Free The Battle for Jericho by Gene Gant

“Wow. This is weird. I don’t think I can do this with you, Jerry. You’re my friend.”
    “Yeah. But that kind of makes it easier, doesn’t it? I mean, I already like you. And you like me, don’t you?”
    “Yeah, I do.” He looked away, smiling. “Actually, I had a crush on you once.”
    My face seemed to catch fire. “You did?”
    “Yeah. Back when I first met you. I thought you were kinda hot.”
    Now my head swelled up like a blimp. It’s a wonder I didn’t float away. “You did? Seriously, you actually thought I was hot?”
    “Yeah.”
    “I never knew that. You never acted like you… liked me.”
    “Duh, dude. Remember the whole in-the-closet thing?”
    “So… do you still think I’m hot?”
    “Well, not as much as I did when we first met. You’re still good-looking and everything, but I think of you mostly as just a friend now. It’s Mac who really turns me on these days.”
    That let the air out of my ego. “ Mac ?”
    “I didn’t think too much of him at first. He’s nice enough, except he’s got kind of a mean streak too. But, God, it’s hard to ignore all those muscles he built up over the past few months. I can’t even get within ten feet of him in the showers now. If I did, it’d be boner city.”
    Musclehead Mac had stolen the spotlight once again. Jealousy thumped me over the head like a brick. I folded my arms across my chest the way Lissandra does when I piss her off. My face slumped into a pout. “Then maybe you should ask him out, since he turns you on so much.”
    Hutch didn’t seem to catch the sudden change in my mood. He laughed. “Yeah, I’d do that if I wanted to get my face punched in.”
    The wind had picked up, making it feel even colder. The moon had disappeared behind a thick spread of gray clouds, and the night had gotten darker. It all made me want to be home, in bed, tucked under the covers. I shuddered.
    “You look cold,” Hutch said. From the way he was looking at me, I could tell he wanted to do something like huddle close to me or put his arm around my shoulders. He didn’t make any move to get closer to me, but his look gave me that weird feeling again.
    “Yeah, it’s freezing out here,” I said. “I think I’d better get on back home.”
    “Well… okay. I have to get home too. Mom only gave me a half hour. I told her I was meeting you to get some homework for tomorrow that I missed. If I’m not back, she’ll send Dad to get me.” He stood up. “But I think I’d like to give that a try, the two of us dating. We’ll have to be careful about it. We are friends, though, and that’ll give us some cover. Nobody should get suspicious about seeing us hanging out. We’ll get together tomorrow, after school.”
    “Where?” I asked, getting to my feet.
    “Don’t worry. I’ll find a place. Mom’s letting me use her car this week to reward me for getting an A in Trig for the first six-week grading period. We’ll ditch Mac, tell him we have to go to church or something. You know how he hates going to church.”
    “Hey. I just thought of something. Why’d your mom let you come out to meet me this time of night if your folks are worried about you gettin’ busy with other dudes?”
    Hutch laughed. “Man, they figure you’re safe. You’re the only guy whose house they’ll let me go to. They know your family’s into the church and that you have a girlfriend. They figure there’s no way you’d ever be gay.”
    “Shows you what they know.”

Chapter 8

     
    “W HAT ’ S up with you and Hutch?”
    Panic bloomed in my chest. I was sitting at a table in the school library on Tuesday afternoon, trying to plow my way through the first three chapters of Moby Dick for English class tomorrow. It was study period, and I’d gone to the library because it’s quieter than the study hall, where there’s usually more talking than studying.
    Mac plopped his backpack onto the table and sat down next to me. He pulled out a notebook and started