personal swimming instructor? I had to be at school at seven in the morning?
“Okay, well, I gotta go get the team into the weight room. See you tomorrow, Justin.”
“Mm’k.” That was all I managed, and it was kind of a squeak.
I was in a fog of delirium as I showered and changed. It was completely unbelievable and totally impossible, but I was actually happy. I’d joined a school team and I was happy. What was the world coming to?
Chapter 11
L IAM WORE A CLEAN SHIRT to meet my mom. Either he wanted to impress her or he just wanted to be sure she didn’t smell weed on him, I couldn’t be sure. Of course, that didn’t change the fact that he looked thuggish—I barely noticed anymore but my mom sure did. I could see from the way she sized Liam up that she doubted my taste in friends.
“I was going to order pizza for dinner, if you wanted to stay.”
I hid a smile. My mom was kind of competitive. She wanted to prove she was as good a parent as Liam’s folks. It was really nice of her, considering the way she kept sneaking disapproving glances at my new friend.
Liam’s face lit up with joy. “Pizza? I am so there.”
“What do you like on it?”
“Anything that’s not good for me.”
My mom’s neutral mask cracked before the legendary Liam charm. I saw one corner of her lips twitch. “That’s pretty much everything.”
“Sounds delicious.”
Once I got Liam alone in my room, though, I had to be the bad guy. “Is this okay, though? Your mom keeps you on a pretty strict diet.”
Liam wrinkled his nose at me. “Traitor.”
“Sorry, dude.”
“I eat all the healthy, macro-biotic rabbit food she gives me. A few slices of pizza won’t kill me.”
“Okay.”
“But, uh, you can’t tell her, okay? We have to keep this on the DL.”
I laughed and flopped on my bed. “Okay.”
“So, who was the dude your coach introduced you to?”
I felt warm all over. A stupid grin took over my face that I couldn’t seem to stop. “Kanoa. He’s a varsity swimmer. Coach asked him to help me train.”
“I think someone has a new crush,” Liam remarked, smirking that smirk of his.
“Shut up,” I told him, throwing a pillow at him.
Liam threw it right back at me. “Poor Zach. Well, you snooze, you lose. He had his chance to ride the Justin train all the way to the station.”
“Oh my God,” I whined, hiding my face in the pillow. “You are so awful.”
Liam laughed. “Zach, Jimmy, now Kanoa. What do you put in that milkshake of yours that brings all the boys to the yard?”
I glowered over the edge of the pillow. “Secret ingredients.”
Liam snickered. “So, it’s like that? Not even a little hint for the loveless?”
“Nope. We gays don’t share our tricks.”
“That sucks.”
“That’s just one of our secrets.”
He burst out laughing. “ Now who’s being awful?”
I picked at a loose thread in the pillow. “He’s so hot,” I breathed. “Like, seriously. That smile could blind a guy. And his eyes? Oh man…. And there’s this divot in his chin…. “ I gave Liam a hard look. “And no, I’m not asking him out.”
“Does the wing man have to step in again?”
“Don’t you dare.”
We listened to music and ate pizza and generally had a good time. His mom picked him up and there was that weird moment when parents meet. My mom looked shocked to see that his mother looked so normal. I doubted Anna could pick up on that, but I knew my mom really well. I could see what she was thinking like it was written on her face.
Anna was very friendly. She didn’t even make a fuss about the pizza box that was clearly on the kitchen table. I supposed Liam would hear about it later, though.
After they left, my mom cut off my escape to my room and sat me down. “Anna seems nice.”
There was a silent, “Not sure how she could have a boy like Liam” at the end of her statement that annoyed me. Sure, I’d treated him like he was a stoner loser at first, but now that I saw
“Okay, well, I gotta go get the team into the weight room. See you tomorrow, Justin.”
“Mm’k.” That was all I managed, and it was kind of a squeak.
I was in a fog of delirium as I showered and changed. It was completely unbelievable and totally impossible, but I was actually happy. I’d joined a school team and I was happy. What was the world coming to?
Chapter 11
L IAM WORE A CLEAN SHIRT to meet my mom. Either he wanted to impress her or he just wanted to be sure she didn’t smell weed on him, I couldn’t be sure. Of course, that didn’t change the fact that he looked thuggish—I barely noticed anymore but my mom sure did. I could see from the way she sized Liam up that she doubted my taste in friends.
“I was going to order pizza for dinner, if you wanted to stay.”
I hid a smile. My mom was kind of competitive. She wanted to prove she was as good a parent as Liam’s folks. It was really nice of her, considering the way she kept sneaking disapproving glances at my new friend.
Liam’s face lit up with joy. “Pizza? I am so there.”
“What do you like on it?”
“Anything that’s not good for me.”
My mom’s neutral mask cracked before the legendary Liam charm. I saw one corner of her lips twitch. “That’s pretty much everything.”
“Sounds delicious.”
Once I got Liam alone in my room, though, I had to be the bad guy. “Is this okay, though? Your mom keeps you on a pretty strict diet.”
Liam wrinkled his nose at me. “Traitor.”
“Sorry, dude.”
“I eat all the healthy, macro-biotic rabbit food she gives me. A few slices of pizza won’t kill me.”
“Okay.”
“But, uh, you can’t tell her, okay? We have to keep this on the DL.”
I laughed and flopped on my bed. “Okay.”
“So, who was the dude your coach introduced you to?”
I felt warm all over. A stupid grin took over my face that I couldn’t seem to stop. “Kanoa. He’s a varsity swimmer. Coach asked him to help me train.”
“I think someone has a new crush,” Liam remarked, smirking that smirk of his.
“Shut up,” I told him, throwing a pillow at him.
Liam threw it right back at me. “Poor Zach. Well, you snooze, you lose. He had his chance to ride the Justin train all the way to the station.”
“Oh my God,” I whined, hiding my face in the pillow. “You are so awful.”
Liam laughed. “Zach, Jimmy, now Kanoa. What do you put in that milkshake of yours that brings all the boys to the yard?”
I glowered over the edge of the pillow. “Secret ingredients.”
Liam snickered. “So, it’s like that? Not even a little hint for the loveless?”
“Nope. We gays don’t share our tricks.”
“That sucks.”
“That’s just one of our secrets.”
He burst out laughing. “ Now who’s being awful?”
I picked at a loose thread in the pillow. “He’s so hot,” I breathed. “Like, seriously. That smile could blind a guy. And his eyes? Oh man…. And there’s this divot in his chin…. “ I gave Liam a hard look. “And no, I’m not asking him out.”
“Does the wing man have to step in again?”
“Don’t you dare.”
We listened to music and ate pizza and generally had a good time. His mom picked him up and there was that weird moment when parents meet. My mom looked shocked to see that his mother looked so normal. I doubted Anna could pick up on that, but I knew my mom really well. I could see what she was thinking like it was written on her face.
Anna was very friendly. She didn’t even make a fuss about the pizza box that was clearly on the kitchen table. I supposed Liam would hear about it later, though.
After they left, my mom cut off my escape to my room and sat me down. “Anna seems nice.”
There was a silent, “Not sure how she could have a boy like Liam” at the end of her statement that annoyed me. Sure, I’d treated him like he was a stoner loser at first, but now that I saw
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