Page 76 of Possibly Texas

“Hey,” I turned my head to Auggie again, blinking as the last sliver of sun stung my eyes.

When I reopened my eyes, the horizon was deeply red, the sun gone for the day.

“Yeah?” Auggie sighed happily.

“Do you think I actually have some talent?” I asked quickly. “Like, with art, I mean?”

“Of course. Everyone does. Why would you question that?”

I shrugged as the sky began darkening.

“Nothing seems to really take,” I said. “Okay. So, I’ve only tried painting so far, but it wasn’t great, and—”

“Life is art.”

“Huh?”

“You’ll figure it out,” Auggie said with finality. “I promise.”

I sighed, mildly frustrated, mostly amused, and fell back in the grass again.

“I’ll just choose to trust you.”

“You’re a wise man,” Auggie chuckled.

“When do the fireworks start?” I asked. “I might die from massive barbecue belly before if they don’t hurry.”

Auggie laughed uproariously.

“As soon as it gets dark enough,” he said. “So, soon, I think?”

“Do we need to go find a good seat to watch them?”

“Wyatt and Grandy shoot them off near Lovelorn Pass Bridge,” Auggie said. “We actually have the perfect spot. Unless you want to sit with everyone else.”

I darted my eyes to the side to look at Auggie. He was looking off towards the bridge expectantly.

“I like it here,” I said, letting my eyes close happily.

Staying under the tree in the lush grass was appealing for two reasons. One, I wouldn’t have to move around and further upset my stomach. Two, I didn’t want to share my friendship with Auggie with everyone else during the fireworks. It felt odd to me. Made my stomach feel odd in a different way than all of the food I’d consumed. I didn’t question it.

So, we stayed under the tree. I lounged in the carpet of emeralds and Auggie sat back, propping himself up with his hands, contentedly sighing from time to time. The light slowly disappeared, deepening the shadows, and I was finally able to turn my head and stare at the first real friend I’d ever had. Auggie didn’t exactly ignore me, but he didn’t seem to notice my staring, even when he opened his eyes to check the light.

Vaguely aware of the voices of people moving closer to the creek in preparation for the fireworks display, I couldn’t focus on anything but Auggie. Even as the shadows grew and enveloped us under our tree and the buildings around us turned navy blue and the stars began to peek out of the velvet above, I only had eyes for Auggie. He stared off towards the creek, grinning joyfully as people shouted excitedly for the fireworks to begin.

When the first boom erupted and sparks flew through the sky, erupting in a shower of red, white, and blue, Auggie’s face was lit up by the burst of light. His grin widened until all of his teeth showed as he stared up at the sky in awe. I couldn’t help but smile at the appearance of the fireworks, though I wasn’t looking at the sky. I was looking at the diamond I found so fascinating.

Each firework that burst in the sky cast its hue on the white diamond on Auggie’s head. Yellow, green, red, blue, even purple, my friend was a kaleidoscope of color. He cheered and hollered along with the people down by the creek, and I found myself sitting up to see him better. Inch by inch, I felt myself scooting closer to him, wanting to be closer to his face.

Auggie turned to me and grinned widely. I was so focused on that diamond that his words were soundless. He said something excitedly, then turned his head back to stare up at the shower of colors in the sky.

For a moment, I nearly reached out to grab his face and turn it to look at me. To pull him close and do something I’d never considered doing to another human being in my life.

Instead, I shook my head to clear my thoughts, the sounds all around me rushing in like my ears had been drained of water. Then I turned my head to the sky and joined Auggie in smiling up at the ballet of sparks.

The bank of Susurrus Creek was like a cliff, both on the Possibly side and on the Two-Mile Trail side. A person could sit at its edge and dangle their feet over the side without touching the water. That’s what Auggie and I did after the crowd disbursed once the fireworks were over. The lights in the town behind us were blinking out as we sat near Lovelorn Pass Bridge on the Possibly side, lazily swinging our feet over the water.

Even in the near dark, I could tell that the opening to Two-Mile Trail was becoming more overgrown as the days ticked by. It produced an odd feeling in my gut I couldn’t quite understand. Auggie had said it would sort itself out, so I did my best to ignore the odd feeling.