Holiday His Stories (BXB short stories)

Triple Decker Summer of Love

Part One:  School Lunch

June 2023:  Last week of School

"Mr. Reed, would you please, for the love of god, switch seats with Mr. Kendall? Please? Maybe then I can attempt to teach you something about World War two before the period ends?"

Their high school history teacher, Mr. Jacobs, was on his 13th reason. It had been a long, long twenty minutes, with a good twenty five more to go. And he just couldn't take it anymore.

The two boys exchanged seats and the teacher at the front of the class sighed, brought his hands together in a pleading gesture and literally begged.

"Now, Mr. Souza, I have put next to you the quietest kid in our class. So please, please for the love of all that you hold dear and sacred, could you please be quiet."

Marc pouted as he looked at his best friend Georgie boy halfway across the room. His partner in crime just stuck his tongue out and pushed the kid next to him good naturedly.

"I guess. Go ahead, Mr. Jacobs. You know I'm funny when I can make people laugh talking about crimes against humanity. We all need to lighten up. It's too gruesome to take seriously." Marc added. "I'll be good. I promise." Then as the teacher turned around for a second, he stood up, holding his hands so the class could see, fingers crossed, everyone groaning, though a few cultured souls, like his best friend, Georgie Reed, laughed.

Plunking back down in his seat, still snickering, while Mr. Jacobs attempted to teach them about Anne Frank and how her biography can be considered a primary source rather than literature, Marc leaned back in his chair, biting his lip, already planning his next stunt, he felt something, and looked down confused.

"Hey, please? Can you be quiet for once? Not to be rude, but I really do want to pass this class."

Marc immediately froze. His body was literally immobile. Then he creaked his neck slowly to the boy that the teacher had used as a physical buffer between him and his friend.

Seth Kendall was looking at him with his gigantic doe brown eyes, his hand on Marc's. Marc looked down at their hands, and Seth pulled away, blinked once, then shrugged. Turning back to the teacher and starting to take notes.

Marc was agog.

Agog.

Seth never talked. I mean, sure, yeah, he did, to his best friend, Colton. Colton was almost as shy as Seth. They were always together, Seth and Colton. Ever since grade school. So of course, Seth must talk to him, but Marc had never heard him speak. He never talked in class, never raised his voice in PE, didn't sing in the choir or join the debate club. He just didn't talk. He wasn't a nerd, or whatever, just kind of a regular guy, with beautiful brown eyes and soft reddish brown hair and a very gentle way about him.

Beautiful brown eyes?

Yeah, they were beautiful, Marc realized. He curled his finger up towards his palm. Seth's fingers had touched him, trying to get him, Marc Souza, the class clown, the class wise ass, to shut the fuck up, and he did it by gently touching him and asking him quietly.

Marc could still feel his fingers touching him.

He sat stunned for the rest of the period.

"Thank you," Seth smiled at him as he grabbed his backpack, meeting Colton by the door and walking with everyone else towards lunch.

===

"I think, I think I'm gay," Marc blurted out as he and Georigie stuffed their faces at their usual table outside under two big fir trees.