they’re at least a little bit mute about their extracurricular activities.
“Are you sure?”
I laugh, taking a greedy lick of my ice cream as it tries to dissolve down the side of the cone. “I think I’d know.”
“That kiss on the beach was pretty legit.”
“I was wasted. I barely remember it.”
“You didn’t seem that wasted.”
“That’s because I’m better at it than you are.”
Katy’s shoulders sag. “Are you really going to bring this up again?’
I smile. “I’m never going to let you forget it.”
“Fine, whatever.”
“Sophomore year. Behind the football field in the woods. Mac Gibson, or Ol’ Mac Donghold as he was known to some for mysterious and probably disgusting reasons. A four pack of wine coolers and a full pack of cigarettes.”
“Are you enjoying yourself?” she asks blandly.
“Shh, this is my favorite part,” I whisper before raising my voice way too loud. “You, Katelin Reynolds, were nearly caught rounding second base with Ol’ Mac Donghold when he heard the fuzz coming. He, the brave and chivalrous boy that he was, ran into the woods and left you behind. You, being utterly wasted and totally shitty at it, cried, vomited, got caught, and spent the majority of that summer grounded in your room. Did I miss any of it?”
Katy stabs her hot fudge sundae angrily. “Mac ran away with my bra and showed it to the whole school the next day,” she mumbles.
“Mac ran away with your bra and showed it to the entire school the very next day,” I announce loudly.
Heads turn. Kids giggle. Mother’s frown. Mac’s dad glares at me from his place in line at the Frosty Freeze register.
“Fucking small towns,” I grumble under my breath.
Katy laughs, her mood instantly lighter. “Serves you right.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“How’s the job going? Are you saving up enough for the plane ticket?”
I groan in annoyance. “I think so, but I lost my deposit on the apartment I had set up. I’ll have to find a new one along with a fresh deposit.” I reach over and throw my melting ice cream into the trash, giving up. My hands are coated in an invisible stickiness that I brush at fruitlessly with a brown napkin. “It seems like every time I think I’m done paying for what happened something else comes up. I’m starting to wonder if I shouldn’t just say screw it and wait another year.”
“You can’t do that,” Katy tells me seriously. “You already put it off for two years after we graduated. If you put it off again you’ll never go and you have to go.”
“Why? What’s the point?”
“The point is you’re good!”
“And the other students there will be better.”
“So what? If you’re not the best you’re not gonna go?”
I shrug, looking out the window. “I don’t know.”
“Big fish in a little pond?” she asks knowingly. “Scared of being the little fish in the big pond?”
“Something like that.”
“Well, if you need to talk about it I know just the person you should go to. Kind of an expert on the subject.”
I turn to her, my brows pinched in confusion. “Who?”
She laughs, kicking me gently under the table. “Lawson Daniel, dummy.”
“I can’t bring this up with him.”
“Oh, okay. You can share saliva with him but you can’t talk to him?”
“We talk.”
“About what? How hot he is? How he wants to do you? His favorite yoga pose on a surfboard? Is it downward facing dolphin? Tell me it’s downward facing dolphin.”
“No,” I laugh.
“No it’s not or no you won’t tell me.”
“No, to everything.”
“Even sleeping with him?”
“Ugh, let it go.”
“Not until you let Mac Donghold go.”
I smile, shaking my head vehemently. “Never.”
***
The room is cool. It’s dry and dark, the outside world kept out. Kept locked away behind the curtained windows that let in little shafts of light speckled with clusters of dust kicked up by my fingers flying over the keys. An old xylophone sits
“Are you sure?”
I laugh, taking a greedy lick of my ice cream as it tries to dissolve down the side of the cone. “I think I’d know.”
“That kiss on the beach was pretty legit.”
“I was wasted. I barely remember it.”
“You didn’t seem that wasted.”
“That’s because I’m better at it than you are.”
Katy’s shoulders sag. “Are you really going to bring this up again?’
I smile. “I’m never going to let you forget it.”
“Fine, whatever.”
“Sophomore year. Behind the football field in the woods. Mac Gibson, or Ol’ Mac Donghold as he was known to some for mysterious and probably disgusting reasons. A four pack of wine coolers and a full pack of cigarettes.”
“Are you enjoying yourself?” she asks blandly.
“Shh, this is my favorite part,” I whisper before raising my voice way too loud. “You, Katelin Reynolds, were nearly caught rounding second base with Ol’ Mac Donghold when he heard the fuzz coming. He, the brave and chivalrous boy that he was, ran into the woods and left you behind. You, being utterly wasted and totally shitty at it, cried, vomited, got caught, and spent the majority of that summer grounded in your room. Did I miss any of it?”
Katy stabs her hot fudge sundae angrily. “Mac ran away with my bra and showed it to the whole school the next day,” she mumbles.
“Mac ran away with your bra and showed it to the entire school the very next day,” I announce loudly.
Heads turn. Kids giggle. Mother’s frown. Mac’s dad glares at me from his place in line at the Frosty Freeze register.
“Fucking small towns,” I grumble under my breath.
Katy laughs, her mood instantly lighter. “Serves you right.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“How’s the job going? Are you saving up enough for the plane ticket?”
I groan in annoyance. “I think so, but I lost my deposit on the apartment I had set up. I’ll have to find a new one along with a fresh deposit.” I reach over and throw my melting ice cream into the trash, giving up. My hands are coated in an invisible stickiness that I brush at fruitlessly with a brown napkin. “It seems like every time I think I’m done paying for what happened something else comes up. I’m starting to wonder if I shouldn’t just say screw it and wait another year.”
“You can’t do that,” Katy tells me seriously. “You already put it off for two years after we graduated. If you put it off again you’ll never go and you have to go.”
“Why? What’s the point?”
“The point is you’re good!”
“And the other students there will be better.”
“So what? If you’re not the best you’re not gonna go?”
I shrug, looking out the window. “I don’t know.”
“Big fish in a little pond?” she asks knowingly. “Scared of being the little fish in the big pond?”
“Something like that.”
“Well, if you need to talk about it I know just the person you should go to. Kind of an expert on the subject.”
I turn to her, my brows pinched in confusion. “Who?”
She laughs, kicking me gently under the table. “Lawson Daniel, dummy.”
“I can’t bring this up with him.”
“Oh, okay. You can share saliva with him but you can’t talk to him?”
“We talk.”
“About what? How hot he is? How he wants to do you? His favorite yoga pose on a surfboard? Is it downward facing dolphin? Tell me it’s downward facing dolphin.”
“No,” I laugh.
“No it’s not or no you won’t tell me.”
“No, to everything.”
“Even sleeping with him?”
“Ugh, let it go.”
“Not until you let Mac Donghold go.”
I smile, shaking my head vehemently. “Never.”
***
The room is cool. It’s dry and dark, the outside world kept out. Kept locked away behind the curtained windows that let in little shafts of light speckled with clusters of dust kicked up by my fingers flying over the keys. An old xylophone sits
Similar Books
