Page 96 of The Summer of Everything

Manu leans closer, then hesitates. He searches Wes’s face for permission.

Wes nods.

Manu’s lips taste like coffee and powdered doughnuts and finality. He pulls away first. Wes tries to memorize the moment, eyes closed. His first kiss with a boy in the middle of the afternoon where anyone could see. A cooling, wet thumb strokes the apple of his cheek, then Manu’s gone.

And Wes lets the rain soak him through.

Standing just inside the bookstore’sentrance, Wes drips a puddle onto the beat-up carpet. A handful of eyes are on him. He notices Ella has joined the others.

“What happened?” she demands.

Wes shrugs, incapable of making his throat work.

“You just let him go?”

He nods, biting his lip. The sour flavor of rain tickles his tongue.

“Why?”

Wes sniffles. He uses the back of his wrist to wipe water from the end of his nose. His shoes are squishy. He didn’t jog back to the bookstore. He walked. Slowly, shakily, without caring about how soaked his costume would be by the end.

“Wes,” she says, shaking her head. She’s disappointed in him, which is one hell of an ironic moment coming from Ella Graham. “You’re ruining your life waiting for—”

He cuts her off. “It’s alreadyruined, El.”

It’s pouring outside. The rain splattering on the pavement is marginally louder than Wes’s voice. It’s louder than Zay as he reads to the children still gathered around the carpet. It’s louder than the murmuring from the parents who are now staring at Wes, hands over their mouths as they whisper to each other.

He’s too much of a mess to give a shit.

“This…” Wes waves a hand around the bookstore, then smacks it against his own chest. “…isn’t something you can fix with a half-assed effort. You can’t just roll over whenever you want and decide to deal with reality. It’s here. It’s always been here.”

“I don’t—”

He interrupts her again. “You do. Don’t feel like dealing with the reality that the bookstore is closing? Show up late. Don’t want to deal with the possibility of heartbreak by having feelings for someone? Hook up, then ghost them.”

He’s seething, chest inflating too quickly. “Can’t handle the pressure that maybe, just maybe, there are some issues with your parents you have to face head-on or they’ll never be fixed? Camp out at your best friend’s spot for the summer, then pack up for college in the fall. Boom. Mic drop. Peace out, life-givers; it’s been real.”

Okay, Wes is a certified, dog-faced asshole for that one. Raging against the machine comes with casualties. Unfortunately, that includes one of his closest friends.

Ella blinks and blinks at him. She doesn’t say anything. Maybe she’s mentally plotting where to hide his body.

“Ella. Wesley.” Nico wedges between them, his voice a low warning. “Let’s not fight.”

Two of the parents have their phones pointed at them. Great. Wes’s meltdown will probably be a viral hit in a few hours. Another set of parents are already escorting their children from the story time circle toward the front door. Before they can escape, Cooper yells, “Have a page-turning day!” with as much charm as a guy dressed as Dogman can spare.

Nico turns to Wes. “¿Estás bien?”

Something is stuck to Wes’s shoe. He shakes it off. It’s a semi-glossy cardstock flyer for next week’s Speed Booking. Ella and Kyra are supposed to pass them out near the pier tomorrow.

Reality hits Wes like a runaway train. Next week’s too late. Next month, there won’t be a Once Upon a Page. It’s over. Leo called the time of death a week ago, and Wes has steadily ignored the fact that the cold, lifeless shell that once housed his teen dreams is all but buried.

“No. I’m not okay.” Wes stumbles back from Nico. “Things aren’t okay; thanks for noticing.” After a deep, unsteady breath, he chokes out, “Andwe’renot okay either.”

Nico’s eyebrows climb his forehead. “¿Que?”

“We’re not okay,” Wes repeats, anger crawling into his voice. He squints to stop anything from leaking out his eyes. “I’ve been trying to…” He doesn’t finish.

“Trying to what?”

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