Hamilton sprang out of bed even before his alarm clock went off. Jake was coming back to school today and that thought alone lifted his spirits.
"Morning Munchie..." His mother said. "Breakfast?"
Hamilton responded to his mother's pet name without the usual whine. Nothing could spoil his mood today. "Just juice Mom, thanks. I'm in kind of a hurry" Hamilton opened the refrigerator and extracted the carton of orange juice. As it started its upward climb toward his mouth...his mother handed him a glass. "Thanks Mom..." He said smiling.
"In a hurry to get to school? Are you feeling OK?" Kate reached out to feel his forehead.
"Mom...I'm fine. I just want to get to school, that's all" He said.
"Does this have anything to do with....a certain girl in you're life sweetie?"
Hamilton stopped dead in his tracks. "Oh no"...he thought to himself. Maybe his father had overheard him saying goodnight at Jake's door. How else could they have found out.
"We're looking forward to meeting her. You are taking her to the Halloween dance, aren't you?"
"Um....actually....." He stalled for time.
He'd temporarily forgotten about HIS girlfriend. And, now that Bella was going to the dance as Jake's date...this could present a new problem.
"Yeah...about that..." Hamilton continued stalling.
"Oh honey...don't worry, your Dad and I will be on our best behavior. We promise not to embarrass you in front of your new friend. We are just eager to meet her."
"Why?" he questioned.
"Why, what Munchie?" Kate retorted.
"Why do you and Dad want to meet this girl so much?"
"Dad is just really happy that you...have a girl in your life right now. That's all. We're just happy you're happy."
"Bye Mom" Hamilton grabbed his backpack and headed out the kitchen door.
"What isn't wrong with this picture..." He mumbled to himself.
Hamilton nearly ran through the corridors to get to his first class. He entered the open door to the classroom and scanned quickly to the chair Jake had not occupied in a week. He was disappointed to find the seat still empty. He slowed his pace and caught his breath. He seated himself in his assigned place between a few other freshman that he barely knew. Scout arrived in his usual state of disarray. His hair still wet from the shower he'd stepped in and out of. His backpack was nearly empty and he carried his books in his hand. He had a pencil housed between his teeth. A granola bar fell from his pocket and he reached down to pick it up.
"Having a little problem pulling it all together this morning, Calhoun?" Hamilton said as he grinned.
"The usual...." Scout replied. "I saw Jake this morning at breakfast. She...ah...HE..." Scout corrected himself quickly and lowered his voice. ".... should be right behind me." At this, Hamilton straightened up in his chair. He impatiently awaited for the love of his life to arrive. "Hey Ham, given any consideration to a costume for tomorrow night?"
"What?" Hamilton said, finding it hard to concentrate on anything but the doorway.
"A costume? The Halloween dance? Tomorrow? Hello?" Scout knew Hamilton wasn't hearing anything he said but he continued talking anyway. "I thought I might go as Cleopatra...do you have an asp I could borrow?"
"Yeah...sure man" Hamilton answered.
"I think Will is going to jump out of a cake...naked."
"Yeah...sounds good." Ham kept his eyes focused on the door.
"Miss Edmunds is showing The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, in Health class today. Finn is dressing in drag."
"Uh huh...." Hamilton responded. Scout gave up and settled into his chair.
Finally, Jake entered the room. She looked at Hamilton and wanted to give him a wink, but thought better of it. He instantly felt that funny feeling in the pit of his stomach. The kind he always felt when she was around. Hamilton heard the mumbled whispers and giggles surround him. A reality check made him lower his head and pretend he wasn't paying any attention at all to the "boy" that had just entered. Hamilton slouched in his seat. He avoided looking directly at her...but kept the vision of her in the corner of his eye. This algebra class was the longest period in recorded history. The bell rang and all students stood up and headed for the door. Hamilton walked a little slower than the rest and managed to let Jake slip in ahead of him in the crowd. He came up beside her and let the back of his hand brush against hers. She kept her eyes forward, but he could see a slight smile on her face.
Hamilton rounded the corner toward his locker. He wanted to dump his books and head right for Jake's room. Instead...he froze in front of the small metal door. He stared at the black markered lettering. The word QUEER adorned the front of his locker.
"Just a second." She called out.
As soon as the door opened, Hamilton stepped in. "I know...I'm not supposed to be here........" Jake permitted Hamilton's entrance and then swung the door shut. Before she could speak his mouth was on hers. A long deep passionate kiss she could feel in her toes. A weeks worth of kisses all rolled into one. She had missed him as much as he had missed her. Finally, he broke the kiss and let his hand gently slide down her cheek and caress her chin. His eyes never left hers. "Hi..." He said smiling "Welcome back"
A second knock interrupted the moment. "Who is it?" Jake asked.
"It's Will." Will said.
"And Scout." Scout added.
"Come on in." Jake said.
Hamilton sighed out loud. "Hey what's up?"
"We were looking for Hamilton, "Will said to Jake.
"How'd you know I'd be here?" Hamilton questioned.
Scout looked at Will and they both chuckled. "Call it a hunch." Will said.
Hamilton sprawled himself on top of Jake's bed in frustration. He stared up at the ceiling...thinking.
"Did you see it?" He spoke barely above a whisper as he bit his own lip.
"Yeah..." Scout said sympathetically. "It's just about gone now...the maintenance guys were just washing it off."
"See what?" Jake asked. Will stepped toward Jake and lowered his voice as he filled her in on the art work left on Hamilton's locker."
"Hamilton...this is all my fault. I'm sorry. This would never have happened if I hadn't transferred to Rawley." Jake said moving toward the bed. She kneeled on the floor and rested her head on Hamilton's chest.
"It would have happened, Jake...eventually....to some kid." Will said. "Some poor kid who was just a little different from everybody else. If it didn't happen here...it'd be happening on some other school's campus." Will shook his head in disgust.
"I give up. Let them think what they want. Let my father think whatever he wants. It's not worth it. You can't open a closed mind overnight." Hamilton said.
"No...you can't. But, maybe we can exercise those minds, make them think a little bit." Will said with a glint in his eye. "And besides, you're not supposed to be in here...remember? That was the plan."
"Yeah well the plan sucks!" Hamilton responded.
"Speaking of plans..." Will continued, "I have another one."
"Morning Munchie..." His mother said. "Breakfast?"
Hamilton responded to his mother's pet name without the usual whine. Nothing could spoil his mood today. "Just juice Mom, thanks. I'm in kind of a hurry" Hamilton opened the refrigerator and extracted the carton of orange juice. As it started its upward climb toward his mouth...his mother handed him a glass. "Thanks Mom..." He said smiling.
"In a hurry to get to school? Are you feeling OK?" Kate reached out to feel his forehead.
"Mom...I'm fine. I just want to get to school, that's all" He said.
"Does this have anything to do with....a certain girl in you're life sweetie?"
Hamilton stopped dead in his tracks. "Oh no"...he thought to himself. Maybe his father had overheard him saying goodnight at Jake's door. How else could they have found out.
"We're looking forward to meeting her. You are taking her to the Halloween dance, aren't you?"
"Um....actually....." He stalled for time.
He'd temporarily forgotten about HIS girlfriend. And, now that Bella was going to the dance as Jake's date...this could present a new problem.
"Yeah...about that..." Hamilton continued stalling.
"Oh honey...don't worry, your Dad and I will be on our best behavior. We promise not to embarrass you in front of your new friend. We are just eager to meet her."
"Why?" he questioned.
"Why, what Munchie?" Kate retorted.
"Why do you and Dad want to meet this girl so much?"
"Dad is just really happy that you...have a girl in your life right now. That's all. We're just happy you're happy."
"Bye Mom" Hamilton grabbed his backpack and headed out the kitchen door.
"What isn't wrong with this picture..." He mumbled to himself.
Hamilton nearly ran through the corridors to get to his first class. He entered the open door to the classroom and scanned quickly to the chair Jake had not occupied in a week. He was disappointed to find the seat still empty. He slowed his pace and caught his breath. He seated himself in his assigned place between a few other freshman that he barely knew. Scout arrived in his usual state of disarray. His hair still wet from the shower he'd stepped in and out of. His backpack was nearly empty and he carried his books in his hand. He had a pencil housed between his teeth. A granola bar fell from his pocket and he reached down to pick it up.
"Having a little problem pulling it all together this morning, Calhoun?" Hamilton said as he grinned.
"The usual...." Scout replied. "I saw Jake this morning at breakfast. She...ah...HE..." Scout corrected himself quickly and lowered his voice. ".... should be right behind me." At this, Hamilton straightened up in his chair. He impatiently awaited for the love of his life to arrive. "Hey Ham, given any consideration to a costume for tomorrow night?"
"What?" Hamilton said, finding it hard to concentrate on anything but the doorway.
"A costume? The Halloween dance? Tomorrow? Hello?" Scout knew Hamilton wasn't hearing anything he said but he continued talking anyway. "I thought I might go as Cleopatra...do you have an asp I could borrow?"
"Yeah...sure man" Hamilton answered.
"I think Will is going to jump out of a cake...naked."
"Yeah...sounds good." Ham kept his eyes focused on the door.
"Miss Edmunds is showing The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, in Health class today. Finn is dressing in drag."
"Uh huh...." Hamilton responded. Scout gave up and settled into his chair.
Finally, Jake entered the room. She looked at Hamilton and wanted to give him a wink, but thought better of it. He instantly felt that funny feeling in the pit of his stomach. The kind he always felt when she was around. Hamilton heard the mumbled whispers and giggles surround him. A reality check made him lower his head and pretend he wasn't paying any attention at all to the "boy" that had just entered. Hamilton slouched in his seat. He avoided looking directly at her...but kept the vision of her in the corner of his eye. This algebra class was the longest period in recorded history. The bell rang and all students stood up and headed for the door. Hamilton walked a little slower than the rest and managed to let Jake slip in ahead of him in the crowd. He came up beside her and let the back of his hand brush against hers. She kept her eyes forward, but he could see a slight smile on her face.
Hamilton rounded the corner toward his locker. He wanted to dump his books and head right for Jake's room. Instead...he froze in front of the small metal door. He stared at the black markered lettering. The word QUEER adorned the front of his locker.
"Just a second." She called out.
As soon as the door opened, Hamilton stepped in. "I know...I'm not supposed to be here........" Jake permitted Hamilton's entrance and then swung the door shut. Before she could speak his mouth was on hers. A long deep passionate kiss she could feel in her toes. A weeks worth of kisses all rolled into one. She had missed him as much as he had missed her. Finally, he broke the kiss and let his hand gently slide down her cheek and caress her chin. His eyes never left hers. "Hi..." He said smiling "Welcome back"
A second knock interrupted the moment. "Who is it?" Jake asked.
"It's Will." Will said.
"And Scout." Scout added.
"Come on in." Jake said.
Hamilton sighed out loud. "Hey what's up?"
"We were looking for Hamilton, "Will said to Jake.
"How'd you know I'd be here?" Hamilton questioned.
Scout looked at Will and they both chuckled. "Call it a hunch." Will said.
Hamilton sprawled himself on top of Jake's bed in frustration. He stared up at the ceiling...thinking.
"Did you see it?" He spoke barely above a whisper as he bit his own lip.
"Yeah..." Scout said sympathetically. "It's just about gone now...the maintenance guys were just washing it off."
"See what?" Jake asked. Will stepped toward Jake and lowered his voice as he filled her in on the art work left on Hamilton's locker."
"Hamilton...this is all my fault. I'm sorry. This would never have happened if I hadn't transferred to Rawley." Jake said moving toward the bed. She kneeled on the floor and rested her head on Hamilton's chest.
"It would have happened, Jake...eventually....to some kid." Will said. "Some poor kid who was just a little different from everybody else. If it didn't happen here...it'd be happening on some other school's campus." Will shook his head in disgust.
"I give up. Let them think what they want. Let my father think whatever he wants. It's not worth it. You can't open a closed mind overnight." Hamilton said.
"No...you can't. But, maybe we can exercise those minds, make them think a little bit." Will said with a glint in his eye. "And besides, you're not supposed to be in here...remember? That was the plan."
"Yeah well the plan sucks!" Hamilton responded.
"Speaking of plans..." Will continued, "I have another one."