The Climb

by Damien Benoit-Ledoux

  “I want pictures of my boys leaving on their first day of school,” Liara said.

  “Mom, really? We’re sixteen.” CK said, slightly annoyed.

  “You’ll always be my baby boys,” Liara said.

  Awww. Me too!

  “Fine.” The boys finished their breakfasts and loaded their dishes into the dishwasher. Skyler sucked down the rest of his coffee and they ran upstairs to brush their teeth. When they finished, they headed outside for pictures.

  “Smile, guys, and try to look happy,” Liara said. CK and Skyler posed in the driveway with their backpacks and gym bags as Liara took several pictures of them. “Okay, hugs!” She gave them each a big hug and a kiss on the cheek before releasing them to the world.

  * * *

  Dale drove the boys to the school and dropped them off. He shook their hands from the driver’s seat and wished them well. As they walked together toward the building, the air bustled with energy as new and returning students descended on the school grounds from busses, drop-offs, and the student parking lot.

  “Hey,” CK said, stopping

  Skyler turned to him. “Yeah?”

  CK looked into Skyler’s eyes. “I wanna say that, I…” CK’s voice warbled with emotion. “That I’m really proud of you and everything you’ve accomplished this summer.”

  The world around them ground to a halt as CK spoke from his heart. “I’ve never gone to school with someone before, meaning, I, uh, have never gone to school with a brother or sister before. I’m excited and happy right now, and I…I just love you, Skyler, and as crazy as it sounds, I’m so freaking happy to be here with you today.” CK sniffled and wiped eyes.

  Skyler stepped toward him and the two embraced. CK rested his face on Skyler’s shoulder and cried softly for a few moments, his body gently shaking as Skyler held him.

  “I don’t think it’s crazy at all, CK. And I know I love my brother, too.”

  CK nodded his head on Skyler’s shoulder. He pulled away and looked into Skyler’s eyes. Skyler didn’t have to say anything to understand the heartfelt gaze they shared with each other.

  CK smiled and wiped his eyes. “Jeez, who knew I’d being having an emotional moment on the first day of school?”

  “Skyler! CK!” someone yelled. They turned around and saw Cody and Daren walking toward them from the parking lot. “What’s up, good looking?” Cody asked. His expression changed as he realized he might be interrupting a tender moment. “Oh, sorry, didn’t mean to barge in.”

  “Hey guys,” CK said, nodding and giving his eyes one last wipe. “Ready to do this?”

  “Yeah,” Daren said, shifting his backpack from his left to his right shoulder. He smiled at CK and nodded.

  I wonder if he understands what CK is feeling?

  “Where’s your football gear?” CK asked, changing the subject.

  “We had practice last night,” Daren answered. “We left all our gear in the locker room. Less to worry about this morning.” He yawned. “It’s too damn early.”

  Skyler nodded and looked around. He smiled when he saw Kalin talking with Tracy near a patch of trees. “Be right back,” he said. He circled around some students and approached Kalin from behind so he could surprise him. Tracy flashed her eyes toward him and smiled. Before Kalin could turn around, Skyler wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. The scent of cologne filled his nostrils.

  “Hey stud,” Skyler said. Then he kissed Kalin on the neck. “Happy first day of school.”

  “Happy first day of school to you, too, stud muffin. But I’m Kyle.”

  What? Oops!

  Tracy and Kyle started laughing hysterically as Skyler jumped back with surprise.

  “Aw shit, sorry, Kyle.”

  “That was priceless.” Tracy squealed between laughs.

  “It’s okay. Your boyfriend is right over there,” Kyle said, pointing to Kalin and Tommy. Kalin was wearing his Superman t-shirt and some cuffed dark blue skinny jeans with flip-flops.

  How did I not notice him earlier?

  “You look great, by the way,” Tracy said. She gave him a quick hug. “Welcome to your first day at Temple High. Now, go say hello to your Superman.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Skyler said.

  “You’ll figure out how to tell us apart soon enough,” Kyle said.

  “I hope so, or I’ll keep embarrassing myself.”

  Skyler shook his head and sauntered over to Kalin. “It’s a good thing I didn’t plant a kiss on his lips.”

  “That would have been funny,” Tommy said.

  “Aw, you guys look so cute together,” Kalin said, teasing Skyler, who blushed. “Now I know how cute we look together. Speaking of looking good, you look really adorable today.”

  “Aww, thanks. So do you, babe. I guess I’ll never be able to see how we look together because I don’t have a twin, but whatever, I hope cute couple is what people will say about us, right?”

  “Yep. I’ll take that kiss though, if you don’t mind.” Kalin said, bouncing his eyebrows suggestively.

  Skyler smiled, leaned forward, took Kalin’s hands in his, and kissed his boyfriend.

  “I’m glad you were so excited to see me,” Kalin said.

  Someone nearby wolf-whistled. “Hey, Kalin, who’s your new boyfriend?”

  “Get your own,” Kalin yelled back without flinching.

  I love this place. It feels great to be me again.

  Kalin smiled and said, “I guess you’re gonna be the popular new guy for a couple of days. I’ll try not to get too jealous and share you with our classmates.”

  “Oh please,” Tommy said, rolling his eyes.

  Skyler chuckled. “Yeah, okay, whatever.”

  “Skyler,” Tommy said, “You do realize people will talk? Kalin Mars hooked the new guy before the new guy was even the new guy at school.”

  “Huh?” Skyler said, replaying Tommy’s statement in his mind. “I think that made sense.”

  “It did,” Tommy said.

  “Lucky me, then,” Kalin said. He pulled Skyler toward him and kissed him one more time.

  “Come on, let’s go over with everyone else,” Tommy said. “None of us have the same schedule. At least, I’m pretty sure I don’t.”

  Skyler held Kalin’s hand as they followed Tommy back to where Cody, Daren, Tracy, Kyle, and CK were standing. Skyler noticed a few people staring at them.

  “This is pretty cool,” Skyler said. “A year ago I would have been shot on sight. Now I can stand here proudly holding my boyfriend’s hand and only a few people stare at us.”

  “Probably because they don’t recognize you, that’s all.”

  “Oh, right.” How awesome is that? They don’t even care that we’re gay.

  “Good morning, good morning, good morning,” a familiar voice called out. Mr. Davies nodded and marched past them to the school. He carried a large box in his arms and precariously held on to a coffee cup with his right hand. “Welcome back, students!” he cheered.

  “Morning, Mr. Davies,” Tommy answered, speaking for the group.

  “So, here we are guys,” CK said. “Junior year for us, senior year for Daren and Cody.”

  “Go seniors,” Cody exclaimed. “And suffer-more year for Tommy.”

  “Ha,” Tommy said back.

  “It’s going to be a great year,” Skyler said, squeezing Kalin’s hand.

  “You know what I don’t get?” Tracy asked. “How is it the new guy in our group is the only one in a relationship and all of us are still single? What does that say about us?”

  Skyler burst out laughing. “Now that’s funny,” he said.

  “Good point,” Cody said. He shrugged his shoulders with CK.

  “I wanna say,” Daren interjected, “That I never thought I’d be standing here with you guys. Hell, I never thought I’d be out of the closet until I went to college and could get away from my dad. And I want to assure you I’ll be true to my word. No asshole Daren this year.”

  “Good,
because he was a dick,” Tommy said

  “Yeah, but who knew that Daren actually liked dick?” Cody chimed in.

  “We all did,” Tracy said.

  They laughed together. Daren shook his head and smiled. “I’m serious. Thanks to you guys, and you, Skyler, I’m able to be me. Okay, enough mush.”

  Skyler met Daren’s gaze and nodded. It’s really nice not to see hate blazing in his eyes.

  “No obstacles, only opportunities,” Tracy declared. “This will be a year to remember.”

  “Sounds good to me,” Daren said.

  “Me too,” Tommy said.

  A bell attached to the side of the school building rang out.

  “First bell,” Cody said. “Here goes nothing.”

  “Well, friends, we’ll have to solve the great mysteries of the universe at another time. For now, the drudgery of school summons us to great learning and smarterness,” Tracy proclaimed.

  “Smarterness, huh?” Daren quipped.

  “It’s a word to me.” Tracy said, unfazed. She turned and slipped her arm under Tommy’s arm. “Come on, Tommy. Let’s go learn something amazing.” She and Tommy, along with the entire student body that lingered outside the building, began walking toward the entrances of the high school.

  “See ya, kids,” Cody said.

  “Bye,” Daren chimed in. The two joined the herd.

  Skyler took a step but Kalin grabbed his arm. “Wait, can I see your schedule?” Kalin asked. “Do we have any classes together?”

  Kyle and CK circled around them as Skyler fished out his schedule from his pocket and handed it over. Kyle, Kalin, and CK pulled out their schedules, too. The four schedules hovered near each other as Kalin compared them.

  “Okay, so, it looks like we all have English Lit together in first period, then we don’t have, wait, Kyle and I have math together for second period, CK and Skyler have science, then in period three we switch, then we’re back together for history. No wait, Kyle and Skyler have lunch together and we have study period. Well, that sucks. Then CK has gym, I have lunch and you guys have economics…”

  “At least we can start our day together, right?” Skyler asked.

  “That’s cool, I’m down with that.” Kalin said. He handed Skyler’s schedule back to him and they pocketed their schedules.

  “What about after school activities? Any sports for you guys?” Kyle asked.

  “We have track,” CK said.

  “Then I’ll be on the bleachers watching my handsome man run from things that aren’t chasing him.”

  Skyler laughed. “Unless coach sends us out on a loop, which I bet he’ll do.”

  “Oh, right,” Kalin said, looking sad. He cheered up. “Then I’ll have your return to look forward to.”

  Such a romantic.

  “Sky, are you still gonna do swim team?” CK asked.

  “Most likely. I probably will because it’s a great winter sport, but I know I want to get more involved with the GSA. I think I want to pursue a leadership role or something. If not this year, then definitely next year. But you know what? It’ll all work out. I know it will. This is gonna be my best year yet.”

  “I think you’re right, Skyler,” Kalin said. Kyle nodded in agreement.

  “Ditto,” CK said.

  Skyler took Kalin’s hand in his and the four boys started walking toward the main entrance. Ahead of them, Cody and Daren disappeared into the throng of students who made their way through the doors. A smile appeared on his face. On Skyler’s right walked his brother. On his left, his boyfriend and his brother.

  I may not fully appreciate it yet, but these are the moments I'm gonna remember the most and I’m so happy I get to share them with you.

  THE END

  Coming Soon: GUARDIANS

  When high school juniors Quinn McAlester and Blake Hargreaves wake up in a hospital room after a freak accident in a dangerous cave, they have no idea how much their lives will change—until a number of unexplained phenomena leads the boys to believe they are developing super powers.

  GUARDIANS is a fun superhero/urban fantasy novel series based in Portsmouth, NH. With lovable characters, exciting action, memorable moments, and unexpected twists, GUARDIANS is sure to delight all fans of the genre.

  Arriving in 2018

  Connect with the Author

  Thank you so much for reading this story. Please know that I’m working hard on other projects of various scope and size.

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  About the Author

  Damien's mind is a magical and nerdy place where fantastic heroes defend amazing worlds from dangerous villains who run amuck in an epic struggle to take over the universe. Recently, the brightest and best from this colorful cast of characters have made their way into notes, plots, stories, and novels for you to read and enjoy.

  Damien strongly believes the real world we live in should be a place where LGBTQA equality and acceptance are second nature and never questioned. When he's not working or spending time with his husband and their dog, Damien weaves this philosophy into the exciting lives of his characters and the fantastic space battles and romances they endure so they'll stop taking over his dreams at night.

  And finally, he wants you to remember a very important thing:

  No matter how bad your day is at work, it’s always important to be grateful that you don’t work for a Sith Lord.

  The Purple Spekter™ Shop

  The Purple Spekter™ shop at RedBubble exists because a horde of colorful designs and images play ping-pong between my ears and beg for release. Acquiescing to their demands, I submitted to the will of the Art Overlord and created this little artistic endeavor in the hopes that you might enjoy my artful side.

  Seriously though, sales profits will augment the self-publishing costs for the amazing stories I want to publish—and I only want to publish (through Purple Spekter™ Press) the best quality books I can because you don’t need to read crap. To do this, it costs a bit of money. Even for self-published authors, writing great books takes time and demands quality resources like editors and solid marketing.

  At the shop, you’ll find a series of artwork dedicated to THE CLIMB and my upcoming #LGBT #SciFi novel series, GALAXY. Along with my forthcoming novels, I hope you enjoy what you see and I thank you for your support.

  Live Long and Prosper.

  http://www.redbubble.com/people/purplespekter

  ; Damien Benoit-Ledoux, The Climb