Page 47 of Something Good
“Second,” he continued, as he grabbed my chin between his fingers, forcing me to keep my eyes trained on his, “there isn’t a single thing about you that’s embarrassing to me. Not one thing. I think you’re fucking amazing, and there isn’t a bit of me that doesn’t want to show you off tonight. But if you’re not comfortable, we’ll go.” He brushed his thumb across my cheekbone. “Not becauseIdon’t want you here, but because your comfort matters more to me than anything else.”
I surged forward and kissed him. He was the only person in my life who ever made me feel like I meant something. Like I had value and a place in this world beyond being a Walmart cashier and Jimmy’s brother. Like I mattered simply because I was me and not for any other reason. I kissed him in gratitude. In friendship. In awe. In love. I kissed him for all the ways I knew I could never tell him how much he meant to me.
“You’re fucking amazing, you know that?” I gasped when we came up for air.
“I’m not.”
“You are.” I kissed his forehead. “Let’s go find your friends.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, golden boy, I’m sure.” We got out of the car, and he came around and took my hand in his. “Besides, you basically said if they’re dicks, you’ll kick their asses to protect my honor.”
“That’s…not what I said.”
“Yeah, but my way is hotter.”
25
WILL
The soundsof laughter and music filtered up from the lake as we walked down the path, hand in hand. It was narrow, so Sammy filed in front of me, and I took the opportunity to allow my eyes to look their fill. His halo of unruly curls had grown out since the summer started, and lately, he’d taken to tying them back with a hair tie, but tonight, he’d left his hair wild and untamed, just the way I liked it. He wore a vintage black Beastie Boys T-shirt and baggy shorts that sat low on his hips, along with his usual ratty black Vans. In contrast, I wore a fitted lavender T-shirt and chinos paired with leather flip-flops.
He was right. We came from different worlds. I looked like an ad for Vineyard Vines, while he looked like he’d walked straight out of a skate park. But none of that mattered. At our core, I was Will and he was Sammy. And even if our outsides didn’t match, the pieces inside us that made up the essence of who we were fit perfectly.
As we broke through the clearing onto the beach, I spotted Jason on the edges of the crowd. He was talking to Zach and a girl I didn’t recognize. Next to Jason were Rafi and a couple ofother lifeguards, though I was surprised I didn’t see Sonny and Hannah. It was rare to find a party that didn’t include those two.
Jason turned toward us with a wide smile as we approached, and it was a testament to our friendship that his warmth extended to Sammy just as much as it did to me. After expressing his concern for the situation at the beginning of July, he’d held true to his word, not standing in my way and offering nothing but support. I would miss him almost as much as Sammy when I left next week.
We fist-bumped and exchanged greetings. Jason introduced me to his friend, Zach, and Zach’s girlfriend, Leslie. Sammy was apparently already acquainted with both of them. I was pretty sure I’d heard Jason talk about Zach a few times earlier in the summer, but this was the first time I was meeting him.
Conversation and alcohol flowed around us, and little by little, Sammy relaxed. He didn’t say a lot, mostly just listened and observed, occasionally responding when someone asked him something. Otherwise, he remained quiet. Still, he kept hold of my hand and didn’t shy away from the little touches I couldn’t keep to myself when I was around him.
After a while, Joey and his girlfriend approached, and though I’d seen him with Sammy a couple of times, this was the first time we’d been formally introduced. The three of them immediately became engrossed in conversation, laughing and flipping each other shit. Jason took advantage of the distraction, lowering his voice so only I could hear, and asked, “Things okay with you two?”
I couldn’t help the grin that stretched across my face as I watched Sammy light up with laughter at something Joey said. It was so rare that I got to see him truly joyful, and I took a moment to soak it in. “Yeah, man. Things are good,” I finally responded, sipping my beer while my mind tripped over the thought ofheading to school on Wednesday. “Leaving next week is going to kill me.”
“You guys talked about it? You going to try to keep this thing going?”
“I haven’t brought it up. I think we’ve both been avoiding discussing it.” I stared down into my beer. “I love him, J.”
“Yeah, I figured.” His big hand came up to rest on my shoulder, squeezing gently. He let out a sigh. “It’s gonna suck not having you around. Crazy that you only just came back a couple of months ago.”
“I know. Feels like longer.”
“Course most of these fools are leaving. Astaire’s going to be a weird place. I’ve known some of these people my whole life.”
I hated to see the sadness that passed over his features. He’d been a better friend to me in the last couple of months than any of the kids I’d hung out with in Grand Island. I hated the idea of leaving him behind, but we’d talked about it before, and he’d insisted college wasn’t what he wanted. He’d make a good EMT though. He was even-tempered and compassionate, and I couldn’t imagine him riding a desk job. It would be a good fit for him.
The sound of voices raised in an apparent argument cut through our conversation, and we turned to see Zach and his girlfriend clearly in the middle of some kind of disagreement. We couldn’t hear the specifics of their fight, but it was obvious by the way they were glaring at each other and gesturing that something was going down. Abruptly, Leslie threw her empty cup into the sand at Zach’s feet and stomped off, leaving him staring after her in shock. Wordlessly, Jason slipped past me, making his way over to where Zach was standing.
People resumed their conversations, animatedly speculating over the cause of the fight. I joined Sammy, Joey, and Grace’s conversation, but I wasn’t really feeling it anymore. With lessthan a week left before leaving, I realized what I really wanted was time with Sammy. I didn’t want to waste it with anyone else.
I leaned in, pressing my lips to Sammy’s ear. “You wanna get out of here?”
“Hell yeah,” came his immediate response.
We said our goodbyes, dumping our half-finished drinks in the trash cans at the edge of the clearing, and made our way back to my Jeep. “You good to drive?” he asked.
