AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chopping it off would’ve been the right thing to do. The noble thing. But I was a greedy bastard.
“Where’s Benny-pie?” Tino asked, pulling my eyes away from Tali.
I rubbed my forehead, needing a second to get my thoughts straight. “Wandering. I’m supposed to be getting him a drink. His pupils are as big as dimes. Did you see what he took?”
Tino held his hands up. “I don’t mess with that shit. That’s your and Benny’s thing.”
Ben didn’t used to mess with shit either.
My conscience won over. Making sure my boy was all right was more important than flirting with a cool as hell girl I had no business flirting with.
I filled up another cup with beer and winked at Tali. “I’m sure I’ll see you around, Stripes.”
Her cheeks turned the cutest shade of pink, and I almost gave in and stayed. But Tino shot me a glare that said to get my ass away from her, so I listened, taking one last glance before I headed outside to find Ben.
We’d been friends since we were little kids. I was a year older, but my dumbass had to repeat kindergarten, so we’d been together in school from almost the beginning. We ate glue in Mrs. Epstein’s first grade class, got our first zit together in middle school, lost our virginities on the same night. We were thick as thieves, closer than brothers, and had survived some heavy shit together. When Ben announced he wanted to go to college, there was never any question whether I’d follow him, even though college wasn’t my thing.
One semester had been enough for me to confirm I wasn’t cut out for higher education, but I stayed because I liked it here. Liked the party atmosphere. Liked that I could afford a shitty-ass rental house and it wasn’t frowned upon to stay up all night and sleep until noon. I met my bandmates here too.
I was almost twenty-two now, and the real world was looming, but I figured I had another year or two until I had to face it—to decide what life would be if my music didn’t take off.
Ben was a junior and absolutely demolishing college. He was good at school in a way I’d never been. I made fun of him for being a nerd, but I really fucking admired him. He said he wanted to be a teacher, and I could see it. He’d worked as a camp counselor every summer since high school. He was a good guy down to his core.
Fully clothed, Ben floated on his back in the pool. I stood at the edge, frowning down at him. “Benjamin Friedler, you’re soaking wet.”
He splashed his hands around and went under for a second before righting himself. “Get in here, Jude! Water’s fine tonight.”
“Jesus, Ben, you could’ve at least taken off your shoes.”
He laughed up at the night sky. “Is that why I feel like I’ve got lead weights on my feet?”
“That’d do it. Why don’t you get outta there? I’m not in the mood to rescue your wasted ass from the bottom of the pool.”
“You ruin all my fun,Dad.”
I watched him carefully as he climbed out of the pool. His clothes were plastered to him, and with every step he took, water cascaded out the sides of his shoes, but he didn’t seem to give a shit.
He nodded at the cup in my hand. “That mine?”
I handed it to him, and he chugged it. “You want to go home and change?”
He shook his wet head, sending water flying. “Nope. I’m good.”
I was worried, though—and I didn’tlikeworrying. That wasn’t me. Ben was the responsible one. I was just along for the ride. The only thing I wanted to be serious about was music.
Before I started scolding Ben like the mother hen I abso-fucking-lutelywasn’t, our friends found us, and my worries were swept away in a cloud of smoke and laughter.
* * *
I stumbledout onto the front porch, not really drunk, mostly exhausted. Pretty sure I’d been awake twenty-four hours straight at this point. Crashing until noon was sounding good.
A mutter from the corner of the porch caught my attention. “You okay over there?”
From the shadows, Tali emerged, pretty face crumpled in frustration and on the verge of tears. “I got ditched, which is fine. But now I have to walk back to campus on my own. I was waiting for a group of girls to leave so I could tag along, but…” she threw her hands up, “no girls.”
A slow grin tugged at my mouth. “I’m not a girl, but I can walk with you. I won’t get handsy.” I stuffed my hands in my pockets. “Promise.”
She worried the corner of her lip with her teeth. “Are you sure? It’s kind of a long walk…”
