Something Like Summer Read Online Free PDF

Ben usually enjoyed that, but one of
the boys asked the teacher how to say “faggot” in Spanish. For
whatever incomprehensible reason, the substitute decided to answer
this question, and “mariposa” was happily parroted throughout the remainder of
the class, with a number of pointed looks in Ben’s
direction.
    Lunch should have brought a
welcome break from the day’s hardships, but Ben was greeted with
Allison’s announcement that she and Ronnie were now boyfriend and
girlfriend. Ben callously responded to this news by saying, “That’s
retarded. You haven’t even been on a date yet.”
    The look of hurt on
Allison’s face made him regret his words. Ben was happy for her. Mostly. Ronnie
was a nice guy. Dates, romance, and possibly hot kinky sex were
sure to follow in due course. That’s what rubbed Ben the wrong way.
This was Allison’s fourth boyfriend since they had been in high
school. In the past three years, Ben hadn’t had so much as a mildly
flirtatious encounter. The ease in which she found someone stirred
the green-eyed monster inside of him.
    What could he do, though?
He wasn’t old enough to get into a gay bar, and the local
newspaper’s personal ads were almost strictly heterosexual, except
for a few placed by men older than his father. Even Ben’s meager
sex life had been cut off when he came out of the closet, a
decision that he was beginning to regret. An unreciprocated blow
job at this point sounded as meaningful as marriage.
    The rest of their meal was
accompanied by awkward silence. Ben knew he would have to make
amends later, but he was in too foul a mood to back-peddle or
smooth things over at the moment. The rest of the school day passed
without incident, but the grumbling thunderstorm outside helped to
fuel his sullenness until the last period was over.
    The rain had at least
stopped by the time he was buckling on his Rollerblades. Allison’s
car had made it out of the shop for two whole days before breaking
down again. Ben had abandoned his bike and decided to start using
the inline skates he had begged for and received last Christmas. He
wasn’t very good yet, but he managed to do everything but stop
gracefully. A meandering bike path that wasn’t used much was his
choice of route today. The detour would take him longer to get
home, but it would also help him avoid other students. He just
wanted to make it home to the comfort of mindless TV and the
leftover cookie bars his mom had baked the night before.
    Trees became a blur as Ben
skated faster than he usually dared. He was finally getting the
hang of these things! The woods gave way to a manmade channel clear
of foliage. Here the ground dipped low and then high again, winding
like an empty river through the woods. Ben always wondered what
purpose it served, until one hurricane season when it rained
nonstop for two weeks. The ditch took the excess rain water and
moved it safely away to somewhere less civilized. That was the only
year he had seen the ditch full of water. Otherwise it remained a
dry but green miniature valley.
    Ben was beginning to feel
better as he zipped along the path that ran along the ditch. That’s
when he saw Tim. He was further along, wearing his usual jogging
outfit except this time with the addition of a backpack. Obviously
he had decided to jog home rather than taking his Richie Rich
sports car. Instead of the usual wave of hormones Ben experienced
whenever he saw Tim, this time he felt only irritation. He didn’t
want to be reminded of the things he couldn’t have. He wanted
solitude.
    “ Get the fuck off my
path,” Ben muttered under his breath as he thrust with his legs and
increased his velocity. He felt like a bullet shot from a gun, and
right now he wanted nothing more than to barrel into Tim and knock
him aside without even so much as a backwards glance. Why the hell
not? He was sick of being the victim of everyone else’s barbs and
lunacy. Why not strike back? He wouldn’t knock Tim over,