Chapter 3 June 1998
“I want you to be on your best behavior, Grayson,” my mother said as she pulled into the Fox family’s driveway. Putting the car into park, she turned and kissed my forehead before combing her fingers through my hair.
“Yeah, Grayson,” my brother teased from the back seat. “Be on your best behavior.”
Momma turned and glared at him. “That’s enough of that. You’re already in trouble for sassing Sister Thorpe at school.”
Trevor rolled his eyes. “That’s the whole reason I’m stuck at home with you while Gray gets to go queer it up with his stupid queer friend.”
Momma narrowed her eyes at him. I didn’t know what the word meant. I’d heard Trevor say it a few times, and he usually used it when he was talking about someone he didn’t like, so I just assumed it was another way of calling someone dumb.
Momma looked like she was ready to wash his mouth out with soap.
“Don’t ever say that word again,” she snapped.
“Not in front of Grayson. He’s at a delicate age.
Do you hear me?” It was the angriest I’d ever heard her.
Even angrier than the night she cut the crotch out of all Daddy’s dress pants. “Answer me, young man.”
When I saw my brother in the rearview mirror, he looked smaller than I’d ever seen him.
It was like he was trying to fold in on himself.
I’d seen Trev scare folks off with just a dirty look, but in the back seat, his hands clasped politely in his lap, too nervous to get a word out he looked a lot like me.
I never saw much of a resemblance in us before.
While he was all muscles and tan skin and pearly white teeth, I was made up of lanky limbs and gapped teeth and a butt as big as Dallas.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered before turning to me. “I’m sorry, Gray.” The look of rage he normally shot me was nonexistent. He was staring at me like he meant it. Considering I had no idea what the heck he’d even called me, the whole situation made me nervous.
“Momma?”
She turned and smiled at me. A real smile. “Yes?”
“What’s a queer?”
she grabbed the steering wheel and squeezed until her knuckles went white.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.
“Are you excited about your sleepover?” When she opened her eyes, she plastered a smile across her face.
“You boys are going to have a wonderful time.” The way she switched her emotions so quickly left me feeling a little dizzy.
“Yes, ma’am.”
I looked out the window. Kent Fox was right there.
Right inside that house. We were going to spend the whole night together.
I was going to have him all to myself. No nosy Kate poking her head into our A and B conversations that she refused to C her way out of.
No stinky Kyle coming over to poke Kent in the ribs while we were talking.
Not even Sister Thorpe checking on our work, asking us if we needed help, only to blubber out a bunch of nonsense when she didn’t know the answer. Just him and me.
“If Mrs. Fox tells you to do something, I want you to do it. No backtalk. Understood?”
I nodded, trying my best to keep my excitement contained. “Promise!”
“You must really like this Kent.”
“He’s great. You’d love him. Maybe we could have him over one night, too. Since he’s letting me spend the night with him, it only seems right.”
I wanted Kent to come to my house, so I could show him my room and all the stuff in it.
We’d become inseparable at school, taking our breaks and lunches together, sharing ziplocked Pringles and Fruit Stripe gum.
I wanted to show him everything in my room because I wanted him to know me.
To really know me. What I liked and what I didn’t.
All my interests. I’d have to hide the stuffed animals so he didn’t think I was still a big old baby that needed his elephant to fall asleep.
I’d also need to tuck my pink Hot Wheels car under my mattress so he didn’t ask me why I liked girl colors.
Honestly, I didn’t really think he’d mind.
In the four months we’d known each other, he’d never made fun of me.
Not in a cruel way, at least. Sure, he joked about my freckles and would pinch my stomach and mention how skinny I was, but the big things—the small gap between my front teeth, the way my butt was bigger than the other boys at school, how I sometimes had to ask Sister Thorpe stupid questions about schoolwork that I should already have known, even though she didn’t know, either—he never joked about any of that.
And the same way he didn’t laugh at me, I never laughed at him.
Not when the boys in class would make frilly hand gestures, or when Kent would be leaning over in his chair and Tommy would sneak up and grab his chest, pretending like Kent had boobs because he was a little heavy.
I would never make fun of him for that. I didn’t care that he had a tummy or that his cheeks were a little puffy.
I thought he looked nice the way he was. He always looked real nice.
“If you need me, you’ll call,” Momma said with a serious face. “I’ll come right over and get you.”
I leaned over the center console and crushed her with a hug, smashing a kiss to her cheek. “Promise! Can I go now?” I bounced in my seat again, unable to contain my excitement. Momma just laughed and nodded, reaching across me and unlocking the door.
“Go ahead. I want you to call me tonight, even if you don’t need me to pick you up.”
“Promise!" I opened the door and stepped out of the car. I grabbed the door but paused. Leaning down, smiled at her. “Thanks for letting me spend the night.”
She seemed taken aback, like she hadn’t expected it. “You’re welcome, Grayson.”
“Love you. I’ll tell you all about it when I get home.”
She chuckled. “I love you too. Now, go on. And be a good boy for Mr. and Mrs. Fox.”
I slammed the door and spun around, racing toward their house.
It was a really pretty house, too. There were only three homes in the cul-de-sac, and the Fox’s easily had the nicest. It was a tan two-story home with a garage to the side.
They had a wrap-around porch, just like us, and there were rose bushes in front of it.
I made a mental note to tell Momma we ought to plant some at our house because of how pretty they were.
Three steps and a porch were all that stood between me, Kent Fox, and "a night I’d never forget," as he’d sold it to me.
He didn’t have to sell me on anything, though.
I knew it would be a blast. It was my first night away from home, and I was spending it with my best friend.
Of course, I’d never forget it. I hopped the stairs and rushed forward.
Before I could knock, the wooden door opened, and there he was, like he’d been watching out the window, waiting for me.
Kent looked even nicer than usual. At school, we all wore the same uniform; khakis and tucked-in Polo shirts.
At church, we wore button-downs and slacks.
But there, in his sanctuary, Kent Fox was an explosion of expression.
He had on a blue shirt with a giant pink flamingo across the front, its neck craned to the side, beak open.
From where it was placed on the shirt, it almost looked like the little thing was trying to bite Kent’s nipple off.
His shorts were sky-blue, and they looked tight.
Tighter than I’d ever be comfortable wearing, at least. His sloppy curls had actually been styled for once.
He had them shoved to the side and they seemed to have been doused in hair product to keep them locked in place.
I’d never been a fan of hair gel, but if it could make me look half as nice as Kent did, I’d slather it in my hair every day for the rest of my life.
Kent was bouncing up and down on his heels, just like me.
I wasn’t sure if he’d been that amped up before I got there, or if my excitement was contagious, but it didn’t matter either way.
He hopped forward, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me in for a crushing hug.
It was our first chest-to-chest hug. Up until then, we’d only ever shared side hugs.
It made my skin tingle like little angels were tiptoeing up and down my arms.
“Hey, Gray. Hey there. How’s it hanging?”
“Kent. Hi. Hi there. Good. It’s good. So good,” I said, crushing him right back.
“I’ve got so much stuff I want to show you. I have the whole night planned.”
“You do?”
He broke the hug and pulled away, and I kind of wanted him to keep hugging me. To my surprise, he nodded, said, “I’ve been planning it for days.”
He’d been thinking about me for days. Obsessing over making this the perfect night. I wanted it to be perfect, too, because I wanted to be worth all his effort.
“Come on,” he said. “Mom can’t wait to see you. She keeps telling me we’re all playing board games in the living room tonight, but we’ll see about that.”
“I like board games,” I argued. “I don’t mind.”
He shook his head. “Dad’s going to be home after supper.”
“Your Dad’s nice.”
“My dad is a jerk. Trust me, we’ll have a lot more fun if it’s just us.
He’ll just yammer on about fire and brimstone, and we’ll never hear the end of it.
I’ve never had a friend stay the night with me before.
I just want it to be special, you know?” As his cheeks flushed with color, he looked away.
“Sorry. I know that probably makes me sound like a loser.”
“It’s my first sleepover, too,” I blurted, just wanting to put him at ease. “I didn’t have a lot of friends back home.” Any. I didn’t have any friends back home. “If you want it to be just you and me, then that’s what we’ll do.”