“There’s nothing wrong with it,” Tim backpedaled. “I just don’t want people thinking I'm gay, when I’m not.”

It took every ounce of Ben’s willpower to keep his face straight in light of this statement. “Okay,” he said. “Not a big deal.”

In reality it was a big deal, but he could handle it. If having Tim meant doing everything gay with him but calling it straight, why not? He could just play it off as some sort of kinky role-playing game. Unless of course, Tim intended that this never happened again. As cliché as the question was, Ben couldn’t help but ask, “So are you going to call me?”

“Yeah, totally!” Tim answered enthusiastically. “We’re buds.” The way he stated this was friendly, but there was a hint of a silent ‘only’ there in the middle.

“Cool,” Ben replied. “I’m off, then. Good luck with your parents when they get here.”

“Good luck with yours! I hope you won’t be in too much trouble.” Tim reached out and mussed Ben’s hair as if he were sending his kid off to school.

Ben left the house with a smile on his face. His future with Tim was uncertain, he was facing the reaming of his life from his parents, and he was forbidden to see his best friend, and yet Ben had never been happier.

__________

Chapter 9

The school gymnasium, forever marred by shoe scuffs and perfumed with sweat, was lined on one side by a long hallway. This led either to the locker rooms or into the gymnasium itself if you pushed open the two swinging doors set with small windows. These allowed Ben to peer through and see that volleyball was being played today. Not one of his favorite sports, but not as bad as some of the others. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to enter, even though first period had started twenty minutes ago.

Ben had chosen to skate to school instead of taking the bus and had arrived late, despite his intention of attending all of his classes, as he had promised his mother yesterday. When he had arrived home on Sunday, he thought he would be greeted with screams and punishments. Instead things were unsettlingly calm. His father had been the first to see him, pulling a comical “look out!” face that warned his wife wasn’t too pleased with their son.

Except his mother hadn’t been all that angry. She met Ben in his bedroom, sat down, and very carefully said, “You are getting to an age where we can’t control you anymore. In less than two years you will be living on your own. I hope you will be going to college. If you chose to do so, we will help support you. If not, then you are on your own. Until then, you will go to all of your classes and you won’t drink or do drugs in this household.”

That was it. He wasn’t even grounded anymore. His parents had set him free by giving him adult status. Ben had almost felt sad after it had happened, like he was being forced to grow up. He quickly moved past those feelings, though. No longer would he have to deal with curfews or tell them who he was staying with. The new arrangement was ideal for him, which was why he felt horrible that he was breaking his promise already.

He hated P.E. There was nothing redeeming about it, and it would never contribute to his health or success later in life. If anything, facing the abuse of the coaches and his peers threatened to make him jaded and mistrustful of the human race. Why should he waste an hour every day in a class that made him feel useless and incompetent? He refused to subject himself to that, no matter the consequences.

Ben stayed in the hallway, feeling it was a safe place to hide, until the bell rang. Students with flushed faces swarmed out of the locker room. He let them pass without making eye contact, waiting for someone to ask where he had been. It didn’t happen until one of the very last people stepped into the hall.

“Ben, my man!” Leon called out happily. “Where have you been? I haven’t seen you since my wisdom teeth were yanked.”

“I’ve been skipping a lot of classes lately,” Ben confided. “Have the coaches said anything about it?”

“Those clueless goons? Of course not. They’re too busy reliving their glory years with the second-rate jocks who didn’t make the football team.”

Ben laughed in relief. “I wonder how long I can get away with this.”

“I don’t know man, but you’ve got the right idea. Tell you what, if the coaches ever notice you missing, I’ll try to cover for you.”

“Thanks. I owe you one.”

Leon clapped Ben on the shoulder. “Hey, I hear your best friend is dating my best friend.”

“Ronnie Adams?” Ben asked. “I didn’t know you guys were friends.”

“Yeah, Ebony and Ivory. That’s our band. Ronnie’s on guitar and I’m on bass. You should come by with Allison sometime, smoke a j and sing. I crooned out a few tunes with your girl already, but I’d love to hear what a real pair of singers can do.”

“Yeah, all right. Sounds fun. Thanks again for covering for me.”

“No problem my man!”

Ben hurried to English class with a weight lifted off his chest. Despite the potential ramifications with his parents, he felt glad not having to worry about showing up for first period anymore. He would have to find something to do, though, now that Tim wasn’t accessible. He kept his eyes peeled on the way to class, not certain if Tim would be in school today or not.

In English they had a test, which meant an unwilling competition with Daniel Wigmore, who finished early and spent the remaining time gawking at Ben while mentally timing how long it was taking him to finish.

In Spanish class a few of the kids had come up with a broken Spanish sentence that referred to him as a fat and ugly mariposa. This irritated Ben more because of its stupidity rather than its offensiveness. He might be a mariposa, but there wasn’t an ounce of fat on him and he certainly wasn’t ugly when compared to the perpetually awkward idiots who were trying to get a rise out of him.

Lunch was a singularly trying experience too, since he had so much he wanted to tell Allison, but couldn’t without other students overhearing. Keeping things under wraps was crucial if he wanted to have future fun with Tim, and that was one promise Ben was determined to keep. Luckily there was choir, providing them with uninterrupted free time.

Allison was the ideal audience as he spilled the details, gasping and exclaiming at all the juicy parts and asking all the right follow-up questions. Reliving the details with her triggered a longing inside of Ben. He wanted to see Tim again or at least call him, but part of him was reluctant. What had happened between them had been intense, and now Ben felt it prudent to back off a little. He didn’t want to scare Tim off. Plus, it would feel extra satisfying if Tim made the first move.

Making the transition back to sixth period wasn’t the struggle that first period had been since Ben genuinely liked Ms. Hughes, even though he wasn’t looking forward to explaining why he’d been skipping. He searched his mind for a believable excuse during class, and she kept her eye on him as if he would raise his hand and confess at any moment. By the end of the period, Ben was considering slipping out with the rest of the students when she asked him to stay behind at the last moment.

“Well?” she asked, sitting on the corner of her desk.

Ben took a deep breath. He’d already been caught by his parents, so that wasn’t a worry, but he could still get in trouble with the school. Then again he didn’t have a good story prepared.

“There’s this guy,” he began. “Tim Wyman.”

Ms. Hughes nodded. “I have him in my second period. He thinks he’s Tom Cruise.”

Ben laughed and nodded before all the details came pouring out of him. All of it. Even his parents didn’t know about Tim’s parents being out of town or the ankle injury. Ben was also open with his feelings, hesitating only when he reached the part where they slept together.