The art of getting better.

Chapter 10

Oct 23rd, 1998

Opening the door to my rusty green locker my life flashes before my eyes as a tiny piece of loose-leaf falls to the floor. The hesitation of my action sends anxiety through my veins. I pick it up, opening it slowly, expecting Rob's slanted left-handed writing.
"Meet me in the gym -C"
I sigh with relief in my lungs and I make my way to the gym, opening the blue-painted doors and walking into a warmly lit room. There 5 people playing basketball on the other end of the gym and I spot my blond-haired beauty, Clint Anderson. He smiles when he sees me, dropping the basketball he was dribbling.
"Tommy!" he says and I smile, shaking my head.
"Was the note really necessary?"
"Well duh," he says motioning me to walk with him. We exit the gym and I feel the cool air from the outside cooling my skin. "Wanna ditch bio to, study?"
"By study do you mean to make out over a movie?" I say as we enter the locker room, he's wearing a school t-shirt and a pair of gym shorts that don't hide anything.
"No, I'm serious, I'm gonna fail. And with football tonight I'm gonna need it."
"You fail bio. Seriously?"
"I'm kidding, I just wanna spend time with you. You're coming to the game tonight right?"
"Dude of course I am. Should I wear your number anywhere?" His number, 16 an oddly Clint number, I can't explain it, it's basic and simple and just him.
"You could or you can just wear one of my jerseys. That's kinda why I wanted to talk to you,"
"Don't you think people will ask questions? I mean we aren't exactly the most  normal couple."
"Wait wait wait, you just said couple. Are we a couple Tommy Everitte?"
"Shut up lover boy," I say playfully, nudging his shoulder. He leans in to kiss me softly, our lips barely touching. The noise of the door opening sends ups apart flying to the opposite sides of the room. Alex Scott walks tall, broad and smelling like strong cologne.
"Hey Tommy, didn't know you did sports," he says and I want to punch him, not literally but theoretically.
"You don't know a lot about me," I say and close the locker that I was pretending to occupy.  "Besides, I should probably head to class. Clint, I can't miss bio, but i'll see you there," I walk past Alex and hold my breath because he doesn't know. He can't know. I walk up the stairs and end up at my first-period class with Mr. Cornwal. I sit next to Abby who's already got her textbook out and is highlighting various sentences.
"You do know you don't own that right?"
"Oh hey Tom, I actually own this one."
"Seriously. Did you buy a textbook? Why am I not surprised."
"Well you should be, you seem to be in a good mood, any reason why?"
"Oh no reason, except for the fact that I may be seeing someone."
"Shut up. Who?"
"I can't say. We aren't official. Did you hear that Luke's in a relationship, he's actually dating someone."
"Yeah he mentioned it to me the other day, but I don't know who it is," she says and I can't tell if she's blushing or she's flustered because Luke's taken.
"I'm sure you'll win him over eventually." we've all been through the same thing, I crushed on him for three years, in-between attractions from Rob before I knew he was even into me and Kyle Mitch and Jason Summers. But I mostly kept these to myself. Luke's been different. It's like whenever a crush for a dude disappears he's always there to fill that slot. Ever since I've been dating Rob and Clint the feelings for him have laid dormant, except for when we kissed. He was the weird realization that I was even gay, when he talked about having sex with a girl from another school, the thought of him even having sex hadn't crossed my mind, but this fact stuck with me until Rob kissed me in that motel room.
"Are you going to homecoming tonight?" Abby asks in that totally Abby way, soft and delicate. Her tone is usually especially bossy because everything has to be her way. But when she asks this specific question her tone sounds more of a surrender. Like she won't go if I don't.
"Yeah of course, do you need a ride?"
"I mean we can make a whole day out of it, why don't you come over after school and get ready with me." even before I came out to her she always treated me as her best friend. A trio cut up into a duo, and it goes the other way we don't need each other to hang out with one another, and I admire that for our little organization.
"Ok yeah sounds good," I say smiling, the universe is giving me a win and I'm in love with a boy and this boy is in love with me.