by Kasie West
I laughed.
Gunnar came running over with a huge rock. “Do you think I can make this one skip?” he asked.
“No. Skipping rocks need to be flat and smaller.”
“I bet I can make it skip,” Andrew said, appearing beside us.
He seemed to always show up out of nowhere. Well, not nowhere. He had obviously been at the event, and it was a small event and … fine, he always seemed to butt in.
“How much you want to bet?” I asked.
“Five bucks?” Andrew said. The rock was the size of his palm.
“Have you ever skipped a rock before?” I challenged him.
He lowered his chin. “Is that a real question?”
“If you think that rock can be skipped, then yes, it is a very real question.”
“Five bucks?”
“Five bucks.”
Gunnar handed Andrew the rock. It didn’t look quite as big with Andrew holding it but still. He and his preppy shorts walked toward the water.
Andrew rubbed the rock between his palms a couple of times. Then he wound up his arm and threw. With a plop I could hear from where we sat ten feet away, it sank to the bottom. Gunnar thought this was the funniest thing in the world and he doubled over with laughter.
Andrew turned to face me.
I raised my eyebrows at him. “You owe me five bucks, Hart. I’ll add it to the list of things you owe me.”
“What else do I owe you?” he asked, walking back.
“I believe you still owe me flowers, bought by you, arranged by me.”
Andrew smirked. “Oh, that’s right. Our first meeting. How could I forget? You obviously haven’t.”
“You make it impossible. You just keep showing up.”
He held up his phone. “Get closer to Micah. You guys look like America right now.”
He had a point; I took in Micah’s red T-shirt and my multicolored plaid dress. Micah leaned close to me and Andrew took a picture.
“Soph!”
I turned to see my mom walking up, holding a plate of food.
“Oh, hey, Andrew,” Mom said, stopping in front of us like she hadn’t come over here just because of him. “I didn’t realize that was you.”
Micah pinched my arm. Had I scoffed out loud?
“Hi, Ms. Evans.”
“Larissa,” she corrected. “How are you? Jett said you two were in New York for a couple weeks. That sounds like fun. We’ve never been to New York.”
“You’ve never been to New York?” he asked my mom, and then glanced at me.
“No,” she said. “Sophie wants to go there for school but she’s always been a bit of a dreamer. Life has a way of turning us all into realists eventually.”
Great. As if Andrew needed more ammunition for his insults.
Micah put her arm around me. “If anyone from Rockside could make it in New York, it’s Sophie.”
I noticed Andrew didn’t chime in to agree with that statement … and neither did I.
“Oh, Micah,” Mom said. “Don’t encourage her.” She laughed like this was a fun little conversation we were all having about somebody else’s future. “Anyway, speaking of reality, I’m off to work.”
“Isn’t the entire town here today, Ms. Evans?” Andrew asked. “I didn’t think the diner was even open.”
“It will be a slow night, but we’ll have some customers.”
“I didn’t know you were going to work,” I said. “What about Gunnar?”
“Gunnar can stay here, of course. It’s not like you’re actually working.”
“Mom, Caroline said …”
“What about Caroline? Is she going to fire you? Really? Ask her who else she’s gonna get who she can order around like she does you.”
I sighed. “She doesn’t—”
“Don’t get your feathers ruffled. I’ll talk with her,” Mom said.
“No, don’t do that.”
“We’ll watch Gunnar, Ms. Evans. It’s fine,” Micah said, always the peacemaker.
“Thanks, Micah, sweetie. Maybe this daughter of mine could be a little more loyal occasionally.” Mom patted my cheek, and then left.
Who wants food?” Micah asked as soon as my mom was gone. “I do.”
“I want food,” Gunnar said. “I love Hank’s.”
“Yes, let’s go get food,” I said, a bit numb from humiliation.
“I want to see what the big deal about Hank’s Barbecue is,” Andrew said, for once not using this opportunity to say something rude. He walked alongside Micah and me toward the grill.
“It’s the best,” Gunnar said, skipping ahead of us in excitement.
“Oh, look,” Micah said under her breath, trying but failing to contain a smile.
“What?” I asked, but then saw what she was looking at. Kyle was in line for food, straight ahead of us.
“Time to eat your biscuit,” Micah said.
“What?” Andrew asked. “Is that some kind of Southern saying?”
“That’s what I call a Sophie saying,” Micah said.
“Don’t ask,” I said.
We joined the line.
I took a deep breath in through my nose. Did I even want to go out with Kyle still? I stared at the back of his head for a moment. He was cute in his cool I don’t care way, and he made me laugh. Yes, I was going to do this. I’d been wanting to do this and I didn’t give up on things I wanted.
“Hi, Kyle.”
He turned. “Oh, hey, Soph.”
“How come he gets to call you Soph?” Andrew asked from next to me, and I ignored him.
“How’s your summer going so far?” I asked Kyle.
“Uneventful. Yours?”
“Pretty good,” I returned.
Micah nudged me in the ribs, encouraging me to say more.
“Anything fun going on?” I asked.
“Not that I know of,” Kyle said with a lazy shrug.
Now or never.
“Maybe … we should do something, then,” I said.
“Well, I got that new job so I’m pretty busy, but … uh … okay.” Then he gave another shrug and turned back around to talk to Lincoln, who was standing by him.
I blinked once. That wasn’t the reaction I had anticipated. I’d thought I was the one holding up the progression of the relationship, not him. The rebuff stung. I tried to play it off like it was nothing.
“That was fun,” I said quietly to Micah. “You satisfied now?”
“No, I’m very unsatisfied,” she said. “I have a right mind to box him in the ears.”
I glanced at Andrew, who was silent. I was sure he understood what had just happened, but he had the decency to pretend he didn’t.
The line went fast and soon we each had a plateful of meat and a few sides. We found an open picnic table and sat. Gunnar watched Andrew intently as he took the first bite of ribs. I wasn’t sure if Andrew knew he had an audience or if he was being sincere in his reaction, but he said, “Mmmm. Wow. That’s good.”
“See,” Gunnar said. “I told you.”
“You know your food.”
Micah gave my arm a squeeze that let me know she felt bad about what had just happened with Kyle.
“I’m fine,” I said under my breath. And I was. Embarrassed, but fine, I assured myself.
“Are you going to be a cook when you grow up like your dad?” Gunnar continued the conversation with Andrew.
Andrew laughed. “No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I have no idea how to cook.”
“Your dad didn’t teach you?” Gunnar asked.
“My dad was a television chef. They provided him with top-of-the-line sous-chefs.” He paused, then added, “That means other chefs who help out the big chef. And then when my dad was finished with his show, he was helping other people with their food businesses.”
“Oh,” Gunnar said, nodding along.
“Sometimes these people really don’t know what they’re doing even though it’s their jo
b, and he has to teach them from scratch.” Andrew circled his fork at Micah. “Not your dad. He’s good.”
“Aw, shucks. You probably say that to all the girls,” Micah said.
“I do,” he returned with a wink. And then to me he said, “I’m sure your dad’s a great chef too.”
“My dad is a two-bit loser,” Gunnar said, sounding exactly like our mother.
“Gunnar,” I said. “Not cool.”
Andrew began coughing, probably choking on his food. Micah patted his back until he stopped.
“You okay?” she asked.
“Yes.” He coughed a few more times then took a drink of water. “I’m good.”
“It’s okay,” Gunnar said. “Everyone knows it.”
Andrew smiled a little, then looked at me like I should say something more. I probably should’ve, but I wasn’t in the mood to defend anyone tonight, especially not my dad. It went back to my mixed feelings about him. I may have understood why he wanted to leave, and most of the time I liked him, but he could’ve done a better job at keeping in touch. Especially with Gunnar. He could’ve come back to visit. He could’ve at least acted like he wanted to. He didn’t. He was never big on pretending. Which is probably where I’d gotten that from.
“Well, my mom’s a loser,” Andrew said. “Maybe they’re friends.”
Gunnar thought that Andrew was serious. “Does your mom live in California? That’s where my dad lives.”
“I’m not sure where my mom is living at the moment. Last I checked she was in Oregon.”
So I’d been right. He and his mom didn’t get along. Micah seemed surprised and concerned by this exchange. “Really?”
“Really. Why is your dad in California?” Andrew asked Gunnar.
“Because he thinks he’s twenty and wants to surf all the time,” Gunnar said, again sounding like our mother. Mom usually added the part about Dad feeling like he needed to regain his youth after marrying too young. She said too much in front of Gunnar.
“Okay, Gunnar,” I said, finally stepping in. “Let’s not be gossips.”
“It’s not gossip if it’s true.”
“It’s gossip if you’re telling people who have no business knowing.”
Gunnar shrugged and took a bite of his ribs.
I saw Caroline coming from fifty feet away. Her movements were big and purposeful. When she reached the table she said, “Sophie, can you show Bryce how to connect his phone to the speakers? I thought all you kids understood that wireless thing, but apparently not. The fireworks are starting in about twenty minutes.”
“Sure,” I said.
She walked away, not even glancing at Gunnar. I wondered if my mom really had talked to her. I stood and pointed to Gunnar. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
He nodded.
“We’ll watch him,” Micah said.
“Thanks.”
Bryce was cursing at his phone when I reached the parking lot. The trunk of his car was open and a pair of large speakers pointed toward the park.
“You’ve given us all a bad name with Caroline because you don’t have technology skills,” I said.
Bryce’s parents were in charge of the fireworks, and Bryce was in charge of the music that went along with the fireworks. When night fell, fireworks would go off over the lake.
“Sophie, it’s these stupid speakers Caroline lent me,” Bryce groaned. “Will you tell your boss to come into this decade?”
I held out my hand for his phone. “Let me try?”
“Jodi and Kyle couldn’t figure it out either.”
My stomach tightened at the mention of Kyle’s name but I continued holding my hand out. Finally, Bryce relinquished his phone.
I went into his settings and tried to find the name of the speakers. It took me a while to realize the speakers weren’t turned on. When we finally powered them on, music blasted at both of us. I quickly turned down the volume, my ears ringing.
“You did it!” Bryce yelled loudly even though the music was low. His ears must’ve been ringing too. “Thanks.”
I had taken one step back, ready to walk away, when I stopped myself. “Is Kyle seeing someone? Are he and Jodi a thing?” I’d wondered this before. Jodi had been in their band for at least a year. She was cute, with dyed-pink hair and a nose ring.
“They better not be,” Bryce said with a half smile. “Since me and her are talking.”
“Oh.” I realized how much I wanted Kyle to have a good excuse when I was disappointed by that answer. I shook it off and left Bryce probably thinking I was pathetic.
Back by the tables, Micah was refilling the bowl of fancy potato salad that Jett had made. I wasn’t sure, but it had tasted like it had grapes in it.
“Hey,” I said. “Where’s my brother?” I scanned the area but didn’t see him.
“He’s sitting right there.” Micah turned toward the picnic table where we’d all been sitting. But it was empty. “He was just there a second ago.” She turned a full circle, taking in the surrounding area.
My eyes went straight to the large grill, thinking Gunnar had gone to refill his plate, but he wasn’t there. Then my head whipped to the water. Gunnar knew how to swim, but that didn’t mean I didn’t panic for a moment. It wasn’t completely dark, but I pulled out my phone so I could shine my flashlight over the surface of the lake.
“You don’t think he’s out there, do you?” Micah asked, sounding nervous.
“No.” I really didn’t, but better safe than sorry. When my scan of the lake produced nothing, I calmed down a bit. He had to be here somewhere.
“Wait, where’s Andrew?” Micah asked.
My phone buzzed with a text. It was from an unknown number. Your brother dragged me to the boathouse.
I held up the phone for Micah to see.
“That’s Andrew’s number,” she said.
“Speaking of someone who has no self-control. He couldn’t have waited until I got back?”
“Are you talking about Gunnar or Andrew?”
“Both.”
The boathouse was on the far side of the small lake. It was a decrepit building that used to store paddle boats and canoes but now mostly stored garbage. I wasn’t sure how Andrew felt about being dragged around by my little brother, but Gunnar was my responsibility. I picked up my pace, jogging along the well-worn path that bordered the lake.
I could hear Gunnar’s voice as I approached the building.
“And this is a kayak, or it used to be a kayak but now it has a hole in it.”
“I think it’s still a kayak,” Andrew said.
I pushed open the wooden door that was only connected by one hinge. Andrew’s phone flashlight was on, illuminating the scene with a soft glow.
“Sophie!” Gunnar said. “I was showing Andrew the boathouse. This is a paddle boat. Have you ever seen a paddle boat?”
“Yes, I have,” Andrew said. “But I’ve never been on one.”
“You’ve never been on a paddle boat?” Gunnar asked with a laugh.
“Gunnar,” I said. “We better head back. The fireworks are about to start.”
“Let’s watch them from here.” Gunnar pointed to the ceiling and I looked up to see a large jagged hole.
Andrew tilted the flashlight a little so it shone on his face, and he mouthed, “He’s scared of fireworks.”
I shook my head. I knew Gunnar wasn’t scared, regardless of how self-assured in all opinions Andrew pretended to be. “We won’t be able to see them that well from out here.”
“They won’t be as loud,” Gunnar said.
“They’ll probably be just as loud,” I said.
“But maybe not,” Andrew said back.
“Yeah,” Gunnar said. “Maybe not.”
Was Andrew right? Was Gunnar afraid? The first firework shot into the sky, and a big explosion of red lit the inside of the boathouse.
Gunnar jumped. “Let’s just sit over there.” He pointed to the far wall.
“Okay,” I sai
d, taking his hand. It was cold and clammy. We walked to the wall and sat down, Andrew on one side of Gunnar, me on the other.
As the next firework exploded in the sky, Gunnar buried his face in Andrew’s shoulder.
“Told you,” Andrew mouthed.
Of course he’d rub it in. I put my hand on Gunnar’s arm. “Hey, kid. They’re just fireworks. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Gunnar didn’t budge and another loud boom went off. I looked up at the partial view we had through the decaying roof. I leaned against the wall, sure the entire back of my dress would be covered in dirt when we left, and watched the sky.
“When I was a kid, I was scared of thunder,” I said.
“I thought you still were,” Andrew said dryly.
“No, now I’m scared of rich boys who take over local businesses.”
“Understandably.”
A blue explosion lit the sky.
“I used to think that thunder sounded like the whole sky was fixin’ to fall. I’d sit up in bed at night, unable to move. And Mom tried to tell me it was just a bunch of lightning bugs up there that were mad at each other. I knew that wasn’t true, and I thought that if she had to tell me a lie then whatever was making that awful noise must’ve been something pretty bad.”
“What did you do?” Gunnar asked, peeking up at me.
“Yes, what did you do?” Andrew asked, his twinkling eyes looking my way.
I glared at him and he smiled.
“I went on the computer and learned all about thunder. What caused it. Why it happened. And then I forced myself to sit on the porch one day during a lightning storm and watch it.”
“But I know what fireworks are,” Gunnar said.
“I know. But maybe you should watch a few. They’re really pretty. You don’t even have to move, just look up. Nothing bad is going to happen. The more you see that, the less scared you’ll become.”
Gunnar turned his head and watched several explode. “I know you think I’m being a baby,” he said. “But I can’t help it.”
“I don’t think you’re being a baby,” I said, surprised by his accusation. “There’s not always a rhyme or a reason for fear.”
“There’s a reason for mine,” he said.
“Oh yeah?”
“Last New Year’s Eve when you were working, Momma had a party in the backyard and I was supposed to be asleep.”