Silver Hills, 1991
“Eric! Eric, wait, hold up!” Wes’s voice pursued him as he walked away. Eric didn’t look back. “You know, I’m not going either!” the blond boy continued as he caught up. “So how about we find something else to do?”
Eric kept going, eyes straight ahead. There was no way he would show that he was hurt. Besides, he wasn’t. Let the damn rich kids have their fancy parties on their fancy yachts. Not like he really wanted to go, anyway, even if he had been invited.
Wes was still talking. “Some of the kids here are so stuck up. Can’t believe Marty would act like that, telling me I can’t bring you to his stupid party... Well, who needs him? Tell you what, we’ll go out tonight and have a great time, much better than any old party his dad would have. How about it?”
Eric finally looked at Wes, at his friendly smile, his bright blue eyes... With Wesley Collins’ looks and his father’s money, it was strange that he wasn’t even more of a snob than the other kids in this prep school. Exactly why Wes seemed so determined to be friends with someone with no money and no family, Eric hadn’t been able to figure out yet. He knew what he’d like the reason to be, that Wes felt the same attraction he did, but he was too realistic to let himself believe it wasn’t just wishful thinking. He was also too aware of the consequences if he was wrong to dare trying to find out. That uncertainty had kept him at a distance from his new school acquaintance, despite the way Wes’s face, and body, and those soft lips had begun to haunt his fantasies.
“I dunno,” Eric said at last.
“Come on - all work and no play makes Eric a dull boy. Have some fun for once.”
“Well... where do you want to go?”
“Out.” Wes grinned. “Just be ready at - is nine okay?”
“What about curfew?”
“Forget curfew. I’ll meet you at your room.”
“But...”
“Come on. Don’t wimp out on me; I’m counting on you.”
Eric opened his mouth to say no, but seeing those eager eyes looking into his, imagining that smile fading into disappointment... And the prospect of spending time with Wes, outside school, just the two of them, was more temptation than he was prepared to resist. “Okay,” he said.
“Great! Nine. Don’t forget.”
Wes was early. Only a few minutes, but still he found himself wondering why as he stood outside the door to Eric’s dormitory room, debating whether to wait or just go ahead and knock. Being early was not something that came naturally to him, just the opposite in fact, but this time was different somehow. He’d been looking forward to this all afternoon. A chance to get off the school campus, to cut loose and have a good time after a week of classes.
And it was a chance to get to know Eric a little better. From the moment he had met the new scholarship student at their upscale prep school, he had been intrigued - whether by Eric’s part-Asian face, his skill at martial arts, his obvious intelligence, the way he kept his distance from almost everyone else - or possibly the tinge of loneliness that always lurked around him - Wes wasn’t quite sure. Maybe it was just the fact that they were so different, in almost every way. Or maybe just that Eric seemed to need a friend.
Whatever the reason, tonight he was going to make up for what that jerk Marty had done. They’d go out, and he’d show Eric the best time he had ever had. Wes raised his hand, and knocked.
The door opened to reveal Eric’s face, eyes seeming to brighten slightly. “Uh... You’re here,” he said.
“Of course I’m here. You ready?”
“I guess.” Eric shrugged awkwardly. “Is what I’m wearing okay?”
Wes glanced at his plain black t-shirt and jeans. “Sure. You look great.”
“Thanks.” Eric’s eyes met his for a moment and then ducked away. “Where are we going?” he asked.
“Into town. There’s a club I want to check out.”
“Club? Uh... I don’t have a lot of cash...”
Wes grinned. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve got money.”
Eric frowned. “Look, I don’t need you to pay for me.”
That prickly pride - one of the things he admired about Eric, but at the moment it was inconvenient. “I know. But look, I feel bad about what happened, so tonight’s my treat. Okay?”
“I dunno... Can’t we just go someplace that doesn’t cost a lot?”
“How about if you run out of money, we’ll figure it out later. Okay? Please?”
Eric hesitated, but finally he nodded. “Okay.”
“Good. Let’s go!”
They walked out into a cool spring night under a clear sky, leaving the lights of the dorm for the brighter ones ringing the parking lot. Eric followed Wes as he led the way to a new and expensive looking red car. “Nice wheels,” he muttered, giving it an admiring and envious look.
“Thanks. My dad got it for me when I came here.”
“Yeah, most of the kids here have cars.”
Wes unlocked it. “Hop in.”
“Are you allowed to drive at night? I mean, without an adult?”
“Yes, I’m allowed. Quit worrying about everything, will you?”
Somewhat to Eric’s surprise, Wes turned out to be a good driver. His discomfort faded as they left the school and pulled into the evening traffic, headed for downtown. It was nice to be sitting here, in a cool-looking car, with the adventure of a night out ahead of them. Especially nice when the person beside him was Wes, flashing him another cheerful smile as they slowed for a red light.
“So - you still didn’t say where we’re going,” Eric said.
“It’s called Unity. You’ll like it. Good music. We can check out the girls, dance a little, have a few drinks.”
“Drinks?” Eric’s unease returned. “In case you haven’t noticed lately, we’re only seventeen.”
“Haven’t you ever heard of a fake ID?”
“Well, yeah, but...”
“Relax, I’ve got it covered.” Wes fumbled in his pocket and then held something out. “I already had one with my own name and picture. Had to improvise for you, but I know a few people. Found one with a picture that looks pretty much like you.”
Eric examined it skeptically. It was a driver’s license - a real one or an excellent copy as far as he could tell, with a picture of a dark-haired, square-jawed young man. He squinted to read the name. “Jesus. Do I look like a Harvey Moscowitz to you?”
“Do you look like an Eric Myers? I mean, it’s possible, isn’t it?”
“Well...” He might be able to pass as the kid in the picture, if it was dark, and no one looked too closely.
“Just memorize the birth date and address. Won’t be any problem.”
Before Eric could decide whether to argue, they were pulling into the parking lot of a large building with a flashing sign that announced it as their destination. He glimpsed a small group of people just outside - looking not much older than himself and Wes - maybe it would be all right. Too late to back out anyway, he reasoned, as the car came to a halt. Not to mention he didn’t want Wes to think he was scared, or inexperienced, although both were true.
He felt his heart start to thump when a very large man at the door held out his hand with a brusque “IDs, please.” Eric watched, trying not to sweat, as he took the license, examined it, and then looked up. “So you’re six foot two,” the bouncer growled.
“I... um...”
“Stand up straight, Er- uh, Harvey,” Wes said, nudging him with an elbow and holding out his own card.
The man snorted derisively before handing the IDs back and gesturing inside. “Go on. And stay out of trouble.”
“Yes, sir.” Wes grinned, grabbed Eric’s arm, shoved money at the cashier inside the door before he could protest, and pulled him inside.
It was noisy, that was his first impression. Noisy and bright and full of motion. Some song he didn’t recognize was blaring deafeningly through the loudspeakers, crowds of people were dancing under flashing lights, more people were sitting at small tables scattered around the dance floor and clustered around two bars on opposite sides of the room.
Eric followed Wes again, this time to the edge of the mob of dancers. They stood for a few minutes, watching the gyrations. It looked like it could be fun... if you didn’t go deaf. And if you were dancing with someone you really wanted to be with. He slid a sidelong look at Wes, who was smiling and tapping his foot. What would he say if Eric asked him to dance? What would all of those people do if they went out there together? If it was a slow dance... the two of them with their arms around each other...
“Great place, isn’t it?” Wes shouted into his ear.
“Yeah, I guess.”
“You like the music?”
“It’s okay. Kinda loud.”
“It’s supposed to be loud; that’s the whole point. Hey... Check it out!”
“What?”
“Over there.”
Eric followed his gaze and spotted two girls, a blonde and a brunette, probably a few years older than themselves. “Yeah, so what?” he muttered.
“So... they’re both hot, huh?”
“I guess.”
“Let’s ask them to dance.”
Eric shook his head. “Nah. You go ahead. I’ll stay here.”
“Hey, I didn’t bring you here so you could stand around. Besides, I don’t want to go over there alone. Come on!” He took Eric’s arm again.
Eric pulled away. “I said I don’t want to.”
“What do you mean? This is a club. We came here to dance and meet girls.”
“Maybe you did. Not me.”
“What’s the matter, you don’t like girls?” Eric glanced at him sharply, eyes narrowing. “Okay, okay, just kidding,” Wes said, raising his hands. “If you don’t want to dance, fine. Let’s get a drink.”
“I dunno...”
“Hey, this is a bar, we gotta drink.”
“You’re gonna drink when you have to drive back?”
“Just a beer. Come on.”
This time Eric let himself be led to the bar. “Uh... do you think he’ll want to see my ID?” he asked.
“Nah, after you get in they don’t usually hassle you.” Wes gave him a closer look. “You haven’t gone out to a lot of places like this, have you?”
“Not a lot.” Eric glanced nervously at the bartender. “Well - actually never.”
“Man.” Whatever else Wes thought, all he said was, “I can get it if you want.”
“No. You paid to get in. I’ll do it.” Without giving Wes another chance to argue Eric leaned over the counter, trying to catch the bartender’s eye, nervously feeling for the fake ID in his pocket. To his relief, the man hardly looked at him, and a few minutes later they were wandering away, drinks in hand.
“Hey, look...” Wes nodded in the direction of a dark-haired girl standing alone at the edge of the dance floor.
Eric recognized her as one of the two they had seen before. He scanned the crowd for her blonde friend and spotted her nearby, dancing with a tall, thin man. “Yeah, I see them.”
“Let’s go talk to her.”
“You go if you want.”
The brunette caught sight of them and smiled. Wes grinned and pointed at the dance floor. She smiled again and nodded. “Just one dance,” Wes said. “Hang out, I’ll be back in a minute.” Without waiting for an answer, he handed his beer to Eric and walked away.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” Eric muttered savagely to himself. So far it was the longest minute he had ever seen. Grumbling a curse to himself, he stood leaning against a wall, deafened by the music, bored, alone, feeling a decided buzz after draining Wes’s beer along with his own, and most definitely not having a good time. No, his idea of fun did not include watching Wes out there with some girl, laughing, smiling at her, holding her in the slow dances... He glared at them, his gaze hot with envy and jealousy.
It had been more than an hour already. Impatiently, Eric stared across the room again, willing Wes to remember him. Maybe he should go right out there and drag him away. Maybe he should just leave, and let Wes wonder what had happened. Maybe then he’d be sorry... Just as he felt he couldn’t take it for another second, Wes finally moved out of the crowd of dancers, stopped and turned to wave at the girl - to Eric’s further irritation - and approached.
“Hey! You having a good time? Didn’t see you dancing.”
“That’s because I don’t want to,” Eric said with a glare.
“Come on, lighten up. Let’s get another beer.”
“You have to drive, remember?”
“I didn’t even finish the first one. By the time we leave I’ll be fine.”
“By the time we leave? How late do you want to stay?”
“A couple more hours, that’s all.”
“A couple more hours? What time are we going to get back?”
“I dunno.” Wes shrugged, smiling with that cheerful grin that had started to become irritating. “Who cares when we get back? You got another date or something?”
“Yeah, I got a date with curfew! If we’re not back by midnight we’ll get in trouble!”
“So?” Wes’s expression was starting to look annoyed now. “We’re not going to get caught. Even if we do, so what?”
Eric jerked a thumb at himself. “Maybe you don’t care about your record, but I do, and I’m not getting a mark against me just so you can hang out here meeting girls!”
“So you’re going to chicken out just because you might get a mark on your perfect record?”
“Yeah, I guess I am! And this place sucks, anyway! I wanna get out of here, now!”
“Man!” The smile was gone now, as Wes stared at him, his voice angry. “I thought you might actually be fun to hang out with, but boy was I was wrong! Can’t believe you’re such a - a loser!”
Eric stabbed a hand in his pocket, found the fake ID, and threw it in Wes’s direction. “You know, screw you. I’ll get back on my own.” He whirled and headed for the door, fists clenched.
Wes caught up to him outside, again grabbing his arm. “Jesus, Eric, will you wait a minute?” he demanded. Eric roughly twisted out of his grip and started for the sidewalk. “What the hell’s wrong with you, anyway?”
Eric turned on him, the rage and disappointment he felt spilling over into a stream of angry words. “What’s wrong with me? The same thing all your stuck-up rich friends think is wrong with me! I’m not like them, or like you! I’m here on a scholarship, and I have to make good grades, and I have to obey the rules, and I can’t afford black marks or getting in trouble like the rest of you assholes who can go running to Daddy and have him pay someone off every time you mess up! What do you think’s going to happen if I get caught coming in after curfew smelling like beer? I’ll be out of here on my ass and - and...”
They were face to face now, uncomfortably close, Wes wincing a little as Eric poked a finger in his chest. For another moment they stood like that, until Eric muttered, “Forget it. You wouldn’t understand,” turned again and stalked off towards the street.
He was a block away, becoming aware that he didn’t have the slightest idea if he was going in the right direction and starting to wonder whether he had enough money for a cab, when a car pulled over next to him. Wes’s car. Eric kept walking, looking resolutely ahead, as it kept pace with him.
“Eric, come on. Get in, and I’ll take you back to school.”
“Go to hell.”
“Not until after you get in the car.”
“I don’t need a ride. At least not from you.”
“Oh, for...” He heard an exasperated sigh, even over the sounds of traffic. “Look, I brought you; I’ll take you back. Kinda like a date, I guess.” He grinned as Eric looked over at him. “I’m not going to go away, and it’s going to look pretty funny if I keep following you like this.”
“Why should I care? You’re the one who looks funny.”
“Come on? Please? I’ll be your best friend.”
The pleading note in Wes’s voice sounded genuine - and the worst of Eric’s anger had begun to fade. The thought came back to him of how he had imagined this evening going - the two of them hanging out someplace nice, and quiet, and private, finding out they had something in common after all. Discovering they could be friends, and more, much more. More evenings, more time together, the two of them touching, hugging, kissing...
But that would never happen, for several reasons. A sudden wave of sadness, the loss of a beautiful fantasy, drove everything else away - leaving him feeling empty and drained. He stopped, shoulders slumping, and then turned towards the car.
“Okay, fine. Whatever.”
They rode back in gloomy silence. Eric was aware of Wes glancing at him, but stubbornly refused to meet his eyes. After what seemed like an eternity, they pulled back into Wes’s spot in the dormitory parking lot and came to a stop.
“Thanks for the ride,” Eric mumbled, reaching for the door.
“What’s the hurry? There’s still time before curfew. Hang out a little.”
“Why? So you can tell me how I ruined everything, and what a loser I am?”
“No.” Wes was quiet, waiting until Eric looked at him. Not enough light from the moon filtered in through the car windows to reveal much of his expression, but enough to reflect from blond hair and blue eyes, and to occasionally gleam from white teeth. “Look, I’m sorry things didn’t work out. I really wanted you to have a good time tonight, and I thought you’d like doing the same stuff I like to do. I thought I was doing it for you - but I never asked what you wanted. That was stupid. I’m sorry.”
With a stab of guilt, Eric remembered how Wes had insisted on paying, and tried to find a girl for him, and followed him out of the club... And how long had it taken him to find that fake ID? How much had it cost? All wasted. “No, I’m sorry,” he muttered after a pause.
“You know - it’s not my fault my dad is rich, just like it’s not your fault your folks weren’t. And it’s not all wonderful, either. Why do you think I’m going to school here? Because my father’s already decided I’m going to go into business, just like him, and he wants me to meet the ‘right’ people, from the ‘right’ families.” Wes’s eyes were downcast now, his voice low. “And because he doesn’t have time for me. All he does is work... Half the time I feel like I’m just in the way.”
Eric was watching him. After a pause he said quietly, “But at least you have a dad.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Despite himself, Eric smiled a little. “Man, if he could see us now... I’m probably exactly his idea of the wrong kind of person for you to meet.”
Wes gave him a sidelong look, his mouth starting to curve into a smile. “His worst nightmare.”
“The kid from the wrong side of the tracks.”
“And a terrible influence, dragging me out of bars and getting me to come back for curfew.” Wes grinned. “Maybe I should bring you home to meet him sometime.”
Eric snorted. “Yeah, right.” He hesitated, feeling awkward as neither of them said anything more. “Well... I guess we should be getting back inside soon.”
“I guess.” There was another moment’s pause before Wes asked, “So... friends?”
“If you want. Sure.” To his surprise, Eric found himself returning Wes’s bright smile as they got out. The evening had been worth it, he realized - the club, the argument, all of it - just for those last few minutes.
They stopped in the dorm hallway outside Eric’s room. It was quiet, for a Friday night, only the faint sounds of music and a few voices drifting from behind closed doors. For the moment, they were alone.
“See you tomorrow in class, I guess,” Wes said.
“Yeah.” Eric paused, a hand on the doorknob. “Um... It’s gonna sound weird, but I had a good time.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really. Well, goodnight.”
“Goodnight...”
For another few seconds they stood, close, eyes locked, neither looking away. Strange, was all Wes could think, strange, as some inexplicable mixture of anxiety, anticipation, and confused excitement froze him to the spot... but the anxiety won. With a blink, he stepped back. Eric opened the door, gave him a quick nod, and disappeared inside, leaving only the empty click of the lock.
Wes shrugged and started for his own room. Must have been the strange way the evening had gone, up and down and then up again, and his relief that everything had turned out all right. That was all. What else could it be?