School’s out, scream and shout
“I can’t believe in an hour we will be seniors,” Steve smiled.
“I know. Who’da thunk it,” Eddie laughed as he retrieved his DND notebook from his locker. The pair had study hall last period, but who needed to study when summer was so close, you could almost taste it?
Turning away from his boyfriend’s locker, he looked over his unlikely group of friends. “Date night tonight?”
“Billy’s diner and a movie?” Nancy asked as she pressed her chemistry book to her chest.
He nodded, and the group cheered before taking off in different directions to get to their last final.
“Have you heard back from any jobs?” the metalhead asked, snaking his fingers through the other man’s.
“Nah, you?”
“Nope.”
“I was counting on a job, so I could afford to take you out more often,” he jabbed the other man’s side.
“You treat me so well, Sweetness,” he sighed, resting his head on the other man’s shoulder as they continued down the hall.
“You treat me so well,” the man standing at his locker in blue jeans and a white t-shirt said in a high-pitched voice. “Ha! Aha! Aha! Ugh!”
“Calm your tits, dude,” the sandy-haired man rolled his eyes.
Slamming his locker shut, Billy grabbed the other man, pushing him up against a locker.
“Jesus, dude! What’s your problem?”
“Who’s the ‘it guy’ in Hawkins High?” Billy asked, his face so close to the other man’s face he could’ve kissed him with little movement.
“I’d say Harrington’s got that in the bag,” Jason said, sighing in relief when the other man let go.
“And the top dog?”
Jason and Tommy comically looked down the hall where the couple had gone, causing the curly-haired man to clear his throat. The duo popped back up quickly, trying to cover their asses.
“It’s you,” Tommy squealed.
“Of course, it’s you,” the other man chimed in.
“Right you are,” he started leading them down the hall toward the gym. “Steve and Billy. Billy and Steve,” he smiled at the latter.
“Bill,” the dark-haired man said, pulling him out of whatever weird daydream he was in.
“I’m just saying. The top two people in school should be together. It just…it just makes sense.”
🌈
The ticking clock was all anyone could focus on. Nancy had finished her science test with time to spare. She smiled over at Jonathan who was just finishing up. Robin and Gareth were watching some film in French. They weren’t quite sure what it was about - too busy paying attention to the minute hand. Chrissy and Argyle were nervously awaiting the approval from their shop professor. Their latest group project was to build a dog house, and it was worth 40% of their grade. Eddie and Steve were joined by Mike, Jane, and Will at a table in the cafeteria. Each one was working on something different. The long-haired girl was embroidering something, while the younger boys were reading comic books. Eddie was planning a summer campaign, and Steve was listening to the latest playlist his wonderful boyfriend made him.
Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock…
“Summer,” Will said, looking up at the clock.
“Summer,” Mike said, smiling at Jane who chimed in. “Summer.”
“Summer,” Steve and Eddie smirked.
“Summer,” Robin said, holding Gareth’s hand. “Summer.”
“Summer,” Nancy mouthed, nodding at the clock.
“Summer,” Jonathan returned the favor.
Mr. Johansen nodded at the duo, causing them to jump around in excitement. The bell rang, and the hugging pair yelled, “It’s summertime!”
From there it was a mad dash to grab things out of lockers to take in the first breath of freedom. Most of the group hung back, waiting for the circus to die down.
“Can I have this dance?” Steve reached a hand out, only to be met by pale fingers. Pulling the man close and pressing an earbud into his ear, they began to sway. It was a tune they were familiar with. The one that played on the radio during their first date when Steve was so nervous to kiss Eddie he was shaking.
“Something wrong?” the metalhead asked, sucking his bottom lip between his teeth.
“No…I-I…’m just nervous I’m g-going to like fuck up our first kiss.”
His honesty was rewarded with the yummiest shade of red that made its way across the metalhead’s face and down into the collar of his shirt.
“Last night we let the liquor talk…” A deep voice filled the silence between the pair until Eddie opened his mouth.
“First kisses always suck. How about we have a practice run?”
“A practice run?”
“Yeah, let’s kiss now, so we don’t have to deal with the god-awful first kiss on the doorstep.”
“...tellin’ me this ain’t over yet…” the radio once again took the spotlight as the sun-tanned man thought over the proposal.
“Okay, a practice run,” he took a deep breath, leaning over the center console. The metalhead leaned in to meet him halfway, but Steve was a little excited. He surged forward with his eyes closed and ended up kissing Eddie’s earlobe.
“Kinky,” the metalhead chuckled, causing the other man to sit straight as a board in his seat. “Come on, Stevie. Lighten up a bit.”
He nudged the man before getting out of the car. The sun-tanned man got out too, meeting him in front of the vehicle where Eddie grabbed his collar, pulling him into the kiss. Once their lips met, their story was etched into the stars, and that random country song became theirs - even though neither liked the genre much.
“Alright, lovebirds. Let’s break free of this hell,” their favorite freckle-faced girl appeared next to them with her girlfriend in tow.
“Ready to get out of here?” Eddie asked, still pressed close to the other man.
“As long as I’m with you…absolutely.”
Robin pointed to her mouth as if gagging, causing the peppy blonde beside her to giggle.
🌈
Benny’s was the only diner in town. The beige walls and beige floors left something to be desired, but what it lacked in interior design, it made up for in tasty food. The bald man was putting the two fast food restaurants out of business with his double-decker homemade burgers and hand-breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches. After pushing together two tables, the group was able to take their places with their significant others at their sides.
The piano notes from “Old Time Rock and Roll” sang from the tanned man’s back pocket. He took it out before walking outside to take the call.
“Who’s that?” Gareth asked over his menu.
“No clue,” Eddie replied, watching the other man pace back and forth outside.
“How did you get my name?” Steve asked.
“We work very closely with schools, offering internships for all sorts of students,” the man’s voice came loud and clear through the receiver.
“Are you looking for more students to work?”
“I take it you know some?”
“There’s this amazing gu-student. His name is Eddie…”
After about ten minutes, the waitress returned to take everyone’s order. Since the tanned man wasn’t there, Eddie got him his usual plus a chocolate shake. He figured they could share it. As he came walking through the door, his smile changed the atmosphere, and a moment later everyone at the table received an email from the Paradise Resort.
“Hey, I got a job offer,” Jonathan said, showing his boyfriend. “Me too, dude.”
“So did I,” Nancy showed her partners.
“The Paradise Resort? Isn’t that that giant hotel on that huge private lake,” Will asked.
“Yeah, I just got off the phone with the manager. It’s like Indiana’s only beachside resort, and it’s LGBTQ-friendly. I may have given him your contact information,” Steve looked down, spinning his fidget ring around his thumb.
A pale hand calmed his movements, “Stevie, baby, we’re all going to be together this summer?”
The tanned man nodded.
“That’s amazing,” Eddie smiled, pressing a small kiss to his temple.
“Yeah, it is,” he blushed.
🌈
Sweat lingered in the air as muscles worked, growing stronger with every set. The curly-haired man could feel himself getting shakier with every rep. Another chest press wouldn’t hurt. The heavy weight came down, and he exhaled, grunting loudly as the bar rose up to rest on the hooks. Across the room, the dark-haired man’s thighs jiggled with every step. He took up running on the treadmill after Billy told him his thighs were disgusting and fat. Then there was the sandy-haired man jumping rope in the corner. Billy beat him around the track, and if he had any chance at getting off the bench and onto the court next year, he had to build up his stamina.
The music blaring from the room’s speakers changed from Drake to a cheerful tune.
“Tell me something good,” Billy said.
“It’s done,” the man on the other line said.
“Steve will do it?”
“Yes, he’s agreed to the job.”
“Alright then, Bauman. I will see you next week,” he hung up the phone, allowing Drake to finish his verse. “Boys, this summer is going to be great.”
The others just glanced at one another, curious of what he had up his sweat-soaked sleeve this time.