The Climb
Page 14
“I prefer cycling to running, but I can do it.” He pointed at CK, who pointed back at him. In unison, they both said, “Tomorrow.” Both laughed and splashed water at each other.
“Scary,” CK said.
Skyler chuckled. He took a few deep breaths and held the last one as he dropped beneath the surface of the water. Dive, dive, dive echoed in his head and he swam to the bottom of the pool. He felt the depth and water pressure press on his inner ears as his feet touched the bottom. Only the humming sound of the filter pump and the gentle splashing of CK moving around at the surface broke the silence of the surrounding water. He opened his eyes and looked up at CK’s silhouette in the moonlight. He could see CK’s strong legs kick back and forth as he treaded water.
You’re supposedly straight, but you swim in your underwear with guys…
Requiring air, Skyler kicked toward the surface and let his buoyancy pull him up. The pressure on his ears subsided as he broke the surface of the water, he exhaled and inhaled.
“Do you always swim in your underwear with guys?” Skyler asked, shaking the excess water out of his hair.
“I guess so,” CK said. “Me and Cody do it all the time. Sometimes we go skinny dipping. It’s not like it’s planned though. It’s more, spontaneous, like tonight.”
“Uh, Cody?”
“My best friend. You met him earlier today, remember?”
“Oh right, sorry, I was so tired.” How could I forget those muscles?
“No problem. I should warn you though, he’s crazy. But you’ll figure that out.”
“Okay, cool. What happens when you’re swimming in your boxers or skinny dipping and your parents come outside?”
“I really don’t think they’d care. Just so you know, we don’t strut around naked, but Dad and I walk around in our underwear in the mornings sometimes. So, don’t be surprised if you see dad or me in boxers around the house. You can do it yourself if you like.”
“Appreciate the warning,” Skyler said, amused at the idea. “Again, not something I’m used to.”
“Didn’t think so,” CK said. Changing the subject, he continued, “So, tell me about you.”
Skyler rolled onto his back to take a break from treading water. “Well, I’m an orphan, as you know. My mom died from cancer when I was ten, and I became part of the foster care system at that point. My dad…I never met my dad, but I never liked him because he wanted me aborted, but mom said no. She saved my life.”
“Holy shit,” CK interrupted. “I never thought about abortion like that. You wouldn’t be here if they had, uh, followed through.”
Skyler waited a moment before continuing. “My first foster home was a complete disaster. I was ten years old and I found myself in the middle of an alcoholic family with a foster father who made fun of the kids and beat the shit out of his wife. I lasted six months before the agency realized what was going on. I’ll never know how they managed to get approved as a foster family.”
CK shook his head in disbelief. “That bad?”
Skyler continued, “Yeah, it was. My second family was the exact opposite. I went from living in hell to living in heaven. At least, that’s what they thought they had. ‘The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth,’ Rebecca would always say. They wanted to be perfect examples of Christian goodness to the world around them, but that made life miserable for them. That’s my perspective, at least. And then…” Skyler paused for a moment, thinking about his next few sentences carefully. There’s no way I’m ready to tell you the real reason, the truth that got me kicked out of their perfect little Christian world.
“And then when I didn’t want to adopt their Christian beliefs, they decided it was time for me to go. And now I find myself here, with you guys. And it sucks balls.” Oops, that probably didn’t come out right.
He looked over at CK. “Sorry, being here with you guys does not suck. Having to move my life around again is what sucks.”
CK nodded, “No harm, no foul. I get it. Wanna head back to the deck? You can keep talking though, I’m listening.”
“Sure,” Skyler answered. The boys swam their way back to the deck side of the pool. “We don’t have towels,” Skyler said.
“We don’t need them, we’ll air-dry. Throw your shorts over your boxers if you’re shy.” Then CK pulled himself up on to the deck and out of the water. Skyler tried to avert his eyes. When he didn’t hear him walk away, Skyler looked up. CK leaned toward him and extended a hand back down to him.
“I got it,” Skyler said. Hopefully the moonlight would hide his embarrassment. I’m not grabbing your hand when you’re almost naked!
CK walked toward the lounge chairs they had been sitting in before and sat down. Skyler pushed himself out of the pool and quickly wiped off the excess water with his hands. Whatever you do, Sky, do not get a boner. Heck, the only thing saving you from popping wood right now is the awkwardness of this moment.
“You were saying,” CK said, his wet torso glistening in the moonlight. He grabbed his Pepsi and sipped some as Skyler walked toward his pile of clothes and fished out his shorts. He stepped into them and they immediately clung to his wet legs. Am I supposed to feel weird or comfortable right now? He eventually settled with the latter. He sat down in his lounge chair and put his hands behind his head and looked up at the moon.
“As nutty as the Tinsdales were, my high school life was great,” Skyler continued. “I was on the swim team and the cycling team. I was someone people knew. I was even going to run for class president. Now, I have to start all that over and it sucks to do this in the middle of high school. Still, an incoming junior isn’t too shabby.” It’s better than being a freshman again. At least a junior is someone in high school.
“Well, there are plenty of sports teams at Temple Valley you can try out for and join.”
“Ugh, but I have to try out for everything again. I’ve lost my status.”
“But if you’re as good as you say, then you won’t have a problem, right? Especially since you’re convinced that you’re gonna out-run me tomorrow.”
Skyler chuckled. He ran his hands through his wet hair. He flicked his fingers toward CK, spraying water at him. “I will out run you tomorrow,” he said flatly. Changing his tone, he asked, “Does the school have cycling and swimming teams?”
“Sure does,” CK answered. “Are those your sports? I noticed your road bike looked pretty fancy.”
“Yeah, they’re my favorite two sports. I like to run, but I hope my track days are over. I get bored with it.”
“What really made the Tinsdales boot you?” CK asked. “Sorry if that’s too blunt.”
Skyler rolled his head back and looked hard at the moon. You would ask me that, but I’m not ready to tell you, so stop asking. Several possible answers swirled in his mind like the stars in the sky above him. At least, the stars he could see that weren’t washed out by the moonlight. Two bright stars caught his eye. Those are probably planets.
CK cleared his throat. He was waiting for an answer.
Skyler took a deep breath. “I didn’t get baptized, and I didn’t want to go to church. I was vocal about it. And sometimes swim practice conflicted with Church, and they weren’t happy about that. Rebecca couldn’t figure out what she was doing wrong and she decided I was becoming a…rebellious influence on their other children. But they didn’t need my help for that. They had already learned how to hide the shit they did from their parents. It was rather comical.”
“Like what?” CK asked.
“Well, they were a few years younger than me, so we’re not talking big scale here. But they knew how to sneak cookies, get MP3s of music with dirty lyrics from their friends, stupid stuff like that. I swear the older one of the twins, Grace, who was almost fourteen, had started smoking pot, but I couldn’t confirm it. And all the while, I’m convinced the parents didn’t have a clue. All they were concerned about was whether we could recite Bible verses and smile in church.”
“Weird,” CK said.
He put his hand down and turned his head to look over at CK. He was laid out on the lounge chair, his left leg folded a bit, the foot resting against the calf muscle of his extended right leg. His right arm was up behind his head, and his left arm was resting across his abs. Most of the pool water had evaporated from his skin.
Skyler looked at CK with piercing eyes. “Are you gay?”
9 | Piece of Who You Are
“YOU WILL BURN IN HELL,” Rebecca said, her eyes ablaze with a fiery red glow. “I’ll see to it you never enter the Gates of Heaven, you little pervert!” She stamped her foot and smiled smugly at him. She raised a hand, ready to slap him again.
“Stop it!” Skyler cried out. He tried to put up his hands in defense but they were tied down to one of the armchairs in Pastor Bob’s office.
Someone help me!
“You must repent, pervert,” Pastor Bob screamed, his voice twisted with rage and agony. “Jesus, the Almighty Lord your God, hates you and your sinfulness.”
“You must expel the homosexual demons within you,” Pastor Levi jeered, his glowing yellow eyes smoking as he reached out to grab Skyler’s head.
“No!” Skyler yelled.
He sat up, breathing heavily. His hands trembled and gripped the bedsheets. It was dark when he opened his eyes. What the heck? Where am I?
Skyler propped himself up on his elbows and blinked. He looked around and within seconds his surroundings came into focus. The blue LEDs of his alarm clock told him it was 2:46 in the morning.
Right, I know where I am. My new room, at the Kelley’s house.
A bead of sweat rolled down his face. He wiped it with the back of his hand. Why am I sweating so much? Did I just have a nightmare?
Crap, I did.
He grabbed a t-shirt from the floor and wiped off his sweaty torso as best he could.
What the heck brought that on?
With a sigh, he threw the t-shirt back on the floor and snuggled back into bed. Then he closed his eyes and waited for sleep.
* * *
Music started playing softly and slowly it became louder. Skyler blinked his eyes open and looked over at his now blaring alarm clock. It was 8:45 in the morning.
Ugh, church time already? Dammit, I’m late. Why didn’t Rebecca wake me up? He reached over and turned it off. Propping himself up on his elbows, he looked around the room.
Wait, this isn’t right. Where am I?
A small beam of sunlight peeked out from behind the window shades. The morning fog in his mind quickly faded. That’s right, new room, new home, new family.
Oh, man, that nightmare.
He shook his head and flopped back down. Then he yawned and stretched his arms and legs out. It’s so nice to have a bed big to stretch out in. If I don’t have to go to church, then I’m sleeping in.
He rolled over and closed his eyes for a few minutes. A memory caused him to open his eyes again.
Whoops! We’re running in like 10 minutes.
He threw the covers off, rotated himself to a sitting position, and put his feet on the carpeted floor. His toes gripped the carpet as he stretched his hands and arms high above his head and then stood up. He quickly made his bed and once he had finished, grabbed his t-shirt from the floor and headed to the bathroom.
He opened the door cautiously and peeked in. It was empty. Skyler tossed his t-shirt into the hamper, used the toilet, and then took a swig of purple mouthwash and swished it around. It was so quiet in this house on a Sunday morning. Normally, the cacophony of three teenagers getting ready for church, breakfast clean up, and whatever else was going on filled the house on Sunday morning.
But not today. He relished in the fact that for the first time in about five years, he didn’t have to go to church. He spat out the mouthwash and wiped his lips with his forearm. Then, he realized it was CK’s mouthwash and wasn’t sure if he should use it or not. He made a mental note to ask about that.
He headed back into his room and pulled off his boxers. He kicked them toward the bathroom door as he selected a pair of running shorts from his dresser and put them on. He grabbed a tank top, socks, and his running shoes. When he opened the door to his room, he saw that Dale and Liara’s door was still closed. CK’s door was open so he peeked in but he didn’t find CK, only his unmade bed. Skyler smirked as he remembered CK’s warning about Liara’s insistence about making beds. Definitely going to tease you about that one!
Skyler tiptoed down the stairs and padded into the kitchen. He saw CK sitting at the kitchen island, reading the Sunday comics. A half-eaten power bar sat in its wrapper next to a tumbler of orange juice and brand of men’s sports vitamins. He looked up and smiled when he saw Skyler walk in. “Morning, stud,” CK said. “How’d you sleep?”
“Hey,” Skyler answered, smiling quizzically at the greeting. “Pretty good. I think I hit the pillow and was out within seconds.” I don’t think I want to tell you about my insane nightmare.
“Nice. Um,” CK stopped his sentence short and pointed at Skyler. “Are your shorts on backwards?”
Skyler looked down at his shorts and pulled the waist band forward to check for drawstrings. Instead, he found a tag. “Yep,” he answered with a chuckle. He walked over to the bathroom and quickly reversed his running shorts.
“Do you want a power bar before we run?” CK asked while Skyler changed. “And some OJ? And vitamins?”
“Sure, that’d be great. Maybe some water instead, I don’t want to puke up orange juice two miles in.” Skyler said, returning to the kitchen.
CK pointed toward a box of power bars on the countertop. “Variety pack,” he said. Skyler looked through and picked out a blueberry flavored power bar. He took a bite and sat down on the floor to put on his socks and shoes. CK filled a glass with tap water and set it on the counter next to the bottle of vitamins.
“Just to forewarn you, these sports vitamins will turn your piss bright yellow, like Mountain Dew, if you aren’t used to them.” CK said. “There’s nothing wrong with you, though.”
Skyler chuckled and got up from the floor and sat down next to CK. “Thanks for the warning,” he said. The boys finished their pre-run breakfast and Skyler rinsed off their glasses as CK put on his running shoes. Then he put the glasses in the dishwasher.
“Oh, and we’ve got plenty of protein shake mix for after the run. I’m ready to go when you are,” CK announced. “It’s warm out today, so you’ll be glad you wore shorts. Otherwise you’d be sweating balls.”
“That’s gonna happen anyway,” Skyler joked. “Maybe I’ll leave my shirt here then.”
“I’ll do the same.” CK pulled off his muscle shirt and Skyler got up from his seat. “I like running shirtless. Less nipple chaffing. Let’s do this,” cheered CK, offering to high-five Skyler.
I bet you do. Skyler laughed and slapped CK’s hand. They put on their sunglasses and the two boys walked out to the back deck of the house and did a few basic stretches.
“I figure we’ll go about five miles total, but if we need to do less, we can,” CK said.
“That’s it?” Skyler asked, refusing to show weakness.
“Yeah, that’s it, brave boy,” CK teased. “Running isn’t like cycling, you know.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Skyler answered, smirking. “Let’s go already!”
CK smiled and shook his head with amusement as they started jogging down the street. Skyler ran closest to the curb and let CK set the pace for their run. The morning air was perfect for running and the sun’s rays warmed their skin when they weren’t under the cool shade of the neighborhood trees.
> Five miles, that’s a piece of cake. He normally cycled many more miles four times a week, so five miles was hardly a threat to his bravado of abilities.
“One of the reasons I go running early on Sunday morning,” CK said between breaths, “is because it’s one of the times I know my parents like to have sex.” Skyler nodded, amused. “I know this because I accidentally walked in on them once when I was like ten or eleven.”
Skyler burst out laughing and exclaimed, “Oh my god, no way! What happened?”
“Well, my mom was startled, but my dad smiled and asked if I could give them some privacy. Believe me, I did. I heard them giggling after. Like I said last night, I don’t mind knowing that they have sex, but I don’t want to walk in on it.”
Skyler laughed again. “Neither do I. I will always knock if their door is closed!”
“Good idea,” CK agreed.
As they ran around the first corner, Skyler caught sight of a fit shirtless guy running toward them on the other side of the street. Skyler’s mirrored sunglasses prevented the hunky runner from realizing he was being checked out. He had dark hair on his head and his muscular chest was adorned with fine hair that tapered and dove down his six-pack abs into his running shorts. Skyler’s eyes unintentionally stared at the torso of the incoming runner.
Wow. He’s beautiful.
Eyes glued, Skyler could barely look away as they passed. The runner threw a hand in their general direction, pointed at CK and said, “Colton.”
“Hey, Daren,” CK responded.
Counting to three after they ran past each other, Skyler looked over his left shoulder for a quick look at the hot runner as they ran away from each other, each to his own goals.
Oh no!
Skyler became alarmed when he realized CK was staring at him. He felt his adrenaline begin to surge.
“Snap out of it,” CK said. “He’s our Karofsky, and he tends to be an asshole. You really don’t want to go there with him.”
Skyler stopped running and said, “Oh shit.” He knows, he knows! Skyler felt his stomach knot and his adrenaline surge with fight-or-flight. CK stopped running and turned around to face Skyler.