Young Writers Society

The guest room is too comfortable.

I didn't expect it to feel like I'm at home, to be able to fall right asleep, but I'm nearly drifting off. Too many nights in hospital rooms, on the usually-rock-hard armchair in the chemo room, have made me accustomed to sleeping in uncomfortable places. Sterile white ceilings and the scratchy blanket the nurses would hand me were my life. Dude, my room at home is even like a hospital. I tried not to decorate it, because I needed to save money.

But here, there's a flowery bedspread that used to be Shelby's, and theres a rug on the floor that Mr. McKinney's mom gave him, and on the ceiling are those little glow-in-the-dark stars because this used to be Gray's bedroom as a kid.

I feel like a normal teenager, who goes to the diner with his friends and eats a ridiculous amount of milkshake in an hour. Not the one who works all day and codes to win money. It's like a weight is lifted off my shoulders, but it's bittersweet.

Mostly because I miss Mom.

My phone glows on the nightstand table from what can only be a text from her.

"Hey Seth hoping youre having a good time. please dont text me i wont be able to respond most of the time anyway. i miss you and love you my baby boy."

I tear up at her message a bit, so my phone ends up back on the nightstand. Otherwise I will be crying myself to sleep.

The next morning, I accidentally sleep in. For the first time in months. But nobody tries to wake me up, so that's a blessing. By the time I get up, it's ten in the morning, but when I go out to the kitchen, nobody's there.

Except for Shelby.

"Where is everyone?" I ask, looking around at the space. There is quite literally nobody else there. And the last time we were alone in the kitchen...

"It's Saturday morning. Dad's at work already, Daddy's asleep, Gray wakes up at like, noon. Willa is conked out. This is very normal for us, I assure you," she responds, spreading butter on a piece of toasted bread.

The sun is almost at its highest point, so I can't imagine anyone not being awake by now. I slip into a seat at the kitchen island and just look at her.

Her golden hair almost shines, and it's so softly curly. If I didn't know better, I'd think she woke up early and made it that way. But no, she's just perfect. She's looking down at the piece of bread, with those sparkly eyes.

She looks up. "Do you want anything to eat?"

I try to hide my blushing, but i can't tell if it's working.

"Sure, what do you guys have?" I ask.

Shelby holds up the piece of bread. "Bread, obviously. But I can scramble you some eggs or something?"

"Sure," I respond, but hesitate."If it's not too much trouble."

Her face softens as she goes to the fridge and pulls out three eggs. "I was about to scramble some for Gray and Willa to have when they wake up, so no trouble at all."

I watch silently as she cracks them into her pan and scrambles them with a fork. It seems like second nature for her. After she puts some on a plate in front of me, she leans on the counter.

"Are they good?" she asks jokingly. "I hope they are, because I'm not remaking them for Gray and Willa." I take a bite, and d*mn, they're good. I nod aggressively.

Outside, the mail truck pulls up to the mailbox, and both Shelby and I look over at it.

"Do you want me to get the mail?" I ask. "Since you made breakfast and all."

She looks out at the driveway as if she's thinking deeply about my proposal. "No, I got it. Not doing anything, anyway."

Soon my plate is cleared and put in the dishwasher, and Shelby is back from the mailbox.

"What came in?" I ask.

She leans up against the counter again, and I just can't help but look at her. It's like she's a magnet for my eyes.

"Ad, ad, ad--oh, the water bill came in." She puts that one to the side. "Wait, Gray got something. He literally never gets mail." Just then, a sleepy bedheaded Grayson comes downstairs.

"I heard my name?" he says, rubbing his head. "Oooh, scrambled eggs!"

I turn around. "You got mail." He immediately perks up and jogs over.

"Wait, Shel, give that to me. It might be important."

She rolls her eyes and hands it over just so he can rip the envelope open. He unfolds the letter inside and quite literally jumps for joy, hugging both me and Shelby.

"I made it, oh my god, I made it!" Spontaneously, he does a lap around the living room with the biggest smile on his face, nearly slipping in his socks. Shelby and I look at each other, confused.

"You made...what?" she asks, a questioning look on her face.

Grabbing her shoulders, Gray responds.

"I got into the soccer camp! The one I applied to in January--I got in off the waitlist!"

Shelby's eyes widen. "Seriously? That one?" He nods excitedly. "Oh my god, Gray, you're kidding! That's amazing!"

He turns to me again and hugs me tightly. I can't even imagine what I look like right now, but my mouth is wide open. I had no idea he applied to any soccer camps--though I'm not surprised he got in.

Returning the hug, I whisper in his ear. "Dude, that's amazing! I knew you could do it."

Ending the hug, he picks the letter back up.

"It says I'll get my dorm assignment online..." He looks up at us. "Dorm assignment?" Shelby grabs it from his hand.

"Please pack...oh my god, Gray, it's a sleepaway camp."

He looks up at us wide-eyed.

"What do I do? Will the dads let me go?" He looks straight at me. "Seth, if you don't want me to go, I will so not go. You're my best friend, I'm not gonna let you be lonely."

Although the prospect of a summer without Gray seems dim, I can't let him give up this opportunity. This could be the gateway to scholarships, recruitments, everything he's dreamed of. Just the fact that he would have given it up for me is enough to make me feel loved. He doesn't need to actually do it.

"Gray, you need to go. No question about it. I'll be fine."

He grabs me and pulls me into yet another hug. "You're the best. Like seriously. I don't know what I'd do without you, bro."

"I know you'll do great. Impress all the college scouts, all that. Someday I can say I was friends with the famous soccer player, Grayson McKinney."

He pulls away. "I have to pack! And get ready! It starts two days from now. I need Daddy to wake up so I can tell him.”

The taller Mr. McKinney comes out at exactly that moment. "Tell me what?" Gray runs over to his dad, hugs him, and the explanation begins again.

Although for Gray and his family, it's already sunk in, for me, I'm still processing.

A day later, Gray and I are hanging out at the diner for the last time for eight weeks. It's kind of sunk in now, that I'll be at my best friend's house, but he won't be there. I'll probably just code all day.

Meagan, the cook, pops out of the kitchen to say hi. "You boys are legends. The first to conquer the Mega Shake in years. What do y'all want?"

Gray and I glance at each other. "Not a milkshake, please." He answers. Meagan laughs.

"Pancakes for both of you?" We nod, and she puts the order in. When the come out--perfectly crispy and covered in butter--Gray starts tearing up. The waiter looks concerned but just walks away. To be honest, I'm a bit concerned.

"Gray, what's wrong?" He wipes his eyes.

"This--this is the last diner day for eight weeks. I'm gonna miss these dang pancakes so much." He looks down at them, poking the surface with his fork.

"You're gonna have so much fun, though," I say. I'm trying to believe it myself. "I bet your teammates are gonna love you. I mean, who doesn't?"

He nods sadly, taking a bite of his pancake.

"It's not gonna be the same, though." he says.

I lean closer. "It'll be different. That doesn't mean it won't be amazingly awesome."

Gray lets out a little smile, and I feel accomplished.

My watch beeps with a reminder that Gray has to leave in two hours. "We have to finish our pancakes soon, so you can go have the best summer ever."

That evening, I just lie in the bed of the guest room. We sent Gray off on a bus three hours ago. He looked so excited but you could tell he felt a little bad. And I felt bad for missing him already.

Willa's back at her house, and both the Mr. McKinneys went out on a date. So it's just me and Shelby in the house. She's probably upstairs, practicing for the play, and I'm here. Sulking.

How do we always end up alone together anyways?

Not that she'd want to hang out with me. I thought we had a moment yesterday, but she's iced me out all day.

My phone pings with a text from Gray. It's a selfie with his roommate, who looks like the average soccer guy. That being said, the average soccer guy is pretty nice, so I'm not surprised he and Gray are friends already.

I just feel kind of lonely. At home, I'd have Mom. Here, there's Shelby, but she's not talking to me.

A knock rattles the door and I sit up immediately.

"You can open it," I shout in response.

Shelby peeks through the door. "Dinner?" she asks. I get up to join her.

We sit next to each other at the dining table--it feels weird to sit far apart.

As she's twirling her spaghetti, the whole house is silent. The only sound is the clinking of silverware against plates.

"So, what should we do tomorrow?" she asks. Confusion clouds my brain.

"Do you...want to do something?" I say. Oh my god, that was so stupid.

She laughs. That heavenly laugh that makes its way up to her eyes.

"Yeah, did you think I'd just let you do nothing all day? We might not be best friends, but I'm also bored, and Willa's busy a lot, so..." She looks me in the eye. "What should we do?"

I try to act casual, but my heart is exploding. I'm hopeless.

"It's up to you. I don't really know what to do here, you've been living here for years."

She nods and pulls out her phone. For a while, the house goes back to silence.

Finally, she breaks it. "Okay, I have a plan. We'll leave after lunch tomorrow."

I look at her, and I can't tell if I look lovesick or not, but I don't care.

"Wait, where are we going?"

She looks up from her phone. "I like my secrets, Seth."