Bottled Up Secret Page 19

  “I am. How did you know that? Who are you?”

  He laughs. “I’ve been stalking you for years. No, I think I hung out with you last year with Alex and Chris, but we weren’t introduced. It was a big group. I think we went bowling?”

  “Okay, that sounds right.”

  “I also saw you in the Xavier musical this past spring,” Ted says.

  “Oh. Did you like it?” I ask, suddenly getting excited now that the topic of conversation revolves around me.

  “Yeah, it was great. You were great.”

  “Thanks. Anyway, to answer your question, Mark and I met through Chris, pretty much.”

  Ted nods. “Well, I’ll let you get back to playing. Look at you guys and your glistening bodies. Trying to give people a show?”

  “Yeah, is it working?” I ask.

  Ted laughs. “Working for me. See you, guys.”

  Mark gives a slight laugh while Ted heads back to his court. After another thirty minutes of running around, Mark and I end the athletic portion of our day. We say bye to Ted and head to my car.

  “Why…” Mark says to me after walking off the court. “Why did we have to be shirtless?”

  I laugh. “It’s hot and we wanted a tan. Come on, that’s normal. So give me the scoop. Are you close to him? Are you freaking out right now?”

  “No, I’m fine. I swear. But yeah, we’re pretty close when it comes to my soccer friends.”

  “Well, he was really nice. And he seems very gay-friendly. Maybe a little too gay-friendly.”

  “Oh my gosh, you think everyone’s gay.”

  I laugh. “Okay, true, but come on. He loved that we were half naked, and he was super nice.”

  “Well, if he is gay, you’re taken so he can back off.”

  “Whoa, is someone jealous?” I ask.

  “You guys were flirting a little bit too much.”

  “Aw, don’t worry. I’m yours. Did you have any idea his cousin dated Chris?”

  “None. What the hell was that? This world is too small.”

  “Well, I’m happy that you’re not freaking out,” I say.

  “I mean, it’s not like he saw us making out or something. But as you said, he seems very gay-friendly, so even if he had…”

  “Even if he had…?”

  “He would be cool with it.”

  “Yeah, he’d probably ask if we want a third.” Mark shakes his head in embarrassment. “But would you have been cool with it?” I ask.

  “Well, I’d rather have him find out than other people on my team.”

  I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Mark is actually imagining what it would be like if someone in his life knew about us? It’s a big step. I don’t poke any further because I don’t want to make a big deal about it, but I’m definitely taking note of this conversation.

  A few minutes later, I pull into Mark’s driveway to drop him off.

  “Want to hang out for a little bit?” he asks.

  “Sure. Is anyone home?” Since getting back together, I’ve only been inside his house twice. Both times it was empty.

  “I don’t think so. My parents’ car isn’t here.”

  After walking inside, I immediately see Eva in the kitchen. Oh boy.

  “Hi, Eva.”

  “Hey, Brendan. How are you?”

  “I’m good. It’s been a while.” The last time I saw you, I was on top of your brother, I think. “Are you having a good summer?”

  “Yes, it’s so nice to have a break from school. And I just got my license.”

  “Congrats.”

  I turn to Mark, expecting to see a worried look on his face, but instead, he is smiling.

  “What?” I say to him.

  He gives a slight laugh. “Eva knows.”

  I turn to look at her. She gives me a smile and nod.

  “Since when?”

  “I told her this week,” Mark says. “I wouldn’t have been able to hide it from her all summer with you coming over here.”

  “I’m no fool,” she says.

  “Oh my gosh. I love that you didn’t tell me, Mark.”

  “Seeing your face just now was too classic,” he says.

  I was always worried about my first interaction with Eva, especially since I’d have to pretend like Mark and I are just friends now. I didn’t see how she was going to be convinced. Thankfully, I don’t have to worry about that anymore. This will make this summer much easier.

  Beyond that, I’m thrilled that Mark is okay with Eva knowing about us. It gives me hope that someday he won’t care if other people in his life know as well.

  Chapter Twenty-one

  I can’t believe how fast this summer has been flying by. It’s now only a matter of weeks until I move to Columbus. I’ve been staying busy hanging out with Mark and my friends, getting everything organized for college, and giving tennis lessons to kids.

  It’s actually kind of cool how my tennis job came about. This girl I know asked me if I wanted to organize a summer program at these outdoor courts in a development close to where I live. We made flyers and solicited people we know. We got a great turnout, and although we don’t charge much, we’ve made pretty good money.

  Another activity taking up my time is graduation parties. I’ve been going to them literally every weekend. Tonight is finally my own.

  Most people have one party, which includes both their friends and family. I couldn’t imagine my friends and family intermingling, so I decided to have two separate ones. The family one was last weekend. Tonight is friends only. Well, friends plus boyfriend. It’s funny but also sad that Mark has never stepped foot inside my house. That will change tonight.

  Kara is the first one to arrive. “I have a present for you,” she says after walking in with a gift bag.

  “No. We all agreed no presents.”

  “It’s stupid, don’t worry.”

  I look inside to find a card and a box of Pop-Ice freezer pops. “So random. Thanks.”

  “Those should last you the rest of summer.”

  Reese arrives about ten minutes later, followed by Mark.

  “Hey, buddy,” I say to him after opening the front door.

  “Hello,” he says before giving me a wink in lieu of a hug. My dogs run up to him, eager to say hello. “Agh, I finally get to meet these two.” He scoops up the poodle, Pepper, who seems exceptionally affectionate toward him.

  “Aren’t they cute?”

  We head toward the kitchen, where everyone else is gathered. Reese is in the middle of a discussion with my mom, apparently talking about her family.

  “Hey, Mark,” Kara says as we enter the room.

  My mom looks up.

  “Mom, this is my friend, Mark. Remember, he came to the States tournament with Reese.”

  “Oh, yes. Hello.”

  “Hi, how are you?” Mark says. I can tell he’s nervous.

  “Is Pepper being a good girl?” she says as Mark continues to hold her. “Pepper, be nice.”

  “What the heck?” Kara says. “Pepper never comes to me.”

  “She’s a brat,” I say.

  “Yeah, she can be a little grouchy,” my mom says. “Especially around little kids. You have to watch she doesn’t bite.”

  “She looks like the Snuggle bear,” Reese says. My mom laughs. “Right? The bear from those detergent commercials.”

  “Or she looks like a rat,” I say.

  “Yeah, I’d go with that too,” Kara says.

  I laugh. “I love how much you hate her, Kara.”

  “She hated me first. Speaking of rats, didn’t Pepper eat rat poison once or something and almost die?”

  “Not once,” I say. “Twice.”

  “What?” Reese says.

  “That was years ago,” my mom says after laughing. “We had it in the basement and she got into it. Luckily we took her to the vet in time.”

  “Then it happened again?” Mark asks.

  “Yes, Mark. You might be wondering how that could have h
appened again because surely my mom removed the rat poison from the basement…no.”

  “I didn’t think she’d eat it again! Who’s dumb enough to do that?”

  “The answer to that question is a dog,” I say. “Then one time my sister accidentally stepped on her leg and it broke.”

  “I remember that,” Reese says.

  “I’m starting to see why Pepper is a brat,” Mark says. “She’s had a tough life.”

  “No excuse,” Kara says. “Wait a minute. Weren’t you guys supposed to get your housing assignments this week?”

  “Yep, we got them,” Reese says. “I’m in a scholars dorm, and Brendan’s in an honors dorm. My mom tells me the scholars program is just as good as honors.”

  “Totally,” I say sarcastically.

  “Are your dorms close to each other?” Mark asks.

  “Shockingly, yes,” I say. “They’re both on north campus.”

  “You both have one roommate?” Kara asks.

  “Two,” I say.

  Over the next hour or so, more of my friends arrive. In total, about twenty-five people show up, although some just stopped by briefly before heading to another party.

  “Okay,” Mark says to me as we’re all sitting outside on my deck, “what I’m about to say is not trying to belittle your feelings, so don’t get upset.”

  “You know I’m not easily upset.”

  “From what I saw, your mom actually seems pretty cool.”

  “It’s interesting. I somewhat agree with you. Personality-wise, I think she is pretty uncensored, and it’s neat that you don’t have to watch what you say around her or be on your best behavior, because she’s not stuffy like that. I would hate it if my friends felt like they had to be all prim and proper around her. But regardless of that, she and I still have our major issues. Obviously you’ve heard plenty of stories from me. It’s weird because she and I get along better when we’re in a group, like tonight. When it’s just us two, it’s like we’re closed off.”

  “That’s interesting. And I could see how her being uncensored could lead to comments that are hurtful when it’s just you two.”

  “Right. She speaks without thinking. I’ve realized that it’s not just with me. She says things to my sisters too that really get under their skin. Glad I’m not in it alone.

  “And you noticed that she said literally one word to you tonight, right?” I continue. “You were one of the first people to get here, and she didn’t ask how we knew each other or anything. She didn’t ask me about you when came to see me play at States either. It’s because she doesn’t want to know. But I should try to complain less because it could be a lot worse. And I think our relationship will get better as I get older.”

  I clear some of the plates and plasticware that have accumulated outside. Mark joins me in my cleaning activities while the rest of my friends continue chatting and laughing.

  “Oh my gosh. We have alone time,” I whisper to him after we walk into my kitchen together.

  “Where’s your mom?”

  “Upstairs in her room. She’s there for the night.”

  “Are you having fun?” he asks.

  “I’m having a blast. I’m in heaven right now.”

  “I know you told me to try to not think about this, but tonight has reminded me how much I’m going to miss you next year.”

  “And by ‘next year,’ you mean ‘three weeks’?”

  “Agh! Stop!”

  “But you know what?” I say. “Senior year is going to be awesome for you, and hopefully freshman year will be the same for me. And we will have a lot of stories to share with each other—new adventures, new experiences…”

  He nods. “That’s true. And we’ll have privacy when I visit you…well, except for your two roommates.”

  I laugh. “Oh, right. Them.”

  “When we got back together in May, did you think we’d make it this far?” he asks. I pause to think. “You didn’t.”

  “Let me think. I was cautiously optimistic, but it took time for me to be convinced that things could really work. Not because I doubted us, but because of the secrets and the sneaking around…oh, and your paranoia, of course.”

  “Which has decreased significantly.”

  As we head back outside, I think about what Mark said about missing me next year. As I look at my closest friends talking and laughing, I think about how, in a few weeks, I will be leaving so many of them. Leaving the people with whom I have shared my favorite moments in life.

  No matter how much I want things to stay the same, it’s impossible for that to happen. Friendships will evolve and people will change. I can only hope that everyone here tonight, especially Mark, will be part of the upcoming chapter of my life.

  Mark catches my eye, taking me out of my trance. His face asks if I’m okay. I give him a smile and nod. I’m definitely okay. Seeing him reminds me of that. I may not know what the future holds, but I do know that in this moment, I couldn’t be happier.

  About the Author

  The youngest of six kids (and the only boy!), Brian McNamara was born and raised in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. His favorite hobbies growing up were tennis and musical theater. He obtained a degree in finance in 2009 and moved to New York City shortly after to work for a management consulting firm. Using his own high school experience as inspiration for his debut novel, he is thrilled to publish Bottled Up Secret with BSB.

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