by Rhett Heath
“And rumors would start spreading!”
BOBBY HAD paid for the food when we’d ordered, so we were able to just leave. Continuing the conversation in his truck, we took the girls back to their car at the high school. It was sort of fun, because we all had to squish into the cab of his truck, like we had earlier. I got to squish right next to him, Celeste was in the middle, and Allie and Laura got to squish together on the other side of the cab. It was fun knowing what everybody was thinking.
“I’m so happy for us all,” Celeste said. “It’s sort of fun to think that I’m pretend-dating you, Bobby. But now I get why you never dated too many girls. It’ll be cool to get to know both of you. I’m so excited!” she said, slapping my leg a few times.
“Me too,” said Allie. “You know what’s weird? Jake and I have been romantic leads in three children’s plays, and we’ve had to kiss in all of them. Everybody probably just thought we were being shy about it, during rehearsals and stuff, but we were both totally not into it!”
We all started laughing.
“We can all go to Homecoming together,” Bobby suddenly shouted. “Awesome!”
“Perfect idea,” Allie and I said at once.
Then an uneasiness began to permeate the cab. Bobby must have felt it, too, because he then asked, “Laura and Celeste, will you go to Homecoming with me?”
“Yes!” they both shouted, and laughed.
“Allie, will you go to Homecoming with me?” I asked.
“I’d love to.” She preened. “Maybe we can double with these guys, since neither of us can drive!”
Bobby, Celeste, and Laura busted up as Bobby pulled into the high school parking lot.
“I’m going to tell you all something”—I felt safe—“but you can’t laugh.”
“Well,” Laura said, “if it’s funny I will, so is it?”
“Maybe. So at least be nice because sometimes I’m a dork. Promise?”
“I’ll kick some ass if anybody so much as smirks,” Bobby assured me.
I proceeded to tell them about wishing on a star that Allie would love me while heading to the locker room to get my daily fix of Bobby Versailles.
Allie and Bobby both blushed.
“How cute,” Laura teased, fondly.
“That’s not a star,” Celeste gently informed me, “it’s Jupiter.”
The others chuckled.
“What? Are you kidding me?” I squealed. “I’m such a dork!”
“The cutest dork ever!” Bobby said, kissing my temple.
“Aww,” the three girls sighed in unison at Bobby, then we really got to laughing.
We couldn’t stop, either. Maybe it was because I had been wishing on Jupiter—trying so hard to pretend to be straight, and now Allie and I were now pretend-dating, or that I’m a funny storyteller and made my story really animated. But mostly it was from the euphoria we were all feeling. Because together, we were able to be our true selves.
No judgment. No fear. Euphoria.
RHETT HEATH lives in the beautiful Rogue Valley of southwestern Oregon. Once an award-winning actor, now an avid theatregoer, he’ll travel far and wide to see good theater. He is also an avid reader: he loves reading tales of Valdemar and stories of gay teens in Indiana.
Rhett works with children and adults who have learning difficulties—he has learned a technique that helps them learn easily. In addition to having been an English teacher—both in the States and abroad—he’s worked as a lifeguard, the super of an apartment complex, a forest firefighter, and as a scout for a modeling agency.
He enjoys a well-run rodeo, well-written TV show or movie, well-thought-out looks on RPDR, a well-hidden fishing hole, and, well, watching a good football game.
He has no pets. He has no plants. He doesn’t enjoy exercise.
By Rhett Heath
Jupiter
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Jupiter
© 2018 Rhett Heath.
Cover Art
© 2018 Brooke Albrecht.
http://brookealbrechtstudio.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-64080-490-6
Digital eBook published June 2018
v. 1.0
Printed in the United States of America