Page 20 of The Wicker King

“How could you say that? How could you?” August roared.

Jack looked startled and in pain, but still just as angry.

“Did you forget what happened here? Have I been bringing you here for nothing?” August gestured with a wild sweep at the water. “Did you forget what you said?!”

“What I said? What are you even talking about, August?” Jack rubbed his cheek.

“You said that I was yours!” August shouted. “You grabbed my arm and said I was yours. You might have forgotten, but I didn’t. I can’t. I couldn’t go near water for weeks because I was fucking terrified afterward. I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t taken me. You said that I was…”

“August.” Jack was looking at him like he’d never seen him before.

“It’s been too long for me to change or give that up, whether you believe in it or even … even care.” August swallowed hard. He had never openly cried in front of anyone, and he wasn’t planning to start now. He blinked hard and breathed until he was ready, then began again.

“This isn’t just you, Jack. This is both of us. You’re my best friend. And what you said. It was fucked up. But it’s not stupid or a security blanket or any of that bullshit. It’s real and it means something. Or at least it does to me.”

Jack stared at him. “Is this what you wanted?” he asked. It made August feel weak.

“This is what I thought we were,” August shot back at him.

The river was swelling from its bed, touching the side of his sneakers, though neither of them had moved. Jack nodded, then looked down at the ground, muttering to himself as he tried to understand. Finally, after an eternity, he looked up at August and walked toward him with purpose. With no warning at all, he grabbed August’s hair and wrenched his head back hard, ignoring the gasp that fell from August’s lips.

August closed his eyes. The pain was as bright and hot as the jarringly soft warmth of Jack’s forearm behind his neck.

“Fine,” Jack growled, inches from his ear. “This is your game, August. I’ll play along while you make the rules. But don’t you ever, ever hit me again.”

Jack let go and August fell to his knees.

The other boy didn’t look back after he turned and walked away. As August listened to Jack trudge through the leaves and the rumble of his car as he started the engine, he idly wondered: Does everyone have a friend like this?

OMEGA

It always threw August off guard how contradictory Jack could be. The next time he saw him, it was as if the exchange had never happened. Jack was on his default setting: silly, relaxed, and annoyingly insistent. It was all of the things August rolled his eyes at but actually really liked.

Then there was the other version of Jack. The version August suspected was reserved especially for him. The selfish, demanding, frightening Jack—with his wide eyes narrowed into snakelike slits. A Jack who used his strength to push and throw him wherever he saw fit. Whose intensity made August’s hair stand on end.

He was pretty sure he was in some kind of abusive relationship, but “Angry Jack” was very fucking rare, so he’d decided to hold off on dealing with that for now, even if he still felt the echoes of pain in his scalp. There were bigger problems to deal with right now.

They walked side by side. Jack’s bruise was still ripe on his cheek, and there he was whining about cereal and tossing an apple in the air, like that other version of him didn’t even exist.

THE TWINS

Roger came to school alone that day, and it was a big fucking deal. Apparently, even kids who had been in elementary school with the twins had never seen that happen before. But what August thought was even more interesting was that it wasn’t actually Roger. It was Peter pretending to be Roger.

He’d figured it out when someone in class raised his hand and asked a stupid question. Peter responded by furrowing his brow in contempt. Roger didn’t usually care about that kind of stuff.

August approached him immediately after class. “Where’s Roger?”

Peter raised an eyebrow and looked very amused. “I think you’re beginning to know us a bit too well. Roger is at home. They’re doing drug tests today and he thinks he won’t pass, so I’m taking his for him.” Peter tightened his backpack straps. “I don’t have to say ‘don’t tell anyone.’ I think we have an understanding.”

August rolled his eyes at the threat. “Yeah. Whatever. I was just wondering what was going on, not trying out a new career as a freelance super sleuth. Anyway, I want to hang out with him later. Do you think he’d be up for that?”

Peter shrugged. “Yeah. Probably. He likes you, too, you know. Just don’t mess up our house, and everything will be fine.” Peter tossed Roger’s backpack over his shoulder and walked away.

PERSPECTIVE

Gordie caught up with him as he walked to the bus stop. “Hey. Hey. Who are you going to Homecoming with?”

“Homecoming?” August narrowed his eyes. Was it already Homecoming time?