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His face turns beat red and with anger behind his words, he says, “I have. It’s been years. I don’t know why you all seem to think I’m still hung up on my childhood crush. She’s been gone for years. I’m over it.”
“It’s no kawinkidink that every dame you date breaks up with you because they all claim you’re still in love with a ghost, bro,” Colin busts out.
Parker puts his hands on top of the bar making it impossible for Colin to keep it above him and it crashes down to his chest as he starts coughing for air.
“I was…j-joking.” Colin barely gets out before Parker lifts up the bar and puts it back on the rack. Colin rises from the bench rubbing his chest, coughing and gasping for air.
When we were younger, Parker and I went to this program during the summer that our schools held called latchkey. That’s where we met her.
Abigail.
She was the jelly to our peanut butter. Our third amigo. Every summer it was us three. Abby and I got really close and she was my first girlfriend, not sure if you can call it that at such a young age but I still count it.
Parker had a crush on her too, but I beat him to the punch and he never acted on it. Never told her how he felt. I think he still regrets it to this day because one moment she’s there hugging him after pushing some idiot kid off the monkey bars for making fun of her and the next we never see her again—a ghost.
We thought for sure that she must have switched schools but when junior high started and she wasn’t there and then again in high school, we accepted she was gone for good.
We end our workout session early due to the fact that Parker is now hitting the punching bag like his life depends on it. The bag flies off the hook and explodes as it hits the floor.
Colin and I sit there watching him go at it for forty-five minutes before he stops, grabs a towel, slings it over his neck, and dabs his forehead. As he walks over toward where we’re sitting he doesn't even look at us. He knows damn well all he would see is pity covering our faces.
All he says is, “Shower.”
“I’m having a party this weekend. Everyone is coming.” Savannah says as she plays with her hair and leans up against the locker next to mine and Parker’s.
“Count me in Sav! I can’t wait to play spin the bottle naked edition,” Colin jokes, but Savannah just looks at him with a scowl.
“Okay, clothing optional,” Colin says as he closes his locker.
“I heard. Hope you have a good time,” Parker responds with zero emotion. I know where his head is this morning and it's not going to get better anytime soon. Not until practice later when he can hit something hard.
She rolls her eyes and backs off the locker, looks over to me, and asks, “What about you Masters? Will I see you at my party?”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, thanks for the invite,” I say, saluting her as she takes her leave down the hall. Honestly, anywhere is better than being around Dad.
“Get out of your head man.” I nudge Parker with my hip. “Time for class, see ya brother.”
I leave him and Colin at the lockers, they have class together and I have to book my ass to the other side of the school before the first bell rings.
four
parker
Fuckinghell.Leaveitup to Colin to bring her up when he didn’t even fucking know Abigail. It might have been eight years ago, but I remember every summer we spent together as kids. I was in love with her.
Yeah, so what that she and Ryan were a thing. I was the one who was in love with her. I knew it from the day she sat next to us and shared her lunch kit with me because my mom forgot to pack my lunch.
I know it’s wrong to try and date other girls when, clearly, I have my issues. But it’s not like I’m intentionally hoping that she will magically appear before me one day. She broke my damn heart and left me out to die when she left without warning, and I willneverforgive her for that.
By the end of first period, she’s still infiltrating my every thought. I meet up with my brothers, and we file into Mr. Tate’s English class when the bell rings and take our seats.
Tate’s one of those new-age teachers. He dresses like a fucking hippie about to light a bong and pass it around to all of us while he busts out a guitar and starts singing Aerosmith or something. But I look forward to his class. I hated reading before, but now, he’s the reason I love literature.
He’s reading fromTo Kill a Mockingbirdwhen there’s a knock outside the door. “This will only take a moment; talk amongst yourselves; what do you think Atticus was trying to convey in that last passage?”
I turn to my two best friends and start talking about our upcoming game against Northwood on Friday. “I heard Tyler Lock is benched; something about failing a class?”
“How can he be failing a class already? It’s the second week of school.” Ryan mocks.
