show, they celebrated at a local restaurant after each of the other performances.
Jamie applied some cold cream to his face and wiped off the foundation. “Um, I have to take Brian and his girlfriend home.”
“Why? I saw your parents here.”
“They had plans and had to duck out right after we said hi. I told them I’d chauffeur Brian and Heather. Can one of the other kids give you a ride?”
“Probably.” Paul frowned into the mirror as he cleaned off lipstick. “You’re coming to the restaurant, though, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll be there after I dump Bri. I promise.”
Distracted by the lie he’d told, Jamie finished with the makeup and left hurriedly. In the men’s dressing area, he shed his costume and put on brown jeans and a tan light cotton pullover that had taken him an hour to pick out at home. Slipping into a leather jacket, he headed out of school without saying good-bye to anyone. He didn’t want to answer any more questions.
It was cold and windy, and light snowflakes had begun to fall, so Jamie jogged to his car. The engine warmed up the interior of the Prius and he sat there for five minutes before the passenger door finally opened. The night air slid inside along with Luke Crane.
“Hey,” Jamie said, hearing the nervousness in his own voice, trying to quell it, but he couldn’t.
“Hey, Jame.”
Luke wore a sharp gray sports coat and navy blue sweater beneath. His shoulders ate up the inside of the small car, and his cologne, one that was both woodsy and musky at the same time, filled the entire space. Jamie wanted to lean in closer, inhale the scent and touch the skin that lay beneath those clothes.
“Man, you were unbelievable. I never saw you perform before. It was awesome.”
Had praise ever meant more to Jamie? His heart beat even faster. “Thanks. A lot like you are on the pitcher’s mound.”
“Maybe.” When Luke drummed his fingers on his knee, Jamie realized he was nervous, too. “We have more in common than I think sometimes.”
“Yeah.” A hesitation. “What’d you tell Kiki?”
“I dropped her off at Julianne’s. Some other kids were already there. I told her I had to go pick up soda.”
“Mmm.”
“Sorry about all that.”
Luke had told Jamie he wasn’t ready to go public yet, and since Jamie hadn’t come out either, he went along with the secrecy. They’d been hanging out since the Valentine’s Ball, though, and every time it was more exciting, more physical, more…normal. Now he wanted everybody to know who he was. So Luke still dating a girl felt like they were backtracking. And it pissed him off.
Probably sensing that, Luke added, “I won’t be seeing her too much longer, Jame. I promise.”
“I guess.”
As Luke stared over at Jamie in the lamplight from the school parking lot, his blue eyes filled with excitement. Now, that made the lying easier. “At least I get to be with you for a few minutes after that performance. You know, kind of to share in it.”
“I know.”
Reaching over, Luke grasped Jamie’s hand. His was big and callused from throwing balls and holding bats. The texture made Jamie’s skin sizzle. That, and the fact that he’d never held hands with anybody in the moonlight.
And when Luke yanked on his fingers, dragging him as close as he could, Jamie realized he was about to get his first real kiss from somebody he was totally into.
Funny, it was almost like being in love.
Chapter Five
Madonna blasted out from the portable CD player in the corner of the laundry room, a big space at the end of a hallway and adjacent to the garage door entrance. Maggie sang along with one of her favorite old tunes from high school, “Papa Don’t Preach.” The volume was high and she was a little off-key, but the memories came in full force, probably because Caroline was back in her life. She was thinking about her boyfriend, Jack, and necking in his car while this very song played on the radio. But as usual,
Jamie applied some cold cream to his face and wiped off the foundation. “Um, I have to take Brian and his girlfriend home.”
“Why? I saw your parents here.”
“They had plans and had to duck out right after we said hi. I told them I’d chauffeur Brian and Heather. Can one of the other kids give you a ride?”
“Probably.” Paul frowned into the mirror as he cleaned off lipstick. “You’re coming to the restaurant, though, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll be there after I dump Bri. I promise.”
Distracted by the lie he’d told, Jamie finished with the makeup and left hurriedly. In the men’s dressing area, he shed his costume and put on brown jeans and a tan light cotton pullover that had taken him an hour to pick out at home. Slipping into a leather jacket, he headed out of school without saying good-bye to anyone. He didn’t want to answer any more questions.
It was cold and windy, and light snowflakes had begun to fall, so Jamie jogged to his car. The engine warmed up the interior of the Prius and he sat there for five minutes before the passenger door finally opened. The night air slid inside along with Luke Crane.
“Hey,” Jamie said, hearing the nervousness in his own voice, trying to quell it, but he couldn’t.
“Hey, Jame.”
Luke wore a sharp gray sports coat and navy blue sweater beneath. His shoulders ate up the inside of the small car, and his cologne, one that was both woodsy and musky at the same time, filled the entire space. Jamie wanted to lean in closer, inhale the scent and touch the skin that lay beneath those clothes.
“Man, you were unbelievable. I never saw you perform before. It was awesome.”
Had praise ever meant more to Jamie? His heart beat even faster. “Thanks. A lot like you are on the pitcher’s mound.”
“Maybe.” When Luke drummed his fingers on his knee, Jamie realized he was nervous, too. “We have more in common than I think sometimes.”
“Yeah.” A hesitation. “What’d you tell Kiki?”
“I dropped her off at Julianne’s. Some other kids were already there. I told her I had to go pick up soda.”
“Mmm.”
“Sorry about all that.”
Luke had told Jamie he wasn’t ready to go public yet, and since Jamie hadn’t come out either, he went along with the secrecy. They’d been hanging out since the Valentine’s Ball, though, and every time it was more exciting, more physical, more…normal. Now he wanted everybody to know who he was. So Luke still dating a girl felt like they were backtracking. And it pissed him off.
Probably sensing that, Luke added, “I won’t be seeing her too much longer, Jame. I promise.”
“I guess.”
As Luke stared over at Jamie in the lamplight from the school parking lot, his blue eyes filled with excitement. Now, that made the lying easier. “At least I get to be with you for a few minutes after that performance. You know, kind of to share in it.”
“I know.”
Reaching over, Luke grasped Jamie’s hand. His was big and callused from throwing balls and holding bats. The texture made Jamie’s skin sizzle. That, and the fact that he’d never held hands with anybody in the moonlight.
And when Luke yanked on his fingers, dragging him as close as he could, Jamie realized he was about to get his first real kiss from somebody he was totally into.
Funny, it was almost like being in love.
Chapter Five
Madonna blasted out from the portable CD player in the corner of the laundry room, a big space at the end of a hallway and adjacent to the garage door entrance. Maggie sang along with one of her favorite old tunes from high school, “Papa Don’t Preach.” The volume was high and she was a little off-key, but the memories came in full force, probably because Caroline was back in her life. She was thinking about her boyfriend, Jack, and necking in his car while this very song played on the radio. But as usual,
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