Page 39 of 16 Forever

“Well, if we go, the kegs go too.”

More whisper attacks.

And then Bodhi is nodding. “I know. Of course.Of course.It won’t be a problem, dude, I promise.”

Shana says a few more things and points to him and makes the universal gesture for slit throat across her own neck before stomping inside and slamming the front door shut behind her.

Bodhi trots back across the lawn like a happy puppy, as if hehasn’t just spent 180 seconds in a super intense conversation that ended with his life being threatened. “Okay, we can roll the kegs around the house to the backyard and then—”

“What was that about?”

“Huh?” Bodhi asks. “Oh, you mean the—with her over there? Nothing big, she just, uh, didn’t want us at the party because... we’re not seniors. But I convinced her it’s okay. So we’re good!”

“That’s seriously the reason she flipped out at you? Because we’re not seniors?”

“Well,” Bodhi says, clearly thinking really hard even though he’s trying to make it seem like he’s not, “yeah. Ageism is rampant, I guess. Pretty messed up when you think about it.”

“This is about Maggie, isn’t it?” I ask. “Maggie Spear?”

Bodhi coughs twice. “Muggy? Who’s Muggy?”

It’s so obvious he’s lying I want to laugh in his face.

“Really,” Bodhi says. “Muggy Sphere? Who is that?”

“Dude, come on!Maggie. Spear.The cross-country girl who was in that photo I took. The one I waved to earlier this week. You thought her name was Lindsey?”

“Ohhhh,” Bodhi says. “ThatMaggie. I thought you said Muggy Sphere.”

“Yeah, okay. So obviously I have some history with this girl or something, and—Is she gonna be at the party? Is that the problem?”

Bodhi’s eyes go wide for a split second. Then he regains his composure and his mask of skepticism. “Bruh, how the hell should I know if Maggie Steer—”

“Spear.”

“If Maggie Sphere is gonna be at this party? Yes, I vaguely knewthat was her in the picture because I know who people are at our school. Because I’m on yearbook. So it’s my job to identify fellow students, get it? But it’s not my job to track my classmates in their social life to parties and shit—”

“I know it’s not your job to track people! I’m just asking if that’s what Shana was over there hissing at you about. Should I not be here or something?”

“Well, yes, because you’re a soph—”

“Right, right, because I’m a sophomore. Okay. Fine. Should we take these kegs to the backyard?”

“Definitely,” Bodhi says.

I open the trunk back up.

“Oh, last thing.” Bodhi puts an arm around my shoulders. “Shana doesn’t want us staying here before the party officially starts.”

“Doesn’t it start in, like, twenty minutes?”

“Something like that. But she thinks, like... ifwe’rethere when people first arrive, they’ll see we’re not seniors and think it’s not a cool party and leave. I respect that.”

“You mean if we’re here whenMaggiearrives, she’ll see me and—”

“Look, it’s not my rule!” Bodhi shouts. “It’s Shana’s! And it’s her house! So the alternative is skipping the party, which I know you wouldn’t want.”

“I mean, honestly, I’d be fine to not go to this.”