Page 25 of Something Like Winter

Tim smiled and sat, enjoying the attention, but his parents began to fuss over where the laptop bag was, if they had packed the charger in a separate suitcase, and if his mother should do a load of laundry. He was pretty damn sure he sat there for half an hour waiting for more from them. Maybe something like:Why didn’t you call us? Did it hurt? Is there anything you need?

Finally his father brought out a ridiculously huge bar of Swiss chocolate and set it in front of him. “Did the hospital get your insurance information?” he asked.

Tim nodded. “We got it figured out eventually.”

“Good. I broke my arm when I was a kid.” His father chuckled at the memory. “Casts are terrible, aren’t they?”

“Yeah,” Tim said, taken aback by this divulgence. “How did you break it?”

“Oh, my kid brother and I were—” Tim’s mother walked by with a laundry basket, distracting him. “Ella, if you’re washing shirts for tomorrow, I need the blue one. I have a meeting with a new client. No, not that one. The light blue shirt. I’ll show you.”

His father left but didn’t return. Tim let another ten minutes of solitude pass before he gave up and went upstairs to his room. His mom knocked on his door an hour later, asking if he had eaten. She never failed in this area. Tim never went hungry, but they seemed to have already forgotten his injury. He supposed they were jet lagged or tired from their trip, so he tried not to blame them. When the house went silent, his parents retiring for the night without saying another word to him, he wished Ben was still there making him feel special. * * * * *

Monday arrived like a Kansas tornado, tearing up and sweeping away the two oddest weeks of Tim’s life and returning the world to normal. Getting back to school helped. Tim was the center of his friends’ attention, and even though he had been gone for nearly as long as they had known him, they still acted like his absence was a big deal. After school, Darryl threw another of his impromptu parties, this time in Tim’s honor. And without the depth-chargers, thank god.

Krista was crazier about him than ever, clinging to him like her life depended on it. But in a way, that felt nice. The only time it got weird was when she kissed him, because for a second he felt like he was cheating on Ben… but then he reminded himself that Krista was his girlfriend. If anything, he should feel guilty about what he had done behind her back. But he didn’t.

Tuesday wasn’t quite as good. The excitement about his return had died down, and he had cross country practice after school, so no partying. Tim could only sit on the sidelines and watch, but being part of the team was more than just competing. He watched the other guys, asking himself if he found them attractive, trying to see them in a new light. But it wasn’t the same. He knew which ones were handsome and who had the nicest body, but he didn’t feel that connection like he had with Ben—or that desperate need to kiss any of them. If he was gay, wouldn’t he want them too? Tim began to wonder if he had been the victim of hormones and two weeks of cabin fever.

On Wednesday, while strolling to class with Bryce at his side, Tim noticed Ben walking down the other side of the hallway, head forward but eyes watching him. And it was funny, because a whole team of athletic runners didn’t do much for him, but seeing Ben for one brief second called up all those feelings of home, of being cared for. Tim brought a quick finger and thumb to his face, signaling that Ben should call him. Ben gave a hint of a smile and a nod before they broke eye contact.

Tim felt strangely elated by this small interaction, his good mood lasting until he got home in the afternoon. His mother was there, which wasn’t surprising since she did much of her translation work from the house. But his father was home early too, and that was rarely a good omen.

“Your school called,” his mom said, after asking him to sit down at the kitchen table.

“What did they want?”

Ella’s face was strained, bringing out the lines and making her appear older. “They said the reason for your absence wasn’t reported.”

“Oh. I had a friend of mine pick up homework for me, but not from all my classes. One of the teachers made a big deal about it on Monday, but I explained everything.”

“Including that we were out of town and couldn’t call?” his father chimed in. “You’ve made us look incompetent.”

“Sorry!” Tim said, getting his back up. “I’ll go into school tomorrow and tell them I kept you in the dark. God forbid anyone think ill of you.”

“Don’t get smart!” Thomas growled. “A counselor wants to meet with us, which I sure as hell don’t have time for!”

“We know the school called while we were gone,” his mother said in gentler tones. “All you had to do was pick up the phone and explain the situation. And really, a sprain isn’t a good enough reason to miss two weeks.”

Now his father chimed in again. “The counselor asked if we felt you should be punished for skipping, since you were capable of attending.”

Tim gritted his teeth. “I had a lot to deal with, okay? I didn’t want to ruin your stupid trip, and it’s a class three sprain, by the way, which is pretty damn close to being broken.”

His father’s face turned red. “Don’t use language like that in front of your mother!”

Tim looked to his mom, whose eyebrows were raised. Tim couldn’t believe it! Out of everything he had said, all they heard was a cuss word? “I’ll take care of it. I’ll talk to the school counselor tomorrow and get it all cleared up. I promise.”

But this wasn’t enough. His father was still angry, and worse, his mother appeared hurt.

Tim’s shoulders slumped. “I’m sorry.”

That satisfied them enough that they let him escape to his room. Once he got there, his phone rang. His parents had splurged for a private line—for their convenience more than his—and if he had been smart, he would have given the school that number instead.

Tim picked up the receiver. “Yeah?”

“Hey.”

Benjamin, like a lifeline from another world, one that Tim was eager to escape into. “Hey. You have to come get me. I’m totally sick of it here.”