Afterglow by Phil Stamper

Author:Phil Stamper
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781547608683
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2022-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

• Golden Boys •

GABRIEL + HEATH + REESE + SAL

SNOW DAYYYYYYYYY

after our group hang today can we go sledding??

or a snowball fight? i just got done with pitching practice but i think I still have a few good snowball throws left in me

come on guysssss

H

S No.

G No, sorry.

R Also a no from me.

S We have a strict agenda.

you guys seriously have no whimsy you know that?

H

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

REESE

SNOW. AGAIN.

It’s the first week of March, which is right around the time when I get fully sick of snow. And the cold. I’ve heard the winters in New York aren’t much better than the ones here, even though I have fantasies of myself all bundled up and walking through a secluded part of Central Park, the snow dusting the trees, and everything feeling right.

In those daydreams, I’m distinctly alone. Because I know if I choose this path, if I get into design school and move to New York City, I’ll have to say goodbye to Heath.

The rattling of Heath’s truck wakes me out of my reverie, and I smile and give him a wave from my porch. I climb into the truck and drop a duffel bag under my legs in the front seat.

“Want to throw that in the back?” he asks, but I shake my head.

“Priceless cargo in here. The first dress I’ve ever fully designed and executed.”

He laughs. “I can’t believe you finally did it. And I can’t believe you’re actually going to model it for us.”

“Too weird?” I say.

I’m used to feeling vulnerable. Maybe that’s an artist thing, but whenever I share my designs or drawings, or like when I presented the boys with their own designed charm bracelets, I feel like I’m showing off a part of me. This, though, is so far outside my comfort zone that the pressure is building.

I feel like I need to prove something with this look. Sure, I still don’t know what I want to do with my life, but I’m having fun. That’s all that really matters, right?

“Not that weird,” Heath says. “I’m excited to see the full look. I assume there’s a lip-sync performance to match?”

I roll my eyes. “One thing at a time. I’d really just like to get one good Instagram post out of it, maybe a couple of TikToks that show off the look.”

“Need me to take videos?” Heath asks.

I hesitate. “I already asked Sal to, since he’s, um—”

“He’s way better at taking pictures than I am—I’m not offended.” He laughs. “If we do your show early enough, we might be able to get pics out in Gabe’s back yard.”

“One, I’m not showing off my drag to all of Gracemont. Two, since when do you call him Gabe?”

He shrugs. “It’s something I’ve been trying out. I think he likes it better. And he really did change over the summer. That boy is not Gabriel—he’s Gabe.”

Once we get to Gabriel’s, we go right into the rec room in the basement. Gabriel and Sal sit on opposite ends of the sofa, sharing a long knitted blanket between them to keep their legs warm.

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