After shutting the door to the trailer behind me, I begin to cross the construction site back to my car. That went so much better than expected, even with Jack and his brother knowing everything. It’s still humiliating having to share what I allowed into my life, how low I dropped, but every time I do, it reminds me that’s not my life anymore. That I’m beating it.

I’m so lost in my thoughts I don’t realize anyone is in front of me until I hear Chuck’s voice, and it stops me in my tracks. “Julian.”

“Oh, Chuck.” Realization dawns on me, it’s almost summer. “Oh, crap. Were you coming back here to work for the summer, again? I can make sure Jack doesn’t put us on the same site together, or shit, would you rather me not work here at all? I can keep looking for something else.”

Chuck frowns and he looks… hurt? “When did you get home? I thought you were going to call me when you got back from rehab,” he accuses me as he crosses his arms across his chest defensively.

Not understanding why he cares, I avert my eyes to the side and shuffle my feet. “I know you didn’t really want me to call. You know, you were my first call to apologize from rehab. Before my parents even, so I appreciate you forgiving me. And you telling me to call you when I got back home really gave me something to hold onto. But… I know you need me to have my crap together before I come around. It’s unforgivable how I turned on you and threw our friendship away.”

“No, what’s unforgivable is my best friend not calling me the minute he got home from rehab so that I could be there for him while he gets his life back together.” And before I know it, I’m enfolded in my best friend’s arms. Tentatively, I reach up to wrap my arms around his waist and hug him back. “It’s been us against the world since we were nine, Julian. Did you really think I was going to throw that away because you went through a bad patch?” Pulling back from me, he lightly grips my biceps. “I told you graduation night to let me know when my best friend was back, and I meant it. And you did, you called me from rehab.”

Tears spring in my eyes as I look into the eyes of my oldest and dearest friend, where there’s nothing but love and acceptance. Hanging my head in shame, I say, “I’m sorry I didn’t call, but... thank you. I could really use a friend.”

Throwing his arm around my shoulder and squeezing my neck into the crook of his elbow, he says, “Me too. Life hasn’t been the same without you.” He drags me with him as he walks back toward the trailer I just exited. “Let me check in with Jack and Vaughn. The year just ended so I want to see where they want me next week.”

“Oh, you’re out for the summer already?”

“Yes, thankfully. Summer vacation started yesterday.”

Shaking loose of his arm, I stop to look at his face, bursting out laughing at the pure relief reflected back at me. “Dude, I don’t know if you ever looked that happy when we got out of school for summer break as kids.” Laughing even harder, I choke out, “Those kids ate you for lunch this year, didn’t they?”

“You have no idea! Holy shit. I started the beginning of the year irritated at the teachers who were grumbling about certain kids a couple weeks in. They kept telling me, ‘You’ll see,’ and I still didn’t believe them. But after Spring break, the kids all lost their f’ing minds. Even my favorites were terrible.” He throws his arms up in the air as he talks like he’s always done when he’s frustrated.

I immediately stop laughing, narrowing my eyes at him. “What? You had favorites? Chuck, I’m shocked at you. You always swore you’d never favor any of your students. You told me I didn’t understand how awesome you’d be when I said it wasn’t possible.”

Chuck shoves my arm causing me to stumble back a step. “Shut up, Julian. I promised I’d never treat anyone like a favorite. But some of those kids are little shitheads, they make it impossible to not want to—”

Chuck is cut off by the opening of the trailer door and Jack’s voice. “I thought I heard you two knuckleheads out here going back and forth. How in the hell have you two been friends your whole lives? You’re always giving each other crap.”

A sense of peace blankets my mind. Jack’s right. Chuck and I had slipped back into the easy dynamics of our relationship like no time had passed at all. Of course, I knew he was going to have kids that got on his nerves, or ones that he favored, but the whole time we were in school he swore that would never be him, that he’d be one of those cool teachers who loved all his students. There had been no thought just now of what to say or how to act, it had been natural to tease him.

As Jack walks down the couple of steps from the trailer, his brother Vaughn appears at the door, smiling down at Chuck. If I was in a different place in my life, hell, if I was anyone but me, I’d try to find out from Jack if his brother is single and gay. Right now isn’t the time though, especially now that Vaughn knows what a monumental screw up I am. “Hey, Chuck. Good to see you back.”

“Thanks, Vaughn. Although, I hope you guys have a site where I don’t have to see Jack every day. I’ve had enough crap slung at me the last couple months with my students. I’d rather not spend the whole summer being called a knucklehead.”

Jack’s eyes widen at Chuck as he shakes his head. “Oh, Chuck, just for that I’m going to make sure you have to see me all the time. Every single day of the whole summer so that I can sling crap at you personally, more than your students could ever get away with.”

Vaughn and I both chuckle at the stare-off the two of them enter into. It’s Chuck who shrugs his shoulders in defeat. “Fine. Fine. I need a job for the summer so whatever you want to dish out, I can handle it.”

Vaughn speaks before his brother can. “Jack thought it would be nice for you and Julian to work together this summer.” He then proceeds to give him the same information they gave me.

“That sounds great.” Turning to me, Chuck says, “It wasn’t the same working without you last summer.”

Jack adds in, “You guys have the perfect foreman for this job, too. You’ll learn a lot. He’s one of the best.”

All three of us turn to him. “Who? They’ve had to have worked with Nathaniel before. He’s been a foreman for you for years.” Jack shoves his hands in his pockets, smiling like the cat who ate the canary.

“Nope, they’ll be working with you of course.”

“No, Nathaniel’s supposed to be overseeing that job.” Vaughn sounds flustered, but I’m more interested in Chuck’s reaction. I side-eye him to see if he responds to the name of the sexy foreman he’s had a crush on since we were sixteen. Sure enough, his cheeks pinken a bit while he tries to keep a neutral expression on his face. Jack and Vaughn are so engaged in their own stare-down, they don’t notice, but I do. I kick my friend’s shoe, causing him to look at me and I wink making his face turn even pinker.

Life had been a constant struggle since only a few months after I moved in with Phillip. There were always rules I didn’t understand but had to live by. People I’d never seen before, and many I never saw again, in and out. Most people were hooked on one substance or another, and not to be trusted. And Phillip was my boyfriend, my lover—but never really my friend. No one was ever Chuck; no one ever came close.

I had spent the couple hours before coming here ready to beg for a job, throwing up and then dry heaving in my bathroom, terrified of what Jack may have heard about me and what he might say. Now I'm gainfully employed and I can finally breathe a bit as my life seems to be back on track. My employer is an old friend willing to take a chance on me, and I have my best friend in my corner again. And as for the third man standing with us, well the prodigal brother is hot as hell with his dark hair and neatly trimmed beard.

I’m jerked back to what’s going on around me when Chuck asks, “Well, Julian, are you in?”

“I’m sorry. In for what?”

“Jack asked if we want to go for drinks with him and Vaughn.”

How did I miss that? Glancing around at the three, Chuck looks hopeful, Jack is smiling encouragingly, but Vaughn is glaring down at his brother. Maybe he’s not that thrilled about me coming to work here. “No, that’s okay. I should probably head home,” I say sadly. It would’ve been nice to spend time with them, but I don’t want to push my luck with Vaughn if he doesn’t want me around, and I sure don’t need to be in a bar.

Vaughn’s eyes jerk to my face, so I meet his searching gaze with my head held high. No one needs to know how I really feel, least of all a man who obviously doesn’t want me around. However, within a minute, his eyes soften. “Julian, you may have missed it, but Chuck means coffee. We’re not going to a bar or anything. Jack and I have been here since early this morning and thought we’d go grab a good cup of coffee at the neighborhood cafe.”

“That—” I clear my throat. “That would be great, actually.”

“Yes!” Chuck gives a fist pump into the air before telling them we’ll see them there and grabbing my arm to drag me back toward where our cars are parked. As we move away, I glance back to see both brothers watching us walk away. One appearing self-satisfied and the other confused. What did I miss when I zoned out?