tourists out whale watching or whatever.”
“Do they have whales in Hawaii?” Loren asked dubiously. “I think there are only sharks.”
“Then we’ll go shark watching! I’ll be fearless, diving with them, letting them pull me along with their fins. I’ll be”—he dropped his voice to a hoarse rasp—“the Shark Whisperer. Everyone will be in awe!”
Loren reached up and grabbed Eliot’s hand, pulling him down into his arms in a tangle of limbs. Eliot straddled him and pinned Loren’s wrists next to his head.
“We’ll live on the beach in a little shack ’cause we won’t need much money. I’ll catch us fish to eat, and when you get home from work, I’ll be waiting for you.”
Loren bent his leg and stroked his knee along Eliot’s bare hip. “Waiting for me, naked, tanned all over,” he said with a growl. “And after we eat our fish that you caught us, I’ll fuck you all night long.”
Eliot leaned down and brushed his lips over Loren’s. “I’ve always wanted to fuck on a beach,” he murmured. “Will you fuck me on the beach?”
“On the beach, in the ocean—” He broke off and pushed Eliot to his back, coming down flush over top of him. “I just want to be with you.”
Eliot gazed up at him with those amazing eyes, and once again Loren noticed the signs something wasn’t quite right.
“I worry about you, though, El. Can we talk tomorrow about stuff, maybe talk to someone at school, or your mom, about getting you some help?”
Eliot didn’t answer, just pulled Loren’s mouth to his, and immediately Loren was lost in him. Afterward Loren hugged him close, vowing he’d do everything possible to take care of this boy, this man, who meant more to him than anyone else on earth.
“HEY, FUCKER.” Loren looked up startled as Andy Fisher, one of his friends and teammates, plopped his lunch tray on the table and sat down next to him. They bumped knuckles in greeting, and Andy started devouring his pizza.
“Isn’t that wild about Crazy Eliot getting suspended?” Andy mumbled around the strings of cheese hanging from his mouth. Loren choked on his own huge bite, coughing, tears streaming from his eyes.
“What?” he croaked, his voice full of disbelief. “You fucking with me?”
“No way, dude. I was there. Ms. Lassiter told Eliot to stop talking or else she wouldn’t accept his research project, that the earliest he could turn it in would be tomorrow and it would be considered ‘late.’ He flipped the fuck out, man. Threw a desk and shit, was screaming. Lassiter had to call security. Figured you’d know all this, being’s how you’re so tight with him.”
Loren sat in utter shock, staring stupidly at the other boy.
“I didn’t know,” he said, hearing the hollowness in his voice. “I haven’t seen him all day.”
“Well, I saw him heading out to the practice field right before I came in here. Looked like Tate was with him. Eliot was supposed to leave school grounds right away, so I don’t know what they were gonna do out there.”
Having imparted the shocking news about Eliot’s suspension and gotten the reaction he was apparently seeking, Andy shrugged and went back to his pizza. Loren exploded up out of his seat, flinging his half-empty tray in the general direction of a trash can before bolting out the school doors and toward the practice field.
He might have had an unrequited crush on Tate at one time, but Loren knew the dude was an unapologetic homophobe, announcing on the first day of practice if he caught any “fags” looking at his junk in the shower, he’d fucking kick their teeth in. He was big and dumb, and Loren was terrified he’d lured Eliot out to the remote practice field on some pretext so he could fuck his shit up over some imagined slight, like Eliot bumping into him in the hallway and getting “fag” germs on him.
Loren ran pell-mell across the field, wondering where the other two could be, and he skidded to a halt when he
“Do they have whales in Hawaii?” Loren asked dubiously. “I think there are only sharks.”
“Then we’ll go shark watching! I’ll be fearless, diving with them, letting them pull me along with their fins. I’ll be”—he dropped his voice to a hoarse rasp—“the Shark Whisperer. Everyone will be in awe!”
Loren reached up and grabbed Eliot’s hand, pulling him down into his arms in a tangle of limbs. Eliot straddled him and pinned Loren’s wrists next to his head.
“We’ll live on the beach in a little shack ’cause we won’t need much money. I’ll catch us fish to eat, and when you get home from work, I’ll be waiting for you.”
Loren bent his leg and stroked his knee along Eliot’s bare hip. “Waiting for me, naked, tanned all over,” he said with a growl. “And after we eat our fish that you caught us, I’ll fuck you all night long.”
Eliot leaned down and brushed his lips over Loren’s. “I’ve always wanted to fuck on a beach,” he murmured. “Will you fuck me on the beach?”
“On the beach, in the ocean—” He broke off and pushed Eliot to his back, coming down flush over top of him. “I just want to be with you.”
Eliot gazed up at him with those amazing eyes, and once again Loren noticed the signs something wasn’t quite right.
“I worry about you, though, El. Can we talk tomorrow about stuff, maybe talk to someone at school, or your mom, about getting you some help?”
Eliot didn’t answer, just pulled Loren’s mouth to his, and immediately Loren was lost in him. Afterward Loren hugged him close, vowing he’d do everything possible to take care of this boy, this man, who meant more to him than anyone else on earth.
“HEY, FUCKER.” Loren looked up startled as Andy Fisher, one of his friends and teammates, plopped his lunch tray on the table and sat down next to him. They bumped knuckles in greeting, and Andy started devouring his pizza.
“Isn’t that wild about Crazy Eliot getting suspended?” Andy mumbled around the strings of cheese hanging from his mouth. Loren choked on his own huge bite, coughing, tears streaming from his eyes.
“What?” he croaked, his voice full of disbelief. “You fucking with me?”
“No way, dude. I was there. Ms. Lassiter told Eliot to stop talking or else she wouldn’t accept his research project, that the earliest he could turn it in would be tomorrow and it would be considered ‘late.’ He flipped the fuck out, man. Threw a desk and shit, was screaming. Lassiter had to call security. Figured you’d know all this, being’s how you’re so tight with him.”
Loren sat in utter shock, staring stupidly at the other boy.
“I didn’t know,” he said, hearing the hollowness in his voice. “I haven’t seen him all day.”
“Well, I saw him heading out to the practice field right before I came in here. Looked like Tate was with him. Eliot was supposed to leave school grounds right away, so I don’t know what they were gonna do out there.”
Having imparted the shocking news about Eliot’s suspension and gotten the reaction he was apparently seeking, Andy shrugged and went back to his pizza. Loren exploded up out of his seat, flinging his half-empty tray in the general direction of a trash can before bolting out the school doors and toward the practice field.
He might have had an unrequited crush on Tate at one time, but Loren knew the dude was an unapologetic homophobe, announcing on the first day of practice if he caught any “fags” looking at his junk in the shower, he’d fucking kick their teeth in. He was big and dumb, and Loren was terrified he’d lured Eliot out to the remote practice field on some pretext so he could fuck his shit up over some imagined slight, like Eliot bumping into him in the hallway and getting “fag” germs on him.
Loren ran pell-mell across the field, wondering where the other two could be, and he skidded to a halt when he
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