“You’re not worried about people seeing us, uh, together?” Kenny said
awkwardly.
“Just try not to act like a fag,” Rex sighed. “And it’s not like I’ve got a
reputation built up here I need to protect. Who cares what a bunch of
small-town idiots think, anyway?”
“Right,” Kenny said, unaware that he had been lumped in with the small-town
idiots. He was too busy wondering why Rex had been given a timesheet and
places to go together instead of him. It was almost like Rex was taking him on a
date. Kenny flushed at the thought.
When they got to the smoothie place, both boys made a bee-line for a back
booth well away from the windows that showed the busy mall. Kenny had
managed not to see anybody he knew yet, and Rex, despite his bold words,
clearly wasn’t too keen on running into classmates, either. Both of them
ordered large strawberry smoothies, and the waiter didn’t so much as blink an
eyelash.
For a while they sucked at their straws in silence, but eventually Rex started
calling Principal Buckley names again, and Kenny was happy to join in without
being rebutted. He even made Rex chuckle once when he described Principal
Buckley’s wart problem that was common knowledge to most of the school.
Maybe it wasn’t too late to end up friends with Rex, Kenny thought, as the
other boy departed to the bathroom. Maybe, paradoxically, Principal Buckley
was actually doing him a favor.
His train of thought was totally interrupted, however, when a muscular,
tough-looking young hoodlum got up from a nearby table and strolled over,
hands in his pockets and a scornful expression on his face. “You’re suckin’ that
straw pretty good,” he said. “I bet you get a lot of practice, right? Little cutie
like you.”
Kenny froze, completely unable to form a response. Was he about to get
beaten up? He started to instinctively push the rest of the smoothie away, but
the brawny teenager pushed it back towards him, simultaneously sitting down
in the booth as he did so. “No, no, no, cutie, you got it all wrong,” he said. “I
like watching you work those hot little lips of yours. Keep sucking on it.”
“Just, just leave me alone,” Kenny said tremulously, trying to stand up, but he
found his path blocked by the older boy’s arm.
“I said, keep sucking on it, cutie,” he said threateningly. Kenny’s eyes widened.
He looked around in fright, but the few other customers in sight were
studiously looking away, avoiding all eye contact with him, obviously not
wishing to entangle themselves in the situation.
“I’m not gay,” Kenny said, flushing.
“I’m not, either,” the teenaged hoodlum said menacingly. “You trying to say
something, you little fairy boy? You trying to call me a faggot? With you