“What do you mean they're closing R-SALT?” I asked in shock.

“Mom's friends with one of the school board members,” Landon explained. “She heard it through the grapevine that they're closing R-SALT. They should be announcing it to us any day now.”

“But why would they do that?” By now we had both been sitting cross-legged for a while, and he got up to stretch.

“Apparently they think that it's a form of segregation,” he said with a shrug. “I mean, I can see where they're coming from. They're taking all the gay kids and putting them into R-SALT. It's like either you hide who you are, or you get shipped to our school. We're just a couple gas chambers away from being Auschwitz.”

While I felt like Landon's comparison to a Nazi death camp was a bit too extreme, I did get what he was trying to say. Ever since I had been to R-SALT, I noticed that a lot of kids were transferring in. I had a sneaking suspicion they didn't all want to be there, but there was nothing that I could do about it.

“So Jake will move back home?” I asked.

“Yeah. I don't think we should tell him. It would just hurt him.”

“I don't wanna hurt him,” I agreed. “But I don't think I can be around Tommy anymore.”

“That's OK. I'll tell Jake that you two had a fight if he asks, I'm sure that he won't get mad at you or anything.”

“OK, that sounds like it could work,” I said, trying once again to put forth more confidence than I felt.”Do you think that maybe I could get a ride home from your parents?” I asked awkwardly. I didn't want to be a bother, but I felt like I needed to get home soon before Dad started worrying.

“Yeah, I'm sure we can give you a ride,” he offered. He seemed a bit disappointed that I was leaving so early, and I felt bad for disappointing him.

“I'm sorry,” I said as I stood up from his bed and gave him a quick hug. “I just need to get home and tell Dad what's going on.”

“I understand,” he replied, holding me tight in the hug.

I followed him downstairs where he asked his mom if they could give me a ride home. She readily agreed, and the three of us piled into her minivan. She followed my directions, and I was back to my house around 3 o'clock.

“Thanks again,” I told her as I got out.

“No, thank you. For everything,” she replied cryptically.

I gave her a confused look, but she just smiled before Brandon came running outside. “Hi!” He cheerfully called up to the window. “I'm Brandon!”

“This is Landon's mommy,” I told him laughing.

“My mommy is in heaven,” he told her brightly. That's what Dad had always told him, but I don't think he really knew what it meant. There was no way for him to. There were times that I couldn't quite grasp the reality of the situation.

Landon's mom gave me an “I'm sorry” type of look before looking back down at Brandon. “Well I'm sure that she's very happy up there looking down on you and your big brother Liam. He's a very good big brother, isn't he?”

Brandon nodded and gave her a big grin, wrapping his arms around mine. “Yeah, he's the man!” I laughed a little bit at that, and wiped a tear from my eye that had formed upon the woman's kind words.

“I bet he is. He's a very nice boy,” she replied.

I smiled at her once again. “Thanks,” I repeated.

“Not to break up the love-fest,” Landon chimed in, “but Dad's probably wondering where we are.”

I nodded and smiled at the Iserts again. “Bye.”

I walked inside with Brandon and saw Dad walking through with an apple in hand, apparently on his way back to the office. “That wasn't Kenneth,” he said obviously.

“I know,” I told him. “I went over to Landon's for a few, and got a ride back from his mom.”

“Oh, well that was nice of them.”

“R-SALT is closing down,” I told him suddenly. There was no easier way to say it, so I decided to just tell him.

“What? When?”

“At the end of this year. They're closing down R-SALT and merging us back in with the other kids. They haven't told us yet, but Mrs. Isert is friends with a lady on the school board, and she found out that way.”

“Are you OK with that?” he asked me.

“I guess I kinda have to be, don't I?” I asked him with a shrug. Brandon left the room, obviously bored with our adult talk. I followed Dad as he walked back towards his office.

“Well, I could get you a tutor or something and have you home-schooled till college,” he offered. I felt myself snort at that suggestion.

“No, Dad. I can brave two years with the real people. Thanks, though.”

“If you need anything, I'm here for you,” he told me. I smiled and left the room.

Everybody knew that something was up the minute that we walked into R-SALT the next day. Instead of the usual energy that infected our school, there was a hushed silence that seemed to permeate everybody's souls. One of the teachers stood at the front door, telling everyone to go to the gymnasium as they entered for what they once thought was going to be just a normal school day. I looked over at Landon as he entered behind me. “Is this about what I think it is?”

“I'd say so,” he said with a solemn nod.

Landon and I walked together to the Gym, where we took seats in the bleachers together, as far away from Jake and Tommy as we could. The large room was quiet. Not silent, just quiet. Everybody was talking, but it was almost as if they knew that something big was going to happen and nobody wanted to miss a second of it.

Mrs. Stone walked out into the gym shortly after the first bell rang. “I'm sure that many of you have heard the rumors by now. For those of you that have, I am just going to say that they are true. For those of you that have not, I regret to tell you that our school is going to be closing at the end of the year.”

The quietness that once was among the crowd got shattered like a glass window. Everybody erupted into conversation on this subject. Even in the crowd around Landon and me you could hear a variety of reactions. From shock to anger to sadness, it seemed like everyone had an opinion on the news. Mrs Stone tried to calm us down, but it was pointless until she grabbed a microphone and demanded attention through it.

“I know this is surprising news, but we need to stay orderly. Many of our students come from right here in Riverton. Those of you that do will be returning to this building next year, along with those who currently attend Riverton High. This building will be the new home to the Riverton Rebels. Those of you who come from other school districts will be returning to the schools at which you started the school year.

“So the bigots are taking over our school!?” one kid yelled from towards the top of the bleachers. An outraged cry of support grew around his voice.

“First of all, I have to ask you to keep an open mind about them, as we expect them to do for us.” A grumble of disagreement met this sentence. “But they are not going to be taking over our school. This is property of the city of Riverton, and what they decide to do with it is their business. I don't agree with this any more than any of the rest of you, but I understand where they are coming from and I am going to do my best to facilitate these changes and make them as smooth and easy as possible. For example, next year I am going to be the vice principal of Riverton High and I am going to see to it that Riverton High gets it's very first Gay/Straight Alliance.”

The assembly lasted for another fifteen minutes or so and when we were released, everyone was only able to talk about what was announced to us that morning. Landon and I had already had time to digest the news, so we walked towards first hour talking of our futures. “I guess I'll be going back to Riverton,” I told him softly.

“I never saw you there before,” he said.

“You went to Riverton?” I asked surprised. I had never heard him say what school he attended before R-SALT.

“Yeah, I was only there for about a week of this school year, though,” he told me.

“So we'll still be able to see each other,” I told him happily. Somehow, that made it better. I was going to be able to face the new school with Landon by my side and that made it a lot less intimidating.

The rest of the school day was basically a waste. Nobody was able to shut up long enough to do any actual learning, In fact, a lot of the year passed in the same way. Nobody knew what was really going to happen to us once the new school year started. A new school, new teachers, everyone seemed nervous. In all honesty, so was I. I don't even think I was that nervous going to R-SALT as I was once I knew that I would be going back to Riverton.

Landon and I grew extremely close over the next couple of months. Almost every day after school, one of the two of us was at the other's house. Between doing homework, hanging out, and having snacks, we became the best of friends. We often ate dinner with each other too. As close as we got, though. I knew that there was no hope for the two of us to become a couple ever again. I didn't even like him that way. Not anymore.

The band was invited to play at R-SALT's one and only graduation ceremony. After our rousing performance at the concert, the entirety of the school demanded it. We worked for months on perfecting “Pomp and Circumstance,” and were also to perform the song from the concert in which I got my solo. It was a major honor, but also really stressful to be performing a big moment like that at our school's only graduation ever.

It was the last day of school. I had survived. I made it through a year at R-SALT and, as much as I hated to admit it, I had fun. Through all the drama and heartbreak, I loved every minute that I had at the school. I had been attacked, beat up, and abused. But I also found love, at least for a week, and made some great new friends. I think it was honestly one of the best experiences of my life.

“So, I don't guess I'll be seeing you guys anymore, huh?” Jake asked slightly nervously. He rubbed his one arm with the other hand and looked down at the ground.

“Well you gotta go home, don't ya?” I asked.

“Yeah.” The single word was the softest that I had ever heard the young promiscuous boy speak. I saw a tear roll down his cheek slowly, and I tilted his head up to look in my eyes before wiping it away.

“Don't cry. Anytime you're back in town, swing by. We'll get a big party going and have a blast. Maybe some new guys will be in town for you to have your way with too.”

He blushed at that, and wrapped his arms happily around my neck. I knew that after the announcement to close R-SALT down, Tommy had broken up with Jake. He claimed that he couldn't deal with a long-distance relationship, but I knew that that was just because his penis couldn't reach across the interstate that far. I kept that information from Jake, though. He seemed OK with Tommy and him being over, but I knew that he wanted a new boyfriend desperately. “Thanks,” he whispered in my ear, “for everything.”

I nodded simply and hugged him before I felt a finger tapping on my shoulder. I turned from Jake, leaving him to talk with Landon, before I saw Kenneth standing in the hall smiling at me. “Hey,” he said. I noticed almost a hint of nervousness in his voice. I wasn't used to that at all.

“Hi,” I said, making the word almost a question.

“I was wondering...I know that we haven't always gotten along the best over the year, but I wanted to know if maybe...since we won't see each other anymore at school, ya know, if you'd like to hang out sometime outside of school?”

“Sure,” I said with a happy grin. “What did you have in mind?”

“Well, when I get back from my vacation with my family,” he rolled his eyes here, “we could maybe go to that club. Over The Rainbow?”

“I'd like that,” I said with a much more calm smile than I meant.

“So, Mom,” I said as I sat on the bench near the grave where my mother had been buried not long before. “I know you'd be proud of me. I made it through the first and only year of R-SALT. I guess I made history. You always told me I would.”

I paused a few seconds in order to wipe a tear that rolled down my cheek. “I had to be strong to do it. I think I got that from you. But I did it. I'm going to go back to Riverton High to finish out the rest of high school, and I'm going to be strong there too. I know that's what you'd want. No, what you do want.” I looked up at the sky. That's where Mom was, not in the ground. And that's where I was going to meet up with her again one day.

“I'm going to keep taking care of Dad, and Brandon. Don't worry, Mom. I'm keeping all my promises that I made you. And I'm not going to let things slip into discord. The band played great, by the way. Another standing ovation. I wish I coulda heard you clapping like at the concerts when I was a kid. But I know you loved this one too. I love you, Mom.”

Thanks again for reading another of my stories, guys. I look forward to hearing back from you on your thoughts about this story, which was as much of an emotional adventure for me as it was for Liam. I'm going to take a bit of a break before my next story. Don't worry, though, it's on the way. I already have some great ideas planned out. Unfortunately, real life often gets in the way for a high school senior. Thanks for your support, guys!

 

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