Page 10 (1/2)
Just the thing
Another hour has passed, and Harry and Craig reather Mr Nichol, a science teacher, takes over for Ms Luna There are noo thousand people on the live feed Tariq hands Harry and Craig their phones, so they can tweet and respond to the colobal People in Geren that reads GO KISSERS, GO! So Word is spreading
Harry loves responding to the co to hurt, and it’s only been four hours He leans on Craig and shakes them out Then the sun starts to hit, and he shapes his hand into a U, so S sure not to get in the way of the cales, but everyone feels it’s iencies) He and Craig are both wearing old-people socks, to try to keep the blood flowing in their feet But the botto time is not how the body is supposed to work Already he feels like he’s at a standing-roo acts
The song "Dream a Little Dream of Me" comes on Tariq’s playlist, which , as Tariq no doubt kneould Harry can feel Craig s the saer on his back, tracing the letter B, then T They start to shuffle and slow-dance It feels good to s Smita steps back with the umbrella, and Tariq steps in and starts to dance with her Mr and Mrs Ramirez step in as well Other people look like they want to join in, but Rachel, watching the caet in the way The police officer who’s been assigned to watch over things offers to get soood idea, but asks if there’s any way it can avoid saying caution The officer says she’ll see what she can do
It feels so good to Harry to be dancing Itas they sway He wants to sing along, but knows he can’t He holds Craig lightly, and they glide in a slow circle Craig’s eyes are closed, Harry’s are opened
Which is how Harry sees her first
Craig feels Harry stop He feels Harry clasp hihter He traces a question mark on Harry’s back But there’s no way for Harry to respond He only kisses Craig closer, puts his hand on the back of Craig’s neck, warning hi hears it His name His mother’s voice His name
We all turn to her She is a s was on a cary, and ish there were a way that we could explain it to her We want to pull her aside and tell her everything we know, everything our ht Your son is alive, ant to tell her Your son is living
She doesn’t understand why he isn’t answering She doesn’t understand why he goes on kissing this other boy even though she is standing right behind hi his name
"Mrs Meehan called me and started to talk towants to turn around He wants to try to explain But he feels Harry’s hand on the back of his neck He re He can’t reset it
"Craig"
His
It’s So of the u’s ," she says "They have to keep kissing"
Craig’sti that uely that she understands the crowd, understands the ca?" she asks, her voice the thinnest of lines
This was not the way she was supposed to find out Craig feels the tears starting in his eyes He tries to stop them But it’s tooshudders, and Harry presses his mouth closer This was not hoas supposed to be He’d i them after Somehow, he believed it could be kept a secret until it was over He’d have this big acco the his parents and his brothers down on the couch while he stood in front of them and told them, like when he was little and he’d put on one-ht before bed--and whatever happened, they wouldn’t be able to take anything away fro he’d done
But he wasn’t thinking about them About what it would be like to be in that audience He realizes it with such shock He wasn’t thinking about them at all Few of us did It was our revelation Our event How could we know that they had a right to feel things, too? They had no right to deny us But they had every right to feel things
He gets this all from the sound of her voice The way she’s said his na’s parents Harry’s ’s mother now and introduces herself She and S They tell her about the world record Tell her what Craig and Harry are trying to achieve
"But I don’t understand," Craig’scan’t bear it He opens his eyes, looks over to Tariq, who has tears in his own eyes HeTariq scra All the things Craig has to say boil down to the essential It’s the thing that neither S they’re saying, but they can’t unfold it for Craig’s mother, can’t spell out the foundation
I’M GAY, MOM I’M GAY
Craig rotates his and Harry’s bodies so he’s facing his n He sees her eyes as she understands it Then, quickly, he writes another sign
I CAN’T STOP NOW I’M SORRY
He is not sorry for being gy, but he is endlessly sorry that this is how she’s found out Or maybe not found out--she doesn’t seem entirely surprised by the revelation, only in the way it’s being revealed Only in the way it’s being confir’s boyfriend, and Smita, poor friend, doesn’t knohat the better answer is, so she goes with the truth and says, no, that’s not what this is about Harry and Craig are friends They are kissing to show the world that it’s okay for two boys to kiss
Mr Ra’s mother can sit down
"It’s a lot to process," he says