Him
: Chapter 18

I don’t end up grabbing lunch. Instead, I walk around aimlessly for almost an hour, then plant my ass on a park bench and do some people-watching.

Canning is freaking out. I don’t need to be a mind reader to know that. But fuck, I wish I could read his mind. I want to know just how badly I screwed up our friendship again.

Or had I? I don’t even fucking know. A part of me assumes that yes, I’ve lost him again. But another part keeps saying, dude, he just gave you a MASSAGE. That means we’re still friends, right? Except…do friends really give each other back rubs? The one time I had a kink in my neck and asked Cassel to knead it out for me, he nearly bust a gut laughing.

And speaking of Cassel, there are two text messages from him on my phone, both from earlier in the week. I’ve been too busy settling back into the Lake Placid routine to answer him.

I type a quick response: Camp’s good. Some real talent here. How’s ur sis? Make friends with any lobsters? I chuckle to myself. Cassel’s spending the summer with his older sister in Maine, busing tables at her seafood restaurant.

He responds faster than I expect: All good here. Sis says hi.

There’s a long delay, and then a second message pops up: Broke up with Em.

Sitting there on the bench, I let out a whoop of joy. About fucking time. This is too important for texts, so I pull up his number and call him.

He answers on the second ring, his familiar voice sliding into my ear. “Yo.”

“So how’d she take it?” I demand.

“As expected.”

“Freaked out and slapped you, you mean?”

A heavy sigh echoes on the line. “Pretty much. She accused me of stringing her along for four years. I reminded her we were only going out for one, and then she called me an insensitive fucktard and stormed out.”

“Shit. Sorry, man. You doing okay?”

“Oh yeah. Never realized how high maintenance that chick was until I set her loose. Just enjoying my freedom now, taking a page out of the Ryan Wesley playbook and screwing anything that walks.”

“Next year that won’t be my playbook.”

He’s silent for a second. “You going to try to keep your extracurriculars on the DL?”

“I think I have to keep it zipped up instead. A rookie can’t afford rumors. At school… That was just different. The stakes were lower.”

“Yeah. I guess so. Sorry, man. Sounds lonely.”

I try to laugh it off. “Sounds horny.”

“You’d better have some fun this summer, before you’re all famous and shit.” Cassel laughs at his own humor.

“I’ll get right on that.”

“How is the pickup scene in Lake Placid? Can’t imagine there’s a gay bar there. You’ll have to turn a jock or two.”

My stomach shimmies. If only I hadn’t already tried that. “I’d better go,” I say. Because I’m really not fit for conversation today.

“Good talking to you, man.”

“Stay strong if Em calls,” I warn.

“Don’t worry.” He sighs. “I will.”