Page 77 of String Boys
Which was probably Kelly’s first inkling of something larger, but Kelly was too pissed off to deal.
“Well, no, Seth, get another best man. And for that matter, get ready to fork out some money from your own pocket for the chair rental, ’cause Seth’s dad was doing that from work. And if you’re feelingreallyrich, by all means pay for the cake, ’cause that’s a friend of his receptionist, and he’s paying her for you.”
Matty stared at him, his mouth opening and closing, and Kelly stared back, jaw thrust out just like their dad when he was mad.
He knew this.
His mother had told him so.
“Isela…,” Matty whined, and Kelly flipped him off.
“Get a new best man. I know you’re fucking broke and trying to afford an apartment and shit, but God, Matty, who died and made you king of everything?”
So while Kelly wasatthe wedding, Matty’s other forward from his soccer team was his best man.
And Kelly didn’t want to burst Matty’s bubble, but Randall had hit on him twice.
So the wedding happened in Isela’s church, and Isela wore white over her baby bump, and Kelly told Seth it was incredibly boring, but that wasn’t entirely true.
Kelly cried a little, not for his dickheaded brother, but because he wanted one of these someday, and the boy he wanted it with hadn’t even been invited to this one.
But finally—finally—Matty was out of the house.
Kelly spent less time with Seth’s dad over his senior year, which was too bad, but he had a license now, and once school started, it was his job to drop Lily and Lulu off at the good junior high, where Seth had gone, because they were both super geniuses or something. Agnes was still in grade school; she only had one more year.
Kellywishedhe’d gotten the room to himself, but they moved Agnes out of Lily and Lulu’s room, put a little silk screen in the corner so she could change, and everybody breathed just a little easier.
Kelly figured it was really only fair.
He told Seth almost everything—leaving out stuff like Matty’s groomsman grabbing his ass whenever they met or scholarships he was applying for in San Francisco. He figured if it came true, he could surprise Seth, and if it didn’t, well, they were still planning.
How to move out.
How much money they’d have to make.
Where they’d go to school.
Dreams. So many dreams.
“Mm….” Kelly was lying on top of Seth in his bunk, in one of their rare moments alone. Vince and Amara had opted for the fast-food run this time, and Kelly had discovered—much to his surprise—that he felt like making out.
He’d pounced on Seth, mouth open, hands busy and everywhere, and his shock when he wanted to stick his hand down Seth’s nylon shorts and stroke him off was nowhere near his excitement when he welcomed Seth’s touch to do the same.
Ah! Oh God, oh God, oh God….
Damn.
It had taken about two minutes, and after they’d changed and washed off, Kelly made Seth lie down so he could lie on top of him.
“What are we gonna do for the next hour?” He laughed, and Seth chuckled and wrapped his arms tighter around Kelly’s shoulders.
“Plan for your graduation,” Seth murmured. “I can come, right?”
“Absolutely.” He hadn’t invited Matty.
“Good. I… I really want to be there. Next week, right?”
“Thursday afternoon.”
