by John Goode
“We changed it,” he amended.
“Hey, you know me, I’ll take any credit I can,” I said, giving him a smile. “Give me a week, and I’ll say I set this whole thing up.”
He laughed and pulled me into a kiss. There was literally nothing in the world that could have stopped me from kissing him back.
“So the music sucks,” someone said from behind us. We turned around and saw Sammy standing there, looking fourteen different kinds of uncomfortable. “Everything else is pretty cool, but that DJ sucks balls because no one here wants to hear “Call Me Maybe” anymore.”
Kyle smiled at her. “You came.”
She shrugged. “I heard this was going down, and I thought….” She sighed and shook her head. “I thought not showing up would just make me a bitch.”
“I’m glad you came,” I tossed out.
But this was really between the two of them.
“I am sorry,” Kyle said, sounding as sincere.
“I know, and so is Jeremy, who says hi, by the way.”
“How is he?” Kyle asked.
“Well, they aren’t going to try him as an adult, so that’s a plus. I hear that was because you argued with Sheriff Rogers about it.”
Kyle nodded. I didn’t even know that.
“He’s not well. That doesn’t deserve jail time.”
She looked around at everyone, and the silence became unbearable for a few seconds. “Anyways, I just wanted to stop by here and say good job on all this.”
Kyle looked confused. “But I didn’t set this up.”
She gave him a smile, a ghost of her normal smile, but a smile nonetheless. “Yeah, you did, Kyle, in every way that counts.” She looked over at me. “Treat him well, or I will hire a hit on you.”
I saluted her, and she laughed.
“You’re not all bad, Greymark.”
It was the nicest thing she had ever said to me.
“You can stay,” Kyle urged her.
She shook her head quickly. “Nah, I never wanted to go to the real prom. I mean, it’s just….” She sighed and then looked away. “Actually, Jeremy and me said we would go, way back when, and just make fun of people. It doesn’t feel right being here and him being locked up.”
“You’re a good friend, Sammy.”
She looked at him and smiled. “Yeah, I really am.”
She walked away and out of the prom without another word.
“I screwed that up,” Kyle said, hugging me.
I had nothing that could make him feel better, so I just hugged him back. “She’ll be okay.”
He seemed so depressed I had to do something to cheer him up, so I leaned in and kissed him softly. He was hesitant at first, and then responded. I think he was realizing no matter what, we still had each other.
“So before you guys start humping each other’s legs, we need to talk to you.”
I opened one eye and saw Tyler and Robbie standing there. I didn’t stop kissing Kyle, just opened one eye to look.
“I will grab a bucket of water,” Robbie warned.
Kyle pulled away and looked at him. “You lie—your kind is petrified of water.”
He gave Kyle a sarcastic grin and nodded. “Keep that sass up. It will really make you popular once you get old.”
“Speaking from experience?” Kyle shot back.
Robbie put a hand over his chest. “You, sir, are a twat.”
“Come on,” Tyler said, gesturing toward some picnic benches, and I saw my parents sitting there with Kyle’s mom.
I looked over to Kyle, who just shrugged. He was as oblivious to what was going on as I was.
We sat down, and my mom reached over and gave me a hug. “You look so handsome,” she said.
“Mom,” I protested, being mom-handled in front of strangers.
“So who’s starting?” my dad asked, obviously wanting to get whatever this was started.
Tyler looked at Robbie, who shrugged and said, “You go ahead.”
My dad nodded. “Okay, so this has been a trying year for everyone, and it hasn’t been easy for the two of you, but you came through it not only stronger but together. So that’s saying something.” I felt Kyle grab my hand under the table. I grabbed his, not sure where this was going. “I’m not going to pretend to understand how everything works when it comes to two guys, but I do know true love when I see it, and when my son was the first person you ran to after being held hostage, it told me everything I needed to know.”
I could not believe my dad was saying this stuff out loud.
“You’re going to California, and I can’t imagine a scenario in which Brad doesn’t go with you. So in that case, I wanted to give this to Brad before graduation so you guys can make plans now.”
He handed me a graduation card. It had a cap and gown on the cover and something corny written inside, but that wasn’t what I was looking at. Inside was the pink slip for my car. It was made out in my name.
“You’re going to need something to drive once you’re out there, and now you have something.”
I handed the card to Kyle and threw myself into my father’s arms.
“I love you,” I said, meaning it like I had never meant it before.
He hugged me back and whispered, “You grew up better than I could have ever asked, son. I love you too.”
I didn’t want to let go of him for a very long time.
Sitting back down, I could not believe I owned my car. It was just too much for words.
“So let me ask you something,” Tyler asked once I had settled down. “What do you want to do after graduation?”
My mouth got dry as I realized I didn’t know how to answer that question.
“I mean, what are your plans? Long-term ideas? I mean, anything?”
I just shook my head, feeling like I hadn’t studied for this test at all.
Robbie rolled his eyes and asked me, “Let me put it this way. If you could have just one wish, one thing to come true after graduation, no matter how silly it may sound, what would it be?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, I said, “Be with Kyle.”
Which sounded really lame as a long-term goal but was true.
“There are a lot of things that can mess up a relationship out of high school. You guys are going to be growing up and becoming new people. You’re going to have a lot to get through. The very least of all is how to afford to eat.”
I looked at Kyle and felt really dumb because I hadn’t thought of any of that. I just wanted to be with Kyle.
“So that’s why you two are the first and only recipients of the Riley Mathison Scholarship for True Love.” He handed Kyle a brown leather checkbook. Kyle took it, and Robbie motioned for him to open it up.
Kyle gasped at whatever he read.
“What?” I asked, looking over at what was inside. It was a joint account in Kyle’s and my names. It said there was over a hundred thousand dollars in it. I felt myself go pale at the thought that this might be real.
“I can’t take this,” Kyle said, putting the book down and sliding it back to Robbie. “He left that to you.”
Robbie reached into his jacket and pulled out an envelope. “No he didn’t, and here is my proof.”
He handed it to Kyle, who pulled the letter out and began to read it.
I read along over his shoulder.
Robbie.
If you’re reading this, then something terrible has happened.
My lawyer has instructions to give this to you only if I pass away unexpectedly, which is never a good thing. There are a ton of things I want to say to you, but I hope by this time we have said it to each other a million times over, but in case I am an idiot, let me say it again.
My life didn’t start until I met you.
Sure, I may have grown up and went to school and all that crap, but the only thing that counted was the day you said yes. Everything else was prelude. You may find that silly, but this letter and this check is my proof I am not. It was ou
r third date, and you asked me if I liked kids and I said I loved them and you seemed to think it was just a line I was saying to get you to like me. The first thing I did when you said you’d marry me was set this account up, just in case something we couldn’t plan for happened.
Because by the time you open this, I expect us to have at least two kids, if not more.
Take this money and use it for them to be happy. I know it is just money, and I wish I could be there instead, but take this money and remind our kids how much I loved you and them and that even though at the moment of me writing this they don’t exist, they are the most important people in my life.
Next to their father.
Or we may find this letter after they are all grown and moved out, in which case….
Smile, baby, we’re going to Disney World.
Always Yours,
Riley
Kyle looked up at Robbie, who was openly sobbing. “If we had kids, I would hope they would have been as brave as you two have been. So you see, he didn’t leave it for me.” He slid the checkbook back toward Kyle. “He left it for you two.”
Kyle broke down, and I was pretty sure we were all crying by then.
JUNE 3: BYE BYE BYE
Don’t really wanna make it tough
I just wanna tell you that I had enough.
It might sound crazy, but it ain’t no lie.
—*NSYNC
11 days left
KYLE
I’M NOT even sure why they bother having school after prom.
It’s like a hundred times worse than normal summer vacation jitters, knowing these were the last days you were going to be sitting in this classroom. There was a ton of other things that needed to get done, but in the class itself, we might as well have played hangman for the next week for all we were paying attention.
And that we were kind of rich was distracting me.
If it seems incredible to you to hear about someone giving someone else that much money, try to think how it feels to get it. Tyler said it was what Robbie needed to make a clean break. It just seemed like an incredible, generous act that I was never going to be able to repay.
That and I think I was kind of related to Robbie now.
He said he was going to stay long enough to see us graduate, and then he was leaving Foster for good. I asked him if I was ever going to see him again, and he just gave me that snarky smile and said, “Don’t ask me. I’m not the one with money to burn.”
So yeah, sooner or later I was going to take a trip to New York.
But right now, Brad and I were looking online at places around Berkeley to rent while I was in school. Thankfully, Coach Gunn didn’t care what we were doing on Brad’s laptop as long as it was quiet.
That was when one of the office aids came into the class and handed Gunn a note.
“Stilleno,” he said, holding the piece of paper up. “Principal’s office, now.”
“Jeez, what did I do now?” I asked Brad under my breath.
Brad flashed me a “no worries” smile and said, “Hey, if he’s going to charge you for the prom, tell him you’ll write him a check.”
He had a point.
I walked into the office, and there seemed to be a flurry of activity all over the place, more so than usual. There were boxes being moved and people on the phone, none of them sounding that pleased. I showed one of the secretaries the note, and she pointed to Raymond’s office.
I took a deep breath and knocked on the open door.
There was a strange man on the phone. He motioned me to come in as he kept talking. “No, I don’t think so and frankly don’t care if it is. Look, John, it’s two weeks. All I need to do is keep the trains running on time.” He pointed to one of the chairs as John spoke to him. “I agree, if I have any problems, I’ll call, but we should be good.” He nodded and rolled his eyes as John kept talking. “Great, call you tonight.”
He hung up the phone and shook his head. “Let me tell you something—people in Texas can talk your ear off. You’re Kyle?”
I nodded, confused. “Yes, sir, but I was supposed to see Mr. Raymond.”
He shook his head as he began to sort through the papers on his desk. “No, you were supposed to see the principal. That’s me now.” He pulled a file out of the mess. “Here we go, UC Berkeley? Nice school, fantastic GPA. Wow, can’t say I’ve seen a record like this before.”
“I’m sorry, you’re who?”
“Mr. Fisher,” he said, putting the file down. “So looks like you’ve had a pretty shitty year.”
I just stared at him, not even ready for an adult, much less a principal, to say that out loud.
“Coming out, your friend’s suicide, and then the shooting.” He shook his head. “And through all that, you got a full ride to Berkeley. I would have just fell apart after all that.”
My mind finally found some traction. “Wait, you’re what now?”
He laughed and sat down. “Mr. Raymond doesn’t work here anymore. He has decided to spend some more time with his family, which is polite of saying he was asked to leave or we would fire him. Mostly because of the way he handled the situation with you. So on behalf of Foster High, the school board, and, to be honest, the entire Texas education system, I apologize for all that and want to make it right.”
Raymond was really gone?
“Now, I can’t do much about everything that has gone on, but I can give you something that most people don’t ever get.” He paused for a moment to make sure he had my attention. “The last word.”
I cocked my head, confused more than ever.
“If there is another student better suited to being your class’s valedictorian, I haven’t seen them.” I began to shake my head, but he leaned forward. “Kyle, look, as a principal I’m supposed to tell you that you should give an uplifting speech about where you guys are heading and what you hope for the future, and I am, but I’m also saying something else. Tell the truth. Tell how it is and what you were never allowed to say before. Stand up for your class and speak for them, talk about this Kelly guy, about being gay, about whatever you want. I’m literally giving you the last word on this whole year. If you don’t take it, you’ll regret it.”
I just nodded, not trusting my mouth to say anything that made sense.
“Anyway,” he said, standing up, signaling the meeting was over. “Let the graduation committee know how much time you’ll need, and they will work you into the program. Any questions?”
“Was I the reason he lost his job?”
Mr. Fisher’s face grew serious, and he shook his head. “No, Kyle. He lost his job all on his own. You just happened to be the person he was doing it to. The fault is all his own.”
“But I don’t understand,” I said slowly. “He’s been here forever. Why do something about it now?”
Fisher was already back to deciphering his desk again. “Austin got a complaint about him. Actually, turns out one of the commissioners’ moms lives here, and she told him what was going on.”
“Who?”
He looked up and thought about it. “He is Chad Cunningham.” He tried to remember. “Um… Gayle. Her name is Gayle.”
I walked out of the office without another word.
During lunch, Brad and I went to Nancy’s to talk to her. She was in the middle of her normal rush when we walked in. She saw us enter, and I could see the smile cross her face. She said something to one of the waitresses and pointed to the kitchen. We walked out to the back of the diner. “So how was school today?”
“You got him fired?” I asked, completely seeing her in another light all of a sudden.
She gave me that all-knowing smile. “Honey, he got himself fired. I just got tired of seeing him bully innocent students.”
“Why didn’t you do something earlier?” Brad asked. I nudged him to be nice, but the question had already been asked.
“Because the Jeff Raymond I used to know didn’t used to be filled with hate and intolerance. I thought he
was just on the wrong side of an argument and needed some time to come around to the right side. Once I saw him the day of the shooting, I knew it wasn’t something he was going to come back from. So I did something.”
“You really run this town, don’t you?” I asked her, slowly grasping how Foster worked for once.
She laughed. “I just serve food, silly. Foster isn’t a thing that needs to be run. It’s a collection of people, lots of people, who all feel and think different things. But at its heart, at the center of it all, it’s a good place. It just needed someone to give them a kick in the ass.”
“So you kicked them?” Brad asked.
She shook her head as she began to lead us back into the diner. “No, that was you two who did that. And by the way, good job.”
BRAD
THE DAY of graduation was like a series of sprints that made up a long-ass race.
By the time we were all sitting in our seats, waiting to pass, we were pretty tired. All our families were sitting together: my parents, Kyle’s mom with Tyler and Matt, Robbie, Gayle, Jennifer’s dad. I saw them all in the same place, and my eyes began to mist up, realizing how many people we had on our side. How could we ever think we were alone?
Kyle was already gone, getting ready to give his speech as Jennifer, with Josh hanging on her, was arguing with her dad.
“But why not a real college?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Because I want to do this more. Maybe I can go to community college to get my degree in criminology, but this is what I want to do now.”
“You want to do what?” I asked her, realizing I had spaced out at the beginning of the discussion.
She turned to me, looking like a model for a second as the setting sun hit her blonde hair. I know I was gay, and that girls didn’t do anything for me, but not even a blind man could miss how beautiful she was. “I want to join the police academy.”
