, he’d had his own date that night.While he didn’t go to the actual prom, he and Evan from work hadgone out to dinner. It wasn’t until Evan dropped him off at homeand clumsily kissed Ben that it officially became adate.
Ben had mixed feelingsabout this. Evan was attractive and fun to be around, even thoughhe was a little on the feminine side. Had Ben met him a year ago,he probably would have pursued him with enthusiasm. Now he foundhis thoughts kept turning to Tim every time he and Evan weretogether. When they held hands at the movies on their second date,Ben couldn’t help but compare the feeling of Evan’s hand toTim’s.
He questioned too thewisdom of his choice. Evan was still in the closet, at school andto his parents at least. The only difference was that he acceptedwho he was. This still wasn’t enough for Ben, but as the schoolyear ended, the summer days seemed twice as empty without Tim andBen found himself seeing Evan outside of work moreoften.
In the middle of June, theyslept together for the first time, a stark contrast to what Ben hadknown with Tim. Evan was passive and inexperienced. This wasn’t toomuch of a problem, but the absence of emotion left Ben feeling hewas only going through the motions. Sex still felt good, butwithout love it was little more than assisted masturbation. Hebroke up with Evan the next day. Evan took it well, saying that heknew he was just a rebound. Ben couldn’t have disagreed more. Hehadn’t rebounded from anything. In fact, he now felt he would neverget over Tim.
Ben quit his job atZounders the next week and left without saying goodbye to Evan. Afew weeks later he found a new job at a little frozen yogurt storein the same strip mall. The tediously simple work left him free tothink, for better or worse. On the good days Allison came to keephim company. The worst days were when it rained and demand for acool treat was minimal. On these days Ben would often leave work,closing up the shop hours earlier than he was supposedto.
On one such day the rainceased just as he was locking the door. He decided to leave anywayand to walk home along the winding bike paths. He enjoyed catchingglimpses into various backyards, imagining the lives that ran theircourses inside the homes and creating different family histories inhis mind. He was in the midst of one such daydream when he wasrudely awakened by a familiar voice.
“Well, well. If it isn’tthe village faggot!”
Ben looked up at theapproaching figure of Bryce Hunter. He was flanked by two others.One was a spiky-haired guy Ben had never seen before. His heartsank when he saw the other was Tim.
“What are you doing outhere?” Bryce taunted, blocking his way as Ben tried to pass.“Looking for some cock to suck?”
“You’ll have to pull yourskanky girlfriend off of the football team if you want that,” Benretorted. “I’m definitely not interested.”
Bryce grabbed Ben by theembarrassing green polo shirt that he was required to wear to work.“What did you say?” He yanked Ben closer with an audible tearingnoise.
“Leave him alone,” Timsaid, pushing past the other guy.
“He called my girlfriend aslut!” Bryce said, not taking his attention off hisvictim.
“Technically I said shewas skanky,” Ben corrected, angry at being exposed to such anignorant primate when he wasn’t in school. “She’s also a brain-deadsnob, but I guess that’s your common bond, isn’t it?”
Bryce released Ben andcocked his arm back, the fat slab of his fist ready to make contactwith Ben’s face. Before it could, Tim was between them, pushingBryce away and restraining him.
“What the fuck?” Brycedemanded.
“Forget him,” Tim said.“Let’s just go.”
Tim was strong, but Brycewas built like an ox. He had no trouble in pushing Tim away, hisfury at being denied making him twice as dangerous. His fistcracked across Ben’s face, sending him tumbling to the ground likea rag doll.
Lights flashed before Ben’seyes as he reeled from the blow and tried to escape any thatfollowed. He managed to prop himself up on his elbows beforedizziness caused him to slump back down. He took a couple of deepbreaths, surprised that he wasn’t being kicked while he was down,and managed to roll over and push up onto his knees.
The sound of a struggleerupted behind him. He glanced backward, and saw Tim and Brycepunching each other. Tim’s nose was dripping blood, but he washolding up well against the mammoth he was facing. He took a coupleof punches to his right eye before felling Bryce with a swingingblow to the temple. As the giant groaned and hit the ground, Timpounced on him like a tiger.
“Get off my cousin!”yelled the spiky-haired guy as he headed meaningfully for Tim. Timwouldn’t see it coming though, not with his back to the oncomingaggressor.
Ben’s mind focused. He wason his feet within seconds and running toward Bryce’s cousin. Benploughed into his side, making the cousin trip, but he recoveredand with surprising speed turned to elbow Ben in the face, knockinghim down again.
Ben wasn’t as dazed thistime. He looked up to find a crotch directly in front of him andpunched it with his fist, managing to land two hits before theother guy stumbled backwards. Ben capitalized on his temporaryadvantage, punching, kicking, screaming, all in a wild violent bluruntil his adrenaline receded like the tide, and he found himselfand Tim standing over two groaning, balled-up forms.
“Run,” Tim said when itbecame clear that Bryce intended to get up again.
They took off down thepath, heading instinctively toward their homes. As they neared, Benwas surprised that Tim led them not to his own house, but to theBentley’s. They stood in the driveway, panting to catch theirbreath between bursts of laughter. Both of them looked terrible,faces covered in blood with swollen red blotches that promised ofbruises to come.
“Thanks,” Ben gasped whenhe could talk again.
“You and your big mouth,”Tim said with a grin, shaking his head.
For the briefest moment,everything was good again, as if nothing had ever gone wrongbetween them. “Do you want to come inside?” Ben asked.
Tim started to nod, hiseyes smiling in acquiesce before something clicked. His face becamesomber, eyes distant. “Goodbye, Benjamin.”
