make you miss me • q. hughes

08

"So..." Tiny says quietly, sneaking up on me while I set the last of the food on the table. All the others were down at the dock. Swimming or sitting around.

"So..." I copy.

"You and Quinn down there earlier looked, uh, interesting."

My laugh is a bit too nervous for my liking. "Interesting?"

"Yeah."

"We forced each other into the lake," I say.

"I mean after that. With the hand placement and the touching in general."

"He's still annoying even if we had one good moment."

She laughs. "Okay, Jean Louise. I'm going to go tell them food's ready."

"Alright. Careful not to let your guard down. They're tackle-y today."

"I can take 'em."

* * * * *

"Finch, you are the dumbest motherfucker I know," Val says. The way her drink moves around the glass makes me so nervous about the white button-up she has over her bikini. "I have never met someone so aware of who she is as your sister."

"Do we remember the same person she was when you guys met?" He retorts.

Trevor's eyebrows shoot up at that. "Woah, what?"

"She was bleaching her hair blonde and way too timid to be my sister is all I'm saying."

Leave it to your little brother to make sure no one ever forgets the weakest moments of your life.

"Blonde?" Jack's across from me and his eyes widen.

"Yeah." I down my drink in one go. Wincing at the strength of it. "Bad time for me."

He shakes his head. "Can't imagine you anything but what you are."

"Thanks, buddy."

"Anyways, Val, you have never changed yourself," Finch says. "That's why I think you could be president."

From his spot across from Finch, Luke sighs. "Suck up."

My thigh is pressed up against Quinn's. We're sitting closer than we need to be and I wish I could blame it on the amount of tequila I've had but I would be lying. Val's sitting on a foldout chair at the end of the table. It's not a big table. We've got Luke, Trevor, and Jack squished on one bench and Finch, Quinn, and I on the other.

"He is a suck-up." I agree.

"I don't know about the president." Quinn shrugs and his arm brushes against mine. "At least a damn good governor though."

"Boys, you're going to make me regret this whole teacher decision."

"You're going to be a great teacher, Davy," I say. Oh god, my reputation is truly in shambles this summer. Everyone can see the smile I give my best friend. It says more than any words can.

She returns it though, upholding her title of the nicer best friend. "You are a goddamn delight."

"That was the strongest your accent has ever been," Trevor laughs. The rest of the guys join in. I'm about to get up to refill my drink but a hand finds its way to rest on my thigh.

The conversation carries on. No conversation can die when you have Z, Val, or Finch at the table. They carry nearly every conversation I've seen them in. Finch, it's because he can't shut the hell up. Especially not tonight. My big sister heart melts a bit when I hear him laugh. He's sitting at a table with these guys that he's seen be bigger than life and he's laughing with them. I know he's never gonna forget this one.