on?”
Ace took the box from my hand and knelt in front of me.
Jared elbowed Eli and said in a mock whisper, “I bet we see this again in the future.”
Eli shook his head and pushed Jared. “Shut up, man. Give him a dan g break. You know how long he’s…you know, and he’s leaving. Dude’s barely had it together these last few weeks. Don’t make him flip on your shit.”
I watched their exchange of words. Heard everything as clearly as if they spoke to me instead of each other, even though they whispered. Ace unhooked the rope chain he always wore from around his neck, freed the heart pendant from the box, and slipped it onto the chain. He did all of it without looking at me until the heart slid to a stop, and he held the ends of the chain up. I lifted my hair for him to fasten it around my neck. I could feel the tension coming off him. Could feel his hands trembling as he tried to keep it together and not run over to beat the shit out of his friends. I gripped his wrist before he could snatch his hands away. He looked at some point over my shoulder, and I watched the vein in his neck pulse as his nostrils flared. I squeezed his wrist, and he shifted his gaze to meet mine. “Thank you for the chain, Ace. I’ll get one soon and give yours back to you.”
I knew what I had to do. I had to break the tension before the night ended up in a brawl instead of the memory they’d all wanted it to be. “But now I have to tell y’all that I kinda feel a little bad. I mean, I only got you T-shirts.”
I felt Ace’s body tremble and smiled when a laugh broke past the thin line his lips had been set in.
“Oh snap!” Aiden hooted.
“Can you get them for me, Jake?” His hand fell to my knee.
“Sure, Riles. Where are they?”
“Behind the seat of my truck.”
Ace stood up, and I lifted my hand to rub my fingers along my very first real piece of jewelry. The chain was warm against my skin and I soaked it in, taking that small piece of heat that Ace had left behind, realizing that twice in one day he’d shared his warmth with me.
I heard my truck door slam shut and turned my head just as Ace stuck his hand into the bag, pulling out a shirt and looking at the tag. “Size small. Must be Jared’s.”
The guys laughed as Jared walked over and shoved his hand in the bag. “There is nothing small about me, bro.”
I grimaced, realizing I hadn’t taken the shirt I’d bought for myself out of the bag. I was just going to put it away since I wasn’t one of the Six. I didn’t say anything as Ace tucked it under his arm and tossed everyone a shirt. He got to the last shirt, folded the bag, and walked over, dropping the extra shirt tucked under his arm on my lap. “These are cool, Riles.” He held his shirt out to me, gesturing for me to hold it. In truth, they were pretty plain. The shirts were royal blue with the number 6 on the right side where a pocket would normally go. On the back, it said You wish . No one but the Six would fully understand what it meant, and really, it wouldn’t be what anyone thought it meant. It was just what the guys always said to each other when one of them gave the other hell about something they thought they did better.
When I took it from him, he grabbed the bottom of the shirt he ’d changed into and pulled it off. The others cheered him on by throwing out comments like, “Take it off,” and “Hold me back, cowboy. My nipples are tweakin’.” I cracked up at their antics. I’d grown accustomed to the trash they talked. Jared was the worst of the bunch. He always had some sort of odd comeback or comment that flew past his lips before the filter in his brain stopped him.
I folded Ace’s discarded shirt and almost dropped it when he’d said that. “Really Jared? Your nipples are tweakin’?”
Jared ripped his shirt off and flexed his arms. “See, look at all this awesomeness. Ace has nothin’ on me.”
I shook my head, but I didn’t say anything back. There was no
Ace took the box from my hand and knelt in front of me.
Jared elbowed Eli and said in a mock whisper, “I bet we see this again in the future.”
Eli shook his head and pushed Jared. “Shut up, man. Give him a dan g break. You know how long he’s…you know, and he’s leaving. Dude’s barely had it together these last few weeks. Don’t make him flip on your shit.”
I watched their exchange of words. Heard everything as clearly as if they spoke to me instead of each other, even though they whispered. Ace unhooked the rope chain he always wore from around his neck, freed the heart pendant from the box, and slipped it onto the chain. He did all of it without looking at me until the heart slid to a stop, and he held the ends of the chain up. I lifted my hair for him to fasten it around my neck. I could feel the tension coming off him. Could feel his hands trembling as he tried to keep it together and not run over to beat the shit out of his friends. I gripped his wrist before he could snatch his hands away. He looked at some point over my shoulder, and I watched the vein in his neck pulse as his nostrils flared. I squeezed his wrist, and he shifted his gaze to meet mine. “Thank you for the chain, Ace. I’ll get one soon and give yours back to you.”
I knew what I had to do. I had to break the tension before the night ended up in a brawl instead of the memory they’d all wanted it to be. “But now I have to tell y’all that I kinda feel a little bad. I mean, I only got you T-shirts.”
I felt Ace’s body tremble and smiled when a laugh broke past the thin line his lips had been set in.
“Oh snap!” Aiden hooted.
“Can you get them for me, Jake?” His hand fell to my knee.
“Sure, Riles. Where are they?”
“Behind the seat of my truck.”
Ace stood up, and I lifted my hand to rub my fingers along my very first real piece of jewelry. The chain was warm against my skin and I soaked it in, taking that small piece of heat that Ace had left behind, realizing that twice in one day he’d shared his warmth with me.
I heard my truck door slam shut and turned my head just as Ace stuck his hand into the bag, pulling out a shirt and looking at the tag. “Size small. Must be Jared’s.”
The guys laughed as Jared walked over and shoved his hand in the bag. “There is nothing small about me, bro.”
I grimaced, realizing I hadn’t taken the shirt I’d bought for myself out of the bag. I was just going to put it away since I wasn’t one of the Six. I didn’t say anything as Ace tucked it under his arm and tossed everyone a shirt. He got to the last shirt, folded the bag, and walked over, dropping the extra shirt tucked under his arm on my lap. “These are cool, Riles.” He held his shirt out to me, gesturing for me to hold it. In truth, they were pretty plain. The shirts were royal blue with the number 6 on the right side where a pocket would normally go. On the back, it said You wish . No one but the Six would fully understand what it meant, and really, it wouldn’t be what anyone thought it meant. It was just what the guys always said to each other when one of them gave the other hell about something they thought they did better.
When I took it from him, he grabbed the bottom of the shirt he ’d changed into and pulled it off. The others cheered him on by throwing out comments like, “Take it off,” and “Hold me back, cowboy. My nipples are tweakin’.” I cracked up at their antics. I’d grown accustomed to the trash they talked. Jared was the worst of the bunch. He always had some sort of odd comeback or comment that flew past his lips before the filter in his brain stopped him.
I folded Ace’s discarded shirt and almost dropped it when he’d said that. “Really Jared? Your nipples are tweakin’?”
Jared ripped his shirt off and flexed his arms. “See, look at all this awesomeness. Ace has nothin’ on me.”
I shook my head, but I didn’t say anything back. There was no
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