Disclaimer: The following is a prequel to Choices The Freshman and The Sophomore stories. It is a fictional adaptation. I do not work for Pixelberry Studios, the game developer or own the rights to the characters Chris Powell, Jo, Kyle or Nicole. All of the characters, story line and events were originally developed by me, some areas in part with @maxattack-powell, in conjuction to her adaptation of The Freshman.
Chapter 23: Happier
The sky over Clippers Stadium is feathered with wispy, white clouds and a bright, larger than normal sun. A pleasant breeze floats over the senior class of Cherryfield High School, sharing their final hours as students of the public school system. The air is full of hope and optimism.
No future for any Cherryfield student might be as bright as that of Morgan Price’s. She lifts a hand to her brow, shielding her eyes from the sun, as she surveys the rows of white, plastic folding chairs neatly aligned on the closely cropped football field. She continues her inspection, trying to locate the row labeled “P.”
“Morgan!” a shout rings out from the stage. She smiles to herself, recognizing the voice before she turns to look at him over her shoulder.
“Am I doing this right?” Ryan asks. He makes a show of straightening his back, tossing imaginary long hair and strutting with his hands in demi-seconde position like a ballerina. He walks, leading with his hips, sucking in his cheeks, an expression reminiscent of the Derek Zoolander movie character.
Morgan covers her mouth as he attempts to walk across the raised platform created for the graduation stage.
“How do I look?” Ryan asks, throwing his head dramatically again.
“Constipated….” She says walking towards the stage, still shielding her eyes.
Ryan’s mouth drops and he gasps, feigning shock and offense. A laugh rises from Morgan’s belly, escaping her mouth boisterously. He is unable to maintain the theatrics for long, a smile spreading over his face as he watches her laugh.
“Alright then fancy face, you get up here and show me how it’s done,” he says cocking his head to the side.
She glances around, apprehensive at first, but then shrugs it off. No one would have any idea what her little runway lesson would be in reference to. She walks up the steps of the make-shift stage and eases around a few teachers helping to set out ferns and drapery on the edge of the platform.
“First of all, it’s a natural walk,” Morgan says approaching him. Ryan’s eyebrow arches in amusement as she stands beside him. “Stand up straight.”
“I was!” he defends.
“Yes, but you looked either like you had to go really bad and couldn’t hold it…or you had been holding it for way too long,” She deadpans.
Ryan blinks and then chuckles, shaking his head at her. “Okay, what else?”
“Just one foot in front of the other, keep your hands and arms neutral. It’s a confident stride,” Morgan says and takes a few steps in front of him to the other side of the stage. Ryan drinks in the details of her tall, slender frame in her shorts, sneakers and tightly fitted top.
She turns back around and faces him. “See? Nothing extra on it. Neither of us is Naomi Campbell,” she gives a light laugh.
Ryan straightens his back becoming stone faced and takes self-assured steps towards her, his eyes engaging hers the duration of his stride. Morgan drinks in all that is Ryan, from the sleeves of his shirt gripping his biceps to the way his jeans fit him, and the sparkle of his eyes in the sunlight as he approaches.
“How’s that?” he asks her.
She nods with a gulp. “Really good actually,” she admits. “You planning on walking the stage like that?”
Ryan tosses his head from side to side, mischievousness in his eyes and smirk. “I’ve got a little something planned,” he says vaguely.
“Oh boy,” Morgan blows out a breath, eyes wide. “It doesn’t involve streaking does it?”
“Don’t think I didn’t consider it,” he winks and she laughs.
“What the hell is Ryan doing?” Ethan asks Chris with a frown from the side of the football field. They watch perplexed as Ryan seemingly crosses the stage like a model.
“You are asking me to explain something Ryan is doing?” Chris asks wryly. “Why does Ryan do anything Ryan does?”
“Good point,” Ethan shakes his head. “So the plan for tomorrow night the same?”
“Yeah,” Chris nods. “I figured with all of our families wanting to do dinners and visit, it would be best to just hang out afterwards. You guys can come whenever you finish up at home and you are welcome to stay over,” Chris says of their post-ceremony intentions. His grandmother, along with Ryan’s and Ethan’s grandparents, and Ethan’s older sister Mackenzie were all en route to Cherryfield for tomorrow’s graduation ceremony. “Unless you wanted to go to one of the parties?”
“Nah,” Ethan shakes his head. “I’d rather hang with you and Ryan.” He and Chris line up behind a table set up in the end zone where several teachers are distributing yearbooks. As Chris waits in line, he spots Nicole walking with one of the other girls from the cheerleading squad towards the table. His empty expression neither welcomes her nor detracts her. She blinks and then glances down, standing in the line next to his, suddenly silent.
Morgan and Ryan exit the stage walking back across the grass field.
“Hey,” she says putting a hand on his arm stopping him. She turns to face him with a smile. He lifts a brow in anticipation of what she will say.
“So…I wanted to ask you about it for a while, but I thought I’d mention it before, well before I go…” she gives a tiny smile and reaches into her back pocket. She pulls out a small folded piece of notebook paper. Holding it up in front of his face, her smile widens. “This.”
“What is it?” Ryan asks with a frown. “A note?”
“Yeah, the note,” she giggles. “It was from you right?” She lowers the paper and hits his arm playfully.
“I’m not sure what you are talking about,” Ryan shakes his head confused. His brow furrows. “What’s in the note?”
“Wait….” She says slack-jawed. “You didn’t put this in my locker?”
“No,” Ryan shakes his head.
“You sure?” she asks baffled.
“Morgan, I’d remember if I put something in your locker and left it for you. What is it?” he asks reaching for it. She jerks her hand back, pulling the note away from him. She shoves it into her back pocket. Deep frown lines form as she wrestles with what she had imagined to be true and reality.
“I thought for sure….” She says in almost a whisper, staring vacantly down at the grass.
“What’s in the note?” Ryan inquires, genuinely curious.
“It was a poem,” Morgan lifts her head and begins to look around at her other classmates.
“Yeah, definitely not from me. The only poem I know begins with ‘There once was a man from Nantucket,’” Ryan chuckles. He studies her face as she inventories the faces of her classmates for any inkling who wrote those soulfully, beautiful words to her. “Was it like a love poem or something?” he asks.
Morgan only nods. Ryan frowns slightly.
“I want to read it,” he says.
“No,” Morgan turns and faces him, shaking her head.
“Why not?” he asks confounded.
“Because!” Morgan retorts. “Whoever wrote it, obviously only meant for me to read it.”
“They won’t even know I read it!” Ryan says reaching towards her back pocket.
“Ryan!” She swats his hand. “No!”
“What does it say?” he asks reaching around her again. She backs away, turning her bottom swiftly away from his grasp. He silently blinks before grinning.
Her eyes narrow. “Don’t you even thi-“
Before she can finish the statement, Ryan throws his arms around her, bear-hugging her and lifting her from the ground.
“Ryan!” She shouts, already starting to laugh.
“Let me see it!” he repeats.
“No!”
“I’m not going to put you down,” he says defiantly.
“I said no!” She laughs again. She tries to wiggle free, folding her upper body over his arm, making it harder for him to carry her but he begins to walk effortlessly with her.
“I’m going to bite your hand!” She threatens, inching her face towards his hand as she holds on to him with the other.
“Still not putting you down,” he says. Suddenly he feels the wet warmth of her lips on his forearm and before he can react, a nip at his skin.
“Are you biting at me?” he exclaims, stopping in his tracks.
“I said I would!” she begins to kick her feet. She and Ryan both erupt in laughter as he gently sets her down on the grass.
“Alright, alright, truce,” he laughs. Morgan’s boisterous laugh fills the stadium again. Ryan loves the sound. It’s a mixture of a rapid intake of air and the wheezing sound of a pandhandler from the 1800’s.
Morgan begins to regain her composure as the laughter subsides. Ryan catches a glimpse over her shoulder that renders him motionless, his eyes vacant. He does not even blink. Tay stands on the stage behind the podium as Mrs. McWhorter gives her instructions. The student hears not a word the teacher has spoken, contempt gleaming in her eyes, her face sullen as she stares directly at Ryan.
He withers in her gaze. He watches as her eyes shift from him to the beauty chuckling now at his side.
“I’m going to go find my seat and get my yearbook,” Morgan announces. She pulls her phone from her pocket and checks the time. “We’ve got like 20 minutes before rehearsals starts.”
“ ‘Kay….” Ryan says softly. “I uh…I’ll catch up with you in a minute.”
“Alright,” she nods, turning and heading towards the chairs.
Ryan loiters near the stage, looking around the stadium. It seems fitting that he will end his high school career in the very spot that he wowed the people of Cherryfield on so many Friday nights for three years. He looks at the line at the yearbook table, spotting Chris and Ethan as they pick up their keepsakes.
“You’re going to do great Taylor,” Mrs. McWhorter encourages, patting the young blonde on the shoulder before walking away from her. Ryan hears the statement and takes it as his cue to approach.
Tay opens a binder on the top of the podium, flipping through a few pages before settling her eyes on a starting place. Movement in front of the stage catches her eye and she peers down at the shamefaced young man below.
“Hey,” Ryan says softly.
She pauses, looking down her nose at him. She does not reply.
Ryan nods accepting the volatility of the current situation. He thinks quickly, desperately for something to say.
“So, you’re valedictorian?” he asks.
“Yes,” she says flatly, gripping the sides of the podium. She summons the tenacity that has gotten her through this school year, the resolve that defines her, as she looks down at the raven haired boy who broke her heart. One look from him made putty of her once before, she makes an oath with herself that it will never happen again.
“That’s great Tay, congratulations. That’s a huge honor,” he nods sincerely. “You’re so smart it makes sense. I’m proud of you,” he says.
She balks. “Proud of me? That’s funny coming from a guy that never wanted to be seen with me.”
Ryan freezes, blinking silently. He has no response because he knows there is no excuse for what he did to her.
“I guess you’re right about that,” he says licking his lips and looking down at the ground. “I uh…I just wanted to say congratulations and….maybe say goodbye before tomorrow,” he shoves his hands in his pockets, wincing as he looks up at her. The sun strikes his eyes from overhead, but there seems to be a ray beaming directly behind her head, making it difficult to look at her.
“Okay. Bye,” she retorts. Her lips are tight, her nostrils flared in anger.
Ryan can only nod again. “Goodbye Tay….” He says dropping his head and turning and walking away.
***
“Morgan Price would you be so kind and sign my yearbook?” Ethan asks approaching her as she moves towards her seat. Rehearsals will begin in five minutes.
“Of course Ethan! Hey, sign mine too?” She says taking a seat on a vacant chair. They swap books and use the pens provided by teachers.
“So you never told me which school you settled on,” Ethan says as he begins to write.
“Oh….Yeah, um….about that,” she begins slowly. Ethan stops writing, the tip of the pen still pressed against the page as he lifts his eyes to her. Something in her hesitation makes him roll his shoulders and frown.
“What is it?”
“I’m not going to college, at least not this year,” she says shaking her head.
“Oh,” he lifts his brows in surprise. “Taking a year off? Going to travel?”
“In some ways, yes,” she smiles up at him. He shakes his head not understanding.
“This is so crazy to even say out loud but…I got a modeling contract and…I’m headed to New York to begin work.”
Ethan blinks rapidly, closing his year book and clicking his pen closed. “What?”
Morgan laughs a little. “I know, it sounds wild but…it’s true. Long story short, this guy a photographer saw me while I was on spring break with my family, and things rolled from there.”
“A model? You?” Ethan’s voice rises. Morgan looks around anxiously, hoping no one else has heard their conversation. She looks at Ethan, her eyes pleading for his discretion.
He glances around and then nods. “Sorry and…sorry, I don’t mean to say that like you aren’t pretty enough to be a model or anything it’s just….” He stammers.
“Me,” she nods. “I get it Ethan. Don’t apologize. I’ve had to pinch myself a few times since this all happened.
“How does that even work?” Ethan asks, his brain struggling to process Morgan’s future.
“Actually, I’ve been going to the City on the weekends for development while I finished school. Learning about the business, posing, working with the camera, finding my look, stuff like that,” she says. “It’s been a lot, but I’ve really enjoyed it so far.”
“Well…I’m…I’m happy for you,” he says still in shock.
“Thanks,” she smiles ruefully.
Ethan stares back at her. “Does Ryan know?”
“Yes,” she says. “I asked him to let me be the one to tell you and Chris,” she explains. “I wanted you to hear it from me.”
Ethan looks up and spots Chris heading to the row labelled “P” and Ryan at the table to grab his yearbook.
“Okay, but…you are going to tell Chris, right?”
She nods. “Of course.”
***
Mr. Poole steps to the podium, flipping on the mic. Morgan’s hug to Ethan is swift as they return their yearbooks and head to their seats.
She knows where she will be. The same place she always is when their class is together as a unit. She will be seated next to Chris Powell.
She carefully steps over feet, avoiding toes as she makes her way to her spot. Chris is already seated, turning his legs to let her pass. She plops down beside him with a heavy sigh. She looks at the rows in front of her, spotting the back of Nicole’s head, three rows up with the M’s. Ryan and Ethan are near the front and she can’t see them from her seat.
“Hey…” Chris says softly, glancing over at her.
“Hi,” she says, giving a small, polite smile. They have not seen each other much since prom. The schedules for the last week of school were modified for exams, and Chris and Morgan were only briefly in each other’s presence during Mrs. McWhorter’s grueling English Literature final. They were both so drained after the test they left the class silently.
Ryan’s mention of prom was brief and nonspecific, responding to Ethan’s question during lunch of if he had a good time with a simple “yes.” Chris wondered what took place between Morgan and Ryan that night, wondering also if they were beginning a relationship, but he has not been brave enough to ask, part of him not wanting to know.
Mr. Poole taps the mic, making sure there is sound. “Let me first say congratulations,” he begins. “Tomorrow is your last day as students of Cherryfield High School.”
The class roars with applause and cheers. Chris lifts his hands over his head, clapping hard. Morgan looks at him and laughs.
“Walking the stage at graduation is a privilege not a guarantee,” Mr. Poole says, “and if any of you should try to disrupt the ceremony with any improper displays of-“
Morgan groans. “Here we go,” she says.
Chris chuckles, speaking low. “Have they ever really withheld anyone’s diploma before?”
Morgan shrugs. “I don’t think so but Poole will make an example out of just about anyone,” she says leaning over to whisper.
“You’re right about that,” Chris nods. He feels relieved. He and Morgan finally seem at ease speaking to each other again.
Mr. Poole drones on with a long list of conditions and possible punishments for violators. Morgan and Chris exchange a glance and she rolls her eyes, causing him to chuckle.
“Hey,” he says softly. “Sign my year book?” he asks with a smile.
Her face registers her surprise at his request but she nods. “Yeah, you too?” she says making sure the teacher at the end of their row doesn’t see or hear them.
Chris slides the book off his lap and over to her, taking hers from her.
He watches as Morgan flips to an open page and begins to write, her hand swirls over the page effortlessly. He thinks for a few moments, trying to find the words before he begins.
When he is finally done, he looks over at her. His book is closed and clenched in her hands against her chest. He silently passes hers back to her, she doing the same for him.
“Thanks,” he smiles.
She wonders when he will read her message. She nods and turns her attention back to the stage as her classmates begin to stand and practice emptying the rows.
***
“That was thrilling,” Chris says at the end of rehearsal.
“Did we really need to dedicate half a morning out in the sun, with no shade to sitting and walking? I’ve had that down since I was one. Plus it was mandatory that we attend,” Morgan retorts and he laughs.
Ryan and Ethan approach their row.
“I think every word Poole said up there was directed at you,” Morgan smiles at Ryan.
“I know it was,” he says and they all laugh.
“You guys got family coming in tonight?” Chris asks.
“Yeah,” Ryan nods. “My grandparents are probably at the house right now. I said I’d come right home, unless you guys want to go do something?” he asks.
“I better get home, “Ethan says. “If I’m not there when both sets of grandparents get there I’m pretty sure I’ll be disowned.”
“Yeah, and I’ve got to go pack,” Morgan says out loud absent-mindedly hugging her yearbook to her chest. She flinches when she realizes what she said and looks at Ethan.
“Guess we should all head home then,” Ethan interjects quickly. She gives a small smile and nods at him.
“I’ll see you guys in the morning,” Chris says turning to walk away.
“Right behind you,” Ethan says. He slaps Ryan on the back and gives Morgan one more quick hug before walking away with Chris.
Ryan and Morgan stare at one another, their eyes sloped down like sad puppies. They only have a few hours left with each other. Slowly around them, the field and parking lot begins to empty as students disperse.
“Before you head out, wanna sign yearbooks?” Ryan asks.
“You bet,” she says and they exchange books.
Morgan flips Ryan’s book open, finding it already filled with messages and signatures. She flips towards the back, where there is one page, free of any classmate graffiti.
She scribbles her message down, smiling as she reviews it before snapping the book closed.
Ryan finishes up his message to her, handing it back to her with a meaningful glance. He has become comfortable with talking to Morgan and texting her every day since prom. Even when they were supposed to be nowhere near each other on campus, he found a way to see her. The thought of her being gone over the summer, already squeezes his heart.
“Just getting started on packing?” he asks as they turn and head off the field towards the parking lot.
“Yeah,” Morgan sighs. “I guess I put it off because in some way, I was kind of waiting for it to be real. Now leaving is just two days away….”
“How are you feeling about everything?”
“I’m getting a little nervous to be honest,” she admits. Ryan slides his yearbook under his arm and takes her hand in his as they walk. She smiles at the comfortable feeling. “I mean, I still don’t officially have a place to live and the agency is putting me up in a hotel near the office but…I don’t know. I guess I’m worried I’ll be home sick.”
“You’re going to do great,” he encourages. “If you do feel lonely or sad, you know who you can call, right?”
He stops next to her car and turns to face her.
“Yeah….” She smiles. “I hate I’m going to miss your birthday in a few days,” she shakes her head.
“It’s okay. My mom has a day planned out. I promised her I’d go along with it,” he laughs. “I draw the line though at clowns.”
Morgan laughs and then falls silent. “I’m gonna miss you making me laugh every day.”
“And I’m going to miss that laugh of yours,” he says.
They study each other again and Morgan raises her arms to hug him, holding her yearbook carefully. “I better go,” she says blinking back tears already. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She turns and opens the door to her Mustang, climbing in and closing the door.
Ryan waves and heads to his Bronco.
Morgan turns on the car, blasting the AC and turning the vents towards her face. The windshield created a sauna inside her vehicle while it sat unattended in the bright sun.
As she waits for it to cool off, she eagerly flips her yearbook open, first finding Ryan’s message.
Morgan,
I’m not real good at word sometimes, so I’m going to say this the best I can and hope you understand exactly what I mean. Thank you for the most amazing year I could have hoped for. I know things weren’t always great, but it’s how the year ended that matters to me the most, not how it started. The very best times were with you. You are about to do so many awesome and cool things. I’m so excited for you. I will miss you more than you will know, but I will also remember the promise I made to you. I hope our someday is soon. You’re my girl, Morgan.
Love,
Ryan
Morgan’s eyes water and she closes the book and drops it into her passenger seat. She can’t look at any other messages then, her heart already full but aching from the one she just read. She is dreading goodbye and wishes she had more hours left. She backs out of the lot, wiping at her face before turning onto the highway.
Ryan climbs into his Bronco, sitting and waiting to see the Mustang leave the parking lot before he hits the road.
As he watches her drive away, he opens his yearbook to the page she signed. Her message is short, no longer than eight words, but it says enough to unite them for a lifetime. He smiles as he watches her car become smaller in the distance.
Ryan,
YOUR girl, forever.
With love always,
Morgan
***
The Powell home has been buzzing with activity since three o’clock that afternoon when Barbara’s mother, Louise, arrived at their Cherryfield residence.
Louise is a tiny woman who was once a jaw dropper that lived in high heels with a curvy 5’2” frame. Now at 71, she walks slightly stooped and with slow steps. Her wrinkled skin, the result from years spent at the shore sunbathing, reads like a map with hidden destinations and secrets kept locked away for years. Her silver-hair is permed and curled tightly around her gaunt face. She still takes pride in her appearance, and her lips are painted pink, with touches of rouge on her cheeks. Her eyes are blue like her daughters and grandson’s.
Jo and Kyle had already been spoiled with a few new toys, cookies, a blueberry pie and a gift card for them to purchase games they like.
Chris’s graduation gift from his grandmother came early in the form of a crisp $100 bill to purchase items he would need for his dorm. His widowed grandmother was by no means rich and Chris knew this was no small financial gift or sacrifice on her part.
“Grandma, I can’t take this,” he said as he opened the card and the bill slid out onto the floor.
“Nonsense,” she said bending down gingerly from her seat on the sofa to pick up the bill and place it in his hand. “Your grandfather would have been so proud to see you play football and now get an opportunity to get a college education because of it. Henry loved you so much Chris. He would want to make sure we were doing all we could to help you.”
“Yeah but-“
“Ah, ah…no arguing with your grandma. Okay?” She laughed cutting him off. He smiled and leaned over, taking the thin, frail woman in his arms. She lifted aged hands around his back, slowly rocking him and patting his shoulders.
The house is finally starting to settle down. Louise will sleep in Jo’s room that night, Chris’s sister sharing a bed with his mom to allow their grandmother to sleep peacefully and undisturbed.
Chris heads to his room after giving his grandmother and mother a kiss goodnight. He closes the door to his room and sighs, stretching and feeling worn from day.
He sits on the edge of his bed and glances at his phone.
There is a group text from Ryan and Chris chuckles at the quote from one of their favorite movies, Tombstone. Ryan often quoted it during football season. “Tomorrow is the last charge of Wyatt Earp and his immortals.”
Chris texts back. “Nope, we’re just getting started.”
Ryan writes back a second later. “Damn right.”
Chris laughs again and puts his phone down on his bed. He looks at the yearbook on his desk and retrieves it, deciding to read through some of the messages from his classmates.
There are a few with hearts and some that are simply signed by name. He flips and then stops when he sees the longer message. It is on a page all by itself.
He scoots back on the bed, leaning against his pillows as he reads her message.
Chris,
What are the odds that both of our last names began with “P”? Since the first day of kindergarten, when a little terrified girl was seated next to a sweet, sandy-haired little boy, I’ve always been on your right. That little boy offered to share his crayons with that little girl to stop her from crying that day. He didn’t know it, but everything she ever felt for him began that moment and from that day on, he was always special to her. Every year, with assigned seats, I was always right next to you Chris. You may not have always seen me but I saw you. There are no do-overs, sometimes we don’t get second chances to say and do the things we would have liked. I would have been a lot less shy a whole lot sooner. I saw how special you were that very first day and despite everything we have been through, I still see you Chris. I see the good in you, the same boy looking out for others. I began my first day sitting next to you and I will spend my last day sitting next to you. That seems to be exactly the way it should have been.
Always on your right,
Morgan
***
The next evening, he lines up outside the stadium, a red mortar board on his head and red gown that fits shorter on him than most of the other students. The tassel annoyingly tickles the side of his face, smacking him in the eyes occasionally as he turns to talk.
There, lined up in front of him, to be seated at his right, is Morgan.
He greets her and is surprised when they are able to make idle chat. Morgan continues to try and be a bigger person, more so now that she read his yearbook message to her.
She took a brief break the night before from packing her suitcase, tired from going over and over the checklist she had printed out for herself and shuffling back and forth between her bathroom and closet.
She sat down at her desk, rereading Ryan’s message, then Ethan’s wish for luck, happiness and good fortune before turning to Chris’s.
Morgan-
I should have noticed.
Way before now. I at least should have been a better friend. You were always there. Always caring and never asked for a thing. You watched over all of us – cared for people who didn’t deserve it. I can try and blame my behaviors on being a kid for a while, and as we grew up I became distracted by my own family issues. For some dumbass reason, I actually thought “she who shall not be named” was going to be the fix for it all. Wrong. You have helped me to see that only I can do that.
Who knows what could have happened if I hadn’t been blind for so long. Actually you know what? We ALL should have noticed you before this year. Not just me. Not just Ryan or even Ethan. Everyone.
I know I have said it probably a hundred times, so once more isn’t going to hurt and this way, it’s here forever. I’m sorry. Sorry for everyone.
Maybe one day we will be good friends again, but until then….
Forever hopeful,
Chris
“Hey,” Chris says turning to face her. Morgan looks up at him, her hair curled under the cap, tassel bobbing. “I know there’s a lot going on, but…after the ceremony, would you have a minute? I wanted…to talk….” He says and licks his lips. He briefly looks anxious before his blue eyes meet hers.
“Yeah, actually, I needed to talk to you, I…just hadn’t found the right time,” she says chewing her lip.
“It’s cool,” he nods with a smile. She returns it as they hear the band begin to play The Graduation March.
They turn and face the front as one by one the senior class of Cherryfield High makes its way across the football field to their seats. Chris and Morgan stand side by side as the rows behind them fill up. Morgan looks to the bleachers, spotting her mother, father and Micah and both sets of her grandparents sitting together. Chris looks for his mom, Kyle and Jo and his Grandma Louise. They wave and he waves back.
Up front, Ryan and Ethan locate their friends, waving and giving thumbs-ups.
A member of student council delivers the invocation before the class takes a seat in unison.
Mr. Poole delivers a welcome to the guests in attendance, sitting in the bleachers in the slowly fading evening sun. He says a few words before introducing this year’s valedictorian, Taylor Worley.
Tay’s blonde hair is flat ironed straight and she has carefully done the makeup on her face. Her customary flat bangs stick out from under the mortar board. She steps to the podium, wearing black heels.
Ryan looks up at her from his seat. In the light of the orange and purple sky, she is beautiful. She does not appear jittery, she is confident and strong, the girl he had once come to know so well.
“Thank you the administrators, school board, faculty, fellow students, family and friends here today,” she begins. Her back straightens and she puts her hands on the side of the podium, looking out reflectively across the crowd.
“We survived,” she says and the students laugh.
“We have made it through the social and emotional obstacle course known as high school. Some of us are lucky enough to make it out unscathed, others have lost parts of them or even friends along the way,” she says and pauses. Ryan sits up straight.
“Who we were three days ago walking the halls of Cherryfield High School no longer matters,” she continues. “It does not matter if you were the smartest kid in class or the kid with the most appearances in detention. It does not matter if you were a star on the football field,” she says and pauses, “the head cheerleader,” Nicole stares up at her from her seat, “or the outcast from another city just trying to make it through the last semester. It does not matter if you were the biggest nerd or the coolest cat in class. We are leaving here today with a clean slate. We have our diplomas and many of us will go on to earn degrees, but what matters most is the person we are without the silly labels placed on us while we were in school. What matters is who you are in the moments that define your character. The choices you make when you think no one else is looking says who you really are as a person,” she looks out into the front few rows of the seated students, her gaze levelling on Ryan. He shifts in his seat.
“This is all about choices,” she says. “We choose to learn, love and live every day, making decisions that impact our lives. But will you make the easy choices? The choices that lead to the quickest results? Will you make choices to make your family happy, or your friends? Will you choose to follow your heart…or do what you think everyone expects you to do?”
“I challenge each of you to make the tough choices, that may require a little extra work, a few no’s to people you love, even sacrificing some relationships and possessions you hold dear to truly go after what you want. This is your life to live, no one else’s. When you leave this stadium tonight, you will be a clean slate. What will be the first line on your new page?”
She pauses and looks out at the students who are stunned by the magnitude of her words. “Thank you,” she nods her head and turns from the podium.
There is loud applause as she returns to her seat on the stage. All around him, others clap but Ryan sits with his hands in his laps, stunned. Tay locks eyes with him one more time, before turning her attention to Mr. Poole as he begins to call out names.
Early in the ceremony, one of the first to cross is Maya Braxton. She walks across the stage not with a grace and ease of a pageant queen, instead with the moxie of a young woman who is ready to live her life on her terms. Ethan cheers and claps as she smiles brightly and takes her diploma and makes her way back down to her seat in front of him.
Ethan’s row rises next and makes their way to the stairs. “Graduating with honors, Ethan Clark.” There are cheers from the stands and applause from all of his classmates as he bashfully walks the stage, shaking Mr. Poole’s hand. Maya claps, cupping her hands around her mouth and shouting, “Go Ethan!” as he grabs his diploma. He smiles down at her and then returns to his seat.
Minutes later, Ryan ascends the steps and struts across the stage as Mr. Poole announces “Ryan Hawkins.” There is a crescendo of cheers and he smiles from ear to ear as she shakes his principal’s hand. There is a brief, fleeting glance towards Tay as he walks past her, but she keeps her eyes trained to the binder in her lap holding her speech as he passes. Ryan thinks of walking on without disruption, but he can’t help himself. With the cheers of the crowd, his mother and grandparents included, Ryan approaches Mrs. McWhorter who is handing out the diplomas, bends down and does a short version of The Hawk Dance before laughing and taking the paper from her. The crowd cheers loudly as he exits the stage. Ethan smiles at him from his seat, shaking his head. Morgan holds her stomach laughing along with Chris.
“I knew it!” She says.
“You could tell he was trying to resist it, but couldn’t,” Chris laughs.
“That’s Ryan….” Morgan smiles watching as he returns to his seat.
More names are read, including Nicole’s. Chris looks at Morgan and they give each other a knowing smirk as Nicole crosses, light applause from the crowd.
Soon, their row stands and makes their way to the stage.
“Graduating with honors, Christopher Powell,” Mr. Poole announces and the entire student section and everyone in the bleachers applauds and cheers the town’s star quarterback. He waves his hand at the audience before grabbing his diploma. Mrs. Powell dabs at her eyes as Jo, Kyle and Louise clap excitedly.
“Graduating with honors, Morgan Price,” Mr. Poole announces. Ryan lets out a cattle whistle from his seat.
Tay watches as Morgan crosses, her bright smile never faltering as she accepts her diploma, her family and friends cheering for her.
Chris and Morgan return to their seats and wait patiently as the final names are announced. Mr. Poole asks the class to stand, giving a few final words of encouragement.
“And with that…ladies and gentleman, may I present to you, the newest graduates of Cherryfield High School!” The students stand and the sky is littered with red caps soaring high into the approaching night. There are squeals and overjoyed cheers as lifelong friends celebrate the moment they had all been so eagerly awaiting. Morgan throws her hat in the air and leans over to hug Michelle Pruitt, a senior she barely knows but does not care then.
She turns smiling and looks at Chris who retrieves his cap from the ground and stands up, facing her.
Elated and in the moment, Morgan throws her arms around him, happily squeezing him tightly against her. Chris laughs and raises his arms, holding her.
From the front seats, Ryan looks around, trying to spot the first target he will tackle in celebration. Ethan is wrapped up in Maya’s arms, as she bounces on her toes, making him laugh. Ryan searches for Chris and the moment seems to skip like a needle on a record when he sees his best friend holding an ecstatic Morgan closely to him, her face buried in his chest.
“We did it,” She says looking up at him, eyes smiling.
“Yes we did,” he smiles down at her, his arms still around.
“It’s over! We’re done! Let’s go!” Ethan jokes, slapping Ryan on the back and laughing hard. He gives pause when he sees Ryan in a trance staring ahead and follows his gaze. Ethan lifts a brow and looks back at Ryan.
“They’re just happy man, let’s go get Chris,” Ethan says slapping Ryan on the chest and motioning for him to follow. His friend nods and then flashes a smile before following Ethan and heading towards Chris.
He let’s go of Morgan and she looks up in time to see Ethan and Ryan heading for them. Ryan catapults himself through the air and onto Chris’s back. The quarterback laughs as he bends over, holding his friend who lets out a loud shout before jumping off of him. Ethan grabs Chris’s head and ruffles his perfect hair, eliciting a laugh from them all.
Morgan rushes towards Ryan, throwing her arms around his neck as he lifts her up off the ground.
“We did it Morgan,” he says holding her. She kisses his cheek before he puts her down, his arms lingering around her waist.
***
Friends and family moved from the football field to the gymnasium where punch and light refreshments had been set up for the graduates and their guests.
Morgan finally has a brief respite from the congratulatory hugs and kisses of her grandparents and parents to grab a much needed glass of punch. She gulps down one glass effortlessly before getting another and taking tentative sips.
She looks around the gym, taking in a final look at some of her classmates. The luminous glow of happiness is in her eyes as she sips her drink, taking a moment for herself. She stops moving entirely when she sees Nicole standing with her family. Her parents are fawning over the graduate which is of little concern to Morgan. What catches her attention is the frigid glare from Nicole’s older sibling directed at Morgan.
She stands up tall, frowning as she lowers the cup from her mouth.
Matt’s sardonic visage doesn’t just draw Morgan’s attention, but it brings forward someone whose path he dare not cross again. Chris steps to her side, throwing back a Matt a look that challenges him to test his earlier promise about what would happen if he so much as spoke to Morgan again.
Chris puts a gentle hand on Morgan’s elbow, jarring her from her thoughts to look at him. Matt shakes his head, rolling his eyes and turns his back to them.
“Asshole,” Morgan mutters and drinks from her cup. Chris let’s go of her arm.
“One word,” Chris nods at her. “He says one word to you tonight or anytime, let me know.”
She meets the statement with a steeply arched brow, before shaking her head. “Thanks but not worth you getting in trouble.”
He shrugs, glancing back to confirm she is no longer an object of Matt’s attention before he faces her.
“Finally got a breather?” he asks. He was with his family, mingling with Ethan’s in the gym but keeping a watchful eye on Morgan as she was showered with love from her family. When he saw her break free to get a drink, he followed to do the same.
“Yeah,” she laughs. “They’re just…really proud and excited,” Morgan says throwing her head towards her family.
“Well they should be,” Chris grins. “So…I know we don’t have long but, I wanted to talk to you about this summer,” he begins.
“This summer?” Morgan frowns slightly.
“Yeah….” He nods, licking his lips before the penetrating blue of his eyes lines with hers. “Morgan, I know things were weird for a while and…I know it has been a little awkward still when we are around each other but…things feel better. I feel better,” he emphasizes.
“Okay…” she whispers still wondering where he is going.
“Look, I don’t exactly know what’s going on with you and Ryan but….It would be good if we could all spend some time together again. You know, hang out. I mean, as a group you know? We can keep making things better. I’d really like to spend time with you again.”
Morgan blinks.
“Chris….”
“Before you say no, I’m really being honest Morgan. Whatever reservations you have about it, let’s talk through it.”
“It’s not that,” She says licking her lips. She looks down at the floor and then sits her cup on the table beside her.
“Then what?” he frowns confused.
She lifts her eyes to meet his. “Chris, I’m leaving town in the morning,” she says. She shakes her head. “I…I won’t be coming home for a long time.”
He jerks his head back. “What? What do you mean leaving? Why?”
“I got a job…modeling through this agency in New York City….” She stares back at him. Chris’s lips part and he’s about to refute what she has said but he sees the honesty in her eyes.
“How?” he asks sputtering.
“It’s a long story,” she shakes her head. “But when I said earlier I wanted us to talk…that’s what I wanted to tell you. That I’m leaving. I wanted to say goodbye.”
Chris stares in silence, his mouth open. He scoffs and shakes his head, running his hand over his face. “Morgan.”
“I’m sorry,” she begins. “I really wasn’t sure of…” she trails off.
“Of what?” he frowns.
“How you would react,” she says. “That you would care this much.”
“Are you serious right now? Morgan why wouldn’t I care?”
She chews her lip and then meets his eyes. “What colleges did I apply to Chris?”
He jerks his head back at the question. “Huh?”
“What college did I want to go to?” she asks him.
He stares at her and slowly her meaning begins to sink in. He closes his eyes and shakes his head ashamed.
“Today is graduation and you don’t have a clue about what I wanted to do next. You said it in your message,” she stresses. “You didn’t notice. You didn’t ask. I took that as you didn’t care. At least up until now. I’m not mad, or trying to be a bitch, I just…I need you to see it from my eyes.”
“I’m sorry, you’re right. I…am asking to be a friend when I haven’t been a very good one to you,” he blows out a breath. “I’m sorry. I should be happy for you, and I am.”
“Thank you,” She gives a tiny smile. “I’m a little scared but I’m excited too. Me in the Big Apple.”
“When did all of this happen?” he blinks.
“Over spring break. I’ve kept it to myself mostly.”
“But Ryan knew?” Chris’s eyes narrow slightly.
“Yes, he knew,” she nods.
He frowns deeply then looks back into her eyes. She smiles, trying to reassure him that it’s all okay now.
“So you really are gone in the morning?” he questions.
“Yeah, we’re about to leave and go home so I can finish packing, eat dinner and then my folks are driving me down tomorrow.”
“Modelling? Really?”
She chuckles. “Not a part of the plan, like at all. I told my grandpa earlier I couldn’t imagine being a model in my wildest dreams. Not even when I was a little girl and playing. I wanted to be an astronaut, not Cindy Crawford.”
Chris laughs, the shock still present but easing away slowly.
“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and I needed to take it,” she says earnestly meeting his eyes.
“You don’t have to convince me Morgan. I understand completely and…it makes sense. You’re beautiful. But who you are, the person that you are, that’s even more beautiful,” Chris says.
She closes her eyes feeling content and sighs, shaking her head. “Christopher Powell,” she chuckles at how funny life can be. There was a time when she would have fainted if he had said that to her. “Hey, um, one more thing,” she says and looks over to see Ryan with his grandparents and Lisa near the cookie platter. Lisa has a stack of cookies in her hand, grabs a napkin, folds them into it and slips them in her purse.
“Yeah?”
“I never thanked you….” She says. “For the snow globe.”
He pauses, then the corner of his lips lift into a smirk. “Yeah, about that-“
“It was really sweet. At the time, I kind of wanted to throw it at you, but…that’s one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me. I still plan to come back here someday and buy one of those old houses,” she nods leaning forward. “You just wait.”
He laughs a little. “Well, sounds to me like some day you might be able to buy anything you want for yourself.”
She shrugs and looks around the gym once more. “I have a few Cherryfield things I packed for New York. I am going to take the snow globe with me,” she says. He smiles. “That way…I will always have something with me that reminds me of home…and you,” she says softly. She gives him a Mona Lisa smile, her thoughts about him in that moment a mystery.
Chris lifts his arms and drops them, saying internally to himself screw it and pulls her against him in a hug.
“I’m going to watch you play on Saturday’s,” she says resting her head against his chest, “and on Sunday’s.”
“Who knows. Someday I may see your face in a magazine,” he looks down at her as she pulls away. “I’ll miss you Morgan,” he blinks as he says it, surprised by not only his own words but the feeling that comes with it.
She smiles, reaching up and places her hand on his cheek. “Bye Chris….”
“Bye,” he whispers. She drops her hand and sighs, closing her eyes, feeling her body tremble slightly.
Ryan stands in front of his mother and grandparents, talking about a three pointer he nailed to win a game from the very spot they are standing in. He looks up when he sees her approaching, a shy smile on his face.
“This lady right here,” Lisa says throwing an arm around her and hugging Morgan. “How’s my favorite prom date doing?” she asks. Morgan laughs.
“I’m good, thank you ma’am.”
“Oh! Is this her?” Evelyn asks. Morgan raises her eyebrows curiously at Ryan and he blushes for the fourth time in his life.
“Never seen this one sweat bullets over a girl like he did before your prom date,” Paul Hawkins says motioning to Ryan.
“Pop Pop!” Ryan snaps. Morgan’s smile broadens, hearing Ryan use the term “pop pop.”
“I see why he was a nervous wreck,” Paul says, taking Morgan’s hand. “Very nice to meet you Morgan.”
“You too,” she says shaking his hand and then Evelyn’s.
“Could you guys give us a second?” Ryan grumbles. “Sheesh….” He says ushering Morgan away from them. He hears Lisa laugh but doesn’t dignify it with a response.
“Sorry about all that,” he says scowling a bit.
“You were nervous about prom?” Morgan questions.
“What? No,” he blows his lips. “Pfft. Nah, girl. What you talking about? I was cool like the underside of a pillow.”
“So, yes?”
“Oh yeah. Thought I was going to puke in the car on the way to your house,” he nods emphatically and she cracks up.
“Why?”
“I just wanted to make it special for you,” he says.
“You did and then some….” Dolefully she lowers voice and takes a deep breath.
“You getting ready to head home?” he asks.
She tucks her lips and nods. From his spot near the drink table Chris watches his best friend with Morgan.
“So…this is it, huh?” Ryan asks. He blinks, suddenly feeling a crushing suffocation in his chest. He gulps as something unfamiliar happens. Pools of water brim at his eye lids.
“Yeah….” She clears her throat. He reaches out and takes her hand in his.
“No goodbye’s, okay?” he says and she nods not looking at him, eyes downcast. “It’s an ‘I’ll see you soon.’” He swallows down the lump in his throat.
“Ryan,” she groans and steps to him. Her body collapses against his and he raises his arms to hold her tightly.
He feels a wetness on his shoulder as her tears roll off of her cheeks and onto his shirt. His arms encircle her tighter as he closes her eyes. He memorizes Morgan with his embrace. He breathes in the clean scent of her hair, the warmth of her body against his, and sounds of her deep inhales and exhales. They are not aware of how long they cling to one another, Morgan the first to pull back, keeping her arms laced around his neck.
He looks into her eyes once more, but to his surprise, Morgan leans in. She doesn’t care who sees: This moment isn’t about her parents, or grandparents, Lisa, Micah or his grandparents. It’s theirs and she may never get this chance again. Her faces inches closer to his and he responds by tenderly meeting her lips. He tastes the saltiness of her tears as they continue to spill from her eyes. Her lips no longer foreign to him, Ryan gives her a scorching kiss to carry with her for the duration of their time apart, however long that may be. His tongue meets hers, tasting her, devouring her sweetness, before they finally break free. Ryan leans his forehead against Morgan’s before cupping her head gently in his hands and leaning up to place a soft kiss on her forehead. His hands slide down her arms and he takes both her hands in his.
She says not a word as she turns away, unable to look at him for fear she would walk away from her entire future with just another glance from him. One hand lets go as she turns, the other, slightly pulling his extended arm as his fingers slowly slide from her palm to the tips of her fingers before she is free of him and walks away.
***
It’s just after 11 p.m. when Ethan arrives at Chris’s. He knows without instruction or direction to go to the shed. He parks and grabs his bag from the passenger’s seat before heading to the place of many teenage male summits over the years.
As he is walking around the side of the house, he hears nothing but bass and then the shining of headlights grows stronger before catching him in their path as Ryan swings his Bronco into the driveway behind Chris’s jeep. Ethan puts up a hand to block the glare of the bright lights until Ryan cuts the motor.
He hops out, also grabbing his bag, slamming the door shut behind him as he approaches Ethan.
“How’s it feel to be a Cherryfield High graduate?” Ryan grins.
“Pretty damn good,” Ethan laughs. They turn and walk to the shed together.
“Man I’m stuffed. My mom cooked like it was Christmas,” Ryan says.
“If you are full, then I know it was a lot of food,” Ethan says. The door to the shed is cracked and a light is on inside. He pushes the door open to find Chris fumbling with an old radio, trying to pick up the rock station out of Bangor.
“Gentlemen, we are officially high school graduates and incoming college freshman,” Ryan says with a smile.
“This year, man, what a ride,” Ethan shakes his head. “Winning district, winning state….I got to share that with my two best friends.”
“Next year, getting to play college ball, it’s going to be epic. I just wish we were still getting to play together,” Ryan shrugs. He drops his bag to the floor, grabs the rusted metal folding chair, spins it around and rests his arms over the top of it as he takes a seat.
“It’s crazy though,” Chris says standing up as the radio crackles and finally the static clears and they hear a crystal clear auto commercial. “When you stop and think about all the different directions life is going to take us. Me and Ethan in Massachusetts, you in Kentucky….Morgan in New York,” Chris says leaning his back against a shelf.
“Ah,” Ryan nods. “So, she told you?”
“Yeah, and apparently you were never going to,” Chris folds his arms over his chest.
Ryan throws a hand up at Chris, frowning. “That’s because she asked me not to,” he defends. “It was what she wanted.”
Chris shakes his head. “I felt like a dumbass tonight. Here I am trying to make things right, for your sake, and she drops the’ I’m leaving town’ bomb on me.”
“Excuse me, for my sake? How so?” Ryan sticks his tongue in his cheek and cocks his head.
“Because I know how much you like her. I was telling her that we could all try hanging out over the summer, be friends again,” Chris motions. “That way it wouldn’t have to be like prom ever again, with you and Morgan over there, and Chris and Ethan over here.”
Ryan puts his hands up defensively. “Well I’m sorry if it’s not going to happen that way, but why are you mad at me?”
“I’m not mad, I’m just upset that you kept something like that a secret Ryan!” Chris snaps, his voice rising. “Ethan did you know?” Chris whips his head to him.
His red-head friend takes a slow, calming breath. “I knew at rehearsals yesterday. She told me then. She promised that she was going to talk to you about it.”
Chris shakes his head and rolls his eyes.
“So this is what we are doing now? Keeping secrets from each other?” Chris asks Ryan, disdain in his words.
Ryan has been in a good place for the last few weeks. His normally hot-headed nature dissipating and replaced by romantic connections and a cooler disposition. But it has been an emotional night for Ryan and he has had just about enough of Chris’s mouth. “Did you not just fucking here me when I said she asked me not to tell you? Maybe if you had just kept your god damn hands to yourself in the first place none of that would even be an issue!” he retorts.
“Guys…” Ethan says dropping his bag to the floor and stepping forward.
Chris’s jaw clenches as he glares at Ryan. He licks at his teeth and paces to the other side of the shed.
“Are you and Morgan together now?” Chris asks. “Is she your girlfriend?”
“No,” Ryan says in a hush. He gives a small shrug. “With her leaving, and me heading to Louisville, we didn’t think this was the right time.”
“Good,” Chris replies without thinking.
Ryan stands in one fluid motion, swinging his leg over the chair. Ethan is in the middle of them before Ryan can take another step.
“THAT’S ENOUGH!” He shouts, a vein in his neck bulging, his face turning red. “Both of you! Do you hear me?”
Ryan stops but his face is taut with restraint. Chris glares in return.
“I am so fucking tired of this shit between the two of you!” Ethan yells. “This ends tonight! Look, I don’t know what kind of magic fucking spell Morgan cast to make the two of you act like assholes but that’s exactly what you are right now!” Ethan yells. “She’s leaving and this shit ends tonight!”
Ryan looks from Chris to Ethan, realizing for the first time how unhinged their typically calm friend has become.
“Ryan, sit down,” Ethan motions back to the chair.
“Eth-“
“SIT DOWN!” he yells.
Astonished, Ryan slowly walks backwards until he is at the chair and he takes a seat.
“Chris, you too,” Ethan says sternly motioning to the work bench.
Chris doesn’t argue, taking a seat and rubbing his forehead, staring down at the ground.
“I see both sides of this,” Ethan says. Ryan is about to speak and Ethan glares at him.
“Ryan, I know you were doing what Morgan asked. I know you were trying to respect what she wanted. I think the problem isn’t that you didn’t tell us, it’s that you chose her over us,” Ethan says.
Ryan licks his lips and frowns. “That’s not what I intended….”
“Of course not. But when you took her with you to prom, then agreed to stay away from Chris for the night, and then told her you would keep something like her moving away a secret for all this time, it feels like you chose her over us,” Ethan says.
Ryan thinks and huffs. “I…” he rubs his temples. “I guess I can see what you mean.”
“Chris,” Ethan says spinning to face him. “You wanted a chance to make things right? To repair your friendship with her and you thought you’d have the chance to do that before we left for college, right?”
Chris nods silently.
“So you’re pissed because you don’t get that chance to redeem yourself the way you want to, but…Chris…this isn’t a game for you to win. You don’t get to decide the outcome of this. I know you want to feel good about yourself but really, it’s Morgan’s life and the decision was hers. She can live it however she wants…The only time it’s a problem is when it creates bullshit like right now. “
Chris and Ryan look at each other, Ethan giving them the perspective neither of them could vocalize.
“I knew this was going to happen. I’ve seen it coming for a while, this stupid love triangle you’ve got going.”
“It’s not a-“ Chris starts.
“Shutup Chris,” Ethan cuts him off. He stews silently.
“Morgan is leaving. Tomorrow morning she is gone and I pray that she leaves Cherryfield and doesn’t look back,” Ethan says. “I wish her the best, she’s my friend and she’s a sweetheart but this,” he points at Ryan and Chris, “is bullshit.”
“Ryan, you consider Chris your brother, right?” Ethan asks.
“Of course I do,” Ryan says looking at Chris solemnly.
“Chris, Ryan is your brother,right?” Ethan questions.
“For sure….”
“Then it ends now. You both let her live her life, not bothering her, not pulling her back into this. Let her go to New York and neither of you give her a reason to look back. Because…I think if any of this comes up again…that’s the end of your friendships. I know that’s not what either of you want, right?”
“No,” Ryan and Chris say in unison.
“So do you agree?”
“Yeah…” Chris says.
Ryan reaches into his pocket, sliding his thumb over his phone. He looks to Chris and gives a heavy sigh. “Yeah,” he nods.
“Thank god,” Ethan says, tilting his head back and looking at the ceiling. He sighs.
Chris and Ryan look at their exasperated buddy.
“Did you call us assholes earlier?” Ryan asks.
“If it looks like a duck…and walks like a duck….” Ethan drops his head and makes eye contact with Ryan.
Ryan is up instantly and charges at Ethan, who deftly steps to the side, and cradles him in a headlock as his shorter friend struggles to free himself.
“Did you still want to go camping next weekend?” Ethan asks Chris, holding Ryan’s head against his side. Ryan swings and tries to kick his feet at Ethan but the red-head dodges them with hardly any effort.
“Yeah. I’ve got to work on Friday at the Lobster Shack, but I’m off that Monday,” Chris says calmly. “We could leave Saturday and come back Monday.”
“Sounds good,” Ethan nods. Ryan squirms and finally Ethan lets him go, gasping for breath, his face red, sweaty and flushed he stands up.
“So camping next weekend?” Ryan confirms.
***