In the middle of Des Plaines Illinois three boys find themselves in a tangled knot of angsty lust and amateur love.
Evan Webster has an average American life. When he isn't at swim practice or the movie theater, he's trying to make time to study bi...
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SUMMER 1982
The last strip of sunshine was being split by a breach of dusk. Evan walked alone, leaving deep footprints in the quarry rubble. He could smell the off-putting stench of extracted limestone, slicing through his nostrils like a whiff of rotten eggs. He strode to the outer bank of the water, slowing his pace when he saw four boys in leather. Even during the summer months, the reckless group still bore their signature jackets.
"She's not here," Tony spoke first, tossing his cigarette onto the ground. "She left when she realized Bones wasn't around."
"Nadine was here?" Evan asked.
"About an hour ago," he said. "Crying about her boyfriend again."
The rest of the boys murmured their distaste for Kenneth.
"Do you know where she went? My mom is worried."
Tony had a smug gleam in his eye. "I could guess," he crooned. "But I'm pretty bad at guessing, you know."
"Cut the shit, Tony," Evan said. "It's getting dark. Just tell me where Nadine went."
Tony shrugged, goading. "Maybe she wants to be alone."
The other boys smirked in silence, playing into Tony's game. Evan only heaved a breath, his patience shrinking.
"Where the hell is she?"
Tony took a step forward. "I'll tell you where your sister is," he started. "If you can swim to that rock and back." He pointed to a boulder jutting out of the water. It was at least thirty meters beyond the shore, and although there was no current, the water so murky and littered with trash that Evan couldn't even see the bottom. Swimming there and back would be a deadly feat.
Evan swallowed, staring at the challenge in front of him.
"Aquaman," Tony sneered. He always had to be the one in control.
"Fine," Evan agreed, removing his shirt and shoes. "Make it a race?"
Tony's mouth twitched. "I'd rather watch." It felt like revenge. He had made Tony vulnerable, and now he was reasserting his dominance.
Evan didn't reply, knowing the danger of his task. He held his breath as he waded into the water, trying not to gag at the floating cigarette stubs and tuna cans.
He inhaled a big gulp of air, submerging himself beneath the water. His body disappeared into the reflection of the rising moon – an aqua ghost. Tony counted his strokes, secretly impressed with his gliding technique. He swam on the surface for a few feet, but then dipped among some reeds to stay hidden.
Tony didn't realize he was matching his own breathing with Evan's strokes until it had been more than thirty seconds since he had seen his head. He surveyed the quarry, worry filling his lungs.
