Rainbow Road (3 page)

Kyle had talked to them about the trip on the evening Jason told him that the school had said yes. His parents had been in bed already, reading, when Kyle tapped softly on the door.

“Hi, honey.” His mom put down her book. “How was work today?”

“Okay.” Kyle shrugged. “Can I, um, talk to you guys about something?”

“Sure.” His dad closed the
Sports Illustrated
he’d been reading. “What’s up?” Kyle told them about Jason’s invitation to L.A., and his mom smiled. “That’s wonderful, honey.” Both she and his dad had come a long way since Kyle had come out to them the previous fal. And they both realy liked Jason—especialy his dad, a huge basketbal fan.

“Yeah, it’s pretty awesome,” Kyle said. “I’d like to—you know—be there with him when he gives his speech, so, um, Nelson came up with an idea.”

“Uh-oh.” Kyle’s dad shook his head, smiling. It had taken him a while to get to like Nelson, especialy after Kyle came out and his dad blamed Nelson for it.

“Be nice.” His mom patted his dad’s arm. “Nelson’s usualy very creative.” She turned to Kyle. “What’s his idea?” Kyle told them about the road trip, using Nelson’s car, and camping on the way.

“But what about your job?” his dad asked, adjusting his glasses.

“They’re okay with it. The manager said he wishes he could go with us.”

Kyle’s dad made a skeptical face. “I guess he hasn’t met Nelson.”

“Stop that.” His mom gave his dad a swat on the arm and turned back to Kyle. “My concern is with you and Jason. This would be a big step for you.”

“Huh?” Kyle sat down on the bed beside her. “What do you mean?”

“Wel, you’ve only been dating a few months, right?”

“Yeah,” Kyle said. He saw his dad pick up his
Sports Illustrated
and begin reading again. Kyle sensed that although his dad wholeheartedly accepted Jason as Kyle’s friend, he felt uncomfortable with the thought of them being boyfriends.

“But we’ve hardly been able to spend any time together this summer,” Kyle told his mom.

“That’s what I mean,” she replied. “Now you’l be spending twenty-four hours a day together. That’s a mighty big step.” Without glancing up from the magazine, his dad asked, “Don’t you need the money you’l give up by not working those days?”

“Life’s not just about money, Dad.”

“I didn’t say it was.”

“Okay, then,” Kyle argued. “I think this is important too.”

His mom laid a hand on Kyle’s knee. “Wel, I think you and Jason wil definitely get to know each other much better by the end of the trip. Just remember every once in a while to take some time apart.”

Time apart?
Didn’t she understand how much he wanted to be with Jason, how much the summer had sucked because they’d hardly had any time together, and how once he left for colege they’d be constantly apart? Sometimes his mom and dad didn’t seem to understand anything.

* * *

Jason arrived on time, and once inside Kyle’s bedroom handed him an envelope.

“What’s this?” Kyle peered inside at a stack of twenties.

“The money from the school. My mom cashed the check for me.” His coffee-colored eyes gazed at Kyle. “I think it’s better if you handle it. You’re the math expert. I’d probably spend it al the first day. I already bought my sister a going-away present with some of it.”

“But
you’re
the one going away.” Kyle laughed. “She should give you the present.”

“See what I mean?” Jason said.

“Okay.” Kyle accepted the envelope. Actualy, it felt good that Jason trusted him with the money, like it made them closer. He leaned forward and kissed Jason, but only for an instant, because he heard Nelson downstairs. Late, of course.

“God, it’s so hot I’m wet—and not in a good way!” As he strode into the room, he kicked off his sandals, displaying emerald-painted toenails.

Kyle was already used to such things, but Jason gaped across the room, with a look somewhere between aversion and fascination.

It was then that Kyle realized he’d never actualy had both his best friend and his boyfriend in his room at the same time. For some reason an image popped into his mind of a boxing ring—with him as referee.

“I checked the mileage on the Web,” Kyle hurriedly said, tossing his dad’s road atlas onto the carpet and plopping down alongside. “It’s about 2,700 miles from D.C. to L.A. If we average eight hours a day, to leave time for sightseeing, at sixty miles an hour, we can get there in six days.”

‘Oh, Kyle.” Nelson sat beside him. “You’re such a math geek.”

“I know.” Kyle continued, “Now, there are three routes we can take. Either 1-64 and 70 this way through Kentucky and Kansas—”

“Woo-hoo, Kansas!” Nelson cheered sarcasticaly. “That sounds thriling.”

“—or this way …” Kyle pointed on the atlas. “Interstates 81 and 40 would take us through Tennessee and by the Grand Canyon.”

“Let’s do that!” Jason said. “We’ve got to see the Grand Canyon.”

“Isn’t Tennessee where Graceland is?” Nelson leaned over the map. “I want to go to Graceland.”

“Yeah, we’ve got to go to Graceland,” Jason agreed, nodding to Nelson.

“And New Orleans,” Nelson told Jason. “We’ve got to do ‘Nawlins.’”

Kyle watched his two friends, relieved they were getting along so easily. Yet he felt an uneasiness he couldn’t quite pinpoint.

“Wil it be Mardi Gras?” Jason asked.

“Oh my God!” Nelson raised his hand and high-fived Jason. “That would be so cool!”

“I hate to tel you,” Kyle interjected. “Mardi Gras is in winter.”

Nelson turned to him. “Kyle, don’t be such a party pooper.”

“Hey, don’t blame me! I’m not the one who schedules Mardi Gras.” His words came out more defensive than he intended. “Okay,” he said more softly. “If we go to New Orleans we can continue on I-10 this way to Carlsbad Caverns.”

“To where?” Jason asked.

“What do you want to go there for?” asked Nelson.

“Because they’re the world’s most amazing caves! I did a paper on them. We’re not just going where you want to go. And we can’t go everywhere, so you have to decide: Do you want to go this way?” He pointed. “Or this way? Or this way?”

Jason studied the map. “Wel, what if we went to Graceland first, then this way to New Orleans?” His finger traced a zigzag across the map. “Then we go to those caverns, then to the Grand Canyon.”

“Fine,” Kyle said. “But I’l have to recalculate how long that would take.” He stood and went to the computer, leaving Jason and Nelson with the map.

“Hey,” Jason asked Nelson in a low voice. “You know where Yelowstone is?”

“I think it’s in Vermont,” Nelson replied.

“It’s in Wyoming!” Kyle corrected. “That’s nowhere near where we’re going.” He continued typing as fast as he could.

“Can we go to San Francisco?” Nelson asked. “We’l already be in California.”

“No! You know how huge California is?”

“Oh, Kyle. You’re so linear.”

“Okay,” Kyle announced. “If we do what you guys want, it’l take nine days just to get there.”

“Does that include the caves?” Jason asked. “Those sound cool.”

Kyle nodded. “The day after your speech in L.A., we’l have to hightail it back in four, so I can get here in time for Princeton. That’s fourteen days altogether.

We’l need to leave next week.”

“Fine by me.” Nelson shrugged. “My boss said I could take two weeks.”

“Okay with me,” Jason agreed. “As long as we have time to see the Pacific.”

“We wil,” Kyle agreed. “We have a plan!”

They continued talking and organizing til midnight, when Nelson offered Jason a ride home. As Kyle watched them strol down the driveway together, his uneasiness from earlier returned. He’d feared having to referee between Nelson and Jason. But what if instead they realy did become—as Nelson had suggested

—“best buds”?

But that’s silly
, he told himself. It could never happen.

Jason opened the passenger door to Nelson’s car but found the seat already occupied by a mini Disney Aladdin dol.

“My first crush as a kid,” Nelson explained. “Yep, I fel in love with a ’toon. Isn’t he dreamy?” Jason picked the figure off the seat, trying to figure out where to put it, and glanced around the car. Rainbow beads dangled from the rearview. A hula girl bobbed atop the dash. Below the radio a sticker read: I CAN’T EVEN DRIVE STRAIGHT.

And the car reeked of cigarettes. Was Nelson planning to smoke during the trip?

As Nelson turned the ignition, the engine shrieked.

“What’s that noise?” Jason asked.

“Beats me.” Nelson backed out of the driveway. “It started last week. I’l get it checked. Don’t worry.” Jason buckled his seat belt. Although he’d enjoyed the time with Nelson at Kyle’s, he now wondered if getting into a car with him was a good idea. How many miles had Kyle said it would be to California?

Jason’s mom had gotten him a mail room job for the summer at the law office where she worked. The job was easy and the supervisor liked Jason, so it was no problem when he asked for time off for the trip.

But before he left, there were a couple of people Jason wanted to tel about the trip and say good-bye to. First and foremost was his coach.

Over the past four years Coach Cameron had become the most influential man in Jason’s life. When Jason tearfuly came out to him, Coach had accepted him, unlike his own dad. And when Jason lost his ful scholarship to Tech because of coming out, Coach had stood by him.

He’d taught Jason about a lot more than basketbal. He’d shown him that what Jason thought were weaknesses could sometimes be his biggest strengths, and what Jason often saw as defeats could turn out to be his greatest triumphs.

After endless phone cals and politicking, Coach had scored Jason a place on a local community colege team that included a ful tuition waiver. It wasn’t Jason’s Division-1 dream school by any means, but it alowed him to stay home and help his mom out with his little sister. Al in al, Jason was grateful. He’d stil be playing bal, he’d be part of a team—and he’d have a place to belong.

Since fal semester would be starting soon, when Jason stopped by Whitman High one day at lunchtime, Coach was already in his office, getting ready.

“Hey, Carrilo. Good to see you. How’s it going? Take a seat.”

Jason sank into the familiar green vinyl chair that faced Coach’s desk and told him about being invited to speak at the L.A. school.

“Huh.” Coach stroked his gray-stubbled chin. “That’s pretty brave of you to stand up in front of strangers like that and talk about something … so personal. It’s a good thing you’re doing. I’m proud of you.”

“Thanks, “Jason said, and told him about the road trip.

“I’m sure that’l be a lot of fun.” Coach gave a little smile.

He was never a big smiler. “But remember to keep up your practice. You been practicing every day? You need to stay in form for next season. Did you already practice today?”

“Um, not yet. Actualy, I’m on lunch break from my job.”

“Wel, come on.” Coach stood up from his desk. “I’l give you a workout to do on the road. You can always find a court somewhere.” Jason folowed him eagerly. The thought of stopping at a court every day to do what he knew best made the thought of traveling to unknown places feel a lot more comfortable.

During the next few minutes Coach led Jason through a series of individual drils. He began with a warm-up of dribbling, bal handling, and then some defensive slides. A series of toss-and-square shooting folowed: straight-up jump shots, crossovers, spins, and step-backs. After each shot Jason was to chase down the rebound and put it back in with a power layup, then jog back out and toss it again.

“Make sure you give the toss plenty of backspin,” Coach said. “So it’l bounce up nice and easy, and you can run onto it just as you’d catch a pass.” Jason nodded and tossed the bal out a few feet in front of him with an upward flick of his wrists. He stepped forward to catch the bal, pivoted, and swished a jump shot.

By the time he returned to work, Jason was embarrassed by how sweaty he was, but fortunately his supervisor didn’t notice. Nevertheless, he stayed in the mail room the rest of the day, memorizing the workout he’d gotten.

The other person Jason wanted to see before leaving was his ex, Debra.

Blond and beautiful, she’d been Jason’s first love and first sexual partner. But from the start he’d secretly wanted to be with a guy, too. Eventualy he’d realized he wasn’t being fair to her. Yet even now, months after they’d broken up, the bisexuality thing stil confused him. He continued to find girls attractive. And sometimes he deeply missed being with Debra.

“Oh my gosh!” She gave a crazy laugh when Jason now told her about the road trip one evening. “Nelson’s going? I can just picture the three of you. That’s going to be
very
interesting.”

The cryptic way she said that made Jason squirm on her sofa.

“I can just imagine,” she continued, “him in some bitty hick town with his milion earrings and purple hair.”

“Pink,” Jason corrected. “Now he’s dyed it pink.”

“No way!” She giggled again. “You’re going to have a blast. I wish I could go with you. How’s it going with Kyle?”

“Okay. Good.” Jason stil felt uncomfortable talking about his boyfriend with his ex-girlfriend, but he was glad she asked about him.

“Wel …” She grabbed hold of Jason’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Remember to be patient with one another. There wil probably be lots of times when you guys get on each other’s nerves.”

‘Yeah, “Jason said agreeably, feeling her soft fingers in his hand. He missed her warmth, her gentle touch, her understanding—al so similar and yet so different from Kyle’s.

As they said good-bye, he wrapped his arms around her and she embraced him in turn. Her rose perfume brought back memories as she planted a tender kiss on his cheek.

That evening Jason sorted through his clothes, trying to figure out what to pack. Meanwhile his sister chattered and played with assorted Barbies, trols, and Beanie Babies she’d carried onto his bed.

“Here.” Melissa handed Jason an Asian Barbie. “She wants to go with you on the trip.”