Fences
Fast
As soon as I saw Ray Toro, I knew I had to hide or move fast. Lily didn’t seem to know, but she knew I was tense.
“What’s wrong?” She asked.
I opened my mouth to answer, but Ray yelled over to us.
“The fag got a girlfriend!” He and his friends laughed.
I blushed, I knew it, I felt the blood rush to my face. Lily squeezed her arms around my neck.
“Those the guys that call you names?” She asked in my ear.
“Yeah.”
“Iero!” Tommy yelled over, “Is that your girlfriend?”
Lily lifted her head, I stepped back. Gary and Tommy let out a disgusted sound, “Ew. You stooped that low, Iero? You couldn’t get a real girl, and you went after her?”
Lily didn’t say anything, and I couldn’t either. I was afraid to move any of my limbs or my mouth.
Ray and the guys got closer, and I stepped back. Lily hid behind me, looking the guys over from behind my head and shoulders.
“Back off, Toro.” I grew some serious balls then, because Lily kept squeezing her legs around my torso.
“Back off?” He laughed at me, “No way. I get to kick two homo’s asses today!”
“You wouldn’t hit a girl, would you?” Lily asked timidly, she pulled her arms tighter around my neck, “Would he, Frankie?”
The guys erupted in laughter, and I nodded my head. “He would. He has.”
Lily began to shake, “You’re nothing but a bully.” Her voice shook.
Again, they laughed at us. I swallowed thickly, her thin arms giving me a hard time to breathe. I kept my arms tucked under her knees, holding her up and I thought about running. I looked around, the guys had begun to say something, that’s when I took off. Lily screeched as I jumped through the small patch of wooded area to the houses and ran.
I wasn’t much of a runner, but adrenaline and fear motivated me. Lily held on, screaming once, when I almost tripped, but ducked her head on my shoulder. I couldn’t hear anything, but her whimpers and the sound of my sneakers scrunching nature.
I stopped once we were at the edge of the neighborhood, behind Mr. Olson’s house. I set Lily down and began to breathe heavily. Lily put her hand on my shoulder, squeezing it.
“You run fast.” She told me, “I’ve never…that was exciting!”
I bent over and got my breathing going evenly, “Easy for you to say…you got a ride!”
She smiled, bending beside me, “Thanks for that.”
“Anytime.”
“I owe you big time,” she and I stood, “but, I believe my mom is gonna kill me.”
I furrowed my brows, “Why do you say that?”
She lifted her finger, pointing across the street.
Lily’s mom had her hands on her hips, toe tapping the pavement impatient and expecting an explanation. I swallowed again, wondering if I had gotten her into trouble.
“Lillian Annabell Romero, get your cute little butt over here.” Her mom was hiding a smile, surprising me.
Lily tugged my sleeve and I followed her across the street. Her mom’s smile faded when she saw me approaching and I saw the worried look that a lot of mother’s got when Lily and I walked into the store. I felt nervous about meeting her mom…
“Hi mom.” Lily spoke innocently.
“Where have you been? And who is this?” I hung my head, looking away.
“This is Frankie, mom. We went to Ralph’s to eat.”
Her mom shifted, I saw her feet but not her face.
“What did I tell you about going into town without me? Did anything happen to you?”
“No, nothing happened. We just ate sandwiches and came back. Right, Frankie?” Lily nudged me and I looked up, meeting her mom’s gaze.
“Yes ma’am.”
Her mom nodded, eyeballing me, “You’re Linda Iero’s son.” She stated suspiciously.
“Yeah…”
“You aren’t here to shove God down my kid’s throat, are you?”
Lily sighed, “Mom, we haven’t talked about church or God. We’ve been talking about normal things.”
“What’s normal?”
“Teenage stuff,” Lily said softly, “you’re kinda embarrassing us, mom.”
Her mom smiled at her, “Okay, okay. Let’s get home, you look exhausted.”
“I am.” She turned to me, “You want to come over?”
I looked at her mom then at Lily, “Uh, can’t. I gotta clean my room before my mom gets home.”
Lily looked a little sad, “Alright.”
“I can walk home with you.” I told her.
Lily just smiled and held out her hand. I took it, even though her mom watched us. I was nervous, but the nervousness wiped away when her mom gave me an approving smile.
For the next week, my mom assumed I was seeing someone who wasn’t Lily. No one had told her about my and Lily’s friendship and I was glad. I was surprised Ray Toro or Tommy Delosso didn’t rat me out.
I really liked hanging out with Lily, and her mom. Her mom was sweet to me, unlike my own, she cared for me like I was her child, and she fed me like I was her child, and she disciplined me like her own child too. It was nothing major, but she would snap at me when Lily and I played too far from the pond in her backyard. I was always careful with Lily, just because she was smaller than me, and wasn’t as fast as I was. She was becoming like my baby sister, and I was happy to take care of her.
“I wish I were a fish.” Lily whispered softly; she was on her stomach, edge of the small pond, looking at the minnow fish.
“Why? They’re slimy.” I sat beside her, making sure she didn’t get wet. Her mom especially told me that she had a doctor’s appointment in the afternoon and didn’t want her to get dirty.
“Well,” she looked up at me, her pale eyes shined, her glasses were set in her dress pocket, “I wouldn’t know that I was slimy. And, I want to be a fish because, I can swim anywhere I want.”
I chuckled, “You’re weird.”
“I know.” She sat up, “Can I ask you something?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you…do you think they’ll ever find a cure for me?”
I didn’t know how to answer. I never really thought about it. All thought of death and illness went away when Lily and I played around outside. Usually, these questions popped into my head when I was lying in my bed.
“Yes.” I answered truthfully.
“What do you think the cure is? I’ve taken dozens of different pills and done equally amount of test. Could it be in the flowers or plants or some type of food or some new technology to rid the cells and renew my blood or something?” Lily rambled quickly, her thoughts were moving fast, “I’m gonna be 15 next week, and…I’m still wondering how I’m alive, and if I’ll be alive when they find the cure, Frankie. I’m happy that I’m alive, but I’m just…I’m afraid how long I have left.”
Tears slipped down her cheeks and I scooted closer to her, “Well, you should spend it having fun. I mean, we are, aren’t we? We’ve played in the mud,” I chuckled, and we fell in the pond and we raced and we’ve acted like total idiots.”
She wiped her eyes and laughed, “Yeah, I’m just worried about my mom.”
“You two shouldn’t worry about one another. Just be happy you’re alive and you have each other. My own mom doesn’t even wanna be around me, I envy you guys.”
Lily shook her head, “And here I am complaining. You’re right, Frankie.” She put her arm around my shoulder, “Maybe you should talk to your mom…”
“No. She won’t listen unless it’s about a job or God.”
“Would you tell her about me?” She asked softly.
“I want to, just because I think you’re so cool and she’d like you.”
Lily giggled, “I’m not cool.”
“Yes you are.”
“Are we going to have a fight about how cool or uncool I am?”
I chuckled, “Maybe.”
“What’s wrong?” She asked.
I opened my mouth to answer, but Ray yelled over to us.
“The fag got a girlfriend!” He and his friends laughed.
I blushed, I knew it, I felt the blood rush to my face. Lily squeezed her arms around my neck.
“Those the guys that call you names?” She asked in my ear.
“Yeah.”
“Iero!” Tommy yelled over, “Is that your girlfriend?”
Lily lifted her head, I stepped back. Gary and Tommy let out a disgusted sound, “Ew. You stooped that low, Iero? You couldn’t get a real girl, and you went after her?”
Lily didn’t say anything, and I couldn’t either. I was afraid to move any of my limbs or my mouth.
Ray and the guys got closer, and I stepped back. Lily hid behind me, looking the guys over from behind my head and shoulders.
“Back off, Toro.” I grew some serious balls then, because Lily kept squeezing her legs around my torso.
“Back off?” He laughed at me, “No way. I get to kick two homo’s asses today!”
“You wouldn’t hit a girl, would you?” Lily asked timidly, she pulled her arms tighter around my neck, “Would he, Frankie?”
The guys erupted in laughter, and I nodded my head. “He would. He has.”
Lily began to shake, “You’re nothing but a bully.” Her voice shook.
Again, they laughed at us. I swallowed thickly, her thin arms giving me a hard time to breathe. I kept my arms tucked under her knees, holding her up and I thought about running. I looked around, the guys had begun to say something, that’s when I took off. Lily screeched as I jumped through the small patch of wooded area to the houses and ran.
I wasn’t much of a runner, but adrenaline and fear motivated me. Lily held on, screaming once, when I almost tripped, but ducked her head on my shoulder. I couldn’t hear anything, but her whimpers and the sound of my sneakers scrunching nature.
I stopped once we were at the edge of the neighborhood, behind Mr. Olson’s house. I set Lily down and began to breathe heavily. Lily put her hand on my shoulder, squeezing it.
“You run fast.” She told me, “I’ve never…that was exciting!”
I bent over and got my breathing going evenly, “Easy for you to say…you got a ride!”
She smiled, bending beside me, “Thanks for that.”
“Anytime.”
“I owe you big time,” she and I stood, “but, I believe my mom is gonna kill me.”
I furrowed my brows, “Why do you say that?”
She lifted her finger, pointing across the street.
Lily’s mom had her hands on her hips, toe tapping the pavement impatient and expecting an explanation. I swallowed again, wondering if I had gotten her into trouble.
“Lillian Annabell Romero, get your cute little butt over here.” Her mom was hiding a smile, surprising me.
Lily tugged my sleeve and I followed her across the street. Her mom’s smile faded when she saw me approaching and I saw the worried look that a lot of mother’s got when Lily and I walked into the store. I felt nervous about meeting her mom…
“Hi mom.” Lily spoke innocently.
“Where have you been? And who is this?” I hung my head, looking away.
“This is Frankie, mom. We went to Ralph’s to eat.”
Her mom shifted, I saw her feet but not her face.
“What did I tell you about going into town without me? Did anything happen to you?”
“No, nothing happened. We just ate sandwiches and came back. Right, Frankie?” Lily nudged me and I looked up, meeting her mom’s gaze.
“Yes ma’am.”
Her mom nodded, eyeballing me, “You’re Linda Iero’s son.” She stated suspiciously.
“Yeah…”
“You aren’t here to shove God down my kid’s throat, are you?”
Lily sighed, “Mom, we haven’t talked about church or God. We’ve been talking about normal things.”
“What’s normal?”
“Teenage stuff,” Lily said softly, “you’re kinda embarrassing us, mom.”
Her mom smiled at her, “Okay, okay. Let’s get home, you look exhausted.”
“I am.” She turned to me, “You want to come over?”
I looked at her mom then at Lily, “Uh, can’t. I gotta clean my room before my mom gets home.”
Lily looked a little sad, “Alright.”
“I can walk home with you.” I told her.
Lily just smiled and held out her hand. I took it, even though her mom watched us. I was nervous, but the nervousness wiped away when her mom gave me an approving smile.
*
For the next week, my mom assumed I was seeing someone who wasn’t Lily. No one had told her about my and Lily’s friendship and I was glad. I was surprised Ray Toro or Tommy Delosso didn’t rat me out.
I really liked hanging out with Lily, and her mom. Her mom was sweet to me, unlike my own, she cared for me like I was her child, and she fed me like I was her child, and she disciplined me like her own child too. It was nothing major, but she would snap at me when Lily and I played too far from the pond in her backyard. I was always careful with Lily, just because she was smaller than me, and wasn’t as fast as I was. She was becoming like my baby sister, and I was happy to take care of her.
“I wish I were a fish.” Lily whispered softly; she was on her stomach, edge of the small pond, looking at the minnow fish.
“Why? They’re slimy.” I sat beside her, making sure she didn’t get wet. Her mom especially told me that she had a doctor’s appointment in the afternoon and didn’t want her to get dirty.
“Well,” she looked up at me, her pale eyes shined, her glasses were set in her dress pocket, “I wouldn’t know that I was slimy. And, I want to be a fish because, I can swim anywhere I want.”
I chuckled, “You’re weird.”
“I know.” She sat up, “Can I ask you something?”
“Yeah.”
“Do you…do you think they’ll ever find a cure for me?”
I didn’t know how to answer. I never really thought about it. All thought of death and illness went away when Lily and I played around outside. Usually, these questions popped into my head when I was lying in my bed.
“Yes.” I answered truthfully.
“What do you think the cure is? I’ve taken dozens of different pills and done equally amount of test. Could it be in the flowers or plants or some type of food or some new technology to rid the cells and renew my blood or something?” Lily rambled quickly, her thoughts were moving fast, “I’m gonna be 15 next week, and…I’m still wondering how I’m alive, and if I’ll be alive when they find the cure, Frankie. I’m happy that I’m alive, but I’m just…I’m afraid how long I have left.”
Tears slipped down her cheeks and I scooted closer to her, “Well, you should spend it having fun. I mean, we are, aren’t we? We’ve played in the mud,” I chuckled, and we fell in the pond and we raced and we’ve acted like total idiots.”
She wiped her eyes and laughed, “Yeah, I’m just worried about my mom.”
“You two shouldn’t worry about one another. Just be happy you’re alive and you have each other. My own mom doesn’t even wanna be around me, I envy you guys.”
Lily shook her head, “And here I am complaining. You’re right, Frankie.” She put her arm around my shoulder, “Maybe you should talk to your mom…”
“No. She won’t listen unless it’s about a job or God.”
“Would you tell her about me?” She asked softly.
“I want to, just because I think you’re so cool and she’d like you.”
Lily giggled, “I’m not cool.”
“Yes you are.”
“Are we going to have a fight about how cool or uncool I am?”
I chuckled, “Maybe.”