Every word was a labor, a trial that he underwent as he sounded it out aloud, then tried to make sense out of it.Every word was a labor, a trial that he underwent as he sounded it out aloud, then tried to make sense out of it. It had taken weeks and he was barely one third of the way through it. He wished he could read like Grant. He had raced through books, barely slowing to turn the page. Rafael managed to read just two sentences in the ten minutes or so before Cal came into the room. "Whatcha doin', boy?" Cal jeered as he started to undress. "Readin', what's it look like?" Rafael replied, his attention now distracted by the older boy, reluctant to continue sounding out the words. "Where you been, anyway? It's 'lights out' any minute." Cal smirked, "Talkin' to Mister Edwards.... 'bout you, boy." "Huh? What about me?" Rafael asked, putting the book down on the table between the two beds. His eyes travelled to Cal's body. The other boy already had stripped down to his underpants. He was dark, 'lots darker' than Rafael. His nearly black skin looked like black velvet. Cal flexed his muscles. He was eleven-and-a-half- years-old and already well into puberty. His pectoral muscles were well formed and his genitals bulged noticeably into his clothes. It was hard for Rafael to believe that a boy who was only a year- and-a-half older could have a bulge that big. There was even a trace of hair under Cal's arms and a small patch surrounding his penis but even more noticeable was the fact that his voice was already deepening. As Rafael looked at Cal he suddenly felt jealous though he did not understand why. "None of yo' 'fair, boy," Cal said as he began to put on his pajama pants. "Whatcha lookin' at?" Rafael shrugged, then said, "You sure have big muscles, Cal." The older boy smirked as he pulled the pants up to cover his groin. |