Flag on the Play

by Sherrie Henry

  “Did you enjoy it?”

  “Hell yeah.”

  “Then we’re going to have to do it and maybe more.”

  “More?”

  “If you want.”

  Liam shook his head. “I like what we did last night. I don’t know about more right now.”

  “Whatever you want. Hey, you said something about camping. Why don’t we plan a camping trip before it gets way too cold? That’s a manly thing your dad could get behind and approve, right?”

  “Yeah, I used to go camping with the local Boy Scout troop.”

  “Oh dear lord, I’m involved with a Boy Scout.”

  “Ex-Boy Scout. Couldn’t deal with their constant one-upmanship and huge male ego.”

  “So you play football. Smart move.” Cody winked at him.

  “Eh, it’s not that bad. Good exercise.”

  “Shower?” Cody wrapped his arms around Liam.

  “Together?”

  “Saves water.”

  “What would your parents think?”

  “How they gonna know?”

  “Your mom won’t come in here?”

  “She respects my privacy. She hasn’t come in my room without knocking since I hit puberty. She just doesn’t want to know, you know?”

  “My mom would blush eight shades of red if she knew what went on in my shower.”

  Cody got up, extending his hand to Liam, flecks of dried semen flaking off his torso. “Come on, we need to scrub that developing pelt of yours.”

  Liam had no idea how he’d ever take a solo shower again. The feel of slippery, soapy skin against his own, the open, moist kisses, trying to devour one another. He felt alive for the first time in his life.

  And it was over way too soon as he and Cody headed down to breakfast.

  THE DAY went by way too quickly as they finished up their movie marathon, and it got to be four in the afternoon. Liam knew he had to get home soon. How he was going to get through Sunday, with the sermon that was bound to bash gays again, and his parents asking how his evening was, was beyond him. He didn’t think he could keep up the charade.

  CHANCE WOULD have it, the sermon on Sunday was much more benign than usual, the pastor calling on the congregation to not forget the small businesses downtown when the mall finally opened. He preached on Jesus at the temple, tossing tables and driving out those that would sully such a holy place. At least he was off the gay-bashing for the day.

  Being in the sanctuary, surrounded by icons of a religion Liam didn’t really believe in anymore, he felt claustrophobic. The walls wanted to close in on him, the eyes of Jesus on the cross boring into him, marking him for his sins. Then it was over. Once outside, he could breathe again. And he knew he needed to find a way to extricate himself from the church if he was going to be true to himself. It wasn’t going to be easy, and he had no clue how to approach his parents.

  How he got through lunch and his chores that afternoon, he would never know. His mind was on Cody, and his body wanted to answer the primal call he’d just recently awoken. He was finally free of his parents after dinner, and he raced upstairs calling out he had homework to complete. He turned on the radio, not loud, but loud enough to mask any unnatural noises that may arise. He locked the door, something he’d never done before. He reasoned that if his mom did come up to check on him, he could say he didn’t notice it was locked. That excuse wasn’t going to fly very often, but right now, he didn’t care. Anyway, his mom was cuddled up on the couch with his dad, the football game blaring away. There’d be no reason for her to come up here.

  He looked at himself in the mirror. He was giving excuses to things that might never pass. His mother had never bothered him before when he was doing homework, why would she now? It was nowhere near bedtime, so neither parent would be coming up the stairs anytime soon. He calmed his breathing and closed his eyes, envisioning Cody.

  He opened his eyes and slowly stripped, enjoying the feel of the fabric over his overly sensitive skin. He grabbed a bottle of lotion and lay down. His world exploded over and over as he fantasized about Cody.

  Chapter Seven

  MONDAY MORNING came around, and Liam found himself a little tired, but happy. He knew it was going to be difficult to be around Cody after the past weekend, but he had no clue how hard. The moment he saw Cody his body reacted, like Cody was a beacon in a stormy night.

  “Hey, Liam, how’s it going?” Cody brushed up next to him.

  Liam took in a rush of breath. How on earth was he going to be near Cody and not want to rip every stitch of clothing off not just himself, but Cody as well? “Hanging. Have a good Sunday?” Liam tried to keep his voice under control.

  “As good as it could be.”

  Was that a hint of breathlessness I detected? “Do anything special?”

  Cody lifted an eyebrow. “Nothing out of the ordinary. Very ordinary. The usual in fact.”

  “Yeah same here.” So this was going to be the code we’re going to use. “Ready for that chem test you talked about?”

  “Not really. My mind couldn’t concentrate. Two victories in a row; can we dare for a third?”

  Ah, to football now. “I can’t believe that tackle I made. I hope it’s not a fluke.”

  “Nah, you’re good. Maybe we could use you on the line. You’re big enough.”

  “Nah, my specialty is kicking. I’m nowhere near as good as you.” Okay, this innuendo is killing me.

  The morning bell rang. “Okay, off to chemistry. Wish me luck.”

  “Luck.” Liam held his books in front of him, just like when he turned twelve and those pesky woodies would pop at the most inopportune times.

  LUNCH FINALLY came. Liam found Cody already sitting at their table in the corner. Wasn’t private enough for him, but it’d do. They could talk a little more openly there. “How’d the test go?” Liam set his tray down and sat across from Cody.

  “I think I got a B. Not great, but I’ll do the extra credit she assigned and that should bring the grade up a bit.”

  Liam tapped Cody’s hand with his fork. “Sorry, man.”

  “You should be.” Cody winked at him.

  Liam leaned in a little closer but not too close to cause suspicion. “I thought about you. A lot.”

  Cody smirked. “Same here.” He cleared his throat. “So, you want to plan that camping trip?”

  “Crap, I was a little preoccupied. I forgot to ask my dad.”

  “Focus.”

  “Yeah, that was a little hard yesterday.”

  “You have no idea. Kelly wanted to sit in my lap last night while we watched TV. Can’t really explain certain things to a six-year-old.”

  “I can imagine.” Liam pushed his mashed potatoes around on his plate. “Where do you want to go?”

  “Hmmm?”

  “Camping.”

  “What’s around here?”

  “There’s a campground about ten miles from here. Dad and I have been there tons of times, fishing and hiking.”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  “I’ll make a note to talk to Dad. I’m fairly certain he’ll let me borrow all the equipment. It’s a manly thing to do, you know.”

  Cody snorted. “Next weekend is our bye week. Think you can convince your parents to let you leave Friday after school and come back Sunday?”

  Liam’s heart raced. Almost two full days alone with Cody and not have to go to church on Sunday? Bonus! “I’ll ask. I think Dad will go for it, as it’s a good use of time and exercise. I think I can sell not going to church as I’ll be communing with God’s creatures.”

  “I keep forgetting you have a standing appointment every Sunday.” Cody reached across the table for the salt.

  “I wish I could forget it. I feel more and more alienated each time I go.” Liam stabbed a green bean onto his fork.

  “Sorry to hear that.” Cody shook his head. “Damn, even with salt these fries are inedible.”

  Liam tossed a couple of ketchup packets to him. “Remem
ber, everything can be edible with ketchup.”

  “I don’t think anything can save these sorry creatures.”

  “Maybe we can stop by the diner after practice, get you some of those chili cheese fries you like.”

  “I’ll call my mom, you call yours.” Cody pulled out his phone. Liam did the same. After a few minutes, Cody looked over to Liam. “I’m good to go.”

  “Same here. She just reminded me to not spoil my dinner.”

  “All moms think alike. Mine said the same thing.”

  “Can I ask you something?” Liam dropped his fork onto his tray.

  “If you want me to eat your leftovers, it ain’t happening.”

  Liam smirked. “No. I wanted to know about what you believe in. Like do you believe your soul is, like, tarnished after… you know.”

  “No, I don’t. My mom and dad don’t buy into the Christian or Jewish, or Muslim idea of things, remember. They both gave me the sex talk, about how it’s important to be safe and to wait until you’re ready. But they also taught me that sex is a natural, wonderful thing between two people and should never be thought of as dirty or sinful.”

  “So you believe in sin?”

  “No, I don’t. But others do and they wanted me to know that sex is not a sin, regardless of what I hear from others or on TV.”

  “I want to believe that too.”

  “You can believe anything you want.” Cody tapped Liam’s foot with his own.

  “Do you think—could I talk to your mom about this stuff?”

  “She’d love to talk about it with you.”

  “Thanks.” The lunch bell rang. “Good thing we’re going to the diner after practice. I couldn’t stomach any of that.” He pointed to his tray as he picked it up.

  “You ain’t kidding.”

  Liam almost leaned in for a kiss, only to be reminded of where he was when a girl brushed by him to get to the exit. He really was going to have to watch it.

  THE DINER was hopping by the time Liam and Cody arrived after practice. They were able to take a table next to the kitchen. Sally wandered over to them.

  “Hello, boys. The usual? Chili cheese fries and a vanilla shake for you and a double cheeseburger with pickle and ketchup with a chocolate shake for you?” She pointed to each of them in turn.

  “Damn, Sally, you know me too well.” Cody grinned at her.

  Liam felt a pang of jealousy run through him. He clenched the napkin in front of him and resisted the urge to climb over the table and pull Cody toward him. He felt that if he could growl his displeasure, he would. He quickly calmed himself, knowing Cody was just putting up a front, like they agreed.

  “You still want your usual?” Sally tapped the table in front of Liam with her pen.

  “Oh, sorry, yeah, that’ll be good.”

  “Be right out.”

  “Damn, Liam, what’s wrong with you? You look like someone stole your favorite comic book.”

  Liam leaned in close but not too close. “I’m sorry. I’m having trouble, you know, being around you and not being with you.”

  Cody lowered his voice. “You’re gonna have to keep it together. Think baseball stats or something.”

  “You don’t feel the same thing?”

  “Oh hell yes, I feel it. I guess I’m better at hiding it. Right now I’d love to strip you naked and have some fun.”

  Liam sat back in his chair, trying to force air back into his lungs. Of everything he thought Cody would say, this wasn’t it. “Damn.”

  “I told you I wasn’t getting much studying done.”

  “And I had to smuggle about half a box of used tissues out of the house this morning.”

  “Sounds about right.”

  “I had no idea—” Liam looked around the diner. No one was paying any attention to them. “I had no idea feelings like this could be so intense. It’s been nothing like the shower fantasies I’ve had in the past. I want to feel like that again.”

  “Soon. Remember to ask your dad tonight about this weekend.”

  “I plan on it, during dinner.”

  Sally brought their food and shakes. Both brought their conversation back to football and classes and kept it as light as possible.

  CODY DROPPED Liam off at home after their diner excursion. It was still a couple of hours until dinner and Liam knew what he wanted to do, but kept his urges under control while he forced himself to concentrate on his homework. Calculus now, history later, and then… then he could allow his mind to wander. If he had a prayer of getting out of this town, it was going to have to be through his GPA. He did feel a pang of guilt as he thought about leaving his parents, but didn’t all kids go through that? College would be scary, sure, but being far away from the repressive nature of his hometown would be better for his psyche. He could be himself far away at college, where those who didn’t exactly fit in with the straight crowd could be themselves. He’d picked out a few he’d like to visit, but wasn’t sure of what he wanted to study yet. Since meeting Cody, he focused on those schools nearer to Chicago. He desperately wanted to remain close to Cody; he felt it in his heart Cody was going to be important to him.

  Smells of pork chops and roasted potatoes filled his nose. He wasn’t starving due to his little snack earlier, but yeah, he could eat. He wrapped up his calculations and headed downstairs. His mom was putting the salad on the table as he entered the dining room.

  “There you are. Almost time to eat.”

  “Looks good, Mom.”

  “Go call your dad in. He’s in the backyard, cleaning the grill. Thought we might grill out this weekend.”

  Liam’s heart sank. Grilling was his dad’s utmost favorite thing, the closest he got to being a cook. He had his marinades, spices, and his secret to a great steak, real melted butter. It was a special occasion when he grilled. He shuffled out of the room, feeling disheartened.

  He found his dad right where his mom said, next to the grill, giving it a good once-over. “Hey, Dad. Dinner’s ready.”

  “Is that pork chops I smell?” Steven wiped his hands on a towel he had slung over his shoulder.

  “Yeah, pork chops.”

  “You don’t sound very excited. You love your mother’s pork chops.”

  “I just—Mom said you wanted to grill out this weekend.”

  “Is that a problem?”

  “I was going to ask if I could borrow the tent and camping gear.”

  “You want to go camping? I have to work Saturday morning.”

  “Well, I wanted to take Cody camping. He’s only here for a few months; figured I’d show him the trail we hiked last year. Give him a good view of the fall colors.”

  “Oh, I see.”

  “And since this is our bye week, we don’t have practice or a game Friday; we wanted to leave right after school and stay until Sunday afternoon. If that was okay. I know I’d miss church, but maybe this one time I could be with God’s creatures and pray out in nature. This may be our last good weekend before it gets too cold.” Liam hoped he’d made his argument.

  Liam’s dad cocked his head, as if mulling the idea over. “Let me talk to your mother. I don’t see a problem with it, as long as you boys agree to stay on the trail and where you can get cell reception.”

  “Of course. I don’t want to even think about getting lost out there.”

  The three of them sat down to dinner, Liam biding his time about the camping trip. He wondered if he should bring it up or wait for his dad to say something. Halfway through his second pork chop, Liam’s dad spoke up.

  “Liam wants to go camping with his buddy this weekend. Wanted to make sure it was okay with you.”

  “The two boys? Alone?”

  “I’m sure they can handle camping for a couple of nights. Liam wanted to show Cody the high trail we did last summer.”

  “I don’t know. That’s awfully far to be away from home alone.”

  “It’s only ten miles.” Liam put his fork down and addressed his mother.

 
; “It’d do the boys good to get out in some fresh air. Liam’s promised to stay on the trails and in cell phone range.”

  “I promise, Mom. I swear, nothing dangerous, no acting crazy. Just enjoying nature and all of God’s creation.”

  Sarah looked over to Liam. “I take it you want to stay through Sunday and skip church as well?”

  “I want to show Cody everything out there. Show him God’s majesty through His works.”

  “You’re a smooth talker. You take after your father.” She took a sip of tea. “Okay, if your father says it’s safe, I guess I need to let go of the apron strings a bit more. You’ve earned it. Have fun.”

  Liam jumped up and hugged his mother. “Thanks, Mom! You guys are the best.”

  “Now, you’ll have to get your chores done beforehand. You’ll have to come home right after practice the next two days and help your father clean out the gutters. That was the plan for the weekend.”

  “Of course.” Liam put his plate in the sink and started up the stairs. “Oh, can we grill next weekend? I don’t want to miss Dad’s famous steak.”

  “I think we can do that,” Liam’s dad called out from the kitchen. “Gives me plenty of time to marinade.”

  Liam ran to his room and texted Cody.

  We’re in for this weekend.

  Now he patiently waited for Cody to text him back.

  LIAM TAPPED his pencil against his desk as he read through yet another chapter in his history textbook. While he did enjoy history, he couldn’t keep his mind from wandering back to Cody. He hadn’t answered, and Liam was getting antsy. As he was going to check his phone for the umpteenth time, the IM on his computer went off with a message from the object of his desire.

  Hey. Sorry, phone died. Needs new battery.

  No worries.

  Great news on the weekend.

  You can go? It had never occurred to Liam that Cody might not be able to go.

  Of course. Whatcha doin?

  Homework. History.

  Same here. Miss u.

  Miss u.