Summer Storms by Thomas Grant Bruso

Author:Thomas Grant Bruso
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: LGBTQIA+, high school, grief, coming of age, hurt/comfort, harassment
Publisher: NineStar Press, LLC
Published: 2021-09-21T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

REX

That evening, it started to rain.

Rex waited for Earl by the fence, his face illuminated in stark light from his iPhone. He scrolled through messages Earl had sent him.

EARL: I’ll meet you outside in a sec. Don’t go anywhere.

Where would he go? Rex wanted see Earl again after talking to him at school today. The conversation they had had in the hall outside the restrooms had felt open-ended and rushed. He wanted to tell Earl that he liked kissing him, maybe kiss him again, and tell him it felt right.

Footsteps. In the dark.

Rex looked up from the screen of his iPhone at a dark figure approaching him.

“I didn’t realize it was pouring,” Earl said, standing a few inches from him on the other side of the chain-link fence.

“Do you want to come over?” Rex asked. “We can sit under the maple tree. We’ll be drier there.”

Earl was already sliding through the gaping hole in the broken section of fence at the far end of the yard. His knee still hurt from where he’d cut it climbing through the fence yesterday during the melee when he’d heard Rex screaming for help.

“Stealthy,” Rex said, laughing.

“It’s good to hear you laughing.”

“The alternative is grim,” he said, turning and heading toward the pocket-size patch of dry grass beneath the soaring tree in the corner of the yard. “I don’t want to be angry the rest of my life.” He plopped down on the ground, holding the light of his iPhone out to help Earl navigate in the dark next to him.

He jammed himself into the small area next to Rex, their shoulders touching. “You said in your texts a little while ago that you had something to tell me.”

Rex drew his knees up to his chest and exhaled a soft breath. “Yeah. But mostly I just wanted to get out of the house.”

“How’s it going with you and your mom?”

“Not great. I’m not satisfied with our talk.”

Rain dripped overhead and blew across the surface of the pool.

“Are you all right?” Earl asked.

“Far from it.”

“What’s going to happen? Are you going to be okay?”

Rex turned to Earl, staring at him through the shadows. “Define ‘okay’.”

Earl shrugged. “Is there anything I can do?”

As Rex moved positions, his hand brushed Earl’s. “I wanted to tell you something that would’ve been awkward over text.”

A few cars drove by the house, rain splattering under the tires, the meditative whooshing sound of the dampness comforting.

“I, um, wanted to say that it was nice to see and talk to you in the hall today,” Rex said. “I like talking to you.”

“I like talking to you too.”

“And about that kiss. I’m sorry if I was too forward.”

“No. Not at all. I mean, it was surprising, but I liked it.”

“Yeah. Me too.” He paused and looked around. “You might not know it, but you’ve helped me a lot lately with my insecurities.”

“Really?”

“I’ve got a lot of problems at home, but I’m glad we’ve gotten to know each other better. You’re cool to talk to.

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