Something Like Spring Read Online Free PDF Page B

why didn’t you ride in it this morning?”
    “Oh. Uh… I didn’t want to be a burden,” he said, recovering slightly. “Anyway, I’m used to walking. Helps maintain my girlish figure.”
    Caesar’s eyes traveled down said figure and back up again. “If you want a ride home, I always park right up front.”
    “Okay,” Jason said.
    Caesar’s brow furrowed. “Okay, you understand, or okay, you’ll be there this afternoon?”
    “Both,” Jason said.
    Caesar nodded as if satisfied and turned to walk away.
    Only one class remained, and Jason’s stomach clenched all through it as he wondered what the ride home would be like. Would the car be loaded with Caesar’s friends, Jason pressed between two of them? Or would they be alone, Jason grasping for words to fill the silence? No matter which way it went, he was okay with it. He’d be nervous during the drive, but he’d also have ample opportunity to check Caesar out and add new details to the steadily building fantasy in his mind.
    When the final bell of the day rang, Jason took his time reaching the parking lot, not wanting to appear desperate. Caesar was easy to spot, since he was in the center of an entourage. That was the best way of describing them since they all wore the same casual and yet carefully planned clothing, like a gang spawned from a middle-class suburb. If this little clique had a leader, Caesar was it, since all heads were turned in his direction.
    Walking toward this group went against every instinct Jason had. Not because they were cooler than him. Even if Caesar had been surrounded by the school’s chess club, Jason still wouldn’t have wanted to approach because having so many friends was alien to him. Occasionally Jason made a friend at the group home, another hard-sell like him, but eventually everyone went away, either finding a family or aging out of the system. Jason made his peace with not having friends long ago. And yet, standing here now—watching as people listened to what Caesar had to say, laughing at his jokes or shaking their heads—Jason felt a sort of yearning.
    Caesar turned to find him, amber eyes lighting up in recognition. “Hey,” he said, raising a hand, “there he is!” He gestured for Jason to come closer, putting the same hand on his shoulder when he was within reach and pulling him near.
    Jason turned around at the last moment, realizing this wouldn’t be a hug. That left him side by side with Caesar, who adjusted his arm, draping it over Jason’s shoulders as he faced a bunch of strangers. A girl with black hair spiraling down her shoulders voiced the question posed by their expressions.
    “Who’s he?”
    “Jason,” Caesar said, as if this made everything obvious.
    Most of them only feigned understanding, but a few heads nodded, telling Jason this had happened to other foster kids before him. He wondered if he was about to become victim to some horrible prank. Instead, Caesar started blabbering about a public argument two teachers had gotten into that day.
    As Caesar talked, Jason kept sneaking sidelong glances at him. Two black discs covered his lobes. Just earrings, but maybe Caesar planned on gauging them next. An equally dark line of stubble outlined his chin. Jason wondered if that was intentional or if his facial hair just happened to grow that way. He found himself wishing the day was warmer, that spring had transformed into summer, forcing Caesar to wear a tank top. He imagined how the exposed arm would feel pressing against his neck, sweat sealing their skin together like they were—
    “So what do you think?”
    Jason came back to reality. A guy with a buzzed head, arms crossed over his chest, was staring at him expectantly.
    “Me?” Jason cleared his throat. “I’m thinking I have no idea who any of you are or what you’re talking about.”
    “Very honest!” Caesar laughed, squeezing him closer. “Unfortunately, that means you’ll never fit in with this crowd.”
    The girl with the