skyfall

4

Walking slowly, side by side

back

into the convention just after the lunch rush
through the throngs of people. And

Tyler,

slouching forward,
shoulders up around his ears
with his hands in his pockets,

"I mean I just don't see why it's a big deal."

Evan,
out the corner of his eye
he can't quite look him in the face
"It's not, not to me
I mean
but I just thought,"

He doesn't really know what he wants to say.
"I just didn't expect.. I mean.."

Flustered, floundering
for the words,

he turns to Brock.

Who still
has nothing to say,
just shakes his head.

Looks at Marcel.

"What do you think?"

Catches
the boy's attention.

Marcel turns
away from the floor to ceiling display,
that lights up the hallway,
off guard.

"Huh? What are you -

you're not still
talking about Luke's boyfriend
are you?"

"It's not his boyfriend," Evan protests.

"We don't really know that,"
Brock mutters
beneath his breath
not really expecting his friends to hear him.

"Hey," Marcel says
and when they look at him,
his hands raise
high
to ward off any further comments.

"All I've got to say is,
he's got a pretty cute boy.

Got the right stuff in the right places."

Tyler staring
right at him
eyes wide and almost blank

with words he doesn't know how to express

until Marcel begins to blush
and laughs off the look.

"What?
I told you
I ran into his naked ass
in Luke's room.

And, hey look! There's the guy now!"

Standing there at the end
of the row of displays,
and playing
with the controls for a new game design.

Luke nowhere in sight.

.

You wake up
with a sore throat
and can't remember why.

All you know is,
your head is

pounding

and you're exactly
where you started from,
in the hotel room.

You get dressed
and go downstairs,
still
a little foggy.

Lurching forward

eyelids still heavy from lack of sleep.

There is a taste
at the back of your throat

like regret

but the flavor is much
too familiar
it reminds you of a friend
to swallow back down.