‘Summer Past: Chapter 3’ excerpt from Forgotten Kids by Laurie Costello.
The privileged neighborhoods were where the foolish resided during unchaperoned and forbidden parties. I had to make my way downstairs; there was enough corruption to laugh at for one evening, and I felt more relaxed interacting with my true comrades.
I descended to the first story and saw some of my football teammates mingling at the base of the stairs, leaning against the railing as if guarding entry to either floor. They were intimidating if not in their good graces, standing tall with their letter jackets, going against coach’s orders and drinking like they were above the law.
Scott was the star, our team’s quarterback, who most people adored. However, any intelligent player or scout knew that the hype was bigger than the talent. He just happened to be the one in the most impressive position, and he used that to boost his bursting ego. I was a soccer transplant used for special teams and a tackling dummy during summer training, discredited as much as Scott was admired—or Scotty as everyone referred to him. His best friends were Joe and Mike—or Joey and Mikey as they appropriately wanted to be called. I always thought it was kind of gay, but no one dared question the homosexual tendencies of a famed jock.
They laughed loud at jokes that weren’t funny as they talked to a couple underclassmen. How these girls were allowed to stay out past midnight at such a young age boggled my mind. This was the first summer I was even permitted to leave the house late on a weekend. Maybe my parents decided that it was time to stop ruining my social life, or maybe they thought I needed to be rewarded after another summer of boring internships and odd jobs, or maybe they were too preoccupied to care.
Scotty flirted with Amber; she was a cute girl, petite, but developing like a sorority sister. She would have been more attractive if her makeup didn’t look like she was a raccoon that stuck its mug in glitter before going off to roam and work the streets after the party. Daddy must not have cared, but it didn’t seem like Scotty did either considering his current girlfriend was having a breakdown a story above. I didn’t care because I was rather mesmerized by Amber’s friend, Nikki. She was adorable and pure with doughy, brown eyes and less than an inch all around to her friend’s frame. She was the perfect amount of beautiful. She flirted with Joey and Mikey, but the interaction seemed humdrum and customary, and when we caught each other’s eye as I reached the bottom of the staircase, she appeared relieved for a moment as her gentle smile extended in slow-motion. I couldn’t escape her gaze.
As I passed by the three jocks, Scotty recognized my presence. “What’s up, bro?”
I nodded and patted Joey on the back with a little more vigor than needed without breaking stride. I despised these boys, but I wasn’t in a hurry to let them know.
“Hey, fellas,” I said, “looks like y’all are having a good time. I’ll catch up with you later.”
I wouldn’t because I had no intention to do so.
“We’re having a fucking great time,” Mikey said with needless exaggeration.
“Yeah, later, bro,” Joey so eloquently added.
I didn’t turn to see if Nikki had followed me with her stunning stare—though it pained me not to—but I could sense her intrigue. I wanted to warn her of those boys, save her from a mistake, but at the same time I trusted that she was intelligent enough not to follow in the footsteps of Amber, who was promiscuous enough to take Scotty’s mind off Wendy. I experienced a second of sympathy for the damsel in distress upstairs, but whenever uncontrollable understanding overwhelmed my feelings, I recalled situations from the past that made these people undeserving of my emotional time.
The crowd was increasing as was the volume of music and exchanges; it was a competition to see who could be the loudest, most obnoxious clique in the house. People were having fun, so there was no reason to preach and destroy what was a joyous occasion for most—on the first floor at least.
…
Carl Lawrence Knauf 