Page 93 of The Summer of Everything

Nico’s hypeman skills need work, but at least Zay seems to be chilling out. If Zay backs out, it’ll just be Anna, Cooper, and Wes reading. Nico’s the host for the day, and there’s no way any of them are letting Ella read to children.

“Why not? I have the perfect book,” Ella asserted three days ago at Little Tony’s.

“What?” Wes asked, unconvinced.

“Gone Girl.”

It was the first time they collectively Canceled a person.

Wes watches Nico pep-talk Zay with scrunched eyes and that crooked, canines visible, smile. He has three small red bumps between his eyebrows. Even now, Nico has stress breakouts. Wes wants to ask what’s instigated this latest acne attack, but it’s impossible to be around Nico these days without accepting the reality that the happily ever after ending he’s outlined in his head isn’t going to happen.

Instead, Wes turns to his comics corner.

Lucas stands, arms crossed, eyes narrowed as they prepare the area for tomorrow’s releases. They’re a mini Wes Hudson in the making. Wes loves it. He loves how Lucas has created a system that differs so greatly from his own, but it works. On his next payday, Wes’s decided to cut Lucas a piece of his earnings. It’s the least he can do.

That familiar twist knots Wes’s stomach. Pressure compacts his chest. Once Upon a Page might not be around long enough for Lucas to fully implement their system. Closing his eyes, Wes breathes deeply. It doesn’t work all the time, but it’s a reprieve when he’s able to blink without seeing dots.

“I’m a juggernaut,” Cooper announces when he bursts through the front door.

Zay wolf whistles. Lucas throws a hand over their mouth, sputtering. Wes shakes his head, amused.

Cooper’s dressed as Dogman, with the tip of his nose painted black and floppy brown ears attached to his blue snapback. He strolls up to Nico and Zay, holding out his phone. “Everyone wants a selfie with me. I barely made it halfway to the pier.” He scrolls through Once Upon a Page’s Insta. “We’ve got so many new followers.”

“Nice,” Nico says, high-fiving him.

“Proud of you,” Zay says, dragging Cooper into a halfhearted headlock before kissing the top of his head. They shove and laugh until a mother near the edge of the circle shoots them the evil eye. Wes shrugs an apathetic apology. Cooper’s singlehandedly trying to save the bookstore via social media. He deserves a good time.

“Dude has a fan mob coming down here at three p.m. It’s nuts.”

Wes’s head snaps in the direction of the familiar voice coming from the doorway. His breath stalls on an inhale.

It’s Manu, smiling while holding a Brews and Views cup.

In moments like this, Wes wonders if normal people’s brains activate the “keep cool” function so that they’re not standing in the middle of a bookstore, mouth wide open, eyes bugging like a cartoon.

“Oh, yeah. Guess who I ran into at the coffee shop?” Cooper says, as if Manu hasn’t been staring at Wes with a hint of uncertainty in his eyes. “It’s my boy Manuia. You know him, right, Wes?”

“H-Hi,” Wes finally stutters.

“Nice to see you. In person, I mean. Because I see you online and stuff, but…” Manu rubs the back of his neck. “Wow, all of that just came out.”

“It did,” confirms Wes.

“And now I’m guessing it wasn’t a coincidence we ran into each other, but the universe’s plan to make this…” Cooper motions an index finger between Wes and Manu, “…happen. Good.”

Wes tries to project aShut upin Cooper’s direction. It doesn’t seem to work. Cool, no Professor X mind-control powers in the Hudson bloodline.

Manu walks over to Wes. “So, this might be kind of creepy,” he starts.

“We’ve established you’re good at that,” Wes says.

“Right. Slid right into your DMs, didn’t I?”

“In a totally good, non-dick pics kind of way.”

Manu chuckles quietly. “Anyway, I know you have a thing for tea. So I thought you’d like this.” He extends the cup to Wes. “It’s just an English tea latte.”

Wes inhales so deeply, his chest aches.

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