Love & Other Curses, 1985 | bxb | ONC 2024

CHAPTER 4 - Monsters Like Me

"I swear," he cried, "by the sun, and by the blue sky of heaven, and by the fire of love that burns my heart, that if you grant my prayer, while they exist you shall never behold me again."

~ Mary Shelley, Frankenstein.

Thomas never broke stride after the bell rang, weaving around trees, ducking under branches, and leaping over fallen deadwood. The faster he ran, the less guilty he felt about what happened or almost happened in the woods, whereas Adam only regretted what didn't happen. Yin wanted a boyfriend. Yang wanted a friend.

The faster Adam ran, the angrier he became. He followed the sound of Thomas more than the sight of him as he struggled to keep pace, fighting tree branches and dense undergrowth. Mud Boy ran like a damn jackrabbit. When Adam emerged from the dark forest, his whatever-the-hell-they-were was already in the house, assuaging his guilt. Goth Boy wiped beads of sweat from his brow and took a deep breath.

"Shit."

Adam's nerves lit up with the smoke he pulled from his pocket. He put the cigarette between his lips and took it out again. "Shit. Shit. Shit." After stuffing the unused drag back into his pants, he walked down the small hill to the backdoor.

"There you are," Mrs. Harding said as Adam entered. "Wash up, dinner's ready." She carried a bowl of salad in one hand and a basket of breadsticks in the other and disappeared into the noisy dining room where Thomas and the rest of the family waited.

"Who the hell does family dinners anymore?" Adam whispered, staring into the mirror after splashing cold water onto his face. He leaned against the sink and breathed as Mrs. Harding fretted on the other side of the bathroom door.

"Adam?" She looked at her watch, anxious to get dinner served and her husband fed before the Selectman's meeting. Hunger and the Chief never ended well. "Adam, are you ok?"

"Oh, um, yup." He turned the water off and opened the door. "Sorry. I was a sweaty mess."

"I'm glad you boys had fun." She walked toward the dining room, all business. "Come have a seat. We're ready to pray."

The talking stopped when Adam entered. Ten chairs and nine bodies circled every inch of the large table. The new boy gave a timid smile as everyone stared except for Thomas, who hid his face in shame, wishing he had never met the boy who asked for a kiss.

"Whoa, cool makeup," the youngest of the Harding children said. His dirty blond hair matched Thomas', but his chubby face with round glasses did not.

"Jeffrey, don't be rude," Mrs. Harding scolded.

"What? I'm not," he whined. But his attention immediately shifted to Shockwave, the newest transformer he turned into a laser gun before Adam could slide into the open seat or his father could bark at him to put it away. Not surprisingly, Lilly scowled as the freak sat next to her.

The Chief eyed Adam, reminding the rebellious boy he hadn't forgotten their talk. He sat at the head of the table and turned his focus to his older son. "Thomas," he said. "Please bless the food."

The startled boy glanced at Adam from the other side of the table before closing his eyes. One more look was all it took for all the feelings he shunned to come rushing back stronger than before. The pretty boy took his breath away, and Thomas knew he'd never wish he hadn't met Adam Lawson again, which left him feeling like a jerk for ditching his new friend and a sinner for wanting them to return to the woods. Heat flushed his cheeks and betrayed his remorse.

"Our Heavenly Father," Thomas began. "We thank thee for this day. We're grateful for the food that's been prepared. Please bless it so that it can nourish and strengthen us." He paused longer than he should have. "And please bless Adam to feel welcome and at home here. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."