Dale popped the champagne cork. “This morning, we are celebrating you, Skyler.” Some of the champagne bubbled up and spilled onto the deck.
CK chuckled and said, “He always shakes the bottle a little for effect.” Dale smiled at CK and then poured champagne into the four glasses. Liara passed them across the table.
Dale set the bottle down and lifted his Mimosa. “I propose a toast,” he announced. Everyone picked up their Mimosas and held them up as Dale continued. “In the past, we’ve only made three Mimosas, and we’ve only needed three special family champagne flutes. This week, Liara bought a fourth champagne flute because we added a fourth person to our family. May we never return to three glasses! Welcome, Skyler!”
Skyler smiled and then clinked glasses with each of them. Then, they each took a sip of their Mimosas. Wow. I don’t know what to say. I’ve never been celebrated before. Except at my testimony, and my birthday.
“Wow, these are really good,” Skyler said. “Do you do this every Sunday?”
“Yeah, most Sundays.” CK answered. “It’s sort of a family tradition, but way better than church, eh?”
“Ah, yes, totally,” exclaimed Skyler. “That’s why it seemed very coordinated.” Liara nodded and Dale smiled and sat down at the table. CK widened his eyes and took a sip from his Mimosa. Skyler smiled and did the same. Okay, you can tell them something. Just get a little off your chest so you can relax.
“I guess I can share some stuff with you guys now,” Skyler said, forking a piece of bacon.
“Only share what you are comfortable sharing,” Liara said. “We don’t want you to feel awkward or uncomfortable. Just know that as we grow together as a family, you’ll learn things about us, and we want to get to know you, albeit faster than you may be ready for.”
“That makes sense,” Skyler said, his mouth full of bacon. He finished chewing and swallowed. “To make a long story short, I’ve been in the foster care system since I was ten, starting right after my mom died of cancer.”
“I’m so sorry,” Liara said. Dale nodded, and CK’s eyes widened with surprise. They slowly picked at their breakfasts as they gave Skyler their full attention.
“Thanks. While she was sick for the last year of her life, I learned to do everything to keep us together, to make sure we survived. I’d go to school, then come home and cook, clean the house, all that stuff. I even learned how to do the groceries.”
“When she died, I was moved into a foster home, my first, with the McMahon family. After a week or so, things went downhill fast. Sean—the dad—was a pretty severe alcoholic. There wasn’t much violence, but there was some. It was discovered only because I accidentally said something at school to one of the counselors. I didn’t mean to do it, but the foster agency pulled me out of there and relocated me to the Tinsdale’s. The other kids got pulled out not long after I left. I don’t know where they are now.”
“Sounds like the agency made the right decision,” Dale said.
“I guess so. When I got to the Tinsdale's, things were great. But they were super religious. Like, right away I had to give my testimony at church in front of the whole congregation and do all this Bible class stuff I had never experienced before. Rebecca, the mom, was horrified when she found out I hadn’t been baptized. It was a crazy scene, especially during Sunday worship. It was the kind of place where people prayed in tongues and waved Bibles around.”
“Bible classes and a baptism, huh?” CK asked.
“Basically, yeah. Except I refused to do the baptism part. That made no sense to me.” Skyler set his fork down. This is gonna take a few minutes to explain.
“Interesting,” Liara said.
“Along with the crazy Christian church came the super Christian Cornerstone Academy. I can already tell that Temple Valley will be a completely different experience. I’m guessing our classmates—meaning you and Cody and whomever else I’ll meet, won’t constantly run up to me and ask how I’m serving the Lord today and then run off feeling good about themselves for being some kind of reminder beacon for Jesus.”
“They really did that?” CK asked through a mouthful of toast.
“All the time. It was the cool thing to do, I guess. So, moving on, I spent almost six years with the Tinsdales. You gotta understand, I had settled into a routine that was as normal as I knew it to be. I made some close bonds with my siblings—Grace, Noah, and Vicky—and we had a great time. I was on sports teams and was doing great. That’s also when I met Cam, and we instantly clicked. Our families clicked well together, too, even though we went to different churches. His was way more zealous than ours. So, Cam helped me come out of my shell and introduced me to music, which I discovered I loved. I wouldn’t have figured that out at the McMahon’s.”
“Cool.” CK said. Skyler noticed that Liara was smiling at him, and that they nodded their heads in understanding and rapt attention.
“Anyway, we got close. Really close. Obviously, we both figured out that we were gay and had feelings for each other. So, I had a secret boyfriend before I moved here. We were trying to figure out how to come out to our parents. Cam feared his parents would freak out, and I didn’t know what the Tinsdales would do. There would have been some repercussions, but I mean come on, with all the It Gets Better videos, the gay YouTubers, and the growing acceptance of gays, we didn’t expect such a volatile and homophobic reaction. Long story short, we were outed when Cam’s mom found some drawings in his room. Cam’s parents told him to end our friendship and we were not allowed to see each other for the rest of the school year. Cam’s dad put in for a transfer at work and they ended up moving to another state the week finals ended. Cam actually disobeyed his parents to tell me on the last day of school.”
“Wow,” CK said, mouth agape with shock.
Skyler nodded. “But Cam was completely different when he told me. It was like his church brainwashed him and he was parroting all this forgiveness and sinfulness rhetoric. Rebecca didn’t take it well at all. We fought about me being gay for weeks, mostly at night when the younger kids had gone to bed, but I knew they could hear everything. Then Rebecca forced me to participate in counseling at the church with the senior and junior pastors so they could help cure me.”
Dale frowned and Liara shook her head.
“My gaydar went off with the junior pastor and the prayer sessions were silly.”
Dale put his hand up to pause Skyler. “I’m sorry, but what is gaydar?”
Skyler laughed. “It’s sort of this intuitive ability for a gay guy to look at another guy and figure out if he’s gay or not.”
“Mmmm, okay,” Dale said, chuckling. “Please continue.”
“Long story short, Rebecca decided it was time for me to go because I refused to change—to not be gay. I think Rebecca believed having a gay kid in the family made them social or church pariahs. Since I refused to, uh, straighten out for her, they decided to surrender me back to the agency. Stephen never put his foot down. Katie told me there was nothing he could do once the agency got involved and realized what was going on in Rebecca’s head. That’s how I ended up here, yesterday. So, uh, yeah. That’s my story for now. Thanks for listening, I guess.”
“Wow,” CK sad again. “And that’s the highlight reel.”
“Yup.”
“You’ve been through a lot,” Dale said. “Thank you for having the courage to tell us some of your perspective this morning.” He winked and then scooped up some eggs.
“You are a wonderful young man,” Liara said, setting her fork down. “We want you here, okay? I’m sure it will take some time for that to settle into your heart, and we will tell you over and over again how excited and happy we are to have you with us.”
Skyler nodded and picked up his fork to stab another piece of bacon. “Thanks.” A brief silence settled over Skyler and the Kelley family.
“I’m glad you’re here, too” CK said, interrupting the silence. “Now, how about a barbecue today?”
Skyler ch
uckled. CK hates awkward moments.
“Like a party?” Liara asked.
“Yeah, we could have a bunch of my friends over and…”
“Maybe not today,” Liara said, regarding Skyler with a motherly care. “Dad and I plan to relax by the pool. I think it’s important to let Skyler settle in this weekend. Maybe next weekend we could have a welcome barbecue with your friends so Skyler could meet some of his new classmates.”
Dale nodded in agreement. “Even better, July Fourth is on a Saturday this year. We could have the party on that day and then head down to the school fields to watch the fireworks at night.”
“That sounds awesome,” Skyler said.
CK sighed. “How about only Cody and Tracy for today? They’re my closest friends and Cody has already met him, and you know Tracy’s dying to meet him. She hasn’t stopped bugging us for details since we told her he was coming.”
Liara laughed. “Yes, she is persistent. What do you think, Skyler?”
“I love the idea of hanging out today. And, I don’t mind meeting a couple of CK’s friends. I’m guessing I’d probably meet them this week if not today. And thank you, I love the idea of a barbecue party on the Fourth.” Skyler looked forward to spending time with anyone who wanted to hang out so he could get to know them better.
Liara looked at Dale, who nodded and said with a smile, “Okay. Cody and Tracy are pretty much extended family at this point. I think this plan works fine.”
“Great,” CK said.
“Cool,” Skyler said, smiling. I didn’t think I’d feel this welcome here so quickly, it’s barely been 24 hours.
When they finished breakfast, the boys helped carry the dirty dishes and utensils into the kitchen and then headed upstairs to clean up. Skyler jumped into the shower first as CK texted Cody and Tracy to tell them about the impromptu afternoon by the pool.
When Skyler finished showering, he wrapped a towel around his waist and styled his hair with the pomade CK put out for him. Then, unsure of what to do, he went into his room and adjusted some of the books and DVDs on his bookshelf while CK sang to himself in the shower. When the water turned off and the glass shower door snapped shut, CK leaned his head into Skyler’s room and spoke first. “Sounds like you went through a lot of shit, huh?” he asked.
Skyler turned around from the bookshelf and nodded. “Yep.”
CK ran a hand through his wet hair and tussled it a bit. “I’m amazed at how much you’ve been through already. I don’t know how you’ve kept it together so well. At least, it seems you have.” He turned back to the sink and applied some pomade to his fingers to style his wet hair.
Skyler dropped his towel and pulled on a pair of green swim trunks and a beige tank top. “Well, I don’t know either. Clearly though, after this morning, it, uh…” What’s the right word?
“Clearly, it still sucks,” CK interjected, finishing his sentence for him.
Yup.
“Yeah. I’m still hurt. A lot. I don’t trust people right now either. No offense, but it’s gonna take me time to trust you guys. Sometimes, I take things one day at a time, other times I power through stuff. As much as people in my past hurt me, I always knew I had to be strong and have tough skin. I, uh, I’m rambling now, and I’m sick of the topic. Let’s go help your parents get set up or something.”
CK rinsed his hands and wiped them on the towel wrapped around his waist. Then he walked into Skyler’s rooms and put his hands on Skyler’s shoulders.
Skyler smiled awkwardly. “What?” he asked.
“Our parents, Sky,” CK corrected, smiling. “And I hope you figure out really soon that you can trust us.”
Skyler nodded. “Thanks. Yeah, I guess you’re right. It will take me some time to get used to the fact they may be my parents, but I’ll figure it out. So, who’s all gonna come to the July Fourth barbecue?”
“Some of my friends, you’ll meet them. The girls will like you, of course, but you’ll have to handle that one. It’s up to you to tell people you’re gay.”
“I’ll fix that right now,” Skyler said. He turned to his computer, but it still hadn’t been set up yet. “Uh, can I use your computer?”
CK chuckled and led Skyler to his room. “Go for it,” CK said. “Feel free to use mine until you get yours set up.” Skyler followed CK through their bathroom and went to CK’s desk. He sat down in the chair and grabbed the mouse and opened a browser window. Then, he logged into Facebook and edited his profile information so it indicated his interest in men.
“Wait, so Cody doesn’t know?” Skyler asked, getting an eyeful of CK’s naked bum as he changed into yellow swim trunks. Didn’t need to see that.
“No, we—meaning the parental units and I—decided not to tell anyone. That’s your business to tell. I’ll warn you though, Tracy will sniff it out quickly, and Cody’s not stupid, either. Trust me, it won’t phase either one of them negatively. Tracy’s probably gonna love it.”
“Okay, well, I mean if they’re your best friends, I don’t care if they know. I’ll tell them. But in the meantime, that should take care of it, at least with my friends from back home. I mean, yeah…them.” I guess they’re not really my friends anymore. He sighed and pointed to the Facebook page displayed on the computer screen. “If anyone friends me from here, they’ll find out. What’s your username?”
“Understandable. Colton Kelley, spelled as one word.” Skyler typed the name out and clicked on the profile picture that looked like CK. “Okay, friend request sent.”
“Sweet!” CK’s iPhone beeped and he picked it up. “We gotta get you a phone this week, too.” He pressed the touch screen several times. “Friend request accepted. Now, my turn.” He jumped off the bed and walked toward the computer. Skyler backed up and CK knelt in front of the computer. He logged Skyler out of Facebook and then logged in as himself.
“Close your eyes,” CK instructed. Skyler raised an eyebrow but complied. He heard the sounds of mouse clicking. “Okay, that’s done. You can open your eyes now.” Skyler opened his eyes and stared at a blank screen.
“What did you do?” he asked.
“You’ll see when you log in to Facebook later. But for now, let’s head downstairs and help the ‘rents get the yard cleaned up. Even though it’s only Cody and Tracy coming over, they like it to be clean. Besides, nobody likes swimming with a bunch of shriveled leaves and dead bugs.”
Skyler smiled at him and laughed.
* * *
Outside in the backyard, Liara had started sweeping off the deck near the pool while Dale skimmed bugs from the pool. When he saw them, he asked for help. “Boys, would you grab rakes from the shed and clean up the lawn a bit?”
“Sure thing, dad,” CK answered.
“Sure,” Skyler echoed.
“Boys,” Dale said, repeating himself. “I like the sound of that.” They all smiled.
“I like the sound of that, too, Mr. K! We all know how badly CK needs someone else to help keep him in line!” Everyone turned around to greet the familiar voice that walked across the lawn from the front of the house. Cody wore a white tank top today. Next to him, a black teenage girl with radiant dark skin, frizzy-wavy black hair, and a brilliant smile quickened her step when she made eye contact with Skyler. She wore a light beige sundress with a silver necklace and a pendant that matched her wrist bracelet.
Skyler smiled. “Hey, Cody.”
Dale and CK echoed the greeting after him.
“What’s up, everybody? Hey Skyler, meet Tracy Whitcomb.” Cody lazily pointed from Skyler to Tracy, who had kicked off her wedge sandals and bounced barefoot across the thick, green lawn.
“Oh my gosh, you! Look at you!” She ran up to him and opened her arms to hug him. Skyler started to raise his arms, but she quickly wrapped her arms around him so fast that he was helplessly pinned as she gave him a giant bear hug. He looked at CK with wide eyes. CK laughed and walked over to the shed with Cody.
“O-M-G, Skyler Phoenix, welcome, welcome, w
elcome! I am so excited you are here now. Finally! I know it’s only been a few weeks, but it felt like forever!”
A few weeks?
“Ha, thanks,” he answered. She broke her hug and grabbed him by the shoulders, gently squeezing the muscles under her fingertips. “Mmhmmm. You are mighty fine.”
Skyler couldn’t fight the smile that formed on his face. “Thanks, you’re mighty fine yourself.”
“Uh, please,” she said, waving her left hand dismissively. “Come up with your own cheeky phrases. No one likes a copy-cat.”
“What did you mean, it’s been a few weeks?” Skyler asked.
“Since the agency initially contacted us,” Dale answered. “It took a couple of weeks to process everything. We decided it would be all right for CK to tell Cody and Tracy. They’re his closest friends. It would impact them as much as it would impact him, and us. And I mean that in a good way.”
“Ah, okay.”
“That’s right, and we’re so excited to meet the man, the myth, the legend, the one and only, Skyler Phoenix,” Tracy added.
Skyler burst out laughing at Tracy’s comment. CK and Cody returned from the shed with rakes and brooms.
“Here,” Cody said, handing Tracy and Skyler the brooms. “We’ll rake, you two help Momma Kelley sweep up.”
Tracy frowned. “The guest of honor shouldn’t be raking today.”
“Thanks,” Skyler said. “I think I can manage some yard work. I’m glad you guys were able to come over.”
“Of course you are,” Tracy answered. “I’ve been dying to meet you!” Skyler laughed again at her bold comments. “Hi Mrs. Kelley,” she called out, zipping past Skyler and running over to Liara on the deck.
“Hi Tracy,” Liara said as they embraced. “It’s so wonderful to see you. I’m glad you could come.”
“Me too.”
“Me too,” Cody echoed, giving Skyler a thumbs up. Then he grabbed the bottom of his tank top and pulled it up over his head.
The Climb Page 16