Seeing each other after school was too risky so soon after the fallout, but they still had the benefit of lunch break and choir. Mrs. Hammond enthusiastically insisted they leave class to practice, either in the auditorium, or if it was being used as it was today, then outside.
The two friends were currently enjoying a sunny bench secluded by two large oak trees. Ben’s head rested in Allison’s lap as she played absentmindedly with his hair and he gazed at the lazy clouds above.
“I asked Dad if I could go out with Ronnie this weekend.”
“What did he say?”
“No, but that I could next weekend when I’m ungrounded.”
“That sucks,” Ben sighed. “I mean, I’m happy for you, but it seems unfair that I’m always on his shit list.”
“Who knows what his deal is? You know what’s funny? I’m probably going to have to say I’m out on a date with Ronnie the next time I want to do something with you.”
“Then when you get busted I can show up and say ‘sir’ every other word and your dad will love me.”
“Shut up!” Allison laughed.
“You know,” Ben said, leaning up on his elbows and shooting a disdainful glare toward the school, “we’re going to have to start working on a song soon. It’s only a matter of time before Mrs. Hammond asks us for a preview.”
“For the talent show?” Allison chewed her lip thoughtfully. “I’d totally forgotten about that. So what are we going to do?”
They spent the rest of the period discussing which song to perform. Last year they had been set to sing “Under Pressure” by David Bowie and Queen, but they had practiced it so much that they had grown tired of it.
“Ronnie has a band, you know,” Allison said coyly.
“I think you may have mentioned that a few million times.” Ben paused to read between the lines. “Wait, you want us to sing with them or something?”
“Maybe. They aren’t perfect, but they have this one song with amazing lyrics. It’s about a girl, and she’s watching this guy from far away that she’s totally enamored with. He doesn’t know she exists, but the girl knows everything about him, sees more than everyone else. It’s like she knows more about him than he does.”
“And I’m the girl.”
“Well, yeah.”
“Thanks.”
“I’m not doing it justice,” Allison sighed. “Just listen to it once.”
When the bell rang, Ben returned to school with Allison before doubling back and heading toward the parking lot. Just as his hands were on the exit door, someone called his name. He turned around and craned his head over the crowded hallway until he spotted Ms. Hughes waving him down. Ben almost bolted in terror, but it was too late. She had seen him. His teacher for science, a class that he had been skipping for the better part of two weeks, approached him with concern.
Ben’s feet were glued to the floor as he tried to think of what he should do or say as she navigated the swarming students.
“I’m sorry,” he blurted out when she reached him.
“Where have you been?” she asked, looking him over for signs of illness.
Ben breathed in and waited for the words to come, but they didn’t. He had been so preoccupied with everything lately that he hadn’t dreamed up what his excuse would be when he inevitably returned to the classes he was skipping.
“Ben?” she prompted when he failed to answer. “Is everything all right? Is something wrong at home?”
As tempting as it was to lie and say he had a problematic home life, he knew it would only lead to more trouble. “I’m really sorry that I’ve been skipping, Ms. Hughes,” the words came finally. “It’s… It’s hard to explain what’s going on. I’m not in trouble or anything, but there’s someone who needs my help. That’s why I’ve been leaving school early.”
The school bell rang while she considered his words with an open expression of confusion. The students disappeared one by one until they were left virtually alone. He knew Ms. Hughes would stand there until she had her explanation. After all, she was often late to her own classes.
Ms. Hughes had been his teacher freshman year as well. Running late from lunch one day, Ben had seen Ms. Hughes and another female teacher standing very close together. They kissed and went their separate ways, never noticing Ben. Occasionally he had wanted to bring it up, to let her know he was gay as well, but it had always seemed such an odd subject to broach and he worried she would react defensively, but perhaps now was the time to tell her.
“Level with me, Ben,” Ms. Hughes said. “Do you need my help? Is there something I can do?”
Ben wanted to hug her. She was possibly the only teacher in the world who would offer to help instead of dragging him off to the principal’s office.
“It’s nothing too serious, but I really am needed.” Ben smiled to reassure her, but it only made her worry lines deepen.
“And you can’t tell me why?”
“I can. But not yet.” He could tell her now, but gay or not, she was still an adult and would probably insist that Tim’s parents would be informed and a proper nurse hired. All that mattered now was getting free of the school.
She looked into his eyes, hoping the truth would betray itself there. “When are you coming back to my class?”
“Monday,” he answered truthfully. Tim’s parents came back late on Sunday. That left only three more days before his domestic fantasies would come to an end.
“I’m trusting you, Ben,” she said. “You owe me an explanation. And an essay since you’ve missed the first test.”
“All right,” he grinned, relief washing over him. “I promise.”
Ms. Hughes watched him as he left, even though her classroom was full of students who were probably going wild in her absence. Once he could no longer be seen, she turned and walked slowly down the hallway, wondering what it was in Ben that she saw in herself.
Chapter Eight
“Honey, I’m home!” Ben crowed happily as he struggled with a grocery bag in each hand.
Today had been one of those Fridays where even the teachers had their hearts set on the weekend. None of the classes he bothered to show up for had been difficult or involved any homework. He and Allison once again disregarded the talent show and spent the period gossiping. He related to her for the umpteenth time how much he enjoyed taking care of Tim, while she filled him in on the action she and Ronnie had been sneaking in between classes.
After school, Ben took some of the money Tim’s parents had left and went grocery shopping, restocking much-needed supplies and picking up the ingredients for chili.
“Aren’t you going to help carrying in?” Ben called as he deposited the bags on the kitchen counter.
“I could probably manage something,” Tim said as he crutched his way into the room.
Tim had been much more active and restless the last few days. The painkillers had run out on Wednesday and he had no interest in a refill. He was wincing more often, but he seemed happy to pay this price for his sobriety.
“Seriously,” he said as he followed Ben out to the driveway. “Sling a few plastic bags on my wrists.”
“I’ve only got paper,” Ben chided as he took the last one and a twelve-pack of Coke from the trunk. “Your moral support is appreciated though.”
“Why’d you buy so much? My parents are coming back on Sunday.”
“I know, but tomorrow I’m cooking a meal fit for a king. Well, a very poor and underprivileged king maybe,” Ben corrected.
“You’re making me hungry. Why not cook it tonight?”
“My parents are on my back because I’ve barely been around the last few weeks and have missed every single dinner.” Ben waited while Tim opened the glass door for him. “I promised that I would actually be there tonight.”
Tim rolled his eyes. “So it’s frozen burritos for me?”
“That or a pot pie. I promise I’ll make it up to you tomorrow.”
Ben stayed long enough to put the groceri
es away and make sure Tim had everything he needed. He meant to leave immediately afterwards, but they started talking, first about Tim’s homework that Ben had brought from school and then about some of the insane antics Tim had seen on the daytime talk shows. By the time he left to go home, Ben was already ten minutes late for dinner.
He ran most of the way home, cursing his mom for insisting he be there tonight. What difference did it make? Couldn’t they shove food down their gullets without him there? He didn’t see why meals were considered quality family time. Half the time you couldn’t talk anyway since your mouth was full.
Then again, he could barely wait to cook for Tim tomorrow. He supposed that preparing a meal was an expression of love and that he had been standing up his mother all week. Burdened by guilt, he burst through the door and dodged Wilford’s greeting in order to reach the dining room sooner. He was in luck. The table was just now being set. Whatever Mom had cooked had obviously taken longer than she had intended.
Ben took over setting the table as his sister and his father came into the room and took their places.
“How nice of his royal highness to grace us with an appearance,” his father joked.
“Can’t blame him for not showing up,” his sister Karen complained when their mom entered the room with a meatloaf.
Ben had no complaints. Meatloaf was one of his favorite meals. Lately he couldn’t seem to get enough red meat in his system. His mother’s meatloaf was made with strips of bacon on top and slathered with ketchup, which caused his mouth to water as she set it down. He was glad to be home for dinner tonight.
They went through the usual motions. His mother made them say grace, which he always mouthed to make her happy even though he didn’t believe in it. Once that was over and everyone was served, Dad went into his usual rants about what had happened at work that day. Being manager of the local cable company didn’t sound very intriguing, but his father managed to bring home at least a few crazy customer stories every day.
There was a lull in conversation as the meal neared its end and they all became tired and full. The mood was meditative until Ben’s sister decided to break the silence.
“Janny swears she saw you driving around in a Mitsubishi yesterday.”
“A what?” Ben asked, buying for time.
Karen rolled her eyes. “A black sports car. She was next to you at a stoplight and got a good look at you.”
Maybe he should have denied it, but Ben didn’t see what he had to hide. He had earned his driver’s license last year, and it wasn’t criminal to drive around in someone else’s car.
“Yup, that was me,” he said. He didn’t elaborate, enjoying being enigmatic about it.
“Whose car were you driving?” his mom asked.
“Who cares,” his dad interrupted. “I’m just happy he’s actually using his license. We should break out the champagne!”
“The car belongs to a friend of mine,” Ben answered his mom while smiling at his dad.
“Do we know this friend?” his mom asked. “Is it this Tim person?”
“Tim who?” his sister prodded.
“None of your business,” Ben shot at her. “Yeah, it’s him,” he said to his mother. It felt good to keep Karen out of the loop. That his mom already knew and that his sister didn’t irritated Karen and made Ben even happier. As it turned out, he had chosen a bad time to push her.
“I’m surprised you admit it,” Karen said, a wicked gleam in her eye. “When Janny saw you school wasn’t over yet.”
“What are you saying?” his mother asked, while keeping her eyes on him.
“It was still sixth period,” Karen explained joyfully. “Janny has work leave so she leaves after fifth period. Apparently Ben does, too.”
“Is this true?” his father inquired.
Ben didn’t need to answer. His mother saw it all on his face. Denying anything would only make it worse.
“How long has this been going on?” she demanded. “Have you and this friend of yours been skipping school every day? What’s going on between you two?”
“Well, that’s not hard to guess,” Karen interjected.
“Be quiet,” his mother hissed at her before turning her attention back to Ben. “What’s gotten into you lately? First you lie to us about where you are and who you’re with, and now you’re skipping school? I don’t know who this Tim person is, but it’s clear that he isn’t good for you.”
“That’s not true!” Ben protested, feeling betrayed. She knew how much Tim meant to him. He’d told her, and now she was using it against him.
“You may not think it’s true,” she insisted, “but believe me it is. Anyone who asks you to lie and encourages you to skip school--” She shook her head, overcome with emotion. “Adam.”
“You’re grounded,” his father said on cue. “Starting now.”
“Grounded from what?” Ben asked incredulously.
His father looked to his mother for help. “The computer?” he suggested.
“For Christ’s sake, Adam!” She glowered at her husband before redirecting her wrath to her son. “You are grounded to the house. You aren’t going out with anyone until further notice. And I’ll be calling your school to make sure you are there the whole day, too!”
“That’s not fair!” Ben managed to shout as emotion constricted his throat. “I fucking hate you!” he croaked to his sister before he ran upstairs to his room.
Things only became worse once he had slammed the door. Left alone, he had time to realize the implications of this punishment. The last few days alone with Tim, the romantic meal and whatever memories they would have made, were all gone, forever stolen away from him by his stupid sister and his treacherous mom.
* * * * *
Groggy and miserable, Ben pulled himself out of bed at eleven in the morning and stumbled into the shower. He had stayed up late, wrestling with the anger lurching inside and listening to music that amplified these emotions.
Before all of this he called Tim to let him know that he wouldn’t be showing up after dinner or even this weekend. Tim, while sympathetic that he had gotten in trouble, didn’t sound as devastated as Ben had hoped.
Once he was dressed, he stomped downstairs for some cereal. Ben was scowling at the selection when he heard the jangle of car keys. He turned to see his mother with her purse over her shoulder.
“Wanna go with me to the store?” she asked in pleasant tones as if nothing had happened.
“No, thanks,” Ben answered carefully. Maybe she realized how she had overreacted and would unground him.
“You sure?” she prompted. “It’s your only chance to get out of the house today.”
He turned his back to her, anger swelling up inside of him.
“Well,” his mother sighed, “your sister and father will be back any minute.”
Ben maintained his bitter silence until he heard the garage door raise and lower again. He counted to twenty before he dared move to the front windows to check that her car was gone.
“Dad? Karen?” he yelled, just to be sure that he was alone.
Only Wilford responded to his calls, panting happily as he trotted up to him.
“You look like you need to go potty,” Ben suggested. “Don’t you, boy? Don’t you?”
Wilford barked and leapt in anticipation.
Ben smiled at his little victory. There was no choice but to take the poor dog out for a walk. Clearly it was an emergency. He threw on his shoes and gave himself a once-over in the mirror before leashing Wilford and escaping from the house. He ran the first block, just in case either of his parents was on the verge of returning. Once that obstacle was out of the way, he was home free.
He felt a wild sense of liberation as he approached Tim’s house. So what if he got into trouble? They could ground him all they wanted. Right now he was somewhere his parents didn’t know about, somewhere safe. He would have his weekend with Tim and they couldn’t do anything about it.
Ben entered
the house without ringing the doorbell. He realized he might catch Tim in a compromising situation by doing so, but the idea of finding him jerking off only encouraged him to make his way stealthily down the hall. It was a good thing that he did, too, otherwise he might not have heard the girlish giggle before he entered the den.
A seductive murmur responded to the giggle as Ben tiptoed the last few steps to peek around the doorway, Wilford padding along behind him. Tim was on the couch with his leg up on the coffee table. A girl was bent over the cast, writing something on it with a pen. Her back was to him, but Ben didn’t need her to turn around to know that it was Krista Norman. Tim wiggled his foot, and she chastised him and giggled again. He grinned back at her in satisfaction.
Ben decided to make a silent retreat, but before he could do so, Wilford opened his mouth and starting panting loudly. Tim spotted Ben. Krista began turning to see what the noise was but Ben retreated down the hall before she could see him.
“Wait here,” he heard Tim say to her.
“Is someone here?” Krista’s voice sounded panicked, as if she was already being menaced by a gang of burglars.
“It’s just my neighbor,” Tim reassured her. “He promised to bring something by. Wait here.”
Tim appeared in the hallway and brushed by Ben, barely using his crutches as he hurried away, gesturing for Ben to follow. They retreated all the way to the front door before Tim turned to speak with him.
“What are you doing here? I thought you were grounded?”
“I snuck out,” Ben said.
“Jesus, man! You almost gave me a heart attack.”
“Sorry. I wanted to surprise you.”
“That you did.” Tim squatted down to pet Wilford. “Who’s this?”
Ben introduced him.
“You know, he looks oddly familiar,” Tim commented.
Well, yeah, I walked him past your house a million times before we met, Ben thought. “He looks like Wilford Brimley,” Ben explained. “You know, the old guy in the oatmeal commercials?”