Something Like Lightning (13 page)

“Patricia May,” Bonnie said from next to him. “You remember her?”

“Yes,” Kelly answered tersely.

Bonnie explained anyway. “New girl at school, ridiculously pretty. She had that brownish red hair. Isn’t there some sort of wood like that?”

“Rosewood,” Kelly said, not taking his eyes off of William.

“Yeah.” Bonnie sighed at the memory. “Then I had the stupid idea of bringing her here, and before I even had a chance to kiss her, she ran off with Christine.
Christine!
The girl who couldn’t make it through a single meeting without farting.”

Kelly smirked. “I wonder what happened to her. We did see her at that one party, remember? She said Patricia was crazy, that her family was mixed up in some kind of cult.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Bonnie said. “I still would have liked to get her in the sack. That’s what I should have done before I brought her here.”

Kelly shook his head. “Young lady, you are unscrupulous.”

“Thank you,” Bonnie said. “So have you two bumped bare feet yet?” “No. I just figured out how I feel, and all of this is new to him, so I figured we should take things slow. Besides...”

“Besides?”

Kelly shrugged. “What if he’s just a rebound? I don’t want to use him. Think what a crappy experience that would be for us both.”

“Don’t sell yourself short.” Bonnie thought for a moment. “I’m pretty sure you have to actually be with someone before you can have a rebound. Jared doesn’t count.”

“No?”

“No.”

“Oh.” Kelly watched as Layne tried to hand-feed William a cheese cracker. Time to intervene. Kelly walked over and snatched the cracker from Layne. “I saved you a seat, William. Let’s go.”

Just as Layne opened his mouth to protest, Kelly popped in the cracker, silencing any rebuttal. The meeting began shortly afterwards. Today Phil lectured them on politics, talking about Stonewall, Harvey Milk, and other events and people that helped pioneer the modern gay rights movement. William listened with rapt attention while Kelly spent most of his time staring down anyone who looked at William. He wasn’t usually the jealous type, but maybe Bonnie was right. Bringing William here without having staked a claim was foolish. Once the lecture was over, he stayed by William’s side, which helped deflect would-be suitors. Lisa walked over and asked in her usual bashful tones if they were a couple, which caused William to blush. Kelly waited for a definitive answer and ended up witnessing a shy person standoff. When it was clear an answer wasn’t forthcoming, Kelly pretended not to have heard the question.

Once the meeting was over, they went to a diner, sipping drinks with Bonnie at a table separate from everyone else. Kelly found himself waiting for William to grab his hand or compliment him or flirt or even attempt a clumsy kiss. Nothing. Maybe they needed to be alone, but after they dropped off Bonnie, the results were the same. Even in the privacy of William’s room, all that happened was a little small talk, a pizza delivery, and three episodes of
Beast Wars.

Perhaps Jared was right. Being black was a disadvantage or an undesirable characteristic. At least to some people. William wasn’t racist, but maybe Kelly wasn’t his type. Maybe William dreamed of a pale-and-pasty redhead—Patricia May as a boy. Or perhaps he was still debating if getting involved with a guy was worth risking a career in the Coast Guard.

“I should probably head home,” Kelly said. “It’s getting late.”

William nodded. “I’ll see you out.”

The perfect opportunity for a parting kiss. Outside they stood next to Kelly’s car, watching each other without speaking. This is when it would happen. Except it didn’t. William opened the car door and Kelly got inside. Then he spent the entire drive home feeling certain that he’d lost at the game of love yet again.

happy Birthday

Kelly read and reread the text message, searching for hidden meaning like he did with any of William’s words or actions. Just a common phrase this time, but even it could be interpreted. No exclamation point, for instance. Did that show a lack of enthusiasm? Then again, there wasn’t any punctuation at all. And why was ‘birthday’ capitalized?

Kelly rolled his eyes. The last three days had been hell. Not only was he overanalyzing the slightest interaction between William and himself, but avoiding Jared had become inconvenient. Kelly steered clear of his locker, his backpack overburdened with books. Lunches were spent eating outside. Alone. Even when it had rained on Tuesday. Of course this only delayed the inevitable. Once track season started in the spring, he’d have no choice but to be around him. Kelly wasn’t giving up his Olympic dream just to avoid hearing Jared gloat about his trophy.

At least today was free from such problems. Kelly stretched out in bed and sighed contentedly. He’d never been to school on his birthday in his life. Not once. His mother always let him stay home to celebrate his big day. When he and Royal were younger, she would take the day off work to be with them. Today Kelly had the house all to himself. Already he had indulged in cheesy soap operas, surfed the Net for porn, and been as absolutely lazy as possible. Now the afternoon was winding down and he needed to make himself presentable. He rose to get started when his phone chimed again.

are you skipping? can’t find you anywhere

Kelly smiled and texted back.
Eager to give me my present?

you have no idea

Okay...
I’m at home. You coming over soon?

yup

Kelly tossed the phone aside and headed for the shower. He’d taken a luxurious bath in the morning, but they never left him feeling as clean. Once he was dressed, he headed downstairs. His mother came through the door just as he was leaving, carrying a boxed cake. She instantly got sappy when she saw him, like he’d just popped out of the womb.

“My birthday boy,” she said, misty-eyed. “I can’t believe how big you’ve gotten.”

“I’m the same size I was yesterday,” Kelly teased as he pressed past her. “I’m headed out to pick up Bonnie.”

“Don’t be too long!”

“I’m not going to miss my own birthday, don’t worry.” He hesitated. “If William shows up while I’m gone, don’t say anything weird.”

His mother shook her head like he was being silly. Maybe he was. He knew the answer to all of his problems. This mystery was easy to solve. Even Bonnie stated the obvious when Kelly picked her up from her school.

“Just ask him,” she said, adjusting her seatbelt so it wasn’t crushing her boobs. “Better yet, make a move. Kiss him or hold his hand. Anything!”

“I can’t,” Kelly said. “Seriously. I can’t handle any more rejection right now. Not after Jared.”

“Fine.” Bonnie glanced out the window. “Can I ask him? I’ll pull him aside where you can’t hear. If he likes you, I’ll let you know.”

“And if you don’t mention the subject again, I’ll know he doesn’t!”

“He likes you,” Bonnie said.

“As a friend, maybe.”

She raised an eyebrow. “If it wasn’t your birthday, I’d give you such a talking-to!”

Thank goodness for that. His mother already pestered him daily for details that didn’t exist. With this in mind, he pressed on the accelerator and hurried home. His father’s car was in the driveway, but no sign of William yet.

Once they were inside, Bonnie hung out with his mother in the kitchen, comfortable in her presence. His father forced a hug on him and offered his congratulations before getting distracted by Royal, who was bragging about a new high score. This left Kelly free to repeatedly glance out front. After the five millionth time—or so it felt to Kelly— William’s car finally appeared. He wore yet another polo shirt, this one pale yellow with light blue stripes. Kelly normally turned up his nose at William’s fashion sense, but today the colors complemented his fair complexion. He wasn’t carrying anything, so no birthday present, unless it was small enough to fit in his pocket. A wedding ring, maybe?

Kelly laughed madly. Then he tried to calm himself and opened the door. William looked surprised for a moment before grinning. That’s all it took for Kelly’s insides to start doing back flips. He felt woozy. Maybe he needed one of those fainting couches Victorian women were always collapsing onto.

“—such a nice neighborhood,” William was saying. “I didn’t know you were rich.”

“I try to keep a low profile,” Kelly responded. “I get a lot of gold diggers after me.”

He ushered William inside and started doing introductions before he remembered it wasn’t necessary.

“We’re just waiting a moment for the ice cream to thaw,” Laisha said. “Then we’ll have cake.”

“Great,” Kelly said, unnerved by how his mother kept looking between them and smiling. “Uh, I’m going to show William my room.”

To his horror, her smile got even brighter. It’s not like they were going to have a quickie. Although Kelly wasn’t exactly against the idea.

“It’s cool to finally see where you live,” William said on the way up the stairs. “Makes me embarrassed of my place.”

“I like your house,” Kelly said. “Besides, I’m just as broke as you are. At least until I open my presents. My grandparents always send cash.”

“Nice,” William replied. “I’ll give you my present later, okay?”

“You don’t have to give me anything,” Kelly said, but he glanced over at William, searching for a hint.

“It’s in the car.” William became distracted by the room they walked into.

Kelly stepped aside and let him take the lead, reassessing it all. The bedroom was about the same size as William’s, although the vaulted ceilings made it seem larger. He didn’t have a television, but the computer and large desk in one corner functioned as an entertainment center. He relied on the machine for almost everything; playing his music, watching illegally downloaded movies, or editing his photos. Like William, he had a dresser, but Kelly’s fit in the walk-in closet. The only other substantial pieces of furniture were a queen-size bed and a shelf filled mostly with photography books.

“Sorry to disappoint you,” he joked, “but I don’t have any Transformers.”

William shot him a quick smile before returning his attention to the room. He seemed most interested in the matted and framed photos on the wall.

“Are these yours?” William asked.

“Some of them,” Kelly said. “Most of the black and whites are, although the smoking-hot guy pouring water over himself is by Will McBride. And this one—” he pointed to a shirtless man wearing drag queen makeup, his hand on the shoulder of another guy “—is by Nan Goldin. The sailor boy and captain obviously isn’t mine. You’re familiar with Pierre et Gilles, right?”

William shook his head.

“Oh. Well my photos aren’t next to theirs because I think they deserve to be. I’m not that deluded. I only hung them up recently to help me compare what I’m doing. And to see what I need to leam or which direction I should go.”

William glanced over at him. “My action figures seem even lamer now. I don’t have anything artistic like this.”

Kelly shook his head. “Sure you do. Someone had to sculpt that rhino figure, decide how it would be painted, and design the parts to move correctly. That’s art too. Maybe even of a higher caliber, since all I have to do is point a camera and push a button.”

“It’s not that easy,” William said. “Remind me to show you the photos on my phone. They’re terrible. Oh.”

That last syllable sounded strained. William had noticed a photo on the wall. Jared, smoking a cigarette. The morning had been cold, and when he exhaled, his breath and the smoke had woven together into a ghostly fog, like his soul was pouring from his body.

“I’ve been meaning to take that down,” Kelly said. “Unfortunately it’s one of my best.”

“Yeah,” William said. “In more than one way.”

“Meaning?”

William glanced over at him. “I never found Jared attractive before. Now I know what you saw in him. This photograph reveals it.”

Kelly considered it anew, feeling a little jealous himself. Did the man in the photo represent William’s type? The messy hair in need of a cutting? The haunted gaze that stared into the morning light? Jared didn’t look much like that normally, but Kelly found himself wishing he had already taken down the photo.

“Honey!” shouted his mother’s voice. “We’re ready!”

William flinched in surprise, causing Kelly to chuckle. “She should have been an opera singer instead of a lawyer. Let’s go before she really gets loud.”

The candles of his cake were already lit, and everyone was singing when he arrived. This never failed to make him smile. He realized halfway through the song that he didn’t have a birthday wish prepared. He took such things seriously, as if once a year he was given a magic spell he could use for anything he wanted. So what did he desire? William? Yes, but wishing for that felt like cheating, meaning a more subtle approach was required.

“Make a wish!” his mother cried.

Kelly leaned over the cake, filling his lungs with air.
Whoever he is. Whoever I’m supposed to be with to make me feel complete, just let me find him. No matter how long it takes.

He blew out all the candles with one breath. Not bad considering there were seventeen of them. Then came presents. Bonnie elbowed her way to the front of the crowd.

“Open mine first. That way if you get anything awesome, mine won’t look bad by comparison.”

Kelly tore off the wrapping paper to discover a handmade frame, complete with glass. Sure the wood was painted purple when he preferred a neutral black. And maybe the sides weren’t exactly even, making the frame lopsided, but he loved it anyway because he could tell it was homemade. Or schoolmade, as it turned out.

“I built that in shop class,” Bonnie said. “You’d think a lesbian would be good at carpentry, but no.”

“You’re battling stereotypes,” Kelly said. “I’m proud of you.”

“That’s one way of looking at it. I know it’s a disaster. I don’t expect you to put any of your photos in it but—”

“Of course I will!” Kelly said. “Just try and stop me!”

“Well, thanks,” Bonnie said. “If anyone laughs when they see it, tell them it’s one-of-a-kind. The shop teacher had to custom cut the glass just to make it fit.”