Burning Britely by Deidre Huesmann

Author:Deidre Huesmann
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: romance, gay, dating, lgbt, contemporary, teen, ya, coming out, manlove, yalit
Publisher: Evernight Teen

Chapter Seven

When Jeff stuffed his notes into his backpack, Braeden stood. “You want a ride home?”

Yes. Of course he did. Yet Jeff’s mouth betrayed him. “No. I can walk.”

“Mind if I walk with you?”

His tongue was already forming the word, ready to deny at the drop of a hat, yet the question made him pause longer than normal. Braeden was chill. Usually. Today Jeff had seen—or rather, heard—another side to him. If Braeden was making a double-offer, there must have been a reason behind it.

Jeff nodded. “Yeah. That’s cool.”

On their way down the hall, Braeden knocked on Brenda’s door. She popped it open a crack. They muttered back and forth before she closed the door again. A similar scene played out at Bryce’s room. Jeff kept what he hoped was a polite distance and looked over his shoulder.

No sign of Mrs. Britely. Not a peep.

Finally, Braeden closed Bryce’s door and said, “Ready?”

“Yeah.”

They left. Outside had warmed up, oddly enough, even though the sky had begun to darken. Spring was gradually giving way to summer. The wet air was drying, ready to bloom into a muggy heat. Braeden would graduate, and Jeff would double down on his studies, start applying for scholarships. Life would stay the course. Nothing would change except for a new Braeden-sized hole in his life.

Braeden said little as they walked. He just kept his hands in his pockets and his face forward. His eyes were distant, like his mind was on another planet.

Jeff barely felt his earthly presence.

At about the halfway point, Braeden said, “Sorry about all that.”

Jeff scratched his jaw, not wanting to meet his gaze. He almost said, It’s okay, but the sentiment was meaningless. “Brenda says that happens about twice a week.”

“Something like that,” admitted Braeden. “Thanks for helping Bryce, by the way. You didn’t have to.”

Jeff fiddled with his shoulder straps. “I probably made it worse.”

“How d’you think?”

“I’m not good with kids. To be honest, I don’t even like them.”

“I couldn’t tell.” Braeden kicked a rock. It skittered down the sidewalk before veering off sharply into the street. “He likes you well enough. Says you seem nice.”

“Oh.”

“I trust his judgment.” A car whizzed past them, well over the 35MPH speed limit. It tousled Jeff’s hair. When he looked up, Braeden’s curls had finally fallen into his face. He shoved them back. “Nothing’s more innocent than a kid. Especially Bryce. I might be biased, though.”

Jeff didn’t think so. He considered saying so, but thought about it too long. By then, the moment had passed.

He glanced over at the track star, took in his unusually somber appearance. Braeden’s proud shoulders were drooping, his walk less confident than usual. Like a man beaten in battle.

“Can I ask you something about him?”

Braeden shot him a bemused look. “About his dad, right?” When Jeff said nothing, Braeden smiled. “It’s okay. Anyone who meets him gets curious.”

Jeff hoped it was simply that, and not that he was too easy to read. Otherwise, he’d be in trouble sooner rather than later.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.