Ladder Racing, spring 2019 (Chapter 4)
March 24th I make my morning coffee and check my phone. There's a message from an unknown number on it. _Hey, it's Paul. How are you feeling? Text me._ I have no idea how he got my number, but I recall my shoes. There might have been a phone number...
Ladder Racing - Chapter 13
Paul June 3rd Reece slams the door behind him, and all the warmth that was once beside me, snuggling up next to me, disappears. I'm left with the gentle heat of the laptop over my thighs, my bare legs sticking out from behind the screen, and his...
Ladder Racing - Chapter 12
Paul April 22nd My leg is not aching anymore now, and my ribs don't complain when I'm with him. I see the desire in his eyes when I pull him into my bedroom. Our bedroom now. Right then and there, nobody could have stopped me. After the housewarming...
Ladder Racing - Chapter 11
April 21st "What are you trying to tell us, Reece?" My dad's voice sounds fuzzy, I can tell that he's connected to the Bluetooth system in the car by the sound quality and the road noise. "I didn't make the grade... I failed." I sigh. The...
Ladder Racing - Chapter 10
**April 15**** th** It's been ten days, and I've been visiting Paul in hospital as often as I have been able to. At first it was for long stretches of time, as soon as I could get out of class, staying by his side until it got dark and a nurse would...
Ladder Racing - Chapter 9.2
Reece April 5th That morning I wake up to the smell the coffee. Literally. When I manage to find and shut off my alarm, I can hear that Aiden is already up and walking around. I drop by my little kitchenette to exchange insults before going to the...
Ladder Racing - Chapter 9.1
Reece. April 4th My parents are sitting in front of me, in the family wagon. Right there, a few feet away. It would be so easy to just say it. Easy being a relative term, of course. But then, after the inevitable argument, Paul could pick me up and...
Ladder Racing - Chapter 8.2
When I get home, I text my boyfriend. _Hey pup. Loved our little workout session last night. How ya' doin' with that assignment?_ I get the reply a little later. _I'm doing fine, keeping my head down and writing. Gonna be busy the next few days....
Ladder Racing - Chapter 8.1
Paul March 29th I get home, pack my racing overalls into the laundry basket where they will be promptly ignored for another week, and plop down in front of the television. I figure I should give Reece a text, just to let him know I solved everything....
Ladder Racing - Chapter 7
**Paul** March 29th The first thing I notice when I wake up is a pair of blue eyes, buried in a mass of dappled black and white, staring back at me. I'm groggy and sleepy still, and not entirely sober. The weight of his head on my shoulder has made...
Ladder Racing - Chapter 6
**Paul** March 28th "I really like you, Reece. I think I might... love you." The words left my mouth and entered the crisp night air, where they hung for a while in silence. Words I haven't spoken to anyone before. The boy next to me, this...
Ladder Racing - Chapter 5
March 24th I make my morning coffee and check my phone. There's a message from an unknown number on it. _Hey, it's Paul. How are you feeling? Text me._ I have no idea how he got my number, but I recall my shoes. There might have been a phone...