Boys with Matches by Gregory Ashe

Author:Gregory Ashe
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hodgkin and Blount
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

5 | EMMETT

“Do you want to try explaining that again?” Jim asked, holding ice against my eye.

I shook my head.

“For someone with the ability to make himself invulnerable,” Jim said, “you have a tendency to get hurt.”

“I like to stay in practice. Ow.” I reached for Jim’s wrist to pull his hand away, but he shushed me and adjusted the ice again.

Down the beach, Isaac and his boys were laughing, shoving each other, joking. More than once I saw them reenact the punch, all of them bursting into gales of laughter at the part when I went down. Jefferson was back with them, and he and Angel were the ones who seemed the least comfortable with the performance. Both of them held themselves stiffly, throwing frequent glances in my direction.

“What did you say to them, anyway?”

“Nothing,” I said. “I just said I wanted to know if that was a barracuda in his shorts.”

Jim sighed and rolled his eyes. He was very gentle. The sunlight glittered in the fine blond hairs on the back of his arm.

“You can’t fix kids like that,” Jim said softly. “Not quickly, anyway. People who have built up that kind of shell, they need time, they need love, they need to know that’s not the only way they can get attention or feel good about themselves.”

“People like me?”

Jim sighed again and repositioned the ice. After a moment, he said, “There’s nobody like you, Emmett.” Then he got a little grin on his face. “Thank God.”

I laughed even though I didn’t want to. “You know what I hate?” I asked. “I hate what people say about bullies just being bullies because they’re scared. Some bullies are just bullies because they’re jerks.”

“Are you speaking from experience?”

“Oh no, I’m definitely the scared, helpless, unloved kind. That’s why I’m Jim Spencer kryptonite.”

“I knew I should’ve gotten a different roommate,” Jim muttered.

While Jim continued to complain and baby me in equal portions, I studied Isaac and his gang. It was obvious why Angel was bullied; he was gay and closeted. That was what gave bullies power. It was equally obvious that the other boys in the group had reasons for following Isaac. People followed bullies because it gives them a sense of power, and everybody wanted power. But Isaac—well, there was something about Isaac I couldn’t put my finger on, and it was driving me crazy.

“Thank God we don’t have to tell your parents about this,” Jim said, finally pulling the ice away. “Your dad would have my ass.”

Then I had it. The phone call home. The Corvette. The dad.

“Oh, fuck.” I got to my feet stiffly, ignoring Jim as he tried to catch my arm. “Hey, are you still into all that bullshit about sending parents emails and talking nice about kids, even the ones who are real butt holes?”

“That’s not exactly what—”

“Great. Perfect. That’s what I thought.”

I jogged toward the group of boys; Jim called after me, but I kept going. The boys saw me coming—Jefferson was the first, and he called a warning—and they formed into a half circle to face me.

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