Wes and Toren
Published by
Dreamspinner Press
4760 Preston Road
Suite 244-149
Frisco, TX 75034
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Wes and Toren
Copyright © 2009 by J.M. Colail
Cover Design by Mara McKennen
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 4760 Preston Road, Suite 244-149, Frisco, TX 75034
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/
ISBN: 978-1-935192-47-3
Printed in the United States of America
First Edition
January, 2009
eBook edition available
To You and You,
You know who you are.
Wes & Toren
1
WESLEY CARROLL trudged down the hall in his ripped jeans, white Tshirt, and old, red Converse low-tops. A grin lifted the corners of his lips and I felt my stomach twitter in reaction.
“S’up?” he said, passing by me. I felt my heart skip, my stomach drop, and my mouth go dry. He stopped beside me and flashed his grin again. “Cool shoes.”
I was wearing a pair of old, brown work shoes, clunky leather things with thick soles. I suddenly thought of an e-mail I’d received of ridiculous pickup lines:
Nice shoes. Wanna fuck?
I blushed deeper, like Wesley could hear my thoughts.
“Thanks,” I stuttered, trying to conceal my reddening cheeks.
Wesley smiled again, said “See ya,” and continued on his way.
Everyone knew him because he was the troublemaker, the kid from the wrong side of the tracks, the risk-taker, the school’s pot dealer. I’d watched him from afar, a middling crush, but this was the first time he had spoken to me, and he left my stomach filled with butterflies.
After English Lit, Hailey stopped me and smiled, typically pretty and a little superficial, flashing her pearl-white teeth, and asking if she could borrow my notes from class. She touched my arm when I told her that she could and she promised that she would return them by the end of the day. I suspected that she was flirting with me, but Wesley was still on my mind and I blushed all over thinking about him.
2
J. M. Colail
I ate lunch outside in front of the school, sitting cross-legged on a cement rectangle that served as a giant planter for a tree and evergreen shrubs. It was unseasonably warm for spring but the ground was still thoroughly cold and transmitted the chill through the concrete to my thighs and rear end. I took out a book while I picked at my ham sandwich and ate my apple. I still packed juice boxes in my lunch and slurped it while I read.
I was used to eating alone; I preferred my own company to the loud and obnoxious kids that talked about nothing. I didn’t think I was better than anyone else (well, maybe just a little; I had some culture) but I was shy and often earned the epithet “nerd” for getting good grades. Solitude was better than being ridiculed any day of the week.
Before sixth hour, I went to my locker for my history book. It was a heavy tome that we mostly skimmed through, studying about every other chapter. I looked over my shoulder and Wesley was walking toward me. I quickly looked down but strained my eyes to the side to see him.
“Hey, Toren,” he said and held out a green notebook. “This is yours, right? Hailey borrowed it?”
I looked at the notebook and nodded my head.
“I told her that we had History together and that I’d give it back to you.”
“Oh, um, thanks.”
It was like he knew he made me nervous. Suddenly, he threw his head back and snapped his fingers. “Oh yeah. Hailey wanted me to tell you ‘thanks’ and that you were, what did she say? Oh yeah, super cool.”
He laughed and I tried to laugh with him but my lips smiled crookedly.
“Well, see you in class.” He waved slightly and walked away.
People were walking past me and fortunately, no one knew why my face was so flush. My locker was near the classroom and I went inside, sitting in the second row. Wesley probably went to go smoke or was skipping class. Mr. Hannity was a minute late and Wesley strolled in later than that, whispering, “Sorry.” He glanced at me as he passed, moving to his seat in the back row.
Wes & Toren
3
I went home with a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. Alycia was at swim practice, Mom worked the mid-shift at the hospital, and I was glad to have the place to myself. I did some homework, but my mind drifted to Wesley to the point of distraction.
After an hour, and an hour before Alycia came home, I found myself in the bathroom, clutching the sink, pushed in there by my own urgings that wouldn’t be sated with mere thoughts. It was the first time that I touched myself with an actual person in mind and I felt ashamed as if Wesley knew by some kind of masturbatory telepathy.
Alycia came home, kicked off her shoes and moved around the small kitchen, taking a can of tuna from the cupboard. She left the apron hanging on the hook inside the pantry and I warned her that if she spilled on her clothes that I wasn’t going to wash them. She made a face at me and then shook her head.
“I just don’t look good in an apron…not like you,” she said.
“Besides, what could happen? Crumbs could fall on me after toasting the bread?”
“That’s another thing too,” I said, tapping the counter with my fingers. “You always make easy stuff when it’s your turn. Tuna sandwiches? C’mon, even Mom can make those.”
Alycia laughed and agreed, but didn’t offer to make any vegetable to accompany. I took out a can of green beans and put them over a low heat. Alycia groaned and rolled her eyes.
“I swear, you’re gonna make someone a wonderful housewife someday.”
I thought of Wesley and blushed; I thought of my affair in the bathroom and blushed deeper and upon realizing that I was blushing, I blushed even more. Alycia caught the guilt in my eyes and grinned from ear to ear.
“Tor? What’s that look for? Got someone in mind already?”
“Give me a break,” I groaned.
4
J. M. Colail
MR. HANNITY was late to class and Wesley was later, repeating yesterday’s dialogue. Wesley smiled at me as he walked to his seat and my stomach fluttered. Mr. Hannity described the semester project in detail and then allowed us to choose our own partners. I hated when teachers did that; it reminded me of gym class in grade school. I stared at my desk, waiting for everyone to partner up so that I could be paired with the other person who wasn’t chosen.
“Mr. Hannity, me and Toren are gonna work together.” Wesley rapped his knuckles on my desk and Mr. Hannity looked at me before nodding and writing it down in his grade book. Wesley grinned and I stared back at him blankly. “You don’t mind, do ya?” he asked. I shook my head and blushed. “Cool. Wait for me after class.” I nodded and hid my face.
Mr. Hannity lectured for the rest of the hour, but I was too distracted to listen. I drew pictures in the margins of my notebook, but my mind always drifted back to Wesley. My heart was thumping.
Mr. Hannity asked me to stay after class. He was quiet until the classroom cleared, and then he leaned against his desk and crossed his arms.
“Thanks for staying after, Toren. I just wanted to talk to you briefly about your project… Well, more just to give you a heads-up,” Mr.
Hannity explained, looking down at me over his glasses. “If you have any problems working on your project, talk to me right away. Okay?
Will you do that?”
Wes & Toren
5
“Um…sure. Thanks, Mr. Hannity.”
He patted my shoulder as I walked out of the classroom. He didn’t have to say Wesley’s name specifically, but the implication was there. I was glad that Mr. Hannity recognized that I might have trouble working with him and gave me some leeway with his expectations. I was a good student and worked hard to get good grades. Someone like Wesley could mess that up if he screwed off instead of working on the project, but I still felt excited that he picked me to be his partner.
