Page 8 of Close to Falling

“Hey yourself,” he replies as he takes a hit. He brings his face down to mine, completely throwing me off guard. He lifts his brow as if sayingopen up, and my bottom lip goes limp. He blows smoke into my mouth, but all I can think about is how close his face is to mine and how much I like it. I blow his smoke from my lungs and look out at the ocean, dazed and confused.

***

Barbecues at Frankie’s were epic. Frankie would invite the whole neighborhood, and we kids would secretly steal beer from the adults’ cooler. Steaks, ribs, chicken, and whatever else you wanted would be smoked, and it was summertime goodness. Once the Barbecue Master, aka Frankie, would put on his cooking apron, it was a done deal. Beer in hand, he could cook the best barbecue in the neighborhood.

“River, you and B go get some charcoal!” Frankie yells to us from inside the house. I’m posted up on the outdoor table, painting my toenails while River has been telling me jokes from some book he bought. Landon has already been sent to the store to get plates and napkins. I guess Frankie forgot he needed fuel for the fire.

“Why is air like sex?” funny boy asks me. I look over at him, mid-swipe of my nail polish.

“Um, I have no idea,” I say.

“Because it’s no big deal, unless you’re not getting any.” He smirks, and I kind of laugh.

“That was dumb.”

“You think so?” he asks me, all serious.

“Yeah, I think so,” I say, rolling my eyes. In my peripheral vision, I notice him put the book down and lean up in his seat, watching me paint my last toe.

“You ever had sex, Maddie?” he asks, and I look up.

“That would be none of your business,” I answer, putting the brush back into the bottle.

“Come on. You can tell me.” He’s green eyes narrowed and nosy.

“Yes, I have,” I lie because I don’t need him picking on me about being a virgin.

He gets an icy look in his eyes, and I have to look away because I didn’t expect that––disappointment and something else I can’t point out. I look down at my toes and scrape off the polish that got on my skin.

“With whom?” he asks a minute later.

“I’m not telling you.”

“Tell me, B.”

“No,” I say, jumping down from the table and carefully sliding my flip-flops back on.

“Maddie, tell me,” he says, standing up, too.

“Why do you care anyway?” I ask, hand on hip. He lifts his hat on his head and runs a hand through his hair.

“I care,” he says, walking closer to me. He looks at me, and I see his jaw tick before he places his hat on backward. He looks good with a hat on. Frankie walks out to his grill and opens the lid.

“What the hell are you kids still doing here? We got a grill to get started. Go get the charcoal,” he tells us as he pops a beer open. I’m still looking at River. “And grab another bag of ice,” Frankie says after he takes a sip from his can.

***

“So, you lied to River about having sex?” Ellie asks.

“I didn't want to hear his mouth. Believe me, he would have picked on me for days.”

“Regardless, the thought of you having sex with someone seemed to upset him.”

“Yeah,” I agree, tossing the grass I’d been torturing. The sky grows darker, and I think it may rain.

“You said you were drawing?”

“Yeah,” I reply, looking back at her.

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