Noah caught the bag and laughed.
“Little shit,” Benji muttered, but was unable to hold back his own smile. It was good to see Max back to normal again.
“Keeping us on our toes,” Noah said.
Benji’s heart gave another stubborn squeeze.Us. Our toes. Like they were part of the same small, weird family.
Noah shrugged Max’s bag onto his shoulder next to Benji’s and held up a hand. “Max! Want to come back here? I have a surprise.”
Max ran back. “A surprise? What is it? Benji, what is it?”
“No idea,” Benji said, narrowing his eyes at Noah suspiciously. “You didn’t buy us the plane, right? What am I gonna do with a plane?”
“I didn’t buy you the plane,” Noah said soothingly.
“Maybe he brought us theairline,” Max said, his eyes huge.
Noah leaned past Benji to meet his eyes. “Did you want the airline?”
“No,” Benji barked before Max could say anything. “Max, quit jumping, you’re gonna trip over something, and we’ll have to use this fancy plane to fly to the ER and skip this whole?—”
The jet door flew open.
Daphne stood in the doorway, decked out in bright blue eyeliner and the hairclips Benji got her for her nineteenth birthday.
“SURPRISEEEE,” she yelled.
Max yelped so loud it hurt Benji’s ears. He tugged Benji to follow him, and Benji stumbled forward, confused and grinning.
“Daph,” Benji said, running to meet her. “What are you doing here?”
“What does it look like? I’m coming on your trip!” Daphne pelted down the steps, and Benji and Max met her on the asphalt in a three-way hug.
Benji buried his face in her hair. She had been the first person outside of his family to hug him, and the first time she’d attempted it back in high school, he almost smacked her in surprise.
By the time Benji drew back, Max was already babbling.
“This is gonna be so cool,” Max yelled. “I have the pamphlet for the resort. Do you wanna see it?”
Daphne leaned down to watch Max dig it out of his pocket.
Benji walked back to Noah, dazed. “I thought this trip was for Max?”
“It is,” Noah said. “Look how happy he is.”
Max looked up from the resort pamphlet, still grinning. “Benji! Daphne’s coming!”
“I’m right here,” Benji pointed out, but Max was talking over him.
“Weneverget to hang out!”
Benji laughed. “She’smyfriend, dude! She doesn’t want to hang out with a middle schooler!”
Daphne gasped, mock scandalized. “Benji! Me and Max used to hang out all the time! I basicallylivedat your house in senior year.”
This was true. When Aunt Nat got diagnosed as terminal, Daphne was over every other day to watch movies, or paint, or make something out of cardboard they dragged out of the school trash cans. Of course, Max joined in, finger painting or cutting himself with scissors when the teens weren’t watching him. Heput together his first circuit board that year, sitting on the carpet with Daphne and Benji painting each other’s nails on the couch above him and Aunt Nat sleeping in the next room. After Aunt Nat died, Daphne was over every day for months. Dropping off food or trying to coax the boys into making some art (Benji) or doing something science-y (Max). And one memorable time, even doing their laundry and a mountain of dishes.
“Yeah,” Max said. “Sorry, your friends think I’m cool, Benji.”
