Something Like Lightning (12 page)

Then Kelly was swimming, trying to remember everything William had taught him. Nice and steady. That made sense because twelve lanes was a lot, and he’d still need plenty of energy for the rest of the race. Besides, he already had a strong lead. He only needed to maintain it, hop on a bike, and afterwards do what he did best. Kelly focused on his technique, feeling surprisingly calm as he proceeded. He was in the tenth lane when his hand brushed someone. At the end of the lane, the other swimmer grabbed the wall, trying to catch his breath as Kelly moved ahead. Fourth place now! Just two lanes to go!

Finally it was over. Kelly climbed out of the pool, accepted the towel offered to him, and dried off while rushing toward the bikes.

“No running, no running!” Coach Watson shouted.

“Not yet,” Kelly murmured to himself, feeling cocky. Soon there would be some
real
running!

He felt a little less confident when he reached the bicycles. The guy in third place was still getting dressed, but Anna and William were already gone. Kelly rushed, putting his shirt on backwards but catching his mistake before he had both arms in. Just a few seconds lost, but those could add up quickly. Another person joined him at the bikes. Then another and another. Kelly struggled to get his helmet on correctly. Once he finally did, he hopped onto his bike, glancing over once and seeing Jared just reaching his. Ha! Way too far behind!

Kelly abandoned his insecurity and instead focused on the route ahead. The roads were blocked off for twelve kilometers—about seven miles—in a route that wove in a broad circle around the school. After that, a five-kilometer run would end directly on campus. Easy. Kelly’s legs felt kind of funny after swimming, sort of like jelly, so he switched down to a lower gear.

Or he tried to. The gear released but didn’t catch again, his legs freewheeling but not applying any force. He coasted forward like a car out of fuel, trying a few more times before the gear finally caught. He had no idea what it ended up on, but he was still pedaling like crazy and barely moving forward. Swearing, he kept fiddling with the gears. Finally it returned to something more normal. A few bicycles zipped passed him. How did he rank now? Fifth place? Sixth? Kelly leaned forward and pedaled harder, but he still didn’t move as fast as he thought he should. When another cyclist overtook him, he decided to risk it and tried changing gears again.

This time it caught right away, but pedaling became extremely difficult, so he switched again. And again and again, trying to find one he actually liked. He cussed, wishing for the dirt bike he’d had as a kid. Pedal hard and you went fast. Simple as that. He passed a water station, but ignored the person who rushed out to meet him with a drink. Instead he kept fiddling with the gears, finally settling on one that seemed slightly less terrible than the others. He finished the rest of the route this way, groaning each time another bike passed him. He was dismounting and ignoring another offer of water when a bike skidded to a halt right next to his.

Jared. Kelly didn’t hesitate, didn’t waste any time delivering a one-liner. He just ran. Before Jared could get off his bike, Kelly was running. This was it. The real race began here, and the stupid bike had cost him his lead.

Three miles. Kelly kept repeating this like a mantra. Others were probably bemoaning the distance, wondering how they would ever make it, but to Kelly the number was hopeful. Three miles was long enough for the others to get tired and for him to make up for lost time. Sure enough, he caught up with and passed one person. Then another. He could win this! Of course Jared was probably thinking the same thing. Kelly glanced back once to see him not far behind. Not far at all. Then he faced forward and let the world melt away. Just a blur of cars parked on the side of the road, a barber shop on the corner, a little girl waving a rainbow pinwheel like a flag as her mother held her back. Another offer of water ignored, Anna Herbert standing there and shaking her head as he passed by. Carefully pruned trees, a cracked sidewalk, a confused old man yanking on his small dog’s leash as Kelly leapt over the living obstacle. All these images were slightly distorted and fleeting, like a slideshow of impressionist paintings.

He rounded the corner, running out into a blocked-off street. Then the world came back into focus as Kelly saw three things: William, the school, and the finish line. He forced himself to maintain the same pace until he was closer. Even this was enough to bring him shoulder to shoulder with William. For a moment they ran alongside each other, William glancing over in surprise before smiling and saying two words. “Win this.” Kelly grinned at him and nodded.

At that exact moment, Jared passed them both.

Kelly didn’t let this deter him. He channeled his reserves, burning the last of his energy and shooting forward, catching up with Jared in just a few loping paces. The rest wouldn’t be so easy. Kelly pushed himself, but so did Jared. Neither one was holding back now, having entered those last crucial moments. If one of them didn’t pull ahead, they would cross at the same time. A tie! A lousy crappy stalemate! Neither would find satisfaction in that. Kelly dug deep, searching for some untapped source of energy, some hitherto undiscovered miracle juice.

“Ungh!”

An ugly sound, like a sack of meat hitting the ground and rolling. Kelly glanced over, but his rival was still there. Confused, he looked back, his mind screaming that even this might be enough to cost him the race. William was on the ground, curled up on his side. Kelly felt like he’d been punched in the gut. The wind left his lungs when he needed it most, his limbs locking up as he instinctively skidded to a stop. Then he kept running, but in the opposite direction. He reached William’s side in seconds, surprised by just how close he was. That he’d been able to keep up at all was impressive.

William rolled over onto his back just as Kelly knelt over him. He groaned and held up one arm, the skin raw and bleeding.

“What happened?” Kelly asked.

William’s eyes went wide. “What are you doing? Run!”

“What happened?” Kelly repeated. “Are you all right?”

“I tripped,” William said. “It’s just a scratch. Go!”

Kelly glanced up. Jared hadn’t yet reached the finish line. There was still time. He’d have to kill himself trying, but there was still the slimmest of chances... and he didn’t care. He looked back down at William, at the urgency in his eyes, and almost laughed. Let Jared win. Let him strut around the school with that stupid gaudy trophy, and let him successfully impress his father with it too. Kelly no longer cared about any of that. Heading toward the finish line had lost all appeal. What mattered most was right in front of him, lying on the ground and slowly sitting up while holding the injured arm aloft.

“You know,” Kelly commented, “they say dogs have antiseptic saliva. I saw one not far back. If you want I can fetch it for you so it can lick your wounds.”

William stared at him incredulously. “The race—”

“Doesn’t matter,” Kelly said.

William eyed him for a moment. “What about Jared?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Kelly repeated.

William’s lips twitched, like he was trying not to smile. “What about me?” he asked.

Kelly grinned. “That’s a very big question. One I’m not ready to answer just yet.”

William got to his feet with a wince, waving Kelly away when he tried to help. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s finish the race.”

Kelly shook his head. “You go ahead if you want. I never should have entered. You’re here for the right reason. So is Jared. I’m not.”

“You sure?”’

“Yeah,” Kelly said. “I’m going to join my family. Once it’s all over, come find us. Okay?”

William nodded. Then he started hobbling along before he managed a decent jog. Another runner passed him, but he’d probably manage third place, assuming Anna Herbert didn’t come tearing down the street like a tornado. Kelly strolled over to the sidewalk and slowly headed toward the crowd. He could see that Jared had already crossed the finish line. Martha was there, trying to hug him as he jumped around. Jared only calmed down when his father approached and offered a hand in congratulation. Today would probably be one of the best of Jared’s life: a girl hanging off his arm, a proud father patting him on the back, and a big-ass trophy.

Kelly considered all of this. Then he smiled.

“Why didn’t you finish?”’

Kelly knew he’d be hearing this question over and over in the coming weeks. He’d have to invent a good excuse, since the truth was much too complicated. Luckily, the only person demanding an explanation at the moment was his little brother.

“Mind your own business,” Kelly said, getting him in a headlock. Then he released him and smiled innocently at his father, who had raised his eyebrows in warning.

“Why’d you stop for that guy?” Royal asked, unabashed.

“Because he owed me money,” Kelly said. “I got a twenty off him while he was still down.”’

This made Royal laugh, which would hopefully stem the tide of questions. At least their parents seemed to understand.

“That’s him, isn’t it?” his mother asked. “That’s your William.”’

“He’s not my anything. At least not yet. But yeah.”’

Laisha’s face lit up, just like it did every time Kelly revealed he was interested in someone. “Do we get to meet him today?”’

“Sure.” Kelly strained to see over the crowds. “He probably has to receive his third-place medal along with the other winners. But afterwards, I’ll introduce you. Just be discreet. He’s still coming to terms with everything.”’

His parents nodded their understanding. Royal was oblivious, already lost in a handheld video game. As it turned out, they didn’t have long to wait. William appeared just a few minutes later, patiently working his way through the crowd with his parents in tow. Odd, since Coach Watson could be heard announcing the winners.

“Fourth place,” William explained, holding up a ribbon.

“Really?” Kelly asked in disbelief. “What happened? Anna Herbert?”

“Yup. Came out of nowhere.”

They shared a laugh before remembering their families. Then the typical introductions took place, the adults stepping forward and exchanging first names. These always sounded a little odd to Kelly, who only thought of them as Mom and Dad. The adults engaged in small talk, complimenting each other’s children, even though they didn’t really know them well. William was praised for finishing so early, and Kelly for stopping to help him when he fell. All of this made him feel awkward, so he stepped aside to talk to William.

“You would have won,” William said. “Before I went and ruined it all, Jared was falling behind.”

Kelly shrugged to show it didn’t interest him. “So what’s the rest of your day like? Want to go out and celebrate?”

“Yeah,” William said. “Except my parents said they’d treat me to dinner and a movie. Just look at them!”

Kelly glanced to where Mrs. Townson nodded at something his mother was saying, while Mr. Townson showed his father a business card. He didn’t see anything special, so he turned back to William for clarification.

“They’re getting along great,” William said, eyes shining as he watched them.

Ah. “That’s cool. Go have fun with them. Enjoy yourself.”

“What about tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow is good,” Kelly said. “I don’t have anything going on. Besides my little youth group, that is.”

“Oh,” William said. Then realization dawned. “Oh!”

“I don’t have to go,” Kelly said. “Let’s hang out.”

“I could come with you,” William suggested.

“Really?”

“Yeah! I’m curious.”

Kelly supposed that was normal, although for some reason, the idea made him slightly uneasy. Regardless, this was a crucial part of coming out, since it was important to see that other gay people existed. They weren’t alone. He just hoped William would remain interested after discovering how many options he had. A guy like him would be popular, meaning Kelly needed to express what he felt before it was too late.

The hom honked once, annoying and shrill. After a moment’s pause, Kelly pressed on the steering wheel again. Then he got out of the car, motioning for William to do the same. “It’ll be more dramatic this way,” he explained.

William peered at the front of the house. “Your friend doesn’t know I’m tagging along?”

“Nope. She won’t mind, don’t worry.”

Bonnie appeared on the front porch, closing the door behind her before stopping to stare. Then she continued down the walkway, looking William over a few times.

“Who’s this?” she asked.

“Hitchhiker,” Kelly said. “I thought we could bring him to our special meeting. Try to convert him.”

“Worth a shot,” she replied, holding out her hand. “I’m Bonnie.”

“William.” He looked a little dumbfounded as they shook. “So you’re really a lesbian?”

“Yup!”

“Wow!” William said with wonder, like someone discovering an honest-to-goodness dinosaur at a pet store. He must have realized how overboard this reaction was because his face turned red.

Bonnie beamed in return. “Oh, this meeting is going to be so much fun! Let’s go.”

She climbed into the backseat, despite William insisting she could sit up front. On the way to the church, she asked for details about the triathlon. Kelly had already told her most of it while texting last night, but of course in person he could make the story more dramatic. He left out his big revelation at the end. She already knew that part, and talking about it in front of William would be embarrassing.

Once they arrived at the church, Kelly’s apprehension increased. As much as he liked these meetings, they could be a meat market. Especially when someone new arrived. Still, keeping William hidden away felt immoral, like obscuring the truth from a lover so he wouldn’t leave. Too slimy. No, this was the honorable thing to do.

Five minutes later, Kelly decided honor wasn’t so important. Already three different guys had walked up to William and introduced themselves. Layne—Mr. Everything is a Joke—had taken an interest in romance, hooking his arm through William’s and dragging him away toward the refreshment table.