Someday

Josh woke up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes and rubbed the bruise on his face on his left cheek left there by his uncle telling him it would be a reminder to never forget to take the trash down again. Sitting up he made his way towards the bathroom across the hall and looked at his reflection in the mirror, these last few years had changed him ever since his parents died. His used to be emerald green eyes now had faded to a dull jade and his once coal black hair had now faded to an unhealthy mop of dry black hair. Taking off his boxers he climbed in the shower and turned the hot water on letting it run over his back gently letting the warmth seep into every inch of his body. Gathering some shampoo in one hand he worked up a good lather and began to work it into his hair slowly and rinsed it off. Turning the water off he grabbed a towel off the rack and dried off completely and wrapping the towel around his waist he walked back into his room he grabbed a nice tee shirt he got from his grandma last year and a pair of jeans and flip flops grabbing his messenger bag he walked out to the kitchen he saw his Aunt drinking her daily coffee and reading some papers.


“You know vanity is a sin, and it doesn’t help with being on time.” Used to such cold remarks from his aunt he smiled set his bag down grabbed a glass and poured some orange juice and leaned on the counter.


“Sorry it won’t happen again.” He said drinking half the glass in one shot.


“You know how many times I have heard that. Have you been saying your prayers at night Joshua?” she turned around her dark eyes filled with spiteful rage.
“Yes.” He mumbled.


“First of all, yes what? Second of all are you ashamed of your lord? Are you?” she had crossed the distance between them and was standing right in front of Josh, her dark eyes burning a hole right into his.


“No, I am not ma’am. Yes ma’am I said my prayers.” He looked up into her eyes defiantly mustering all the courage he could. The storm clouds passed by in her eyes, grabbing her keys and a stack of files she made her way out the door.


“Come on!” She yelled from the driveway. Draining the last of the orange juice he grabbed his keys and headed out the door right behind his aunt. Closing and locking the door he walked and climbed into the side of his Aunt’s puke colored green dinosaur of the seventies automobile era. Climbing in the car he sat down put on his seatbelt and angled it back dreading the ride to his school. It was never a pleasant ride not because of the destination but of the trip, he closed his eyes and waited for the emotional barrage that was about to begin.

Silence…he opened his eyes slightly his aunt was slowly taking her keys put them in a ignition and turned causing the dinosaur to pitifully turn over and start up. The backed up and then she made her way down the road without a single word. He could get use to this it wasn’t bad no lecture, no yelling, no crying, and no “Why don’t you love God?” questions. The drive was silent and Josh was loving it he pulled out a book from his backpack The Oxford Book of American verse and settled in to a piece by Robert Frost that he rather enjoyed.


Meanwhile somewhere on the opposite side of town…

“Wake up Nicholas, time for school.” The sweet voice of Nick’s mom woke him from his pretend sleep and slinging his feet across the bed he rubbed his hair trying to tidy it from its current bed head state. Standing up he checked himself in the mirror his body was immaculate every muscle defined with out being grotesque he took pride in his body and was constantly keeping it in good shape. He walked to his bathroom closing the door he stripped his shamrock boxers off letting them slide to the tile floor. Turning the water on he climbed in and let the warm water drench his entire body and then grabbing his body wash began to scrub his body and wash off. He climbed out grabbed a towel wrapped it around his waist and made his way towards his room. Closing the door he threw the towel off letting it fall to the floor grabbing a pair of cargo shorts, a nice t shirt, and a pair of Nike running shoes he grabbed his shoulder bag and made his way out towards the kitchen where breakfast was waiting for him.


“Eggs come on mom. Not again.” He whined picking up his forks and jabbing at the scrambled eggs on his plate.


“Don’t whine would you rather have nothing at all?” she eyed him from the counter where she was mixing a protein shake, pouring it into a on the go glass she handed it to him.


“Remember your work out is at three, we need you here to help with cabinets at four. Five you have an appointment with your physical therapist and Nick,” she stopped from cleaning dishes and looked at him.


“Yes mom.” He said staring up from his plate.


“Don’t be late for this one.” She said returning to the dishes, taking her time on the pan she made the eggs in.


“I wont be late.” He said grabbing the shake and his keys and heading out the door. Putting his backpack in the back he placed his shake in his brand new Jeep Wrangler and started it up. She was a beauty a gift from dad for his sixteenth birthday only one year and he had put more miles on that sucker than most adults would do in their lifetime. She still ran well and she was always their when a weekend at the beach arose or when his family took their annual trips to North Carolina to go kayaking. Backing it up Nick cranked up the stereo to a new song from a rock band and sped down his street headed for school.

“Mr. Levryteé you are late again.” Josh was late for his first period again, just another reason he hated History Class.


“Yes Mrs. Cecilia.” The other reason he hated it. Josh walked back to his seat amidst the sneers of fellow students and other who loved to tease him every chance they got.


“What a loser.” The third and final reason he would rather spend the day in a room full of smelly, sweaty, nasty fat people wearing next to nothing then ever sit in first period again. He took a seat next to Hattie, Josh’s best friends since freshman year. She was from Alabama and looked as pretty as a debutante with peach crème colored skin, blonde luscious locks, and chocolate eyes that could hypnotize any truck driving, beer drinking, tobacco spitting southern boy into a frenzy. The fact that she had boobs that have their own zip code might have helped in that factor too.


“Hey Josh.” She said putting some lip gloss on.


“Hey Hattie, how are you?” Josh took out his notebook and a pen getting ready for Mrs. Cecilias interesting discussion on Ancient Mesopotamia and the geological factors that allowed it to be so great, this should be fun he thought.


“Well I am alright except my back is killing me.” She readjusted cracking her back and stopped and began to take notes in the most inventive short hand Josh had ever seen. They chatted on stopping to right down something the teacher had hinted about the mid term about. That is until the lecture ended and they got ready to present their projects, inventions of the teacher they were designed to be cruel and unusual shows of someone’s intelligence or lack their off. This month they had to make a box about themselves and what symbols and thinks represent themselves as individuals and as unique human beings.


“Hattie Crooks, you are first.” Hattie sighed grabbing her collage marched up and presented her project.


“My name is Hattie Crooks. I am from Alabama…..” basically the rest of the projects went on in the same monotonous fashion one after another and another all done well and presented decently, until it was Josh’s turn.


“Mr. Levryteé, your turn now show us what you got.” Grabbing his collage he made his way to the front of the room hearing all the snickers and snide remarks as he went by tuning them out as usual. Making it the whole way he turned around and his heart jumped in his throat, his hand started to sweat, he couldn’t see straight, and his vision was blurry.


“Hello, my…name is…Josh!” he got it out without stuttering too bad but not before someone took advantage of the moment.


“I’m a retard!” a deep voice from the back boomed across the classroom and the whole class roared in laughter and Josh turned a deep red and felt like he was about to pass out.


“Enough! Stop it or you all will get detention.” Mrs. Cecilia yelled trying to take control of the classroom and sure enough she quieted them down enough for Josh to continue.


“I love to swim, write, hike, and read.” The rest of his project went off without a hitch and he was able to finish it clearly and efficiently until he was headed back to his seat when someone stuck their foot out and he tripped and landed face first. He was more embarrassed then hurt; he turned around when suddenly out of nowhere.


“That was mean Spence. Here let me give you a hand.” Nick Gannherty was right above him offering him a hand, the most popular guy in school he’s who the girls want and all the guys want to be. When he clasped hands a sudden heat rushed through his whole body especially through certain sensitive areas. He blushed and let go of his hand and stumbled on the way back to his seat. Josh didn’t know what was wrong with him.

He never felt this way towards anyone what was going on.

Nick didn’t know what was going on one minute he was helping the class nerd of the floor when he got lost in those piercing, sharp, emerald eyes. That soft dark brown colored hair was smooth and a fire burned in Nick’s belly he wanted that hair to brush across his bare flesh those eyes to stare into his.


What was he thinking? Nick couldn’t risk it he was barely keeping up with the façade with Emily right now. He couldn’t stand her and really didn’t even like her but he had to date a girl too make his dad happy. Nick knew he was gay for quite a while now but because of his parent’s homophobia and the fact they would probably stick him in a straight jacket if he came out. Trying to push the kid away from his mind just produce proved futile and finally he succumbed to his ardent desire and looked back trying to catch a glimpse of the kid only to find he was staring right back at him. Seeing this the kid turned his head trying to make it seem he wasn’t staring at him at all but Nick already knew and when their eyes finally made contact he smiled a smile that he wish could convey every feeling he was feeling at that moment.. The kid blushed then looked down but there was something different there wasn’t just a physical connection he didn’t know what but something was there.


The bell rang and he lost sight of him in the tide of students going and coming, he thought he caught one more glimpse of him before he lost entire sight of him and didn’t see him for the rest of the day. He headed towards his second period and eventually over the day forgot about looking for the mystery boy. After school he rushed to the gym and began to work out furiously starting with the bench press, then moving on to squats. He was pushing himself to the limits he had this feeling before but he knew what to do. He tried to push this feeling away with working out and continued to push himself to the max. He couldn’t feel this way, like his dad said it was not natural. He kept benching hope to push his mind off whoever that kid was but to no avail he was stuck in there like flies to fat people. He knew just what to do, walked over to bathrooms grabbing his bathing suit and goggles out of his bag he went to swim some laps, that should clear his head, he thought.
Copyright(2006) J and J Publishing INC.