Daydreamers - 2. Chapter 2

The Greyhound bus stank of body odor and cool air. I had to breathe through my mouth almost the entire ride. Except, of course, for when I fell asleep. I was lucky enough to have a seat all to myself so when I did fall asleep; I could at least stretch out a little.

The bus got to Stone Lake California at around six o' clock PM. It wasn't dark quite yet, but the sun was going down. When I walked into the bus station, I looked around for my Aunt Nancy in the somewhat thick crowd, but she found me first. After all, I hadn't seen her since I was like ten.

"Oh, I'd know this face anywhere. You look just like your father," said Nancy.

"Hey, Aunt Nancy," I said with a shy smile.

I'm normally a more energetic person, but seeing Aunt Nancy reminded me of a conversation I had with my dad.

*                      *                      *

"Travis, you have to remember something about Stone Lake. It's not a big city like LA is. You can't really act there like you act here."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I mean...maybe it's a good idea that you stay in the closet there. Small towns are different then cities. They pick up on trends a little slower."

"Dad, I'm not going back into the closet because of some small minded, small town people. I'm going to be who I am." My dad looked at me worried, and I couldn't let him down.

"Okay, look, I won't tell anyone. But I won't lie if anyone asks either. I'm not going to hide."

My dad sighed, knowing he'd gotten the best he would get from me. "Okay, but promise me you'll be careful and think before you do things."

*                      *                      *

"Look at you. You look exhausted. Why don't we get you home and you can get some rest?"

I smiled. "I think I got enough rest on the bus."

"Well, we'll get you home anyway. You must be starving. You want some dinner?" asked Aunt Nancy.

I was starving. "Sure"

I followed her to her car. It was a small white sedan. On the way to her house, she was talking about how my uncle was at work, but he would be back later tonight. I wasn't really paying much attention. The town that was passing by me was just too distracting. It was simply beautiful.

There were large trees everywhere and we even passed a lake and an orchard. It was a small town and I didn't think I would like it, but I could tell that I already liked it in Stone Lake. Even Aunt Nancy's house was beautiful. It was almost like a county house. It was painted a pale yellow with white trim.

Aunt Nancy helped me carry my bags into the house. She's a short woman with long brown hair and a tiny build. She looked to be in her forties; maybe mid to late forties. We walked up the stairs and she led me to my room.

"I would let you stay in Jared's room, but he's supposed to be back in a few weeks from the university," said Aunt Nancy, showing me to the guest room.

"This is great, Aunt Nancy, really." I answered.

Jared is my cousin. He should be finishing up his junior year of college. I was never really close to him in the first place, so I wasn't really looking forward to seeing him again.

"Oh, and I've arranged for someone to show you around town. My neighbor, Pam Sullivan, she has a few boys that are around your age."

Great, that's just what I need; boys. Boys have always been my greatest weakness; especially cute boys. You have no idea how much I'm praying that the neighbor's kids are really ugly.

"Why don't I call her and see if they have time to come and meet you?"

I tried to tell her that it wasn't necessary, but she was out of the room and no doubt on the phone before I could say anything. I looked around the guest room. It was shockingly neutral. The walls were painted off white. The only decoration was a painting of a ship at sea, in a storm. The bed was queen sized and had a pale blue comforter and a wooden headboard. There were two wooden nightstands on either side of the bed with a lamp on one of them and an alarm clock/radio on the other. In the corner was a tall dresser to put my clothes in. Opposite the bed was a desk with a small lamp and beige office chair. It was sort of like being in a hotel room.

I set my laptop bag on the desk and put my suitcases onto the bed. I started to walk around the room. I wondered if Aunt Nancy would let me hang things up to try and make the room my own at least a little.

I heard a knock and turned to see Aunt Nancy walk back into the room. She smiled at me and I smiled back. She's a sweet woman.

"The Sullivan boys are going to go to the diner for dinner. They said that you could join them," said Aunt Nancy.

"What about you?" I asked. "Aren't you hungry?"

"I ate a little earlier. You go ahead. They're just next door to the right. Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, that's okay. I can go on my own."

I walked out of the room and down the stairs. Before I left, my aunt gave me some money for the meal; twenty five dollars. I thanked her and made my way to the Sullivan house. I rang the doorbell and nervously waited for an answer. A tall blonde woman answered the door.

"You must be Travis. I'm Pam. Come on in."

I followed her into the house and closed the door behind me. She called some names; most likely her boys' names.

"Sam! Tyler! Alex!"

Three tall blonde boys came trotting down the stairs. Just my luck, they were all really cute. One of them had these really dark eyes that I almost died over. Another one of them had a really cute smirk as he came down. But the tallest one, he was really cute. He had a really strong jaw line and black framed glasses that sat in front of the most gorgeous green eyes that I've ever seen. I knew he would mean trouble for me as soon as I laid eyes on him.

"Boys this is Travis. He's Mrs. Peters' nephew. I want you to take him with you to the diner," said Pam. "Travis, this is Sam, Tyler, and Alex." She pointed to each boy as she said their name.

"Oh, I just made plans to go to Charlie's." said Tyler.

"And I have to start my summer reading," said Alex.

Alex and Tyler sped up the stairs. Pam called after them, but they didn't listen. Sam was the only one left. Just my luck, he's the hottie with the glasses. He smiled shyly.

"Well thank you Samuel for pulling through. Here's some money." She handed him some bills and then we were off.

We didn't talk. We didn't even look at each other. It was the most awkward situation that I've ever been in.

When we started down the street in his car, I started to look out of the window. But when I looked back, I caught him glancing at me. He quickly turned his head back to the road when I saw him. Could it be? Was he checking me out? No. It can't be. I'm just getting my hopes up as usual.

We reached the diner. It was basically a hall; a long building with tables along the side and a long counter. The guy at the counter greeted Sam like they'd known each other for years. With the first impression of the town still fresh in my head, they probably have known each other for years.

"You wanna sit at the counter?" was the first thing that Sam Sullivan ever said to me. I'll probably never forget that.

"Sure," I said.

We sat at the counter right next to each other and when we sat, our elbows touched. I had to pull away immediately, because the feeling this gave me was unbelievable. I wanted to keep feeling it, but knew I couldn't.

"So, where did you move here from?" he asked.

"LA," I said.

The guy behind the counter was a bald guy in his late thirties with a white t-shirt and jeans. He wore a greasy white apron over it all. He came over and handed us paper menus.

"What's good here?" I asked. The question was sort of directed towards both of them.

"I like the bacon cheeseburger," said Sam. Funny, I would've pegged him for a salad type of guy.

"And the chili cheese fries are pretty famous around here," said the counter guy.

"Oh sorry, Travis this is Larry Johnson. He owns the diner," said Sam. "Larry this is Travis. He's Nancy Peters' nephew."

"Good to meet you. Now what can I get you boys to drink?"

"I'll have a Cherry Coke," said Sam; interesting.

"Um, I'll have the same," I said. Cherry Coke is my favorite.

Larry left, leaving us alone. Did I mention we were the only customers in the diner? We sat silently. Then, we heard a bell ring. It was the diner door opening. We both looked to see who was coming in. It was a group of kids our age. Sam didn't know them. At least he acted as if he didn't know them.

"Hey, it's the fag boy!"

Sam just looked down. "I'm not a fag," he said quietly. I could barely hear him. I doubt the idiot alpha male that yelled that idiotic phrase could hear him.

"Does that happen to you a lot?" I asked.

"No, not really, only once and a while," he answered. "I don't really have many girlfriends. In fact, I've never had a girlfriend. It's given my entire school the impression that...well you know."

Sam looked genuinely sad. I just wanted to give him a big bear hug. But I knew I couldn't. It must be tough living in the small town. Everyone must know your business within an hour of it happening. That just sucks.

Larry came back with our sodas and took our food order. We both ordered bacon cheeseburgers with seasoned fries.

"So, how long have you lived here?" I asked, trying to break the tension between us.

"I was born here," answered Sam. "I know it must seem boring compared to LA, but it really is a great town. You might just have to get used to the small size."

"It's a very beautiful town, but I think you might be right. I might have to get used to the part where everyone knows your name."

Things stayed silent for a little while longer, and then I thought I saw him checking me out again. Then, I thought, maybe there is some truth to the alpha male's slur. I mean, he did say he'd never had any girlfriends. Surely a guy as hot as Sam could have at least one girlfriend in his entire teenage life. The glimmer of hope that Sam batted for my team was suddenly no longer a glimmer, but a light at the end of a tunnel.