Read Online Something Like Summer by Jay Bell - Free Book Online Page A

for
relief.
    The reality wasn’t anywhere
near as exciting. Ben was asked to run the bath before he left for
school, Tim insisting that he could manage the rest on his own. If
this was true then it was also clear that Tim could have turned the
faucet on by himself, but Ben let it slide. The more indispensable
he became the better.
    As the tub filled and the
bubble bath frothed, Ben thought of how he was supposed to be in
P.E. this very moment. He felt deliriously happy about missing it,
but he still had to make it back to school in time for roll call in
English class. Even though he had awakened early to have extra
time, he already needed to leave if he wanted to make
it.
    “ Bath’s ready!” he yelled
as he headed for the door. “See you later today!”
    “ Don’t take my car!” Tim
shouted back.
    “ What?” Ben responded
before shutting the front door and getting in the sports
car.
    Ben felt conspicuous being
the only person walking across the parking lot when he arrived, but
he wasn’t stopped and figured it wouldn’t matter if he was. What
were they going to do, punish him for showing up? He felt less
confident when he entered the school and found the hallways empty.
Having just heard the bell, he had assumed that first period just
ended. Now it was clear that second period had begun. He was
huffing and puffing by the time he reached his English
class.
    “ Well?” Mrs. Carroll
insisted with raised eyebrows.
    Ben sighed. Some teachers
were happy to wordlessly issue a tardy or not bother about it at
all. Others expected explanations and apologies.
    “ Sorry,” he panted. “Just
came from P.E. and Coach made me stay behind.” He doubted she would
ever check up on this. He took his seat before she could ask any
more questions. To his relief she resumed whatever lecture he had
interrupted.
    “ Lose track of time
loitering in the showers?” whispered a snide voice from next to
him.
    Ben looked over to the
sneering, freckled face of Daniel Wigmore. He didn’t know how it
was possible, but Daniel had ended up sitting next to Ben in at
least one class every year, much to his chagrin. He had become
something of a ginger-headed nemesis. Daniel was one of those
students who took scholastic competition very seriously. He was
always sure to flash his homework when he got “A’s,” which was
always, and would speed through tests and slam his pencil down,
surveying the class with a smug expression.
    “ Or did Coach ask you to
stay behind and blow him?” Daniel pressed.
    “ Keep your fantasies to
yourself, faggot.”
    That wiped the grin off
Daniel’s face. People never expected Ben to use a word like that.
It was twice as effective coming from a gay guy, and more worrying
too, thanks to the whole “takes one to know one”
philosophy.
    Daniel turned his attention
back to his obsession with perfect grades and left Ben to mentally
plan when he would skip school again. Technically he could leave
after this class, but he knew it would probably be a bad
idea.
    Third period Spanish
didn’t help his resolve any. There was a test that he had forgotten
to study for that he had surely failed, along with a few more
snickering uses of the word mariposa whispered in his
direction.
    By lunch he was anxious to
go and told Allison as much.
    “ Forget it!” she said
vehemently. “You can’t start ditching me at lunch for anyone, no
matter how hot they are. Besides, your absence didn’t go unnoticed
in choir. You’re Mrs. Hammond’s star pupil. All of her hopes and
dreams are being lived vicariously through you now. She practically
organized a search party when you didn’t show up
yesterday!”
    Allison might have been
exaggerating, but she did have a point. Mrs. Hammond was the
teacher most likely to notice him not being there.
    “ What did you tell her
yesterday?” Ben asked.
    “ That you were
sick.”
    “ Well, tell her I am again
today. Two days in a row isn’t so suspicious.”
    Allison sighed and shook
her