Julien Gregg's Twilight in Babylon: The Vampire Saga Chapter 1

 Chapter One
First Sight


In the state of Texas down by the border to South Texas, there is a
town. It is called Babylon. My father is the sheriff down there, and that
is where I'll be moving to. A place with dirt instead of grass in most
places, one season with a cooling off period, and not a single soul that I
know. Well that's not true. I grew up going to Babylon for the summer and
met a bunch of kids from the reservation down there. I could probably
reconnect with some of them.

The point was I was leaving my beautiful Crippen to live in Babylon with my
father. My mother, who was my best friend was a scatter-brained lovable
woman who looked a lot like me. We had the same dark hair, squared chin,
and wide-set eyes. My eye color had come from Charlie, my dad. It was a
mixture of blue and brown sort of swirled together to make an iris. It was
cool. Most people thought I had kick ass contacts.

I didn't have friends to leave behind. I had made no friends. Most people
probably wouldn't notice that I was gone. I had stayed to myself, and
roamed the halls of the high school without talking to a single soul
outside of teachers. I got good grades. That was my defining
characteristic. I was a klutz who got good grades in all but gym class.

Why was I moving? Because Renee, my mother had married a man named Phillip
Dwyer. He was a semi-professional baseball player and he traveled a
lot. Mom had stayed with me in Crippen when he traveled but I could tell
that she was unhappy with that so I decided to exile myself to the one
place on Earth I didn't want to go to.

Babylon was a small town with just over twenty thousand people. Crippen was
a big city with almost nine hundred thousand people. It was a suburb of
Chicago but incorporated into a city of its own in the 2010s. It had three
hospitals, four high schools, and two shopping centers.

Babylon had three stop lights, two gas stations, one high school, and a
small hospital. I was going from a city to a town. But tell me this, if I
couldn't make one friend in say ten thousand kids how was I going to make
friends in a small town?

"You don't have to do this," my mother said for the umpteenth time.

"I want to do it," I said, saying it so often that I almost believed
myself.

"You can come back whenever you want," she said, but I could see the
sacrifice in her eyes that my coming back would have been for her.

"No," I said. "I'm going to spend some time with Charlie and Kale."

"All right," she said. "Tell Charlie I said hello, and give Kale the care
package I packed in your bag."

Right, my bag. One bag. That was all I owned. Five pairs of jeans, five
t-shirts, five pairs of underwear, and five pairs of socks. I had pictures
that I treasured and the care package that Mom had baked for Kale. One
thing Mom was really good at was cooking and baking. Kale was her favorite
of the Swan boys so she baked for him every time I visited.

We got in the car and drove to Chicago and to the airport. She hugged me so
tight when my flight was called and I finally got away so I could get on
the plane. On the plane I sat alone and read a book I'd been carrying
around with me. Most people read on tablets now and books are rare. I love
them so much so I carried one around with me almost all of the time.

We flew in to Corpus Christi and Charlie was waiting for me when I
arrived. He looked a bit different than when I'd last seen him. His hair
was coffee brown but had white at the temples. His eyes were like mine but
his chin was more pointed, and his eyes were closer together. He smiled at
me and the skin around his eyes crinkled.

"Beau," he said, smiling. He gave me a one armed hug and we headed for the
cruiser.

That's right. I was being driven into Babylon in the Sheriff's cruiser
complete with lights on top. At least he didn't use the siren. We were
quiet for a while as we drove but I knew he wouldn't be quiet long.

"I see you only brought one bag," he said, breaking the silence that had
built between us.

"I don't own much," I said. "Just enough clothes for a five day week of
school."

"We'll have to go shopping for more clothes," he said. "You'll need shorts
here. It's hot in Babylon most of the time."

Ah yes, the sweltering heat.

"I don't have a lot of money for shopping," I said. "I have my car fund."

"Well I have a deal for you," he said. "You remember Billy Black?"

"No," I lied. Billy Black was a Native American that my dad liked to go
fishing with.

"Well he's in a wheelchair now and can't drive, so he offered his truck,"
he said.

"When did he buy it?" I asked.

"In the fifties," he said. That was twenty years ago.

"Did he buy it new?" I asked.

"Well, no," he said. "I think it was built in the nineteen sixties."

"Ch-Dad," I said. Mustn't call him Charlie to his face. "I don't know a
thing about cars. How am I supposed to work on it if it breaks down?"

"The thing runs great," he said. "It's fully programmed and the engine
sounds like it was the original."

"Great," I sighed. "A loud truck that looks like it was built in the
nineteen sixties."

But the Thing had a nice ring to it.

"Look," he said. "It's a great truck and I already bought it for you. Sorta
like a homecoming present."

"Wow," I said. It was free. "Thanks, Dad."

"Well now, you're welcome," he said flustered. He wasn't big on emotional
outbursts. "You can use your car fund to buy clothes. I'll even let you go
with Kale so you don't have to go in the cruiser."

"Thanks," I laughed. Kale drove a Jeep, so I'd have a lot of fun with
him. He was also the one who would let me pick my own clothes. Charlie
wouldn't.

It took two hours to get from Corpus Christi to Babylon, and those two
hours were spent mostly in silence. I mentally kicked myself for coming,
and Charlie was probably thanking his lucky stars that I had announced that
I wanted to live with him after all of these years.

Mom had given birth to me at the hospital there in Babylon, she'd stayed
until I was walking and then she'd packed us up and moved to
Illinois. Charlie came from time to time, but they finally divorced when I
was three. Then I was shipped off to Babylon every summer for most of the
summer. I put my foot down when I was thirteen and tired of the fishing
trips and hiking through the woods. Then my father met me half way in
Missouri at Silver Dollar City. We'd hang out there for two weeks and then
back to Babylon he'd go and I'd go back to Mom in Crippen.

It wasn't a great set up, but it was what I could handle. Now here I was
going back to Babylon after three years of keeping away from it, and I was
the one who decided I would move in with Charlie so Mom could travel with
Phillip. It was enough to make me crazy.

We pulled into Babylon and Charlie stopped at the gas station on the east
side of town to fill up the cruiser and buy me a soda. Then we drove from
there to the house. The house was a two-story, three-bedroom with an eat-in
kitchen and a living room. It sat on a small hill and the garage was
actually under the house. Charlie parked in the driveway. In front of the
house was an old bubble-cab red truck.

I got out of the car and walked to the truck. I looked at the tires and at
the bulbous hood and smiled. I really liked it. I didn't know if it would
run, but it was so me. I turned to Charlie and surprised the hell out of
him as I hugged him.

"Thanks, Dad," I said. "I love it."

"Well now," he said. "You're welcome like I said. It's got new tires and
the computer has been updated."

"Let me get my bag," I said as I walked back to the cruiser. I grabbed it
and followed him into the house.

The house hadn't changed. It was still hardwood floors and blue painted
plaster walls. It was the same in the kitchen, but the cabinets were
yellow. My mom had painted them when they'd first moved in. It was the only
splash of color in the house.

The furniture was all blue from the couch to the settee and recliner. The
coffee table and end tables were the same shade of wood as the hardwood
floors. The molding and window frames were all the same shade of wood as
the hardwood floors. See the pattern here?

I went up the stairs to the second floor to the room I'd always slept in
when I was there. It hadn't changed much. Gone was the single bed and a
full sized bed had taken it's place. There was a blue comforter and blue
cased pillows on the bed. There was a desk that was new with an older model
computer that was hooked into the wall jack. At least I'd have the computer
to talk to Mom. She was notorious for losing her cell phone.

I put my jeans, underwear, and socks in the drawers of the dresser. I hung
my shirts in the closet. My pictures went on the nightstand and the
desk. My bathroom stuff fit on one of the shelves above the sink that they
had cleared for me. Then there was the care package of muffins for Kale. I
sat that on the desk and went downstairs.

Kale was working in his flower shop on Main Street. He'd opened that when I
was eight. It was called Petals. He did quite a bit of business because he
was the only one in town. I'd see him when he left work for the night.

Charlie had a crock pot full of his famous chili and he dished us up
bowls. We sat at the table and ate in silence. The one thing I liked most
about Charlie was he didn't feel the need to fill the silence with
unnecessary chatter. To him most talk was unnecessary, and it was like that
for me, too. I just had nothing to say most of the time.

After the bowls were washed, dried and put away I went up to face chat with
my mother to let her know that I had arrived and all was good. I told her
about Kale being at work and how quiet it was in the house. She told me she
missed me and God did I miss her, but I didn't tell her that for fear that
she'd demand that I come back.

After that I just sat on my bed and read my book. It was a Tony Stapleton
book about the fall of the American government and what had replaced it. I
was really interested in the history of North America, and this book took
place when the United States was just the middle of the continent.

Kale came home around six and we had dinner which was more chili. I gave
him the care package and he told me to thank my mother for the
muffins. Charlie asked if he could have one and Kale gave one to both of
us. The rest he put in his room.

Kale looked a lot like my dad but younger. That's because he was ten years
younger than Charlie with coffee colored hair, the Swan blue-brown eyes,
and a smirk that he was famous for. He was physically fit from his days at
the gym, and he looked good.

My first night in the house was spent tossing and turning. It was just too
quiet. I missed the cop cars and the sounds of the city. I finally fell
asleep around two in the morning. I was not a morning person and slept past
time for Charlie to go off to work. It was Kale's day off so we went
shopping.

We drove the two hours to Corpus and shopped in the shopping mall there. I
bought shorts in different colors and styles, more t-shirts, and two sweat
shirts. I bought things for gym class at school and two pair of New Days
high-top gym shoes. These were the kind that zipped instead of tied. The
were really popular in Crippen but I had never bought a pair.

We had a late lunch and he asked me what I'd been up to. He asked about my
mom and Phillip. Then he asked me what I was really doing in Babylon. I
told him the same thing I'd been kicking around in my head.

"Mom wants to travel with Phillip so I came to spend some time with you
guys," I said.

"But you never wanted to come back here," he said.

"Things change, Kale," I said. "I'm only sixteen. I have two years until
I'm eighteen and can live where I want but until then I have to have one
parent with me at all times. I had no friends to stay with so I'm here."

"And miserable," he said.

"Not so far," I laughed. "But school hasn't started. That's when I'll be
miserable."

"You've always gotten good grades, Beau," he said.

"Yes, and I'll continue to get good grades," I said. "School it just
awkward and sometimes painful."

"Don't let them push you around," he said. "You'll like the kids
here. They're mostly friendly."

"That wasn't why it was painful," I said, smiling. "The other kids left me
alone. Gym class was painful. I'm a klutz on the court."

"Oh," he laughed. "I might be able to help you with that."

"Please do," I said.

I had him take me to the grocery store in Babylon so I could buy
groceries. I knew that he and Charlie didn't cook. Charlie's idea of
cooking was to throw things in the crock pot and hope for a stew. I got
vegetables, meat, cereal, milk, bread, butter, and a few other things.

"Tell me you're taking over cooking," he said. "I get a good meal once a
day from the diner and then I come home to what your father thinks is
food."

"I'll start tonight," I laughed.

I got the chicken cut up and ready to marinate, located the rice, crushed
tomatoes, and celery. I cut up an onion, celery, and garlic. Then I put
some olive oil in a pan and stirred the veggies around in it to saute
them. When that was done I added the chicken and cooked it until it was
done. Then I dumped a can of crushed tomatoes into it, stirred it up, added
basil and spices, covered it, and then boiled water for the rice. Kale
watched me like a hawk.

"What are you making?" he asked.

"Chicken and rice," I said. "It's a simple recipe my mother taught me to
make it."

"Then it should be edible," he said.

I got some of the baked bread out and cut it in half. Then I slathered
garlic butter over each piece and wrapped them in foil. I put them in the
preheated oven for five minutes. I was putting it all together when Charlie
came in.

"Smells good in here," he said, smiling.

"Have a seat," I said. "It's almost done."

"Let me wash up and take off my uniform," he said, walking up the stairs.

Kale and I sat down and waited for him. He was only a few minutes and then
we tucked in. They both said how good the food was and I smiled at
them. Charlie said the same thing that Kale said about me taking over the
cooking. I assured them that I would cook every day.

Kale did the dishes and I went upstairs to read my book. Charlie sat in
front of the television watching baseball. There were five days until
school started and I was trapped in the house for those days. I didn't mind
though. I'd bought the second book in the series to the one I was currently
reading. I had plenty to read.

The next day Billy Black showed up with his son Jacob. I'd known Jacob when
we were little, but he'd been a year younger than me. I'd played with his
sisters most of the time. I pretended not to notice that he drove up in an
old Dodge with Billy.

"Billy!" cried Charlie as he came out of the house to meet them. "It's good
to see you."

"Hey, Charlie," he said and wheeled himself around the car to come before
Charlie. "Brought you fish and fish fry."

"From Hairy Clearwater?" Charlie asked.

"Is there another kind?" laughed Billy.

I came down the stairs and out the door to see them. Billy asked me how I
liked the truck. I told him I liked it so far but hadn't driven it
yet. Jacob, who was several inches taller than my own five feet eleven
inches made his presence known.

"I'll drive around the area with you if you want to take it for a test
drive," he said.

"Sure," I said as I fished the key out of my pocket.

"You kids be careful," Charlie called after us. I just waived.

"So how is it living with your dad?" Jacob asked as he climbed into the cab
of the truck.

"So far so good," I said. "How's life on the reservation?"

"Not bad," he said, smiling at me. Jacob had a russet skin tone, dark eyes
and a head full of long dark hair. He was muscular as well.

We drove around the neighborhood a few times. He told me that the truck
wouldn't go faster than sixty-five. It was programmed that way. I thought
Charlie was behind this but didn't say anything.

Jacob and I fell into an easy rapport fairly quickly. He remembered me from
my times spent in summers in Babylon. We talked about schools, ways to beat
the heat, and girls. He didn't seem all that excited by girls, and I was
gay so that part of the conversation didn't go far.

We got back a few minutes later. I parked the truck where it had been
behind where Kale parked his Jeep. Then Jacob and I went inside to the
smell of fish frying on the stove. I went into the kitchen out of fear but
found that Billy was the one frying the fish. Charlie was sitting at the
table.

He had the fish in a pan and fries in a sauce pan even though we had a deep
fryer. I let him cook it his way and just sat at the table with Charlie and
Jacob. Charlie was smiling so I was happy.

Kale came in and joined us at the table. He looked good in his hunter green
polo and gray shorts. The name of the store was embroidered into the left
breast of the shirt. He had another one in his hand.

"Beau, I brought you a shirt in case you decide to make a little money," he
said. "You can run the register while I teach you to do the arrangements if
you'd like."

"I think that's a great idea," Charlie said. "It'll get you out of the
house."

"When school starts you can keep working or quit," he said. "I know you'll
have a lot of homework and stuff."

"Sounds good," I told him. "I might even keep the job when school starts if
I can work the right hours."

"I'm in good with the manager," he said with a smirk. "I'll make sure you
get the right hours."

"Then it's a deal," I said, smiling. I looked at Jacob. "You can come to
town and visit me at the store from time to time."

"Remember that you're there for work," Charlie scolded.

"Yes, Dad," I said, making Jacob laugh.

I started at Petals the very next morning. The store was nice with gray
carpet and white walls. There were coolers with flower arrangements in them
on both sides of the store. The counter was at the back with a standard
register and receipt system. I even had a pad to write orders on.

Kale showed me basics that day but I did a lot of sales at the register. He
was busy all day long with floral arrangements, bouquets, and balloons. By
the time we knocked off when Ray, the six foot, blonde haired night guy
who came in at four had arrived.

I'd had a good time working with Kale and face chatted with my mother to
tell her all about it. She called me a working stiff and laughed like a
loon. Then I made dinner for Charlie and Kale, read my book, and hung out
in my room for the rest of the night.

The next day I did it all over again. I really liked working the register
and showed a certain flair for arranging flowers. Kale let me help all day
the second day and we took turned answering the phone and ringing up
sales. The day went faster that way.

The days became a pattern for me. I liked it too. The problem was that five
days later school started. I fired up the tuck and headed to the other side
of town almost all the way out of town to the "new" high school. The old
one was across the street and the little kids had school there.

I parked in the lot and made my way into the building. I went straight to
the guidance office and stood at the counter. The whole room was green. The
carpet, the walls, and the counter. There were even potted plants to bring
in more green. A woman who was maybe fifty pounds overweight with dark hair
that she had pulled into a bun, green eyes made huge by her glasses, and a
big smile met me when I came to the counter.

"Can I help you, dear?" she asked.

"I'm Beau Swan," I said.

"Oh, of course," she said. I was expected. She looked around and found a
packet of papers and handed them to me. "Your schedule is in there along
with the school calendar, parking permit, and a map of the school. Now your
homeroom is just down the hall. Have a nice day."

"Thank you," I said and made my way out of the office and down the hall to
my homeroom.

The class was air conditioned which I was thankful for. There were about
twenty kids in the room. They all looked at me as I came in. They watched
me as I took a seat toward the back. Some of them turned to watch me after
that. I put my nose in my schedule and didn't look up.

"You're Beau Swan, right?" said a boy with blonde spiked hair and blue
eyes. He was seated beside me.

"Yes," I said.

"I'm Mike Newton," he said, smiling.

"Nice to meet you," I said.

"What's your next class?" he asked.

"Calculus," I said. "With Foster."

"Hey I'm in that class too," he said. "I'll walk with you."

"Thank you," I said, wondering why he was being so friendly.

The teacher, Mr. Spindler called roll then. When he got to my name everyone
turned to look at me. I was a celebrity it seemed. Son of the Sheriff and
his cracked-pot wife who ran off to God knew where finally come home. It
made me self conscious. Mike smiled at me though.

We were only in the class for fifteen minutes while announcements were
run. Then we were headed to Calculus and Mike walked just a tad too close
for my klutz of a self but we made it.

Mr. Foster who I hated on principle for the class he taught made me stand
in front of everyone and talk about myself. I stumbled through my name, and
why I'd come here from Crippen, Illinois. They watched me like a hawk which
made me subconscious.

I was finally able to take a seat at the back of the class next to a
Hispanic boy named Eric. He talked to me as Mr. Foster went over what we'd
be covering in class. He was just as friendly as Mike Newton. He politely
told me that his name was Eric Espinoza and asked me about my classes.

It turned out that Mike and Eric were in a lot of my classes. It made
sense. It wasn't a huge school. I made it to all of my classes on time that
day but it was mostly because either Eric or Mike was walking beside me to
guide me. Sometimes they were on either side of me as we walked. It made me
laugh almost like they were guarding me so I wouldn't run away.

I finally made it to lunch and Mike introduced me to all of his friends who
I quickly forgot. There was one girl named Lauren that seemed to dislike me
on sight. She was in my American History class second hour. I looked around
the cafeteria and spotted an odd site.

There were seven of them sitting together at a table, but only the two dark
haired boys seemed to be eating. The others sat looking at nothing with
trays of untouched food in front of them. But what caught my eye was the
fact that they were all crushingly beautiful.

The older ones, the two blonds looked like they'd stepped out of a fashion
magazine. The smaller one, dark haired and kind of impish suddenly stood,
grabbed his tray, and walked away. I watched him go and he dumped all of
the untouched food in the trash and put the tray on top of the waste
bin. Then he left the cafeteria.

"Who are they?" I asked.

"Who?" Mike asked, but he could probably tell by the way I'd said it. "Oh,
them," he said. "Those are the Maxwells. Edward, Roman, Emit, Jasper, John,
and Jason. The shorter one that left already was Archie Maxwell. They live
with two doctors who are their foster parents or something."

"They look too old to be foster children," I said.

"Well they are now," he said. "They're all like eighteen or something. Not
Edward and Archie. They're in classes with us."

"Oh," I said. "Did they always live here?"

"No," he said. "They moved down here from California a few years ago."

So they were like me, new, stared at, friendless, and probably
miserable. Almost like kindred spirits. I watched as Edward the younger
looking one with bronze colored hair and icy eyes looked at me. He looked
at me like he was expecting something but then looked away.

"They're very good looking," I said.

He smiled, "Yes," he said. "But they're together. Archie and Jasper, Roman
and Emit. I think Edward and Jason are a thing. They seem tighter with each
other than the others. I'm not sure about that, though."

He'd said it like it was a scandal. I had to admit that it would be a
scandal in Illinois as well. Foster children dating each other and living
under the same roof. I looked at them again and thought about it. It made
me a bit hot to think about it actually. I turned off that line of thought
as fast as I could.

Mike walked with me to Chemistry class after lunch. I got to the classroom
and told the teacher, Mr. Varner who I was and thankfully he didn't make me
stand in front of the class and introduce myself. He handed me a textbook
which was odd and told me to sit next to Edward Maxwell.

I walked down the row and took the seat at the table next to Edward. He
smiled at me when I sat down but didn't say anything. He seemed to stare at
me the whole time we were in class. It made me a bit uncomfortable. Yet
every time I looked at him he was paying attention to the lecture.

One thing I had to say about Edward Maxwell was that he was drop dead
gorgeous. He was lean but toned. He wore a blue t-shirt and a pair of denim
shorts. On his feet were hiking boots of all things but they looked good on
him. I noticed all of this with stolen glances all hour long. When the bell
rang he got up and left the room before anyone else could move. I wondered
what his problem was.

"Hey," said Mike. "What happened to Maxwell?"

"I don't know," I said. "We never said a word to each other."

I got home around three and had homework to do. I put that aside and headed
for the flower shop to work my three hour shift. I worked with Ray who was
all business while he was working. Much to my surprise Eric Espinoza drove
the delivery van for the store on week days. He came in, saw me, and
smiled.

"Beau," he said. "What are you doing here?"

"My uncle owns the shop," I said.

"Right, Kale," he said. "He's a good guy to work for."

"Yeah," I said, smiling.

"Listen, I've got deliveries, so I'll talk to you later," he said. "Welcome
aboard."

"Thanks," I said. "I'll see you."

I worked the register while Ray worked in the back. When my shift was over
he came up to the register and shook my hand. I drove home and got dinner
started. Charlie came in and Kale came downstairs. We'd be having dinner
later when I worked. I hoped they were okay with that. I made pork chops,
green beans, and macaroni and cheese with bread rolls.

"So how was your first day at school?" Charlie asked.

"Not bad," I said. "I've had some of those classes already."

"Well I hope you won't be too bored," he said.

"Do you know the Maxwells?" I asked.

"Sure, the doctors' kids," he said. "Great bunch. They never start any
trouble and I thought they would with all of those teenagers. Did you meet
them today?"

"I sort of met Edward," I said. "He sits next to me in Chemistry."

"Dr. Nathan performed Gill's bypass surgery last year," he said. "Hulk of a
man but good with his hands."

"Doctor Gabriel orders flowers for his husband all of the time," Kale
said. "Sometimes he comes in and picks them up after his shift at the
hospital."

"Is Doctor Nathan his husband?" I asked.

"No," he said. "His husband's name is Elfric."

"Weird name," I said.

"Yeah, but if you ever see him you'll see it fits him," he laughed. "Kinda
looks like an elf."

"They're all very good looking," I said.

"You should see Doctor Gabriel," said Kale. "He looks like a model."

"Enough about what he looks like," Charlie said, clearly uncomfortable.

I'd told my parents that I was gay when I was fourteen. They'd taken it all
right. Mom had told me to experiment before I chose a label. The children
of this day and age weren't as hung up on labels. They dated both sexes
without problems. I had witnessed this in high school in Crippen. Boys with
boys and girls with girls was common and no one commented on it.

After dinner I did my homework in my room. I face chatted with my mother
and told her all about my first day at school. I told her I seemed to have
made a few friends which made her happy but shocked her.

The next day I was a popular boy. I'd had no idea that Archie and Jason
were in my homeroom. They sat on either side of me before Mike could get
into the room. Archie introduced himself.

"I'm Archie Maxwell," he said.

"Beau Swan," I replied.

"We know," he said. "You're the sheriff's son."

"That's me," I said, wondering why they were talking to me. I'd gotten the
impression from Mike that they rarely talked anyone but each other.

"I'm Jason Maxwell," said the other boy.

"We're going to be great friends," Archie said.

"Are we?" I asked, stunned.

"Oh yeah," he said. "I have a feeling."

Jason followed me to Calculus, sat beside me and kept a conversation
going. I did the equations on the board. He told me that we should hang out
some time. I was stunned again. I'd never had friends and didn't know how
to act.

"I have to work every week night for three hours," I said.

"Yeah, I know," he said. "You work at Petals."

"How did you know?" I asked.

"Small town," he said simply.

"It is that," I said, quietly missing Crippen and my mother.

"Why do you look like that?" he asked. "What's got you down?"

"Missing people form my home town," I replied.

"Yeah, that can be tough but you've got me and Archie," he said.

"It seems that I do," I said with a smile.

The bell rang after that and I got out of there. Jason went in a different
direction and I went to my American History class. I had this class with
Mike and Eric. They talked to me for the whole hour as the teacher told us
to read the chapter quietly. I'd had this class and read the entire book.

At lunch people were friendly to me again other than Lauren. Still I felt
better on my feet today than I did the day before. Jason and Archie had
thrown me for a loop but at least they were back with their family at
lunch. They did wave at me and I waved back.

"How do you rate?" Lauren asked put out by what had happened.

"Don't know," I said and sat down with my tray of food.

"Edward Maxwell is staring at you," a girl named Jessica said.

I looked over and he smiled at me. That shocked me. I smiled back. Lauren
commented that I was the most popular boy in school. I ignored her. Edward
went back to talking to Archie. Roman looked over at me and gave me a
curious look and then looked away.

"Why doesn't he just sit with the Maxwells?" Lauren was asking Jessica.

I just ate my lunch with anticipation for Chemistry. Would Edward talk to
me today? He'd smiled at me. I wasn't counting my chickens or anything but
I hoped he would. God he was good looking.

After lunch I followed Mike into Chemistry. I took my seat at the table but
Edward wasn't there. I looked at the front of the room and saw that he was
talking to the teacher. He came and sat beside me.

"Hello, I'm Edward Maxwell," he said, smiling at me. "I didn't get the
chance to introduce myself yesterday."

"Beau Swan," I said, he nodded at this.

"My brothers are telling me that they're your friends," he said.

"That's what they told me too," I said.

"Tell me, where did you live before you came here?" he asked.

"Well I was born here," I said. "We moved away when I was just a year
old. I came here from Crippen, Illinois."

"And your mother's name is Renee Dwyer, right?" he asked.

"That's right," I said, wondering where he was going with this.

"And your grandparents?" he asked.

"Uh, my grandparents were dead before I was born," I said. "I don't really
know anything about them."

"I'm sorry," he said.

"That's all right," I said. "I just don't know much about them. I know they
were from Illinois."

"It's okay," he said, smiling. "I'm just being nosy."

"The kids at the lunch table tell me you don't talk to anyone but your
siblings," I said and then mentally kicked myself for saying it.

"Well, I'm talking to you," he said. "But they're right. We've kept to
ourselves until now."

"What changed?" I asked.

"You came to town," he said as if it was the most obvious thing in the
world.

"I'm having a hard time understanding why you all think that I'm your
friend," I said.

"I haven't called you my friend," he pointed out.

"Fair," I said. "But your brothers did."

"You'd have to ask my brothers why they consider you to be their friend,"
he said, smiling at me again.

"So I'm not your friend?" I asked.

"No, it wouldn't be a good idea for you and I to be friends," he said.

"All right," I said, stung.

I turned and faced the front of the classroom. Luckily the teacher brought
the class to order after that. I couldn't figure out why I was so hurt by
his telling me that we couldn't be friends. If I was honest I'd hoped to be
more than his friend, but I was no stranger to not getting what I
wanted. Why did this hurt so much?

When the bell rang it was my turn to get the hell out of there before he
had packed his book bag. I had to get away from him. I was thinking of
asking the teacher to switch partners for the year.

When I got to work I was happy to see that there were no Maxwells in the
shop. I ran the register and let Ray work in the back. Just before my shift
ended, Mike came in with an order form. He picked up a vase filled with
roses for his mother. He told me he thought it was cool that I worked
here. I smiled and told him I was about to go home and cook dinner.

"Come to the diner instead," he said. "Your dad and Kale are already over
there."

"All right," I said. "I'll see you there."

I finished my shift, clocked out, and headed to the diner. It was right
across the street. I walked over. Dad and Kale were happy to see me and
beckoned me to their table. A sweet looking older woman with almost white
hair pulled into a bun behind her head handed me a menu.

"He'll have the special," Charlie said, grinning at me. "You'll love it."

"Okay, sure," I said, wondering what the special was.

I noticed that Mike, Jessica, Lauren, Tyler, Eric, and Angela were at a
table at the other end of the diner. Mike and Angela smiled at me. I smiled
back. Lauren gave me a dirty look. I didn't return it.

"Friends?" Charlie asked.

"More or less," I said. "I'm navigating the school pretty easily. Mike and
Eric showed me how to get from class to class quickly."

"That's good," he said. "Boy your age needs guy friends."

Did he forget that I'm gay? Sometimes I wondered. He said things like this
from time to time and I never knew what to make of it. Of course I'd not
been his gay son with a boyfriend so far, so maybe he did forget a bit.

The special turned out to be country fried steak with country gravy, mashed
potatoes, and corn. It came with a nice serving of peach cobbler. Ella, the
woman who had given me the menu brought it to the table and called me
sweetie.

I ate the greasy food but had to admit that it did taste good. Charlie and
Kale talked about fishing of all things as I ate my food. Mike and Eric
were still trying to get my attention and get me to come to the table, but
with Lauren there being a bitch I was staying right where I was.

I left when Charlie and Kale left. I did tip Ella though. I drove home and
did homework since dinner had been taken care of. Out of boredom I read the
chapter in American History and answered the questions at the end of the
chapter. That was the assignment but I could have answered the questions
without reading the chapter.

I read my book for a while and tried not to think of Edward Maxwell not
wanting to be my friend. It was hard. I'd never experienced that kind of
rejection before. I'd never tried to have friends before so it was hard for
me to accept that he didn't want to be my friend when his brothers were so
keen on the idea.

I went to bed that night and dreamt of Edward Maxwell for the first
time. It was an unsettling dream and it left me feeling as if I'd had very
little sleep when I got up in the morning. I wasn't looking forward to
Chemistry Class. I'd never skipped a class in my life, so I had to go. I
just wasn't looking forward to being around Edward Maxwell.

Neither Jason or Archie said a word to me that morning, and I started to
think I had imagined the day before. I got through the day without them,
though. I was a little depressed over the lack of friendship on their parts
but it was mostly Edward.

I had lunch with everyone and no one seemed to notice that I wasn't very
talkative. To be honest most of the time I wasn't very talkative. Mike
talked to me but after getting only one word answers every time he tried he
gave up.

In Chemistry class I said not one word to Edward Maxwell. I didn't ask the
teacher to assign me a new partner either. I figured I'd stay with him and
he'd just have to be uncomfortable with it or I would be. Whatever.

Things went on like this for days. Jason and Archie talked to me from time
to time but the "great friends" that Archie had predicted wasn't coming to
fruition. I gave up on all things Maxwell and went about my life. It wasn't
as if being their friend had a direct effect on my life at this
point. They'd only talked to me in school.

We had our first lab class and we proved to work together efficiently but
quietly. I was over it now. I just existed in this class and talked to no
one until it was over. Then I was friendly with Mike and Eric as they
walked me to my next class.

At work I never saw a Maxwell. Orders came in from Gabriel Maxwell but they
were delivered and never picked up. It seemed I was to be just another of
the masses to the Maxwells and that was okay with me. I didn't really know
them anyway.

I did hang out with Mike and Eric from time to time but a new boy was in
classes with us starting the following Monday. I really liked Angela
Weber. For a girl she was really nice and didn't try to fill up every
moment with chatter. The new boy in school was her cousin, Mitch Weber. I
made him feel welcome as soon as he showed up.

Mitch and I started to hang out a lot and he proved to be an excellent
friend for me. He was quiet just like me but he seemed to be thoughtful of
others and went out of his way to help his cousin, which was fine with me.

He came into the flower shop and bought roses a few times. These were for
his mother because she loved them so. Always pink, and I told Kale to keep
pink roses on order for Mitch for his mother. Kale agreed. Mitch bought
them twice a week. He wasn't the only one to buy pink but he was the most
common purchaser.

My life became a pattern over the next month. I'd go to school, hang out
with the group at lunch, work three hours, make dinner and then hang out
with Mitch for a while. We went to movies, hung out at the diner, and we
studied together a lot. It was good for both of us.

I noticed that Edward Maxwell watched us together a lot. That confused
me. I didn't know what he was watching for. Jason and Archie told me that
they had noticed that Mitch and I were friendly. I told them that Mitch was
a good guy and I liked hanging out with him. They seemed to think something
else was going on but I assured them that Mitch was straight. They accepted
that. Then Edward stopped watching us so much.

September became October and with it came rain. It rained for three days
straight at the beginning of October. Then it rained about every other day
through the month of October. Mud was everywhere in town. It made driving
conditions almost impossible at times. Thankfully my tires were new and
handled the mud better than some.

I took to taking Mitch and Angela to school because their Chevy wouldn't
drive on the mud and remain stable. They liked the boom of the engine of my
truck more than I did but we made it to school every day without incident.

Edward Maxwell continued to pretend I didn't exist. I was no longer hurt or
frustrated by this. I had written him off as well. He was a good looking,
self centered ass as for as I was concerned. I didn't go out of my way to
talk to Archie or Jason either. People stopped talking about how I had
gotten further with the Maxwells than any of them. Now I was just one of
the masses.

I was thinking I needed a boyfriend all of a sudden and I didn't know
why. Edward was a good looking boy and he'd awakened something in me that
had never existed before. I found myself assessing the boys in class with
me every day. It was very distracting. I especially assessed them in the
showers after gym class, but looking too long there could get you beat
up. I didn't linger on any of them too long. Mike seemed to like to be
looked at. He gave me every opportunity to do it.

I had to get a grip on myself or Charlie was going to lock me up. He hadn't
said anything but I know he caught me looking at the boys in the diner on
our once a week outing. I wasn't concerned at first but then he said
something about it.

"You're getting restless or something," he said. "When you told me you were
gay I assumed you had a boyfriend but your mother told me you didn't. Now I
see you looking at the young guys at the diner and I wonder if you're
thinking about getting a boyfriend."

"I'm thinking about it," I said. "But that's all at this point. None of
them have shown an interest in me other than Mike Newton and he's not what
I'm into."

"Well we don't have to worry about it unless you find one to return your
interest I guess," he said. "Not sure I'm ready for this but we'll see."

That was all he said on the matter. I didn't know what to think of it.