Page 15 of The Way We Swing Back

The following day was a Saturday. I spent the first part at my house, walking around, trying to figure out what to do. My shoulder shot with even more pain thanks to the session, and I needed a distraction.

I used my key to open the front door of the Quinns’ house. I’d gotten it from Mrs. Quinn within a week of knowing them; I wasn’t sure why, but I had spilled almost everything to her the first moment we’d talked alone. Maybe it was because I’d been cooking and felt at ease; maybe it was the way she’d put her hand on my shoulder like she’d understood even though there was no way she could have.

The house sat silent today. Mr. Quinn wasn’t in his recliner, and Gavin wasn’t running around the house in his underwear. I should’ve texted him or Zach to see if they were home.

I walked up the stairs, hoping one of the boys was in their room. But I already knew—the front door opening acted like a light for moths, with everyone able to hear it regardless of where they were in the house, and they’d scramble toward the sound. The silence overwhelmed me as I knocked on Gavin’s and then Zach’s door.

I told myself I was just checking the rooms, but when I walked by Tanner’s, my feet slowed at the entrance, the way they always did. I looked into the place where I had slept so many times my first summer here; after a slight hesitation, I entered to the faint sound of the heating unit.

The smell of acorns filled my head as I walked toward his desk. A picture of Tanner, Gavin, and Zach in their baseball uniforms caught my eye. They were a lot younger—Gavin couldn’t have been older than seven in the picture, but his face showed his delight to have Tanner’s arm wrapped around him.

Tanner's futon pulled me to it, and I sank down as the fabric scratched against my arms, and my mind went to all the times I’d fallen asleep to Tanner’s snores feet away.

My phone buzzed against my chest, and I snapped it open, not believing Tanner would text me while I was in his room.

Nope. Just Angie, who’d been flirting with me for weeks, who wanted to know if my day was good. I put my phone back in my pocket, feeling it rattle again as I stared at the ceiling.

Before I'd decided anything, I was on my feet, the Uber app already open in my hand. I needed to see him. To tell him about my dad. About my shoulder.

Twenty dollars for a ride to his apartment. I really didn’t have twenty bucks to spare, but I needed to see him.

The ride was quick and quiet. I’d learned nodding my head when I got in a car meant most drivers wouldn’t try to talk to me.

I reached the apartment complex as the sun faded away, leaving only a streak of orange that smeared the sky. I stood at the door for a minute before finding someone I could sneak in behind.

Last week, I had overheard Gavin and his dad talking about Tanner’s apartment—number 805—so I went up the stairs, forcing myself at each floor to keep going, not knowing if I should even be here.

I found the door and knocked once, then twice. No answer. I started to wonder if I was even at the right place when the deadbolt clicked. At the sound, every part of me said run, but I had to see him.

When the door swung open, the shock on Tanner’s face matched the relief in mine. “Easton?” He sounded surprised with the kind of happiness that ripped through my body.

But then I saw Calvin behind him.

Calvin didn’t look much different from the first time I’d seen him. Still shorter and smaller than me, but this time a slight frown covered his face.

“Oh,” he said. “Hey.” He shifted on his feet, looking from me to Tanner and back again.

“Sorry,” I muttered, suddenly hating myself for showing up unannounced. “I should’ve—forget it. I’ll go.”

“No running,” Tanner said quickly, yanking at my shirt. “Come in.”

Calvin didn’t say anything else, but Tanner shot him a look—one that said Please and I’m sorry. Calvin moved enough for me to come in.

The apartment seemed warm and cozy, but the living room wasn’t built for more than two people and the awkwardness I brought with us. A movie was paused on the TV, with the Netflix symbol in the corner. A half-finished bowl of popcorn sat on the table by the worn-down couch.

“I didn’t know you were stopping by,” Tanner said, shutting the door behind me.

“Yeah. I didn’t really plan it.” I shoved my hands into my jeans pockets. My shoulder throbbed, reminding me of one of the reasons I’d come. “I needed to get away. And your family wasn’t home.”

“Everything okay?” Tanner asked, handing me a bottle of water from his fridge.

I opened it and took a sip, the coolness sitting on my tongue. I looked at the carpet, shaggy and an off-color blue that was a stark contrast to the yellow-painted walls. Talking was easier when I didn’t have to meet his eyes. “Have you heard about my shoulder?”

Tanner’s entire body snapped to even more attention. “No.”

“I can’t—I’m not allowed to play right now. Your mom is making me go to physical therapy and stuff, and Gavin and Zach are circling me like hawks. I’m out for at least six months.”

Tanner took a step closer, not touching me but coming close enough I imagined he would have if Calvin hadn’t been here. “You want to talk about it?”