Lost and Found (ONC2024)

Chapter 5

Percy

2010

Graduation was tomorrow, and I'd finally be able to say goodbye to this shitty town and school. I never thought I'd make it out of that school alive. August couldn't come fast enough. When we were little kids, my sisters and I assumed we'd go to the same college, but as we got older, those plans fizzled. While they chose to stay in Massachusetts. I was the lucky one—the only one—who got into an Ivy League School. Harvard and Princeton rejected me, but Columbia, University of Pennsylvania, Yale, and Dartmouth all accepted me. To piss my parents off, I considered going to UMass Amherst, but I decided to go to the school farthest from home: University of Pennsylvania. My dad was a Yale graduate and disappointed I chose Pennsylvania.

Carrying my cap and gown, I headed up the walkway towards the front door, hoping to get inside before the sprinkling rain turned into a downpour. But the rustling in the bushes got my attention. I stopped, wondering if I was hearing things. After all, I had a history of seeing things that weren't always there. Last year, the neighbor's out-of-control kid, nine-year-old George, jumped out of the bushes and scared the crap out of me. The little shit laughed, flinging eggs at me. My dad gave me no sympathy, saying, "It could have been worse. It could have been dog shit."

"If that's you, Georgie, I'm gonna call the police!" I said. "I mean it this time. I won't put up with your shit anymore!"

There was no mistaking it—a person was hiding in the bushes, waiting for something or someone. "Psst... hey, Percy..." the bushes whispered. "It's not Georgie."

The sound led me directly to the bush, the exact spot where George had sprung out, startling me. A familiar man crouched in the bush, his dark head of hair poking out. "Hey... I need some help."

This guy needed help before. "Kevin?"

"Yeah. Hey, I'm in a bit of a jam again."

"You can't be here. Get outta here. What do you want from me? I'm gonna call the police."

Scared and confused, I stormed off. Kevin vanished from my life after that fateful day in May, and I never saw him again. It felt like a dream; I thought I had made up the whole thing in my head. Why did he show up in my life again? I wanted nothing to do with that freak.

Or did I?

"Wait!" Kevin shouted, jumping out of the bushes. As I ran up the stairs, Kevin trailed closely behind me, stark naked in the rain in this quiet, well-to-do suburban neighborhood where people loved to gossip.

I forcefully grabbed his arm, yanking him towards me and positioning him in front of me. With a sense of urgency, my trembling hand struggled to find the keyhole, scared to death that someone would see me with this naked man.

"I don't know why I'm here with you," he said, folding his arms across his bare chest, his body wet and shivering. Although it was early June, the weather was raw and damp. "I literally woke up in the bushes right when you pulled into the driveway." I was so close to him, our bodies almost touched. Now wasn't the time to admire his body.

"Oh, fuck, I can't unlock the fucking door," I said.

He took the key from me and unlocked the door himself. I shoved him into the house, the door slamming shut behind us. I didn't know what to say or do. As I took a step toward him, he instinctively backed away, perhaps afraid I'd hit him or push him. "I'm not gonna hurt you," I said, dropping my cap and gown on the floor. He chewed on his bottom lip as tears welled in his eyes. My parents weren't the hugging type, but I felt the urge to hug Kevin. "I won't hurt you," I said, opening my arms. He fell into them, hugging me tightly as if we were long lost best friends. I'd never hugged a boy before. It was better than I ever imagined. "You can't stay out here. My sisters and mother will be home soon. Come on. Let's go."