Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 8

they'd brought to carry him across the field.
    "S'okay, Sanders. I promise I'll do my best to come back before the old man kills you." A startled look shot across Sanders face, and he barked out a rough sounding laugh. "Hey, man, would you stop by my room and tell Marcus what happened? He'll know how to get in touch with my cousins."
    Sanders nodded. "Sure. I can do that." Peter laid his head back against the heavy canvas of the stretcher. "Thanks, Sanders. I keep meaning to get a cell phone, but I always forget when I'm up at the mall."
    Sanders shrugged. "It's okay. Black dude, right? Your roommate I mean."
    Peter glanced sharply over at the other boy, unsure if the question held a note of prejudice, or—
    Sanders had his forehead crinkled up into an expression of pure puzzlement as he gnawed on his lower lip. He glanced up, meeting Peter's eyes with a clear look. "He has long se— long dreadlocks, right?"
    Peter swallowed back the defensive words that had been ready to jump out of his throat. Sanders glanced away, and then back quickly, his cheeks coloring with a faint tinge of pink. "You guys have been roommates since last year, huh?"
    Peter nodded.
    "Soyouknowabouthimbeinggayandall." Peter worked that one through his mind, separating the words into separate units. He grinned when he finally caught the drift.
    "Yeah, I knew from the first day." Sanders face fell at Peter's words.
    "Oh. So, you and—" Peter cut Sanders off.
    "Nope. He's my best friend after my cousins Tater and Rufus." Peter watched in fascination as Sanders blushed brighter still. The younger player nodded jerkily, his shoulders creeping up toward his ears. The other boy actually kicked at the ground in the classic 'aw, shucks' maneuver as he stood framed in the open doors of the ambulance.
    "You'll be alright?" Sanders voice cracked on the last word of the question. Coach Thompson answered before Peter could. "He'll be fine, Sanders. Now get your ass to the showers so you can do the things he asked you to. Don't worry. I'll ride to the hospital with him… and he's too damn stubborn to get sidelined for a whole season. Boy doesn't know the meaning of the word quit. He'll be back to save you before I finish gnawing off your entire ass. Now go."
    Sanders nodded one last time, and then Peter watched him lope off across the field. The doors of the ambulance closed before Sanders form disappeared into the distance.
    ****
    At the end of next day, Hinata's musings about how to best go about beginning to take on students nearly caused him to miss the news that had everyone else in the school buzzing. He'd spent the previous night studying as hard as he could. He was fairly sure as long as he kept his grades up, and made continuous progress toward graduating early his mother would leave him alone. After his second exam, he nearly left campus to go directly to the studio. When he called for Andre though, the big man reminded him of his two afternoon courses.
    Hinata had a four hour break between the end of the second exam and the beginning of his first afternoon class. Normally he spent the time between his Statistics class and his beginning accounting course in the library, reading ahead for one or another of the twenty-one hours' worth of courses he was taking.
    Today he went to the Fine Arts building instead, searching out the dance studio and department. He lucked out, finding the studio free when he first showed up, and managing to get a full forty-five minutes of dancing done before a class took over the space. The instructor teaching the class asked him to stop into the department head's office. Hinata had nothing but time on his hands while he waited to get to his new studio, so he went.
    The department head turned out to be someone he'd danced with before, during one of Thomas's charity shows. She glanced up from her desk, the expression of irritation on her face clearly brought about by the interruption dissolving when she saw just who stood in her doorway. "Hinata, it's wonderful to see you. Have you finally decided to take me up on my offer and come teach for me? I know the students would be able to relate to you."
    "Silvia? Oh, I'd forgotten you taught here. I— no, no, I still must pursue my business degree to satisfy my family obligations, I am very sorry." Hinata bowed to his acquaintance as he spoke. Silvia's laugh rang out, bringing a smile to Hinata's face. He had never met another whose laughter was infectious as Silvia's hen