Starting from Scratch (Starting from 2)

“No one. I’m fine,” he replied.

“Dude, you’re not fine. You have a stick up your ass and as your boss…” Justin waggled his eyebrows playfully and continued. “I want to know what’s up.”

“Look who’s talking.” Charlie crossed his arms and leveled him with a piercing look. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed you’ve been on your feet all afternoon. A fairly good indication you’ve had something up your ass recently.”

The guys busted up laughing when Justin’s wide smile took over his face. “You might be right. And you might also want to try it yourself. Get laid, Char. Maybe sex doesn’t cure everything, but it helps.”

“Thank you for those charming words of wisdom. I’ll be sure to update my Grindr account tonight,” Charlie said sarcastically.

Justin shrugged. “Couldn’t hurt.”

I lowered my head and pretended to study my strings as I gritted my teeth unhappily. The mere idea of some creepy stranger’s hands on Charlie made me sick to my stomach. And that was weird. I shouldn’t have had that kind of visceral reaction. He wasn’t my boyfriend. I’d never even had a boyfriend. I’d had a couple of male lovers, but that was about curiosity and horniness more than anything real. A few grope sessions, hand jobs, and blowjobs were no big deal. But Saturday night felt like a big deal.

I couldn’t stop thinking about Charlie. The way he smelled, tasted, and how perfect he felt in my arms. I wanted that night all over again. I just didn’t know how to get there from here without rocking the boat.

Thankfully, the guys were oblivious.

“If you must know, our friend Nelson from Sound Cloud left another review from the show last weekend,” Charlie said.

Tegan sighed from behind his drum kit. “You can’t let that shit bug you, Char.”

“You’re right. Let’s just see what Sandstone has to say. I think they’re the real deal. Hopefully we’ll get the contract signed soon and get into their studio to record your album before the holidays. I’m off. See you boys later.”

He was gone before anyone could reply. As soon as the door closed, all eyes were on me.

“What’d you do?”

“Me?” I pointed at my chest in disbelief. “Why do you think I did something?”

Justin shrugged. “ ’Cuz he’s not looking at you. Sure sign he’s pissed. Fix it before he blows up.”

I frowned and pulled my cell out when it buzzed in my pocket. Three missed calls from Karly. “I gotta take this and Ollie is on his way over. Let’s take a break.”

When the guys nodded in agreement I stepped outside before pushing Call. “Hey Kar, what’s up?”

“It’s Dad again,” she blurted.

“I’m doing okay. How about you?” I snarked. “What happened to basic pleasantries before dropping bombs, Sis?”

She let out a short laugh. “I’m sorry, but he’s sick and according to Mona it’s serious. She wants to see us.”

Silence.

I let it grow and speak for me when my throat closed. I swallowed hard and tried to tune in when she started talking again. Something about a hospital stay. I focused on a ripple in the clear blue water of the pool and followed the horizon to the LA cityscape in the distance. Fuck, I felt like running again. Far away.

“I don’t know.”

Karly waited a beat before replying. “I understand. But will you talk to Mona?”

I sighed heavily and turned toward the house just as Oliver came barreling outside with his helmet on and his board tucked under his arm. “Yeah, but I’m not promising anything, Kar.”

“Okay. I’ll tell her it’s okay to call you. Or better yet…text you.”

I disconnected the call and smiled when Oliver greeted me with a bro-style fist bump and a high five. He giggled at our routine before turning to wave at Charlie who was standing by the window. I tried to catch his eye, but he ignored me. Of course. So I focused on his little brother.

Oliver was never going to be an amazing skateboarder. He was overly cautious by nature. And while his “look five times, analyze, then maybe leap” attitude might keep him from serious injury, it wouldn’t allow him any real freedom on a board. But he’d definitely improved to the point that we needed a little more real estate to practice. We started doing warm-up runs around Justin and Gray’s yard before riding to the small park at the end of their street.

We did the same thing every time. I’d crouch low on my board as I rode the steep driveway; then I’d dismount with a trick to make him laugh. Sometimes I’d grab the nose of my board and hang in the air for a few seconds before hopping back on. Today I did a half-turn that made him howl with glee as he skipped down the driveway to catch up with me.

“Dude! That was so cool!”