Broken Arrows

02 | a journey's beginning

Joe: Vicki's making eyes at you man. Go talk to her. She's so into it.

Biaggio: There's no point in me talking to her anyways.

Joe: Why not?

Biaggio: Joe, I'm gay.

Joe: Are you sure?

Biaggio: Yes, my lungs fill up every time the seasons change.

Joe: That's not being gay, Biaggio.

Biaggio: What?

Joe: Pretty sure that's Cystic Fibrosis.

Biaggio: Oh.

—The Kings of Summer (2013)

☁☁☁☁

Sachi had texted Erin after she'd finished watching her movie with a simple text: I'm coming with you to the lake!! Erin had replied with eager exclamation points that alleviated her fear. Her breakfast was set on her sidetable, consisting of a plain bagel slathered in cream cheese with a glass of orange juice, courtesy of Akemi. She had to beg her parents to let her eat in her room, and along with the excuse of needing to finish her packing, they finally conceded.

She was almost finished. She'd taken out her shirts, shorts, sweats, among other things. Now, she was in the middle of choosing which bathing suits to bring when her phone started to vibrate from its position on top of her bed. The screen flashed with Erin's name in bold letters, and her hand darted over to press the answer button.

Sachi hit the speakerphone immediately, and waited to hear Erin's voice on the other end before greeting her. "Hey! What's up?"

"Hey," she replied swiftly. "Are you almost packed?"

"Yup." Sachi decided to screw it and took the four bathing suits on the top of the pile, throwing them into her duffle bag she'd gotten when she'd played soccer. It was large enough to hold a decent amount of clothing, so it was a necessity for this trip. "Are you?"

"Yeah." Knowing Erin, she would've packed three weeks in advance. "That's actually not why I'm calling, though."

"Okay. Why're you calling?"

"It's about Elliot and Hunter," Erin said in a rush. She spoke so quickly that their names started to mesh together, and Sachi almost didn't understand her. Once she figured it out, her heart skipped a beat.

"What about them?" Sachi asked, trying to sound nonchalant, when in reality, her heart was a jackhammer.

"They're both coming." There was a muffled sound on the other line, before she added, "Mom started telling their parents how it'd be a great experience for us to all get together, and I'm pretty sure they were forced to say yes."

Sachi swallowed. "Well, that doesn't make me feel any better. They're forced to come along with us — they're bound to be pissed off about it."

"I know." Erin sighed. "Whatever. There's nothing we can do about it."

She grunted in agreement as she started to zip up her duffle. "Mmhmm."

"I just wanted to warn you. You know."

"Thanks." Sachi tossed her duffle to the other side of the room where her suitcase was already ready to go. She turned off the speakerphone and stuck her cell between her cheek and shoulder to listen to Erin. "Are they ... coming in the car with us? Wait — stupid question."