Chapter 7: Flamey Musings by Victory Thru Tears

Maya's POV

I stare across the campus longingly. It's easy to see Taz from where I am, her purple hair almost reflecting the sunlight. Her art class is across the pond, trying to get in the last of the excellent early fall light. My Biology class is outside as well, attempting to catch some insects to study before they die.

Taz looks up, and grins when she sees me. She waves briefly, and then turns back to her work. I'll have to ask her to show it to me later.

My lab partner grabs my arm and points to a nearby branch.

"Let's get that one," he says, slowly sneaking up on the poor insect.

"Adam, no!" I say loudly, startling both he and the butterfly, which flies away.

"Huh?"

"You can't kill a butterfly, they're beautiful!" I tell him, scandalized.

Taz has the sweetest obsession with butterflies. She can stare at them for hours without getting the least bit bored.

"Well, ok," Adam says hesitantly. "Hey, cool, look at this beetle!"

I guess intelligence isn't really Adam's strong point. He's probably only interested in hockey and girls, like most high school athletes. I've been talking with Adam since the beginning of the year. He had seemed lonely, I was bored, and Taz had been in bed with the flu. After that day, we were friends. I'm someone he can confide in, especially better than those Varsity goons.

That's what he constantly talked about then—how much he hated being on Varsity. He talked about it so much that it led me to believe he had lost more than just a friend when he left the Ducks. The only conclusion I could reach had to do with the goalie, that Gaffney chick. The only other girl on the team seems to be an item with Guy Germaine, a boy I know from English class.

It's hard to go to Eden Hall and not get caught up in the hockey craze. The entire school had been eagerly awaiting the JV vs. Varsity game. Well, the official one. The news of the unofficial game was quickly spread around school soon after it happened. I found that Adam was even more angry and miserable after it. I figured there had been a run in with Goalie Girl.

But I'd been at the real JV-Varsity match two weeks ago. I'd seen Jenny (or whatever Gaffney's name was) with Scooter, the Varsity goalie. Adam was unfazed. However, when #96 (I'm so horrible with names… all I know is that he's a very good player) kissed Linda, Adam looked insanely jealous. Of course, I was sitting kind of far away, and his expression may have been something different.

I'd like to think that I could tell a person's sexuality without them telling me. Adam has all of the characteristics of a confused gay teen: unstable family, only a few close friends, he's a pushover, and well, he plays hockey. Come on, you know what I'm talking about… all of those 'macho' sports are full of homosexuals! Seriously speaking, I do think that Adam is having some feelings that are strange to him. I had seen him leaving his dorm room after the game a few weeks ago, dressed in his hockey gear. I stopped and asked myself, 'Why is he dressed in hockey gear when he just won a game two hours ago, and his entire team is still eating dinner?' Of course I accompanied him to the ice rink. I talked with him for a few minutes until #96 came out of the locker room. I thought it was my time to leave, so I did. As I was leaving I couldn't help but watch them. Even though all they were doing was playing hockey, they looked like a couple.

I know I probably shouldn't be hemming and hawing over my friend's personal relationships, but I can't say that it isn't intriguing. Eden Hall lives for hockey, and it was a big deal to bring in the Ducks on scholarships. Now the two star players—gay? It'd be a school scandal. So far, the only other non-straight people I know on campus are Will and Chris, both of whom are seniors. They don't even date each other. The resident lesbians are Taz and I, but we aren't public about it. We've been going out for about a year now. One wonderful, spectacular, stunning, fantastic, incredible year. I wonder how long Adam and his boyfriend have been together, although that's awful presumptuous of me.

I watch Adam bend to pick up the small black beetle and drop it into our jar, already filled with a few miscellaneous insects. He has a look on his face that reminds me of my little brother playing with bugs in a sandbox. I smile to myself. Boys are so easy to read.