All Trey’s father wants him to do is be nice to the homophobic class bully, his business partner's son. But that’s like trying to mix oil and gasoline: explosive. So Trey decides to run away, which is hard to do on a rainy, muddy, haunted night on the small island of Maui. Another kid in school, Chris, stood up for Trey against the bully and was badly beaten for his efforts. Which makes Trey wonder if Chris is gay, too, or just a brave ally. Trey doesn’t know, but there’s clearly something brewing between them. When Trey’s dad expects him to go to the bully’s birthday party, Trey sneaks off to go surfing instead. Hitchhiking to the beach, he meets up with an interesting old geezer, who just might be able to help him figure out what he’s going through. Will the forces on this fiery island break apart Trey and Chris? Or is there hope for something more than friendship between them buried under the Maui ash?

Spring Tide Love

Steve had made it plain to his friends and me and everyone else that I was the only person not invited to his stupid party, which hurt a lot. It never occurred to me that he might be lying.


Anyhow, I decided the heck with them; I’d go snorkeling. Sure it was only eighty degrees out and the water was about the same, and there was a south swell and all that, but the hell with it. I grabbed my gear, pulled on my board shorts, left a note for Mom (‘see you later’), and left.


Now I know my name is weird, but we live in Hawaii where half the kids have Hawaiian language or Japanese or Filipino names so it’s all good. Except for the reason why my folks named me that, which kind of hurts. I was their third kid. Trey is three in cards. It wasn’t until I was in my thirties that I found out I had a great-uncle named Trey, who was gay. I mean, as they put it, he had a live-in, male, companion. Like, oh come on, bitch, please. But I digress.


Chapter 8