Seb and I head to my room after lunch. He turns a basketball game on the tv and hops on the bed, making himself at home. I join him after grabbing one of Mara’s journals to read. It’s…nice. It's like when Jake and I used to hang out. Not really doing anything but being together. “Hey Sunshine, who are the people in the photo?”
I raise my eyes from the journal entry to catch sight of the picture of Mal and Jake in his hands. Inhaling deeply, I decide I can share this part after what he told me earlier. “That’s Mal and Jake,” I reply. “The accident left Jake in a coma. He’s my boyfriend and best friend. Mal is his nurse.”
“He’s cute. You have good taste, Sunshine,” he winks. I never expected that comment from him.
Smiling at Seb, I say, “yeah he is. I visited him every Tuesday and Friday after school in Virginia. Now Mal helps me video call him at the same times.”
“I’m happy you still have him in your life. Tell me about him?” He asks.
“Well, we’ve been best friends since we were five. He beat up a kid who pulled my hair in kindergarten, and that was it.”
Seb whistles. “Wow, that’s a long friendship, Sunshine.”
“Yeah, almost my whole life,” I smile, staring at his face in the photo. “Jake is a fantastic hockey player and made the varsity team his freshman year. He was pretty popular at school, too. He loves photography and wants to be an architect when he grows up. Jake spent as much time at our house as he did at his own. He got along really well with Mom and my little sister. We did everything together.”
“What’s your mom’s name? And your sister’s?” He asks gently, twisting his upper body towards me.
“Mom is Vanessa, and my little sister was Lily, but I always called her Lily bee.”
“Why bee?” Seb asks, reaching behind him to place the photo back on the nightstand. He props his elbow on some pillows, leaning his hand on his jaw, giving me his full attention.
“The first time I held her was when Mom got home from the hospital. I was waiting outside to see them, and when Mom put her in my arms, a bumblebee landed on her. She became my Lily bee.” I smile at the memory. She was so tiny and fragile, all pink and squishy. Mom had her wrapped in a soft, pale pink blanket with a yellow knitted beanie.
“That’s sweet, Sunshine. What were they like?”
“Mom was a graphic designer. She worked mostly from home when we were little, but worked for a small company in town after Lily bee started kindergarten. She was what you’d call a free spirit. Very easygoing and friendly. Nothing ever bothered her, and she was always smiling. She treated Jake like one of her kids. Lily bee was precocious, determined and smart. A bit of a spitfire, too. She could be very stubborn, and she loved to draw, like Mom. Momand I lived with Nana until she passed and left us the house. The four of us did almost everything together.”
Seb reaches over slowly and brushes my cheek with his thumb. I didn’t realize I had started crying. “They sound like amazing people, Sunshine. Thanks for sharing that with me. If you ever wanna talk about them, I’ll happily listen, okay?”
I nod. “Yeah, okay. I haven’t talked about them since that day.”
“Really?” He seems shocked, his eyebrows heading towards his hairline. “How do you feel now, Sunshine?”
“Sad…but good. It’s kinda nice to talk about them with someone, but it hurts a little too,” I reply, wiping a few more tears off my cheeks.
Seb wraps me up in a comforting hug. I breathe in his scent, accepting the comfort of his offering. When he pulls away, I ask him how he met the guys. When Troy moved them all here, Seb was behind in school, and Alex ended up being his tutor. Nick was in a shitty home situation, and when Troy heard about it, he helped Nick get away from his dad and moved him in with them. Seb said the rest was Nick’s story to tell, which I understand. Alex tutored Nick, too. The three guys became friends. They met Bay through Alex, as they were both divers. Seb met E on the basketball team.
“How long have you and E been together?” I ask.
“Caught that, did you?” He smiles. “A couple of years now. Both of us are bi, so there have been girls here and there, but no other guys. It makes basketball trips fun,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows.
A surprised laugh slips out of me. “I suppose it would. Are any of the other guys dating?”
“Are we interested in someone, Sunshine?” Seb ribs me, poking my side.
“No,” I say, wiggling away as I shake my head vigorously. “I still love Jake. I was just curious.”
“Alright, well, Bay has dated a few people, but nothing long term. Alex has a girlfriend, I guess? It’s more about their parents approving of the match, so they date, or pretend to date, to keep the parents off their backs? It’s complicated. Nick doesn’t date ever. He has sex with girls, but just sex. No relationships exist there. How are you feeling about school tomorrow?”
“Honestly, I’m nervous. I’ve never switched schools before.” The thought of all the bullying I endured before makes me queasy. Realistically, I know mean girls exist at every high school. I just hope I can avoid them here.
“Luckily, you have me and the guys, and Gabs. We’ll be in your classes, and you’ll sit with us at lunch. It’ll be fine. Promise.”
“I hope you’re right, Hurry.” Hmm, that just slipped out, but it seems appropriate considering how fast Seb talks. I think that will be my nickname for him.
“What? What’s a Hurry?” He asks me, sitting up from the pillows, brows furrowed.
“It might be your new nickname,” I smile at him.
