Now his mind was really racing.
The last time he had seen Colin was just before homeroom. That was it. Colin had not been in any of the classes he shares with Tory
and Mandy hadn't seen him either.
It wasn't unusual for Colin to miss a day of school, but to show up and then leave? That hadn't happened before and he did not have to refer to his notes to be double check that fact. Did he just walk out? Did Doctor Garrets pick him up? Why did he leave? Where did he go?
Tory skipped lunch to look in all the usual places... the nurses office, that corner of the library where Colin likes to nap. Nowhere to be found.
Regardless, sitting in 7th period, while others were waiting for summer vacation on this last day of school, all Tory could think about (as usual) was Colin... and a little about how hungry he was.
The bell rang and the last thing Tory wanted was human contact while he ran scenerio after scenerio over and over in his head. Mandy didn't oblige as Tory, upon seeing her approach, tries to walk faster. "Tory, if you weren't such a GREAT tutor, I might be spending my vacation in summer school" she says with glee while giving Tory a thank you peck on the cheek. "GOD! You're welcome." he sneers walking faster, leaving Mandy standing there, waving, but somewhat stunned.
A thought occurs to him while walking to the train... his tutoring, while it was originally just a ploy to get to know more about Colin, may actually have helped on two fronts. If Colin had flunked, he'd be spending time in summer school. Instead, Colin will spend the entire summer across the street! Tory's mood immediately changes and a wide smile stretches the freckles on his face, he can barely contain his glee. "This is gonna be a GREAT summer!" he says under his breath.
Fortunatly for him, the Long Island Rail Road doesn't exactly have the best on-time schedule. His daydreaming in class and encounter with Mandy would have normally made him miss the train. But there was the 3:15, still sitting at the station at 3:21. He was hoping that he wouldn't have to sit facing backwards, something he usually had to endure on Friday afternoons. Riding backwards made it harder to think and concentrate, let alone write. By chance, he happened to grab one of the last forward facing seats and by sheer luck, it was a location where he could rest his feet on a ledge. Tory stretched out and started to think about summer... and Colin.
He had used the tutoring as the perfect excuse to have encounters with Colin, but now that school was out, what would be his stradegy now? He broke out his notebook to take down some ideas.
'I guess I could watch for him to come out of the house... hopefully alone' he thought. A chance encounter could mean he could invite Colin to a movie... or the street fair over in Sunnyside in early July? Or maybe to watch the fireworks in Flushing Meadows Park? That might be the perfect time to steal a kiss from the boy.
Or maybe even the BEACH. 'Can you imagine that?' he thought. 'Colin in short-shorts.' A smile came over Tory's face. Usually the thought of the beach was unappealing to Tory. Having a light complexion meant certain sunburn. But what if Colin could help him put on some sunscreen? Tory just stared, thinking about the possability. He quickly jotted down his thoughts while his mind raced with other possible scenerios and excuses to be with Colin this summer.
The more on Tory's mind, the shorter the train ride, the better chance at missing his stop for the subway. 'Shit, no time to pack this' as darts off the train just in time. He ddn't want to double-back from Manhattan... another hour to the commute.
The lucky seat on the LIRR turns into standing room only on the subway. Friday afternoon's delight. Not exactly condusive to thinking about Colin when you're sqeezed in the subway car like a sardine. He holds onto his notes for dear life with one hand while his other hand clings to the bar. A few seconds later, he notices his notebook is... gone. "Damn it!" he says, trying not to be too loud. His eyes start to dart the floor to see where it might be. He stretches his neck around as far as it can go in the crowded subway car. His mind filled with new unpleasant thoughts. His name is on it, someone is gonna know. How much of my information is in that notebook. I wrote all of those intimate thoughts about Colin, the Gaia Project. Panic sets in, his heart is racing. "Where is it" he mumbles thru his clenched teeth, sweat forming on his brow. His palms were also becoming sweaty and he was losing his grip on the handle bar. He stumbles into a woman standing in front of him. "HEY, watch out!" she screams. This was his fault for not paying attention, for not putting his notebook in his backpack before he got off the first train. Now, who knows who has it.
His stop. Tory's eyes are darting for any sign of it as he rushes off the train. Nowhere to be found. On the platform, the doors snap shut and the train pulls out of the station. "It's gone" he mutters to himself.
Tory shuffles home, not wanting to get there. "I'll just bury myself in my room all summer. How the hell could I be so STUPID?" He sees the lights are on. "Hopefully it's mom and not moron" he says, talking about Paul. He opens the door to find Paul standing there in the hallway. "Great, what the fuck do you want Paul?" "There's a list of things you need to get from the store in the kitchen... we're out of food." "Move out Paul" he snaps. Paul taunts him "what happened? you found out Colin's straight?" Tory ignores him, heads to his room and slams the door.
TO BE CONTINUED