people’s personal lives. I took a quick bite of tamale to make it clear I was done with my part of the conversation and waited for someone else to talk.
Oliver’s Aunt Gloria took the gambit, and I sort of wished I’d said something instead. “That reminds me,” Gloria said, smiling warmly, “it was nice of your family to let you come have dinner with us tonight. I’m sure they miss you after being away for so long.”
Mr. Campbell, Oliver, and I all froze. I still had tamale in my mouth, and I tried helplessly to swallow it. Without a word, Oliver passed me my glass of milk, and I was still washing stuff down when Mr. Campbell spoke up for me.
“Rusty is going to be staying here for a little while,” he said quietly.
I wiped my mouth, and said, “Only until I can find an apartment. I still have my savings from the summer. And a car. I need a car.”
Mr. Campbell grimaced, and Manny said, “Hey, I can get you a car!” at about the time Gloria said, “I’ll check my listings. I can find you a nice apartment, really close.” And then both of them together, “Don’t worry, Rusty. We’ll set you up.”
I smiled a little, completely in the dark, until Oliver laughed.
“You did things right, baby. Gloria’s a real estate agent and Manny owns a car lot. If you were gonna get thrown out of the house, this was the place to have dinner.”
I opened my mouth a little and shut it, and opened it and shut it, and turned about seven different colors. “Thank you,” I squeaked at last. “That’s nice of you. I’ll take you up on that.” I had no plans whatsoever of hitting up Oliver’s relatives because they were being nice to me, and I hoped then that someone would move on, someone would save me from this conversation, keep it out of the places I least wanted it to go. Joey (who seemed the type) just didn’t want to drop it.
“Man, that’s messed up. What’d you do to get kicked out? Flunk out of school?”
“No! I was passing,” I said, because damn if I wasn’t still proud of that.
“Then what? C’mon, bro, ’fess up. What sort of heinosity do you have to commit to get kicked out of the house the night before Thanksgiving?”
“I was kissing Oliver,” I snapped back, annoyed. “It wasn’t a hardship.”
The entire table drew in the same gasp of air. I’m surprised they didn’t keel over from oxygen deprivation. The silence was painful, and I chewed doggedly at my tamale and ignored Oliver, next to me, hiding his eyes behind his hand.
“Was it a good kiss?” Gloria surprised me by asking. I looked up and saw her again, just like she’d been when she walked in: beautiful, elegant, and kind.
I swallowed. “The best ever,” I told her sincerely. “Totally worth it. Wouldn’t change a thing.”
“Good answer,” Sal said, and I looked at him gratefully. He smiled encouragingly and poured me another glass of milk because mine was apparently empty, and then he turned to his brother. “Heinosity? Hein osity ? Who taught you English, time-travelling surfers from 1989?”
Joey shrugged, unimpressed. “Okay, brainiac, what word would you use?”
“Abomination,” Sal said, looking smug. “But I wouldn’t use it, because it was only a kiss.”
Joey nodded, shoving another big bite of tamale in his mouth, which he talked through. “Yeah, man. That’s messed up. There’s nothing heinous about a kiss.” He swallowed. “But abomination—man, that word has got to go. It makes me think of a big, white hairy thing, and that thing is not sitting at our table.”
Oliver looked at me and winked. “No, I’m pretty sure Rusty waxes.”
His cousins busted up into laughter, and the adults all acted shocked, and I glared at him, not really mad, but really, really wanting to tell him that I didn’t need to wax. My chest was pretty hairless on its own.
I remembered all the times he’d seen me, half-naked by the swimming pool, and realized that he’d liked what he’d seen. I
Oliver’s Aunt Gloria took the gambit, and I sort of wished I’d said something instead. “That reminds me,” Gloria said, smiling warmly, “it was nice of your family to let you come have dinner with us tonight. I’m sure they miss you after being away for so long.”
Mr. Campbell, Oliver, and I all froze. I still had tamale in my mouth, and I tried helplessly to swallow it. Without a word, Oliver passed me my glass of milk, and I was still washing stuff down when Mr. Campbell spoke up for me.
“Rusty is going to be staying here for a little while,” he said quietly.
I wiped my mouth, and said, “Only until I can find an apartment. I still have my savings from the summer. And a car. I need a car.”
Mr. Campbell grimaced, and Manny said, “Hey, I can get you a car!” at about the time Gloria said, “I’ll check my listings. I can find you a nice apartment, really close.” And then both of them together, “Don’t worry, Rusty. We’ll set you up.”
I smiled a little, completely in the dark, until Oliver laughed.
“You did things right, baby. Gloria’s a real estate agent and Manny owns a car lot. If you were gonna get thrown out of the house, this was the place to have dinner.”
I opened my mouth a little and shut it, and opened it and shut it, and turned about seven different colors. “Thank you,” I squeaked at last. “That’s nice of you. I’ll take you up on that.” I had no plans whatsoever of hitting up Oliver’s relatives because they were being nice to me, and I hoped then that someone would move on, someone would save me from this conversation, keep it out of the places I least wanted it to go. Joey (who seemed the type) just didn’t want to drop it.
“Man, that’s messed up. What’d you do to get kicked out? Flunk out of school?”
“No! I was passing,” I said, because damn if I wasn’t still proud of that.
“Then what? C’mon, bro, ’fess up. What sort of heinosity do you have to commit to get kicked out of the house the night before Thanksgiving?”
“I was kissing Oliver,” I snapped back, annoyed. “It wasn’t a hardship.”
The entire table drew in the same gasp of air. I’m surprised they didn’t keel over from oxygen deprivation. The silence was painful, and I chewed doggedly at my tamale and ignored Oliver, next to me, hiding his eyes behind his hand.
“Was it a good kiss?” Gloria surprised me by asking. I looked up and saw her again, just like she’d been when she walked in: beautiful, elegant, and kind.
I swallowed. “The best ever,” I told her sincerely. “Totally worth it. Wouldn’t change a thing.”
“Good answer,” Sal said, and I looked at him gratefully. He smiled encouragingly and poured me another glass of milk because mine was apparently empty, and then he turned to his brother. “Heinosity? Hein osity ? Who taught you English, time-travelling surfers from 1989?”
Joey shrugged, unimpressed. “Okay, brainiac, what word would you use?”
“Abomination,” Sal said, looking smug. “But I wouldn’t use it, because it was only a kiss.”
Joey nodded, shoving another big bite of tamale in his mouth, which he talked through. “Yeah, man. That’s messed up. There’s nothing heinous about a kiss.” He swallowed. “But abomination—man, that word has got to go. It makes me think of a big, white hairy thing, and that thing is not sitting at our table.”
Oliver looked at me and winked. “No, I’m pretty sure Rusty waxes.”
His cousins busted up into laughter, and the adults all acted shocked, and I glared at him, not really mad, but really, really wanting to tell him that I didn’t need to wax. My chest was pretty hairless on its own.
I remembered all the times he’d seen me, half-naked by the swimming pool, and realized that he’d liked what he’d seen. I
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