Page 57 of Hello Forever
I shrieked atthepain.
“Shut it, cocksucker.” My assailant had a voice full ofgravel.
I knew that voice. But there was no time to think about it. I writhed away from the sound of him, curling in on myself. Once again, I tried to roll to a vertical position. But a knee came out and connected with mytemple.
“Think you can threaten me?” the voice said from somewhere in the wavering distance. “Stupid faggot. Get the fuck away frommyson.”
A foot connected with my eye socket, and there was moreblindingpain.
The last thing I remembered was my head bouncing off thehardpack.
Thennothing.
* * *
The next timeI came to consciousness, I was burning hot. Especially one side ofmyface.
Weird.
My phone was ringing, too. I knew it was my phone, because the ring tone was “We Will Rock You” by Queen. But I really just wanted the noisetostop.
“Oh my God,” somebody said. Someone familiar. “Oh myGod.Axel?”
Hands landed on me, and I flinched.Everythinghurt.
“Oh, no. Oh my God.” The voice belongedtoJosh.
We willROCKYOU!
Josh made the phone’s noise stop. “Hello?” he said, his voice anxious. “Who’s this? Boz! Axel is hurt. Someone… Someone hurt him, I think. We’re outside… You know where College Park is? There’s a path into the woods behind the swing sets. What? Okay—you’re right. I’m calling themrightnow.”
Then he was speaking to me again. “Axel, I have to call 911. Hangwithme.”
I thought I saw a flash of blue light, probably made by my phone. For a moment, the only sound was Josh’s heavy breathing. He sounded panicked, but I wasn’t quite sure why. “Yes, this is an emergency,” I heardhimsay.
After that, I stopped listening. There was onlyblackness.
ChapterNineteen
Cax
Iwas lyingin my bed at ten o’clock sharp, wearing only boxers. Hadn’t Axel said he’d call me? Was I supposed tocallhim?
It was dawning on me that for the first time in my adult life, I might get the chance to be in a real relationship. And that I had no earthly idea how to beinone.
Call?Orwait?
I’d give it five more minutes. Lying on my bed, I tried to think about the Bull’s season. But really, I could only think of Axel. SexwithAxel…
My phone rang and I snatched it up happily. “Hello?Axel?”
“Cax? It’s Gil.Who’sAxel?”
It took me a second to get over my disappointment, which was ridiculous. Gil, my college roommate, was one of my favorite people. And I hadn’t talked to him in quite a while. “Hey! Sorry. I totally owe youacall.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, you totally do. How’s the grad-student thinggoing?”
“Pretty good,” I said. But that was just the easy answer, and maybe I needed to stop ducking questions from all the people in my life who were good to me. “Actually, it’s been a tricky year so far. Plenty of good stuff, but sometrouble,too.”
