Zombie Hayride by Kyler Doss

Author:Kyler Doss
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: halloween, tween, gay boys, zombies, harmonica music, rural theater, scary fun, country life, social life, hayride meeting
Publisher: Kyler Doss
Published: 2019-09-30T16:00:00+00:00

3

Eric

THE CHAIRS hadn't been moved from the night before. Zander took the one he had sat in during his conversation with Eric. He found himself thinking mostly about the boy on the hay bale who liked Eric. Those two hadn't done anything different on the ride they just took, Eric on the harmonica and the boy watching him. Somebody should introduce them.

"I told you," Eric said, "didn't I?"

People had a way of sneaking up on Zander. He motioned for Eric to take a seat.

"You told me alright."

Eric pinched the brim of his hat. No words.

"Are you from here?" Zander said.

"Yes, sir."

That told him this place was country. Because that's who Eric was. Plus he must have taught himself a little of the Mississippi blues. All of it was way beyond Zander, who liked what he had heard.

"I thought you were gonna kiss that boy," he said.

Eric unbuttoned one of the two flap buttons on the pocket where he kept his harmonica. But that was all he did.

"There's always another ride," he said.

"Do they keep going after Halloween?"

"No."

"Are you gonna do it?"

Zander had asked one question too many. Or that was how Eric looked at him. But Zander had one more question that he had to ask.

"Did you ever kiss anybody?"

"No."

The conversation came to a stop. It didn't feel like it was over but it needed some space.

Eric got up. "With marshmallows, right?"

"Right." Zander gave him a salute, anything to make him feel like things were okay.

The dance was going strong, a band with a fiddle player going to town on the square dance. Zander didn't belong here. He looked around in case the boy from that one bale of hay was about to sneak up on him and ask him questions about Eric, like who Eric liked.

Zander didn't have any idea what he would tell him. There's the truth and then there's a lie. You have to calculate which one is better.

The boy wasn't around, or not within the reach of this string of lights. There wasn't much doubt he would be on the next hayride. You had to wonder what he wanted. If Eric and him wanted each other so bad, was there some reason why they couldn't get together? Didn't they see it?

"With marshmallows," Eric said.

"Thanks." Zander took the cup. "I got mixed up about something."

That look crossed Eric's face, real serious and real scared.

Okay, Zander would ask something else.

"What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Eric laughed. "I can tell you're not in high school."

"What did I do?"

"When I grow up?"

"Oh."

Eric took off his hat. "You wanna wear this?"

"You know I do."

Zander put it on. It was too big for him.

"I wouldn't mind being a country singer," Eric said.

Zander nodded, the brim shifting on his brow. Eric could play a mean harmonica. And he sang good, too. You had to go to Nashville. Or so Zander had heard. His parents told him things and so did his aunt. Mostly he figured they told him the truth.

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