“Good morning. Sleep well?” My mom is way too chipper in the morning.
“Yeah. I guess.”
“Wow. Very detailed answer.”
“What? Do you want me to tell you how I drooled on my pillow and rolled off the bed twice?”
“Actually, kinda.”
“You’re weird.”
“What’s up slugger?” Dave walks in.
“Nothin’.”
“Wow babe, you’re kid’s quite the wordsmith.” I’m about to respond in a not-so-nice way, but I hold it back.
“When’s the pool gonna be ready?”
“It’ll be a few weeks.” My mom hands me a glass of orange juice.
“Thanks.” I start walking away.
“Hey! No food or drinks upstairs.” I turn to face Dave, really tempted to throw the OJ in his face.
“So no water? What about vitamins? Technically they’re food.”
“Haha, smart aleck.” He turns away from me and I flip him off.
My mom gives me a look that says “stop it!” and I just turn away, leaving my OJ on the nearest table.
When I get to my room I am very tempted to slam the door, but somehow manage to not do so. I open my window and just step out onto the deck to get some fresh air for the moment. And yet again there’s Asher. He seems to be playing some video games. So I reach into my room, grab a sock, ball it up, and throw it at his window. And he doesn’t notice. Son of a bitch. So I grab a pen and throw it. This time he notices and walks over to his window.
“What you doing?”
“Just playing some Madden.”
“Sounds fun.” I stand up, run across the roof, and jump across the gap between our roofs, landing directly in front of him.
“Shit! Dude!” He looks freaked out and I just start laughing.
“It’s all good. Now, are you gonna let me in and get destroyed in Madden? Or are we gonna just stand here like some weirdos from a 90s rom-com?”
“You’re crazy.” He steps back to let me in.
“I take that as a compliment.”
“You shouldn’t.”
I sit on his bed while he grabs another controller.
“I can’t believe you’re even awake right now. Did you even sleep?”
“I don’t sleep much.”
“So you’re super athletic and don’t sleep. Are you sure you’re not Spiderman?”
“Nope. Just a retired gymnast.”
“Gymnast?”
“What? You didn’t get gymnast off me?”
“Not at all.”
“Good.”
“How are you already retired?”
“Well I guess retired isn’t the right word. Just the one my mom uses.” I spot a photo on Asher’s desk and walk over. “It’s more that I got sick of it and left.” The photo is of him and what I’m assuming are his mom, dad, and younger brother and sister. “This your fam?”
“Yeah. From our trip to the Bahamas last summer.”
“Looks fun.”
“You’re parents seem nice. Saw them unpacking yesterday.”
“Dave’s not my dad.” I make sure to emphasize that.
“Oh. Sorry.”
“No problem. Most people assume that.” I sit back down next to him. “My dad’s out of the picture now. Dave’s the evil stepfather.”
“Sorry.”
“He’s just the stereotypical evil step-parent. It’s actually his fault that we moved here. Some business opportunity or whatever.”
“That sucks. I’m sorry about that.”
“You say sorry a lot.”
“Sor… Oops.” We both laugh.
“Now can we just play or are you scared of losing?”
“What? You’re the one that started talking about Dave.”
“Oh shut up!” I shove him and he shoves me back as we laugh.
“That was just dumb luck.” I stand up, throwing the controller on the bed.
“Dumb luck? 12 times in a row?”
“Oh fuck you.” Asher laughs. “Let’s do something else. Go out or something.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know. Out.”
“You sound like my mom.”
“I haven’t met her, but I’m assuming she’s amazing.”
“Eww.”
“Let’s go.”
“Wait. Let me at least tell my parents.”
“Fine. Come on.” I open his bedroom door and standing right there is his mom.
She smiles at me, looking very confused.
“Hi. I’m Spencer.”
“Hey.” She looks very confused, but luckily Asher comes walking up.
“He’s the new neighbor.”
“Oh! Really good to meet you. I was planning on dropping by to say hi to your parents later.”
“Oh, they’d love that.”
“I didn’t even hear you come in earlier.”
“Oh… yeah… I’m very quiet.” Asher and I share a funny look.
“Well, Spencer and I were just about to go out. Can I borrow the car?”
“Sure. Where are you guys going?”
“Oh… um…” Asher is nervous and part of me doesn’t want to save him.
“He’s going to show me around town.”
“That’s nice. You guys have fun.”
Asher and I run out to the car.
“Do you need to go and get shoes? Maybe tell your mom and Dave that you’re going out?”
I look to the house for a second.
“Nah.” I jump into the car and I just see Asher smirk at that.
“Is he really that bad?” He asks as he drives out of the driveway.
“Worse. But everyone loves him. He’s only awful to me, and never in public.”
“Like… is he…”
“No. He’s not physical. He wouldn’t even dare. I would knock him out with one hit and he knows it.”
“Damn.”
“Let’s move on to something else.”
“Like what?”
“Tell me a summary of your life… in 60 seconds.”
“Oh…”
“Begin!”
“Shit! My name is Asher Angel…”
“Angel?”
“Shh. Since I was a kid I’ve been very into acting and singing. Got my first big gig at the age of six. From there on I’ve done a lot of plays and then a few small gigs before getting a major role on Disney Channel’s Andi Mack. I’ve released multiple albums. Then I got the role as Billy Batson in Shazam.”
“Five seconds.”
“Oh, and I love Top Golf, basketball, and my sibling’s names are Avi and London.” I just look over at him, unable to speak. “You good?”
“Um… describe good.” We both laugh. “Well, now I feel ridiculous. How did I not recognize you? I’ve seen Shazam!”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I liked it a lot too.” Asher can’t help but laugh. “Well, now I’m embarrassed.”
“Don’t be.”
“And now my life story feels pathetic.”
“I doubt it. No way your life could be boring. The first time I saw you you were sneaking off your roof.”
“ It’s fine. Let’s move on.”
“Come on. I won’t judge.”
“Wait! Stop here!” I point to our left.
“What? The playground?”
“What? It’s empty.” He pulls over and I quickly get out of the car.
I rush over to the bars. I jump on them and just start swinging around.
“You’re crazy.”
“Come on. Who says a playground is just for kids?”
“Everyone.”
“Well, kids can’t do this.”
I know this isn’t the safest, but at this point, I don’t care. So I push with all my force and spin around the pole. I spin a few more times before letting go and doing a simple under swing dismount.
“Shit!” Asher starts clapping.
“Thank you. Thank you.” I bow to him.
“I think it’s so cool that you can do that.”
“It is pretty cool, isn’t it? Bars aren’t really my thing though. I’m more of a floor guy.”
“Floor guy? That sounds a bit gross.” We both laugh.
“Eww.” I step back and quick front handspring.
“Shit. Can you do the splits?”
“Of course. But not in these pants.”
“So why’d you quit? You’re so good.”
“Swings!” I run to the swings.
“You’re really good at avoiding things. You know that, right?” Asher sits on the swing next to me.
“I know. You got a girlfriend?”
“Wow. What a transition there!”
“And?”
“No. I don’t have a girlfriend. Well, I did, but we broke up a few months ago.”
“Bummer.”
“And you? You leave a girl behind?”
“Oh god no. But I’ve had a few boyfriends. Not a recent one though.”
“Oh… “ I love seeing people’s faces when they realize I’m gay. “Sorry I assumed.”
“It’s fine. Most people do.”
“So you’re out?”
“Yeah. For two years now.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, are your parents fine with it?”
I sit there for a second and just stare forward. Part of me just wants to run, but I’m honestly just too tired to keep running.
“Well, my mom was fine with it. She told me she knew for a long time.” I feel my heart racing, thinking about all of this. “As for my dad…” I literally begin feeling my chest moving at a dangerous speed.
“You okay?”
“Not really.” I find my eyes tearing up, but then I just laugh.
“You sure.”
“Not really.” I laugh again. “When I was six my parents divorced. And I was given the choice of who I wanted to live with. I choose my dad.”
“Oh…” I can tell he’s intrigued like it’s a telenovela… and it is.
“So I lived with him. But I still saw my mom every weekend. We were close. But I was much closer with my dad.”
“That’s nice.” I can’t help but laugh at that and he just looks at me confused.
“Two years ago I came out to my parents. My dad couldn’t handle it. He kicked me out. I didn’t even get to pack. My mom picked me up and she had to pack all my stuff.”
“Damn. I’m sorry.” It is a struggle to not let my tears out right now.
“It’s all good.”
“Have you talked to him at all?”
“Nope. Haven’t heard a single word from him for two years now.”
“I can’t imagine that.”
“It’s fine. I’ve moved on.”
“There’s no moving on from that.” And then I snap, tears slowly falling down my face.
“God I wish I had my flask right now.” Asher and I both laugh a little. “Ugh, I hate this.” I wipe my tears.
“It’s not a bad thing to cry.”
“I know…”
“Really. Emotions aren’t a bad thing. If you ever need to talk about anything just jump on over.”
“Thanks…” I look at him. “Are you sure you’re straight?” I laugh, but I notice he doesn’t.
“Wanna go get some ice cream?”
“Look who’s avoiding things now?” We both laugh. “Come on. Ice cream sounds perfect.”
As I peel my eyes open I quickly notice the bright sunlight. It’s like staring into the sun, then I just remember that it’s worse… I’m in Phoenix.
“Are there no clouds on the west coast?” I sit up, cracking my sore neck.
“Oh calm down. It’s not that bad.”
“It’s not that great.”
“Look. Here. The house. Now, this is definitely pretty great.”
We drive up to this house that can only be described as big and beige. It’s definitely bigger than our last place. By about three Taco Bells. And then it’s beige, like every other house around it. And what’s the plural of cactus, ‘cause there are a shit ton of them. And that’s the only green around. Oh, besides the one large palm tree that I can see popping out from the backyard. It’s definitely different from what I’m used to.
“Dave just got here. We should start unpacking what we can before the movers get here.”
“Oh yay…”
“Oh wow, the enthusiasm is contagious.”
I step out of the car and the heat smacks me like a newborn baby.
“Fuck!” I shout as I slam the car door.
“Language mister.” And then there’s Dave.
“Funny.” I walk right past him and to the trunk.
“Hey, honey.” My mom and Dave kiss and I badly want to vomit.
“Can we just get this done with?”
“Oh calm down.” Dave walks over. “It’s not like you’re going to help out anyway.”
“I was, but I guess now I don’t have to.” I grab my backpack and just walk towards the house. “The keys?” I turn back to them.
“Here buddy.” Dave throws me the keys.
“Thanks. Dave.”
“Pick any room other than the master.” My mom yells over.
“That’s the room with the big bathroom,” Dave shouts and I just put on the biggest fakest smile while I give him a thumbs up.
I step inside and… it’s also beige. But it’s massive. The kitchen is big. The living room is big. And then there’s the backyard. I step out and besides the heat, I instantly notice the smell from the green pool.
“Damn.”
The smell is bad, but the size of the pool is more impressive than I’d like to admit. And there is some grass back here. So if anything, the backyard is already my favorite spot. But only once the pool is cleaned up.
I head back in and upstairs. The master is at the top of the stairs. Normally I wouldn’t be thrilled about this, because it will be harder to sneak out, but I’m kinda excited for the challenge.
I see another room directly next to the master. Walk right past it. Then I walk down to the hall and to the farthest possible room. It’s nice. Definitely bigger than my last.
“Movers are here! Come down and help guide them!” Dave shouts from downstairs.
I throw my bag down. Then I look out one of my windows and towards the neighboring house. And I spot a boy. Looks about my age. He’s wearing a bathing suit and just a bathing suit. And his body… damn. He’s also got an amazing thick head of brown hair. And then he suddenly looks over and makes direct eye contact with me. He smiles. I smile. Then he walks out of view. Sad. I could’ve stared for a couple more hours.
“Come on!” I hear Dave yelling and I immediately remember how angry I was again.
“Coming!”
“Are you sure you don’t need help building your bed?”
“I’m good mom. I’ll get to it tomorrow.”
“Okay. Well if you need anything just let me know.”
“Okay, mom.”
“Goodnight. Love you.”
“Yeah. Love you too.”
She finally leaves my room and I quickly lock the door. I rummage through my bags and grab a clean shirt, quickly throwing it on and the lights off. I open my window facing the neighbor’s house and slip onto the roof. And then the neighbor boy’s lights turn on and nearly gives me a heart attack. I see him walking into his room and notice me. I just smile and I can tell he wants to laugh. He walks up to his window and opens it.
“Hey.” I say as he begins to laugh.
“What are you doing?” He’s looking cute. Not as cute as before because he has a shirt on, but still not bad.
“Going out.”
“Out the window?”
“Yeah?”
“Going anywhere in specific?”
“No. Just out.”
“Sounds dangerous.”
“I like dangerous.”
“Now you sound like the bad boy from a teen rom-com.”
“Ouch. That really hurts.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. I’ve got thick skin.”
“I’m Asher by the way.”
“Spencer.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“I’m still thinking you over…” I smirk as I slide off the roof, gripping the edge, then dropping down to the ground.
4:35 am…
“Shit,” I mumble under my breath as I smack my foot against a large rock.
I quietly open the gate and close it, trying very hard to not make a single noise. It’s not very easy though. Things are a bit tipsy at the moment.
But I guess I wasn’t quiet enough because Asher’s window opens and his head pops out.
“Are you just getting back?” He’s shirtless, just like I like him.
“No. I’m heading out for a morning run.” He laughs at that and starts looking up at the roof.
“How do you plan on getting back up.”
“Oh, you underestimate me, my good sir.”
I take a deep breath, make sure everything is where it is, step back as far as possible, and then run and jump at the roof. I grip the edge of the roof with my hands tightly and start swinging. Then I use my feet and push off the side of the house to push myself up and onto the roof.
“Damn.”
“Huh! Asher! The language!”
“My bad.” We both laugh, his smile making me feel good. “That was some Spiderman-type stuff.”
“Spiderman has nothing on me.” I pull out a flask from my pants and have a quick swig.
“Are you drunk?” I can see the small amount of judgment in his face.
“Not drunk, but feeling good.” I slide my window open. “I should get to bed though before it fades away.”
