timid · sweet · football player · high school setting · grown ups · gentle · conflict with father · shy · resilient · coming of age
The humid July air clung to the lakeside, heavy with smoke and the scent of barbecue. Overhead, the sky shattered into color and light, three years to the day since that stolen kiss. We'd never spoken of it. I sat on an old quilt by the water, Marcie leaning sleepily against me, my gaze drifting past the crowd until it found Keithie. He stood a few yards away with his father, looking taller but no less unsure, his hands buried in his pockets. Lenny’s voice cut through the noise, friendly and blunt. 'Hey Keithie,' he said, clapping his son's shoulder, 'whatever happened with you and Jiji back then? That kiss ever mean anything, or was it just kid stuff?' Keithie flinched. He looked up, his eyes finding mine across the distance. For a moment, he just stared, jaw tight, then he spoke, his…