Lawn Boy

That night, it sickened me how excited Rebecca was for her quasi date with Jamie. She was smiling and kept asking me which blouse she should wear. I couldn’t really make a decision. I don’t think the fashion gene came with any of my gay genes. I have the arts and culture gene. I love to write poetry and go to museums and plays. I have the dancing gene. I love to dance and listen to dance music. Nothing makes me happier than those things. But I especially love poetry.
Poetry is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. Most people equate the reading of poetry to beauty. I equate the writing of poetry to the same level of beauty. There’s something about sitting down in a quiet spot with a journal and putting your thoughts into a group of words that has the power to move people. Of course, I never let anyone read my poetry so it won’t move anyone anytime soon.
When she finally calmed down, I finally got some peace and quiet. It was time to psych myself out for the first day of school tomorrow. I was dreading meeting new people and getting new classes and new teachers. I just want to go home and never see this place again. But Jamie is here of course. He is one plus.

• • •

My alarm went off. It blared in my ear. I jammed my hand onto the off button of my clock. I crawled out of bed. I’ve never really been a morning person — except, of course, on Christmas like every other kid in America.
Anyway, I grabbed some clothes and slid across the room in boxers and into the hallway. I walked to the bathroom, but it was locked and the shower was going. It was most likely Ashley. It was way too early to be Jack. He always sleeps for as long as possible.
I knocked on the door, “Hurry up, Ashley!”
“Alright, alright,” she called from inside the shower.
I walked back into my room and sat on my bed. I looked around my room. The night before, I hung up all of my movie posters — Casablanca, Sunset Boulevard, The Birds, Taxi Driver, The Shining, Pulp Fiction, and Pan’s Labyrinth. I’m a bit of a movie freak.
I heard Ashley come out of the bathroom and picked up my fresh clothes and walked into the bathroom. I shut and locked the door. I took a look at myself in the full length mirror. I don’t like my body. In fact in some ways I hated it. I was too tall and too skinny and my butt was too big and my hair was too curly and my eyes were too dark.
I started the shower in hopes that Ashley didn’t take all of the hot water. She usually did at home, but we were in a bigger house now. She didn’t. I had enough hot water to take my shower. And after I dried off, I slipped on my boxers and then my black skinny jeans and then my dark purple plaid shirt.
I looked in the mirror and put a brush through my hair. I put the product in it that I normally do. It keeps my hair natural without it getting all wild and crazy. After I did my hair, I walked into my room and put on my socks and shoes — black lace-up Vans.
I walked downstairs. My mom was already up and drinking coffee in the kitchen. When I walked in, she looked up and smiled. I smiled back and walked to the refrigerator and took the orange juice out. I poured myself some, walked behind my mom, gave her a kiss on the cheek and sat down next to her.
“Morning Maxie,” she said. She only ever called me that in the morning for some reason. It wasn’t every morning. It was usually when she was in a good mood.
“Morning,” I said back.
“Your Aunt Carol called me this morning. It seems her car isn’t running too well this morning. Could you stop by her house and pick up Shane?”
“Um, sure if you give me directions.”
She handed me a small piece of paper. I folded it and put it in my shirt pocket. Ashley came down and poured orange juice as well. She didn’t say anything to me or mom until she sat down and even then it wasn’t ‘Good Morning’.
“Jack is gonna be down in a minute,” she said.
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll go start the car. We have to pick up Shane.”
I finished my juice, took my glass to the sink and walked to the door. My mom told me to have a good day as I walked out. I got in the driver’s seat of our SUV and started it. Soon Ashley and Jack walked out of the house. Ashley got in the front seat and Jack in the back. I gave the directions to Shane’s house so she could read them to me.
“What do I look like — GPS?”
“No, just read them. I have to drive,” I said.
She rolled her eyes and I started driving. We were at Shane’s house within minutes. I honked the horn and a few minutes later he came running out. He was carrying his bag in his hand by one of the straps and in the other hand he had some kind of granola bar.
“Hey,” he said when he got in.
“Hey,” I said.
I left and I headed for the school. I had looked up the way to the school the night before. So, it was fairly easy getting there. We got there within ten minutes. School was going to start in twenty minutes.
When I pulled into the parking lot, it seemed as if everyone who was out of their cars was staring at our SUV. Made in 2006, it seemed to be the newest car in the lot. We found a space and all got off to walk into the school. The gates were large and black — probably made of iron.
The gentle roar of the chatter around us was almost paralyzing. I felt so out of place that it wasn’t even funny. But, Shane led us to a table that seemed to be filled by his friends.
“Hey guys, these are my cousins. They just moved here from California. This is Jack, Ashley, and Max.”
Everyone said hi in their own way and then Shane started the introduction. I didn’t really need them. I don’t think I’d ever be friends with any of these people. Not that I don’t want to be friends with them. It’s just like I said, people usually run away from my social awkwardness. I just say stupid things that drive people away.
“This is Pete,” he pointed to a dark haired guy that was kind of odd looking. “Kelly,” he pointed to a girl with chocolate brown hair down to her shoulders and blue eyes. She was in fact a girly girl, or at least she looked it. She had brown eyes and a cute little smile. “Asher,” he pointed to an older boy, about my age, with dark blonde hair and pretty fair skin. He was a bit thin and awkward, I could relate to that. Asher smiled at me. “Brenda,” Brenda was blonde with green eyes and a total stunner, but she seemed a bit snobby and conceited. She looked at me with that look that says ‘I’m better than you’. I don’t think that we’d get along very well. “And Lupe,” he pointed to a simply beautiful Hispanic girl with hair as dark as night and skin the color of caramel.
“Where’s the cafeteria?” asked Jack. “I’m starving.”
“It’s through there,” Shane pointed.
“Cool — you coming Max?” asked Jack.
“Naw, I’m not hungry.”
“Whatever,” he said and he left. Ashley followed him.
“What a cheerful bunch,” said Lupe.
“Sorry, I think I was adopted or something. I have no idea where they learned to be that weird.” I felt like I was blushing, but I wasn’t sure.
“So, what’s California like?” asked Kelly.
“Oh, you know…sun—surf—sand.”
“Cool,” said Kelly.
“Yeah, I miss it already.”
“Who wouldn’t?” asked Lupe.
I saw Brenda put her arm in Asher’s. I figured that they’re dating. I could imagine a date between the two of them too. I can imagine that she’d pick the movie that they see or the restaurant that they eat at or even the food that they eat while they’re there. I imagine that she’d expect him to open doors and pull out chairs for her. She just seemed like that kind of snooty girl. I’ve seen tons of them back home and I know exactly the type.
“So, are you a junior?” asked Kelly. She seemed to be smiling and staring at me. So was Lupe. She was making that face that I knew all too well from the girls back home. They thought I was cute. Why couldn’t guys be attracted to me as much as girls were?
“No, I’m a senior.”
“Oh, maybe you’ll have some classes with Asher. He’s the senior in our group,” said Lupe.
I looked at Asher. He smiled at me again. He seemed nice enough, even though he hasn’t said a word since I got here. I wouldn’t mind being friends with a guy like him. Even the girls seemed friendly enough. If they got over their little infatuation with me, they could be good friends as well. This place might actually be not that bad.