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Authors: Juliana Stone
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in places. Damaged and worn.
Kind of like me.
Twin Oaks Drive- In.
“Keep going,” Nate urged.
A rusted gate was off to the side, and I snuck a look at him as
I slowly drove up a large hill. His eyes were focused ahead, and I couldn’t tell if he was nervous or pissed off or…or just nothing.
We crested the hill, and I saw a large screen, or rather the
shell of what used to be a large screen, across a huge field littered with broken electrical or stereo hook- ups. This was an ancient
drive- in, kind of like the one from that movie my mom liked to
watch, Grease .
And it was deserted.
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BOYS LIKE YOU
With the sun falling behind the tops of the trees that seemed
to be everywhere, it was also kind of creepy.
“So why are we here?” I asked.
“Just keep driving. Take the path to the right.”
He should know by now that I didn’t like being told what to
do, but considering the shitty night he’d had so far, I was willing to let this slide. “We aren’t doing anything illegal, are we? Like is this trespassing or something?”
Nate shook his head and pointed. Trees surrounded the
entire area like a blanket, and what used to be a food stand was
missing its roof and all of its windows. Chipped paint dressed
the doors and crumbling façade, and the shadows were long
near the entrance.
I followed the path, noticing the worn grooves from tires,
and didn’t stop even when we entered the woods, though I did
slow down.
“Up there,” Nate said.
I glanced ahead and saw that the trees thinned. I also saw
what looked like fire throwing shadows through the branches,
and as we drove into a clearing, I spied several vehicles.
My heart thudded.
I saw about twenty kids hanging around the fire, drinking,
laughing, jostling around. They looked like they were having a
good time. Like nothing was wrong and everything was right.
I pulled in beside a huge, mud- splattered SUV because there
was nowhere else to park and then cut the engine.
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Juliana Ston e
“Are those your friends?”
Nate nodded but didn’t say anything. I didn’t really want to
be here, but I wasn’t sure how to tell him.
“Is your girlfriend there?” I asked instead.
“No.”
The tightness in my chest eased a bit, but it only managed
to irritate me. Why was I so concerned about his girlfriend? It’s not like this— us— was anything. This was just…I rapped my
fingers along the top of the steering wheel, frustrated and pissed off and not really knowing why.
This was nothing. Nate was nothing. I was nothing.
We were caught up in nothing. Together.
“Come on, let’s go.”
Nate had his door open and was out of the car before I could
say anything, and for a second, I thought of driving away. Of
leaving him here and just driving into the night. Going some-
where far where I didn’t have to think about Nathan or Trevor
or Malcolm, or any of the mistakes we’d made to get to where
we were.
“Are you coming?”
He poked his head inside the car, and though there was still
this sort of sadness around his eyes, there was also something
else. I thought that maybe that something else looked good on
him. Maybe I was the reason that something else was there.
My mouth was dry and I tried to swallow. “Why are we
here?” I managed to say.
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11/19/13 10:02 AM
BOYS LIKE YOU
He stared at me for so long without speaking that I felt my
cheeks flush hot, and I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t.
That something else in his eyes touched me inside, and for
just this one moment, it felt better than the nothing that was
usually there.
He closed his door, and I watched him walk around the front
of the car until he was beside mine. Carefully he yanked it open
and moved aside so that I had room to move.
“You said you didn’t want to go home yet.” He paused. “I
don’t want to go home yet
Kind of like me.
Twin Oaks Drive- In.
“Keep going,” Nate urged.
A rusted gate was off to the side, and I snuck a look at him as
I slowly drove up a large hill. His eyes were focused ahead, and I couldn’t tell if he was nervous or pissed off or…or just nothing.
We crested the hill, and I saw a large screen, or rather the
shell of what used to be a large screen, across a huge field littered with broken electrical or stereo hook- ups. This was an ancient
drive- in, kind of like the one from that movie my mom liked to
watch, Grease .
And it was deserted.
72
BoysLikeYou.indd 72
11/19/13 10:02 AM
BOYS LIKE YOU
With the sun falling behind the tops of the trees that seemed
to be everywhere, it was also kind of creepy.
“So why are we here?” I asked.
“Just keep driving. Take the path to the right.”
He should know by now that I didn’t like being told what to
do, but considering the shitty night he’d had so far, I was willing to let this slide. “We aren’t doing anything illegal, are we? Like is this trespassing or something?”
Nate shook his head and pointed. Trees surrounded the
entire area like a blanket, and what used to be a food stand was
missing its roof and all of its windows. Chipped paint dressed
the doors and crumbling façade, and the shadows were long
near the entrance.
I followed the path, noticing the worn grooves from tires,
and didn’t stop even when we entered the woods, though I did
slow down.
“Up there,” Nate said.
I glanced ahead and saw that the trees thinned. I also saw
what looked like fire throwing shadows through the branches,
and as we drove into a clearing, I spied several vehicles.
My heart thudded.
I saw about twenty kids hanging around the fire, drinking,
laughing, jostling around. They looked like they were having a
good time. Like nothing was wrong and everything was right.
I pulled in beside a huge, mud- splattered SUV because there
was nowhere else to park and then cut the engine.
73
BoysLikeYou.indd 73
11/19/13 10:02 AM
Juliana Ston e
“Are those your friends?”
Nate nodded but didn’t say anything. I didn’t really want to
be here, but I wasn’t sure how to tell him.
“Is your girlfriend there?” I asked instead.
“No.”
The tightness in my chest eased a bit, but it only managed
to irritate me. Why was I so concerned about his girlfriend? It’s not like this— us— was anything. This was just…I rapped my
fingers along the top of the steering wheel, frustrated and pissed off and not really knowing why.
This was nothing. Nate was nothing. I was nothing.
We were caught up in nothing. Together.
“Come on, let’s go.”
Nate had his door open and was out of the car before I could
say anything, and for a second, I thought of driving away. Of
leaving him here and just driving into the night. Going some-
where far where I didn’t have to think about Nathan or Trevor
or Malcolm, or any of the mistakes we’d made to get to where
we were.
“Are you coming?”
He poked his head inside the car, and though there was still
this sort of sadness around his eyes, there was also something
else. I thought that maybe that something else looked good on
him. Maybe I was the reason that something else was there.
My mouth was dry and I tried to swallow. “Why are we
here?” I managed to say.
74
BoysLikeYou.indd 74
11/19/13 10:02 AM
BOYS LIKE YOU
He stared at me for so long without speaking that I felt my
cheeks flush hot, and I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t.
That something else in his eyes touched me inside, and for
just this one moment, it felt better than the nothing that was
usually there.
He closed his door, and I watched him walk around the front
of the car until he was beside mine. Carefully he yanked it open
and moved aside so that I had room to move.
“You said you didn’t want to go home yet.” He paused. “I
don’t want to go home yet
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