Bodies of Water

“Mr. Kelley, can you spare a minute?” Ryan asked as he shuffled around the papers on his desk. Oliver bit his lip and glanced at Ty, who glared, but didn’t do anything else. The dark-haired boy nodded, shouldering his bag and walking up to Mr. Harper’s desk.

“Yes?” Oliver asked, sincerely hoping he wasn’t in trouble. He wracked his memory for anything he might have done to anger the young teacher, but he found nothing. Mr. Harper didn’t look angry either. If anything, he looked mildly content.

Mr. Harper passed a single piece of paper over his desk to his student with a smile. “I talked to Principle Johnson and we think you’d do well in geography bees outside of school. There’s one coming up in about a month just outside of town, and Dr. Johnson’s taken the initiative by signing you up.”

Oliver gaped. If he’d already been signed up, he couldn’t very easily refuse, lest he cause everyone more trouble than he was worth. So, instead of anything of any real meaning, he settled on a quiet, “What?”

Mr. Harper grinned, his smile reaching his dark eyes. “Well, if you’re interested, you’ll need a coach. And you’re welcome to look for your own coach, but it won’t be easy to find one around here. I told Dr. Johnson that I’d help you prepare if you so wish,” he said, fingering the paper in front of him mindlessly. “But I’ll need a parent to sign this permission slip.”

Oliver didn’t know what to say or how to react. He’d always loved geography, yes, and competition was fun, but he wanted nothing less than to draw attention to himself here in Sewell Heights. And being in a geography bee would definitely do so. But, he thought to himself, maybe if I do well enough, Dad will see me. It was reason enough.

He reached for the paper. “I’ll do it.”

***

“Ty! What’s gotten into you?” Oliver hissed as his secret boyfriend dragged him roughly through the hallway of Oliver’s house. Ty’s fingers dug into Oliver’s upper arm. Oliver wasn’t nearly as muscular as Ty was, but even with his long, lean muscles, the strong fingers felt like they would leave bruises. “Ty!” Oliver said forcefully, trying to fling the older, bigger man off.

“What did he want?” Ty growled, pushing Oliver onto his bed. Oliver’s mouth dropped.

“Excuse me?”

Ty’s face screwed up in anger. “That teacher. What the fuck did he want?”

Oliver almost wanted to laugh. Ty was jealous. Of Mr. Harper, no less. But Oliver couldn’t bring himself to laugh. Looking into Ty’s inky black eyes, he was genuinely scared. He knew that if Ty wanted to, he could kill Oliver. Easily. The quarterback’s hands could wrap around Oliver’s neck twice, and his strength could crush his windpipe with ease.

“Ty, get off me!” Oliver barked, rolling from under Ty until he could sit on the edge of his bed comfortably. “Mr. Harper asked me to do a geography bee.”

Ty scoffed. “You’re not going to, are you?”

Oliver turned to look at his boyfriend over his shoulder, his face twisting in half-hidden discomfort. He couldn’t lie to Ty, that much he knew, but he also knew Ty would be far from happy if Oliver admitted he’d have to spend more time with Mr. Harper. Especially if it turned out that time would be out of school.

“Are you?” Ty demanded, crossing his arms impatiently. Oliver nodded, fixing his gaze solidly on a hole in the wall in front of him. He felt Ty climb off the bed. Oliver sighed as he watched Ty stomp to the doorway. The quarterback turned back and sent his boyfriend a cruel sneer. “So you’ll spread your legs for him and not for me?”

Oliver gaped. “Ty,” he said half-heartedly as the man stormed down the hallway. Oliver flinched when he heard the front door slam. He dropped his head into his hands and sighed. He wasn’t going to ‘spread his legs’ for Mr. Harper, as Ty had so kindly assumed. In fact, just at the thought, Oliver blushed deeply. No, Oliver just thought Ty was bitter that he hadn’t agreed to sex yet.

Oliver was no whore. He had known Martin for nearly his entire life, and dated him for more than three years before they finally had sex. Oliver had been with Ty, and only secretly, at that, for less than two full months. He didn’t know about the girls Ty usually dated, but Oliver swore to himself he wouldn’t give Ty that much of him until he was sure the man would treat him well. And, with how Ty had been acting recently, Oliver doubted that would be soon.

He was slightly angry, though, that just because he wouldn’t have sex with Ty, Ty thought—or at least, said—that he would fuck Mr. Harper. Oliver thought the man was attractive enough, in fact, he thought he was extremely attractive, but Oliver knew nothing about him and even less about how to handle a forbidden relationship. If he were to try, Oliver mused almost indignantly, the secrecy wouldn’t be the hard part.

Oliver let out a frustrated scream, thankful the Amelia was in childcare until their mother got off work. Ty, Oliver liked him a lot, but the man could be infuriating. Between keeping their relationship a secret and getting unjustly jealous, Ty could drive anyone insane. Oliver was worried that he wouldn’t be able to handle it. Stress had never been his forte.

Falling back onto his bed, Oliver just sighed and closed his eyes, hoping for sleep to come just to take his mind off Ty.

***

“Oliver, wake up.” Oliver shot up, rubbing his eyes tiredly. His mother stood next to the bed, her caramel hair tied up in a tight bun and her blue eyes looking exhausted. Oliver always thought it amusing how he had gotten his father’s dark brown, nearly black, hair, but his mother’s deep blue eyes and pale skin. Amelia, however, looked the spitting image of her father: dark hair, deep brown eyes, and slightly tanned skin.

Oliver’s mother wore the drab uniform of a Schooner Bar and Grill waitress, her nametag, which read ‘Kirsten’, looked old and faded. She forced a smile.

“Dinner’s waiting.”

Oliver grinned, standing and throwing his arms around his mother. “Thanks, Mom.” He followed her to the kitchen and saw a pizza box sitting on the table, a small girl already pawing around in it. Amelia surfaced, holding the slice with the most pepperoni and the least sauce she could find. Oliver hugged the little girl to his legs and hoisted her up to press a kiss to her forehead. Amelia squirmed, trying to eat her pizza at the same time.

“Hey, Mom?” he said after all three had gotten a slice of pizza and had settled into their respective seats at the wobbly table in the middle of the small kitchen. Kirsten hummed in response as she chewed. “We’ve been having geography bees in class, and my teacher wants me to prepare for a regional bee in a couple of weeks. He said he’d coach me for it, but he needs you to sign this permission slip.”

Oliver produced the paper and slid it over the table to his mother, who scanned it before glancing up at her son. “A geography bee?” Oliver nodded. Kirsten chuckled. “You always did like your father’s old collection of maps and globes,” she stated casually, apparently over being cross with the man for leaving her with her two children and no money to care for them.

She searched for a pen, finally finding one in her bag, and signed the paper. Oliver smiled thankfully and pocketed the paper.

“Also, Oliver,” Kirsten said as she sipped her water. “I’ve got to work late tomorrow, so I’ll need you to pick Amelia up after school and take care of her for the night, okay?” The woman turned to her daughter. “Don’t give your brother a hard time, okay?”

Amelia nodded, a mischievous glint in her dark eyes. Both Kirsten and Oliver laughed, making jokes about the little girl. Oliver smiled. It was a good way to end an otherwise awful afternoon.