Quaranteens

girls suck

"Whoa, spring break come early this year? Last time I checked that's next week, buddy," Jeremy pulled up his normal patio chair and dropped a duffel bag by the floor. The school mascot was on the side, a little pang of sadness hit me.

"Very funny," I replied, putting my bookmark in and setting the book on the table.

"So," Jeremy rubbed his hands together and licke dhis lower lip, "where's the goods?"

"Oh, uh..." my cheeks heated up, hopefully the tan hid it, "about that..."

"She wouldn't get me any?"

"No matter what I tried, man."

"Ugh, girls suck." Jeremy leaned back in his chair, throwing his feet up on the railing and letting his arms hang down by his side.

"Grace doesn't suck," I said, putting my feet up on the railing, too.

"No, I guess not," he sighed, "just cold, cruel, heartless, mean-"

"Jesus, dude," I laughed, "you wanted lemonade that bad?"

"Water!" He cried, "for a straight month! No soda, no punch, not even a single Gatorade..."

"Oh no," I sarcastically droned, "you must feel so...healthy."

"I'm being patronized here," he called out to his invisible defender. Jeremy sighed again and reached into the duffel bag he'd brought out. He pulled out a thick book, thicker than anything I thought he'd own.

"Planning on reading the dictionary, I presume? Well needed."

"Haha, very funny, Wicker." Jeremy'd taken to calling me by my last name--why? I'm not really sure. Maybe he felt like if he did it'd make it feel like sports practice. "We," he pointed between the two of us, "are going to play smash."

"I've never played," I frowned, watching him trying to balance the screen on the corner of his porch. I scooted my chair to the very edge of my porch, eventually just hopping up on the railing and swinging my feet over. It wasn't ideal, but I could basically see the screen.

"Don't worry, I'll teach you," he excitedly tossed me a controller.

"I can't really see the screen." I squinted, cleaned my glasses, leaned forward, everything was still really tiny.

"Well, my parents wouldn't let me bring the tv out here, so-"

"You...were gonna bring a tv out here?"

"Why not?"

"Oh my fucking God."