Chapter Three: Keeping Secrets

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

“I hate being home,” Jeremy complained, through Skype. “I want to be back in college already.”

I chuckled as he fumbled with his Xbox One controller, swearing as he mashed a ton of buttons.

“We’ve only been home for less than two weeks,” I retorted as I moved my curtains back. I glanced out the window over at Ian’s place. Alan was outside planting some sort of shrubs in the front yard, while Ian was mowing the lawn.  It appeared they even did lawn work together. Now, that’s teamwork.

“And you’re not even listening to me,” Jeremy teased. “Ryder. Ryder!”

I turned around, focusing my eyes on the computer screen. “Yeah! I’m listening.”

Jeremy shook his head. “Dude, I can see everything you’re doing. You know this is live, right? What are you peeping on one of your neighbors?”

I sat back down on my bed. “Look I’m giving you my undivided attention.”

“That’s a surprise,” he muttered as he tossed his controller on top of his bed. “I was saying I was thinking about coming down to see you next month, maybe earlier if I can.”

I snorted. That would never happen. “My mother would never go for it, Jeremy. Plus, we wouldn’t be able to do anything with her hovering like the hawk she is as much as I would love for you to come down.”

Jeremy groaned, obviously dissatisfied with my answer. “Not even for a day?”

“A day would just be a tease,” I retorted, a grin appearing on my face. “I want you for a week tops, blondie. But I’ll keep you updated. Maybe John and my mother will go away somewhere. Then you can come down that weekend or something. She always plans trips in the summer.”

“Would you call me a sap if I said I missed you already and I can’t wait that long?” Jeremy mumbled quickly, thinking that I wouldn’t hear him.

“Yes I would,” I teased as he flashed his middle finger at me. “I’ll figure out something. I promise, Jerry.”

I could hear him scoff as I soon as I called him that. I only did it because I knew how much he hated my pet names for him - Jerry, and Jer Jer. The only nickname he somewhat tolerated was blondie.

“Call me Jerry one more time and I swear I’ll hop through Skype and punch the living daylights out of you,” he threatened as a smirk appeared on my face.

“I’d love to see you try,” I winked as I folded my arms across my chest.

“Ryder! Are you up there?” My mother shouted before Jeremy could make a witty comeback. I answered her, rolling my eyes as she shouted something about if I was planning on leaving my room and doing something with my summer. I guess my two weeks binge watching Netflix, sleeping and Skyping with Jeremy wasn’t exactly how I should be spending my break.

Jeremy listened in on the whole conversation, laughing as my mother criticized me.

“Do something with your life, Ryder,” he chuckled.

“Blow me,” I replied a little louder than I had anticipated.

“But you do it so much better,” Jeremy huffed.

“What did you just say, Ryder Jacobs?” my mother called out again. I slapped myself in the forehead.

“Nothing mom,” I called back. I quickly rushed over to my laptop, shaking my head as Jeremy continued to laugh at me.

“Let me go before I get into trouble,” I muttered as Jeremy’s blue eyes moved on to mine.

“Alright,” he retorted. “I’ll be on Xbox. Hop on later if you can, so I can kick your ass in COD. Don’t forget about what I said, Ryder.”

“I won’t,” I said as I closed the browser, slamming my laptop shut.

As much as I hated my mother for embarrassing me in front of Jeremy, she was right. I hadn’t done much with my summer as of yet. My lawn service business had fallen downhill thanks to some new company that gave all of our neighbors a sick discount for a multitude of yard services while I was away at college. I needed a job, especially if I wanted to see Jeremy. We would most likely have to meet up somewhere at a hotel or something for a few days.

It was weird going from seeing him every day to only over Skype. To be honest, I did miss him even though I’d never tell him that. It would only further enlarge his ego. Plus, Jeremy and I didn’t have that touchy feely kind of relationship. It’s probably because Jeremy and I had been friends first. I was the one to make the first move.

“Well, look who decided to come out of their room,” my mother teased as I strolled downstairs, still in my pajamas. “It’s one o’clock in the afternoon.”

“I know,” I yawned. If only she knew I had been up since midnight. That’s how long Jeremy and I had been Skyping. We had both fallen asleep on one another a few times, but neither of us had logged off.

“Did you consider what I said? You know Rose’s Organic Food Market is hiring cashiers, cart retrievers and bag boys,” she continued. “You should apply.”

I had to hold myself back from sucking my teeth. “Seriously. No thanks.”

“You know what? Patricia mentioned her pool boy quit,” My mother suggested. “Maybe you can help her out. She’ll definitely pay you. I mean you’ve done it before.”

Now that was something I could do. It wasn’t exactly as high paying as my lawn business, but pool services could work. Thanks to Patricia’s loud mouth - I had even managed to get myself three or four more clients who lived on Pear Street. The amount of people who owned pools in this neighborhood was astounding.  

I was surprised to learn that even Ian had purchased himself an in-ground pool. It was a good thing he cleaned his own pool. I don’t think I could handle seeing him and Alan once a week. It was bad enough I could see them from Patricia’s home. Ian’s yard was fenced in; but when I was standing up on Patricia’s patio, I could see right over into his yard. If Ian hadn’t put up curtains, I would probably be able to see right into his house. It’s no wonder Patricia knew everything about him. All she had to do was look out her window or stand in her backyard.

Working at Patricia’s house, definitely had its perks though. She wasn’t home that often, considering she spent most of her time at Patrick’s, her fiancé’s place.  But, she kept her fridge stocked and told me I was welcome to anything inside. She even said I could come over and use her pool whenever I wanted. That meant I didn’t have to take the jog over to the lake anymore. I could practice in Patricia’s pool.

I generally went in the afternoons as I spent most of the morning cleaning pools. One afternoon, I walked out onto Patricia’s patio, only to hear the sound of Ian and Alan’s voice from next door. I glanced over to see a half-naked Alan, wearing only a pair of black boxer briefs, pulling Ian outside onto their deck. I could definitely see now why Ian was so interested in Alan. He wasn’t ripped, but he didn’t exactly have a washboard either. He clearly had a defined six pack that would make any guy drop their boxers. I hated how attractive he was. His perfectly tanned skin, waxed chest and dark well-cut hair. He always looked like he had just stepped right out of a GQ magazine. 

It sucked that he was nice. He was a genuinely nice guy from what I could tell, and it felt wrong for me to hate him. But I couldn’t help it. He had swooped in while I was gone at State and stolen the first man that I had ever cared about. I think that was reason enough to hate him.

“Come on,” I heard him say. “You need to get out of the house and enjoy the fresh air.”

“Alan,” Ian groaned. “Come back inside. You’re practically naked.”

“We’re in a fenced in yard,” Alan retorted, as he jokingly grabbed the hem of his boxer briefs. “But I can get naked if you want. Oh, come on. Don’t have a cow. I was joking. Live a little.”

I could feel my heart sink to the pit of my stomach as Ian stepped outside, his arms wrapped tightly around Alan’s waist. I wanted to look away. I didn’t intend on spying on the two of them, but I couldn’t help it.

Alan leaned in, bringing his lips onto Ian’s aggressively, as they made out. I glanced away as soon as I heard someone groan behind me.

“Oh gosh,” Patricia spat. “They’re always kissy kissy over there. It makes me sick.”

For once, Patricia Tillman and I were on the same page. That is until she continued talking.

“Two attractive men  . . . gay. It’s a travesty,” she sighed, as she sipped on a water bottle. “I heard them once you know, getting it on in the pool. I was horrified.”

Now she knew how her next door neighbors felt. She was guilty of having sex in her pool more than once. I can count on more than one hand the amount of times I pulled out a stray pair of panties or a bra, for that matter. out of her pool filter.

“You must be extremely jealous,” Patricia said poking me in the shoulder. I parted my lips slightly, staring at her in confusion.

“What do you mean?” I chuckled awkwardly, as I gripped my towel in my hand.

Patricia rolled her eyes, sighing deeply. “Oh you know exactly what I mean. Don’t act stupid. It doesn’t suit you. I may be a bit of whore, but I wasn't born yesterday, Ryder. I see everything that happens in this neighborhood. No one has a secret that I don’t know about. You and Ian? Last summer. You weren’t exactly sneaky.”

I felt like I was going to be sick all of a sudden. My towel fell out of my hand as we exchanged awkward eye contact for a moment or two. I fell silent, unable to believe what I was hearing. Tillman had known about Ian and I this whole time. She never led on that she knew about us.

“Oh come on! Don’t look so surprised,” she waved off. “I’m not going to tell anyone. I have nothing personal against homosexuals aside from the fact that they’re taking all the good looking men away.”

She laughed as she gripped my shoulder in her hands. “Relax, Ryder. Enjoy my pool. In four weeks, I will be on my honeymoon. I’ll need a house- sitter, so consider yourself getting paid double. I’ll see you later. Patrick is waiting for me.”

I quickly regained the ability to speak as soon as she started walking towards the door. I grabbed her arm, stopping her.

“Patricia, you promise you won’t tell anyone about Ian and I,” I quickly muttered as my heart started pounding against my chest. She groaned as she slid her arm out of my grip.

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” she replied, rolling her eyes. “I won’t tell a soul. Don’t worry about it. It’s our secret.”

I still didn’t trust her. I mean how could I? She was the gossip of Pear Street. She thrived on knowing people’s secret. She loved telling the entire neighborhood everyone’s business. I’m sure in the middle of Patrick Shillings’ proposal; she stopped him and called everyone she knew before he even got the ring out of his coat pocket.

When my father died, she was the first one to come over and offer her apologies. She had even gotten my mother to tearfully explain how it happened. Everyone knew within the hour about my father’s untimely death.

Her knowing had me antsy. Although Ian and I weren’t together, it was still something that could hurt the both of us. I could only imagine how my mother would react. Hell, I didn’t want to.

My lips were dry, and my head was throbbing. I had to see Ian. There was no one else I could go to. He would understand how I was feeling. I quickly threw my clothes on, and crossed over to his yard.

I knocked a couple times before I finally heard someone’s footsteps echoing down the steps. Ian opened the door with one hand, and pulled his shirt down with the other.

“Ryder, hi,” he replied, as he straightened his shirt. “What’s going on? Are you alright?

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net