Page 51 of Out on a Limb

“And it was a little bit her, too. She liked to complain about everything.” Walker couldn’t remember this girl’s name, just that she hated Teach for America.

The guys looked down at their drinks. Even Walker relented and took a sip. The beer tasted like used bathwater.

“What’s it like being a dad?” Henry asked him. He meant it like any other smalltalk question. What’s it like studying abroad? What’s it like majoring in chemical engineering? Only it wasn’t.

“It’s…it’s great.”

“Cool.” Henry looked down at his phone. But so did most people in here. “Good Lord.” He shoved his phone in Ethan’s face, who burst out laughing. “I know, right?”

“Laura K. Niles needs to get off social media.”

“What do you think of her?” Cameron asked Walker, like he was supposed to know who that was.

“She’s okay.”

“Her music’s glorious, but she’s a trainwreck of a person,” Ethan said. “Did you listen to her new album?”

“It’s out?” Cameron asked.

“She put it on Spotify this morning.”

Cameron whipped out his phone and in a split second was on Spotify, which Walker had just heard about a few months ago.

“Oh!” Ethan screamed, slapping Henry’s arm. “I didn’t tell you!”

“Ow and what?” Henry asked.

“I found Brain Trust’s Instagram feed.”

“I love that band!” Walker shouted out. He received blank stares in return.

More people jostled their way into the kitchen. Walker was practically on the kitchen table. Sweat beaded on his forehead. There was a whole living and dining room.The alcohol isn’t going anywhere!

“Apparently, Brain Trust has been talking smack about us ever since our victory. Are you on Instagram?” Henry asked him. “I’ll follow you.”

Walker shook his head no. “I’m on Facebook.”

He could hear a record scratch to a stop.

“My mom loves Facebook,” Ethan said.

Φ

Walker breathed in the fresh air of the smoker’s porch. The breeze felt extra cool against his sweaty skin. He got some odd looks from the smokers across the way. He did the polite head nod, but that didn’t seem to help. He hoped to hide out here for the rest of the party.

“Catching a breather?” Cameron jumped onto the porch from the kitchen.

“What am I doing here?”

“You’re hanging out with some friends on a Saturday night.”

Those guys were not his friends. They were nice, and they tried, but Walker stuck out. He couldn’t help it. Age wasn’t just a number.

“Thanks for coming. They really were excited to meet you.”

“They seem like good guys. I hope you all stay friends.”

Cameron took a drink from Walker’s beer. He’d only had three sips, and that was just to blend in with the crowd. “Are you still friends with people from Browerton?”