The Visitors by Greg Howard

Author:Greg Howard [Howard, Greg]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers Group
Published: 2022-02-02T00:00:00+00:00

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WILL HAD ONLY just ridden past the stone columns of the old entrance gates and rolled into the old slave village of Hollow Pines when he spotted them. Two boys over in the field at the winnowing barn. They were too far away for him to see their faces, but he recognized the mass of straw-colored hair of the taller one right away. It was Ronnie. So the other boy had to be Frankie Dimery, because ever since Ronnie had joined the football team, you never saw one without the other. That’s the way Will and Ronnie used to be, and it pained Will to his bones to watch Ronnie and Frankie cutting up together over there, doubled over laughing, throwing their arms around each other.

It made Will heartsick for his former best friend. In that moment, Will would have forgiven Ronnie for everything—telling Frankie his secret, standing by silently while Frankie and his teammates called Will the most awful names and while they shoved Will around on the schoolyard. And even, lately, joining in on the teasing himself, which hurt Will the most—to hear those words coming from Ronnie’s mouth directed at him.

Sissy.

Homo.

Queer.

But he knew he would forgive Ronnie if he asked. Anything to get his friend back. He still hoped it was possible.

Will didn’t want to be there anymore. This was not going to be the peace and quiet he was looking for, so he turned his bike around. But before he started pedaling back the way he’d come, he heard his name being called from over at the winnowing barn, Ronnie’s voice echoing across the field. Will’s heart almost burst out of his chest at the sound of it. He’d heard Ronnie call out his name so many times when they used to be friends—that crack of joy in his voice when Ronnie had called out to him in the hallway in elementary school, or in the cafeteria, or when they ran into each other unexpectedly at the Five & Dime in town. Will couldn’t resist it.

He looked over their way, shielding his eyes from the blinding sun. He spotted Ronnie in the distance, waving him over with one hand, then two. And then Frankie waved him over. They were both smiling. Friendly-looking, even.

Will bit down on his lower lip. That always seemed to help him decide what to do when he was confused. At first, Will didn’t trust the invitation. Why should he, after all Frankie had put him through at school this year? But what if they wanted to apologize? What if they really did just want to hang out? Being way out here, far away from school, where Frankie was always showing off for his friends, Will didn’t see him as the same threat somehow.

So Will decided to give them a chance, and turned his bike toward the winnowing barn.

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