Okay, lemme just say that Harrison and Natalie "rescuing" me from being grounded's probably the best thing to happen during my suspension.
But I'm not gonna lie. Like, at all. The burger place in Emoryville is kinda meh. Harrison and Natalie talked it up like it's the greatest place on Earth next to Disneyland, but it's just kinda meh.
I actually have good reasons for not liking it other than it just being meh. The burgers were just...all right, I guess? They were kinda greasy and dripped with...grease. What sucks the most is that they looked like the burgers you see on TV. They're fucking amazing-looking. The fries weren't that crispy, but they tasted amazing. Like, they didn't need anything. No salt, pepper, nothing.
But Harrison and Natalie seemed totally unfazed by the fact that our waitress came over to say hi to Harrison and Noah. Which, I guess, was Natalie's name before she started transitioning.
Like, even I'll admit that she doesn't have that much boobage, but besides her face, which is a little long for her, she looks like a girl.
She still smiles and talks like nothing's wrong. The conversation's kept light and stupid. We talk about how we like spending the holidays. What we do over the summers to pass the time, that sorta shit. Rory comes up a lot, because summer. And I keep mentioning him only because they eat up my rivalry with him like it's a less greasy version of the burgers.
By the time we get out, the sun's setting.
Harrison parks the car across the street from the library in town. "We walk from here."
"Why?" I ask. I still get out with them.
"It looks less suspicious for us," Natalie says over the car. She trots over to me and explains, "A lot of cars parked at Paige's house is basically like holding a rainbow flag over the front door." She pauses. "With a neon sign that says, 'ALL GAYS WELCOME HERE'." Natalie grimaces. "It's easier for us to just park here. And it's way easier for Paige and her parents since they're putting us up like this, too."
That makes sense.
Harrison comes over and points back toward town. "Your apartment's down that way if you wanna go back," he says. "But I'm sure Paige'd be happy to let you crash at her place for the night."
I shrug. "'t's probably better for me to cool off right now before going back," I whisper.
No one fights me on it, and we start walking.
So I assume we're, like, a 2-minute walk to Paige's house. Like, we're parked in the town center. Kinda. But then we pass by the old train bridge over the river and we're on the rural side of town.
20 minutes later we're at this white farmhouse. It looks a little like the Dollhouse. Except it's white.
Natalie pushes open the front door like it's her house.
I mean, it kinda is. Just based on what's happening in the group chat.
"Paige, Owen!" Harrison shouts up the stairs. "We got the Straggler."
Paige shows up at the top of the stairs and tramples down them. Eyes wide, she grabs me and asks, "You're the Straggler?" She squeezes my shoulders.
Say what you will about Paige, dramatics and all, but she's got a helluva grip. She could've probably strangled Mason while he was trying to cut my head off with his arm.
"I thought you were just gonna die because of your parents."
"Paige, let go," Natale says, pulling her off me.
Owen shows up on the top of the stairs. He's wearing a green floppy sweater. "Jackson?" He trots down and looks at me. "Why're you here?"
Paige points to me. "He's the Straggler."
YOU ARE READING
When The Rain Stops (BXB)
Teen Fiction[ A VERY Slow-Burn, Coming-of-Age LGBT+ Love Story about the Messiness of Love and Life ] Jackson Rivera hates Rory Harwood with all his guts. He's has been the scourge of Jackson's summer for years, and he doesn't know why. That is, until he finds...
