Foxe Hunt (16 page)

Skyler headed quickly to his car and got in. He watched as the neighbor sauntered back up his own path and went inside.

Why would Jeff just stand outside and stare into his own house? Skyler couldn’t ever remember doing anything of the sort himself. Not alone, and not in the dead of night. He didn’t like the sound of that or the feeling it left in his gut.

He started the car and headed for home.

He went to school the next day, thinking about Jeff but also about Keith. He was determined to have it out. He absolutely
had
to ask him what he was doing on Mr. Sherman’s computer.

Walking the halls he passed an assortment of flyers and handmade posters for various school activities stapled to bulletins boards. There was a poster for the Sophomore Winter Formal. The theme: Life in a Snow Globe. He knew his fifth period student Amber Watson was one of the organizers. She was sophomore secretary and was bubbling with ideas. This sounded like something she’d come up with. The fall play was over but some posters were still up. And then he stopped dead.

Tucked between a goldenrod flyer for a food drive and cheerleader carwash fundraiser was a flyer saying: “Gay-Straight Alliance. Join our group and support diversity in our school. You don’t have to be gay to be a member. You just have to be cool.”

And then a big happy face.

Skyler’s heart gave a lurch. The meeting room was Ben Fontana’s art class. That should have been him. He should have had the courage to sponsor it. Instead, it was the art teacher, the guy Skyler always took for slightly homophobic. Obviously he had woefully misjudged him. The meeting was for after school today. If Skyler had any guts at all, he’d turn up for it. But he knew in his heart of hearts he wouldn’t.

Turning away from the bulletin board, he trudged to class, his satchel hanging heavy at his side.

All day he thought about it and especially when his fifth period class rolled around and Rick Flores loped into the room with his bright white smile and slouched into his chair.

Amber sat in her place in the front row directly in front of Skyler’s desk. She handed him a flyer, the same one he’d seen earlier about the dance. “It’s the Sophomore Winter Formal, Mr. Foxe. It’s in two weeks. I’m in charge of the decorating
124 Haley Walsh

committee.”

“Yeah, I saw.” He looked at the sheet. “’Snow globe,’ eh?

Sounds great.”

“It’s going to be magical, just like being in a snow globe. I hope you can come.”

“Actually, I’ll be chaperoning. So prepare to see me in a tux.”

Her eyes lit and Skyler realized that had been the wrong thing to say. But her friend Heather reined her in.

“Down, girl,” she said with her black-lipsticked mouth. “I’m sure Mr. Foxe will be busy that night, what with making sure the punch isn’t spiked and other teen hijinks like that.”

“Uh…yeah. Lots of standing around looking like a waiter, mostly. And a few ‘none of that, boys’ here and there.”

Amber was still smiling when he tucked the flyer under his blotter. He picked up his paperback of
Fahrenheit 451
and lifted it up to the class. “Everyone get their books?”

“Yes, Mr. Foxe,” came the chorus back.

“Did everyone memorize a page like I told you to?”

“Yes, Mr. Foxe,” came the unenthusiastic response.

“Really?” He thumbed through the book, frowning. “Sounds like a lot of work.”

“Then why did we have to do it?” asked a grumpy Alex from the back of the room.

“That’s a good question, Alex. Class, why did I have you do that?”

Rick lazily raised his hand and Skyler nodded to him. “Because the book is about burning books and people walking around in the woods memorizing them.”

“Not just burning books, Rick. But destroying thought, critical thinking in the
form
of books. Those people were
becoming
the books, memorizing them so that not only the literature but the thoughts generated because of them wouldn’t disappear from the world. I only made you memorize one page. Imagine if you Foxe hunt
125

had to memorize a whole book and keep it in your head forever.

Why would anyone want to make that sort of sacrifice? Drew?”

“Because really good books—and ideas—shouldn’t be lost?”

“Yes!” He pumped the air and paced back and forth in front of the class, tucking the book under his arm and continuing his conversation. Once he was in the groove and the kids were listening and reacting, he could forget everything else. No thoughts of Keith or of poor Jeff hidden away with his lawyer, could intrude. It was just him, the students, and literature: his idea of Heaven.

A few brave souls volunteered to recite their pages and the class duly applauded after each stumbling presentation. Whether they recited or not, Skyler gave them all points toward their grade and they all cheered.

It was a good note on which to end the class and when the students all shuffled out the door, he wasn’t surprised to see Alex and Rick hanging back.

Rick took Alex’s hand and hid it by his thigh so that no one walking by the glass wall of the classroom would see. Skyler noticed that he seemed to do it naturally, smoothly, almost without thinking. Yes, they were getting the hang of it.

“Hey Mr. Foxe,” he said. His sunglasses sat at their usual place on the back of his head. His perpetual smile was dimmed somewhat. “We’re having our first GSA meeting tonight.”

Skyler scuffed the floor with his shoe. He felt his face warm.

“Yes, I saw the flyer. Mr. Fontana’s a good guy.”

“Yeah. He was nice about it. And he’s a big guy so no one will give us shit…uh, I mean hassle us while he’s around.”

“Well, that is an important consideration.”

“I wish that you would be there, though. I would never have come out if it wasn’t for you.”

“I appreciate that Rick. Boy, do I.” If there had only been a teacher in high school for Skyler. “But…”

“Dude, he already said he can’t,” said Alex. “I know what it’s
126 Haley Walsh

like, Mr. Foxe. I can’t go to that meeting either. Football.”

Rick smiled fondly at his boyfriend before he turned back to Skyler. “So Mr. Foxe, who do you think will be there? All the school losers?”

“I don’t know, Rick. The people there may surprise you.”

“Or maybe no one will show and I’ll be the only one.”

“Maybe not. In any case, you will have had the guts to do it.”

Whereas I
…

He raised a large hand and swiped down the back of his neck. “Yeah. I just hope the other jocks are too busy at football practice.”

Alex nodded solemnly. “Don’t worry. We will be. I’ll make sure of that.”

Rick took a quick glance toward the windows and not seeing anyone in the hall, he grabbed Alex around the neck and kissed him on the lips.

Alex blushed from his cheeks down to his neck. “Crazy Mexican,” he said affectionately. He checked his watch. “I better go. Don’t want to be late. I’ll be running extra laps.”

“Oh, Alex,” said Skyler as the boys headed for the door, hands dropping away from each other. “Is Coach Fletcher going to be at practice with you guys?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“I just have something I have to ask him.”

“He’s pretty hot stuff, isn’t he?” Alex smiled broadly.

Rick punched him in the arm. “No wonder you always want to go to practice. You better stop drooling over that guy. He’s a freakin’ teacher. And he’s
old
. Although…he
is
pretty hot stuff.

Have you seen him in his running shorts? Woof.”

Skyler clamped his mouth closed.

“And,
mi pequeña
, you don’t want to start sounding like Amber, eh Mr. Foxe?” Rick fluttered his eyelashes and held his cheeks.

“
Oh, Mr. Foxe
,” he said in falsetto, “
are you coming to the Winter
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127

Formal? I’d love it if you’d come.
”

Ears still pink, Skyler ushered them out the door. “Thank you, gentlemen.”

Rick laughed, a rolling, joyful sound. Alex waved and took off, trotting ahead, his backpack bouncing on his shoulders. Rick gave a chin raise to Skyler and sauntered slowly after.

Skyler quickly assembled the homework papers he planned to grade at home and stuffed them into his satchel. He locked the door and hurried through the corridor.

Out onto the quad, he could finally feel the chill of November.

The wind gusted a few dried leaves. Some of the trees were finally changing. Fall was always late in southern California. He pulled his jacket tighter around him and started trotting toward the field.

The sun was far from setting, but it was edging toward the horizon. How did these guys do it day after day, he wondered.

Those poor kids were at practice at five-thirty in the morning and stayed after school for more punishment.

He spotted Keith right away. No shorts today, but those clingy sweats. He wore a heavier jacket over his broad shoulders and he was blowing a whistle. Oh yeah, he was hot stuff, all right.

Skyler stood on the sidelines. He wasn’t sure what the etiquette was. Should he walk over the white chalk line and across the grass?

Keith turned to direct some boys onto the field. Skyler could tell the moment the man caught sight of him. He paused and stared for a heartbeat then started up again, checking his clipboard and talking to someone—a kid, an assistant coach?

Skyler couldn’t tell. Then he sauntered toward Skyler.

“Skyler? What’s up?”

“I wanted to ask you something.”

Keith smiled. “The answer is yes.”

“What? Oh, no, nothing like that,” he said, flushing. “I have a confession to make.”

128 Haley Walsh

Keith looked up and sized up his surroundings. He touched Skyler’s lower back and gently steered him toward the middle of the field where no one could hear them. “Okay.”

“Well, last night, after you left Trixx—” Keith’s shoulders stiffened but he said nothing. His eyes were fixed steadily on Skyler. “I went home pretty much right after. But then I realized I left my satchel at school so I ran over here to pick it up. And I saw you. In Mr. Sherman’s office.”

Keith never changed expression. His gaze remained steady.

“And…well, it looked like you were…uh…typing something on his computer.”

Keith seemed to snap out of it and with jaw stiff he said, “Oh right. I was doing something for Mr. Sherman.”

“In the middle of the night?”

“Well, when I left you I was a bundle of nerves. I figured I might as well do the job then.”

“Sooo if we go to Mr. Sherman right now and ask him, he’ll corroborate your story?”

“‘Corroborate my story’? What is this, Skyler?”

“I just want to know if it’s the truth.”

The jaw clamped even tighter. A vein bulged at his temple.

“If it’s the truth? What do you mean?”

“I mean I saw you in the middle of the night doing something on someone else’s computer and I would just like to know what that was.”

“Maybe it’s none of your fucking business.”

He lifted his chin. “And maybe it is.”

“You still don’t trust me.”

“I didn’t say that—”

“You all but said it!” He seemed to realize he had yelled the last and looked around, but there was enough noise from running and grunting football players that nobody heard them.

Foxe hunt
129

More quietly he said, “Why can’t you just trust me, Skyler? There are just some things that are really none of your business without being something sinister.”

“I…I really want to…”

“I see. Okay. Nothing’s going forward unless we talk to Mr.

Sherman. So let’s talk to him right now.” He stomped across the grass and headed for the office.

Skyler ran after and caught up. “Look, Keith, there’s just a lot of suspicious things going on here.”

“And you still suspect me. Great.” He stared straight ahead, never slowing his pace. Skyler moved double-time to catch up.

They climbed the stairs to the main building and when they reached the office Mr. Sherman was still in there, wrapping up his work for the day.

His door was ajar so Keith moved forward and pushed it open. “Mr. Sherman,” he said. The principal looked up. “Mr.

Foxe would like to know if I did or did not have your permission to do a little job for you on your computer in your office.”

Sherman’s brows were arched and he looked from one to the other. “Uh…why yes, Mr. Foxe. Mr. Fletcher does have my permission. Not that I understand why
you’d
want to know.”

“Oh. Well, okay then.” Skyler felt like an idiot. But more than that, he could see the hurt along with some other emotion swirling in Keith’s eyes.

Sherman continued to glance from one to the other. “If that’s all, gentlemen, I was just getting ready to leave. Oh, by the way, Mr. Fletcher, I’d like you to chaperone the Winter Formal as well.

It will require formal dress. I hope that’s not a problem.”

“What do you mean ‘as well’?”

“Mr. Foxe is also going to chaperone. Low men on the totem pole get this kind of duty, I’m afraid. But it will be fun. You’ll see.”

Effectively dismissed, they both left. Keith’s pace was a little slower but no less directed. He was heading back to the field,
130 Haley Walsh

saying nothing.

“Look, Keith, I just—”

Suddenly Keith stopped and spun on Skyler. “You just had to put your nose in it and accuse me of…of…what I don’t know. Because you don’t trust me. Because you think I’m up to something illegal or dangerous. Is that it?”

Skyler blinked. He didn’t know what to say. “I’m really sorry.

But you have to admit, it did look suspicious. And with all these rumors about…stuff…”

“You think
I
would do something crooked?”

“I didn’t know what to think, okay! I’m glad we cleared that up. Now I guess…you don’t want to see me anymore.”

Keith chuffed a laugh. “I would think you wouldn’t want to see
me
anymore.”