The Best Year - 44. Chapter 44

After we got back to the house, I barely had the door closed before Luke pushed me against the back of the couch. I was trying to toe out of my muddy shoes and he was pulling my shirt up over my head. With an agitated hiss I finally raised my arms and he pulled it up over my head. Watching him he smirked before he leaned forward and found my neck. I was struggling to keep up with him. When I finally had my sneakers off I grabbed the back of his head and pulled his attention away from kissing down my chest. He smiled again and I jumped when I felt his hand slide across my cock, when he found it I tensed and felt him start to run his hand up along it.

“Fucking hell,” I said and pushed him away just far enough so that I could grab his shoulder and pull him with me as I started towards the stairs. At the bottom he stopped me and for a second I thought he was about to leave me hanging until I saw that he was toeing out of his own sneakers. After one was slung somewhere behind him we started up the stairs. At the top he pushed me against the wall, my side grazing the top of the railing. Groaning, I reached up and pulled his face to mine and he kissed me. I wanted to move on down the hall towards the bathroom, I wanted the dried cum I felt in my hair and the mud on my legs gone. Getting him into the shower with me was just a perk. I let him hold me in place and when he started making his way down my jawline to my neck, then my freshly shaved chest I moaned when his stubble grazed my nipple. I also forgot about the pictures framed and hanging on the walls and when I stretched my hand out and knocked one off, I saw Luke jump when it hit the floor. Luckily it landed on the wooden backing and didn’t break.

Ignoring it on the floor I pushed myself off the wall and guided Luke down the hall to the bathroom, flipping the light on as we entered. Luke pulled his cum stained hoodie back over his head as I hooked my thumbs into the waistband of my shorts and boxer briefs and pulled them down just far enough for me to kick them off. Then I watched Luke pull his own shorts down and when his cock sprang back up I smirked and reached inside the shower and turned the hot water on.

“Empty houses are nice,” he said, glancing at the open bathroom door.

“Yeah,” I answered and laughed when he walked over and closed the door anyway. I was going to close it myself, but the sudden flush of Luke’s cheeks made my lack of initiative worth it.

After the water got hot I led him inside the shower and closed the door behind us. Now that we were in here, the mud from our run swirling down the drain. We both stared at one another, he was under the spray of water and every now and then would blink. His blond hair a shade of ashy brown now that it was completely wet. It was a lot lighter in the summer after the sun bleached it.

“I wonder what you look like when you’re not shaving,” he said and I involuntarily jumped when his hand reached up and felt along my chest. “Do you know?”

“I’ve not really let it grow past stubble,” I answered and watched as the back of his first two fingers trailed down to my cock. He grabbed hold of it and I sucked in a breath with a little water from the shower and watched him slowly jack me off.

“Maybe let it grow some this summer?” He asked and I only managed to nod, all of my attention on what he was doing. I knew him going from fast to slow was to drive me crazy and he did too, he had to. The whole thing was about to make me cum and I didn’t want to so I stepped forward and broke his rhythm on my cock and grabbed his shoulders. I pulled him out of the spray of the water and kissed him half relieved when his hand left my cock and slid around to my ass.

“Fuck me,” I said just before I kissed him again. I felt him smile, his teeth grazing my lip as his finger dipped between my ass cheeks and found my hole. Feeling him there I tensed and felt my heart pick up its pace.

“We forgot the lube,” he answered as the tip of his finger circled around. I took a half step forward feeling his cock slide against my thigh.

“In my room,” I grunted and stepped out of the spray of the shower. Glancing at him as I opened it I took off in a slippery run, my cock slapping against my abdomen as I made it to the door. I flung it open and half fell, half ran to my room with laughter coming from the bathroom behind me and pulled out my nightstand drawer. The small bottle was easy enough to find and I ran back to the bathroom, closing the door behind me. Luke held the shower door open and when I placed the lube in his hand I closed the shower door. I watched Luke open the bottle and squirt some on the tips of his finger. Then he stepped out of the spray and kissed me, his hand reaching back around me to my ass. When I felt his fingers slide across my hole again I let out a small sigh.

Watching him as he played with my ass, only pressing his fingertip against me I saw the small smirk forming on his mouth. Reaching down I grabbed his cock with my right hand and started jacking him off.

“Do you want me to?” He asked, but he answered with his finger finally sliding inside of me. I tensed and bit down on my bottom lip. I stopped jacking him off as his finger started moving in and out of me. After a few moments I felt him pull out and I was about to turn around, but when his index finger was joined with his middle I stopped moving. I reached up and slid my palm over the wet glass with my left hand and slid my right hand down his arm and around me. I moved my hand over his, feeling it moving under mine I looked up and caught his eye. He was looking at me, his shoulders and chest flushed from the hot water. Leaning forward I kissed him and when he kissed me back his fingers slid out of me. I moaned at the sudden loss.

Hearing my moan I saw him smirk before I turned around, more out of wanting him inside of me and not being told to. Turning to look over my shoulder I saw him squeeze more lube into the palm of his hand. Water was dripping into his eyes and down his mouth and when he stepped out of the spray of the shower I watched him jack himself off. I felt a rush of goosebumps when his hand found my waist and I turned back to look at the white shower wall when I felt the head of his cock slide against the crack of my ass. He did it a few times before I heard him take a breath and felt him steady his cock at my hole. When he pressed himself against me I glanced back at him and with the smallest of smirks I felt him enter me. Once his head was inside I felt his other hand find my waist and I spread my legs slightly wider, arching my back as he kept going.

“Come on,” I urged when he stopped moving after completely entering me.

“I’m trying not to, you know,” he breathed and I snickered and leaned back against him, his hot water warmed chest on my back. His hands rubbed up my sides, slightly tickling me as they wrapped around to my stomach. After a few more moments I felt him start moving his hips and I gently bit down on my bottom lip and reached up to grab his hand. I held it against my stomach, liking how his fingers felt against ab muscles that weren’t all that impressive this time last year.

As Luke started to actually fuck me I felt him lean forward and kiss the back of my head and down my neck. Then he leaned off me, the separation allowing cooler air to hit my back. I shuddered as his free hand found my back between my shoulder blades. When he pushed against me I leaned back forward and his hand slid down to grab my waist again. Moaning, I finally let go of his right hand, jumping slightly when it slid further down and grabbed hold of my cock. Reaching up I grabbed his forearm holding him there as he started jacking me off as he kept fucking me.

When his hand suddenly stopped jacking me off and I felt the release of his grip, I groaned. I felt his hand slide to my waist and when his fingers dug into my skin, he sped up his pace. Glancing over my shoulder I saw that his eyes were closed tightly and his jaws were clenched. Reaching down I took hold of my cock and started jacking myself. Then I felt him push himself completely inside me and when he let out a breath and tensed, his grip almost painful on both sides of my waist, I knew he was coming. After the initial shock, he started slowly fucking me again, his hands relaxing on my waist then moving up my sides as he laid himself against me. I felt his lips graze the back of my neck, it sent a rush of energy through me.

“Don’t cum,” he said and I grimaced as I let go of my cock just as I was building up to my own orgasm.

“Why?” I asked, my voice sounding caught somewhere between a breath and a whine.

“I want you to try something,” he answered as he backed away from me and I felt him slide out of my ass.

The water was well into getting cold, so we didn’t waste time cleaning up before I turned it off and left the shower. I grabbed a towel folded neatly in the cupboard, unfolding it, I reached up and covered Luke’s head attempting to dry his hair. Laughing he tried to duck out of it, my hard cock still unruly, grazed his thigh as we wrestled until he gave in and let me. His hair was too short to really ever be messed up, but the tiny blond spikes still amused me as I went to dry off his chest as I dripped all over the bathroom floor. Satisfied with my work I handed Luke the towel and he wrapped it around his waist and grabbed a second one. I let him dry me and after I was no longer dripping and my hair was a shaggy mess on top of my head he handed me my towel. Instead of wrapping it around me, I dropped it on the floor and used it to try and dry the bathroom floor. Looking around at the mess we made in here, I saw the lube sitting on the soap shelf and quickly walked over to grab it. I knew I would forget about it if it stayed there any longer and that wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have with either of my parents for different reasons.

In the hallway I remembered the knocked over pictures and the wet footprints and glanced over at Luke who smiled and led me to my bedroom. I wanted to know what he was wanting to try, telling me not to cum when I was about there frustrated the fuck out of me, but curiosity won out. The colder water spraying off his body and onto mine helped a little too.

Once inside he smirked and closed the door behind us and took the bottle of lube out of my hand. The logo wrapper was starting to come off from getting wet in the shower. He looked down at it before he undid his towel and let it fall to the ground.

“You said something about wanting to try something?” I asked as I hovered just at the edge of my bed. My heart was racing and I swallowed when he looked up at me, the same half playful smirk on his lips.

“I don’t know if I’m ready,” he said as he sat down on my unmade bed and scooted up into it.

“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to,” I said as I sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Give me my towel,” he said and I reached down and grabbed it up off the floor. I expected him to cover himself instead I watched him spread it out and then lift his ass off the bed long enough to slide it under him. He was sitting in the center of the bed, up against the headboard, my pillows pushed to the wrong side of it sitting precariously on the edge. I watched him move the covers to one side and when he smiled I felt my cock waking back up despite my nerves. I had figured out that he was working himself up to something and I would just have to wait for him to get there. I just hoped he did before he drove me crazy.

“Really, you don’t have to,” I offered when I looked down and he was fumbling with the bottle of lube in his hand.

“I want to,” he said, “could you sit in front of me, facing me?”

“Fuck yeah, I can,” I said and he laughed when I scrambled off the edge of the bed and sat in front of him. Once there, I didn’t know where to put my legs so I sat cross legged, but he spread his out and rested them on either side of my waist.

“This isn’t going to work,” he said, “I want you closer, spread your legs.”

“Okay,” I said, uncrossing my legs so that my own legs were spread, my knees were bent as my feet hit my head board, but it allowed Luke to scoot closer to me resting his legs on top of mine.

“Give me your hand,” he said and I slowly lifted my left hand off my thigh and handed it to him. I watched him open the bottle of lube and squirt some lube onto my fingers. When he squirted some into his palm and rubbed his own fingers around until he spread the lube out evenly. I watched him reach down and take hold of my cock, seeing his hand wrap around me. I sucked in a breath and felt him start to jack me off. Looking back up, I saw him watching me, the smirk gone from his face. His brown eyes that thankfully didn’t match his mother’s nearly made me cum. I had been so worked up for so long, I didn’t think I would be lasting much longer as it was. Having him watch me as he jacked me off made it all the more hotter than having my back to him in the shower.

“Fuck,” I whispered when I felt him shift his legs on either side of me. At first I thought he was going to slide himself onto my lap, but instead he reached up with his other hand and grabbed the back of my head and pulled me into him so that our foreheads touched.

“I want you to, with your fingers,” he said and I moved my head back to look at him. His face was flushed, but I knew what he was asking. Nodding, I slid my fingers together making sure the lube was still there before I reached down between us. I felt him move his hips so that I could reach his hole and when I found it, dusted with a scarce, but soft bit of hair I felt his leg muscles tense on my waist. I was going to stop, but Luke’s hand stayed steady on my cock and after a few circles around his hole with my index finger I pressed against him. I felt him release a breath on my neck as the tip of my finger slipped inside.

He closed his eyes and his mouth fell open slightly, and he stopped jacking me off. I felt him rise further up onto my lap, then I felt his hard cock join mine as he grabbed both our cocks and started jacking us both.

“Damn,” I hissed as I slid more of my finger inside of him as his forehead found mine again. I heard him moan when I started fucking him with my finger. Not having done it to another person, I didn’t really know if I was doing everything the right way. I knew with him rubbing our cocks together like he was that I was going to cum and I wanted him to feel my finger just long enough to get past the weirdness of it all.

Feeling the weight of him on top of me, I felt him readjust, curling his legs to where he could rest most of his weight onto his knees. My hand underneath him, bent at the elbow I increased my speed, never letting the tip of my finger pull out completely. Then when I felt myself building up to cumming, I finally slowed down and pulled my index finger out of him just long enough to add my middle finger. Sliding back in I heard him moan and lift his ass slightly, but he settled back when I started moving my fingers in and out of him.

“I’m about to,” he sighed and I watched him open his eyes. I leaned forward attempting to kiss him, but only grazed his jawline with my lips as he hovered above me.

“How does it feel?” I asked, but I felt him go tense, then release, and grow tense again on my fingers. I felt his cum hitting my stomach and I kept fucking him with my fingers as I swore under my breath when I felt my own cum joining his. As the full orgasm hit me, I tensed under him and sucked in a breath, still fucking him with my fingers until he collapsed out of my reach and my fingers slid out of him. Finally catching my breath I laid back on the bed letting my hands fall to my sides. I felt our cum trickling down my stomach to my sides and probably onto my sheets, but I only stared up at the ceiling my cock still rock hard.

“It felt good,” he finally answered and I felt him moving so I pulled myself up to rest onto my elbows. “That was great.”

“It was fucking great for me,” I said and when his smirk came back he slid off the bed and I noticed that I wasn’t the only one that had cum making paths down bare skin.

“I think we need another shower,” he said as he grabbed his towel, tugging it out from under my legs. I watched him clean his stomach and hands before he tossed it to me and I wiped my fingers and swiped the towel over my chest and stomach, then down my sides.

“What do you want to do now?” I asked as I sat up and started inspecting the damage. There was definitely a mess on my sheets so I let the towel fall to the floor and started ripping my fitted sheet off my mattress. When it was balled up and on the floor I turned to see him watching me.

“I’d like to go out for some dinner,” he answered, but his smirk had faded. “But I need to get home, too.”

“No, we can do dinner,” I said as I sat back down onto the bed. “Come on, it’s Spring break.”

“I don’t know if I’m ready for a proper date,” he said, glancing at me before looking around the room. I watched him struggle and when his eyes found mine again he offered me a small smile and I knew I’d be ordering for one person tonight.

“Maybe we can go on one later,” I offered, “and you have gone on a proper date, we went horseback riding.”

“I went horseback riding,” he said, his smile widening. “You were just on a horse.”

“What the fuck ever, I’m good at everything,” I countered as I stood and closed the distance between us. I wrapped him into a hug smelling my soap on his skin and not distracted by everything else to notice. When I felt his arms wrap around my waist I bent my head down and kissed him on the cheek.

“I love you,” he said as he stepped out of my hug just far enough away so that I could properly kiss him.

“It feels different hearing it naked,” I joked after I broke the kiss. I watched him roll his eyes and shake his head before I grabbed hold of his arm, thinking he was about to break the entire mood by getting dressed and leaving.

“You’re a butt, you know that,” he said, trying not to laugh.

“I love you, too,” I said and I felt him relax in my grip and we stood in my room naked until it started feeling weird and we both started moving at the same time.

Luke ended up dressed in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt from my drawer and I wondered if Cindy would notice. I just pulled on a pair of boxer briefs knowing I had some laundry and cleaning up to do after Luke went home. We had spent most of the day together and it felt like we were back to what we were in that snow covered field last Christmas.

“I’ll try to see you tomorrow,” he said after I walked him down the stairs and into the living room. I watched him slide into his sneakers before moving towards the front door.

“You better,” I said and he smiled as I walked up to him just as he was about to open the door and I slid my hand past him to close it again. Then I leaned forward and pressed him against it and kissed him. I felt his muddy shoes slide across my back, but I didn’t care as he kissed me back and I knew that if I didn’t let him leave the house that we would be back up in my room all over again. Maybe if I suggested it he wouldn’t leave. Instead I broke the kiss and stepped back so that he could open the door. When he did he offered me a small smile before he stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

After I realized I was leaned up against the back of the couch like a dumbass, I pushed myself up off it and went into the kitchen. With Dad surprising Mom with the trip, I doubted she had time to prepare Tony approved meals for me, but I checked the refrigerator anyway. Not seeing anything I closed it and grabbed the house phone from the wall that Dad still insisted on having. I knew all of the fast food places in town also wouldn’t be approved, but I didn’t feel like cooking. I never did much of it aside from shit like pizza rolls. I didn’t think Dad would appreciate me burning down half the kitchen so I glanced at the list of phone numbers on a post-it note. It was a relic from when Mom wasn’t home to cook me dinner and I got back from practice hungry. At least one of the places had gone out of business, but Pizza Hut and McDonalds, and a few others managed to soldier on over the years.

I was about to dial the number for a large pizza when I heard car doors shutting. Hearing more than a couple I already imagined Derek and Toby bulldozing themselves inside the house. I hoped the state of the upstairs didn’t hint at anything and I even covered my hand with my mouth and exhaled to make sure cum breath wasn’t a thing, I would never have lived that down.
When the explosion of them didn’t happen I put the phone down on the kitchen table and walked around the corner just as a soft knocking came. Squinting, preparing to tell a bunch of holy rollers to hit the road, but when I opened the door and saw Charlie standing on the other side of it, I took a half step back pulling the door open wider as I went.

“Hi,” Charlie said, shuffling his feet. His blond hair was meticulously styled, parted in the front to the left. He had on a light blue button up with no undershirt. He was flanked on both sides by Shay and Tara, with Simon awkwardly standing off to the side. The girls were dressed in dresses and Simon had on a hat with a black striped shirt, he looked sort of like those Italian Gondolier people I only know from movies, just a little more stylish.

“What’s this about?” I asked as the girls started giggling and I realized Charlie, being a trooper, managed to maintain eye contact with me despite me standing in front of them in just my underwear. “Shit, hold on.”

“No we like the view,” Charlie offered as I slammed the door in his face. I got to the bottom of the stairs before yelling that they could come on in before I ran up them taking two at a time.

Suddenly the knocked over picture and the mess that was my bedroom made my cheeks warm. Picking the picture up on the way to my room I placed it back on the nail and closed the bathroom door on my way down the hallway.

“Dress up nice, we’re taking you out,” Charlie yelled from somewhere below. It was followed by more giggling as I closed my bedroom door.

“Fuck,” I hissed looking at the cum stained towel and the dirty sheets still on the floor and my stripped bed. Only the top cover and the pillows stayed, but I would be inspecting those and probably washing them when my sheets got finished. Ignoring all of that though I walked over to my closet and pulled the door open. Nice and dressy clothing I didn’t have a fuck ton of, never going to church. We didn’t have a big family, so I was never really put out by having to go to a wedding or reunion. They already saw me in the dress coded outfit Tony enforced for the tryouts a few weeks ago. My only true option was what I wore to the academic awards banquet last year. A bright peachy looking shirt that Mom picked up for me, because I was more than ready to just wear my regular clothes. Grimacing, I grabbed the shirt and smelled it to make sure it didn’t smell like my closet. Then I grabbed a pair of khaki shorts and hoped they still fit.

“Do you think Luke will come?” Charlie yelled, his voice slightly muffled through my closed door. Looking over my shoulder as I stuffed that ugly as fuck peach colored shirt back into my closet, I saw my phone sitting on the nightstand. He would probably be sitting down to dinner by now, lying to his mom about where he had been most of the day and hoping she believed him. At least his muddy sneakers helped, exploring his secret meadow and the woods that surrounded it was something he seemed to do a lot. If she knew me at all, she knew that wasn’t my thing, at least not without a beer in-hand and a bonfire.

“No,” I yelled and grabbed every shirt that wasn’t a t-shirt and laid them all out on the bed. Seeing the shirt that I wore on the horse ride with Luke made me smile, but I ended up picking a long sleeved navy blue polo with cream horizontal stripes.

After pulling on my shirt I tugged at it to get the lingering wrinkles out, then pulled up my shorts. Looking at myself in the mirror reminded me that I haven't worn these for ages either. My crotch looked huge, but I only smirked and half turned to look at my ass. Seeing it, I made a mental note to wear this exact outfit later with Luke whenever I got the chance.

Not wanting to leave them down there much longer I slid on a pair of socks and my go to dressy shoes that I wore with everything if I had to dress up. Then I opened the door and looked around before I rushed through it and closed the door behind me. I didn’t trust Charlie not to be poking around the place. On down the hallway I rushed inside the bathroom and put on deodorant and sprayed myself with cologne. Still wondering about my breath I ended up brushing my teeth and ran a comb through my hair until it wasn’t sticking up everywhere.

When I got back down the stairs they were all standing awkwardly between the kitchen and the living room. Hearing me coming down the stairs they stopped talking and when I hit the bottom step they were all smiling and looking up at me.

“Damn, you’ve like vacuum packed your whole crotch into those shorts haven’t you?” Charlie asked as they stepped out of my way and let me step further into the room.

“Charlie,” Simon grunted as he shoved Charlie’s shoulder.

“We better get going,” Tara said, “you live really far out here.”

“How the hell did you all find me anyway?” I asked looking over to see Tara turning towards the front door. Her hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail. She was dressed in a brown sundress with small yellow frills on the sleeves and the bottom hem. Seeing her always reminded me that I still didn’t know what the fuck I was. I still didn’t care too much about figuring it out though. Shay was the complete opposite with a skin tight pink dress that hit just above her knees, her black hair falling down above her shoulders in loose curls, her darker skin tone completely complemented.

“Tony gave us your address,” Charlie answered, shrugging. “He’ll do anything for me, I am well behaved.”

“You winning just about everything you’re entered in doesn’t hurt,” I said as I followed them to the front door. Tara opened it and they all shuffled out as I grabbed my keys and locked up behind me. Waiting outside was a dark green newer model van and when Tara fumbled into her purse for the keys I glanced over towards the small line of trees. It was just getting dark enough for Luke’s porchlight to be on, but with everything budding out in Spring it wasn't as bright anymore.

“And it is tradition for us to surprise the graduating class just before districts,” Shay said, rolling her eyes. “Which is the real reason, since everyone knows that we’re way better behaved than you.”

“Whatever,” Charlie said as he pulled on the door handle and waited for the van door to slide open. Then he climbed in with Simon following him to the second row. Then Shay slid in with them as Tara opened the driver’s side and climbed in. Being a gentleman I closed the door for her after she was clear of it and walked around the front of the van and got into the passenger side.

“Who surprised Drae?” I asked, thinking that Tara or Shay would have been his surprise, or even Charlie since they were all friends.

“Drae told us to fuck off,” Charlie answered laughing. “He had a date planned with the other Shaye.”

“Shay with an E,” Shay said and I looked through the rearview to see how sandwiched in they were as Tara started the engine and backed out of the driveway.

“We can still pick Luke up, we have time to surprise him,” Tara offered after she was out in the road and turned to head towards town.

“He lives right over there,” I said pointing to the smaller wood paneled white house just past the treeline.

“Really?” Charlie asked, leaning as far forward as his seatbelt allowed. “Right next door, how does that work?”

“Fucking awful,” I answered grimacing as Tara slowed down then pulled into Luke’s driveway. When she put the van in park she turned to look at me. Her smile slowly faltered when I hesitated and when her hand reached out and found mine, she gave it a gentle squeeze. I remembered the night at the swim competition with Luke looking defeated and I wondered if she remembered as well, it was the last time they saw him and me together. Her smaller, softer hand, brief as the touch was, left me fumbling for the door.

“How so?” Charlie asked as I pulled my seatbelt off and let it recoil and opened the door.

“You’re probably about to find out,” I answered as I closed the door behind me and smoothed out my shirt. When I realized that I was hesitating again I started walking and glanced over my shoulder when I got to the bottom step that led up to their front porch. The last time I was here I had a door slammed in my face and that was before the night I brought Luke home. I wasn’t kidding when I told Charlie that having Luke next door was awful, it was hell at times. Knowing he was just over there, had been there my entire life and I only just took advantage of that fact. If we had been friends from the start, I would already have Cindy’s approval, at least as his friend. She wouldn’t hate the air I breathed. I didn’t know if knowing Luke before last summer would have mattered, or if I would have grown to see him differently than I do now. Part of me figured I would and him me, but having him here now, so close, but so out of bounds I hated it. He needed to be on the other side of town, at least then I wouldn’t always feel this slight pull to walk over.

Knowing that time was probably against me with every second I kept stalling I walked up the rest of the stairs to the front door. I only knocked once and came as close to a prayer as I ever did that Luke would answer. When it opened I did breathe a bit easier seeing Henry adjusting his glasses with a smile.

“Hey Jack,” he greeted and I smiled as the smell of their dinner followed him outside. Henry left the door open behind him and I saw Cindy moving around in the kitchen still cooking dinner. Luke wasn’t in the living room or the kitchen.

“Hey,” I said and I followed Henry’s eyes and glanced over my shoulder towards the van.

“What’s up?” He asked and I turned to see him studying me and I saw that Cindy was finally curious enough to see who was at the door and was closing the distance.

“I was wondering if Luke would like to come out with us,” I answered swallowing as Cindy breached the open door. Henry was standing in her way, but she hadn’t said anything as she crossed her arms with a dish towel hanging on her shoulder. “It is a tradition we have, before districts, to go out.”

“Swimming isn’t a school sanctioned sport,” Cindy said, coming back to life once she realized what I was really asking. Henry was still holding his position strong, blocking her path, a smile still fully plastered across his face like she hadn’t said anything.

“It would have been nice to have a little more notice,” Henry said, cocking his eyebrow slightly. His tone changed just enough for me to get his true meaning. “Maybe we wouldn’t have prepared such a big supper.”

“Sorry, it was a surprise to me,” I said as I shoved one hand into my front pocket, swallowing in an attempt to keep my throat from drying and my voice strong.

“What does this have to do with Luke anyway?” Cindy asked as she made her first real attempt to step out onto the front porch. When Henry gave way and allowed her I felt the hairs on the back of my neck prickle and I wanted to take a step back.

“Luke went to a few of my competitions,” I answered only glancing in her direction to at least acknowledge that she asked me the question and not Henry. “He’s become friends with some of the people on the team and we wanted him to come.”

“Well we’re about to sit down to eat,” Cindy said, waving her hands. “And I thought I made myself clear about Luke and you being friends.”

“Cindy we talked about this,” Henry countered, turning to face her completely.

Luke must have heard us and when his feet thundered down the stairs and he appeared in the living room still wearing my clothes, I took a breath. He looked like he had just woken up from a nap, seeing me his eyes widened, but he didn’t hesitate as he made his way to the front door.

“We did and I am still of the opinion that I don’t want Luke and Jackson around one another,” Cindy said, turning to look at Luke. “Luke, go set the table.”

“What’s this about?” Luke asked, not making a move towards the kitchen. The food was still sizzling on the stove, it had to be close to burning and Cindy was probably well aware of that. It would be something else she could blame me for and I doubted she would move, not even to put out a fire.

“Cindy, we agreed to let Luke pick his friends as long as he keeps us informed as to where he is going and who he is with,” Henry said, glancing into the house towards Luke. “It is Spring Break and a special occasion.”

“It is also dinner time,” Cindy argued, “and we weren’t given notice.”

“It was a surprise,” Henry said in a tone I never thought Henry could ever muster, he nearly matched Cindy’s and I wondered how much friction we’ve caused them. “If Luke wishes to go, I think it is fine that he does.”

“I don’t have a say, I see that now,” Cindy said, waving her hands into the air as she grabbed the dish towel and yanked it off her shoulder. She shouldered past Luke and I watched her storm back into the kitchen. She grabbed a pan and slid it across to an unused burner on the stove completely ignoring us.

“Don’t worry about that,” Henry said, offering me a smile. “Luke, if you want to go, just go.”

“Okay,” Luke said and I watched him turn and walk to the bottom of the stairs. When he got there he ran up them and Henry lingered outside looking between me and the rattling of the pans in the kitchen.

“A text would have been the smartest and smoothest of moves,” Henry whispered, leaning slightly closer to me. “Where are you going?”

“I don’t really know, but they’re all a lot better behaved than I am, I think,” I answered, glancing over my shoulder. I didn’t really know how well behaved any of them were outside of swimming. We couldn’t get upto too much trouble though, I didn’t think.

“Maybe you should have led with that,” he said, his smile widening as he reached up and ran his fingers through his unruly hair.

“Yeah?” I asked as he let his hand fall back to his side as he glanced towards the open door. Cindy was hovering with her arms crossed glaring at us. Luke would endure a lot of grief for this and I wondered if it was worth stopping in the first place.

“Good luck with Districts,” he said, offering me another smile. “I better get in there and help finish up supper.”

“Sorry, for what it's worth,” I said just as he was about to turn.

“It’s worth a great deal,” he said as he stepped inside the house and gently closed the door behind him.

When I turned to walk back to the van I remembered how much I loved Henry Clarke and that the man deserved a medal. A true golden retriever, if he were a dog, they didn’t make them better than him. Smiling at the thought I looked up and noticed that Shay had stolen my shotgun seat and the side door of the van was open.

“We thought you and Luke would be more comfortable in the back,” Charlie said as Simon had scooted down the seat so that both of them had more room. The very back of the van was the only option so I climbed in and we all waited for Luke to come out. When he did, dressed in a faded red button up shirt and khakis, obviously noticing my outfit in the short time I saw him. His blond hair looked darker in the twilight and when the van’s cargo light hit him and he saw me in the back he offered everyone a smile as he climbed in. If they overheard any of the yelling Cindy did, none of them let on. It was probably more for Luke’s sake than mine when they all offered him welcoming smiles.

“What’s up?” He said after he settled in beside me and Simon closed the door.

“We’re taking Jackson out on the town,” Charlie answered, turning in the seat to look at him. “It was a surprise.”

“Yeah?” He said, glancing over to look at me. I saw his smile tighten and not light up his eyes, even in the dimness of the van. “That’s nice of y’all.”

“Where do you want to go after we eat?” Shay asked as he turned in her own seat. I didn’t think I had a say so I sat back and let them discuss the night.

“There’s an under age dance club not far from the restaurant,” Simon said and when Shay’s eyes lit up I grimaced, but no one was paying me any attention. “Other than that, there’s bowling and the usual stuff.”

“Yeah no, club it is,” Shay said, her smile brighter as she turned back around and turned the music up louder as we made our way down the curvy road headed towards town. Not having nothing to do in town, I knew we’d just be passing through. I didn’t know what kind of places they all lived, but I knew they all came from money and shinier places, that was painfully obvious the first time I saw them. Dad was a doctor, so he made damn good money, but both of my parents were simple in the way they lived, they didn’t want for much or bigger. They were happy with the small town and the modest home. Only the kitchen appliances hinted that we weren’t that bad off, but who the fuck pays attention to a refrigerator?

“Where’s Drae?” Luke asked, leaning closer to me as he rested his head on the headrest.

“Probably getting laid,” I answered, and the snickering from Charlie told me that they heard my answer.

“Definitely getting laid,” Charlie echoed, glancing over his shoulder. “His loss, this is going to be fucking awesome.”

“It better be, you’re doing this for me,” I said smiling when he turned to look at me just to roll his eyes and turn back around. Luke snickered and I jumped slightly when his hand slid across my thigh and found my hand resting in my lap. When he linked his fingers in mine I slid down into the seat and rested my head back, trusting Tara to know the way to the restaurant.