Something Like Lightning (7 page)

Had Jared told them? Did they know now that Kelly was gay? Surely not, because that would implicate Jared. The one reason they were no longer friends was because Jared didn’t want to be gay by association. Outing Kelly to the school would only spread more rumors about their relationship. Jared understood that, didn’t he?

“—my girlfriend—”

Kelly only heard a snippet of the conversation, but these two words were enough to make his head whip up as Jared continued speaking.

“—matching rings. We’ve been together for one whole day. Isn’t that a little fast?”

“Maybe she moves fast in other ways too,” joked one of the guys.

“Who?” Kelly said. His voice came out terse and faint, but he was heard anyway. A number of heads turned in his direction, one of the guys snorting. They knew, all right.

“Martha Huffman,” Jared answered smugly.

“Martha?” Kelly repeated disbelievingly.

He wasn’t totally surprised. Martha had left a note in Jared’s locker at the beginning of the year. Jared had been interested, but also concerned about his reputation, since Martha wasn’t exactly cool. She sported bright pink glasses, giggled when she was nervous—which was most of the time—and always wore a scarf, even in warm seasons. Despite being weird, she was cute in her own way. Regardless, Kelly had encouraged Jared to keep looking, hoping he would notice the person already at his side.

“She’s got a nice body,” said the guy across from him. “Not that you would have noticed.”

“Oh, I’ve noticed,” Kelly said. “I just didn’t think she was desperate enough to date Jared.”

The expressions at the table turned to surprise as they looked to Jared for a response. “Whatever,” he said with a shrug. “You’re just jealous.”

Now all eyes returned to Kelly, but he didn’t have a snappy comeback because it was true. He was jealous on so many levels that it made his head spin. He wanted to trade places with a nerdy girl in pink glasses. He wanted someone to leave a note in his locker declaring secret love for him. He wanted to be with Jared, or be with another guy, or be anything but single and the only gay person sitting at the table right now. Expressing any of this was impossible, so he just looked away. He tried his best to ignore the sniggering, or that the fried fat in his food was congealing as it turned cold. He tried to forget the entire world around him until the bell rang. Then he was on his feet, eager to flee.

Despair made a pass at him, but Kelly clenched his jaw, crossed his arms over his chest, and refused. The triathlon. Being the first across the finish line. Jared’s miserable face when he realized he had lost. These thoughts kept Kelly afloat throughout the remainder of the day. He would have his revenge.

When the sixth period bell rang, Kelly yearned to hit the track and start running, but his teacher kept the class behind to dole out an assignment. Kelly seethed during the delay and was first out the door when they were finally granted permission to leave. He headed straight to the locker room, got dressed, and walked outside. Halfway to the track, he stopped.

Jared was there. Kelly had been prepared for this possibility and had decided that it wouldn’t hold him back. But he hadn’t expected to see a girl with pink glasses in the bleachers, one who clapped happily when Jared sprinted past her. Kelly watched for a moment, noticing how well Jared was doing, but mostly taking in the smile plastered on Martha’s face. Did she have any idea how lucky she was? Probably, since Jared had steadfastly ignored her after getting her note. Now, all these months later, her wish had finally come true. That must be nice.

Sighing, Kelly turned and headed back to the locker room. Then he changed into his normal clothes. He was leaving when William appeared in the doorway.

“Hey! Sorry I’m late. Why do girls like to talk so much?”

Kelly just glanced at him, not wanting to hear about another happy heterosexual couple. Instead he moved forward, forcing William to step out of his way. This didn’t dissuade him from following Kelly down the hall.

“Aren’t you training today?” William asked. “Wait, don’t tell me you’re done already! You’re not
that
fast, are you?”

Kelly shook his head. “Not quite.”

“Then where are you going?”

Kelly considered his options. “I’m going to get in my car, find a really tall bridge, and drive off of it.”

“Awesome,” William said. “Mind if I tag along?”

Kelly glanced over at him. “You have a death wish?”

“Not really, but I was hoping you could give me a ride home on your way. I’ve been biking to school every day, and honestly, my legs are still sore from the run yesterday and everything else.”

“You need to take a break,” Kelly said. “Give your muscles time to heal and build up.” He glanced over at William. “Not that you need to get any bigger. You really want a ride?”

William adjusted the pack hanging off one shoulder. “If you don’t mind. There aren’t any bridges on the way to my house, so we should be okay.”

“I thought you had an after-school job.”

“I started a lawn mowing business when I was twelve. Most of my clients have moved away or now have kids old enough to do it themselves, but some still depend on me. I’m not busy every day, leaving my afternoons free to beg strangers for rides.”

Kelly allowed himself to feel amused. Was William always so chipper? If so, being around him could be nice. Kelly had promised himself not to get too friendly, but then again, he needed a new best friend. He had Bonnie, but she went to a different school. As they reached the car, he considered William over the top of it and felt less certain. Preferably his new friend would be someone impossible for him to develop a crush on. Like a girl. He wasn’t eager to experience another Jared. A cool breeze blew across the parking lot, so he pulled the light jacket he wore closer to his body.

William, still waiting by the passenger door, raised his eyebrows. “You all right?”

“Yeah,” Kelly said, shaking his head. “I thought I forgot something, that’s all.”

He pushed the button on the keychain to unlock the car, and once buckled up, asked where William lived. He knew the area, and needed little prompting to get headed in the right direction. As they pulled into the neighborhood, lone drops of water splattered against the windshield, followed by a steady patter of rain.

William leaned forward in his seat to consider the sky. “Now I’m glad we bailed on training. Looks like a bad storm blowing in.”

Kelly felt smug. “Anyone still out on the track is going to get soaked.”

“For sure,” William said. “I actually swung by there looking for you. Saw your friend Jared running like a mad man.”

“He’s not my friend,” Kelly said. “Not anymore.”

“Oh.”

The car interior was silent until William pointed out his house. Kelly pulled into the driveway so William wouldn’t have to get too wet. Maybe he was waiting for the rain to stop entirely, because after unbuckling his seatbelt, he didn’t move. Eventually he shifted in his seat to face Kelly.

“I don’t get it,” he said.

“Get what?” Kelly asked.

“You and Jared. Last week you’re ganging up on me in the hall, trying to get me to drop out of the race. Then you show up at the pool this morning, acting friendly. I figured maybe you were doing a little reconnaissance for Jared, but then it turns out that you’re also in the triathlon and you guys aren’t even friends any more. Is that why? Did he get pissed because you entered too?”

“I don’t think he knows yet. But when he does find out, he’s going to freak. And when I win...” Kelly made an evil face.

William shook his head. “You guys are intense. It’s just a race. You know that, right?”

“Then why did you enter?”

“For fun!” William said in exasperation. “Now I feel like I’m caught up in some sort of sports mafia or something.”

“I just really wanted him to win.”

“And now?”

Kelly exhaled. “He doesn’t like who I am. And I like him a little too much.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you want to come inside?”

Kelly glanced over. William’s cheeks were red. Was he trying to be nice? Or prove that he wasn’t like Jared? Surely he understood what Kelly had meant. Right?

“It’s okay,” Kelly said. “I should probably—”

“Really,” William insisted. “We can hang out. It’ll be fun.”

Kelly wasn’t sure of that, but it beat going home and moping around the house. He killed the engine, feeling apprehensive as he followed William up the walkway. He didn’t know much about the guy, but he did seem nice. Kelly’s aunt always said that God didn’t take a dump without opening a window. Or something like that. Now he was entering the home of a person who had been his mortal enemy just last week. And it smelled like cookies.

Kelly wasn’t particularly proud of his own house, since he had very little say in its appearance, and not a single dime of his went into its purchase. Regardless, he couldn’t help but compare it to any other home he entered for the first time. His own had high ceilings, large open spaces, and an abundance of natural light. This house was smaller, the rooms stuffed with furniture and shelves filled with knickknacks.

Curtains made of thin fabric covered each window, which would probably be cozy when holding back the glare of summer sun. On a rainy day like today, it made the house too dark for Kelly’s liking. Despite being a little cluttered, the home had a mellow vibe, much like William himself. And not at all like his mother.

“Willy! I didn’t expect you home so soon.” Mrs. Townson was tall and lanky, the same beanpole build that Kelly remembered William having when he was younger. Her hair was blonde, her smile bright as she rubbed her hands together self-consciously. Or maybe she had just applied lotion. Either way, the same nose as William’s sat above a broad smile. “And who’s this?”

“Kelly,” William said. “He’s a new friend of mine.”

“Oh, nice to meet you!” Mrs. Townson walked over and offered her hand, which was indeed soft and moist. Kelly could smell the fragrance from the lotion after they had shaken. Afterwards she hugged her son, who groaned like he was embarrassed but smiled over her shoulder. “Cookies and milk?” she asked.

“I would,” William replied, “but we’re going to hang out upstairs.”

“You’re a big boy now,” Mrs. Townson said, sending a wink in Kelly’s direction. “I think you can handle eating in your room. I’ll bring some up. Just try not to get crumbs all over the place.”

“No promises,” William said, gesturing with his head that Kelly should follow.

He did so, climbing the stairs and glancing at the family photos hanging on the wall. He saw a couple of older guys who looked like doppelgangers of William with slight variations. One had black hair instead of blond and wore the uniform of a Marine. Another shared William’s blond hair but sported a goatee, a woman standing at his side who bore no family resemblance. Finally he saw a full-blown family portrait, this one old enough that all three brothers were still little boys. In the photo, Mrs. Townson’s hair was shoulder-length instead of short, the man next to her sharing William’s build and the dark hair of the oldest boy.

“Coming?” William asked.

“Yeah, sorry,” Kelly said, hurrying to catch up.

William’s room was a couple of doors down a hallway filled with plants and bookshelves. Unlike the rest of the house, things were more orderly here. A twin bed was pushed against one wall, above it a large vintage poster advertising the Coast Guard. In it a sailor seemed to be jerking a thumb at himself while wearing a shit-eating grin; above him in the sky, italic letters asked,
Going my way?

Kelly glanced with little interest at a small entertainment center and a flat-screen television. The other walls were taken up by shelves and a dresser. The bed was made and everything seemed to have its rightful place, prompting Kelly to wonder if William kept things so tidy or if his mother took care of it while he was at school. As an experiment, Kelly removed his jacket and tossed it carelessly on the bed before continuing to survey the room. On top of the dresser were a number of medals and ribbons, all of them relating to swimming.

“Now I see why you invited me up here,” Kelly teased. “You’re trying to intimidate me.”

“You’re not far off,” William replied. “Those are usually in a drawer, but when you came up to me last week...”

Kelly spun around, amused to see that William had picked up his jacket and was carefully folding it over the bed frame. “Seriously? I actually got to you?”

William shrugged. “A little. I put those out to remind me that you don’t have a chance.”

“We’ll see.” Kelly turned back around, noticing how many ribbons were for first place. “Would you say you’re the best on your team?”

“Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. I don’t worry about it much. What about you?”

“I worry about it all the time,” Kelly admitted. “I have a very competitive nature.”

“I hadn’t noticed.”

There was a knock at the door. Kelly was closest, so he opened it. Mrs. Townson entered, smiling her appreciation as she carried in a tray. On it was a plateful of cookies and two glasses of milk.

“You’re not lactose intolerant, are you?” she asked.

“No,” Kelly said.

“Most people are to some extent,” she said. “I read an article about it once and switched the family over to soy milk. You wouldn’t believe the gas it gave us all!”

“Thanks, Mom,” William said, his face turning red. “I’ll bring the dishes down when we’re done. No need to come back up here.”

Mrs. Townson rolled her eyes and smiled at Kelly.

He smiled back, laughing after she’d shut the door. “My mom’s the same way. If you ever come over to my place, it’ll take her two minutes to show you a photo— Well, you’ll have to see for yourself, but my point is that it’s embarrassing. Moms love to humiliate their kids, I swear.”

“I’m glad I’m not the only one,” William said, walking over to take a cookie. “Help yourself.”

Kelly nodded, more interested in further exploring William’s room. He checked the bookshelf, which only held a few volumes, most of them common choices; the complete Harry Potter series, a dictionary that looked like it had never been opened, and some collected editions of Calvin and Hobbes. A selection of DVDs filled out this row and kept the books from toppling over.