Page 40 of Big Pucking Deal
“No, I’m serious.” She tugs me to the kitchen where Jordan sits at the kitchen table staring at a mug in his hands.
It’s a mug that the three of us made —one for each— when we were in junior high. There’s a large J on it with the words “3 J’s 4 Life” written just below it. I don’t know if or where Jolie’s is, but mine and Jordan’s mugs have sat next to each other in the cabinet for as long as we’ve lived together.
I clear my throat and he looks up. He looks tired, like he hasn’t slept more than five minutes. We stare at one another and I brace for the moment that he jumps over the table and slams his fist into my face. It’s fine. I’ll be fine. Hockey players have black eyes and bruises all the time. I’m lucky to have all of my own teeth, so it was bound to happen eventually.
He pushes his chair back, the legs screeching against the tiled floor, and stands. Jolie squeezes my hand, a little support to tell me it will be okay. Or maybe it’s a reminder to just take it like a man.
Jordan walks around the table and walks menacingly slow. I can’t take the drawn out drama. I just want to run into his fist and get it over with. He comes toe to toe with me, his jaw clenching, and when he lifts his arm, I close my eyes and just wait.
But I don’t feel the crack of his knuckles as they pound against my cheek. Instead, Jordan’s big arms wrap around me, my arms stuck to my sides, and he hugs me. I turn my head to look at Jolie and she wears the same mask of shock as I do.
“I’m sorry man. I never realized the damage I caused. I feel like this was all my fault because I was a selfish brat. I don’t deserve your friendship, much less your forgiveness, but I’m asking for it anyhow.”
I manage to maneuver my hands so that I can pat the small part of his back. “There’s nothing for me to forgive. I’m the one that came out to beg for yours.”
“Nah man. The only reason you did what you did is because I did what I did. I was right there with you all of these years, and here I am acting like I’m better than you.”
“Jo, you’ve never acted better than me. We’re brothers. We have ups and downs but at the end of the day, our bond is unbreakable.”
A loud clap silences our bro moment and we both turn to look at Jolie, Jordan’s arms still hugging onto me.
“Okay. This is getting real weird real fast. How about you both say sorry, accept the other's apology, and let go. Your proximity to one another is creeping me out. There should be more room. Like a middle school dance.” She wags her finger between us and it’s then that I notice that we are kinda close.
Jordan reaches out and pulls Jolie into our hug, and I wrap an arm around each of them. “Thanks for talking some sense into me, Jo. I’m sorry for being such an ass all these years.”
“It’s okay. I forgive you,” Jolie tells him with a soft laugh.
“So does this mean we can go back to being the three J’s?” I ask them and get a resounding yes.
It’s cheesy, I know, but it’s us. Bean, Bunny and Bubba. Jo, Jo and Jo. Spaghetti and Meatballs. Yeah, that wasn’t our best one, but we thought we were pretty clever.
“Guys,” Jolie says, her words muffled. “Can you let go now? My face is at your armpits and it’s kind of gross.”
We drop our arms and I pick her up and swing her around to hold onto my back. A move we perfected in high school.
“I’m starving. I know we missed breakfast but do you think we could have it anyway?” I ask.
“Yup. But I’m cooking like this so I hope your back is feeling okay.”
I reach around and smack her ass. “You can ride me anytime, Bunny. I’m always ready for you.”
“Aw c’mon. Not even five minutes and you two are grossing me out.” Jordan drops his head and shakes it like he’s trying to rattle it out of his brain.
“Get used to it,” Jolie tells him. “It’s happening.”
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Jolie asks, her arms banded tightly around me.
“Yeah. Don’t you?”
“Well yeah, but I’m not the one who’s afraid. That’s all you,” she reminds me.
“That was years ago.”
“That was last week. Remember?”
I look at her and reach up to knock on her helmet. “This is different, Bunny. That time I was on my own. This time around, I’ve got you by my side. I can do anything with you next to me.”
She raises a brow with a knowing smirk. “Including jumping off a platform almost five hundred feet in the air over a vast canyon with only a cold river to catch us if the cord breaks?”
