Read Something Like Summer for Free Online

few experimental
hopping-steps and made it to the sidewalk.
    “ I guess we make it to the
nearest house and have them drive me home,” Tim said.
    “ Your house is really
close if we cut through the trees there,” Ben said without
thinking. His right arm was around Tim’s torso, and he could feel
the muscles tense in reaction. How could he have been so stupid?
Not only had he revealed himself as being an insane psychopath who
physically lashed out at boys he liked, but he had followed it up
with confirmation that he was a stalker to boot.
    “ Let’s go then,” Tim
muttered a moment later, choosing not to question how a stranger
would know where he lived.
    The effort of holding Tim
up was a welcome distraction, both to the self-depreciating
thoughts going through Ben’s head and the excitement of being so
intimately close to him. Now was not the time or the place to get
aroused over physical contact, and Ben was determined to end the
day with only two strikes against his sanity instead of
three.
    They shuffled through the
brief width of woods until they reached a wooden privacy fence, the
only thing that stood between them and the civilized suburbs
beyond. A glance left and right confirmed that any neighboring
houses had the same barrier installed against the wilderness
outside.
    “ Fuck,” Tim swore. “How
much further would it be if this fence wasn’t here?”
    “ Half a block,” Ben said,
looking away to hide his embarrassment.
    “ Support me,” Tim said
after hopping one step closer to the fence and reaching out to grab
the top of it.
    Ben thought he intended to
climb over, but grabbed on tighter to his torso when Tim began to
pull instead. He almost toppled backwards when the plank gave way
to Tim’s efforts and came loose, swinging to the side as it fell.
This process was repeated for a second time, and then a third,
creating just enough of a gap for them to squeeze
through.
    Tim went first, holding on
to the top of the fence for support once Ben let go of him. He
stumbled on his way through and landed on his ankle, screaming as
he righted himself. Ben hurried through to assist him, feeling that
the owners of the house would hear the commotion in their backyard
and come to help. As they made it halfway across the lawn, they
could see through the sliding glass door that the house was empty,
having not been sold yet. At least they wouldn’t have to explain
the vandalism.
    They made it through the
gate to the front yard, not encountering another living soul as
they made their way down the sidewalk. That was the funny thing
about the suburbs. So much trouble went into a neighborhood looking
as presentable as possible, but rarely was anyone there to
appreciate it. Hire a boy to the cut the grass and pull up to the
mailbox before parking in the garage. Ben wondered if most of his
neighbors had ever set foot on their own lawn. No, the suburbs were
all prettied up and left to sit alone, like a beauty queen awaiting
an audience that would never come.
    Ben tried to smooth over
his earlier revelations by feigning ignorance as they reached Tim’s
house. “Which one is yours?” he asked.
    “ You tell me,” Tim said
smartly as they turned to hobble past his car.
    “ Is anyone home?” Ben
asked, partly out of concern but mostly to change
topics.
    “ No.”
    “ Then shouldn’t we drive
straight to the hospital?”
    “ I just need to take my
weight off it,” Tim said irritably as the reached the front door,
which was unlocked.
    They stepped into cool,
dark air conditioning. The curtains in the house were mostly closed
to help keep the Texas heat at bay. Tim flipped a few light
switches and led them to the living room, which was tastefully
decorated but very, very unwelcoming. The room had the soulless
presence of a model home. Sure, it looked nice, but it was obvious
that no real living went on there.
    They reached a pale,
peach-colored couch that Tim eased onto. As he settled onto the
piece of furniture that