Page 61 of That Summer Feeling

Mason took the knife from Frank and plunged it into his pineapple. “Nothing’s permanent, Gar.”

Stevie shielded my eyes as Mason killed our blow-up crane. “We finish the night in the event hall,” she told me.

“Am I allowed to ask what you do there?”

She grinned her sly little grin and took my hand. “You’ll see.”

27

Somehow, Andrew had unlocked the back door of the event hall. After he handed us our flip-flops, we followed him inside, dripping water puddles behind us. The huge space felt hollow with no band or other guests inside to fill it. The disco ball sat idle at the peak of the ceiling, dull without other lights to shine on it.

Andrew stopped behind the bar and grabbed two bottles of Coca-Cola, then led us up the loft stairs, where he’d already turned on a few lights. Just enough to keep it from being spooky. One by one, we sat in a circle on the rug behind the beer pong table, watching Andrew unscrew the lid on one of the Coke bottles.

“We used to take these and mix them with whatever alcohol I could smuggle in from home. But it feels right to do itwith no booze this time,” Andrew said, taking a swig. “I don’t want to steal that from the twins.”

Frank took the next sip, then passed it to me. “I agree.”

“I haven’t had this in years,” I admitted. The sweet, carbonated sugar rush gave my nose the same weird tingle that chlorine did. I suspected this element of lake night used to be more illicit and exciting. With all of us in our thirties, there was a lot more yawning involved.

Stevie took the bottle next. “What can I say? We live on the edge in my family.”

When she handed the bottle to Mason, he looked at it with a sad kind of disappointment. “I think I have to go to bed?” he said, presenting it as a question instead of a statement. “If I have caffeine right now, it’s gonna keep me up. And I’m too tired to stay awake.”

Andrew let out a sigh of relief. “I’m so glad you said it, man. I’mexhausted.”

“Aww, really?” Frank had the other bottle of Coke hovering below his lips. “All right.”

“We can still drink some more,” Andrew offered.

Frank waved him off. “No, no. It’s okay. The best part already happened. This part isn’t really the same anymore. We can drink whenever we want. And I don’t really need a bottle of Coke after midnight.”

The boys got up. I went to follow, and Stevie stood beside me, wrapping her hand around my elbow to keep me from moving. “I’ll lock up,” she told her brothers. “I wanna show Garland something first.”

“You guys have keys to this place?” I asked.

No one answered. The boys went one by one down the stairs, leaving Stevie and me alone. The click of the back door latching shut echoed through the cavernous space.

“Thank god,” Stevie said.

“What did you want to show me?” I asked, confused.

Stevie laughed. “Nothing. I just wanted you alone.”

My cheeks flushed. I moved to wipe my last tear from my cheek as quickly as possible. It wasn’t the time for it.

“Are youcrying?” Stevie asked. “A little river of tears, running right down your perfect cheek.” She kissed the wet spot. “What’s making you cry?”

Historically, the world’s hardest question. It pressed on something primal in me. A crying activation button if I ever met one. “It’s just so nice to be a part of someone else’s good memories,” I said, my crying turning to full sobbing. No one had ever been impressed by my sentimentality, that was for sure.

“Garland,” Stevie said, so softly. “Come here.” She pulled me into her arms and held me, dragging us down into the leather chair underneath the artwork. I sat in her lap then, curled up and content. “This is the best lake night reaction we’ve ever gotten.”

“How many other people have even gotten to know about it?” I asked through sniffles.

“Just one, actually. I brought this girl Holly Beekman to lake night when I was in eighth grade. Andrew was a senior in high school, so it was his last year of camp. I had it so bad for Holly. But she liked Andrew.”

“Uh-oh.”

Stevie smiled. “I know. It was mostly fine, though. I knew Andrew would never date someone that much younger than him. And I was still a baby gay who believed I could manipulate the situation to be closer to her.”