Something Like Summer (Something Like... #1)

by Jay Bell

Ben turned to the right and walked up a slope toward a more civilized path, one paved and dotted with benches and trash cans as it wound its way around a small man-made lake. He scanned the horizon for his quarry. At first he saw no one except for a middle-aged couple walking hand in hand, but then the thump, thump, thump sound of running attracted his attention. There he was. Mr. Blue Shoes. He could more aptly be called Mr. Neon Electric Blue Shoes. Oh how Ben had searched for a pair of those shoes after seeing them for the first time! Not only did he think they looked awesome, but they would have been a potential conversation starter. Hey, you have the same crazy shoes that I do! Despite tagging along on all of his mother’s shopping trips, he never found them. Ben wasn’t even sure what brand they were. Some sort of exotic Italian label that Mr. Blue Shoes had preferred before moving here to the States, he fantasized. Not that he was necessarily from Italy, but it would explain the deeply tanned skin and jet black hair. Ben snapped out of his reverie and realized that the object of his desire was jogging directly toward him, and all the while he had been standing there staring. Usually Ben made at least some attempt to act like he was out for exercise. His muscles froze as he tried to decide what to do. He should probably turn to the right and walk away, so as not to appear obvious. He started to do this until he realized that he wouldn’t be able to get a look at Mr. Blu...