Page 1 of Cooper & Jake
1
JAKE
“Twenty-year high school reunion?Whew. Damn, you’re old.”
I flip the invitation over in my hand a few times. Gomillion High School was the only high school I ever attended. Growing up as a military brat, I moved every three years, but we were somehow lucky enough to stay in Gomillion for all four years of high school. I knew it was coming up, but it’s still surreal to have the paper in my hands.
“You’re the same age as me,” I tell Peyton, rolling my eyes.
“Don’t remind me,” he visibly shudders, shaking his head. “Which means mine will probably be up soon. Are you going to go? You haven’t been back there in twenty years.”
Right after graduating high school, my dad retired from the Marines and moved to the small town of Cedar Creek in the middle of nowhere, Texas. I could have stayed behind, but at eighteen I wasn’t ready to be out on my own yet. So, I moved with my family. I don’t regret it. I have a wonderful life in Cedar Creek. Wonderful but lonely. This town isn’t the biggest, and sadly I know everyone who lives here. It isn’t often that we see any unfamiliar faces. I left Cedar Creek about ten years ago,moving to the bigger city of Austin. But after two years there, I came back.
Peyton’s been my business partner ever since I moved back. We own the only bar in our small town, and it’s a lot different being in a tiny town with only stop signs and no traffic lights versus the big cities and their millions of cars. I haven’t thought of Gomillion or Gomillion High School in years. And that’s only because thinking of those places reminds me of Cooper.
Cooper and I were inseparable for the four years I was there. I met him on my first day at the school when I got lost trying to find my classes. I had bumped into the short kid with this fiery red hair and freckles covering his face. He gave me a huge beaming smile, and I was smitten right away.
Of course, nothing happened immediately. We began as friends, spending time together at school and after it. One day while he was tutoring me, I gathered my courage to kiss him. It was a disaster. Our teeth hit against one another, I didn’t know what to do with my tongue and Cooper couldn’t stop giggling against my lips. Our first sexual encounter was similar. We were a mess of teeth and limbs trying to figure out one another’s bodies. But we figured it out eventually.
And then I moved away and never saw him again.
We tried to stay in touch, but life happened, and two eighteen-year-olds drifted apart. I would be lying if I said I never thought about him. Of course I have. Many times over the years. But I never imagined I would see him again.
“Well, are you?” Peyton questions once more, pulling me from my thoughts.
“I’m not sure,” I tell him, wondering if I should even go. “I don’t really talk to anyone from back then.”
“You should do it. Hell, I’ll come with. We can make it a boys’ trip. Hang out, drink some beer, get away for a few days,” he tells me excitedly. I can see the millions of ideas running throughhis head, knowing he’s already planning how much fun we could have.
“You’d wanna go?”
“Hell yeah. Jett can handle the bar for a couple of days. He’s been asking for more responsibility anyway.”
“Are you really going to come with me to my high school reunion? Holding my hand, making me feel like I’m a baby or something,” I mutter, hating but knowing I’ll feel more comfortable with him there. “You know what? Fuck it, let’s go.”
“Hell yes, man!”
Three months later, we’re walking out of the airport, the blistering sun hitting down on our faces.
“Fucking balls,” Peyton utters, pulling his shirt away from his body. “I thought Texas was a fucking fire in hell; what is this shit?” A small woman ambling past him gasps and clutches her imaginary pearls. “Sorry, ma’am,” he whispers.
“I can’t take you anywhere, can I?” I laugh, taking out my phone and checking where our car is.
“People back home don’t bat an eye at my language.”
“That’s because they are familiar with you and know you don’t have an extended vocabulary. Plus, I’m pretty sure Texas is hotter than this; you’re just being a big ol’ baby,” I quip, waving in front of Peyton’s face to get his attention. “The car rental place is over here.”
“What brings you boys down here?” The older gentleman says when we walk up to the counter.
“Uh, my high school reunion is this weekend in Gomillion.”
“Ah, I used to live over in Gomillion. We don’t get many visitors there. But it’s a beautiful small town, only about an hour away.”
“What’s there to do around there?” Peyton cuts in, his eyes wide as he looks out to the road through the window.
“You boys are lucky. While Gomillion is still small, there are a lot of activities to do now. Down the road from the biggest hotel is Timbers and Tallboys, which is the local bar, or there’s Fresh Brews if coffee is your thing. My favorite is The Roll. It has the best cinnamon rolls in the state. The city has grown quite a bit.”
We thank him, grab our car and load our things before heading out to drive toward town. He’s right; the place has definitely developed since I was last here. Sure, I was mostly in my own little world and explored the town very little, but from what I can see, they’ve added a lot. We pull up in front of the hotel, and I’m shocked to see they have their own valet parking vehicles.
