Page 48 of While the Sun Shines

Before that even, when Drew had wondered at squeezing lemon into a pot of warm milk and been fascinated at how the curds separated from the whey. And then he’d rushed to school the next day, a ball of mozzarella packed against ice and so proudly opened it at the lunch table, Penny and Whit devouring it with their hands.

Penny had laughed while she’d eaten it. This is perfect, she’d said, her mouth full, her fingers tearing apart another bite.

“Penny’s pissed at me,” he whispers.

“She is?” Cooper asks.

“She’s…I dunno.” Drew squeezes the pillow hard enough the down scrunches inside, the feathers breaking. “We kissed.”

“Nice. How fucking awesome, finally, my dude.”

“Not awesome. She’s—I’ve never seen her so upset. It’s—Coop, it was awful.”

“You’re that bad at kissing?”

Shut up, Drew should say. Whack Cooper with the pillow. Roll his eyes and laugh.

He curls in on himself.

Cooper pats his shoulder. “I’d offer lessons but you missed your chance with me, I’m afraid.”

“I don’t know what to do,” Drew says.

“Well, I think it’s pretty clear that you and Abelardo are going to have to duel—though, I think you missed dawn.”

“She said they’re not together.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. No. I don’t know. I totally ruined things between us. What the fuck is wrong with me?”

Cooper squeezes him again. “Drew, you’re my favorite pile of anxiety and mess. Now be honest: did you or did you not simply take a shower, and that’s what incited Penny’s rage?”

“She said—she said she thinks she doesn’t matter to me.”

“Bullshit.”

“She did. She said exactly that.”

“No, I mean bullshit that she doesn’t matter to you.”

“I tried to tell her that, but she didn’t want to hear it.”

“Have you tried again, but without all the vodka and cocktails this time?”

Drew curls the pillow up to cover his ear, as if it’ll block Cooper’s voice. “No way. I’m going to stay here for the rest of my life so I never have to see her again.”

“I thought you were going to live in the tractor bucket. Though, it’s filled with rain now, so hiding in bed is probably the better plan.”

“Exactly. I’m never leaving this room.”

“On the other hand, you two are best friends. I mean, she’s not your best, best friend, ’cause that’s me, but she’s definitely on the list. And you sort of have to work it all out since I’m not going to let you fuck up the great thing the four of us have going here, just because you’re terrified after you accidentally got drunk and kissed your buddy.”

“It’s so much worse than that. She heard—when I told you—Cooper, she knows. How I—how I feel.”

“So what?”

Drew shoves Cooper’s arm off of him. “Look, it’s easy for you to say. Everything worked out for you and Whit.”