Forgetting the World [BoyxBoy]

Chapter Six

“Mom!”

“Okay, okay.” She laughed. “Halley, is that okay with you?”

“Sure.” Mrs. Halley said, standing up and grabbing some sunscreen.

“Yay!” Molly and Sabrina screamed, interlocking arms and walking towards the other pool. Party poopers.

“Boys, are you two gonna be okay in here, or are you coming out?” My mom asked.

“We’ll be fine.” I said. She nodded and walked out.

“Boo!” Tom yelled, causing me to shriek like a school girl. I turned around and smacked his shoulder.

“I’m not a zombie anymore.” I said to him. He cocked and eyebrow. “I’m a vampire.”

“Oh fuck!” He yelled, trying to swim away. But he was too late, for I had already bit the base of his shoulder. “Damn it.”

“I win.” I said triumphantly. “Tom?”

“Yeah?”

“Why don’t you want to take your shirt off? Are you shy?”

“I’m not shy.”

“Then why?”

He sighed. “Joey.”

“What?” I asked thoughtfully.

“Do you want me to take if off so you can see me shirtless?”

I blushed. “Yeah, I’ve been imagining you shirtless and I want to see how close I was.”

“Seriously?”

“No, Tom. I just want to know why you won’t take it off. If it’s because you have low self esteem, then I under—”

“I do not have low self esteem.”

“It’s okay if you do.”

“But I don’t!”

“Then what is it?” I asked. He was totally hiding something.

He looked at the water. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Understand what?” I asked.

He shook his head. “You’d think I’m a freak.”

“No I wouldn’t.” I said without hesitation.

He sighed and swam away from me. He kept going until he got to the shallow end and stood a few feet from the wall of the pool, his back facing me. I furrowed my eyebrows and swam over to him. What could he be hiding? Maybe he had body acne. That wouldn’t bug me. Or a lot of chest hair..Meh. Maybe he had freckles that made the shape of Jesus! Or maybe a third nipple!

“Tom,” I asked as I reached him. “What are you trying to hide?”

He looked at me and sighed. “Nothing.”

“Liar.” I said. “Let me see.” He shrugged. “May I?” I asked, fingering the bottom of his shirt.

“I don’t care.” He said, glaring at the water.

I slowly lifted his shirt off of him and gasped. All over his chest were small, white scars and some healing cuts. They were definitely done by him.

“Oh, Tom,” I said in shock. He reached for his shirt without looking at me, so I threw it out of the pool. “Tom, why?” He shook his head, so I asked him again.

“I—” He shook his head, and tried to wipe tears away from his face. Why would he do this to himself?

[Tom]