Page 125 of Faux Real
“Oh my God,” Kenny says slowly as we reach the clearing, a snort escaping her nose as she looks around. “Wow.”
“I know it’s a wee bit over the top—” I scratch my head, cheeks burning. Why are they burning? Be. Fucking. Cool. “But I—um... I wanted to—”
“Cliff really outdid himself,” she says, circling the blanket. “I’m impressed.”
I blanch, frozen. “What?”
Kennedy giggles, shaking her head as she points to the snacks. “Limited edition Takis? Maxine’s going to freak.” She clicks her tongue, narrowing her eyes at me. “Why’d you bring me here? For a second opinion?” She plops down on the blanket. “I don’t think Cliff has anything to worry about.”
Code red. We have a code red. Improvise.
“You uh—knew about this?” I ask, attempting to sound confident. “He told you?”
I’m going to kill him.
“No, but I saw him lugging a bunch of stuff into the woods earlier,” she explains, running her hands over the rose petals. “He also asked me a bunch of really weird questions about Max.” She points to the drinks. “Like her favorite soda for instance." She picks up a bottle. “Who drinks Chubby anymore? I swear she’s a meme.”
What the hell do I do now? Do we go back? Do I just spit it out?
Kennedy tilts her head back, gazing up at the stars and letting out a long, somewhat melancholy exhale. “It’s pretty up here,” she whispers, almost to herself. “Away from everything.”
“Yeah,” I agree, hesitantly sitting down beside her. “It’s like another world.”
“That’d be nice,” she hums, taking in the stars, the moonlight lighting up her face.
“What would be nice?” I ask as she lies down, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Another world,” she replies. She cranes her neck toward me as I lay down beside her. “A place where nothing matters. A place where there’s no school, no family drama, no expectations.” A weak smile clips her lips. “A place where people just exist.”
“Sounds like chaos,” I whisper, my shoulder brushing against hers. “A world without structure or meaning would be mad. I wouldn’t be able to survive.”
“Really?” she hums, her chest rising as her hand drops to her side. “I would’ve thought you’d love it.”
“Chaos is only fun in the moment,” I say, inching my fingers toward her, my body thrumming from the thought of touching her. “Eventually, every person craves meaning.”
“Mmm...” Kennedy closes her eyes. “I guess.”
I look up at the stars, my heart battering in my chest. She’s givenmemeaning. Finally.
“I got offered an internship at a magazine after graduation,” I say, the words slipping out of my mouth. “For photography.”
“What?” Kennedy opens her eyes, smiling as she glances at me. “That’s incredible, Ollie. Congratulations. How did this even happen?”
“Mr. Takanaki is friends with the editor or something,” I explain, a flurry of nerves jumping in my throat. “He recommended me.”
“I told you that you were talented,” she says, eyes glowing with pride. “You deserve this.”
“The thing is...” I swallow. “The position is in California.”
“Oh,” Kennedy whispers, her eyes sweeping across my face. “That’s um... that’s far.”
“Yeah,” I agree. “Really far.”
“Well,” she sighs, forcing a smile. “At least you don’t have to worry about the weather, right? It’s always sunny there.”
“I quite like the rain,” I say, trying to read her reaction. Is she sad? Does she not care if I leave? “I find the heat to be overrated.”
“You’ll adjust,” she says, looking away from me. “People always adjust.”
