Home for the Summer (BOYXBOY)

4 | Benji

Nicolas was slower than I was. The bike ride that usually took me 15 minutes took us 30, and by the end of it, he was leaned over on Benji's front yard, panting hard.

This house was the epitome of summertime. Something about the flower beds springing up, and the ivy clinging to the brick, and the ocean being just down the block woke up the season in my mind. It wasn't officially summer until I stepped foot in Benji's house.

Nico was still recovering from the bike trip when Benji stepped out the front door, car keys in hand and smiling wide.

"Apollo!" he exclaimed, pulling me in for a hug.

I hadn't seen him since school ended last week, and his tan was already coming in. He needed a haircut badly. Benji patted my back before turning to Nicolas.

"Hey!" Nico said. "I'm Nicolas. I think we went to elementary school together. I'm staying with-"

"Yeah, Apollo told me about you," he replied. He squinted at him, like he was trying to read his facial expression, before snapping a smile into place. "It's good to see you again, man! Shit, you got tall."

"So did you!"

"Do you still have that rock collection?"

"No," Nicolas laughed. "Do you still have that fear of geckos?"

Benji cleared his throat, and I started to laugh because he absolutely did still have a fear of geckos.

"I'm starving," Benji said, changing the subject quick. "Pizza?"

Nicolas looked at the bike again with a deeply horrified look on his face. "You mean, we have to ride more?"

"Relax," I said. "Benji has a car."

"Yep, I bought it myself," he said before clicking the garage open.

A white Honda Fit presented itself, duct tape holding the bumper in place on its right side and keeping one of the mirrors attached. The paint was chipped in about a thousand spots and there were a few dents here and there. Benji put his hands on his hips and smiled proudly at it.

"Boys, meet Mrs. Myers," he said, waving his hands in the direction of the car.

"You named your car Mrs. Myers?" Nicolas said.

I let out a chuckle. "That's the name of our English teacher. Benji has a huge crush on her."

"It's more than a crush, Apollo. I'm in love."

"Yeah, alright. She's 20 years older than you and married."

"Anyway," Benji huffed out. "Ultima's?"

"Is that even a question?" We went to the same pizza parlor every time. It was practically our second home.

"I need bread sticks, too. And sodas."

Nicolas let out this strange breath that almost sounded like fear. The childish sort of fear you get when the dark comes creeping into your bedroom, when your closet doors seem to magically creak open. I wondered if he had something against teenagers driving. Or, maybe he had turned into an introvert over the past five years and this was all too much. Whatever it was, it slipped away and was replaced by his regular smile.

Nicolas squeezed into the backseat and Benji and I took the front. The engine rumbled with every twist of the keys until, after three tries, Benji got it to start.

"The AC doesn't work, by the way," he said before shifting into drive and exiting his garage. "You guys want music?"

Benji pushed a button on his console and on came the only album we ever played in this car.