Free Something Like Lightning by Jay Bell Page A

season! You’ll cry. Not that I did or anything. Um.”
    Kelly glanced over at him. Of course he wanted to do this again. William was easy to be around. And kind of cute, which was enough to make Kelly’s smile fade. He wouldn’t put himself through this. Kelly didn’t want to start a new friendship because more likely than not, it would lead to unreciprocated feelings, and that hadn’t been the worst of it. What hurt most was Jared rejecting Kelly as a person. Even if they couldn’t be together, they could have at least remained friends. Maybe William wouldn’t react the same way. Maybe he would. Either way, Kelly needed to know now, before things went too far.
    “Did you get what I said earlier?” he blurted out. “When I said that I like Jared too much, did you get what I meant?”
    The carefree light left William’s eyes. “What did you mean?”
    “I’m gay,” Kelly said.
    William searched his face, as if gauging how serious he was. Then he looked away. Maybe that’s how straight guys dealt with what they didn’t approve of. They simply turned their backs. So be it. He and William barely knew each other. The rejection still hurt, but not as bad as it would have months or even years from now.
    Kelly stood, grabbed his coat, and headed for the door.
    “Wait!” William stood and put a hand on his shoulder. “You don’t have to go.”
    Kelly spun around. “Don’t I?”
    “Uh.” William glanced past him at the bedroom door. Then, in a quieter voice, he said, “It’s okay. What you said. I’m okay with it.”
    “That I’m gay?” Kelly asked.
    William winced at the volume of his voice, responding in a whisper. “Yes.”
    “Then why are you—” Kelly lowered his voice. “Are your parents homophobic or something?”
    “I don’t know,” William replied. His green eyes seemed to be pleading with Kelly, like he wanted him to fill in the blanks.
    Kelly immediately jumped to one conclusion, but he didn’t have much faith in it, because he’d been so wrong when it came to Jared. “Look,” he said. “There’s one more thing I’d like to get out of the way, because it’ll make things easier on me. And don’t get all offended, because this doesn’t mean I’m hoping that you are, or that I’m even interested. But I’ve told you what I am. So now it’s your turn.”
    William glanced at the bedroom door again. Then he moved his mouth without saying anything. Finally, he managed one short sentence. “I don’t know.”
    Kelly stared at him. “You don’t know?”
    William swallowed, eyes darting to the door. “This probably isn’t the best time.”
    “Okay,” Kelly said quickly. “I get it. I think. Do you want to go for a drive?”
    William shook his head. “Dinner will be ready soon.”
    “Yeah, it is getting late,” Kelly said, unsure if he was being sent away. His head was spinning. Instinct told him he needed to retreat, that any more pressure now would be detrimental to... well, whatever. “Maybe we can get together tomorrow?”
    William nodded. When he spoke again, he no longer sounded like he was choking on his own words. “When do I get to see you run? I’m starting to think you’re all talk.”
    “I’ll prove I’m not. After school. Tomorrow.” He thought briefly of a happy face behind pink glasses. “Let’s go somewhere else. I’m sick of the track. I know a good park with jogging paths. Meet me by my car?”
    “Yeah,” William said. “Okay.”
    They eyed each other for an awkward moment. Then William insisted on seeing him out. They were on the front walkway, struggling to find parting words, when a cherry-red sports car roared into the driveway, music blaring. The windows were up, so Kelly couldn’t make out what song it was, but the beat sounded contemporary. The man who stepped out of the car wasn’t quite so fresh. Kelly recognized him from the family portrait, except now his hair was thinning, his features lined. He had a nice