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What had just happened in there? And what did this stranger's face look like? But when he came out of the office, he put his sunglasses back on.
Disappointment flooded through him.
Still, he could see the rest of his face as he stopped in the doorway. Dark curly hair framed features so fine they could have come from an ancient Roman coin or medallion. High cheekbones, a classic straight nose.... and a mouth that keeps you awake at night, Andy thought. The upper lip was beautifully sculpted, a little sensitive, a whole lot sensual. The chatter of the boys in the hallway had stopped, as if someone had flipped a switch.
Most of them were turning away from the boy now, looking anywhere but at him. Andy kept his place by the window and tossed his head a little.
Without a sideways glance, the boy continued down the corridor. A chorus of sighs and whispers flared up as soon as he was out of earshot.
Andy heard none of it.
He had walked right past him, he thought dazedly. Right past him, without a glance.
Dimly he realised the bell was ringing. Jack tugged at his arm.
"What?"
"I said, here's your lesson plan. We have trigonometry on the second floor right now. Come on!"
Andy let Jack propel him down the corridor, up a flight of stairs and into a classroom. He automatically slid into an empty seat and fixed his eyes on the teacher at the front, not really seeing him. The shock still hadn't worn off.
He had walked right past him. Without a glance. he couldn't remember how long it had been since a boy had done that. At least they all gave him a look. Some whistled. Some stopped to talk. Some just stared.
And that had always been fine with Andy. After all, what was more important than boys? He was the sign of how popular he was, how beautiful he was. And he could be useful for all sorts of things. Sometimes he was exciting, but that usually didn't last long. Sometimes he was a creep from the start.
Most boys, Andy reflected, were like puppies. Adorable in their place, but expendable. A few could be more than that, could become real friends. Like Brooklyn.
Oh, Brooklyn. Last year, he'd hoped he was the one he was looking for, the boy who could make him feel.... well, something more. More than the feeling of triumph when you made a conquest, the pride when you showed off your new achievement to the other boys. And he had developed a strong affection for Brooklyn. But over the summer, when he had time to think, he realised it was the affection of a cousin or sister.
Ms. Halpern handed out trigonometry books. Andy took his mechanically and wrote his name in it, still lost in thought.
he liked Brooklyn more than any other boy he knew. And that was why he had to tell him it was over.
