So Much for Connections

He heard that he was from Albuquerque. That explained the potted cactus, at least. A little joke that Sean thought he could use to break the ice. A little gift to maybe win some affection.

Sean looked at his iPhone sitting next to him on the picnic blanket. 11:05. He was late. Of course. How could Sean be so stupid? How could he actually think that he might have actually found a guy. at his own high school, even, that was like him. That may actually like him.

The loneliness of his situation rotted away at him on the inside, day after day. Of course, he could tell no one. Not in a podunk town like this one--southern, middle-of-nowhere, each little house with a nice, white picket fence bordering it. A town so perfect on the outside that it could just barely mask the stink of hate and fear underneath. His silence didn’t stop the suspicions, but it kept him from being openly condemned. And it kept him from connecting with anyone.

But it could be different, now. He could finally have a companion, someone to love, and be loved by. He could finally have a connection.

Sean looked at his iPhone again after a few minutes. 11:10. No chance now. Sean memorized the note Ben had given him:

11:00. Saturday. The Tree. See you then, cutie.

But where was Ben? Certainly not coming. It was already ten minutes past-

Then he saw him coming up road. Sean stood up, shouted.

“Hi!”

That’s when he saw the other boys. They all began to shout and give chase, with Ben leading them in the hunt.

“Waiting for your boyfriend, homo? Wanna give us a kiss instead?”

Tears flowed as Sean ran, crushing the cactus.

So much for connections.

_

300 words.