Hot Wheels - 6. Happy Feet

You know when you've had a good nights rest...? When your body is ache-free and there isn't an inch of tiredness left in you. I was awake, but I kept my eyes closed so Everett wouldn't ask me why, I was holding him and why I had my head on his chest. You see, I can't be held accountable for what I do in my sleep, so it's perfectly innocent...

I pretended to be asleep, but I think Everett was awake. I got startled when I heard him sobbing.

"Everett, is everything alright?" I asked, fearing he had regrets about letting me share his bed.

Everett just shook his head, and the tears came rolling out of his eyes. He found it difficult to talk.

"Everett, what's wrong?" I asked, thinking he had some sort of pain. Then I looked closer and saw that beneath the tears Everett was starting to smile.

"Look " he said, pointing to the foot of his bed.

I looked, and as sure as the sky is blue, his toes were moving. Not all ten of them, but a few were wiggling slowly.

"Touch," he said, still unable to comprehend what was happening. I moved to the end of the bed, and felt his toes and Everett let out a gasp.

"I can feel you!" he said, with great enthusiasm. "I can feel you touching me"

"Does this mean you'll be able to walk soon?" I asked a bit stupidly, if I have to say so myself.

"It takes time," Everett said. He fell back into bed with the biggest smile on his face, and although I had started by touching him, my touch become caressing, and then a massage. I knew what I was doing. It might have seemed odd, but Everett didn't say anything at all.

Everett's roommate came knocking, after we fell asleep again for a short while - me at the foot-end this time - so we quickly devised a plan. I hid behind the door.

"It's open," Everett lied. I quietly had to unlock it.

"Dude, it was so not unlocked" Dave said.

"Come look here... My toes are moving," Everett said, and that was my call to get out of there. I tiptoed all the way to my own room, Marco was still asleep and I decided to take the opportunity to wash up and take a walk. When I came back, Marco was passed out on the floor. He must have been drinking, because he smelt horrible as I lifted him onto his bed.

"Jesus, it's Sunday, get a grip," I said with a little bit of disgust.

Marco sat up in his bed looking awful. "Do you think I'm ugly?" Marco asked like a little boy.

I thought about his question, and I knew the answer. Marco wasn't ugly. He had medium spikey black hair and a nice light brown tan. His dark eyes was somewhat un-inviting but it contrasted with dimples that showed when he smiled. Marco had an athletic body, but the muscles were more in his legs and arms and he was a few inches taller than me. He plays college rugby, so you can imagine how well muscled his thighs are. Despite this, he had a bit of a belly going, which I thought humenized him a little.

But Marco was ugly; Ugly on the inside. I find a person who can't accept himself very unattractive, I know because that used to be me.

"No, I don't think you are ugly Marco," I said.

"Why don't you like me then?" Marco asked looking hurt. I think he was still a bit drunk, thus the "honesty."

"Marco... you can't force yourself on me... and it's not about looks. Looks won't last, and-"

Marco cut me off. "Yeah I've heard it all. Looks are all I have. I'm empty inside," Marco said now with his face buried in his palms.

"Take the day and rest," I said, as I patted him on the back and left the room.

As I walked down the hallway to leave the building, I heard Everett's voice coming up from behind me.

"You're quick, but I'm quicker!" He was wearing a vest that clinged to his body, you could almost see right through it. I couldn't help but long for it. Surfer shorts revealed some lightly furry legs. He wasn't a bear, but I couldn't help but stare. I felt them last night, but he barely wears shorts, so this was a welcomed treat.

"I want to go to the beach," he said, as I grabbed hold of his wheelchair and pushed him down the halls of my dorm. The cold Sunday morning bite was still looming and not a lot of students could be seen. We went and sat near some of the benches on a grassy field.

"I want to go to the beach. You see these shorts?" I haven't worn them in three years. Well these aren't the same pair, but I had a pair just like this. I love to swim" He said. I didn't know he swam, but I suppose that I should have known 'cause he sure looks like he has a swimmer's body.

"I didn't know you swim," I said dumbfounded.

"Well, I do, but just me and the ocean... surfing... but then the accident happened," Everett said with a bit of sadness.

He had never mentioned the accident and I didn't know if I should ask.

"It's okay... I know you're curious," he said.

I smiled at him uncomfortably.

"Okayyyy Andy," Everett said, ruffling his blond hair. "I'll tell you anyway."

He hesitated at first before talking. "I started college three years ago. Very first semester I stupidly trusted a friend of mine as he drove us to a club. When we came back he was drunk, but insisted he is okay. He ran a red light and a truck drove right into my side of the car. I woke up a day later... Mother told me I was unable to walk from the scene and they believe I became paralyzed. My friend left to go to another college. He couldn't live seeing the wheelchair. He couldn't live knowing he caused it. I tried to tell him it's okay, but he wouldn't listen," Everett said and I could tell that he made peace with his situation.

"Andrew, can I ask you something?" Everett asked with some curiosity now in his eyes. I told him it's okay, and he asked.

"How do you feel about me being in a wheelchair?"

I didn't take long to answer. "I don't see it as anything to make a big deal about, If anything, I see it as your struggle yes, being... gay was my wheelchair. People thought of me as The gay guy... not Andrew, just like you're the guy in the wheelchair."

I saw a smile on Everett's face, which brought one to mine.

"Tall, nice lean body. Not skinny. I hope you don't think you're skinny... Brown hair that shouldn't be hiding those eyes so much... I don't understand why a guy so handsome like you had a tough time meeting guys?" Everett complemented me rather than asking.

"I lacked sexiness I suppose," I said jokingly.

"You lacked? Meaning you think you've got it now?" Everett teased.

"I hope you get to walk, " I said out of the blue. Everett placed his hand onto mine.

"If that's what you want, than I hope it happens soon"

I'd like to believe Everett's touched lingered, but within a blink of an eye his hand was back on his lap.

"Who is that?" Everett asked as he looked out onto the field. A few yards away from us stood a man with curly brown hair, he wore glasses and jeans with a red and white checkered shirt. He was staring at us, I think. He walked closer, and he was my dad.

"Hello" He said to me and Everett. Everett greeted back, but I was too stunned to talk.

"I have a message from your mother, well actually she wanted to know if you're okay," he said unconcerned.

"She could have called or something," I said, a bit embarrassed.

"Well, she wanted me to make sure you're taking care of yourself."

Before I could reply, Everett intervened "He is well taken care of."

Although Everett had said it in a friendly way, my dad seemed pissed.

"Can we talk in private?" My dad asked, making sure that Everett heard him. I walked a few steps away from Everett.

"What?" I asked.

"I hope you're working, and not... is he some kind of bully? What does he have over you? Is he taking advantage of your need for male company and making you stroll him around? Because if you lose track of your studies then you'll lose your scholarship, and because I'm your only relative in this country, it's going to become my problem."

"Despite all the crap you just said, I'm actually saddened by the fact that you called yourself a relative, and not my father."

My dad looked away before talking again, but then he yelled: "I left because your mother and I had problems!"

"No. You just couldn't handle the idea of having a gay son," I said calmly, but obviously it struck a nerve with my dad because he slapped me across my face.

I didn't feel it though. Only later on did it start to burn.

I walked off to Everett and strolled him away. He kept quiet. I tried keeping the tears from coming, and boy it was hard. We made it to my empty dorm room and sat in silence until he spoke.

"You were brilliant. You stood up to him fearlessly," Everett said, trying to cheer me up.

"It's just sinking in to me... I might have lost my dad for good today."

"Well, sometimes you have to cut your losses Andrew... I felt so helpless just sitting there," Everett said, and I assured him that it was okay, then Marco walked in.

Looking a bit stunned, he spoke up, "What's happening here?"

"Nothing, where'd you go? I thought you were going to stay in today?" I hoped that Marco would not act like an ass in front of Everett.

"I... Took a walk," he said, as he turned around to walk out again.

"No wait!" Everett yelled. "This is your room too, why don't you join us?"

Marco looked confused, and I could tell that Everett's presence unsettled him. "Okay," he said, sitting down on his bed.

"You play rugby, right? You guys are doing amazing for being considered the underdogs so early on" Everett said now moving a bit closer to Marco.

"I... yeah," Marco said.

"So tell me Marco, is Andrew a pain in the ass?" Everett's words almost choked me, While Marco's eyes almost popped out of his head.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Marco asked, quickly jumping up.

"Geez... calm down dude why so moody? Looks like Andrew rubbed off on you!" Everett teased again.

Marco didn't find it funny at alla, nd left after giving me a dirty look.

"I am not moody! I can't believe you did that," I said to Everett, trying to sound serious.

"He deserved it, besides I was trying to be friendly."

"Well I think it was cruel," I said, but Everett knew I was lying. He became silent and made his way back to me. He came so close that our knees were almost touching.

"Andrew," Everett said, in a quiet tone. There was something different about him now. I couldn't figure it out. "Have you ever heard the term DTR?"

I shook my head "No" because I had never heard it.

"It means... Defining The Relationship," Everett cliched his hands on to the sides of his wheelchair and slightly lifted himself up from it so that he was now able to have his face levelled with mine.

"Everett what are you doing?" I asked, as I felt myself becoming short of breath because the idea of what might be happening was a bit too much for me.

"Defining The Relationship"

And Thank God he did.

I was never one to overly obsess what my first time would be like, I was always like "I'll cross that bridge when I get there," so when I got my first kiss from another boy, it sucked. But I don't count Marco's kiss, because I was an unwilling participant. That said, when Everett kissed me - giving me my first true kiss - it was amazing. Amazing and wet. I was kinda crying, but Everett didn't seem to mind.

"I've been waiting to do that for so long, ever since-"

I interrupted him. "Ever since you bounced a basketball against my butt?" I said, shyly looking at my feet.

"Finishing my sentences already? Guess that means you feel the same way I do... But then again, you've been starstruck ever since you first saw me." Everett teased me like he always did.

"Look at me," he said as he ran his fingers over my cheek.

"Okay," I said, and I did. He pushed my hair back and stared into my eyes.

"You are truly beautiful," He said with a sigh.

"Shut up," I said, hardly trying to make him do it.

"Hey, if I want to compliment you, than I'm allowed, and you should learn to accept it,"

"Thank You," I said, after considering it.

"Can I lay down with you,?" Everett asked, and I picked him up laying him down. I had to stretch my leg over him to get to the other side. He laughed about this.

"The last time I lay in bed with you, those fellas started working, so I'm hoping for another miracle." Everett tried to inch closer to me, but I made it easier for him, I moved in on him and laid my head on his chest.

I did that with my eyes shut. Everett wasn't saying anything and I was afraid I might have violated him in some way. To my relief, he placed his hand on my head and played with my hair.

It was a quiet and gentle moment. I never thought i would have such a magical experience in college. I always thought I would come, and get my degree, and leave. Now I don't think I ever want to leave.